#she also said she'd been planning to ask him to walk her home after the party so she could invite him up to her apartment

[princearthasmenethil]

once, when i was sad about jaina, kel'thuzad told me about the worst date he'd ever been on and made me swear to never tell anyone, but he's dead now so i'm telling all of you.

anyway, there was this fancypants mage party in dalaran, and kt said he hadn't planned on going, but then this super hot alchemist bribed him an obscene amount to go and bring her as his date and let her tell everyone he'd asked her to come with him as his date and she'd said yes out of pity. turned out that she had some kind of asshole arranged fiance and she figured going to the party with a member of the council of six was a great excuse to not go with her fiance. according to kt it was so humiliating that he went home alone and cried himself to sleep.

[ikeuverse]

NEW BEGINNINGS — l.heeseung

PAIRING: dad!heeseung x fem!reader  GENRES: fluff, humor, a pinch of angst  WC: 8.7k+

WARNINGS: mention of unwanted pregnancy, turbulent relationship, drinking, some swearing. let me know if i've forgotten anything too.

SYNOPSIS: flirting with your brother's brother-in-law wasn't in your plans after returning from studying abroad. it wasn't something you were going to stop either since heeseung was the epitome of beauty. but when there's another woman's name in the story. what happens? you don't want to be caught between a betrayal… or so you thought.

NOTES: i think this turned out a lot cuter than i intended. initially it was going to be very short, but i wanted to add a bit of plot and maybe add a one chapter or two to it to give more attention to yn with the little one and the development of her relationship with heeseung. i hope you like it!

part 2 | masterlist

Studying abroad for your university degree was a dream. Spending two years in Barcelona seemed like such a distant dream, but in the blink of an eye, you were already on Spanish soil. And as if that were fast enough, those years passed so quickly that before you knew it, you were back in the apartment you shared with your younger brother.

Sighing, you threw yourself on the sofa and let the tiredness of the trip take over. Smelling the familiar scent of Jay's cologne that hadn't completely disappeared.

Being back was incredible. Now, finally, you could work in your field and be close to your family too. It hadn't been that long, but you still felt sad not just because you missed them, but because you had missed important moments with each of your family members.

Like, for example, when your parents bought their dream house. Lots of rooms to welcome their children and anyone else who wanted to sleep over. A backyard so big that it had room for your father's gardening, a swimming pool, and a small hut where your mother made a studio for whatever artistic thing she was obsessed with at the moment.

You also missed out when Jay started dating her in his final year at university. The girl was simply incredible and you got to know her over a video call, but it still wasn't the same. It was different from his older sister's attitude – even if it was a year apart – where his girlfriend would come over to your parent's house, you'd make a huge fuss and a fake scene of jealousy.

Not that you weren't jealous of Jay, but Heejin was so sweet and loving that all you could do was sigh and smile at her as she introduced herself on her cell phone screen and told you that she was looking forward to meeting you in person.

And Heejin threw such a big party as soon as you arrived. She was in charge of making the snacks and taking them to your mother's house, telling you so much about her that you were dizzy, smiling from ear to ear at the girl's excitement. Jay watched in the background, laughing now and then when you looked at him, silently congratulating you on having found someone as nice as her.

"Do you like chicken? I learned how to make this chicken paste last week and Jay loved it, I think you'll like it too" she said shyly, handing over one of the snacks she'd brought.

And she got it right. You loved it so much that you even asked Heejin to make it the next time you two met. Which never took long because she was always at her apartment with Jay or her parents' house.

It seemed that as well as being a sister-in-law, you had found a very good friend.

"I'm home" Jay announced loudly as soon as he walked through the living room door, making you abandon your thoughts completely as you jumped onto the sofa "Did I scare you?" he laughed as he looked at you, messing up your hair before walking past you and straight into the kitchen.

You stood up, walked over to where he was, and leaned against the doorframe to watch your brother get a bottle of water from the fridge.

"So" Jay turned to you, his breathing a little labored and you noticed that he was completely sweaty "I came running because it's going to rain, don't think nonsense" he warned you, noticing that your expression began to change as soon as you saw his state.

Your laughter filled the kitchen along with Jay's, and he walked over to the worktop and sat down on it.

"I didn't think anything" you held up your hands to defend yourself, biting your lower lip to hold back another laugh "I got home from mom's a while ago, I was lying there thinking about so many things."

"About what, for example?" Jay came around the counter and sat on the stool behind you. This forced you to get down and turn around to face him, watching your brother still enjoying his cold bottle of water.

"About how, even though I love Barcelona, I've missed out on a lot with you all here."

"Come on, y/n. We've already had this conversation" Jay warned.

And it was true. He knew how much you wanted to complete your fashion course abroad, but at the same time, you didn't want to leave your parents. Jay chose to stay, earning well-deserved recognition at the gastronomy school in the city itself while supporting you every second.

"I know, but I can't get this weight off of me" you pursed your lips, forming a pout that he grimaced at.

"How about we go out so you can forget about it?" Jay proposed, seeing you try to hide a smile as he leaned over the counter and took your hand "Come on, I still have some friends you know who are dying to meet you again."

"Who, for example?" you asked.

Jay seemed to think for a moment, remembering all the people from his college that you knew. Even though you only studied with Jay for a short time, it wasn't enough to get to know all his friends or maintain a lasting friendship with them. Since your brother was well known, you were afraid that he would approach you just to get to him.

"Sailor will be there" Jay shrugged, knowing that she was the first girl you'd made friends with on the design course, "and that insufferable Jake."

"Oh, my little brother will be there?" you smiled dreamily, seeing Jay roll his eyes.

"Little brother? That son of a bitch is just my childhood best friend, not your little brother, y/n."

You laughed so loudly that you saw Jay shrug his shoulders as he did so. Going around the counter, you hugged your brother and laid your head on his shoulder, sighing a little lighter after talking to Jay. It always calmed you down.

"I'm going to love hanging out with them, and especially with you."

Jay kissed the top of your head and you could feel him smile with his lips up there after he returned your embrace. His fingers were cold from the bottle he was holding, now gripping your body as he got up from the bench to stand next to you.

"So get ready, because we have this program every Friday. And you're part of it from now on" he said, pulling away from you and telling you that he was going to take a shower because it was too sticky.

You just agreed, thinking of preparing something to eat with your brother after he got out of the shower. And you started to get a little more excited until Friday arrived to meet up with some friends again, and finally go out with your brother after so long.

"Why do you spray so much perfume?" you almost shouted from your room as Jay passed you in the hallway of the apartment, stopping walking and heading straight for your door.

"I sprayed it a couple of times" he said "Okay, four" he corrected after noticing your serious countenance looking at him "I get nervous every time I go to meet Heejin, so…"

"That's cute" your lip formed into a pout, beckoning him into your room while you finished getting ready "But I don't think she'll care how smelly you are or not. Considering we're going to a nightclub."

"You're right" Jay tried to relax, throwing himself onto your bed in a lazy way. "It's just that I never stop thinking about how much I can impress her since we started dating, you know? It's so different."

"How different?"

Having these conversations with Jay was something you loved, mainly because it felt like he was older and not you. So listening to him ramble on about something or even vent about anything made the two of you feel even closer to each other.

Hearing how in love your brother was made you so happy and smiley, even more so because every time he mentioned Heejin, or even you said her name or said you were talking to her, Jay sighed. A complete fool in love, you joked.

He never denied it because he really was. And it was clear every time you saw the two of them together since you arrived. Holding hands, caresses and hugs, declarations and compliments. Something so loving that there wasn't even room to tease your brother about how sweet he was being.

"We can go now" you said after a while when Jay again told you how he felt about Heejin. And how he was afraid of losing her.

Your role as older sister was to make sure that your younger brother was doing a great job and that he was an amazing guy. Not to mention that the two of them got along very well and had your approval, so that was enough.

Jay left that apartment so happy that he was smiling to the parking lot, then with you to the club to meet the rest of his friends. He didn't even notice the smile, only when he arrived and felt his jaw aching after talking to you so much.

"Hold my hand so you don't get lost until we find the guys, okay?" you just agreed as you headed for the entrance to the club and Jay gave you the names for access.

Entering the venue, you and your brother had to dodge a few – a lot – of people dancing back and forth, others trying to make conversation with both you and him, but backing away when they saw you holding hands. You caught a scream in your throat and then laughed along with him, people probably thought you and Jay were a couple because you were holding hands. Ew.

"Finally!" the voice shouted from ahead and you looked over Jay's shoulder.

With his free hand, your brother nodded and then continued to approach until you were close enough to let go of your hand.

"I thought you weren't coming" Jake ruffled Jay's hair as he approached the group, hearing the boy's curses before turning his eyes to you "Little sister!"

"Little brother!" you replied with the same excitement, only for both of you to tease Jay, who was cursing at both of you. Jake was quick to run towards you and hug you.

"Don't ever travel that long again, I've missed you so much" he whispered while still hugging you.

"I promise I'll take you with me next time" his smile widened so much that you swore his cheeks were sore from smiling so much.

Saying hello to Sailor, your only friend from university, was something you were looking forward to. She had been one of the only people at the beginning of your school year before you moved to another country, who came to talk to you without any interest in your brother. Sailor was so nice, communicative, and giggly. The two of you got on so well that even when you moved to Barcelona, contact wasn't lost. Your happiness was undeniable when Jay told you that she was still in the group of friends, now as Jake's girlfriend.

Sunghoon was another friend of the boys that you got to know as well, arriving close to high school where he was drafted onto the soccer team that Jay and Jake played on. Of course, the three of them would become friends. He introduced you to his girlfriend. Joan, it wasn't someone you knew, but she seemed nice because she complimented you a lot and even asked how you were able to put up with a bunch of boys without slapping any of them.

Maybe I slapped you here or there, but I swear I could have done more. Joan's laugh was cute, and Sunghoon's small eyes when he smiled as he listened indicated that this man had been completely snared.

"Hi, y/n. I'm so glad you came" Heejin, your sister-in-law. So beautiful, with a comforting hug and very caring. You remember that, ever since you arrived, she asked Jay if you were all right every day.

"I guess you'll all have to get used to someone else in the group" you told her as you hugged her, tightening your arms around Heejin. She kissed your cheek and then pulled away from your face a little.

"Oh, this is going to be amazing. This way my brother won't feel so lonely" she whispered because she was too close to your face, so her voice wouldn't be hard to hear. You frowned at that, what do you mean her brother?

You hadn't paid attention to the people around you unless they came to greet you. Or you hadn't taken the time to notice who was with your group until your eyes shifted from Heejin's face to focus on the male figure next to the three boys.

Of course, you'd heard about Heejin's brother and even seen some pictures of him with Jay on social media. But you were so focused on your studies or even on finding out how your brother was doing that you didn't even have the luxury – or the time – to go and find out who Jay's new friends were, apart from the ones you already knew.

Heejin gradually moved away from you and, at the same moment, the only boy who hadn't said hello was waving to the boys and heading towards you and your sister-in-law. He couldn't take his eyes off you and you couldn't take your eyes off him, it was as if neither of you wanted to miss each other's next move.

"Hi" what a voice that is, my God. You wanted to shout to yourself "I'm Heeseung."

Heeseung, of course. The name wasn't strange. Considering how many stories Jay posted with Heeseung, who was always at parties with your brother.

"Hi, I'm y/n" even if he knew her name, it wouldn't hurt to introduce yourself, right?

By now Heejin had already stepped aside and let you talk to Heeseung, but you hadn't even bothered.

"Now I have someone to keep me company," Heeseung smiled and you swore you let out a loud sigh, but because of the volume of the music he hadn't heard. Good!

"Why? Are they that bad?" you asked Heeseung.

He leaned a little towards you, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans as he shrugged in the process. Heeseung's breath smelled of strawberries, so maybe he'd had a drink before you arrived.

"Wait until everyone's drunk" he whispered, "You can bet on which couple gets the hottest out of all of them."

"Can we bet money? Me and you?" your eyes lit up at the word bet, looking like a child who had just heard the most magnificent thing in the world.

Heeseung wanted to ignore the way he was smiling so much, feeling his heart skip a beat with your smile and your gaze so close to him. Even though he had leaned towards you just to talk. He wanted to think so, after all, you were all out clubbing, and if he wanted to have a conversation with you, he'd have to get closer.

And because you were so beautiful and smelled so good, he was simply attracted.

"I didn't bring that much money today" Heeseung pursed his lips "But we can bet drinks at the bar, what do you say?"

"Will you buy me one?"

"Now? Of course" of course, he had to stop this "I need to show you the best drink in this place before you get hooked."

"Do the honors, then" you smiled back at him, almost shouting when Heeseung's hand gently touched your back. Even though no skin was exposed because your shirt covered most of it, his fingers seemed to have shocked the spot.

Heeseung felt a warmth emanating from his fingertips and wondered if he had overstepped any boundaries since he had touched – even on your back – without your permission. But as soon as you started walking, being guided by him, the boy saw no problem in following you with his hand still touching you.

"Hey, Mingi" Heeseung waved to the bartender as soon as you and he arrived at the bar. From the intimacy, the place seemed to be frequented quite often by him and your brother's friends. The man behind the bar waved cheerfully.

"The usual?"

"Actually, I'll have a Rum Punch" Heeseung's slurred accent almost made you sigh again, but you held back only because he held your gaze even though he was talking to the bartender in front of you "For this young lady here."

"Oh, new here?" Mingi began to prepare the drink, showing off his skills with the utensils and how to stir that metal glass that you didn't even know didn't spill a drop.

"I've been away for two years" your voice came out a little louder than you would have liked, but Mingi smiled and shook his head "I'm Jay's sister."

"No kidding!" he seemed shocked by the information and you almost asked if it was bad to be Jay's sister or something "Jongseong, that ugly guy, has such a beautiful sister?"

Shit, your cheeks started to heat up. But you couldn't tell if it was because of Mingi's compliment or because Heeseung's hand slid from your back to your waist. He was still touching you, and it didn't seem to bother him or you.

"Here, Miss Park" he smiled after placing the glass on the counter, "enjoy the best of our bar."

You thanked him and took the glass, turning to face Heeseung.

"I hope you like it because, honestly, it would suck to say this is the best drink and have you hate it" he pressed his lips together, looking a little apprehensive about your reaction. You laughed at how cute he looked, agreeing with a little nod.

Touching your lips to the glass, you took a small sip just to test it out. As Heeseung said, it would be a shame for you to hate something that he advertised so much. But no, you loved it! And your murmur of approval only made his smile grow even wider, so you took another long sip before offering it to him.

"Come on, have some since you introduced me to it" you smiled at him as you tilted the glass for Heeseung to take. But he seemed too busy still holding your waist, with both hands this time. One on either side of you, making you want to scream and at the same time take a step forward and stand so close to him.

That drink wasn't taking effect that quickly, but it was Heeseung's fingers on your body that were making you like this.

So you held your breath a little when he leaned over, touching his lips to the glass and looking at you. A silent request for you to turn the contents just right because he wanted to drink from your hand. Heeseung wanted you to give him the drink.

And you did.

You carefully turned that glass until he had a good sip and then turned away to wipe his lips with the tip of his tongue and moan in satisfaction at the liquid going down his throat.

"Like I said, y/n" he said, his eyes wandering around the club and then finding you again. Heeseung leaned close enough so that his face was close to yours – for the second time that night – and his gaze quickly fell to your mouth "This is the best drink in the bar, and the night is going to be so long that we can try as many as you want" why had he whispered that part? Why was Heeseung whispering while staring at your lips?

You just nodded, sipping some more of that good, newfound liquid, as you felt him pull you into the middle of the dance floor.

The boy was right, it was going to be a long night.

You didn't know that your sister-in-law was a graduate in the same field as you at university in Barcelona. You also didn't know that you would receive an offer from the studio where she worked and, a few days later, be hired.

You also didn't know that your relationship with Heeseung had become pure flirtation, smiles in each other's direction and gentle touches on the hands, waist, and even long hugs when he went to pick up Heejin and ended up giving you a lift too. Or when he went to visit Jay to play video games in his living room. You also didn't know that you would let Heeseung lean his head on your shoulder and fall asleep so deeply on the first night of movies in your shared apartment with your brother after Sunghoon said he didn't want to go clubbing that day.

Everything was going so differently from what you had envisioned for your return to the city, but no way could describe the way you felt with Heeseung. Because it was different, wasn't it? You felt that way.

Because you didn't feel a chill in your stomach when Jake laid his head on your lap after coming home from work, or you didn't feel your face heat up after Sunghoon kissed the top of your head when you all decided to meet up for dinner. So why did you feel those things with Heeseung? He also lay on your lap, he also kissed the top of your head. But only he was able to take away your sleep some nights, resulting in you being almost late for work and hearing Heejin ask if everything was okay.

"Jongseong was playing late again?" she asked angrily, making you laugh.

Thinking about your brother, you wanted to answer but settled for pressing your lips together to avoid smiling.

"I've just had a bad night" your lips quickly curled into a pout and she imitated you.

"I know someone who can help you with that" Heejin hummed, picking up her cell phone and typing a few things as she watched you go to your desk.

Trying to stop her from talking to Heeseung was practically impossible, as she and Jay did a great job of making you feel awkward in front of him. But not in a bad way, not at all. The two of them only managed to make you shyer and shyer every time something happened.

Do you need help with the popcorn in the kitchen? Heeseung, help y/n. I'm watching the movie with your sister.

Are you going out for dinner? Heeseung and y/n sit next to each other, their seats already assigned.

When you all decided to go to the amusement park together and he wasn't too keen on entering the castle of horrors? My sister will hold your hand and, if the fear goes away, you can kiss her as a reward. Jay's sentence could have been a whisper only to him and Heeseung, but because you were so close, it was sure to have been heard.

"Y/n, I… I'm sorry—" you took his hand, entwining your fingers in Heeseung's as you smiled at the boy.

"You heard my brother, right?" now Heeseung felt even more courageous with your words. So he could kiss you after everyone had passed through that castle of horrors? Surely he wouldn't miss it.

But he did.

As soon as you all left, Heeseung received a call that he urgently needed to go home. You didn't object and the others seemed to understand perfectly when the boy said goodbye, you being the only one who received a quick kiss on the cheek before he ran out of the park.

"I wonder what happened?" Sailor asked as you all started walking to the park's next attraction.

"Maybe it's because of Aimi, he said he'd be alert in case he needed to go home" Jake intertwined his fingers with Sailor's and walked beside her.

Just then, you stopped. Wait, Aimi? Heeseung had someone else? No, it couldn't be.

All that time you two were exchanging, you were being part of a betrayal? Holy shit. It couldn't be possible.

The whole situation put a lump in your throat and your stomach began to churn. You walked with your friends out of sheer habit, seeing that they were all in the queue for the rollercoaster. By instinct, Jay looked in your direction and saw how scattered you were, walking over to stand next to you.

"It's just a rollercoaster, you know? You don't have to be scared" he joked, laughing a little as he put his arm around your shoulders.

Trying to be gentle, you pushed his arm away, starting to feel a weight on your chest that you didn't even know existed.

"I… I'm going home" your voice came out shaky. Shit, don't do that, y/n!

"What? Y/n, is everything all right?" Jay looked at you now rather worriedly, holding you by the shoulders and, once again, feeling your hands drop as you walked away.

Your brain didn't process the fact that your legs were quickly pulling you out of there, walking away from the roller coaster queue while you listened to the boys calling you. You ignored it completely and walked to the parking lot where you tried to look for your brother's car since Heeseung had left and you had gone with him to the park.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit" the curses were starting to flood out of you as your eyes stung, but you weren't going to cry. Not because of that.

For God's sake, the two of you hadn't even kissed, why feel so stupid?

"Y/n, I found you!" Jay was panting behind you, having stopped running and feeling his heartbeat speed up even more from the little exercise he'd done to find you.

He then walked towards you very slowly, trying to catch his breath and testing whether he could do it since you had pushed him away twice in less than a minute.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked "It was the rollercoaster game—"

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" you interrupted him.

Jay frowned in response, glancing at you as soon as you stopped right in front of him and caught a glimpse of your face in the dim light of the amusement park parking lot. He saw your watery eyes and knew you could cry at any moment.

"What about?" he asked you again, and you realized that it couldn't be that he knew either since, in your brother's mind, you were like that for the roller coaster. But wasn't it obvious that it was for Heeseung? It didn't make sense.

Your chest ached a little more when you remembered his static face when you left quickly and how your friends commented on the girl so naturally that it was as if you weren't there.

You opened and closed your mouth, tried to say something and nothing came out the way you wanted it to. It sucked that everything was like that. When you finally plucked up the courage to talk to your brother, your phone rang, startling you both.

The handset came out of your back pocket and Heeseung's name flashed up on the screen. You didn't realize the grimace you were making until you looked at Jay and saw that he was waiting for you to pick up, but you didn't. You simply hung up. You simply hung up.

"What's going on?" he kept looking at you.

"Nothing" another ring from Heeseung and you would have hung up if Jay hadn't been quicker and answered on the second ring.

"Hey dude, it's Jay" you could hear Heeseung's voice in the background, but you couldn't understand much of what he was saying. Something seemed to touch the back of your brother's mind because he laughed deeply as he looked at you.

What's funny, asshole? You hissed while he still had your phone to his ear and was talking to Heeseung.

"Maybe that's why, but I'm not the one who's going to explain it to her" your brother's gaze was mixed as Heeseung said a few more words and the two finally hung up.

"What the fuck was that, Jay?"

"Heeseung called me… I mean, he called you to explain why he'd left so quickly" he told you.

"I think Jake already did that" you shrugged, showing how encouraging the conversation was because your sarcastic smile said it all.

"Listen, sis. It's not that—"

"Jay, please don't" you whimpered "I'm feeling terrible because all this time no one told me that Heeseung had someone else and we were acting like…"

"A couple, I know" you really hated it when Jay was able to complete his sentences more directly because maybe you would only respond like two people with more touches "That's exactly why he needs to explain it to you, not me."

"I don't want to listen, thank you."

"But you kind of will" he pursed his lips and put his hands in his trouser pockets, running his tongue over lower lip to suppress a smile "Because every two weeks Heejin and I go to Mom's for lunch, and this time since you're here, I'm going to make a point of calling Heeseung too."

"You wouldn't do that…"

"Oh, I would" Jay smiled this time.

And you knew for sure that your dear brother would be able to do it.

You felt like jumping over the kitchen counter and lunging at Jay, but you were left to stir the chocolate in the pan to make a ganache for dessert. Your brother, smiling even too much, put the tomato slices in the glass dish while looking at you now and then and holding back a laugh.

"Cancel it with him, please" you almost cried, almost got down on your knees to Jay begging him not to come.

"Nope" he hummed, excitedly, "I like having my brother-in-law here. Besides, Mom loves it when he brings Aimi along."

"You're a motherfucker—"

"Hey, why am I being cursed at?" your mother chimed in. Jay burst into laughter and you just rolled your eyes, choosing to forget the conversation.

But your brother seemed to have plans to annoy you all weekend, and it was only Saturday. You wouldn't be able to stand it without hitting him once.

"I was telling y/n about Aimi" Jay said.

"Oh, I miss her so much" your mother said with such love that you rolled your eyes at the melted chocolate just so you wouldn't have to face the two of them who were heaping praise on Aimi.

For God's sake, did they have to do that in front of you? Maybe your mother didn't know what had happened between you and Heeseung, so the poor thing wouldn't be punished by your eyes almost shooting her. But your brother would. That asshole was going to pay dearly for every mention of Aimi's name and the way he openly smiled at you after saying it.

It didn't make sense for Jay to tease you about it, it didn't make sense for any of your friends to be into that sort of thing. Everyone there was dating, so why did things have to go that way with Heeseung?

Had Jay already cheated on Heejin, so he was an accomplice? Or had Jake and Sunghoon also been unfaithful, hence the partnership?

It wasn't easy to get into your head and you spent almost the whole week mulling it over, as well as running away from all Heejin's questions and why you were ignoring her brother.

"I just… I don't know, Heejin" you replied.

But she knew, of course, she knew. The only way to understand what was going on was to ask Jay, and like a good gossip, he would tell his girlfriend. Heejin even thought about clearing up the misunderstanding, but as her boyfriend had said, Heeseung was the one to do it.

So it was easy to convince him to go to lunch at your mother's house. You wanted to think it was because of the pool out back or her food, not because he had to explain something to you because you didn't want to hear it.

You refused to fall for his charms while he explained why he had cheated on you for a long time – totaling a month and a half, unfortunately, you counted – only for you to discover that there was another woman. And it wasn't even Heeseung who told you, it came out of Jake's mouth.

If your friend hadn't said anything at the amusement park, would you have known about her? Or would you continue to be fooled until you kissed Heeseung, fell even more in love and then he left you?

"Shit" you cursed quietly when the doorbell snapped you out of your thoughts.

All the food had been ready for a long time and you and your brother had decided to wait, sipping a glass of wine that your mother always left out for you to enjoy while they cooked.

It had to be the Lee siblings, so you decided to fill your glass and lean on the kitchen counter, not having the courage to move your feet as your brother walked past you and smiled with his mouth against the glass he was drinking.

"My love" Jay called out, and you knew it was Heejin he was greeting.

"Heeseung, Aimi!" that was your mother, and your stomach immediately churned at the mention of her name "Y/n, come over here."

I don't want to.

You should answer, that's what you had to do.

But contrary to your thoughts, your feet betrayed you and made you walk to the kitchen door so slowly that you were almost dragging yourself. Perhaps the glass of wine could have helped and stopped you from hugging them both, it would have been a perfect excuse while you just greeted everyone and went back to the kitchen.

As soon as you arrived, your eyes went straight to Heeseung and… A child? Heeseung was holding a little girl in his arms and she was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen.

Dark hair, curious eyes, and flushed cheeks. She closed her little eyes as she smiled when Jay approached to take her in his arms, hearing the most delightful giggle you could ever remember a child having.

"Hey" Heejin greeted you before anyone could say anything. The two boys were very entertained by the little girl, who was mumbling a few things and talking to them, while your mother was already looking for a cartoon channel for her to watch "Are you okay?" your sister-in-law toasted with her full glass, and it was then that you noticed that she was holding Jay's glass.

Your head just nodded, saying nothing until Heeseung's eyes landed on you. He frowned when he saw how much wine was in your glass and you couldn't hide it since, as it was full, any sudden movement to place it behind your body could cause it to tip over.

Jay still had the little one on his lap and held her hand as he turned to you. She smiled in your direction and you tried to smile back, begging the heavens you hadn't made a face to scare the poor thing.

"Hi, y/n" Heeseung said directly to you as soon as you arrived at your mother's house. You shook your head at him, a silent way of saying hello. Your voice would waver if you said anything since it was the first time you'd seen him since the day at the amusement park, so you couldn't risk having a shaky, slurred, or harsh voice. So just a nod would be fine.

"You can choose any cartoon that uncle Jay will watch with you before lunch" Jay raised his hand and the little girl clapped it, making an animated hi-five as you watched your brother walk over to the sofa with her.

Your eyes lingered too long on the two of them animatedly chatting about the colorful cartoon characters that you didn't notice that Heejin had gone to talk to his mother and Heeseung was standing in front of you.

Hands in his pants pockets, hair slightly mussed, and biting his lower lip. He looked a little apprehensive for his taste.

"Y/n…"

"Bathroom" the little girl announced before Heeseung could even finish his sentence. He quickly looked over to where she was sitting and excused himself as he picked her up.

"Ready to use the bathroom?" he had such a beautiful smile when he talked to her that it seemed too encouraging, you almost forgot that you were angry with him "I'll be right back" Heeseung said before disappearing down the corridor in search of the downstairs bathroom.

That's how long it took you to stare at Jay and take a long sip of your wine before you saw him return with the little girl still on his lap.

"I did it, uncle Jay" she celebrated and Jay got up from the sofa, picking her up again.

"You were amazing, you know that? Your dad and I are so proud of you," he said.

Dad?

You bit your tongue to keep from screaming at that moment. The only thought running through your mind when Heeseung was still in the middle of the room but with his gaze fully on you.

"Y/n, that's Aimi" he pointed to the little girl who, as soon as she heard her name called, turned towards him "My daughter. And sweetie, this is y/n, uncle Jay's sister."

"Fuck" you whispered so quietly, not out of indignation, but because there was a child and you couldn't swear at her.

So your only reaction – apart from widening your eyes – was to gulp down all the wine and feel it burn your throat as you ran to the kitchen.

Your luck was that Aimi only nodded for a few seconds before turning her attention back to the drawing she was watching with Jay, so your state of panic hadn't had much effect on her. Unlike Heeseung, who walked in quick, hurried steps to the kitchen to chase after you.

The search for the wine was tireless. That bottle had run out a while ago and all you had to do was find another that your mother kept right there, but no. Those hands stopped you from opening it. Those hands stopped you from opening the mini cellar under the counter and made you turn to him.

"Wine won't help you much" Heeseung whispered to you.

"I just need to… I…"

"You need to sober up because I think we need to talk, don't you?"

Why did he have to whisper everything? And why did Heeseung have a relentless habit of leaning towards you every time he stood in front of you to say something?

"It's okay" was the only thing you managed to say because the next second his lips were on yours. Briefly, a kiss so quick that you couldn't even process the softness of Heeseung's mouth against yours.

"Great choice of wine, by the way" he licked his lips before leaving the kitchen, just as quickly as he came in after you.

Heeseung was right, you two needed to talk. You were just putting it off all day because you felt like a complete idiot, thinking all sorts of bad things about him and your friends when, in fact, Aimi was just a child. And Heeseung's daughter.

All right, he also felt stupid for never mentioning it since the first time you and he started to get even closer, but the real thing was that he was afraid. He didn't want it to always be the same.

You swore that every moment at your parents' house would lead to a conversation with Heeseung because he never took his eyes off you, only to look in on Aimi or help her with something when no adult was doing so. He was such a helpful father and that only made your heart swell even more for that man.

Your mind just didn't process the fact that little Aimi would be clinging to you the moment everyone sat down to lunch.

"Sweetie, let y/n eat…"

"Dad" she pouted as she sat on your lap, smoothing her long hair so that it didn't fall on the plate in front of her.

"It's okay, I think I can help you, can't I, Aimi?"

"Yes" she turned her head to look at you, and that smile like her father's made you smile too.

Aimi was polite, only asked for your help to cut things she had difficulty with, and ate her vegetables without complaining while Heeseung just watched until she finished eating so she could get off your lap. So you could eat right then.

You noticed that Aimi sulked throughout lunch while the others ate until they finished their meal and she held out her arms to you.

"I thought we were going to watch a cartoon" Jay pouted when he saw that Aimi hadn't gone to sit on his lap.

"Actually, uncle Jay thought he'd get away with doing the dishes" you pretended to whisper to Aimi, hearing her giggle immediately afterward "But I think she'd rather stay with auntie y/n now, wouldn't you?"

When she nodded, it was enough for Jay to make a scene in which Aimi laughed even more.

Spending the afternoon with that child was the most incredible thing that could have happened to you over the last few days.

Watching cartoons with Aimi, hearing about colors and how she could count to forty. Or how she knew about animals because uncle Jay had given her a book that made sounds with a magic pen. And he bragged about the compliments in the present.

You felt your heart warm even more when everyone decided to spend time in the back garden, your lap serving as comfort for Aimi who played with the end of your hair until Heeseung signaled that she had fallen asleep on your lap. You didn't mind. She didn't weigh anything, she was cuddling you so comfortably and her little body was sleeping so nonchalantly that you just held her there and paid attention to Heejin's words, who was telling you about something at work.

Your eyes caught Heeseung's from time to time, and he couldn't help smiling as he looked at you and then at Aimi. Your daughter had liked you and that made Heeseung feel better, maybe the fear had passed and he could talk to you.

"Hey, y/n" Heeseung whispered close to your ear. You did everything you could not to move abruptly and not wake Aimi on your lap, so you just looked at him, noticing that his attention was everywhere but on what was happening in front of him.

Now it was your father who was talking about something you and your brother had done during a family vacation. Heejin laughed, asking something and you simply decided to pay attention to the man next to you.

"I can take her inside, I think I'll put her on the sofa because it's getting cold and your arms will go numb afterward" he kept whispering, making you laugh.

"I'll help you" you also whispered, settling Aimi in your arms and getting up with her still on your lap.

This was quite common, considering that Jay was always the one to take Aimi when Heeseung went to family lunches. But now you were there, placing Aimi on the three-seater sofa, wrapping her in cushions, and taking the blanket from Heeseung's hands to cover her carefully.

"She's beautiful" your voice came out so low, the compliment was so natural that you only noticed when Heeseung leaned his shoulder against yours and let out a low laugh.

"I think I did a good job" you laughed along with him, looking away from the little girl to the boy next to you "Do you have some time for me now?"

"Of course."

It couldn't be put off any longer, you knew he wanted to talk too so maybe it was time since everyone was talking outside and Aimi had gone to sleep. It was just you and Heeseung on the other side of the room so as not to wake the little one.

Being on the smaller sofa had never been a problem, but the proximity to him was what was making you apprehensive. Their legs touching each other, Heeseung's hands searching for something to hold, opting to leave it on his knees as he looked across the room. He looked at his daughter.

"It happened in the famous cliché of the first one-night stand in university" he moistened his lips and laughed humorlessly, then looked at you and bit his lower lip "Aimi's mother didn't want to keep her."

"What?" your eyes widened at that. You noticed that he sighed, perhaps he was about to tell you something difficult, so your instinct was to take one of his hands in yours, intertwining your fingers and showing that you were right there. Next to him, listening very carefully.

He sighed, taking a little more courage.

Heeseung and Jay had met and it wasn't by chance, they had been assigned roommates in university as soon as Heeseung had been admitted to his course. He and the boys have been inseparable ever since.

Like any university party, which you knew your brother was part of, Heeseung also liked to have fun like any other adult who had just been admitted and wanted to enjoy his youth. But irresponsibility got to him.

Unprotected and fruitless sex only happened in the movies his sister watched, because it wasn't like that with him. Months later, the news that the girl was pregnant devastated him and he wasn't sure what to do, but he thought that they could take care of the baby and that he would be there to help her.

That's not what happened. Heeseung lived on threats all that time.

I don't want to keep this baby unless you stay with me.

It was cruel, she was cruel to Heeseung. But what could he do? That woman was carrying his baby and he could only try to do everything to please her until the child was born. Aimi was beautiful from the first minutes of her life and was the joy of the Lee family.

"I think we should break up" that sentence made Heeseung sigh with relief, he knew it wouldn't last in a relationship that he had sustained only for the sake of the child.

Agreeing was the only right thing to do. But he also didn't know that she would give up any contact with the little girl, literally taking away any responsibility, walking out and never getting involved in the little girl's life since birth.

"The guardianship is completely yours, and she will never go near my niece again" Heejin had done everything since the second she found out she was going to be an aunt, and she had done everything could to make sure that woman would never go near Aimi.

Almost three years passed and he thought it would be difficult, but no. Heeseung was a father – solo – but he had such an immense support network, like his friends, his family, and Jay's family. Aimi didn't miss a mother figure in the slightest because she was surrounded by the love he always knew she never lacked.

Heeseung's fear revolved around any relationship that wouldn't accept his daughter, or that the child's mother would somehow resurface trying to give up something she never had a right to just because he was moving on with his life.

"I don't think you need to worry about that" you said in a low tone, letting him breathe a little after telling most – or almost all – of the story, "Heejin made it very clear and you know how much weight her words carry."

Heeseung laughed.

He clasped his hands even tighter in yours, tilting his head to rest his forehead against yours too.

"Believe me, over the years I've tried to get into relationships and one of them said that I spent more time with Aimi than with her."

"What—" you moved away for a few seconds, just long enough to face Heeseung, and then returned to your starting position, leaning your forehead against his "I think the danger now is that I'll be spending more time with her than with you."

"Will I be double-changed?" false indignation in his voice and Heeseung's hands loosened from his for a brief moment. You would have protested at the loss of contact if it hadn't been for his fingers slowly trailing up your cheek "If that's the case, I'll take it just fine."

"Then start thinking about it, Lee Heeseung."

"I'm thinking, Park Y/n" and then his lips met yours halfway.

A slow kiss and the perfect movement of each other's lips in such calm synchronicity. It was as if they both needed it as their tongues moved slowly, tasting the drink from hours ago and how Heeseung's warm muscle curled into yours. Your hands met his on his face, deepening the kiss even more and letting out a sigh when he slid down the sofa to be even closer to you.

That kiss was on another level, you felt like you were in paradise while Heeseung's lips were still on yours.

He slid his mouth along your jaw and down to your neck, small kisses left on your skin making you shiver completely until they were interrupted by a whimper.

You and Heeseung separated very slowly, both of you looking at the other sofa and noticing that Aimi was starting to cry quietly as she stood up, scratching at her eyes and with her hair completely messed up.

Heeseung got up from the sofa where the two of you were, walked over to his daughter, and bent down in front of her.

"Hi my love, did you have a bad dream?" he asked her, the little girl's eyes going to her father and they were completely watery. She held out her arms for him to take her, and so Heeseung did. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked back, with no reply. Aimi still had a pout on her lips and her eyes were almost streaming with the tears she was holding back.

That was enough for you to pout at the scene in front of you, holding back a scream as Aimi looked at you and her eyes lit up.

Her little arms went out towards you so excitedly that she almost threw herself off Heeseung's lap. You quickly got up from the sofa and picked her up, kissing her on the top of the head before making her lie on your shoulder.

"Sweetie?" Heeseung called out after she had snuggled into your lap.

"I want y/n" she said sleepily, yawning as she lay on your shoulder and practically falling back asleep within seconds.

You and Heeseung looked at each other, holding back a laugh as the little one went back to dreamland after being snuggled in your arms. He approached the two of you, kissing Aimi's cheek and then kissing your forehead before placing his own against it. Faces close together.

"I think I'm getting your daughter for myself" you hummed, kissing his lips in the process.

Heeseung laughed, nodding in denial as you moved away to go to the larger sofa in the living room.

He wanted to deny it and play with you, but seeing Aimi on your lap and that scene in front of him, all the fear Heeseung had was gone for sure.

© ikeuverse, 2024. do not copy, translate or steal my stories.

[ashwhowrites]

Can you write an Older Neighbor! Perv! Eddie Munson x reader, where she's new in the town and she just moved in right next to Eddie's house, and he sees her the first time and he's like I want her to be my girl, or smth like that, and he's all flirty and all that with her, and they do end up sleeping together, (but he's a perv!) And after some time, they start dating? (Maybe fluff/smut, please? 🥺)

I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting <3

⚠️pretty smutty, Eddie is very dominant and pushy. Trigger warning - Eddie forced the reader to have sex without a condom ( she likes it ) Eddie is a perv!- keep in mind with his dialogue

Oh neighbor

Eddie had been eyeing the empty house next door. He watched as months and months went by and the house still was up for sale. He didn't care too much for his old neighbor, and he hoped the next one wouldn't be as annoying.

Eddie went for a run every morning. He was older and understood his diet of cigarettes and beer wasn't going to help in the long run. His white tank top clung to his sweaty body as he ran up the hill. His music blasted in his ears as he made it over the hill, his house in view. But also, a moving truck in the next-door driveway. Eddie planned to just go inside. Greeting a new neighbor wasn't something he cared to do. Until he saw the neighbor.

A younger girl, grunted as she carried heavy boxes into her new home. Eddie didn't realize he was standing on the sidewalk, his eyes zoned in on her. And on the way she bent over, giving him a glimpse of her breasts. Eddie couldn't help but feel a twitch in his cock, his hand immediately going down and adjusting.

He smiled when she looked up, her eyes meeting his.

"Hi!" She said excitedly. Her voice was sweet and higher.

"Hi." He said, a smile on his face as she walked closer to him. Her breasts bounced as she moved and Eddie loved it.

"I just moved in, I'm Y/N!" Eddie barely heard her. His focus is on her breasts. His eyes traveled along with the drops of sweat that went down the center of her chest.

"Eddie." He muttered out. "Boyfriend coming to help, or do you need a hand?" He asked.

He felt a sense of pride when she checked him out, her eyes focused on his arms. Eddie may have flexed when he noticed, then enjoyed the way she shyly looked away.

"No boyfriend. Help would be lovely." She said. And Eddie agreed, but her bouncing on his cock would be lovely too.

Eddie kept his word and helped her move everything inside. He stayed to help her put up shelves and other things she needed a hand with. Eddie needed her hand for some help.

Even though it was sweaty and tiring work, he enjoyed sneaking glances at her ass when she'd bend over. Or when she reached up high and her thong poked out from her shorts. And he enjoyed it when she hugged him goodbye and her breasts pushed against his chest.

~~~

After that, they became close friends. Y/N enjoyed spending time with him and drinking some beers as they watched sports. She didn't question Eddie's interest in her or question why he seemed to only spend time with her. She figured he was a friendly neighbor.

But with Eddie, he didn't do anything unless it benefited him. Sure, he liked spending time with her. But more importantly, he wanted to mark her off from the rest of the neighborhood. If a neighbor showed up, he was there behind her with a smirk on his face. The neighborhood was filled with old single men. The only type of people taking up a one-bedroom home, except for the young girls just starting their life. Unaware of the preying eyes that lurk.

"Thanks, gorgeous," Eddie said, taking the cold beer from Y/N's hand. Y/N blushed and looked away. Eddie always had that effect on her. He made her nervous and giddy.

She didn't say anything as she sat next to him, she turned on the TV as the game started. Eddie's arm wrapped around the couch, resting behind her head as she moved slightly into his body. Even though he did it every single time, her heart would skip a beat. Then he'd do this thing where he'd reach down and squeeze her shoulder, then return it to the couch. And Y/N couldn't help but love it.

She wasn't a fan of the male gaze and she always tried to hide from it. But the way Eddie looked at her made her feel unstoppable. He looked at her with so much hunger that it made her shiver. No matter what she wore, his eyes were glued to her. Something about his older eyes and rough hands made her crave him.

~~~

It was the Stanley Cup Final so they decided to go out to the bar to watch it. Y/N stressed for hours about what to wear. It wasn't a date and she knew that. But she'd be damned if his eyes looked at anyone that wasn't her.

She grabbed tight jeans and a jersey. Confidence in her bones as she did her makeup and hair. When she felt loved by the reflection in the mirror, she began her walk to his house. She felt her insides warm when he smiled at her. His smile always gave her butterflies.

"Baby looks sexy." He complimented, a wet kiss on her cheek as he passed her to go out the door. He reached behind him, locking the door. She smiled as she felt the roughness of his beard still on her skin and the wetness of his lips. She blushed at his compliment, happily taking his hand as they walked to the small bar down the road.

It was a small town, and that meant sleazy guys at bars who didn't understand no. Y/N moved closer to Eddie when she felt that male gaze that made her sick. Eddie's arm wrapped around her.

"Fuck off, she's taken." He growled as a guy whistled as they walked into the bar. Y/N smiled at the idea of being taken by him. She wanted him to mean it, but he probably said it to help the men leave her alone. Eddie slipped his hand into her back jeans, and Y/N swore she felt his squeeze a tiny bit. But when she looked at him, his eyes were on the screen.

They sat at the bar for hours, laughing and cheering for their team. A platter of onion rings and cheese curds was in front of them next to their cold beers.

"Gonna run to the bathroom before the last period starts," Eddie said, a kiss planted on her forehead and a ruffle to her hair as he walked past her. Y/N groaned as she fixed her hair. Eddie enjoyed that she was young because he felt like he could treat her young. Y/N found Eddie's age a turn-on, but his teasing was so elementary school. Like when the guy bullies the girl he likes. And she loved it. She wouldn't mind if he yanked her hair and ran away.

Y/N peeled the coating off the onion ring as she watched the commercials. A body next to her caught her attention. A random man sitting there.

"I'm sorry! My friend is sitting there." She said politely.

"Why don't I keep it warm until she's back? Pretty young girl like you shouldn't be left alone." The man said, his finger running down her face. She shivered in fear and moved her face out of his reach. When Eddie called her a young girl, she liked it. But hearing it from a loser at the bar made her feel sick. "Been years since I've had young pussy."

"Okay, not happening. My boyfriend is in the bathroom and he wouldn't like the way you're talking to me, and neither do I. So leave." She said as strongly as she could. Praying the man didn't hear the shakiness in her voice and how her leg bounced.

"But I thought you were with a friend?" The man said, smirking as he caught her lie. "So is it a friend or boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend," Eddie said from behind her. Y/N felt all the air return to her lungs when his voice reached her ears. She looked behind him, a terrified look in her eyes. Eddie felt a twig in his heart at how scared she looked. But also felt a twitch in his cock by the way she looked at him for saving. Her scared puppy eyes.

"So beat it or get your ass kicked. Up to you." Eddie shrugged, his jaw tensed and clenched.

The man held up his arms and went to walk away. "Actually, on a second thought," Eddie said. Y/N was confused until Eddie punched the guy straight across the face.

"That's for thinking about her."

Eddie's hand grabbed hers as he walked them out of the bar.

"We don't have to leave! I'm sure he won't bug us now." Y/N said, she knew it wasn't her fault but she couldn't help but feel guilty about cutting Eddie's night short.

"You being comfortable is more important, we can go to my place and finish the game. Just you and I." He said, his hand slipped into her back pocket again.

Once they made it back to his house, she headed for the couch, but Eddie's hand laced with hers and he walked her to the bedroom. She wasn't sure why. He didn't say a word, just letting her hand go as he began to take off his jersey. She tried to move her eyes away from his toned chest. His chest hair and tattoos. Then his happy trail that traveled down to his jeans.

"Got something there." Eddie teased, his thumb wiped away the imaginary drool at the corner of her mouth. She felt her whole body flame in embarrassment.

"Oh, hush." She said, pretending he didn't get her flustered....again. He didn't stop there, his hands on his belt as he removed his jeans. Y/N gulped as his boxers came into view. More tattoos scattered on his thighs and she tried not to whimper. He was always toned, and his arms were always strong and attractive. But she never thought she could find legs attractive. But the black ink and tight muscles did wonders for his body.

"The game?" She squeaked out, her eyes scanning the room. That's when she realized there wasn't a TV. She didn't have time to be confused, in seconds her back was against the bed and his heavy body was on top of her.

"Mhhm, this is my game." He said, his hand skimming down her body to take off her Jersey. She couldn't help but feel so turned on by the way he took control. She shivered as her skin hit the air. He took in the sight of her bra, before moving down to yank down her jeans. She didn't protest, she wanted this in so many ways.

"Ever since you moved in, I've been dying to know what your beautiful cunt would smell like." His words made her shiver. Anything he said somehow was the most attractive thing she's heard.

She moaned when he bit at the small skin above her panties, then his head moved down. His lips kissed her cunt over her panties. She could feel a wet spot growing. And she whimpered when his tongue flicked the wet spot. She wanted to hide her face in embarrassment.

"Wet and gorgeous." He said into her panties. His lips still left small kisses as his nose inhaled her scent. His nose rubbed her clit and she felt her body twitching.

"Smell so innocent and pure." He growled. His hands yanked her panties to the side as he attacked her cunt. His tongue licked between her folds as his nose kept rubbing her clit. She never had someone attack her cunt with so much need. He ate her like he was starving.

His growling and desperation had her dripping. Of course, his tongue lapped all of it up. Her hands were in his hair as he continued his attack on her cunt. She felt powerless in the best kind of way. Like he was on the hunt for her and she was compelled to lay there and take it all.

"I've thought about this pussy since day one." He said in between breaths, then his lips back on her cunt.

"What about it?" She gasped out. She wasn't sure she ever experienced a man being so captivated by her body. Maybe it was an older guy thing.

She whined when his warm tongue left her, but his fingers replaced his nose as he rubbed her clit.

"How you tasted, how wet you can get. How delicious you smell from miles away." He growled, his words doing things to both of them. His cock was aching in his boxers, but his fingers didn't leave her clit.

"How innocent your cunt would be as I completely drilled myself into you. No mercy on how tight your cunt is. Because now it's mine and I'll do whatever I want with it." He said, his fingers gone from her clit, his hand slamming down to smack her aching cunt. She whimpered loudly, tears spilling down her face as she felt herself pulsing and clenching.

"Fuck, Eddie." She moaned.

"Mr. Munson to you." He said, another slap to her cunt.

She whined as he took out his cock. He was so red, long, and thick. The veins travel to his leaking tip.

"Condom?" She gasped out as his tip teased her clit.

"Nope. I'm gonna fill you to the brim with my cum. You're mine now and not going anywhere." He growled, his hands on the side of her head as he pushed himself into her. He shivered as her cunt clenched around his cock. She cried as he forced his cock fully inside of her. She felt the way he dreamed she would. He enjoyed how tight she was and forced her body to take him.

She was so warm and he wanted to keep his cock in her forever.

"Oh my god." She moaned, his thrusts were fast and hard. The sound of his balls smacking against her skin made her cunt clench. She knew Eddie was a dominant guy, but the way he fucked her for his needs made her want him even more. She loved the idea of being owned by him. The condom was the last night on her mind as she felt every vein in his cock rubbing against her.

"See, so much better raw. I can feel every fucking inch of you. Pretty cunt just gripping me, wanting to keep me inside. Greedy little girl." He teased, a smirk on his lips as he kept his eyes on her.

Her brain barely focused on the words he said, too fucked out. But somehow being called a little girl by him felt like she was being scolded and she was surprised how much she loved it.

"Make me cum, Munson." She begged, her fingers scraping down his back. An animal-like growl left his throat as he felt his skin being carved into it. His fingers worked perfectly on her clit, she came with a loud whimper. Her back pushed off the bed as her chest smacked into his. His arm wrapped around her, holding her against him as he fucked into her. He moaned as he felt his pubic hair soaked in her.

"Look at that mess you made." He mocked, yanking her hair and forcing her to see his drenched hair and how wet his cock looked slipping inside of her.

"Squirted all over me." He smirked, his lips crashing down on hers as he emptied himself inside of her.

~~~

A week passed after the best night of her life. And in the best way possible, Eddie was more obsessed with her. She was claimed as his and he made sure to show everyone.

At the grocery store? The second she bent over, his hand gripped her ass. No care about the older couple that gasped and ran.

Getting gas? He had her pressed against the car with his tongue in her mouth.

She lost all control around him. She found herself doing things she never thought she'd do. He had her bent over her car in daylight in the middle of the driveway.

Had her quietly screaming as his fingers pounded inside of her at the movie theater.

"I love you." He whispered into her ear, his arm wrapped around her as they rested in his bed.

"I love you." She said, resting her eyes. Half way asleep until she felt his cock entering her again for the fourth time that night.

Tags!

@bmunson86 @mxcheese @ladymunson @michaelfuckinglangdon @z0mbie-blah @biittersweet @mirrorsstuff @somethingvicked @micheledawn1975 @ago-godance @magnificantmermaid @tlclick73 @hargrovesswifee @cityofidek @manyfandomsfanvergentreblogs @silky-luxe @lokiofasgard616 @loving-and-dreaming @eddiemunsonsbitch69 @thegemaqua @ashlynnkennedy @strangerthingsstories5255 @harringt8ns @pleasinghellfire @whoscamila @stusdollface93 @gretavankleep37

[cipheramnesia]

Part 4: A Midnight Summer Dream

a story by @rox-and-prose and @cipheramnesia

Luna was a pale sliver of paint in the stars, a slip of the brush in the forever of the sky.

"That's it," Michele Loren said. "This is where we head our separate ways for the moment."

Laika took her hand of the control vines for Genghis Khan as she stared wordlessly. The earth civ moon, original version, a system unto itself. She had devoured all she could find about Luna, the multifacet god, in hopes to understand the call she felt in the days after leaving home. She'd put the hope of seeing Luna with her own eyes at the bottom of a box and buried the idea. Her muzzle hung slightly agape as she searched for something momentous to say, to share with GK how much it meant to be in the here and now.

She noticed Sy was watching her, and the dryad smiled and glanced away when he saw her seeing him. She blushed and her face felt hot, and she forgot her train of thought.

"I never imagined I'd rob the moon," she said.

"You're only robbing a very, very small part of it," Cat Nguyen corrected.

The crew of the Paperclip were sharing the bridge of Genghis Kahn, with varying expressions of perplexity on their faces watching the werewolf executing the peculiar movements and footwork involved in manipulating the various switches and nerves and pedals essential to a Pilot. Even Doc seemed entranced, silent through all the system jumps, or structure solutions, or whatever GK liked to call them. All except Dandridge who returned to the Paperclip immediately in a sullen huff, vowing never to set foot on GK ever again. Laika was going to need to find out what exactly GK had done to piss him off so bad.

Now they were gathering up helmets and and gloves for their envirosuits, looking around for just the right way to excuse themselves from the room which Laika had seen enough of before she was eight to recognize. "Okay," Loren said. "Well, you know. This should go fine, just stick with the plan, keep it simple, you know."

"I can do better than that," Doc (Laika still hadn't figured out if the woman was Blake Sloane, or Sloane Blake, or something else), pushing her bracelets along with the sleeve of her purple, double breasted, knitted suit jacket. "I can stick the plan to me." There was a mess of writing which Laika deeply hoped was meant to look smeared and half erased on Doc's forearm.

"That's, that's a great- Good job Sloane."

"Doctor Blake, why can't you ever get my name right?!"

"I'm sorry. Doctor Blake. Fantastic work as always." Loren turned to Laika. "Look, I don't know how to uh. You know how much work this has been for me. Well, just be careful. Make sure next time I see you, you have the godseye or Doc, or both. Or don't let me see you again?"

"Is that a threat," Sy asked.

"Think of it as friendly advice," Loren said.

"And also as a threat," Nguyen added, despite Loren's sharp look. "What?" she shot back at his frown.

"Do I have do go with these guys?" Sy looked at Laika who said "no" at the same time as Loren and Nguyen said "yes."

"We'll keep our end," Nguyen said, "along with your friend. You keep yourself along with Doc."

"Who you wouldn't be sorry to see killed, I gather."

"We'd prefer she come out of this mostly intact," Loren sounded almost apologetic.

"Okay, okay, fine. Let's not draw this out, I get it."

Loren breathed a small sigh of relief and Nguyen just smiled. "We'll get going then," he said.

"Take care of yourself," Laika gave Sy a shoulder pat as he walked by, then impulsively pulled him into a hug.

"I'll be good," he said into fur. "You have the hard job."

"Pulling off the heist?"

"Being alone with, uh, the Doc."

Loren and Nguyen waited at the entryway to the bridge. Laika set down Sy from the hug and stood her full height. "Oh," she said. "Before you go? GK, please threaten them."

Its voice coming from nowhere as usual, GK said, "Thank you Laika, for this commendable request. Captain Michele Loren of the Paperclip, please prepare for receiving a threatening missive."

"What?"

"Captain Michele Loren, Pilot Cat Nguyen, and the remaining crew of the ship Paperclip not present aboard myself, I am placing you under the advisement that should even the smallest fraction of an injury occur to Pilot Laika Blackwood, or Sy Drangea, electrical engineer, I will track you to the end of earth civilization space, and to parts unknown. You will never know safety or peace for as long as you remain alive. I will find your dreams, and take them from you. There will be no power up to and including the total heat death of this universe which will stop me from extracting your lives in payment. If you die, I will find yours souls. I will tear apart the essence of your beings. I will disperse the electrons of your bodies into every star of this universe. I will burn your souls to ash. Nothing will remain. Please ensure Sy returns safely to me upon our next meeting."

Loren stared, open mouthed.

"Uh," said Nguyen, "You're... really good at that."

"Thank you," said GK. "Your praise is insignificant to me. Please have a safe trip."

[abiiors]

haunt // bed - pt. 1

a/n: a while ago, i wrote do me a favour after which i said, i would write a matty hate sex fic. well this is it (and perhaps a bit more than anyone asked for), read dmaf again if you want to refresh your memory, or don't. there are 3 parts to this + an epilogue. i also know very little about western weddings, so ignore the inconsistencies lol.

a note about the banner: the photo in it is only meant to describe the dress, not the race, body type, hair colour, etc of the reader <3

minors dni! part 2, part 3

wc: 2.7k

see u in an hour xx

charli’s text flashes on your screen, illuminating a small corner of the dimly lit room. it’s not that late in the day, in fact, it’s quite early—only about 10 am. you’re supposed to be hurrying around the room, checking for any last minutes things you might have forgotten. you won’t be back home until tomorrow after all. yet here you are, surrounded by the things that should have been packed in your bag last night. 

the dress, laid out on your bed, feels like a weapon; red silk slippery enough to slide between your fingers effortlessly. “a wily vixen”, that’s what charli had called you when she'd seen you in it for the first. the thought of that day—bridesmaids dress shopping with four other excited girls—brings a small smile to your face. 

everything laid out here is a weapon really; your four-inch, sharp heels, the delicate and dainty diamond jewellery, the makeup you plan on wearing—blood red lipstick, a perfect shade match for the dress. an expensive crystal bottle of the same perfume you have used for the past six years. 

familiarity breeds contempt. familiarity is also an excellent knife to twist in someone’s gut. because everything here, today, is meant to maul and wound him.

see you in an hour babe, love you. you write back and chuck your phone onto the pillow where it bounces a little before nestling between its creases. you stare at it, maybe your body still yearns for a call that will never come? no more can’t wait to see you up there. no more cheeky selfies in a state of half-undress. just a smooth, black screen.

right then…time to get going. 

charli has been flittering around the room for the last twenty minutes. her white dress fits her like a dream, her makeup is a work of art and her excitement about marrying george is so palpable in the room that at least one person squeals or sighs every five minutes. 

most importantly, the smile on her face is a permanent fixture. and every time you look at it, a warmth spreads through your body. she deserves this—the happiness, the celebration. the happily ever after. no matter how your marriage ended, you won’t stop believing in it for her. 

“so!” charli walks over to you and takes your hand, “how do i look?” she twirls and the dress swirls around her, the tiny crystals catching light and making her shimmer like starlight.

you laugh in response, “like george is about to go into cardiac arrest the minute he sees you!”

the pair of you giggles like teenagers. you can so clearly picture it before it has even happened. the joy and love that will shine on george’s face; his excitement, quiet yet infectious and for a brief moment you’re transported back to your own walk down the aisle. 

small, unsure steps, worried about falling flat on your face in those tall heels, but all of that had evaporated the second you had seen his tear-stained face. and the bright smile that had bloomed a split second later. 

but that’s how long the ache lasts; a brief moment. it’s bad enough that you’re going to have to be civil to him, there’s no need to make it worse with unnecessary nostalgia. 

besides, there’s her to think about. 

she in question is a beautiful, leggy blonde who is at least seven years younger than him. not that you’ve seen either of them today…yet. it’s only because you and charli got drunk one night, four weeks before the wedding, and she felt bad about keeping it from you that matty had a plus one. and that’s how you fell into the rabbit hole of scrolling through this girl’s Instagram profile at two in the morning. 

if you thought you knew his type, you would be dead wrong. physically speaking, she is the exact opposite of you—someone who looks like they belong on a giant billboard in times square, perfect and stunning. then there’s the more questionable aspects of her feed. the flat tummy tea adverts and the paid partnerships with various brands that are always under fire for being unethical.

but that’s the ugly green monster rearing its head. it’s not like you aren’t known for indulging in vanity every once in a while. 

she will be here today, no doubt, clinging onto his arm like a decorative little thing—woah, where did that snide thought come from?! you shake your head to yourself, at least a little embarrassed. he’s not even here yet and he’s already screwing with your head; pushing you back into old jealous and insecure habits. someone clears their throat. 

nora, one of charli’s longtime friends, has her champagne glass raised. a toast. she takes a deep, shaky breath and smiles tearily at the room, about to give her sentimental speech when a resounding knock echoes and cuts her off before she has even begun. 

five heads turn to the locked door and you happen to be standing closest to it. 

‘i’ll get it,’ you tell no one in particular, hand already on the doorknob. the possibility of it hits you way too late. 

it hits you right as his clean-shaven face comes into view. 

it has been ten months. ten months since you gave up the last name healy and changed it back to your maiden name on all your official documents. it had felt like a form of catharsis, getting it done with such urgency back then. but you also remember the days when you would be asked to state your full name and stagger a little at how odd it sounded to no longer have healy in it. to not have a ring around your finger to fidget with. no one to hold you at night. 

but back to now. back to here. 

it’s not hard to see that he has changed a lot in the last ten months. he looks serious; not necessarily sombre—it’s his best friend’s wedding, after all—but mature, more grown up. the grey in his hair, in his beautiful curls, is now much more prominent. the crow's feet around his eyes are more or less the same (and it sends a small pang through you; has he not laughed recently?). his mouth holds—held—a faint smile that’s already slipping, already morphing into a thin line. the exact same face that you woke up to for years now turning into a mask of carefully arranged neutrality.

“charli,” he whispers roughly and then clears his throat, “here to check on charli.” and just like that, he steps past you and into the room where he’s engulfed into a hug by the bride (and slapped on the bum by another bridesmaid but you ignore that for now).

pointedly, you also ignore the sting that comes with being sidestepped so easily. 

you stand by the door, back still to the room, for a second longer than necessary. it doesn’t even register that you’re letting the warm spring air in. is this really how little seeing you impacts him? it must have. because if he’s here then she is also here. 

“tell him i’m fine!” charli’s voice brings you out of your thoughts, making you shut the door softly. “and tell him not to meddle, i’ve got my girls.” she looks at you over his shoulder and throws a wink. your gut tells you it’s nothing but a charity gesture, just trying to gauge the tension between you two. guilt gnaws at you—she shouldn’t have to play peacemaker, she shouldn’t have to worry about two adults behaving themselves. 

“only doing my duty here,” matty raises his hands defensively, “keeping the groom happy.” 

the rest of them tease and taunt him playfully while you take the time to admire—no, simply look at—his suit. it’s nowhere near as nice as the one he wore at your wedding, of course not. but it’s beautifully made, tailored to fit and accentuate his muscles. and there are a lot of those now, that much is evident from the way his sleeves stretch over his biceps. he fills it out nicely, not that he didn’t before, but something about the fabric straining across his arms does funny things to your stomach. funny, you thought that feeling was a thing of the past. then there’s the navy trousers that compliment his backside rather nicely. 

there’s a part of you that is appalled at all these observations you have been making but there’s another part—bored and much more matter-of-fact—that reminds you that there’s nothing under those clothes that you haven’t seen, touched, licked or sucked before. there’s nothing new. he is still the same as he was before, just now with a few extra muscles. 

“go away,” charli’s nudges him gently toward the door. “we’ll be out in fifteen.”

he hugs her just before he leaves, dropping a friendly kiss on her head. after everything you’re glad no one had to pick sides in the divorce. you’ve at least managed to hold the friend group together, even though the same can’t be said about your marriage. 

matty leaves just like he came in, sidestepping you and making sure he’s looking straight ahead. there’s a brief second however—a fraction of one really—when he slows down and breathes in. his adam’s apple bobs roughly and his face struggles to hold the blank expression. 

but it must have just been you projecting right? no one can go through that much in half a second. 

“there you are, darling,” denise walks in on you mid-smoke. “i was looking for you.”

she’s in a beautiful pink dress that brushes her knees and makes her look ten years younger than she is. you blush slightly at having been caught smoking; it’s a recent habit, not one she would be aware of, and you don’t want her to judge you for it. 

“denise,” you try to hide the half-smoked cigarette, “you look beautiful.”

she pointedly looks at your hand and laughs. “my son does enough of that.” then she straightens up, as if bringing matty so casually into this conversation was a mistake. you suppose it was—it does make your heart skip a beat. 

“i just wanted to say hi, darling,” she adds hastily, “and look at you…” her eyes scan you from head to toe, linger on your face for just a second before she smiles again. “simply stunning.”

“thank you.” your voice comes out in a whisper, fighting to get past the lump in your throat. you didn’t think there would ever come a day when she would have to so formally stop by to ‘say hi’. yet here you are, almost a pair of estranged mother and daughter. 

“i don’t…” she starts but shakes her head minutely, “i don’t want to condescend you. but are you okay? with matty bringing that girl, i mean.”

that piques your interest. “that girl?” you stifle a little giggle. “sounds like you don’t like her…”

denise shrugs, leaning against the wall and looking at the bushes in front of her. “she’s okay, i guess.” then she takes a bit to smooth out her dress. “but she’s not you.”

“dearly beloved…” the officiant, charli’s godfather, begins, which you tune out instantly. weddings are lovely and romantic, wedding speeches are dull and boring. besides, like it or not, something else has captured your attention. 

you stand behind the bride, holding the ring she’s supposed to put on george later. and right in front of you stands matty, holding the matching platinum band in his hands. adam and ross stand behind him, smiling and occasionally laughing along with the rest of the guests. you tried it at first too, to only keep your attention on george—who looks very handsome and beams wide the whole time—but it’s impossible when you feel your ex’s piercing stare right on you. 

you would have thought he would stick to the little ignoring act from before. instead, his eyes have lingered on you from the second you walked down the aisle as a part of the processional. tracking your every move, every small step. frankly, it’s insulting. does he think you would ruin the wedding as some sort of diabolical revenge against him? you scoff internally; of course, he would think such self-centred thoughts, it’s just all about him, after all.

you raise an eyebrow at him. what’s your fucking problem?

he smiles back; an arrogant curl of his mouth that turns his face from sweet to insufferable within a matter of seconds. you, his eyes seem to say, you’re my problem. 

well too fucking bad then…

you huff and look away to the side at the guests. it’s only about fifty people from both sides. just family and friends—a lovely kind of intimacy the couple had asked for. you smile at george’s parents who sit in the first row. his mum dabs at her eyes, clearly overwhelmed with emotion. and behind them sit denise and tim. right next to her. 

she’s exactly what she looks like on her instagram page. dainty and beautiful, picture-perfect elegant. her whole face looks like it could be hand-crafted by the gods (or very expensive surgeons according to the snide little voice in your brain) but her eyes are bone dry. 

that’s because she doesn’t belong here, your brain chimes in. not among your friends and your family. 

well, ex-family…

her name doesn’t immediately come to the forefront of your mind. all you know from that drunken night is how charli made you block all her socials at the end of it. as if you were going to go back to them again and again. as if you have no purpose in life other than obsessing over your ex’s new girl. 

she sighs, then looks out the window with a bored expression on her face and you have to focus your attention back to the bride and groom before you do something drastic. not before you catch matty looking at you from the corner of your eye, however. 

not just at you…he’s staring at the plunging neckline of your dress that shows off your cleavage wonderfully. with the big window to your side, it’s so clear to see every little detail of his face—his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip (he’s unaware that he’s doing it. you know that for a fact). his pupils that are blown out wide, making almost the entirety of his eyes look black; dark and hungry. 

your mouth curls into a smirk, arrogant enough to mirror his own. well, this is interesting. 

matty’s mouth presses into a thin line. even now, after you caught him so red-handed, he’s trying to deny it. but you don’t miss his ears turning the telltale shade of pink. 

“...and i promise to love you for the rest of my life.” george’s voice breaks on the last word, the tears flowing freely but he smiles through all of it. in front of you, charli’s shoulders shake. they haven’t even put the rings on each other yet and they’re already emotional. it makes you laugh, and surprising, you feel the tears escaping your eyes.

i promise to love you for the rest of my life. that’s what matty had said too. i promise to dance in the kitchen with you and do all my silly little romantic gestures. i promise to never let you fall. i promise, i promise, i promise…

so many of them unkept, so many of them just pretty words spoken on a perfect day in front of a tearful audience. 

“i do!” charli squeals before the question is even finished, making everyone laugh. a wet chuckle escapes you at her infectious joy. 

“do you, george, take charli to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the officiant asks. 

“i do,” he says patiently and charli sticks her tongue out at him. 

you sincerely hope they stay like this for the rest of their lives—polar opposites who complete each other. not people who are so similar, they don’t know how to exist in the same space anymore. 

matty smiles, first at the couple and then, shockingly, at you. husband and wife he mouths. 

jarringly still, you smile back. 

i would love to hear what you think 🤭

[luvverslair]

I saw that your inbox is open, and I'd like to know about your take on Price/Gaz if they have a crush on someone who's good at reading people, but not if it's about herself. Ex: she (the reader) could tell if someone is interested in him judging by their glance, but she'd be oblivious to his advances, like, he's literally giving her flowers but she thought it's just a nice gesture

hi !! thank you so much for requesting, this is such a cute idea and i’ll try my best to write it as you described hope you enjoy !! (also i’m doing gaz and price both separatly if you mean them together lmk and I can add that aswell!)

prompt- Gaz and Price with a Reader who is oblivious to there advances

Y/n was always good at reading people, she was able to tell the second a guy liked one of her friends, but for some reason when someone was interested in her she was completely oblivious…

Gaz- Gaz had been trying for months on end to make you realize his feelings for you. He first tried making small talk saying things like “How was your day?” and “What are your favorite movies?” things like that, but none of it seemed to work.

He then tried playfully flirting, making risque jokes. He thought it started to work when you'd flirt back but he quickly realized that you meant it all in a joking manner. He decided to start buying you gifts, he would pay attention to the things you’d mention like what books you’d been wanting to read, jewelry you’d shown him pictures of but nonetheless you’d thank him endlessly and hug him but he could tell you weren’t getting it.

Finally, one day Gaz knocked on your door, you answered inviting him in saying “Hey Gaz, what’s up?” to which he replied “Y/n I need your advice on something, it's about a girl.” you got all giddy and excited answering back “Oo Gaz, of course, I’d love to help you out, so who’s the lucky lady?” he let out a soft laugh before saying “Well, I’ve been giving her I fancy her for months but she just doesn't get it.” you replied “Well have you tried talking to her? Getting her gifts, flirting with her?” he then said with a smirk “Believe me I have, I just don’t know what else I can do to show her…” you sighed before saying “She sounds pretty stupid Gaz, I mean who doesn't get blunt signs like that?” he started laughing at your answer which left you puzzled asking him what was so funny, he then stated still with the same smirk on his face “Look around Y/n, The flowers in that vase I got you, The necklace I got you around your neck.” A look of realization washed across your face before you muttered out a low “You like Me?” he moved closer to you before answering “Of course I like you, I thought i’d made it pretty clear.”

You then engulfed him in a hug apologizing profusely and rambling about how much of an idiot you were,

He pulled you out of the hug still holding you close which had put a stop to your endless rambling before saying “Well at least you’re my idiot.” before softly kissing your lips.

Price- Price had fancied you since the moment he met you, but he was a gentleman. He started by buying you flowers, taking you to nice dinners, and making sure he walked you to your door after he drove you home, but you didn’t ever pursue anything more.

He first started to doubt if you liked his company or not but when you’d message him throughout his days and make plans to go out with him it left him utterly confused. He started getting you more extravagant gifts taking you to more places and talking to you whenever he had free time. Every time you seem thrilled by his advances but again you never move forward in your “relationship” with him. You however were completely clueless and had no idea he fancied you and just saw him as one of your good friends. That was until one night he called you inviting you over to his house, when you arrived rose petals were leading up to his dining room. You saw him standing there with a beautiful meal in front of you which he hadn’t prepared himself but that didn’t matter. especially not when he handed you a beautiful pair of earrings and a huge bouquet of your favorite flowers, you finally spoke out saying “Thank you so much, Price but what’s the occasion?” He answered you while pulling out your chair for you, “No occasion love, but I do need to ask you something.”

You were confused but stared into his eyes awaiting his question, he spoke out softly “Over the time I’ve known you, I’ve tried to make it obvious I fancy you, I don’t know if you don’t feel the same way or…” You interrupted him before he could finish blurting out “What..? You’re saying you like me?” he looked quite surprised answering “I thought I’d made it quite obvious love?”

A wave of emotions washed over you, and you softly answered “I’m so sorry, I had no idea, god I’m so blind” he let out a low chuckle before responding “Well that’s quite alright, I do hope you feel the same way though, if you don’t that’s alright of course.” He seemed quite scared looking at your face trying to read it, before his mind could jump to conclusions you stood up kissing him, which caught him by surprise but he quickly eased into it. After a moment you broke the kiss before replying “I feel the same, Price.” With a grin on your face.

well, I hope you enjoyed it!! This was my first request so I hope I did okay. Thank you for requesting I loved writing this and feel free to leave any and all feedback and leave more requests in the future!!

luv, luvver

[vilevenom]

Let's Be Us Again

Fandom: Dreamworks Trolls

Pairings: Hickory/John Dory

Summary:  Hickory was certainly the last troll John Dory thought he'd see after moving to Pop Village. To say it was a shock was a bit of an understatement. But they could pick up where they'd left off before, right?....right? Excerpt:

"John Dory," Hickory breathed, his eyes widening as they landed on John, the smile slipping from his lips.

"Oh! How do you two know each other?" Poppy asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked between the two, a curious smile on her face. Floyd glanced between them and shifted closer to his brother, as if he could tell that John was having a bit of an internal panic.

"That's a-uhm…a bit of a long story," John finally chuckled, his smile crooked as he spoke, "Probably, what? A couple of decades in the making?" Link to the fic on AO3 There's now a sequel! You can find it here or over on AO3

It was a day like any other, in John's humble opinion. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and Poppy was banging at his door and shouting excitedly about her plans for the day.

Ever since they'd rescued Floyd from Mount Rageous, John Dory had been settled in Rhonda just outside of Pop Village. Poppy had taken this as explicit permission to bug the eldest brother with any and all tasks she felt could either "benefit from his previous experience as a band leader", or something she felt he'd genuinely enjoy. Which honestly, John was more than okay with. The pop queen had certainly grown on him, and he could easily see how she'd gotten his youngest brother wrapped around her finger.

Today, Poppy had requested John's help with some activities for aspiring singers that she'd set up at the community hall. She said she thought he'd be a great inspiration, and maybe he could help with teaching some basics about being in a band. He didn't really know how she figured that, given how he'd caused his own band to break up and not see each other for twenty years, but he supposed her heart was in the right place. She'd also managed to drag Floyd into it as well, so there was also that.

"I'm coming, Poppyseed," John laughed as he pushed open Rhonda's door and stepped into the sunshine. "Someone's impatient."

"Oh, I'm just so excited! The kids are gonna LOVE you guys! I made some of them listen to your old records and they got SO excited," Poppy practically squealed as she bounced on her toes. "I also thought we could stop by the market to grab some breakfast before we head over! There's a trading caravan from Lonesome Flats that rolled into town last night. There might be something new to try!"

John chuckled at Poppy's enthusiasm as he strolled over to Floyd, pulling his brother into a side hug. "Sounds like a plan, Popstar. How're you feeling, Floyd?"

The younger troll had been slowly but surely gaining his energy and health back since being freed from his diamond prison. When he'd first arrived in Pop Village he couldn't even leave Branch's bunker without an escort of at least two of his brothers to ensure they could get him back home if he collapsed. Now he simply needed a walking cane to help him get around, and a break every couple of hours to recoup his energy.

"I'm okay," Floyd sighed, smiling as he touched John's hand on his shoulder, "Feeling a little exhausted already just watching Poppy jump around, but I think today will be good."

John dipped his head in a short nod, giving his brother a friendly little shake before letting him go to strike a pose and point towards the market. "Then let's BRO!"

Poppy snorted at his antics, but skipped ahead of the brothers down the path towards the market, while Floyd rolled his eyes with a fond smile on his face.

~

Poppy hadn't been kidding about the caravan from Lonesome Flats. The market was practically overrun with country trolls - both those looking to trade or sell their wares, and those looking to bring something "exotic" back home with them. Children, both pop and country, ran amok through the crowd, nearly tripping just about anyone who wanted to move more than a foot through the area.

"Holy smokes!" John crowed as an especially rambunctious duo ran in front of him, causing him to stop fast and pinwheel his arms through the air to ensure he didn't fall over.

"Careful, old man," Floyd teased, poking his brother in the side with the end of his cane, "or you might be needing one of these."

"Shut up," John snorted, shoving Floyd lightly, making the younger troll catch himself with said cane as they both laughed.

"Oh my GOSH!" Poppy suddenly shrieked in front of the two of them, her shout causing a small handful of trolls to turn and look to see what she was yelling about. John and Floyd were among them - Floyd with a look of curiosity on his face, while John looked something like a puffalo caught in a searchlight.

"HICKORY!" Poppy screeched, before running off like a shot through the crowd, dodging around children and adults alike before practically tackling a troll to the ground some ways away from the brothers. The two glanced at each other, Floyd's expression changing from curiosity to one of worry even as John plastered a grin on his face.

"Let's go see who Poppyseed just put into the hospital, yeah?" John Dory said with a bit of a strained laugh, gesturing for Floyd to move ahead of him through the crowd.

Floyd narrowed his eyes at his brother, poking him in the chest before moving forward. "We're gonna talk about how you just looked like you swallowed a sour berry whole later, mister," he sniffed, before shuffling though the crowd, being mindful of his cane and the running children as he maneuvered around the other trolls in the market.

In the meantime, John rubbed absently at the spot Floyd had poked him while a million and one thoughts ran through his head. It couldn't possibly be his Hickory. The last he'd heard, he had gotten into some sort of accident on a mountain top and disappeared. At least, that was the rumor. He hadn't wanted to know anymore than that. He followed after his brother after a moment, bumping into and apologizing to a couple of trolls on his way as his mind wandered.

"-and then we had to fight some giants in order to get his brothers back! We totally hit the perfect family harmony and saved everyone." Poppy was just finishing a high speed ramble as the brothers approached, bouncing excitedly on her toes in front of a county troll with only two legs, his wide cowboy hat covering half his face. John let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It definitely couldn't be his Hickory, then.

"S'at so? My, that certainly sounds like some adventure. Glad t'hear y'all got everyone back safe and sound. I'd love to meet all of Branch's brothers," the country troll drawled, a low chuckle leaving him as he tipped his cowboy hat back to grin at Poppy. John's breath caught in his throat.

"Well, you're in luck! I happen to have two of them here with me right now," Poppy enthused, turning with a flourish to gesture at the approaching duo. "The one with the magenta hair is Floyd, the one who was captured first and started our whole adventure, and the other is-"

"John Dory," Hickory breathed, his eyes widening as they landed on John, the smile slipping from his lips.

"Oh! How do you two know each other?" Poppy asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked between the two, a curious smile on her face. Floyd glanced between them and shifted closer to his brother, as if he could tell that John was having a bit of an internal panic.

"That's a-uhm…a bit of a long story," John finally chuckled, his smile crooked as he spoke, "Probably, what? A couple of decades in the making?"

Hickory visibly swallowed, letting out an awkward sounding laugh, "Somethin' like that, I s'pose."

"So, you got yourself a county accent, huh? Did you finally find what you were looking for in Lonesome Flats?" John asked, the tension in his chest loosening slightly. At least it was nice to know Hickory hadn't died. And, sure, perhaps they hadn't parted on the best of terms, but he couldn't exactly blame Hickory for leaving the way he had.

"Mm, not exactly," Hickory shrugged, tugging at his vest. "but I s'pose sort of somethin' to that effect. I mean…M'not a bounty hunter anymore, if that's what yer askin'."

John nodded slightly, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. It was like the tension slowly bled from his body as his shoulders loosened and a genuine smile curled his lips. He'd always worried that if he ever saw Hickory again that he would either be filled with dread, anger or unending sadness. But, in reality, he just felt a wave of relief that the other was okay and seemed to be doing well. "I'm…I'm really happy to see you, Hick."

The country troll blinked, surprise blatant on his face at John Dory's confession. Poppy rocked on her heels as the two older trolls looked at each other, obviously lost in their own little world. Floyd shuffled closer to her, biting at his lower lip as he watched the cavalcade of emotions wash over his brothers face.

"Uh, well," Poppy coughed, breaking the moment and causing all eyes to land on her, "It was super nice to see you Hickory. I heard the caravan will be in town for, like, a week? We'll catch up later! We're gonna have a big party to welcome you guys tomorrow, so I'll see you then! Right now we were actually just heading to grab breakfast before going over to the community center." She gestured over her shoulder towards the other side of town.

"Oh. Alright then, miss Poppy. I'll see you tomorrow," Hickory said, his charming smile coming back as he swept his hat off to bow slightly to the Queen of Pop. Poppy simply giggled and waved a hand at him as she rolled her eyes. Floyd wrinkled his nose at the gestured, still not quite sure how he felt about this troll from his brothers past.

"It was nice to see you, Hickory," John began, taking a step to follow Poppy and Floyd, before the pink troll shoved him back to where he'd been standing, a grin on her face.

"No, no! You two obviously haven't seen each other in a while! You should stay here and catch up," Poppy chirped, patting John on the shoulder before spinning away from him. "The kids'll understand if we postpone for a few days. Plus! I'm sure most of them will want to come see what the traders brought from Lonesome Flats. They'll probably be too distracted to pay much attention to anything else." She flashed John a grin over her shoulder as she manhandled Floyd into walking next to her, the magenta haired troll squawking indignantly as he was all but pushed away. "We'll go let them know, and we'll see you later! Enjoy yourselves!" She waved at them as she hustled Floyd away.

"Poppy!" Floyd grunted, trying and failing to dig his heels in as the Queen pushed him along. "What're you doing?! John looked so upset when he saw that troll! I can't just leave him like that!"

"We're not going to leave them."

"What? But you just said-"

"Yes. We're going to go to the community center to tell the kids that we're postponing the class, but then we're going back to spy on those two. You think I'm not also curious about how they reacted to each other?! For all that is trolly, Floyd, it looked like Hickory was about to faint when he saw John Dory. I need to know what that's all about."

Floyd let out a breathy laugh as he began walking on his own at Poppy's admission of curiosity and concern. He should've known better than to question her.

~

Meanwhile, John was staring after the two of them somewhat forlornly. Sure, he was happy to see Hickory, but being suddenly left alone with him? This was, perhaps, a bit much for his heart to handle at the moment.

"Uhh," John said unhelpfully as he turned back to Hickory, who looked equally as confused and unsettled as John felt. "Should we…go get breakfast?"

Hickory blinked at him before an easy grin split his face and he settled his cowboy hat back on his head and swept his arm out towards the market at large. "After you."

John snorted and rolled his eyes before gesturing for Hickory to follow him through the bustling market. He lead them to the opposite end of the market, where there were fewer trolls roaming around, and no caravan tents set up. There, a small bakery stand sat, where John ordered a couple of muffins and some coffee for the two of them.

"Thanks," Hickory hummed as the two of them sat at a small table off to the side of the stand, pulling his hat off and setting it to the side before picking up his coffee cup to inhale the aroma.

"No problem," John said with a shrug, picking at the muffin he had sat in front of himself. "So, uh…Lonesome Flats, huh? What made you settle down there?"

"Just gettin' right to it, huh?" Hickory chuckled, glancing up at John through his eye lashes. "It's a bit of a long story, though I s'pose we've got time t'spare. Also, just to clear one thing up right quick, I've lived there for 'bout a year, but can't really say I'm much settled there."

"But you're settled enough to have picked up their accent?" John prodded, Hickory wincing slightly at the comment.

"You know that's just part of blending in, mein freund," Hickory sighed, slipping into his natural accent easily.

"Ah, there it is," John snorted derisively, shaking his head as he popped a bit of muffin into his mouth, "who're you going after this time? Better be a real scum bag or I'm going to have to tell Poppy what you're up to."

"I already told you, I'm not a bounty hunter anymore," Hickory stated, shaking his head slightly, his ears lowering slightly as he watched John pick at his muffin. "Poppy and Branch helped me get out of that life. I don't think even Dickory is doing it anymore."

John paused in the destruction of his breakfast, looking up at Hickory with a light frown. "But your brother-"

"Said it was the only thing the two of us were good for. Ja, I know," Hickory shrugged, blowing hair out of his face. "But after the whole Rock Apocalypse thing, I just-" Hickory cut himself off as he took a deep breath and glanced up at the trees and sky above them. "Queen Poppy was the bounty. We were meant to bring her and the pop string to Queen Barb, in order to secure a safe place for the yodelers to keep their music. Dickory and I established ourselves in Lonesome Flats and spread a story about getting lost in an avalanche in the mountains so that no one would look for us. But, when we finally found Poppy and Branch…She was different from what I expected." He turned his gaze back to John Dory and smiled warmly. "We grew up hearing all these horror stories about Pop trolls stealing everyone's music, du weisst? But all she wanted to do was help everyone live in harmony. She wanted everyone to be able to enjoy each others music. And I- Well, it reminded me of you. And how, when we were younger, you said you wanted to travel and experience everything you possibly could. I wanted that. I wanted that for everyone. Not just the yodelers." He rolled his shoulders and took a sip of his coffee, his voice shifting back into the country drawl John had heard when they'd first come across Hickory in the market, "So, I tried to help miss Poppy get away from Barb with the Pop string. But Dickory-" he rolled his eyes and glared off to the side, "He blew our cover."

John sat enraptured by Hickory's story, unconsciously resting his cheek in the palm of his hand and leaning forward. He blinked as Hickory paused, wrinkling his nose. "How'd he blow your cover?"

Hickory's cheeks suddenly grew dark as he ducked his head and let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, y'know, country trolls usually have four legs? And my brother and I, we most defintely don't?"

John frowned, sitting back in his chair. "Yeah? What does that have to do with-" he froze, a slow realization dawning on his face, before he let out a sudden bark of laughter. "Oh my troll! Did you two make a freaking costume?!"

Hickory hummed abashedly and rubbed at his neck. "Yessir. Dickory may have been the back end o' the horse," he muttered as he cringed, grinning crookedly at John, "he heard me tryin' to warn Poppy to run and, well, he ripped the costume apart."

John couldn't stop the peels of laughter that left him at the mental image of Dickory angrily ripping himself out of the back end of a pair of pants, slapping the table and nearly knocking their coffees over. "Hooooboy, that is PRICELSS!" He hiccupped as his laughter subsided after a moment, wiping at his watery eyes. "He must've been so pissed at you."

"Bit of an understatement, I'm afraid," Hickory shrugged, "After miss Poppy saved everyone, I pretty much told Dickory off an' moved to Lonesome Flats."

"And he just let you go?"

"I threatened to sick Poppy on 'im if he tried to pull me back into huntin'. She knows about it, too, so if I suddenly disappear from Lonesome Flats or she gets wind that somethin' happened to me, she promised to come find me. She's sweet like that."

John nodded, an easy smile on his face. "Yeah, she is. I'm really glad Branch has her in his life."

"I'm still tryin' to wrap my head around the fact that he's your brother! You talked about your brothers a bit, but what a small world we seem to live in," Hickory chuckled. "I'm also kinda surprised you even wanted to talk t'me, if I'm bein' honest."

John blinked at the sudden shift in tone from the other, leaning back in his seat a bit and wrapping his fingers around his coffee cup. "Well," he sighed, "I wont' lie. I used to imagine running into you a lot, after you first left. At first I was really upset, then I just became angry." He scowled down at his coffee. "I imagined so many different scenarios. In most of them I told you off for everything. Sometimes I did something nasty to get back at you. But, when I finally saw you…" He lifted his gaze, his frown slipping into an easy smile, "I was just happy to see that you were alive and seemed to be doing well. I guess that old saying that time heals all wounds really is true."

Hickory stared at John for a minute, his breath catching in his throat. "I'm so sorry, Johnny…"

"Please," John rocked back in his chair, turning away with a rueful grin, while waving a hand through the air, "I don't think I ever really blamed you for leaving. You were young - we both were. And I'm not exactly-" he gestured vaguely at himself, "y'know."

Hickory shook his head adamantly at John Dory, sitting forward to slide his hand across the table and rest it over John's. "Don't ever say that about yerself, darlin'," Hickory crooned, gently squeezing John's fingers, "You are so much more than you give yerself credit for."

John Dory blinked at Hickory, a flush quickly spreading across his face the longer he stared at the other. He cleared his throat after a moment, pulling his hand away from Hickory to cover one of his flaming cheeks, while an embarrassed trill of a laugh escaped him. "Don't say stuff like that, Hick," he said through a strained chuckle, "You're gonna give me ideas.

A grin settled on Hickory's face at John's reaction to his touch, taking the opportunity of the other looking in the opposite direction to slide his chair around the table to sit closer to John. "Oh, yeah? What kinda ideas, darlin'?"

John all but squeaked when he realized how much closer Hickory had gotten to him, his cheeks growing impossibly brighter as he whipped his head around to stare wide eyed at the bounty hunter turned cowboy.

~

Meanwhile, Poppy and Floyd had returned from their quick trip to the community center, and were both currently crouched inconspicuously behind a bush to watch the two having breakfast.

"I can't hear what they're saying," Poppy whined under her breath, shifting to try and get a better view of the two.

"If we get any closer they'll know we're here," Floyd sighed, shifting to settle more comfortably on his knees. "John has ridiculous hearing, and if Hickory really used to be a bounty hunter, then I can only imagine how quickly he'd be able to tell he was being spied on."

"Yeah, but," Poppy flopped back down next to Floyd, a pout on her lips, "I really want to know what Hickory said to make John Dory blush like that."

"John Dory is blushing?!" Floyd quickly sat up, shoving a branch out of his way to get a better look at the table. He gasped quietly at seeing how bashful his brother looked as Hickory got close to him, his eyes wide at the sight. Even wracking his brain for every memory he had of John, he couldn't think of a time he'd ever seen his brother look so ruffled. That was certainly something. "I don't think I've ever seen John look so…bashful."

"I know! Isn't it cute?!" Poppy squealed quietly at Floyd, grabbing at his shoulder in her enthusiasm. "Wouldn't they be SUCH a cute couple?! Awww," she sighed, letting Floyd go to cup her own cheeks, "They have history, and they look like they get along so well! Ahhhh! We HAVE to get them together!" By the end of her rant Poppy was practically rasping to keep herself from shouting about the couple sat across from them.

Floyd had his doubts, however, about how the two would do as a couple. Especially after the anxiety he could feel radiate off of John Dory when they'd first come across Hickory at the market. "I mean, Hickory definitely knows how to push John's buttons. I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing yet or not."

"What do you mean?"

The two sat back, letting the bush block their view for the time being.

"Well…John tensed up pretty badly when he first saw Hickory. Maybe their history is more complicated than we can appreciate right now. I mean, they do look like they're getting along right now, I can't argue that. But, who knows how long that will last. John's never really been one to give up the reins on a situation, if you forgive the pun. Hickory seems like he might have a bit of a big personality, from what I've seen so far, and I can't imagine that will mesh well with John's, uhm…exuberant tendencies."

Poppy frowned lightly at Floyd, tapping at her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…maybe you're right. I guess we should probably just keep an eye on them for now. So we can at least be there if something happens between them. Be it bad," she wiggled her eyebrows at Floyd who let out a fond sigh of exasperation at her, "or good!"

When the two looked back out from behind the bush they both panicked slightly at finding the table where John and Hickory had been abandoned.

"Where'd they go?!"

~

"Sooo," John drew the word out as he and Hickory wandered through the crowded market place, snapping his fingers and slapping his hands together absently, "What've you been up to since moving to Lonesome Flats?"

Hickory chuckled at John's fidgeting, deciding to take a chance and catch one of John's swinging hands in one of his own. "Well, first I had t'make it up to miss Delta and the other country trolls for trickin' them. But, they were real nice about everythin', after I told 'em about Dickory and how I'd grown up. Got myself a nice little house, and a job workin' at one o' the shops there. Shortly after that, I heard about Poppy startin' talks with all of the troll leaders to work on this idea of a cross kingdom trade route. A way for all different kinds of trolls to experience each others cultures and music. Anyone who wanted to volunteer could represent their home kingdom and travel around. Took a bit a doin', so I think our group's only been at it for a few months? We've gone through Vibe City and Volcano Rock City so far. Pop Village is stop number three." He wiggled three fingers in the air to show the number of stops, grinning as he noted that John's hand was still firmly in his own without any signs of pulling away.

"You finally got your wish to travel wherever you wanted, huh?" John asked, a soft smile on his face. "I'm glad to hear it, Hick. After Pop village, where's your next stop?"

Hickory shrugged, dipping his head slightly to watch their hands as he gently began to swing them back and forth. "I think the caravan is headed up to Symphonyville next. Dunno if I'm really interested in headin' into the mountains, though, if I'm bein' honest." John gave his hand a little squeeze, causing Hickory to glance up at the other troll shyly. "I might be tempted t'stay in Pop Village for an extended amount of time."

John cleared his throat as he noticed the look on Hickory's face, finally pulling his hand away to tuck it into the pocket of his vest. Hickory's face fell as John hunched his shoulders slightly, but he accepted the reaction and tucked his own thumbs under his belt. He couldn't expect John to forgive him completely so soon.

"Well, y'know, there's plenty of room here, if you did want to stay," John finally said after a minute or two of silence between the two, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "Rhonda and I stay just outside the village, near Branch's bunker. There's loads of room out there to expand living areas."

"Rhonda?" Hickory asked, his steps faltering slightly at hearing the name. Did John have a girlfriend? He shifted so they were walking a little further apart, now feeling a bit like an ass for his blatant flirting.

"Yeah! My armadillo bus," John said, his face lighting up as he spoke, grinning widely at Hickory, "I found her not too long after we split up, when I went back to the Neverglade trail. She's super smart, and really sweet. You wanna meet her?"

Hickory let out a breath, a sudden wave of relief washing over him at the knowledge that he hadn't been blatantly stepping on anyone's toes. "Yeah, 'course," he hummed, trotting along next to John as they headed towards the edge of town.

"She's a licker, I'll give you that much warning," John laughed, more bounce in his step as they moved away from the crowds, "She's also been known to try and eat people when she first meets them, but don't worry too much about that. I'm sure she won't try to eat you if you're with me."

A slightly nervous chuckle escaped Hickory as he followed John, starting to wonder if him meeting the bus critter was really that great of an idea. "If you say so, darlin'."

"I do say so," John chirped, snapping his goggles a little to emphasize his point. Hickory snorted quietly at the gesture, endlessly pleased that John had yet to call him out on using the endearment on him yet.

"Here she is!" John crowded loudly as the two stepped into a clearing, the large armadillo bus jumping up excitedly at seeing John. She wagged her tail, causing her whole back end to swing as she bound forward, smacking her entire face into John's chest, causing the troll to loose his breath and stumble backwards with a laugh. "Down girl," he wheezed, patting her face before her attention was caught on Hickory.

The ex bounty hunter froze as she stared him down, her tail freezing as her gaze bore into him. He swallowed thickly, shifting slightly to get ready to run, before Rhonda let out a sudden rumbling roar of a sound and licked Hickory. He gasped as he stumbled back, his hat going flying, as he found himself absolutely coated in glittery slobber.

"Awww, she likes you!" John laughed, patting Rhonda on the side as she purred and flopped herself down next to him.

"Yay?" Hickory shook the slobber off his arms, before wiping at his face, letting out little sounds of disgust as he did so. "I s'pose it's just a good thing she didn't try t'eat me," he all but grumbled, turning to look for where his hat had landed.

"Well, that might still happen. Rhonda's unpredictable like that," John chuckled, making a quick kissy face at the armadillo bus who cooed back at him, before looking back to Hickory. "You wanna shower that off?"

Hickory paused at the offer, blinking in surprise. "You comin' onto me, Johnny?" he teased, winking playfully at John. He knew he must look an absolute sight right now, but the mild flirt still managed to get John's cheeks flaming.

"No! I'm just offering you my shower," John scoffed, rolling his eyes as he rubbed at one of his warm cheeks. "C'mon, you. Rhonda's got a shower inside." He waved for Hickory to follow as he opened Rhonda's door and hopped inside.

~

"They could be anywhere! Poppy, please. Let's take a break," Floyd huffed, doing his best to keep up with the Queen of Pop, but his energy was quickly flagging. He stopped in the middle of a path in the market, doing his best to catch his breath.

Poppy glanced back at Floyd, suddenly feeling terrible for running the poor troll practically ragged as they ran around the market trying to find where John Dory and Hickory had gone. "Sorry, Floyd," she sighed, moving to support him as they shuffled over to a bench so they could sit down. "I just- well, you said so yourself. Something could go wrong while they're together."

"Hey now, I didn't say something might go wrong. I just think it'd be best to keep an eye on them in case John gets overwhelmed, or he starts a fight," Floyd muttered, stretching his legs out in front of himself as they sat down.

"Exactly. In case something goes wrong," Poppy said as she flopped herself down next to Floyd.

They both jerked slightly when they heard the tell tale sound of Rhonda roaring.

"Ah," Floyd laughed, nodding in the direction of Rhonda's clearing, "There they are."

~

John hovered outside the door of his small bathroom, wringing the towel he'd dug out between his hands. He could hear Hickory humming to himself in the shower and it sent a thrill down his spine. Maybe this time could be different? He jumped as he heard the water turn off, quickly hooking the towel onto the doorknob and stepping away. "Towel's on the knob for you!" he called through the door before moving to the couch in the larger portion of his living space.

"Thank you kindly, darlin'," Hickory called from the bathroom, the door opening ever so slightly as the country troll pulled the towel inside.

John flushed at the endearment. It's not like he hadn't noticed Hickory using it, it was just…well, it was nice to have someone be immediately kind to him upon reuniting. Perhaps the whole adventure with his brothers and their sour reunions were still lingering on his heart and mind. Just a little.

"That's better," Hickory sighed as he stepped out of the bathroom, pulling John from his thoughts. The towel was draped around his shoulders to catch the water dripping from his hair. Even damp the ends still curled up to defy the pull of gravity. "Nothin' against yer bus, but I'm not the biggest fan o' glitter. It gets in places it really shouldn't be," he said with a light laugh and a shudder, which caused John to startle into laughing as well.

"Yeah. Sorry not sorry," John snorted, waving for Hickory to sit next to him on the couch.

Once Hickory sat the two stewed in silence for a minute. John stared off at the board of Brozone pictures Branch had put together that he hadn't yet had the heart to dismantle, while Hickory fidgeted with his fingers.

"I missed you," Hickory finally breathed, breaking the silence and swallowing thickly after the admission.

John blinked, turning to face Hickory with a genuine look of surprise on his face.

"What? How's that surprisin'?" Hickory asked, a crooked smirk on his lips.

"If you knew my track record, it really wouldn't be so surprising that I'm surprised," John snorted derisively, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know if you remember, but I broke up my brothers band before I started traveling. We did not part ways on good terms. And none of them were exactly pleased to see me when we met up again."

"A'course I remember," Hickory murmured, shifting so he was sat a bit closer to John, their thighs touching, "I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have the best a' reunions with 'em. But, from what Poppy told me, and the fact that yer still here, I assume thing's've gotten a bit better? Weren't you with one o' yer brothers when we met at the market?"

"Yeah. That was Floyd. He's the only one who didn't really seem to hold a grudge over everything. But, he's also sort of dependent on me and Branch right now, still. He got hurt pretty bad when he was captured. So, y'know, I don't really know if that's actual forgiveness, or just playing nice while he needs help," John said with a self depreciating laugh. He shrugged, turning a wobbly smile on Hickory, "So, yeah. It's a bit surprising that someone who walked out on me would miss me."

Hickory shifted back as if he'd been hit, biting his lip as he looked to his knees. "You know why I had t'leave, John," he breathed, twisting his fingers into the damp towel around his neck.

"Yeah. Still doesn't change the fact that it hurt."

Hickory nodded, letting out a breath. "Can we…can we try to start again? Believe it or not, Johnny, but ya mean a whole lot t'me. I'd really like it if we could-" he cut himself off with a startled gasp as arms suddenly wrapped around him, squeezing him in a hug.

"Of course," John breathed into Hickory's hair, "I missed you, too. Of course we can start over."

A warm smile bloomed on Hickory's face as he turned to nudge his nose against John's temple, chuckling quietly at the odd angle the other had pulled him into a hug at. "Thank you," he murmured, lifting an arm to awkwardly half return the hug, since the other was currently pinned to his side.

~

"Well, there's Rhonda," Floyd sighed, frowning as he looked around the clearing, where there was no sign of John or Hickory.

Poppy huffed, frowning as she skipped a little ahead of Floyd to peer around the clearing, but doing her best not to alert Rhonda of their presence. She had seemingly fallen asleep since they'd heard her roar. "Where did they go now," Poppy whined, tossing her head and arms back in exasperation.

"I don't-oh!" Floyd began, before grabbing Poppy and dragging her into some tall grass as Rhonda's door swung open. They watched as John hopped down from the bus critter, holding his hand up to take Hickory's as he descended from the bus as well. They seemed to be in a quiet conversation, smiling and laughing as they exited the bus and began to walk down a trail that lead further into the forest.

"C'mon!" Poppy chirped, her energy renewed as she tugged Floyd along by his wrist.

~

"Yeah, so after we rescued Floyd, I decided to stick around Pop Village. As much as I love traveling, getting to know my brothers is also pretty important to me. I missed out on so much, y'know?"

Hickory nodded as he listened to John, a fond little smile on his face as they meandered down the forest trail. He'd truly missed getting to hear John Dory's stories. Well, just him talking in general, really. He knew John liked to talk, but he liked it even better when someone genuinely listened to him, and that was probably one of Hickory's favorite things to do.

"So, you think yer gonna settle down here in Pop Village? Or just stay until Floyd can get along without a cane?"

John clicked his tongue and shrugged as he climbed up onto a fallen branch. He held his arms out as he began to walk along it like a tight rope, wobbling a little as it rocked slightly beneath his feet.

"Depends on how long it takes for Branch to get sick of me, I guess," he said with a derisive little laugh, causing Hickory to frown.

"What'd I say about talkin' about yerself like that?" Hickory scolded, shoving the branch slightly to make John stumble and catch himself.

"Hey!" John clung to a small twig as the base of the branch wobbled beneath his feet. "Trying to kill me?!"

"No. Just tryin' to redirect your stupid self depreciatin' bullshit," Hickory said with a thin grin. "Yer brothers love you."

"You say that-"

"I do!" Hickory cut him off, shoving the branch again, causing John to cuss him out as he stumbled to catch himself again. "I still love Dickory, even though he dragged me over hells half acre to hunt down trolls for plenty of not so savory folks. I still love 'im, even though if I were t'see his stupid face any time soon I'd punch him in the teeth! Yer brothers love you, Johnny, and they're probably more than happy to have you around, whether ya want t'believe it or not."

John snorted above him, but relented. "I guess you've got a point," he muttered, laughing as Hickory responded with a quiet, "a'course I do." He shook his head slightly, rolling his eyes with a grin and most certainly not paying attention to his feet and where he was walking. Because, if he had, then he would've noticed the patch of lichen growing on the fallen branch. He gasped as his foot slipped, nothing nearby for him to grab onto to keep himself from falling. He braced for the impact of the ground, but was pleasantly surprised when instead he hit something soft and a quiet 'oof' was breathed into his ear.

"Careful there, darlin'," Hickory hummed, grinning down at John as the other turned his head to peer up at his rescuer, "ya gotta watch where yer goin' if yer gonna be climbin' on things." He chuckled as John's face flushed, tipping his head forward a bit to properly get into the teal trolls space. "You alright?"

"Fine," John all but squeaked. He took a breath and cleared his throat at hearing how high his voice had gone. "Fine. I'm fine," he huffed, purposefully lowering his voice an octave, and pulling away from Hickory to tug at his vest and fix his askew goggles. "Let's, uhm, go this way," he added quickly, spinning on his heel to point down another trail, "I think the star gazing club has a meeting place up on a hill with a nice view over Pop Village."

Hickory followed with a self satisfied smirk on his lips, his thumbs hooked into the belt loops on his pants. "Whatever ya say, Johnny."

~

"Did you see that?!" Poppy quietly squealed, shaking Floyd's shoulder in her enthusiasm.

"I did," Floyd hummed, letting the over enthusiastic queen shake him. However, he really couldn't return the excitement she exuded for the two they were following. True enough that John seemed more than happy to be around Hickory, but he couldn't shake the strange feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach every time they had a "cute" interaction.

"Oh my gosh! Maybe we were both worried about nothing," Poppy sighed, stars practically in her eyes as she watched John and Hickory walk away, "Maybe we should let them finish their date in peace." She stood and brushed her skirt off, offering a hand to Floyd.

Floyd took Poppy's hand and help in standing back up, but shook his head at her suggestion to stop following them. "No. No, I don't think that's a good idea yet."

Poppy tilted her head, a frown on her face. "What? Why not?"

Floyd sighed, brushing hair out of his face as he watched his brother disappear up a trail. "I just have this awful feeling in my gut," he admitted, his shoulders drooping, "I don't know why. John looks happy, and they haven't had any sort of interaction that we've seen that should make me think something bad might happen. I just…" He waved a hand vaguely through the air, "I don't know. I'm worried about him."

Poppy stared at Floyd for a minute, as if she was trying to see through him. He swallowed thickly and shifted on his feet, a bit worried that she would call him over protective and silly for his trepidation. But, he was pleasantly surprised when instead a large smile bloomed across her face and she took his hand and squeezed it lightly. "You're a good brother," she stated, before turning to follow John and Hickory again.

~

"Here we are!" John announced unnecessarily as the duo reached a tall hill at the end of the trail.

"S'quite the hill," Hickory laughed as John rolled his eyes.

"It's not the hill that's impressive. It's the view," John retorted, sticking his tongue out at Hickory, even as he grabbed the other trolls hand to tug him along. "C'mon! It's actually kinda impressive."

It was finally Hickory's turn to flush as John tugged him along, a slow grin making its way across his face as the two trudged up the hill.

Upon cresting the hill a spectacular view of Pop Village was exposed. Pods of every size, shape and color hung from the trees, while below you could see the hustle and bustle of the market, where trolls were going about their daily lives. There was a class learning how to manouver flyer bugs zipping around the walkways in the trees, while a heard of puffalo were grazing just outside the edge of the market.

"My," Hickory breathed, before letting out a low whistle, "That is quite the view, isn't it?"

"Yeah," John hummed, before suddenly flopping down in the grass next to Hickory, leaning back on his hands to watch the hustle and bustle of the community below. "I'm kinda surprised more trolls don't come up here for the view? But I guess most pop trolls are more interested in fun, games and parties than sitting quietly."

Hickory settled himself in the grass next to John, while setting his hat to the side. "Never been one to really stick to the mold, have ya, Johnny?"

John tilted his head to smirk at Hickory, shifting to nudge their shoulders together. "Nah. The mold is boring. Plus, I think all those years spent by myself sort of made me forget exactly how energetic pop trolls can be. It can get to be a bit…much."

"What do y'mean, by yerself? Ya never picked up a travelling companion? You always talked about all o' the things you wanted the two of us to do when we were together."

John sighed quietly and shifted so he could tip his head and rest his cheek against Hickory's shoulder. "Nope," he popped the 'p', watching a flyer bug and its rider do a flip in the air, "Between hiking the Neverglade trail, where there really wasn't anyone around, raising Rhonda and moving around so much? Anyone I did meet didn't really want to stay with me very long. Or it just didn't feel right, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know."

With a light frown John tipped his head back a little to try and get a look at Hickory's face, but only really managed to shove his nose into the country trolls cheek. It pulled a chuckle from Hickory, but wasn't really what John was going for. He sat up and leaned forward, catching Hickory's eye. "You didn't find someone out there for you?"

"When?!" Hickory laughed, this time it was his turn to sound sarcastic and self depreciating, "When I was bein' dragged from town to town with no set timeline for when we came or went? Or when I was workin' on a hunt with my brother?" He ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it sticking up at odd angles. "Plus, like you said," he shrugged, "Nothin' felt right."

"I'm sorry."

Hickory wrinkled his nose, turning a bemused smile on John. "What're you sorry for? S'not like you were the one forcing me t'live the life I did. Plus, isn't it some sorta unwritten rule that y'should be happy when ya hear yer ex has been miserable without ya?"

"That'd be a stupid rule," John stated flippantly, "You're not happy I was upset after you left, are you?"

"Course not."

"Then why would I be happy that you were unhappy? I might've been upset for a while, but I only ever wanted you to be happy."

Hickory felt his heart flutter in his chest at John's words, while letting out a slow breath. "Y'mean that?"

"Duh," John snorted, moving his hand to entwine their fingers together, a soft smile on his face. "You were one of the best friends I've ever had, Hick."

"John," Hickory breathed, shifting so he was more fully facing John Dory, "You were mine, too. I thought about ya, so much, when I was out runnin' the roads with Dickory. You have no idea."

John hummed, squeezing Hickory's hand. "I thought about you, too."

Without much warning, Hickory lifted his free hand to cup John's cheek, causing the teal troll to freeze up, a startled look on his face. "Hickory…?"

Hickory didn't answer, simply letting out a soft hum as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to John's while letting his eyes slip shut. He was completely unaware of the somewhat panicked, wide eyed expression on John's face as the county troll pressed close.

"Wanted to do that for a while," Hickory offered as he broke their kiss a moment later while pressing his forehead to John's, eyes still closed. He let out a breathy little laugh as he nudged their noses together, while John could feel his panic slowly begin to ebb away, even as his heart thundered in his chest. "Seein' you in the market today felt like my whole world came crashin' down around my ears, while also finally feelin' like it was all coming back together." He let out a low chuckle, brushing his fingers down from John Dory's cheek to push under John's vest and rest against his shoulder, relishing in the little shiver he could feel as his fingers moved. "The time we spent together, all those years ago, it meant the world to me, Johnny. I want ya to know that." He swept his thumb in little circles against John's shoulder, finally opening his eyes and leaning back a little to take in the flush and startled expression still on John Dory's face. "Thinkin' 'bout you, an' the courage you had to explore the world on yer own when you were still so young. It really helped me through some hard times."

John swallowed thickly, feeling like his skin was on fire while his heart was ready to beat right out of his chest. He was pretty sure his brain was flat lining at this point, as the only thing he managed to say in return was a breathy, "Hickory," before leaning forward to press his own lips to Hickory's. He untangled their fingers so he could cup both of his hands against Hickory's cheeks and pull him in close. That caused the country troll to loose balance slightly and push John a bit, which resulted in John falling back into the grass with a soft 'oof', his breathing quick and vest dislodged from his shoulder.

"Well," Hickory hummed, leaning over John with a grin, his own cheeks flushed dark, "Ain't you a pretty picture?" He trailed his fingers down from John's shoulder, tapping lightly at the flush that had traveled from the teal trolls cheeks to his chest. He then leaned down to kiss John again, pressing the other into the grass.

For a solid minute John was in bliss. It felt like no time at all had passed between them as Hickory's hands explored his fur unbidden and he had the life kissed out of him. He lifted his own hands to comb through Hickory's bright orange locks, pulling slightly as he maneuvered Hickory's face to kiss him more deeply.

~

"I don't need to see this," Floyd groaned, covering his eyes and crouching further behind the tree he and Poppy were hiding behind.

"Shhh!" Poppy waved at him absently, leaning around the tree and letting out a happy little noise as she watched John fall back into the grass.

~

But then reality had to come crashing down around his ears. He had obligations to his brothers. Hickory would be moving on with the caravan in a few days to head into the mountains. He was only just finally getting settled in Pop Village, would a fling with an old flame really be in his best interest? Not to mention, when Hickory had left him before, he's said…He suddenly pushed Hickory away by the shoulders, sucking in a sharp breath even as Hickory let out a confused whine.

"I can't do this."

"Wh-what?" Hickory sat back on his heels, a mix of confusion and hurt on his face.

"I can't let myself fall into old habits," John stated as he sat up, fixing his vest and settling it properly over his shoulders, before pulling his goggles down over his eyes. Hickory could feel his heart plummet at that. He knew perfectly well John's goggles were like a physical wall he could put up between himself and others. "I can't get involved in a fling right now. I've got too much going on." John stood, brushing dirt from his clothes, "And, quite frankly, I'm just too old to be playing games like this anymore."

"Games?!" Hickory shook his head, reaching out towards John, who stepped back out of his reach. "I'm not playin' games!"

"We had fun, yeah?" John stated, a strained smile on his face, "This was fun. Like old times, yeah? Nothing serious, just a bit of fun." John could feel his breaths becoming short and knew he had to leave before he started crying. "I'll see you around, Hick," he said, nodding towards the ex bounty hunter, before hurrying back down the hill.

Hickory stared at the spot John had stood, his breath caught in his throat even as tears welled in his eyes. He knew this was his own fault, but it didn't stop his heart from shattering in his chest.

~

"What just happened?!" Poppy gasped as she watched John practically run down the hill, only to turn and find Floyd already moving as quickly as he could in the direction John had gone.

~

"John!" Floyd shouted once they were a decent distance from the hill. He knew he'd never be able to catch up to John at the pace he could currently go, but wanted to catch him before they got too close to town, where he knew John would put all of his walls back up. His older brother stopped and turned, and Floyd could see tear tracks on his brothers cheeks below his blatantly fogged up goggles.

"H-hey, Floyd," John stuttered, sucking in a breath and obviously trying to compose himself as quickly as possible as Floyd approached, "What're you doing out here? I figured you'd be off with Poppy planning tomorrow's party."

"John Dory," Floyd murmured, dropping his cane so he could reach up and pull John's goggles away from his face and back up into his hair. The reveal caused John's face to crumple, a wretched sob escaping him as Floyd tugged him into a hug. "Shhh. It's okay. I've got you."

John wept as the two shifted to kneel in the middle of the trail, John clinging to Floyd like his life depended on it while Floyd rubbed soothing circles against his back.

~

"Hickory," Poppy said softly as she approached the country troll as he continued to stare into space, silent tears running down his cheeks.

"Wha-oh! Miss Poppy," Hickory gasped, quickly wiping at his face and plastering a smile on as the queen sat in the grass next to him. "What're you doin' out here?"

"Floyd and I were following you guys," Poppy admitted, "We were worried something might happen between you and John Dory. I saw what just happened. Or, well, the gist of it. Did you and John get into a fight?"

Hickory let his smile slip away as he shook his head. "Not exactly, no…"

~

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Floyd asked after a few long minutes of John crying into his shoulder. The elder sat back to wipe at his face, murmuring a quiet "thanks" as Floyd handed him a handkerchief.

"Do you have time for a stupid story?" John Dory asked, his voice thick from crying.

"Hey now, with a reaction like the one you just had, I'm pretty sure the story isn't stupid," Floyd scolded gently, rubbing at John's shoulder. "C'mon. You can talk to me."

John nodded after a moment, pulling himself to his feet and offering a hand to Floyd. "Okay. But, let's get back to Rhonda. I don't feel like airing my dirty laundry out where anyone could come along and eavesdrop."

"I feel like that's a dig for obviously spying on you."

"That's because it is."

Floyd snorted, glad that his brother at least wasn't so upset that he couldn't still dish out sarcastic remarks where necessary. He took John's help in getting to his feet and the two of them made their way back to Rhonda.

When they reached the bus critters clearing it was as if she could tell John was upset. Instead of the exuberant greeting she'd given him earlier in the day, she simply rumbled sadly at him and nudged him gently with her face.

"Hey hey, baby girl," John cooed, rubbing at her face, "I'll be okay."

Once the two were inside, Floyd forced John to sit at the little table he had for meals, while he dug around in John's cupboards for the tea he knew his brother had picked up some time ago for when Floyd came by for a visit.

"Here we go," Floyd hummed as he finally set two mugs of tea on the table, settling himself across from John Dory, who had been staring at the table, obviously lost in his own thoughts. "You ready to talk to me?"

John sucked in a breath as if coming up from under water. He blinked rapidly at Floyd for a second, before offering a small nod and pulling his tea mug close to himself. "Yeah…Sorry, yeah. It's just-well, the story starts when I was in my late twenties. Maybe twenty-six? Twenty-seven? Something like that. I'd been traveling around for a while, already, but it was before I'd met Rhonda. I was hiking through he mountains, trying to find this little village I'd come across once before when I'd first started traveling, when I was eighteen or nineteen. It had been a really sweet little town, with a population of yodeling trolls. Since it'd been one of my first stops, I didn't really want to stay very long at the time, but as I got older I sort of regretted not sticking around. It'd been the only place I'd ever met yodelers. It was a really unique, niche genre and I wanted to go back." He let out a breath and blew on his tea, lifting it but not taking a sip. "And eventually, I did find it. It was sort of tucked away, so I was running low on supplies and was completely exhausted. The trolls I was staying with had a teenager also staying with them. He was a real sweet kid who helped me get settled in and offered to show me around town when I was feeling up to it."

"Not sure how this is relevant to you breaking down in the forest, John," Floyd muttered, scrunching his nose a little.

"I'm getting to it, ya brat," John snorted, offering a small grin to his brother, before looking back to his tea, "Anyway…So, in the morning when I'm up and about, this kid comes bounding over to me with all of the energy in the world and offers to show me around again. I couldn't really refuse, especially since I was being stared down by the lady whose house I was staying in. So, we went around the town and had a pretty good time. I stayed in the village for a couple of months, and the kid stuck by my side nearly the entire time. When I was getting ready to leave he admitted to having a massive crush on me."

"Oh," Floyd blinked, tilting his head, "this still doesn't-"

"It was Hickory, Floyd," John stated bluntly, cutting his brother off and giving him an unimpressed look over his tea. He then took a loud slurp of his drink, which he knew drove Floyd insane.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop interrupting."

"Thank you. So, anyway, he confesses to me and I have to break it to him that, one, I was planning on leaving in the next few days, and two, he was too young for me. We were at different points in our lives, and it just wasn't going to work. He took the rejection relatively well, I think, but I didn't see him again until I was literally walking out of town. He stopped me at the edge of town, gave me the tightest hug I think I've ever gotten, told me to be safe, and that he hoped our paths would cross again one day."

"Your breakdown leads me to think your paths definitely met up again," Floyd interrupted once more, earning another tea slurp from John.

"Yes, they did. A few years later I was back up in the mountains. I'd planned on hanging out with the classical trolls for a while, but after a week or so I found myself getting pretty bored of Symphonyville. Nothing against the classical trolls, but it turns out it's just not my thing. So, I went trekking through the mountains to find the yodelers again. If nothing else, they knew how to throw a great party. Speaking of which, the trolls I'd managed to convince to let me borrow a room from that time were hosting a party the night after I'd shown up, and they invited me to go." He let out a little laugh, his gaze far away as he relived the memories, "It was a birthday party for one of the trolls in town. It was his twenty-first, and I guess for the yodelers that's a big deal. A kind of coming of age, uh, age."

John paused to glance up at Floyd, who gave him an encouraging little nod.

"So, I went. Turned out that it was Hickory's birthday, but I didn't run into him at the party until a few hours in. To make a long story that you don't want to hear short, he cornered me at the party, alluded to the fact that he wasn't too young for me anymore, and…well, y'know."

Floyd cringed, wrinkling his nose at John. "Thank you for sparing me the details."

"You're welcome," John snorted, sitting back in his chair while swirling the remains of his tea around in his cup. He let out a puff of air after a moment, downing the tea and smacking the cup onto the table, making Floyd wince. "I stayed in the village that time for well over a year. Hickory and I were happy. And I thought…Well, I thought things were going really well. I'd even started making plans to permanently move there. It was going to be a surprise for Hickory. I'd been looking to have a house built, and was talking to a couple of trolls about where the best spot in the village would be to build it. But then…then Hickory's brother came back to town."

Floyd reached across the table to take John's hand, which had begun to tremble around his tea cup.

"Dickory came back to town and it's like Hickory's entire personality completely changed. He suddenly barely had any time to spend with me, and when he did, he started acting aloof to me. I confronted him about it, and he apologized and told me that his brother just stressed him out. I took him at face value about that, and it was okay again for a couple of days. But, then he just ghosted me for almost a week. I had no idea where he was, and everyone in town either told me it wasn't something I should worry about and that he'd be back soon, or just brushed me off completely. When I was starting to panic, he just suddenly showed up again." He paused, squeezing Floyd's fingers gently as fresh tears welled in his eyes. "When he did show up, he told me I didn't need to worry about where he'd been. And then, he told me that he had to leave with his brother to work, and he didn't know if or when he'd be back. He…he told me that since I was a travelling pop troll I should have plenty of other places I could go, but that he'd had fun while I was in town. That he wanted to find something serious."

John couldn't keep the tears back as he hunched in on himself, barely registering the scraping sound of chair legs against the floor as Floyd got up from the table to pull him into a hug.

"I had though we were serious," John sobbed, hiccupping before confessing quietly, "I loved him, Floyd. So much."

"Oh, John," Floyd cooed, running his fingers through his brothers hair. "He's a bastard who never deserved you."

"N-no," John pushed Floyd away slightly, sniffing as he shook his head, "He was the sweetest troll I'd ever met, Floyd. You don't understand." He gently shifted Floyd to the side so he could stand up and move across the room to a cupboard. He opened the door and pulled a well worn scrap book out, shuffling back to the table to set it down. He gestured for Floyd to open it.

Inside there were pictures of a snowy landscape with quaint little wooden houses, decorated with flowery trim, and trolls Floyd could only assume were the yodelers. The first couple of pages were like this - general photos of what looked like the village John had described, before the photos shifted to a young John Dory with a handful of trolls Floyd didn't recognize, and then to nothing but photos of John and Hickory. Dozens of pages of the two of them looking absolutely smitten with each other, and Floyd was relatively certain it was the happiest he'd ever seen his brother.

Floyd frowned as he looked back up at John. "This doesn't change the fact that he essentially called you a whore before he left you."

"Yeah, I've thought about that a lot," John admitted, his tears having subsided into the occasional sniffle again. He sat back down in his chair. "He wasn't exactly wrong. I've travelled a lot. Before I met him, I'd had a few other short term partners. And after we broke up, I had a couple little flings. It wasn't hard for me to find places to stay when I turned on the ol' boy band charm," he stated bluntly, a wry grin on his face. "I never told him I was planning on moving to the village. As far as he knew, I was liable to up and leave again at any time."

"Yeah, but you'd already been there for a year. He could've talked to you. And he approached you in the first place. That's scummy, no matter how you try and spin it, John."

John Dory simply shrugged, tugging the scrap book over to himself to flip through a few pages. "Maybe. Maybe he just said those things to me because of Dickory. Maybe he realized I just wasn't worth his time." John shut the scrap book, sliding it across the table. "I'll never really know the reason, because I left the village the next day. I didn't say good bye, and I never went back."

"John-"

"No. Floyd, look. All that, in the end, happened well over a decade ago. I can't keep holding a grudge against him for choosing to break it off with me. Even if he was cruel in the way he did it. All I can really do is try to keep my heart from breaking again." John heaved a sigh, slumping against the table top, his cheek squishing against it as he turned his head to look up at Floyd. "It's why I left him up on that hill. I know all I've really done is run away again, but he's going to be leaving with the caravan in a few days. Spending the morning with him, it just brought back all the feelings I had back then. It hurts."

Floyd sighed through his nose, tugging his chair closer to John and settling himself back down. "You still love him, don't you?"

John squeezed his eyes shut, nodding against the table. "I do."

~

"So, if it wasn't a fight, then what was it?" Poppy asked, sitting herself down next to Hickory.

Hickory sniffed, grabbing his hat from where it had been discarded on the ground so he would have something to fidget with. "Gettin' my comeuppance, I s'pose," he said with a shrug. "John and I, I'm sure you could tell, we used to be a thing."

"Hard to miss, with the way you guys were looking at each other half the morning," Poppy nodded, getting herself comfortable as Hickory spoke.

"Yeah…We broke up on pretty bad terms, back then. I…I treated him pretty badly."

"What?! How?"

Hickory laughed gently, rubbing at one of his eyes, "You really want to hear the whole story?"

"Uh, duh! Tell me everything," Poppy enthused, sitting forward eagerly.

"All right," Hickory sighed, a small smile on his face at Poppy's never ending enthusiasm. "John'll tell you that we met when I was seventeen, but that's not entirely true."

"Ooooh, I can already tell this is gonna be good," Poppy cooed, resting her cheek on her fist.

"When I was about ten, a pop troll came to the village that me n' my brother grew up in. It was kinda rare to see travellin' trolls, and honestly no one had seen a pop troll since before I'd hatched-"

"Because of the Bergens," Poppy helpfully interrupted.

"Because of the Bergens," Hickory agreed, patting her knee, "So here was a traveler all the way up in the mountains, where few trolls ventured, and a pop troll t'boot? He was an enigma." He wiggled his fingers through the air, making Poppy giggle. "My ten year old brain was immediately obsessed. I wanted t'know where he was from, how he found us, where he was going next - everythin'. But Dickory didn't like that. He didn't trust the traveler and made me stay inside near the entire time he was in the village. Then a couple weeks passed, and he was gone."

"So, I mean, you really didn't technically meet until later," Poppy hummed, frowning lightly.

"True. But I thought about him endlessly after that. It made me realize there was more to the world than our little village. That I could leave," Hickory enthused, gesturing out towards the bustling town below the hill. "It opened up my whole world when he came to town." He paused, letting his hands fall back into his lap. "But I was stuck under Dickory's thumb. At least, that was until he started workin' as a bounty hunter. I dunno when or how he found out about the line o' work, but he started disappearin' for long periods of time an' leavin' me with random folks 'round town. Eventually, when I was seventeen, he left me with this real sweet older couple, who occasionally had the rare troll that passed through the mountains stay with 'em. Low an' behold, one day I'm mindin' my business puttin' dishes away, when none other than John Dory walks through the door. I nearly dropped the dish I'd been holdin', but I managed to keep it together enough t'ask 'im if he wanted me t'show him 'round the village after he'd rested up. He took me up on the offer, an' we spent a good couple months together."

"Awww! That's so sweet," Poppy cooed, grinning at Hickory.

"Yeah. Real sweet up until I told 'im I had a crush on 'im," he said, smiling crookedly as Poppy's smile fell, "He let me down real sweet like, explainin' that he was headed out of town soon, an' that I was just too young for 'im. Which, valid points. I was still heart broken, though, an' avoided 'im after that. I even nearly missed my chance to say good bye to 'im. But I'd given his rejection some good thought, an' he was right. I was too young, an' he was a drifter. I was gonna be sad for a while, but I treasured the time we'd gotten to spend together. So I said my good byes, and he went on his way."

"But I thought you said you broke up with him?"

"I did," Hickory nodded, turning his gaze out towards the village, "John came back to the village a few years later, right on time for my twenty-first birthday. He appeared at my birthday party like some sorta specter. I turned 'round an' he was just standin' there, sippin' at a drink against a wall, just watchin' everyone else havin' fun. I thought for a minute that I had t'be dreamin', but no. He was really there. An' it was my birthday, so I took a bit of a risk." He tipped his head to smirk at Poppy, "Took 'im home with me that night."

"Oh!" Poppy flushed, waving a hand at Hickory, "You scoundrel."

Hickory laughed, shrugging as he pulled his knees up and sat forward to rest his elbows on them. "I guess so. But John, he just…he makes me feel things I never thought I'd feel, y'know?"

Poppy smiled warmly at Hickory. "Yeah, I do."

"Cause o' Branch?"

Poppy giggled, flushing as she covered her face with her hands, muttering a muffled, "Yeah."

"You two're real cute," Hickory hummed, patting her on the knee. "But, anyhow…John an' I were real happy for a good bit o' time. I think he stayed with us for a year or so? Dickory'd been gone on some long ass hunt an' I honestly wasn't sure if he was ever gonna come back. I know it makes me sound terrible, but I'd kinda hoped that he never would. John an' I were happy." A bitter frown turned Hickory's lips, and Poppy dropped her hands into her lap, watching him curiously. "He suddenly came back into town one day, makin' me spend all this time with 'im as he talked my ear off about bounty huntin'. It put me in a right foul mood, which carried over when I finally did get to spend time with John. I felt right bad when he called me out on my shit, too. I didn't realize I was treatin' him different 'cause of my bad mood. I tried to straighten up an' get back to our usual routine, but Dickory was havin' none of it. One day, he pulled me aside an' told me that since I was of age now I shouldn't be foolin' 'round with some travellin' tart. I needed to get out an' work, an' if I wanted to see more o' the world so badly then he would take me with 'im on his next job." Hickory sighed and rolled his shoulders, stretching back out to lean back on his hands. "He got a little rough with me at one point when I told 'im I wanted t'stay with John, an' that we were happy the way we were. He dragged me into town to show me where John was talkin' to some o' the other villagers, then pinned me down so I couldn't get away, just so he could tell me about how John was apparently lookin' to build us a home. I asked him how he thought that would make me wanna leave, an' he just laughed at me an' told me that if I really loved John because of how he was free to go anywhere he wanted, an' be whoever he wanted, then why was I so willing to tie him down and force him to stay in our little village. Never occured to me that John and I could leave together. I just watched him laughin' with the other villagers an' kept playin' scenarios in my head about how he'd grow to resent me for keepin' 'im there."

"Oh, Hickory," Poppy hiccupped, tears welled up in her eyes, "that's awful!"

"Yeah. But it wasn't as bad as what I did to John after that."

"Oh no! What'd you do?"

Hickory let out a breath, looking ashamed of himself. "I left with Dickory for a week without tellin' 'im anythin'. Dickory took me out on a short job, an' when I got back John was in a tizzy. He was so worried about me, I felt awful. But Dickory told me he had a longer job lined up for us, an' we would be leavin' the next day. I had no idea how long it'd take, an' I didn't even know if Dickory an' I would even go back to the village after. So, I had to set John free."

"Hickory…what did you do?"

"I was cold to 'im. Told 'im I was leavin', an' didn't know if I'd even be back. Then - oh Poppy," Hickory rubbed at his face, "I told him since he was a travellin' pop troll, he shouldn't have any trouble findin' a place to shack up an' keep warm. That we'd had our fun, but I needed to get movin' an' find somethin' 'serious'. I was just awful to 'im. I really don't blame him for leavin' like he did just now."

Poppy looked devastated for a moment, before jumping up to her feet. "So, you need to apologize!" She stared down at Hickory with determination, her fists clenched in the air in front of her.

"Wait-what? Poppy, weren't you listenin'?"

"Of course I was! But, Hickory, for all that is trolly, you've loved John Dory since you were ten. And not even because he was in a band! Now that you're both in a good place in your lives, and able to make amends, you can't seriously tell me you're okay with just moving on with the caravan and leaving things the way they are, are you?!"

Hickory swallowed thickly, fiddling with his hat for a moment, before yanking it onto his head and smacking the ground. "Good gosh golly, you're right, miss Poppy. I can't give up now. I gotta apologize an' clear the air between us. I can't just let things fester like I did before. We gotta stop this cycle of one of us leavin' the other over an' over." He stood, face full of determination. "Let's do this."

"That's the spirit!" Poppy cheered. "And I have the perfect plan to help!"

~

"So, what're you going to do?" Floyd asked, the two had migrated from the table to John's couch, cuddled together under a blanket.

"I don't know…I could probably hide in Branch's bunker until they leave. That's always an option, right?"

Floyd rolled his eyes, flicking John Dory in the ear, earning himself a pathetic sounding whine from the other. "No. As much as I think that what Hickory did was absolutely deplorable, you're probably right that he did it because of his brother. And you still care about him. He obviously still has feelings for you. You two should at least talk, if nothing else."

John sighed heavily, pulling his goggles off his head to toss them across the room. "You know I'm no good at talking. Plus, I'm pretty sure after running off like I did, he probably doesn't even want to talk to me again."

"You just talked to me. I think you did really well. And if Hickory doesn't want to talk to you again, at least you can say you tried. Trying and being honest are the only ways you're going to find yourself any closure about this." Floyd gently ruffled his older brothers hair, "But maybe wait until tomorrow? After you've had some time to rest up. I don't think I've ever seen you cry so much. You must be tired."

John snorted and shoved Floyd lightly, shooting him a playful glare. "This coming from mister I used to cry when even so much as a slightly raised voice was in my general vicinity."

"Exactly why I know how tiring crying can be," Floyd snarked back, tugging at John's ear. "Don't be petulant. Get some rest. Hang out in Rhonda for the rest of the day. I'll bring by some dinner later and we can talk some more, okay? Maybe you can show me some other scrap books you've got stashed away. I saw a bunch more in that cupboard."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds good."

"I'll see you later, JD."

~

The next day started pretty similarly to how the previous had. The sun was shining and birds were chirping, but this time John didn't have an exuberant pop queen banging at his door.

John rolled out of bed and puttered around Rhonda, getting himself ready for the day. As he pulled his goggles on he stared at himself in the mirror. He'd slept relatively well, so the perpetual bags under his eyes weren't quite so prominent, and the redness in them from crying had, luckily, completely cleared up overnight. He hadn't picked out anything special to wear, just his usual fur lined vest and cargo shorts. Pretty well the same thing he'd been wearing the day before. He didn't think he looked like anything particularly special, but yesterday Hickory had looked at him like he was the whole universe.

"Hey now, stop that," he scolded his reflection as his cheeks began to darken. "Don't get your hopes up, and don't expect anything. You're just going to talk, and if we end up at least staying friends, that's good enough." He poked the glass in front of him with a stern frown. "Be happy if you even get closure."

He then turned on his heel and headed out of Rhonda, startling when he found Floyd just outside the door with his fist raised to knock.

"Oh! You're up," Floyd laughed, stepping back to gesture at Poppy and Branch who were standing just behind him, "Branch was convinced you'd still be asleep."

"What? And miss out on a party thrown by none other than the Queen of Pop herself? I don't think so," John laughed, trundling down Rhonda's steps and giving her a fond pat before stepping away.

"Oh, good. I was a bit worried that after yesterday, you wouldn't want to come," Poppy sighed, laughing nervously as she glanced at Branch who nudged her in the side. John raised an eyebrow at their antics and glanced at Floyd who simply shrugged.

"Riiiight…Well, I'm up and about. Shall we?" John swept his arm out towards the entrance to Rhonda's clearing, waiting until Branch and Poppy began to walk before following next to Floyd.

"Are you actually okay?" Floyd asked as he and John fell back a bit from Poppy and Branch, a light frown on his face.

"I don't know," John reluctantly admitted, rubbing at his neck, "I guess? I think I know what I want to say to him, but that all depends on if he's even around or wants to talk to me. I guess I'm a bit anxious?"

"It's okay to be anxious. And if you need me, you know I'll be there for you," Floyd offered, patting John on the shoulder.

"Yeah. Thanks, bro," John smiled, nodding a little as the group of four broached what most of the village fondly referred to as the 'Party Clearing'. The area was almost exclusively used for parties and events, and was currently decorated in country themed decorations for the visiting caravan. Fake cacti were peppered around the area, while what appeared to be hay bales were scattered around for trolls to sit on. A stage and DJ booth were set up at one end of the clearing, and twinkle lights were strung over the entire clearing with various colors of streamers hanging from them. John was sure they'd be amazing once night fell and the lights were turned on.

"Okay! I gotta go do some last minute prep, and make sure all of the tables for food are set up properly. Everything today has got to be perfect," Poppy cheered as she dashed away, the brothers visibly cringing as she said the word 'perfect'.

"So, wait…why're we here so early?" John asked, frowning a bit as he looked around to see a handful of trolls milling about and setting things up.

"Because Poppy likes to be early," Branch stated bluntly, folding his arms over his chest, "And she wanted to make sure you showed up."

"What? Why?"

Branch glanced at his brother, shrugging a little. "Because reasons," he replied unhelpfully before wandering away, leaving an incredibly confused John and Floyd in his wake.

"Uh," John blinked, turning to Floyd with a frown, "Do you know what's up with him?"

"Not a clue," Floyd shrugged while shaking his head, only to turn towards the stage as someone tapped on a microphone and started a sound check. He blinked in surprise and grabbed at John Dory to face the stage as well, as a green and orange troll walked forward with a guitar in hand.

"Hickory?" John gasped, dumbfounded as to why the county troll would be up on stage, especially when there were barely any trolls in the clearing yet.

"Howdy, y'all," Hickory said into the mic, tipping his hat and clearing his throat. "This, uhm…this ain't really for the party or nothin', but I heard grand gestures are real in right now, so uhm, here I am."

John began to walk across the clearing towards the stage in a bit of a daze, watching Hickory as he nervously fiddled with his guitar.

"This is for, well," Hickory laughed lightly, his eyes trained on John as he approached, "It's for you, darlin'." And with that, he began to sing. "Tell me what I have to do tonight, 'cause I'd do anything to make it right…" ((click here if you wanna listen to the song Hickory sings, and the namesake of this fic))

John was enraptured as Hickory sang, unconsciously clutching at the front of his vest as tears welled up in his eyes as the song came to a close. "Hickory," he sobbed with a hiccup, rushing the stage as Hickory jumped down, catching the country troll in a hug. A small smattering of cheering and clapping made John pull back and look around, flushing as he realized that all of the trolls that had previously been milling about were watching them.

"Oh, this is embarrassing," John muttered, burying his face in Hickory's shoulder, causing the other to chuckle.

"Why don't we go somewhere a bit more private so we can talk? How's that sound?" Hickory asked, nudging John's temple with his nose.

"Yeah, okay," John muttered, pulling away to drag Hickory from the clearing by his wrist, the cheers following them as they left.

After a beat, Branch walked back over to Floyd with a self satisfied smirk on his face.

"You and Poppy planned this whole thing, didn't you?" Floyd asked, raising an eyebrow at his baby brother.

"Well, Poppy did. She just used me as a sounding board and asked how I thought John might react to something like this." He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his vest pockets.

"Good job, Bitty B."

"Someone's gotta look out for that idiot now and then. Glitter knows, he won't ever take care of himself."

"He's trying," Floyd sighed, wrapping an arm around Branch's shoulders to pull him into a half hug.

"I know."

~

John tugged Hickory along until they were a good ways away from the party clearing, quite near to the forest trails they'd walked along the day before. He finally let go of the other and spun on his heel to face him, his cheeks flushed and a mix of determination and fear on his face. Hickory frowned lightly, reaching out to cup John's cheek.

"You okay there, darlin'?"

John let out a shuddery breath, leaning in to Hickory's touch for a moment, before wrapping his fingers around the country trolls wrist and pulling it away from his face. "You hurt me, Hick. No amount of sweet ballad performances are going to change that," he began, holding fast as Hickory turned his face away and tried to tug his wrist free, "BUT. But…I am willing to talk about this and clear the air between us. I think we really need to discuss what happened all those years ago."

"Yer right. 'Course, yer right," Hickory nodded, "I wasn't tryin' to avoid a serious conversation with ya, I promise. I know I gotta explain myself, an' you don't owe me any sorta forgiveness."

"No one said I was unwilling to forgive you, sweetheart," John said, returning Hickory's earlier gesture and tilting the country trolls face towards him, brushing his thumb over his cheek. Hickory's face lit up as he stared intently at John. "We just really gotta clear away the old baggage, first."

"Right," Hickory nodded as the two moved to sit beneath one of the towering trees. "Where do ya want me to start?"

"I don't think we need to go that far back. Just…tell me what happened when Dickory came back to town. Where did you go for that week, and what made you decide to try and make me hate you before you left."

Hickory fidgeted, swallowing thickly as he tucked his hands between his knees. "Okay. Well, when Dickory came back an' saw the two o' us together, he was not pleased. The reason I kept bein' so waspish to ya was because he was bound an' determined to make me miserable before he knew I was gonna meet up with ya. An' then he dragged me on a job with 'im without any warnin'. I didn't get a chance to even think about tellin' ya where I was goin', cause I just woke up one mornin' in a wagon that was headin' down the mountain. When we did return, he got real nasty with me when I tried to go back home to ya. I wasn't thinkin' straight, an' he put this thought in my head that I was keepin' you trapped, instead of letting ya be yerself. He told me you were lookin' to move to the village, permanent like, an' I didn't want that fer you. You were always meant t'be free."

"…That's stupid."

Hickory let out a bark of laughter, tilting his head to smile wryly at John. "I realize that now. But at the time, Dick had me all messed up an' I thought the only thing I could do was let you go. Well…force ya t'leave. It wasn't fair, what I did, an' it weren't right. I know that now. I've known that fer a long time now, actually. I should've just talked to ya about it. I've imagined, so many times, how we could've just up an' left in the middle of the night an' been happy and together for all these years. I wasted so much of our time, bein' stupid."

"Yeah. You did," John breathed, watching as Hickory winced, "But there's not much we can do about the past, is there?"

Hickory lifted his head, watching John with hope in his eyes. John couldn't help but reach out and brush his fingers through Hickory's hair, relishing in how the country troll practically melted into his touch.

"If there's one thing I've been trying to learn and come to terms with myself, it's that the past will leave scars behind, whether you meant to hurt yourself and others, or not. But, you can work to help heal them. It'll take time and effort, but I think it'll be worth it if we try."

Tears slid unbidden down Hickory's cheeks, even as he smiled warmly at John. "Lookit you, gettin' so wise in yer old age."

"Shut up," John laughed, shoving lightly at Hickory's shoulder, only to tug him back in close to plant a kiss on his cheek. Hickory chuckled, quickly tipping his head to catch John in a proper kiss, a shiver running up his spine at the surprised little noise the teal troll let out.

"You wanna head back to the party now?" Hickory asked as they pulled away from each other, John taking the opportunity to duck down and snuggle into Hickory's chest.

"Not yet," he sighed, letting his eyes drift shut as he curled around Hickory, "Let's just stay here for a bit."

"Whatever you'd like, darlin'," Hickory hummed, letting his fingers comb through John's hair as they basked in each others company and the warm sun shining down on them.

[thatonegenshinsimp]

Heyyy! I hope you're doing well!

So I wanted to request a drabble with Cyno in like a college setting. Where one night he comes over to study with his s/o and reader just can't focus on what she's studying because horny lol.

And cyno is like what's wrong and she'd be like "I just want you inside of me"

And then things happen

I'm so down bad for modern Cyno istg kekwkwksfkx

Study Session (Modern AU Cyno x fem!reader NSFW)

Same, anon, I'm down bad for him, too tbh. I love this scenario ZSZAWXFDZ. Enjoy~

Masterlist

Summary: You had been forced away from Cyno by your schoolwork for a while now, always busy with projects and homework from your classes. Now, however, since you were both finishing out the last two months of your Sophmore year of college, you both had time to do other things as well, one of which included him studying not only his textbooks for his exams, but your body, as well.

Warnings: NSFW, fem!reader, fingering, degradation, choking, dacryphilia, overstimulation, Cyno being a tease, slight bondage if you squint

NSFW content below, Minors DNI, by scrolling down past this point, you have chosen to read this content of your own accord.

You couldn't help but squeeze your thighs together every time you thought about the things you wanted him to do to you. Your boyfriend of well over three years now, Cyno, was currently walking to your car with you after a long day of lessons and classwork. He had a small smile on his face as he spoke. "Could we maybe study at your place? You're the one planning to major in English, and it's not my strongest subject. I'm also a bit worried about the exam and what to write for the essay." he asked. "Sure." you said quickly, all but dragging him to sit in your car. Tighnari had to drive him today since his car broke down about ten minutes from the college. You agreed to take him home, since he'd spent the night at your place plenty of times. While you were driving, you spoke. "Do you wanna stop by your place first to get a change of clothes?" you asked, briefly glancing over at him as he spoke. "Yes, that's probably a good idea." he said, looking back at his phone as he texted Kaveh. "I told Kaveh that he and Alhaitham can go ahead to dinner without us, since I'll be busy studying and doing what homework I have left." he said. "And railing me, after." you mumbled under your breath. "What was that?" he asked, causing you to shake your head. "And eating with me, after." you lied, causing him to nod. "We could order takeout if you want." he offered. "Sure." you replied, smiling softly. He nodded, before turning his attention back to his phone as you continued driving.

The moment you got to your house, you parked your car in the driveway and got out, locking it behind you. You watched as Cyno jogged to the door and unlocked it with his key, opening it for you. "You first." he said, closing the door behind him when you were in the house. "Now then, what should we get as takeout?" he asked, watching as you thought to yourself for a minute. "I wouldn't mind maybe getting something from Wanmin Restaurant, since the food is good. Plus, we'd be helping out Xiangling and her father, too." you advised. "Sounds good to me, I'll give them a call. What do you want, before I call them?" he asked. You told him what you wanted, before telling him you were going upstairs to change into something more comfortable, leaving him with a note of what you wanted. You went upstairs and changed into one of your lighter sets of pajamas, since it was rather warm this evening. When you got downstairs, you saw that Cyno had changed into a tank top and a pair of sweatpants. He looked back at you and nodded, patting the space on the couch beside him as he spoke. "It should be here in about twenty minutes, so we can study until then." he said, causing you to nod. “Alright, let me see the study guide.” You said, holding out your hand.

About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang, and you went and got the food, paying the delivery driver at the door. “Thanks.” You said, walking back inside and closing the door. You set the food down on the table and walked back over to Cyno, sitting beside him once again on the couch. You took the study guide back from him and then continued reading over it. The words seemed to blur together as your mind wandered back to him. Cyno seemed to notice, and tugged at your sleeve. “Are you alright? You seem distracted. What’s on your mind?” He asked. You looked him up and down and then spoke. “You bending me over the couch or throwing me on my bed and fucking me.” You said, resting your face in your hands as your cheeks turned red. You looked over and saw that his face was completely red as he looked at you. Cyno cleared his throat before he spoke again. “If you insist.” He said, sweeping you up into his arms and carrying you to your room.

You held onto him for a moment, before you let out a yelp as he threw you on the bed. He jumped on the bed with you and pinned your wrists above your head, holding your legs down with his own. “You wanna go slow or fast tonight?” He asked. “Mmh~ I just want you inside of me.” You whispered. He reached for your shirt and then spoke. “May I?” He asked. You nodded softly, letting him take your shirt off. He unhooked your bra and took it off as well, his free hand moving down to slide off your pajama shorts and your underwear. Cyno then pulled back and undressed quickly, before pinning you down again. He let his hands wander down further, before he pressed two fingers against your slit. He slid them in slowly, his thumb drawing circles on your clit as he slowly stretched you out. “You’re soaking wet.” He mumbled, pinning your wrists above your head with one of his hands. He added another finger, watching as your eyes screwed shut and a soft sigh left your lips. “Is this the type of studying you wanted to do?” He asked, causing you to nod softly as your face reddened. His hand sped up as his fingers curled to hit that spot that made you moan loudly, your hips bucking up against his hand. “Cyno, m’gonna- hnn~!” Your body jolted as his thumb pressed against your clit harshly, your hips grinding against his fingers to get the sweet release you craved. You were so close, but whined pathetically when he pulled his fingers out.

“You thought that was it? No, get ready, because our lesson just started, sweetheart.” He mocked, wiping his hand on the bed sheets. Cyno hoisted your leg over his shoulder and pumped himself a few times, holding your ankle with one hand and his cock with the other. He pressed himself against your slit and dragged the tip against your clit, watching you shudder and gasp. “Look at you. Do I do this to you? Is this how I make you feel?” He asked, resting your leg on his shoulder before he reached forward and grabbed your pretty neck in his hand. He gently squeezed your throat, causing you to clench around nothing as he smirked. “Come on, you have to tell me if I do or not. You can’t learn if you don’t know what’s going on, can you?” He asked, causing you to nod softly. “You’re so far gone that you don’t know what I’m even saying, do you?” He asked, watching as you shook your head. “Tell me, do I make you feel good? Use your words, you’re smart.” He said, pressing his tip against your slit as he spoke. “Y-yes! Cyno please!” You cried out, becoming increasingly frustrated with each passing second that he wasn’t inside of you. “Please what? I need to know what you want, or I can’t do anything. I don’t want to hurt you, sweetheart.” He whispered, looking down at you. “P-please fuck me, need you s’bad!” You moaned, causing him to reach up and cup your face in his hand. “See, was that so hard to say?” He asked, watching as you glared up at him. He hummed softly as he spread your legs further and slotted his hips against yours, slowly slipping the tip past your entrance.

You sighed softly as he slowly slid into you, your hips jolting slightly as he pressed his thumb up against your clit again. You moaned as tears beaded at the corners of your eyes, your hands going up to grip the sheets beside your head. Your breath hitched and you let out a high pitched whine as he finally pressed his hips fully against yours, his spongy tip bumping up against your cervix as he leaned down and kissed you. You moaned loudly into the kiss, your hands flying up to tangle in his hair as he pulled away and then spoke. “You’re such a good girl, taking me in one go like this. You’ve been so good tonight, let me reward you.” He whispered, his red eyes staring you down as he watched you nod. He looked down at the slight outline of his cock that was visible just below your bellybutton, reaching down and pressing his hand against it. “You feel that? That’s me making you feel good.” He whispered, pulling his hips back before snapping them against yours, watching as your tears rolled down your cheeks and you yelped. “Poor thing, you want me to go fast tonight?” He asked, causing you to nod. Cyno grabbed your thighs and used them as leverage to grab onto you and use you as he pleased. “Archons, you feel so- Ngh~ so good. You’re squeezing me so- f-fuck- so good.” He cursed, reaching up and grabbing your neck again. He knew that his grip could leave bruises, but he tried not to be too rough with you. He slowly applied pressure as he squeezed your windpipe, the lack of oxygen serving to make your cunt squeeze him deliciously. “Shit- hnng~ is that what gets you going? You want me to choke you when I fuck you?” He asked, only receiving whines and sobs in return as tears streamed down your face from the onslaught of pleasure. He felt your velvety walls clench around him, squeezing him as the knot in your lower abdomen tightened. “Ahhn~ Cyno, mmnh~!” You were beyond coherent speech by now, and could only moan and sob from the overwhelming stimulation you were receiving. “You want me to fill you up? Fuck you full until it spills out?” He asked, causing you to nod, almost completely fucked out as you wrapped your leg around his waist. Cyno lowered your other leg and let you lock your ankles around his waist, leaning down as he kept rutting his hips against yours. He pressed his lips against yours and reached for your breasts, pinching and pulling at your nipples. Your moans came out half sob as he twitched inside of you, his tip grazing that spot deep inside of you that made your toes curl and your eyes roll back past their lids. You wailed his name as he pushed you over the edge, your cunt spasming and clenching around his cock as he groaned loudly and pressed his hips taut against yours. His eyes rolled back slightly as he came, thick ropes of cum spurting out and painting your velvety walls white. You clenched and squeezed around him, milking him for all he was worth. “Look at you, you’re so pretty. That’s it, milk me dry, sweetheart.” He mumbled, pressing his lips against yours once again as you let yourself slowly come down from your high.

After you had finally calmed down enough to understand what Cyno was saying, you laid your head against his chest and smiled sleepily. “Was that good? Do you need anything? Do you want me to clean you up?” He asked, his voice much softer than it was before. You looked up at him. “Yes to all of those.” You mumbled, letting him pick you up and carry you to the bathroom to clean you up. He grabbed a washcloth and turned on the bath faucet, still holding you against his chest as you kept your legs wrapped tightly around his waist. He slowly pulled out and set you down in the now warm water, climbing in with you. Cyno grabbed the soap and lathered his hands before slowly rubbing your sore muscles and massaging them. He gently splashed the water on your shoulders to wash the soap off. He then grabbed the shampoo and slowly massaged it into your hair and his, waiting for it to set for a minute before he told you to close your eyes. You felt the water wash over your head as he washed out the shampoo and moved on to the conditioner after washing his own hair. He slowly ran his fingers through your hair to get the conditioner through it, making sure not to pull on any knots when his fingers caught on them. He conditioned his own hair and then waited for a few more minutes, before telling you to lean back. Cyno washed the conditioner out of your hair and then pulled you back up to make sure he’d rinsed it completely out. He rinsed his own hair before leaning in and kissing your neck, causing you to shudder. “Cyno, not now, I’m still sensitive.” You whispered, looking back at him. “Mmm~ but I know you liked tonight.” He whispered back. “I’m going to get us some towels, wait here.” He mumbled, getting up and getting out of the bath. He went to the towel closet and grabbed a few of the soft towels, before walking back over to the bath and lifting you gently out of the water. He wrapped you up in one of the towels and carried you to the bed, setting you down before gently drying your hair with another towel. He then dried himself off and threw the towels in the laundry basket. He got under the covers with you and laid down beside you, holding you close to him. “Are you ok? I wasn’t too rough, was I?” He asked. You rolled over and looked at him. “Maybe a little rough, but it was just what I needed.” You whispered, your face flushing despite the vulgar activities you two had just done together mere minutes ago. “I’m just a little sensitive is all.” You reassured, snuggling up to him. You looked up at him tiredly before your eyes shot fully open. “Oh my goodness we forgot to study.” You gasped. “Relax, the exam is next week, we have time.” Cyno said. You nodded, relaxing in his arms again as you calmed down. Your eyes slipped closed as you drifted off to sleep, leaving him awake at your side. “Goodnight, (Y/N), sleep well.” He whispered, falling asleep soon after.

[runnning-outof-time]

Birmingham | Tommy Shelby x Reader (Part 20)

Previous Part

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: Plans of taking over the tracks get thwarted quickly for the Shelbys as trouble makes its way into Birmingham. Tommy tells (Y/N) to stay away, but of course she can't for too long. Everything gets laid out on the table after a scary experience shakes the both of them.

Warnings: drinking, series typical violence, canon death, injury, blood

Word Count: 4426

A/N: here it is everyone…the final chapter of Birmimgham! Thank you so much to those of you who have stuck with this story…through the break and the drawn out postings. I finished it for you. I’d love to know what you think of how it ended (since I went with the winner of the poll; which was giving a ending that felt finished). Enjoy! :)

A/N 2: the italicized dialogue is taken from the show. I’d also like to give a special thanks to @alicent-targaryen for making the amazing gifsets that helped me write this chapter so quickly — they gave me so much inspiration! :) also if you’d ever like to know what the original ending for this was…feel free to reach out to me…if I get enough interest, I may just write it as a short.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

The story is finished! — I hope you enjoyed!

"Is Tommy here, or has he left already?" (Y/N) asked Polly after she entered the Watery Lane home. She found the older woman working on cleaning the mantle in the living room, and she couldn't stop herself from blurting the question out.

"He should still be upstairs," Polly answered, not even bothering to turn and properly greet (Y/N). It seemed as though she was deep into working on something.

"Can I go up?" (Y/N) asked hesitantly, not wanting to cross any lines.

Her question made Polly turn and look at her. The older woman quirked an eyebrow, probably wondering why the question was even being asked. "If you wish to. His door is at the end of the hall," she answered (Y/N)'s question. (Y/N) nodded, saying a quick thank you before she made her way to the stairs of the home.

She walked down the hall, stopping at the last door and taking a pause before she knocked on it. "Come," his voice came from inside the room, making her twist the knob and open the door. She saw him standing at the dresser, finishing up shaving.

"Hi, Tommy," she said softly, making him stop what he was doing and turn to face her.

"It's early, (Y/N)," he commented, surprised by her presence.

"I know, but I was unable to stay away...ever since you told me today would be the day; my mind won't stop," she explained her reason for being there. She'd been worried about everything that would happen today and couldn't stop herself from going to see Tommy before he left for the races.

Tommy finished up what he was doing, grabbing a rag so that he could wipe his face off before he then gave his attention to (Y/N). He could see the slight bit of worry behind her eyes, and he hated that it was there. For a moment he felt bad that he'd been the one to create it, but worry or not, he knew that she understood what had to be done.

"When will you go?" she asked him, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room.

"In a few hours," he gave a vague estimation, "I need to touch base with my brothers. There'll be a family meeting at half ten; there we'll discuss what will be done. I'd say that we'll be leaving shortly after that," he explained what had been on his list to accomplish. "You can come to the meeting, if you'd like," he then extended an invitation.

"I'll come," (Y/N) nodded, making her decision rather quickly. She figured that hearing his plan in full might serve to give her some solace.

"Good," Tommy nodded, a ghost of a smile teetering on his lips, "we'll be set after this, (Y/N)," he said to her then, his words riddled with confidence. (Y/N) smiled upon hearing it. She loved how self-assured he was; it was almost contagious.

"I'm worried," she said then, retreating back to her own way of thinking. She was itching to reach out and take hold of him from the second she'd walked in, but she didn't know if that would be received well or not. The last thing she wanted was him upset with her as he embarked on this big scheme.

"You shouldn't be," he assured her, "we've got the Lees on our side thanks to John and Esme, and Kimber will think that we're going to fight that family instead of taking to the pitches. He won't expect what'll actually happen," he gave her the rundown of his plan, still holding a great deal of confidence in it. Things were going to go his way today; he could already feel it.

"Ok," (Y/N) nodded along, trying to switch her thinking for his, "and I'll stay here...with Pol to make sure everything runs well on this end," she addressed her part in the plan.

"Good," Tommy nodded. He paused then, pulling his timepiece out so that he could check it. "Love, I should go now," he said as he slipped the watch back into its pocket.

"Ok," she repeated what she'd just said, "I just wanted to see you before you left."

"Come to the meeting," he said to her, a slight smile on his face.

"I will," she assured him, smiling also as she nodded her head.

"Come on," he said then, moving forward and placing his hand to the small of her back as he led her out of the bedroom and over to the stairs. She descended them first with him following behind. "I'll see you at half ten," he told her, walking to the door as she decided she'd stay back and see if Polly needed any help before then. It wouldn't be long until the time for the meeting came anyway; she might as well stick around.

Polly did in fact need help with minor things, and the women quickly got busy with them, passing the time between the meeting like (Y/N) hoped they would. It wasn't long until everyone was gathered in the empty betting shop; all eyes focused on Tommy as he explained the plan (Y/N) had got a preview of in full detail.

"Any other questions?" Tommy asked once he was finished explaining the plans. He looked around the room, waiting for anyone to speak up.

"Yes," it was Polly who answered as she made her way to the door that separated the betting floor from the home, "does anyone object if I bring a newcomer to the meeting?" she asked, looking around the room. Silence came in response, making her move over to the door so that she could open it slightly and whisper "come on," to whoever it was on the other side. She then opened the door wider to show Ada, who had Karl in her arms. "I'd like to introduce the newest member of the Shelby clan," she announced, a smile on her face.

(Y/N)'s cheeks were hurting from the wideness of her smile as her friend took a step further into the room. It was so good to see her back with her family again. Arthur was the one to start the clapping, and soon the room was filled with applause as Ada walked into the room. She stopped where (Y/N) was standing and gave her a smile, to which (Y/N) sent one of her own back.

"Welcome home, Ada," Tommy said to his sister, a smile forming on his lips. It warmed (Y/N)'s heart to see the progress being made.

She then explained the baby's name, earning some laughs from the group that was gathered around her. Arthur then went over to see the baby, taking him from Ada's arms and placing his peaked cap on top of his head. (Y/N) laughed along with the rest of the group as John poked fun at his older brother. Ada sent (Y/N) a smile before Tommy addressed her, asking if he was forgiven. (Y/N) stayed behind and watched Ada move over to him, telling him he was. She felt her heart swell as they shared a hug.

"It's so good to see you back with your family," (Y/N) said to Ada once she'd come back to her side. Tommy and the other men had gotten together to talk finer details of what would be going down. (Y/N) decided to stay with the women instead of learning more of the plan, feeling more comfortable watching Esme make exaggerated faces at the baby than hearing about how they were going to take over the races.

—

After things were finished at the shop, Tommy and the men decided to go to the Garrison to have a drink before they hit the road for the races. (Y/N) offered to join and help out, knowing that things would go smoother if there was another set of hands - hands that knew what they were doing - behind the bar pouring drinks.

Things were going well. (Y/N) was pouring with Tommy and the two had slipped into a comfortable routine. She wasn't going to lie, she quite enjoyed working in these close quarters with him. All was well...until it wasn't.

Arthur entered the Garrison with Jeremiah trailing close behind him. Both men were walking like they were on a mission. "Tommy," Arthur called for his brother, his gruff voice making just about all of the celebrations stop. "I need to talk to you," he said, his seriousness holding as he nodded his head to the stockroom that was behind the bar. Tommy glanced at (Y/N), who was becoming more confused by the second, before he followed his brother and friend into the room.

They were only gone for a matter of seconds before coming back out. "(Y/N)..." he started, coming right over to her, a sense of urgency in his movements and vocal tone. "(Y/N), I need you to leave now, ok?" he said to her, his eyes wide as he spoke; a tell-tale sign that he was now under pressure and needed things to be done timely and in a certain way.

"Wha...why?" she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Billy Kimber and his men are coming this way," he told her, "I need you to stay clear of here, you understand me?" he searched her eyes then, his hands blindly searching for hers. It didn't take much to find them, and when he did, he squeezed them for added effect, "stay away from here," he told her again.

"Ok. Ok, I will," she nodded her head, sensing his urgency and falling in line with it, "I'll go and be with Pol and Ada, and I'll wait there for you," she then told him where he could find her.

"Good," Tommy nodded lightly, feeling relieved that she wasn't going to be mixed up in the middle of this developing plan. He was going to need to fight Kimber on his own turf now. It was something he could do, but he wanted to make sure that the people he cared for the most were out of harm's way. "Go on," he said then, dropping her hands so that he could let her leave.

(Y/N)'s heart dropped slightly at the abrupt loss of warmth his hands were giving her, but she didn't have much time to dwell on it as she was following his orders, exiting the Garrison at a hasty speed so that she could get to Watery Lane before all hell broke loose.

Tommy watched her as she went, keeping his eyes on her until she was out of his sight before he focused on the men that had gathered in front of him, waiting for their leader to give them direction.

—

(Y/N) was out of breath when she finally got to Watery Lane. She entered the house promptly, hoping that either one, or both, of the women that she was looking for would be present. To her relief, they both were sitting in the living room.

"Where have you run from?" Polly questioned her, a look of confusion forming on her face.

"I...I just came...Tommy told me to..." she stammered out, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, hoping that doing so would allow her to get out a complete sentence.

"Come, sit down, love," Polly coaxed her over to the open chair and (Y/N) listened, moving over to sit and take a few more calming breaths. "Tell us when you're ready," she said to the younger woman, both her and Ada waiting intently for the news it seemed she had.

"I ran from the Garrison. The plans have changed...Billy Kimber's on his way here to make a stand. Tommy told me to stay away from the tavern. He thinks that it's going to happen there," (Y/N) explained once her breathing was normal again.

"Bloody hell," Polly hissed, exhaling a sigh as she heard the news, "they're going to get themselves killed."

"I don't know any of the finer details...I just know that they're going to fight them here now," (Y/N) stated, trying to push down the worry that was bubbling up inside of her.

"I've got to go," Ada finally spoke in the midst of her rushing to stand from the couch.

(Y/N)'s brows furrowed as she watched her friend move around the room, grabbing the carriage she'd brought with her so that she could transfer a sleeping Karl into it. "Ada, wait...what are you doing?" she asked, confusion present in her tone.

"I'm going to go make these bloody men see sense," Ada spoke through gritted teeth, making it apparent that anger and frustration were coursing through her. She moved over to the archway that led to the door before stopping and looking at the women, "because I know the finer details of the day, and I refuse to stand by and let this happen," she didn't wait for a response to her pointed statement after uttering it, instead turning and walking through the archway and out the door.

"What does she mean?" (Y/N) asked Polly as soon as the door shut. She was so confused right now. Polly just looked defeated.

"Freddie was to be broken out of his transport earlier today...he was going to come home and help with the effort at the races, and this was all to be done in accordance to Tommy's plan," Polly filled (Y/N) in on what Ada was getting at.

(Y/N) sighed as she heard what the older woman had to say. "She's going to go and confront them, isn't she?" she asked in a blank tone.

"She very well may," Polly didn't give a straightforward answer. Ada was a Shelby after all...Shelbys did what they wanted and rarely cared about the dangers that stood in their way.

(Y/N) knew this all too well. Ada was going to go and confront these two gangs of men. She stood from the chair with an exasperated sigh. Tommy's voice echoed in her mind as she stood; warning her not to go anywhere near the Garrison. She pushed it back, knowing that that was exactly where her friend was going. "I'm going to go and try to stop her, Pol," she informed the other woman as she walked towards the archway.

"Be careful, (Y/N)," Polly offered some words of advice, making (Y/N) nod before she walked through the archway and out of the Watery Lane home.

—

"I want you all to look at me!" (Y/N) heard Ada's voice echo through the empty streets as she ran as fast as she could to the Garrison. Upon turning the corner, she saw two lines of men, the groups facing each other. Ada was smack-dab in the middle, addressing both lines as they had their guns pointed at each other. She's going to get herself killed! (Y/N) thought to herself as she picked up her pace. "Who will be wearing black for you? Think about them. Think about them right now...and fight if you want to, but that baby ain't moving anywhere, and neither am I," she continued, her voice raw and full of emotion.

"Ada!" (Y/N) called to her friend as she made her way through the line of men whom she recognized to be the Peaky Blinders. "Ada, you can't be doing this!" she exclaimed, her eyes frantic as she rushed out into the middle of the standoff in hopes to get her friend to see some sense. "This isn't your war to get into the middle of. This isn't the place for you, or for your baby," she insisted, her eyes locked onto the other woman's as she tried to get her out of the middle of it all.

"I won't move, (Y/N)," Ada stayed persistent.

"If not for your own safety, do it for Karl," (Y/N) didn't back down, "this isn't your war to try to stop," she repeated her previous statement, trying to keep her voice steady as adrenaline started to fill her. She tried so hard not to think of what was standing on either side of her at the moment, putting her sole focus on her friend. "Come on...move for Karl," she said again, her voice softer now as she nodded to the carriage that was off to the side. They held each other's gaze before Ada just barely nodded her head. (Y/N) saw it though, and she moved Ada off to the side, hyper-aware of all of the eyes following her.

"She's right you know..." Billy Kimber was the first to speak up once the women were off to the side, "why should all you men die?" he asked the men surrounding him before looking forward, "it should just be them who've caused it," he accentuated his statement by brandishing his weapon and firing it twice.

(Y/N) squeezed her eyes shut and spun to shield both Ada and the carriage as best she could as pandemonium broke out in the street. Several men were screaming and Karl's cries had intensified before there was one more gunshot.

Tommy was the next person to speak. "Enough!" he yelled, causing everything to halt at once. (Y/N), even though her eyes were still closed, felt relieved that he was still speaking, because that meant he was still alive. "Kimber and me fought this battle one on one. It's over. Go home to your families!" he addressed the men standing across from him.

Nothing else was said as the sound of footsteps rang out, signaling to (Y/N) that people were walking away. She heard Tommy mumble something to someone, and more footsteps were heard then. She stayed by Ada and Karl, unable to really move as she took some steadying breaths.

"Ada..." a man's voice came from the women's left.

"Freddie," Ada breathed, moving from the carriage to go to the man who had approached them.

"Don't scare us like that," he said to her, allowing her to fall into his arms and cling to him. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of her head as he held her tight against him.

(Y/N) smiled softly as she watched them reunite, feeling the emotion radiating off of them. She finally looked back at the street then, seeing that everyone else had cleared off of it. Worried about the rest of the men - especially one in particular - she left the couple's side and hurried to the doors of the Garrison.

She was met with agonizing screams as she opened the doors, and immediately realized that they were coming from Tommy. Hearing them made her heart drop to her stomach. Had he been shot? she wondered, worry immediately filling her body.

Arthur was the one to notice her presence amidst trying to help get the bullet out of his brother's shoulder, "go and wait in the stockroom, love, you don't want to be seein' this," he told her and she nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat and not asking any questions before she made a b-line to the stockroom behind the bar.

She waited there as time passed painstakingly slowly. Hearing Tommy scream out in pain was breaking her heart. She wished there was something, anything, she could do to help.

Then everything became quiet again. She heard some talking, but it was muffled by the door that she'd closed. She decided to stay in the room even though it seemed that the worst of it was over. A few more minutes passed before the door opened to reveal Tommy.

(Y/N) didn't wait for another second. She was walking over to him the second she saw him, her hands raising so that she could take his cheeks into them and bring his lips to hers. She kissed him passionately and with everything she had in her. Tommy's hands found the sides of her waist so that he could hold her against him, prolonging the kiss...as if she was going to pull away anyway.

"What was that for?" he breathed out once they'd pulled away.

"For scaring me," she answered him, an involuntary shudder coursing through her as she let her eyes drop to the bloody shirt that he was wearing. He's ok...he's standing in front of you, she told herself, her eyes finding his again.

Tommy chuckled at her statement, squeezing her waist slightly before he leaned in and kissed her again. (Y/N) happily accepted it, slipping her hands from his cheeks to the back of his neck as she reveled in the feeling of their lips moving together seamlessly. Nothing ever felt this good.

"And that was for?" she asked once she pulled away, breathless this time. She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face as she looked at him again.

"An apology for scaring you," he told her, his words making her tip her head back slightly as she let out a laugh.

His eyes were still on her when she looked at him again. His gaze made butterflies dance around in her stomach, and she couldn't help but encircle her arms around his neck so that she could hug him; her head resting against the uninjured side of his chest as she did so. She brought one of her hands down from the back of his neck to gently lift his jacket where the blood was present on his shirt. She couldn't see much, but she still had to ask: "you're ok, are you?" Her voice was much softer now, worry creeping back after the excitement of the kisses faded.

"I'm fine, love," he answered her, his voice coming out in a similar tone. "Come on...have a drink with me," he said then, loosening his hold on her waist. She got the message, dropping her hands from his neck so that he could step away and lead her out of the stockroom and back into the bar area. "Under the bar should be a bottle of champagne..." he started off as he walked around to the opposite side of the bar so that he could stand across from her.

"Going for fancy today, are we?" (Y/N) couldn't help but grin as she grabbed the unopened bottle from one of the lower shelves.

"Figured we should...since we're celebrating," Tommy grinned right back at her, watching as she set the bottle on the bartop before going to grab two glasses. As she did that, he turned and rested his back against the bar, taking some of the weight off of his feet. He let out a sigh as he tipped his head back, reveling in a moment of peace after so much chaos.

"Is everything ok?" (Y/N) asked after she turned around and found him.

"Yeah," he breathed, pushing himself off of the bar and turning around to stand straight and face her again, nodding his head then for extra effect. (Y/N) nodded back at him before she uncorked the bottle and worked on pouring it into both of the cups. She tried her best not to mess up under his gaze. She smiled at him once she was finished, handing him a glass before she picked her own up and took a sip from it. "How is it?" he asked, his eyes not leaving hers.

"It's good," (Y/N) answered with a nod and a soft smile.

"You know..." he began then, pausing a moment before continuing, "someone I trust once told me, and I believe they told me here; in this very spot...that people fall for people that they know; people that they've been around and feel comfortable with..." he trailed off, and (Y/N) felt her throat go dry. Those words sounded all too familiar...like the words that she'd told him when he was grappling with Ada being with Freddie. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I want you to help me, (Y/N). With the business, the family, with the whole fucking thing. I want you, no, I need you in my life."

"Tommy this is, wow..." she couldn't finish her sentence, taken back by what he'd just proclaimed. All of the dancing around her feelings for him had led to this...the moment she'd been secretly hoping for for so long. But now that it was here, she was fumbling. "I'm not sure of what to say..." she blubbered out, her nervousness shining clear in her words. She'd never wanted something more in her life...why had she chosen this moment to be awkward?!

"Yes would be a good thing to say," he said, cracking a grin as he noticed her trying to fight back her nervousness, "it'd be a great thing to say, actually."

"Then yes," she breathed, a smile breaking onto her face.

"Then yes," he repeated what she'd said, smiling also as he leaned across the bar to kiss her. She caught his chin, holding him there and making the kiss longer than he intended...not that he was complaining.

"I think we'd ought to leave," (Y/N) said after they'd pulled away from each other, "we've had enough excitement for one day...you should get home," she suggested.

"And what will you do?" he asked her, wondering if they'd now be parting ways after all that just happened. He really didn't want that to be the case.

"I thought that maybe I'd come with you...someone's got to make sure that you keep clean bandages on your shoulder," she answered him, unable to stop the smile from creeping onto her lips.

Tommy caught that, knowing what else she could be thinking that would make such a smile form on her face. "I like the sound of that," he said to her, also grinning before she walked around the bar to come to his side.

The day had truly been won. Not only had Tommy defeated Billy Kimber, but he'd finally let (Y/N) know how he felt about her...and to his relief, she'd felt the same about him.

And for (Y/N)...she had a feeling that she wasn't leaving Birmingham any time soon. That was something she was perfectly ok with.

Tagged: @mgcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21 @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @l1-l4 @chlorrox @lostgirl219 @woofgocows @bdudette @mrkdvidal1989 @stephhevring @fictional-hooman @httyd-marauders @nataliewalker93 @rangerelik @thecraziestcrayon @cilliansangel @shaddixlife @tracysnook

SERIES MASTERLIST

[italiansteebie]

also on ao3 (Im not... super happy with this but here you go anways.

There were many things people didn't know about Steve Harrington. Like how he was fluent in italian, or how he actually didn't care that much about his hair or his looks, or how his parents are never home.

But people seemed to take one look at Steve and seemed to think they had it all figured out, and Eddie was no exception. 

Until the guy started picking up the newest sheep from hellfire, until he saw Robin Buckley from band hanging out with him, hanging onto his every word.

So maybe he didn't have the guy figured out.

And he figured out he really didn't have shit figured out when a cheerleader started floating in his living room. Or when the ground split open and Steve Harrington wanted to go down there.

But then he figured out that for Steve, Nancy, and newly Robin, this was... Quite normal for them actually. And so they walked through the gross ass woods with Nancy Wheeler to find the guns that she had hidden in her closet. Guns. In Nancy Wheeler's closest. In a dimension hidden in the crust of this one.

What the fuck is going on?

So anyways, they make it out.

After Steve gets chewed on by bats, of course, and he gets up and runs like nothing ever happened and Nancy and Robin pretend that that's normal.

And he doesn't know how the guy did it because when it comes time for Eddie's turn, he almost dies. They kill the big bad guy, though Eddie doesn't get to hear about that part for a few weeks. He doesn't remember much about how they got out of the Upside Down the second time, but he does remember one really weird thing that Steve had said.

"Fuck, fuck! My leg fell off!"

And then he was being dropped, and it all went black.

--

They had done it, they had finally done it, he was dead and it was over. The race was over.

Well, Steve had thought it was over.

But then Dustin was sobbing over Eddie's body, and the kid couldn't stand up right, and suddenly there was another race to escape the throws of the upside down.

They were so close.

The steps of Eddie's trailer were right there. But of course life had other plans, and he felt the suction come loose. 

And he toppled over.

"Fuck, fuck! My leg fell off!"

And maybe he should've thought about that sentence. but Eddie was slipping away and he panicked. 

Nancy was the only one who really knew what he was talking about (to her credit, she was the only one of them who's seen him naked), but Dustin and Robin both looked very concerned, and he'd even heard Robin whisper "rabies." with a crazed laugh bubbled up as punctuation.

"Here, get dustin to the gate, I'll help Steve,"

"Wh- how are you gonna put his leg back on? How does a leg fall off?!" Robin asked, laughing again, this time more maniacal. 

"Go!"

"Nancy!?"

"It's a prosthetic! the suction came loose, just get Dustin out of here!" Steve yelled, cutting through the shouting of the others, there was a studying pause from Robin and Dustin. "Questions later, please just go!"

So they did, Robin only looking back as Nancy cut away at the extra fabric of Steve's jeans, trying her best to help Steve with the suction sleeve of his prosthetic.

And soon enough, they were at the hospital.

Steve, Eddie, and Dustin had been admitted and Nancy and Robin were being checked over. They had arrived soon after Max, Erica and Lucas did, Max being admitted for multiple broken bones. (She'd be fine, the doctors had told them. Just a few broken bones and some new glasses). 

–

When Eddie woke up, it took a minute for him to realize where he was. Uncle Wayne was to the right of him, holding his hand, looking a little worse for wear. 

"Wayne?" The old man turned to him, eyes lighting up. "Oh, Eddie. you're awake," he could see the relief on Wayne's face, and almost felt bad for almost getting himself killed. But over the course of a few days, he woke up a little more, and Wayne told him all about how Chief Hopper came back from the dead, how the charges were dropped and a new trailer was waiting for them, curtesy of the government (which Wayne knew was shady but, hey. A new trailer is a new trailer). And how Steve Harrington had been visiting, every single day since he'd gotten better himself.

And that's when Eddie remembered.

"Hey, Wayne?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Did he have two legs?"

“Who?”

“Steve!” He said, exasperated, like it was exhausting just asking about the guy.

Wayne looked at him, "They up your morphine drip? Yeh, he had two legs." Eddie shook his head at him, "When we were in the... uh." Eddie hesitated, "Earthquake?" Wayne finished for him, "Yeah, earthquake, he said something about his leg falling off... but then I passed out... I. Is he okay?" he asked finally. Wayne pondered this for a moment, studying Eddie's face. "Well, he looked a little tired but, okay other than that."

"Is he going to come back today?" Eddie tried to sound like he wasn't desperate. It didn't work, if the look on Wayne's face said anything. 

"Probably. When you were just waking up I pressed the nurse call, and she said she was fixing to tell everyone the good news."

And just like that, Steve walked in, eyes wide, "Eddie! You're okay. they wouldn't let me see you when I woke up and I was so scared that I didn't make it in… Time." He cut off his nervous rambling.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks to you, big boy."     

Wayne arched an eyebrow at this and stood, "I'm- I'll leave you boys to it." and with that the two were alone. Eddie studied Steve for a while. This was not the guy everyone told him about, the guy his friends had warned him about, and he wondered how everyone got it so wrong. "You're not who I thought you were."

"I'm... Uh. I'm sorry?" He posed it as a question.

"No! Not like that... Just. Everyone thinks they know you so well. And I- They don't. It's like, no one knows anything about you."

Steve smirks, "I'm a man of mystery,"

"Yeah, but maybe you should tell people when you're missing a leg, dingus. Nice to see you back in the land of the living Munson." and there was Robin standing in the doorway. "Rob!"

She and Nancy filtered into the room, Dustin hopping on his crutches behind them, "Yeah, what's up with that Steve? I thought you were captain of the swim team?" Dustin inquired. Steve rolled his eyes, "Yeah, the disabled swim team." he laughed.

"So... When we were 'down there' your leg really fell off?" Eddie questioned, watching as Steve lifted up his pant leg, tapping on the metal that was there in place of an ankle, "Yeah, I was sweating so much that the suction came loose, and well... It just slid off."

"So... How did you lose your leg?" He asked, getting smacked in the arm by Robin, "Hey! No hitting the guy in the hospital bed," he said, pointing to himself. "Dude, you can't just ask people that!" She said incredulously, Nancy and Dustin nodding in agreement, while Steve just laughed. "It's okay, it's okay! I'm used to it. I lost it when I was young... You guys probably heard about it… Uh. Me and my nona were in a car accident, we were both fine but my leg got trapped in the metal of the car, and well... They couldn't save it. It was pretty scary for a while, not having a leg... But then my parents got me a prosthetic that had dinosaurs on it. Perks of having rich parents who don't know how to show you love. " He shrugged, and Eddie didn't have time to be sad before Robin piped up.

"You... Oh my god! That was you! I remember hearing about that, you were what, 7 right? Because I was six... I was so sad for you. Oh! But then you showed your prosthetic at show and tell!" Robin rambled, and Steve watched the realization cover everyone's face, including Eddie's morphine clouded brain.

"Dude, when I heard that, 9 year old me freaked out! I had just moved in with Wayne and all of a sudden there's a kid without a leg? I thought you were the most metal person ever! Before I even knew what that meant. Wow." The look on Eddie's face could only be described as starstruck, like he was meeting his idol. 

"Man. People really don't know shit about you."

And Steve laughed. 

“No really!” Eddie insisted, sitting up slowly to prove his point, Steve reaching over to help him the rest of the way, urging him to be careful. “See! That's exactly what I mean! You're so… Helpful! It's weird. In highschool, I took one look at you and thought I knew everything about you, but… I don't!”

“I mean, after a while, you stop trying to share stuff when people just assume they already know you.”

And maybe that made Eddie feel a little guilty, but he knows it wasn't meant too. “So. Let's get to know each other then.” He said, reaching for Steve's hand, Steve closing the gap and holding his gently.

Steve smiled softly. 

“Ew, are you guys flirting?”

And both Steve and Eddie jumped out of their skin, forgetting they weren't the only ones in the room. “And what if we were, mind your business Buck.” Steve snarked, smirking back at Eddie. Robin rolled her eyes, “Let's play a game! It's called "get to know Steve!” Eddie cheered before the two could start arguing again. 

Steve shook his head, “I won't have any mystery then!”

“Maybe I don't want you to have mysteries with me.”

Robin scoffed, “You're flirting again.”

And the look Steve gave her was so quick, Eddie almost missed it. But it seemed to do the trick because soon enough she was dragging Nancy and Dustin out of the room with her, claiming it was time to visit Max. 

“You really want to get to know me?”

“I want to know everything about you, Steve.”

“Wow, I mean. No one's ever been like… Interested in me. They like my looks but… That's it.”

Eddie frowned, “Not even Nancy?” he questioned, regretting it as soon as he saw Steve’s face fall. “We weren't good for each other.” and that was all he said.

“What's your favorite color?”

“What?” 

“What's your favorite color?”

“Oh. It's uh. It's green. Forest Green.” 

Eddie smiled, “Getting to know you, getting to know all about you,” he sang, eyes squinting as he smiled, only for it to grow as Steve let out a giggle, an honest to god, giggled. Eddie thinks he's going to die, and what a place to do it. In a hospital bed, smiling at his crush. 

Steve pulled his hand away, and Eddie frowned, “Where are you going?” Steve smiled, “No where, just uh. your heart rates been kinda high since I started holding your hand.” he giggled, pointing at the monitors who's beeps were faster than they were 15 minutes ago. 

By the time Nancy, Robin and Dustin came back from visiting Max, the two boys had a date set for as soon as Eddie was cleared to go home.

“Hey, Steve?” Eddie asked as the girls settled back into their chairs in Eddie's room, an idea sparking in his brain. Steve turned to him, eyebrows raised. “What’s on your prosthetic now?” He led. 

“Oh, uh. It's just plain metal. My parents got tired of paying for the prints as soon as the whole thing wore off it's… Attention value I guess.” Steve shrugged, looking at the floor.

Robin jumped up from her seat, “Let's paint it!” she said, proposing the idea before Eddie could.

Eddie brightened, “Yeah! We can all add something!” He cheered.

Steve smiled, “You guys would do that?” 

“Of course we would, Steve.” Nancy said, leaning over to rest a hand on his shoulder, smiling at him knowingly. And so the next day, the whole group was piled into Eddie's room, Will’s paint supplies spread across Eddie's bed.

“What did you guys need it for?” Joyce asked, a protective hold on Will’s shoulder as she scanned the room. Steve came out of the bathroom, metal leg in hand, crutch in the other, “This! They're going to paint my leg,” he smiled. And just as expected, the new information made the room explode. 

After they shared the story, and Steve answered all the questions, it was decided that there was going to be even more art on his leg, even Hopper wanted to add his own piece.

Steve smiled as he watched his family paint something that brought his real family so much shame. 

–

It was months later, Eddie was out of the hospital, and Steve was confident in showing off his prosthetic, now that had been decorated by the ones he loves. They were on a date in the park, Steve was wearing the shorts that Eddie loved so much. The wind was blowing a soft breeze, and the sun was just beginning to set.

“I'm so glad I got to know you.” 

There were many things Eddie Munson knew about Steve Harrington. Like how he was fluent in italian, or how he actually didn't care that much about his hair or his looks, or how his parents are never home. 

And how he loved with his whole body, and the way he likes his eggs in the morning, and the way he showed off his prosthetic when it was covered in reminders that he is loved.

If one thing is for sure, there was no way you could take one look at Steve Harrington and know everything about him.

[sammysmaddy]

Normal (Winchesters x Reader) - Part Six

Summary: Growing up as the baby of the Winchester family led you to be constantly guarded. Soon enough, you start to learn what's normal between families and what's not.

Characters: Dean x Sister!Reader, Sam, mentions of John x Daughter!Reader

Warnings: incest, sistercest, angst, fluff, kissing, oral (fem. receiving), talk of manipulation

W/C: 2.8k+

Normal Masterlist

Masterlist

Dean's POV

By the time John and Y/N got home, Sam and Dean had both crawled up into bed.

Dean was psyching himself out, worrying himself sick about her safety, and Sam was fast asleep. It was normal for the boys to share a bed because Y/N and John always had their own, but it wasn't exactly sitting right with Dean anymore.

Dean contemplated sleeping on the other one but he was scared that Y/N would choose to sleep with Sam instead of him. That meant that Dean would have to share a bed with his father.

Dean was far too angry with John, there was no way in hell he'd share a bed with the man.

It wasn't like Dean was going to confront John- he was going to explain to Y/N what was normal and what was not. After that, Dean was going to let her make her own decision.

Dean feared that Y/N had already gone too far down the rabbit hole. Maybe Dean would tell her, Y/N wouldn't care, and then she'd just continue on like everything was fine. He couldn't outright tell her that she was being manipulated- abused even- because he was definitely a part of the problem.

Dean felt better at least knowing that Sam understood the situation at hand, but Dean knew there would be no getting through to John.

John didn't care- and if he did, he had a funny way of showing it.

Dean remembered kissing her earlier that night, how her eyes widened when he suggested that their escapade was wrong- he knew at that moment the damage that had been done. Suddenly, and especially after getting caught by Sam, Dean began to feel guilty.

Sam too had forgotten that Y/N didn't exactly get the normal experience growing up, always thinking it was a little weird that John had pulled her out of school. But now they both understood it perfectly.

It wasn't because Y/N was too smart, although Dean knew that school would only supply her with knowledge she already knew, it was because of the social aspect.

Y/N never got to learn about sex and consent the inappropriate school way- usuallyby a kid that has seen too much- and she never learned the boundaries of whom you should consent to.

John wanted her to stay innocent, he knew that Y/N would never dare to challenge him.

When Y/N and John walked through the doors around 4 a.m., Y/N headed straight to the restroom after she grabbed the clothes that she planned to wear to bed.

Dean could practically smell the alcohol radiating off of John as he flopped onto the vacant bed and before Y/N had even made it out of the bathroom, John was fast asleep. Y/N came out rubbing her eyes whilst yawning and Dean felt a bit sick for admiring how perfect she looked.

Y/N was wearing Sam's blue v-neck and even with the dim lighting from the restroom, Dean could tell that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Dean pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. However, he found it extremely hard because she also wasn't wearing any shorts. Sam's shirt barely covered her.

Dean pretended to be asleep as Y/N stumbled through the dark. He expected her to crawl into bed with John but Dean felt the end of the bed dip as Y/N climbed on.

"Scoot over, De," Y/N said to Dean in a soft voice and Dean complied.

Y/N didn't bother to ask Sam because he was fast asleep but something told Dean that she knew he was awake. Maybe he stared for too long.

Dean moved about a foot over, to where his hips were practically hanging over the side, and Sam didn't budge as he laid with his side pressed against the wall. Dean watched as Y/N pressed a quick kiss onto Sam's forehead before turning toward Dean and lying down.

"Watcha doing?" Dean asked groggily, trying his best to somehow make the queen bed big enough for three.

"Sam and Dad are asleep and I wanted to cuddle," Y/N gave him a small smile before yawning and shrugging her shoulders.

Her minty breath was a nice refresher and Dean opened his arms as she began to lean into his body. Dean wrapped his arms around her, easily encasing and comforting her, and she nuzzled her head in the crook between Dean's cheek and his shoulder, her forehead resting in his neck.

"You okay, Y/N?" Dean asked, trailing his fingertips lightly over her back.

Y/N didn't answer verbally, opting to nod her head instead. She wrapped her right arm over Dean's waist, bringing their bodies impossibly closer.

For the first time that night, Dean finally felt secure enough to sleep. He knew that Y/N was safe and seemingly unharmed, bringing him the most peace he had felt all night.

Dean could barely keep his body from falling off the bed, but having Y/N in his arms made him drift off to sleep in a matter of minutes.

•••

Your POV

There was just something about Dean in the morning that made your core weak. There was the deep groggy voice, the way his scent lingered on the sheets, and this morning in particular, it was the way Dean held you. 

Under different circumstances, you would have been on the opposite bed or at least the opposite side, but layered in between your two big brothers was something you hardly got to experience. 

With Dean's big arms wrapped around you, his hand on your stomach, and your head resting on his bicep, you woke up with your ass pressed against Dean's very obvious hard-on. Every time you pushed back just a little, you'd hear the small gasps leave his mouth, and you set out on a mission.

As much as your plan relied heavily on Dean's pleasure, you'd be the real breadwinner here. You had always wondered about Dean. You wondered if he even saw you in that way, but when he kissed you against the wall it confirmed all of your suspicions. 

Now you were curious about other things. Would he be the dominant type, boss you around and tell you what to do, or would he be like Sam? Would he prefer to get off on stories of you and John or would he prefer to create his own?

You wondered if he'd be as long as Sam, if you'd be able to fit all of him down your throat, the thought almost made you groan in anticipation. You could only assume that Dean was good in bed. You knew there was a reason girls were always upset when he didn't call back, he had to be at least decent.

"What time is it anyway?" Dean asked and you watched as he removed the covers. 

Dean's hand immediately went down to his tented boxers and your eyes were instantly drawn to the sight, but then Dean pulled the blanket back over his body. You frowned to yourself slightly. 

When Dean looked back up at you, his eyes were wide, and you looked away, trying not to get too excited. It had been a good thirty minutes since you had woken up and to see Dean still half-hard lying in bed was a treat.

"It's almost noon," You answered, looking back into Dean's softened eyes. 

Then, you thought of a plan to get what you wanted. 

"Why don't you get us lunch, Sam? I'm hungry." You pouted at Sam and he nodded his head. 

You couldn't stop the smile on your face if you wanted to. When you turned back to Dean, he seemed to be a little too sleepy to understand what you were doing.

Sam took less than three minutes to get out the door, grabbing the keys to the Impala, and you followed him to the door to ensure that it was locked. When you looked back at Dean, he had gotten up and his back was faced toward you. 

You frowned lightly as you watched Dean make his way to the restroom and almost hesitated before stopping him.

"Where are you going?" You asked him, fully aware of his situation. 

Why did he want to do it alone? Did he not think that you wanted to help him?

"To the bathroom," Dean answered bluntly, continuing on his track. 

Your feet took action before you could even begin to think of what to do and your hand reached up to grab his forearm lightly. 

"What?" Dean answered in a harsh tone and you pulled your hand back immediately, not used to that kind of tone directed toward you. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." His facial features softened when he finally turned around.

"It's okay, Dean," You answered honestly, quickly recovering and blaming it on that he had just woken up. 

Your eyes peered down to see his hand covering his length that was bound to prod out of his boxers if he made a wrong move. You looked back up into his eyes. 

"Why are you covering yourself?" You asked, tilting your head to the side. 

You could have sworn that you saw Dean's pupils get darker.

"Uh, I don't know," Dean stammered, seemingly taken aback. "I just didn't want you or Sammy to see, I guess." He answered fully, tensing up.

"Why not? Don't you want help?" You pried again, brows furrowing. 

Why did he seem so scared of something that was only natural? When his mouth opened and closed, no words coming out, you took a step forward. 

"Dean, I can help." You told him in almost a whisper. 

Your hand reached down and grabbed his wrist lightly, feeling little resistance as you placed his arm at his side.

"Y/N, I don't think-" Dean began to say, but it was like something had caught in his throat when your fingers traced lightly over the simple cloth. 

It was almost instinctively, like a decision that your mind didn't make, and feeling him- even if it was only your fingers- made the need for Dean that much stronger.

Your eyes shot down, admiring how small and insignificant your digits looked next to his erection that only seemed to grow. It made your stomach drop but in an exciting way. You had waited so long for this, so long to feel him in your hand, to be with him like this. It wasn't surprising that your hand had a mind of its own.

You watched as the fingers you had on him turned into your palm, and then you felt how heavy he weighed in your grasp. His was the heaviest you had felt before and that was saying a lot because you knew how big Sam and John were. It was good to know that it ran in the family.

"Why are you so afraid?" You asked, finally breaking your gaze away. 

Your eyes met Dean's and he did not answer, so you continued on. 

"I don't want to overstep but you haven't stopped me, De. I've wanted you for so long and I just- you only seem to love me enough when you're drunk." You admitted shyly, your eyes looking back down again.

"Love you enough?" Dean asked you in a small voice, using his large fingers to lift your chin up.

You didn't understand why Dean was so resistant, why he acted like he didn't want you when he clearly did. You remembered that first night, your first party, watching the hunger in his eyes as your skirt came off- he was drunk. You remembered just last night, another party, a party where Dean kissed you- he was drunk then too. 

But maybe Dean was just like John. Your father was never truly sober but he never stopped loving you the same when he was under the influence. That's all you wanted from Dean.

"Sweetheart, I love you more than anything," Dean snapped you out of your own mind, wiping a tear that had escaped from your eye. "People you love, they're not always going to want to love you in that way," Dean explained and it only continued to make more tears fall. 

Although Dean was still being sweet and sincere it felt like a dagger to the heart.

"You don't want me?" You asked quietly, searching in his eyes for a real answer rather than some riddle he was bound to tell you.

"I do. I really do, Y/N," Dean replied honestly after a few extremely tense seconds, being a little quieter himself. 

It wasn't enough for you though. You wanted him to do something, anything. Now was a better time than ever to kiss and make up. Your eyes stared into his green ones as he held your cheek, but he didn't move.

"I'm just trying to help because I love you," You told him, your hand tracing over his soft stomach. 

You felt Dean's body relax slightly and heard his breath shudder. Then came your next move. Dean wasn't stopping you and lord knew you weren't going to stop yourself.

•••

When your fingers began making their way to hook Dean's elastic waistband, he pulled back from the kiss and you couldn't fight the frown that was forming on your face. 

You didn't know if you expected Dean to grab a fistful of your hair and push you down like your father would have or if Dean was going to change his mind and leave you all pent up. Unable to judge by the look on his face, your stomach churned in anticipation. Dean gave you a soft smile.

"Let's take care of you first, princess," Dean said, closing the gap and pressing his lips on yours before you could question what he had meant.

Dean's touch became rougher, gripping at the bottom of your shirt and swiftly pulling it over your head. Then his eyes had adverted downward, staring at your breasts for a few seconds before cupping them in his hands.

Your skin became prickled with goosebumps, although the heat from his palms was slowly sinking through your pores. You felt your nipples harden against his calloused skin. It was a few seconds of small, soft, and tender squeezes, a few almost inaudible gasps and groans, and lots of silence before Dean finally looked up at you.

"I've been wanting this for a long time," Dean admitted when his eyes met yours and you felt your cheeks heat up at the confession.

"Me too," You said shyly, watching as his breaths became slow and steady. "I think about you a lot. Only kissed that girl because I was jealous." You confessed and Dean gave you a soft smile before looking down.

Dean's fingertips slid from your breasts, down your stomach, and to the waistband of your favorite pair of shorts. Dean softly pushed your shorts down and before they've even hit the ground, he pulled you in for another kiss. 

Dean's hands rested heavily on your ass, squeezing and pulling you in so tightly that you could feel his erection throbbing against you. You couldn't help but moan into the kiss as he picked you up off of the ground. With the new position, you were able to lightly grind against Dean before he gently placed you down on the unmade bed.

Dean towered over you for a few seconds in between your legs but before you could begin to feel self-conscious, he lowered his body over yours and began to nip at your neck. Dean wasn't nearly as needy as he was the night before, but you didn't mind. Your core began to pulse on its own.

He left a wet trail down your neck, on your collarbones, and then made his way to the valley in between your breasts before cupping them in his large hands. He spent time nipping and sucking at your right nipple before moving to the next and then began to trail his lips down your abdomen.

Time felt slow and all you could hear were his kisses and your shallow breathing. You knew exactly where his mouth was heading and you spread your legs as he placed his palms on top of either one. Dean kissed around your thighs, sloppy and wet, making sure to leave you gasping with his endless teasing.

You had dreamed about this day since you became interested in anything sexual because Dean had always been a soft spot for you. It was different than John and Sam because although they both held a special place in your heart, neither of them could even begin to fill Dean's shoes. 

Although John had warned you that you shouldn't be doing this with your brothers, you never understood it. You loved Dean to the point where it hurt when you weren't near him. Why wouldn't you want to take your relationship to the next level? 

Maybe John would be jealous, but surely John knew that you loved him more than any man in the world. 

•••

Next Part

•••

Tag List ❤️

@hobby27 @writethelifeyouwant @deeranger @deans-baby-momma @deans-number-one-fan

[blakeswritingimagines]

The Devil Doesn't Bargain

Summary: Nearly having you at his fingertips only for news from each side of the families causes distress to everyone, Having to find new ways to win you over and make you his and finally get Nerissa away from him does it finally click what Aemond is meant to do.

Word count: 5.1k

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

“We need to tell Nerissa about us.”

During the trip back home you couldn't get his words out of your mind of telling Nerissa to only ask for some time to think, even when settling back into the family house and still listening to Nerissa continue on about how happy she and Aemond were or how quickly she'd give him heirs as you nodded along. Still not wanting to believe you might just ruin your own sister's happiness about such a topic or the fact that Aemond made it more than crystal clear it was you he loved, everyone unaware of the glances or hushed whispers between your mother Odette and Aemond's father Viserys about things of the past only to keep up the act as if nothing had happened with fake plastered smiles about the engagement toward Aemond and Nerissa.

Aemond had spent his time doing his absolute best to keep up the charade of planning for his wedding to Nerissa. He wanted everyone to believe that he was happy to be marrying your sister, even though he was only thinking about you and what felt like a magical moment that the gods blessed him with. He felt like he was doing a horrible job at hiding his true feelings from everyone, but he tried to put on a brave face. He was happy with his arrangement with you, but he still felt terrible for how unhappy he was going to make Nerissa. The next few weeks went by slowly as Aemond tried sending more letters to you only to have them ignored, feeling lost and like you no longer enjoyed the same things after the big dinner only keeping more to yourself than usual as you shrugged off any questions and concerns about the behavior. Then your family had to attend a royal ball the Targaryen house was holding for Aegon and Helena's latest child which you found adorable as Nerissa made it clear she didn't see the cuteness but after some time you had wandered off as Nerissa held on tightly to Aemond's arm keeping him beside her as she spoke with ladies about the up-coming wedding and what life would be like.

As the guests kept arriving at the dance floor for a ball that was being held for Helena and Aegon’s newborn, your body was physically there. Your soul was elsewhere. Aemond’s words still echo in your ears. In the weeks that had passed since the big confession, you couldn't stop thinking about what had been said. You could not focus on anything but the thoughts of Aemond. And you were also scared at the idea of losing your family if you two decided to take the matter further. Would it really be worth the risk? You sighed softly to yourself as you walked into what looked like a study and started looking through different books that looked interesting. Aemond knew that he had to be patient, but the weeks were going by so slowly that his anxiety was almost unbearable at this point. He had written so many letters to you without receiving any sort of reply that he started to wonder if he had done something to upset you. He knew that he would have to see you again to speak to you once more and he hoped that your arrangement wasn’t something that was off-limits, he tried his best to keep up appearances with Nerissa as the wedding drew closer.

Aemond couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t stand the pain of seeing your distant and sad attitude towards this delicate situation. He decided that he was going to speak with you to clear the air. He found you in the study and he approached you from behind especially after having made sure Nerissa was too distracted to notice where he had gone, “Y/n? What are you doing here?” Aemond asked, with a sense of curiosity in his voice. But didn't give you much room to answer him as he spoke again. “Would you mind if I spoke with you?” Aemond said as he placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, he had thought that the ball would be a nice distraction for you. He saw the way you had looked around in the room as if you were trying to distract yourself from his words. Before you could respond to his question, he asked another one. “Have you had any time to think about what we talked about the other night?” You were standing in the middle of the large study room, looking at an ancient Valyrian book with an expressionless face. It was not that you hadn’t thought about Aemond’s confession, of course, you had thought about it. Your mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour, but you had made the decision to keep your feelings to yourself to protect your family more so Nerissa and her happiness. "You know I can’t marry you." You finally responded and turned to look at Aemond not noticing the slip of paper that fell out from the book in your hands. It hurt to say those words, but they had to be said, the decision had been made.

Aemond’s face fell when you told him that you wouldn’t marry him. He had hoped that the weeks of silence would make you think about what had been said, and he feared that you would be too afraid of the consequences to proceed with this relationship. “Why can’t we?” Aemond couldn’t help but ask this question. “Nerissa will be disappointed, but it isn’t the end of the world. I promise.” Aemond felt his heart sink as you made it clear that you were sticking with the decision. He knew that was a decision that you had to make, but it hurt to hear that you were just giving up on this love. He saw the slip of paper fall to the floor as you were talking and noticed that you didn’t see it. What could this paper be? He thought as he picked up the folded paper “Why can’t you marry me?” He asked once more, hoping that maybe he could change your mind. "I just… I can’t do it. I promised my parents that I would not cause any trouble for them. And I feel bad to be the reason my sister’s heart to be broken." There was a hint of anger as your voice started to shake. With every word you uttered, your voice became stronger and a fire burned inside you, as you were becoming more and more determined to stand up for yourself.

You tried to remain focused on the conversation, but your eyes kept falling on the folded piece of paper Aemond had in his hand. You sighed and looked down slightly "Because I don't want to hurt my family." You said softly as a tear rolled down your cheek. It felt like the entire weight of the world had just been put on your shoulders no matter how calm you tried to stay the anger and sadness seemed to take over. You kept your head down, as you couldn't look into his eyes into that moment. Aemond could feel his emotions rising as he saw you become determined to stick to your decision. He felt the anger simmering within him as he tried to control himself. “I don’t care about your family. I only care about you.” He said, losing any sense of control that he had. “Why does their happiness matter more than mine and yours? Why does everyone get to have a choice except for us?” He said, with a hint of desperation in his voice. Aemond felt a sense of frustration as you refused to give into your love, he wanted to argue with you, as he felt like you belonged together. He knew that you were right about not wanting to hurt your families, but it was hard for Aemond to be rational when he was in love. He could see the anger and sadness in your eye and he felt even more desperate to get you to see his side of the story. “Please, Y/n. We don’t need anyone else’s approval to be together.” He placed the piece of paper in his hand down on a table and approached you.

"We do, Aemond." You didn’t dare to lift your eyes to look at him. You felt your chest tighten as if every breath was now difficult to take in due to your heartache. "We need our parents. We need our siblings. The kingdom is fragile and we cannot go against what our family has planned for us." You kept your head low but you felt his hands gently grasp the sides of your face and lift your head up. You finally had to look at him, as you did you looked hurt and terrified. Your eyes widened as you saw his reaction. You were not expecting Aemond to be so angry. Of course, you understood why he felt like that, but you felt like you could not break the promise you had made to your parents. "Please, Aemond, you must understand. The consequences of our relationship would be disastrous." Your voice wavered slightly as you spoke, you still could not believe what you were saying to Aemond not wanting to believe it yourself. And you knew that he thought your words were foolish and they had no meaning in front of love. Aemond felt the anger build up inside of him as he heard you insist that you couldn’t be together. He couldn’t believe that he was finally speaking his mind to you, only for you to say the exact opposite of what he wanted to hear. “But our love means more than anything else.” He said desperately. “How can you say otherwise?” He tried to keep his voice level, but the anger was evident in his tone.

Aemond was fuming as he heard you talk about following your parents’ wishes and trying to keep the peace with the rest of your families. He felt that your parents were completely wrong about forcing him to marry Nerissa and not you. He felt like you were giving up on this love too soon, he tried to remain as calm as possible, even though he had every right to be angry. “What if I’m willing to risk it?” He asked softly. He felt his body shake with anger as he heard your words replay loudly in his head. He couldn’t believe that you were choosing duty over love. But he knew that you had your reasons. “Fine…” Aemond said finally, as he had to hold back the urge to argue with you. He looked away as he couldn’t bear looking into your eyes. Aemond didn’t say anything else. He knew there was nothing else he could say to convince you to change your mind. For a moment you thought that a miracle was about to happen from the gods. Maybe, just maybe, you and Aemond were meant to be together and you two would not have to hide your love from anyone. But then reality set in, and you realized that it was not going to happen. Your decision was made the moment you told him the truth about your feelings. You felt your heart break even more as Aemond turned away from you. Was this a punishment for being so cowardly? Or maybe this was the price you had to pay for the decision that you had to make.

Feeling your heartbreak as you saw Aemond’s reaction to your decision. You felt like he hated you for what you did, despite yourself. However, you were aware that your decision was the right thing to do, you could not go against your parents’ wishes. You stayed silent while Aemond expressed his feelings of anger and frustration. "There is nothing more we can say to each other, is there?" You asked softly with a sad expression on your face. Your mind kept thinking about that mysterious piece of paper that rested on the desk. Aemond sighed loudly as he was unable to talk you out of this stupid decision. He still couldn’t believe that your families were keeping you apart. All he wanted to do was hold you close and tell you that it would work out. He felt his heart ache for you, as he could see that you were hurting as well. “No, I suppose there isn’t,” he said, looking down at the ground, feeling defeated. “I’m sorry for what my family has planned for you.” You stepped closer to Aemond and placed your hand on his shoulder.

"If there is another life, you will be my husband." You said quietly, yet full of feeling. Your head was held high even as you watched Aemond start to walk away, despite your sadness. You made your decision and there was nothing that could change it now. You could only hope that your parents would be happy with what you had chosen to do. You sat down once Aemond left and let your tears fall tired of holding them in, feeling as if it was the best thing to do even if it hurt you both this much but couldn't imagine hurting Nerissa who seemed so happy about marrying Aemond. Sighing softly as you wiped at your cheeks and stood up trying to calm yourself before joining the party once more even as you walked passed the table where Aemond had put the piece of folded paper. And with a deep breath figuring there was no harm in taking longer to compose yourself, you started to slowly open it. Your curiosity killed you at that moment you just wanted to know what could be written there. Letting your eyes travel over the written words almost as if it was some kind of deep passionate poem to a loved one of a heavily detailed night spent together which seemed fine even if it made you think of doing such things with Aemond until you gasped and covered your mouth seeing your mother's name written along the lines.

What could this possibly mean? You thought to yourself but folded the paper again as you held it tightly in between your fingers, you felt your heart start beating quickly as you tried to make sense of it all. Making your way out of the study and back toward the busy party as if nobody had noticed you or Aemond were gone for a while but scanned the room looking for the tall blonde. Seeing him standing by Nerissa as you started making your way over to him gently taking hold of his arm and asking for a moment of his time making up a small lie to Nerissa that it was about the wedding, pulling him away and slowly looking up at Aemond again, as you tried to figure out what this meant and what it could possibly have to do with you and him. “Aemond… Who's study were we in?” You asked as easily as you could, as your voice was barely above a whisper. Aemond felt a sense of panic rush over him as you pulled him away from Nerissa. He knew that the lie you told Nerissa was a way for him and you to spend some time alone. His voice and entire demeanor changed, and he could feel his heart beating quickly. He wondered what you suddenly wanted to talk to him about, as it felt strange that you wanted to take him away from everyone. Then you asked him whose study you were in. He thought for a moment, as he tried to figure out why that would be important. “It’s my father’s study,” Aemond finally said. His voice was still soft, as he too was trying to keep his questions about this matter on the down low.

Nodding your head as Aemond told you whose study you were just currently in before leaving. He could see the curiosity in your eyes, as you tried to gather the courage to ask him something, so you took a deep breath and cleared your throat for some reason. "May I ask you something?" Feeling as if you couldn't help but fidget with the letter in between your fingers as you looked to Aemond for his answer but were unaware of Nerissa watching and noticing the letter as her jaw dropped thinking she had been had and found out even though it was King Viserys letter to your mother Odette. Aemond watched as you cleared your throat and fidgeted with the letter between your fingers and a sense of curiosity washed over him. Why were you so nervous about asking him a question? especially about this certain letter of all things? He looked at you for a few moments before giving you a nod and saying: “Of course, you may ask me anything.” He hoped that this wouldn’t be something that would upset him as it was clear you were a bit nervous about whatever it was you wanted to ask him.

You looked Aemond in the eyes but you could not say the words out loud. Instead, you simply showed him the letter you were holding. It was a very detailed letter with what normally most would look at as beautiful words, but it was clear the contents weren't meant to be seen. “Is… this true?” You asked in a low voice, with an empty expression but a lot of hurt behind your eyes. Aemond looked down at the letter and his heart dropped when he saw the words written on it in his father’s handwriting. “Did… my father write this?” He asked with a tone of disbelief in his voice, as he looked up at you with a look of confusion and a bit of anger. He couldn’t believe that his own father would do something like this and try to keep him apart from you. “Where did this take place?” His voice carried an edge to it as he asked his question. Aemond looked at the letter in his hand, as he kept reading the words written there. He felt his heart sank as he read the words. “Yes, it must be true.” He said with a sense of sadness in his voice. It seemed like both of your parents were to blame for this mess in your love story. “I had no idea that this was even a possibility.” He said. Aemond could not stop the anger from seeping into his voice as he spoke.

"I had no idea either…" Y/n spoke quietly as you kept your eyes firmly fixed on Aemond. You felt the world was falling apart in front of you. The whole reason you and Aemond couldn’t have a romantic relationship was based on a lie that seemed to unravel more than met the eye. And what was worse was that your parents knew about it. You were at a loss for words, you had so many questions but didn’t know what to say first? "Why, Aemond?" You asked. You could barely keep yourself from crying. Aemond’s eyes narrowed as he saw your expression. He was angry about the whole situation, and he felt that he should have known about this letter earlier. There was no use thinking about that now, he thought to himself as you asked him a question. “Why what, Y/n?” He tried to keep his face stern and unemotional, but he could feel the anger and hurt boiling inside him. Aemond saw your world fall apart before his very eyes, as you realized that your parents had lied to you about your entire life it seemed. When you asked Aemond why his father would do something so cruel and unfair, all he could do was stare in disbelief. “I have no idea, darling,” Aemond said with a hint of anger in his voice, as he was clearly upset with the situation. “Don’t cry. I’m going to do everything I can to make this right.”

Your bottom lip was trembling as your eyes started tearing up. You wanted to say a thousand words but none of them were coming out of your mouth. You were completely lost for words and could only stare down at the letter with a completely blank face, the meaning of the words not registering to you still. You could not think clearly, all you could think about was the lie your parents told you and your mind was racing, thinking about everything you had been through recently. You held the letter firmly and sat down on a chair. As Aemond saw you were about to start to cry, his heart broke for you. He saw the hurt in your eyes and he knew that he had to do whatever he could to fix this situation as he started thinking. “I’m going to make things right,” he whispered to you, as he saw your lower lip start to tremble. He put a comforting hand on your back. “I’m going to find a way to make my father reconsider so that we can be together.” He said with confidence before gently kissing your head and stalking off to go find his father with the letter still in hand. Hours passed by until the was finally ball was over Aemond had demanded to sit down with everyone from your family to his, letting the silence linger on as everyone waited to hear what this was all about even as Nerissa tried giving Aemond a hard time as she harshly whispered to him still thinking you had found out about what she had done until the tall blonde stood up throwing the letter toward his father and your mother Odette "Y/n and myself wish for an explanation upon what this means." Watching the shocked faces of the two as his mother Alicent reached over grabbing the parchment before she started reading it.

The letter felt like a hundred pounds in your hands. You were scared to know how your parents would react to the news and were extremely anxious to know what this meant for your and Aemond’s relationship. You had a feeling your parents’ would not react well, but you tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. Your heart was pounding like never before. You stayed silent, trying to take in everything in the room. Viserys let out a heavy sigh but started to explain as even Alicent questioned him on this giving more information and details from when he met Odette in passing at some point before they had slept together, how Odette had met her now husband married him claiming the child was his and didn't want any blowback of a singular night of passion especially since you looked nothing like a proper Targaryen. Aemond listened closely but grinned as he could feel the same twitch of his obsession with you now with the knowledge that you were in fact born from the same house he could in fact marry you now "Then I shall marry her and not lady Nerissa, it will help keep the bloodline pure as always." Even as some still tried to deny him this. Your eyes widened as you heard Viserys’ words that explained everything. You had wished that the love between you and Aemond had not been a crime, but you had never expected that you would be able to get married. You looked at Aemond, waiting for him to realize what was just said, your entire future was changing in front of your eyes for better and worse. You could not believe that it was this easy to get what you both wanted. It almost felt too good to be true, but the look on Aemond's face said that he felt the same.

Aemond could see the look of shock on your face as you heard his father’s words. He felt ecstatic as he realized that this meant he could marry you, as marrying each other would no longer be breaking any laws especially now knowing you had Targaryen blood in your veins. Aemond and you could now be together the way he had planned all along. He started to smile and then he hugged you, as he was overjoyed that you would finally be able to be together and he wouldn’t have to hide his love any longer. Nerissa watched on as her jaw dropped before she let out an ear-piercing scream as she pushed Aemond no longer caring about the eyes on you both or her as she hit his chest and yelled at him "What do you think you are doing? you stupid prick, you think you can just walk away for her of all people? that over this?" She spoke angrily even going as far as to slap Aemond before turning to you "And you think you can just take over and have him? I don't care if you want him or if those original letters were for you he's mine," getting stopped before she could lay a hand on you even as your parents watched in shock until they stood up from their seats quickly also trying to stop her as the man you thought was your father Ellington gently grabbed Nerissa and left the room with her struggling against him still screaming and wanting her way.

Viserys shook his head not knowing what to think of what just happened but leaned back in his seat, knowing this couldn't get out even as Odette now tried to make reason with him that you didn't look like any of them and you were of age to be married no matter how many other suitors tried to have your hand. Alicent sat in shock after it seemed like everything had settled but quietly watched between her husband and your mother then over to her son and you not knowing what to think or how to feel but cleared her throat as she attempted to speak confidently "These matters will be discussed in a timely matter, however in the meantime I believe it's best for everyone to get some rest." She spoke as she stood up leaving the room with Viserys following her shortly after while Aemond guided you to a temporary bed chamber kissing your hands and then your forehead as he whispered goodnight to you watching the door fully close thinking to himself that now you could and would fully be his.

Over the next couple of days, Ellington took Nerissa back home along with Odette who didn't want to leave you behind but had no choice as Viserys said he would take care of things and Aemond made it clear you wouldn't be leaving his side again. As the days passed, Aemond was filled with happiness and joy. He couldn’t wait to marry you and he was glad that his father had finally come to his senses. He spent each day at your side almost as if he had become a shadow to you and loved having the opportunity to spend time with you more and more. Viserys was correct that the marriage would be a way of keeping the House pure and Aemond was glad that he had finally allowed you both to marry, especially after making it clear he would take you away instead. He couldn’t wait for the wedding, as he was filled with excitement. Having helped you even get ready for the day as his mother requested you for an afternoon of tea and talking.

"Yes, dear Alicent, he is indeed. Aemond does spend a majority of his time with me. There have been moments where he hasn’t left my side." Y/n looked at Aemond, who stayed silent but had a small smile on his face. He was still trying to process what happened during the last couple of hours. He suddenly wrapped his arms around Y/n's waist, pulling her to him and gently kissing her forehead. It was a sweet gesture. Alicent looked shocked even as she tried to keep it together. Her son and you… A romantic relationship between the two? She didn’t know what this meant. But her son seemed happy, so that was enough. She tried to keep her composure as best she could. “How interesting, my dear…” Alicent whispered still hurt after learning everything. “It seems your friendship has blossomed into something else?” Alicent smiles at the embrace Aemond gives you. Her smile is warm and inviting. It’s a rare thing for her to see her son, the crown prince, show any public displays of affection. But it seems that he’s very much in love with you, and who can blame him? Alicent can’t blame him. She finds herself smiling in silence at his gentle actions.

You could not believe that Alicent was approving this relationship. It felt unreal to you, you didn’t know what to think at that moment. Alicent was the last person you expected would approve, or at least like, your relationship with Aemond. You wrapped your arms around Aemond’s neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. "It certainly has, my lady." You replied to Alicent, trying to hold back a smile. You then looked back to Aemond, who was visibly delighted to see his mother’s approval. Alicent watches you both in a state of quiet approval. She is satisfied to know that Aemond, the crown prince, is happy. And she is happy to know that you, whoever you may be, are making him happy. Alicent can’t help but feel a sense of warmth growing within her, despite her usually cool demeanor. She smiles again at the embrace, and this time, she cannot hold back her words even as she tries to be gentle about it "It doesn't faze you how my son acts around or about you?". You chuckled at the question. As much as you didn’t want to admit it, you were enjoying your time with Aemond. You had never met a boy or a man as kind, protective, and loving as him. "Oh, no it actually makes me very pleased to know he has found someone who makes him so happy even if it's no longer my sister, my lady." You gave Alicent a reassuring smile. You turned around and leaned close to Aemond, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him closer. You leaned on his chest and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Alicent smiles as she watches you affectionately kiss her son’s cheek. “You care for each other very much, don’t you?” There’s a tinge of sadness in her voice, knowing that her children are growing up and finding love elsewhere. But at least you both seem happy, Alicent thinks. That in itself is a win for Alicent as a mother even if you were related. “I’m pleased to know he has someone as… compassionate… as you to care for him,” Alicent says to you.

[angelisgonnastartchangingurls]

robbie, on a saturday

annie's late spring was pretty nice, all things considered. robbie was just sort of living in her apartment, which they'd never really planned on or agreed to, but annie was grateful for his presence. he cooked, he cleaned, he slept in her bed. the presence of another body there was nice for her. for the last year, she'd spent more or less equal time at ryan's apartment, and so being home all the time was jarring. and would have been crushingly lonely.

she and robbie went out with jim and julia a lot, funny little group dates that more often than not ended with sex. julia was the star around which these events orbited, as she was the one who fucked everyone else. typically, julia and annie had sex first while the boys watched, and then jim and robbie took turns on each of julia's ends. after that, she and annie sometimes resumed their festivities.

it was wonderful to be so sexually active with julia for a sustained period. annie had always thought her best friend was beautiful. she had gorgeous wavy dirty blonde hair, and a lithe, yoga-addled body. she and annie were somewhat contrasted -- julia's skin took naturally to the sun, whereas annie was pale and milky and burned easily. julia's hair was cut at her shoulders; annie's long dark hair was halfway down her back. annie had bright hazel eyes behind her glasses and big white teeth; julia had a crooked smile and tired, dark eyes. annie was taller and had bigger tits. julia had her perfect bush, and annie was still shaved smooth.

annie liked kissing julia. she was such a good kisser. she also believed herself to be getting much better at eating pussy -- julia's moans backed up her claims.

she and robbie didn't really talk about the fact that they were now regularly watching each other have sex. annie had watched very intently the first time robbie had pushed his cock into julia's cunt, and had seen him looking at her tits and her pussy, sometimes with his cock in hand, stroking it and keeping it active for julia. sometimes, julia and annie made out just moments after robbie had cum in julia's mouth. annie was well aware of what she was tasting.

but when they were around the apartment alone together, they were becoming extremely casual. they changed in front of each other, and other times lounged around mostly nude. one afternoon robbie joined annie in the bath. that was kind of fun and sweet. they had a good talk.

one night, a night when julia and jim had other plans, robbie told annie as they went to be that he was going to jerk off. "okay," she said, and positioned herself up on her pillow to watch. he let her, getting himself hard to a picture of his ex gf on his phone -- but then putting it down to just close his eyes and stroke. annie watched him cum on himself and cooed approvingly. he cleaned himself up with his shirt and tossed it aside and went to bed.

in the morning, annie woke him up using her vibrator on herself.

"you keep your panties on?" he said.

"for this one, yes, it's too intense otherwise" annie gasped.

"sounds like it."

"holy FUCK" annie laughed, her legs reddening as she came. she put her vibrator down and yanked her panties down to her knees, letting her pussy cool off.

robbie had his dick out now and was stroking it.

"you know post-nut clarity?" annie said. "my male patients tell me about that."

"you don't experience that?" he said.

"no," annie said. "cumming just makes me hornier in the moment."

"hot," robbie said.

annie laughed. "no, it's awful. i feel like i need to go stick an ice cube in my pussy."

"if you do that i wanna see it," robbie said.

annie got up and dropped her panties and walked to the kitchen to the ice dispenser. she came back to the bedroom with a little moon-shaped cylinder of ice and stood at the end of the bed in front of robbie and his dick and pushed the ice inside herself. she bit her lip.

"how does it feel? he asked.

"fucking good," she giggled. her knees buckled and she nearly fell over. she had a hand over herself, holding it in. the melting water ran through her fingers. "it's melting so fast," she giggled.

"can i feel it?" robbie said. he sat up, not jacking off anymore but still hard. annie moved her hand and was surprised to feel his hand go right between her legs, touching not quite inside her, but pushing the flat of his fingers against her ice-cold labia. "that's so weird," he said.

he took his hand away and the remainder of the ice slipped out to the floor. they both laughed.

that afternoon, jonah came over to fuck. before he arrived, annie put a buttplug in as a nice surprise for him -- one he quite appreciated.

robbie was out and about so jonah and annie went at it on the couch. she was on her hands and knees getting fucked when robbie came in with groceries. "don't stop," annie told jonah. "hi, robbie."

"oh hey," he said, laughing. "what are you guys up to?"

"you know, just hanging out," annie said, her tits bouncing hard.

jonah came on her chest and the retired to the bedroom for another round. annie went to the kitchen to see what robbie bought while cleaning herself off. "do you have a buttplug in?" he asked her.

"yeah," annie said. she turned around and spread her ass to show him.

"cool," he said. "i've never actually seen one in real life before."

"you haven't snooped in my sex toy drawer?" she asked.

"no," he said.

"why not!?" annie said, laughing.

"do you think your patients ever imagine you're like this?" robbie asked. "like, you're in your office in a cardigan, if they knew you were like, walking around naked all the time, fucking all over, using a buttplug, shaving your pussy, would it blow their minds?"

"i hope not," she said. "i hope they think about it so much that it wouldn't surprise them at all."

on sunday their dad came over. he liked that robbie was staying there too, and didn't seem to think it was weird that whenever he showed up, annie was typically in panties and rarely more than that. today, she was on her way to the shower when he arrived, and therefore was fully nude. when annie came back out, towel around her waist, she said, "I love having my men here." her dad put his hand on the small of her bare back. it felt nice.

"you sound like mom," robbie said.

"yeah but when was the last time mom just walked around with her tits out?" annie offered.

"like the last time i was there?" robbie said.

"really?" annie was shocked. "i haven't seen mom naked like since i was a toddler."

"it was probably more like around the time your tits got bigger than hers," her dad said. "that was when she stopped walking around naked. but yeah, when you're not at home, she's pretty free."

"huh," annie said. she looked at robbie. "what's her bush like?"

"trimmed, tight, controlled."

"sounds like everything else in that area," annie said. her dad laughed.

"i'm hotter though, right?" annie said. her dad looked at her and raised an eyebrow. she dropped her towel.

"of course, honey," he said.

"thank you!" annie chirped.

[danisbrainrot]

tigris introducing her girlfriend to coriolanus and her grandmother and incredibly they both loved her, so she brings reader to her house everyday

omg, I love this idea!!

you were extremely patient with tigris when she said you couldn't meet her family. you knew that she feared they wouldn't like you—or worse, that you wouldn't like them. but after you'd been dating for over a year, the guilt caught up to tigris and she finally invited you to her house.

before, she'd always have to brush you off, cancel plans or change venues last minute when you suggested going to her house. however, she remembered how she had previous lovers who'd broken up with her whenever she refused to invite them to her house—and she really really didn't want to lose you too. you'd been a saint; never pressing for details, never accusing her of hiding something and always being so understanding, she couldn't help but want to bring you to her house.

so obviously this is a very special occasion—for you and her family. in the beginning, coriolanus would have been extremely worried about what you'd think of the penthouse and that you'd know the truth about how poor the snows were. it took lots of reassurance from tigris that you were nothing like that before he finally came around to the idea. in the end, he was excited to finally meet one of his cousins' girlfriends.

tigris and coriolanus would spend the whole day beforehand getting the place ready, cleaning up and making the place look as nice as it could. you'd offered to bring lunch for everyone, so they didn't have to worry about how they'd be able to feed you. the grandma'am would be a bit flustered by all the work going on in the penthouse that she'd stay in her room, confused why coriolanus and tigris were making such a fuss.

when you finally knocked on the door, tigris raced to open it. she greeted you with a small peck on the lips, before grabbing your empty hand as you held a bag of sandwiches in your other hand. you looked around the penthouse in awe—even now in ruins, it still looked majestic. it was obvious the snows had once been very wealthy—but that didn't matter to you, you loved tigris for who she was.

coriolanus knew immediately that he would grow to like you, simply because you didn't judge their home the second you stepped through the door. and he also liked that you brought food—feeding him was always a bonus.

you set the bags on the table, shaking coriolanus' hand as you introduced yourself, when grandma'am finally made an appearance. "grandma'am, this is my girlfriend," tigris would announce giddily, holding your hand up to show you off. at first the old woman would be shocked—because no one ever comes inside—but then she'd see how polite you were and would warm up to you quickly.

tigris had already put the kettle on, so the jasmine tea brewing was awaiting the four of you. as you set up the sandwiches, tigris poured everyone a cup; they all sat at the small dining table. you'd asked coriolanus about school, and he'd tell you about his assignments and how he planned on going to university—grandma'am interrupted him to announce that he'd become the next president of Panem. he'd blushed, embarrassed that she'd brought it up in front of you, but you'd quickly say something to comfort him like, "I think you'd make a great president," he'd see right through you of course—he was well experienced at smoothing over conversations—but he'd just be so grateful that you were trying to make the situation less awkward.

after lunch, you got on with the snow's like a house on fire. they practically saw you as family. tigris walked you down the stairs, a huge grin on her face because she's just so happy that her family loves you just as much as she does. once you reach the bottom step, you'd pull her in and kiss her goodbye.

once she went back upstairs, coriolanus and grandma'am would gush over how much they liked you, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. it didn't take much for them to beg tigris to invite you back sooner.

it wasn't long before you'd hang out at their place almost everyday after work. you'd bring dinner over—tigris loved that you fed her family—and the four of you would talk for a few hours, before coriolanus had to do homework and grandma'am had to go to sleep. once you were finally alone, she'd snuggle up with you on the couch and watch dramatic soap operas that the capitol was obsessed with.

tigris had spent so much of your relationship worried that you'd leave her. she thought you'd grow tired, or feel like she was pushing you away, and she'd lose you. however, knowing how accepting you'd been about meeting her family, she wished she'd introduced you sooner. she loved you more than anything, and she was just so glad that her family felt the same way.

[heartstopper-tword]

anything w imogen and nick :) i really love their big brother/lil sister dynamic

A/N: hello anon! yes i love their relationship so much, and i have wanted to write about them for so long :) hope you enjoy!

also if you want to send in any prompts, you can find the list here!

You Deserve Better

It had been a couple weeks since Imogen had ended her relationship with Ben in Paris, and she still wasn't herself.

Before the day of the trip had even arrived, she'd spent hours at home trying to plan things to do with her boyfriend, whether it be with the others or the two of them having intimate time alone together. It was the city of love, dammit. And Ben was her first ever real boyfriend! She wanted to be the best girlfriend she could to her partner. But of course, her plans had been squashed pretty much immediately as soon as she arrived at the busses that day.

Ben had acted cold and distant from the start, hardly sparing her the time of day to even talk to her. He wouldn't show her any affection, unless anyone was paying attention to them, and even then Imogen could tell it wasn't genuine. She'd tried to kiss him a few times while they were at the Eiffel tower, but he'd succeeded in dodging her attempts every time.

Imogen was at a loss. Had she done something wrong? Why was he mad at her? She'd tried to talk to him alone about these few incidents on multiple occasions, but all in all gave up after he'd told her he was fine and that she was just being sensitive about it.

A few times, she'd thought back to when she'd told Nick she was officially with Ben for the first time. She remembered the flicker of emotion on his face, ranging from confused to worried in an instant, but she didn't think much of it at the time, thinking it was just his protective nature coming out like it did around his friends. And then she would think about later on when he'd tried to ask why she was with him at all, seemingly disappointed about her relationship.

She'd been so offended at first, refusing to listen to him try and explain himself, that she'd left him dry by himself out of anger. She'd truly thought Ben was a nice guy, and that he really did love her. But of course, she'd been wrong all along.

She'd be lying if she would say that her confrontation to him at dinner wasn't satisfying. She couldn't have cared less that a little over half her year was present, listening to her complaints and watching Ben's discomfort concerning his toxicity. Sure, his jab at her being a bitch hurt a bit, but she really did try not to let it get to her. All she knew was that she was done. She didn't want him around her anymore.

Even after all of that evening's events, and finally finding her now main group of friends through that trip, Imogen couldn't help but continue to dwell on the fact that her first relationship with a boy was a complete disaster. She hadn't jumped back to her usual, bubbly self like she normally would be, her thoughts drifting back to Ben constantly. It wasn't like she was still in love with him - of course she wasn't - it was the fact that she let someone make her feel so bad about herself, and she stuck around for it.

As quiet about her feelings as she tried to be, she was never good at hiding her emotions. And obviously, Nick had been noticing.

"Alright you," Nick sighed, grabbing Imogen's hand and pulling her away from their group, walking them around the side of the school where they could have a bit of privacy. "What's going on?"

Imogen's eyes were trained on the ground, and she fiddled with her sleeves sheepishly.

"You've been silent ever since we got back from Paris, which isn't like you." he continued, staring her down. "You're not still upset about..."

He trailed off, not wanting to mention said person, but Imogen shifted her weight, shrugging her shoulders. "It's not just about him," she whispered, her voice barely a whisper, "it's just..."

Nick waited patiently, watching as the girl took in a shuddering breath and finally met his eyes, tears threatening to spill. "Why is it that my first relationship had to fail? Why did I get stuck with the jerk who only cared about appearances rather than actual faithfulness to someone?" She kicked a rock by her foot, watching it tumble a few feet. "Am I just that easily manipulated? So much that people can walk over me whenever they want?"

"No," Nick spoke firmly, shaking his head. "It's not anything about you."

"But-"

"Ben's a dick. He likes to use people for his own needs, especially when it makes him look like a saint. I don't even think he has the ability to feel human emotion, which is probably why he's so horrible to people." He wrapped an arm over the girl's shoulder, squeezing her into his side as he spoke. "You deserve so much better than him."

Imogen looked up at him, still looking unsure.

"I just thought I'd found the guy," she admitted sadly. "You know... someone who could treat me like how you and Charlie treat each other. I want someone who could love me like that."

"And you'll find them," Nick assured her genuinely, "It may just take some time."

"How long?"

"Maybe a few months, even a few years. For most people, they don't find their partner right away. You may date a few people before you find the one. But that doesn't mean you're not a good girlfriend for someone. Anyone would be extremely lucky to have you."

Imogen sniffed, moving her gaze away from Nick once again. Nick watched her for a moment, raising an eyebrow at her. "You don't believe me, do you?"

She shrugged, saying nothing. "I don't not believe you, but..."

"Uh uh." Nick gently lifted her chin to look at him again, "No more self deprecation. You are beautiful, kind, funny, genuine, a top notch badass-"

"Nihick," Imogen tried to whine, though her lips turned up into a growing smile as she tried to wiggle away from him.

"See? There's that smile!" Nick chuckled, grinning victoriously. "It'll win over thousands!"

Imogen giggled, a light yet powerful sound, trying to playfully push Nick away from her, but he pulled her into a bearhug, keeping her trapped against him. He dug his fingers into her sides, causing her to let out a startled squeal, her attempts to escape becoming more frantic as high pitched giggles poured out of her. "Nick noho! Stohohop!"

"Not until you say it." He said, dropping both of them to the grass and hovering over her.

Imogen squeaked, trying and failing to grab onto the older boy's wrists, "Sahahahay whahahat?"

"Say..." he thought for a second, his movements pausing momentarily, and Imogen tried to catch her breath. "Say three good things about yourself and I'll let you go."

Imogen whimpered, kicking her legs once in protest. "Nick, do I really have t- wait! Wahahait, gihihive mehehe a chahance tohoho thihihihink!" She threw her head back, laughter overtaking her as she tried to fight off his hands which had moved to her ribs.

"You shouldn't have to think too hard about it!" Nick laughed, though he felt a slight pain in his heart. How badly had she been tearing herself down recently?

"IHIHI- IHIHI'M NIHIHICE TOHO PEHEOPLE!"

"Extremely!" Nick accented, moving one hand to her neck, and she shrieked. "There's one, now give me two more!"

"NOHOHO COME OHOHON!" She shook her head, letting out another squeal when his other hand moved under her arm. "STOHOP!"

"What else are you?" Nick prompted, letting up slightly, and Imogen squeezed her eyes shut. "You're..."

"Fihihine, I'm prehehetty!"

"Exactly, you're gorgeous. Just one more!"

He paused his hands again, pulling back to give her a breather, and Imogen gasped for air. She laid helplessly on the ground, still giggling, and looked up at Nick pleadingly. "I- I don't-"

"And I want to hear you say the last thing I told you specifically." Nick grinned at her, and she groaned. "I don't remember what that was!"

Nick could tell she was lying, her cheeks growing even more rosy, not just from laughing. He continued to stare down at her, putting on a mock serious tone.

"Imogen, don't make me go for your hips."

"NO!" She panicked, her eyes going wide.

But Nick's hands were already moving, and before she could do anything to stop him, he had a hold of her hips and had started to squeeze.

To say Imogen screamed was an understatement, and the loud, high pitched laughter was enough to make Nick wonder if they'd get into trouble for causing such a ruckus.

"STOPSTOPSTOHOHOP! PLEHEHEHEASE!" She shrieked, kicking her legs wildly, shoving at Nick's shoulders, but her strength was quickly leaving her, not that she'd had much to fight him off to begin with.

Nick couldn't help but laugh along with her, a sense of fondness overtaking him as she struggled beneath him. He hadn't seen her crack much of a smile since they'd returned to school, let alone laugh once, so this was just as good for him as it was for her. "Say it!"

"NOHOHO!"

"Imogen!"

"OKAY! OKAY! IHIHI'M A TOHOHOP NOHOTCH BADAHAHASS! NOW STOHOHOP!"

Nick pulled his hands away from her, watching as Imogen rolled out from underneath him a few feet away, her arms wrapping around herself as residual giggles fell from her lips. She was staring up at the sky above them, a huge grin on her face.

Nick snickered, smirking in amusement. "You okay?"

"No."

He rolled his eyes, standing and walking over to her, and she squeaked as she saw him approach her. "Calm down, I'm done tormenting you." He chuckled, offering a hand to help her stand and pulling her up from the ground.

Imogen was still breathing heavily as she smoothed out her now wrinkled skirt, a playful scowl on her face. "You're lucky I brought my extra uniform with me today, Nelson. How else would I explain the grass stains on my skirt?"

Nick only laughed, pulling her into a warm side hug, squeezing her shoulder gently. "You believe me now?"

Imogen groaned, though the smile was back on her face. "Yes, Nick, I believe you now."

"Good. Because you do deserve better than him."

Imogen fell quiet again, though this time, it was appreciative. She couldn't imagine what she'd be like without as good as a friend as Nick.

[tryingtograspctrl]

ANYTHING YOU WANT (FINAL PART): AVA COLEMAN X BLACK PLUS SIZE READER

SUMMARY - Yet another sub is hired to fill in for Janine, Ava think she wants this one to stay for a while...

Part one: here

You and Ava had been tip toeing around each other for weeks. Ever since that day in her office the tension between the two of you had skyrocketed.

It started a game between the two of you, almost like cat and mouse. Neither of you intended to crack first so you both did your best to drive the each other crazy until the other eventually did.

Ava knew you couldn't resist when she touched you. Her hands were all over you every chance she got, whether that be on the small of your back as the two of you walked side by side, or her fingertips brushing your arms to soothe you when you came to her with a concern, or when she'd always find an excuse to touch your face like when your lipstick smudged a bit or you had crumbs on your cheeks from lunch.

Everything she did drove you wild but you knew exactly what to do to keep her hot and bothered as well.

Whether it be the form fitting dresses and skirts you always wore that hugged your ass and hips just right that had her eyes glued to you as you walked, or when your blouses showed not too much cleavage for it to be inappropriate to wear in front of the students but just enough to have her lose focus as she tried her best to keep her eyes on your face when the two of you were in conversation, or when you'd get real close to her and whisper things in her ear that could've easily been said out loud just to feel the heat radiate off her skin as she melted at the sultry tone of your voice.

These last couple of days she'd been in a mood, outside of the sexual tension the two of you got along pretty well and became close friends. Close enough that you often spend time at each other's places on the weekend cooking each other meals, having sleepovers, doing each other's hair and live-streaming on her tik tok.

You actually made quite a few friends since coming to Abbott and amongst them was Will.

Will was also new to Abbott, he was brought in as an art teacher, replacing the last one. The two of you hit it off instantly after you found out you were both raised in the same part of Philly.

Ava wasn't very fond of Will and you couldn't exactly understand why.

"He's the only person on the planet i know that can make the most enjoyable subject so boring. It's art class why the hell do they have text books and not easels and paint brushes?!"

Though Ava wasn't very fond of many of people so you didn't think much of it, until she started acting off.

The weekend had rolled around once again and you couldn't have been happier for the two days away from Abbott. You loved the place but it could also suck the life out of you from time to time so being away for just a little while helped.

You had no plans other than to relax for the next two days and maybe go over to Ava's but Will wasn't having any of it.

"Listen there's this new club that just opened up and i really want to go, pleaseeee?" He begged.

You could almost see the pout on his face through the phone, he could be very convincing at times but you were eager to stay home so you were putting up a bit of a fight this time.

"I don't know, i was hoping to stay in this weekend." You bit your lip.

"Come on y/n, i'll pay for our entry and all the drinkssss." He baited.

"Sounds very tempting." You gave in a bit.

"How about we make a deal, if you come with me tonight and you're not feeling it then we can just leave and go to that pizza place you like instead." He suggested.

"Alright fine, i'm gonna hold you to that." You caved.

"I know you will, pick you up at 8?" He asked.

"Yes and oh! I'll invite Ava if that's ok with you." You caught him before he hung up.

"Ava? I don't know if she'll be up for clubbing with someone she hates." He spoke flatly.

"Ok hate is a strong word, Ava doesn't hate you." You frowned.

"Her actions say otherwise." He winced.

"She acts that way around most people she isn't close with, give her time to get to know you and i'm sure the two of you will get along fine." You spoke optimistically.

"In fact this will be the perfect opportunity for the two of you to bond." You added.

"I guess so." He shrugged.

That night was filled with poor attempts to make small talk followed by long awkward silence afterwards. Ava was pretty sour after the whole thing and was a little upset with you for dragging her out.

Ever since then she began acting a bit strange, well she was acting like herself just a bit unusual when Will was around.

When you sat with each other in the break room for lunch she pulled up a chair and sat directly between the two of you, usually inserting herself into your conversation.

When she sees the two of you walking together pulls you to the side coming up with some lame excuse to get you to walk and talk with her instead.

When she notices the two of you in the hallways outside your classrooms she makes announcements over the intercom asking Will to come to her office.

"She's jealous." Will brings it up one day.

"Ava jealous?!" You laughed.

"Come on y/n it's so obvious, she can't stand seeing the two of us together. Just last week she called me to her office to tell me to stop slacking off during fundamental learning time. My kids were in the gym so i had a break. Also somehow i'm the only one who got the lecture, i was literally in the hall talking to you." He rolled his eyes.

"I think you're looking a little too far into it, she always messes with the new teachers sort of like a hazing." You explained.

"I think you're not looking to it enough. Anyways i'll see you later i have to go, she shortened my lunch break by 15 minutes."  He grabbed his things.

What Will said bounced around your head for the rest of the day.

You decided to get to the bottom of it.

You said goodbye to your coworkers before heading into Ava’s office.

You were hit with a feeling of deja vu standing in front of her desk.

“Can we talk?” You actually sit in one of the chairs this time instead of looming over her.

“Yeah what’s up?” She stops whatever she’s doing on the computer to give you her undivided attention.

“Why are you being so hard on Will?” You asked.

“I’m not being hard on him, i’m just pushing him to become a better teacher.” She lied.

“Ava you cut his lunch break by 15 minutes, we barely get enough time to eat as it is. You’re being a bit harsh don’t you think?” You furrowed your brows.

“Well i think you’re being a bit easy, why you defending him so much huh? He your little boyfriend or something?” Her voice raised a few octaves.

“He was right.” You shook your head, laughing to yourself.

“Who was right about what?” She looked at you suspiciously.

“You’re jealous, you think i like him.” You stood putting your finger in her face.

“I have NO idea what you’re talking about, how could i be jealous of Will?”She scoffed grabbing your finger.

“Come on Ava, are we really gonna keep pretending that there isn’t something going on here.” You motioned between the two of you.

She looked down for a moment picking at her nails, you could tell she was deciding whether to say something or not.

“I wasn’t intending on admitting anything first, you know how much i hate losing.” She huffed.

“But i like you, a lot y/n and i know Will does too, i see it all over his face when the two of you together. I just got scared, scared that you might like him too.” She whispered the last part.

As much as you wanted to tease her to the ends of the earth you didn’t, you knew being vulnerable was hard for Ava, she hated feeling so small and it made you happy that she trusted you enough to let her guard down a bit around you.

“Ava i can assure you that me and Will have nothing going on. We’re just friends, I don’t even like men!” You giggle walking closer to her.

“Plus i kind of have my eye on someone else.” You admitted.

“Who?” She tries to act like she doesn’t care.

“I’m looking at her.” You lift her chin.

You sit on her lap grabbing the sides of her face, pulling her into a sweet kiss.

“Can i take you home?” Her eyes soften as she looks at you.

“Do you even have to ask?”

A/N - I feel like jealous Ava would be this petty, i hope you guys like it. 🌻