#shes coming back into town this week and i am praying so fucking hard that at least one theater keeps atsv a little longer

[meowmix1100blr]

y'all we are not talking enough about Guggenheim Assemble THAT SHIT SLAPS SO FUCKING HARDDD Daniel Pemberton I love you

[yellowsweater-bluevest]

Nothing as it was

The loss of Eddie Munson had impacted the whole town. For some, it was the death of an alleged murderer who deserved it. For others, it was the loss of a friend who always had their side, a nephew who trusted them, a mentor that took them in, and a great person. Some celebrated his death, some mourned it silently, and some hoped and prayed he was not gone.

No matter how, everyone in Hawkins, Indiana, was affected by his loss. In particular, Dustin Henderson planned on avenging his death, bringing some sense of closure into his death. In a way, he was absorbed in it, becoming more closed off and irritable. Eleven did not know Eddie, but she was angry about every single life claimed by One. Lucas refused to leave Max's side since they came back. And Steve? Steve was angry. 

In his defense, the anger was expertly veiled. That being said, the wrath was damningly present in his eyes, building itself on the loss of so much. Part of his rage was the loss of someone he had only known for so little, part of it for the unwillingly broken promise. A small figment of that anger stemmed from confusion about his feelings.

Steve felt so much- fear, resentment, anger, sorrow, despair- yet he forced himself to shut it down like he had a million times before. Steve pushed it down like he did when Nancy pointed a gun at his face, or when he had to protect a herd of kids from a bigot, or when he was tortured under a fucking mall. He pushed because he felt his pain was unjustifiable as if there was no right to grieve someone he never knew.

Eddie and Steve had not crossed paths before. In high school, their crowds never really intercepted; Steve, Tommy, and Carol hung out in the corridors or the court while Eddie and his gang usually gathered in club rooms or the forest. Eddie had come into his life like an unstoppable force. As much as Steve had tried to delay their meeting, it seemed like the universe forced them together. In the short time they knew each other, Steve felt everything more heightened, almost as if there was a reason for it all. He blamed it on adrenaline at the moment. Part of him wishes it was Eddie that made him feel like that. He does not believe in any higher power hard to do after finding out hell is real, but he sometimes wishes upon the stars to turn back time, before Eddie got trapped in their problems, back when he had a chance to be his friend.

However, Steve was powerless in every way imaginable. He could have the power to turn back time or to save anyone when push came to shove. Instead of grieving, Steve opted to ignore it. Because in his very core, engrained in his being since before he was aware of himself, Steve Harrington bottled and pushed every emotion as tight as possible and hid it in the darkest corners of his mind, not for his own sake but because it was what he was taught, like a vicious cycle, self-destructive and unrelenting. 

The dreaded inevitability happened. Vecna attacked again, and as unprepared as they felt, it was six kids, five teenagers, and four adults to save the day. The government was no use, Max was still in a comma, and most adults had run away as soon as.

The plan was simple: find Henry with El's help, and take him out. Will and Joyce would stay behind to organize the group remotely and protect El while she distracted him. They prepared weapons beforehand.

That is where they currently stood, a week after hell opened up, in the living room of the Harrington household. They had scavenged throughout Hawkins to build a sensory deprivation tank and assembled it in one of Steve's garages. Eleven, Joyce, and Will were in said garage, preparing to find Henry.

"You sure you are ready for this, El?" Joyce asked Eleven, kneeling next to the tank.

"Yes, I am ready," she answered, face grim and shoulders tense.

"We'll be right here if you need us," Will reassured her, grabbing her shoulders and looking straight into her eyes. "Just say the word. We will pull you out." Eleven nodded, relaxing ever so slightly.

"Let's end this." 

"She's going in, over." The walkie-talkie called in Dustin's hands as the rest of the Party prepared their weapons.

"Copied. We are ready on our end," Dustin answered grimly. "We'll be waiting, over." Steve stood near him, watching him sternly.

"Dustin-"

"Not the time, Steve." Sometimes Steve wondered if it would ever be the time. He knew how hard loss was. He also knew how easy it was to lose yourself to it.

"I know, man," Steve started. "I'm just worried about you. Have you even slept since that thing appeared?" He knew the answer was no. It had been weeks since anyone had slept, maybe more in some cases.

"Let's just focus on killing Vecna, Steve," Dustin said, standing up. Robin appeared next to Steve as he watched Dustin walk away.

"We'll be okay." It was more of a plea than an assurance. We have to be okay because we are together. A part of Steve wanted to scream that it wasn't, that it would never be, and perhaps it never had been okay, but instead, he said:

"Yes, we will," he said because he would do or say anything for any of them, especially for Robin. "We will all get out of this okay." Steve put a hand on Robin's shoulder, looking into her eyes with a resolute expression. Some of her jittery energy dissipated, but it was still there. Nonetheless, she smiled back at him. It was a promise. A promise that they would both survive. One Steve could not be sure he could keep.

"We found him," Will's voice crackled from the walkie-talkie. "El found Vecna."

Vecna did not care for their plan. When they arrived at the graveyard, various demo creatures attacked to divide them. As much as they all tried to stick together, they had to run. All of them ended up hiding among the abandoned vehicles and scrapped metals. The creatures stopped chasing the Party when they hid, almost as if they wanted to make sure they stayed put. The demobats were stalking the sky, preying upon them, and the demodogs were guarding the ground. 

Steve tried to see where everyone ran to, but it was too hectic to focus. He managed to take cover, Robin right by his side.

"Do you see any of the kids?" Steve asked, crouching to spy the field and trying to stay out of view.

"Nuh-uh," she whispered, "I just ran next to you." The thing about them is that they shared the same emotions, so she could feel his nerves. "But they are smart, I'm sure they will be fine."

Far away, he could spot familiar shapes, but his vision was too fucked up at this point to make them up. 

"Do you see that over there?" He pointed at the blobs. Robin squinted her eyes in that direction before brightening up slightly. 

"That is Ms. Nancy Wheeler with her trusty shotgun and her little brother," Robin looked around as if she was looking for a way to connect them. "Follow me, I'll get to them." 

"What about the demon thingies?"

"They seem to move in a pattern, I'm good with that," Robin answered quickly. She did not wait for him, knowing he would follow her no matter what. She moved as stealthily as she could until they reached the Wheeler siblings. Nancy noticed them pretty quickly and waved them down.

"Guys, where you able to find the others?" Nancy asked as soon as they were within earshot.

"Out of everyone, it had to be Steve," Mike lamented. His sarcasm very thinly veiled the relief to see both of them were safe. The three teens chose not to mention it. Nancy and Robin started planning how to get back to Steve's house to regroup. 

Steve tuned out the conversation and focused in the distance, almost like a siren begging him to come closer. Robin noticed him and tugged on his arm. He turned his head and saw her eyes form a silent question are you okay? He nodded, but she knew him better than that.

"I think there is something over there," Steve barely whispered, not pointing, simply staring in the direction. His voice was quiet, but it still cut through the other conversation.

"Something like what?" Nancy asked. Her voice was devoid of mockery and filled with concern.

"I don't know," Steve answered, but he was still mesmerized by the feeling far away.

"We should check it out." Nancy stated, not allowing anyone to oppose.

"That's crazy!" Anyone except for Mike.

"Better than staying here and doing nothing," Robin quickly defended Steve. "Let's go," she said as she softly nudged Steve to move. 

They moved slowly, with Robin watching out for the creatures. They walked until they reached the back of the graveyard where they saw Vecna sitting on a makeshift throne. He was waiting for them. They tried to backtrack but found the creatures surrounding them. 

Steve looked back at Robin, and she looked back at him trying to hide the panic on her face, he turned to look at Nancy, who pointed at Vecna with her head as if saying Let's see what he does. There was nowhere else to turn, so Steve stood closer to the throne.

He was face-to-face with Vecna, Henry, or whatever. "Took you long enough," is all he said. He acted like he planned all of this, maybe he had. 

"Shut up," Steve was not interested in hearing anything he had to say.

"So pressed over nothing," Vecna teased, his voice filled with faux sympathy. "Afraid of something?" He was toying with them, like a cat with its prey. Steve's hands firmly grasped the bat, knowing if he faltered, his hands would start shaking, he was unsure if it was due to indignation or fear.

"I promised I would make you pay," his voice was low and filled with loathing, "and I will."

"I'm sorry to tell you," Vecna was smiling like he knew something no one else did, "but you might have to break that promise." Steve could feel Nancy tense behind him and Robin reaching for her hand.

"Shut up," Nancy spat out. "You don't know anything."

"Don't worry," Vecna said, "I don't think he would mind. Isn't that right, Munson?" Firm thuds of footsteps and clang of chains resounded on the tense house until a figure appeared behind Vecna.

The person, no, not a person, at least not anymore. The creature that appeared behind Vecna looked so familiar yet bizarre. The once soft and pale skin was not grey and lifeless. The wild hair turned more tangled and coarse. Its hands, previously decorated in rings, turned to talons with shiny silver claws. The once determined smile turned cold, mocking, and with long sharp teeth. Its clothes were the same but ripped, and the white shirt looked red with blood and black with grime. There were bony bat-like wings on its back. And the previously doe-like brown eyes full of determination turned into red irises surrounded by black scleras, missing every ounce of life they once had. It was an undeniable fact, whatever that creature was in the past...

"Hey there, Big Boy."

...that was not Eddie Munson.

[thewritersaddictions]

2023: Eddie Munson- Episode 9 TruthBomb

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC!Lilly Miller

Pov: Eddie Munson

Warnings: 2023, Past being brought up, lots of tension, crying, leaving someone behind, 1986, Vecna, Chrissy's death, storytime, kisses, making out.

Summary- Eddie thinks his time with Lilly is over, and he needs a way of telling her the truth. Lilly comes to the shop one night.

A/n- firefly-graphics for dividers

WC- 4.3k

Stranger Things Master List // The Adults Master List // 2023 Series Master List

I’ve only ever been sure about a handful of things in my life, and Lilly is one that I’m sure of. In many ways, I’m sure that I love her, I’m sure that life is hell without her, and boring without her in it, and I am sure that I’ve lost Lilly. I’m sure that the feelings I so desperately hang on to with a death like grip aren’t the same for her. Because if they were, if they laid close to my heart she would have texted, called done something to let me know she’s still with me right? 

The first two weeks were fucking hard, and then to add more on top of the lonly weeks having Jason coming into the body shop to step all over my dreams it just brought me further into a pit of despair and utter depression. I wonder if maybe I just left this shitty town, maybe all the feelings would stay here. Stuck to the woods, and leave me alone. But the thought of leaving is a wild train wreck, another set of emotions. Leaving seems scary, and I don’t wanna go, I just want the feeling to go instead.

It feels like I’m a boat. The ocean is my ever changing emotions. Waves are like how they constantly are changing. Everything feels too much and at the same time I feel nothing. I feel like when Lilly told me that I needed to go away my heart was being ripped from my chest. Ripped out and crumbled right in front of me. I think personally that I’ve taken it with stride on the outside at least. Continued to go to work, continued to pretend that everything is okay with Steve and even Dustin. There is a facade I put on. 

There is just one more thing that I’m aboslutey sure of. If I’m ever going to get back to Lilly. Get back into her good graces then I’ll have to explain everything. The truth is all that I can tell her. After that it’s up to Lilly to believe me or not. I can’t force that on her, but I can hope, wish and pray that she does at one point believe me. After almost a whole month of staying at Steves I’ve come to realize just how much I had taken the time I had with Lilly for granted. 

So here started my plan. A plan that had many holes, and things that Lilly probably wouldn’t understand if I didn’t tell her the whole story. Like Dustin had said the truth was all I could say from this point on. I just had to come up with a grand, great plan that would work. Honestly I was scared, more then scared that if I went to Lilly’s trailer and knocked on her door that she’d tell me to get away from her, that she’d tell me that she never wanted to see me again. But I  have to try. 

Talking about my past is more then just one event. I guess it’s a shitty story to tell but it’s starts from when I was a kid. My parents and their constant fighting, the abusive nature I grew up in until my mother decided that I didn’t need to be around that anymore. No need to see my father get carted off jail every couple of months because he was off stealing cars, or selling hardcore drugs. I guess that’s how I ended up at Uncle Waynes door step. Watching my mom drive away and leave me with my uncle. 

It started at work. I started to write everything down. Everything that I could remember that is. My memory is foggy. My younger years filled with sadness and hatered towards everyone who planned to ruin the already broken family I was apart of. I tried not to dwell on those specific parts. Instead writing down the most clear memory of my younger years. THe first few years living with Uncle Wayne. A ten year old boy brought to a different town and made the freak almost automatically. Sure the kids at elementary school were fine, but things were already changing. 

Everything has a beginning. My start is a less dramatic, and a bit more sad. As I recall the memories that seem so close yet so far away already I try to form it in the best way. The most believable way possible. If everything is doom and gloom then how are you supposed to see the light of things. How bright is the light at the end of the tunnel? For me the end of the tunnel has never really been in sight. It’s starts at highschool. Highschool is a shit show, having been pushed back way too times. 

All stories have a start, but not all of them start there. I think my story the one I have to tell Lilly. Starts in middle school, when I was a part of my schools talent show. It wasn’t the talent show that struck my eye as I’m still an introverted kid. It was the blonde haired girl that was cheering on the stage for the talent show. I was more then impressed with her skills, her bright smile and tried my hardest to not fall for the girl who’d I’d only ever seen once before. Yeah It starts there.

Work is slow as ever, and the longer I sit in this crappy chair in this dirty office the more my thoughts start to spiral. The notebook on which I’ve been writing is at one whole page. I feel as if I’m writing a letter to a very important government official. I mean Lilly is more then important even if she isn’t government personal. She’s imporantat to me, I’ve connected myself to someone who might never dare to speak to me again, and yet again I’ll be all alone. I wrap up, and head back to Steve’s another repeated day. 

When I first made it to Steve I thought that it was only going to be for a few days, maybe a weeks tops but now as I stand here on his front porch smoking the last bit of my ciggerate I realize that this was never going to be just for a few days. This isn’t forever either, it’s just until I grow a pair and talk with Lilly about the truth. The reality of the situation is so far worse then what she might be thinking, what Jason might have told her. This reality is the scary part. 

Writing this letter is harder then it seems. The fact that I have to tell Lilly about my past, but about a past that I wasn’t really a part of. For the most part it’s trying to make what happened and how it all happened make sense. In a chronigially way, and also just so it sounds right. But I figure that nothing will sound right until the words are out of my head and into the air between Lilly and I. I start writing once I’m in my room and away from the loud screams at the tv downstairs. 

The next part of my mine starts when  Iarrived at high school sure the first few years are hard for everyone, but something about this town made it only harder for me. The boy with a shaved head and interests in rock music along with fantasy games. A game that reflects nothing about my own personality. Regardless I got interested in started a club so I did. TGhe dungeon and dragons club one that I knew only a few others were interested in. So my freshman and sophomore year was spent working hard to be silent and unregarded by others. 

I had only madea few friends by my second time going through my senior year. Like I had said before teachers were dicks and I stuck my head into sand and my D&D club. Where I met friends people who were just as introverted as I was and they liked me for who I was. I saw Chirssy around the halls the same girl that I had a crush on since middle school. That was dark tunnel, she was taken by the school classic douche bag. Jason Carver. Who when he did see me made my fucking life hell. 

But Chrissy she’d give me small half smile. I stuck my head even further into my D&D club after that. Might has well be what the jocks and partiers all call me anyways. If I was the freak to them then I might as well give it to them. It was to late for people who care, for people to not be so rudimentary. Regardless of that though I found friends and a growing crush all over again my second senior year. That’s when things began to change. I needed fast cash, not for me but for Uncle Wayne. 

I was only trying to help out. But even that got shoved into my face by every jock and partyier. I had met Rick at the music store in town. He was an older guy, scruffy like with a bread that was untamly and he kept looking at me. Kept eyeing me in the store until I left and he cornered me in the alleyway. “Hey kid, do you wanna try something pretty good?” If I had been smart, smart like Wayne had taught me to be I would have said no, but I was curious. 

Curiosity kills the cat. 

It turned out to be the best worst decision I had ever made. Rick was a drug dealer. He sold everything from weed, uppers, and downers. The hardcore shit that he had I never touched something about my past made it nearly impossible for me to wanna go near that stuff. Fearing the worst Uncle Wayne wasn’t happy when he caught me selling weed to my high school friends. Then it got even worse when sheriff  Hopper caught me on multiple occasions, but I will say the jocks loved me whenever I would come around to one of their parties. 

It wasn’t hard after that to make fast cash on the daily. I tried mostly at school to keep my head down and stay out of the way of jocks and other assholes. Mostly I tried to keep out of the way of Steve Harrington. Yeah the Steve that i’ve been living with for almost a full month, and of course Chirssy’s boyfriend Jason Carver. I worked hard for my campaigns for D&D, and sold weed on the side to help out. Everyhting was going fine, and then I met two untamed freshman. Ones that needed help, and guidance. 

That’s when I became a mentor of sorts to Dustin, Mike, and Lucas. People that you’ve also met. I noticed how scared they looked being in this whole big new building, so I did what any person would I helped them. Dustin was my favorite from the start. You notice a grand ole’ change in people when they shift from middle to high school. Lucas was sure interested in out D&D club, but it was sports that he grew into mostly. So that left Dustin and Mike with me. A gaggle of freak kids who belonged nowhere at all. 

Maybe you care, maybe you don’t but I think this is where things went south. For me at least, I tried to put together a D&D campaign. Then our members started to flunk out and all the hard work and effort I had put into it was gonna go down the drain. But at least that was only the start of lunch that day. Then that old crush. That blondie that loved cheer with all her heart came up to me. A whole new person stood in front of me. Shy, and paranoid about everything. She asked for drugs. 

I had become the talk of the town over the years. Mixing drugs and our D&D togeher made me the local cult leader. So you might be able to start to see where things went south for me. If not allow to clear the playing field. Jason Carver girlfriend had asked me for drugs, the guy that was in constant search of me in the hallways his girlfriend was coming to me for something. So here starts the jealousy, and not to mention that I still had a strong crush on her. Even since middle school. 

I allowed it. 

I let myself fall in love with Chrissy Cunningham all over again even if it were for just a few minutes all together. Her blonde hair covering parts of her face in order to hide herself from me. Across the picnic bench she was somehow different. She was still shy, and still paranoid and asked for something stronger, something better and longer lasting then the weed I had on me. So I allowed that too. I allowed the flirting that happened between the two of us because it felt right and I really… really didn’t wanna leave her just yet. 

— 

I’m going stir crazy in this forsaken trailer. It’s so fucking quiet, and cold. Somehow with Eddie not here it’s darker, and sad everywhere I look. All of his things are gone, but that doesn’t mean that Eddie is actually gone. It’s been to long and I thought that things, the things that Mr. Carver had told me would blow over in my mind. I don’t wanna  think about them any longer, so why in gods name would I let him back into my home. I let things come between Eddie and I and don’t know how to fix them. 

I let someone else a complete and radom stranger come into my life and tell me thighs for which he has no concrete proof. I’m not sure what happened and I’m not sure if i’ll ever know, but not seeing eddie not hearing his voice or his laugh has made things darker in my life then usual. Darker then I’m okay with admitting. Theres gotta be a way to fit it all. That is saying if Eddie even wants to fix, if he can even bare to look at me after all the hurt and pain I’ve caused him already. 

Theres a few things that I wonder if I can fix. I feel like I fucked up majorly. Sure Eddie’s personal things are there but his cologne sticks to all the surfaces in the living room, his books that are scattered across the book shelve and the coffee table. Papers that had been printed for both work, and for his school. Shit I had said that I was going to help him with his classes. I wonder how much I’ve fucked up everything in an effort to try and not get hurt. I mean sure Jason might have been lying. 

I’ll never know if I don’t do something about it. So I do the only logical thing I can think of. Even if it is an idea I’m coming up with at four in the morning when the rest of the town hasn’t even woken up. The missing smells off coffee, and bacon don’t fill the house up anymore and the ache in my chest only grows stronger. I’m in need of something, I need to hear Eddie’s voice his soft and sweet nickname for me. I wanna see him again even if he kicks me out the second later. 

When the sun rises and I can no longer wait out for the time on the clock I grab my clothes dressing quicker then I need to, pulling my hair into a messy bun before grabbing shoes, and my car keys. I don’t even bothering locking my front door. The clock in my car reads that it’s no later eight in the morning. My hands shake with fear and anticipation. I look over at the passenger seat and stuck in the door jam is one of Eddie’s favorite books. Lord of rings a tattered book that came from the boxes. 

I push the tears down and into my stomach I just need to get a up of coffee from teh driver thru and wait until it’s not so early in the god forsaken morning to ambush Eddie at work. I can only hope that he is at work. Hell maybe he isn’t here anymore. I can only think of the worse as I sit in the waitting lane for my shitty coffee. I’ll need everything that I can get before I go either see that sad face or no face at all at the auto body shop. It’ll be okay. 

I wait even longer parking just across from the auto body shop. My heart breaks when a tired and shivering Eddie bikes in. Bikes in on a kids bike. I shake my head and my head lands in my hands over the steering wheels. “What have I done?” I mutter to myself as I try to figure out how this all manage to get out of control. There’s a knock on my passenger side window. “Ma’am are you… Lilly?” It’s Robin Eddie’s friend. My bottom lip quivers, and all I can is shake my head. 

Maybe you should explain it. 

—

The morning always suck so much. I unload my shit, and get to work there’s about two more cars that need to be completed by the end of the day. I tie my hair back into a high ponytail and make sure it’s out of the way. By lunch time I’ve gotten one care completed and it’s been brought down to the ground, keys are locked up and all the paper work is done. I grab my backpack and drag out a scrambled lunch out. A can of coke from the vending machine that hopefully still carbonated, and a sandwich. 

I sit at the front desk. Nobody will be coming in considering today is Saturday. People are off doing things with their families, or their significant others. Instead of doing something fun with the person who I love I’m here instead working and trying to come up with reasons for why Lilly should believe me over a random old bully. I eat my lunch and grab my notebook to finish that last of my thoughts from the other night. As I said before Chrissy asked for something stronger, so I invited her to my trailer after the schools basketball game. 

That day we also had a D&D campaign going on for which Lucas was replaced by his younger, smartass sister Erica. But all was well the campaign went great and all the players enjoyed almost… not making it to the next level. Erica kicked ass, and I almost said thank you to Dustin and Mike for getting a replacement the day of the campaign. Then I remembered I had to get Chrissy before anyone noticed that she was getting into my van. I didn’t need any shit for just serving the community. The kids left, and the game ended. 

I was ablet o get Chirssy without much of a problem. The guys who had apparently won the basketball game were off to party. First time Hawkins had won a proper basketball in ages. Chrissy was a little to quiet in the van, and my rock music stayed at a low volume in cause she wanted to chat before she got her stuff. Quiet is a nice way of putting the bad vibes that chirssy was giving off. She was completely paranoid. Looking around when we first made it to my trailer. She was right on my heels, so close. 

I tried to make sure that she was comfortable in the trailer. It probably wasn’t something that she was used to. Used to living near Lake Norha as the fancy things that they lived with. I told her to wait, that I needed to grab my supplies. I was gone for no longer then five minutes and I would be right back. She just stood in the middle of the living room waiting for me to return. When I did finally find my lunch box I didn’t return to a normal Chirssy standing in front of me. She was gone. 

Mentally I don’t think Chirssy had been with me or really anywhere when she asked me earlier that day for weed, or for something stronger. I should have figured it out. I should’ve known earlier. But I didn’t, I didn’t get the chance to save her until it was to late. When returned it looked like Chirssy was sleeping standing up her eyes twitching under her eyelids. Unable to wake her I didn’t dare call the cops people would think all the wrong things just like they had. Her bode was standing still in front of me. Unable to move. 

Then the scariest part of that night occurred. From in front of me Chirssy began to float into the air hitting my ceiling. The same spot that I had came from Dustin would later call them gates to another scary world. She floated and stayed there like out of sci-fi movie. She began to twist and turn in such a way no human could survive it. There was no way I could hurt a fly, so how could i get her to twist and break her bones on the fucking ceiling was beyond me. So I ran, and was chased. 

Running, Hidden, Chased, and called a cult leader because that’s what D&D was a cult. It didn’t really matter though that’s what the town thought they had a high school freak turned cult leader, turned murderer, turned serial killer. For whatever reason I was helped. Helped by an ex jock, a band member, and a shit ton of freshman. They told me, and let me become apart of a group who’d seen too much shit. Had been hurt and used. Then more deaths happened. I was the main focal point of every Hawkins town person. My name smeared everywhere. 

“I didn’t dare kill Chrissy Cunningham. For some reason I have to make more people believe that only truth. I could never… never hurt a single soul.” I muttered to myself. Apparently not hearing the ringing of the door or the fact that I was being watched. “I know Eddie…” I shook my head, “You’re not really here… just my mind playing tricks on me and tring to make me think that Lilly would ever actually want to listen to my story. Listen to the truth.” I muttered as I dropped the pen and looked up Lilly was really here. 

 I stare at her and tears brim at my eyes. I swallow them down. She’s really standing there. She’s just a few feet away from the front desk. “I’m sorry Eddie… I’m really a fucking idoit aren’t I.” Lilly’s voice is so low and dipped in sadness. Lilly get closer and closer to me, I don’t move. Thinking that this must be a cruel joke by my own mind. “You don’t have to explain anything to me Eds… Robin explained somethings to me. God, Eds I should’a just listen to you, should’a just asked questions, but I was so scared.” 

She looks down at her shoes, I stand up and make my way towards her. “Why are you here?” I ask my voice barley make a dent into the air around me. Her bottom lips quivers, and when she does finally look up at me. She looks like shit… her bright rosey look that she used to have is gone. Her beautiful smile is dulled by tears at her lashes. “I just couldn’t stay in the trailer anymore without you… maybe that’s too bold to say after I just left you hanging. I just… I just fucking miss you Eddie.” 

I wanna smile, be mad at her, I wanna kiss her. Theres so much I wanna do that i can’t fit it all into just a few seconds. “I just wanted to see you again… even if you didn’t wanna hear from me ever again.” Lilly mumbles looking down at her shoes. The tips of out shoes hit. The weather is cold outside so close to December already. “I just wanted to see you again… even if you didn’t wanna hear from me ever again.” I echo her. She nods and looks up at me. “Do you think we could make up for it Eds?” I nod, and yet at the same time I wonder what Lilly’s got in her deck of cards. 

“I think I might just kiss you now.” Lilly mutters before she closes the space between us and reaches up to grab the back of my neck dragging me down to meet her lips. Then for the first time, we kiss. Not a drunken kiss or a chaste one done out of forgetfulness and happiness. But simply one because we wanted to kiss each other. If it’s possible I melted into her arms, melted into the kiss and even if I’m taller then her, much taller then her. Her lips are like heaven. Soft and sweet. A quiet “I’m sorry” Is muttered against my lips, and I have to pull back. 

My hands landing on each side of her face, holding her close. “It’s alright Lilly, I know that this is hard, but let’s just not fight anymore.” She smiles a kind smile, and nods her head laughing a little. “Robin explained?” I ask only now just getting what LIlly had said beforehand. “And she asked if we wanted to come over for dinner another time. Like she knewn that everything was going to work out.” Lilly said. As if she didn’t believe that Robin was serious. I laughed, “Yeah Robin is the all knowing.” 

Completed on: 06/15/23

Posted on: 06/17/2023

The Adults- @yourfavdummy@mothermirkwood

[theshelbyclan]

Happy Birthday!

Summary: It’s your birthday! And the Shelby brothers refuse to let another one of their baby sister’s birthday go by without some proper celebrating. 

(Gif by @benson-shelby​)  A/N: It’s actually my birthday today, but due to quarantine I can’t really celebrate it with anyone. So I decided to celebrate with the Shelby’s! Via this little fic, purely self-indulgent, to cheer myself up and to remember some great birthdays I had in the past ;) Set in season 1, you’re just a few years younger than John. Words: 1710 *** “John, get her tea.” “I thought you had the tea.” “Well, then get the milk!” urgent whispers sounded in the hallway. 

“I’m not your bloody maid, am I, Ada,” John spat not so quietly in return.

You were lying in bed, awake for hours already. This was the day you’d become a woman, or so Ada had said, but still, your siblings were bickering like little children. It brought a smile to your face. Another annoyed grumble, “Shhh, you’re going to wake her up!” “Am not,” he hissed, “I got your fucking milk, didn’t I!” “Oi!” another low voice joined in, “Ada, you really need to take a look at the toast.” “What about the toast, Arthur?” “Burned it,” he mumbled and you could hear John giggle softly in the dark. Ada sighed deeply, “For fucks sake, fine, I’ll do it. Wait here.” As the least subtle brothers in the world shuffled about in the hallway, you thought of your other birthdays. When you were little, they were celebrated with mum and everyone gathered. During the war, no one paid attention to birthdays any longer. And now, after the war, people tried to get their lives back on track. Only last week you’d made sure Finn had gotten a birthday he’d never forget. And now they tried to return the favour, obviously. Another few minutes and about a thousands curses passed, when they finally tiptoed into the room. Closing your eyes, you decided to play along. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Slowly you sat up and put on a groggy voice, “What are you doing in here?” “You are the worst actor ever, Y/N,” John grinned. “Am I?” you feigned innocence. Ada handed you a cup of tea as John plopped down onto bed next to you, “Did you hear about Arthur burning the toast then?” “I didn’t burn it,” he protested, “Only… blackened it a little.” Ada sent her eldest brother a look, “Polly’s making some more.” “Thanks for the tea,” you smiled and took a sip. Frowning, you narrowed your eyes at John. “You’re not a child anymore, Y/N!” he explained happily. “Move over,” Arthur shoved his brother aside and hugged you, “Happy birthday, sweetheart. This is for you, go on, open it.” Wrapped clumsily in some brown paper, he’d given you a revolver. And just as you were staring at it, Aunt Polly walked in with toast in a lovely shade of light brown. “A gun,” she demanded at once, “For fucks sake, Arthur.” “She needs it to protect herself, Pol,” he returned, and with pride in his voice he added, “And look: it’s a lady’s gun!” You turned the weapon over and saw it was small, delicate and laid in. Still, deadly as any weapon it was. “My turn,” John said, bouncing up and down in excitement almost. He handed Polly your tea and when she sniffed it, she said strictly, “Alright, who put whiskey in her morning tea?” No one answered. Quickly John handed you his present, hardly wrapped at all. Inside, you found a peaky cap, razorblades included. “Honestly, John…” Ada sighed, “She’s not a bloody Blinder!” “It’s all she’s ever wanted!” John called out, “Ever since she could walk, she tried to steal our caps, forever talking about wanting to join us wherever we went. Now she’s got her own!” “I love it,” you beamed up at him, “All I ever wanted.” “Alright,” Ada interrupted, “Clearly Y/N has too many brothers so it’s up to me to turn her into a lady.” “Please do,” Polly sighed, “Or the only interest she’ll ever have is weapons.” She knew her niece well, “That and gambling…” Your sister combed a few rebellious strands of hair behind your ear and planted a kiss on your cheek, “My darling little sister, soon you’ll learn you have more than one way of getting a man to do what you want.” You blinked a few times. This had always been more of Ada’s area of expertise. “She has no idea what you’re on about,” Polly smirked. “Thank God,” Arthur and John said in unison. “Sit still,” Ada demanded and she started applying the lipstick, “Sit. Still.” You furrowed your brows at the unfamiliar feeling, “Just your colour,” Ada commented happily, “As I thought.” “Not bad, that,” Arthur commented as he tilted his head. John leaned back and examined you as well, “Yeah, well, it’s red, isn’t it? I like red...” “Lipstick, a gun and razors,” Ada commented matter-of-factly, “the most deadly Shelby as of yet, Pol!” Aunt Polly rolled her eyes. “Happy birthday, Y/N!” eleven-year-old Finn came running to the room and jumped up into your arms, “You can have mine!” And he thrust his homemade catapult into your hands by form of a gift. “Another weapon, Pol,” Arthur eyed her, “Whatever will become of our innocent little sister?” Aunt Polly rubbed her nose and stammered a little, “Well, you know I don’t agree with you joining the family business… And God knows I’ve tried to rein you in just a little…” “But,” you interrupted, eyes glittering mischievously. “But…” she looked down, “I got you something for your shoes.” “Shoes?” you looked at the little black package she’d handed you. John suddenly burst out laughing in realisation, Arthur tried to hide his face in his hands and Ada commented dryly, “So, no better than us, eh, Pol.” Slowly you opened the package. Inside, you found a small black butterfly knife. *** A few hours had passed, with the regular nonsense that you cherished more than anything in the world. The family was gathered in the kitchen, everyone argued and life seemed perfect. But, one thing was missing. “Where’s Tommy?” you finally asked. “He had business,” Polly answered shortly, “No idea when he’ll be back.” You eyed John carefully, the brother you always turned to, “You think he forgot?” “Nah,” he tried cheering you up, “And you’re doing alright with us, right? Don’t need grumpy here…” You smiled, but still it hurt a little. And then, unexpectedly, Tommy waltzed into the house like it was any other day. “Y/N,” he announced himself coldly, “I need you to come with me.” “Why?” you challenged, “We’re just celebra-“ “I said now, Y/N. Family business.” Tommy interrupted in a low voice. “Thomas…” Aunt Polly started, but he held up a hand to silence her. Then he turned to you and repeated, “Come with me.” Begrudgingly, you got up and followed your brother. Looking back, Arthur motioned you to move it, which made you all the more suspicious. Without moving a muscle in his face, Tommy opened the door and said, “Go on.” You stepped outside and the second you did, applause resounded through the streets. In front of every house, people had gathered and they cheered like you were royalty. You couldn’t believe your eyes. “Tommy, did you…” you started. “He’s been at it all morning,” John explained as he crossed you in the doorway. A few moments later, the sound of hooves echoed in the streets. “What the hell is this,” you said at once. “This,” Tommy made a broad hand gesture, “Is a gypsy on a horse.” “And what, pray tell, is he doing in the middle of town?” You recognised Johnny Dogs now, who called out, “Little Y/N Shelby! Happy birthday, love!  How the hell are you!” “I’m grand, Johnny,” you said numbly, “What’s with the horse?” He got off the horse and patted her flank, “She was a lovely filly as first. Sweet, but could never quite be tamed. Third filly out of Shadow, gorgeous beast.” “So, we decided,” Tommy mumbled as he lit a cigarette slowly, “she needed a rider who’d understand.” “What? Being a gorgeous beast?” your cynical reply came. Tommy rolled his eyes, “ ‘could never be tamed’ “. “Well, go on,” Johnny urged, smiling from ear to ear, “Up you get, little one!” Gingerly, you walked over to the horse. As you stroked her nose, Tommy handed you his cigarette and said softly, “What do you think of her?” “She’s an absolute beauty.” Tommy nodded, “Just like you,” but before you could send him a thankful look, he’d walked off again. And with the whole of Small Heath watching on, you climbed up on the horse. *** It was almost midnight when you woke up on a hard cold bench. A splitting headache washed over you as you tried to lift your head. You touched your temple and noticed some blood on your knuckles. Vaguely, you remembered being in the Garrison only a few hours before. You remembered Tommy had closed the betting den and the pub being packed with people, all celebrating your birthday. Memories of card games, songs and laughs came back to you. And the whiskey, so much whiskey. Slowly, you hoisted yourself up. As you looked around, you recognised the inside of the police cell. And you felt at your laced up boots: the knife was still safe inside. A sigh of relief escaped you. “How’s the head, eh?” Recognising your brother’s voice, you looked up without meeting his eye. “What did I do?” you asked finally. After a pause, Tommy replied, “Well, you celebrated your birthday alright.” “Did I have fun?” “Yes, I’d say so.” You frowned, “Why am I in here?” He cleared his throat, “It started with the barmaid and ended with you head-butting a policeman. Quite the Shelby night…” “Is that pride I hear?” Tommy didn’t answer, so you send him your best innocent smile. Eventually he asked, “Was it worth it?” “Hell yes,” you replied in a flash. “Little devil, celebrating her fucking birthday, eh?” “Admit it!” you pointed at him, “you areproud!”

And Thomas Shelby actually smiled through the bars, “Fucking right I am.” When he started to walk away, you shouted, “Oi! What about my bail?” “Paid it!” he called from a distance. “How am I supposed to get home?” you raised your voice even more. Tommy’s reply echoed, “Take your horse. She’s outside.” Myhorse? And just as a policeman with a head in bandages opened the door of your cell, you smiled to yourself: Best birthday ever.

Tommy left the station before you were released, but before he’d gone, he finally said:  

“Happy birthday, Y/N.”

***

Masterlist

[latte-fairytaekwoon]

𝑴𝒂𝒇𝒊𝒂! 𝑨𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒛: 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑶𝒖𝒕 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑨 𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒚

Disclaimer: In no way am I condoning, justifying, encouraging nor promoting mafia behavior or lifestyle. This is all a work of fiction and not meant to represent real life scenarios.

❥𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰

Hongjoong was confused when the strange parcel was sent to him. The big, bold 'SKZ' was a clue it was from his rivals. He carefully opened the package, making sure it didn't contain any weird substance. He was shocked when he opened it to find a note that read:

"Give us what we want or we'll harm those you love most."

He widened his eyes when they sent photos of you, obviously taken without your knowledge of your daily life. This was the exact reason Hongjoong broke up with you. It was too dangerous to be with him, so he thought if he left you, you'd be safe, even if it broke his heart to leave you.

But then he saw a few photos that sent a shock through his body. He scanned them closely, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. He saw pictures of you..... with a baby.

Hongjoong nearly fell out of his seat.

"Does this mean....?"

Hongjoong quickly got in his car and drove over to your place. He desperately knocked on your door, hoping you'd answer. When you opened the door, you were surprised to see him there and were about to ask what he was doing there, but he spoke up first.

"Do we have a child together?"

Your facial expression was a dead giveaway from the start, confirmed also when you nodded slightly. Looking down, you were afraid that he'd be mad, but instead, Hongjoong pulled you into a hug. Tilting his head, he whispered in your ear:

"I don't want to alarm you, but I'm going to have to relocate you both for your safety. I'll make sure nothing happens to you both. But you gotta come with me now."

You didn't even hesitate to do as he asked, grabbing just a small backpack to pack the important things you needed and to grab your son, who had just woken up from his nap. Hongjoong waited in the living room, anxiously waiting for you to come out. His heart started pounding hard when he heard a small whimper from behind. Turning around, he finally came face to face with his very own child. He smiled tenderly as he came closer to look at him.

"Can I...hold him?"

Hongjoong looked at you for permission, which you happily granted. He choked back tears as he held his son in his hands, unable to believe that this was real.

"Hey little one. I'm your daddy. Nice to finally meet you."

❥𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪

Seonghwa completely forgot about what his task in the little town was the second he saw you. At first he couldn't believe that after months of not knowing about your whereabouts, now he's finally found you. He wanted to break down then and there. He had been so lost after he came home only to find you gone without so much as a goodbye. He spent restless nights and chaotic days trying to find a sign of you, but got nowhere. He didn't even know if you were alive.

Before you could get in your car, he approached you.

"Y/N..."

You dropped your keys when you saw him. You tried reaching down for them, but you were too slow and Seonghwa grabbed them, hindering your plans of escaping once again. He was not going to let you go before he got an explanation.

"Why?"

That was all he asked and you knew what he meant.

"I was afraid....."

He looked stunned.

"Of what?! I told you I would protect you! I would never let anything happen to you! If you had asked me to quit, I would do it in a heartbeat for you!" He didn't mean to get so emotional, but he couldn't contain his emotions that had been bottled up for so long.

"No Seonghwa....I was afraid that you would leave me..."

You sighed as you slowly closed the car door that had been covering you the entire time. Seonghwa trailed his eyes down until they landed on your swollen belly. It didn't take long for him to figure out that you were pregnant and he was the father. He looked back up at you, who had tears in your eyes.

"I was afraid you wouldn't want the baby, afraid you'd leave me if you found out...so I left before you could ever find out-"

You couldn't finish your sentence as you began sobbing. Seonghwa stepped closer to you, pulling you into an embrace, one of his hands resting on top of your bump.

"Y/N, I love you and I would have never left you. I love kids and to find out you're carrying my baby, I......I can't even explain how I feel."

He couldn't help himself and pulled back so he could kiss you. His kiss was filled with yearning and when he pulled back, his eyes were brimming with tears.

"Please come back to me..."

❥𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸

Once Yunho found out that you were kidnapped, he gathered all his men to get you out. He did not care about the fact you broke up with him, he still loved you and could not bear the thought of you getting hurt.

It was a bloody and difficult situation, but he was determined to get you out of there. He finally found you, unconscious and locked inside a cold room. Picking you up, he quickly got you out of there and rushed you over to Yeosang's laboratory, which also served as the clinic for them in case of an emergency....and clearly this was an emergency.

Yunho waited outside, desperately praying and hoping you would be ok. It seemed like forever before Yeosang finally came out.

"How is she?" Yunho immediately asked.

Yeosang sighed as he removed his glasses.

"She'll be fine, only unconscious for a few hours, but she'll pull through. She's a strong girl."

Yunho smiled and tightly hugged his friend.

"Thank you Yeosang."

When he pulled away, he noticed that Yeosang had a grim look on his face.

"Yeosang....is there something wrong?"

Yeosang hesitated before telling Yunho what he had discovered as he was checking on Y/N and running tests on her.

"Yunho....there's something you should know.."

Yunho widened his eyes as Yeosang revealed something he was not prepared for. He looked at him incredulous.

"Are- are you sure?" Yunho asked again.

"Positive. I'd say she's around 4 to 5 months in."

It all made sense to Yunho now. It had been 4 months since you left him and he had most definitely been intimate with you the month before you left. Although he was shocked, he was also happy. Happy to know that you didn't leave him because you didn't love him anymore, and ecstatic to find out he was going to be a dad.

When you finally woke up, Yunho's smile was the first thing you saw.

"Yunho..?"

"Shhh. It's ok. I'm here and you're all right.."

He kissed your forehead as one of his hands went to hold yours.

"And our baby is going to be fine."

❥𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰

"Yeosang?" San called out to him once again after he didn't answer the first 3 times.

"Go away. I'm busy." Yeosang sternly said, refusing to even spare a glance at his friend.

He had been like that for a while. Ever since you left him 2 months ago, he had been locking himself up in his laboratory, refusing to come out, hardly eating or sleeping. He just immersed himself in his work to the point all the other members were starting to get worried about him. San knew it was a distraction, distraction from you and from the pain of your abandonment. Which is why he had gone out of his way to stalk you out and find out exactly why you left all of a sudden. And what he found out, he knew Yeosang needed to know.

"Yeosang...I've been following Y/N for an entire week-"

"I didn't fucking ask you to do that." Yeosang harshly spatted out.

"Yes.....but there's something you should know....the other day I saw her walking out of an obstetrician's clinic.."

Yeosang dropped the glass vial he was holding onto the floor, liquids splashing all over. Panic was written all over his face, which then quickly became rage.

"Fucking knew it. There was somebody else."

San was in disbelief at Yeosang's words.

"What? Yeosang! Are you even listening to me?"

Yeosang grunted as he began cleaning up his mess, not wanting to listen to anymore. But San wasn't giving up. Crouching down, he ripped away the rag in Yeosang's hand and made him look at him.

"Yeosang did it maybe cross your mind that the baby she's pregnant with might be yours?"

Yeosang stayed quiet, not even blinking as he thought over San's words.

"Could be mine......and also could be someone else's.."

San nearly punched Yeosang right then and there.

"You know, I didn't know Y/N half as much as you did, but if there's one thing I knew and never doubted was her love for you. So really ask yourself if you truly believe she'd be unfaithful to you."

Yeosang pondered over San's words for the entire night, tossing and turning as he began reminiscing about your time together. Unable to bear it any longer, he quickly went to your place, not caring that it was early dawn. When you saw him, you freaked out and were about to close the door, but he pushed himself in. Even though he already knew the answer all along, he wanted you to say it.

"Am I the father?"

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷

You let out a tiny giggle as your daughter played with the rattle in her hand. You had decided that since the day was lovely and the weather not too hot, you'd take her out for a stroll in the park. She was already a little over a year old and of course hated being inside for too long. You were so occupied in her cute little antics, you failed to notice the man that was walking towards you until he was right in front of you.

"San..." You cupped a hand over your mouth when you saw him for the first time in forever.

"Hey Y/N." He awkwardly greeted you.

"I thought you..." You couldn't finish your sentence, but San knew what you were talking about.

"You thought I was dead?"

He of course expected that reaction out of you. The last time you saw him was when he had to go out on a dangerous mission. He kissed you and promised you he'd come back, but you didn't hear from him again. When months turned to a year and still no word, you gave up hope and resigned yourself to move on and continue with your life.

Little did you know, that he was alive. He was in a coma for a long time, but he regained consciousness. It took a while for him to function and recuperate, but once he did, the first thing he wanted to do was see you again, hold you again and keep his promise of coming back.

"I told you I'd come back..."

He stepped closer to you. You hesitantly reached out to touch him, afraid of it being another one of your dreams and have him disappear once again. Sensing your worry, San took your hand and placed it on his cheek.

"And I never break a promise."

Unable to hold back, you wrapped your arms around his neck, tears spilling out as you were reunited with the love of your life. San was crying as well. The tiny babbling of the baby in the stroller reminded you that you two weren't alone. San pulled back and gazed upon the little girl in the stroller, who looked at him with curiosity. As San studied her features, he realized how much she resembled him.

"Is she....?"

He looked at you, who were donning a proud smile.

"She's our daughter San."

San cried more as he looked at the baby again, unable to resist himself as he picked her up and kissed her tiny face.

"Oh my God! have a beautiful daughter!"

❥𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲

Mingi carefully opened the door, hoping not to wake you up since it was so late, but unbeknownst to him, you were already awake.

"Mingi!"

You jumped out of the bed and went to go hug your loving boyfriend.

"Wow! Somebody missed me." He chuckled in between kisses.

"Well of course I did. I just needed you back here......I was afraid the entire time you were gone."

Your tiny pout made his heart melt. Mingi had always been a sucker for your cute and adorable nature.

"Baby it's all right. I told you I'm bulletproof. Nothing will ever happen to me." He assured you.

"I know...I was just particularly scared this time..." You bit your lip.

Mingi could sense something was wrong with you. His hands that were still wrapped around your waist felt the tiny tremble that coursed through your body.

"Baby...you're trembling. What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

You weren't sure if you should tell him at that moment since he was probably tired from his long trip and it was late, but you were so overwhelmed and excited to share the news with him that you couldn't help yourself.

"You know how I've told you that I hadn't been feeling well lately?"

Mingi nodded, recalling your phone conversations.

"Well I decided to take your advice and went to see a doctor..."

He couldn't handle the suspense. For a moment he believed something was wrong.

"Oh baby please tell me you're not dying!"

You bursted out laughing.

"No Mingi! I'm not dying. It's nothing bad...it's actually something wonderful."

Taking his hands in your own, you stared at him, wide smile as you delivered the news.

"Mingi, I'm pregnant."

He sucked in a sharp breath at your words, feeling so many emotions at once.

"Are you serious?- Y/N, don't play with me. My heart wouldn't take it if it was a joke.."

When you confirmed it was true, Mingi lit up and picked you up, peppering kisses all over your face.

"You just made me the happiest man alive."

❥𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰

It was a devastating night for you. You had gone out to buy a cake to celebrate and share the good news with Wooyoung: you were pregnant. But on your way back home, you heard weird noises coming from an alley. Keeping out of sight, you were shocked to see the man you loved pull out a gun and shoot someone dead.

You ran back home, trying to process everything you saw. Your first instinct was to run and that's what you did. You only took your wallet and a few things and just ran out of the apartment you shared with Wooyoung. You completely forgot about the fact you left the pregnancy test wrapped in a cute little bow for Wooyoung to see as soon as he came home.

When he did, he was alarmed that you were gone, thinking someone had kidnapped you. But then Yeosang called him.

"She knows. And she's gone."

Wooyoung didn't blame you. He was afraid of you finding out who he was because he knew how'd you react. Instead of going after you, he decided to give you the space you needed, knowing you wouldn't want him around yet. He secretly had people watch over you for him, so he could keep an eye on you and the baby.

He only went back to see you when you suddenly went into labor 8 months into the pregnancy, thus resulting in an emergency c-section. He knew he needed to be there for you and for your child, even if you didn't want him there.

"What are you doing here?" You asked, afraid when you saw him in your hospital room.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to take care of you and our baby."

You widened your eyes at that, but refused to show your fear.

"I don't need your help. I'll raise him on my own."

Wooyoung raised an eyebrow at you.

"You don't get to make that decision by yourself. He's my son too and you're in no condition to protest. Once you're both released, you're moving back in with me." He stated firmly.

"I don't want to! I don't want to be around you! You're dangerous-"

"Y/N it'll only be more dangerous for you both if I don't keep you by my side. I don't want rivals getting close to you or the baby. So whether you like it or not, I'm staying by your side."

Wooyoung's resolution only deepened when he went to go see his son in the NICU. He smiled fondly as his finger touched the glass separating them.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you or your mom. I love you both too much."

❥𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸

"Sir? I have something important to share with you?"

Jongho gestured for the man to come in. The man held a folder out to him.

"I'm sorry it has taken so long, but I finally got the information you wanted. Address, phone number, everything is in there."

Jongho's heart stopped for a moment. Finally, he'd be able to find out where you were after searching for so long. He shakily opened the folder and took a deep breath when he saw a most recent picture of you. You looked fine and healthy, looking like you put on a little bit of weight. His fingers gently caressed the picture, wishing it was really you in front of him.

"There's also something else I found out..."

You came home from another long day at work. You rubbed your eyes as you made your way into your bedroom. When you turned on the light, you gasped when you saw Jongho sitting on your bed.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

The color drained from your face as you realized he knew. You tried so hard to conceal your secret, but Jongho still ended up finding out.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Don't play dumb Y/N! You know exactly what I'm talking about!" His voice resonated through the room, hurt and pain could be heard in it.

You looked down at the floor in shame, your hand instinctively resting on top of your baby bump. You sniffled softly as you tried to hold back tears. You didn't notice Jongho had gotten up until he was standing right in front of you.

"Why couldn't you just tell me? Do you not know how torturous it was not knowing your whereabouts? Not knowing if you were even alive?"

You knew he was crying as well and it made you feel more guilty about running away and hiding the fact he was going to be a father.

"Do you hate me?"

Jongho sighed, his arms wrapping around you, one hand tilting your chin up.

"Of course not. I could never hate you. I love you so much my darling."

He pecked your lips before placing a hand protectively on top of your bump.

"And I already love our child."

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.

[cuddlesslut]

Memories

Part three to Home

Suna x fem reader

Atsumu x fem reader

Tags: still angst, light fluff, just a lot of Suna simping.

AN// let me know if you want me to continue the story.

Part Two: Silence

Part Four: Chance Encounters

You were the most beautiful girl Suna had ever seen. When he saw you that first day of school it was like the clouds in his normally dreary day parted and he could feel the sun. You weren’t in the same class much to his dismay. That didn’t stop the middle blocker from searching for your face in the crowds of the halls or the cafeteria. Though it was rare he stilled catch some glimpses. In those moments a war waged in his mind part of him wanted to go introduce himself, he wanted to know your name. To just be around you. But another side of his brain forbid that. Stating that he was fine were he was he would just interrupt your day. What would he even say to you. Hi I’m Suna I’ve been watching you since the first and even though I know next to nothing about you I can’t get you out of my head..... yeah no. He’d just sit back and wait for opportunity to knock. Suna curses himself for his laziness. He can’t describe how his heart stop the day his friend brought you to practice and introduce you as his girlfriend.

Though he kept his composure he felt as though the air was stolen from his lungs. This is the closesest he had ever to been to you and it was overwhelming to say the least. You stood there at Atsumu’s side smiling and greeting the team memebers and when your attention drew to Suna he realized his favorite thing about you was your eyes. You beautiful (e/c) eyes shown with so much light and happiness. When you smiled you smiled with your eyes, always getting this cute little crinkle. He shook his head at these feelings. You were taken and by one of his friends no less.

From that moment on you presence was always close by joining the boys for lunch or stopping by practice with little snacks you had made the team. Suna almost resents how easy he gets along with you. How simple it is to fall into a banter with you. He hates how calming it is when you’d sit next to him and laugh as you showed him some meme. He wanted to be annoyed with you ever time you’d put your foot down and insist he let you wrap his finger after a bad block. But he couldn’t you were just such a caring person. He’d try and give you some petty insults, maybe if he caused a rift between the two of you he’d feel better, maybe then if there was more space between you he’d feel less guilty for always being enraptured by you. But you’d always snap back with something just as clever or petty. You could go toe to toe in trading insults but both of you knew neither of you meant it. You’d always break out into that breathtaking smile after a few rounds of back and forth. He realized soon that he’d much rather keep you in his life as a friend even if he could never have you because at least he’d still see that smile. At least as your best friend he’d still see your eyes shine bright and he could take a small pleasure in knowing he brought some of that happiness.

“You need to calm down,” Suna turned to see Osamu taking the seat on the bench next to him.

Suna's hands run through his hair gripping the roots in frustration as he let out a yell.

“How the fuck am I supposed to be calm, she could be hurt or missing, and that ass is just sitting there! Two weeks! Lord knows what could have happened by now.” Hes shaking part of him wants to go back up and give Atsumu a few more licks but he knows no good will come from it.

“YN is a grown woman and she’s smart and strong and you know damn well she’d bitch you out right now for thinking she couldn’t handle herself,” the former ace chuckled.

“I’d much rather her here bitching cause at least then she’d be here,” he groaned rubbing his hand down his legs trying to let out some of his nerves. “Did you know?” He asked the grey haired twin.

Samu gave his quick glare of offense. “Absolutely not believe me if I’d known I would have been the one to deck him , you just beat me to it.”

“The last i heard from her was her birthday, maybe if I’d had stopped by and brought the Onigiri myself I could have been there for her,” he sighs.

“We’ll find her don’t worry,” his friend pats his back, “and then you can finally confess,”he smiles.

“I’m that obvious huh,” he sighed.

Samu let a loud laugh “ OH PLEASE we all knew, well maybe not YN she can be kinda blind ya’know,”

Suna shook his head laughing. He has to see you.

They returned home today from nationals. The loss to Karasuno was really starting to sink in now that was Suna was home sitting in his room alone the house quiet. He laid there berating himself for balls he failed to block. If I had just done better maybe my team would still be playing. Maybe - he was disrupted from his thoughts by the chime of the door bell. His parents were out of town this weekend. They had assumed like many Inarizaki would still be out in Tokyo fighting for first place. It was fine though Suna was used to being alone. But that just confused him more as he made his way to the door. Who could possibly be here. All he can say is he’d never except to open the door and see you standing there. Like always you stole his breath away.

“What yer not gunna let me in,” you teased “and to think I brought you snacks!” He just realized now she was carrying a grocery bag that looked pretty heavy.

“Give me that ya Dummy,” he said taking away the snacks, he stepped to the side allowing her entry.

“I figured you were hungry, but try to save me some,” she giggled. Suna just rolled his eyes as she took a seat on his couch.

“What are you doing here?” He questioned taking his seat beside her making sure to leave a respectable distance. Though he wants nothing more than to hold you close. He dismisses the thought as he rummages threw the goodies waiting for your response. He smiles seeing the package of milk bread you bought. He took it out and tossed it to you knowing it was your favorite. You smile and give a slight nod as a thank you.

“I figured you wouldn’t want to be alone after the game, I know your probably thinking a whole bunch of nonsense right now aren’t ya?” She looked at him with a solem but knowing look. He cursed how well you knew him. Seeing as he had been doing just that before your arrival. His heart squeezed at the thought of you wanting to comfort him. It almost gives him a slight hope. What about Atsumu, he lost that game too.

“Why aren’t you with you boyfriend, he’s probably taking it harder than me,” he asks knowing he might ruin this little fantasy he has here with you. He sees a sad look cross your face at the mention of the setter. It’s not a look Suna wants to keep seeing.

“You’re right about that, Tsmu’s having a tough go of it,” she gave a soft smile. “But he said he didn’t want my pity and asked I leave,” Suna could see your eyes get a little glassy thinking back to the conversation.

“He’s an Ass.” The middle blocker states plainly.

“He’s just got a lot of emotions right now and wants his space, it’s okay.” But Suna can see your hurt. He knows it wont do any good to keep talking about it.

“His loss, now I get all of the snacks,” pulling out a bag of chips. “Want to watch a movie?”

That’s how the evening went the both of you curled up on the couch Suna had brought down some pillows and blankets and he wouldn’t lie he loved seeing you wrapped in his comforter. You went on and on about this anime you started and you nearly died when he agreed to let you show it to him, pumping your fist in the air going off about your favorite character and how he’s totally going to love him. Suna looks over at you and your wearing the biggest smile eyes wide with joy. This is will always be his favorite moment he thinks.

He’s right that moment still sticks out in his mind. He has plenty of great memories but that one right there is his favorite. He’s been thinking back on a lot of his memories of you lately.

It’s been seven months since your birthday and no one in your former circle new anything about where you were. You hadn’t talked to anyone. Your number was no longer in service and all of you socials have gone silent.

After a couple of days of looking for you Suna was ready to go to the Police and report you missing, ready to call every hospital and pray you are safe. At this point that’s all that matters to him. He can’t bare to think about anything bad happening to you but it’s hard to keep his mind out of the dark place. Osamu was the one to stop him. Luckily they had gotten in touch with their former captain and while Kita was sorry to hear about the situation and very disappointed in his junior for his actions. Every one was upset with Atsumu for his actions. Kita was gladly willing to help in the search. Still being in their home town he was able to pay your parents a quick visit. And while he was happy he could inform them both that your parents had heard from you the other day so your fine. That was all your parents could tell him, stating that you had requested to keep your privacy not wanting to talk to anyone. So while they knew the biggest detail they still knew nothing.

It hurt Suna the most. How could you just cut him off like that. You were the most important person to him how could you not know that. He fretted. He knows your hurting but why did you have to cut all of them off most importantly him. Part of him was so incredibly angry how could you not even say goodbye to him. Did his friendship really mean that little to you. But another part of him understood that he couldn’t possibly know what you are going through. All he knew is how much he missed your smiling eyes. He would give everything to see you again.

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[fandom-go-round]

Types of Love: Original Drider x Reader

Mod May Week One Story! I had a lot of fun with this, I hope everyone enjoys! This is a fluffy story about a modern drider x human couple figuring out their new home.The poll for week 2 will go live tomorrow.

Warnings: Implied Sexual Content

           It takes four different phone calls before you actually get past the word ‘drider’. The contractor’s website looks like its orcish run and you pray that this man isn’t just going to laugh you off the phone. That happened yesterday.

           “That’s an odd thing you’re requesting.” The orc’s voice is rough and low, sounding like gravel rolling down a hill. You give an exhausted laugh, leaning against your kitchen wall.

           “Tell me about it. You’re the fourth contractor I’ve called.” He rumbles over the phone, silence falling before he laughs loudly.

           “Fuck it? Ya know what, I’ve never built one before but we can figure it out.” You grin, face lighting up.

           “Really? Are you sure?” He snorts at your question, laughing again.

           “Of course. Give me your information and I’ll come out tomorrow to take a look.” You quickly give him your information and address, setting up a time for Luc’tic (turned out he was the owner of the company) and some of his men to come out. You hang up, feeling more hopefully than you had all week.

           You quickly move to the back of the house, tidying up as you go. You’re sure the orcs won’t care about the mess but you will, at least when they walk in. You stand in front of the wall you want blown out, letting out a slow breath.

           “Darling?” You jump at the sound of Dominic’s voice, watching as your lover comes around the corner. She smiles when she sees you, fangs exposed and black eyes crinkling. You grin back and walk over to her, standing on your toes to wrap your arms around her neck.

           “Hey babe, welcome home. How was work?” Dom sighs, giving you a squeeze and gently setting you back on the ground.

           “Work was alright, lots of people coming in. Wedding season is getting closer and I keep getting commissions.”

           “That’s great!” When she sees your smile Dom smiles back, leaning down to kiss your forehead and let out a short groan.

           “I know, I’m just tired and it means I have longer hours.” You hum, reaching around to gently rub the beginning of her abdomen. She shudders, leaning closer to you and wrapping her other set of arms around your waist.

           “I know baby. It’s exciting though, that the business is taking off.” Dom hums, nuzzling your neck and staying there for a moment before moving away.

           “So, what’s the plan for dinner? Do you want me to cook?” You hum, taking one of her hands and gently swinging her arm. Dom’s skin was soft like normal, the dark purple looking like satin in the soft light. You admire her as she begins to move back into the kitchen, her abdomen and legs moving lightly over the floor. It was always amazing to you that she was able to move so nimbly, even on the hardwood.

           “We can cook together. I want to help.” Dom turned to you with another smile, rattling off dinner ideas as she moved into the kitchen. You watched her go, vowing to make this surprise work for her. She deserved everything and then some.

                                                     xxx

           Luc’tic was a massive orc. His tucks were bigger than your head and when you opened the door to let him in, you could only see his chest until he bent over. You let him and two other orcs in, the entire group looking around as you led them into the backroom.

           Your house was far from conventional. To make things easier for Dominic, you had been remodeling the house. Mostly it was widening doorways and moving things like cabinets and the shower. There was one thing, however, that you wouldn’t be able to do on your own.

           “What did you call this thing again?” Luc’tic breaks you out of your thoughts, turning to watch the younger orcs as they begin to measure the wall. Both of them are younger, one with dark green skin and the other a lighter shade of moss. They keep elbowing each other and whispering, clearly talking about you. You watch as Luc’tic smacks them both on the back of the head and bark something in orcish. You laugh a little, answering his question.

           “It’s called a Spider Window. They’re popular in drider households and I want to see how much it would be to install.”

           “It’s just a giant window, right?” You turn to the moss-colored orc, giving a smile at his honest question.

           “Mostly. It’s a floor to ceiling window but it’s more like a dome. Some have beams so that driders can spin webs in them.”

           “What are you looking for?” Luc’tic asks, writing the measurements down as you begin to talk.

           “I know that for code reasons it can’t go all the way to the floor. I think that’s better actually because I’d rather have it span the wall, or as much of it as you can. I would like to have a frame built too, something sturdy that could hold her weight.”

           “This is gonna be a custom job.” Luc’tic looked up at you, raising an eyebrow. “It’s going to be expensive. You ok with that?” You nodded at the question.

           “Yeah, I figured it would be.” The orc nodded back, finishing up his notes and offering you a smile.

           “I’ll send you a quote. We should be able to get out next week if you like the quote.” You talk about the details a little more, walking them to the door.

           “Sounds like a plan. Thank you so much for coming out.” Luc’tic gave you a grin, taking his men with him. You watched them go, smiling to yourself and vowing that you would afford this room.

           Dom suspects something when she gets home, trying to pull you into her arms and you dance out of the way.

           “You’re in a good mood.” All four of her eyes narrow, looking over your face and trying to figure out what was going on.

           “I’m allowed to be in a good mood.” You tease back, gently flicking a towel at her as she moves closer.

           “What has you in such a good mood?”

           “It’s a surprise.” Dom hums at your response, starting to grin.

           “A surprise for me?” You laugh, shaking your head at her question.

           “You’ll have to wait until you’re back from your trip.” She groans, shaking her head.

           “That’s two weeks from now!”

           “Don’t worry, it’s worth the wait.” You wink and she chuckles, quickly moving over to you. Without a word she picks you up, moving towards the bedroom. Any cries to stop were ignored, Dom determined to make you squeal for her.

                    ��                                  xxx

           It’s easy to hide the job from Dom while she’s out of town. You don’t mention the construction and she’s busy with her conference. She doesn’t call until the afternoon, once Luc’tic and his nephews had left. You’re exited that her sewing business is taking off, knowing that it’s been her dream for years.

           The orcs are impressive with their strength and timing; you would have never guessed they were new to building a Spider Window. It was fun to watch the boys, Kuter and Repurt argue and tease each other throughout the day. You could tell their uncle was exasperated by their puns, but it made the day go by faster for.

           The price was a little more than you wanted but this was going to be your forever home. You were going to start a family here and Dominic would be as comfortable as possible. Luc’tic was a good man under his gruff exterior and the two of you got along surprisingly well.

           It took a little over six days to get everything installed and configured correctly. There were some issues with the frame, mostly about how it was going to hold the combined weight of Dom and you but Luc’tic was able to add some more supports to make it work. The end result was perfect, a domed window that Dom could spin a web into.

           You only had a day to clean everything up and add the finishing touches, running around town to find good pillows and comfy things to add to the space. The natural light was beautiful, and you wanted to put your own style on it.

           “Babe?” You looked up from fluffing a pillow, grinning as you heard Dom begin to walk through the house.

           “Back here!” You heard her giggle at your call, moving towards you.

           “Are you with my surprise?” You laughed at her question, not able to contain your glee.

           “I am! You should be excited.”

           “I am! I really have no idea what it-“ Dom abruptly cut herself off, freezing in the doorway and staring at the window. You were grinning so hard that your cheeks hurt, moving out of the way so she could look it over. Her steps were slow, fingers gently trailing over the window and frame, front legs rubbing together happily.

           “What do you think?” Your voice snapped her out of her thoughts, Dom turning to look at you for a moment before scooping you up. You laughed, struggling weakly as she began to cover your face in kisses.

           “Silly human. You didn’t have to do this.” Her voice was thick with unshed tears, burying her face into your neck. You hummed, running your fingers through her hair, letting the red locks settle onto her shoulders.

           “I wanted to. It’s a gift, for you.” She whimpered, taking a few moments to collect herself before pulling back. She cupped your face and kissed you, hard. You moaned as she began to nibble on your lip, gasping as she began to move.

           “Dominic!” Your lover ignored the cry of her name, body quickly beginning to build a web. “What are you doing!?”

           “I’m going to fuck you in this window.” She moaned, her second set of arms quickly beginning to strip you.

           “B-babe…” You tried to protest but it was too late; she had you in her grasp and wasn’t going to let go. Not that you were going to complain. At least the window faced the woods; thank God for small miracles.

[sirthisisa-wendys]

The General (part 9.5): Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader

synopsis: it’s over. the ruse is up.

wc: 2.1k

tw: none

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“Have you ever considered just not going to meet the Prince and remaining in your rooms?” Kaori wonders as you sharpen a blade with a rock. “I mean, I’m sure he wouldn't bother you if you assumed the appearance of an invalid. How about getting out of town for a week?” 

She’s tried everything to get you to reconsider your stance on killing Prince Naoya. Any theory, any loophole, any cop-out; Kaori’s said it. But you have no choice. Geto has to be avenged, and the only way you can manage vengeance is killing the man who sent your lover to his death. 

“Listen, we have only a couple of days left. We can use poison, strangulation, accidental drowning, and straight-up murder - which I think is the messier of the bunch.” Toji ticks off methods as he watches you work away at the blade with determination. “I vote we poison his food, and if that doesn’t work, smothering can go a long way.” Megumi peers into the little pond in front of him as his father discusses treason, entirely uninterested in anything but finding another frog to play with. You envy the child and wish that you could take his place, forgetting everything else except the current pursuit of a frog. But your frog is much more elusive, slippery, and well-guarded.

“We have to drug the guards first,” you note, and Toji grunts affirmatively, biting his lip as he stares past you, deep in thought. You look at the scar on his mouth and squint, wondering if you’re just now noticing the pink-ish raised mark or if you’d seen it before, but never noted the way it looks against his tanned skin in the sunlight. You look away before anyone can accuse you of staring, but make a note to ask about the injury later. 

“How can you be assured that none of this will affect your parents?” Kaori wonders, and you look at her with a pensive stare. 

“I’m sure it wouldn’t affect them. They know nothing of the plot and I--”

“If you’re dead, you can’t defend them,” she reminds you, and for a moment, you reconsider the plan altogether. 

“Toji, do you think you could get my parents out of here safely?” 

“I can’t guarantee shit,” he replies, resting his chin on his palm as his green eyes focus in on you again. “But I can sure as hell try.” He adds when you give him a defeated look. You respond to his addition with a half-smile, and he rolls his eyes at the sight, huffing out a short breath. 

_______________________________________________________________________

“Try and hit me,” Toji encourages you, and you reach a hand out to slap him across the face. But you miss entirely and stumble forward, almost face-planting into the ground. “You can’t put all of your force in your upper body like that.” He chastises, stepping in front of you again. 

“Give me a rake and we’ll see about that,” you counter, earning you a loud laugh. Toji takes his stance again, hands prepared for a fight. 

“Come on, little girl, put up a serious fight. You don’t need a rake.” You inhale deeply, centering yourself with one foot placed behind you at an angle and one foot in front, planted firmly into the dirt. “Hit me.” 

The roundhouse kick narrowly misses Toji’s tan face, and his eyes widen as your heel barely scrapes his nose. 

“I said hit me, not kill me!” The bodyguard gripes, and you laugh at his overly-surprised expression and step back, holding your stomach as you bend over in a fit of giggles. When you stop and straighten back up, you catch Toji staring at you in wonder. 

“What?” 

“Your laugh… I’ve never heard you laugh like that before.” At the mention of your enjoyment, you hum thoughtfully, realizing, yes - you hadn’t laughed so heartily in a long time. But in his moment of unguardedness, you shoot your hand out - the fist making contact with his gut immediately. He grunts, holding his abs and wincing a little. “You… fucking... bi--” Before he can finish his sentence and grab you, you take off for the hill behind the house, laughing as you run with all of your might.

But Toji catches up to you easily, grabbing your elbow and making you tumble to the grass, then roll back down the hill in his arms. As you roll - and scream - grass and dirt and wildflowers are kicked up and tossed into your hair and clothes, dirtying your face as well. When you stop though, you’re on top of Toji, and his arms are crushing you against his chest protectively. 

“You can let go now,” you groan, and he opens his emerald eyes, staring right into yours with an intensity you’ve only seen on one other person’s face. “Toji…” you whisper, and his face changes again, now softer and much more… relaxed, if that was even possible. He blinks, and you pause, recognizing the meaning behind his looks. “Fushiguro, I--” He lets you go immediately, clearing his throat and standing. 

“We should get back before dinner. I’m fucking starving.” He saunters off with his hands in his pockets, not even offering to help you up off of the ground.  

_______________________________________________________________________

The moon hovers precariously in the night sky, illuminating the garden directly below it and bathing you in moonlight. You’re only a few hours away from meeting Prince Naoya, and it’s the thought of seeing him face-to-face that keeps you up tonight. What would he look like? Would he know who you are? Would he ask you any questions about Geto? 

Your eyes rest on the reflection of the moon in the fountain, Toji’s old dagger resting in your lap. 

“It ain’t much,” he mumbled when he handed it to you. “But if something happens, whether it’s with the food or the smothering... You’ve got this dagger.” Then he showed you how to murder someone quickly by using a pillow and your dagger, aiming precisely for the open space between his ribcage. “Stab once, pull it out, and run like hell if you want.” 

You inhale deeply, filling your lungs with fresh air. 

“Cold out here,” Toji mumbles, rubbing his arms as he walks out of the house barefoot. “Can’t sleep, y/n?” 

“No,” you admit, then jerk your chin at him. “You?” 

“I don’t get much rest these days,” he replies, sitting beside you at the fountain. “Worried about tomorrow?” You look over at the green-eyed man and blink, your blank expression telling all. “Well, I’m not. You’re going to be fine.” 

“And what will you do when you have to watch me be executed?” you tease, but Toji’s eyes fall to the fountain, eyeing the moon’s reflection. 

“It’ll be sad. But I understand why you have to do what you’re doing.” 

“Toji Fushiguro? Sad?” You laugh, but he gives you a withering look instead of laughing along with you. 

“Listen, I’ve made a lot of off-color remarks, but I meant what I said. You’re a great person, and I would hate to see your life go to waste over some petty vendetta.” His mumbling catches you off guard, but you say nothing in response, opting to look down at the dagger instead. ��But, you’re determined to pursue your lover into the afterlife; I get it. You must really be in love with him.”

“I am,” you reply, still not looking at Toji.

“Well, since you’re going to die tomorrow, I might as well be transparent with you,” Toji whispers. “You know, looking after you was a pain in the ass at first.” You frown at him, wondering what kind of comment that is, but he continues anyways. “But you grew on me. Shit, watching you for these months has become enjoyable, more exciting than the idiocy I used to do before. Y/n… I’m--” Toji swallows hard, then raises his eyes to meet yours. “I’m... going to miss you.” Toji leans in slowly, placing a rough hand on your right cheek before kissing the other cheek with a tenderness you always knew he held deep inside. Once he pulls away, he stands, raking his hands through his short hair and sighing before walking back into the house. But you’re left outside, wondering what could’ve been if you weren’t so hell-bent on bringing your dead lover justice. 

_______________________________________________________________________

The sounds of horses, bells, cheering, chants, cacophony… too much noise.

You can hear it all from your position in the kitchen. The village is louder than it’s ever been before, and all the noise provides the perfect background noise to you and your mother’s preparing food for the six of you already living in the house and about thirteen guests- the seven guards, the four servants, a royal advisor, and finally, Prince Naoya. The resulting feast will outshine any feast your mother has cooked before, and you know that the village will speak of the honor bestowed upon your house and the cooking from it for at least a day. 

The next day, they will be lamenting the loss of the eldest son of the Imperial Court, and rejoicing upon your execution. Just like they celebrated Geto’s death. 

Wherever you are, I hope you’re happy, Su, you pray as you peel a leek with precision. Only a few more hours and Naoya would be within your reach. 

First, you’d drug him with a powder Toji had acquired in exchange for… something unmentionable that he wouldn’t divulge. Second, you would help the prince off to his bed as the drug took hold of him and tuck him in. Then, you’d smother him to death. If that didn’t work - “and there’s a chance that it might not”, Toji warned - you would stab him in the heart. Death would reach the Prince’s soul before the morning light. And you would be ready to die the next day, all to meet Geto in whatever world he had passed on to.

An icy hand grips your heart as the hours pass.

The thought of rejoining your lover - feeling his arms around you, touching his hair, looking into his black eyes - is more than enough for you to pretend everything is alright. All you’re doing is making the most of the last few hours you have with your family, Kaori, Toji, and Megumi. The small child is parading about in his newest outfit, displaying his hakama and haori for all to see and coo over. Toji wears a matching outfit, the clouds and animals drifting about his black haori reminding you of a zoo display and of the days you wish you could have. 

You’re wearing your best kimono - the peach one Kaori dressed you in the day you left the camp; Suguru’s mother’s kimono. It’s all too beautiful, really. Everyone is dressed up like royalty, but you’re the only one who came dangerously close to that life and escaped by the grace of a certain General who had your heart. Now, you would murder royalty and die as much of an outcast that Suguru was. 

After you wash your hands in the fountain, you place the dagger inside your kimono and look at yourself in the mirror for the last time. Color had returned to your cheeks over the past few days, and a certain look in your eye had become commonplace. You had something to live for, and these days would remain in your memory as the best days you’ve had since Geto died. 

“They’re coming up the path,” Kaori hisses as she walks past you, ushering Megumi and Toji to the door behind your mother and father. “Come on.” You follow them obediently, standing behind your father and mother as the procession winds its way down the road. While soldiers, musicians, villagers, everyone is parading in front of the carriage carrying the murderer of your lover, you look to the ground and clench your fists. Your resolve steels itself in your spine as you hear the procession get even closer, the clanging making your jaw tighten and your knees tremble. Too much noise, too much noise, too much noise for a man who slaughtered innocents.

The music dies down when the carriage comes to a halt, but the sound of children excitedly squealing nearby. You keep your eyes downcast, not daring to look the spiteful man in the face or attract attention to yourself. The echo of children’s excited chatter stabs you in the heart even deeper - how could children be excited by this killer? - and you try to block out the memories of Itadori, Junpei, and Nobara, but to no avail. 

You’re trying so hard that tears are streaming down your face, and mucus gathers in your nose as you begin to cry quietly. Megumi reaches up to grab your hand tenderly, holding it in his five little fingers as you hear the door to the carriage swing open slowly. You avoid looking, and sniff so hard you almost miss the first words out of a certain blue-eyed bastard’s mouth: 

“Whoa; watch your step, Yuji! You don’t want to fall in front of Lady y/n, do you?”

_______________________________________________________________________

TAGLIST: @kamisamaundercover​ @jotazinha​ @just4readingfics​ @mxhi​ @sammytamaki​ @brownskinnedgirll​ @keelyshayee​ @leanne-tamashi​ @vabybizzle​ @amaris9​ @fuegy-fuegy​ @ambiguous-something​ 

[mudhorn-djarin19]

Hey!! I really want a Joel Miller x Female reader where the storylines basically like Ellie and Joel but with the reader.

Reader is around 19-20 (if you’re okay with age gaps!) and Joel’s like 34+.

Joel and reader live together in Jackson (this will be after the hospital.)

They both have feelings for each other but neither is showing it.

Joel tells reader she needs to hang out with people her own age, settle down from all the hard work she’s been doing. He doesn’t think it’s healthy for her to hang around an “old man” all the time.

The reader is a bit hurt thinking Joel just wants to get rid of her a bit, but she ends up hanging out with some people her own age.

Maybe they’re assholes, she ends up roughing them up a bit and ends up blowing up on Joel?

(Fluff at the end!! And maybe some smut? Xox)

Hello and thank you for your request! And thank you so much for giving me a reason to finally write for Joel as well! <3 Sorry this took me some time to get around to sharing. I was out of town a lot last week so wasn’t around my computer to write much but alas, it is finally done and here~  I hope this is what you were looking for and enjoy! :) Warnings: language and a bit of harassment/attempted sexual assault (I kept it very minor and more so on the harassment side) Masterlist | Join my taglist via here!

You sat on the sofa cleaning off you and Joel’s guns, getting ready for the next trip out to the look outs this weekend. Joel was your roommate and partner for look out trips. He had returned from the hospital in Utah with Ellie a few months ago and returned here to live a peaceful life. Where life was safe within walls, where he had Tommy and Ellie to keep him company but still enough to keep him busy. You came along to Jackson not too long after on your own looking for safety. Thankfully you were taken in but, there was no housing available at the time so you had to live with someone else. Joel was kind and offered you a home in his place for the time being. Joel was a very nice older man you had come to realize over the last few months he lived with you. He was very kind, helpful and hell even attractive. You would be lying if you said you didn’t have a crush on him, but he was at least twice your age. You hummed a tune as you polished your rifle, not noticing Joel had entered the living room.

“That’s a good song you're humming there.” He said.

You jumped and sat the rifle down, leaning against your leg. “Joel, don’t scare me like that. Especially not when I have a loaded gun in my hand.”

Joel raised his hands up in apology and sat down next to you. “Sorry, sorry.”

“You’re fine but, geez.” You laugh. “So, what’re the plans for tonight?”

“Well, I was thinking of staying in and watching a movie. Ellie’s out doing something with some of the other kids. I am glad to see she is making friends finally.”

You smile and nod. “Yea it’s good to see her getting out and making friends. She deserves and needs it.”

“Speaking of getting out and making friends… Why don’t you go out tonight? Make some friends of your own.” Joel says.

“I have a few… friends I guess you could say.”

“It’s got to be boring for you to hang around this old man all the time. You should go make some friends your own age, maybe find someone to settle down with too?” Joel raises an eyebrow at you.

You bite your lip and sigh. “You’re not boring Joel. I am content with how things are.”

Joel sighs and leans back against the sofa. “I know but, I don’t think it’d hurt for you to get out some, socialize. Just give it a shot.”

Your eyebrows knit together in irritation now. Was he trying to get rid of you? You pout, slap your hands on your knees before standing. “Fine.”

“I hear there’s something going on at the pub tonight. Could be fun for you to check out.”

“Yeah…” You say, grabbing your rifle and heading back up the stairs to your room.

____

You sat at a table in the far corner of the pub, grumbling to yourself. A bunch of the townsfolk had gathered here tonight for the monthly karaoke night and drinks. Sure there’s a bunch of people your age here you could hang and chat with but, you didn’t want to. You wanted to be back at the house, curled up and watching old movies with Joel. This wasn’t your scene. You looked around at all the people chatting and dancing, silently praying that no one approached you. However, as soon as you did, two girls approached you.

“You‘re Y/N right? The one who lives with Joel Miller?” The blonde one asks as she takes a seat. The brunette sitting in the seat across from you. “Yup, that’s me.”

“Isn’t it weird? Living with that old man?” She wrinkles her nose up when she asks.

Three guys approach the table next and stand around the table with you all.

“Huh? No, not at all. Joel’s really nice and he’s not that old…” You glare at her.

One of the guys laughs. “Pft, I bet they’re a thing. Why be with him when you could be with someone younger and can actually get it on huh?” He wraps his arm around you and wiggles his eyebrows.

You shrug him off of you and glare at him now too. “I’m done with this conversation…”

“Oh c’mon… he’s just being truthful.” The brunette says.

“Yeah. Can’t take the truth honey?” The blonde teases.

“So much for going out and making new friends…what assholes.” You mumble under your breath.

The guy approaches you again but before he can get to close you swing your fist out and sock him right in the nose.

“Motherfucker! What the hell?” He growls.

The two other guys stalk towards you around the table. The one pin you in between him and the wall. “She’s got a bite.”

“Move. I said I am done with this conversation.” You raise your fist again, ready to throw a punch at this guy too.

The guy smirks but, before he can do anything more he’s being ripped away from you and tossed to the ground, a familiar voice following.

“She said she was done with the conversation. Now get. All of you.” Joel barks at the group.

All of them stare at Joel like a deer in headlights then scamper away in fear. Joel looks at you to confirm you are okay. Once giving him a light nod he grabs your arms gently and leads you out of the pub back towards the house.

You shake his grip off of you once out the doors. “I had it handled back there.”

“I know you did but, I didn’t want anything else to happen so I felt I should step in. So I did.” Joel replies.

You follow him down the road back up the steps into the house. You stomp your way into the living room then plop down on the sofa, glaring at Joel who is leaning against the entryway door frame, arms crossed.

“Why were you even at the pub? I thought you were staying in for a movie night?”

“I got bored. Figured I’d swing by to see if you were doing okay and making any friends.” He replies.

“Yea, well as you can see I didn’t. No one wanted to talk to me and if they did they were just assholes.” You pout and cross your arms. “I don’t get why you are so adamant on me making friends. I am fine with how things are Joel.”

Joel sighs and pushes himself off the doorframe, walking over and sitting down on the sofa next to you. “I just… I don’t want you to get bored being around me all the time. You should hang out with people your own age, who do more and have fun. I know I don’t do much and have to be a bore to hang around all the time. Definitely can’t be healthy.“

“Joel, I appreciate the concern but as I said, I am content with how things are. You never bore me. I actually really enjoy being around you but, I get the impression today that you obviously don’t enjoy having me around.”

“What? No no… that’s not it at all! I enjoy being around you too. I just want you to be happy in life. Not feeling like you have to be stuck with me.” He replies.

“What if I want to be stuck with you?” You turn and tuck your legs to sit crisscrossed, facing him.

“What do you mean?” Joel asks.

You sigh. “Joel, I enjoy hanging out with you for reasons…” He doesn’t say anything or give you any indication that he understands or is confused. Just stays neutral. “Really? I have to actually say it? Ugh… For fuck sakes Joel. I like you okay? Like you as in…”

Joel’s snicker cuts you off. “Oh I know you do. I’m not a dumb old man. I've know for a bit. Look, I like you too if I am being honest but… don’t you want to be with someone your own age? Not with someone as old as me?”

You shake your head. “Not if they’re all like those assholes tonight. But even then, no. I just want you Joel. You're so caring, funny and handsome... ”

“Well, we may get some odd looks… and this’ll take some getting used to but, okay. I'm in if you are.” Joel says, reaching out and grabbing a hold of your hand.

“Fuck the weird looks. I don’t care what others think. And we got this. We already work together so well.” You smile, holding his hand back.

Joel tugs you towards him till you’re sitting on his lap, straddling him. “Agreed. We got this.” He says, one hand finds hold on your hip and the other sliding up to the back of your neck. He brings your lips closer to him but stops with mere inches, eyeing you to make sure you’re okay. You break the distance and crash your lips against his. You two continue to hold each other and kiss for several minutes until finally breaking for air.

“Why was confessing our feelings for each other scarier than fighting off a clicker?” You laugh.

Joel chuckles in response. “Something not as normal and we don’t do as often?” He shrugs. “But just like fighting clickers we got through and look where we are now.” He smirks.

“Much better off. Stronger. Happier. Shall I go on?” You smile and place a kiss on his jaw.

“Sorry for pushing you away. I didn’t want to. I was doing it for your sake for many reasons."

“It's okay. I understand your reasoning. Just don’t do it again. I want to hang out with you and only you. For many reasons.” You tease, wrinkling your nose up at him.

“Ye ma’am. Understood. She only wants to hang out and be with her old man.” Joel smiles back giving a salute in response. To which you roll your eyes in response.

[musette22]

Burning For You

Title: Burning For You Pairing: Chris Evans x Sebastian Stan (Evanstan) Rating: Teen and up Word count: 3.1k A/N: Written for Evanstan Week day 6, a late fill for the Alternate Universe prompt. This silly piece of fluff is entirely inspired by the wonder that is the Mountain Lodge candle from the Yankee Candle Company. Yes, the one that inspired this iconic Tumblr post. The one that smells like Chris Evans. 

I was lucky enough to receive one as a gift from the wonderful @howdoyousleep3 and my life hasn't been the same since I smelled it for the first time. Thank you for introducing me to such delights baby K, ilyyy 💖 Also BIG thank you to the @evanstanweek​ team and to my beautiful beta @rainbowsandcoconut who came up with the outline for this fic when I told her my idea! Love you, boo 😘

Summary: Evanstan AU. Sebastian gets a little carried away when raving about the Mountain Lodge candle to a friend. It leads to an unexpected, fragrant encounter.

Read on AO3

“Listen, D. You’ve gotta smell this candle.” Sebastian leans in closer, nearly knocking over his - third - glass of red. “You know I’m not usually a scented candle kinda guy, but this one…” He closes his eyes and tips back his head, an expression of pure bliss on his face. “Incredible. Glorious. Magnificent.”

“You look like you’re about to pull a Meg Ryan in When Harry met Sally over there, Seb.”

Sebastian straightens, giving Deirdre a meaningful look across the table at the low-key SoHo bar they’re having drinks at. “You kid, but I’m this close. It’s that good, not even exaggerating.”

“Sure you’re not,” Deirdre huffs, lifting her glass and taking a sizeable gulp of her Cosmopolitan.

“Fine, don’t believe me,” Sebastian shrugs. “You know, I pity you for not having experienced the delights of the Mountain Lodge candle, really. If you knew what it smelled like, you’d be singing its praises too, believe me.”

Deirdre rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “Fine, I’ll bite. What does it smell like, Sebastian, pray tell.”

Sebastian sits up eagerly. “It smells…” he starts, “like an evening in that lodge in the Green Mountains we rented with the others a couple of years ago. Remember that? How it felt to relax by the fire after a long day of hiking, the scent of cedarwood and toasted marshmallows in the air?”

“Hmmm,” Deirdre agrees. “That was nice, yeah. But hardly worth busting a nut over, I’d say.”

Sebastian holds up a single finger. “I'm not done. Because this candle doesn’t just smell like the lodge, it also smells like the lumberjack living at the lodge.”

Deirdre frowns. “There was no lumberjack living at the –”

“The metaphorical lumberjack, D, god. Work with me here a little.”

“Oh right, okay. Gotcha.”

“It smells,” Sebastian continues, undeterred, “like soft, worn flannel. Like beard oil and a hint of clean sweat. It smells like a big, strong, gorgeous man who just got done hewing a ginormous tree with his massive axe and cutting it down into firewood, which he’s now using to light the very fireplace in front of which he’ll make sweet, sweet love to you, on the rug that’s actually the skin of a bear that attacked his rescue dog and which this man fought off and killed with his own bare hands.”

“Whooofffff,” Deirdre says, fanning herself with a napkin. “Fine, I’m starting to see the attraction.”

“It smells…” Sebastian goes on, pausing for dramatic effect before delivering his clincher, “like Chris Evans.”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Deirdre groans loudly, sagging back in her chair. “Ughh, shoulda known this was coming. For chrissake, Sebastian, you literally cannot go even one night without bringing up Chris Evans, can you?”

“I totally can,” Sebastian protests, like the mature, professional, Times-employed literary critic he is. “But you don’t understand, D. This candle, it’s actually like they bottled the very essence of Chris Evans and then infused a candle with it. It’s life-changing.”

“Yeah, yeah, you have a permanent boner for Chris Evans, you wanna marry him and have his little bearded babies, tell me something I don’t know,” Deirdre sighs, draining the last of her drink and immediately starting to look around for the waiter to order a new one. Distantly, Sebastian notices the song playing in the background changing to The Smith’s ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want'. Ah, if only.

“Listen to me,” Sebastian insists, unconsciously starting to speak louder, like he’s some small-town preacher trying to make his ignorant clergy see the light. “Deirdre, darling, you’re one of my oldest friends. I wouldn’t lie to you. I swear, when you smell this candle, you too will feel like you’re being engulfed in the embrace of the brilliant, spectacular, totally unique smokeshow that goes by the name of Chris Evans. It’s as if the man himself is wrapping those huge, muscled arms of his around you, crushing you to his wide chest as you tuck your face into the crook of his neck while his beard brushes your temple and you inhale his masculine scent of cologne, sex and clean, honest sweat, I swear to god – D, are you even listening?”

At some point during the last part of Sebastian’s homily, Deirdre’s eyes drifted to a point over his right shoulder and got stuck there.

“Did you just- zone out?” Sebastian asks indignantly, waving a hand in front of her face. She doesn’t even blink. “Hello? Earth to Deirdre.”

“Seb,” Deirdre says, still not looking at Sebastian.

“Oh, I see,” Sebastian barrels on. “Here I am, pouring my heart out, telling you I found a candle that smells exactly like the man of my dreams and you’re just… What are you doing, actually? Are you okay?”

At this point, Deirdre’s eyes have gone comically round, mouth hanging open just a little. “Sebastian,” she repeats, more urgently now – and just as he’s turning his head to find out what put that dumbfounded look on her face, someone nearby clears their throat.

Sebastian startles, looking up at the man who’s appeared next to their table.

“Hi,” the man says in a deep, rich voice.

A deep, rich voice that Sebastian knows all too well. A deep, rich voice that belongs to none other than Chris Evans, Hollywood heartthrob and actual smokeshow, himself.

Oh.

Sebastian gapes while Chris, dressed in dark wash jeans, a red flannel shirt and a brown shearling jacket, smiles at him patiently. He’s all soft-looking beard and strong nose and bulging biceps and long, lean legs, and Sebastian has died and gone to heaven.

“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Chris says, “but was just sitting a table over and I couldn’t help but overhear.”

And from one moment to the next, Sebastian crashes forcefully back to earth. His whole body goes cold, the blood draining from his face so quickly he feels dizzy with it.

Fuck. No. No, no, no. This can’t be happening. There is no way this is actually happening.

Except it is.

Sebastian had just been extremely, loudly and publicly horny about the very guy that’s standing next to him right now. The guy who is no doubt about to give Sebastian a piece of his mind at best, and a right hook to the jaw at worst. And honestly, he’d deserve it.

Since Sebastian wouldn’t even know where to begin apologizing, he says nothing. Just keeps staring at Chris in ever-growing horror, his pulse pounding in his ears so loudly it almost drowns out the miserable sound of Morrissey still pleading in the background.

Chris clears his throat. “So,” he says, bringing up a hand to rub the back of his neck. “This candle smells like me, huh?”

Sebastian groans, hiding his face in his hands. “Shit. Fuck. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean- Oh my god, please, please, please just forget you heard any of that.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

Puzzled, Sebastian chances a glance at Chris from between his fingers. He’s partly still covering his face out of embarrassment, and partly because Chris is so gorgeous in real life that Sebastian isn’t sure he could look at him directly without spontaneously combusting. It’s like staring at the fucking sun. He doesn’t seem too angry, though, thank god. In fact, there’s an amused twinkle in his blue eyes that makes Sebastian’s shoulders relax infinitesimally.

“Because it was incredibly inappropriate?” Sebastian suggests, honestly a bit confused about having to explain this to him.

“I don’t know,” Chris shrugs. “It sounded pretty great. Kinda want to smell it for myself now.”

For some unfathomable reason – probably because unexpectedly seeing his long-time celebrity crush in the flesh broke his brain, Sebastian blurts out, “Oh, I don’t have it with me. It’s back at my apartment.”

Slowly, Chris raises a single eyebrow. The look sends a shiver straight down Sebastian’s spine, from the crown of his head right down to his toes. “Is it now?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian replies breathlessly.

Chris’s gaze drops down to Sebastian’s brown leather boots before slowly travelling back up to his face. “I gotta say, normally someone would at least have to buy me dinner first, but…” He trails off, looking Sebastian straight in the eye before finishing, “I am really curious about this candle.”

“You are?” Sebastian says dumbly, and then “Ow!” when Deirdre delivers an impressively precise kick to his shin under the table. He turns to give her a betrayed look, but when he meets her eyes, with which she’s clearly trying very hard to communicate something to him, he finally catches on. “Oh!” Sebastian whips back around to Chris, staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. “I- you- you mean like…” He swallows hard. “You wanna come back to my place to, uh, smell the candle?”

Although Chris’s expression remains amused, there’s a hint of trepidation there as well. “Sure,” he says, smiling crookedly. “If… that’s something you’re up for?”

Sebastian’s mind races. The way he sees it, there are two possibilities. Either Chris Evans is actually standing here in the flesh, propositioning him, or Sebastian hit his head in the bathroom earlier and is actually just lying on the dirty tile floor, hallucinating as a result of severe head trauma. The second option seems by far the most likely, but then, his shin does hurt like a sonuvabitch.

Well, fuck.

Sebastian clears his throat and sits up straighter, running a hand through his longish hair. “I mean, yeah, that’s- wow. That. That would be okay with me, uh huh. You mean like, now?”

“If that works for you?”

Without thinking, Sebastian says, “Well, I’m here with Deirdre –” before letting out another sharp yelp as said Deirdre crushes his toes under her heel. “Jesus, D!”

Deirdre ignores him. “Ohhh, would you look at the time,” she exclaims, holding up her wrist which very much doesn’t have a watch on it. “Boy, it’s much later than I thought. I really oughta get going, early start tomorrow.” She yawns theatrically, then grabs her purse and throws down two twenties on the table. “It was lovely seeing you, Sebastian, Chris… Evans,” she adds, with a wooden nod in Chris’s direction. “Hope you two have a lovely evening, bye now!”

And she’s gone.

They both stare after her for a second, and then Chris chuckles – a low sound that reverberates pleasantly in Sebastian’s chest. “Well,” Chris says, turning back towards him. “It’s nice to meet you, Sebastian.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Chris.”

Sebastian stands, taking Chris’s hand, which is warm and big and ever so slightly calloused, and exactly like Sebastian always imagined. “Yeah, I know,” he says, because he’s cool like that. And then, in a show of bravura that surprises even himself, Sebastian holds Chris’s gaze, tilts his head a fraction, and says, “So uh, my place?”

Chris smiles, casually dropping a few bills on the table, more than enough to cover their drinks, before taking a step to the side to let Sebastian pass. “Lead the way,” he says, lightly resting his hand on the small of Sebastian’s back as they make their way towards the exit.

🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

It’s only once they’re outside and the cold February night air manages to cool down Sebastian’s overheated brain somewhat that it occurs to him to ask if Chris wasn’t at the bar with anyone.

“I met a friend for drinks but he just left,” Chris explains. “I was just waiting for the bill when I overheard you guys.”

“And you’re sure you don’t have any other plans?” Sebastian asks, because he’s nothing if not a self-sabotaging idiot.

They’re still standing outside the bar, the golden light radiating from a nearby lamppost decorated with a cluster of luminous orbs making Chris look softer, somehow. Still a Hollywood heartthrob, but also charmingly human. Unfortunately, it does absolutely nothing to make Sebastian any less infatuated. If anything, it only endears Chris to him more, which he really didn’t think was possible.

“Not really, no,” Chris replies, amusement in his tone. “I was just gonna go back to my hotel and read for a bit.”

Sebastian perks up at the mention of his area of expertise. “Oh, yeah? What’re you reading?”

“I haven’t started it yet, but it’s this history of space travel? I read a great review of it in the Times the other day, so I thought I’d give it a go.” With a self-deprecating smile, Chris adds, “I’m kind of a space nerd.”

Sebastian blinks. “Not ‘To Infinity and Beyond’, by any chance?”

“That’s the one,” Chris confirms. “You know it?”

“I wrote the review.”

Chris’s eyes go round. “You did not.”

In lieu of replying, Sebastian digs up his wallet from his pocket, takes out his Times-employee card and holds it up for Chris’s inspection.

“Huh,” Chris says, studying the card. “What are the odds.” When his eyes turn back to Sebastian’s, he suddenly breaks out into a grin, wide and boyish. “Well, I guess that explains a thing or two.”

“How do you mean?” Sebastian frowns.

“I mean, that review was brilliantly written so you clearly have a way with words.” With a sly look, Chris goes on, “which explains your colorful descriptions of that candle earlier. The masculine scent of cologne, sex and clean, honest sweat��was especially vivid.”

Sebastian groans, dragging a hand down over his face. “Jesus Christ, this is so embarrassing.”

Chris eyes shine with genuine mirth as he laughs, “Hey, come on, don’t worry about it.” He takes a step closer, ducking his head to try and catch Sebastian’s eyes, which are now firmly fixed on the pavement in an attempt to conjure up a hole to swallow him. “Call me a narcissist, but I didn’t exactly hate overhearing a gorgeous guy describing me as the man of his dreams.”

“Oh god,” Sebastian mutters, feeling himself turn a fetching shade of crimson. Trying to hide his blush, he turns around abruptly and nearly walks into the lamppost.

Chris, his savior, his knight in shining armor, manages to grab him by the back of his coat just in time to avoid the imminent collision. Sebastian still stumbles, but strong, capable arms wrapping securely around his waist keep him upright.

Carefully, Sebastian turns in Chris’s embrace so they’re facing each other, though he can’t quite make himself look Chris in the eye yet. “I’m guessing you caught on to this by now,” Sebastian tells the St Christopher pendant resting on Chris’s sternum, “but I’m kind of a disaster.”

Chris just hums, lifting a hand to tilt up Sebastian’s chin with his index finger, a small smile playing on his lips. “A beautiful one, though,” he whispers into the negligible space between them, before he closes that space and presses soft, full lips to Sebastian’s own.

Sebastian can’t suppress the small sound that escapes him when their lips meet, eyes closing on instinct as he lets himself sink into the kiss. Lets Chris take charge and coax open Sebastian’s mouth by running the tip of his tongue along the seam of his lips. Sebastian doesn’t think twice about letting him in. When their tongues touch, sweet and soft and languid, he trembles, pressing closer. Chris tastes a little like beer, and while Sebastian’s never been overly fond of beer, it takes approximately two seconds of being kissed by the hottest man on the planet for it to magically turn into Sebastian’s new favorite taste. Ever.

The kiss starts off slow; a little cautious maybe, as if Chris still isn’t entirely sure it’s welcomed. But then Sebastian’s hands find their way to Chris’s waist, fingers gripping tightly, and Chris slides a hand into Sebastian’s hair, angling his head gently to the left to deepen the kiss – and suddenly, Sebastian’s entire body feels like it’s on fire. He moans, relishing the feel of Chris's soft beard scratching at his clean-shaven cheeks, and way Chris takes control of the kiss, like something right out of every embarrassing fantasy he's ever had.

When Chris hums against his lips, as if he’s enjoying this just as much as Sebastian is, Sebastian’s knees go all weak and useless. It’s a good thing that Chris is there, tightening his left arm around his waist and pulling him more securely against the hard lines of his own body – which actually doesn’t do a thing to help Sebastian’s current knee situation. He whimpers, curling his hands into the fabric of Chris’s coat to anchor himself.

When Chris finally breaks the kiss, he doesn’t go far. His breathing has deepened, warm puffs of air caressing Sebastian’s tingling, wet lips. Sebastian exhales shakily. The way his head is spinning might be partially due to the wine, but it's definitely mostly because of Chris sweeping him off his feet with his smooth, movie star ways.

Needing a moment to gain his composure before he speaks, Sebastian buries his face in the crook of Chris’s neck, taking a deep, steadying breath –

Oh.

“I fucking knew it,” he groans.

Sebastian feels rather than hears Chris’s quiet laugh; feels the vibrations of it shake his broad chest under Sebastian’s palms. “Yeah? Do I really smell like your candle?”

“Better,” Sebastian mutters. On instinct, he presses his lips against Chris’s exposed neck, eliciting a shiver from him.

“You know,” Chris rumbles into Sebastian’s ear. “I still think I need to smell this magical thing for myself. Make sure you’re not just flattering me to get into my pants, y'know?”

Christ.

“Yeah,” Sebastian nods. “Definitely, good thinking. Empirical evidence is paramount. In fact, it’s totally possible I’m just mixing things up right now because my brain’s all” – he makes a poof motion with his hands, trusting Chris will get his drift – “so I think maybe I’ll need to do some comparative research.”

Chris tilts his head in though. “Hands-on research?”

“I think that’s best, yes,” Sebastian concurs.

“Right. Well, out of the two of us, you’re definitely the higher educated one, so I’m just gonna take your word for that.” After a beat, Chris adds, “as long as I get to test a theory or two of my own.”

“Oh?” Sebastian licks his lips. “Such as?”

The wicked glint in Chris’s eyes is the only warning he gets before Chris is sliding his hand back into Sebastian’s hair and giving it a firm, experimental tug.

“Ah,” Sebastian breathes, his eyelids fluttering, the blood rushing south so fast he feels dizzy – again.

Chris grins smugly. “Such as that.”

“Okay,” Sebastian croaks. “Yeah, that seems fair.” Wasting no more time, he reaches out to grab Chris’s free hand and starts to pull him along the pavement in the direction of his apartment.

Chris, laughing as he squeezes Sebastian’s hand, follows closely behind.  

🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

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[dinthehottotty]

A Thing About Silver (Part 1)

Din Djarin x Reader x Cobb Vanth

Reader is really horny and Mando refuses to give into her prompts. She takes comfort from Cobb before returning to Din.

Warnings: Smut, cream pies, jealous!Mando, unprotected sex, fingering, oral sex, mentions of masturbation, dirty talk, degradation, rough sex. Minor psychological break, this turned out more fucked up than intended. Angst. Rejection.

...

You'd felt the sexual frustration for months now. And not just a couple. It was going on nine months. Nine! And stuffing your fingers up inside you in the dark of your bunk before Mando came into the room was far from satisfactory. The desperate and quick orgasms were becoming even less powerful, making you chase multiples only to find a lack luster completion. And recently you'd even resorted to when he was there. You'd listen for his quiet breathing and pray to all the gods that he was long since passed out.

It felt like your cunt hadn't stopped aching for months. The whole time you'd thrown flirty comments at Mando. At first he ignored them. But the things you said went from cute little flirts to filthy fucking language. Especially when he joined in, throwing random comments in it. You shiver every time you think of him saying ‘Now is not the time to stare at me so you can think of me in your bunk later.” You’d given him a naughty grin as he told you to hand him a tool on your other side while he worked on a panel inside the ship. His quips were getting better.

There was something about being in that little bo-dunk strip in the dessert that reminded you just how thirsty you were. What you wouldn't give to gulp down (not even his at this point) some thick cock.

Ugh. Even the thought made you internally cringe.

You were getting desperate.

And then the Marshall walked in.

Your heart stuttered automatically in your chest. Hard. Dirty thoughts of getting railed by not one, but two Mandalorians had your brain short circuiting. Oh, filth oozed from you.

And then he removed his helmet and you speed ran the five stages of grief. Just as acceptance rolled in, Mando demanded he 'take it off or that he would.' It was low and threatening and made you nearly lose your mind even thought his intent was murder and not some western style three-way. Nonetheless, it would steamroll your dreams nightly.

You didn't expect Vanth to charm you the way he had. You suppose it was his silver hair and pearly grin at work with your dry spell because normally you had a thing for mocha skin and soulful brown eyes.

Now, the deep ache had reached not just between your legs but deep in your belly. There was a monster hooked in your cervix and you needed something to beat it to death in there. Fuck were you getting desperate.

Almost an entire week of Vanth flirting with you and Mando barely acknowledging it. Like it didn't matter. Oh, did that make you boil. And here, celebrating back in the town for killing that godforsaken sand dragon, you were about to spill over. Especially when Vanth smirks at you from across the bar, a lift to one of his brows, questioning your next move.

You hadn't given him an inch on the mission. Not a smile or a blush. Just kept your mouth shut and glanced to Mando who'd plainly ignore it.

You didn't know if he didn't see Vanth as competition or if he just didn't care. You reach back for your drink on the bar, ready to throw one back in attempt to burn our the flames between your legs. A flash of silver catches your eye.

Glancing over, you see Mando striding over from the door.

"Room is ready. Go get some sleep. We leave early." He orders.

With liquid courage in your system, you glare at him and turn back to your drink. You motion for the bar keep to refill you. "Are you going to be joining me? Or are you going to leave me high and dry again?" You manage out the growl.

He stares at you in silence and you face him, giving a question lift to your eyebrows, a lack of anything other than blatant distaste in your features.

"You're drunk." He decides.

"Getting there." You snap and take a slow sip of your drink, eyeing the tinted visor on his face.

He watches as you twist your body toward Vanth again and lean against the bar. He's calmly watching the exchange between you both from across the loud room.

"Tell you what, you give me one good dance to the next song and I'll go back to the room with you right now." He doesn't budge.

"No," is his only answer. You shake your head and scoff.

"Fine," you reply.

"I'll leave you here if you're not up tomorrow at sunrise." He threatens. Honestly you're more surprised he's not mushing you back toward the ship as you speak.

"If you don't stop me, I'm going to dance with Vanth." He's quite once more. You allow your head to lazily loll back towards the Mandalorian. He's stiff as a board and so quiet you decide to continue with your liquid courage. "Tell me 'no' and I won't fuck him. Tell me you'll take me back to the room and bruise my cervix right now and I won't go seek him out to do it instead." Mando turns to look toward Vanth now. You see his fists tighten, the leather stretching tight across his knuckles.

"Say no," you prompt again. The air is filling with the bustle of the space around you but it stills between the three of you, like lightning about to hit. You straighten to your full height and step close, hovering within inches of his space. You lower your voice to honeyed whisper. "Take me back to the room, Din." His head twitches your way, but barely. "Use me like a whore. I just need to feel something. Something other than my own damn hands or my fucking pillow, please just say no." Give me hope.

He remains silent and watches Vanth. His body is turned towards you, but his head is directed at the Marshall. You wish you could get a read on him but for the life of you, you can't. He just remains silent.

Finger tips brush your arm, bare ones. You hadn't realized Vanth had slid across the small bar to your side. "Hey, sweetheart," he purrs down into your ear. You glance over at him. "You've got such a tense face, come dance with me, break loose of Mando." He urges with a wink and a grin.

He was hesitant to flirt with you at first, but the more he did it and the lack of either parties protest leave him gaining confidence. You and Mando were dancing around each other, gaging the reaction of the other. He never stepped in between. Even now you were watching him. He just remained silent and stared at Vanth. You wish you could read his mind, understand what the fuck is running through it.

After a long still moment you twist toward Vanth. "Are you going to be able to keep up, old man?" You reply. Surprise and excitement flash across his face as Mando's head now swivels at you.

"I help you take down a sand dragon and you think I can't handle a dance?" His hand returns to your arm. Hard finger tips trace feather-light down the sensitive underside of your arm and ghost over your wrist. Your heart stutters in your chest when he firmly intertwines your fingers and gives a gentle tug.

Still, the suit of armor doesn't say a word as you're dragged away. A pain fills you chest. You throw your drink back and drop the glass onto a near by table you pass. A new song comes on, more up beat and you push Mando out of your head as much as you can. You don't need the painof rejection dampening your mood. Not when your so close to getting your legs lifted to your shoulders.

Vanth can dance, you soon realize. He's gracefully zipping you around to the beat and you're actually having fun within a minute of starting. It's a fantastic distraction. And so are his hands.

They start up high, the middle of your back, barely touching you, clasped with yours. And by the third song, when there's a heard of bodies also moving around you, he starts to wander. The hand holding yours falls to your hip, pulling you flush against him. Your eyes dart for a moment. Beskar watches you from the bar still, now sitting. Watching.

"So, before I continue trying to coax you away," the voice in your ear startles you as you both sway to a slower tempo, "am I going to be shot with a blaster by Mando?"

It cracks a smile on your face and you giggle at the thought. "Not what you want to hear, but I've been throwing myself at him for months and not a damn thing's happened," you reply.

"Too bad he took the armor," he replies. Your eyes widened at the thought he was proposing. You sink against his chest, staring up into his crystal blue eyes.

"That might stir up some psychological issues for me, Vanth," you say with a flirty giggle. He grins.

"Damn, you've got the most stunning smile," he murmurs and suddenly his hand is coming up to cup your face and tuck your hair behind your ear.

More than anything you want it to be Mando touching you like that, telling you he loves your smile. It makes you ache. You do the only logical thing you can think of.

You push it deep down, bottling it up with the rest of your emotions.

Closing your eyes, you sink your face against his hand, lifting a hand from his chest to cup it against your face. When you open your eyes you are startled to find Mando standing behind him and let out a squeak.

"What?" You snap sourly as Vanth twists.

Mando's hand is clenched tightly at his side. "It's on the north side of the village."

"It's two places down from me," Vanth offers with a sugar sweet grin. "I'll make sure see gets back." That... that is the reaction you wanted Mando to have when Vanth flirted. Instead, now your twisted in the latter's arms.

Mando looks at you again, then heaves a sigh and leaves.

You fight the urge to follow him. Instead, you continue to dance with Vanth, pushing your hips into his and building up that urge you've been wrestling with for months.

It's the feel of his mouth pressing down on your neck. That's all it takes for you to throw credits down on the bar and drag him out. The moment the cool night air hits you, he's pressing you up against the side of the building and tasting you. There's teeth and tongue. Arousal is burning you up.

Vanth has you both shuffling around the side of the bar and against the side of it before he's sliding a hand into your underwear and you breathe a gasp of relief. You want to sob at the feeling of him filling your cunt so easily with two fingers. His face crumbles in delight.

"Fuck, look how wet you are," he groans. "Come on, let's go back to mine. I'll eat you out, okay?" He coaxes while rolling his fingers in and out of your sopping pussy slowly. Like your not bracing against the wall and rocking desperately onto his fingers. Like you aren't gasping for the dry air as you would be if you had ran a marathon. He'd barely touched you and it felt so kriffing good that there was a heat burning through you like no other.

The feel of his hand where you so desperately need it and his blunt promise to make you cum has you clamping tightly on his fingers. You mewl out a quiet please, so desperate for this not to stop. Nothing had felt so good in so long. You always had to rush and his fingers were thicker than yours, could reach better.

Thankfully he's so mesmerized by your reaction he keeps up his good work. It's not even ten seconds before heat fills your belly and your hands snatch his forearm, holding it in place and leaning your forehead on his shoulder. "C-close," you manage to warn when the palm of his hand pressed down on your clit.

His eyebrows shoot up as his other hand tilts your head back to look at your face. "Already? You poor thing. You're wound up tighter than a-" he doesn't get to finish his thought because you're fisting hands in his shirt when he fingers you slower, but pushes harder up into your front wall. You give a broken cry, tucking your head into your chest and pushing back onto his hand as you completely come undone.

It's the best orgasm you've had in months, leaving Vanth grinning down on you with dark eyes. Your legs wobble beneath you. "Oh, you poor thing. Mando's been edging you for far too long." He breathes before ghosting his mouth over your neck. Your head rolled back exposes it and you whimper as he presses his fingers a few more times into the spongy sweet spot inside.

Its only when someone stumbles loudly from the entrance of the bar that he drags his fingers out, leaving you aching and unbearably empty.

He pulls you into his side, and if anyone saw they'd probably call you drunk. Your a ragdoll from coming off your orgasm. It was hard to focus your eyes as he supports you. The both of you give soft chuckles in response.

"My place?" He prompts.

"Aye, Marshall." He steadies you before the two of you meander the short distance of the street. There aren't many buildings. Its more of a village than a town. No matter where you stood in it, you could see the edges. When you step up onto the front porch you turn to glance around, a flash of silver making itself known.

Silver? Mando. Two buildings down, the last one on this stretch, across the street sat the Mandalorian. The light glowed from the open door behind him, warm and inviting.

I wanna go home, the intrusive thought rang in your head. A pitifully small voice urging you to head down to the porch steps that Din perched, cleaning his rifle, on.

The post orgasm clarity was hitting you. You felt sleepy. Exhausted. You could head in, lay down beside the child and drift to sleep until your partner woke you and dragged you to the next planet. Sleep off the alcohol.

Din glances up, pausing and staring right at you. You step his way, hesitating at the end of Vanth's porch. The man behind you opened his door and turn toward you. But you were too caught up in Mando's reaction. He watched you.

Just tell me 'no', Din. You internally begged. If he'd so much as gestured you back to him you would leap from the porch and race back to him. Instead he went back to polishing the barrel.

Spite fills you and you turn toward Vanth. He gives you a gentle questioning gaze before gesturing you into the dark. You step through, feeling the heat of your anger rising again.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Is the words he speaks when the door closes. "Don't think I'm above sleeping with a woman so she can get her revenge. You can use me however your heart desires." He says, flipping the light on.

"Leave the light off and kiss me. Roughly. I'm angry." You admit. He raises a single brow before brushing his fingers over the light on the wall and turning it back off.

"Rough?" He rasps, striding forward to cup your face. "Can I cum in you?"

The question short circuits your brain, negating any anger or reason for your anger at the request. "Oh, fuck. Please?" You squeak and he grasps your face in his hands, bruising your lips with his. His mouth tastes like spotchka and his teeth are eager to bite.

He kisses over your jaw as his hands drop to drag your body back against his. He's an effective amnesia to your poor broken heart. His hands feel good as they tug at clothing. You don't quite register doing the same. Not when his teeth are nipping at your neck and speeding up your heart rate.

Dank ferrik, it felt good to grind your stimulated groin over his with less fabric in the way. You both gasp into the night.

You push away the guilt that nubbed up in your mind. No. He rejected you. Din rejected every advance. You had no reason to feel guilt.

Still it lingers in the corner. Watching through a tinted visor and looming.

Cobb tilts you back onto the bed, groaning deeply into your shoulder. "Do you want to cum again, first?"

"N-no, just, just put it in," you groan. "Just wanna feel full." It earns you a shaky groan of approval.

Without warning he grips your hips and flips you onto your stomach. A sharp smack lands on your ass, letting you moan softly. He sits upright, lining up with you in the dark.

You whimper when you feel his cock rub once over you before he's aligned. Then he sinks in and that delicious stretch has you gasping as he slides home. There is a drawn moment where you both soak up that initial cure of need. Then he sets a fast pace, drilling deeply.

A hand closes on the back of your neck, tightening.

"Are you enjoying this?" Din's modulated voice asks in your ear, mockingly. He's not actually there of course, only serving to piss you off more. Because you know how much better it'd feel if it was him splitting your ass in two.

You brace against the bed. Pushing back harder and moaning. It makes the hand twist around your throat and jerk you back against Cobb. The change in position makes you whimper. You reach back for hair, guiding his mouth to yours.

Cobb seems to understand that the roughness is urging him to kick up his own. His hand on you hip snatches one of your breasts to squeeze. You break away to whimper and catch more silver.

"Do you think I'll be here every time you fuck someone now?" The Din-Delusion taunts as he lounges on the pillows comfortably. You were definitely going to have a psychological break after this one night stand.

He's so annoying that even the delicious grunts that rise from your new lover is hard to focus on.

"Harder." You rasp. You're tossed to the bed as Vanth crawls across you.

"You can call his name if it makes you feel better," he rumbles as he sinks back into your cervix with a hard thrust. His fingers dig into your thighs.

"Call it out," Not-Din chuckles. "Cry my name loud enough I can hear it across the street. Maybe that'll spur me on." It's dripping with so much sarcasm as your head nearly knocks into his leg that isn't actually there.

"No," you snarl at the figment of your guilty conscience. You sink your teeth into his shoulder and cry out when his hips canter harder into you. You claw at his back, earning happy groans and him twitching inside you.

"Yeah, probably a better idea. If you call put my name I might think your in trouble and shoot the bastard."

"I'm gonna fuck you a-again. Cl-close."

"Cum in me, Vanth!" you cry louder than intended. His hand tangles roughly in your hair, exposing your throat to new assault. Fuck, you'll ache tomorrow, you hope.

"That's it, baby girl," Not-Din coos. "Louder, maybe that'll make me respect you enough to see you as more than just a kid. Maybe I'll see you in sexual manner."

Vanth's hips stutter as he spills inside of you. He pants against your neck for a moment and then draws back to flash you with a dazzling smile, even in the dark. "It'll take me a minute to recharge. Can I go down on you?"

It makes you blink in surprise, even Not-Din tilts his helmet with curiosity at the sweaty man on top of you.

"You... you just came in me though..." you protest weakly.

"So, it's mine." He drops down to snatch a nipple into his mouth, delighted.

You give a moan. "Ye-yeah, knock yourself out, Vanth." He drags you to the edge of the bed to throw your legs over his shoulders. It feels so lewd to have him lapping so hungerly at you while his own cum spilled out of you.

"Filthy girl, aren't you?" Din growls out, moving around behind Vanth to watch casually. Why did that turn you on? Having the Mandalorian watching as another man devoured you. You liked it, when the man between your legs moaned against your sex.

He was decent at it. Obviously doing it more for himself at this point than for you. But between the sexual frustration that had been building for months and the overstimulation, it wasn't taking very long to bring you to a second orgasm.

All the while Not-Din leaned back and watch, taunting you and mocking you. "You really said let's throw it all away for a fuck." That line got you.

Vanth was lapping at your oversensitive clit, pulling the hood back and relishing the sobs of pleasure. But it wasn't just a sob of pleasure. Tears rolled over your temples and into your hair as your legs quake. Your chest ached as you begged him not to stop, hoping another orgasm might drown out the despair that this wasn't the man you wanted.

He was a poor substitute to reconcile your hurt feelings. You regret it already, as you knew you would. But that doesn't stop you from screwing him for a few more hours.

Eventually all is quiet, the both of you lying in the dark, catching your breath and coming down from your highs. And you watched as the vision of Din faded, feeling more empty now than you had before. "Thanks," you murmur into the dark and sit up before exhaustion fully takes you.

"Hey," he calls into the dark, the only light trickling in from the port window. "I know heart break is absolutely soul crushing, but there will be others. I promise. Someday it won't hurt so bad." You flinch when a hand brushes down your spine.

Self hatred seeped from you with the finishings Cobb left in you. "I'm gonna go," you manage, standing on sore legs to collect your clothes.

"Alright."

There's nothing but the shuffle of clothes as you get dressed. That was the last thing either of you spoke to each other before you stepped out onto the porch and into the cool night air.

[sofreddie]

Fricking Free

Summary: After a close call, Dean decides it's time to settle down into a normal life.

Characters: Dean x Reader, Sam x Eileen, Miracle (the beautiful floofy pupperz)

Warnings: 15x20 AU, Injury to Dean (but no death), Angst, Fluff, Pregnancy

Word Count: 2,239

A/N: A part 3 or epilogue of sorts to the Dog-Gone Witches and Pesky Portals mini-series. I combined them into one list since it's all connected.

Sam hissed as he pulled Dean's body off the pole of rebar that had impaled him, gently laying him on the floor of the barn. The wound was really bad. The rebar narrowly missed his spine and heart, but he was sure it broke through at least one rib and punctured his lung.

He knew he'd have to get his brother to a hospital immediately if he had any chance of saving him. With his last bit of strength, he hoisted Dean into his arms and hurried to the Impala.

Laying Dean across the backseat, Sam rummaged in his pocket for the keys before shutting the door on his brother and hopping in the driver's seat.

Dust kicked up as he sped off towards the nearest hospital. He kept glancing in the rearview mirror to keep an eye on Dean. He looked like he was passing out.

Other than subconsciously praying that his brother would be alright, only one other thought rang through his mind.

Y/N was going to kick both their asses.

Y/N parked the antique truck in the large parking lot of the hospital. Sam called her as soon as he got Dean to the hospital. She immediately took off to meet them, several hours away.

Sam shot up from the waiting seats in the hall outside Dean's room as soon as he saw her enter. He stood and waited for the yelling, but she rushed to him and crashed into his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around him. He was surprised, but grateful, as he understood her fear.

"He's in here," Sam said as he pulled from the hug and led her into the room. She walked through the door and her eyes landed on Dean in the bed. He was covered in bruises and bandages and so many things.

Her breath caught in her throat and she choked back a sob.

"Hey," Dean croaked with a small smile.

"You could've died," she blurted out in a whisper. She took several steps closer to him, speaking louder not but not quite yelling, "You almost died."

"I know," Dean rasped, "But I'm okay-"

She raised a hand to silence him, "I did not travel across the universe for you to turn around and die on a hunt Dean Winchester," she chastised, "You saved the world countless times. You've replaced God. You're frickin' free!" she huffed, "So be free Dean, with me. please," she begged, carefully taking one of his hands in her, tears streaming down her face.

"I can't handle seeing you like this. I can't handle not knowing if you're coming back. Please, please," she sobbed, dropping her head to his chest and holding him as carefully as she could.

Dean carefully draped an arm over her back, holding her to him as she cried. It broke his heart to see her like this. She didn't know, but Sam had had a similar conversation with him when he woke up.

He glanced at Sam then over Y/N's shoulder. His brother gave him an 'I told you so' look and Dean minutely nodded, looking back at Y/N.

"Okay," he said, brushing her hair back and looking into her eyes, "You're right."

He may never feel like he could completely quit hunting. But he trusted them and they both said he should. So he'd try. She was right. She was here, with him. After he had missed her so much.

It would be dumb to throw that all away. He almost died on that hunt. He swore to himself to never do that to her again.

Sam drove Dean and the Impala back to the Bunker, Y/N following behind in the truck. She was angry, hurt, scared. Sam hoped the drive back might give her time to calm down.

Dean was certain she didn't believe him and was gonna leave him. They all do eventually.

When they finally parked in the Bunker's garage, Dean was surprised to see Y/N there, helping him out of the car and offering to help him to their room.

Sam followed behind with their bags, ready to help if Dean seemed to falter. But he and Y/N seemed to make it to their room just fine. Sam set their things inside and helped Y/N get Dean settled onto the bed.

He still had a long way to go to heal. They were back to doing things old school. Just another reason not to take so many risks. This hunt made Sam realize that any day could be the last now. For real.

It was sobering. It made him want to seek out all the things he couldn't before because of the life, because of Chuck. He wanted that for Dean too.

Y/N sat on the bed next to Dean, taking his hand and Sam smiled.

"I'll just leave you two to it," Sam said, going for the door.

"Hey Sam," Y/N said, turning to look at him, "Thank you for your help, and for keeping him alive."

Sam grinned and nodded, "Always."

Y/N smiled then turned back to Dean once the door was closed, "You're gonna be laid up for a while," she sighed.

Dean swallowed hard, "Are you gonna leave?" he asked in such a small voice it surprised her, "Are you gonna go back home?"

She stared at him as if he'd grown a second head, "I am home," she responded, "I'm not going anywhere, Dean. But I am not above nagging and a little shoving and smacking if you put me through this again. I'd kick your ass now but looks like someone else did me the favor."

Dean laughed, taking in her playful smile. She called this home. She was staying.

"Now, do you want food or do you want to get comfy and watch some mind-numbing entertainment?"

"Pizza and Netflix in bed with you sounds fucking perfect," Dean groaned, letting his head drop back against the headboard with a lazy grin.

"On it, Babe," she responded, pecking his lips. Dean drew her back to him, reigniting the chaste kiss and deepening it. She pulled from the kiss and giggled, "Oh, no stud. You're out of commission for the time being," she patted his chest and he groaned once more, before taking off to set up for their relaxing evening.

Dean actually enjoyed the break he got while healing. Spending time with Y/N was just like back at her farmhouse. Except he was practically an invalid for weeks, Sam and Y/N having to help him with everything.

Now that he was healed, he was restless. He promised he wouldn't hunt, and he knew Y/N was still wary that he could or would even keep that promise. But he was determined.

Instead, he started picking up odd jobs around town: handyman, car repair, lawn maintenance. Whatever people needed, Dean offered a hand and started making a decent amount of money.

That's when the idea struck him.

If he could make and save enough money, maybe he could find a small home in the area. Maybe even a little farmhouse on the outskirts of town. Y/N would love that.

Suddenly, the apple pie life seemed attainable, tangible. So he turned to Sam for help with his plan. Sam was completely on board and started making all sorts of suggestions on how they could make the money: side jobs, part-time gigs, hustling, and selling a few non-dangerous artifacts from the Bunker.

Sam was certain they could make enough for Dean and Y/N, and for him and Eileen. Dean was over-the-moon when Sam told him he and Eileen wanted a home and to start a life.

Everything finally seemed to be falling into place.

Dean found Y/N in their room, folding and putting away laundry. He smiled at her, always loving the small moments of domesticity. They were new and refreshing and he didn't want to take any of it for granted.

"Hey, Babe," Dean caught her attention. coming up behind her and grabbing her by the waist as he placed a kiss on her cheek, "Can we talk for a minute?"

Y/N stopped what she was doing, turning to Dean with trepidation. She knew Dean wasn't a big talker. She nodded, giving him her full attention. He sat her on the edge of the bed and joined her.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since that last hunt. You're right. It's time I left the life behind. It's time I focused on our future."

"Dean-" she interrupted, feeling incredibly guilty, "I'm sorry I said what I said. I know you hunt. I know that-"

He raised a hand silencing her, "I want to. I want a life with you."

She smiled brightly, leaning in and kissing him deeply with relief. Maybe they could have a simple, domestic, safe life.

"Rise and shine, Sweet Thing," Dean said as he swiftly pulled back the covers, revealing Y/N. She groaned as she wiped her mess of hair from her face to glare at him with barely open eyes.

Dean chuckled and pecked her lips before handing her a mug of coffee and sitting beside her on the bed.

"Why are you so chiper so early?" she groaned, "I thought that was Sam's thing."

He laughed again, "Well, I'm in a good mood and I'm really excited."

She raised a curious brow at him, taking a hefty gulp of her coffee to help her mind, "What's going on?"

"Get up and you'll see," Dean said, getting up from the bed and beginning to go through the closet and dresser, pulling out clothes for her. She decided arguing with this crazy person wouldn't get her anywhere, so she just went along with it.

Whatever it was, at least it made him smile so brightly. That tugged on her heart strings a bit.

She took turns getting dressed and gulping her coffee, trying to move as swiftly as her body would allow. Dean was practically vibrating in place, like a kid ready to go to Disneyland.

An hour later and she understood why.

Dean stopped the car at the end of the long driveway - practically a private road - to the charming yet dilapidated farmhouse in front of her. She climbed out of the car, her eyes taking in the property around her.

It reminded her of her own farmhouse in a way. Or it would if it wasn't so rundown and overgrown. That didn't deter her though. She wouldn't shy from a fixer-upper. Hell, her home was one too.

"I bought it," Dean said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her middle. He rested his chin on her shoulder as they both looked over the house and property.

There was plenty of land. She could already pick out a few good spots for a garden. The property was surrounded by woods too, so there was a sense of privacy and quiet.

"I figured we could fix it up together," He said as he took her by the hand and led her inside, showing her around and telling her all the ideas he had for the place. Her face hurt she was smiling so hard so long, "Sam said he'd come by and help too."

"He's not coming with us?" she asked, wondering why Dean would leave his brother behind.

"He bought a house too," he grinned, "For him and Eileen. It's in town."

"Wow," she huffed a laugh, "So you really were serious. About leaving it behind? Building a life with me?"

"Yes. We can be happy here."

She looked around once more before settling on him again and smiling brightly, "I think we can," she agreed.

Y/N groaned as she placed the bowl on the floor, petting Miracle on the head with a smile. She stood up straight, a hand on her lower back for support, the other on her large belly.

She perked up, hearing a car pull up the drive outside. She opened the front door and went down on the porch, smiling in greeting at Sam and Eileen as they exited the car.

Sam reached her first, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek. He rubbed a hand over her belly in greeting to the baby, before stepping aside for the women to hug and coo. They laughed, barely able to hug each other as their matching protruding bellies got in the way.

"Dean in the garage?" Sam asked and Y/N nodded with a roll of her eyes.

"Is he ever anywhere else?" she joked. She ushered Eileen inside, Miracle happily greeting them both.

Sam made his way to the garage. It was a large barn previously, but he and Dean had converted it. Sam smiled at the sign above the entrance: Family Business Auto Repair & Restorations.

With Baby and a few cars from the Men of Letters Bunker, Dean was able to showcase his skills locally - and eventually regionally - which allowed him to really take off with cars professionally. He always thought about it, but never thought it could be a reality.

After a quick hug and greeting, the brothers made their way back to the house. The four of them tried to have dinner together at least once a week.

The brothers stopped in the trek, spying the women sat on the porch chairs, sipping at lemonade. A pitcher and additional glasses sat waiting. Dean smiled at his brother.

"Living the dream."

Forevers:

@sis-tafics

@lyarr24

@calaofnoldor

@hobby27

@spnbaby-67

Dean Winchester:

@akshi8278

@jerkbitchidjitassbutt

[bbrandy2002]

Happy Birthday Burnsy!

The Country AU -- I'm Gonna Live Where The Green Grass Grows

Pairing: Drake x Alyssa, Liam x Riley, and a whole host of other TRR characters.

A/N: This was a silly little idea I had months ago for an AU built around the places and people where I grew up. I never had plans to actually write it, but I mentioned it to Burns, and well ... she wanted it lol so here we are. And she’s already read half of this and is the one who made the mood board for it and the song inspo hahaha. Thank you to @mskaneko for the edits of our OTP’s, and @charlotteg234 for pre-reading the first half of this.

Trigger warning: Gun usage, hunting, mild language ... I think that’s it

@burnsoslow

My dearest friend, when I think back at where we were one year ago, I can’t help but be reminded of the vastly different world we live in now. On February 5, 2020, there was no covid keeping us sheltered and fearful, families were complete, jobs were stable, and so many of the things we worried about then simply pale in comparison to now, Life wasn’t so bad. But here we are with all these new changes and mindsets. Through it all, one thing remained consistent: YOU. You have been my strength, my rock, the anchor that grounded me. We have cried together, laughed a lot together, worried for each other, and celebrated those small victories that were important to each other. And I get so happy when someone comments about how much they love the friendship between Riley and Alyssa because it's the most real part of Fearless. If anyone ever wanted to know what we’re like, it's all written out in that story. I’ve got your back, and you have mine. You’re my best friend and I just love the hell out of ya! I hope your birthday is amazing and that this fic is everything you wanted for this AU.

------------------------------------

On Sunday mornings in southern Georgia, you did one of two things: You woke up early for church services or woke up late to watch NFL football.

Some people figured out a long time ago how to do both.

Sitting in the back pew of the First Cordonian Church of Everlasting Peace, Alyssa Walker sat quietly with the sweetest southern belle smile, nodding her head along to the beautiful words spoken during Pastor Hakim’s sermon and hiding a pair of earbuds lodged in each ear. 

She and her husband, Drake, had laid claim to the pew when they were teens trying to sneak a kiss or two during prayers. After ten years of marriage, they no longer needed to sneak kisses but stayed in that same seat, believing the biggest sinners should stay as far away from the minister as possible. Why be the barrier that may prevent the spirit from reaching the rest of the congregation? The couple felt it was the least they could do.

They were actually pretty good folks and well respected in their community. Alyssa had taught first grade for eight years at the local elementary school, where her two children, nine-year-old Audrey and six-year-old Patrick, also attended. Her best friend since third grade, Riley, was the art teacher there. 

Drake worked nearby as the lead mechanic at Rys and Sons Chevrolet out on North Ramsford Avenue. Constantine had owned the auto dealership for 35 years before passing it down to his sons, Leo and Liam, when he ran for and became the town's mayor. Leo peaced out, heading to South Florida, while Liam took on the sole responsibility of ownership himself. 

And while most people in this sleepy little town of Cordonia were Falcons fanatics, Alyssa grew up rooting for the team where her parents were born and raised before settling in Georgia as newlywed lawyers: The Chicago Bears.

With the game against the Packers blaring into her ear, she kept a keen eye on the rest of her fellow parishioners. When they clapped, she clapped. When they sang, she sang. She raised her hands in hallelujahs when they did. She had learned to read lips and could “Amen” and “Praise God” right on cue with the rest of them. All the while, she sat in contentment, listening to her weekly football games. 

“The score with 14 seconds left in the second quarter is Chicago -- 14, Green Bay -- 17. The Bears have the ball on the 5-yard line. It’s third and goal. If Trubisky can score here, they’ll go into the locker room at halftime with a lead for the first time in this game, or possibly tie it all up with a field goal after this down. This is a huge, HUGE play, Jim ...” 

Alyssa twined her fingers together and lowered her forehead onto them as she waited with bated breath for the announcer to call the play-by-play. As far as anyone else knew, she was praying fervently for the Hebrews crossing the parted Red Sea away from Pharoah's army that the pastor was chronicling.

“And here comes the snap. Trubisky backs up. He tosses to Robinson in the end zone. OHHH! So close… batted away by Alexender …”

“JESUS!” Alyssa yelled out in anger. With earbuds in, she didn’t realize how loudly that just came out of her mouth. Drake nudged her in the thigh. She glanced over at him for a second before he nodded to the 123 pairs of eyes that had all turned at once in her direction. It instantly dawned on her that everyone in the congregation heard the outburst.

Feeling the color drain from her face, Alyssa placed a hand over her chest and addressed, “I am soooo into this sermon, Hakim. Woohoo! Go, Jesus, go!” She pumped her fist in the air like she was rooting him on.

Drake dropped his face onto Patrick’s shoulder, who was sitting on his lap, to cover the incessant laughter that threatened to spill out of him. He was doing a terrible job of it, as a momentary burst of muffled snickers could be heard through the sound of the game playing in Alyssa’s ear. Her husband was nothing but a big kid himself -- she wouldn’t change that for anything.

“Mommy,” Audrey whispered next to her. “It’s about Moses. Not Jesus.”

Alyssa smiled, patting her daughter’s knee. “Same thing, baby. They both performed miracles.” She cut her eyes to the phone hidden under the cardigan draped across her thighs. “And the Bears need a miracle right now, guys,” she muttered, “Part those shithead Packer’s defensive line, Lord. It’s time to help my Bears get to the promised land.”

“Going for it on fourth down, Trubisky drops back. The Packer defense is putting a lot of pressure on the Bear’s offensive line. Every man is covered in the end zone. He has no one to throw to, Jim. They’re running out of time. Four seconds left. And, NOOO, they sack Trubisky on the 10-yard line … WAIT THE BALL IS LOOSE … THE BALL IS LOOSE ... he fumbled the ball. The Packers are scrambling to get it. There are green and white jerseys all over that ball. BUT LOOK … Green Bay’s Klark picks it up. He’s running the other way … and he just slipped … he just slipped, and the football fell right into the hands of Chicago’s Robinson --”  

Alyssa grabbed Drake’s thigh, her fingers digging deeply with hope and panic. “Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck,” her stressed words weren’t audible to the crowd, but they were speaking volumes in her heart.

“--Robinson’s on the 20, now 15, he’s sweeping past the defense to the 10 -- 5 -- TOUCHDOWN, CHICAGO!!!”

"FUCK YES!" Alyssa jumped up, her arms outstretched in a V shape. “Hallelujah. Holy shit. Thank ya, Jesus.” She let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling nothing short of elated, not concerned in the slightest by the heads that twisted around again.

Hakim stood slack-jawed from the raised platform for a moment, his tallish physique slouching on the pulpit, before adjusting the microphone and clearing his throat deeply. "I'm certainly glad, Sister Alyssa is ... feeling the spirit this morning."

"I am feeling it, Brother Hakim," She shook her head profusely. "I. Am. Feeling it." She shot him a dimpled grin.

Drake snorted loudly, covering his face with one hand and grabbing the side of her dress to pull her back down with the other.

They turned to each other, neither one able to control the snickering and shaking of their bodies. Drake lifted a sleeping Patrick over his shoulder while Alyssa grabbed Audrey's hand; the Walker couple decided they were too immature for church this morning.

They laughed all the way to the parking lot.

"It's never a dull moment with you, baby girl," Drake chuckled, turning over the ignition.

"You know me …” She blew on her nails before rubbing them against her chest. “... just doing the Lord's work." 

--------------

It was customary in Cordonia for families to gather together each week for a big supper after church. 

The Walkers traditionally took turns hosting with Liam and Riley, and Constantine and Regina. This week's meal was at the elder Ryses.

Sitting down at the dining room table, everyone licked their chops, hungry and ready to dig into all the made-from-scratch southern goodness Mrs. Regina had prepared: Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, green beans with hamhock, corn-on-the-cob, deviled eggs, biscuits, sweet tea, and coffee. It was all accompanied by two containers of broccoli salad, Alyssa picked up from the Piggly Wiggly deli after church, and Riley's lopsided carrot cake.

There was always a lot of food, a lot of love, and what would it be in a small town without a little gossip here and there.

"Regina, you've outdone yourself on this meal," Liam raved while placing his five-month-old son in a high chair and fastening the clasps. "If it tastes as good as it smells, we're all in for a big treat."

Everyone agreed as she sat down, Constantine pushing her chair in with a peck to the top of her head. "Thank you, Liam." She looked up at her husband with a sincere smile, rubbing his arm. "Only the best for our family."

She meant every word of that as she and Constantine glanced around the table at all the cheerful faces of the people they loved most — that included Drake and his family. 

Drake's father had been the sheriff for many years before his untimely death, while the younger Walker was a teen. Connie had never met a braver, more hard-working man than Jackson; the now mayor stepped in after that death to be the father figure in Drake's life. Drake was already best friends with Liam, and over time, the family just considered him one of their own. Drake and Alyssa's children referred to them as Mamaw and Papaw Rys.

As everyone settled in and passed the food around the table, the doorbell rang; 7-year-old Ellie -- Liam and Riley's oldest -- jumped up to answer it. With everyone focused on getting their helpings, Riley leaned over and whispered to Alyssa, "Any more scoop on Savannah?"

Alyssa passed the potatoes to her and answered in a hushed tone, "I drove past her house yesterday ... Chuck was there. His big rig was backed right up into the driveway. They're not even trying to hide it anymore."

"I knew it." Riley slapped a scoop of potatoes onto her plate, passing them across to Liam. "When does Bertrand get back from that Bankers Convention in Atlanta?"

"I think Max said on Tuesday. And I guarn-damn-tee, Chuck will be there until then."

"Of course he will. Have you told Drake yet?"

Alyssa shook her head, peeking over at her husband, who was in hog heaven, dousing everything on his plate with white gravy, blissfully unaware of their idle chitchat. She turned back to Riley. "Not yet. You know how protective he is. I'll need to hide the gun cabinet keys when he finds out ... if he finds out. You remember how upset he got when Bianca got caught at the Love's Truck Stop with Landon Ebrim over the summer. His mama can do what she wants, but not with a married man."

Riley agreed with a nod before taking a sip and swallowing her sweet tea. "Ya know, I've never seen sweet Emmaline that angry."

"Yeah, me neither. She sure whopped ass that day." They both giggled lightly. "Landon's dentures flew clean across that truck lot."

"I saw her the other day at the Food Lion, grinnin' like a baked possum. Got that ol' dog for everything he had."

Alyssa huffed, "Cept' his nuts."

Ellie ran back in and hopped in her chair. "Miss Olivia is here!"

Alyssa stiffened, clutching her fork a little tighter before letting out a faint groan. Not that she didn't like the Assistant Principal of Cordonia Elementary -- she was her boss, after all, and they grew up together -- she could just be a little off-putting, sometimes with her treatment of Drake. In light of Olivia's recent divorce, she had, however, started directing most of her scorn on her ex-husband, Anton.

Everyone greeted Olivia as she strolled in behind the youngster, shrugging her jacket off and tossing it on a counter with her purse. "I smelled your chicken and taters all the way from Lythikos Drive, Regina. You know how I love a good rib stickin' meal."

"Is Travis and Waylon here?" Patrick piped up eagerly from the children's table, hoping to have some boys to play with rather than the three little girls who kept ganging up on him.

Olivia pulled out a chair and started loading her plate down. "They're with their daddy this weekend, sugar. I'll tell them you asked about them."

Drake lifted his coffee mug, not making eye contact with anyone. "Speaking of ... I saw Anton yesterday at the Dollar Tree ... with someone." He smirked into his drink. While everyone else knew who and was trying to avoid the elephant in the room, he owed her for years of squabble.

"Who? Madeleine?" Olivia spat, adding heaping spoonfuls of sugar to her already overly sweetened tea. "Bless her rotten heart, he was seeing her before our break up. Moved in with her right after the divorce was final, so I hope she's enjoyed cookin' and cleanin' after my youngins' all weekend, cause she's gonna be doin it a hell of a lot more now that she got herself fired."

Madeleine was a bank teller in the drive-thru at First Cordonia and also Leo's ex-fiancee. 

"Madeleine got fired?" Alyssa asked in surprise. "She's been there for years."

The redhead swirled the sugar around in her tea with a spoon before licking it off and continuing, "Mmm-hmm. Bertrand caught her on video, stuffing her gaudy drawers into the vacuum tubes at the bank and sending them to that bastard when he drove through to make a deposit. He was making deposits alright. Right between her scrawny, cankled ass --"

"Olivia!" Liam quickly interjected, knowing once she got going, it would likely turn R-rated with several little ears listening. "I'm dying to hear how the Christmas Festival for next Saturday is coming along." He shot a look across the table at Drake for getting her worked up. Drake simply grinned.

By late afternoon, supper had been eaten, dishes cleaned, and pants unbuttoned. After a couple of hours of chatting on the back porch and watching the kids play, the two younger couples packed up leftovers Regina insisted they take home and were ready to hit the road. 

Liam and Riley lived next door and walked out with the Walkers who were making their way to the Tahoe parked on the street.

Alyssa bounced and cooed over baby Jacob before handing him back to Riley and getting into the vehicle's passenger seat. 

Liam was leaning into the driver's side window, having a casual discussion with Drake about the opening day of deer season next Saturday and asking what time he wanted to head out.

Alyssa was half-listening and half-working the stereo when an idea popped into her head. "You know what would be fun?” Both men stopped talking and glanced over at her. “We should all go?”

Drake knit his brows. “Go where?

“Hunting. We can make it a double date. You and me, Riley and Liam. The great outdoors. Some quality time together. I’ll even make snacks for everyone. It’ll be fun,” her voice was chipper. She was excited about it. 

She was also deadly serious. 

So were the dubious looks Drake and Liam gave each other over the thought of taking their wives on the most important hunting event of their year. Not that either didn't enjoy spending time with their significant others, but hunting was a whole different world. It was a one-person sport where you spent the day away from reality and responsibilities and just enjoying the great outdoors —a place to be alone and experience the thrill of a good hunt.

“Guys, I’m serious. We go fishing together, and I’ve shot targets plenty of times. I really wanna go hunting with you. Riley wants to go too, don't you?” She cast an inquisitive glance out her window at Riley, who glared back with the biggest what-the-fuck look she'd ever made. “See, she wants to go too.”

“Baby,” Drake began softly, giving her knee light squeezes. “I don’t mind taking you, but this is opening day. We’ll be in the woods for hours, in the cold. It’s not really what someone would consider a ‘date.’ And we’re going to the Festival that night … we’ll get a chance to spend time together there.”

She held his gaze as her lips began to quiver. “I understand. You .. you need time to be away from me, and it was a dumb idea anyway --”

“No,” Drake cut in. His heart plummeted from the sadness in her voice and eyes. “That’s not it at all. I love spending time with you. And if you really want to do this, then … let��s do this.”

“Really? We can go together?” Drake nodded with a smile before she squealed in his ear and pulled him into a tight hug. “I can’t wait! Thank you!”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Liam let out a heavy breath as he looked over at Riley -- The woman he knew would not be a fun hunting partner next week -- still standing on the sidewalk, appearing like she might faint. “Yeah ... I can’t wait either.”

---------------------

Saturday. 5:15 a.m. The cellphone alarm on Drake’s bedside table let off a series of rhythmic beeping sounds and vibrations. 

The alarm wasn’t needed. The man had been awake for hours, listening to his wife's gentle snores; the anticipation of bringing home at least a 12-pointer keeping him from falling back asleep. 

Letting out a ferocious yawn and a hearty stretch, he picked up his phone to dismiss the alarm and rolled over to wake Alyssa.

With her ass perfectly curled into the space between his stomach and thighs, his hands settled on her curvy hip, jostling her slightly. “Time to get up, my little peach. We gotta get crackin’ before all the good deer are gone.”

“I just need one more hour, okay? Thanks,” she protested with a drowsy murmur, pulling the pillow over her head.

Drake chuckled, rubbing soothing circles over her back. “No. We have to get up now. We’re wasting time, sleepyhead. Unless … you don’t want to go.”

Alyssa’s heavy eyes stung as she tried to peel them open one at a time. “No, I wanna … go ...” she trailed. Her eyes slowly shut again, and she was out.

On a day like today, Drake was usually up and ready in ten minutes. Once he could finally get his wife out of bed, dressed, and back awake again from where she fell asleep on the toilet, it was close to 45 minutes. 

Maxwell, who was also a childhood friend and the music teacher where Alyssa taught, rented the room over their garage. He agreed to come down that morning and watch the kids while the pair spent their morning in the woods. Bianca used to help out in that regard, but the kids complained she slept the whole time, and Alyssa was pretty sure her mother-in-law smoked pot around them.

Drake loaded up the truck, placing his rifle and a smaller .22 caliber for Alyssa behind the seat. Dragging herself slowly to the vehicle, the night sky still pitch black and her breath turning to thick vapors in the frigid air, she listlessly tossed a Taylor Swift tote bag on the floorboard and climbed in.

Drake looked at his phone after everything was packed up to see if Liam had sent a message about being late. It was unusual for him not to be there already. Typically, his best friend was up and at his house before Drake was even ready. He sent off a quick text to check.

Drake: Where you at, man?

Liam: Running late. Riley had to put makeup on and do her hair. 

Liam: I’m having so much fun already 😑

Liam: snark

Drake: Lyss couldn’t decide which gloves looked the best with her orange vest. I guess she wants to impress the deer before she kills them.

Liam: We’re not catching deer today. We’ll be lucky if we catch a cold. Be there in 10.

Twenty minutes later, Liam’s gray Silverado pulled onto the Walker’s gravel drive. Riley had wanted biscuits and gravy from McDonald's, and she had to run back inside to pee, so that set them back. But, with everyone now there, they were finally ready to head out.

Just down the rural road from where Drake and Alyssa lived, the current sheriff of Cordonia, Bastien, owned several acres of unoccupied land that he used for recreation. He had been a close friend of Drake’s dad and agreed to let Drake and Liam hunt and fish on his property whenever they wanted.

Turning onto the dirt road and opening the gate, the four friends arrived at their spot just as dawn was breaking. 

No one spoke much as they trekked through the mud, sticks, and brittle fall leaves that littered the path to the deer stands. Riley and Alyssa were too exhausted to say anything. Drake and Liam just weren’t used to talking at all.

"Riley, love,” Liam whispered softly. “Can you watch how you’re walking? The noise is going to scare the deer away.”

“I can’t help it if … " She reacted loudly in frustration before Liam placed a finger over his lips, and she resumed speaking more quietly. “I can’t help it if there're leaves everywhere. I’m walking on them as delicately as possible.”

“How much further? I think my toes are frozen and I need coffee.” Alyssa bemoaned while walking on the balls of her heels. Drake was basically dragging her sluggish body by the hand. Her eyes were still drooping from exhaustion with every careful step.

“Just over yonder of that fence row is our stand.” He pointed out.

Alyssa aimed her flashlight around the woods in several spots. "And where do we pee at?"

Liam lightly snorted as Drake answered matter-of-factly. "Just over yonder of that fence row below our stand."

"Oh ... " her tone was small and apprehensive, "... I guess that's ... okay." She glanced back timidly at Liam, who was following close behind.

He shielded his eyes from the beam of her flashlight in his face and frowned. "I'm not going to watch you pee, Alyssa."

Riley gasped, "Eww! I don't want Drake watching me pee either." 

"Shhhhh." Liam was quick to remind her again of the volume of her voice.

"Stop, shushing me, Liam! Those deer don't know I'm out here."

Drake grunted, then whipped around to face the three of them. "Would you keep your voices down? No one's watching anybody take a piss," he whisper-yelled. "Lyssa and I will be at least a hundred yards away from ya'll. Riley, I promise you can piss your little heart out, and I won't see it."

"We're separating?" Alyssa asked wistfully. "What if I need to ask Riley something, and she can't hear me yelling across to her?"

"You'll just have to ask her when we're done, baby girl. And ... please don't yell questions to her while we're out here. Low voices."

They continued on with their noisy hike.

"Having so much fun," Liam grumbled to himself.

-------------------

Liam and Riley headed to their tree stand as Drake helped Alyssa climb up the ladder to theirs. 

The stand and ladder were made of plywood -- chipped and faded from years of exposure to the elements -- and were attached at the apex to an oak tree about twenty feet off the ground. At the top it had enough room to take a step onto, with a wooden seat just wide enough to accommodate them. One plank rail came out on both sides. 

Alyssa plopped down onto the seat, clutching her tote bag of goodies on her lap. She lifted the brim of the orange beanie she borrowed from Drake -- that smelled of animal carcass and gun powder -- above her eyes and peered out to the wilderness spread monumentally below. She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled the fresh, dewy air, taking in the sounds of twittering birds, branches clashing from the nearby squirrel frolicking on them, and the rippling of a bubbling brook streaming down the hill. 

A pleasant warmth overcame her as Drake's much larger body sat down next to her and protected her from the frosty wind blowing in from his side.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling into him. "I can see why you like this so much. It's so quiet and peaceful ... look how purty it is out here, Drake. It's just real purty, isn't it?"

Working diligently on getting their gear together, he stopped briefly to look out; affection glowed in his eyes. “It sure is, darlin’. Almost as purty as you ... and notice I said 'almost.'” He winked, and Alyssa blushed, feeling that same love trickling up inside her she'd had since they were teenagers. Drake could charm the pants off a chipmunk, but she was thankful he only used that gift on her.

"Sooo ... " She drawled in her thick Southern accent. "How long will it be before the deer start coming out?" 

Drake drew the barrel of her gun back after loading it with shells and explained, "Don't know. It could be minutes. It could be a few hours. Just whenever they head this way, I reckon."

Perplexed, Alyssa nodded slowly. "A few hours? I s'pose that's okay. What do you do while you're waiting?"

He shrugged, passing a gun to her. "You just ... sit here."

"You just sit here and do what?"

Drake leaned over to kiss into her orange cap and replied, "Wait."

"Wait." She acknowledged. "I can do that. I'll just sit here ... and wait."

Several minutes had passed, and Alyssa was already bored with listening to nature, Drake's gurgling stomach, and sitting quietly with nothing to do. Every so often, a shotgun blast was heard in the distance, signifying either someone out there had gotten their prize or Riley had driven Liam insane. It was the only break from the monotony that came with the boredom of sitting in a tree for who knew how many hours.

Letting out a giant exhale that caught Drake's attention, she propped her rifle against the railing and pulled the cloth tote that was sitting between her boots into her lap. Rummaging through the bag, she pulled out her phone and began thumbing out a message.

Drake furrowed his brows and asked, "What're you doin'?" 

"Just texting Riley,' she answered dismissively. He shook his head and leaned it back against the tree while she formulated her message.

Alyssa: You still alive over there? How's it going?

Riley: This is boring as shit.

Riley: And now my texting is apparently scaring away the deer. F the deer Liam. F all the damn deer!!!! What were you thinking, Lyss?

Alyssa: I was thinking we could spend quality time with our husbands. The men we love and cherish with all of our hearts. I’m having a great time with Drake so far 😍😘

Alyssa: And no one twisted your arm to come bitch.

Riley: Liam's just staring through binoculars. He hasn’t spoken in 20 minutes except to tell me to point the gun away from him or to quit moving. Let’s go get our hair did at Adelaide's.”

Alyssa: OHHH Yes! And get Chinese food ... CRAB RANGOONS!! I'll have Drake drive us back. Girls Day Out. Love you!

Drake let out a belch and blew it away when Alyssa turned to him with a dazzling smile and a sparkle in her blues. "Can you drive Riley and me back to the house?"

"What? Right now?" he shrieked. She answered him with a cheerful nod. "What happened to all that talk about wanting to spend quality time with me?"

"I still do. But ... we're just sitting here, not really doing anything. I could be getting my hair done for tonight's festival. I also have a ton of laundry to do, some papers to grade, and I’m supposed to be making the Devereaux’s famous peach cobbler for the raffle. If I leave now, I’ll have time to do all of it.” Alyssa knew she probably wouldn’t do half of that, and Audrey would likely make the cobbler, but it made the situation sound more urgent.

"It's opening day, baby. I'm not leaving this spot." He reached into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out his keys. "If you and Riley wanna take my truck, I'll ride back with Liam."

She gave him an exasperated look. "I don't know my way back to the truck. And I sure as hell know Riley doesn't."

He smirked, stuffing his keys back. "Then you're stuck."

The next hour was brutal. Alyssa texted Riley to alleviate the boredom for several minutes, but there had been no responses in a long while. She wasn't aware that Liam tossed her friend's phone over the hill when she started making TikTok videos of her plight -- Liam took his deer hunting seriously: No noise meant no noise.

Drake wasn't much better; he was quieter than his usual self. It wouldn't have been so bad if she could at least talk. An occasional whispered word was not going to cut it.

Alyssa sighed heavily. She wiggled around for comfort. She unwrapped a Nutty Bar. She crunched. She opened a can of pop. She tapped her fingers. She flipped the pages of a magazine. Each one got that look from Drake that let her know it was too loud. If she ever made it out of there, she planned to jabber and stir until she couldn't do it anymore.

After another half-hour of stewing quietly in her thoughts without a sign of a deer anywhere, Alyssa decided now was the time to finally just talk. 

"Do you ever think about having another baby?" It was a topic that had been on her mind for a while. To her surprise, Drake didn't give her a look or even freak out the way she anticipated. Despite his own rule of silence, he even responded in kind.

"Yeah. Kind of a lot."

Her right brow darted up. "Really?" 

Drake took a breath and shifted the gun across his lap. "I mean, of course. It's always been my dream to settle down and have a bunch of youngin's with the woman I love." He studied her lit-up face; he'd swore she'd gotten more beautiful with age. That's why he hesitated when he added, "But ... "

Her shoulders slumped at his words, and a deflated look impressed upon her face. "But ... " The word barely made it past her lips.

Drake reached for her hand and gripped it tightly. "Lyssa, we have so much going on right now. You're working on National Boards, Audrey has piano recitals and basketball, Patrick has peewee football and Boy Scouts. We barely have time -- except for right now -- for just ... us. I'm not saying,"never"... just that right now ... isn't a good time."

"I understand that, but ... we've always made it work. And don't you miss those tiny little fingers wrapped around yours? And the way they smell fresh out of the bath? And those chubby little cheeks pressed up against yours?" she goaded.

“Of course I do. I remember the first time I held Audrey and PJ in my arms -- there’s just no better feeling in the world than ...to look down ... " Drake paused as his voice cracked, and his brown eyes glistened like glass. " ... and to see someone so small ..." When she sniffled, it made it that much harder for him to speak. "... that you created with the woman you've loved since you were 16 years old. But I like who they are now, and watching them grow, and doing things with them ... And, well ... there’s no shit clean up.”

“You obviously haven’t washed Patrick's clothes in a while,” Alyssa retorted with a chuckle that brought out one in her husband.

"I’ll have to talk to him about that." He gazed deeper into her eyes. "But I do love you ... more than all the peaches in Georgia, Lyssa Claire.”

Alyssa smiled.“That’s what you said to me when you promised to marry me when we were teens.”

Drake returned his own smile. “I did. I remember like it was yesterday too. Sitting in your parent’s basement, watching Friends reruns, eating pizza, making out. And hell, it’s still as true today as it was then. Somehow, even more."

Their cold lips parted and joined halfway for a fervent kiss, with Drake's hand meandering around the subtle groove at the junction of her waist. Just as it became more intense and desirous, a rustling of twigs off in a nearby thicket caught Drake's ear, and he broke away, his eyes scoping the perimeter. Alyssa wasn't offended, she heard it too, and her heart raced with excitement.

Lifting the binoculars hanging from his neck, he spotted two deer eating from a blackberry patch some thirty yards away. He pointed in their direction; Alyssa gave a quick thumbs up, letting him know she saw them too.

Drake carefully lifted the rifle resting in his lap as Alyssa leaned forward and squinted to get a better visual. "Is that a buck and a doe?" she whispered, not moving an inch.

"Sure as fuck is." He mounted the stock of his .30 caliber, Winchester, just beneath his collarbone;  the rush of this moment coursed ravenously through his body. He lined up the scope and placed a steady finger on the trigger -- his thumb pulling the hammer back.

“Wait.” Alyssa loudly whispered. “You can’t shoot him.”

"I'm gonna. Better cover your ears."

"No, Drake. There's a doe with him. What if that's his wife? You can't just leave her all alone without him."

"Lyss, this is the whole reason we're out here."

"So you can make a widow out of her?"

"No ... so I can make deer chili out of him."

Alyssa's mouth flew open. "No. No. RUUUUUUUUN! RUUUUUUN!"

Drake pulled his face away from the scope and fired her a look. "What the hell are you doing? They're getting away!"

She tilted her chin boldly. "I don't care. That was her husband, and they're in love, and you can't take that away from them. I would be so sad if we were just out eating berries and someone came up and shot you, ALL SO THEY COULD EAT DRAKE CHILI!". 

Drake dropped his head. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. As long as he’d known her, she was stubborn, and at that moment, she was dead set in believing those two deer were living out the greatest romance of all time. Nothing he said or did would change her mind on that. 

A thought emerged while he attempted to comprehend the logic of the situation. Those deer ran off in the direction where Liam was set up. Maybe if he could give his friend a heads up, it was still possible at least someone would leave those woods with the prized buck.

Turning his back from Alyssa so that she couldn't stop him, he pulled a small walkie-talkie from his pocket and radioed Liam. Alyssa knew what was up and jumped to her feet, thrusting her arms around him in an attempt to stop the travesty.

"You can't do this, Drake," she hollered, "That’s her soulmate. And why don't I have a walkie-talkie? I want a walkie-talkie!"

While seated next to Liam, Riley was swinging her legs, purposefully making the soles of her boots scrape against the platform. Liam tried to ignore her; maybe he had been a little too uptight about every little noise and utterance she made. But this was playing a whole different ballgame now: she was now making it her mission to piss him off.

Prepared to pound his head against the tree, Liam gritted his teeth, skimming his eyes in her direction. "Love, do you have to do that?"

"Did you have to throw my phone in the woods?" She spat back.

Liam rubbed his hand over his face. "No, and I am sorry that. I apologize for all of eternity. I promise I will get you another one as soon as we get back, okay?”

Riley huffed. "Fine, but that phone had all of my contacts on it. It had our babies' pictures and videos on it ... our vacation photos. I can't get those memories back ever, and I have to find it, and God only knows where it landed. It could be ..." She stopped rattling on when she caught sight of the distressed look Liam was giving her. Knitting her brows, Riley asked, "What?"

"Nothing ... just ... can you lower your voice a little? You're gonna scare the deer away," 

He regretted it as soon as it came out. 

“LIAAAAM!”

He saw the steam gushing out of her ears. There was no time to answer the incoming call on his walkie-talkie from Drake.

Belting out a furious screech, Riley jumped up and tried to jerk the gun from his hands. There was no question she wouldn't shoot him, but she'd sure as hell shred his favorite gun apart piece-by-piece and toss them all the way to Portavira Lake on the other side of town.

Riley tugged with all of her might. "I have HAD IT with being quiet for those damn deer, Liam. HAD IT!"

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down ..." He stood up in front of her, pulling back on the rifle even harder, surprised -- and not pleasantly so -- his considerably smaller wife had this much struggle in her.

"Don't you sweetheart me. You have shushed me for the last time, Liam Preston Rys!"

“Okay, I’m sorry! But can you at least admit us fighting over a gun is dangerous? Somebody is going to get seriously hurt, and I don’t want it to be you, Riley. Please. I won’t shush you anymore, I promise.” His face softened, eventually adorning a loving smile at his wife, who, with a sigh, was unable to resist that handsome face and relaxed her grip. 

Riley gave him a half-smile in return. “I’m sorry, too. I’ve ruined your hunting trip.”

“Yes ... you did.” Liam agreed, dodging the playful slap she nearly made to his upper arm. “But I don’t want to fight anymore.”

With the War of the Ryses finally over, they went in for a makeup kiss until Drake’s voice called out to Liam again through his walkie talkie. Liam set the gun down on the bench and leaned it against the tree before he started digging into his pocket to answer the device. Riley dropped down onto the seat, her elbow brushed against the rifle and caused it to slide away until the barrel end hit the railing and set off a powerful blast.

When the ringing in both of their ears subsided, and the smoke had cleared, Liam and Riley collected themselves from the sudden spine-gripping explosion that shook them both. While Riley explained to Liam what happened, a hysterical sounding Drake came back over the walkie-talkie, wailing, “Alyssa’s been shot! Alyssa’s been shot! Help me!”

__________________

Later that evening, in the courthouse square, the street was lit up with zig-zagged rows of red, green, and white lights. Strands of garland were wound around every lamppost in perfect spiraled loops, and red bows hung and waved with the wintry breeze.

With traffic rerouted away from the area, vendors lined sidewalks selling local goods to put the town's citizens in the festive spirit. What would this small town in Georgia have been without boiled peanuts, low country boil, fried green tomatoes, barbecue, and peach everything? 

Once Constantine had lit the 30-foot spruce, surrounded by hundreds of merry people from all walks of life that made up this small community, the festival was officially kicked-off.

In a large tent set up on the square, Liam and Riley laid out styrofoam containers and drinks they’d purchased from a barbeque vendor on one of several picnic tables inside. With their two young daughters munching away on their meal, and the stroller with their sleeping son beside them, they both sat down with heavy hearts and restless minds.

Liam bit into his barbecue sandwich, noticing Riley only prodding at her mac-and-cheese while staring off into the distance. He didn’t have to ask what was wrong; he knew what happened that morning was bothering her with guilt and worry. It wasn’t every day she accidentally shot someone.

“Are you going to be okay?”

Riley shook her head slightly with a sad look. “No. It’s just not the same without Alyssa here. You know how much she loves Christmas and the festival. She was so looking forward to it too, until --”

“You shot her.”

“Yeeeeeesssss,” she cried out. Liam reached across the table and gave her hand a comforting squeeze, his thumb caressing her smooth skin. Riley continued to sniffle as she grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped the barbecue sauce off Liam’s sticky fingers that were now smeared all over hers. “I didn’t mean to, I swear it. And the way … and the way Drake cried. It broke my heart. Now he has her on bed rest AND house arrest. He won’t let her take calls. I’ll never see or hear from my bestie agaaaain.” The tears continued to flow in steady streams.

Liam stiffened, feeling the eyes of everyone in that tent, gawking at his overly-dramatic wife breaking down. He started to tell her to lower her voice, but after the gun battle in the woods, he thought better of it. “Riley, darlin’, you know Drake is really overprotective of Alyssa. And as scary as what happened was, she only needed the one stitch and band-aid for her graze wound. Something tells me Drake won’t be able to keep her down long.”

---------------------------

Liam was right. As much as Drake tried to keep her in bed so he could wait on her hand and foot, protect her from the careless friends of the world who could inadvertently do his baby girl harm, and check to see if she needed a new band-aid every few minutes, he could not keep her down. She had been far too excited to hang out with the people she loved so much and celebrate at one of her favorite festivals.

Maxwell had left for the events with Audrey and Patrick an hour ago; they were part of the children’s caroling group and needed to be there early. Against Drake’s wishes, Alyssa showered, got dressed, and made sure he knew in no uncertain terms would he be able to prevent her from going. The only thing he knew to do was to go, follow her around the entire night, and make sure she wouldn’t get shot again.

They circled the block where everything was held several times, but spaces to park were impossible to find. Three blocks away was the church where they attended, and the parking lot was completely empty. Drake didn’t like the fact that Alyssa would have to walk so far in her debilitated condition and was prepared to haul her piggyback style if he had to, but this was the best spot he could find.

Drake moved the gearshift into park and reached over to grab Alyssa’s arm, who was already bounding out the door. He pulled Alyssa back inside, the chilly air blowing through her open door swept her straighten hair this way and that way. 

She cocked her head to the side and exhaled, “Drake, I can open my own door. I’m not broken. It’s just a scratch. I’m fine.”

“I know.” He smiled that tenderhearted smile only Alyssa had ever seen. The same one sending a shudder through her already chilled body. “I changed my mind,” he replied simply

Alyssa slammed her eyes shut and groaned. “I just told you I was fine --”

“No, no,” He shook his head. “About having another baby. I want to start trying.”

Saddled with curiosity, she slid back into the truck and shut the door. “But, I thought you said we didn’t have time for that --”

“Yeah, I did say that. I still believe it. But … today made me realize that yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today …”

Alyssa’s hand flew to her mouth as she laughed out loud. Drake gave her a confused look before chuckling awkwardly to himself, “What’s so funny?”

She lowered her hand, still laughing. “You got that saying from a quote on a poster in my classroom. You’re the one who hung it up for me.”

The memory dawned on him, and he lowered his head, attempting to cover the guilty grin that spread over it. “Well, hell. Here I was trying to make you think I was all insightful and smart and stuff.”

Alyssa’s hand splayed across his rugged chest as she leaned over to kiss him.“You are very insightful and smart. You know I never settle for anything less than the best.”

“I s’pose.” he said, forking his fingers through his hair. “But … I guess what I wanted to say was … I know that bullet missed you, barely … but what if it hadn’t? What if I’d left those woods without you today? Just like you were afraid that doe might. Time wouldn’t matter anymore. There will NEVER be enough time with you. You’re my life, Alyssa Claire. You’re my lover, my friend, my heart, my confidante, my soul, my everything … my little peach. I want to experience all that life has given me with you as my wife … and forever make time with you.”

“DRAAAKEY!” she bawled, spreading her tiny arms wide around his bulky body. Alyssa drew him into her so hard it nearly crushed the wind right out of his lungs. “I -- love -- you -- so muuuch!” Drake patted her back and kissed into her hair as she sniveled into his shirt. He hated when she cried, but damn if this didn’t feel good to him. Anytime she was happy made him that way too. 

They took a moment to kiss and pet each other a little before Alyssa sat up and asked, “So … when do you want to start trying for a new baby Walker?”

He shrugged. “Whenever you want, baby.”

Alyssa looked through the back window of the truck and scanned the parking lot. She bit her lip and looked back at him impishly. “What about … now?”

Drake’s eyes flew open wide. “In the church parking lot?”

Pursing her lips, she affirmed, “Yes. We’ve done it behind the Piggly Wiggly plenty of times. And let's not forget the ‘Great Ass Blow-out of 2019’ in the Atlanta Convention Center parking garage.”

“I will never forget that.” Drake shook his head as that momentous sexual experience replayed in his mind. “Mmmm, you performed magic that day, woman.”

She raised a brow and coaxed him on, “So? What’dya say?”

Drake took a tentative look around at the dark, empty lot, then back at her. “We’re so going to hell, but I’m in.”

“Eeeeeee,” she squealed, jerking his arm around in excitement. “Try to keep your ass out of the window this time, okay?”

Thirty minutes later, Pastor Hakim pulled into the church parking lot with Mara, the game warden, following behind in her truck. There had been several reports from passerby’s of loud animals howling and screeching behind the church. The stray cat population was out of control in that area, and several cats had burrowed their way inside the church on occasion. 

Hakim parked his car, with Mara pulling in beside him. They both got out simultaneously and listened quietly to see if they could decipher where the commotion was coming from. 

Within seconds, a load moan roared out, followed by several consecutive whimpers that were hard to make out by the duo.

Mara listened intently, then gestured with her flashlight to an area near the back of the lot where clusters of shrubs and dry brush bordered. Hakim ambled behind her, the noise getting closer and closer until the pastor's brow furrowed at the shaking of a nearby truck.

“Damn, teenagers,” he grumbled as they tipped toed discreetly.

Mara crouched down by the truck's tailgate, Hakim bending over while she duck-walked toward the driver's side door.

The game warden turned to the pastor and instructed, “On my three. 1 -- 2 -- 3.” They both jumped up at the same time, flashing the light inside the cab. “HAHA Caught ya! OH MY GOD!”

Alyssa, who was on top of Drake, completely naked except for the band-aid on her left arm, looked up in utter humiliation and shock. She crossed her arms over her chest to cover her breast, feeling like she might faint. Not knowing what to say at that moment to rectify their actions or why those two were still staring inside the truck, Alyssa smiled sheepishly. “I’m still feeling the spirit, Hakim.”

---------------------------------

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[lovelyirony]

@rhodee for you

When Tony had gotten back from Siberia, he hadn’t been able to see anyone for a long time. 

But people had been to see him. 

He wasn’t expecting Rhodey to come and see him for a variety of medically-related reasons, but he was hoping for an email or a phone call, at least a message about Tony being a “dumbass.” 

And then he asked Pepper how Rhodey was doing, and she tenses up. 

Pepper has never been a good liar to Tony, not since they got drunk together for the first time and she told him every single tell she had for lying. They could never hide from each other after that. 

“He’s...knocked out, still.” 

Tony raises his eyebrows. 

“So, he’s not knocked out, something happened to him.” 

“Tony, he...he doesn’t remember.” 

“What, the fall? I wish I couldn’t remember that either, but I’m betting that that’s not what you’re talking about.” 

“He doesn’t remember any of us. He doesn’t remember anything except for his freshman year of college. All of this information is...overwhelming for him.” 

Tony freezes. 

He and Rhodey didn’t live together freshman year. Hell, they didn’t even know each other freshman year. They became sort-of-friends near the beginning of sophomore year, and that meant... 

Oh god.

Rhodey wouldn’t remember three important things: 

1.) He’s bisexual.

2.) He’s an accomplished man who has achieved much in his lifetime and has grown comfortable with himself with years of help.

3.) He married Tony. They’re married. 

For a long time, Rhodey didn’t really want to admit that he liked guys. It wasn’t something he ever talked about, nothing he ever wanted to discuss. He didn’t mind that Tony had an attraction to men, but he always seemed to put himself at a distance when Tony brought someone over for dinner or a study session. 

Rhodey didn’t want to come to terms with it at first. He was very adamant that he would marry a nice girl and settle down, and Tony hadn’t contested it, hadn’t challenged him on it. That could have very well been the situation. 

It wasn’t until the end of sophomore year--into the summer, actually--that Rhodey even wanted to tempt to talk about what attraction would even mean for him. 

They had gotten together senior year, and Tony has a picture framed in their bedroom of Tony dipping Rhodey into a kiss (and dropping him after the picture was taken) after graduation. 

“They had to take off his wedding ring for the surgery, but I wasn’t sure what to tell him. The doctors said to avoid bringing up any information that would surprise them, and I remember that you talked about it once...” 

“Yeah,” Tony says thickly, his chest hurting from more than just a frisbee-toss gone wrong. “Okay. Yeah. Let’s, uh...let’s just transfer him over to the headquarters. I’ll just...I’ll figure something out.” 

He can’t tell Rhodey he has a husband. He can’t. The reaction alone would be terrible, if he’s knowing what he knows. 

-

So he doesn’t. 

Tony welcomes Rhodey into the compound after taking down every single romantic photo, briefing everyone who still lived there that Rhodey had lost his memory, and praying to whoever would listen that Rhodey didn’t find out until he was comfortable with it. 

“I don’t go by Rhodey,” was the first thing off of his lips. Not a hello, not a smile. “I go by Jim.” 

“Right,” Tony says, smiling in that flashy way that Rhodey usually told him to stop, because it creeped him out because he knew what that smile was actually all about. “Jim. Nice to see you back.” 

“I wish I could say the same, but I’m not exactly sure I remember you. Your face looks really familiar, though.” 

“Well, that’s what nearly twenty-five years of knowledge can do to somebody,” Tony says quickly. “Let me show you to your room. Sorry about the lack of decorations, we didn’t really want to overwhelm you with anything.” 

“I’m fine,” Rhodey says, clearly annoyed. “It’s just weird knowing that I’m way fucking older and apparently I graduated college and managed to make something of myself and I can’t remember any of it.” 

“I can’t say I understand, but I can say that it sucks,” Tony says. “But, lucky for you, I kept some of your stuff.” 

“A friend kept my stuff?” Rhodey asks. “Why?” 

“Because I’m annoying and you pretend like you hate me, when I am the best thing that happened to you,” Tony says, smiling. 

He then turns when he can see Rhodey’s--Jim’s--expression turn sour. 

“Ah, anyway,” Tony says hurriedly. “You just...keep stuff sometimes.” 

(He’s not going to mention that it’s because they shared an apartment. Or a house. Or a room. Or, on occasion, a bank account.) 

“Dinner is gonna be at seven, feel free to come down,” Tony says, smile wearing thin. 

- 

Jim doesn’t come down. 

Or he did, but he came down early. 

Because he doesn’t want anything to do with Tony. 

“It’ll just take time,” Pepper tells Tony over the phone. “Give him some space.” 

So Tony does. 

But it’s hard giving your amnesiac husband space when you’ve never done it before, not really. 

Tony has always been around Rhodey, always been invading and crawling into his space, and Rhodey really only complained when Tony’s hands would sneak around his chest when the nights were dark and cold. 

Now they’re at a distance, and Tony doesn’t know how to bring up any facts about their life. 

So far, all Jim’s been doing is catching up on history. 

“We fought Captain America?” he asks, gaping at the article about finding Captain Rogers in an iceberg. “Why?” 

“He likes putting his foot in his mouth a lot.” Tony says. “And both sides have been notoriously bad at keeping their cool.” 

“Oh. So we just...I  fought him? Because I’m just friends with you?” 

“Yeah,” Tony says, quite uncomfortable with the insertion of the word “just” in that sentence. 

“...weird.” 

“The future’s crazy, honey-bear.” 

Jim looks up. 

“Why do you call me that?” 

“Call you what?” 

“Honey-bear. It’s weird.” 

“Inside joke we have,” Tony says, chest tightening. “We thought those couples that have the lovey-dovey nicknames were ridiculous.” 

“Oh. Gross.” 

“Yeah, it is,” Tony says. “But kinda funny. One time you called me ‘sugar-tits’.” 

Jim laughs at that one. 

“Oh god, that’s...rough. What else did I call you?” 

Baby. Honey. Love of my life. Darling. 

“Uh...” Tony says, pretending to think. “I think love-muffin was also an option.” 

Jim throws back his head and laughs. 

“How did we...how did we become friends?” 

“Well, it all started with a dining hall and you trying to steal an entire painting without getting caught, and my valiant rescue...” 

“Why do I get the feeling that that’s not true?” 

“Because it isn’t,” Tony grins. “Just making sure your bullshit-detector is working again. It is. We met because we weren’t supposed to be roommates but they fucked up and the rooms filled up, so you dealt with me as best you could.” 

“Oh,” Jim says. “What do we do for fun?”

Go on date nights. Talk about how stupid we were as kids. Debate who asked out who. Cook together. 

“Uh, we used to...shoot hoops.” 

“You don’t seem like a basketball kinda guy,” Jim says. 

“Oh believe me, I wasn’t,” Tony responds with a laugh, “but you were, and you always liked kicking my ass on the court.” 

“Good to know that I can still probably do that,” Jim says, smug and self-satisfied. “Hey, where did Pepper go?” 

“Oh, she’s busy with a contract this week, what do you need?” 

Jim puts his hand on the back of his neck in that nervous habit he always got (that Tony only knew about because every single time he would walk into the room after he realized he liked him in that way, Rhodey would do that). 

“Um, just want to ask her something. About my life.” 

And Tony can’t breathe. 

He doesn’t know and that’s...that’s everything. 

“She’ll be back for dinner,” Tony says. “In the mean time, I’ll be in the lab working on some stuff, feel free to do whatever.” 

“Thanks, man.” 

- 

Pepper stares at Jim, who for so long has been one of her best friends and is now asking if he had anyone who he was involved with romantically. 

“You...what?” 

“Did I have a girlfriend or anything?” Jim asks. “Because, um, it’s going to kind of suck if I didn’t.” 

“You had a girlfriend sophomore year,” she answers carefully. “That lasted for about three months or something. You’d have to ask Tony more about it, he knows more about you than I do.” 

“And you said we’re...friends? We didn’t date?”

“Yeah, we are friends, no we didn’t date,” Pepper says. “We get lunch on Thursdays if you’re in town.” 

“I’m in the army, right?” 

“About to retire, too,” Pepper says with a grin. “You were really happy, you were planning on taking Tony on a trip.” 

“I was?” Jim asks, frowning. “We’re...that close?” 

“Well yeah, you’re-” Pepper pauses for a moment. “You’re best friends. You always like spending time with Tony.” 

“Oh,” Jim says. “Okay.” 

He knows that they’re lying to him. He gets why: if he learns too much, it could cause some sort of damage. And according to Friday, “Colonel Platypus” (whatever the fuck that means) keeps his personal life intensely private. 

He doesn’t know why he’s done that. Why he’s kept everything so private. It’s not because of his military status, he thinks. Unless, of course, they put him on all sorts of secret projects. That could definitely be a thing. 

Tony keeps almost calling him Rhodey. It’s a weird nickname. He doesn’t know why he apparently loves it. It sounds...stupid. Weird. Jim works just fine. 

Pepper also said they were just friends. And she sounds like she means it. And Tony says they’re just friends, but he doesn’t sound like he means it. 

But that doesn’t mean...? 

No. Of course not. There would be pictures and rings and all of that sappy, gross shit that comes with weddings. 

...would there be? 

“Hey Friday?” he asks. 

“Yes, Colonel Rhodes?” 

“Um. Is gay marriage legal?” 

“Yes, Colonel Rhodes, it is. Would you like further articles about the decision?” 

“Uh...sure. I guess.” 

He keeps reading articles (with reading glasses) and learns a lot about what’s been going on. 

He’s just interested, obviously. In current events. 

- 

It’s a week later when he asks Tony about it. 

“So...did you remember the whole legalization of gay marriage thing?” he asks Tony, who pauses at his coffee. “I, um. Read an article where they said you were bi, so I wasn’t sure if you-” 

“No, I am,” Tony says. “I remember it really well. I celebrated well that day.” 

he grinned as he looked at Rhodey, and swore to rent out the entire metropolitan museum of art, just for him. he would do anything for him, anything at all-

Jim looks at him. 

“What did you do to celebrate?” 

“Well, there were quite a lot of people at gay bars. We danced. I drank a glass of champagne. And then we danced again.” 

“Someone was with me?” 

“You were,” Tony says. “You were here when it happened, and it was...it was a good day for us.” 

“I’m not gay though,” Jim says with a frown. 

“Doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate,” Tony says, eyes holding something in them that makes him look like he might cry. “Some people’s triumph can be a momentous occasion.” 

It can the occasion where your marriage is finally recognized everywhere. It’s where you get the iconic photo of mashing cake in your partner’s face, and all of the guests are grinning and you’re happy, and--

Tony shakes himself out of that train of thought. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Jim says. “Just...please tell me that you didn’t get any embarrassing pictures.” 

“Oh I did,” Tony replies, grinning maniacally. “Would you like to see yourself in a feather boa or a flamingo floatie?” 

“Oh my god,” Jim moans, throwing his hands to the dinner table. “No...” 

“You looked a dream, gorgeous,” Tony teases. “And I have the pictures to prove it. I’ll get them out another time, I promised Dum-E that I’d help him pick up his mess.” 

“Who is he?” 

Tony grins. 

“He’s our baby, metaphorically speaking. We built him on a half-drunk, half-dare kind of situation,” Tony says. “He’s a disaster.” 

Jim thinks about it for a moment. “Can I...can I meet him?” 

-

Dum-E hasn’t seen his dad in forever. He’s wheeling around Rhodey, beeping and nearly running over his feet. 

“Great, your return has pushed back any build-up coordination training we did,” Tony scolds, although his tone doesn’t sound serious at all. “Dum-E, your father and I agreed to help clean, although methinks that Jim will be a great surveyor for us.” 

“What’d you spill?” Jim asks. 

“Couple of glass stuff,” Tony says. “He’s been really into stained glass recently, I think he was trying to make his own.” 

“He can think?” 

“Yeah,” Tony says. “His coding, by the way, was like sixty percent you. That’s why he’s so damned stubborn and also why he puts motor oil into smoothies, genius.” 

“Hey, that most definitely was you,” Jim says. “You didn’t grocery shop that day, so I was weak and malnourished.” 

Tony stills. 

“You...remember that?” 

Jim pauses for a moment. 

“You...you were supposed to go grocery shopping and I made a list,” he says, smiling fondly. “And you didn’t take the list because you said you had an eidetic memory, but you still forgot the lemons, so I don’t believe you.” 

Tony throws back his head and laughs. 

“Glad to have a memory for you, Rho-Jim. You want a glass of water or anything?” 

“Water sounds fine.” 

Jim watches as Tony works around Dum-E, obviously used to his quirks and mannerisms as he banters and threatens with nothing backing up that threat. 

He smiles as he wheels himself over, grabbing a dust pan on his way over. 

“Figured we’ll need this,” he offers. Tony accepts it with a smile. 

“Thanks Jim.” 

“You can-you can call me Rhodey. If you want.” 

Tony looks at him for a moment. 

“But is that what you want?” 

Jim pauses. 

“Yes. For now.” 

“Okay,” Tony says, smiling. He’s not showing how fucking happy he is, how ready he is to leap for the moon and bring stardust down on his way home. “Thank you.” 

Jim nods. 

“I think I’m gonna turn in for the night.” 

“Have a goodnight, Jim. Let me know if you need anything.” 

-

He lies awake in bed that night. 

“Hey, Friday?” 

“Yes, Boss?” 

“I...I’m not being told everything, am I?” 

“Information can potentially be triggering to the current state you are in, Colonel Rhodes.” 

“Are you being paid to say that?” 

“I don’t get paid,” Friday says. “Although if I did, I would not want to take the money.” 

“So I am missing something,” Rhodey says. “I just...I don’t know what.” 

“It will come with time, Colonel Rhodes.” 

“And if it doesn’t? If I have to relive life all over again?” He asks, growing agitated. “If my memory doesn’t come back, Friday...I’m not sure they’ll ever tell me anything.” 

“It is already a good sign that you remembered Dum-E. He was missing you quite terribly.” 

“Can I...can you show me a picture of me with him?” 

“Sure thing, Boss.” 

- 

Rhodey has a sharp intake of breath. 

Right there. 

Right on his left hand. 

A wedding ring. 

And then he looks at Tony, Tony who is looking fondly as Rhodey and Dum-E are reenacting some stupid thing, and there’s a-

A ring. 

On the left hand. 

That wasn’t there before. 

Shit. 

[amylillian22]

It Ain’t Pretty - Chris Evans Imagine

Word Count: -800

Warnings: Angst - lots of it, heartbreak, cuss words.

Author’s Note: Heard this song this morning and this idea crossed my mind. I hope y’all like it. Let me know what you think and if y’all want a part two.

As the cab turned down her street, Y/N silently prayed no one was out and about in their yards. She didn’t want her neighbors to see her in the same outfit she wore last night, her heels in her hand, and her makeup completely smeared and ruined.

“Shit,” she mumbled to herself as the cab driver drove right past her next door neighbor before pulling up in front of her house.

“You have a great day, miss,” the cab driver said as Y/N got out of the cab after paying him.

She straightened out her dress and ignored Chris staring at her as he walked back towards his house with the newspaper in hand. “Someone had a good morning.”

“Not that it’s any of your damn business, but I didn’t,” she said before reaching her door. She opened her small clutch purse, only to find her cash, lipstick, an extra pair of clean underwear and her phone. “No, no, no,” she mumbled to herself as she kneeled down on the ground and shook her clutch, shaking its items out. “Fuck.”

“Need some help?” He offered.

Without looking at him, her eyes well up. Nothing was working. Nothing could help her erase the heart ache he caused her when he broke up with her last month. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get away from him. She couldn’t move on. It didn’t help that they were neighbors.

She nodded her head as she grabbed her stuff and put them back in her clutch. By the time she was done, Chris had already come back with her spare key to open the door for her.

“What is this? The third time this week, Y/N?” He looked at her before unlocking the door. She looked like the furthest thing from the girl he was in love with. She looked broken and he hated himself that he might be the reason for it.

“Like I said, it’s not your damn business anymore,” she said.

“You think I like seeing you doing your walk of shame walks in the morning, Y/N?!” Chris' voice rose a bit, anger evident in his town.

“If you only knew the truth, Chris.”

“Enlighten me.”

“I have every intention to go to a random bar and have sex with any guy so I can to get YOU,” she jabbed her finger in his chest, “out of my fucking mind. To get over you, Chris, because you dumping me came out of left field and hit me right in the heart.”

“Y/N-“

“No! I’m not done,” she snapped back. “While you’re over here thinking I’m a slut 3 times a week, I actually end up at my best friend’s house. She picks me up from whenever I am because I can’t follow through with my original plan. I can’t fuck any other guy because no matter what, they’ll never be you. So, instead I’m drunk crying at her house and past out on her couch because I hate coming home without you cuddling with me,” she sniffed and wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks. “It ain’t pretty, Chris.”

Chris swallowed the tightness in his throat and unlocked the door for her. He didn’t know what to say. The truth was, he was hurting too, especially since he believed she was out having multiple one night stands through the week.

Without looking at him, she walked inside her home and slammed the door on his face, not giving him a chance to respond. She leaned her back against the door and slid down until her butt hit the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She buried her face as soft sobs escaped.

Chris let out a deep and heavy sigh as he heard her from the other side of the door. He placed his hand on the door, wishing he could walk through the door, and whisk her into his arms. He craved her. He yearned for her. For her touch, her body, her lips, her love. But, he broke up with for a reason and he’s reminded of that when he fought against everything he wanted and walked back to his house without looking back.

[ffangirlingsince2001]

The Witcher and the Princess: Scorched

*not my gif*

Geralt x Reader

Geralt of Rivia is not a babysitter, he is not a bodyguard, and he has no interest in transporting princesses across the continent. Until gold is offered and for the next 90 days he’s saddled with a chirpy, bubbly, princess, who is betrothed to the prince of Narok and has a desire to see everything before she’s trapped behind another set of walls.

Warnings: SMUT, angst, derogatory talk, rough sex

Geralt hoped that she would forget. He hoped it was simply a moment of sadness that had led her to his bedside and that the matter would be dropped the next morning. He hoped that as they neared the land where she would be wed, she would forget about him and start thinking about her husband.

It’s not that he didn’t want to do all the things he was sure she had been thinking about the night that she straddled him. He wanted nothing more than to fuck her into the next week, the constant tightness in his pants was proof of that, but the thought of her husband and his duty to the king who was paying him kept him hoping it was all a moment of weakness on her part.

He prayed that it would be so, but as they rode into the first town in two weeks his stomach still turned within him, and his legs clung a little tighter to Roach. They reached the inn and without a word she hopped from the horse and glided into the inn.

Almost nervously, he followed.

The room had two beds, a bathtub, windows. Nothing out of the ordinary. Even Y/N remained demure and cheerful, humming to herself as she flipped over pillows and aired out blankets, as she did in every room they had stayed in previously. When she smiled at him there was no hint of what had happened before and when she brushed by him she did not linger.

When she reached the door she pushed it closed with a soft click and pressed her forehead against the smooth wood. The cheer rushed out of the room in a great wave, leaving the room heavy with something he could not detect.

“How much longer?” she whispered.

“What?” he asked, not sure he had understood her through the layers of melancholy.

“How much longer until we reach Narok?”

“Thirty days.”

“I can tell, I feel old, my limbs are seizing up and knuckles click when I move them,” she laughed sadly and then turned to face him. She looked tired and much older than he had seen her throughout their journey. It was like her back was laden with a burden, causing her to stoop low in demeanor. She stepped closer, hand outstretched. “Listen, can you hear it?” She pressed her hand to his skin, tucking hair behind his ear with aching slowness. Silently, he shook his head. “Strange, it must be my imagination.”

“Are you alright, Y/N?”

“Did you know I’ve never been outside of my home until this trip? They wanted to make it quick and easy, but I begged them, I pleaded, I threatened to leap from the highest tower if they didn’t let me make the trip. It wasn’t until you showed your face in our little kingdom that they finally relented.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because they knew you’d do whatever it takes.” Her eyes were sad as she whispered her response but before tears could well up in her eyes, she climbed onto his lap, hands sliding to where his stitches had once sat. “And you did.”

“Y/N-,” he choked, pushing her from his lap. She jumped away as if he had shocked her and glared.

“Why? Why did you do it? I know you can barely stand me, it would have been easier to just let it get me.”

“I like you far more than you’re giving me credit for.”

“I’d never be able to tell. You barely look at me and when you do it’s a glare. At first I thought it was because you wanted to fuck me, and then when I offered myself to you, you turned me away. Even now you can’t bare to have me touch you, am I really that repulsive?” she spat, tapping her foot in annoyance, trying to hold in the anger that was racing through her mind. When he didn’t response, she huffed in response and whirled around, marching towards the door.

He should have let her go, it would have been easier for the both of them, but instincts made him reach out for her and push her against the door she had been trying to escape from.

“Do you want to know why I look at you that way, why I turned you down, why I won’t let you touch me?”

“Obviously,” she snarled and he leaned in closer, breath rustling her hair.

“I look at you that way because every time I see you I want to throw you into my bed and pound you until the only word you know is ‘please’ and then I am reminded that you already belong to someone else. And when you touch me it’s utter agony, because it feel so wonderful but I can’t.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Aren’t you listening, I cannot, there is a marriage at the end of this journey and it is not ours.”

“I can assure he does not mind.”

“Then you really do know nothing of men.” She scoffed and pushed him away, but he caught her wrists and pulled her closer. She struggled against him but as his hands left her wrists and rested against her hips she froze, chest heaving against him. “Tell me Princess, why does it matter so much that I take you.”

“Is it so hard to believe that I simply desire it? Can you not find it within yourself to imagine me dreaming about my legs wrapped around your waist while your hands pin my wrists against the pillow? Do you not even consider the idea that I simply yearn for you to growl in my ear while you force yourself inside of me? Can you not bear to imagine that I wish the moan your name loud enough for all to hear? Is it-.” A hand resting on her lips cut her off. Her eyes met his and he found her pupils were just as wide as his, the delicious innocence he had grown so used to covered with lust.

“That’s enough,” he growled lowly. He could feel her grin beneath his hand and her hand drift to his thigh, slender fingers brushing delicately against the fabric of his pants. “You don’t know how this will end.”

“If it is half of what I dare to imagine, I am sure I will not be disappointed.” He growled and backed her against the wall before hoisting her legs around his waist and attaching his lips to hers. Her arms snaked around his neck, moaning against him

“I won’t be gentle,” he whispered against her throat.

“I should hope not.” He bit her throat and she yelped, nails digging into his back. He pulled away but a hand pushed him back, tangling its fingers in his hair. “I’m not fragile, Witcher.”

He carried her towards the bed and tossed her onto the thin mattress. The frame creaked beneath her. She stared at him from where she lay, propped up on her forearms.

“Undress,” he ordered and she smirked before sitting on her knees and lazily undoing the strings of her corset. It silently fell to the bed and with taunting fingers she slid her dress up her thighs, and then her stomach and over her head, leaving her completely bare.

His mouth practically watered at the sight. He had been right of course, that she was undeniably beautiful beneath the fabric he had often imagined tearing from her body. Even with the scars she had gained from her fight with the monster she was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Other girls had annoyed him with their shyness, but she did not seem any less ferocious than before. She thrust her chest forward, eyes daring him to take control.

A dare that he did not turn down.

He grabbed her leg and pulled her towards the edge of the bed, kneeling between her legs. She smelled sweet even here. The glistening mess between her legs beckoned him forward. He glanced up and found her watching him intently, lips parted with anticipation. He tipped his head forward and ran his tongue along her thigh, smiling to himself as she shuddered against him. When he reached the apex of his thighs she was already panting, pleading with him to get on with it. He dipped his tongue between her soft folds and she gasped, pulling away in surprise but he caught her thighs with his arms. He sucked against the sensitive bud, tongue teasing the flesh that was growing slicker with each passing moment.

She was trying not to moan, trying not to give into the foreign pleasure that was burning a hole in her stomach. He pulled his mouth away and she whined, only to squeak when he shoved two fingers inside of her. She tightened around them, pushing her hips closer, fighting the unmoving digits for more friction.

“That’s right Princess, fuck yourself against my fingers like the desperate little thing you are.” Her hips bucked against his hand and she moaned in pleasure as he added a third finger. He rubbed his thumb against her folds, watching with pleasure as she fought against his hand with hungry desperation. She was shaking now, walls clenching around his fingers as she neared the end. He coaxed her along, fingers curling within her and pulling her through the explosion of pleasure that had snapped within her.

She was still panting when he yanked her off the bed and placed her knees on the floor, taking a seat at the edge of the mattress. She tried to stand to join him, but he pressed her down with heavy hand. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to where her dress rested.

“Geralt,” she whispered and he nodded, guiding her hands to the waistband of his pants. With gentle fingers she freed him from the fabric. He could have come undone there, twitching in her hands as she uttered a small gasp at the sight of him. Eyes full of appreciation and lips full of hunger she leaned forward, taking him in her mouth.

She gagged when he brushed the back of her throat, pushing away but the hand that had wrapped itself in her hair pushed her closer. Her nails were digging into his thighs, drops of blood running down his leg and she struggled to take him and to take a breath. He could feel himself growing closer, and while he longed to finish with her staring at him with frantic eyes he wanted much more to finish inside her.

He pulled himself from her lips and she gasped for air. He pulled her into his lap, his cock pressed between their stomachs.

“I could have finished that for you,” she teased between heavy breaths. He shook his head, kissing her neck as he held her close.

“Oh no, the first time you make me cum its going to be with that sweet little cunt of yours. If I remember correctly you seemed to think very highly of it.” She blushed, recalling their late night discussion on whores. “But how I take you is an entirely different story,” he whispered, nipping at her breasts with harsh teeth. “On your knees, face pressed into a pillow as you try to muffle your sobs? Or perhaps straddling my lap, breasts bouncing freely for all to see?” She squirmed against him and he flipped the two over so he was hovering over her. “No, I think I will take you the first way I imagined you, on your back.”

And with that he shoved her legs open and pushed himself inside her. She was unable to take all of him in the first thrust, crying out, her nails clawing trails down his back as she struggled to take him.

“Fuck Geralt,” she screeched as he withdrew, preparing to enter her once more.

“You weren’t kidding princess, much tighter than a common whore,” he managed to gasp as she tightened around him again, more than half of his length inside of her. Her laugh turned into moans as he pushed himself closer to her center. She arched her back, trying to create space within her hips for the foreign pressure. The pressure was building inside him once again, aching to release within her, but he refused to let it be over so quickly. He pulled all the way out once more, providing her throbbing cunt a moment of relief, before wrapping her legs around his waist and plunging in until he was entirely sheathed within her.

He didn’t move for a moment, wanting to give her time to adjust but with an animalistic growl she thrust her hips forward, begging him to move inside her. He began to move ever so slowly, but she wasn’t having it. Latching onto her shoulders she began to move faster, whimpering and moaning with every movement. He pushed her against the bed and took hold of her thighs, slamming into her. She screamed his name, mixing it with every expletive in the book. She shook beneath him, hands scrambling to find something to hold onto. He yanked her closer, lowering his head to suck on the soft flesh of her chest. Purple spots broke against her skin as he littered rough kisses across her skin, never halting the rhythmic thrusting.

“I’m close,” she gasped and he nodded in agreement, hands roaming her thighs until they settled on her waist, tight fingers leaving bruises of their own.

“That’s right Princess, let go,” he praised quickening his pace. She spasmed around him, drawing him to his own ending. He pulled her into his arms as they rode out the end of their high, and then collapsed in a pile of panting limbs. He slid out of her and pulled the blanket over their naked bodies. He turned to ask her if she was alright but found she was already passed out in his arms, panting softly even in her sleep.

Tags: @mallorydoesstuff @facelessfiction @aphadriel-fanfic @raspberrydreamclouds @thegreattodd @saint-hardy @ravenclawsstolemybunies @queenofmankind @britty443 @lonewolf471 @utterlyhopeful-fics @persephonehemingway @fuck-me-gently-with-a-slurpee​@josis-teacup