#so i’ve just been going only down the street. one year i’ll stop—probably when i get yelled at or something—but for now i’ll keep going

[xoxoladyaz]

It Hits Different This Time, Part 2

Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Rock Star Eddie x Steve Harrington

TW: Mentions of alcohol, drug abuse

QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm so sorry that the last entry was so angst heavy, I promise this one provides some comfort! Eddie needed to take a big step here and he really, really does. Also, much love to everyone who commented, I've tagged you at the bottom of the post - let me know if anyone else would like to be notified of the next entry!

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five

It was another five days before Steve heard from Eddie. Another five torturous days of radio silence, only this time, there wasn’t anything online. No new articles were popping up saying he’d been spotted somewhere, no new TikToks of him meeting fans on the street. The rest of the band was MIA too; Steve had thought about sending Jeff a text to check-in but ultimately decided to wait another couple days. Robin had been texting with Chrissy, after all, and if something bad had gone down, she would know.

When Eddie did finally call, it wasn’t from a number that Steve recognized.

“I’m getting a call from Malibu.”

“Holy shit!” Robin sat up on the other end of the couch and shot him a look. “Okay, just breathe dingus, okay? It’s going to be okay, I’ll be here the whole time.” She squeezed his ankle comfortingly. “You can do this.”

Steve accepted the call with shaky hands and brought his phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey Steve.”

He shut his eyes and swallowed, trying to stop his voice from cracking. “Eddie.”

He heard Eddie let out a watery laugh across the line. “Do you, uh, have a minute?”

“Mmmm hmmm,” Steve hummed. He physically couldn’t get an actual word out. 

This was it. Eddie was leaving, he’d cheated, it was over – 

“I’m in rehab.”

Steve’s eyes shot open. “You’re what?”

Robin started rocking back and forth. “Turn it up!” She hissed, and Steve obliged, turning up his volume so she could just barely hear what was being said. (Was this a private conversation? Yes. Did Eddie know he’d probably immediately tell Robin everything? Also yes. 

Was this news big enough to warrant having Robin eavesdrop?

Absolutely yes.)

“Yeah, I’m, uh, at the Promises Treatment Center in Malibu,” Eddie continued. “We got back about five days ago and when I saw your note, I – 

“Look, Steve,” Eddie continued, and his voice was choked up, like he himself couldn’t speak, “I fucked up. I’ve fucked everything up. You are – you said in that note that you didn’t want me to give up on my dreams, and you’re right, making it big and getting famous for my music was my dream for literal years. Because I kept thinking “once I get a record out there,” “once I go on tour,” “once I win a Grammy,” “once I get a million dollars,” then I’d finally be happy. 

“But it turns out the only thing being famous has done is make me pretty fucking miserable,” Eddie let out a harsh laugh. “But I was so goddamn convinced that this was it, you know, that I’d accomplished my dreams so I must be happy that I started taking whatever I could get my fucking hands on to make me feel that way. The thing is drugs and the alcohol and the parties never made it fucking last. It just made every other second that I was in the public eye that much worse.

“But I’d still made it, you know? I felt like I didn’t deserve to feel this fucking miserable. And everyone back home was so fucking proud and I didn’t want to let them down - ” Eddie paused for a few moments to clear his throat before continuing. “I didn’t want to let you down. Because Eddie “The Freak” Munson didn’t deserve you, but maybe Eddie “The Rock Star” could.”

Steve can feel his own throat closing up and he can barely see Robin’s face, his eyes are watering that bad. “Baby,” he sobbed. “I wish you’d told me.”

“Me too,” Eddie sniffled across the line. “I didn’t though, I just kept self-medicating and ignoring it, because that’s always worked,” he huffed sarcastically. “But then - ” Eddie cut off again, and Steve can hear that he’s trying so hard to hold back his own sobs, “then I came home last week and realized that I’d missed our goddamn anniversary because I was too fucking high and that you were gone and I just – I called Jeff and I told him to get me on a plane out here because you – you, Steve Harrington, you are the best thing in my goddamn life. And the only dream I want to chase now is the one where we get married and adopt some kids and grow old together.”

“Eddie,” Steve sobbed out again, and he heard Eddie start to cry too, and then suddenly they were crying together, even from hundreds of miles away.

“So I’m gonna be here for the next six weeks,” Eddie finally continued, his voice still full of tears. “I’m, uh, meeting with a therapist for a few hours every day and working through my shit. I wanna be a guy who deserves good things, baby. I wanna be a guy who deserves you.”

“What – what about the band?” Steve sniffled, rubbing at his eyes. A handful of Kleenex appeared in front of him. Robin must have gotten up to grab them at some point. He shot her a thankful nod and patted at his eyes; Robin nodded back and did the same, her face flushed that bright shade of red that accompanied her own tears.

“Murray wrote a provision into our contract where if one of us checks into rehab, then the band is instantly put on a two-year, non-negotiable hiatus.”

“But – what about your momentum, the label kept talking about it?”

“The label can go fuck themselves” Eddie practically growled over the phone. “Who do you think hosted the party where I first got my hands on the hardcore stuff anyways?”

“Babe - ”

“Murray said he was going to look into some sort of contract termination so we can sign somewhere else. And even if we didn’t have that thing written into our contract, we probably would have gone on hiatus anyways, or worse. That – the last leg was rough. Gareth was just as fucked up as I was and Jeff was fucking pissed. He kept having to pull Gareth out of orgies and shit while babysitting Phil and I too.”

“Did,” Steve swallowed harshly, “did - ”

“No, baby, never,” Eddie declared quickly. “Even when I couldn’t fucking see straight, you were the only one I wanted to be with. I honestly don’t even know who we were partying with at the end there, the label sent them for some PR shit, I don’t know. It’s just another reason why we want out.”

“Oh,” Steve murmured, “okay. Good. Or, well, not good. You know.”

“Yeah, baby, I do,” Eddie replied softly. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, just listening to each other breathe. “I, uh,” Eddie started up again quietly, “I’m wearing the ring.”

“Yeah?” Steve found himself smiling despite the fresh tears welling up in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Eddie’s voice was just as choked up as before. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

“Eddie - ”

“Look, I know, I know I hurt you so, so badly and I’m never going to fucking forgive myself for what I did, but I – you’re everything I want, baby. If I had to give up Corroded Coffin tomorrow for you, I would do it in a heartbeat. And I – I know I can’t expect for you to just, like, forgive me after the shit I pulled, but – will you be there, when I get out? Can I – I want to come home to you,” Eddie finished, and Steve could hear that he was crying again.

Steve looked over at Robin, who was wiping more tears out of her own eyes. They looked at each other for a few moments.

It might be crazy, but I think I want to say yes.

I don't blame you. I mean, this is one hell of an apology, especially from Mr. “I’ll Never Need to Go to Rehab Ever.”

Yeah. And I love him.

And you love him.

“I’ll be there,” Steve murmured reassuringly, and Eddie burst into a new wave of muffled sobs on the other end of the phone. “Just do what you need to do and come home when you’re ready, okay? I’ll be waiting for home.”

“At home?” Eddie’s voice broke on a whimper.

“At home. I’ll even clean the bathrooms and everything,” Steve joked, and Eddie let out a loud laugh despite the quiet sobs Steve could still hear. 

“Really? You’ll be there?”

“Yeah, Eddie. I’ll be there. We can get through this.”

“Together.”

“Together. Because I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”

“Fuck, Stevie,” Eddie let out an incredulous laugh again, “I love you so fucking much, baby. I’m going to marry the fuck out of you someday.”

“Save the sweet talk for when you get home, okay?” Steve could feel his heart settling in his chest, and whatever tears he’d had left to cry were all gone now. There was just the twinge of missing Eddie, but that would go away soon enough. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Eds.”

“Thanks, baby.” Eddie’s answer was soft now. “So I, uh, get a couple hours to call people every day from one of the site’s phones. Can I keep calling you?”

“Please,” Steve heard Eddie exhale in relief. “Every day sounds perfect.”

“Good, good. I’ll have to, uh, use some of my time to talk to Wayne, but the rest of it is yours, baby. And Gareth, Jeff threw him into a different center too. His check-in was much less voluntary though.”

“Shit,” Steve winced. “Is there anything Robin or I can do to help?”

“Take Jeff and Chrissy out to a nice dinner and use the Amex,” Eddie snorted, causing Steve to laugh.

“Consider it done.”

“Good." Steve heard the sound of another voice behind Eddie. Eddie replied something Steve couldn't understand, but it was in the affirmative. "Doc says my time is up for today. My, uh, talk with Wayne took up a lot of time,” Eddie returned, and his voice trembled as he spoke. “But I’ll call you tomorrow and I’ll see you in six weeks.”

“Yes you will.” Steve shut his eyes and imagined Eddie was standing right in front of him. Eddie with his riotous curls and holey graphic tees and tight jeans. Eddie with his rings on his fingers, with Steve’s ring on his finger. Eddie, standing across from him and smiling at him with that twinkle in his eye that had first caught Steve’s attention all those years ago. 

“I love you, Eds.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. I’ll see you on the other side.”

Tags List: @gregre369 @starman-jpg @skoomy-doompy @thequeenrainacorn @sleepyboosstuff @strawberrykore @paintsplatteredandimperfect @amoris-no-smut-allowed @steve-the-hairrington @iknewyouweremuggle @swimmingbirdrunningrock @sunfloweringstories @loverkasp @hyperfixationgoddess @steddie-as-they-go @zerokrox-blog @messrs-weasley @thelittleclare @lovelyscot

[enjoythesilentworld]

call ur crush!

ask and you shall receive! here's a little more of this 'friends to ?' ficlet.

After a few more rounds of the game, Simon was practically vibrating out of his skin. Wille’s phone, sitting just a room away, holding a notification that had the potential to change their friendship forever — it terrified him. 

He stood and faked a yawn, stretching his arms out.

“I think I’m gonna head home,” he said, already moving towards the door. “I’ve got an early shift.” 

Various boos and goodbyes broke out around the room as he slipped his shoes on. 

Wille’s voice broke through the noise. “I’ll come with you.” 

Simon barely glanced up at him. He should’ve known, with his luck, that he wouldn’t have gotten away with running from this. Anyway, there was only so long one could run from his best friend and nextdoor neighbor, for that matter. 

“Okay,” Simon nodded, trying to keep his voice steady and pretending to look for his wallet. 

“Let me just grab my phone.” 

Wille disappeared into the kitchen, and Simon felt the seconds tick by like the countdown on a nuclear missle, aimed right at their beautiful, safe, unyielding five-year-friendship. Rosh said something about meeting for lunch that week, and Sara something about a weekend trip back home. He nodded along, agreeing to whatever, watching the doorway to the kitchen. 

“Simon,” Wille said slowly, reentering the room, “Why—”

“Got it?” Simon interrupted. “Great. Let’s go. Bye!”

His hand had already been on the doorknob, ready to flee, because if they were going to do this, going to have this conversation, Simon was not about to do it in front of all their friends. 

As he skidded down the flights of stairs, he didn’t even turn around to check if Wille was following. The moment he burst through the front door of the building, he started to book it down the street. 

“Simon!” Wille called after him. “Wait!”

Simon kept going, unable to stop, unable to turn around. Wille, unfortunately, had the very unfair advantage of ridiculously long legs and caught up easily, grabbing Simon by the shoulder. 

“Just— Wait!” 

“What?” Simon said innocently, blinking up at Wille in the chill evening air. 

Wille stared at him, confused, eyebrows drawn together and a small frown on his lips. “You called me,” he said.

Simon shrugged and looked down at his feet. 

It must’ve rained while they were at Felice’s apartment because the road was shiny in that way it got when the oil from all the cars mixed with the water and collected in beautiful rainbows across the asphalt. 

“You called me,” Wille repeated, taking a step closer. When Simon looked up, he saw the smile growing on Wille’s face, and he found he didn’t like the man’s smug tone. 

“So?” Simon quipped, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his nose up. 

“Simon…” 

“What?” 

Wille chuckled. “Why are you being so weird, Simon?” 

“Why do you keep saying my name like that?” Simon retorted, chin still lifted in pride, except that he actually didn’t really have a choice, because Wille had stepped so close that he had to look up at him, which was really disarming any sort of defenses he’d put up. “Can we go? I do actually have an—” 

“I would’ve called you, too.”

“—early shift.” Simon shook his head. His frown faded, and his heart continued to pound in his chest, but now for a whole other reason. “What?”

Wille’s hand was on his shoulder, suddenly, then sliding up toward his cheek. “I would’ve called—”

“No, I heard you,” Simon cut in. He grinned. “You would’ve?” 

Wille laughed again. “Yes, Simon. Are you kidding?” 

“Are you kidding?” 

“No, I’m—”

“Good,” he said, and raised up an inch on his toes, and he kissed Wille, and it was probably for the best that it was so late in the evening, because they were still standing in the middle of the road and could very well be hit by a car at any moment. Except that Simon didn’t care, because Wille was kissing him back, and Wille’s hands were in his hair, around his waist, and Wille tasted like grape soda, and Wille was kissing him back.

[imtryingbuck]

Twenty One

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Summary: Bucky comes from a well respected family, he falls in love with a girl who prefers the simple things in life. Follow their journey through the years.

Word count: 5,600

Warnings: fluff, angst, heavy use of pet names. Brock, Dot and Jack. Swearing. A racial slur is used towards Sam. Talks of racism (very briefly) Injury done to reader, attempted sexual assault, hospital

A/N: No description of reader other than she has curly hair.

A/N: any racial hate you will be blocked immediately.

Masterlist   Series Masterlist

Sweat dripped down the side of her face as she walked down the busy streets, her arms ached as the handles dug into her bare skin. Smiling at those as she passed them, her heart ached when the cute little Jack Russell wagged it’s tail at her, normally Y/n would politely ask the owner if she could pet their dog but since her arms where full she had to settle for giving the dog a smile and just hoped it would forgive her.

Just as she was about to turn the corner to walk down the street to where her apartment was she heard a voice that she would happily pay a lot of money to never hear again.

“Holy shit! Is that the freak?”

Satans spawn.

The man with half a brain cell.

Dumb as rocks.

Or better known as Brock Rumlow.

“Fuck it is Jack! Shit I’ve not seen you since you ran out of school crying because of that little prank I pulled on you” his loud obnoxious voice boomed.

Why the hell aren’t your feet moving! She screamed to herself in her head.

“What are you doing here? Hey freak I’m talking to you don’t be so rude” he reaches out and pulls on her arm, spinning her around she comes face to face with the two guys who had spent years tormenting her.

“How have you been freak?” Jack says looking her up and down licking his lips making her skin crawl.

“Freak-aw shit Jack do you think she’s deaf now?”

“Or she’s just being a rude bitch. I do have to admit she’s fucking sexy” Jack growled.

“Damn fucking right”

Y/n takes a step back and another and another all she needs to do is turn around and run to the safety of her home.

“Hey where do you think you’re going sexy?” Jack unfortunately notices she’s slowly backing away.

“L-Leave me a-alone” she hates how her voice wavers.

“We’re just talking freak-“

“Brocky who are you talking to? Oh it’s the freak” a whiny voice came from behind the two guys and then she sees the brunette that broke her Ducky’s heart. Dot.

“Yeah just bumped in to her baby” Brock threw his arm around the woman.

“When did it come back to town?”

“Don’t know she didn’t answer us, she’s being rude”

“Well let’s not waste our time speaking to the thing and let’s go” she whines.

“Baby stop being mean just because she stole your precious Bucky from you doesn’t mean you can be jealous still”

“Don’t be ridiculous it couldn’t steal anything from me, look at me Brocky then look at it”

“I’ve seen you Dot and even though her backs riddled with scars I’d still fuck her” Brock laughs as Dot smacks his chest.

“Don’t be gross. Let’s go boys we’re going to be late”

“Bye bye Y/n” Brock says walking away with Dot under his arm.

“Bye sexy, I’ll see you around” Jack ever the loyal dog follows his master.

She releases a stuttering breath as they got further away down the street, squeezing her eyes shut she went through her breathing exercises that Doctor Cho had taught her.

For three years she had been back living in their hometown and in the three years she only caught a glimpse of Brock once and that’s when he was in the alleyway next to her workplace fucking some girl that was most definitely not Dot. 

Y/n wondered if Jack had seen her whilst he was on his own would he have said anything? She knew it was pretty unlikely as he was a natural born follower meaning he would never speak or do anything if Brock wasn’t there.

And as for Dot this was the first time she had even heard her voice, let alone seen her face to face. She probably wouldn’t say anything either if “Brocky” wasn’t there.

“Bun? Bunny?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you alright?” Bucky asked slowly.

“Huh? When the hell did you get here?” Y/n blinked feeling slightly embarrassed that she was still standing in the middle of the street staring at where Brock had disappeared down.

“I’ve been shouting your name for ages and I even waved my hand in front of your face, Bun did something happen?”

“Oh…no everything’s fine I just blanked out that’s all”

“You’re not lying to me are you?”

“No of course not, here take these they’re heavy” passing him the bags she walks to her apartment leaving Bucky behind without realising.

Her apartment was small but enough for her, her mom had tried to get Y/n to take a bigger one but she fell in love with this apartment, it was cosy and inviting. It was perfect for her.

“Can you put the shopping away, I just need to change me clothes” she called over her shoulder.

“Of course”

Making a beeline straight for the bathroom she shuts the door locking it and goes over to the sink, putting the plug in the drain she fills the basin with hot water as it fills she takes the sponge coating it with the lavender body wash that Bucky brought her she turns off the tap and begins scrubbing her arm where Brock had touched her. Not stop until her arm started to bleed.

“Bun you in the bathroom?”

“I’ll be out in a second”

“Hurry I’m dying for a piss” Drying off her arm and taking the plug out she unlocks the door she steps out, Bucky goes to step forward before his eyes falls to her arm “Bun what happened?”

“N-nothing” trying to move her arm as he tries to grab it “Ducky it’s fine honestly”

“Y/n please, please don’t lie to me”

“I saw Brock Jack and Dot and Brock touched my arm so…” she trails off hoping Bucky understood.

Bucky stiffens up at the mention of his ex girlfriends name and the guy she had cheated on him with. He had only seen her a three times after he broke up with her, the first time was months after the breakup and she had showed up at his apartment that he shared with Steve and Sam begging him to take her back and that she would be better, said that she felt lonely in their relationship so that’s why she cheated, promising him that if he took her back she wouldn’t do it ever again. As Bucky just stood there not knowing what to do or say Sam came up from behind him and slammed the door in Dots face.

The second time was a few weeks later when she then showed up to Bucky’s workplace where he worked with his dad and begged him to give her a second chance, claiming that Brock was physically abusive to her. Bucky nearly caved he wasn’t going to take her back but he felt sorry for the abuse she was subjected to and was going to ring the police for her until Linda - his fathers secretary - walked over to Dot and smudged the bruise on the brunettes face “it’s make up sir” she told him.

The third and last time was when Bucky, Sam and Steve went to the diner not knowing she worked there, she was their waitress. Luckily for him she didn’t try and speak to him other than take his order.

To hear that Brock had put his hands on Y/n made his blood boil.

“What did he say?”

“Called me a freak” Bucky flinched at the word memories of him calling her that the last time he saw her before she went to boarding school hit him “he asked when I got back in to town and was just his self really”

“Bun-“

“Then Jack called me sexy I’m pretty sure I threw up a little bit in my mouth”

“He’s a pig. Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Because it doesn’t matter Duck, I’m okay now”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No not really, I just wish that I never had to see him ever again”

“Same, it would be perfect if all three of them fucked off”

“It would be nice wouldn’t it” she giggled.

“ITS THE POLICE OPEN UP” followed by banging on the door had both Y/n and Bucky jumping away from each other.

“Ducky”

“Stay here okay”

Opening the door Bucky sighed and shook his head, a boisterous laugh filled her small apartment as Sam stepped in followed by Steve and Sarah.

“You idiot you scared us!” Y/n scolded.

“Scared you, not me” Bucky replied buffing his chest out.

“No he scared you too”

“I’m sorry it was just too funny not to do it” Sam laughs.

“Sorry Y/n/n I did tell him not to do it” Sarah sighs shaking her head at her brothers antics.

“It’s alright Sar, but remind me to cancel the order for the cake that was for his birthday-“

“Cake? You ordered me cake? Y/n/n don’t take it away from me please, I’ll be good” Sam whines clutching Y/n’s arm.

“No, you’ve been bad”

“Please I’ll be extra good”

“Maybe”

“I’m taking that as a yes” Sam cheers grinning at them all, everyone just rolls their eyes.

“Right well I’m going to get dressed and Sam remember to be on your best behaviour or you get no cake for your birthday”

“Yes ma’am”

Knocking on the door to Wanda’s and Visions apartment Nat opened the door, knocking Y/n backwards when she jumped on her.

“I’ve missed you so much!” Nat said burying her face into Y/n shoulder.

“I’ve missed you so much too”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you” Nat pouts, it had only been a few months since she had last seen either one of the redheads.

“A few months Natty but okay”

“Hey stop hogging my wife” Wanda’s soft voice is heard from the doorway.

“Hey hubby”

“Hello my beautiful wifey” everyone watches with amused grins as Y/n and Wanda hugged.

“Y/n…who’s the strangers” Nat questioned eyeing up the guys and Sarah.

“Oh yeah. Nat, Wanda this is Bucky, Steve Sarah and Sam, everyone this is my husband and our daughter”

“Yes OUR daughter”

“Wands you wanted a DNA test done and I did it, Nat’s yours”

“I wanted to be grandads daughter” Nat huffed.

“Don’t mind them three, hi I’m Vision but you can call me Vis. Come on in they’ll be arguing for ages”

Following Vis into the apartment it felt homely and inviting, taking in his surroundings Bucky looked around when something caught his eye, a photo frame hanging on the wall.

The frame had two photos the first one was of Y/n, Nat and Wanda standing side by side with their arms around each other, the smile on Y/n’s face was huge and genuine.

And the second one was of the three again but in this one they was wearing their graduation gowns as they stood hand in hand they threw their caps into the air.

“The first one is when Wanda and Nat met her and became friends and the second is obviously their graduation day” A voice said from the side of him. Bucky was so engrossed with the photos he hasn’t realised someone had come up next to him “sorry I didn’t mean to startle you”

“No it’s fine Vis, they all look so happy”

“I truly believe that they are platonic soulmates, they were destined to meet”

Bucky chuckles and nods agreeing with the man’s statement. “Here take a look at this one, this is from Wanda’s birthday a few years ago” handing Bucky a photo frame off the wall there was three photos laid out horizontally.

“…these are mugshots…”

“Yeah they all got arrested for stealing a cow-“

“They stole a cow?”

“Yes” Vis chuckles remembering Wanda throwing stones at his bedroom window and him looking out to see the girl he had a huge crush on and her friends standing outside, waving and smiling whilst standing next to a cow “I should probably tell you that it wasn’t a real cow but a plastic one, they stole it from outside a bar that was called Moo Moo”

“H-how-what-I’m so confused”

“So was I, getting woken up at two in the morning and seeing the three of them standing very proudly next to a huge plastic cow they had just stolen, still to this day I have no idea how they managed to carry it eight blocks to my dorm”

“Jesus Christ” Bucky shakes his head laughing “what did you do?”

“Well I left my dorm to go out to them and when I got there they wasn’t there then I saw the end part of the cow behind a tree and I heard them giggling I went over and the three of them was sitting on it, Nat and Y/n was telling Wanda to drive the cow faster so they wouldn’t get caught then they all screamed when I said Wanda’s name” Vis retold Bucky the events of that night.

“What happened to Y/n’s face? Did the police do it?”

“No no, no what happened was the police had arrived with the owner of the bar and made them get down but Y/n was very drunk and had missed calculated her steps, she fell.”

Bucky burst out laughing. “She’s an idiot”

“All three of them were that night, Nat told the police she didn’t speak English whilst saying it in English. Wanda started running, she ran around the tree a few times before a cop had grabbed a hold of her and Y/n well…she was still on the ground.” Vision laughed along with Bucky “that was the night I knew I was in love with Wanda”

“Really?”

“Yes, I don’t know why but it was that night”

Bucky smiled at the guy before looking back at the mugshots “Y/n never told me she was arrested before…how did Wanda get them? I thought the police kept them”

“Oh. And Wanda’s father is quite scary when he wants to be, he made sure that the police report was destroyed and that the girls were let go. He paid for any damages and the owners “pain and suffering”. Wanda had given Y/n and Nat the same frame and photos, Nat has hers hanging up I’m not sure about Y/n”

“Pain and suffering” Bucky shook his head “I’ve never seen it at her apartment”

Vision shrugged his shoulders “have you seen this photo before?” He asks changing the subject.

“Yeah, she has it hanging up on her wall” the photo was of the girls, Vision, Pietro and another guy.

“That’s Clint, he’s sat over there” Vis turns and points over at Clint who was talking to Steve, Sam and Sarah “we all did a marathon for charity and to say the girls was struggling is an understatement, me and the guys end up having to practically carry them over the finishing line”

Bucky already knows the story behind the photo he laughed just as he did when Y/n had told him when he saw it. “They’re idiots”

“Oh most definitely, and when they’re together they’re even worse”

“Oi Vis go and get the girls” Clint shouts over.

“Are they still arguing?” Receiving a nod from his friend he turns to Bucky “come on you can help me”

Bucky nods handing the photo frame back to Vis watching him place it back on to the hook Bucky follows him outside to the hallway where the girls were still arguing with each other.

“-well you slept with Frank” Wanda says with her hands on her hips.

“I did and it was fanbloodytastic” Y/n says back mirroring Wanda’s stance.

“Mom, dad stop arguing please” Nat said standing in the middle of the two.

“Girls come on you’re not setting a good example for Nat-“ Vis tries before being cut off by Y/n.

“Oh look who it is, the other woman”

“Y/n leave him alone-“

“No Wanda I won’t leave him alone, he’s your mistress. Didn’t think I’d find out? Babysitter you said babysitter my bum”

“Baby please he means nothing to me, I’ll stop seeing him I promise” at Wanda’s words Bucky’s eyes widen as he looks at Vision.

“It’s always like this, honestly” Vis whispered to Bucky “girls come on or your not getting pizza”

“This is the only time I’ll listen to your mistress Wanda.” Y/n takes Nat’s hand and walks into the apartment with Wanda following behind them.

“Is-are they always like that?”

“Pretty much they have several different life’s together, when they start pretending they’re aliens my advice would be for you to run”

As the night draw close they their goodbyes to the two couples the five of them head off home, Bucky took his jumper off and handed it to Y/n who accepted with a shy smile.

“I can’t believe it took so long for you to introduce us to them” Sam says trying and failing to walk in a straight line.

“You’re not even drunk so how are you all over the place Sam? And I know I’m sorry but I’m proud of you for behaving” Y/n says with her arm linked with Bucky’s.

“It’s the pathway, it’s not straight and I was good wasnt I? Do I still get cake?”

“I-what? Yeah you still get cake”

“You know it makes sense snowflake”

“Well this is me, thanks for inviting me tonight Y/n it really meant a lot” Sarah says standing at the bottom of the steps leading up to her house, after having her second son and her ex leaving them for some other woman Sarah had been staying home, raising her kids and never spending any time for herself. Y/n had got Sam to ask their parents if they could take the boys for the night so Sarah could spend some time with the group and obviously they agreed.

“You don’t need to thank me Sarah, come on I’ll walk you to your door like a gentleman” and that’s what she did, she walked Sarah to her front door and stayed to make sure she had locked the door. “Come on then fellas walk me home”

“Your such a kind gentleman Y/n” 

“I know my parents raised me right Stevie”

Sticking his tongue out at her him and Sam walked a little bit in front leaving Bucky and Y/n arm in arm.

“So missy I found out something about you tonight and I’m quite shocked you didn’t tell me”

“What? Whatever they said I did I didn’t do it”

“I saw your mugshot”

“Oh yeah that well you know how tough this life is Ducky it’s hard out on the streets”

“You stole a plastic cow”

“Yep”

“Why?”

“We were making a statement”

“About? Who too?”

“Democracy”

“Democracy? You stole a cow for democracy?”

“Yes well no I don’t really remember why but I know that it was so frigging heavy!”

Bucky had never truly laughed so much in one night and it was all thanks to his Bunny.

“Buck…” Steve says in a hushed warning tone.

Before Bucky could reply his skin crawled.

“It’s the freak and her dogs”

Brock Fucking Rumlow.

“Shut up man and move out of the way” Sam says trying to move around the pair.

Brock looks at Sam eyeing him up and down before looking at Jack, calling Sam a racial slur he asked the man to his left “didn’t just tell me what to do did he?” Jack surprised everyone but Bucky by flinching at the slur.

“Yeah man he did” Jack stuttered.

“Freak come here so I can show you a good time, you know with my cock”

“Fuck off Brock” Bucky growls tightening his hold on Y/n’s arm.

“Mad that I took your first bitch now I’m about to take your second one?” Brock goaded.

“Man you really need to grow up, it’s really sad that you’re still acting like you did in school” Sam says before Bucky could.

“I swear to god da-“

“Finish that word and I will punch you” shocking everyone Y/n practically growled.

“Yeah of course you will freak”

“Do it and let’s find out”

Brock looked at Jack with a grin not like Jack responded as he kept his eyes on the ground.

“Alright freak, d-“

A deafening crunch echos through the quiet streets shortly followed by Brock screaming.

Y/n moved out of Bucky’s arm so quick he didn’t even notice but he definitely noticed Y/n pulling her arm back before punching Brock straight in his face, connecting and breaking his nose.

Brock fell to the ground clutching his nose in his hands, Y/n knelt down leaning one knee on his stomach “let’s not be messing with the freaks friends again, okay. That’s a good little rock”

Standing up she looked at Jack who just gave her a short nod she looked the boys and smiled “let’s go fellas”

“Holy shit Y/n!” Steve chuckled.

“Have I ever told you I love you?” Sam asks stepping over Brock as he still lays on the ground.

“Bun…”

“Come on I want to go home” as they go around the corner and walk away from the two guys who never seemed to have grown up Steve and Sam reenact the scene. Y/n stopped short and shook her hand out “ow ow ow this really hurts I-I think it’s broken, oh my god he’s going to kill me if he sees me again! Why did you lot let me punch him?”

“Bunny calm down pass me your hand”

“Calm down? Calm down Ducky? I’ve broke my frigging smegging hand and I’m going to be killed, murdered! And you’re telling me to calm down!”

“I’m trying so hard not to laugh right now but you’re not going to be killed just come here so I can check your hand” Bucky holds his hand out so he could see hers.

Complying with his order she puts her hand in his flinching when he touched her fingers.

“Mother trucker!” She mutters out through clenched teeth. 

“It’s not broken or fractured, it was a hard punch you did there Bun”

“Ducky my hands practically hanging off”

“No it’s not” rolling his eyes at her dramatics.

“Y/n you didn’t have to do that you know, I’ve heard worse I’m use to it” Sam says earnestly feeling bad she hurt her hand in defending him.

“Well you shouldn’t Sam, so what if your black that doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated any less than a white person and I love you Sammy so I’m-ouchy this frigging stings-not going to stand by and let him call you that word”

“Y/n…I-fuck your my favourite person in this world”

“Did it take me punching Brock for you to realise that?”

“Pretty much” Sam winked still feeling bad about her hand.

“Rude-holy sugar balls Bucky stop touching my very serious wound”

“Y/n you’re twenty one you can swear you know” Steve says stifling his laughter with the different words she comes out with instead of just simply swearing.

“I-I can’t…momma said it’s bad”

“If we promise that we won’t tell your mom that you swore will you just do it? Because sorry Bunny I kind of lied to you” Bucky tells her nodding to Steve and Sam who nod in promise.

“Wha-what do you mean you lied?”

“You’ve dislocated your finger, I need to put it back into place”

“Oh I think I’m going to pass out. Okay-okay I can do this…promise you won’t tell momma I swore?” All three promise “okay let’s do this, Sam do the count down and Steve hold my hand and Ducky you perform the operation”

“You’re so dramatic but okay”

“3…2…1”

“Fuck-shit-dick-cunt-bastard-bitch-why are you laughing?”

“Because I haven’t even done it yet, now I have”

“Holy sugar plum fairy…that didn’t hurt, why didn’t that hurt?”

“Because you’re super strong” he winked.

“Proud of you Y/n and who knew you had such a potty mouth” Steve laughed placing his hands in his pockets.

“I know I shock myself with it too”

“Hey um didn’t any of you notice Jacks reaction to Brock’s slur?” Sam wondered if he was seeing things or if he saw what he saw.

“Yeah, he seemed uncomfortable by it” Steve agreed, Y/n nodded her head in agreement with the blonde.

“Well I actually know why…”

“Bucko you can’t say you know but then trail off man”

“I was trying to build suspense, it’s because he’s dating Angela you know from school?”

“How do you know?”

“Her sister is friends with Rebecca and apparently their parents aren’t happy she’s dating a guy who’s best friend is Brock, doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it is”

“Angela could do so so so much better, did she bang her head or something?” Y/n asked, she remembered Angela from her maths class and stood by her statement. Angela was also the first female black student at the school.

“Probably” Bucky laughed “but yeah so that’s why he didn’t say anything”

“Anyway let’s go home now I’m cold and tired and I’m pretty sure my hands going to fall off.”

Heading to Y/n’s apartment Bucky walked her up whilst the other two stayed outside, just like Y/n did with Sarah he waited outside her door to hear the locks before heading back downstairs.

“You need to tell her man” Sam yawns as the long day started to catch up to him.

“I know…” he sighs falling into step with Steve none of them noticing Brock standing on the corner of the street.

Settling herself on the firm yet pillowy mattress and pulling her thick quilt over her after doing her night time routine she let the warmth of her apartment help her to drift off to sleep.

Her peaceful slumber was disturbed slightly by a noise coming from somewhere inside of her apartment thinking it was a pipe settling like normally she didn’t bother opening her eyes, pulling her quilt further up.

Her entire body tensed up when a hand was placed over her mouth she started so squirm, eyes shooting open and widening at the dark figure standing over her.

“Stop moving you stupid bitch” Brock’s low voice shattered the silence. “Here’s what’s going to happen you’re going to lie here and take my cock just like a dumb good little freak that you are and I might just let you off for putting your hands on me earlier”

Squirming even more panic rises more and more at the prospect of him destroying her in the worst possible way.

Brock pulls back her quilt licking his lips at the sight of her bare legs as she was just in her shorts and a jumper. “I’m going to love taking my time with you, a second bitch I’ve taken from James fucking Barnes. Stop moving your just going to make it worse for yourself”

Climbing into the bed and over her he struggled trying to pull her shorts down with his free hand as he still had his other hand over her mouth.

“Aw I love your cute little panties”

Thrashing more violently now that he had managed to successfully get her shorts down she manages to jolt him slightly, the moment he started to unbuckle his belt she had gained some form of superhuman strength as she managed to knock him off her. Once freed she scrambles off the bed and towards the door.

“You fucking bitch, if you want to play let’s play”

Running out of the door her long hair gets yanked backwards making her fall into Brock, ramming her arm back she hits him in the stomach. “Stop struggling freak”

“Get the fuck off me! Someone help!” She screamed trying to get away from him.

During the struggle somehow they ended on the floor Brock sits heavily on her back reaching out to grab one of her hands he twists it painfully behind her and uses the other hand to pull her head up by her hair to just to start smacking her head off the floor.

Screams echoed throughout her apartment the overbearing pain soaring through her body she doesn’t register her door come flying open or that there was police officers pointing their guns at Brock.

Falling into the darkness she doesn’t register a gun firing.

The beeping off the machine had her raising her hand as she tried weakly to wave it around to try and turn off her alarm. Groaning when it wasn’t working so opened her eyes just to shut them straight away being blinded by the bright light she let out a deep groan.

“Y/n? Baby try not to move. Howard get the doctor”

“M-momma?” She croaked out swallowing thickly as her throat stung.

“It’s okay sweetheart your in the hospital”

“W-why?”

The sound of the door opening had her mother not responding “Hi Miss Stark could you please open your eyes for me?”

“No”

“How come?”

“I’m dead”

Howard chuckles in the background and a hitting sound shortly followed after “Howard” her mother hissed.

“Sorry” he whispers.

Opening her eyes slowly she looked straight for her dad and winked at him knowing she had gotten him in to trouble with Maria. “Hi Doc”

“Hi, I’m just going to run some tests and we’ll go from there”

The tests were done as the doctor told her what he was doing as he moved on to the next test. Her body ached something fierce, and when the doctor moved her arm she finally saw the cast that was on her arm.

“W-what happened to my arm?”

“It’s been broken angel” Howard answered hating to see her limb that way.

“Oh.”

“The police need to speak to you angel okay?”

“Okay”

Everything moved in slow motion after the doctor left happy with the results, two police officers came into the room after giving them her recounts of what happened that night she was shocked to discover that it had been five days since that night.

Her neighbour Ms Peters had been woken up to Y/n’s screams and had rang the police when they arrived they kicked in her door guns drawn as Brock wouldn’t comply with their orders.

Y/n’s heart rate dropped making the monitor go crazy when she heard the officer tell her that they had to shoot Brock.

Only in the shoulder but still.

“I-it’s all my fault” she stammered once the police had left with her statement.

“Angel don’t be silly, you did nothing wrong”

“I punched him dad!”

“Because he was making racial comments about Sam, Y/n you did nothing wrong I promise yo-“

As knock on the door interrupted the rest of his sentence.

“Can we see her now?” Bucky’s voice sounded through the door.

“Yes, they’ve been asking for nearly four hours” Maria tells Y/n chuckling when her daughter rolls her eyes.

“Come on darling we’ll go and get something to eat” pulling Howard out the room leaving Bucky and all her friends standing there.

“You all need to sign my cast” Y/n holds her arm up smiling 

Breathing out of breath of relief Bucky was the first one to go over to her and gently placed his arms around her frame, placing a kiss upon her forehead then rested his against hers.

“Bun I was so scared when your dad rang me, are you alright? Are you in pain? Do you want me to get you some-“

“Ducky I’m fine honestly, I’ve got a cast”

“So I can see, are you sure you don’t want anything?”

“I’m sure, my face hurts kind of hurts”

“It’s because it’s a mess” Wanda says as she rearranges the bouquet of flowers her and Vis had gotten her.

“Am I still pretty enough for you?” Y/n starts fixing her hair and batting her eyelashes.

“Yes-no-maybe”

“Are you going to divorce me now?”

“No my beaut-prett-my wife”

“Even in serious times like this you two can’t even be serious” Clint laughs letting go of Nat to make his way over to Y/n so he could give her a hug. “I’m glad your okay sunshine”

“Thanks Clint”

Making themselves at home in the hospital room a nurse had to come in twice to tell them they needed to be quiet and reminded them that it was a hospital and not a playground.

Visiting hours came to an end one by one her family gave her a hug and kisses to her cheek or forehead.

“Ducky”

“Bunny”

“C-can you stay with me? You don’t hav-“

“Of course Bun”

“I’ll tell the doctors that you’re staying son, I’ll see you both tomorrow” Howard says from the door as he was originally waiting for Bucky to say his goodbyes.

“Thanks sir” shaking his head at the title Bucky had called him he watched as the young man who his daughter was in love with take a seat next to her in the bed, waiting for the day to come when they realised they were in love with one another.

Waiting for the day to come that he’d be calling James Barnes his son in law.

Settling down in the semi comfortable bed with Bucky’s arms around her waist she breathed in the fading smell of his aftershave.

“Bun”

“Duck”

“I-I love you”

“I love you too”

The only sound coming from the room was the quiet beeping of the machines and the sound of their breathing mixed together.

“No Y/n I mean…I mean I’m in love with you, I’ve known since I was fourteen”

“I’m in love with you too James”

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[mrsshabana]

"𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞!"

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟔: 𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧

꒦꒷‧₊ Summary After a long night partying, you make the mistake of walking home by yourself. You are attacked by a stranger with a familiar voice. If only he let you see his face, things would've been different. ꒦꒷‧₊ Content Gyutaro x female!reader, 18+ MDNI, noncon, modern au, knives, violence, yandere, vaginal sex, creampie. May be disturbing for some! ꒦꒷‧₊ Note 1.4k words

✧:･ﾟ→ Kinktober Masterlist

After a long night of partying with your friends, you decided to go home early. Your friends wanted to stay longer but you were a bit too tired to be out any later. 

Having had a few drinks you decided it’d be a good idea to walk home. You were by no means drunk, but you were tipsy enough to not feel comfortable driving home. Besides, you live close enough so what’s the harm? 

Walking down the dark streets at night, you felt a slight unease. But your gut instinct wasn’t quick enough to warn you for what happened next. When a strong hand quickly covered your mouth, dragging you into a dark alleyway. You couldn’t see your assailant, only feeling their body pressed up against you from behind. 

“Try something and I’ll slit your throat,” the assaulter rasps, “Got it?”

You nod, as you feel a blade press against your throat. That voice sounds oddly familiar. It’s so unique that you should remember who it belongs to, but you just can't place your finger on it. 

From what you gather, it definitely sounds and feels like a man. He’s incredibly strong, holding you firmly against his body.

“If you scream, I’ll kill you where you stand,” he growls as he slowly removes his hand from your mouth. 

“P-Please don’t hurt me,” you whimper, “I’ll give you anything you want.” You desperately start digging through your purse, “T-Take it! I have money.”

He scoffs, “I don’t want your money.” He forcefully pulls up your dress and squeezes your ass with his calloused fingers, “I want you.”

Tears begin to flood your vision as you realize what this man wants from you. And it’s probably the most painful thing you could give him, you wish he wanted something as simple as your money. At least that could always be replaced.

“No! No! P-please, anything but that! Please take my phone, my wallet, anything!” You plead desperately. But it gets you nowhere, only causing the man to press his knife further against your throat, just barely cutting the skin. A clear warning. 

“Shut it!” he snaps, “I’ve been waitin’ too long for this opportunity to let it slide. Cooperate and it’ll be less painful.”

Your heart beats faster as your panic rises. Knowing that there isn’t anything that you can do to stop him is making you lose hope. Would it just be easier if you let him have his way with you? At least then it’d be over quicker, and maybe he'd let you walk away mostly unharmed. 

At the very least, you wish that you could see his face so you would be able to give a description to the police. But this man is smart, he may be filled with lust but he’s still mostly thinking with his brain. It’s almost as if he’s been planning this.

“O-ok, m’sorry” you sob and close your eyes. Feeling him shuffle behind you as he takes his dick out of his pants and slaps it against your ass. Your body jolts from a mixture of surprise and disgust at having a complete stranger touch you like this. 

He presses your body against the brick wall, effectively trapping you, and grabs your hips. Pulling them slightly towards him and bending you over. Your cheek is pressed against the cold brick, you try to look back at him but you can’t see enough. All you can make out is a tall figure wearing a black hoodie. 

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” he mumbles as he spits on his hand and strokes his length, “Never in a million years would I get to be with a girl like you.” 

He pulls your panties down and spits in his hand one more time, and coats your pussy with his saliva. It’s crude, but he figures it’ll be better than nothing. 

Grabbing the base of his cock, he aligns himself at your entrance and pushes his hips forward. You wince from the stinging pain of him sliding into you. It doesn’t help that he’s on the larger side either.

“Ow, it hurts,” you whine quietly as your tears flow heavier. 

“I know,” he grunts, “I’m sorry. It’ll be over soon.” His words are almost comforting, as if he has some sympathy for you. But how could that be, when this is all his fault to begin with? If he felt so badly for you, then he wouldn’t be forcing you into this situation. It makes no sense. 

He moves his left hand to hold onto your waist, and his right hand to cover your mouth again. Not trusting that you’ll be able to keep your mouth shut once he starts thrusting. 

And his prediction was correct. As he slowly starts thrusting into you, you immediately gasp and squirm beneath him. The sensation is unpleasant, your body burns with pain at the unwelcome entry. All you can do is whimper and cry as he uses you for his own pleasure. 

“So tight,” he moans as he picks up the pace, “better than I imagined.” 

The sound of skin slapping echoes through the alleyway. Becoming louder and more forceful with every thrust. His pelvis feels abnormally hard as it pounds into your soft flesh, as if his hip bone was slamming into you. That’s what it feels like at least, but you doubt it’s the case. 

“Guys like me never get the girl,” he growls, “It’s unfair that this is what I have to resort to to get laid! When all those other bastards can have a different girl every night!” His voice is filled with venom and his thrusts become more animalistic as rage fuels him. 

“Fuck them!” he snarls, “And fuck you for never noticing me!” 

You whimper and try to look back at him but he keeps his hand tightly clasped around your mouth - pulling your head back. Your back arches painfully and he forces your body to curl backwards. 

“I deserved you,” he says between moans, his thrusts becoming sloppy, “I deserved this!”

With a final harsh thrust, he’s spilling inside of you. Moaning and holding you tightly, digging his nails into your flesh. You feel a sense of relief wash over you as you feel the warmth of his cum filling you up. 

Keeping one hand still on your waist, he uses the other one to shove his dick back into his pants. Then he lets go of you, finally allowing you to turn and face him. And you can’t believe your eyes. 

“Gyutaro?!” 

He looks away from you, too ashamed to meet your gaze. The look in your eyes makes him feel incredibly guilty. His eyes shimmer almost as if he’s about to cry. 

You stare at him in disbelief. It’s been years since you've seen Gyutaro. You remember he would always get picked on in high school for his appearance, and you were one of his only friends. Albeit not very close, but you were nice to him and would offer to be his partner for group projects. And it was enough for him to grow a huge crush on you, growing so much that it became an obsession. 

But after he dropped out of high school, you lost contact. However, he never forgot about you. Stalking your social media and even going as far as to follow you in real life. His obsession grew to the point where he lost control, leading to the events of tonight.

And even though he’s done the unforgivable, you can’t find it in yourself to be mad at him. Even though he was always the outcast, you couldn’t help but have a soft spot for him. 

He feels immense shame weighing down on him, being too much to bear so he quickly shoves his hands in his pockets and turns to leave. 

“W-wait!” You shout. Quickly pulling down your skirt and running after him. When you catch up to him you grab him by the shoulder. 

“Why? Why do that to me?” you try to keep your composure but you can feel your tears starting to flow again. 

He’s silent for a moment, taking a deep breath before speaking, “Because… I’ve always liked you. And I knew you’d never want a guy like me,” his voice wavers and he chokes up, “A-and I’m… I’m so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you…”

“I would have said yes if you just would’ve asked,” you say shyly, ashamed to admit this to him after what he’s done to you, “I always liked you too…”

His eyes widen as he stares at you in disbelief, at a loss for words. He may just have to take you up on that offer.

[lukeywritesstuff]

Reader has a pregnancy scare over the summer at the lake house and dosent tell Jack at first so he gets mad. He doesn’t really want a child rn but ends up accepting that they will have a baby. But it’s just a scare so their are not going to actually be parents

baby? no baby.

jack hughes x reader

warning: angst, yelling, pregnancy scare, mentions of abortion, punching (m on m), vomit, swearing and suggestive sexual content (no actual smut)

note: i’m not from the states so all timing for drives and flights and stuff are made up because i’ve been trying to research how far detroit airport is from bloomington AND NO BLOOMINGTON IS COMING UP ON MAPS. i actually went a bit crazy writing this because of that. ALSO this is the first fic i’ve written in a couple years that isn’t a joke so please bear with me because it’s not perfect at all.

lowercase intended

this past week has been a nightmare, from waking up at 6:30 in the morning to throw up, to dealing with motion sickness on an airplane and dealing with my boyfriends absolute bullshit.

let’s start from the beginning: wednesday july 12th, the day i started feeling ill. it was around 5:30 in the morning the first time i threw up. that day i thought it was a bug so i didn’t think much of it. but it kept happening all week, and this freaked me out because i knew i was leaving for michigan on monday to visit my boyfriend jack and his family.

monday couldn’t have come any slower, knowing i needed to talk to ellen before anyone else, i was hoping for the day to come faster. she’d be the only one i can ask about what’s going on with me as i haven’t seen my own family since august of last year since i moved to jersey for college.

the flight was terrible but short, it didn’t help my nausea at all, specially with the turbulence, jack was late to pick me up because he left his phone at the house when he went boating with his brothers so i had to sit around the airport for a few hours. i’m not even gonna think about uber either cuz i’d rather get crushed by a plane than sit for hours in an uber with a complete stranger.

ok getting off topic here, we’ll we got to the lake house after a very uneventful and quiet drive from the airport. ellen was finishing up dinner and luke, quinn and jim were playing basketball in the driveway, which quickly came to a stop as jack pulled up smashing the horn causing quinn to (jokingly) throw the ball at the car. (it did not break at all.)

i settled in to jacks room and we ate dinner, we talked about the boys hockey and training and my school and what i’m doing after i graduate next year. jokes were cracked and it was fun, i actually forgot about jack being a bit of a dick for a good hour and a half. after i stayed in the kitchen with ellen to help clean up, jack and luke ran to the x-box in the other room probably to play fortnite.

‘el, this past week i’ve been feeling quite nauseous this past week and i was wondering if i should worry about it. knowing you’ve been pregnant a few times, i felt it was best to ask you for advice on the situation.’ i said to my boyfriends mother.

‘well if it goes on for a few more days i’d consider going to a doctor, but for now you can go to the pharmacy just down the street and try a rest or 2 if you wanna have an idea quicker.’ she said and i nodded.

‘wait you’re pregnant?’ i hear from by the counter. quinn. he heard.

‘i’m not sure. i was just about to go to the pharmacy to get a test’ i told him.

‘i’ll drive i want some gato and fuckass jack frank the last one.’ he said and i nodded.

we went to the pharmacy and got 2 tests (and a shit ton of blue gato for quinn) and we went back to the house. i went to the bathroom in ellen’s room to take them since she wants to be there for me and honestly i’m glad i did. she’s been so supportive even if it might just be a scare.

the tests came out positive. i broke down in tears and went out to ellen.

‘positive, i’m pregnant. and i’m only 21’ i said.

‘oh sweetie. it’s all gonna be okay. you’re gonna be a great mom and jacks gonna be a great dad.’ ellen said embracing me.

‘so she’s pregnant?’ quinn asked from the door. i just nod my head at him.

suddenly i hear from the hallway ‘who’s pregnant?’ and ‘is it mom? i think i’m a bit too old to be an older brother’ and then a little ‘ow’ after.

then quinn had to open his big ass mouth and say ‘no. it’s y/n. she’s pregnant.’

‘what?!’ jack yelled. ‘and you fucker knew before me? you fucking asshole!’ i heard before i see jack coke into the room angrily to punch his older brother in the face.

‘jack get off!’ i yelled pulling him.

‘i cant believe you told quinn before me! have him father your fucking kid. i don’t want it. i don’t want kids at all. specially right now. i’m at my prime right now! i don’t need a fucking baby ruining it all for me! get out of my house that’s not my kid! and if it is fucking abort it!’ he yelled while crying making me cry even more.

right after luke dragged him to his room and i can hear yelling between them as quinn and ellen comforted me in the master bedroom. todays been a lot for me so i eventually pass out in my boyfriend(?)’s parents room with his mother stroking my hair.

on wednesday, exactly a week after i started having my nausea i decided to visit a doctor to get the baby and i checked out. i haven’t talked to jack since he yelled at me so i go with ellen.

‘okay so it seems like you’re not actually pregnant and the test you took was wrong.‘ the doctor said to me.

honestly i have no idea if i’m relieved or sad. i was honestly quite happy to potentially be having a baby, even if jack was being a huge JACKass about it.

we got home and i saw jack sitting on the porch with a bouquet of flowers.

‘baby, i’ve thought everything over these past few days, and i’m actually excited to have a baby! with you! i apologize for everything i said, but it just hurt knowing quinn found out before me, because i am the dad. but now i am excited for this baby and this new chapter of our lives!’ he said smiling at the end.

‘jack, it was a scare. there’s no pregnancy. i’ve just been having a stomach bug the doctor told me. the tests were wrong too. i’m sorry.’ i said frowning.

‘oh. well i guess that means we just go upstairs and start actually making a baby, because i kinda want one now!’ jack said before pulling me in the house.

once we got up to the bedroom i hear ellen ushering everyone out, probably to spare themselves from having to hear whatever we’re getting up to upstairs.

[cryoculus]

— dream a little (dream of me) ⟢

you're a modern-day succubus just trying to get by, and your superior, mister zhongli is next on your hit-list. but every time you invade his dreams, he becomes someone else entirely…

★ FEATURING; zhongli x succubus!reader

★ WORD COUNT; 23.3k words

★ TAGS; modern au, office au, superior-subordinate relationship, angst, like SO MUCH angst, zhongli dreams abt his past life as rex lapis, smut

★ WARNINGS; graphic sexual content (minors dni), some depictions of violence (it was the archon war so), reader gets drunk at some point in the story and a co-worker exhibits unwanted interest, near-death experiences, mentions of pregnancy

★ NOTES; this was the longest thing i've ever written in one sitting TT wrote it for 3 days straight, and i'm honestly still proud of it even a year later! take note that this was loosely based off a manhwa i read in passing called sweet dream, so if the plot is a liiittle familiar to you, that's probably why!

★ HEADER ART CR; donaldakron on twt

★ SMUT TAGS; sex dreams, vaginal fingering, unprotected sex, clothed sex, i-thought-i-was-gonna-lose-you-forever sex, riding, the perfect balance of sweet and dirty talk, creampie

“Miss? Are you alright?”

You blink out the spots in your eyes when you hear Ganyu call out to you in a worried tone. She’s standing awkwardly by the side of your cubicle when you finally snap out of it, and you receive the documents in her hands with a rushed apology.

“Sorry, I’ve been feeling under the weather lately,” you reason, signing whatever she needs to have signed before handing it back. “This is nothing, though. Anything else you need?”

She hesitates for a moment, as if gauging whether or not she should pry, before speaking her mind. “Um, if you’re having trouble falling asleep, I could recommend a shop that sells qingxin petal tea. It’s based in Feiyun Slope, and I always order my stress relieving herbs from there.”

Despite the weight settling across your eyelids, you manage to flash Ganyu a gentle smile, tearing a blank Post-It off the pad on your desk before giving it to her. “Could you write down the name of the store? I’ll make sure to check it out before I head home for the night.”

Ganyu visibly perks up. “O-Of course!”

When she slides the piece of paper back onto your desk, the secretary exchanges farewells with a curt nod – saying she has to pass over the files for Mister Zhongli’s perusal before anything else. If Ganyu notices the way your staged grin falters, she doesn’t say anything. But once you’re alone, you can only slink back into your chair with a contemplative look on your face. 

You aren’t going to check out the store that Ganyu recommended like you initially promised. After all, your kind has never responded much to any sort of human medicine. Whatever’s bothering you is only going to be resolved if you stop being stubborn and fed on time – something you only care to do once a month at most. 

Even after living your life as a succubus for almost twenty-four years, the idea of having to draw out your life force from… that still made you sick to your stomach. It’s bad enough that your strange constitution wouldn’t let you settle down and have normal relationships, but having to constantly find a source of nutrition is a pain in and of itself. 

Your body has quite the standard for the men you’re supposed to suck some sexual energy out of, too. When you indiscriminately pick some rando you saw on the street, you might not effectively absorb the energy you harvested if you aren’t invested enough.

Case in point: unless you try to sleep with someone you remotely care about in their dreams, you’re going to keep craving for a proper fix.

Last month, you had to terrorize the poor barista who’s been serving you coffee at that new café across the street. You thought he wouldn’t think much of it, since you had the inkling the guy was hitting on you every time you ordered. But lo and behold, mister charming, suave barista is actually quite timid when it goes down to it. Your sessions usually took an hour at most to complete and you wouldn’t have to harvest energy again for at least another month. But that guy? You could barely ask him to strip without having to deal with him stumbling out of his dream-bed out of sheer embarrassment. Took you three hours in that dreamscape just to get the bare minimum out of him. And that just goes to show that the people you meet aren’t always what they seem to be – yourself included.

As entertaining as that session turned out though, you couldn’t really make substantial progress with mister barista, which eventually led to your premature hunger pangs. You started feeling a bit off-kilter last week, but you made the mistake of listing it off as nothing but a seasonal flu or something. Once your co-workers caught wind of how exhausted you are at work, you knew it was that time of the month again.

You can always just make up for the minimal energy gain of harvesting from a complete stranger by invading multiple strangers’ dreams, but you still have some shred of dignity. Well, you could just settle with the men in your department, but those slobs are the last ones you’d ever consider sleeping with. But then again, your team is working on a big, end-of-year project that you can’t afford to slack off on, so you need to find this month’s match before your body shuts down completely – even if that means seducing your awful desk neighbor in his sleep.

“Hard at work again, I see.”

You startle at the sound of a deep-seated voice coming from behind you, whisking your chair around to see your boss showing you a kind smile. It isn’t unusual for Zhongli to do some rounds in the office, but –

“Ganyu was looking for you, sir,” you blurt out, trying not to focus on how his neatly pressed tie compliments his eyes. “She had me sign some documents for the project you asked me to oversee, and it seems like she was on her way to your office.”

He hums. “I see. I just made a quick trip to the pantry, but I’ve yet to figure out how one operates the machine they installed in the break room. That’s why I just asked my assistant to purchase a drink from the coffee shop down the street… Are you alright? You’re looking quite pale.”

“Yeah, I’ve never been better,” you lie, trying to force out those memories of too-timid-for-his-own-good barista out of your head. “I’ll make sure to follow up on my assigned report at the end of the week, sir.” 

Once again, your senses jolt to life when you feel a large, comforting palm settle on your aching shoulders, giving you a few pats. The sincerity in Zhongli’s eyes doesn’t fade, and you’re seriously wondering how he has it to be so encouraging all the time.

“Everyone deserves to rest when their bodies require it,” he says. “Don’t hesitate to file for sick leave if you’re unable to perform at your fullest because of health reasons. I didn’t overhaul the employee benefits clause in your contracts for nothing.”

Your face heats up at the thought of your boss being this considerate of your well-being. You’ve been working at Wangsheng Corporation for almost two years now, but employees have never been treated the way Zhongli treats them. It’s a miracle that he got transferred here last month – with his gentle voice and mindfulness of others. When he walked through the doors of your department that day, the last thing you expected was a compassionate superior, given that all those assholes in the corporate ladder only cared about money and none else. He was easily a breath of fresh air in the smog of Liyue Harbor, and you’re not about to complain.

“I best be on my way,” he tells you with a hint of remorse. “I’ll be attending a board meeting in thirty minutes. Once it’s been adjourned, you can come to me if you need anything.”

Come to him if you need anything…  

For some reason, his words ring inside your head longer than they have to. But before you can even get your bearings straight, your mind is suddenly plagued with images of your boss in a more sensual setting. 

You picture a Zhongli who’s free from the stifling confines of his suit – regardless of how dashing he looks in it, you always wondered what he would look like dressed down. You imagine him lying on his bed, golden eyes half-lidded as he beckons you closer; how his hot breath would make your skin tingle as he whispers all the lewd things he wishes to do with you – 

“Of course, sir,” you tell him in real life, mustering up a smile that’s enough to hide your own embarrassment. “Thank you for taking the time to stop by.”

Zhongli raises a hand to wave at you before sauntering off to his office, leaving you alone with lecherous thoughts and a growling stomach. But the moment the door clicks shut behind him, you come to a guilty conclusion.

Guess I already found this month’s target. 

The hardest part, you think, is falling asleep before feeding.

You’re still at odds with everything you had to do just to survive, so of course you’ll feel a bit queasy when you lay on your bed in preparation. Whether it’s that one cute barista or your attractive boss, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re nervous beyond belief. Navigating a person’s dreamscape is just as tricky as it sounds, and if you aren’t careful, the slightest mishap can lead to unwanted casualties. Worst case scenario: you might get trapped in the dream until the person you’re feeding off of wakes up. 

But you can trust your worrisome nature to keep that from happening. The only instance you’d ever get trapped in someone else’s dream is if you lose touch with your own existence within it. That’s why you tend to limit the degree of pleasure you feel in the dreamscape during your feedings. Orgasms are one of the many things that make people, succubi included, lose their grip on reality, so you make sure not to experience such a thing, no matter how tempting it could be at times. And while there are no explicit rules stating that your kind isn’t allowed to indulge in the desires of the flesh – let’s face it, you’re basically a sex demon – you’ve always been too afraid to lose yourself in something that isn’t even real.

You heave a deep sigh as you pull the covers up to your chest. It feels a bit humid lately, so you opted to wear a loose nightgown – one flimsy enough to hopefully tempt Zhongli in his dreams. In spite of the impeccable decorum he exhibits at work, surely he’s still just a man under all those layers of courteousness, right? Humans tend to be more unhinged during your feeding sessions (sans mister timid barista). If the Zhongli that regularly checks up on you at work would exercise more self-restraint, maybe he won’t be as gentlemanly once you hijack his dreams.

The plan is set in stone. Fall asleep, make your way into Zhongli’s head, have sex with him, and make a run for it. You’ve outlined the same plan of action during your previous feedings, so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Still, a small part of you still feels the bite of guilt for intruding on your boss’ peaceful night like this. In what little time he’s spent at Wangsheng Corporation, you can already call him the best superior you’ve ever had, and choosing him as your sacrificial lamb makes it seem as if you have no sense of indebtedness to him. But at the end of the day, you’re just a baser creature with needs to tend to or else you can’t move forward as a fully functioning member of society. 

Surprisingly, you doze off much quicker than usual. This must be from the fatigue you accumulated over the past week. Well, that’s what you get for not feeding the moment you started to feel something was off. Either way, you’re en-route to your boss’ subconscious and you’re going to feel much better right after the trip.

The in-between that connects your dream to Zhongli’s looks just like everyone else’s – a dark, narrow corridor that opens up to a light at the end. You traverse the familiar path with bare feet, not so much in a rush despite how hungry you are. Whether it’s your hesitation to use your boss like this holding you back or something else entirely, you’re not very sure. But once you finally step into the light, you close your eyes and hold your breath.

When you come to, you find yourself inside a wide cavern – making your face scrunch up in confusion once your mind processes your surroundings. You expected to appear in a bedroom in his apartment, maybe. But as you glance around the barely illuminated cave, you realize that your timing is incredibly off since Zhongli must have been having a weird dream. It’s happened once before when the person you were supposed to feed on dreamt of living inside the latest superhero movie he saw. Maybe Zhongli watched a strange documentary before heading to bed. That totally sounds like something he’d do.

You decide to have a closer look, noticing that the only sources of light inside are the stone torches perched on the sides of the cavern. Your curiosity gets the better of you when you attempt to approach the flames. But that plan is immediately thwarted once you accidentally step on something solid underfoot. It breaks underneath your weight – the sound echoing deeper into the cave. 

You can’t feel any sort of breeze inside, which cements your assumption that the corridor leads to a dead end. Something tells you that you’ll cross paths with another soul if you press forward, but your instincts, however flimsy they might be inside a dream, insist that you go back. To just forget about trying to feed today and just try again tomorrow. Maybe Zhongli wouldn’t be dreaming about weird tunnels by then. None of this is real, but the dread that’s slowly festering in the pit of your stomach is too apparent to ignore.

But it’s as if your body isn’t your own at the moment. Instead of heeding your own sense of danger, your feet carry you further into the darkness – making your imaginary heart pound with both anticipation and fear in equal measure. 

Your hunch is proven right when you spot a lone figure at the end of the cavern – observing you from afar where he’s seated rather comfortably. He has one elbow perched on the armrest of his seat, the side of his face resting atop a closed fist. You’re unable to recognize who he is at first, but once you’ve crossed the threshold of the man’s vicinity, you feel a pang of surprise surge through your veins.

“Mister Zhongli...?” 

No matter how closely you looked, he's the spitting image of your boss. However, it dawns on you half a second later that he is not the kind-hearted man you've been working with for the past month. This one sits atop a throne of jagged rock, golden antlers sprouting beneath his hood as eyes of a deeper shade glower on with disdain. 

“I do not remember giving you permission to speak,” he says, voice reminding you of untamed tremors deep within the earth – resonating with every word. “You best know your place before I'm forced to remind you of it.”

Back in your bedroom, you awake with a start.

Your heart threatens to bust out of your own rib cage with how hard it pounds against it – as if it’s barely catching up to what you just witnessed and heard. You’ve never once pulled yourself out of a dream so quickly, but there’s just something about that version of Zhongli that sets off every code-red alarm inside your head. That isn’t someone you’re going to easily seduce with a see-through nightgown and a bat of your eyelashes. In fact, that man (was he even human?!) looked like he could kill you if he wanted. 

“What the fuck?” you mutter, throwing the covers off yourself as you watch your hands tremble in your lap. “Who the hell was that…?”

You don’t have the slightest clue why you’re so shaken up. You’ve seen weirder dreamscapes in the past, but for some reason, when you stepped inside Zhongli’s, everything looked so life-like. As if you were actually transported to a real location in this world. If you actively tried to recall the details, you could’ve sworn you felt the gravel on your feet and caught the archaic scent of stone in the air. But what could a strange-looking Zhongli be doing inside such a place? You knew better than to assume there was a rhyme and reason behind a person’s dreams, but –

The sound of your ringtone going off nearly scares the living daylights out of you before you cast a frantic stare at the nightstand. There, your phone vibrates in time with the obnoxious noise, and you force yourself to get a grip. It’s over. You managed to escape whatever harrowing fate you could have ended up with had you stayed in Zhongli’s dream for even a second longer. There’s no use mulling over it now, is there?

Without checking who was insane enough to call you at this hour, you speak. “H-Hello?” 

“Hello. I do have the right number, yes?”

It takes you a moment for your mind to register the voice at the end of the line – that smooth baritone that you’ll never get tired of hearing. Of course Zhongli’s going to ring you up out of nowhere after that. 

If it were any other day, you would have swooned at the notion of your superior calling you so late, but this seems a bit too coincidental for comfort. The recurring joke that Zhongli can be a little bit of an airhead has been going around your department for a few weeks now, but sometimes you forget that he can still be as sharp as a whip. Could he have sensed something amiss from the dream you gave him? How did he even get your number?

“Sir,” you greet him as evenly as you can. “Is there something wrong?”

Zhongli is silent for a moment, as if deliberating the words. “Hmm… Nothing in particular. My apologies for disturbing you beyond work hours, but I feel like I had something to tell you but regrettably forgot.”

You swallow the lump in your throat, shifting on top of your bed as you swing your legs over the edge. “Well, if it’s about the report you assigned, I won’t be able to give you the numbers until the end of the week, sir.”

“You’re mistaken. My inquiry isn’t about work,” he tells you, chuckling in a way that makes you blush for some reason. “It’s something a bit personal…yet I can’t seem to put my finger on it.”

“...Is it important enough that you couldn’t wait until tomorrow to discuss it?”

Alright, maybe you spoke a little out of line there. He’s your superior, yes, but your mind is still a bit frazzled from your earlier encounter in the dream. Zhongli certainly sounds like someone that just woke up, and while you like to entertain the idea that you’re the first person he thought about the moment his eyes opened, it’s not enough to dispel your unease. 

“Forgive me. Calling you at this hour does seem out of turn –” It is out of turn. “– but I had quite the odd dream. I can’t remember what exactly took place anymore, but I do remember you being in it.”

Calm down. He doesn’t remember the details – not that he had a lot to remember anyways. You could have sworn you only lasted two minutes in his head before scampering back to your own body because that’s how terrified you were. What’s even there to recall about it?

“I see,” you play along. “Maybe you were dreaming about work like usual. You do seem a bit more dedicated to your job than most.”

Zhongli breathes out another laugh that makes your insides tingle. Why does he sound infinitely sexier fresh out of slumber? “You really think that?” 

“Wouldn’t dream of anyone who does your job better than you do, sir.”

You wonder, at the last minute, if you said the right thing. But Zhongli lets out a satisfied hum from the other line, coupled with the sound of fabric rustling in the background. You try not to picture what he must look like right now – disheveled hair, unkempt sheets, drowsy eyes – but the image makes its way to your head regardless. The Zhongli you’re speaking to is already so different from the man you met in his dreams, and you can’t even see him right now. 

“I suppose I’ve taken up enough of your precious time,” he murmurs, sounding more and more apologetic by the minute. “Thank you for answering my call, regardless of what little value our conversation tonight harbored. I’ll see you tomorrow at the office, hopefully when I’m in a better state of mind.”

Better state of mind, he says. So Zhongli was affected by that dream, too…

But that’s something you can definitely think about later.

“Anytime, sir,” you reply. “Good night.”

“You’re looking worse and worse each day, you know that?”

This time, the person who bothers you at your cubicle is none other than your superior, Director Hu Tao. Though, even if she holds the highest position in the Wangsheng chain-of-command, she’s a bit too free-spirited to call a proper boss. 

She watches you slave away behind your laptop with folded arms, not looking the least bit amused. Though she wasn’t really meant to know, the director is one of the few people – more like, the only person – who’s aware of what you are and what you do to survive. It’s probably because Hu Tao comes from a family with deeper connections to all things supernatural, and thankfully, she’s more understanding of your predicament than you’d otherwise expect. 

In fact, she was kind enough to let you keep your job so long as you don’t let your…special needs affect your work. But for all of Hu Tao’s usual antics in the office, you know there’s no escaping her when she gets serious about something.

Especially when she’s nagging you about feeding intervals.

“When’s the last time, hm?” she asks, poking your cheek. “Aiya, you’ve lost the flab on your face. Come on, how am I supposed to pinch them now?” 

“About a month ago,” you grumble as you revise an important email for the fifth time today. “Director, shouldn’t you be in your office? I heard from Ganyu that you’ve been passing your work onto Mister Zhongli.”

“Pah, the consultant can deal with all the trifling matters in my stead.” Hu Tao shrugs. “Besides, he’s the one who started advocating for better employee conditions in this dump, right? I’m just making sure my subordinates are healthy and happy in the workplace~”

Speaking of Zhongli, it’s been a while since you saw him around. The last time you heard his voice was the night he called you out of nowhere – the same night you hijacked his dreams. Now, it’s already the end of the week and you’re yet to meet with Zhongli despite the deadline he gave you days prior. 

“I can hook you up with a bunch of guys I know,” Hu Tao suggests, unceremoniously swinging herself on top of your desk. “All you have to do is get inside their heads and do the magic, right? Hmm… If that’s the case, why don’t you just pick a random celebrity or something?”

“It doesn’t work that way, director,” you sigh. “If it were that easy, I wouldn’t be having this problem every month.” 

“Ehh, you’re so choosy.” She pouts. “If sharing a dream with strangers doesn’t work, why don’t you just come after them in real life? Nothing beats the real thing, right?”

You’re mildly aware of how loudly Hu Tao started to mouth off about your…predicament, but fortunately it was the middle of lunch break, and none of your desk neighbors were present to overhear. Pushing your chair from beneath the desk, you breathe in deep as you consider the director’s words. 

In hindsight, she was right. You know a bunch of succubi and incubi who copulate with humans nearly everyday – more because they’re weird sex addicts than them trying to last themselves to the next day. But you were drawing blanks as to how you’re going to explain to Hu Tao that the creatures she might have heard about have sex to enjoy it; you have sex to survive. The act itself still makes you squirm, so even if you have attempted to harvest energy in real life, you’d rather steer clear of resorting to that if you could still do the same thing in an unsuspecting man’s dreams.

But now, you aren’t even able to squeeze the tiniest ounce of sexual energy from your usual method. Hence, the problem.

“I’ll think about it,” you half-promise, stretching your limbs with a quiet sigh. “Oh, and if you see Mister Zhongli anywhere, could you tell him I’m done with my report? I was going to ask when he’d like to see it, but I haven’t seen him around lately.”

“Hm? Oh, right. I asked that guy to secure a deal with a Snezhnayan diplomat who’s visiting Liyue over the season,” Hu Tao tells you before hopping back to the floor. “Well, hope you get some sustenance soon, little devil. Wouldn’t want to find you all shrivelled up from sex deprivation one day.”

“Director, please…”

“Hahaha! Just teasing~”

Hu Tao hums a lively tune once she scampers away, and you’re left staring at the blinking cursor on your screen. The email you were drafting is supposed to be sent to the PR officer of the company you’re trying to scout with your report-slash-proposal attached as an extra file. But you can’t send it in without Zhongli’s green light. What’s worse is that it’s starting to get busy in the office at this time. The end of the year is the most hectic, and you’re not sure if you’re ever going to get used to the hustle and bustle that comes with it. It would make sense why Zhongli is suddenly hard to catch.

And your feeding shortage just had to coincide with all of this.

You pull out a hand mirror from your bag, inspecting the way your face looks. Eyebags and chapped lips can easily be concealed with makeup but it’s more difficult to mask the way you’re abnormally losing weight. Even Hu Tao was able to notice it right away. If only eating human food actually contributed to your body mass…

“Tonight for sure,” you mutter – knowing damn well that your words are only worth half a promise.

In all honesty, you don’t put much thought into the exact time of your feedings. You just lay in bed, get into the minds of your targets, and hope both of you fell asleep at the same time. It’s no different on your second attempt at harvesting energy from Zhongli.

You don’t call him, don’t text him. You don’t even bother trying to get some inside information about his sleeping habits from Ganyu. So when you attempt to just wing it one more time, you’re a little surprised to find yourself transported into the dreamscape – a wave of relief washing over you when you realize you’re not inside a cave anymore. 

You’re seated at the side of a river surrounded by ruins as far as the eye can see. The sound of flowing water fills your ears, a sound you almost find calming. Someone calls a name that doesn't belong to you, but your body responds to it either way when you turn your head around curiously. 

Zhongli stands in front of you, carrying a basket of sunsettias. He doesn’t look as intimidating as the first time you saw him in his dreams, but he’s donned with the same hooded robe, and the same gold-tipped antlers. The cruelty imbued in his gaze in that cavern has long gone – replaced with quiet sincerity that’s reminiscent of the one he exudes in the office. You feel your shoulders relax at the sight of him, but… 

Something doesn’t feel right.

He folds his legs at your side, and when he speaks, you hear nothing but a garbled, faraway noise. But despite not understanding a single word he says, you let out the occasional laugh, sometimes nodding along to Zhongli’s words before biting into one of the fruits he foraged. The wind whistles through the reeds in the overrun marsh, and all you can do is admire your companion’s autumn vesper eyes as you partake in a conversation only he understands. 

But when you suddenly inch closer to him – caressing his face with a hand that isn’t your own – that’s when you finally realize what was amiss.

“Rex,” the woman whose body you hijacked murmurs fondly, the sleeves of her dress billowing in the breeze. “You should give yourself more credit. The faith of the people has always been well-founded.”

Zhongli gazes at you (at her) with wide eyes before the look melts into a fit of chuckles. His lips move in response to what the woman said and, still, you don’t catch any of it. But when your eyes drift to where his strong arms peeked from the holes of his robe, you’re surprised to see his hands shining like molten amber in the waning light. Golden veins can be seen jutting across his forearms, eventually connecting to the odd patterns depicted on his bicep. The longer you stare, the more you question why your boss made himself look so godly in his dreams. As humble as he is, he does look highly of himself after all.

Turns out, you’re not the only one who was ogling Zhongli in the most inopportune moment. It seems like the woman you’re possessing(?) also treated herself to some eye candy the same time you did, and now you can feel your face heat up with embarrassment when he catches you staring. 

You expect him to laugh it off like usual. Your boss gets thrown compliments everyday since he started working at Wangsheng – compliments that never seem to do him enough justice. But he takes them all in stride before resuming the conversation like nothing happened. This Zhongli does none of that.

One of his strange, golden hands seizes your wrist tightly – your bashfulness suddenly morphing into confusion. Zhongli’s mouth twitches into something akin to a smile as he presses forward, forcing you to lean back to introduce as much space between you as possible. You can feel his breath fan against your face – cor lapis eyes glowing with desire – and you’re too stunned to retaliate. His other hand forces itself against the ground next to your hip, caging you in the heat of his embrace. Zhongli speaks again, and you’re starting to feel annoyed with the fact that you can’t make sense of what he’s even saying. But you can’t exactly relish in the feeling much because your body is reaching a fever pitch that’s making your head spin.

This is what you came here to do, isn’t it? Sure, you’re not really the person he’s seeing right now, but anything to get the deed done, right? All you had to do was suck out the sexual energy emanating from the god of a man that’s about to ravish you out in the open. Easy as pie.

His mouth latches onto yours in a way that’s almost familiar – which tells you that this isn’t the first time that Zhongli and this woman met each other so intimately. You respond in kind, letting your borrowed body take the reins as you feel him nudging apart the lapels of your dress, exposing supple breasts to the humid air. A full shudder runs across your skin when he growls against your lips, one arm curling around your waist before Zhongli possessively pulls you to his chest. 

Mine. 

You don’t hear his voice, but you feel the intent resonate all the way to your core as he practically tears off your clothes. Zhongli rests you atop the grass with little care for possible on-lookers, rolling his hips against yours as he decorates your neck with lovebites. Your fingers rake through his long, dark tresses – imprinting the image in your head for years to come. Your boss Zhongli always ties his hair with a jewel-encrusted band, so this version is definitely one for the books. 

I should’ve done this sooner, you think to yourself – whimpering when you feel the ridge of his cock straining against your middle. Much sooner… 

The rest of the details are lost in the muddled haze of your thoughts. You don’t remember if Zhongli even prepared you for what’s to come – all you know is the feel of his length prodding your slickened entrance. His grip on your body never falters even as the tip of his cock glides teasingly across your slit. You desperately move your hips closer, begging for the friction he’s holding over your head like a prize. But then, you meet his deep, amber gaze and for a moment, his eyes seem to soften in the midst of his lustful display.

When he kisses you again, your heart – this woman’s heart – comes alive. You can feel how much love she harbors, how she aches for him despite the fact that Zhongli’s hands roam around her body with the intent to leave no inch of skin untouched. 

I love you. That’s the only thought that echoes in your mind when he finally takes you – here, by the riverbank where you were the only two people in the world. These emotions aren’t your own, but you feel a surge so intense that you gasp aloud when Zhongli presses himself into you deep enough to make your vision blur. It all feels so real that you don’t even notice it when you naturally absorb the energy you’re meant to take in the first place. 

You’re not sure how it’s supposed to work in this situation, given that the body you’re using isn’t even yours. But you practically feel how Zhongli’s libido indirectly rejuvenates your spirits. Despite the fact that you’re being pounded in the middle of nowhere, you feel more refreshed – mind clearer as opposed to the jumbled mess it’s been over the past week. You never actually realize how your hunger can drive you into so much lethargy until you’re finally given the clarity of your sated instincts. 

“I don’t care for the humans like you do.”

You startle when you finally hear Zhongli’s familiar voice – hoarse with need, but still the same one you’ve come to admire. His forehead rests against yours as he thrusts his hips relentlessly, with a desperation you can almost see on his face. The woman lets out a sigh before she caresses his face with a gentle hand, thumb gently sweeping across the cut of his cheekbone. 

“You will,” she murmurs. “You’re their god, Rex. Their archon. You might not have any love for them now, but in time, you’ll understand.”

Her reply seems to irritate him. You watch as those golden eyes flash yellow with rage, but Zhongli is quick to manage the split-second shift in his emotions. Instead of lashing out, he buries his face into your neck, murmuring so softly, you almost didn’t catch the words.

“You’re the only one I’ll truly care for,” he says, fingers raking through your hair as he stills – filling you with the white hot rush of his release.

“I hope you know that will never change, Guizhong.”

There are two things that you end up mulling over when you finally get back to your own body. The first is the fact that Zhongli has way too hyperactive an imagination. About ninety-five percent of your feedings take place in your targets’ bedrooms, so having sex in the middle of a field is quite the new experience for you. The second is how your boss might actually have a girlfriend and you just…gleaned your monthly sustenance from him. Just like that. 

Your latter realization took you the fuck out. The moment you woke up, you marched into your kitchen, popped open whatever cans of beer you had inside the refrigerator, and decided to contemplate your actions for a long time. You typically don’t think about whether or not the person you’re feeding on has a significant other because…you’re not exactly committing adultery if it only takes place in their dreams, right? It isn’t supposed to be a big deal unless they try to make a move on you in real life. But thinking about how you unknowingly trespassed on an ultra hidden fantasy that Zhongli must’ve been having about his girlfriend introduces a spectrum of emotions that you’re too tired to sort out. Embarrassment, regret, shame. Those are just some of the things you’re feeling right now, and hopefully a six-pack is going to be enough to drown your not-so sorrows.

…On the bright side, at least you don’t feel like shit anymore. As you finish your third can of beer tonight, you make the effort to take a look at yourself in the mirror. The color in your cheeks has returned, as well as the so-called flab that Hu Tao misses so much. Those dark circles beneath your eyes have gone too, and admittedly, you haven’t seen your skin glow so much since your last successful feeding two months prior. 

But even if this is a cause for celebration – because finally, you won’t have to deal with those nasty hunger pangs again for at least another month – you can’t find it in you to be pleased with your results. 

You’re still a bit…conflicted with what you saw in Zhongli’s dream. You assumed it was just some weird fictional fantasy of his, but you’ve been inside the dreams of other men often enough to know that your boss’ dreamscape is a lot different from the rest. You’re yet to put a finger on the rhyme and reason behind your logic, but the experience filled you with the kind of curiosity that’ll get you in trouble one of these days.

“No more prying into your boss’ private life,” you say, pointing at your reflection in the mirror with a frown. “You are not a homewrecker. Got that?”

Now that you’ve recovered from being “under the weather”, all that’s left is to get your work quota over with before the year ends. You’re practically brimming with ideas now that you’re finally in the right headspace to brainstorm about the project that Zhongli entrusted you with. As you pop open your fourth beer alongside your laptop, you’re quite horrified to see the mess of a proposal that you worked on during the onslaught of your physiological suffering. Dear gods, you’re never going to deprive yourself like that again. It’s a good thing you waited for Zhongli’s approval first or else, you might’ve made a fool out of yourself to your clients.

When you finally finish proofreading and making all the appropriate edits, you hop into the shower for a nice, hot bath. And when you crawl underneath the covers, the smooth glide of your sheets feels like heaven against your skin. But regardless of how comfortable you are in your own bed; how relaxed you feel for the first time in weeks, you can’t bring yourself to fall asleep as easily as you’d like. 

Every time you close your eyes, all you can see is a man with molten gold irises and branches sprouting from his rich brown hair. You can even remember the smidge of red decorating the fine line of his lashes if you recalled the dream vividly enough. But the moment you start thinking about how he spread you apart and had his way with you –

I’m fucked, you realize as you wrench your eyes open – staring at the ceiling as if it’ll show you even an ounce of sympathy. I am so fucked.

Little did you know that ‘fucked’ is the understatement of the century.

“Ganyu, can I ask you something?”

The next day, you coincidentally find yourself sharing a table with Zhongli’s secretary during your lunch break. Ganyu looks up from the salad she’s been happily feasting on and flashes you a questioning look. “Of course. How can I help, miss?”

You pause for a while – deliberating whether it’s even worth looking into at the last minute – but you’ve already bothered Ganyu so… 

“Do you know a woman named Guizhong?”

You’re purposely avoiding her gaze when you bring up the question, casually sticking your fork into the food you ordered at the office cafeteria. But when you notice how Ganyu fell silent for too long, you flick your gaze back to her in the most casual way you can manage. To your surprise, she’s staring at you like you just insulted your family.

“H-How did you hear of that name?”

Brows raised, you offer a nonchalant shrug. “Hmm… I was looking through some old company records and found that name listed in the contacts. I just thought you might know who she is.”

You’re not even sure Ganyu is even going to take the bait for that white lie. There is absolutely no one who knows Wangsheng’s documents better than she does. This woman used to work under the Liyue Qixing, so it’s only natural for her to be meticulous in every aspect of her duties. But instead of laying suspicion on you like you expected her to do, Ganyu seemingly heaves a relieved sigh. 

“Well, yes. Miss Guizhong was one of the company’s contacts, but…” She bites her lip, fingers drumming nervously on her thigh. “Please refrain from mentioning that name to Mister Zhongli. As for the reason, it’s…quite complicated. I hope you understand why I can’t disclose any further, miss.”

…So Guizhong is a real person. A real person that Zhongli cares about deeply. But from the way Ganyu responded to your question, things might’ve gone awry between them at some point. 

Why do you feel…relieved all of a sudden? 

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” you promise – this time, you mean it. “I was just a bit curious.”

The secretary nods. “Mister Zhongli should be coming back today as scheduled. I’ve already gone over your proposal like you asked, and I don’t see any flaws in your plans, miss. I’m certain he’ll approve of it.”

Way to shift the topic of conversation. You might’ve applauded her for how smoothly she made that transition, but Ganyu just indirectly reminded you to keep your head in place. There’s still work to do, and you shouldn’t spend what little time you have fretting about your boss’ not-girlfriend. 

“Copy that,” you tell her, finishing the rest of your food with a newfound resolve.

When Zhongli finally arrives back at the office, you make sure to act like you usually do – timid yet just a touch daring when needed. You presented your proposal to Zhongli and the board of directors, since your boss insisted that they’re entitled to study its contents last minute. The idea of having an on-the-spot address makes you queasier than the moments leading up to your monthly feeding. But the entire time, the expectant stares of your other superiors didn’t faze you as much. All you can really focus on, aside from the important points you’ve outlined, are the vibrant gold of Zhongli’s eyes – peering from the nearest seat in the front in silent observation.

He looks so composed, like a slab of unmovable stone. You find it quite difficult to believe that your boss and the man who shows up in his dreams – the one with unruly hair and golden ichor horns – are the same person.

Once you’re finished speaking, the board begins to ask questions one by one – clarifying some things they wanted you to expound on. Thankfully, you’ve gone over your report multiple times before coming into the office this morning. Whatever inquiry they could throw at you, you justified with answers based on the sufficient data you’ve gathered over the past two weeks. You have to admit that being on the receiving end of their impressed stares is doing things to your ego, but what’s important is that your proposal has been pretty much approved. Nothing beats a sense of accomplishment, after all.

Zhongli is kind enough to escort you back to your cubicle, but you insist on dropping by the pantry first for a much-needed coffee break. You tell him that it’s alright if he doesn’t stick around if he has other matters to attend to, but it seems that your boss is going to take his time giving you his brunt of the praise.

“You did well. Far exceeded my expectations, even.” He smiles so radiantly that you can almost feel your chest twist with an unfamiliar feeling. “My apologies for suddenly disappearing all of a sudden. I was planning to help you work out the necessary details for this, but something else came up at the last minute. Though I know this all sounds like me making up petty reasons for my absence.”

You shake your head, taking a sip on your cup of instant coffee. “Not at all! Director Hu told me about your dealings with a Snezhnayan diplomat, so I figured that I needed to step up one way or another.”

Zhongli’s expression morphs into something unreadable before he reaches for one of the paper cups stashed away – filling it with cold water from the dispenser. “Is that what she’s told you all?” he sighs, taking a long gulp of his drink before setting the cup down on the table. “That child… I’m aware she has her way of running things in this company, but she needn’t lie about my whereabouts.”

…Lie? Wait, what exactly did Hu Tao –

“Since I forced you to spearhead such an important project alone, I might as well let you in on the truth,” he laughs softly, lips pressed into a small smile. “Would that make for sufficient compensation?”

You swallow the lump in your throat, avoiding the intensity of his gaze. “Um, you don’t have to if it’s a touchy subject, sir. I respect that we all have lives outside of work.”

“I insist,” Zhongli says, leaning against the wall without breaking eye contact. “It’s also a…means for me to ‘let out some steam’, as the director might’ve put it. But I won’t divulge anything you don’t wish to hear, of course.”

You take a moment to mull over his words. Is he saying that he wants to open up to you or something? Well…

“I don’t mind,” you reply, feeling the skin of your fingertips buzz underneath the heat of your cup. Anticipation –  that’s what you’re feeling. “You can tell me anything, sir. And I swear upon my end-of-year bonus that I won’t share it to a single soul.”

Your boss flashes you another smile, shaking his head in amusement. “I’m grateful for your promise of confidentiality. You truly are a worthwhile companion.”

“...As for the real reason behind my absence, no I did not meet with a non-existent envoy from Snezhnaya. I made a three-day trip to Guili Plains.” Zhongli speaks each word carefully, as if not wanting you to miss a beat. “You and the rest of the department aren’t familiar with such a tradition that I make sure to uphold every year, since I was just newly transferred. Ganyu, however, has known me long enough to know that I pay the cemetery there a visit during this season if time permits it.”

The break room is quiet, save for the ever-present hum of the water dispenser. You don’t know why, but there’s a sinking feeling in your gut that tells you you’re not going to like what he’s going to say next.

“When I was still pursuing my Bachelor’s, I had this…friend,” he continues, eyes trailing up to the ceiling as if reminiscing about a better time in his life. “A friend that I held closer to my heart than anyone else. We were supposed to build a company that could change the world together – a pipe dream that youths often pour their souls into when they think they can do anything and everything they desire.

“But one day, that friend fell ill all of a sudden. We both thought it was just a mild sickness, nothing so severe that we should fret about it.” He sighs, and you can see how his mild-mannered demeanor makes way for the sorrow that roots itself on his face. You’ve never seen Zhongli look so…downcast before. It makes you want to reach out and pull him into an embrace, but you know better than to overstep your boundaries. “I’m sure you know where this leads. Turns out, the disease wasn’t just an ordinary coughing fit. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and died of it faster than I could even complete my final semester in college.” 

“I-I’m sorry,” you blurt out all of a sudden – the shock on your face surfacing too suddenly for you to hide. “Oh, gods. You didn’t have to tell me this if it pains you to remember sir –”

“None of that,” Zhongli interjects, waving a hand in dismissal. “I chose to tell you this tale, didn’t I? Insisted, even. So you don’t need to worry about my grief, as this is something that I’ve long come to terms with.” 

Holy shit. Now you feel twice as terrible for feeling relieved that things between him and Guizhong have gone south. It’s all because she was dead. Great, now the fates are probably going to turn you into a lizard in your next life just to call it quits or something. But you don’t really have much room for those self-deprecating thoughts after everything Zhongli just told you.

“Guili Plains is quite far from here,” you comment, choosing your words carefully. “Did she live there? 

Zhongli hums. “Yes and no. The two of us lived together here in Liyue Harbor while we completed our studies, but she grew up in Guili. They’re no longer growing there today, but she used to tell me about how much she loved the glaze lilies that bloomed outside of her childhood home.”

…A ‘friend’ he used to live with. A ‘friend’ he held closer to his heart than anyone else. If there are awards for being the worst at masking hidden details, Zhongli is definitely raking everything in. Though you suppose now’s not the time to be nitpicking about your boss’ lack of subtlety. 

“How long has it been?” you ask. “If…you don’t mind me asking.”

“I think we’re both past the point of minding,” he chuckles, despite everything, and you can hardly believe it. “But…it’s been six years since she passed.”

Six years, and he still dreams of her.

You nod slowly before finishing the rest of your coffee – now cold with how long you took to drink it. 

“Thank you for sharing all this to me, sir. I–I…don’t know what to say,” you admit. 

“Nor do I expect you to say anything at all,” he tells you. “Just having an ear to listen to my…troubles is worth more than all the mora in this company combined. It’s quite rare for me to find anyone willing to hear me out.”

You wonder if it’s because of Zhongli’s picture perfect image that no one would stop to think that he experiences the same things everyone does. He grieves. He loves. He even lays himself vulnerable like this. Hell, you wouldn’t even dare to imagine Zhongli being anything but the unflawed superior everyone knows and adores if he never spoke about this at all. 

But he did. He trusted you enough to share a part of himself that he doesn’t just let anyone else know about. Whether it was just to repay your so-called stellar performance or something else, you’re grateful for his faith in you either way.

All of a sudden, you stride closer to Zhongli – the sound of you bumping against the side of the table at your urgency surprising him a bit. Before you can slip-up any further, you hold out your hand as you cast him a determined stare. 

“I’ll be looking forward to working on this project with you.”

Zhongli is at a loss for words for a while, those deep amber eyes alternating between your face and your outstretched hand. You wonder if he thinks you’re doing some sort of alien gesture. But in the end, your worries are dispelled the moment he shakes it gingerly.

“I feel the exact same way,” Zhongli says – in a much brighter tone now that the storm has passed. 

You just hope it will be a while before the clouds roll overhead once more.

The days pass by before you know it.

Along with the end of the year comes the beginning of your newest project. Zhongli was kind enough to lay all the groundwork in your stead, and all you had to do was secure some due partnerships with other companies residing in Yujing Terrace. With just a bit more convincing, you might even get the Liyue Qixing to become one of the official sponsors for the event, especially with someone like Ganyu by your side. Rumor has it that she’s one of Lady Ningguang’s favorite secretaries, until Zhongli whisked her away. You just prayed that she won’t take your boss’ past history of secretary-nabbing personally. 

Your reputation has slowly picked up in your department as well. For the past two years, you were always careful about the connections you made because even if Hu Tao is privy to your unique constitution, you’ll be forced to switch locations if someone catches wind that you’re a succubus. You’re certain that the director could pull a few strings if something like that ever happened, but you never really liked relying on others too much – more so making them share your burdens.

At least, that’s how things were before Zhongli entrusted you with such an important task.

“There’s a drinking party somewhere at Chihu Rock – one of the newbies is treating,” Zhang, the desk neighbor you used to hate so much, informs you as he stuffs his laptop into his backpack. “The girls from accounting asked me to invite you, if you’re wondering.”

You cast him a surprised stare while you tidy up your own workspace, sparing a quiet laugh once you get ahold of yourself. “You guys aren’t bullying the new employees into footing the bill, are you?”

“Hey, if this is how they want to get in their seniors’ good graces, who am I to say no?” He shrugs, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “So, you coming or not?”

Now that you think about it, you don’t particularly have anything else to get done for this week. All the necessary preparations for the first leg of the event are in place, and your team members assured that they’ll give you a ring once something comes up. 

“Sure thing,” you tell Zhang with a smile. “There better be finger food.”

Company drinking parties aren’t as bad as you thought. They’re not mixers in disguise, like all the manga you’ve illegally downloaded off Inazuman websites suggested. You got to know your close colleagues, and some other people in departments that rarely come into contact with yours. The alcohol isn’t half bad either, especially when the lively newcomer Zhang told you about is going to make good on his promise. You’re not so stuck-up that you’ll deny free food and drinks once they’re offered.

To your dismay, you still aren’t used to drinking with a lot of people as company. Normally, you just grab a few packs of beer from the supermarket before consuming them in your lonesome at home. You realize a little too late that if you’re drinking out, you really shouldn’t be chugging glass after glass as if you’re the only person enjoying the liquor out here. 

After a few more pints, some of your co-workers have started to tap out – making you pout at them, red-faced and more pissy than usual. “What? You guys are going? And here I thought these drinking parties lasted until morning.”

Zhang shakes his head at your side, clinking his glass with yours before downing his drink. “Right? These guys have been hanging out with us for months, but they act like they can’t handle drinking on a work night.”

“Hmph, we all know why you’re insistent on staying behind tonight, Zhang,” one of the girls from accounting – Chen? Was that her name? – says, rolling her eyes as she hoists her handbag over her shoulder. “Just…take care of her, alright? Zhongli’s going to kick your ass if something happens.”

You’re still feeling a bit woozy from the beer, so you can only crane your head in confusion. What did she mean by take care of you? You can take care of yourself, thank you very –

“I will, I will,” Zhang chuckles, and suddenly, you feel a heavy arm drape itself across your shoulders – making you wrinkle your nose. “I never expected her to drink so much, but it’s a good thing that I’m here.” 

“I doubt that,” Chen scoffs. “Oh, well. See you guys tomorrow!”

Once the others make their leave, that’s when you start mumbling under your breath “Ugh. The first time I actually come along to these kinds of things and the people who invited me don’t even last until the end,” you complain, pressing your face against the wooden table in front of you. “Where’s the kid that said he was going to pay for everything? It’s just the two of us left…”

Zhang rubs your back in a way that isn’t really soothing the way your skin burns from the alcohol, but you’re a bit too intoxicated to tell him off. “Aww, don’t worry. Some of my pals helped the poor guy home, but he asked the bar to put everything on his tab before he passed out. So if you still want to have a go, I’m down.” 

You can feel something buzzing in your bag, but it’s probably just a text notification from your phone carrier. You’ve been receiving a lot of those lately. Maybe you should pay your bill soon. But your thoughts about phone bills are rudely interrupted by the feel of Zhang snaking an arm around your waist – pulling you upright as he steadies your shoulder with his free hand.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep here,” he says. “You’re going to feel like shit once you wake up from a drunk nap, you know.”

“Don’t care…” you mumble, eyelids drooping as you lose your grip on the handle of your glass. “‘M so sleepy. Can you get me a cab back home, Zhang…? Don’t think I can commute anymore.”

Zhang doesn’t respond right away, and you nearly doze off in that short bout of silence. But eventually, your desk neighbor helps you back to your feet and walks you out of the bar – exchanging farewells with the bartender on your way out.

The late evening breeze feels chilly against your legs, even through your stockings – yet that isn’t quite enough to make you snap out of your drowsiness. You end up leaning against Zhang for support as you wait for him to call a cab, all the while you screw your eyes shut – trying to stop your head from spinning. 

“You know… There’s a hotel nearby that we can just crash in for the night.”

You’re too far between consciousness and slumber to fully process what he just said. All you can do is press the side of your face against his shoulder as you attempt not to fall asleep on the spot. But, apparently, Zhang takes your lack of a response for confirmation – wrapping his arm around your shoulder as he leads you to the direction of the hotel. You don’t really think of it much, since the desire to sleep is the only thing weighing on your mind right now. You’re just glad someone’s patient enough to guide you as you stumble around the sidewalk. 

Suddenly, though, Zhang’s strides come to a halt. 

Your mind vaguely registers the sound of him speaking to someone else. Huh. You could’ve sworn the others have already left. But their conversation lasts a bit longer than you anticipated, and you force yourself to listen in. 

“...Thank you for watching out for her all this time. I’ll take it from here.”

This voice…? Is that –

“U-Uh, sure, sir,” you can hear Zhang sputter beside you before you feel him shift your weight onto something – no, someone else. “I don’t really know where she lives so –”

You don’t really hear the rest of what Zhang has to say because you’re distracted by the person who just joined the fray. His clothes feel thick underneath your touch, like tailored fabric made from the most exquisite material, and they carry a familiar scent that reminds you of incense – one with a unique spice, just a touch archaic. You might’ve been too drunk to tell at the time, but if you had more strength than you did, you would’ve pushed Zhang away because his touch alone already didn’t feel right. With this person, though? You’d gladly lay in his arms for days. 

The last memory you have that night is the sensation of being gently ushered into the passenger seat of an unfamiliar car. A soothing voice speaks to you constantly, as if trying to keep you awake. But the gentle lull of his words do little to aid that particular cause, and when he slides into the driver’s seat next to you, you’re already out like a light.

“Is anything the matter?”

You blink in non-plus, feeling like you’ve just woken up from a dream despite the fact that you’re sitting in a vast field of flowers. Wait a moment. 

Glancing at your side, you see the Zhongli’s humanoid counterpart – those draconian eyes of his scanning your face to see if something was wrong. In his hands is a bundle of pale blue flowers, clutched tightly between his clawed fingers, and you feel your shoulders sag. The idea that you unknowingly stepped into his dreams again as Guizhong incites a rush of guilt that you have all the reason to feel right now.

You don’t even remember planning on feeding tonight. Sure, it’s been a while since the first time you collected energy from your boss, but you’re not particularly in need of a refill right now. How did you even end up here in the first place?

Thankfully, Guizhong does all the talking while you accustom yourself to your unplanned invasion. “I just never thought you’d humor my request. You were never that fond of the glaze lilies.”

“This is where I met you all those years ago,” he reminds you. “Why would I ever loathe the thing that brought us together, my love?”

Silence envelops the two of you for a sliver of a moment, and you catch the scent of the ephemeral flowers even in the filtered reality of Zhongli’s dream. Guizhong lets out a peal of gentle laughter as she picks one of the lilies that grew in abundance – examining the unassuming bloom rather fondly.

“These flowers take the memories of the land and transform them into an unforgettable fragrance,” she murmurs. “When the war is over, do you think they’ll still carry the scent of our union, Rex?”

…War? There’s a war?

But in the end, you never get to hear Zhongli’s answer nor the proper explanation behind what Guizhong just said. When you open your eyes, it’s to an unfamiliar room that makes you bolt upright – eyes frantically darting around the vicinity while you try to recall what happened before you fell asleep.

Drinking party. Zhang being all touchy feely. Being taken care of by someone else.

You try not to think about the awful taste that lingers in your mouth as you try to figure out whose house you’re currently crashing. This obviously isn’t yours because you can’t afford the imported rug that’s tucked underneath the queen-sized bed. However, when your gaze lands on the dark-wood nightstand, you see a couple of glaze lilies sitting in an expensive-looking vase.

The next thing your barely sober mind takes note of is the presence of another person on the bed right next to you. Anticipation coils in your gut as you turn around slowly, and when you see Zhongli sleeping soundly a respectable distance away, you can’t help the way your heart throbs at the sight. He looks a bit more like the man in his dreams like this – dark hair pooled messily across his pillows. And you also notice that he’s still in the dress shirt he often wears to work, further suggesting that he might’ve fallen asleep while watching over you. The idea is enough to make your face flush with shame.

You spot your bag placed on top of a table at the other side of the room, so you quietly slip out of his bed before retrieving your phone inside. How did Zhongli even know where you were? Was he aware that you were out drinking with your colleagues? A single glance at your lock screen is all the answer you need because there, you bear witness to several unanswered calls and text messages from your boss himself. 

From where you stood, you cast the man in question a longing stare. He was kind enough to take care of you when you obviously couldn’t do that for yourself – even going as far as to let you sleep on the same bed as him. Zhongli is quite the busy man. Busy enough that he always turns down any and all invitations for drinks, yet he showed up outside the bar earlier tonight and just…took you back home with him? You don’t see any signs that he might’ve tried to take advantage of your inebriated state either – not that you believed that Zhongli is capable of such a thing. He was a proper gentleman through and through.

But…good intentions aside, you’re still at a loss for answers when you recall the dream you shared with him just now. This is the first time you found yourself inside a dreamscape without meaning to, and you’re unsure of whether or not this is a cause for alarm. What’s more is that his dreams always seem to take place in a world that’s wholly unfamiliar to you – a place where you take the form of his past lover without any real reason behind it.

Not wanting to overstay your welcome, you quickly type in a text message to Zhongli – thanking him for everything he’s done, along with an apology that you’ll probably repeat once you see him again in the office. Although you’re more conscious of his aberrant dreams than you imposing on his kindness. 

You tell yourself to just leave whatever you saw, whatever you heard there in his mind. There’s no reason for you to keep nosing in. You already got your fill, right? And you never feed on the same person twice – never.  

You just hope you can live by that personal rule of yours for as long as you can.

News flash: you cave to your pesky, curious tendencies not two days since the incident.

Zhongli makes it terribly easy for you, too. Every night, by eleven P.M., your boss is already sound asleep – providing you with ample time to travel in-between dreams before reaching the one that perpetually occurs inside his head. 

The more you make these timely visits, the more you learn about the life that Zhongli – no, Rex Lapis – lives in this world. He’s someone that mortals call the God of Contracts. Someone who shows no mercy to anyone who dares break any sort of agreement that they willingly set in stone. He and Guizhong live in an era where the gods fight for the title of archon – a concept that you’re still having some trouble wrapping your head around. But in the most fundamental sense, Rex is someone equally respected and feared, and you can’t blame others for feeling that way.

When he speaks to people that aren’t Guizhong, he dons a stone-cold visage that still makes your blood run cold despite how many times you’ve seen it. It wasn’t a bluff when he said he didn’t care for the humans he and his lover watched over. All he wanted was to give Guizhong a place to live comfortably – and if that meant felling other gods just to attain that goal, he’ll gladly bloody his hands for it. 

But Guizhong, the God of Dust, was never that fond of Rex’s violent ways of doing things. 

She reminds him that humans are just as small and fragile as dust. They do not know when they’re bound to lose their lives to disaster or strife, and so they live in fear. Because they live in fear, they try so hard to be much more than the small, fragile creatures that the gods have reduced them to. Guizhong is a god who’s more human than divine, and you suppose that’s something that Rex is yet to fully understand.

These are only some of the things you learned during your visits, and you can’t help but tune into every scenario that unfolds. Like a television series you can’t quite get enough of. However, you’re careful not to let the curious tale of Zhongli’s dreams hinder you in your waking life. 

Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to remember any of the things that take place in his dreams. Whenever you run into him at work, Zhongli simply greets you with that trademark smile of his before discussing business as usual. No telltale signs of any sort of disturbance rooted from his slumber. 

At the office, you notice that you’ve become closer beyond measure as well – both as colleagues and, you daresay, friends. Along with the team you’re heading for the project, your boss is one of your constant support systems during such a hectic time in your career. 

Not only does he serve as something similar to your advisor, but he also keeps you company whenever you need to unwind.

During one of your late dinners, you share a glass of wine in his company as he shares some embarrassing work stories over the years. Zhongli is about three years your senior, so it makes sense for him to have more tales to tell. Nonetheless, you enjoy every minute of it, and in the back of your mind, you wonder when he’ll take you out like this again.

But when Zhongli drives you back to your apartment that night, he abruptly grabs hold of your wrist as you open the door to the passenger seat. You shoot him a startled look, but your boss’ alluring gaze doesn’t waver. You want to ask him what’s the matter, but before you can even get a single word out, he’s already pulling you close enough for a kiss.

You can’t process what was happening fast enough – simply sitting there in shock as you feel your superior’s mouth move against yours. When Zhongli doesn’t get so much as a reaction from you though, he pulls away with a troubled look on his face. 

“I apologize. Really, I do,” Zhongli says. “Perhaps I’ve had too much –”

This time, your senses finally kickstart into motion as you throw your arms around his neck before pulling him in again. You return his kiss in earnest, even going as far as licking the swell of his bottom lip to show you that you’re more eager for his affections than he initially assumed. And when you feel his strong arms circle around your waist in the same, possessive way he held you in the first dream, you all but moan into his mouth.

You’re not sure how things led up to this point, exactly. It’s true that you and him have grown more familiar with each other since the project’s launch, but you never would’ve imagined doing this with Zhongli in real life. You thought you were content with having sampled the more sensual side of him in your dreams, but as it turns out, Hu Tao was right.

Nothing beats the real thing.

“What does this mean?” you whisper in-between gasps, laughing a bit as Zhongli chases after your lips. He lets out a disgruntled noise when you pull away, and you feel the urgency in his touch when his hand rests against your cheek.

“It means I fancy you very much,” he tells you bluntly. “Though I admit, this might be too sudden. I understand if you don’t feel the same way, or if you don’t wish to do these kinds of things with me. I just hope my admission doesn’t change our dynamic at work.”

…Is he being for real? Did Zhongli just assume that you didn’t feel the same way? 

“Everything happens all in due time,” you tell him with a smile, brushing away some of his bangs as you take the time to admire the man before you. “And who said I wasn’t at all interested, sir?”

Zhongli sighs, dipping his head closer to press a fleeting kiss on your forehead. The sensation sets your heart alight with glee, and you can’t help but lean closer to his touch.

“When it’s just the two of us, I’d prefer it if you called me by my first name,” he tells you as he presses another kiss to your cheek. “Would that be alright?”

“Of course,” you breathe – placing your hand over the one he’s using to cup your face. “I’d love that.”

At that moment, you don’t think about how it’s been tough for you to find yourself a boyfriend over the last few years. How starting a relationship like this with Zhongli is going to give you more problems than you bargained for. All that matters is the comforting warmth of his touch as the two of you bask in each other’s company in the privacy of his car. 

Nothing more, nothing less.

Times where you attempt to contact people like yourself are few and far in between. You want little to do in the lifestyles of other succubi and incubi, but it’s a different case with Xingqiu.

You met him by chance in the most awkward way possible. One time, you decided that a college boy who once interned at Wangsheng was going to be your target of the month. But on the night you tried to harvest energy from him, someone else was already occupying the dream – doing the things you were supposed to do before you could even arrive.

Long story short, you ended up doing a little snooping around with your targets first before going in for the kill. You wouldn’t want to run into Xingqiu in the middle of a feeding again, after all.

“It’s been a while,” he comments as you slide into the seat across from him. Xingqiu closes the book he was reading and props an elbow on the table, resting his head against the curve of his palm. “I’m guessing this is really important if you came to me for help.”

“It is,” you sigh.

Your companion nods along and smiles. “Okay, I’ll hear you out. Make sure to order something first because I can tell this one’s going to take us a while.”

Wanmin Restaurant, the place he chose for your quick meeting, serves the best Black-Back Perch Stew you’ve ever tasted in your life. This makes it a whole lot easier to settle down and explain your situation to Xingqiu to the most minute details. He quietly eats his own food as you tell him about the dreams you experience inside Zhongli’s head. How it always takes place in the same setting. How the sequence of events seem to have a linear pattern to them – which is quite rare to encounter in a human’s dreams. You’ve never once felt any sense of order whenever you hopped into the minds of your targets, but it’s as if you’re witnessing something straight out of a film reel when it comes to your boss-turned-lover.

You suspect that Xingqiu has been an incubus long before you’ve even been born. In spite of his appearance, you can tell he holds more wisdom about your kind than one would expect. So it doesn’t come as a surprise when he quietly hums at the end of your story – an answer already prepared in advance.

“Memories,” he says simply. “You’re not just witnessing that man’s dreams – you’re watching his memories.” 

You frown. “But…that place is something that’s straight out of a fantasy novel. Gods and monsters? A world plunged into a war? How could Zhongli have memories of that?”

Xingqiu spares you a soft laugh. “How do creatures like us still exist in a world catered for humans and humans alone? There are many things that can’t be explained by pure logic. But I have a hunch that the owner of the memories you see is both your boyfriend and isn’t at the same time.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“Do you believe in past lives?” he asks. “Reincarnation, exactly. Do you believe that all of us have already lived once before?”

“Are you saying that the stuff I’m seeing in his dreams are memories of a past life?” you clarify, face twisting with confusion. “Xingqiu, isn’t that a bit…”

“Crazy? It is,” he chuckles. “But like I said, this world leaves a lot of things unexplained. Some details are meant to sound crazy so you wouldn’t think they’re actually possible.”

You toy with what’s left of your dish, the appetite you’ve built up suddenly dissipating at the idea that Xingqiu just proposed to you. So even in a past life, Zhongli adored Guizhong to the point that he’d tear both heaven and earth asunder all in her name. You wonder if the Zhongli in this world, the one you’re currently dating, loved Guizhong to the same degree as well. He probably did, and you probably wouldn’t compare to someone like her.

“Is it possible for past lives to have some…parallels to the ones we live now?” Your voice is quiet, almost as if you fear for the answer.

The incubus considers the question for a moment. “Well, yes. The saying ‘history repeats itself’ isn’t exactly true because history doesn’t repeat itself – sometimes, it just rhymes. Things that occurred in the past can occur again in the present, but they won’t always entail the same meaning.” 

You receive his words with a solemn nod, feeling your chest twist uncomfortably. Somehow, you don’t really like the sound of that.

“Thank you,” you tell Xingqiu when the two of you are done splitting the bill. “You seriously shed some light on a lot of things that were confusing me.”

“Don’t mention it,” he insists, tucking his book underneath his shoulder. For a moment, you think that this is where you part ways, but Xingqiu suddenly pauses – eyes narrowing as he leans closer to you. “When was the last time you fed?”

You’re taken aback by his sudden inquiry, but you manage an answer all the same. “Um, a while.”

“Well, what are you waiting for? You have a boyfriend that’s more than willing to help you, right?” He posits the question like he expected the answer to be yes, but when you shyly avert your gaze, Xingqiu’s smile falls almost immediately. “Oh, no. He doesn’t know what you are, does he?”

“It’s kind of hard to just go off on a tangent and say, ‘hey I’m actually a demon that receives my life force from dream sex’,” you point out, but know he’s right either way. “I…I do plan on telling him. Just not anytime soon. We’re kind of busy with a huge project at work, and I can’t really drop something like that out of nowhere.”

Xingqiu sighs, pinching his nose between his fingers. “But you’ve been spending a lot of time in his dreams anyways. Am I right? You seem to know an awful lot about his past life now that I think about it.”

…Of course Xingqiu’s going to be the one who catches you red-handed.

It’s really no secret that you still frequent Zhongli’s dreams, not to feed but to learn more about the life Rex lived alongside Guizhong. Since you started going out with your boss, the details became more descriptive with each visit. It’s as if you’re starting to assimilate yourself better in Guizhong’s body, and you could glean more insight about that strange, strange world with more certainty. Last night, she and Rex talked about how they plan on transferring the Guili Assembly to the harbor city, where they’ll be far from the evil gods that wish to kill them all.

“Well, whatever your circumstances are, you know what happens when you don’t feed,” Xingqiu reminds you almost grimly, not leaving any trace of his once cheerful façade. “Don’t downplay the effects of hunger. We’re already an endangered species as is.”

As you head home that day, you end up thinking about his warning more than you should. Everything Xingqiu said is in the right – you knew as much. You’ve had to suffer through the aftereffects only recently yourself, but...

You can take it. Just a bit more.

The next day, Zhongli comes over to your apartment to prepare dinner for you. He’s been excited all week to serve you his signature bamboo shoot soup, but Xingqiu’s words haunt you for the entirety of the day. You try your best not to make your distress obvious to your boyfriend, but you’re gravely mistaken if you thought Zhongli wasn’t going to catch on.

“Is anything on your mind?” he asks softly, pressing his lips to your neck. You’re seated comfortably in his lap as the two of you lounge on the sofa. But even if this has become one of your favorite places to relax with him, you just can’t bring yourself to do so now.

“Just…work,” you sigh as you rest your head across his chest. 

The beat of his heart is steady like usual, reminding you that Zhongli is real and breathing right beside you. That he’s not just a product of your dreams, like your mind always leads you to believe.

“Somehow I don’t believe that.” You can almost hear him pout. “Was dinner not to your liking, perhaps?”

“No, it’s not that,” you insist. “I’m just…really tired is all.”

That’s not exactly a lie. You’re starting to feel the effects of your own self-deprivation with each passing day. And even if you already learned your lesson last time, your conscience can’t take the idea of feeding on another person when you have a boyfriend. To further add to your list of problems, even if you wanted to harness energy from Zhongli, the setting of his dreams is too convoluted for you to pick up the right momentum. 

Rex Lapis was working hard to defend the land that he and Guizhong dedicated their lives to protect. Even if you appeared as the woman he loved more than anything else in his dreams, you doubt you’ll be able to seduce him during such a crucial period in the war. 

So now, you’re stuck in a stalemate between your own stubbornness and physiological needs. You’re not even going to be surprised anymore if your body just suddenly gives out on you one of these days.

“Can I propose something that could take your mind off such trifling affairs?”

The room falls silent once he utters the words, and you feel the blood rush to your cheeks. Was he suggesting what you think he’s suggesting? 

As far as intimacy goes, you haven’t really gone all the way with Zhongli. Apart from the occasional makeout sessions in the break room, in his office, and sometimes even his car, you never really sought for anything more than that. You’re well aware that Guizhong’s death is still fresh in his heart, and if he ever considered the possibility of sex, you’d want him to come to you in his own time. 

This is quite the opportune moment for it, too. You’re barely keeping up appearances now that your stockpile of sexual energy started to dwindle. But now that Zhongli was coming onto you, you suppose it won’t hurt to kill two birds with one stone. 

There’s something different in the air as he carries you to your bedroom – lips never straying too far from yours. Zhongli’s eyes are heavily lidded with want, a look you have a tough time imagining on him given the man’s saintlike patience. But as he carefully peels off your clothes, you can’t help but think how different he is from Rex. Where the God of Contracts is ferocious and impatient, Zhongli seems like he’s going to take all the time in the world to drown you in his love. 

“That tickles,” you mewl as his fingers trail across your inner thigh and you feel him smirk against the skin of your throat. 

“I know,” he says. “I quite enjoy seeing you squirm underneath my touch.”

“You’re mean…”

You can barely contain the gasp that resounds from your lips when you feel him tracing your slick entrance with the prod of his fingers. Zhongli murmurs the sweetest things against your lips, yet the things he’s doing between your thighs are anything but innocent. He keeps your knees apart, spreading you open for only him to see, and as he gazes at you from above, you clumsily tug off the tie that’s holding his beautiful hair in place.

Dark brown tresses cascade across the sides of his head. You stare up at the gorgeous man above you with a longing sigh.

When his long, thick digits sink into you, you silence your moans in the curve of his shoulder – teeth biting down at his flesh as Zhongli loosens you up. You feel his thumb occasionally catching on your clit, as if meaning to tease a momentary sensation of pleasure before denying you a few moments later. He’s cruel like that. Nonetheless, he watches you with quiet fascination as you practically grind yourself against his hand – feeling just how wet his fingers have gotten in the short time you were inside the room. The squelch of your cunt is a sound you would’ve been too embarrassed to hear, had you been with someone else. But with Zhongli, everything just seems so right.

“That’s it,” he goads you huskily, teeth grazing the side of your jaw. “Lose yourself for me, darling. Think of no one else but me.”

Darling? That’s new. But the new pet name only serves to push you over the edge – making your walls clench around his fingers as you ride out your orgasm. Zhongli claims your lips in another heated kiss, relentlessly plunging his digits into you despite the overstimulation. You beg him to stop, but the only sound that comes from your mouth is a broken moan of his name.

You’re nothing but a boneless pile on the bed when you finally come down from your high, breathing heavily as you attempt to reorient yourself to your surroundings. The sensation of Zhongli shifting above you registers a bit late in your mind, but your frayed nerves jolt back to life when you feel him rubbing the head of his cock across your glistening seam. 

“Too much,” you whimper. “Zhongli, i-it’s too much…”

He leans down to press a loving kiss on your mouth, one of his hands rubbing your hip soothingly. “Shhh, I know you can take me. Just like you always have.” 

…Wait, what?

You can’t even offer what he said another thought because Zhongli makes good on his words and slowly slips his length into you without much warning. A sob nearly tears its way out of your throat with how his thick cock stretches you to the brim, but your lover kisses away the tears before they even come. 

“You mean so much to me,” he murmurs, twining his hands with yours. “More than you could ever know.” 

That was a given. Having Zhongli as a boyfriend made you feel like you were important; you were loved. Though you haven’t been dating for all that long, he never once gave you a reason to doubt the sincerity of his feelings. So despite all the odd things you unknowingly witnessed in his dreams, you like to believe that he meant every word. 

His hips slap against yours unabated, pumping his length hard and fast enough to make you croon his name over and over. And even if he managed to exhibit some degree of patience a while ago, it takes little time for Zhongli to move past his courtesy and bite down on the skin of your throat hard enough to bruise. 

“Mine,” he growls. “I’ll never let you go, my love.”

You would’ve teased him for such a cheesy choice of words if you were under different circumstances. But the moment the new endearment falls from Zhongli’s lips, you go completely still underneath him. 

“Stop. Zhongli, please stop.”

To his credit, he listens just as told – gazing at you with a puzzled look as he takes his length out. Zhongli is concerned for a moment, because you’re staring at him as if he’s killed a man right in front of you. When he reaches out a hand to touch your face, intent on asking what was wrong, you instinctively slap it away.

“I…” Your voice fails you. After all, how on earth can you just tell him that you wanted to stop because that was the very same thing that Rex calls Guizhong in his dreams. You can’t help but think that Zhongli used to call the Guizhong of this world the same thing, too.

Sometimes, real life could coincide with what happens in the dreamscape. Inside his mind, Rex Lapis sees Guizhong, not you. And you’re more than inclined to believe that it’s the same case here with Zhongli.

You’re not the one he sees – it’s the dead woman that he’s never stopped loving these past six years.

You know you’re being obtuse. Your boss isn’t the kind of person who lets his past grievances interfere with his present relationships. But the anxiety you’ve accumulated since your meeting with Xingqiu had boiled over with the worst timing possible. 

Instead of talking it out, you roll over to your side of the bed – pulling the covers tight enough around your body so that he sees no inch of it. You know that what you’re doing is probably hurting Zhongli more than you think, but you shut out any hint of remorse that threatens to make you waver.

It doesn’t take long for him to settle on the spot right next to you. Zhongli doesn’t ask why you suddenly pushed him away, nor do you make an effort to explain. 

“I’m sorry.” 

His words ring sincerely enough, but it sounds like he doesn’t even know what he’s apologizing for. You don’t fault him for it. You’re still unsure why you even let yourself be consumed by your own doubts. Didn’t you just say you believed in Zhongli when he told you how much you mean to him?

You suppose this is where you fall short compared to Guizhong. The God of Dust put her faith in Rex Lapis despite his violent tendencies. She believes in him both as his follower and lover in equal measure. You, though? You’re already lucky enough to be dealing with a mellowed down version of the man in your dreams, but you still decide to take it for granted. Because…what? You’re insecure? You’re jealous of a woman who’s been dead for six years?

In the end, you decide that you’re too tired to think about it at the moment. Since you interrupted your own feeding session, your body wasn’t able to gain even an ounce of energy. You’re better off preserving what little you had left if you knew what was good for you.

(If Zhongli hears you choke on your own sobs later in the night, he says nothing of it in the morning.) 

“Can you make a contract with me?”

Rex Lapis is cleaning the blood off his polearm when Guizhong’s voice cuts through the silence of the night. He stares at her hard, yet his gaze still carries a hint of fondness he’s reserved for her and her alone.

She purses her lips before continuing, “If I were to be infected by the miasma that’s tainting the guardian yakshas in the front lines, I want you to take my life.”

“No.” His answer is quick and precise, as if he’s already mulled it over several times before she even brought the matter to light. “If that happens, I’ll turn this world upside down just to find a cure that can save you.”

“Yet you can’t even do that for the children who devoted their lives to you?” 

He stills, feeling the jab of his lover’s accusation hit harder than he expected. It’s not that he doesn’t care for the adepti – he simply knows that it’s in their nature to be more tenacious than the rest of their soldiers. Rex Lapis is certain that they can resist the effects of the miasma on their own merit. Guizhong, however, is just as delicate as the dust she holds dominion over. He’d rather watch the world burn first than let her die either by his hand or the corruption induced by that pesky miasma.

But still, he respects all his lover’s thoughts and wishes. She isn’t the brains of their operation for nothing. Without her, he wouldn’t have made it half as far in this war as he did now.

“Very well,” Rex Lapis agrees, albeit reluctantly. “I will honor this contract until the day I die.”

Guizhong’s eyes soften at his decision, and when she smiles, he feels his stone cold heart thawing at the radiance that only she can ever exude.

“I know you will.” 

“You’re doing it again, huh?”

Hu Tao ambles by your cubicle with that knowing tone of hers, arms crossed in a way that suggests you’re about to receive another thorough scolding. But you’re really not in the mood to be told off by someone who hasn’t lived in your shoes before, so you opt to ignore her. 

“Hey, I’m talking to you,” she huffs, fingers pinching your face like she often does but you keep your eyes straight on the screen of your laptop. “Aren’t you and the consultant seeing each other lately? Is he not good in bed or something?”

Thankfully, the director has the decency to lower her voice when she speaks, making you heave another sigh before glancing at her warily. “It’s nothing like that.”

“Hmm… Let me guess. You’re doing something you’re not supposed to, aren’t you?”

Hu Tao’s perceptiveness is absolutely beyond you. You’ve always known that she’s quicker on the uptake than most people you’ve met in life, but it’s almost scary how she’s seemingly aware of your actions. You’re the succubus and she’s the human, but sometimes you feel like Hu Tao has more power over you than you initially assumed.

You try not to think about the more recent additions to your vignettes of Zhongli’s past memories. You can tell that the stakes of the war were growing higher and higher each time you visited his dreams. Could that be the influence of the current events in his life?

Ever since the night you pushed him away, you and Zhongli haven’t been on speaking terms. Sure, the two of you still conversed about details that need fine-tuning for your project, but beyond that, it’s complete radio silence. His good morning and good night texts have stopped, and he’s never once dropped by your apartment in that time frame; nor has he invited you over to his own. His distant behavior tears you up more than you realize, but you tell yourself that he has all the right to avoid you if he’s upset about what you did.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you tell Hu Tao. “Director, forgive me for being blunt, but I’d like to focus on this report now.”

Your superior sighs. You assume she’s going to concede early for a change, but the moment you think Hu Tao is already on her way, you feel her lean closer to your ear, whispering something that sends a chill down your spine.

“Don’t dive too deep into matters that don’t concern you. Don’t try to change things that have already been set in stone,” she says calmly, her fingers digging slightly into your shoulders. “If you lose sight of what’s really important, you might lose yourself in the process, too.”

When she lets go of you, Hu Tao continues humming that same, lively song she always sings – leaving you to deal with the guilt that grips your heart like a vice.

About two weeks since Zhongli started giving you the silent treatment, you come to a sound conclusion.

He’s still thinking about Guizhong. Well, she was his first love – meaning, your boss isn’t exactly going to stop thinking of her anytime soon. But you thought about your conversation with Xingqiu several times over the last few days. You hypothesized that the reason why Zhongli was continuously dreaming about his memories of a past long gone is because his grief cuts even deeper than he let on. 

Though you have no means of making sure, you’re almost too certain that the reason Zhongli still thinks of her even if you’re right in front of him is because her memory is too painful to let go. He clings to it subconsciously, and that desperation manifests itself in his dreams – back to a lifetime where Guizhong still lives.

The things that happened in the past are bound to happen in the present; that’s what Xingqiu told you the last time. So if the Guizhong in this world has already passed on, it’s safe to assume that the one in his dreams is bound to face the same fate as well. 

But…you have the power to change that.

Even if it’s nothing but a memory now, what if you could alter the outcome? If Zhongli is left with memories of Guizhong that aren’t tained with sorrow, maybe he can finally move past it.

Maybe he can finally see you instead of her.

It’s a fool’s line of reasoning – you know that. This was going to be one of the most dangerous things you tried in anyone’s dreamscape. But you’re so catastrophically in love with Zhongli, that you’d give up anything just to ease his pain. 

You’re well aware that your body is deteriorating at an exponential pace. Not only are you expending a lot of energy to tinker with Zhongli’s memories, but you don’t even bother with feeding anymore. You tell yourself that you can do that later, once you manage to save Guizhong from her timely demise. 

Everything you can think of to keep her from dying, you made sure happened in the dream. You don’t let her walk out to the front lines to give orders like she usually does. You make sure to avoid all the guardian yakshas, who are already tainted with the corruption that craftier gods weaponized against Rex Lapis’ forces. And most of all, you don’t let her leave his sight longer than she needs to – because if there’s anyone you can rely on to keep Guizhong alive, it’s Zhongli himself.

Of course, you’re still doing splendidly in keeping your work life separate from everything else. Your project has officially come to a close, raking in more revenue for Wangsheng than anyone expected. 

Today, you’re scheduled to give a speech addressing everyone’s efforts in the company’s conference room – something that you’re a bit reluctant to do because you know Zhongli is going to be there, too. The idea of him looking at you from the crowd with none of the adoration he used to give so freely is enough to make your stomach turn.

But still, you compose yourself. You’re no stranger to adversity, so seeing your boyfriend (can you even still call him that?) in a crowded room is the least of your problems. 

At least, that’s what you thought.

When Director Hu Tao calls you up to the platform, you're raring to go – practicing with deep breaths as you repeat the gist of your speech inside your head. You made sure to cake your face with a heavier layer of makeup this time around because the last thing you need is for her to pull you to the side and scold you for still refusing to feed. 

But the moment you get up from your seat, the world suddenly tilts to the side – your vision going black within seconds.

The last thing you remember is being whisked into a pair of strong arms. You want to curl your fingers in the fabric of his coat, to apologize a million times over, but the familiar scent of his clothes is enough to put you straight to sleep. 

“Goodness, miss. You had us terrified back there.”

Ganyu is sitting by your bed in the infirmary when you regain consciousness, wiping the tears off her face with a dainty handkerchief. You mumble a half-hearted apology, but immediately seize up when you see Zhongli leaning against the wall in front of you. 

“The nurse told us she suspected that you might have an eating disorder,” the secretary continues, rubbing your hand comfortingly. “It did seem like you were pushing yourself harder than usual during the last few weeks. You should really take care of yourself more.”

An eating disorder…? Well, if depriving yourself of your required sustenance can be translated into a human affliction, you suppose that was the most obvious counterpart. Still, you’re still feeling a bit too groggy for conversation, so instead of addressing Ganyu’s plight, you sink further into the mattress.

You can feel his gaze on your pitiful form – those eyes of endless gold. But you’re too much of a coward to face him when you’ve been reduced into such a state.

A little while later, you hear the door to the infirmary swing open. Is it odd that you can tell that the newcomer is Hu Tao based on the sound of her footsteps alone?

“Leave us,” she says sternly – addressing both Ganyu and Zhongli at the same time. “There’s something I need to discuss with her.”

You half-expect Zhongli to complain, or at least contest the director’s orders. But your heart sinks when he resigns himself to what he’s told, quietly ushering himself and his secretary out of the room.

Hu Tao waits for about two more minutes before speaking again.

“You better feed now or you’re going to die for real.”

“...But –”

“I can’t have you dying on my watch just because you’re being stubborn about it,” Hu Tao nearly snaps – eyes alight with rage. “Feed now. I don’t care who it is, just do it. I won’t let you out of this place until you’ve gotten better.”

To say that you’re terrified is putting it lightly. You’ve never seen Hu Tao get angry before, but the absolute urgency in her gaze – practically begging you to please just save yourself – makes you consider her request. 

“Okay,” you say quietly, only surrendering because you can’t save Guizhong if you’re dead. “See you in a bit.”

‘A bit’ is a lie that you didn’t really mean to tell. When you entered the crossroads of the dreamscape, you didn’t bother picking targets anymore. You slipped into the dream of a man who’s probably in his thirties, intent on just getting him off, sucking out some energy for yourself before making your leave. 

But no matter how many times you attempt to drive him to an orgasm, you don’t feel yourself getting any better. The energy that always emanates out of a man post-coitus is nowhere to be found. 

You switch targets faster than you can even blink. This time, it’s a boy that’s probably fresh out of high school, and you feel a bit horrible for having to trespass like this. But instead of fretting about common decency in a goddamn dream , you make him come about two consecutive times before realizing that –

This isn’t working, you mutter to yourself. Why the hell isn’t it working?

You’ve always had a hard time harnessing energy from strangers, yes. However, those instances granted you at least a tiny ounce of energy that could stem the hunger for a while. Now, you’re getting absolutely nothing.

It seems that Hu Tao is already privy to your dilemma when you wake up in your own body. 

“I’m going to put him to sleep,” she decides with a vexed sigh. “Make sure you get enough energy to last you for an entire year, got that? No meddling with anything else.”

“W-Wait,” you croak out, and damn, you feel even weaker than before. “What do you mean you’re going to put him to sleep? Are you talking about Zhongli?”

“Who else could I be talking about, little devil?” The director rolls her eyes. “Now, I’m going to ask you to pretend I’m not about to do something illegal and just rest. The moment you fall asleep, get into Zhongli’s head and feed. Okay?”

You don’t even get a chance to respond to Hu Tao’s words because you’re already nodding. Your bones feel like lead, limbs feel like they’ll fall off any minute. If you stay conscious any longer, your eyes might just dry out. 

It doesn’t take five minutes for you to fall asleep again. And as you drift aimlessly in the depths of your subconscious, a part of you that’s still coherent anticipates that it might take a while before you find Zhongli’s dreamscape. You’re not sure how long ‘putting him to sleep’ is going to be, but surprisingly, your existence is abruptly transported to the familiar marshlands of Dihua. 

You chalk it up to how often you’ve been hopping into Zhongli’s dreams, but you immediately notice that something isn’t right. The skies have turned into an ashen gray color – columns of smoke rising in several locations at once. When you gaze around, all you see are the fallen bodies of both soldiers and monsters alike. 

Rex. You need to find Rex Lapis.

That’s your very first instinct once your consciousness fully pulls through, careful to step over the decaying corpses as you mutter a silent prayer for each one. But just when you thought you’re going to end up tripping on one of them, you watch in equal parts horror and confusion when you witness your leg pass through the carcass of a dead monster.

All it takes is a single glance down for you to know that you’re no longer inside Guizhong’s body. Instead, you drift around as an apparition of sorts – arms, legs, and torso appearing less saturated than usual. It’s like you’ve become a transparent cut-out, and you give yourself a minute to think about what the hell was going on. This has never happened in your previous feedings. You’ve always been able to maintain your form, despite the numerous instances you’ve hopped in between dreamscapes. 

In the distance, however, you find the answer to all of your questions.

You spot them amidst the debris left behind by the battle. Rex Lapis kneels at the side of the most beautiful woman you’ve seen in your life – cradling her frail body in his arms as golden tears flowed forth from his eyes. It’s the first time he’s surrendered the unmovable visage you’ve gotten so used to seeing in this dream. Gone is the unfeeling, uncaring God of Contracts who felled his own enemies like it was as easy as breathing. In his place is a man who only wanted to live with the person he adored the most.

Guizhong’s pale skin is overrun by dark lacerations that look like black veins rooted into the surface. Her own eyes glisten with tears as she reaches up to cradle Zhongli’s face. She says something that you don’t hear over the wind howling in your ears, but you don’t let yourself remain stagnant for a second longer. 

You run straight to them with what little strength you can muster – intent on shaking Guizhong by the shoulders to scream, “No! This isn’t how things were supposed to be! You were supposed to live. I was supposed to save you!”

But none of these messages get across to either of the two. To them, you’re nothing but the breeze on their skin – violently whipping all around as the war only worsened. There aren’t any clear winners here, this is becoming clear to you. But as the God of Dust heaves her final breath, you hear Guizhong speak for the last time.

“Thank you… For honoring our contract,” she sighs, blood dribbling down the sides of her mouth as she forces herself to smile. In her hand, she lifts up a stone dumbbell with a complicated structure – something you’ve never seen before despite all the time you spent in her body.

“This is the mark of our pledge, and it is also my challenge to you.” Guizhong hands it to him shakily, still careful despite being on death’s doorstep. “All my wisdom is contained inside. If you can unlock it –”

She never gets to finish the words. A loud clap of thunder booms across the marsh – deafening even when you don’t have the body in this dream to perceive the sensation. Zhongli makes a mistake of letting the noise distract him, because when he glances at Guizhong once more, the woman he loves has already crumbled in his arms. 

Once the dust settles over the war-torn battlefield, Rex Lapis rises back to his feet. You can see the weight of his grief in the way his golden hands tremble at his sides. But just as quickly as his lover’s passing, he summons his polearm back in his hands – thrusting the hilt into the ground hard enough to break through the barren soil. The God of Contracts lets out a monstrous shout – terror rooting itself into your being. The sound is fearsome. Inescapable. 

And with a single twist of his hand, the earth starts to shake beneath your feet.

Xingqiu arrives at Hu Tao’s quarters faster than she anticipated, blue eyes startled to see the two bodies resting on top of her bed. The director pays his reaction no mind, though. Instead, she fills him in on the situation.

“I had my guards carry these two up here,” she explains, pointing a finger interchangeably at you and Zhongli. “That guy, I drugged to put him to sleep so she can get inside his dreams for sustenance. But it’s been about three hours, and neither of them are waking up.”

“What? She still hasn’t fed?” The incubus asks incredulously. “It’s been almost a month since I last saw her. Back then, she was already starving. Don’t tell me she’s been holding out all this time.”

“You’d be surprised at the lengths that stubbornness can take a person,” Hu Tao chuckles, leaning back into her seat as she twists some of the rings on her fingers. 

Xingqiu lets out a long, exasperated exhale as he sits by the bed – watching you and your so-called boyfriend doze soundly next to the other. But your deathly pale complexion doesn’t escape his notice. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve assumed you were dead.

“While I am very concerned about my friend’s destructive behavior,” he begins, casting a sidelong glance at the Wangsheng director. “I’m more curious about why you’re helping them in the first place. It’s not like you to meddle in things that are none of your business to begin with. And yet…”

Hu Tao sighs. She’s been hanging around this demon boy from the Guhua clan for too long. He can already discern what’s normal and unusual for her behavior, and she isn’t really a fan of being perceived like that.

But unwittingly, his words got her thinking.

“Remember how you pulled me out of the in-between when I tried to reach out to Grandfather in the afterlife? I nearly died because of it,” she sighs, remembering her past experiences with meddling none-too-fondly. “I can’t just stand here and watch my subordinate slowly kill herself the same way when I know someone who can help.”

Xingqiu sighs again. “Director, I’m an incubus, not a miracle worker. Us crossing paths at the in-between was nothing but a coincidence… But then again, that’s the same way I met her back then, too.” He casts your ghastly form a wistful glance. If he’d known that divulging information about your lover’s past memories would lead to this, he never would’ve said a word. 

“I need you to fetch both of them before they get trapped in their own dreams. I’ll fork over whatever amount you like,” Hu Tao proposes, her usually playful demeanor now replaced by something more grim. “Just – please. Save them.”

“...That’s a really tall order, you know?” The incubus shakes his head in disbelief. “The in-between is the last place I’d want to hang around, but this woman is my friend, too. You don’t have to cough up any –”

To both their surprise (and relief), Zhongli seizes up on the bed, sitting upright as he gasps for breath. Hu Tao uncharacteristically scrambles to hand him a glass of water, which he empties in the span of five seconds. But even if the sight of your boyfriend rousing himself from the dream is a good thing, Xingqiu notices how you’re yet to follow suit.

It seems that Zhongli followed his line of sight as well, and both him and Hu Tao can practically hear the sound of his heart plummeting straight to his stomach at the sight of you. 

“No,” he murmurs, a shaky hand reaching up to caress your face. “Not again…”

Again?

“Xingqiu, change of plans,” Hu Tao calls out softly as she meets his eyes. She doesn’t even need to elaborate further for him to understand. 

“What plan are you talking about?” Zhongli interrupts with a hard frown. “What did you do to her?”

“Oi, consultant. Don’t go accusing the people that are trying to help,” Hu Tao snarks, shooting him a dirty look. “We’re running out of time, so I’m going to give you the abridged version. Your girlfriend? She’s trapped in some place called the in-between. It’s the space that separates dreams from reality; the afterlife from the human realm.”

“But if she’s really trapped in your dream, she should’ve woken up at the same time you did,” Xingqiu adds. “That’s why I’m assuming she wandered too far and got herself stranded in your memories instead.”

“...My memories?” 

The director nods. “Yup. And unless she finds the key in her own subconscious and escapes on her own or someone else enters the same dreamscape and helps her…”

“She’ll be trapped in there forever.”

Both director and incubus stare at the poor man expectantly, wondering how he’ll take the information they just dumped on him. Xingqiu wouldn’t be surprised to see him call them a bunch of lunatics before contacting the authorities for the unsightly method Hu Tao employed just to get him to sleep. But Zhongli is strangely composed, nodding once, twice before turning to his half-dead lover.

“Tell me what I need to do,” he says quietly. In turn, Xingqiu breathes out another sigh in relief as Hu Tao claps her hands together gleefully.

“That’s the spirit, consultant!” The director beams. “Now let’s save your girlfriend, yeah?”

You didn’t want any of this.

The sounds of a never-ending battle rages on outside – the impact of gods fighting to the death causing your temporary shelter to quake where you hide yourself away. The cave you took refuge in resembles the one you woke up in the first time you attempted to feed on Zhongli, but you don’t bother making comparisons. Not that it matters. You’re nothing but a ghost anyways – unable to go back from whence you came, and unable to go to the next place you’re supposed to be.

Still, you didn’t want to bear witness to Zhongli slaughtering hundreds in mere seconds. You’ve seen him fight before – he’s always fought valiantly in this war especially when Guizhong was by his side. But now that she’s gone, the God of Contracts is nothing but a husk of a man.

All that’s left is a bloodthirsty killing machine that intends to paint the land in the angry red of his grief.

Despite how hopeless your situation is, you can’t help but pray to whoever’s listening. You want them to remind Rex Lapis of the dream he once shared with Guizhong – to build a nation by the harbor, where no gods nor monsters can hope to harm the Guili Assembly. But as long as he continues his onslaught of carnage, that dream will never be realized.

Then, you think about the Zhongli that’s waiting for you back home.

Regret is the first emotion that occurs in your ephemeral form. You wish you could have apologized for that night – for assuming that he still isn’t over his dead ex-lover. For attempting to alter memories that aren’t truly his own for the sake of your own ego. 

For never saying how much you loved him before disappearing for good. 

If only you communicated with him normally like a proper girlfriend should. If only you didn’t assume the worst about him just because he once loved someone more than he loved you sometime ago. 

You’ve heard of incidents where succubi and incubi aren’t able to wake up from their feedings. It’s either they’re trapped in an unstable human’s dream or trapped in their own because of internal instability. You don’t know exactly how to classify your situation, but you suppose that the reason why you can’t wake yourself up is because of Guizhong.

She became your vessel in these memories during your first successful feeding. And since then, you’ve used her body to traverse the strange land that she and Rex Lapis supposedly hold dominion over. But regardless of how careful you were with Guizhong, she still died. There was nothing you could do to change something that was already set in stone, and instead you lost your way back to where you truly belonged.

For someone who claims to hate her own heritage as a succubus, this just goes to show how much you actually relied on your powers.

Gods. This fucking sucks.

You can only imagine how devastated Zhongli would feel to find your lifeless body in the real world – clutching you to his chest the same way Rex did with Guizhong. Two girlfriends dying on him in the span of six years. You wonder if he’ll ever love again.

…If Zhongli was in your place, he would have spoken to you the moment he felt uneasy about your past. He would’ve asked for some reassurance so he wouldn’t have to worry like this. 

He never would’ve tried to change you.

He would’ve told you that he trusted you.  

You miss him so much that it tears you from the inside out. If only you can see him again – see that beautiful smile again – you’d hold him tight and tell him a million times. 

You’d tell him you were a coward. That you were too afraid of splitting his affections with a woman who doesn’t even exist anymore. 

But…it’s too late for all that now, isn’t it? 

Helplessly, you pull up your barely-there knees to your chest, burying your face in between as you make yourself smaller. You want to cry yourself hoarse, but the tears never come. All you can do is sit alone in the darkness, where you can only dream of someone finding you in the middle of the chaos.

You’re too caught up in your own sorrow to discern the beam of light that splinters through the darkness. You don’t notice the man that steps into the in-between with you; don’t notice as he approaches. It’s only when you feel the familiar sensation of a large, comforting hand on your shoulder that you snap out of your misery.

“There you are,” Zhongli – your Zhongli – breathes out. 

When you finally wake up, you feel like someone brought you back from the dead.

You can barely breathe without it feeling like the oxygen is ripping your lungs to shreds. But before you can asphyxiate yourself, a familiar figure hands you a glass of water, along with a handful of dried leaves. You glance up at Hu Tao in confusion as she stares at you nonchalantly. 

“You were in the in-between for gods-know how long,” the director reminds you. “Go chew on those to recover.”

“...I was what?”

“You were as good as dead.” The sound of Xingqiu’s familiar voice makes you jump, but the incubus simply turns the page on his novel from where he’s seated by the foot of the unfamiliar bed. “I’ve heard of succubi going a few weeks without food, but two months? Do you have a death wish?”

Your head is spinning from all the whiplash, and you actually take Hu Tao’s advice and drink some water before chewing on her magic leaves. But when you notice that there’s someone else occupying the mattress with you, your heart soars with relief.

“Hello,” Zhongli greets you.

“Hi,” you greet him back.

In your peripheral, you can see Hu Tao mouthing something you can’t decipher to Xingqiu – a message that your incubus friend is quick to pick up on before the two of them step out of the room to give you more privacy. Now that you noticed it, you were probably taken up to the director’s quarters at some point during your coma. Either way, once the door clicks shut, it’s just you and Zhongli – the first time you’ve been alone with him since that night in your apartment.

“I guess the cat’s out of the bag now, isn’t it?” you say nervously, unsure where you should even begin. But you suppose an apology is a good starting point. “I’m…sorry. For everything.”

Zhongli sighs, sitting up right to pull you in a tight hug. The abruptness of the gesture makes you drop the leaves on the bed, stunning you into complete silence.

“I thought I lost you,” he nearly chokes – a sound that you never would’ve imagined Zhongli making. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

The pure anguish in his voice makes your heart clench, and now that you have a body that actually lets you feel things, you’re finally given the familiar sensation of eyes stinging with tears. You return Zhongli’s embrace with equal fervor – letting yourself sob into the hollow of his neck.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” you babble, chest seizing with tremors as you curl your fingers into his hair. “I never should’ve hidden the truth about me. I never should’ve meddled with the past. And… I never should’ve questioned the way you feel about me.”

You can feel Zhongli’s erratic pulse against your chest, and you find the fact that it’s possible for his heart to race a relief to know. When he pulls away, his cheeks are wet with tears – not the golden liquid that poured from Rex Lapis’ eyes, but the very same tears that you’re crying right this second.

This is your Zhongli. This is the man you fell in love with. 

You wonder why you even tried to change a past he experienced in a different life – knowing full well just how different he is from the God of Contracts.

“I love you,” you murmur, pressing your forehead against his. “Zhongli, I love you.” 

“And as I do you,” he breathes. “The director and the Guhua boy have already informed me of your…special circumstances, but I’d like to hear the tale of your escapades in my dreams some other time.”

You pause. “So you don’t want me to explain why I did everything I did?”

“Of course I do.” Zhongli shakes his head. “But…I was also told that you’ve been depriving yourself of sustenance for nearly two months now. As your lover, I’m inclined to help you out of your predicaments, yes?”

Oh. Oh.

“B-But we’re in the director’s room…” you tell him bashfully, feeling a surge of heat creep up your neck. “And I owe you a proper explanation for –”

He promptly shuts you up with a kiss. The nerve of this guy!

“Darling, will you allow me to make love to you?” he murmurs the words against your lips, already pulling you to his lap. “Properly this time.”

You know you should snap him out of it and insist that you’re fine. That you’ll last another day without sex if that means you can sufficiently explain yourself because Zhongli deserves as much. But you remember, at that moment, that you’re particularly weak when he starts to trail featherlight kisses along your neck. Zhongli knows this as well as you do, and you can feel him smile triumphantly when you let out a sigh in defeat. 

He doesn’t bother removing your clothes; practically tearing a hole into your pantyhose at his impatience. You balk at him for doing such a thing, but Zhongli promises to buy you another set once everything is settled. 

“Do you find it strange that I’m terribly aroused despite everything that happened?” he asks you, hauling his cock out of his unzipped trousers as he gives it a few pumps. 

“Not at all,” you respond in kind. “I’ve always thought you were hornier than you seemed. It’s always the prim and proper ones, you know?”

You bite your lip as you grind your clothed cunt against his hardening length, feeling your desire pool in between your thighs at the mere thought of him inside you. Zhongli bites down his laughter, nuzzling the crook of your neck as he spreads you open on his lap.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Nudging your underwear aside, you sink yourself onto his thick length with a blissful sigh – feeling his cockhead hitting all the right spots. Zhongli plants his palms firmly on your hips, barely able to contain the hunger in his eyes as he watches you bounce on top of his dick. Your skirt hikes further up your thighs with each downward plunge, and your lover cares to swallow your moans with an open-mouthed kiss.

You all but muffle a scream into his lips when you feel Zhongli thrusting his hips up to meet the cadence of your movements. Tears catch in the lines of your lashes from how good it feels, and you nearly come right then and there when he pulls away to whisper in your ear.

“I’m going to fill you to the brim,” he promises. “My seed will drip down your thighs from here on out so you’ll never forget where you belong.”

“By your side?” you whisper, purposely clenching your walls around his length to elicit a reaction.

Zhongli grunts in approval, much to your amusement. “By my side.” 

He switches things up at the last minute, flipping you over so that you’re lying down on the bed. You open your mouth to protest, but Zhongli is already pressing your knees against your thighs – plunging his cock into the velvet heat of your cunt as he hits it deeper than before. 

“I’d gladly fuck you everyday if that means you’ll never starve again,” your lover tells you with a growl, golden irises boring deep into your own. “Would you like that? Would you like me to sate your needs?”

“Yes,” you mewl as your fingers rake across his back. “Yes, yes yes! I only want you, Zhongli. Please –”

Your climax blindsides you out of nowhere, cunt squeezing around his cock impossibly tight. You screw your eyes shut, burying your face in his shoulder as your body shudders and trembles from the force of it. Zhongli, however, is intent on taking advantage of your vulnerable state. He doesn’t relent – just continues pounding you into the bed as he chases his own high.

“You’re the only one I love,” he tells you all of a sudden, momentarily pulling you out of your lustful haze. “You might not be the first, but you’ll certainly be the last.”

“Stop saying cheesy things while you’re fucking my brains out,” you moan. “You’re going to make me cry…”

“Heh, that’s the point.”

As promised, Zhongli finishes inside you with a shuddering sigh – and you feel the surge of his hot seed painting your insides. You’ve never felt so satisfied after having real sex with a real human, but when you’re actually in love with the person you’re sleeping with, you suppose there’s lots of room for exceptions.

“So why were you chasing ghosts that don’t even haunt me anymore?” 

You finish the rest of the water that Hu Tao offered earlier when Zhongli asks you the million-dollar question. Your heart twists with both guilt and apprehension, but you know that this is the best time to lay the truth on the table. 

“I was…bothered when you called me by the thing that Rex Lapis called Guizhong the goddess in your dreams,” you admit. “I thought you were thinking about Guizhong your ex while you were with me.”

Zhongli nods as he fixes his own clothes, an unreadable look settling on his face. “Rex Lapis…is the identity I had in a past life, isn’t it? And Guizhong was his lover.” 

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t explain why you tried to alter my memories, though,” he points out.

“Well, I thought if I could lessen the pain of your memories of Guizhong, you’d stop thinking about her and start thinking about me.” Gods, you sound like such a fucking brat. “That – That was really childish of me. I’m sorry. I even got the director and Xingqiu involved because of my own impulsiveness…”

“If you look at it that way then, yes. It is very childish of you. But I think that just goes to show how deeply you feel about me,” Zhongli suggests with a handsome smile, reaching out to hold your hand in his. “You want me to look at you, and only you?” 

“Of course I do,” you mumble. “You want me to do the same for you, right? I’m just trying to make things even…”

Your lover lets out another laugh, raising your hand to his lips as he places a soft kiss on your skin. You don’t think you’ll ever get used to Zhongli’s show of affection.

“Guizhong…is a person who’s near and dear to me even now,” he says, going off a tangent as he rubs comforting circles into your wrist. “But do you know the last thing she told me before she passed?” 

You shake your head. “What?”

“That I shouldn’t chain myself to the past, no matter how painful it is to carry on,” Zhongli continues. “My life here is much simpler than the life Rex Lapis lived. I have no idea what you saw in my – rather, his memories to make you assume that the same applies for me. But I assure you that I’m not a man who’ll punish himself by constantly mulling over what-ifs and could-have-beens.

“All that matters is the present, and what I choose to do now, while you’re still by my side.”

…Damn it. You’re feeling the waterworks again.

“What did I do to deserve you?” you whisper, squeezing his hand just to make sure he was real.

“That, I’m afraid I can’t answer,” he chuckles. “But, on the topic of your immeasurable love, the Guhua boy imparted another interesting piece of information before lending me his powers to save you.”

“...Wait, I’ve been wondering how you got inside the in-between,” you tell him. “So it was Xingqiu? How the hell did he do that?”

“Darling, please refrain from asking questions I don’t have answers to.”

“Fine, fine. What did he say that was so interesting then?”

Zhongli laughs, and something about the shift in his tone makes you narrow your eyes in suspicion. “Director Hu said you tried to harvest energy from other men while you were on the brink of death but it didn’t work. Xingqiu informed us that when your kind starts to feel strongly about a certain human, you won’t be able to harness energy anywhere else apart from that person.”

“...Why do I feel like you’re just gloating now?”

“That’s because I am.”

The sound of the door sliding abruptly catches your attention. Hu Tao emerges from the entrance as she claps her hands loudly. “Alright, that’s enough lovey-dovey chit-chat. I’m going to have the maids launder my sheets first before I sleep in them tonight!”

Your face flushes with embarrassment. “Director Hu Tao, I –”

“Aiya! No apologies. It’s all good,” she insists. “But hey, consultaaant~ Now that I let you and your girlfriend have reunion sex in my quarters, you’re not going to press any charges for assault, will you?”

“Wait, what charges?” Your gaze darts between the two of them curiously.

Zhongli drags a palm over his face, as if having just realized something terrible. “In order to help you get into my dreams, the director laced my tea with a potent drug. I was unconscious for quite some time. But I won’t press any charges, since I have little patience for the tedium of the Liyue Police Station.”

“Aww, you’re the best!” Hu Tao gushes before turning to you. “By the way, Xingqiu already went ahead, but he asked me to give you this.” 

You blink as Hu Tao hands you a sleek black business card with the words “Dr. Paimon” printed with embossed lettering. Zhongli peers over your shoulder, examining the card with the same degree of curiosity.

“He didn’t really elaborate, but rumor has it, that person can turn you into a normal human,” the director explains, smiling with intent. “I figured that since you’re probably gonna want to spend the rest of your life with the old man, you’d want to give up your immortality.”

Immortality… A staple that comes with being a succubus. It’s one of the most fundamental reasons why your kind fed on sexual energy in the first place, yet you never stopped to think of your future if you stayed immortal, while Zhongli continues to age with the passage of time. 

You won’t be able to start a family with him; have his children; grow old with him. Because that’s the fate that your kind has long been cursed with since they first walked the earth. But now, you’re given a way out – even if it sounds too good to be true.

You’re afraid to look at Zhongli. You feel like you should accept the offer, but everything that transpired today is just so overwhelming that you’re not sure if you can make the right choice…

But as always, he’s here to support you.

“You don’t have to make a decision now,” he reminds. “We still have work tomorrow, so I suggest we head home and rest first. I’m sure that can wait.”

…Being thrust back into the nightmare that is the Liyuen corporate ladder after nearly dying in the in-between. Way to maintain a sense of normalcy, Zhongli. 

Well, ‘normal’ is the best thing that the universe can give to you right now. Too bad you’re not selfless enough to deny the one thing you’ve been craving after all this time.

“Miss? Here’s the tea you asked for.”

Ganyu’s voice flits through your ears like a calming breeze. She places your drink on your desk – just behind a plaque that reads Wangsheng Corporation - Consultant. The scent of freshly brewed qingxin petals wafts to your nose and you feel every nerve ending in your body relax at the more aroma.

“Thank you,” you tell her kindly. “You’re right. This tea really does work miracles.”

Your secretary hides a giggle behind her hand. “Both Lady Ningguang and Mister Zhongli became fond of it when I started working for them. I figured it would be the same with you.”

The golden band on your finger seems to glint in the sunlight streaming into your office as you take a few sips. You used to think that tea was nothing but leaf water, but if you have someone like Zhongli for a husband, you’re bound to start appreciating the finer things in life – Ganyu’s herbal remedy included.

“Oh, that reminds me,” she perks up. “Is the director coming back soon? I heard that four months is already a good time to check for the gender.”

You’re a bit surprised by her words, but Ganyu has always exhibited her excitement for the budding life in your womb the moment you made the announcement a few months back. 

“Zhongli’s secretary told me he should be home by the end of the week,” you tell her kindly, free hand instinctively going to the slight swell of your belly. “Once we figure out whether it’s a boy or a girl, I promise you’re the first person we’ll inform.”

She gasps. “You really mean that, miss?”

“Why not? You’re the godmother after all~”

Once Ganyu recovers from the initial shock from being assigned as your child’s godmother, you’re left to your lonesome once more. 

It’s been six months since Hu Tao stepped down as the director for Wangsheng Corporation – passing the title onto Zhongli – and six months since you’ve held office as the company’s new consultant. At times, you still find it strange, how you’re the one giving advice with regards to your husband’s dealings with other businesses. But you remind yourself that everything happens all in due time. 

Your old life as a succubus is way behind you now, but there are moments where you still think of what happened to Rex Lapis after Guizhong’s death. Did he get killed by the other gods? Did he lead the Guili Assembly to the harbor? What happened to the stone dumbbell Guizhong gave to him? You’ll never know now that you’ve lost the ability to travel through dreams. 

But in the back of your head, you hoped he was able to find some sort of deliverance from the pain induced by his lover’s passing.

In the midst of your contemplation, your phone buzzes with a text – one that you’re quick to open.

Zhongli [10:54]: I’m boarding the plane at Fontaine National Airport right now. Should be back by tonight :)

Huh. That was earlier than expected.

Me [10:54] We’ll be waiting with a nice bottle of osmanthus ^__^

Zhongli [10:55]: Darling, please. Drinking is bad for the baby

Me [10:55]: One glass won’t cause genetic disorders, Zhongli.

Zhongli [10:56]: Very well… I’ll still make sure to watch your consumption though.

Me [10:56]: Fine by me <3 Take care on the way back. I love you.

Zhongli [11:15]: Sorry, just got past a checkpoint. I love you, too.

You put away your phone with a sigh, tracing the rim of your teacup absentmindedly. For good measure, you pinch your cheek the same way Hu Tao used to do when she was still in charge – just to make sure you’re not dreaming. 

But the baby is intent on helping you out with that when you feel it kick a bit too hard against your navel.

“Okay, point taken,” you mumble. 

A year ago, you wouldn’t have pictured yourself carrying a human child – much more picturing yourself as a human. But you learned that time is kind to those who wait. It’s just as Zhongli said: regardless of everything that happened in the past, what’s important is what you do now in the present. 

And to you, that’s all that matters. 

★ MASTERLIST . AO3 ★

© cryoculus | kaientai ✧ all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my work on other platforms without permission.

[becholeforever]

Forbidden Fruit

Pairing: Milf!/Neighbor Wanda Maximoff x CollegeFemReader

Word Count: 991

Warnings: Kind of smut? Dirty thoughts, undressing, forbidden love, getting caught, older neighbor, both characters are of age (reader is 19 and Wanda is in her late 30s) not proofread

Summary: You're just trying to get through college but cannot stop thinking about you're Milf neighbor. What happens when she finally decides to make the first move?

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

You let out a sigh of relief as Wanda’s hand slowly descends from your chest to your clothed center 

Waiting for the sensation of her soft fingers rubbing your bundle of nerves you close your eyes in satisfaction as she makes the connection while sucking on your neck 

“Mommy’s gonna make you feel so good” she says against your neck 

“Please do” you moan out and she smirks against your neck

Your eyes snap open when the bell rings and you notice everyone packing up and leaving the classroom 

You notice your professor staring at you with an upset look on her face, which is odd because professor Romanoff is one of the nicest professors you’ve ever had. Sure she’s strict but she has a soft spot for you, she cares for you in a motherly way. 

You start to feel guilty as you descend towards her, feeling like you are the reason she looks so upset. 

“Are you alright y/n?” She asks as you approach her desk

“Of course, why do you ask?”

“Well I’ve noticed you’ve been out of it for the past few days.” She says concerned 

“Yeah” You say sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck “I’ve had some things on my mind but I’m ok” You state with a small smile 

“Well I just want you to know that I care about you and if you need anything let me know” 

“I will professor” You say smiling 

“now go enjoy your weekend” she states smiling 

“I will” you say as you grab your stuff and walk out the door.

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

As you turn onto your street you feel your heart leap when you notice your neighbor Wanda out on her front lawn watering her plants.

You’ve had a crush on your neighbor ever since you and your mother moved next door to her after your parents divorce three years ago.

She’s a smart and independent woman that you just could not take your eyes off of ever since you saw her. 

You pull into the driveway and step out of the car when you look over and see Wanda smiling at you. You give her a smile back and start making your way towards the front door 

“Have a good day at school today y/n?” She asks making you stop and turn towards her

“I guess you could say that Mrs. Maximoff.” 

There was only one thing you hated about Wanda Maximoff and that was her husband Vision.

You loathed the man and you knew he wasn’t good enough for the goddess he calls his wife.

But there wasn’t much you could do about it. They have been married for 10 years and while you believe that he cheats on her you have no actual proof to back it up.  

“Well, I hope you enjoy your weekend sweetheart.” 

“I’ll try” You say sheepishly as your eyes cascade down the women's physique 

You only notice that you’re staring too long when you look back up and see her staring at you smirking.

“I should probably go inside now.” you say rubbing your neck and staring down at the ground. Suddenly finding the concrete very interesting.

“Okay, enjoy the rest of your day darling.” She smiles as she continues to water her plants.

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

You enter your home swiftly and say hi to your mom as you make your way upstairs to your room. As you pass by the front hallway window you stop to stare at the woman you admire so much as she starts to put her equipment away. 

You watch as she bends down away from you almost on purpose giving you the chance to admire the curve of her ass. Imaging the way it would feel in your hands, the way you could smack it so easily and imagine the moan the older woman would release. You break from the image when you look back up and notice Wanda’s eyes boring into yours, eyes widening as you bolt from the window to your room. Not noticing the smirk on the older woman's face as she makes her way inside. 

Inside your room, you try to take your mind off of the recent events by drawing in your journal. It doesn’t help though as your mind continues to drift to your milf neighbor. Just then you look up from your journal and see Wanda facing away from you  in her window removing her dirty clothing from the day's hard work. You know it's wrong, you know you shouldn’t but you move closer to your window, eyes slowly cascading down her porcelain skin. 

You almost get whiplash as you're thrown back into those dirty images of the older woman on top of you moaning your name, looking back to see Wanda staring at you, you start to blush. Your legs going to run away from the woman but something in your brain tells you not to. You both stand there staring into each other's eyes in a comfortable silence before Wanda slowly lifts her hand over her half naked body and moves it around to her back to unclip her bra. Your eyes widen as her bra drops to the floor and you are confronted with the perfect image of her wide full breasts. 

You look back up at her with a blush as she smirks at you and lifts her eyebrow up at you in a challenge. You take the bait as you slowly lift your shirt up over your head and reach behind your back to unclip your bra. You watch as her eyes drift down your body and her bottom lip gets caught between teeth. You start to unbutton your pants and pull them down as you watch her hand descend underneath her waistband wondering if you should do the same. 

“Hey y/n have you seen my phone?” Your mom asks as she bursts the door open and walks in. 

Part 2 ??

[slytherinshua]

GIRL NEXT DOOR

genre. fluff. love at first sight (?) warnings. none. pairing. sungho x fem!reader. wc. 2.6k. a/n.surprise i write for boynextdoor now!!

You were moving from the big city to a small town. You were less than excited. All the streets looked the same to you. Plain houses built in the 60s lined neatly trimmed yards and sidewalks surrounded cul de sacs. It was the picture perfect suburbia— a small town where you would easily meet everyone your age within the first week going to your new school. You were dreading it.

“It’s so stupid that I’m moving. I’d be surprised if my dad’s new clinic is the only one that town has. They basically snatched him up the moment he accepted the offer.” You said bitterly, sipping on bubble tea with your best friend. It would probably be the last time you’d be able to have a bubble tea date with her for a while. Your heart sank at the thought.

“You’ve spent your entire life here… it’s a shame.” She sympathised, “But, you know what happens when you’re a new girl coming to a small town?”

“What?”

“You’re popular with the cute boys.” She teased.

“Come on- I’d be very surprised if I had anyone with a crush on me. I’ve never been popular.” You said, cringing as it brought back memories of your middle school years. You had gone through crush after crush, never landing on a proper relationship and always being rejected in the most humiliating way until eventually, you learned your lesson. When you got to high school, you forced yourself to stop being interested in boys. The couples making out in the hallway were enough to deter you, though. You would rather die than be that gross in public with your boyfriend. You weren’t one for PDA, that’s for sure.

“New kids either become popular, or stay quiet. There’s nothing about you not to like, so I think you have a good chance at becoming popular.” She reasoned. You thought about it. Your friend was rarely wrong. That’s what was so annoying about her. She was always right about everything. Maybe she would be right about this too.

Your phone binged with a text from your mom and you sighed, “Shit, I’d better go. The movers are here and I need to help move the boxes into the truck.” 

“Alright. You’d better text me and call me when you get there. I want a house tour and everything. I’m still your best friend even if I’m 4 hours away.” She smiled and you returned it.

“I’ll keep in touch with you, don’t worry. I’ll text you later! Bye!!” You waved at her and jogged off.

Your family’s apartment had been filled with boxes for almost 2 weeks. Your mom was obsessed with having everything ready to go in advance to reduce the stress. This, of course, only increased your stress every time you looked at your bedroom’s plain walls and brown cardboard boxes stacked on the floor in place of your dresser and desk.

You had transferred all your clothes to a suitcase a week prior after having to sort through them and donate everything that was too small or that you didn’t wear often enough. Fashion had always been something you were interested in and you were already dreading the fashion atrocities you might see in a small town. You doubted they would have good clothes stores either. 

You spent the rest of the day hauling boxes into the truck and struggling to help your dad lift the heavy things with the movers. Since you were just slightly stronger and more able bodied than your mom, you had no choice but to help. Moving armchairs down the stairs would be a nightmarish experience that you would remember for weeks, no doubt.

When everything was packed, you collapsed on the floor, tired and muscles aching. You looked around your empty apartment. The walls looked so bare and lonely without your mothers paintings on them. It looked way too clean and way too different. Your entire childhood had been spent living here. 17 years in this old trusty apartment complex. 

You remember going over to the lady next door for tea when you were little. She would tell you about her matchmaking business and all the cute couples she had been responsible for. She promised one day to set you up with someone… looks like that plan wouldn’t be working out after all.

You stood up and walked over to her door. You hoped she was there. You wanted to say goodbye before you left tomorrow. Maybe she would offer you tea just like when you were 7.

//

Sungho peeked out his window with curiosity. The house next to his that had been inhabited by a sweet old couple had finally been sold. He had overheard his parents talking about the new family moving in. Apparently they were going to start a clinic since the father was a family doctor. Sungho wasn’t interested in that, though. What piqued his curiosity was his parents saying that the couple had a daughter. A daughter around his age.

When they had first brought up the topic over dinner, Sungho had shrugged off their teasing about a cute girl moving in. But now he was anxiously looking out his window every 5 minutes, waiting for the moving truck to pull into the driveway of the house. 

His father and him were going to help the new family move in. Sungho’s mother had told him it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce himself to you. He was nervous with butterflies in his stomach at the thought. It wasn’t everyday that a new family moved into town. It was a very rare occurrence.

Soon he spotted the red car driving up the cul de sac with a moving truck following closely behind it. He gulped and fixed his hair in the mirror before running down the stairs. He joined his father outside and went through introducing themselves to your father.

He peeked at the car again, wondering if you had already stepped out. You hadn’t, but you soon did. Sungho wished you hadn’t, because shit you were pretty. He gulped and gave your father a smile before offering to grab one of the boxes. He could feel his cheeks heating up the longer he stared at you and forced himself to shake off his stare and look elsewhere. He hoped he didn’t make his pink cheeks too obvious, but he was pretty sure you hadn’t even noticed him yet. Maybe that was for the best.

“Y/n, come introduce yourself to the neighbours!” Your mother called with a smile on her face as she talked to Sungho’s parents.

You groaned and walked over, keeping your head down for the most part. You hoped they weren’t some country bumpkins who would insist on your family joining the town’s monthly potluck after a church service.

“Hello, Y/n, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Mrs. Park,” You nodded with a slightly forced smile. The lady seemed nice, honestly, but you weren’t in the best mood for socialising. You desperately wanted to set up the wi-fi at your new house so you could text your friend, but your parents would scold you if they knew that was the only thing you were thinking.

“And this is Sungho. You two are the same age.” Mrs. Park said happily, beckoning Sungho over to say hello. You looked up, slightly intrigued by what the boys were like in this new town. And Sungho did not disappoint. You couldn’t deny that he was handsome. Very handsome.

“Hi.” You smiled and waved a little. He waved back with a little lopsided smile that you could only assume was out of nervousness. He looked nice dressed in a denim jacket and hair brushed back but still a little messy from the light breeze tousling it. He must have caught you staring cause his smile widened slightly making his eyes crinkle into a cute eye smile. Fuck, why did you think he was cute?

Sungho and his dad helped move the heavy stuff into your new house. You were relieved the task wasn’t placed on you this time. While they were busy, you walked through the house, adjusting to the thought that this was your new home. Your room was bigger than before and even had a big window facing the Park’s house. Your brain automatically wondered whether it was Sungho’s room that you could see through your window. If all the houses in this town were built similarly, then it could be the case.

“Your room looks nice.” You turned around to Sungho with a big box in his hand. He set it down on the hardwood floor with a smile. “Do you want help unpacking?”

“Uh, sure! I’m not the strongest so… getting my bed and dresser in here would be a struggle.” You admitted. 

“I’ll grab them for you.”

//

After your first night in your new house you realised that Sungho’s bedroom was indeed the one facing yours. He stayed up late, just like you. It was around 6 weeks later and both your lights were on still, even though it was around 11 pm. You were lying on your bed, trying to count sheep to help you fall asleep. Except all your sheep strangely morphed into Sungho because he was all you could think of.

Your family had eaten dinner with the Parks a lot of times so far, and you would say you were fairly adjusted to the new town. You didn’t go out much unless it was for a bike ride or to the library, but it wasn’t as bad as you thought. Since it was still summer and you were too introverted to want to go out and hunt for friends, the only person who you knew was Sungho. You talked a lot in your backyard or his. You caught him wearing a necklace that you had wanted for a long time and found out he was interested in fashion as well from the encounter.

It was like the most you discovered about him, the more you had in common. You even liked the same idol groups and were fans of the same authors. How did you even manage to get this lucky with your neighbour? Plus, the more you hung around him, the more you thought he was cute.

You peeked out your window to see if he was visible from his window. He was. He was sitting at his desk and the lamp on it perfectly illuminated his face so you could see all the details of it.

“I should’ve asked for his number by now, darnit.” You mumbled to yourself. You hadn’t thought of it before since you lived right next to each other, but it wasn’t like you could go over this late at night. You’d have to improvise. You thought for a second before searching through one of your unpacked boxes for your sketchbook. Usually you would doodle outfits that you thought you would look good in in this sketchbook, but for now, it was going to serve a different purpose. You got out a sharpie and started writing in large, easy to read text. 

Do you stay up late a lot? 

You thought it would be awkward to put a simple ‘hi’ or ‘hey’ so you stuck to a question that he could answer. It took some courage to stand where he could see you from his window and hold up the sign, but you managed.

It didn’t take very long for him to look up from his desk and notice the sign. You watched him read it and then make eye-contact with you, his charming smile overtaking his features again. He stood up and went somewhere else in his room, presumably to grab paper and a pen. Soon he was back and he held up the sign in response to yours. 

Yeah. If it bothers you that my light is on, I can turn it off :) 

It doesn’t bother me. I usually stay up late as well.

He smiled again, looking down at his desk as his cheeks tinted a bit. He hoped you didn’t notice. Was it weird that he already liked you so much? He was suddenly reminded of how his past crush had been stolen by another boy right in front of his eyes. His friends had told him he hadn’t been direct enough and that was why she had chosen someone more straightforward. But he had just been too shy to confess directly. He didn’t want to repeat that mistake again, so he took a breath and gathered some stored up courage, picking up his pen again.

Can I have your number?

He held up the sign nervously, one hand anxiously fiddling with his shirt as he waited for your response. You shouldn’t be too opposed, right?

I was just about to ask you! It’s *** *** **** :) 

You were smiling as widely as he was which both calmed his heart and made it beat faster. What if you liked him too? What if you thought he was cute? What if he had the same effect that you had on him? He shook off all of his thoughts, telling himself that he was getting ahead of himself. 

He carefully copied your number into a new contact and sent a simple ‘hey, it’s sungho’ to make sure he got it down correctly. You felt almost giddy receiving the first text from him. You had given your number to your crush just like that? And he had asked you for it? The thought had your cheeks heating up again.

It was past 1 and you were still texting him. It was hard to want to stop, he was just so cute, even over text. Whenever he thought he overstepped, he would apologise so fast until you told him that it was fine. It felt different from talking to him over the past 6 weeks. It felt way more like talking to a crush than talking to a friend, which didn’t help your bad case of lovesickness.

When you started to yawn, you decided you should probably say goodnight to him. He must be tired as well.

i’m a bit tired, i think i’m gonna go to sleep for the night - Y/n 1:21am

ok! sleep well, y/n!! - Sungho 1:21am

btw - Y/n 1:21am

yeah? - Sungho 1:22am

you’re really cute - Y/n 1:22am

goodnight! - Y/n 1:22am

You turned off your phone quickly, eyes a bit wide as you wondered why you had sent that last text. Where did you even get the confidence? God, what if he thought you were weird. He probably only saw you as a friend, or worse, the new annoying neighbour girl. You groaned at your stupidity and peeked at your phone again. He had read the text, but hadn’t replied.

“Shit, I really messed up.” You felt like smacking your head against the wall. What were you thinking?!

I think you’re cute too - Sungho 1:26am

You blinked, and then blinked again. Oh. You put down your phone and shut your eyes, willing yourself to go to sleep and not think about it too much. You could always wake up tomorrow and realise that this was a whole big misunderstanding or something. There was no way that Sungho really thought you were cute, right? But what if he did?

You opened your eyes again, looking at the texts with him again.

sleep well cutie <3 - Sungho 1:27am

You failed to get to sleep that night. So did Sungho.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ boynextdoor taglist: open!

[lolasturniolo]

Only you can help my mess

Warning: family issues, crying, S/H mentioned, attempting mentioned, wall punching i guess?, yelling

(please don’t read if you have family problems and are sensitive about and if you do I promise you can just text me and I WILL respond)

—————————

Your family always had issues since you were around 7. You didn’t really notice as you were young but when you became 12 things started to become more clear.

Your dad had a bad childhood and it triggered him a lot. He couldn’t really control his emotions and yelled at your mom and older brother A LOT. But you being the youngest daughter you were an angel to him.

There have been times where your dad kicked your mom out but that also meant you and your older brother Max had to leave to. This has happened 3-4 times but you all ended up getting back together within a few days.

You’re now 18 and your parents have gone out to see a show. Your sitting on your bed when you hear them come home it’s around 11pm, your about to go downstairs and ask how there night was but you hear your dad say.

“You come in and right away start folding laundry,

Stop! What are you doing”

You knew this would lead to an argument so you put your headphones in to block it out.

Even thought you had headphones on blasting music you can still hear the yelling, slamming of doors/cabinets, crying and all. With this you hear your mom is upset but that doesn’t bother you much till you hear your dad cry.

When you hear your dad or brother cry it breaks you, you have no idea why but seeing a male cry makes you cry too.

“Out! Out! Get out!”

You hear your dad yell and your mom comes marching up the stairs.

You begin to tear up and text your best friend Matt.

———————

Matty 🫶🏻

You: hey Matt could I come round please?

Matty 🫶🏻: yea of

course! Do you want

me to pick you up or

are you driving?

You: thank you and don’t worry I’ll drive

Matty 🫶🏻: okay! Drive safe please

You: will do thanks again!

——————

With that you grab a bag and put Pjs, charger, shoes, spare clothes, makeup bag, hairbrush and a few other essentials you might need as you don’t know how long your gonna be there for.

Matt already had a toothbrush, towel and a few clothes for you at his place ‘just in case’ as he says.

You put on a sweater and get your car keys thankfully the kitchen door was closed so your parents didn’t know you were leaving so they wouldn’t bring you into the argument.

You exit your house and walk down the street to where your car was parked. Normally your brothers car would be there to but it wasn’t so him and his girlfriend must have already left having the same idea as you.

—————————

You pull up to the triplets house tears in your eyes. You grab your bag from the passenger seat and get out the car seeing Matt. He’s standing there with the most sympathetic face ever and open arms.

When you see him you drop your bag and start crying. He sees this and walks up to you and wraps his arms around your waist just holding you as you cry.

Matts Pov

When I get Y/n text i knew it would be about her family probably her dad just by the fact she said ‘please’.

It’s about the 2nd time this month she has had to come over it used to be like once a year since she was 16, but it has been getting worse and worse this past year.

I’ve known her since we were 13. me and my brothers moved to a new school because I was being bullied in our old one and we sat next to each other in calculus.

When we were 14 she opened up to me completely about her family problems, dads family problems, her anxiety but one thing that made me stay with her was when she told me about her S/H and attempts.

I remember it so well, my mom and dad went to bed my older brother Nick had a sleepover at his friends, Justin at a party and Chris sound asleep. She had to stay the night that was the first time out of many.

It was around 1 in the morning and we were just laying there in my bed staring at the ceiling talking.

“So umm why did you have to stay the night here??”

I ask her I wasn’t expecting an answer I knew she struggled but I never knew what about.

“Honest?”

She asked looking up at me, my arms crossed.

“If you don’t mind, yea”

I reply sitting up against my headboard looking at her.

“Matt, there’s a lot but my dad kicked me, my mom and my brother max out and well, I didn’t know what to do i panicked my moms staying at her brothers and my brothers stayed with his girlfriends, I- I had nowhere and I-“

She says tears in her eyes I felt heartbroken.

“Take your time”

I say reassuring and putting my arm over her.

“Matt I don’t know I have wanted to kill my self for a while and I don’t know ever since I met you it’s all been going away slowly but tonight, it just all came back and I didn’t want to go down that loophole again with my self harm and stuff I couldn’t do it again”

She says now sobbing.

I wrap her in a hug not saying anything, I mean that was deep as fuck for a 14 year old and I felt so bad I think I was the only one she has told this to so I was not gonna lose out friendship.

In a way I felt glad that she told me for a few reasons she trusted me enough to tell me this, if she didn’t tell me this or come here I where would she be, dead? I mean this was deep shit and I wasn’t letting her go now.

And ever since that day I care for her like a father, boyfriend, brother, best friend, anything I know she needs me and I will forever be there. She needs a hug I’m open arms.

She needs to talk I’m all ears.

She needs to cry I’m here.

She needs to let her anger out I don’t mind If she yells! I know it’s not about me it’s just at me and that’s okay!

All I want is for her to feel loved at times she didn’t feel it.

And that leads me to now hugging her in me and my brothers driveway as she sobs. I slowly start to feel her become weaker as the hug is getting heavier because she is leans into me losing her balance. She hits my back out of anger I wasn’t sure what the anger was about, but it didn’t matter. The hit stops and she falls in my arms crying.

I pick her up gently she wraps her legs around my waist, arms my neck and her head in the crock of my neck. I pick her bag up in my right arm and I have my left arm under her ass holding her.

When I get inside closing the door with my foot I walk up the stairs to see the brothers sitting on the couch. Chris looks up and most definitely didn’t expect to see Y/n crying, he hits nicks shoulder looking worried.

“Ow what the fu-“

Nick says looking up then seeing

Y/n and immediately shuts up.

———————

Authors notes: Should I make a pt.2? Or is it not worth it?

[writeandsurvive]

Caught in a Snow Storm ~ Alden Parker 1/2

Summary: After a work road trip, you and Alden have to stop at a hotel cause the roads are being closed and there’s only one room left.

Warnings: one bed, heater goes out, smut, age gap, smoking, handjob, oral (f receiving).

Words count: 5.2k

Author’s note: yes, despite being summer, I’m writing winter fics. I couldn’t shake this idea off my head so I finally wrote it down. Second part coming soon! Special mention to Supernatural in this work because 18 years later, I finally fell into the rabbit hole. I hope you’ll like it! ❤️

None of this was planned. Nothing happened the way it should have. The whole trip was a major waste of time, giving you zero info for your murder case and even less a lead. On top of that, a huge snow storm hit, blocking the roads and you had to stop at the first hotel you found. You usually love the snow, you find it beautiful when it’s all white outside. But this time, it was just the cherry on the cake. “Do you have everything you need for a sleepover?” You did this trip with your team leader, Alden Parker. You didn’t want to go in the first place.

The idea of being stuck in a car for almost three hours with your crush didn’t sound appealing. Not that you mind being with him, you actually love his company, love talking to him about all kinds of things, love his face when he smiles, or how his eyes are soft whenever he looks at you. You love how his mustache is dark while the rest of his beard - and hair - keeps getting whiter. But you still didn’t want to, because of what happened the week before.

Despite being cold outside, the sky was clear blue and the sun was out. You love this exact kind of weather, and ever since you found out about the roof, you enjoy going up for a break, taking some deep breaths, having a smoke and just appreciate the quiet. And that was exactly what you did. Smelling the nice scent coming from the bakery down the street, a cigarette in hand, you relaxed. You even took a couple of pictures of this nice view.

“You know,” you jumped for a second at the sound of his voice straddling you. He chuckled at your reaction. “Ever since I joined, I’ve been wondering where your secret smoking spot is.” He got closer to the ledge, taking in the view. You tried not to stare too much.

“Did you follow me here, Parker?” You puffed on your cigarette.

“Just a little at the time. Nice spot. But the cigarette—“

“I know, I don’t need the lecture. I’m not a heavy smoker, you know.” You stayed a few steps away from him, not wanting to overwhelm him with the bad smell of nicotine.

“Just when you’re overwhelmed or want to relax.”

You didn’t know what to think about the fact that he noticed all of this. And was intrigued enough that he found your secret spot. You felt all giddy, but buried it deep inside you.

“After sex, too.” As soon as it left your lips, you regretted it. Where was this coming from? Technically, it is true, you enjoy a smoke after sex, but it wasn’t something Alden Parker needed to know. You felt so horrified that you stopped looking at the man and just focused on the view and your cigarette that was coming to an end. You would probably need another one. “I shouldn’t have said that.” You managed to say.

“Yeah,” he agreed and you felt even worse. “Look, I’m not going to tell you how bad it is for you, cause I know how annoying that is—I’ve been there.” You looked at him, forgetting your embarrassment for a second. “Just that if and when you decide to try to stop, I’ll be happy to help.”

“H—how did you stop?”

“That’s actually one of the good things that came out of my marriage with Vivian. She really wanted me to stop, so we came to an agreement that everytime I needed to smoke, I’d reach out to her. I’d call if we weren’t together, or just tell her if we were, and she’d do her best to take my mind off it.”

“And it really worked?”

“After a while, yeah. It did. But also because I wanted to stop. If you don’t have that in the first place, no matter what you do, it won’t work.”

“I’ll— think about it. Thank you for offering your help.”

Your cigarette was long gone, and you put the bottom away in a little ashtray you hid.

“We’re a team.” He smiled at you. That damn smile that makes you want to reach for him and kiss him until you can’t breathe.

You went back to the bullpen together. “I do miss a good cigarette after sex though.” He just said before you left the roof.

Maybe you spent the entire week overthinking this. He obviously didn’t mind what you said, but you still felt horrified by it. Why would you say something like that to him? Clearly, he knew what that feeling was like, but it still wasn’t worth mentioning. He did agree when you said you shouldn’t have said it though. Did it make him uncomfortable? He probably doesn’t want to know anything about his coworkers sex life.

Not that you had any lately.

When you finally reached a hotel, you thought it would be it. You couldn’t wait to get into your room, lay down and relax. Probably go back down later to smoke. The ride itself wasn’t bad at all. Alden was his usual self, you two talked about many stuff in the car, some were work related and some weren’t. At some point, it felt like he was trying to know you better than he already did. After all, you’ve been working together for just a year, and it’s not like you two spend a lot of alone time together.

“I’m sorry we’re booked.” The receptionist started to say, and you sighed heavily. “Lots of people decided to stop when they announced the storm coming up. All we have left is a suite.” You and Alden looked at each other.

“It’s either that or the car.” He said.

“Fine. But accounting better not give us hell for that.”

“Is this a work trip?” The lady asked, surprising both of you.

“Yeah, why?” Alden asked.

“Because that suite—only has one bed.”

“Fuck me.” You muttered a bit too loud. But Alden agreed for the room.

“We’re adults.” He said in the elevator. “We’ll build a pillow wall if it makes you feel better.”

“Sure. Adults and pillow walls really fit together.” You rolled your eyes. Alden chuckled.

“Have you ever slept in the same bed as a friend or something?”

“Yeah, of course. But it’s different.”

The elevator’s doors opened and Alden walked out first. “If it really grosses you out to share a bed with me, I’ll sleep on the floor, Y/N.”

You usually love when he says your name, but not this time. You could tell by his tone that you upset him. Hurt him, maybe? But wasn’t it better that he thought something like that than know the truth? That you didn’t want to share a bed because you were scared of what it may do to you. You followed him into the suite. It was very beautiful, spacious, and kinda—romantic. Not helping.

“That’s not what I meant, Alden.” He put his backpack down.

“I saw a little store down the street, I’m gonna go buy a few things.” He walked past you to reach for the door again. “Do you need anything?” He still asked.

“A pack of cigarettes?” You heard his quiet growl.

“I was thinking more like some food? Hygiene products? PJs?”

“Do you really think they are selling PJs in that mini store?”

“I’m hoping. Sleeping on the floor is one thing, but sleeping on the floor in my suit? I’d rather not.”

“You’re not sleeping on the floor.” You told him.

“Are you?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah right.”

You knew he wanted to ask you why it was different with him. Why did you seem so repulsed by the idea of sharing a bed?

“I’ve got everything I need, thanks.”

Alden nodded and left.

This would be alright, yes? It was just one night. The bed was big enough for you two, you wouldn’t need a pillow wall. You just hoped his scent wouldn’t drive you crazy, that his body heat wouldn’t warm your insides.

While Alden was gone, you called McGee to give them updates - not that you had much - and listen to theirs. You exchanged a few theories about the case. And finally told him that you’ve found a hotel to spend the night. “Where’s Parker?”

“He needed a few things for a store downstairs. How are the roads in DC?”

“Not too bad yet, but we’re all heading back home before we have to sleep in the office.”

“Lucky you.”

“Be safe and stay warm.”

“Not too warm though.” You overheard Nick. The team knew about your crush on Alden. They all figured you out little by little.

“Tell him he’s a dead man.”

“She’s going to kill you.” Tim said to Nick, laughing.

“Love you too!” Nick shouted.

You were still working on your computer when Alden came back from his little trip. You immediately noticed the snow all over his dark coat, his hair was wet, and he looked absolutely frozen. “It’s getting bad.” You stood up to take a quick look through the window. Everything was covered in snow and the night was dropping. “The store owner told me that a neighborhood close by lost power. We may be next.”

“Wonderful.”

As Alden took his coat and jacket off, you went to grab a towel from the bathroom and offered it to him. “For your hair.”

“Thank you.” He dried off his hair, and sat on bed to take off his wet socks. He looked at you puzzled when you extended your hand.

“It’s just socks. They need to dry.”

You disappeared in the bathroom to put them on the tower heater, while it still worked. When you came back, Alden was sitting on the bed in his white undershirt, his belt was unbuckled. You forced yourself not to stare. “We can eat downstairs but I don’t feel like moving just yet. You can if you want to be alone.”

“Not hungry for now. You should take a shower while there’s still hot water, that’ll warm you up. I put a towel on the heater.”

You could feel his eyes on you even though you had your back turned to him. “Thank you.” And he was gone to the bathroom.

This was going to be alright.

You took a look in the bags he brought back. Was this considered sneaking? He didn’t say anything about it being private, and you could see a bag of chips on top anyways. And you found mostly snacks, a bag of your favorites. There was your favorite kind of tea, and some coffee powder. And obviously, a box of pastries. You smiled at that. If Alden doesn’t find his way to pastries, pastries will find their way to him.

Then you grabbed the hotel menu, looking at what could interest you. Unlike you told Alden, you were hungry, you just didn’t want to eat alone. And you wanted to make up to him for hurting his feelings earlier.

He came back from the bathroom, wearing some night shorts, his white t-shirt and a black zipper on top. His hair was still a little wet, and messy. You’ve never seen his beautiful hair like this and you loved it even more. Alden looked so casual, and cozy, you realized this was what it’d be like to date the man. This could be one of your daily views, if only— if only.

You were on the bed, scrolling on your phone, your legs under the blanket as it was getting a bit colder. “You should go too.” He told you, and you agreed. Walking past him as he smelled fresh from the shower turned your upside down. You hurried to the bathroom and locked up. A cold shower was more needed than a hot one. You almost gave up to your urges in the shower and touched yourself, but your embarrassment afterwards would be written all over your face, and Alden could read you very easily.

You needed to smoke.

“You were looking at the menu. Do you want to order something?”

“Do you?”

You definitely noticed how Alden looked at you from head to toes, even though there was nothing to see. You were wearing an oversized hoodie that you always have with you during winter, and your work pants. “I don’t have shorts like yours or anything similar.” You answered his silent question.

“Get under the blanket and take them off. I’m staying here for now anyway.”

You did as told, because you honestly wanted those pants off. Alden stayed seated at the little table. “So, food?”

“The grilled cheese sounds good.”

“Drink? I got you some tea for later, but you already saw that.”

It was the first time since you got the room that you and Alden actually looked at each other. You could tell he was teasing you for looking into the bags, so you smiled. “My favorite. Thank you by the way.”

You gave Alden your full order and he called the reception, who informed him about the heating system issue. The room temperature was clearly dropping. You pulled on your sleeves to cover your hands, and put the hood on. “We can get an extra blanket, or hang out around their chimney.”

“I’d rather stay here for now. And get your ass under the blanket too.”

“I’m good.”

“For the love of god, Alden! I’m not grossed out by the idea of sharing a bed with you! Or anything like that for that matter.”

“No, I know. I get it. I’m your team leader, I’m quite older than you. It’s not very comfortable, like sleeping with your weird uncle or something.”

You laughed, but Alden looked serious.

“You’re definitely not the weird uncle.”

“Yeah, tell that to my nieces and nephews.”

“I’d rather trust Eli.” You smiled and he returned it. You and the team learned about Alden’s godson only recently. You’ve met his former FBI partner, Jeremy, who talked about his son Eli, and how much he loved his godfather. You had no doubt believing that Alden was a loving godfather, who took his role very seriously. And you loved that about him. “Get under the blanket, Parker.” You said again, and this time he did. He stayed very much on his side though, a huge gap between your body and his. “Plug your phone before the power goes out.” He said, plugging his own.

As you left the bed to grab your phone charger - and computer - you forgot that you had no pants on. It didn’t even occur to you when you slightly bent over to get it from your bag. It was only when you walked back to the bed, and saw how red Alden’s cheeks were that you realized. You basically jumped under the blanket, mortified. “I’m sorry! I completely forgot—sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He cleared his throat. “No worries.”

“Let’s agree that if either of us does something that makes the other uncomfortable, we can just say it. Yeah?”

“Deal.”

How could you look him in the eyes now?

Both of you on your side of the bed, focusing on your phones, the room became totally quiet. You didn’t know what was more uncomfortable, the fact that you just saw your panties, and that you’re both so ill at ease, you can’t even talk, creating this awful atmosphere.

Finally, your order came in. You obviously decided to eat on the bed, the blanket covering you as much as possible. “I can put up something on my laptop if you want.” You offered.

“Yeah, why not.”

You gave him a few options as he settled the food.

“What’s Supernatural?”

“Seriously? Dean and Sam Winchester, chasing demons and all kinds of creatures?”

“That sounds—“

“Like what we’re watching. Sit.”

And you did just that. Eat dinner in bed, covered by a comfy blanket, watching the first episode of Supernatural… with your team leader. Your crush. The guy who’s much older than you.

You didn’t know who was the most surprised by how Alden got into it. He was asking you a bunch of questions, some that you couldn’t answer without spoiling. “Just because it’s not that bad, doesn’t mean I’ll binge the whole thing. Don’t care about the spoilers.”

“I do. So, if you want to know what killed the boys’ mom, just watch it.”

Alden was leaning against the headboard, an arm behind his head. He looked even more cozy than he did earlier. You could so easily lay down on his chest, and cuddle as you watch the show. “Maybe I should go down and get that extra blanket.” He said at the end of the episode.

“I will go. I’m gonna smoke.”

“I didn’t buy you a pack.”

“Always have a few with me. Do you think you can avoid freezing to death for ten minutes?”

“You’re the one going outside. Wouldn’t you prefer to stay warm here and talk to me?” He offered. How he managed to stop smoking. “We can watch another ep, if you want.”

“You’re hooked.” You grinned.

Alden turned on his side, leaning a little closer to you. “Well it’s always nice to know how to defend myself if I ever encounter a demon.”

“Or a vampire, or a werewolf, or a rougarou.”

“What the hell is a rougarou?” He laughed.

“Binge. The. Show.” At every word, you got closer to Alden. So close your forehead almost brushed his. A little more and you could’ve kissed the man. And it obviously took both of you by surprise.

“I’ll go get the blanket. Be back in a few.” He was gone before you could say anything.

By the time he came back, you had cleared the bed from the plates and food, made sure that there were no crumbs or anything in the sheets, put his water bottle on his nightstand, and waited. The extra blanket looked fluffy and pretty warm, and Alden couldn’t wait to get under. “It’s freezing in those damn hallways.”

You grabbed the blanket from his arms and set it just right on the bed. You took your computer, settling it between your hips and Alden’s, maybe it acted as a barrier. “You’re cold.” You could feel his coldness despite the gap.

“You think?” His vest was close up to the top, and he put his hood on just like you. Without thinking further, you reached out for one of his hands. It was frozen.

“Gimme the other one.” Puzzled, he gave you his hands. You put them in the big pocket of your sweater, and covered them with yours. His hands were much bigger than yours but you didn’t care. You moved your fingers on his skin, putting a bit of pressure to get the blood flooding properly.

“Do you have another pocket for my feet?” He asked as you felt his legs getting closer.

“I swear if you put your cold feet on my legs, I’ll scream.”

In the pocket where the four hands were, you didn’t know who was trying to warm who. They were mixed together, you could feel his fingers moving against your palm and wrist. Alden chuckled, his legs got even closer.

“Parker, I have a gun.”

“So do I. And I’m a better shooter.”

“We’re 1 to 1, so no, you are not.”

You and Alden went to the shooting range a couple of times. It started with a little teasing about your aim after a case, and it turned into a competition. Whoever wins the next round has to invite the other for dinner. His idea.

Did it mean something?

“When this case is over, we’re doing the last round. I can’t wait for my free dinner.”

“Be careful. I could take you to the worst and cheapest restaurant ever.”

“In that case—“

Before you knew it, Alden’s legs were intertwined with yours. His feet were pressed against your calves, and your body got much closer to his. You let out a small scream of surprise before trying to fight him off. But his hands had left your pocket to lock you down. To be honest, with your training, you could get out of his hold but he wanted to play, so you were going to indulge. He was holding you so tight that your hands were stuck in your pocket. You tried to sneak your way out, until you both heard a thump. “Was that my laptop?” You asked.

“Uh-huh.”

“If it’s broken, you’ll explain to accounting why I need a new one.” You lifted your head to look at him. “Shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

“Why’s that?”

“According to the rumors, you dated—“

“Come on. Don’t tell me you believe those rumors?”

“Well, they are around your age, some are single. And Kathy is very beautiful.”

You felt his hold loosen a little but honestly, you didn’t want him to let go of you. You wanted to stay there for as long as possible. He smelled so good, his body felt perfect against yours. Being this close to him felt—right.

“Mmm… that’s true, she is. Do you think I have a chance with her?”

You forced yourself to smile. “Of course you do. You’re clever, handsome, sweet, funny, passionate. And you have the best head of hair ever.”

He laughed at that. From where you were, you saw his throat bobbing. His Adam’s apple was so close, all you wanted was to kiss it. His laugh was the best sound you’ve heard, and it was even better when you were the reason he was laughing.

“I figured you loved my hair when a month after I joined the team, you accidentally touched it.”

“It was an accident, Alden! I was reaching for the file and your head was on the way!”

“Sure it was. I have such a big head.”

“Aldeeeen!” You whined and somehow your face buried itself in his neck. “I swear I didn’t—“

“I’m just teasing you.” He chuckled.

Realizing that you were basically cuddling the man, you were ready to move away and get some much needed distance. Especially that Alden’s released the last bit of pressure they had on you. But before you could move even just a little, his arms closed again. This time, he wasn’t locking you down. He was hugging you. Cuddling you.

“We should stay like this if we don’t want to freeze to death. Unless it makes you uncomfortable—“

“I’m good.” You immediately said. You didn’t want to move. Not now, not ever. “You’re lucky your feet are warm now.”

“Thanks to you.”

After a long moment and an internal debat, you moved your arms to hold him back. You felt his body relaxing entirely, and yours did the same. And you stayed like long enough that you both fell asleep.

Three hours later, you woke up. You and Alden were practically in the same position, except that he rolled a bit of his back, and one of his hands was dangerously close to your butt.

Your skin was damped. You were hot and sweating. Pulling the blankets just a little, you realized that the room wasn’t cold anymore. As slowly and quietly as possible, you moved out of Alden’s arms and left the bed. The heater was working very well, your hoodie wasn’t needed anymore so you got rid of it, as well as your socks. You were now in a tank top and panties, but couldn’t bring yourself to care. Especially not after what happened earlier.

You removed the extra blanket as gently as you could so Alden wouldn’t wake up. Then, you crawled back in bed, stared at his beautiful and peaceful face before slowly opening the zipper of his vest. You were halfway through it when his body moved and you felt his eyes on you. “The heating system got fixed. You should take it off.”

“You were doing a great job.” He sleepily said. You opened the vest entirely, and tried to remove it from one of his arms.

“A little help, Alden?”

Half asleep, he sat up and put his arms in the air like a toddler wanting to be undressed. You quietly laughed and undressed him, almost straddling his lap. It surprised you when he got rid of his t-shirt too before laying back down, taking you with him.

Alden was shirtless. You could feel him, you could touch his chest if you were bold enough. You wanted to turn on the lights and see his body, admire it, imprint in your brain forever. You were about to relax and just enjoy this moment, but it was when he let go of you and practically turned on the other side. “Oh” left your lips as it surprised you, confused you and kinda hurt you.

“Male body reaction.” You heard him say. “It’s better I stay on my side.”

It took you a couple of seconds to understand. “What if I don’t want you to stay on your side?” You whispered and moved closer. You didn’t know what had gotten into you at this moment. Maybe you were going to die of embarrassment, maybe you’d have to quit your job in the morning. Or maybe—

You were now spooning Alden. “Remember our agreement? If one of us does something that makes the other un—“

“Yeah.” He cut you off.

Slowly, you ran your hand from bare back to his chest. He started to breathe heavily. You loved the hair that was there. You touched his pecs, his tummy, making him growl, and reached the waistband of his shorts. You softly kissed his shoulder and Alden melted. His hand went up and down your forearm that was around him. “I need you to agree to this, Alden.” You whispered into his ear, “Don’t want to take advantage of sleepy you.” You planted a kiss under his ear.

“I’m very much awake, sweetheart.” His head leaned back into you. “You can do anything to me.”

When was the last time someone took care of this man?

Your hand finally got into his shorts. You had barely touched his length that he moaned. When your hand wrapped around his cock, you didn’t expect it to be this thick. You got even wetter than you already were. You collected his pre cum on the tip, and used it to start stroking. “Fuck!” He growled deeply. He completely leaned into you, his hand reaching for your hair, neck, face. He was needy and you loved it. You freed his cock from the shorts and stroked him slowly, putting just enough pressure. You kissed his cheek, nipped his ear. You were able to move your other arm under his head, which allowed him to touch his chest. Between the noises he was making, you could tell he wanted to talk, he wanted to say something but everything died on his tongue. “Kiss me.” Was all he could say as he turned his face and you did. All teeth and tongue, all needy and desperate. Alden was now on his back, his hips moving. You weren’t sure if you were giving him a handjob or if he was fucking your hand. That you cared.

“I’m gonna—“ he choked and growled.

You kissed his cheek and whispered to his ear again. “Cum for me, Alden. I’ve got you.” A few more sloppy strokes and he was coming all over his stomach, your name dying on his lips along curse words, his fist holding onto your hair for dear life - it stung a little but you loved it.

You watched him coming down from his high, playing with his hair. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as he was catching his breath. The post orgasm bliss on his face. You kissed his cheek, “I’ll go get a towel.”

When you came back, Alden had turned the nightstand light on, and he looked absolutely perfect. Naked, satisfied, relaxed… the best version of Alden Parker you’ve ever seen until now.

He tried to reach for the towel but you slapped his hand away, and cleaned the sticky mess on his stomach. As soon as you were done, Alden grabbed you and pinned you on the bed, his body covering yours. “I think we can say that our platonic work relationship is ruined.” His eyes moved from your eyes to your lips.

“How terrible.” You grinned and he kissed you. You’ve been in control so far, but you knew at this moment that he was taking over.

“I’m not sure how I got you to be interested in me, but I’ll take it.” He lifted your tank top a little and went down to kiss your stomach.

“You’re the only one who didn’t know I’ve had a crush on you for months.” Your body shivered under his touch.

“I may have noticed a few things—“ he took your top off of you and admired your breasts before touching them, kissing them, playing with your nipples. “But it seemed impossible.” He kept touching your tits as he got back up to kiss you. You buried your hands in his hair, and wrapped your legs around his waist.

“Why? Because you’re older?”

“For starters.” He kissed you one more time before getting on his knees. He slowly took off your panties while staring deep in your eyes.

“I don’t give a fuck about your age.” He looked at your panties, smelled them before throwing them away. You practically moaned at his actions.

“You should, babydoll.”

He settled between your legs, kissed your inner thigh, bit a little, and gently touched your pussy, looking at it so hungrily.

“Well if you don’t fuck me properly, I just might.” You teased, trying not to lose your mind over having him down there.

“As much as I want to, I’m not going to fuck you tonight, unless you got a condom hidden in your bag.”

“For fuck sakes!” You shouted.

“Sorry, doll. But I’m going to make you cum.”

And he finally dived in. He inhaled your scent deeply, before putting his month where you needed him the most. Alden knew what to do, when to do it. He ate you like a starving man. Making you moan loudly. You felt his index finger penetrating you, and another finger as his month kept playing with your clit. It didn’t take long before that amazing and familiar feeling appeared. One of your hands was in his hair, while he was holding the other with his free hand. Your legs around his neck could’ve suffocated him but you didn’t care and neither did he.

“I want to taste all of you, doll. Cum with my mouth.” He encouraged you. “I’ve got you.” He repeated your words. And you didn’t need more.

After cleaning you with the towel, Alden held you as you were catching your breath. Kissing your hair, he gently stroked your back. You both enjoyed this moment, this position, this tenderness. You didn’t know what tomorrow would be like, or even what this all meant.

Neither of you dared to ask.

[solaslow74]

greetings, people of earth!! it is i, sola, newcomer to the our life community and to the platform, doing what everyone knows is the first step to integrating into an online fandom: oversharing identifying information about my children!!

my olnf children, of course! i’ve been cooking up some short fanfics starring these mcs of mine for the upcoming olnf week, and thought this month or so leading up to it would be a good time to introduce them!

so let’s take a walk along the street, and i promise everybody that you meet, will have an original point of view:

And in this corner of the ring, we have Soleil Bridgeford!

She’s cheerful, she’s energetic, she’s set on becoming the best her she can be! As the protagonist of most other video games, she’d be using the power of friendship and hitting things really hard to save the world or something; but as fate would have it, in this story, she’s just an ordinary kid in the peaceful town of Golden Grove.

But that’s not gonna stop her from being The Hero™! She’s gonna give this town her all, being EVERYONE’S friend and solving EVERYONE’S problems, especially when it comes to her two precious neighbors.

Of course, Soleil’s gonna have to learn that sometimes, handling personal struggles and the ups and downs of friendships is something you can’t always approach with the force and subtlety of a charging bull. And what her neighbors really need from her isn’t a superhero- just Soleil as she is.

Soleil loves sports, food, and all things “awesome”, but as she gets older, she develops a bit more nuance to her tastes, as well. She’ll find that her endless passion can be suited to more pursuits than just the physical.

Though her childhood crush on the cool and confident Qiu Lin fades as her neighbor grows harsh and distant in their teen years, who’s to say what sorts of feelings might blossom as the two grow into adulthood? But one thing’s for sure- no matter how much changes, Soleil’s gonna be there for her friends.

but, moving on… what good is the strong female MC without the pathetic male MC?

That’s where Rowan Cordovi comes in, of course.

Full of himself and with an utter lack of self-awareness, Rowan thinks he’s God’s gift to Golden Grove. But even if he sees himself as the star of the show, he’s more than happy to welcome in co-stars. After all, it’s not as if others can’t be amazing- it’s just that he already is!

While he works hard in the hobbies he loves- music and theater most of all- Rowan is more than content to take it easy in most other areas of his life. After all, once his natural talent and beauty is recognized, the success, friends, and admirers are sure to roll in. They haven’t yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Surely.

Golden Grove might be a little too slow and quaint for this rising star, but that doesn’t mean it’s all bad. After all, since the first day he met his neighbors, Rowan has known that they’re special. That magic between them can only be one thing, Rowan’s favorite part of the fairy-tale stories he’s fond of. That’s true love, baby! And you can bet he’s gonna get a good grade in romance, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve.

Rowan has a long ways to go. It’s a good thing he’s got people around him who are gonna help him grow into a more well-rounded adult. But until then- watch out, Golden Grove!

and… those are my first two mc’s! i have seven in total, which is perfect for the seven days of prompts for olnf week, but starting with just two seems appropriate. you’re already awesome if you read through both of these! i’ll probably post about the remaining five in sets of two and three sometime soon!

feel free to ask any questions, or tell me all about your characters! (and also kindly let me know if i made any first-time tumblr gaffes, this is my first ever post!) i know plenty of you are just as normal about your olnf mc’s as i am about mine, so let’s all be normal together >:)

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Across The Darkened Room {4}

Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader || Modern AU Summary: Aemond keeps his promise and takes care of you in every sense of the word. Warnings: 18+ only, NSFW, nudity, sexual themes WC: 2.8k

Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five ||

“You should pack an overnight bag,” Aemond said as he held you on his lap, his back resting against the headboard. He idly drew circles over your thighs and his hair tickled your cheek as you tucked your face into the crook of his neck. “I’ll have movers get the rest for you when you choose which place you like.”

“You are too young to be a sugar daddy,” you murmured and his chest bounced with a deep chuckle. 

“I am hardly buying your affection.” He tipped your chin back so you could see the sincerity in his eye as he spoke, “I promised to take care of you, keep you safe, and you agreed to that control.”

“I know, it just must cost a lot.”

Aemond’s head fell back with a laugh and he shook his head apologetically. “It’s the money that makes you uncomfortable. Sweetpea, it means nothing to me.”

You bit your lip and pondered what such a life would be like, never having to worry about paying the bills or how to make a meal stretch as far as possible. It was as if he could see your thoughts playing in realtime and he didn’t like the way your pulse increased suddenly. 

“Why did you come to my club?”

Your panicked thoughts were derailed and you blinked at him as you processed the question. He was patient as you collected yourself and remembered the moments that led to your search for the sanctuary. 

“I’ve been on my own since I was 16. As soon as I could get out of Flea Bottom I did. Since then I have had the pressure to make every decision alone and I second guess myself at every turn. Whatever the consequence, it's on my shoulders alone. The only relief I have is when I give up that control, for me it’s freedom, even if it is only for a few hours.

“About a year ago Mr Greyjoy sent me to The Heights to collect some special books from an estate sale and I overheard a couple of women in the street. They were talking about the Red Keep and something clicked with what they were saying. So, I saved up for months to pay for the membership and here we are. It probably sounds stupid.”

“Not at all,” Aemond assured you. “It makes perfect sense. Now, do you think you are steady enough to shower?”

The small cubicle was cramped with two bodies in it and it was the first time you had made the attempt. Aemond had taken the loofah and lathered it up with your body wash before thoroughly cleaning you from head to toe. The half moons across your backside had stopped bleeding fairly quickly but the hot water and soap cascading down them sparked a fresh sting in them and your eyes fluttered shut when Aemond paid them more attention than the rest of your skin.

All too soon the water turned cold and Aemond wrapped you in a towel, taking care to dry you as thoroughly as he washed you. It was a fascination to watch him move around your room, opening the closet and drawers with confidence as he collected an outfit for you to wear. 

You should have known he would be sensible in his choices given how late the evening was and how quickly the seaside city temperatures dropped overnight. He could have easily ordered you to wear one of the few skimpy leather outfits you reserved for the Red Keep and you would have donned it to please him, but he grabbed a pair of your worn jeans, and a hoodie. He did indulge himself a little as he chose your underwear, finding a lace bra and the matching panties with a purely masculine smile. 

“You should wear more lace,” he said softly as he traced the detailing over your breasts. “I’m going to take you shopping, Sweetpea.”

The urge to fight the offer didn’t swell in you this time, not after your earlier conversation. Instead, you stepped back and gave him a slow turn so he could see the full effect and your confidence grew as his eye darkened with lust, the iris losing ground to his quickly dilating pupil. 

“I don’t start work until after lunch tomorrow,” you said as you faced him again and he reluctantly held a casual shirt out for you. 

“By the time I show you the properties there won’t be any time for shopping,” he said with a frown, almost like he was embarrassed to admit he couldn’t slow time, and you chuckled at the sight.

“How about you save the time and choose for me?”

A deep hum of approval rumbled from his chest before he closed the distance and caught your chin in his hand as his lips brushed over your cheek towards your ear. “That is a very good idea.”

Aemond was driving towards The Heights, one of the richest suburbs in King’s Landing, and the sparkling blue sea was picturesque behind the mansions that lined the streets. You couldn’t resist opening the window and letting the fresh air blow in with the hint of salt on the breeze.

The trunk of the car was full of shopping bags and they also spilled over into the backseats. Aemond had purchased far more than you had been prepared for but his smile as he handed his card over each time was enough to let him lead you to the next store, and then the next. 

He had been thoroughly amused when you had seen the price of a pair of the barely-there lace panties, you had been aghast that anyone would pay the exorbitant cost for what essentially amounted to a single spool of thread. You had quickly put it back on the rack but somehow it had ended up in the shopping bags without you realising and Aemond had smiled wickedly when the cashier scanned it. 

The sound of the indicator pulled you from thoughts of the overladen trunk behind you and you gasped as you saw the property that Aemond was turning the car into. Words failed you as you took in the row of pretty townhouses that overlooked the water.

“Please tell me we are just visiting someone here,” you murmured.

Aemond pressed a button hanging from his keyring and the garage door for the end townhouse began to open. “Welcome home, Sweetpea.”

You were dumbstruck as you stood in the bright open living room that took up most of the second floor. A balcony sat beyond the floor to ceiling glass sliding doors with unimpeded panoramic views of the sea. A lavish kitchen full of appliances and a marble island could not take away from the view of the water and when Aemond opened the sliding door the sound of lapping waves was carried on the breeze.

“This is too much,” you murmured from behind your hands that covered your lips in shock. 

Aemond beckoned you to join him on the deck and he caged you between his body and the balustrade as he nipped your shoulder sharply. “Agree to disagree.”

A thick wall on one side of the balcony gave the illusion of privacy but you knew there was a neighbour after seeing them on the way in. It didn’t stop Aemond from tilting your head so he had free access to your neck that he grazed his teeth over. 

“You should see the master suite,” he suggested as he pressed himself into your lower back and palmed your breasts until you moaned before pulling away, “then I’ll take you to work.”

You suppressed a groan at the thought of having to go to work, especially after he had teased you, but you dutifully followed Aemond up the stairs to the third floor. It was just as you imagined it would be, light and airy with another grand view of the sea. You could easily see yourself sitting in bed with a book and watching the sea on a lazy Sunday morning. 

“Thank you, Aemond,” you whispered as you climbed the large bed and sat against the headboard to soak in the view. 

Aemond fingered the hooks that were skillfully embedded in the headboard and smiled as he soaked in the sight of you bathing in sunlight. “You are very welcome, Sweetpea.”

The alarm on your phone suddenly blared and you couldn't stop the groan that escaped as you turned it off. Patting the bed longingly, you climbed off with a promise you would be back and Aemond chuckled as he took your hand. 

“I could be terrible and suggest you call in sick,” he said as you descended the stairs to the garage. 

You shook your head and slipped into the front seat of the Maybach “I haven’t taken a sick day, ever.”

“Then you are seriously overdue.”

All joking aside, you made it in time to start work, even with the extra distance to travel and you waved goodbye to Aemond when he dropped you off outside the bookstore. Mondays were always quiet so after unpacking some new inventory and sweeping the store front, you took a seat behind the counter and checked your emails on the store’s laptop. 

You immediately dialled Aemond.

“Why have I got an email from my doctor? It says you requested an appointment.” you asked as soon as the call connected.

“You are overdue for your pap smear,” Aemond answered distractedly and you heard a keyboard tapping away in the background. 

“Aemond...” you groaned, “how did you even…you bribed my doctor?”

Aemond sighed and the typing fell silent as he leaned back in his office chair. “Bribery is such a dirty word, Sweetpea, I bought the medical centre.”

A growl of frustration clawed at your throat and you glared at your phone as if he could see it. “That does not make it any better.”

“Would you rather me not take care of your health?” he asked quietly and you felt the question ran deeper than just the words he was saying and you sighed.

“No, just a little heads up would have been nice.” You looked at the email again before shutting the laptop. “I need a refill of my pill too so I would have had to book something soon anyway.”

“Ah, yes, I was hoping we could talk about that. I like to think this relationship is going well and will continue to do so and, well, neither of us are virgins,” he stated and you laughed at the obvious statement, “but, I find condoms a minor inconvenience. It takes a bit of the spontaneity out of sex, in all honesty. If we were both tested and clean, is that something you would be open to?”

The bell above the door tinkled and you looked up to see a customer walking in with a young girl and you waved in greeting. “Mhmm, yes, sir. I can definitely locate that book for you.”

Aemond spoke with amusement thick in his voice, “I’ll book the appointment while you help with your customers.”

The call ended and you slipped your phone into your pocket before walking to the children’s section, after all, Mr Greyjoy didn’t pay you minimum wage to sit around on your phone.

Dr Merins didn’t know who to look at when he spoke to you. Though his words were directed at you, his eyes kept flicking to Aemond as he sat in the chair that your mother had stopped filling when you were about 15 years old. She had deemed you old enough to take yourself to the doctors if you really needed it and she couldn’t afford to take time off from her two jobs. 

Dr Merins pushed his glasses back up his long nose and looked down at the lab results. “Everything has come back clear on the swabs taken last week and you won’t need another Pap Smear for three years. I was a little concerned by your iron levels in the blood test, they still haven’t increased since your last test and they are borderline anaemic.”

Aemond thrummed his fingers along his thigh as he spoke, “What would you suggest for it, doctor?”

The poor doctor looked between the two of you and sighed, giving his attention to Aemond. “She needs to be eating iron rich food, red meats or leafy green vegetables.” He reached over his desk and grabbed one of the many pamphlets for healthy eating, holding it out for Aemond to take. You had the same pamphlet in your old apartment but no matter how hard you had tried to eat better, healthier food was more expensive and your budget didn’t always stretch that far. “Or, I can prescribe an iron supplement.”

Aemond folded the pamphlet up and slipped it into his suit jacket. “That won’t be necessary.”

The doctor nodded and his glasses dipped again, forcing him to push them back up his nose before writing the script for your contraceptive pill and handing it to Aemond as well. “Very well, Mr Targaryen,” he said. “You can pick this up from the pharmacy on your way out.”

“Thank you,” you said as you stood, somehow feeling relieved despite knowing your test results would come back clear. Aemond merely nodded and opened the door for you, leading you back to the reception to pay for the private consultation instead of waiting for you to fill out the papers to claim back the cost. 

The drive home was peaceful as Aemond navigated the streets, patiently waiting in the morning rush hour. The day was still fresh and it was your day off so you had no expectations on how you were going to spend it. Aemond didn’t seem to have any particular set days off from running his businesses, shifting his schedule to fit yours as needed. 

The phone in the car rang and Aegon’s name flashed across the display before Aemond answered with a resigned sigh. “What’s wrong now?”

“Good morning to you too, little brother,” Aegon greeted with a laugh. “I just signed a cheque for our dear mother, do you want to know why?” 

You gave Aemond all the privacy you could by turning your attention out the window but nothing could stop you from hearing the conversation with Aegon. 

Aemond pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. “No, but I assume you are going to tell me anyway.”

“It seems her perfect little boy was photographed buying heroin off some street dealers. Really, Aemond, you couldn’t just snort a few lines of coke with the rest of us? We aren’t the riff-raff.”

You shrunk into your seat and Aemond cast his eye over you before placing a reassuring hand on your knee with a squeeze before addressing his brother, “You wasted your money, Aegon, my vice is nothing as pitiful as drugs.”

“I told mother that, but now she’s all worried. She wants you at the family dinner tomorrow night.”

Aegon didn’t seem to enjoy the idea of the dinner from the snarl in his tone and from Aemond’s deep breath he must have felt the same. 

“Fine, but tell mother I am bringing my girlfriend.”

You spun in your seat to face Aemond and found his lips curving into a full smile, pleased by your surprised reaction. You had noticed he no longer used ‘arrangement’ and instead spoke of your ‘relationship’ but you had not let your hopes get too high regarding what that meant. Now your heart beat erratically and a smile split your own face as he called you his girlfriend. 

“Oh, Aem, I can’t wait to meet her,” Aegon laughed, and for a moment you forgot the call was still connected. “See you later, little brother.”

Aegon’s name disappeared from the display as the call ended and you placed your hand on Aemond’s where it rested on your thigh. “So, girlfriend huh?”

“That’s the part of the conversation you want to discuss?” Aemond shot back with a smirk. 

Your eyebrows pinched together as you remembered the reason his brother had called to begin with and grimaced. “I knew talking to Mad Dog was a bad idea. Your mother is going to think I’m a junkie…”

“Relax, Sweetpea, she’s going to love you…once I explain what actually happened,” he said with a laugh. 

“This isn’t funny,” you said as you pressed your palm to your forehead. “I’ve never met anyone's parents before. What do I even say, or wear? Oh god, it's dinner, what if I use the wrong piece of cutlery. Don’t rich people have like ten thousand different forks?”

Aemond laughed heartily as he pulled into your driveway and he was still chuckling when he parked in the garage. “We have three at most, and I will be beside you the entire time so just follow my lead. As for what to wear, I know just the dress.”

Click here for part five.

Taglist: @scxrletwitches , @shelbyteller , @girl-with-an-orange-cat , @crispmarshmallow , @itsemy01 , @boofy1998 , @wondergal2001 , @percyjacksonspeen , @ebaylee422 , @namoreno , @the-jess-life , @undeniableadrenaline , @1950schick , @dothrckis , @julczimozart , @sophiexoxsblog , @liathelioness , @natashaxhellenic , @caramelcandescence , @wooya1224 , @eralen , @thewew

[satninroses]

Elvis To The Rescue!

(A/N): Cute fluffy/ angsty request. I love protective Elvis!! Hope you all enjoy!

Summary: BDE! Elvis finds out you’re being bullied and harassed and is less than pleased.

Pairing: BDE! Protective! Elvis x Fem! Reader

Word count: 1,803

Warnings: Swearing, use of sexist terms, descriptions of violence, and descriptions of minor injuries.

Living at Graceland always seemed like a dream for you. If you would have told younger you that you would be living in a mansion in Tennessee, dating ELVIS PRESLEY, you would have probably told yourself to leave. This was no dream though. You had so much room to enjoy, so many clothes, many books, as much entertainment as you wanted, and of course, your loving boyfriend.

That being said, today you needed to run some errands outside of Graceland. You need to head to the record store, the instrument repair shop, and the fancy grocery story that you and Elvis enjoy. As you were getting ready to have the gates opened, there were a group of girls and paparazzi already crowded.

“Well. If it isn’t Miss Gold Digger. What have you done to be of use to society today? You know, when he’s done with you, he’ll come to one of us. You won’t be “Mrs. Presley” anymore. You’ll just be one of his past mistakes.” The girl snickered with her friends. You felt tears well up in your eyes but decided to continue on your way as if nothing happened. You step out of the gate and the same girl that had been berating you pushed you. You fell onto some harsh rock and skinned your calve pretty bad.

“P-please stop. I’m sorry. I’ll go.” You stood up and dusted yourself off and made your way quickly down the street to the record store.

When you got there, you stood in the alley way behind a dumpster and cried. They had always been mean to you but they had never once put their hands on you. You wish you could tell Elvis but you really didn’t want to be another problem on his plate. You wiped your tears and took a few deep breaths to control yourself. You walked up the steps and opened the door.

The record store was always somewhere you enjoyed visiting. It’s actually where you met Elvis.

It was 1968. The ‘68 comeback special was the most awaited televised special in the world. Elvis was on top of the world at this point. Yet, somehow, you managed to bump into him in this little record store you liked.

You had knocked right into someone and tripped. You look up to see who you slammed into only to be met with THE King of Rock 'n’ Roll. “O-oh my gosh. I’m so sorry! I’m so so so sorry Mr. Presley! Here, let me pick that up for you.” You had never been so nervous in your life. The first time you meet a celebrity and this was how you acted. He probably thought you were a dumb, clumsy girl. Afraid that you had angered who was probably the most famous man on the planet right now, you cowered under his burning hot gaze.

He removed the sunglasses he was wearing to reveal a very worried expression in his eyes. “I’m sorry Darlin’. I should have looked where I was going. Let me pick these up for you. What kind of man am I to go around tripping pretty angels like you? Don't you pick up a thing doll. I should have watched where I was going."

That was over 2 years ago now. You’ve never been happier either. Elvis was your rock and you were his. You loved him so much yet you were just too afraid to tell him about the stuff that was going on.

“Hey Mrs. Presley! How’s it going?” Robbie, the old store clerk greeted you. He had been there when you and Elvis met and was there every time you and him went to this record

store as well.

“I’ve been better, that’s for sure.” You tried to add a bit of humor to your answer but your voice was just to shaky to pass off as sarcastic.

“Is everything ok Ms. ?” You looked a little troubled when you first walked in. Your hair was disheveled, your eye makeup was slightly faded and streaky. Not to mention, you had a massive yellow and green bruise on your leg. You thought about his question. You felt like it had been a while since anyone had asked if you were ok. Maybe it was time to fess up about the stuff at Graceland. “No. There are these girls that stand out side the gates of our home and taunt me every time I leave. Sometimes, I can hear what they say when I’m trying to enjoy my time with Elvis and the Mafia. Today, they called me a “mistake” and pushed me down onto the ground. I want to tell Elvis but I’m so afraid of what will happen. He has a lot going on and I don’t want to add more to his plate.”

You exhaled after having confessed that all to Robbie. “Mrs. Presley, listen to me. I’ve known Presley for quite some time. He is a strong willed man. He would do just about anything for the people in his life. Helping you out wouldn’t be a burden to him. What might be a burden is you not telling him what’s going on. I think you should talk to him about it.”

He looked at you with a hopeful expression and held your hands in his. “Trust me. He’s a good man with respect in his heart. Tell him.”

You smiled weakly at Robbie. “I don’t know. I can give it a try. Anyways, I need a copy of For the Roses by Joni Mitchell, please!”

Robbie looked a little less hopeful before but still offered a kind smile. “Absolutely ma’am.”

Later that night, Robbie had been sat by the telephone contemplating a few things in his head. He decided with the latter. He rung up the Presley residence.

“Hello, this is Elvis Presley speaking.”

“Hey, Elvis! It’s Robbie! How have you been?”

“Not too bad. You?”

“I’ve been ok. Look, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about real quick.”

Elvis cocked his eyebrow up. At this time of night? “What’s up?”

“Your lady came in today. She looked pretty beat up. Looked like she had been crying. I asked her what was the matter and she had confessed that there was some type of harassment at your place.”

Elvis’ breath quickened. (Y/N)? Who could be hurting his precious angel?

“What do you mean?”

“She said that there have been a group of fans and paparazzi that have been camped outside your house. More than usual." He added with emphasis. "She said that every time she leaves the house, they’ve been calling her names. She said that today one of the girls shoved her to the ground. She didn’t show me but I would assume that’s where the big bruise on her leg came from.”

'My god. How have I sat here and let her be treated this way?' Elvis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I have to let you go Robbie. Thank you for telling me this.”

“You’re welcome. And Elvis? Go easy on her.”

Elvis hung up and put the phone back on the receiver. He stood up and walked up the stairs to his room where his lovely flower lay waiting for him.

He had a plan in mind. He would ask her to run an extra errand tomorrow and catch this in the act.

He got into bed with you and wrapped his strong arms around you. "Elvis? Are you ok?" You asked. He looked down at you and placed a kiss on the crown of your head. "I love you so much. I hope you always know that."

The next morning, he asked you to run out to the dry cleaners and pick up a few of his button-ups. What you didn't know what that he had already picked these up yesterday while you were out. He forgot to tell you but he didn't want to make you go back out after you had gotten home. You looked a bit uneasy but nevertheless, you made your way out of the house and down to the gate.

Elvis wasn’t too far behind you. He took light steps in order to not scare the girls off and to scare you into thinking something was up. As he made his way down the path, he stalked behind a tree and zeroed in on the conversation.

“Aww! Look who’s back. Are you still playing messenger pigeon for him? See what I said last time? He’s bored of you. Doesn’t even want you at home.” The girls friends laughed along with her. They took turns telling you all the thighs that were better about themselves than you.

He had heard enough. He rounded the corner and briskly made his way up to the gate.

“You need to shut your mouth. You should be ashamed of yourself. What would mama's think if they heard you talking this way? (Y/N) has never done ANYTHING wrong for her to receive this treatment. I suggest you make your way away from my home before I call the police.”

The girl gasped and cowered slightly. Her little clique had escaped the scene before the confrontation went down. The girl began to tear up and she walked away quickly to hide away from the humiliation bestowed upon her.

Elvis placed his hand on the small of your back and walked you back up to your home. He opened the door for you and led you inside where you both sat on the couch.

“How long?”

You looked away humiliated. You murmured something quietly.

“Baby. Look at me. How long have they been out there bullying and harassing you.”

You faced him fully and revealed the tears rolling down your face.

“A while now. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Baby. You should have told me. I’m here to protect you and make sure you’re safe.”

“I know. I just felt like it might be a burden if I would have told you.

Elvis grasps your face gently. “Nothing you could ever do is a burden. I love you so so much Satnin.”

He pulls you into a deep and passionate kiss.

“I love you too, Elvis.”

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

Part 18 - Leon

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Part 17 -- Part 19

Pairing: Napoleon x ofc

Summary: The guys throw a New Years Eve party at 179th Crescent Street...

Warnings: SMUT, NSFW, 18+, MINORS DNI, oral (m receiving), drug use (alcohol, weed), minor violence (someone gets punched).

Word count: 3.8k

A/N: Alright! Here we finally go! These chapters have been in the making for just over 3 months, and I sincerely hope they live up to expectations. I've written these from the 1st person perspective of the boys. It's a little experiment, and it was tougher than I initially thought it would be.

For those who don't know what the plan is: There will be a NYE chapter for each of the guys. That means I wrote the same party 8 times - which is why it took so long: the details had to align... I hope you guys enjoy ^^

@deandoesthingstome @geralts-yenn @summersong69 @peaches1958 @fvckinghenrycavill @keanureevesisbae @livisss @sillyrabbit81 @ellethespaceunicorn @ylva-syverson

I look around the room, where we’ve pretty much managed to get everything set up for the party tonight. I say ‘we’, but I’m fairly sure I’d get my ass kicked by everyone in the entire house if I ever dare say that out loud - so I don’t. 

“Where have you been?” Sy asks as he closes the door behind him. I reach into my pocket right when Mike comes into the kitchen to see me toss the bag of weed on the kitchen table. 

“Internet is up again,” he says. One look at the table has him grinning widely. “Nice.”

“I knew there was a reason we kept him around.” Charles appears next to me and slams a fist into Mike’s shoulder.

“Yeah, it would be so awful if you couldn’t watch porn for one night.” Charles elbows me in the arm because I laugh at what Dani said, but I can’t help it: she’s funny. And she’s good for Mikey. 

“I don’t think I’ll be needing any tonight,” Charles replies dryly. He’s not even smug about it, and with good reason, but he can’t resist adding a very inappropriate wink at Dani. 

“Think you can still get laid with a broken nose and a black eye, Brandon?” It’s not that Mike is threatening, per se, but he can throw a punch and he’s fast. It’s no wonder Charles backs down.

I would say it’s a miracle Charles has never been punched in the face for getting a little too friendly with one of our roommates’ girlfriends, but I’d be lying. He has in fact been punched in the face for exactly that. Repeatedly. By Geralt, of all people, so quite frankly, it’s surprising he still has a face. And all of that was after a very firm knee to the nuts from Solveig herself. Good times. Well, for us… I doubt Charles looks back on the events as fondly as we do. I turn my attention back to the goings on in the kitchen. They’re going to accuse me of not doing much, which wouldn’t be factually incorrect, per se, but since I’m paying for most of this nonsense, I figure I have a right to sit back a little. Whatever I’m not putting up, is sponsored by Charles. We don’t exactly know how rich his family is, but his father owns the house we all live in. Despite that fact, I tend to think of it as my house at least a little bit - and I know Charles agrees. It’s me and August who run this place, with Charles being more of a silent benefactor. 

“Where’s Sherlock,” I ask when I notice he’s the only one who isn’t here. 

“In his room,” Mike replies, “he wouldn’t last five minutes tonight if he had to deal with all of this, too.” He’s probably right, and I’d hate for our little brother - he’s too rational to hate it when we say it, but we know he doesn’t exactly like it - to miss the party, so I say nothing and help them set up the last few things to get ready for tonight. 

I look in Charles’ direction a few times, but he’s too busy eye-fucking every woman in the room to notice. Even though I’m well aware of his reputation, I can’t stop myself from wondering how the hell he does this; The living room and kitchen are filled with people, most of whom I’ve never even seen, let alone spoken to. Charles was right when he said he wouldn’t need porn tonight; girls are flirting with him from every corner of the room. Of course I’m equally as lucky, but my attention goes to two ladies who just walked through the door, guided by Danielle. She introduces them to Mike, and then points out the others one by one. 

“And that’s Napoleon,” she finally says when she gets to me, which I take as my cue to walk over. 

“Leon!” Danielle greets me happily. “Let me introduce you to my roommates!” Her roommates, huh?

“This is Sloane and-” I stop her before she gets to her other friend. 

“Ariel Ryker.” The Art History bachelor is roughly as popular as you’d expect: not at all - which is why I recognize this girl. I wouldn’t want to be dramatic by calling her ‘the bane of my existence’, but whatever counts as the non-dramatized version of that would be a perfect description.

“You two know each other?”

“Napoleon is the number two of our class,” Ariel says sweetly, flashing me a pearly white smile that makes my cock twitch for some reason that’s completely beyond me. 

“Who’s the first?” Alright, so Sloane either isn’t very bright, or she likes to stir things up - and from the challenging grin on her face, I’m guessing it’s the latter. 

“That would be her.” I’m hoping I manage to keep my voice polite even though the sight of her makes my blood boil. “For now.”

“Oh, and how do you plan to change that, Solo?” Her tone is annoyingly challenging and I would love to wipe that smug smile off her face. 

“You’re not far ahead of me,” I say nonchalantly - I hope. 

“But ahead of you nonetheless,” she says in an almost condescending tone. 

I spend the next hours of the party in several heated discussions with her, among which a particularly feisty one about gothic architecture - which is unfortunate for me because architecture is far from my favorite subject within my degree - and I can’t help but notice how pretty she is, even when she is telling me off. Maybe especially when she is telling me off. 

“Alright, I give up, Ryker,” I finally say, “do you want another drink?” I gesture to her empty glass and offer to refill it for her. A flash of doubt crosses her face while she contemplates whether or not she trusts me enough to let me get her a drink. Apparently, she does. It would have offended me, if it weren’t for the fact that I am very aware that men are - largely - trash, and even though some women indubitably consider me and Charles to be pretty much the bottom of the barrel, neither of us would ever resort to drugs to get a woman into bed. Of course, neither of us need to, but even if we did… Never. 

“I think it’s time to get the fuck out of here.” That is definitely Charles, and everything surrounding that sentence sounds like a commotion of the violent kind. My suspicions are confirmed when I step back into the living room, where Mike has his arm wrapped around a very upset-looking Dani, and Charles stares at a guy I vaguely recognized as a member of the soccer team, who is holding his nose and making a break for the door. 

“Are you alright, Dani?” Charles asks while rubbing his knuckles as inconspicuously as he possibly can. I hand the glass of wine that is intended for Ariel to her and raise my eyebrows. 

“What happened?” The room is still a little quiet after this little… kerfuffle. 

“Alright, folks, nothin’ to see here, back to your business,” Sy’s voice carries through the room with ease. Anyone would think twice to ignore what he is saying. For some reason, if Sy tells you to do something, you do it. 

“Tony - the guy Charles punched - was getting handsy with Dani, she told him to stop, he didn’t, Charles saw, warned him - twice - and then when he still didn’t stop…” 

“Where was Mike?” 

“Rolling a joint, not paying attention.” Ariel scoffs and takes a big sip of her wine.

“He’s a good guy, Ariel,” I say, knowing exactly what that scoff means. Mike isn’t a bad kid, he’s just easily distracted, which Ariel would know if she’d spent more than five seconds with him, but she clearly hasn’t. 

“We only met him today,” she tells me, “they’ve only been going out for… what? Two weeks?” Something like that, I confirm, I’m not exactly clear on every detail, either. Not that I care - a lot. 

The clock inches closer and closer to midnight and Ariel and I spend that time bickering some more about art. Painting this time, which puts me in a much more favorable position than that lovely talk on architecture did. Now, I know Ariel Ryker is good at what she does, and she’s not one to let herself get trapped, which means that if I manage to do it, it’s going to be because she lets me - and it looks like she will let me, because she makes a mistake. The timing is absolutely perfect; we’re interrupted by the countdown and just as everyone scrambles to stick his or her tongue down someone else's throat when the clock strikes twelve, I turn to her. 

“I’d kiss you if I weren’t so appalled at what you just said,” I say with a soft chuckle and watch her as she raises her eyebrows at me.

“And what did I just say that has you so appalled?” I repeat her words and she scoffs as if she fully believes she’s right.

“There’s a paper on my desk that proves you wrong,” I say. My eyes are definitely more hopeful than they should be, but who can blame me? If she takes this, I’m in. 

“Show me,” she says. There’s a challenge in her eyes, and all I can think is: bingo. 

We’re barely even through the door of my room or my lips are on hers and her hands are tangled into my hair. She’s a good kisser; fierce, not too sloppy. I run my tongue along her bottom lip, vaguely remembering that she was wearing lipstick when we came in, but that’s definitely already ruined. We make it to my bed without any problems, and she pushes me down. 

“Easy,” I warn her. I’m not one to complain about a woman in charge, but she’ll have to earn it. She falls on top of me and crushes her lips back against mine. Her moans are loud - who am I kidding? So are mine - and every time I hear the sound, my cock twitches in my pants. She’s grinding on me, which definitely doesn’t make it better. Her hands work on the buttons of my shirt, and as looks at me while she sits up to give herself more space to undo them, she laughs. 

“Your lipstick is absolutely everywhere, isn’t it?” I ask, and she nods and giggles. “Well it’s all over your face, too.” I take off my shirt while I talk; it’s a rather expensive one I’d hate to see ruined. When it’s on the floor, I give her a look, telling her it’s her turn, and she seems happy to oblige. Her fingers work deliberately slowly as she keeps grinding on my cock while taking her blouse off. It looks like she’s particularly fond of the sounds I’m making, I notice, and her own moans follow mine. I dig my fingers into her thighs and pull her tighter against me, mimicking the movements of her hips with my own. 

Shortly after she kisses me again, I leave her mouth alone and focus my attention on her neck while slipping the shiny satiny material - polyester, sadly - of her blouse off her shoulders. For a moment, I pause to take in the underwear she has on. 

“Just take it off,” she growls as she licks a path along my jaw to my ear. My chuckle turns into a grunt when she takes my earlobe into her mouth and sucks on it softy. It’s definitely a weak spot of mine, and I can’t express how glad I am she found it. My whole body reacts when she drags her nails down my sides and back up again, and the soft chuckle she lets out directly in my ear makes me harder than I ever even thought possible. 

“What if I want to take a good look?”

“Take a good look at my tits, instead,” she says. It’s definitely an attitude I’ve never come across before. I’ve been told to slow down often enough, and I've been accused of being an insensitive asshole for going too fast more times than I can count, but a girl actively encouraging me to hurry up… Honestly, I should probably find it incredibly hot, but I’m mildly insulted, instead. 

And then, as a gorgeous woman tries to get me out of the rest of my clothes, I hear myself say the words I never thought I’d say in my entire life: “Can you slow down for a second?” 

I don’t know who Ariel Ryker thinks she is, but she’s messing with my head, and that’s something I’d very much like her to stop doing. 

“No way,” she says, “you’re the guy who everyone always says is up for anything.” Well, ‘everyone’ isn’t wrong - usually. 

“Yeah, well…” I probably should have thought about how that sentence was going to end before I started it, but I didn’t, and now we’re here. Ariel is still grinding on my lap, which makes it impossible to think, let alone talk my way out of this. The only thing I can think of is ‘I swear this never happens’, and I hate how exceptionally true it is.

“Cat’s got your tongue, Solo?” I swear to god I want to answer her, but the words are just gone. For fuck’s sake, if I don’t get laid tonight, I don’t know who I’m blaming, but it sure as hell isn’t going to be me!

“Do I make you nervous?” What? No! Obviously not! This time, my face gives away what my mouth won’t say out loud, and it makes her laugh. The sound is fantastic, for whatever backwards reason, and I can’t help but moan when I hear it. She leans over to kiss me again, and I feel like I’m frozen in place. Her lips leave mine and travel all over my chest with newfound patience, moving further down until she’s forced to get off my thighs. I growl appreciatively when she reconvenes on the floor; it’s an absolute treat to see her on her knees in front of me. It’s basic biology; men love gorgeous women on their knees. Especially when they’re covered in lipstick and clearly planning on wiping whatever is left on their faces off on your cock. Again: I’m not complaining - though my ego is pretty bruised from giving in to her so easily. 

It’s quickly forgotten when she runs her hands over my crotch, and a little bit of that bruise on my pride heals when she gasps and loses a bit of her patience again. She makes quick work of the button and zipper of my pants. Her hands are small, I notice, and I chuckle softly. Small hands are a godsend. They make my dick look bigger. Not that I need it, but it’s still nice. I clench my jaw involuntarily when she wraps her hand around my shaft - not completely; she can’t make it, which makes me grin. 

“Intimidated?” That I can say? The stupidest goddamn… oh well, it’s out now. She gets up and kisses me again. 

“If you want me to suck you off at all, you’re probably better off keeping your mouth shut, Leon,” she says. She’s clearly amused, which means I didn’t screw up completely. 

I know I’m thinking something around the time she wraps her lips around my cock, but I couldn’t tell you what it is if my life depended on it. Her mouth is wet and warm and she knows exactly what she’s doing.  I somehow manage to figure out that she has her tongue pierced, and she’s more than aware of how to use that to her advantage. It’s only a matter of time before I lose control of my voice. 

When the first moan slips out, I know it’s over. Best to just give in to it now, so I can actually enjoy what she’s doing. We’re talking seconds before I’m a growling, swearing mess in her hands - well, mouth, technically - which she clearly seems to enjoy quite a lot, judging from her own moaning. Her tongue, her hands; everything feels incredible, and I’m lost in the sensations like never before. This may very well be the best blowjob I’ve ever gotten. 

“Oh, really?” Fuck. Apparently I said that out loud. It’s too bad that it makes her stop, other than that, I don’t think I have much of a problem with her knowing.

“Yeah, you’re a minute away from finishing me off, actually,” I say, stifling a moan when she gives me the biggest, most innocent eyes I’ve ever seen. “Half, if you keep looking at me like that.”

“Let’s not,” she says as she gets back to her feet and pulls me into another kiss. I sit on the edge of my bed and allow my hands to wander her body, pulling her close so I can finally take off that bra she’s been wanting me to take off for a while now. Her boobs were already spilling out of it, but now that it’s gone… They’re amazing. As a matter of fact, I’ve never come across a pair that wasn’t - and believe me when I say I’ve searched far and wide. She moans when I roll one of her nipples between my fingers while my mouth takes care of the other one. Her nails dig into my shoulders. It doesn’t hurt and she lets go pretty quickly - a shame on both counts, really. I take it as my cue to pull her back onto the bed, and take charge of this situation again. 

When I try to go slow, she tells me to get to it again, and I look at her as I take her other breast into my mouth and slowly circle her nipple with my tongue. I take a moment to enjoy this, watch her reaction, play with her, and then I slowly start making my way down her body, only to be completely taken by surprise when she stops me.

“Leon, just… Just fuck me,” she says. I don’t get it. I’ve had women beg me to eat them out, but I can’t recall one ever asking me not to… 

“Please?” I can’t believe I just asked that - especially with that uncharacteristically confused tone to my voice. It’s pathetic. 

“Are you seriously asking if you can go down on me?” And now she’s mocking me? 

“Yes.” I’m not about to lie. Something’s going on and I’m going to find out what. If she just wanted to remain in control, she could have allowed me to continue after I’d pretty much begged her to let me taste her.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” she says. All of a sudden, she sounds shy. This calls for a different approach. 

I move to actually get my head on a pillow and hold my hand out by means of an invitation. She joins me -  hesitantly, but still - and I wrap my arms around her. 

“A, you don’t like the way it feels. B, no guy has ever made it feel good. C, someone told you once that your pussy looks weird and now you’re not letting anyone down there in case he was right. Am I getting at anything here?” I can be blunt if I have to, it’s just that I prefer not to be. In this case, I don’t think subtlety is going to get me anywhere, so the Walker-approach it is… 

“I hate you,” she says, “but C is pretty dead on, actually.” I should have known I wasn’t going to feel triumphant about getting that right, but I hadn’t expected to feel this bad for her, either. As always, though, I think I have a solution…

“Blindfold me,”

“What?”

“You heard me,” I say plainly. From the way she looks at me, I can tell she isn’t quite getting how much I’m not messing with her right now.

“You’d do that?” She scoffs as she says it, which makes me raise my eyebrows. 

“Why not? Wouldn’t be the first time.” Judging by the look on her face, she’s definitely considering it.

“Make it a new year’s resolution,” I say, “start the new year off good.”

“You really like going down on girls, don’t you?” I do, but I also have a near pathological need to help women overcome insecurities. It’s an ego thing - I have in the past tried to convince August and Charles it wasn’t. That didn’t work, and that’s probably because they were right, and it absolutely is. Of course, I’m not going to tell her that, so I just nod.

“What I think,” she says, and I immediately realize my mistake, “is that you have a pathological need to help women overcome insecurities because it’s a way for you to feel good about yourself.”

At this point, it’s fair to say that Ariel is annoying the everloving fuck out of me. 

“What I think,” I throw back at her, “is that you have a pathological need to be right and to do everything on your own that’s actually getting in the way of feeling good about yourself. But I’ll cut my losses.”

“Good, are we finally going to do what we came here to do?” The way she says it honestly has me starting to think I made a huge mistake hooking up with her. Not that I can think of anyone else I’d rather be with - which is unusual, I’ll admit.

“Christ on a bike! Do you have somewhere else to be?” Ariel goes quiet; she clearly wasn’t expecting my question. I put a hand on her cheek and am about to pull her into another kiss when we’re disturbed by… a disturbance in the hallway. I’m far too curious to not check on that, so I quickly get dressed and head for the door to take a look. 

“What’s going on out there?” Ariel says as she fastens the buttons of her blouse. I’m surprised she asks: she had to have heard some of it. Including Marshall telling me there was nothing to worry about, and to go back inside. It didn’t seem like he had a handle on the situation, but there was no need for me to get in the middle of that. 

“Nothing important,” I say. And then it really registers what she’s doing. Is she serious? “You’re leaving?” 

“Yeah,” she says with a sigh, “this was a mistake.” I mean, I can’t deny that, but I was still intent on actually making that mistake. Something about the way she looks at me tells me she doesn’t actually want to leave, but she actually walks out the door, and I’m left standing there alone and confused. Very, very confused. 

[teejaystumbles]

Part 2, continuing the “Hob isn’t there in 2021 AU” from earlier. Please beware, tw for gore and body horror under the cut. (Can you guess who?)

Part 1 / Ao3

Morpheus stepped out of the New Inn. "Hey boss, why so grim?" Matthew landed on his shoulder and clicked his beak.

"Hob Gadling has disappeared. I do not feel comfortable with that." "Yeah, that's obvious.” the raven replied deadpan. Dream had no time to be annoyed with him. “Are we looking for him then?" "Yes." Dream strode down the street and casually melted into the shadows. He would look in the Dreaming first. It was almost night. When Hob fell asleep, Morpheus would find him. "He's not here, boss. We looked everywhere." Matthew cawed and when Morpheus did not answer, only brooded, he gently carded his beak through the Dream Lord's hair. "We'll find him. He's probably still awake, doing an all-nighter or something...”

“No. This is different. I should be able to find him, even awake. But his mind… seems to be cut off from the True Dreaming.”

Matthew cawed and took flight, sensing his lord’s rage building. Dream was seething.

“Someone did this, Matthew. Someone forced Hob’s mind into a seperate Dreaming… only few would be strong enough to do something like that. Only few would dare.”

“Can you find him?” The raven landed on a nearby tree branch. The tree had changed from a lush summer green to a gnarly nightmarish thing and Matthew shifted warily from one claw to the other. The boss was scary sometimes. “I can. But it will take time and effort.”

Dream started walking, his cloak trailing like a cloud of night after him, leaving the earth beneath him black and writhing with shadows. Matthew took flight and followed him as Morpheus headed towards his castle. “Whoever has dared to manipulate the Dreaming… to manipulate Hob’s mind… they will be sorry.”

*

Hob is on a battlefield. He is wearing his old mercenary armor from the end of the 14th century but he is holding a rifle. His hands are drenched in blood. The whine of bombs fills the air and clouds of gas roll over the fields, felling all men, not caring for sides. It’s all the battles he’s ever been in, all in one. Hob is tired of it. So very tired. He looks up. The sky is a murky red, like a sea of blood in which he will fall if he stares upwards for too long.

A sense of terror rises the hairs on his neck and he turns around.

“You!”

A blond man in a cream-white suit strides towards him, confident, hands in his pockets, smiling. Dark glasses cover his eyes, but to his horror Hob knows exactly what lies behind them.

“Me!” the man grins with too many teeth (too many, way too many teeth) and Hob is panicking, a searing phantom pain behind his eyeballs making him gag. He stumbles back.

“Yes, run, why don’t you? Not that it will help. We’ve done this sooo many times now, Hob.”

Hob takes step after step back but doesn’t turn his back on the other, knowing it would be a grave mistake. The man stops and looks around.

“Like it? I’ve handpicked your most awful memories to craft you this wonderful nightmare. You have to tell me if you want something else next time, there are so many horrible things to choose from. Oh…!”

Hob’s heart sinks in dread as the other grins even sharper.

“Oh, I know just the thing. I was going to keep that for last, but I can see that you are getting used to the violent dreams. It gets boring quickly, doesn’t it? The way one just goes numb. Stops caring.”

He gives a bored shrug and then suddenly they are no longer standing in a war zone, but on cobbled streets on a rainy London night. Hob chokes. He looks around wildly and there he is. Dark cloak, top hat forgotten inside the Inn in his haste to go, to get away from Hob. The stranger gives him a last angry glare full of disdain and then turns and strides off. Hob stumbles forward. “Tell you what, I’ll be here in a hundred years time!” The old lines come rushing from his tongue, like he’s replaying a memory.

“If you’re here then too, it’ll be because we’re friends. No other reason, right?”

His desperate words echo in the empty alley.

“Right?” he whispers.

“Poor Hob.”

He flinches violently as strong arms wrap over his shoulders and pull him in. Sharp teeth graze his ear and Hob shivers.

“This still hurts, although it’s been over a hundred and thirty years, right? I knew why I kept putting this off, it’s delicious. I almost pity you… because I know exactly how this feels.”

The man’s tone has lost his smile and turned angry, hurt, almost.

“I could almost believe that he won’t care one bit about what I’m doing to you… but I saw it all, Hob, with your eyes, and I know… just like you do, that he cares. Maybe he’ll never admit it, but he cares for you. I saw it in his face, through you. And it makes me… so, so furious…”

Teeth are biting at his throat, at his face and lips and Hob can only close his eyes and endure because he knows what comes next and he doesn’t want to see the other’s face.

“Look at me, Hob. Shall I reshape this memory of yours? You can stop him. You can grab him and throw him against the wall, make him see you. What will you do then? Look into my eyes and tell me you don’t know exactly what you’d do. I’m you, Hob. I’m what you want to do.”

Hob opens his eyes and glares at the nightmare in front of him. Tiny tongues lick over tiny teeth and Hob trembles with terror. “I’m not like you!” he manages. “You want to hurt him, make him bleed. I’d never want that. All I want…”

He gasps as a knife buries in his throat. The blonde man isn’t smiling, his teeth set grimly.

“You’re annoying me with your goody-two-shoes act, Hob. I’ve had enough for tonight.”

He lets Hob fall to the cold cobblestone and steps away.

Hob woke up.

Everything hurt. He couldn’t see. Everything was dark. His eyes hurt. His eyes… He jerked in horror and lifted his hands to his face, but stopped his trembling fingers from touching where he knew… With a wail he rolled himself into a ball. It hurt. There were several stab wounds in his chest and abdomen and he remembered. The blonde man, with his dapper suit and suave grin. Too much alcohol. A good fuck, and then… blood. Pain. Teeth.

A creek. A door opening.

“Hello sunshine. Awake? Shall we continue, then?”

Hob scrabbled back from the voice he just heard in the dream. He remembered now. This had been going on for some time. How many days had it been? The steps came closer and Hob had nowhere to go, his back hitting a wall. He couldn’t see!

“That wasn’t really what I had in mind, but we have time to explore that dream a bit more next time. I can only stomach so much of him and you, urgh. Makes me too mad… I lose all sense for finesse, you see? That’s why…”

Hob whimpered as he was dragged away from the wall and spread out, knees digging into his legs to keep him down.

“I have only one thing left for you tonight. Another death. Hob Gadling.”

He spit his name like a curse and then Hob felt the knife pierce his heart (again), life rushing out of him. He wondered briefly if one could cry without eyes or if it was blood he felt on his cheeks. In his ears the sound of his slowing stuttering heartbeat and rushing blood muffled the sound of retreating footsteps. The door closed with a dull thud and Hob closed his eyes (his eyes, oh god he took his eyes-) and tried to relax, tried to stop the panic. A gentle hand brushed hair from his forehead and he startled again. “Who’s there?” “I’m sorry, Hob. This is awful.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Death.”

Hob gulped, or tried to. “Oh… is it over, then?” he croaked.

“Do you want it to be?”

He coughed and tried facing the voice.

“I don’t know… depends… will my eyes grow back?”

“Eventually.”

“Thank God…” he gave a wet laugh and coughed up blood. “Why… are you here, then?”

The gentle hand caressed his cheek and Hob leaned into the touch, glad for the distraction from the pain.

“You’ve been dying and dying for days now, always teetering on the edge. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch. I decided to see what’s the matter.”

Hob coughed again.

“Can you… make him stop?”

“That is not something I do. Also… he is not human. I have no right to him.”

Hob quivered and trembled, he felt his heart slowly, so slowly knitting itself back together. Healing also hurt. “Someone else, then… can you… send someone… I can’t… before I’m healed up he, he comes and… k-kills me again...and then I dream of him, and he kills me… and it goes on and on…”

He sobbed and Death sighed softly. Her fingers carded through his greasy hair once more, then they were gone. He heard her get up and take a step back.

“Not long now, Hob. My brother is on his way. Not long…”

Hob wanted to ask her who her brother was, but before he could get the words out he heard the rush of wings, and he knew she was gone.