Tumgik
#somehow in between clean-up 1 and clean-up 2 Jack and I managed to take a break nearby and edit the first ~4500 words of First Christmas
ferida-kahlo · 11 months
Text
Michael Berzatto: NFSW Alphabet
Tumblr media
(I apologize for the gif I chose but also... I don't. It's perfect)
⚠️ Warnings: SMUT (light mention of chocking and spanking)
Notes: I tried to make the scenarios as gender neutral as possible. Hope you enjoy!
Also, two PSAs: 1) this is the first ever smut thing I publish; 2) English is my 2nd language, so please be gentle! But also feel free to let me know what you think 💕
Tumblr media
A= Aftercare (what they’re like after the act)
He's not super affectionate, but he will check on you (mostly for the macho validation). Probably with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle and a cheeky "so... that was fun huh". If he's invested in the relationship, he will uncounsciously begin cleaning you up, after particularly rough sexy times, and bringing you a glass of water.
B= Body part (favorite body part their own or their lovers)
Of their own - I think he is very proud of his hair, arms and hands
Of their lovers - I'm like 1000% sure this guy is an ass and legs man. Also: tummies!
C= Cum (anything that has to do with it)
He's got a thing for facials, if his partner is up for it
D= Dirty secret (Pretty self explanatory)
When he types "You" on the search engine, the automatic result is YouPorn. Interpret that as you will (this man watches a lot of porn)
E= Experience (do they know what they’re doing)
He's got plenty of experience with casual sex and likes to make sure his lovers are satisfied. However, I headcanon him as only discovering what the clitoris was at like... 22 🫣
F= Favorite position
This boy loves reverse cowgirl (great view of your ass + he can grip your waist and thighs). Honorary mention for doggy.
G= Goofy (how serious are they)
Goofy is his middle name. He cracks jokes throughout and somehow manages to not make it weird - it's all part of his charm
H= Hair (grooming habits)
Bare minimum. He trims occasionally
I= Intimacy (in the moment romantic or rough/dirty)
Definitely dirty - not necessarily rough, unless his lover asks for it
J= Jack off (do they masturbate and how often)
Several times a week - he picks a video and just goes for it. If he is in a relationship, he also loves getting off on his partner's nudes (obtained with consent!)
K= Kink (kinks what they like possibly unusual)
Roleplaying (specifically librarian kink).
Body worship (he loves taking his time kissing and licking all over his partner's body).
Voyerism (slight), he gets off on doing it in places where they might get caught.
Also, a very underexplored praise kink, both giving and receiving (i'm not saying he would come in his pants when his lover moans "God, Mikey, you are so good, so good to me... such a good boy"... but he definitely would)
L= Location (where they like to get it on)
He loves doing it in couches, for some reason. Also, he fantasizes about fucking in the office at the restaurant, or really any public / semi public place.
M= Motivation (things that makes them tick/turn ons)
He likes his lovers feisty and with a sense of humour - if they give him a bit of hell for his stories, he actually finds it kind of hot. As for clothes, tight pants and mini-skirts/dresses do the trick - I picture him as having a thing for y2k style on women, for some reason
N= No (turnoffs or absolutely won’t do)
Daddy/mommy kink - if his lover calls him daddy he is running for the hills
Hitting / spitting - he is open to very light chocking or ass-spanking, but not to the more extreme humilliation and domineering stuff
O= Oral (receiving or giving and how skillful they are)
Both, he loves it. If his lover kneels on the floor and starts unbuckling his belt, he immediatly gets hard. And he definitely knows how to give it to his partner - goes real slow, explores all the little spots with his mouth and fingers, experiments with different speeds and pressure... he could spend hours between their legs
P= Pace (how fast they are and how long they last in bed)
When he can, Mikey takes a long time with preliminaries - like, a lot. He loves teasing his partner, but also just loves worshipping their body and being worshiped back. Because of this, the penetration aspect of it usually doesn't last for long, but both end up satisfied.
Q= Quickie (do they prefer fast and hard)
He is absolutely down for a quickie, but if the relationship is serious he prefers to take his time.
R= Risk (do they like to try new things)
Oh yeah. He's got a slight voyeristic kink and the ideia of doing it in semi public places turns him on. Also very open to trying new positions, sex toys and kinks if his partner suggests it
S= Stamina (how many times they can go and how long each round lasts)
Around 2 - the 1st one is usually long, so after the 2nd one he is usually done (and so is his partner)
T= Toys (are they game for using sex toys on themselves or lovers)
Not so much for himself, but he would definitely be down to use a vibrator on his partner, or any other sort of stimulant toy
U= Unfair (how do they tease or do they enjoy suspense themselves)
He absolutely loves teasing his lovers. Not so much in a "i'm gonna deny you orgasm" kind of way, but more in a "i'm gonna make you come 10 times before i actually put my cock inside you" kind of way. By the time penetration happens his lover is out of their mind. He is himself less patient when his partners try to tease him in a sexual context, but discovers he has a thing for being soft!dommed and praised
V= Volume (are they loud, what sounds, and do they talk)
This man does not shut up in life or in the bedroom. Really into dirty talking, teasing, praising. He isn't super loud, especially when he's close, his voice gains a husky tone before he finishes with a string of grunts and curses
W= Wild card (random sincannon of any sort)
I've seen this mentioned elsewhere here, but I am sure him and Richie have shared at least one girl in their youth 👀 also, if he is in a relationship, he secretly loves it when his partner calls him Big Bear when they are alone
X= X-ray (what’s down below in dem pants)
Average length, with a considerable girth
Y= Yearning (sexdrive level)
High for his age, but definitely lower when he's going through a rough time
Z= Zzzz (do they sleep after if so how quickly after)
Sex for him works like a release. By the time he finishes, he's exhausted physically and emotionally but he also feels light as a feather - those are some of the only times he sleeps like a baby
229 notes · View notes
oseathepebble · 1 year
Text
Tsukiko Kawashima - Holiday Wear SSR Vignette 2
The vignette to go with Tsukiko's Holiday Wear SSR Card for the fan event created by @bunnwich
Part 1 | 2 | 3
Tumblr media
Christmas Night
Ramshackle Dorm - Lounge
“Phew. . . Somehow I managed to get everything ready. Grim is out with the others. I’ve handed out my other presents,” Tsukiko checked out the window. “And the moon is big and beautiful! Now all I have to do is wait for Jack!”
30 minutes later
A sad sigh left Tsukiko’s mouth. “Maybe he isn’t coming. . .” They sat on the couch, defeated. They tried to prevent tears from falling from their eyes as they held onto the hope that Jack would still come. 
As Tsukiko tightly gripped their leg, they heard someone burst through the door. They immediately stood up and ran to the front door
Ramshackle Dorm - Entry Hall
There they saw a panting Jack, tired from seemingly running all the way to Ramshackle. Through his breaths, Jack explained, “I’m sorry I’m. . .” He huffed, “Late. . .” He took a deep breath. “Your gift just arrived and I had to wrap it,” 
Tsukiko could clearly see Jack was carrying a small wrapped box. “Oh! It’s alright, come on, I’ll show you what I got you~” Giddy with excitement, Tsukiko led Jack to the newly cleaned and renovated dining room
Ramshackle Dorm - Dining Room
When they walked into the room, Jack was greeted with the pleasant smell of a vanilla candle. The dining table was covered in a blue and white tablecloth. 2 sets of plates and silverware were set up right across from each other with all the food Tsukiko made between them. On the side table were 4 gifts, all varying in size
“Is. . . Is this all for me?” Jack looked at everything in amazement. It was something he didn’t expect at all. “I thought the jacket you gave me earlier was the only present you got me. I’m sorry I didn’t get you more,” He apologized as his ears flattened. Seeing his sad expression made Tsukiko frown
“Don’t worry, Jack,” They placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’m happy with anything you give me,” Their words made Jack smile. “Come on, let’s eat before all the food goes cold,”
The two sat across from each other and started to enjoy the delicious food Tsukiko had spent so long trying to make
“How did you manage to get everything done in time? You made jackets for our friends, doesn’t that take a long time?” Jack questioned as he dug into his plate of food
“Yeah, I did take a while. But I was planning this for a while and I made a schedule to follow so I could get it all done. Actaully, I was worried for a bit that maybe I wouldn’t be able to get everything done in time. . .” Tsukiko admitted with a shy smile
“But you did get it all done, which is another reason why I love you. . .” Jack muttered, silently hoping Tsukiko didn’t hear his words. There was something slightly embarrassing to him about admitting how much he admired his partner. Maybe it was because he wasn’t used to being so open about his feelings, or because Tsukiko was his first partner. With time, he’d be able to openly admit his feelings
At the end of their meal, Jack spoke up, “Why did you do all of this? Not that I mind, but you must have put a lot of effort into this,” 
“Because Christmas is the most romantic holiday of the year! And what kind of partner would I be if I didn’t do something special for you?” Tsukiko answered, very proud of themself for being able to put together everything with the time they had
“Isn’t Valentine's day the most romantic day of the year?” Jack raised an eyebrow. Though he’s never been in a romantic relationship before, his parents would’ve told him if Christmas was more romantic than Valentine’s day
“No, Valentine’s day is about giving chocolate to boys you know, even if you’re not romantically involved, it’s about obligation,” Tsukiko’s voice started to get louder as they spoke. “And then White Day is when the boys give you gifts in return!”
“Tsukiko, we don’t have White Day here in Twisted Wonderland! All these things you’re saying I’m sure are exclusive to your home world!” In response, Jack had also begun to raise his voice a bit
“So you’re saying Christmas and probably other holidays here are not the same as they are in Japan!?” Tsukiko dropped their fork in shock and the room went silent as they tried to comprehend the new information
“I’m sorry. . . I have to go,” Tsukiko excused themself from the table and left the room, leaving a very guilty Jack at the table
Ramshackle Dorm
After thinking about his next move, Jack went outside to try and talk to Tsukiko. He found them pacing back and forth on Ramshackle’s lawn, muttering things to themself. He carefully approached them
Tsukiko noticed him with the gifts and said, “I guess you’re leaving. . . That’s alright. . . Tonight was horrible,” With a sad tone, they looked at the ground, waiting to hear Jack’s goodbyes
“No, I’m not leaving. We bickered a bit because none of us understood holidays from the other’s worlds. Now I want to know why you walked out,” Jack reached out his hands and grabbed one of Tsukiko’s hands
“I was embarrassed. . . I raised my voice at you. I put in so much effort into a holiday only I find romantic. I spent all this time thinking everyone knew Christmas was a romantic holiday. I still have a lot to learn about this world,” Tsukiko wiped away any tears that started to fall from their eyes
Jack let go of Tsukiko’s hand and used it to gently lift their head up. He saw their beautiful two-toned eyes and all the night sky’s stars reflected in them. “I’m not leaving because I know we can work through things if we just talk. Now, I think it’s time to open presents,”
To Be Continued
11 notes · View notes
sheliesshattered · 3 years
Text
Welp.
I made that #process thoughts post earlier, and just as soon as I’d finished it, Kitty had a four-alarm-fire sort of emergency that took Jack and I working together quite a long time to sort out. Personal stuff on impending loss of a pet below the cut. Thoughts and prayers and the like are appreciated, but it is what it is.
The emergency was a whole horrid thing, the sort of digestive failure that can happen with end-stage illness, but I won’t burden anyone else with the details. Working together we were able to take care of it and get Kitty comfortable again, though it probably took about an hour and a half. She’s resting now, a bit miserable but doing okay, all things considered. We knew the end was rapidly approaching, but that just made it really clear that we’re down to hours, not days anymore.
In the middle of all that, realizing how sick and uncomfortable our poor old cat is, I asked Jack to let me handle her and instead go make the phone call to set up the appointment for her final arrangements. Our vet recommended a really wonderful company that offers a service to allow pets pass at home, and between how sick she is and the restrictions for covid meaning we can’t even go into the vet’s office with her, it is by far the best answer to our situation. 
That’s scheduled for 1pm tomorrow, and I am... doing okay with it, I suppose. I was up with her in the middle of the night last night -- as I have been every single night for more than a year now, these last few weeks have just required a bit more hands-on attention from me to get her through her routine of eating and using her box every ~4 hours -- and I spent the 30 minutes or so that I was awake with her engaged in my own strange style of prayer.
I went back to actively embracing my pagan and witchy leanings about three years ago, and since then have established a very close relationship with two goddesses in particular. I don’t talk about it much here, or with anyone. Jack knows a bit about it, my sister is a little aware of it, but otherwise it’s just a very personal thing. When my grandfather died a year and a half ago, I took my grief to these two goddesses in particular, and received quite a lot of comfort from them at the time. In the last week or so I’ve been thinking a lot about the answers to prayer I got from them back then, and thinking how similar it is with Kitty now.
But last night I got that and then some, and some advice I really needed to hear, I think. Advice about not trying to control life and death with a clenched fist, and knowing when to let go. So by the time I woke up this morning, I was feeling ready to face facts that Kitty wasn’t going to make it to the end of the week -- we’d already figured she wouldn’t make it to the end of the month, but have been reluctant to pick a day. Jack and I had a long conversation about it, and I told him about the answers I got last night, and we made plans to call the at-home service later in the day, and take Kitty for a carried adventure outside to see the birds and the trees one last time, and just roll with whatever timing the service was able to offer us.
And then she got emergency-sick, and the rest of the day ended up being about that. She hasn’t been well enough to be moved, other than changing out her bedding frequently (so much laundry has been done already, and more will be done in the next 18 hours), so carrying her around outside is off the table for right now. If she seems to be feeling up to it tomorrow might we might try for it, but we might also just spend some time with her on the porch, instead.
At one point late this afternoon -- after a second round of clean-up and a third round of laundry -- Jack told me I didn’t need to feel guilty if the thought of all this just being over was more of a relief than anything. And I was able to confidently say that I don’t feel guilty, and that a lot of that is probably down to having that moment of prayer to work through all this before the emergency-sick hit. This has been an exhausting day, but I’m glad to do it for Kitty because of how much I love her. The decision to put an end to things tomorrow isn’t because I’m tired of dealing with her, it isn’t about my comfort at all. It’s all about Kitty’s comfort, and not drawing this out for her any longer than we have to.
I know I am going to be sad when it comes down to the last hours and minutes tomorrow. I have already cried a lot, and I know I’ll cry some more. I’ll be sad this time tomorrow evening, and the day after that, and the week after that. We have no intention of getting another pet again anytime soon, probably not at all as long as we still live in this little place (if/when we have the big life change of moving to a bigger place with a bunch of land, we’ll re-discuss then). It is what it is, and what it is is the death of the wonderful little creature who has put up with me calling myself her mother for the last eleven and a half years, who I have seen almost every day of those years. I’m going to be sad, there’s no getting around that.
But I also know now that I’m not going to question if I rushed into this decision because of selfish reasons, if I cut her life short when she might have had a few months yet if I’d just been willing to do more to help her. I have done everything I can physically do, I have done everything within my witchy powers to do. My goal was to get her past Jack’s birthday, which was last week, and give her as much care and comfort as I can, and a gentle passing. I have succeeded on every front. That’s the best I could possibly hope for, and while I will absolutely miss her, I’m not going to be carrying any guilt or second thoughts going forward.
I think I’ll probably end up sleeping a lot after tomorrow afternoon, just to recover from the physical toll this has taken on me. I am going to try my very best not to let that tip over into a listless depression, and I think having Christmas plans with Jack to look forward to, and finishing the story I’m working on, and various on-going craft projects will all help. I’m going to try to keep my queue functioning here, but I may scale back the number of posts for awhile, to give myself a breather, and I may be slow to respond to any messages.
Thank you to everyone who has expressed sympathy about Kitty’s situation. The friendships I’ve established here on Tumblr and over on Discord have been such a lifeline in this weird year, and I know it’ll be a comfort as I come out of this, too. ❤️
20 notes · View notes
leejeongz · 3 years
Text
nsfw a-z JAEHYUK (treasure)
A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
he forgets he even exists until you’re back to your usual, smiley, cheerful self. he becomes your slave and he is prepared to do anything for you, from cleaning you up to leaving you alone (which he never wants to do but if you want to be left alone who is he to refuse). he gets a little worried when you appear down or anxious after having sex with him the first few times but you reassure him that it’s pretty normal and that he just needs to be there for you when you need him.
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
he likes his hands. he likes the way they look against your skin when he’s holding your waist and how he can get the perfect grip around your neck. his fingers are long too which makes it very easy for him to reach places 👀🤭
on you he likes your lips. he likes his own lips, sure, lips in general are really nice, yeah, but your lips are something else. feeling them against his own, how soft and gentle they are, he never wants them to leave his. the way you bite down on them when he’s giving you some amazing head too… that how he knows he’s doing something right.
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
he’s a cumming inside kind of guy but obviously that’s not always possible so the next best thing is a hot facial. he likes when he’s finished all over your face and then you clean it all off the tip of his dick with your mouth too.
D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
he keeps a pair of your panties under his pillow for when he’s horny at night without you. you know about it, but no one else does.
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
1 sexual partner. i wouldn’t term him a sex god, but he has a general idea of how to make you feel good, he may need a little direction to go off of the first few times.
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
as much as he loves seeing your pretty face, hitting it from the back is his favourite position. he has total control of the situation when you’re on all fours without it seeming overpowering or oppressive. you can also get the deepest strokes from him while in this position. sometimes he gets a little shy about his facial expressions but this way he doesn’t have to be.
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
you’re both still young and sex is supposed to be fun and so he makes light out of every situation to make it seem less intense. he likes tickling you and making you giggle, he likes just talking about random things even though it’s not the time or place, just to make you both feel more comfortable.
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
he will keep it nice and trimmed for the most part but obviously sometimes sex can happen at unpredictable times. in those instances, it’s usually grown out, but he’s not ashamed or insecure about it.
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
romance is the only thing on his mind. this guy loves whispering things into your ear, or just telling you how good you’re doing, because he wants you to feel loved and appreciated for all that you’re doing. something romantic that he does that ALWAYS catches you off guard is caressing your cheek with the back of his hand/fingers and then gently pinching your chin with his thumb and index finger to make you look at him and kiss him.
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
it actually takes him a while to cum when he’s on his own, and he usually asks for your help before going anywhere else. i see him as someone who likes to feel himself when he’s doing it, like he’ll use oil and drip it all over his naked body while sitting on his gaming chair.
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
sensory deprivation (giving and receiving)- it’s rare that you two don’t have vanilla sex, but blindfolds are something that you incorporate into almost every scene. he loves putting them onto you or wearing them to show a trusting relationship between the two of you. although some intimacy may feel lost because you can’t look into each other’s eyes, it means that every little action feels electric, and that is wayyy better for you two in the moment. you know each other's likes and dislikes and use those to THEIR advantage for sure.
breeding- okay i already said he likes cumming inside so there’s that. but it’s also because he’s so possessive. and he wants to hear you beg for his hot cum inside you too. or for you to ride him and not stop until he releases inside you.
praise (giving and receiving)- as i mentioned above he loves to tell you how good you’re making him feel, how well you’re taking him, how pretty you look. he wants you to feel good in the moment because he feels that way too. he also loves when you tell him how good he’s making you feel.
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
so it has to be private first of all, i don’t see him getting freaky anywhere that you two can get caught. i’m guessing his ultimate favourite place is just in bed, but he’s not opposed to some action in the kitchen on the counter when he knows no one will hear or interrupt, or even on the sofa when he doesn’t think you two can make it to the bedroom.
he’s also keen to try out a little something special, maybe in the bath. where you two start having an innocent yet romantic bath, that slowly turns into something more. but he spends too long trying to figure out how it would work and decides it is too much hassle than it’s worth.
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
as boring as this sounds… the thing that turns him on the most is kissing you. he pulls away from intense kisses with the biggest, hopeful smile on his face. your lips really have that effect on him.
he likes when you dirty talk and when you attempt to take the lead from the get go. the phrase that gets him the most turned on is “i want you in my mouth”. your enthusiasm is SUCH A HUGE TURN ON.
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
no hook ups, casual sex or one night stands. he has to be in a relationship with you and you guys have probably been dating for a while before anything happens anyway.
O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
prefers to receive but is extremely good at eating you out. he’s not shy and will go straight for it after using his fingers just to get you a little wet to begin with. he likes to smile while he’s down there, he knows that you know when he’s doing that and that you like it so of course he’s going to.
when it comes to receiving he enjoys enough to make him want to repay you almost immediately. he doesn’t really know what to do with his hands, whether they should be on your head or his, but he can’t control them anyway because he’s so into your sucking his dick.
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
more on the fast and rough end of the scale. he can’t bear being slow, that’s just teasing himself really. but usually after he’s cum, he does a few extremely slow strokes, just to make sure his cum is in and that it’s all in there.
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
not a fan. at all. doesn’t want to get caught, doesn’t want one person to feel left out of the pleasure bc that’s usually what happens, doesn’t want to rush anything. if he’s feeling horny at an inconvenient time of the day, or if you are, you usually just agree to wait.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
not really. he’s almost always vanilla, with a slight teeny tiny bit of light bdsm thrown in (d/s, handcuffs, blindfolds (occasionally)) and so he doesn’t really like venturing out of his comfort zone. if you share the same wants as him, that’s perfect. if you wanna be a little more adventurous, it’s going to take a lot of convincing and he has to trust you.
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
2 rounds maximum. most of the time only 1 because he’s tired and just wants cuddles after releasing a load lol. can go for 2 but it’s very rare and would take a lot of you turning him on to get him to do it twice.
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
no toys when he’s around. he does not like the idea of being replaced by a toy, anything that a toy can do, he can do too, that’s his thoughts on the matter. he doesn’t want to use them on himself either, isn’t even willing to try because he’s told himself that he won’t like it.
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
he slowly reveals to you that he’s a big ol tease. and you’re not getting away with anything just because you want to, he might have let you before, but not now. he likes to be teased too, but just so you know, you’re getting punished for doing it.
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
okay this boy is LOUD. at first, he tries to be real quiet, then once a small whisper espcapes he’s just like fuck it and it slowly starts building up to a very… audible session.
he’s definitely one to talk during sex, not even just dirty talk, he will literally talk about anything lmao. but he always announces before he finishes, he repeats “i’m cumming” or “i’m going to cum” multiple times before actually doing so. you actually start finding it kind of cute and endearing.
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
did i mention he’s a big fan of kissing lol. he embraces any and all types of kisses and it’s very gentle and delicate. sometimes (when you’re really taking him there) they become super hungry and he somehow manages to back you into the nearest thing, whether that’s the wall or the bed etc. that’s the first real sign that he’s horny.
honestly, i don’t think he’s that shy about talking about your sex lives with anyone. like he’ll offer advice and share his experiences with anyone willing to listen if you say he can, just because he empathises with those who might be nervous or on edge to try something.
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)
he’s blessed what can i say? he’s longer than average and thicker than average AND knows how to use it (eventually). every inch of him is perfect and “down there” is no different. of course he’s vvv proud of his dick size and doesn’t hesitate to bring it up, but he actually kind of feels sorry for you having to take it all.
Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)
when you first get into a relationship, although it’s quite high, he can control it so much so that it appears to you that it’s low. but soon you learn that he wants pussy every other day.
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
if you let him, he’d be asleep straight away lmao, but only if he could have his arms around you of course. but if you wanna stay up for a bit, he’s down. he hates morning sex because he’s too tired to go a whole day afterwards loool.
222 notes · View notes
jay-and-dean · 4 years
Text
Firefly   Chapter 1. Five years old
Tumblr media
By Roonyxx and Jay-and-dean
Pairings : future Dean x reader ? 
Summary :  40 years in Hell, but he didn’t spend all this time all alone, he had her. 
Prepare to know what happened during those years Dean never talks about. To immerge yourself in Hell, only lit by the mysterious kid growing here...
And to see some of your favorite villains again : Crowley, Lilith, Lucifer... And also Sammy and Jack...
Serie Warnings : Hurt!Dean, Hell (torture, even if we tried to not give it graphic descriptions, creepy demons, blood, violence), swearing, angst, future fluff and smut.
This story is in both Reader’s POV and Dean’s POV
Wordcount : 2645
Note : This is our second collaboration. We can’t both edit the same post, so we decided we would post 1 chapter/2 each, like we did for Same.
We both worked as much on this story and it’s the result of both our brains but also both our hearts.
Please, if you want to show love for this story, don’t forget we were together in this.
This story will be around 10 chapters and we intend to edit it every Saturday if nothing delays it.
Roonyxx Masterlist
Jay’s Masterlist
_________________________
Reader’s Pov
She should have stayed in her room. 
She should have stayed in her room for many reasons. Because her huge, warm and luxury bedroom was far enough from the horrible screams first. Desperate calls for help echoing everywhere, useless begging and strangled howls of infinite pain. 
Because her room was neither burning hot nor cold like bleak ice.
Because there was no smell indescribably vile between the rock walls and along the velvet curtains…
But in her child mind, anything was better than eternal silence, even cries for help, better than the lonely torpor of comfort, than that unbearable loneliness.
And boredom.
So, as usual, she took Mister Teddy Bear in her arms, holding him close against her tiny body. With her finger she stuffed the foam escaping from the hole where his head should be, and smiled at his pathetic form.
She didn’t miss his head, for the same reason she didn’t miss the sky : because she had never seen it. 
Hell was big enough to get lost forever but she never did. It was vast enough for her to never go twice in the same place if she decided too. And for now, she had only found one place worth going back, the rest was only screams.
She shivered a little, today was cold, at least in this area. And even if she was shaped to handle Hell, she could see the steam coming out of her mouth and taste the metallic smell of blood on her tongue. 
When something moved on the wall of that infinite corridor, she took a step back, bumping the opposite sweating blood wall. It was the skin of a human being, empty and limply nailed on the wall, but somehow still whining and crying.  
She looked down at Mister Teddy bear and noticed it had been stained again, by the thick smelly blood constantly seeping from the tall cold dark walls. She sighed and gave the shaking empty skin a reprimanding look, frowning her thin and small eyebrows.
And she kept walking. 
A demon appeared at an intersection. He wasn’t wearing a human form, his giant body scrawny to the bones, with a crest of rotten wood along his visible spine, transparent skin, no eyes, and a huge pair of horns above him. His arms were long enough to touch the floor, and he was raising his legs too high while walking, which gave him something of a spider. 
She recognized Jael.
He passed by, ignoring her tiny form as usual, leaving a trail of smoke and sulfur behind him. For him, she was probably not bigger than a cat would be to a human being. Annoyed by his complete indifference, she closed her tiny five years old fists and punched his leg in a grunt. 
The demon didn’t even acknowledge her and she watched him walk or crawl away. 
She stayed still for a moment, holding Mister Teddy Bear tight, looking around at the infinite numbers of boring corridors this maze had. She turned on herself in a little dance, her dress flying like there was wind, closed her eyes and stopped randomly, a little dizzy.
This way today.
She sighed in content, she had never been this way before. So she put her tiny patent shoe in front of her and started walking.
She walked for a while, going in any direction like a little mouse in an abandoned manor. Avoiding the walls and covering her ears when the screams were too loud. Once or twice she looked inside the rooms, her eyes meeting pieces of humans, arms reaching to her, eyes without eyelids following her tiny form while beasts with their demon faces or a human costume were feasting on their guts. 
She turned left and found herself in front of a door opened on a large room with a man in the middle of it. 
He wasn’t screaming. 
Chains were maintaining him up and straight, his arms stretched toward the ceiling. The chain was going through his stomach and one of his thighs. Weights were at his hips probably slowly tearing his back.
She stopped in front of the door and held Mister Teddy Bear closer, studying his silhouette, hidden in the shadow of the corridor. 
He was brighter, he was stronger. His silence made her shiver for she was so used to the din of despair.
Did he really belong here ?
Mesmerized by his noble aura, she took a step in the room and looked up. His face was held by a chain around his neck, his eyes closed and face unexpectedly calm, almost as if he was sleeping. 
When she took another shy step, her potent shoe hit a piece of the chain she didn't notice and the metallic sound made him gasp. His eyes opened and their green light fell on her.
He stayed totally motionless, but it was not like he could really move anyway. Only his eyes weren’t still, trembling in her direction, struggling to focus. Like all the damned souls, he seemed really surprised to see her here, she was just a little girl anyway ; and there was no child in Hell. But his eyes had no expression of supplication, only a mix of distrust and pain.
Demons had never frightened her much, some of them were impressive and ugly, disgusting even. But they couldn’t hurt her. What made shivers run along her tiny back were the damned themselves. Their screams, their begging, their despair... And in her immature mind, she had come to think they were fouler than the creatures of Hell themselves.
Not him. 
Her fascinated wide eyes were magnetized to his face, forgetting the chains and the pool of blood at his feet, everything broken about him. She just stared at his face and thought he was beautiful in a way.
She forgot her boredom for a second, and took another step. In front of her little form, with his arms almost reaching the ceiling, he appeared as tall as a mountain. She lifted her chin, frustrated a little to not be able to come closer to his face. 
Despite his dusty and grimy skin, she could see little light brown stains around his nose, his eyes were very green and bright, and bloodshot only made their natural color lighter.
Her tiny hand moved a little, not sure what she wanted to do, maybe poke his thigh, like little children tend to do when they find something curious. But he flinched, and she got scared. The whole mountain of his motionless body suddenly making the iron of the chains scream.
She took a step back and put Mister Teddy Bear on the floor, away from danger, before she came closer again. Keeping her eyes on him to tame the reactions of this huge and impressive wounded beast.
This time, she showed him her hand. Her little palm raised gently, she stood there, tasting his blood on her tongue, and the smell of metal and pain.
His face was confused, and his eyes still trembling from the intense fear of being touched, but he kept them on her, going from her innocent eyes to her tiny clean hand.
Dean’s pov
His eyes followed her as she sat down cross-legged a few feet from him, watching him in silence, she took Mister Teddy Bear and put him in her lap.
Dean’s eyes flickered from her little form to the door, waiting for the next torture to begin, but it didn’t.
She just kept watching him, her eyes shining with innocence only a child has. Was she really a kid ? Was it a trap ? A trap to what, nothing could really get worse anyway… Trying to ignore the horrible pain, he focused on her eyes to try and read them. 
Everything was weird about her. Her age, her beauty, like she came from another world, Earth or even Heaven… Nothing was dark or vile on her feature. She didn’t seem to mind that her little pink dress was getting soaked in his blood.
With one last glance at the door he cleared his throat, hoarse from screaming hours and hours, and from not really talking for what ? Years...
“Hey little girl?” he cleared his throat once more, surprised by his own voice.  
Not controlling his tone perfectly, he spoke a little too loud which made her shuffle back a little. He really didn’t want her to disappear just now, maybe if he managed to talk to her a little, get a name...
“No stay, s-sorry… I’m not gonna hurt you.” His voice seemed to calm her this time, she held Mister Teddy closer to her chest.
“Are you, lost ? What’s your name?” He tried, but she just kept watching him not saying a word. 
He gave her a little smile through the unbearable suffering. It felt foreign smiling, he hasn’t done it in years. 
“I won’t tell anyone.” 
It looked like she smiled back but he was too far to see it clearly, could she even talk anyway ? She looked human, but here… a kid ? Was she dead too ? How did she end up here ?
“Where you from, little girl?” he tried again, speaking was horribly painful but this moment was priceless to him. 
How he would love to hear a voice other then the screams of Hell or the filth the demons spat at him. But she kept her lips sealed, taking her little bear by the legs, making him walk through the blood. She didn’t seem phased by the horror of it at all.
“I’m Dean” he said. 
She looked up at him and slowly took the arm of her bear to wave at him. His eyes widened, so she could hear and understand him. If he had been able to, he would wave back, instead he chuckled lightly for the first time since the Hellhounds got him; almost forgetting the the chains in his back.
“What’s your little friend’s name? He looks badass.” 
Still no answer.
He needed her to be real, to not be an hallucination caused by pain or loneliness.
“Well I guess I’ll give you a name then, is that okay ?”
She shrugged slightly, wiping her headless toy to her perfectly ironed dress. 
“What you think of… Firefly?” She looked up at him, now he was sure he could see a smile gracing her little face.
“You like that ? You remind me of one” he tried not to cough at his dry throat, knowing it would be enough to break his back. “A little light in the darkest place…”
He started to look at her thoroughly. She didn’t look too skinny, she was a little dirty, blood stains on her arms, dress and shoes, but in a place like this that wasn’t surprising. Her eyes didn’t look heavy so she had a place to sleep, to rest… How he missed resting, to be able to close your eyes and just sleep, to not fear the never ending pain.
“How did you end up here ?” he asked more for himself, as she didn’t seem to talk at all. 
Maybe she couldn’t speak at all. How old would she be, four ? Maybe five ? The blood stains on her face made it difficult to see her child like features.
She was so remarkable, in this screaming pit of misery and despair, there was not one ounce of fear in her eyes. She didn’t seem faced by the fact that she was covered in blood, that her teddy bear was missing his head, that he himself was dangling by chains and seeping the very same blood she was sitting in. 
“You have been here for a while haven’t you ?” 
He could tell she probably didn’t know anything else but Hell. The absence of fear, the indifference, like everything was just as it always had been... He was sure of it. But then again, how did she end up in the pit ?
A cautious dark chuckle left his mouth.
“I lost count of how long I’ve been here but I heard it’s been about 10 or 15 years.”
She looked up at him, her little E/C eyes shining with curiosity, he hasn’t seen that in years, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them. They remind him so much of Sammy’s eyes when he was younger. 
A heavy door fell shut in the distance making Dean flinch, grunting loud when his cruel bonds rattled. She got up and came closer, inspecting the chain going through his thigh, her face showing little interest in it. 
Then, her curiosity visibly winning against her distrust, she crawled between his legs to watch his back. And he closed his eyes in apprehension of her touching something. But she didn’t.
Reader’s Pov
He was different from everything she had seen in her short life, he wasn’t screaming like the others, or begging, he just… endured it. He seemed stronger. 
She circled him to come back to where she could see his face. Her little hand reached for him again, but she remembered the damned didn’t like to be touched so she took her hand back.
Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed in the hallway. 
She grabbed mister Teddy Bear from the floor and moved to stand beside the door, Jael entered, still in his demonic form.
“Dean Winchester, ready for your next session ?” his croaky voice came out of his mouth full of teeth in a strange way. “The master Alastair is waiting.” 
He steps on the chain making it shift in Dean’s gut. When Dean groaned hoarsely, she moved to punch her little fist into the creatures leg again.
With a sulfur stenched sigh the creature looked down her.
“What are you doing in here” he said in a growl. “You know it isn’t allowed.” 
His long bony fingers wrapped around her left ankle to pull her upside down into the air, she weighed nothing. She started to struggle but totally in vain, her palms clenched around Mister Teddy Bear to not lose him, and her free leg trying to kick the demon.
“I’m not a damn babysitter” the demon sighed, a cloud of smelly sulfur reaching her face, and making her sneeze. “I’ll tie you again if you keep wandering, child.” 
He turned to leave the room, his creepy gait making her dangle left and right.
“I’ll be back for you Winchester, you’ll say yes to Alastair soon enough.”
Still dangling from Jael’s grip, she took her bear arms and waved it at Dean before the Demon turned in the hallway.
Jael walked back to where her room was, when he pushed the door he came face to face with a Demon in the shape of a man, wearing a suit and a brand new watch, Crowley.
“Sir, your filth has been wandering” he dropped her to the floor bluntly. “Again.”
“Careful Jael, that’s my daughter” the smooth, human voice of her father echoes with no affection.
Crowley bended to pull her up by the arm, grimacing at how dirty she was, and put her in the corner where he had put the chain a few times ago, that was a little to big for her fragile foot anyway, around her.
“Now sweet cheeks” Crowley bended to her eye level “You know you aren’t allowed to leave this room so do us all a favor and don’t?” 
She stuck her tongue out to him.
“Just kill her already” Jael grunted.
Crowley stood up and ushered Jael out of the room, he locked the door behind them, while she already took her foot out of the too big chain to run at the door, failing to open it. 
“Patience Jael, one day this girl will lead us to victory, you’ll see.”
___________________________________
Feedback is what makes us keep writing
Forever Tags : @parinarain @animegirlgeeky @mogaruke @masterof-agony @rainflowermoon @tftumblin @deans-baby-momma @roonyxx @thefaithfulwriter @vicariouslythruspn @emeow1496 @daryldixonandfrogs @holylulusworld​  @cocklesbelli​ @sandlee44​ @screenchingartisancashbailiff @donnaintx​ @stormchasingchick32​ @akshi8278​ @magssteenkamp​ @sister-winchesters99​ @neii3n​  @lyss-dw79​ @im-a-shrub​ @sadwaywardkid​@hopelesslydevotedtoyou1912 @slyqueenj​ @i-love-superhero​ @waywardsisterandpie @sunsetsandbooks​ @fangirlxwritesx67​ @mrspeacem1nusone​ @stylesismyhubs​ @deanwanddamons​ @jawritter​ @peridottea91​ @chelsea072498 @chocolateheart​ @vicmc624​
342 notes · View notes
creepypasta-mfs · 4 years
Note
hey! I really like your blog so far ! Do you think you could write hcs for Ben, Dark, EJ, and Jeff with an s/o? I know its not very specific, just anything u got eould be nice 😅
hi!! thank u sm 💕 i can definitely do that
BEN Drowned
× honestly not a bad boyfriend at all
× well, for the most part
× in the beginning, he's still an ass
× he might poke fun at the little insecurities you have, definitely your height if you're shorter than him
× he can sometimes take it a bit too far, but he'll quickly learn your limits
× the times when he does push things a bit too far, he does the most to make up for it
× need a hug? of course. A twelve page written apology? Duh. Want him to make an absolute fool of himself in front of the whole house to make it even? Consider it done
× as mentioned before, he's super secretive and guarded. Takes a l o n g time to break down those walls, but once you do he's open about everything
× "anyway, here's my auto biography of every traumatic event I've ever been through, there will be a quiz over this so please take notes"
× also pretty touch starved, so any physical affection you give out is greatly appreciated
× like you have no idea
× very awkward when reciprocating it though, he's has little to no experience when it comes to this, so just give him some time to adjust
× his idea of a date is just taking a long ass nap together and ordering food
× wake up from nap #1, eat copious amounts of chinese take-out, then move on to nap #2
× will appreciate you forever if you just sit with him while he plays video games
× also enjoys when you show genuine interest in it and ask him questions about what he's doing and stuff
× would prefer for you to sit behind him and draw patterns on his back and talk to him, or scratch behind his ears
× likes playing with your hair and having his hair played with, will braid it if you allow him to
× expect a lot of just lazing around his room, and having those sleepy, half awake conversations, those are his favorites
× over time he drops the snarky attitude and mean-ish teasing and becomes more soft and lighthearted, only around his s/o though
Dark Link
× so you've somehow managed to make this little ball of angst like you
× g o o d l u c k
× so used to only thinking of himself and doing things that only benefit him, having to take another person into consideration is a big change for him
× really caught him off guard when he realised he actually c a r e d about somebody
× like damn this has never happened before
× doesn't really understand what "romance" is
× he tries his best, but can only really show his feelings through gifts
× what do you mean buying them a whole new wardrobe isn't equivalent to saying "I love you" ??
× isn't good with his words, but he makes an effort
× "your face.. It looks,.. Nice today? Did I do that right??"
× will probably start petty, completely not serious fights with you when he's got nothing better to do
× I hope you have a lot of patience, because he knows exactly how to get on your nerves and loves seeing you frustrated
× only when he's the reason though. Anyone or anything else that causes you any trouble best be prepared to catch these hands
× is surprisingly supportive when it comes to any interests you might have
× tries to show you that he listens to what you like and don't like, so he'll buy you things related to your hobbies
× those super expensive paints you've been wanting? They're yours now. Want to learn to play this instrument but don't have the money for it? Now you do
× giving gifts is his thing, but attention and affection are definitely his love language
× he's so conflicted because he wants you to spend time doing the things you like, the stuff he's gotten for you, but at the same time he needs you to focus on him and him only, ya know?
× is not above pouting and fake crying to obtain your undivided attention
Eyeless Jack
× a h h h h
× he probably low key panicked when he figured out he caught feelings for you
× has very little memory of ever feeling anything like this so he has no clue how to react
× you'll have to guide him through everything, especially when it comes to physical contact
× he's just so big and doesn't know his own strength, and you're so small and fragile, how does he avoid crushing you??
× he's going to need a lot of reassurance and positive feedback before he's able to fully trust himself to initiate affection on his own
× definitely searches the internet for advice on being a good significant other
× his search history
- how to be a good boyfriend
- definition of affection
- how to care for your tiny human
- how to know if you're in love wiki how
× lmao he's absolutely hopeless
× will lend you his clothes anytime, without you even asking. And he'll definitely want you to lend him something of yours, doesn't matter to him what it is
× likes that your scent rubs off on his clothes and vice versa, its very comforting
× won't outright ask for it, but likes scratches
× this has also been done to death, but will purr if you scratch the spot just behind his ears or between his shoulder blades
× has issues when it comes to verbally expressing his appreciation and love for his s/o, but he shows it through making sure they have everything they need or want, checking to make sure they've eaten that day, have had enough water, etc.
Jeff the Killer
× little gremlin boi
× will find amusement in scaring the hell out of his s/o
× stands over them in their bed at night, will wait as long as he needs for them to wake up and have a mini heart attack
× doesn't ever mean any harm though
× acts very distant in front of other people but very touchy when alone with them
× just likes putting his hands on their face to feel their skin, likes comparing how tough and scarred his skin is to the smoothness of theirs
× playfighting is his favorite past time, doesn't matter what his s/o is doing at the moment, they better be prepared to throw down at any time
× will give them obscure fighting tips that they will never need at any point in life
× "Street Smarts with Jeffery Woods"
× likes taking walks with them at night in the woods, even if there isn't anything to talk about. Just likes spending time with them peacefully for a little while
× often thinks about how things would've been different if he hadn't went about things the way he did, and wonders if they would've even met if he hadn't
× sometimes feels bad that they can't ever really have a normal relationship, but it is what it is
× tries to keep his life with his s/o and his "hobby" separate, sees them as innocent and doesn't want to "taint" them
× does everything he can to keep himself in check, doesn't want to scare them in a serious way
× another one of his favorite past times is snooping through your stuff shdhshhd
× if you have a diary dO NOT LET HIM KNOW, he will find it and he will read it
× will want to know if you've written about him in it, and if you have and he reads it he will never let you live it down
× it will be an eternal ego boost
× goes out of his way to be more gentle towards his s/o, don't let that go unnoticed
× tries to simulate any form of normalcy in the relationship as he can, and actually enjoys doing little domestic things with them even if its just something small like cleaning or cooking
490 notes · View notes
imnotwolverine · 3 years
Text
The Englishman JACK - CHAP 1
Chap 1 The Name Is Jack | Chap 2 >
Tumblr media
Summary: Jack travels to his new employer and Bunny tries to get away.
Word count: 4.657 (17 min. read)
Disclaimers: Strong language, misogyny, mention of relationship with great age gap, lots of cigarettes and “the thrill of the chase”.
--
Call Me Jack
--
Lipstick stains and cigarette buds were all that was left of her. The woman who made him into a man. The room he stood in now felt strangely unwelcoming. Like he was a stain himself. Black and bold in this lavish palace of beige and gold, on the top floor of the Parisian Grande.
The smog of cigar smoke and traffic jams was rising up through the ceiling-height windows, starting yet another day in this crazy paradise called Paris. The city had somehow always felt pompous to him, just like this apartment. Buffed gold furniture, heavy beige curtains, the scent of patchouli and sex lingering deep in its essence. It was the french way, she would have said. But she was no longer here. And he was not here to stay.
Thumbing over the precious jewels that had once graced her stretched out earlobes and wrinkled swan neck, he remembered the time he had accidentally teared one of these off. She had simply laughed at his eagerness. But he had felt great shame, crawling around on the beige carpet to look for one of the missing pearls.
I’ll buy a new one, my boy.
My boy. Years had passed since then. Since that moment. And she had made her boy into a man.
All he now had to do, was avenge her.
--
It was the same thing each and every morning, it seemed. The metal bullet shells chinked as they were cleaned away by the butler on the next terrace. With heavy strokes of the broom the morning silence was broken. But the world didn’t seem to mind. All was quiet. The birds were hushed, the sun was struggling and wisps of mist drifted lazily over the rolling Tuscan hills. Like the Italians themselves, nothing here seemed to be eager to get started with the new day.
Even the three bodyguards that were stationed on the far edges of the porch seemed to be more asleep than awake. Dressed in their sharp black suits they rose from the mists like great Greek statues, squared shoulders turned to stare out in the distance. What they were looking at exactly, was anybody’s guess; for the next 10 miles or so, the land was pretty much entirely owned by Bunny’s family, the Maniari’s.
Sighing quietly, Bunny sat back in her black and white cushioned chair, making the mists curl away for a moment. The northern porch hardly had the best view; a large wall hid most of the gorgeous landscape. But it was all she was allowed in terms of “freedom” as she had her breakfast session out here in the morning chill. As usual she was dressed to a tee, floral blue sundress and pretty magazine-style hair indicating she had been up at least a few hours already.
She was so very different from her family, who wouldn’t wake before the sun was high and the remnants of last night’s “hunting games” were cleaned and cleared. In fact she was..bored. Was a woman of her station even allowed to be bored? Here be Bunny, the ridiculously rich and perfectly cared for mobster misses! Bunny, the woman who had it all but wanted even more! She snickered to herself. Would the wax melt off her wings if she too would try to touch the sun? Just out of mere curiosity whether it would hurt? Would she drown in the seas and for once be done with this? This..this...ugh.
Knowing she was no Icarus by any means - it was the lack of waxen wings on her back, she figured, she flicked back some of her brown locks. The men who stood on the far ends of the porch seemed truly dazed today. A rough night perhaps? Having finished her last bite of marmalade on toast - also so very un-italian, she tapped the ash of her cigarette onto the ashtray next to her plate.
Would they notice if she’d fly off? It was a good question to pose in a world where men turned a blind eye on so many things. Squinting her eyes, Bunny took another long suck of the ashen delight between her fingertips. These men truly did seem blind. Or at least sleepy. Heads were hanging slightly limp and from the soft beeps coming from Number One’s walkie talkie, it was clear he was definitely not paying attention.
Her father had once said that these men were stationed near her for safekeeping. But Bunny knew better. She knew they were just as much here to keep her from running off. Away from this golden cage with its marble floors and far too expensive crystal chandeliers. But these poor men couldn’t help it either. They probably had played a late night of poker with Big - something you simply couldn’t win even if you had all the good cards in your hand. Life simply wasn’t fair like that. Not here at least.
Quietly slipping from her chair, her dress brushing through the mists, Bunny snuck back inside - to get out.
Tumblr media
These dresses are only getting shorter, huh? With a devious little smirk Jack settled back in the cushioned airplane seat. He watched as one of the flight attendants shuffled by with her demure little smile. The plane was about to take off, heavy engines rumbling on the taxi strip. But first, he’d let one of these sky angels do the honours. And, looking up, apparently the lady of choice had come to her calling. Italian presumably, he saw her lips curl in a semi-flirty smile.
‘Good afternoon.’ - Her French accent was horrid. ‘May I please assist you with your seatbelt?’ She was already leaning over before Jack could object. Not that he would. Settling back a little more, he let her tiny hands clutch around the metal clasp. It was a challenge to get the thing tugged around his luggy hips. But he didn’t protest as she bent over a little more. If anything, he let the opportune moment run its course as the taxiing plane rolled over a pesky little bump. Enough for him to bump into her in consequence, the little accident followed up by a polished act of surprise on his end. A warm, steadying hand on her hip was all it took to turn the woman into a blushing, flustered mess. She chuckled and apologised with that same awful little accent.
Not that he cared. With a suave, calm smile he settled back, thanking her in perfect Italian. And with that the deal was sealed; he had ensured that this flight would be just as delightful as this woman’s dress implied..
You know what they say. Can’t let a good thing get away.
Tumblr media
‘Found anything?’
The two men stepped into the beams of the car’s headlights. The night around them was muddled black, heavy rain clouds obscuring the skies. It was one of those moments where a seeing man could feel blind. Though these men didn’t seem to be concerned with the dark. Sharing a handshake, muddied feet slushing in the red earth, they greeted one another. One of them showed a slight limp.
‘No -’ The limping man coughed raggedly. ‘Nothing.’
‘And the footprints?’
‘Dead end.’ His cough continued and he spat on the ground, bloody mucus seeping into the crimson soil.
‘Brother..’
‘We’ll find ‘em. Just give me more time.’
The other wished to object, but a soft crack in the bushes on their left disturbed them. Someone was there. An intruder. Hidden in that pesky veil of night. With a grumble the healthy man grabbed for his gun. But the limping men stopped him.
‘Brother? Let me..!’
A church bell rang in the distance, silencing them. Twelve times the heavy copper tolled, announcing midnight, and the end of their fleeting meeting.
‘Whomever it was, we can’t chase ‘em.’ The limping man sighed. ‘And rain’s comin’.’ He coughed again and grasped the other man’s sleeve. ‘Let’s go. Ghosts aren’t worth bullets.’
Tumblr media
Was there something like the thrill of being chased? Bunny clutched the steering wheel of her trusty blue cake tin on wheels, squealing with excitement as it slipped in the puddles of last night’s thunderstorm.
Much like the weather - the air now clean and fresh, she felt a renewed energy in her bones. This could very well be the time she’d succeed. The time she’d finally get away.
She had omitted all the non-essentials. She had learned by now that it was key to not act suspicious. Learn the patterns and only then take the leap.
The last time had failed catastrophically. Apparently she had been too obvious with her packed suitcase at the ready. Not even a lie about a personal safety plan with all the gang violence going on was enough to dissuade her father from her intentions. She could still feel the ache in her buttocks from the spanking she had received.
So yes. She had learned. She had learned to be more inventive. And now here she was. Smirking. With a sideglance she looked to the backseat of her trusty little Fiat. A small designer bag lay there discarded. Barely noticeable to the male eye, but packing much more than just the usual feminine essentials. In fact this bag held none of the usual make-up items and hair spray. It held passports, roadmaps, money and a well-thought out escape plan. She was ready. She was. Right?
Clutching the steering wheel a little tighter, she looked back at the road. And just in time. With a panicked foot on the brakes she slid through the mud, barely managing to evade the unamused looking vintager who had just stepped onto the road after inspecting his vineyard.
‘Fuck.’ Bunny muttered quietly, keeping the slower speed long enough to raise an apologising hand at the man. It was the new one. The new vintager, the other one deceased some years ago. The other wine makers had refused to take on this piece of land. And none would say it aloud, but the reasoning was simple; it was the only small trip of land that separated the Maniari estate from the Luchesse estate. Two mobster powerhouses trying their best to overrule the other; you simply didn’t want to be in the middle of that.
And now Bunny had nearly killed the one person who had dared to take on the challenge.
Trying her best to calm her racing heart, Bunny looked back to the road ahead of her. She couldn’t make a mistake now. Not when she was so close to getting out. So close to freedom. Because that’s what she wanted, right? She was ready, right? Clutching the steering wheel she pushed the gas pedal a little deeper again, forgetting for a hot minute to look back. And in doing so, she missed one essential little cue in the shape of a rushing car behind her.
The thrill of the chase was back.
Tumblr media
Jack gritted his teeth. Not even the lovebites in his neck or the linger of sweet perfume could calm his nerves. He was hours away from Florence. Hours away from pretty city women, good coffee and proper infrastructure - the roads all red mud around here.
Jack was also not sure whether this rental he had received from that car dealer was set up for failure, or that it was just misfortune that had killed the engine. Either way: he was stuck. Stuck in an idyllic picture of green winelands covered in a thick blanket of ethereal mists. A dreamscape, the likes he had seen on postcards sent by his good friend Luigi. Those cards had often described trivial things, until a week ago, when Jack received a request. And if it weren’t for their friendship, it would be for his own devices that Jack found this trip to Tuscany to be a perfect way to spend some time. One plane ride, car drive and engine failure he was here. Stuck as a bug in a rug. Or in this case stuck with a car in the mud.
‘Fuck.’ He grumbled, turning off the radio that was bleating on about some local seismic activity. He wished right now he had accepted Luigi’s offer to have him chauffeured to the estate. But Jack was a proud man, and a man of resolve. Besides, he enjoyed driving in most cases. It gave a sense of freedom, of power. Engines rumbling, the windows rolled down.
But that would be for another time. First he had to find a new means of transportation.
Swinging open the door he stepped out into the morning mists, nostrils flaring out to breath in the biting cold that licked around his heated skin. Perhaps he shouldn’t have worn his fine calf leather shoes, he mused, looking down at the mud splatters as they painted a red dotted work of art over the recently polished noses.
Gritting his teeth again he cued a cigarette to his lips and turned around the back of the car, picking up his suitcase and hat before starting his way down to the nearest village.
Tumblr media
Bunny knew she had failed when she turned the roundabout. With a flash of black and white the sleek suit of Number Four was hard to miss from behind his steering wheel. And he was far too close for comfort. Especially with him driving the Mercedes-Benz, its engine rumbling like a dark horse to match his steely gaze.
Taking a swift turn, Bunny changed plans. Straight roads were omitted and made way for the local Saturday market, her car soon disappearing in the hustle and bustle of cows, chickens, cabbages and coffee.
Nervous hands thrummed on her steering wheel as she moved at a snail’s pace through the meandering crowds. It was terribly busy, and that made the market both a blessing and a curse all in one. Old nans with hunchbacks, young children playing soccer, farmers marketing their produce; any other time this would have been a lovely place to be. But right now Bunny had no time to wait for the cows before her to cross the street. And so with a quick flick of the wrist she escaped her car, bag in her hand as her swift feet zipped past the meaty backsides of two brown cows before she vanished into the misty morning mayhem.
Her heartbeat was racing. Fluttering like a little bird caught in too small a cage. Sweaty hands clutched onto the bag in her arms as she apologised to a leather faced man she bumped into, his large chest already puffing up before he turned to scold her for not “using her godgiven eyes”.
‘Scusi!’ She scampered away, little mules clicking on the paved village square. She had made sure that, though practical, her clothes wouldn’t have raised any suspicion on her family’s part. And with her always wearing something rather fashionable, today was no exception. Her calf-length blue summer dress waved around her legs as she brushed past the flower stall sales men, their hands waving around in the air to catch her attention.
‘Miss! Miss! Why the hurry?! Good morning, good morning!’
She wished to throw them a wistful smile, but her eye caught on to a blur of a neat suit on the other side of the square instead. Another mobster? Really?! Keeping her green eyes transfixed on the man who was trying to chat up with one of the salesmen, she noted he was different from the others. Brown suit covered up to his calves in mud and with his handsome face contorting in agony, she saw him turn away from the salesman. She had never seen this man before. He looked foreign, his skin far less tan than most Italians and his eyes a shade of Mediterranean blue. He could very well be one of the American movie hunks she used to fawn over. Cary Grant, Humprey Bogart. His slicked back dark hair and chiseled cheeks by no means inferior to the legends of the silver screens.
But there was no silver screen here. And Bunny had no time for funny business. She had to figure out what to do. Go home and act like nothing happened? Try again later? Or get out on foot and hope that her father’s henchmen wouldn’t use their bloodhound like noses to track her down. 
Feeling cold shivers run up her spine she wished to grasp for her bag, only to realise it was no longer hanging down her hip. There went the last of her plans. Washed down the drain, like the fish scales washed by the fishmonger behind the tall, handsome stranger. Who, strangely enough, had disappeared.
‘Good morning signora.’ A warm honeyed voice brushed past the shell of her ear and without looking, Bunny darted off. Did Number Four get backup? Or was it one of them? Fuck-fuck-fuck. With hasted feet she pushed past a group of women doing their daily shopping, disturbed eyes looking her up and down before they stepped aside for the mobster daughter’s pursuer.
‘GET OFF ME!’ Bunny exclaimed when she felt a hand on her arm, her hands raising up to throw in a punch if need be. But it wasn’t Number Four who stared back at her. It were heavy dark eyebrows, risen near comically onto the handsome stranger’s face.
‘I am..profusely sorry milady! I…’ Blue eyes blinked at her before he reached out a familiar item to her: her bag. Bunny exhaled. It was just her bag. Her bag! Her.. She snapped her eyes back at him. Who was this?
‘Thanks.’ She grabbed for the bag, only to see his hand wrap a little more tightly around the tan leather.
‘Wait a moment…’ He narrowed his eyes and terror was back in Bunny’s bones. Fuck. Was he with them?! She tugged a little more fiercely on the bag, but it didn’t budge. Oh please let go! Please let go! She pulled and pulled, but she was no match to the hidden muscles beneath the man’s well-cut suit. He smirked.
‘Are you..the Maniari sister?’ His accent finally clicked; foreign indeed. British, most likely. Was it the man her brother had mentioned to be visiting soon? Frowning, Bunny looked back at the man, only to realize another two suits had popped up in the corner of her vision. She had to make haste. Now.
‘Follow me and find out.’ She breathed, using her momentum to pull her bag free from his hand before running in the direction of a narrow alleyway between the houses. Fresh laundry was hanging from lines that crossed above her head, casting the street in a misty play of shadows, waving over her escaping form.
As half expected, the man continued to pursue her, muddied soles following her in close proximity.
‘Where are we going?’ His voice remained level despite the exertion and Bunny cast him a side glance. He jogged easily behind her, eyes looking up and around the narrow street. She wasn’t sure whether he was nervous about onlookers, or just admiring the change of scenery.
With a sharp turn they entered an even smaller alleyway. But just as she was about to make another right, she saw men rush past. And from the looks of it they were most definitely looking for her. Sharp suits, eager eyes. Within an instant she had pressed her back against the wall, making the stranger half bump into her.
‘In a bit of trouble?’ He smiled. ‘Do tell me it’s not a stolen bag, for…-’
‘Shut it.’ Nervously looking around herself, Bunny decided to keep heading straight, passing through another alleyway where a few women were hanging out carpets to give a pounding. Dust circled up in the air, offering a perfect getaway for their retreating feet.
Some streets later Bunny found herself back at the other side of the square. And if she wasn’t mistaken, her car wouldn’t be far from here. With nimble feet she moved through the crowds that were returning home after their shopping. Arms full of fresh fish, bread and vegetables; it was a challenge to not knock anything out of hands as she zipped past.
Staying hidden in the shade of the narrow passage, she eyed the street where her car was left in the middle of the road. No suits were seen, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. Over her shoulder, the stranger watched along with her. Was he really not with them? Or was this just play pretend and would he be there to push her into their arms at the opportune time? Feeling her heart thump in her ears, Bunny pressed back into his chest, wishing to back away. And thankfully he did so too, sidestepping so they could remain hidden in the shadows of the buildings surrounding them.
‘Bunny, right?’ He whispered, looking at Bunny’s mildly flushed face. She was a beauty with her brown haired bangs and sparkling green eyes. And a feisty one too. With a scowl she looked back at him.
‘And you are?’
‘A tall dark handsome stranger?’ He tried, smiling. She rolled her eyes quietly and looked back at the square. As half expected one of her father’s henchmen had stepped out from one of the alleyways, shaking his head at someone who didn’t wear a suit. They were everywhere. Why had she even been so stupid to try and get out? Who did she think she was?
‘God have mercy.’ She whispered, shaking her head in defeat. This might just have very well been the last time she’d be allowed to even be outside. Here be Bunny, the mobster misses who became a prisoner in her own home. Woopti-fucking-doo.
‘May I suggest something?’ Jack eyed the little blue car that was left alone as the mobster henchmen ran into another street to continue their search.
‘Shoot.’
‘Charming woman you are.’ He teased.
‘Don’t push it.’ She looked back into his blue eyes, expectantly, waiting for him to dish up his idea.
‘I drive, you lay low and once at home you better have a really good excuse for your father.’
Bunny snarled. There went the last of her plans.
Tumblr media
‘Papa!’ Bunny kissed her father’s cheek with perhaps a touch too much enthusiasm. Would he notice she was faking it?
‘Bunny, dear.’ Augusto leaned back a little to brush a loving thumb over his daughter’s face. He seemed quite oblivious to whatever had just transpired.
‘Sleep well?’ She asked, stepping back so her father could move to his desk where a recently lit cigar was waiting. Thick smoke curled up to the high ceiling of the dark, wood panelled office. And from the half-closed shutters and slow movements of Augusto it was clear he was having a particularly rough morning. Or hangover. Or perhaps both.
Waiting in the door opening, Jack shifted on his feet. He was painfully aware of the disheveled state of his shoes and pants. And all that running may have very well ruined his hair too. Keeping his hat in the crook of his arm he looked around the room. So this was it. The lion’s lair. The heart of the operation. Jack was just about to be addressed by the mobster lord who had settled back in his desk chair, when rushed footsteps echoed through the smooth marble hall. The mobster lord frowned and looked up and over Jack’s shoulder, where a heavy breathing bodyguard shot an exasperated look at Bunny.
‘YOU!’ The man wanted to step past Jack, but the Englishman was smooth in “accidentally” obstructing the doorway, eyebrows raising in feigned shock.
‘Apologies!’ Jack bowed slightly, making the bodyguard scowl even more. Apparently more people were having particularly rough mornings. Jack smiled inwardly and watched as Bunny stepped back to side with her father, her eyes betraying just how nervous she was despite her cool facade.  
‘She was out, boss.’ The man pointed a reproachful finger at the brunette. ‘You little devil --’
Augusto inhaled sharply, face souring. ‘Out?’ He looked up and Bunny flinched. Augusto was an impressive looking man. Thin silver streaks framed his rugged looking face and his eyes flamed with passion, madness or both. Standing up with a pained groan he looked down at her, her feet wishing to shuffle back, but bumping into a small garbage bin instead.
That’s what she was to her father in this moment. Garbage. His face melted into complete and utter displeasure. ‘And what, daughter sweet, were you doing..out?! HMM? Wasn’t I clear?!’
‘Papa..I just..I wanted to --’
‘NONE OF THAT.’ Augusto inhaled from the cigar between his fingertips and let the smoke fume out through his nostrils. He looked like a raging bull, eyes wild as he looked back at the bodyguard, then Jack. Jack looked back at Augusto with level eyes, keeping them trained on the mobster lord with an unfazed expression.
‘And you?’
‘Your daughter was kindly enough to pick me up when I had car trouble.’ Jack stepped forward and bowed confidently. ‘Jack Wa--’
‘Are you a fool?!’
Jack raised back up and saw the mobster had turned back to his daughter, making Bunny shrivel smaller and smaller every passing second. She shook her head.
‘How..ugh..how are we ever to find you a husband? This insolence! You are just like your mother. You women you!’ He gripped Bunny’s face between digging fingertips and studied her for a second, snarling: ‘I’ll deal with you later.’ He let go, leaving small red marks on her skin as she rushed past Jack and outside of the room. Jack swallowed. He knew that Luigi’s family were mobsters. He had never cared much for it. All rich people seemed to have their flaws. Their peculiarities. And he was a friend of the family right? But perhaps that had just now been completely and utterly ruined.
‘And you must be Walker.’
Jack quickly returned his attention to Augusto. ‘I am.’ Jack nodded solemnly, keeping a straight face as the bodyguard turned on his heel and looked Jack up and down. His eyes lingered especially long on his sodden trousers, red mud dried like bloody splatters on the brown wool fabric around his calves.
Oh, how he wished he could have changed into a different suit before meeting Augusto. First impressions mattered, you see. 
Tumblr media
‘Do not be nervous.’ Lucia smiled, squeezing her fingers around his bicep. ‘It’s just men. Stupid, silly, rambunctious men. They wouldn’t know a good thing even if it hit them straight in the face.’ Her silvery eyes glanced over at the bellboy who kept a straight face, staring in the direction of the elevator doors as they zipped up to the 11th floor of the Parisian Grand.
‘I’m not nervous.’ Jack looked down at her. All silvery haired class wrapped in a black satin gown. She was breathtaking. ‘Not for them at least. I’m nervous for..you.’
‘Me?’ She chuckled softly. ‘Oh sweet darling. You do not realize what a gem you are. The men in my life never cared for their women the way you do.’ She sighed and looked down at the ring on her finger. Wrapped around the smooth black tuxedo jacket, it sparkled like a star in nightly skies. She missed the one who gave that ring to her. But he was gone. And were it not for Jack, she’d feel rather alone - and terribly bored.
‘And your husband?’
‘Well. What can I say. He was a man. I loved him. I fought him. I hated him. And then he died.’
Jack swallowed as the elevator’s bell dinged, signalling they had arrived at Lucia’s suite. The place where he’d meet her family - and perhaps in a way become part of her family too.
‘Remember to be better than them my boy.’
‘It’s Jack, madame.’
‘I know, I know.’ She laughed and the doors slid open. Her fingers tapped comfortingly on his arm before they strode out into her palace of gold and glitter. ‘But you’re still my boy...Jack.’
--
Chap 2 >
--
General tagsquad: @harrysthiccthighss​ @tumblnewby @magdelen69​ @thereisa8ella​ @darkbooksarwin​ @summersong69​ @madbaddic7ed​ @luclittlepond​ @maroonmolly @just-a-normal-fangirl18​ @hell1129-blog​ @agniavateira​ @tillthelandslide​ @elinesama​ @maddyreads14
9 notes · View notes
chilling-seavey · 4 years
Text
Anything But Mine - Lucy’s Birth Story
A/N June 24th is an important day in the ABM universe...I figured we can take a little read to find out why! Hope you enjoy 🧡 + be forewarned about plenty of fluff included here 🥺 
A/N2 Also this pic of Daniel omg you can’t tell me it doesn’t look like him seeing his new baby for the first time 🥺 all that emotion in his expression
T/W Idk if this counts as a trigger warning but there are detailed descriptions of labour and delivery!
W/C 8.6k words
Tumblr media
Daniel kept himself busy after the wedding to support their little family, spending long days in the studio with his university friend, Jack. Money was tight but comfortable and with extra funds that Callum managed to get from his and Florence’s parents back in LA, they had purchased a three-bedroom apartment as soon as possible. Clementine and Penelope loved their home, playing on the balcony as much as they could in summer as they said the 56th floor made them feel like the Queens of the city. Once the end of November came around, they were often stuck inside due to the weather starting to drop, playing under the grand piano in the living room.
Florence was cleaning up from dinner when her phone rang. Daniel always called when he was leaving work.
“I can’t wait to come home.” he said right when she answered. She could hear him getting into his car in the background.
“Me too. We missed you at dinner.” Florence replied, wiping her hands on the dish cloth that was hanging over her shoulder.
“I haven’t even eaten yet.” Daniel sighed. “I’m so tired.”
“Pick up something to eat on the way home.” Florence suggested, glancing to the two young girls across the room before she added, “and I need you to pick up something from the drug store if you can.”
“Sure. What do you need?”
“A pregnancy test?”
The silence on the other end made her smile softly. She could picture his face exactly; his wide eyes and discrete smile.
He was quiet a moment before speaking, “Yeah…I can definitely grab one. Do you think-”
“We’re not jinxing it, Dani.” Florence chuckled.
“No, of course not.” Daniel smiled widely. “I’m on my way.”
Every evening when the front door opened and Daniel came in from work, the girls dropped what they were doing and ran for him, throwing their tiny arms around him. This night was no different as he bent down to greet his daughters, pressing equal amounts of kisses to their heads. Daniel glanced up at Florence who was stood in the archway, leaning against the wall. He stood up and handed her the small bag from the drugstore with a wink, leaning in to kiss her once.
“Thank you.” She whispered.
“Daddy! Can you play with us?!” Clementine asked loudly, bouncing on her toes.
“I think it’s almost bedtime, Clemmie girl, don’t you think?” Daniel brushed a hand through her messy blonde hair.
“No.” Clementine frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Tomorrow I will. I promise.” Daniel assured her. “We’ll have story time tonight in the big bed, okay?”
The girls shrieked excitedly and ran off down the hallway towards the master bedroom. Daniel took the moment of silence to hug his wife, sharing their quiet ‘I love you’s, before he was called by the girls down the hall.
After two storybooks amongst a mound of pillows and the duvet, the girls started to drift, wrapped up in his arms. Florence took Clementine to bed and Daniel took Penelope, tucking them into their beds in their own rooms. The two young adults met back in the hallway, standing with a few feet between them.
“I’m like…a few weeks late.” Florence said.
“That’s a good sign.” Daniel replied.
“Not for sure though.” Florence added.
“That’s okay. Do you want me with you?” Daniel asked her quietly.
“Of course.” Florence nodded.
They found themselves in the ensuite, staring at the unopened box of two pregnancy tests on the counter. They stood there a while, Daniel waiting for Florence to make her first move. He glanced at her.
“They won’t tell us anything if you don’t take them.” Daniel chuckled.
Florence took a deep breath and took the box with her to the bathroom. She shut the door and got to work. Daniel sat on the counter waiting for her, finishing the now cold take-out from McDonald’s he picked up on the way home. She came back out and washed her hands, leaving the two tests in the opened box between them.
“I don’t know why I’m nervous.” Florence whispered, leaning her hands on the counter.
“I thought you wanted another one?” Daniel frowned, pulling lightly at her arm so she moved to stand between his legs.
“I do. So bad. Maybe I’m nervous that it will be negative.” Florence sighed.
“So we try again.” Daniel shrugged, taking her hands in his. “And again and again and again-“
Florence rolled her eyes at him through a smile, letting him press a kiss to her lips. They fell into silence as they waited, hands together.
“I’ve never been with someone when I do this.” Florence admitted. “It’s kind of nice.”
“Isn’t it?” Daniel smiled.
“Thank you for being here.”
“You’re my wife now, remember? I gotta be here with you for everything.” Daniel said, taking her face in his hands. “No going through things by yourself anymore.”
Florence took the front of his shirt in her hands and pulled him in for a lingering kiss.
“Can we look, yet?” Daniel finally mumbled against her mouth. “I’m dying here.”
“Yeah.” Florence said, picking up the box again. She dumped both tests into her hand, hiding the screen face down. She passed one to Daniel and kept one for herself.
They both stared down at the hidden tests in their hand before looking back up to each other.
“I’m nervous!” Florence shrieked quietly, bouncing on her toes a little.
“Count to 3, okay?” Daniel smiled, reaching out his one free hand to hold hers. “1…2…3…”
They both turned the screens face up in their palms, each showing a clear pair of solid pink lines.
“Dani…” Florence breathed, squeezing his hand.
“2 lines is good, right?!” he asked quickly, looking up at her.
“So good.” Florence nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
“Oh my gosh.” Daniel whispered, hoping off the counter to wrap her in a tight hug. “We’re gonna have a baby. Together this time.”
Florence laughed lightly against his shoulder, staring at the positive pregnancy test in her hand, “I love you.”
“I love you so much.” Daniel smiled.
“But seriously, Dani.” Florence pulled back from their hug, “I’m worried. Penelope came so early. The doctors said it was from the stress I was constantly in and I don’t want that to happen again. We lucked out with her health but-“
“There’s no reason to be stressed this time.” Daniel assured her, brushing her hair back form her face, “I’m going to be with you through everything. Every doctor’s appointment and everything.”
“Don’t promise that.” Florence chuckled. “You have a job.”
“The last two times you had to do so much on your own. I want to be here for everything. We’re going to do it right this time. I promise.”
~~
Christmas was only a few weeks away and keeping such a big secret was agonizing. They had planned the announcement for Christmas and swore themselves to secrecy. Daniel had to somehow see Jack almost every day at the studio and not say anything. Their first obstacle was telling their two girls who they knew had to be told first. Christmas Eve brought the perfect opportunity, the small family back in Vancouver with Daniel’s family for their annual Christmas visit. Still in their dresses and stockings from church, Clementine and Penelope were each handed a wrapped box as the family of four sat on the rug in front of the lit Christmas tree and warm fireplace, Daniel’s parents and siblings sitting around the couches. It was always a tradition to open one gift on Christmas Eve so this wasn’t unusual to the girls.
Clementine, who was closing in on 5 years old quickly, tore open the paper excitedly, her 18-month younger sister desperately trying to keep up. Inside the boxes were a set of pyjamas for each of them. The candy cane patterned sleeves and trim on the shirt matched the pants, Florence and Daniel both having their own matching pair in their room. The girls’ had writing on their shirts, however, the I’s of the red lettering were peppermint wheels reading ‘Big Sister’.
Clementine could read hers easily, the fact easily understood since she had been a big sister for 4 years. Penelope simply stared at hers, the 4-year-old not quite grasping full words yet.
“What does it say, Penny?” Florence asked.
“I dunno.” Penelope giggled shyly.
“Hers says ‘Big Sister’ too.” Clementine said. “That’s wrong. She’s the little sister.”
“She won’t be for long.” Daniel said through a smile.
“Oh my gosh!” Anna shrieked, clapping her hands over her mouth. “You’re pregnant?!”
Florence laughed and nodded lightly.
“No, you’re not!” Keri gaped.
“Yes, we are.” Florence giggled as Daniel pressed a kiss to her cheek, tucking his arm around her shoulders to pull her close.
The adults got up to share eager hugs and congratulations, a few happy tears being shed in the process. The young girls stared blankly at them, not quite grasping what was happening.
Christian bent down between the girls, “You guys are going to have a little brother or sister.”
“A baby?” Clementine looked up at her parents.
“Yeah, Clemmy girl, a brand-new baby!” Daniel smiled, sitting back on the rug again.
“Are you happy?” Florence asked as she joined him.
“Yeah.” Clementine shrieked suddenly, tossing the tissue paper in the air and nearly hitting Christian in the face.
“What about you, bug?” Daniel asked their soft-spoken second daughter. “You want a brother or sister?”
Penelope’s little smile brightened at his gentle acknowledgment, her rosy cheeks hiding behind her new pyjamas as everyone looked at her. She nodded gently, her soft giggle muffled by the clean fabric.
“Mommy’s having a baby, Nell!” Clementine yelled, tackling her younger sister onto the carpet.
“Clem, you’re more excited than all of us combined.” Florence laughed, grabbing the eldest by her waist and pulled her onto her lap.
“Do you want to see a picture of the baby?” Daniel asked the room.
“Yes please!” Penelope kicked her legs in the air, her red dress flying up by her head.
Daniel pulled her towards him by her ankles before taking her hands so she was on her feet. She draped her arm around his shoulder and the rest of the family gathered around behind them as he unlocked his phone to open the email from the doctor’s office. The black and white image of the little blob filled his screen.
“Wow.” Clementine breathed, leaning over to get a better look as the room awe’d gently. Penelope pulled the hem of her dress up to bite at, her wide blue eyes scanning the still image awestruck.
“Who do you think it looks like?” Daniel asked, gently pulling the dress out of her mouth.
“Me!” Clementine shouted.
“You?!” Florence laughed.
“Where is the baby?” Penelope whispered, leaning her head on Daniel’s.
“In my tummy.” Florence said.
“Why?”
“Because that’s just where babies grow.” Florence shrugged.
“How did it get there?” Penelope yawned.
“Yeah! How did it get there?” Clementine added, looking between her parents.
“Oh, Lord.” Christian laughed loudly, stepping back and headed for the kitchen, “I’m going to get a drink.”
Daniel chuckled nervously, telling his daughters, “A little magic from the wedding.”
“Do I get some too?” Clementine asked.
“Not until you get married which isn’t for years and years from now.” Daniel said.
“Many, many years.” Keri jumped in, scooping up her granddaughter. “Even more than your Mommy and Daddy waited.”
Daniel glared playfully at her, making the adults laugh.
“Why don’t we get into our pj’s and then have story time by the fire before we have to get into bed?” Florence suggested.
And that’s what they did, the four of them changing into their matching pyjamas for their last Christmas as a family of four, cuddled up on the couch with a picture book, their extended family joining with mugs of tea around the living room too. Daniel had his arm around his little family, lazily twisting a strand of Florence’s hair around his finger as she read out loud.
It was the one night a year the girls didn’t want a second book, eager to get to bed so Santa could come. The girls were tucked into bed and things in the living room were taken care of by the adults before they were off to bed themselves, cuddled up together as light snow filled the city below.
~~
The new year came with fresh starts and busy days. Penelope needed to move into Clementine’s room since they needed room for the nursey. Florence wanted to get started early, often waking up early to work, Daniel finding her pushing an entire dresser down the hallway at 6am. He constantly had to pull her back to bed, trying to convince her to let him take care of the big things.
The girls loved to talk to the baby, pressing their sticky hands to her small belly anytime they could. They shared many stories too and Clementine often came home from Junior Kindergarten with paintings for the baby which would be put safely in a book.
Each doctor’s appointment was finished with glowing reviews, everything progressing smoothly and, as promised, Daniel was there for each and every one. It was at their 20-week ultrasound that Florence was handed the sealed envelope that contained only a folded piece of paper. For both her pregnancies, she waited until the birth to know the gender since she didn’t feel the need. This time, Daniel insisted on a gender reveal party, giving Michael and Luke Clifford the privilege of finding out first and planning the whole thing.
It was during March Break when spring was starting to poke through the melting snow and Clementine would have the whole week out of school. All their family and friends came, even Daniel’s family flew in for the week, everyone dressed in either blue or pink for which ever gender they guessed.
That morning, Daniel came into the ensuite bathroom in all white, buttoning up the final button on his collared shirt.
“Where’s your colour?” Florence asked from her spot at her dressing table, fastening her earring.
“I don’t want to wear a colour because I don’t want to make the baby feel bad if they’re not what I guessed.” Daniel shrugged, leaning down next to her. “I’m going to be happy either way.”
Florence glanced at her sky-blue dress in the mirror and pursed her lips.
“You look beautiful.” Daniel whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek, his hand falling to her swollen belly.
“Maybe I should wear white too.” Florence said.
“You don’t have to.” Daniel chuckled, moving to the sink to brush his teeth.
“I was thinking boy because I haven’t had any morning sickness this time but my other two I did.” Florence said quietly, eyeing her dress before looking back to him.
“So stay in blue.” Daniel answered through his toothbrush.
“No…I’m going white too. We have to match.” Florence tisked, getting up from her chair to find a white dress in her closet.
Her sudden stop made Daniel frown, “What’s wrong?”
“I think I felt a kick.” Florence breathed, setting a hand on her stomach. Daniel got rid of his toothbrush and joined her, setting his hand next to hers. Sure enough, a tiny flutter moved under their palms.
“We have a tiny dancer on our hands.” Daniel smiled softly.
Florence let her right-hand fall to the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair, staring at his wide eyes and parted lips, his expression full of awe.
“I love you.” Florence whispered.
“I love you too.” Daniel grinned, leaning in to kiss her.
“Are you almost ready in there? We need to get going soon!” Callum called from the hallway.
Florence quickly switched into a white dress and heels and they joined their little family in the living room. The girls were both wearing light blue overalls with pink undershirts since they both kept switching between ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ every five minutes. Callum and Aidan both went with blue.
“You’re cheating!” Clementine shouted, pointing at her parents’ white outfits.
“We can’t break the rules if we made them.” Daniel said with a wink.
Michael and Luke had everything set up in the ballroom space of the apartment building, the same place Clementine had her first birthday. Everyone was already there, helping themselves to snacks and drinks. It wasn’t long before Daniel and Florence were directed to the front of the room, Clementine and Penelope joining them beside a large black balloon held by Michael. He handed it to the two little girls, giving them the instruction to hold tightly to the string so it wouldn’t float away.
When the room was quiet, Luke passed over a safety pin to Daniel and one to Florence. On a count to three, they were to pop the balloon and the confetti inside would reveal the gender.
“I’m nervous again!” Florence giggled.
“It’s a boy and I’ll bet money on that!” Callum called from the front of their small group.
“Willing to make that a bet? $50. It’s a girl.” Christian held out his hand.
“Deal. I know my sister.” Callum shook on it. “It’s a boy.”
“Ready?” Daniel smiled to his wife.
“So ready.” Florence leaned over to kiss him, the two girls between them laughing excitedly.
“3…!” Luke started. “2…1…!”
The pop of the balloon filled the quiet room and pink confetti rain down on the family of four. The little girls shrieked excitedly, jumping up and down in their own world. Beside them, Florence was more than shocked, falling into Daniel open arms.
Despite the shouting and laughing that took over the room, it felt like it was just the two of them. She could feel a tear fall onto her shoulder and Daniel held her tighter.
“I love you so much.” He whispered, his voice wavering.
“I love you.” Florence smiled, taking his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.
“I believe you owe me money, Mr. DiCaprio!” Christian shouted over the excitement in the room.
~~
The remainder of the second and well into the third trimester was spent with Daniel waiting on her hand and foot. Florence didn’t like it at first, feeling badly that he was doing it all, but Daniel insisted, doing everything he could to keep her relaxed with her feet up. He took Clementine to school every morning and picked her up on his lunch break, he took charge of bath time for the girls and cleaned the apartment, and even (tried his best) to make dinner every night.
Florence really missed him throughout her last pregnancy as he was such a comfort through the end of her first, being the only thing to help her sleep in those later months. She basked in it this time, though, refusing to let him get out of bed until he was almost late for work. Not that he complained, he would have given anything to stay like that all day.
Even as summer came around and the apartment was always sweltering, Daniel had his arms around her like he would never let go. It was a vision of love and protection Florence never knew she really needed.
And one June morning, no earlier than sunrise, Florence awoke suddenly. Daniel’s arm was draped lazily over her waist with his bare chest pressed to her back, soft breaths let out against her neck. Sweat was pooling at her hairline and she gently slid his arm off of her and he shifted sleepily onto his back. Florence sat up, pushing the heavy duvet off of her to try and get some cool air. It wasn’t unusual that she was extra warm during her final few weeks as growing a full-term human wasn’t an easy task, so she merely took a second to catch her breath.
A small sharp pain made her flinch, pressing a hand underneath her swollen stomach. It was only when she started to make a move to get out of bed that she noticed the wet sheets. Her discovery was punctuated with a warm cramping spreading over her hips.
Florence looked to her right where Daniel laid, his brown hair sticking up in all directions and lips set in a small pout as he slept soundly. She gave him a small nudge, “Dani.”
He shifted tiredly to face the other way, pulling the blankets higher over him.
“Sweetheart.” Florence pulled them back before shaking his arm. “Daniel.”
He rolled over to face her, blinking open his tired eyes to try and focus on her, “You okay?” he asked groggily, reaching a hand to her arm.
“My water broke.” Florence whispered.
Daniel’s still half-asleep face took a second to register what she said before his mouth was falling open. He looked down to her lap that was still covered by the duvet.
“Ok. That’s okay.” Daniel jumped out of bed, almost tripping over his own feet as he scrambled to her bedside in only his underwear, tugging on a pair of pyjama pants in the process. “Are you hurting?”
“A little.” Florence frowned. “She’s 3 weeks early, Dani. We did everything right I don’t know why-“
“Hey.” Daniel took her face in his hands. “It’s okay. Remember the doctor said 37 weeks is fine. That we should expect early because of last time. 37 is good.”
Florence nodded.
“I’ll call the midwife?” Daniel offered.
“We need these sheets changed first.” Florence frowned.
“Of course. Do you want me to take you to the living room?”
“I can go if you take care of this?”
“Okay.” Daniel tilted her chin up to press a kiss to her lips.
“I’m sorry.” Florence mumbled as he helped her to her feet.
“Nothing you need to apologize for, darling.” Daniel smiled, “You’re having our baby today.”
Once Florence made it to the living room, she sat herself down on the couch and called the midwife. It was barely 6:45 in the morning and by Florence’s reflection of her state, the midwife said she would come by for 8, telling her to time and note any contractions or important details.
As soon as they hung up, a sharp pain shot through her side and Florence gasped, clutching onto the back of the couch. Of course, it was just when the girls woke up, rushing out of their shared room and down the hall to the master bedroom like every morning. But they found it empty, bed striped and lights on...but empty.
Clementine and Penelope stopped in their tracks, smiles fading with confusion.
“Good morning, my girls.” Daniel greeted them sweetly as he walked back into the master bedroom from starting the laundry.
Smiles back on their faces, the two girls rushed him with hugs until he scooped them both up in his arms.
“Where’s Mummy?” Penelope asked quietly, her head resting on Daniel’s bare shoulder.
“In the living room. Let’s go say good morning.” he carried his two girls across the apartment. Florence was still on the couch and he set the girls down so they could greet her. The last morning of just the four of them.
Florence was forcing a smile through her steady pain, welcoming her daughters’ innocent smiles and excited hugs and kisses.
“Uncle Callum is going to spend the day with you, does that sound nice?” Florence asked as Penelope curled up on her lap. Clementine skipped off after Daniel to help him prepare breakfast a few feet away in the kitchen, shouting her agreement to that statement with excitement.
“What about you?” Penelope whined gently.
“Dad and I have to get ready to meet your baby sister. We think she’s going to be here soon.” Florence explained.
“Today?!” Clementine shrieked from her spot on the kitchen counter.
“Maybe.” Daniel smiled, petting her hair back from her face as she dropped two frozen waffles in the toaster.
“I want to meet baby sister.” Penelope whispered.
“Me too.” Florence smiled, pressing a kiss to her head.
When breakfast was ready, Daniel called the two girls to the kitchen table, setting two plates in front of them with glasses of apple juice. Florence stayed on the couch, another small contraction washing over her. She held tightly to the couch cushion to avoid making a scene in front of the girls, eyeing the clock on the wall that read 7:23.
Daniel finished cutting up the girls’ waffles before he joined Florence in the living room. He bent down in front of her and set his hands on her stomach.
“How are you holding up, sweetheart?” he whispered, glancing up at her with worry in his light eyes.
“Alright so far.” Florence breathed, pushing a hand through his hair.
“Do you want breakfast?”
“No. I’m okay. You eat.” Florence smiled.
“I’m too excited to eat.” Daniel admitted quietly, leaning up to kiss her as he stood up again. “Callum should be here any moment now.”
“Okay.” Florence sighed, taking his hands in hers.
He leaned down to kiss her once more before heading back to the girls.
“Daddy!” Clementine shrieked through a mouthful of waffle, “We can see your boobies while we eat!”
“Then don’t look.” Daniel teased, pressing his finger in her side to make her squeal with laughter.
“Yucky!” Penelope added, sliding off her chair and ran off towards the kitchen with her plate before he could grab her. Sure enough, he scooped her right off the floor, blowing a raspberry against her shoulder. Penelope squirmed in his arms, trying to push his head away from her through her laughter.
The knock at the door had Clementine running for the foyer, Penelope wiggling enough to have Daniel put her down to join her sister.
“You two get your bags and kiss Mommy goodbye.” Daniel instructed, steering them towards their room.
He opened the door for Callum and Aidan, gesturing them inside with a tired welcome.
“Gosh, Dan, pull up your pants. Do you always walk around like this?” Aidan tisked, eyeing his friend’s bare torso and Calvin’s band that was peeking out from under his plaid pyjama pants.
“No wonder my sister got knocked up again.” Callum teased.
“Oh, Callum George, stop it!” Florence called from the living room. The young men joined her, Callum greeting her with a kiss to her head.
“Uncle Cal!” Clementine called, running over to him and threw her arms around his leg, her tiny suitcase discarded in the middle of the room. Penelope stuck with Daniel, curling one arm around his leg shyly.
“Good morning, Clem.” Callum smiled, picking up his niece and sat her on his hip.
“Mommy’s having baby sister today!” Clementine said proudly.
“I know! That’s why you’re going to have a sleepover with us!” Callum explained.
“You excited, Nell?” Aidan asked the youngest, crouching down to her level.
“Yes.” she smiled shyly, her dark messy hair falling over her eyes.
“Shall we head out then?” Callum said. “Center Island won’t wait for us!”
“Center Island?!” Clementine shrieked, her mouth falling open excitedly, looking between him and her mother.
“Yeah! So lets say goodbye and get going!” Callum bent down so she could kiss her mother goodbye.
“Behave yourself, you.” Florence chuckled, kissing her daughter’s head.
“Come here, Penny.” Florence said to her youngest who slunk away from Daniel to climb up on the couch to hug her.
“Have fun with Cal and Aidan, okay?”
Penelope nodded, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Call if you need anything or if anything happens.” Aidan said to Florence, bending down to hug her.
“I will.” Florence agreed.
They headed towards the door, Aidan taking the small pink suitcases in hand.
“Come on, bug.” Daniel said to Penelope, holding out his hand to lead her to the foyer.
“I want to stay with Mommy.” Penelope frowned.
“I’ll take good care of her for you, I promise.” Daniel said sweetly, “You get to go have fun with you sister while we do all the work. When you get back to Callum’s tonight hopefully you can see pictures of baby sister.”
“I want to see her now.” Penelope whimpered, setting her little hands on the baby bump.
“Me too, bug.” Daniel pressed a kiss to her head. “Soon though.”
“Callum and Aidan are going to make sure you have so much fun today.” Florence promised, petting back her daughter’s hair. “Maybe even buy you an ice cream.”
Penelope tried to hide her cheeky smile behind her hair.
“Come on, Nell!” Clementine shouted from the foyer.
“Kisses.” Daniel requested softly, puckering out his lips. His youngest giggled and kissed him once and offered one to Florence before sliding off the couch. She ran after her sister to get her shoes on.
With the girls out of the house, the moment the door closed, Florence let out a pained groan she had been holding in since she woke up.
“What can I get you?” Daniel asked softly, returning back to his place in front of her, running his fingers through her hair.
“Nothing.” Florence breathed, pushing herself up from the couch ungracefully. He helped her with a hand around her waist. “I’m just going to walk a bit before the midwife gets here.”
With her pacing the hallway, Daniel tidied up the master bedroom a little bit, singing quietly as he worked. His soft voice always calmed her and she let her eyes close as she took one slow step at a time down the hallway.
When the midwife arrived, she helped Daniel get the bed re-made and Florence to lay down again. She checked her out a little.
“Looks like you’re already 5cm. Seems like you’ve been in labour for a few hours now. I’m surprised it didn’t wake you.” she chuckled.
“Gosh...it hasn’t been that bad.” Florence said.
“That’s good then. Being able to get as much rest as you can is important. Contractions are steady?”
“Every 5 minutes.” Florence answered. “Short though.”
“That’s okay. Let’s see if you can sleep anymore.”
“I don’t think I can.” Florence admitted.
“Too excited?”
“Just a little.” Florence smiled.
Daniel came out of the walk-in closet in jeans and a white t-shirt with his hair brushed and face shaved. “How are we looking?” he asked.
“Halfway there.” The midwife said.
“Oh, that’s so good!” Daniel smiled.
Florence shifted in her place, whimpering slightly as another contraction came upon her. Daniel climbed next to her and took her hand in his. She leaned on his shoulder with her eyes shut tight, clinging onto his hand.
“They’re getting worse?” The midwife asked.
Florence nodded.
Daniel let his free hand press softly against her cheek and kissed her hair, resting his head on hers. He rubbed his thumb in soft circles over hers.
Florence wanted the calmest and most relaxing birth possible, opting for a home birth for optimal comfort over the unpleasant hospital. The midwife was familiar with home births and throughout the preparation had given good suggestions. Daniel purchased an entire store worth of unscented candles.
Labour was slow but definitely calm, Florence finally getting in the bathtub to try and lessen the growing pain. The bathroom was dimmed to candlelight as she rested with her eyes closed in the warm bath, Daniel sat on the floor against the counter with his guitar on his lap, playing away slowly. His soft voice filled the silent apartment, keeping his eyes on his labouring wife across from him. Her blonde hair was damp at the ends where the water reached, her fingers tightening their grip on the edge of the bathtub, the water sloshing slightly as she flinched in pain.
Daniel hated seeing her like that, small tears welling in his eyes as he kept his voice steady, plucking gently at the guitar strings.
“Dani.” Florence whispered into the air.
He was at her side in an instant, brushing her hair back from her face, his other hand resting over hers, “I’m here, sweetheart.”
Florence licked her lips slowly, her eyes still shut, “Hurts so bad.”
“I know, baby.” Daniel kissed her head. “You’re doing so well. I’m so proud of you.”
“Can I have some water?”
“Of course.” Daniel reached behind her to the half empty glass, switching hands to rest it against her lips. She took it from him, a shaking hand holding the glass as she sipped. She handed it back to him and he set it down before shifting so he was sitting on the tile floor, kissing her hand.
She fluttered her eyes open, smiling weakly at him, holding her hand against his cheek.
“I love you.” Florence sighed.
“I love you so much.” Daniel leaned in to press a kiss to her pouted lips.
“Can you help me out? I’m kind of chilly now.”
“Of course.” Daniel got up and helped her carefully stand up in the tub, taking her hands to steady her as she stepped onto the bathmat. He draped a towel around her and dried her off, helping her out of her wet bathing suit.
“Sorry, I just-“ Florence leaned forward, tightening her grip on his shoulders and let out a trembling groan.
“Good girl.” Daniel whispered, rubbing his hands over her back. “Breathe through it.”
She let out a steady exhale followed by a soft inhale. When the contraction passed, she stood back up, offering him a pout.
“Let’s get you dressed.” Daniel chuckled. He reached behind him to the counter, grabbing her a clean nursing bra, getting her in it gently. He left the towel draped around her waist, one arm taking hers and the other grabbing his guitar, helping her back to bed. The midwife gave her a second look over, timing the contractions at 2 minutes apart, lasting almost 30 seconds.
“We are moving things right along!” she said. “We’re between 7-8cm now. Doing just fine.”
“I could feel her moving down.” Florence said tiredly, offering a smile to the room.
“That’s good.” the midwife said, pressing her hands to her belly to check the baby’s position. “She’s a well behaved little one too.”
“What time is it, Dani?” Florence asked.
“Almost noon, sweetheart.” he replied, pulling a black tank-top from his dresser drawer as his t-shirt was damp from the bath water.
“Oh gosh.” Florence sighed, resting her head back against the pillow as he changed quickly before sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.
“You’re doing great work, Florence.” the midwife said with an honest smile. “How are you feeling?”
“A little nauseous.” Florence admitted.
“That’s from the pain. Have some water and take nice deep breaths. We can try moving to a better position.”
The midwife helped her kneel on the floor, arms holding the side of the bed. Florence, already tired out, leaned her head against her arms on the mattress, groaning lightly with each steady breath.
Daniel sat behind her, rubbing slow circles over her lower back.
“We have a natural on our hands.” the midwife smiled at him.
“I know.” Florence chuckled breathlessly.
Daniel blushed at the form of flattery, massaging her back and her hips strongly, peppering little kisses over her shoulder.
“Ow-“ Florence scrunched her eyes closed as another contraction hit.
“You’re doing so well.” Daniel praised, his warm hands easing her pain the best he could.
“Fuck...” Florence gripped the bedsheets in her fist.
“Bad one?” Daniel asked. She nodded. “You’re so strong, baby. So amazing.”
She gasped out of her contraction, taking a second to catch her breath before speaking, “Why did we do this again?”
“We’re doing it right this time, remember?” Daniel reminded her gently, keeping his hands rubbing circles over her back. “Bringing another little girl into our life the right way. Together. Because you’re the love of my life...the strongest woman I know...the one and only person I trust to carry my child. Our third baby. Our missing piece.”
“Fuck, Daniel. You’re making me cry.” Florence chuckled through her forming tears.
“Gotta make up all the missed time somehow.” Daniel said, kissing her shoulder.
“Stop with your missed time.” Florence whispered tiredly. “We did everything in perfect time. Anything different and we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“You’re right.” Daniel sighed, draping his arms around her waist to rest on her belly. He leaned his head against her shoulder. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Florence chuckled, resting one hand over his.
Another contraction came quickly, having her resort back to her double fisted grip on the bedsheets, groaning into the mattress. Daniel kept his arms around her, swaying her hips gently as he hummed a soft tune against her skin. She had only a moment to breathe again when the contraction died down, her head resting on her arms in her small squat, breathing deeply. She let out a sob into her arms as another contraction washed over her, her body clenching painfully.
“They’re much closer now.” Daniel said aloud, putting soft pressure against her lower back and hips. He could feel the heat radiating off of her and he waved his hand by her face to try and cool her down. He didn’t see the midwife leave the room but she was soon handing him a cool, damp face cloth and he thanked her quietly before running it softly over Florence’s shoulders and neck.
“Deep breaths.” The midwife instructed, getting on the ground with them to check out the process of the baby. “Almost there.”
“Almost there.” Daniel repeated.  
“I want to lay down. My legs hurt.” Florence whispered, burying her face in the crook of her arm.
“Whatever is best for you, dear.” The midwife agreed, helping Daniel get her to her feet and back onto the bed. She checked the baby’s heartrate and position again, making a few notes before taking a step back to let Florence breathe. Daniel was curled up next to her, pressing the cool cloth to her forehead and cheeks, following the breathing techniques with her. Florence’s hand was holding the front of his shirt, her eyes scrunched closed and her grip tightening as she contracted again, letting out a small cry of pain.
“Do you want me to sing to you?” Daniel asked quietly.
Florence nodded quickly, biting down on her bottom lip.
He ran his thumb over her lip to make her release it, offering his free hand for her to cling onto instead as he chose a gentle song and sang quietly into the dimly lit room. His voice seemed to echo through the empty apartment, running his thumb over hers, keeping his damp eyes focussed on her face. The curtains were drawn, closing off the bright afternoon sun and leaving the room to candlelight and the single table lamp set up on the dresser for the midwife to work. The soothing scent of lavender wafted from the candle on the right-side night table, just enough to bring a sense of serenity and calmness to the room.
With each contraction, Florence kept her breathing steady, burying her face against Daniel’s chest with her hand gripping his shirt, her other held securely in his. He kept the cool cloth blotting her forehead and neck, the icy dampness relaxing her more, his soothing voice keeping her focussed on something other than the radiating pain. Every minute exactly, she was whimpering against his chest, pulling him close. Daniel’s voice quivered seeing her in such a state but he forced himself to stay strong for her. He had never been a part of the labour process and it absolutely broke his heart to see her like that.
One strong contraction in particular had her letting out a small shriek, flinching intensely in his arms, “Daniel.”
Daniel couldn’t hold back the small sob that fell from his pouted lips, wrapping his arms around her securely and pressed kisses to her head. “I’m here, baby. I got you.”
“Go right into that, Florence.” The midwife praised softly, rubbing her hand over her back, “You’re doing so well.”
“I’m so sorry.” Daniel whispered against Florence’s ear, his quiet tears falling onto her bare shoulder.
Florence shook her head as the contraction died out. “Don’t be sorry,” she breathed heavily, shifting to look at him, holding one hand to his cheek, “God, don’t cry, Dani. It’s all going to be worth it.”
“That’s the spirit.” The midwife smiled, settling on her other side. “Now I’m just going to check baby’s heartbeat.”
She pressed the wand of a small machine to Florence’s bare stomach, the staticky rhythm filling the room. Daniel smiled softly as Florence looked up to him.
“I love you.” Florence whispered, puckering out her lips.
“I love you.” Daniel chuckled, meeting her halfway for a single sweet kiss.
He helped her through another contraction. Her eyebrows were furrowed through it, raising Daniel’s concern a little bit.
When it finished, she shifted onto her back to look towards the midwife, “Can you check me again? I think she’s ready to come out.”
The midwife paused as she checked her dilation, “Well, my dear, you are very in tune with your body. You’re at 10cm. Let’s get this baby out.”
“Now?!” Daniel gasped, looking between the two women.
“Whenever she feels the urge to push, yes!” the midwife chuckled, starting to arrange her things.
“Which will probably be in like 30 seconds.” Florence added lightly.
“Where do I sit? What do you want me to do?!” Daniel asked quickly.
“Calm down, Dani.” Florence laughed as the midwife had her sit up a bit more.
“You can sit behind her if you’d like.” The midwife suggested. “If that’s comfortable for mama of course.”
“Yeah, that works.” Florence nodded, letting Daniel slide his leg behind her. He leaned against the pillows and the headboard as she rested back against his chest. The midwife hurried to set down an extra towel under her and got her legs bent open.
“Okay, with the next contraction, you know what to do. Listen to your body.” The midwife instructed quietly.
Florence took a soft breath, letting Daniel set his hands in hers, linking their fingers together. Sure enough, at the next contraction, she felt the natural urge to push, a feeling that was always so surreal to her. She took a trembling breath before pressing her chin to her chest and pushed. It was nothing she hadn’t done before but it was still a lot, listening to the midwife’s steady count to ten before she could have a second to catch her breath.
“Another count of ten, honey.” The midwife said.
“Oh God.” Florence whimpered, shutting her eyes tightly as she pushed again.
Daniel kept his thumbs rubbing soothing circles over hers, watching her concentration and determination with wide eyes.
“That’s good.” The midwife said. “Catch your breath.”
Florence rested her head back against Daniel’s chest, her breathing shallow. Daniel started another breathing exercise, soon getting her to join.
“You two make a good team.” The midwife smiled up at them.
Florence hummed tiredly in agreement before sitting herself up a little bit more and pushing again.
“Good girl.” Daniel whispered, freeing one hand to pull her hair back from her face before falling to her hip.
“Fuck, Penelope was so much smaller than this.” Florence groaned through another push, her nose scrunched up with the effort she was putting out.
“Just means you’re delivering a healthy, full term baby now.” The midwife said softly. “Keep those pushes coming. You’re doing great.”
Florence took a breath before pushing again, groaning into it with her chin to her chest. She squeezed Daniel’s hand in her own, her right hand on his thigh to hold herself steady. He reached over to grab the paper fan from the nightstand, using his free hand to fan her with it, the cool air making her sigh thankfully.
“Doing so good, sweetheart.” Daniel whispered, peppering kisses along her neck and shoulder.
Florence groaned into the air, her eyes screwed shut, squirming in her place, “Hurts so bad.”
“Keep your legs open, honey. It will make it easier.” The midwife said, trying to keep open the labouring mother’s trembling thighs. Florence hooked her ankles over Daniel’s to ground herself, pulling his arm around her middle as she breathed out of another contraction. The next came fast and she pushed right into it, whimpering loudly.
Daniel could feel her whole body trembling and all he could do was hold her, tucking one hand under her thigh to help keep her legs open, watching over her shoulder as the midwife helped her through it.
“Her head is coming soon. We’re almost at the end!” the midwife announced, letting Florence sit back to breathe after two more counts of ten.
“Dani.” Florence panted, blinking open her tired eyes to him as her head rested lazily against his shoulder.
“You’re absolutely incredible.” Daniel whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’m so in love with you.”
“I love you.” Florence mumbled. She breathed out deeply before another contraction washed over her. The midwife instructed her to pant light and she did, resisting the urge to simply push with all her might.
“We’re crowning now.” The midwife told them. “Nice steady push now, honey.”
Florence held her breath and tucked her chin down again, offering her a nice slow push, groaning loudly as she did.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow-” Florence cried, clinging onto Daniel’s hand. Taking a deep breath before pushing again.
“That’s it.” Daniel breathed, rubbing his thumb in soft circles over her thigh. “Good job, baby.”
After one more lengthy count to ten, the head was born. Daniel let out a little gasp at the sight of the wet light hair that was poking out between her legs.
“Strong push now, Florence.” The midwife encouraged. “She’s almost here!”
Florence leaned back against Daniel, taking both hands in her own instead of just one, tightening her legs around his, and pushed as hard as she could. Her head rested on his shoulder, her laboured breaths and whimpers against his neck, hands trembling in his as she brought their final little girl into the world. Daniel kept his eyes between her legs, watching completely uncensored as the baby was delivered into the midwife’s hands. And with Florence’s heavy sigh of relief, Daniel let out a small sob, tears spilling down his cheeks as the baby at the foot of the bed let out her first cry.
“1:56pm. June 24th. A beautiful baby girl.” The midwife announced with a wide smile, wrapping her up in a blanket and placed her on Florence’s chest. She instinctively wrapped her arms around the newborn, her own tears trickling down her cheek.
Daniel was right with her, his cheek almost pressed against hers as he stared down at the new arrival wrapped in white. Her shrill cries were nothing but the most beautiful music to his ears and he cried tears of joy along with her.
“Hi, baby.” Florence whimpered happily. “Oh, Dani, look at her.” Florence turned her head a little to look at her beautiful mess of a husband beside her.
“She’s perfect.” Daniel cried, leaning in to kiss her sweetly. “I’m so proud of you. I love you.”
“I love you.” Florence smiled, moving one hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks.
They stayed there a few quick minutes before it was time to deliver the placenta. It was quick and easy and Florence was honestly too wrapped up in admiring the new little girl in her arms to really notice.
The midwife took the baby to be checked out, weighing her in at 7lbs 11oz and measuring her at 20inches long. She was nothing but perfect; her health was pristine, the delivery went without fault, and soon the baby was quiet and nursing, swaddled in a soft purple blanket in Florence’s arms. Daniel sat beside them, running his fingertips ever so softly over the baby’s thin hair, watching her eat quietly.
“She’s so soft.” he breathed, pressing a gentle kiss to her head.
“I know.” Florence smiled.
“She’s ours.” Daniel sighed happily.
“She is.” Florence whispered.
The midwife came back in after her things were packed up and she was ready to go, “One last thing before I leave, we need to fill out the birth certificate so I can mail it to the government.”
“Of course.” Florence smiled, pulling her blanket that was draped over her shoulders farther over her chest for decency as if the lady who walked in didn’t just deliver her child.
“Does this little girl have a name that you’ve decided on?” she asked kindly, sitting on the end of the bed with her pen and paper.
“Lucy.” Daniel whispered, keeping his eyes on the baby, her tiny hand curling around his index finger. “Lucy Elizabeth Seavey.”
~~
“Aren’t you the prettiest little girl in the whole world.” Daniel cooed gently to the newborn who was laid on the changing pad at the end of the bed. She cried restlessly, tiny legs kicking as he fastened her diaper, her arms curled by her face. He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek, “Well, out of those younger than 3. I can’t go picking favourites.”
“You’re ridiculous.” Florence chuckled tiredly, tucked into their freshly made bed in a new pair of pyjamas and the uncomfortable post-birth underwear the midwife gave her.
Daniel sent her a small wink before he was tugging off his shirt and gently lifting the baby to his chest. She curled against him, her loud cries softening as her head rested on his shoulder, sucking on her tiny fist. He walked slowly around the room, tossing his shirt in the laundry basket, throwing out the dirty diaper and put away the wipes and things. His steps were cautious, holding the newborn securely with one hand until he could rest at the window, rubbing soft circles over her back as they overlooked the busting city and the setting sun.
Of course, Daniel couldn’t help but sing quietly, offering the quiet room the lyrics to the Beatles song that was the newborn’s namesake. And, like both sisters before her, Lucy was asleep in mere moments by the heavenly voice that Daniel had been blessed with.
He sat himself in bed, making sure to keep the sleeping baby safely against his chest. Florence ran a gentle hand over the thin blonde hair that the newborn donned, before moving her fingertips to Daniel’s cheek, turning him to press a soft kiss to his lips.
“You’re so good with her.” Florence whispered.
“All in the practice.” Daniel smiled, resting his hand out for her to hold. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
“Tired and sore. But happy.” Florence smiled softly, giving his hand a little squeeze. “So happy.”
He returned it, leaning in to press a lingering kiss to her lips. He kept his one hand over the baby’s back as she slept against his chest, making sure he stayed perfectly still so she wouldn’t fall, staring down at her with nothing but love in his eyes.
“Look at her.” Daniel breathed. “We made her and now she’s real and I’m holding her and...”
“I know.” Florence giggled quietly, curling into his side a little.
“And she’s ours.”
“All ours.”
“Our littlest princess.”
Lucy stretched her tiny arms up through a sleepy yawn as if she was trying to drape them over his shoulders. She kept her cheek against his chest, breathing slowly with him.
“She looks so much like you.” Florence breathed, running the back of her index finger over the baby’s cheek.
“She looks more like you.” Daniel said. “All this light hair.”
“Her eyes and nose are all yours.” Florence whispered, gently tracing the curve of Lucy’s tiny nose.
When Daniel didn’t answer after a moment, Florence turned her head up to look at him. He was already looking at her, a soft smile on his lips.
“Thank you for our beautiful family.” He mumbled.
Florence pulled him in for a kiss, “Thank you.”
56 notes · View notes
yamithediaperdork · 3 years
Text
2 tales from the Soul society (bleach)
2 Tales from the soul society
1. The best laid plans
Ichigo hummed to himself as he finished cleaning up the one story house he and Reniji had recently gotten. After getting married the pair had decided to move to the soul society full time, a move that was helped by the fact that Ichigo's bratty ways had recently gotten worse and there was only so many time one could expect to get away with hanging annoying kids by the back of their undies from trees before the law would have to get involved. Still they had a nice place, and Reniji while not at the best possible job, was raking in enough cash for them to live comfortably, all things considered it could of been worse. It also gave the happy pair time to indulge in a shared kink: diaper and age play. Make no mistake, while Ichigo whined and pointed out over and over again just HOW cute Reniji would look in diapers, the red head maintained that Ichigo was the baby of the house. Plus while Ichigo was a good little boy wife (Reniji's pet name for the chore bitch) he didn't wanna shatter his image of alpha male in the house hold by having Ichigo clean his poopie cheeks. It was Friday night and Reniji for a change didn't have to work in the morning and had texted Ichigo as the chore boy finished up what he wanted to do. Ichigo had a impish grin on his face as he texted back, having already decided mentally it was gonna be a daddy and me night, but told Reniji that he just wanted to relax and watch movies, and asked him to get some and some take out on his way home for work. Knowing it wouldn't take his 'daddy' too long to pick some movies and get some food (Fast food really WAS fast food in the soul society, anther point in it's favor) Ichigo made his way to the bathroom closet and dug out his enema kit.
Daddy was a firm believer that while he didn't always enjoy the smell, all big babies like his cutie pie Ichigo should be more then willing to make LOTS of 'presents' for their daddies. Ironically when they had first started all of this, it had been Ichigo who was less then a fan of poopie diapers and enemas. These days however, filling himself up and fighting to hold it in before soiling himself like a big dumb baby was so orgasmic there was 50/50 chance the big baby would cream the front of his diapers while loading the back. The tricky part in all of this was that Reniji thought plastic diapers were wasteful, and so Ichigo would have to somehow get his diapers pinned on and plastic pants tugged over them without letting out the water and sludge from his butt once he took the plug out. of course, only daddy thought that was still a hard struggle, but Ichigo had taken up some 'training' so to speak and while it wasn't always a sure fire thing, he had a high success rate. and had dealt with the clean up involved with his failures. It might of helped if it wasn't for the fact that Ichigo insisted on filling the bag to the brim, and oils and soaps to ensure all sorts of delightful cramps. Still it was a labor of love and he didn't think twice as he mixed his little brew up and shook the bag, before hanging it on the shower rod.
He had of course, already stripped naked, his hairless body a result of shaving and grooming and his modest manhood was twitching and awaiting the fun as he lubed up the suggestively shaped nozzle with one hand while working in a lubed up finger or two in and out of his rosebud to make this go as smooth as possible. Mindful that there WAS a time limit here, he forced the nozzle in hard and fast and almost lost it right there, hunched over the bathroom sink and letting out a soft "Oh daddy!" Somehow he managed to keep his load in and gasping softly he opened the valve on the bag, filling his insides with the hot mixture and whimpering as he rubbed his growing belly. "oh fuck..oh fuck..I'm getting pregnant with a mud baby just fer daddy Reniji." Ichigo coo'ed stupidly at his reflection, his eyes going dim as his hornless took him over. Somehow he manged NOT to give in and jack off, eve if his cock head was dripping a almost steady level of pre which meant he had to keep dabbing at it with a wad of tissue. The bag filled him quick enough and Ichigo giggled, rubbing his belly a few times and savoring the cramps with his eyes closed, before moving onto the next stage of operation: present for daddy.
The terrycloth diapers Reniji got Ichigo were slightly stained, there were some things that all the elbow grease in the world just couldn't get out and Reniji insisted that Ichigo wasn't getting new diapers till the old one's were too worn out to use/too filthy to keep using. 'hehehehe two birds one stone!' the big baby giggled, having gotten them and the large diaper pins ready before stuffing his guts. pre powdered and everything, Ichigo tugged the nozzle out and willed his hole to close as he plopped back onto the diapers, tugging them up and getting the pins in. Ideally he'd like to say this present for daddy to see happen, but his tummy was cramping and gurgling, so Ichigo would have to take what he could get. Moaning softly and his tummy sloshing, Ichigo went for the cherry on the cake so to speak, tugging up a pair of plastic pants he'd claimed to have lost but had been working on in secret. working to stitch onto the back of the clear pants in jet black 'poo poo pants'. 'Daddies gonna squeal when he see's dat!' Ichigo thought proudly. he toyed with getting a diaper shirt on, but between the size of his tummy and the diaper butt, he'd of had to struggle and it would of popped open when he bent over anyways. He could of slid a top on at least but figured fuck it, lots of babies ran around in just their diapers and it wouldn't be like Reniji wasn't gonna be washing him soon anyways. decision made, Ichigo toddled towards the hallway in from of the front door and turned around,bracing himself on a small table for key's and the like and waited, his butt facing the door and listening for the sound of daddies keys.
Reniji was having a good day, and actually was looking forward to a nice lazy night. he didn't wanna tell Ichigo and break the little cuties heart, but he semi needed a break from wiping the big babies butt. truthfully he would of maybe liked to go out for drinks, but had just picked up a bottle of sake along with some stir fry and picked out a action comedy. He'd also run into two of their old friends, Toshiro and Kenpachi (though with Kenpachi, friend might of been pushing it..) and they had semi invited themself over for a few drinks. 'I'm sure Ichigo won't mind company for a little bit.' Reniji thought, listing to the other two captain's argue over who drink more behind. "Guys, for the record, Unless you wanna go and get your own bottles, take it easy." Reniji called playfully over his shoulder, then slid the key's into the lock. they might of lived in a ok neighborhood but Reniji still didn't want someone just waltzing in.
Hearing the key's in the lock Ichigo gave a Cheshire grin and mentally giggled, while in a soft voice went "it's showtime~" and relaxed his control, letting out a massive wet fart and then more.. as he heard Reniji start to speak up."Hi sweetie I'm home! hope you don't mind but I ran into some friends...of..ours.." Reniji said before his voiced dropped off, and he facepalmed. Looking over his shoulder, and helpless to stop the torment of sludge that was escaping out of his bottom, Ichigo saw Toshiro looking at him amused till the smell hit him, then the platinum blond was holding his nose and waving a hand, and Kenpachi who just broke out into loud laughter. Blushing big time time and shaking, Ichigo gave a weak little wave and a soft "Oh..uh...Hiiii..." "nice huggies poo poo pants!" Toshiro grumbled, still holding his nose and Kenpachi just laughed harder. "-sigh-.. can you guys give me a few, apparently I have to put the baby down to bed..or at least change him." Reniji said, going from annoyed to smirking. "DADDY!"
2. Anger leads to bad choices
Ichigo hummed softly, he was once again cleaning the house, and it had a been a few week's since the disaster that had been the so called lazy night. Toshiro and Kenpachi had agreed to keep it to themselves, but mostly because who would believe them? Reniji had been a little bit less then pleased with Ichigo for fibbing, but Ichigo had gotten away with just having to go to bed in the spare room (AKA his nursery) without a diaper change and listen to the adults have fun. Still some babies never learn their lesson, so while Ichigo was shaking his hips and singing a few of his favorite pop songs from the human world, he was wearing thinner set of diapers and plastic pant's, that puffed out the back of his diaper shirt and poked out the leg holes. it was a pale blue diaper shirt with a big yellow star on the front, though the star was currently hidden by the black apron Ichigo was wearing while he dusted. the apron was a basic black and held extra wipes and a spare duster, as well as the music player that the big baby was listening to as he rocked that jam. He was currently in the living room, and had opened the curtains to let some sunlight in under the impression that the kids on the block were still away at some semi form of a summer camp, a assumption that would prove to be VERY wrong.
It was Kul who first noticed the sight of the big baby dancing in plain sight, and he'd crept across the lawn of Mean mister Ichigo, who was prone to yell at kids to stay off the awn and give them wedgies if they didn't listen. the reason why he kept kids away became clear as the close Kul got, the clearer it was the block grump was a silly big baby. Kul was small for his age and had a shaved head, but despite his tiny size he was somewhat known as the block tough guy and a semi hero to bullying victims. so naturally, seeing the biggest bully of them al was just a big dumb baby, he couldn't keep it to himself and waved over anther boy, Toji. "What is it?" Toji asked, raising a eyebrow as Kul put a finger to his lips. "And are you crazy? this is grumpy pants yard!" Toji added, lowering his voice to a hiss. Kul just grinned and pointed at the window, and Toji paused and then broke into a grin. "No friggen way.." "Go spread the word." Ku said.
Ichigo somehow missed the gathering of fan's outside the window, at least till he was wrapping up the final song on his play list and was paying the duster like it was a guitar. As the music faded and he dropped down to one knee, he opened his eyes wide as the sound of laughter and clapping filled his ears. Looking back at him, pointing and laughing, were all the kids on the block, and more, as apparently news of his little show had gotten out. they were pointing and laughing and chants for a encore broke out. His face turning Crimson Ichigo went to jump up but the padding had gotten damp from a combination of a wetting or two and the sweat he had worked up and instead he stumbled and plopped on his puffy butt instead. Naturally this only made the kids laugh harder, and some of them were taking pictures now as tears started to fill the big babies eyes. "Stop it! stop it!" Ichigo whined and pounded his fists on the floor, trying to glare at them and scare them away. Instead they giggled and d'awwed, and he heard at east one kid comment the big baby was having a tantrum. "I'll show you a tantrum!" Ichigo growled, and rolling onto his hands and knees, he crawled over quick towards the couch and used it to get to his feet, as the hoot's of laughter turned into sounds of worry. "I'm coming out then and giving you all wedgies so hard you'll be tasting your undies for a week! No! a MONTH!" he vowed, and on his way out the door shut the curtains. waddling out the door he never once paused to think about the fact he was STILL dressed like a big baby, or that he hadn't grabbed his keys when Reniji had installed automatic looking doors.
the kids had started to scatter as the front door flew open and Ichigo darted out onto the lawn, eyes filled with fury as he scanned the gathered crowd. "All right! who's fi-" he started, when he heard the sound of the door clicking shut. such had been the force when he'd opened it it had banged off of the wall and bounced back closed, and the loud click was the lock sliding into pace. "-st..Oh shit.." Ichigo whimpered. "pffft..did you just lock yourself out, diaper baby?" Kul asked, in a loud voice. "I..uh..Noo! I just.." Ichigo whined. "Well, if you're NOT stuck out here in your thick diapie wipies, go back inside baby man." Toji called. the other kids gained back their nerve as Ichigo's  anger was replaced with a trembling bottom lip, and he turned back, waddling towards the door, and letting out a LOUD fart. "Ah geez, the BABY is gonna crap himself..Now I DO hope he can get back inside!" a little girl called out. "S-Shut up! no I'm not!" Ichigo whined, even as anther fart erupted out of his backside. He tugged at the door handle once, twice and then a third time and sniffled, as the laughter grew. "awww poor baby Ichigo locked him poor widdle self out! he'll have to wait till daddies home to wet him in~" "Oh man,m he's gonna smell like a sewer by then!" "Yeah, sorry BABY butt, but while i have a little brother, your butt's WAY to big for his diapers!" as the taunts came faster and faster, Ichigo felt tears sliding down his cheeks and sludge flood into the back of his diapers. "STOP BEING SO MEAN TO WIDDLE ME!" he bawled, sinking to his knees and bawling for daddy. "..ah geez.. ok guys I think he's had enough.." kul said, coming over and holding a nose, but patting the big babies head. "there there, your big brothers and sisters will look after you." Kul said with a smile. Ichigo, just whimpered and sucked his thumb and the crotch snap of his diaper shirt popped opened.
The last thing Reniji expected to see as he came into view of his house was Ichigo of all people, surrounded by kids from around the block and clapping his hands and giggling happily. He was naked save for what looked like a rubber sheet that have been mangled into a somewhat passable diaper and his eyes were basically bank as he coo'ed and giggled, calling the kids around him big brother and big sister. '..this is going to be a interesting story.' Reniji thought, and strolled up.
7 notes · View notes
haberdashing · 3 years
Text
did it hurt (when you fell from heaven)? (6/?)
The world is changing now, and many of its inhabitants are changing with it.
They are calling it a Transangelic Epidemic: the sudden and monstrous transformation of hundreds of good citizens.
Sasha James doesn’t think it’s anything she should be concerned about until, after spending the night with a coworker who’s more than just a coworker, her back begins to ache…
Inspired by Transangelic Exodus; should be readable without having read that first, but they are very much set within the same verse.
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6
on AO3
Sasha knew that the pain was only the beginning.
It didn’t feel that way, of course. The pain felt like an end unto itself. It was always present at least slightly, but some days were worse than others. Some days, Sasha couldn’t focus on anything besides the pain, couldn’t bring herself to do anything besides lay in bed and wish she was asleep. (She couldn’t even sleep how she used to anymore; Sasha used to sleep on her back, but now that was right out unless she wanted to make the pain ten times worse.)
Paracetamol, as it turned out, didn’t do jack shit for it.
Sasha kept taking the maximum dosage regularly anyway, just in case this time it helps.
(More than once the thought crossed her mind of taking more than the safe maximum dosage, even though she knows that overdoses are nothing to mess with. Part of her thought the risk might be worth it if it brings actual relief. Part of her wondered if it’d even come with the same risks, given that her biology wasn’t entirely human anymore.
Sasha wasn’t willing to find out the hard way, though.)
But the pain was just the first step of the journey, the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her transformation, and while part of Sasha wanted to avoid every mention of the transangelic epidemic she can, part of her clung to every description of the angelic transformation she comes across, desperate for information about what will come next.
As it happened, she didn’t even notice the bleeding until her office chair was soaked halfway through with blood.
It didn’t hurt any worse than usual, was the thing. Her back ached, but it was just that, the same dull ache she had grown almost accustomed to by now. And she’d been busy working at the time, had been focused on doing her job rather than... well, rather than paying attention to her body, to the liquid oozing out from her back.
So she only found out what had been happening when she got up from her chair after a few hours of steady work and saw that the back of the chair she had been using was absolutely covered in blood.
A quick peek in the bathroom mirror revealed that the shirt she was wearing--thankfully not one of her best work blouses, but still a decent business casual one, one she’d expected to last for several months if not years longer--was soaked entirely through, its vibrant yellow hue turned to vivid red, Unsalvageable.
Sasha took a few deep breaths, threw the ruined blouse in the trash, put some damp rags between her back and the chair’s, and kept working. Her workday wasn’t over yet, and she knew she’d catch hell from her supervisor if she didn’t keep up with her usual working pace while working for home.
Besides, she wasn’t sure how to get blood out from the back of an office chair, especially without getting it all over everything else around her in the process, and given the circumstances, Googling it was not an option.
Sasha half-expected the work day to drag on endlessly after that, but it went by quickly enough, and she’d half-forgotten about the state her chair was in by the time Tim came home from work.
Tim reminded her quickly enough of the reality of the situation, though.
“Shit, is- is that blood on your chair? Sash, you okay?”
“I’m fine, it’s, it’s fine. To be expected, really, I suppose... might have to get a new chair down the line, though. Blood doesn’t really fit my aesthetic, you know?”
Sasha laughed at her own joke, but Tim didn’t laugh along, which was what really drove home to her how concerned he must be.
“No, no, I bet I can fix the chair up still. Blood’s not that hard to get out really, not if you know what you’re doing.”
“How do you know how to-”
Sasha stopped herself mid-sentence as she realized exactly why, biologically speaking, Tim probably had experience cleaning up blood over the years.
Tim raised an eyebrow, but when he spoke up, he didn’t call her out on her lapse, just said, “Well, obviously it’s because of that murder spree I went on as a teenager. Don’t tell me you forgot about that already?”
“Tim!” Sasha was suddenly very glad she’d swept the house for electronic devices that might be listening in on them, as they might well have believed this newest line of Tim’s.
“Sasha.” Tim shot a grin her way, but that grin faded quickly as he looked back at the bloodstained chair. “Are... are you going to be okay? Can you get up without my help?”
“Yes, Tim, I can manage that much, I told you, I’m-”
As Sasha stood up, as much to prove a point as to actually go anywhere, the blood fled from her head and the room began to swim until she sat back down again.
“Fine?” Tim smirked as he finished Sasha’s sentence for her. “Here, let me give you a hand.”
“Hope you don’t mind that hand getting covered in blood...”
“Hey, wouldn’t be the first time.” A beat, then, “Again, teenage murder spree. God, Sasha, it’s like you’re not even listening.”
Sasha dissolved into giggles, her laughter not entirely subsiding even as Tim helped her out of her chair and onto her side on the couch, covering her in towels and blankets and heating pads.
Not bandages, though. They tried putting exactly one plaster on her back, and the feeling of that lone plaster against her wound was enough to get Sasha shivering and curled up into a ball until Tim took it off again. Not only did it hurt, it felt wrong somehow, coarse and restrictive despite how small it was compared to the wound it was attempting to cover up.
Sasha’s eyes grew heavy as she watched Tim begin cleaning her chair for her, and though it was still fairly early in the evening, it wasn’t long before she was fast asleep.
6 notes · View notes
razzle-zazzle · 4 years
Text
Cole Wants a Refund, Pt 2
Part 1 is here
1219 Words; Redemption AU
Zane had a bad feeling. A feeling that something terrible had happened.
The storm had cleared, yes, and he and Kai had managed to stay relatively dry during, but Zane couldn’t shake the feeling. Perhaps it was because Jay and Cole had gotten separated from Zane and Kai before the storm? It was certainly likely.
“I think I see him over there!” Kai ran off, Zane quick to follow.
But while Kai rushed forwards to their shivering brother, Zane stopped. Where was Cole? Why wasn’t he with Jay?
Jay made for a miserable sight, curled up against the remains of what must have been a bus stop, shivering violently. He was absolutely soaked, stuck staring at one specific spot on the ground in front of him.
Zane had a really bad feeling.
“It’s okay, we’ve got you buddy,” Kai summoned fire into his hands, using the heat to try and warm Jay up, “You’re absolutely freezing, dude. Let’s get you warmed up before you get sick.”
Zane stepped forwards, knowing that his powers would be counterproductive in this situation. But just standing there and watching was making him so very, very anxious. And with that anxiety came a plethora of potential explanations, none of which Zane wanted to think about.
“Jay…” Zane ventured. Jay finally met his gaze, staring at Zane with glassy eyes. With a start, Zane realized Jay had been crying.
No.
“Jay.” Zane began again, his voice more urgent now, “Where is Cole?”
Jay stiffened. “Cole…” He trembled, mouth opening and closing as though he couldn’t find the words.
“No…” Zane said softly. Kai gasped as he realized.
“Cole’s—he’s—Cole’s gone!” Jay wailed. He quieted, staring at the ground. “If I hadn’t insisted on this outing, if we hadn’t gotten separated—” He trailed off, going quiet again.
“Oh my—nono no no—” Kai grabbed Jay’s shoulders frantically. “You’re joking, right? This is just a prank—it’s gotta be. Cole’s going to come around the corner any minute now, and we’ll all laugh and go home, and, Jay, please tell me you’re joking.”
Jay said nothing, looking at Kai as though he wasn’t there. Slowly, Kai’s hysteria melted into anger. He decked Jay.
“Jay you fuck! What the hell!”
Zane stepped in before things could escalate further, pulling Kai off of Jay. “Enough. What’s done is done.” He swallowed thickly. “We need to tell the others.”
Kai had the decency to look somewhat guilty.
Jay nodded. “Maybe Wu knows something…” He added quietly.
Zane nodded stiffly. Mayhaps Wu did know something, something useful, because Cole couldn’t be gone—he couldn’t. There had to be something.
If there wasn’t…
It was better not to dwell on that.
+=+=+=+=+
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that can be done for now.”
Jay grumbled, aimlessly pushing the buttons on his controller, contemplating taking it apart for the seventh time. It’d give him something to do other than sitting here, sitting here and doing jack shit.
“‘Nothing to be done’ my ass.” Kai muttered, taking a seat beside Jay, his hair matted to his forehead with sweat. The moment they’d returned, Kai had headed straight to the deck to take his anger out on the training dummies. If the tightness of his jaw and the slight scent of smoke was any indication, it hadn’t done much.
Kai tossed his head back and growled. “Fuck this. Fuck that. Fuck everything.”
Jay nodded listlessly. Wu had told them to wait three hours ago. Three hours of just sitting around waiting for something to happen. They were ninja, for master’s sake! They should be doing something, but no, they were sitting around, useless, because there was nothing to be done.
Jay and Kai weren’t alone in their frustration. Zane was probably still cleaning the already spotless kitchen, Nya had yet to come out of the workshop, and Lloyd—
The less said about the overheated console, the better.
Jay was contemplating the pros and cons of throwing the controller across the room—it wouldn’t be that hard to fix, but it’s not like doing so would bring Cole back—
“Hey.”
Jay shrieked, launching himself a considerable distance off of the couch. The couch that was now burning, Kai flailing to put out the flames. The couch behind which stood someone Jay never thought he’d see again.
Jay opened his mouth, only to close it. Again, he tried to speak, to yell, to say anything, but his brain had shut off—for maybe the third time in his life, Jay could not find his voice. Kai continued to beat the couch with a cushion, frantically glancing back and forth between the fire and Cole.
There was an awkward silence.
Fortunately, it was at that moment that Nya appeared in the door, water in hand, grease still smudged on her face and clothes. But instead of dousing the couch with water, she froze.
Cole smiled sheepishly. “Sorry for the wait. I lost track of time.”
Nya stood there for only a moment longer before running at Cole with a shout, water still in her hands. In his panic, Cole forgot he could go intangible, and quickly found himself tackled to the floor. They flailed about, and somehow, Cole managed to avoid being soaked.
From where she had Cole pinned, Nya turned towards the couch, dousing the fire Kai was failing to smother on his own. Then she turned to the ghost pinned beneath her.
“You hare-brained idiot,” She seethed, “Where do you get off disappearing on all of us like that, only to show up hours later like nothing ever happened?”
Cole, for his part, looked sufficiently sheepish. He briefly considered phasing through the floorboards to at least move to somewhere more comfortable—comfortable being a relative term—but Nya fixed him with a look.
“You dumbass.” She muttered, her expression softening. “What were you even thinking?”
Cole glanced to where Jay was still sitting, noting how dumbfounded he looked, realizing that Jay hadn’t actually spoken. Cole’s gaze drifted to the dark-toasted couch, where Kai was perched, watching the proceedings like a confused hawk.
Then Cole looked back to Nya, at the grease still staining her face and clothes. At the way she worried her lip, wanting to say something but giving Cole the chance to speak.
Cole glanced away, phasing through the floor so that he was sitting beside Nya. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.” He said numbly.
Jay chose that moment to finally find his voice, standing as he pointed a finger at Cole. “I saw you get doused Cole, I watched you disappear! How the hell are you back?”
Cole blinked owlishly. “Wu didn’t tell you?”
“Tell us what?” The group looked up to see Lloyd and Zane standing in the doorway. At their questioning glances, Lloyd spoke up again. “We heard Jay and Nya yelling and came to investigate.” His eyes found Cole, and there was a pause as the ghost and green ninja stared each other down. “But now that we’re all here, maybe Cole can explain what even happened. But first...”
Cole found himself suddenly mobbed by the pair, with Jay, Kai, and Nya quickly joining the pile. Even though all he could feel was the ever-present chill and the vague impression of his siblings, Cole found himself relaxing into the sensation, feeling oddly at peace. He smiled.
He was home.
64 notes · View notes
mostly-anime-trash · 4 years
Text
NSFW Alphabet - Katsuki Bakugou
I love reading these, so I wanted to make one of my own :)
A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
Katsuki’s aftercare is more practical than anything. If it’s been a particularly strenuous session, he might lie there for a bit, panting next to you. But once he’s caught his breath, he’s up quickly and fetching a towel or tissues for clean up. And he won’t be the one to clean you up himself- he thinks you’re probably more efficient at it than him, so he’ll let you handle that- but he’ll always provide the supplies.
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
His favorite body part is his arms. Why do you think his hero costume is a tank top?? He spends a lot of time sculpting and developing his arms, and he wants to show off his hard work! His favorite body part of his partner’s is definitely their ass. It’s the first place his hands roam to when kissing his partner. During sex, if he’s not in a position to be able to see their ass, he’s definitely grabbing onto it.
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
Katsuki has a fantasy of cumming onto his partner’s face, but he’s too embarrassed to ask. Maybe he’ll work up the courage one day, but for now he just hopes he’ll wind up in a situation that calls for it. Otherwise he’s not picky- he’ll easily oblige to his partner’s preferences (as long as he’s not gonna make no babies!!)
D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
He likes to collect his partner’s underwear, kind of like trophies. Not all of them, but a few select favorites. He always has a pair in his backpack, and he’s slightly paranoid that he might accidentally pull them out with his book in class- although he’s not sure whether he’d be more embarrassed or proud in that moment.
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
Katsuki is surprisingly inexperienced for someone with so much confidence. His bold personality tends to scare intimidate most potential partners, so he’s learned everything he knows from the 1 or 2 partners he’s had. However, he’s a quick learner and competitive as hell, so of course he wants to be the best, at everything. He lets his intuition (or is it primal instinct?) get him started and relies on his partner’s body language to guide him the rest of the way.
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
Doggy. A position that allows him to watch his partner’s ass, grab onto his partner’s ass, and take control? Sold.
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
This boy is serious as hell. He wants to get everything just right, so if there are any fumbles or blunders in the bedroom, he is more likely to get flustered than to just laugh it off. After being with his partner for a while, he’ll warm up to the idea of teasing, but mostly he’s just focused on trying to knock their socks off.
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
Katsuki definitely doesn’t shave bare. He thinks it makes him look stupid as hell, so he prefers to keep his pubes trimmed short instead. He is so fixated on impressing his partner and not embarrassing himself that for the first several months, he keeps it meticulously groomed. He’s obsessive about it, so much that he’ll even make excuses to avoid sex if he feels he’s not tidy enough, and then just jack off angrily at home later. (Is it an insecurity thing?) Once he’s more comfortable in the relationship though, he’ll go longer periods between grooming, although rarely more than an extra quarter inch or so.
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
Katsuki isn’t necessarily romantic, per se. He is very attentive to his partner however. His ego couldn’t handle the blow of being bad in bed, so he needs to make sure his partner is enjoying themselves before he can enjoy himself. He’s secretly just a giant baby who seeks validation as much as anyone else.
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
This boy’s sex drive is high af and you know he jacks off on the daily at least. Katsuki has an incredible amount of will power and he could restrain himself if he wanted to, but he’s also impulsive as hell and he doesn’t see masturbation as bad or shameful, so he indulges. Plus with his tendency to fixate on things, he often finds himself unable to concentrate if he’s sexually frustrated, so he’ll masturbate just to be able to think clearly again. You better believe this boy is the king of procrasturbating when he’s supposed to be studying.
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
Bondage. Katsuki is a control freak, of course his kink is bondage. He won’t ever mention it and he won’t try anything until he feels comfortable that his partner would be open to it. Then he’ll experiment with it slowly- pinning up his partner’s arms against the wall during a steamy makeout session, pulling their shirt over their head and wrapping it around their wrists during sex, tugging their hair while he fucks them from behind. If it’s well received, he’ll be investing in some full bed restraints in no time.
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
Katsuki likes to fuck in the shower. Something about it just feels raw to him. You’d think with his favorite position being doggy that he’d like nothing more than to have his partner bent over, palms pressed against the tile, taking him from behind buuuuuuuut *surprise* he actually prefers to hold his partner up, hands under their ass, and fuck them against the shower wall. He tends to be a bit more animalistic in the shower.
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
Phewwww boy, nothing lights a fire under Katsuki’s ass like a little competition. He wants to be THE best. Any sort of teasing from his partner, and Katsuki is ready to pin them down and show them exactly what he’s capable of. He’s also a sucker for seeing his partner in clothing that hugs their assets. He’ll be pawing at them all day until he can finally get them alone and rip their clothes off.
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
Threesome. He might like to show off his partner, but he doesn’t like to share them. Plus he might be a teensy bit insecure they’ll enjoy sex with the other person more than him.
O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
Katsuki really, really enjoys receiving oral. It feels great of course, but more than anything he loves to see his partner on their knees, looking up at him with his cock in their mouth. Somehow, that’s when he truly sees how much they desire him. He like giving too, as he feels he can get a more accurate sense of his partner’s level of enjoyment. He gets off if they get off.
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
Fast or slow, but always hard- he makes sure that every thrust counts. His pace is moderate, usually on the fast-side. When he’s fully consumed by passion (which is almost every sexual encounter), he wants all of his partner, and he wants it now.
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
Katsuki’s a big fan of quickies, especially when he’s sexually frustrated. And let’s be honest, he basically always frustrated. But he’s never one-sided. He makes sure his partner gets off too.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
Risk excites the fuck out of Katsuki, although he’d likely be mortally embarrassed if he ever got caught. Storage closet, bathroom, car parking lot… he wants to try it all, but it will probably take some encouragement or teasing from his partner first. More than anything though, Katsuki gets off on his partner almost getting caught. He likes to tease and pleasure them while they’re talking on the phone or when there’s someone just on the other side of the door.
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
Katsuki will go as long as his partner can. It’s rare for him to find someone with as much stamina as him, so he is happy with whatever they can afford. The only exception is when he’s extremely tired, in which case he can usually only manage one round (and we all know Katsuki has a very strict bedtime).
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
He doesn’t feel much of a personal need to use them, but he will eagerly use them on his partner. He’s no stranger to the cock ring, and he prefers when both he and his partner cum at the same time, so he’ll throw in a some extra vibrations if he feels he’s much closer to the finish line than they are.
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
Once Katsuki has gotten comfortable with his partner, he loves to tease, to the point of his partner literally begging for him. This does depend, however, on how turned on he is already. His seriousness is directly correlated to his horniness, so if he’s too consumed by lust, he’ll get straight to business.
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
Katsuki is quiet in bed, aside from a few pants and grunts (because that’s what’s #manly or whatever, but mostly because he’s too terrified he’ll make a stupid embarrassing noise that will haunt him for the rest of his life). His partner can elicit some moans from him though, by nibbling on his ear or by gently pressing underneath his balls while climaxing.
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
Katsuki thinks he has a fantasy of watching his partner masturbate in front of him, but truth is he’s way too damn impatient for that. Every single time he caves, unable to resist the urge to replace their hand with his and just do it his damn self. (He does it better anyway.)
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)
We all know Katsuki is ripped, so let’s just get to the good stuff, shall we? This boy is #blessed. He’s a shower and a grower at 5″ soft and 7.5″ erect. His dick is pretty too, straight and curved slightly upward, with a few healthy veins. While his length is nothing to sneeze at, it’s his girth that’s impressive. It’s a good thing he wears those baggy pants (or is it?), because that outline is hard to conceal.
Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)
H I G H. It’s unlikely he’ll ever find a partner that can match him, but regular sex with his partner (daily, please) keeps him satisfied. He’ll be crawling up the walls, resisting the urge to yank it every 30 minutes should he and his partner be separated by distance.
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
Sex usually gives Katsuki a zap of energy any time throughout the day, with the exception of close to bedtime. Then its zzzzzz lights out!
108 notes · View notes
soysaucevictim · 4 years
Text
First week of new stuff.
(And having a hard time for different reasons...)
-
June 27
Somehow managed to get up before 11AM.
Played Gemcraft for a few hours before making today’s HF Dinner. Steak with mushroom cream sauce. Dad enjoyed it and I liked it well enough. Pretty happy with that and getting the dishes taken care of afterwards.
After a bit of time to digest my food, I went into today’s exercise.
First, today’s DD. 40 reverse angels with EC. Took a bit of mindfulness to negotiate floor space. Hand clipped against desk and chair leg once each... but oh well. Kept the arms above floor. Just about doable.
Second, Day 1 of the 1′ Cardio Challenge. I think this would be a good bit of cardio and warm-up for my program work. Today was 1′ jumping jacks. Managed it in one go, with 69 reps by the end. Will endeavor to track my performance like that for the whole thing~
Last, Day 1 of the Xpress Tone Program. This is a weight-training program. Grabbed my brother’s dumbbells, couldn’t find the 3 lbs plates so I just went for 2x5 for each hand. Wasn’t sure if I should do it circuits or straight sets, but the way the page is formatted made me settle on former (IRONBORN did explicit straight sets.) I also endeavored to record my “to fatigue“ numbers here.
Alternating bicep curls: 30-26-20-16-12
Tricep extensions (I liked that we could brace the elbow for this one, these are always a bit hard on ‘em): 10+10, 8+8, 6+6, 4+4, 4+4
Spent some time chatting and wound up pulling an allnighter playing KH.
-
June 28
I spent a few hours this morning to finish playing some KH. And cleaning up after Dad made a mess with some food. Sleep deprivation probably didn’t help with my headspace, was irritable and anxious about Dad’s decline from lapsing on his meds...
I then took a couple hour nap, before exercising.
First, today’s DD. 1′ raised arm circles with EC. I counted 118 reps by the end. Very close to 2/sec. But still a relatively breezy one.
Second, Day 2 of the 1′CC. 1′ butt kicks. One go, 140 reps. I was happy I managed to stay over 2/sec with this one. That was a pretty brisk pace to go at!
Last, Day 2 of the XTP. Leg day, particularly aerobic on top of the challenge.
Forward lunges (I chose to alternate sides): 30-24-20-16-14
Goblet squats (wound up with the same numbers): 30-24-20-16-14
Because of the hour we started and my headspace (was rattled by bro yelling at dad), we didn’t do a double feature tonight. Just watched a documentary about the Fyre Festival... it was fun to just be entertained by that travesty.
Spent sometime on YouTube before sleeping. Red zone... but before 3AM was a modest accomplishment, by recent standards..
-
June 29
I somehow woke up a bit after noon.
I spent most of my day BSing with Gemcraft because I’ve been having pretty bad brain days thanks to mistake the VA made with Dad’s meds a bit over a week ago. He’s been so restless and unfocused - he couldn’t play cards, today. (I didn’t really want to, and I had I feeling it would be futile as a distraction for him... but I felt I should try, it was Grandma’s idea.)
Took some willpower to get on with my exercise, given that...
First, today’s DD. 40 reverse plank kicks with EC (20/20). Fairly breezy.
Second, Day 3 of the 1′CC. 1′ march twists. One go, 77 reps. Manageable one to do non-stop, but it can be difficult to go too fast at risk of slamming the knees against elbows. :P
Last, Day 3 of the XTP. This kicked my ass, in particular, the weighted knee-to-elbows were awkward. My numbers were:
Upright rows: 15-10-8-8-6
Bilateral bicep curls: 8-5-4-4-3
Did poke an outline for a potential future fic before getting to bed. Later than yesterday.
-
June 30
I woke up after 11AM.
As far as exercise went, all I managed to get done was today’s DD. 50 squat step ups with EC (20/20). Just about manageable.
Most of the rest of my day was spent chatting and gaming. Got to bed a little earlier than yesterday, but still in the red zone.
-
July 1
I woke up a bit before noon, today. Somehow.
After a couple hours of circular emotionally taxing conversation with dad... I didn’t think I could rightly muster enthusiasm/attention for anything.
But chatting with a friend and taking the dog for a short walk was nice to break things a bit so I could do my exercise today.
First, Day 4 of the 1′CC. 1′ split jacks. One go, 72 reps this time. Pretty intense pace, happy I managed >1/sec.
Second, Day 4 of the XTP. I suppose it was a rest day, manageable tendon work this time around. Strictly bodyweight stuff but it definitely took a bit of willpower to get through the leg extensions part, swings/hold was a nice relative step-down in intensity though.
Last, today’s DD. 3′ half jacks with EC. I managed to lock in a pace of 1/sec and wound up with a little more than 180 reps.
I decided to spend the next couple hours to distract myself productively by giving the bathroom a deep clean. Exhausting and got to sweating buckets. Though it needed to get done, I kind of regret not going with my bro when he took Dad to the hospital.
Between COVID visitor policies and HIPPA and the circumstances of his admittance - the fucking hospital system has been giving us a fucking headache wrt information. =_=
After the hospital, spent rest of my night chatting and gaming. Got to bed earlier than yesterday, red again, but whatever.
-
July 2
I think I woke up around 10AM. Was half expecting to go with Grandma to check on what the hell is going on with Dad.
Still fucking stonewalled.
Was too fucking angry and exhausted to do much more than game and watch YouTube.
I went to bed in the green zone because I was way too fucking depressed at that point to be able to make myself stay up. Exercise be damned.
-
July 3
I woke up after 11AM.
Did some gaming before making today’s HF dinner. Chicken sausage, couscous, and kale soup. We liked this one well enough, I liked it’s taste but especially it’s simplicity. Given my spoons situation.
After a bit more games and dishes, I caught up on some of my exercise.
First, yesterday’s DD. 1′ squat hold with EC. Slow steady breaths is always key. Took a good amount of willpower to get through it, but happy I could.
First, today’s DD. 1′ chest squeeze with EC. Same note about the breathing. Arms definitely got to trembling in the later half.
Second, Day 5 of the 1′CC. 1′ seal jacks. One go, 68 reps. Having “Rhythm Redux“ play made me find a nice groove.
Second, Day 6 of the 1′CC. 1′ high knees. One go, 150 reps. I’m glad that I could stay over 2/sec today.
Last, Day 5 of the XTP. Arm stuff. I’m going to endeavor to try to continue improving my PBs for this program and did more of the following than from Day 1).
Tricep extensions: 10+10, 10+10, 8+8, 6+6, 6+6
Alternating bicep curls: 34-30-24-20-16
Last, Day 6 of the XTP. Leg day. I’m probably going to question doubling up today... because stacking this on top kicked my ass. :P
Forward lunges (alternating): 34-26-22-18-16
Goblet squats: 32-26-22-18-16
I spent the rest of my time playing KH Re:CoM. Stayed up pretty late doing that.
1 note · View note
lildevyl · 5 years
Text
Septicscape, Chapter 4: Erin and the Corrupted Portraits
Summary:  Jackie with the help of his brothers and their Creator, rescued Lou Huffle from the Corruption.  Now, they’ll face one of their toughest challenges.  They need to rescue Erin Treasures.
TW:  Corruption, Possession, Gore (Bendy and the Ink Machine kind of gore), Mention of Blood, Dark Them, Stitches, Button Eyes, Zalgo Text
Guest Starring:  Lou Huffle @huffletrax and Erin Treasures @dolphintreasureart
Chapters: 1, 2, 3
====================
Hello?  *Static*  Can you hear me?  *Static but the message is becoming clearer*  Can you hear me, hello?  Oh, there you are!  Oh thank ghoul!  Look, I don’t know how this happened, but somehow the file that I had this fanfic in.  It’s been REDACTED.  I’m trying to decode it but it keeps shifting, mutating?  Listen, I manage to fix some of it before this gets uploaded and I’ll keep trying.
When you get to Chapter REDACTED with REDACTED as a REDACTED.  It’s going to turn into a REDACTED kind of fanfic.  Look when that happens, don’t panic!  All you have to do is REDACTED in order to get the REDACTED.  Once you’ve done that then the story should REDACTED.
Alright, it’s all up to you readers!  Good Luck!
Ȩ̵́n͏́j̧o̵y̧̛ ̵͢ţ̕he̷ ͞S̸̕͜t͞ǫ̷r͠y̨̢͏!̴
(Art Classroom)
She was in and out of conscious, between waking up and going back to sleep.  She heard them, the different voices, all of them concerned for her.  But why?  Why are they so concerned about her?  She couldn’t even control her own creation, her own Alter Ego.  Just let her lay here.  Let her sleep.  Then no one would get hurt.  No one could use her or Nox to attack anyone else.  This was the best option!  No one using her ability and no one would get hurt.  Yeah, she’ll just  .  .  .
“Lou!  Lou!  You need to wake up!  This is Jackie!”
And the last String of Despair broke, snapped.  It’s influence was gone.  Lou couldn’t feel its presence anymore and she felt herself coming back to Earth.
“I think she’s coming around.  Lou?  Wake up.  Come back to us, Lou.”  A gentle voice with a german accent said.
“Jackie?  Jack?  You heard me?  You saved me?”  Lou weakly whispered eyes her tried to open her eyes.
“Yeah, Lou,” Jackie smiled softly.  “We did and your safe now.”
“I’m so sorry Jackie!”  Lou cried wrapping her arms around Jackie mumbling into his shoulder.  “I didn’t mean it!  I didn’t mean it!  I’m so sorry!”
Jackie wrapped his arms around Lou and hugged back.  Rubbing soothing circles and just letting her cry.  He knew it wasn't her fault, but seeing her this distress over something she had no control over?  It just made Jackie’s blood boil!
*You couldn’t save her.  If you did, then this wouldn’t have happened*
‘Was that even true?  Did he - did he fail?  NO!  No, Lou's right here, shaken but safe.  This was the Corruption's fault!  And Jackie will end it!  One way or another he'll end it!’
After some time, Lou had calmed down.  “Sorry,” Lou apologized.  Not sure if she was apologizing for the break down or for what she did.
“There’s no need to apologize,” Jack assured.  “Right, now.  Let’s have Henrik take a look at you.  We want to make sure that you’re alright.”
Lou nodded her agreement.  A couple of hours later, Henrik said that Lou was back to normal, but she was suffering from magical exhaustion and needed to make sure not to strain herself.  Otherwise, she could run the risk of losing her powers permanently or worse.
“What do we do now?”  Chase asked the group.
“Now, we take Lou home and make sure she’s safe then we go and find the others,” Jackie stated with determination.  He couldn’t fail them.  He almost failed Lou but wasn’t going to fail them.  He failed in not protecting them from the Corruption, but he’ll make sure not to fail them in bringing them back.
Nobody saw the shocked look on Lou’s face as realization dawned on her.  “I want to help!  Please, Jackie!  I can help!”  Lou pleaded.  She might not have been able to stop the Corruption from taking over her, but she’ll be damned if there wasn’t something she might be able to do to help!
“It’s too dangerous, Lou!  You’re suffering from magical exhaustion!  Any more strain on your powers and you could lose them or worse!  No, I’m sorry but we’re taking you home to recover, then we’ll start looking for the others,” Jackie firmly told Lou.  He didn’t want to tell her no but he wasn’t about to risk her getting hurt. He couldn’t!
Sighing in defeat, Lou nodded and let them herd her to her door room.  Once there, and everyone made sure that Lou was alright.  They headed out and went back to the Art Gallery.  Erin Treasures was last seen in her Art Studio and that’s where they were going to start.
==========================
(Art Studio)
*You couldn't save her.  You failed Erin.  Just like before.  You, Jackieboy will fail.  FOREVER!*
‘No!  I didn’t fail!  I - we saved Lou!  And we will save Erin!  We will!  I won’t fail her, again!’  Jackie argued with the nagging voice in his head.  He couldn't fail them!  Not again!
Dread filled Jackie to the brim when he, his brothers and their Creator arrived upon the Art Studio.  Erin’s once pride and joy brightly colorful Art Studio was gone!  The once bright and colorful walls were now a stormcloud gray.  All the windows and skylights were now boarded up, with barely any sunlight shining through.  All the desks, chairs and easels the students used, were now stacked up and looked as if no one had ever used them.  All the paints were empty and all the art supplies were broken and scattered all across the floor.
Rows and Rows of portraits lined the walls, the further the Septic Egos and their Creator went into the Studio.  But it looked as if someone had vandalized each and everyone of them.  Jackie couldn’t shake this feeling that when they passed a portrait, it was looking right at them.
When they found Erin, Jackie’s heart began to break.  She was muttering to herself over and over again, never once looking up from her painting.  Her once beautiful denim jeans that had a dolphin emblem on them.  Were now faded, torn and was heavily stained with “paint water” and paint thinner.  As if when Erin went to clean her brush, she would dip it into the water or the paint thinner and then wiped the brush on her jeans.  Erin’s favorite light gray comfy shirt that she wore all the time she came up with a new idea was now ruined beyond repair.  Her once favorite pale yellow shirt that she wore to protect her clothes, now you couldn’t even tell where the paint ends and where the shirt begins.
“Erin?”  Jackie nervously called out.
“T̛͜h̡e ̛p̡er̡fe͜҉c̨̛͞t ̀́p̷̴a͏i̕͝n̡t͢͏͞ing̛, th͏̧͡e̶ p̵̴͜ȩ̀r̨fé͘ct͏͠͠ ̀͞p̵a͝ì͟nt͝͠inģ͞҉,̕͠͝ ̢͘t̡̧͏h̢͝͝e̡ ̕pe̕̕r̡͢f͟҉ect p̸͜͞ai̡͏̷n҉t̕͝in̸g͟͠.̶̧  It̢̛ m̷̢҉u҉̨ś̴t̵̨ ̴̀be ͠p̴͢e̴͘rf́͝҉è̴͜c̢t̶,͞ i̕͞t̵̢̀ ̵̷m̀́͟u͡şt ̀͠be̛ ̡̢͘p͘e̷͠rf̡̛e̶c̶͜t̨, ͟͞͡i͜͟t ͞m̶u͘s̕ţ ̕͞͠be҉ ́͢p͜͠͝erf̴ec͟͜t́͜͝.̸҉̛  ”  Erin kept repeating to herself.
“Erin?”  Jackie causionaly approached.  Hand reaching out, taking slow even steps, but then Jackie stopped dead in his tracks and slowly retreated his hand.  What Jackie caught a glimpse of in the mirror, it wasn’t Erin.  Whatever, it was, it gave Jackie an eerie grin and when it turned around, it nearly knocked Jackie back.
Erin’s once beautiful brunette short hair was now a midnight black with neon blue streaks.  Her once light brown eyes were now button-like!  One was light brown on the outside but black on the inside.  The other one was black on the outside but light brown on the inside.  The button-like eyes began to bleed paint giving Erin - no, this wasn’t Erin - giving It the look of the Puppet from Five Night of Freddy’s.  It’s stitched mouth never broke when it’s grin widened upon seeing that Jackie wasn’t alone.
E̸̷m̸̸͟a͟͢ńa̕͜e̵v͏̨a͘h̴͡t͟͏͜ńo͏d̷Į has emerged.
========================
(The Art Battle)
“Wel͡co͜mè J͢a̸c͠k͜ie!̸  ̴I̴ ́śe͠e̢ t͏hat ́yo̸u ͢br͘o̶ug̷ht y͜our͞ ̀fr̸i̧e̢ńds ́w͏ith҉ y҉o̕u.  ̛͠A̸͜r͝e̡ ̡y̕͝ou̡ h͢e҉r̷è for̴ ͘m̸y͜Á̛r͠t͏ B͏͏a̧tt̕ļe͘͝?”  E̸̷m̸̸͟a͟͢ńa̕͜e̵v͏̨a͘h̴͡t͟͏͜ńo͏d̷Į greeted.
“E-Erin?!”
Jackie now just realized that Erin - no - this wasn’t Erin.  Not anymore. E̸̷m̸̸͟a͟͢ńa̕͜e̵v͏̨a͘h̴͡t͟͏͜ńo͏d̷Į was no longer holding her paintbrush and paint pallet.  They were just floating there in thin air.  She waved her hand the paint set, set itself perfectly on the table next to the easel.  Paint brushes began to rattle on the table behind the easel that EmanaevahtnodI was working on.  
“Sơ͟ ̕ni͞c͟͟ę of̶͟ ̷͢y̡͢ò̷͝ų́͡ ̵̢t͏́̕o̷ ́com̷̛e͏̴ t̢o̵͠ ̸͠m͟y̕͠ ͘A̧̧r͘t ͢B̵͞á͘͠tt̛̀l͡e,̷ ̕J͏͞a̵͟c̸̢͞ķi̧e̶͝!͘͜ ̶̨ ͡You̶̷̵ ̀́wi̸̶l͡͞l̴̢ m̶̛͞ąḱ͜͝e̕ ͝t̶̶͠h͢e̛ ̶̧͜p͏̧ęŗ͢f͏e͏̶͞c̕͏ţ̧͠ p͞ai̸̧̨n̨̛t̨i̸n̶͡g̶ ”  E̸̷m̸̸͟a͟͢ńa̕͜e̵v͏̨a͘h̴͡t͟͏͜ńo͏d̷Į said glitching and waved her hand.
The paint brushes that were rattling on the table now flew forward and grew to be life size.  All four paint brushes.  Four new “still” life subjects.  The life size paint brushes dipped themselves in some sort of acid green substance and went to the vandalized portraits.  The painted whatever that liquid was all over covering the entire canvas.  Then to Jackie's terror, the portraits began to come to life!  It felt like Jackie had entered an indie horror game, the figures were started to break the fourth wall and started to climb out of the paintings.
When they fully were out of the painting and stood up, Jackie heart plummeted.  All the paintings were portraits of them, of the Egos and their Creator, but now there horribly disfigured to the point that they didn't even look human.  Corrupted.  All the portraitors had become Corrupted.  It must have happened when Erin was targeted.  Jackie and the other scattered trying to figure out what to do and went to look for something to defend themselves with.
=======================
(Henrik)
Henrik didn’t get far,  as a stream of paint came crashing in front of him when tried to get to the door.  Hurriedly backing up, as the paint reformed to showing him what he looked liked when the Corruption took over him.  Henrik backed himself into one the easel that had one the paintings now fully empty.  He groped around trying to find something - anything­ - to use as a weapon.  His hand found and clutched around some kind of art tool that he didn’t know what the name of it was.  It reminded him of a plastic cake/pie server, but it didn’t matter.  Gripping it in his hand like one of his surgical tools and with years of experience.  Henrik charged at the thing, making precise incisions to this - monstrosity.
========================
(Chase)
Chase would be the first to admit that he was anything but a fighter.  He didn’t even know how to fight!  But he did know how to do amazing trick shots and he was the “King of Parakor” after all.  Doing his best with what he has at his disposal, Chase quickly started acting like the floor was lava!  Jumping, diving, flipping from one place to another and climbing anything that he could.  Chase was doing a good job at staying three steps ahead of whatever this thing was. Until his foot caught on to something and sending Chase crashing down.  Chase looked over his shoulder and turned around just in time for the paint monster to materialize right in front of his eyes.
It stared at Chase for a while, tilting its head side to side as if trying to make sense of something or to come to some kind of decision.  Once it did it put its hand to the side and paint began form and solidified into some kind of string like material.  It lunge forward at Chase trying to tie the strings to him.  Chase fought off the creature and managed to push it off of him, getting to feet, Chase high speed outta there.  The thing went after Chase and was closing in on him. Chase sprinted down the hall at full speed no chance to do any cool tricks now.
Trying to throw it off, Chase crisscrossed, grabbed different things and threw them down after him.  The thing jumped and evaded the obstacles with ease and continue it’s pursuit.  Chase saw his opportunity come into view.  Putting all of his parakor skills to the test, Chase sprint full force at the tapestry dead ahead of him.  Then he jumped on the wall next to him, landed on the tapestry and waited a few seconds, then flipped backwards to the hall floor.   Rolling on the ground as he landed ready to sprint if his plan didn't work.
Chase looked backed only to see that paint monster had gotten reabsorbed into the tapestry.  Chase took a minute to smile triumphantly for a brief moment then sprinted back to the others.
=====================
(Jack)
Jack didn’t know what to do!  He only knew a little self defense but this was beyond him!  He ran into the art supply room and looked around for anything to use!  He quickly found a staff like rod and ready himself just in time to see the Corrupted JackSepticeye emerge.
Jack stood there almost frozen staring at this - this thing.  It looked like him but not at the same time.  It looked as if all the joy was gone.  The spark and the reason why Jack kept doing videos was completely dimensioned.  Its eyes were dull, emotionless, all the light and brightness was no more.  Its mouth was stitched as if to never talk ever again.  You could just feel the negativity radiating off of it, as if you felt like you could never feel joy or happiness ever again.  Jack shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
The Corrupted JackSepticeye lunged right at Jack, trying to subdue him.  It became a tug-a-war over the rod that Jack picked up to defend himself.  Jack managed to throw the Corruption down and ready to strike it with the rod but he hesitated.  A split moment Jack, almost saw himself in this - whatever it was - a part of him wanted to help it.  But he knew deep down that he couldn’t.  Pleading eyes begging Jack, to let it be free.  Jack took the rod, raised it over his head and brought it down full force.  The Corruption splattered and dispersed and then seeped through the cracks in the floor.  Jack with shaking hands and breath, ran out the art supply room and back to Jackie like bat-out-of-hell.
====================
(Jackie)
Jackie stood unable to form any cohesive thoughts, staring at this - whatever it was - it wasn’t good.  The thing that was standing in front of him, looked like what would've happened if Jackie ever got Corrupted.  The once light green hair was now a messy mousy brown.  Button-like eyes, one was read on the outside but black on the inside.  The other was black on the outside but blue on the inside.  Static tears began to bleed from the button-like eyes.  A stitched mouth that reminded Jackie of embroidery.  The once proud bright red suit was now dark blood red, with several patches of different shades of black.  Acid green strings hung from Corrupted Jackie’s wrist and were also used as stitching.
Jackie hesitated for a moment, he wasn’t sure why he did though.  But Jackie quickly got his bearings and just in time, as Corrupted Jackie came at him pulling no punches.  Jackie now had a good idea on what it felt like being in the Walking Dead.  Corrupted Jackie’s fighting style was very wild and reckless but also extremely strong.  Jackie had to come up with something and fast!  He couldn’t just keep dodging, evading and trying to counter every single move.  Jackie dodged and ducked under a move and managed to Super Kick the Corrupted Jackie back into the empty canvas.  As soon as the Corrupted Jackie made contact with the empty canvas, a portrait of Jackieboy Man was soon standing there in front of him.
Chase, Jack and Henrik came back and stood behind Jackie.  Ready to help in any possible way.
“Erin!  Please!  You have to fight this!  This is Jackie!”
“E̸̶ŗ̴i̡͟n?  Èr͜͢i̢͢n̷̕ '̶s ̶go͟n̷e̴.”  E̸̷m̸̸͟a͟͢ńa̕͜e̵v͏̨a͘h̴͡t͟͏͜ńo͏d̷Į mocked.  “S̵h̡e’s̢ g̸͜o̴ǹe̴ F͝OR̨̧͟E̕҉V͟ÉR̵̨̛!”
E̸̷m̸̸͟a͟͢ńa̕͜e̵v͏̨a͘h̴͡t͟͏͜ńo͏d̷Į waved her hand and more and more “Vandalized” Portraits came to life, surrounding the Egos and their Creator.  All four of the Septics, with their backs to one another, tried to come up with a plan.  They were outnumbered and soon the numbers game had caught up to them.  Each Septic was being dragged to different blank canvases and the live paintings were trying to pull them into the paintings.  Make them a permanent fixture and EmanaevahtnodI would finally have her perfect painting.
“Erin!”
Jackie’s heart stopped when he heard the voice of the new arrival!   ‘No, no, no, no!  She couldn’t be here!’
Everyone turned their heads to see Lou Huffle standing in the doorway.
==========================
A/N:  I know I left on a cliffhanger, but I had too.  I kept trying to write the ending but it just kept coming up crappy, overused, and basically it felt like I try to repeat myself.  So, any ideas on how to save Erin from the Corruption in her mind will be greatly appreciated!  And I might take a step back and come back to this later.
The next chapter, will have the battle between Lou and Erin!  And also, will be guest starring @egopocalypse!  Yes, River!  I will finally be getting to your chapter!  Not sure when I’ll be posting it but I will!  I promise I will!!
Tagging:  @septic-dr-schneep, @egopocalypse, @huffletrax, @kisstheashes, @kangaroo-roux, @thevampireauthoress, @the-scribe-watches, @a-humble-narcissus, @epicfangirl01, @d-structive, @dolphintreasureart, @droid-dreamer, @weirdmixofweirdness, @10th-no-name-person, @dezzydynamite, @jackjames-exe, @juju-on-that-yeet, @julywinters, @averyancora, @littlepinkchan, @pumpkin-demon, @corruptedmetadata, @nightfuryobsessed, @power-of-friends-games, @starlightstarfight, @fear-is-nameless, @chaoticcrimsonrose, @thefirsttobreak, @shadowsinyoursoul
15 notes · View notes
zacharybosch · 5 years
Text
Playing God - chapter 4
dinner is served, with another beautiful illustration by @theseavoices!
chapter 1: tumblr / ao3
chapter 2: tumblr / ao3
chapter 3: tumblr / ao3
read Playing God chapter 4 below or on ao3
When Will finally returned home, it was past two in the morning. This wasn’t normally a problem as being tired and falling asleep were, like most human functions, entirely optional activities for Will. He would sometimes sleep just to pass the time or check out from existence for a while, or to give an authentic impression of just-awoken grogginess if he was expecting a visitor the next morning.
But on this occasion, Will did have a genuine feeling of exhaustion that he was unable to shake off. Growing his hair had certainly taken it out of him, but the most taxing part of the evening had been afterward, when Hannibal played barber in his marble monstrosity of a bathroom.
The knowledge of Hannibal’s odd affection for him had always been a little disturbing, but Will had managed to acclimatise to its various forms without too much trouble. Having Hannibal perform such an intimate service, however, was something that Will felt he would never get used to; it was all hands on necks and fingers in hair, and Will hadn’t realised just how touch-starved he was until he found himself leaning into the cradle of Hannibal’s palms.
It had always been too much to hope that Hannibal would just leave it as a simple haircut. He’d washed Will’s hair over the sink, prepped it with all manner of oils and sprays, and even performed a half-hour scalp massage. The effort it had taken Will not to just leap out of his chair and start rubbing himself all over Hannibal was phenomenal. He was so warm.
There had been a truly humiliating moment where Hannibal had dragged a comb firmly over Will’s scalp and through the damp ends of his hair, and it had felt so good that Will’s fangs extended all the way out before he realised what was happening.
“Does that always happen?” Hannibal had asked, combing through another section of Will’s hair, eyes alight with pleasure. “I had no idea you held me in such high regard.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Will gritted out. “It’s an involuntary reaction. They’ll tuck themselves away again… in a minute…” Hannibal hand sunk his fingers back into Will’s hair and against his scalp again, applying pressure with delicious expertise and making Will gasp for breath for the second time that evening.
“If they’re out,” Hannibal murmured, suddenly very close to Will’s ear, “you might as well put them to good use.”
For a few dangerous seconds, Will had let his head loll to the side, parted lips and razor-sharp teeth just a breath away from giving Hannibal what he wanted. The moment hung between them, syrup-thick, lethal.
Then Will had come back to himself, clamped his mouth shut, and remained silent and still until the haircut was finished.
Letting Hannibal cut his hair had felt like a very bad choice at the time, but as Will shook out his bedsheets to dislodge the light coating of dust, he reflected that maybe it wasn’t such a bad choice after all. It had done more to reel Hannibal in than any number of careful ‘therapy’ sessions had, even getting him to the point of suggesting that Will bite him. Of course, it also put Will on a very slippery slope, but if he could get Hannibal to admit what he was sooner rather than later, then the slope might not matter. As soon as Hannibal was out of the picture, Will would be able to pull himself back up onto an even keel.
As false hopes went, it was a good one, and Will fell quickly into a deep and dreamless sleep.
***
The next day, Jack ambushed Will in the underground parking garage after his evening subsistence appointment.
“Nice haircut,” he said, leaning against Will’s car door. “Hannibal have anything to do with that?”
“What? No.” Will was faintly surprised at the lie even as it rolled off his tongue, and ran a hand self-consciously over the back of his neck. “It just… needed cutting. What do you want?”
“I want you to talk to me.”
“About what?”
“You know what. You said it wouldn’t take long. That was almost two months ago. What’s happening?”
Will groped around for an answer. What was happening? He’d fully intended to go through with Jack’s plan as initially laid out: reveal himself to Hannibal, forge a connection, and make Hannibal want to reveal himself in turn. It was true that he’d thought it wouldn’t take long. But both Jack and Will himself had made the fatal mistake of assuming that Will was just a man like any other, and that temptation for him was just a matter of willpower, and not a full-body, bone-deep, inexorable pull.
Somewhere along the way, Will had stopped trying to actively resist. He was much further down that slippery slope than he’d let himself believe.
“Nothing!” Will said, too loud. “Nothing’s happening. He’s not giving me anything. He just keeps talking about the things he wants me to do.”
“Has he asked you to do anything illegal?”
No, just to bite him and drink from him and willingly smash my self-control into tiny little pieces, Will didn’t say. “Nothing illegal. Plenty that my Keepers wouldn’t approve of.”
“Forget about them. You need to do whatever is necessary.” Will made to protest, but Jack held up a hand. “Do I have to remind you what he did to Miriam?”
“I know what he did to Miriam! I see it every day!”
“Then why aren’t you trying to draw him out?” Jack bellowed, his voice echoing hollowly around the concrete pillars.
“I am,” Will said weakly.
“No, you’re not. If you were trying, we’d have results by now.” Jack drew a hand over his face and sighed. He looked exhausted. “You have hundreds of years of experience behind you. If you were trying, you would’ve had him wrapped around your finger within days. All you’d have to do is ask him where the smoking gun is, and he’d place it in your hands.” Will looked away guiltily. Jack was uncomfortably close to the truth. “Don’t let him drag you down to your base nature. You’ve been living clean for years. You’re better than that.”
That phrase, you’ve been living clean for years, was a favourite of Jack’s, and it made Will grind his teeth to dust. A well-intentioned, uncomfortable reminder that every day Will was choosing to let these people control him. “I’m know what I’m doing. I’d rather take my time than risk making a mistake and sending him into hiding.”
“The longer you take, the more chance he has to kill again. Don’t forget that,” Jack said, pushing away from Will’s car. “Have a good night, Will.”
Will remained fixated on Jack’s words for the entire drive home. It was an uncomfortable truth, but a truth nonetheless: he hadn’t been trying as hard as he could have. In the past, he’d had people signing over their life savings within minutes, declaring their undying love for him within hours, killing for him within days. Even Hannibal, for all his cunning and twisty side-stepping, would have a hard time resisting when Will was operating with his sharpest and most lethal state of mind.
But why hadn’t Will been trying? To say that he was scared of falling off the wagon would only be half right. The fact of the matter was that he was simply enjoying Hannibal’s company. Against his better judgement, against everything he knew about what Hannibal had done, Will found himself falling far too easily into a friendship in which he felt like an equal; not a tool to be used, or a monster to be controlled, but just a man to be liked.
It was too tender a thing to look at directly, and Will knew that it wouldn’t, couldn’t last. Letting it drag out like this was madness. He was only going to end up hurting himself when the time eventually came to deliver Hannibal to the hands of justice.
Upon his arrival at home, Will found a neat little card in his mailbox, inviting him to an eating-optional dinner the following night. It was these small intimate gestures, hand-lettering his invitations and fetching him glasses of water, that would leave such huge holes in his life when they were gone.
***
As a free vampire Will had generally been fairly neat when biting and feeding, but there were some occasions where, for various reasons, he’d had cause to go beyond the clean puncture of teeth and had ripped flesh from bone. Most of the time it had been due to a sudden and hasty getaway; it was not always so easy to cleanly detach oneself from one’s victim, and sometimes a small chunk of flesh remained in the mouth. The remaining few times had been purely for indulgence.
Every person had their own unique flavour, but each piece of meat was underlined by the same undeniably human taste. A taste that, once experienced, was difficult to ever truly forget, although as it had been many countless years since Will had last taken such a bite, the memory of it had become quite faded in his mind.
It all came flooding back, however, when he had his first mouthful of the dinner that Hannibal had finally persuaded him to eat. How could they all have been so blind? The Ripper was never taking surgical trophies. He was taking ingredients.
The meat said: I know that you know.
Hannibal must have figured out somehow that Will was on to him. Whether he knew of Jack’s tangled mess of a plot was still up for debate, but judging from the veritable eye-fucking Hannibal was giving him, it was clear: Hannibal knew that Will knew about him, and he was daring Will to admit it. It was an outrageously reckless power move, presenting Will with exactly the kind of evidence he needed to lock Hannibal up for life and trusting that Will just wouldn’t report it.
The meat said: You know, and you’re willingly eating the evidence.
He could tell Jack. He could take the plate right now, and flee from the house straight to Quantico. He could send the meat to the lab for testing. He could present this hard, undeniable evidence and get Hannibal swiftly brought to justice.
He could also take another bite of human steak and eye-fuck Hannibal right back.
The meat said: You know, you’re eating the evidence, and you don’t want to stop.
It felt alarmingly good to be played in such a way. Will was so used to being the apex predator, able to out-think and out-manoeuvre at a moment’s notice, that to be thrown something so brazen, so shockingly outré as to make his mind stutter and stall, was a new and bizarre pleasure.
With every bite, it became harder and harder for Will to keep his fangs from extending. The meat tasted so good, rare and bloody and everything he’d forgotten that he wanted. He knew what he must look like, shovelling great heaping piles of the stuff into his mouth and almost moaning with every slide of flesh over his tongue; he knew that Hannibal must be enjoying watching him as much as Will was enjoying eating.
Will looked up from his plate to see Hannibal across the table, food largely untouched. If Will didn’t know better, he could’ve thought that Hannibal himself was a vampire, so hungrily did he watch Will. It was intoxicating to be watched like that, not with fear or disgust as he had been watched so many times in the past, but with curiosity, desire, and shameless possessiveness.
And then there really was no hope left; Will’s fangs slid out with a curl of his lip and a quiet snick, and Hannibal was immediately standing at his side, and he was raising a hand to Will’s face, and he was dragging two fingers slowly over Will’s needle-sharp teeth.
Will didn’t hear his fork clatter noisily against his plate, and he didn’t hear the deep, almost purring sound he made when Hannibal placed his thumb and ring finger against his jaw to hold his head in place. The fingers on his teeth remained there, rubbing slowly.
Tumblr media
“How many people have you fed from, Will?”
Will tipped his head back just enough for Hannibal’s fingertips to slide off his teeth and land on his chin, trailing saliva. “Thousands.”
“How many have you drained?”
“Hundreds.”
“How many have you turned?”
“None.”
“Never found another worthy of the gift?”
“Never found anyone I wanted,” Will said, taking hold of Hannibal’s hand where it still rested against his jaw and using it to pull Hannibal down into his lap. “That may be changing.”
Hannibal looked almost coquettish, sitting in Will’s lap and murmuring, “Have you met someone new?”
“I met him a while ago. But I’m thinking of him differently.” Will dropped his gaze to Hannibal’s lips and meant it to be a light, fleeting thing, but found that he couldn’t look away. “I know some things about him now that I didn’t know back then.”
“Good things?”
“Interesting things. I’m sure there’s more that he’s not telling me. I can see he holds secrets caged behind his teeth.”
“Perhaps he’s never found anyone worthy of those secrets.”
“He knows plenty of worthy people. But no-one he wants.”
Kissing Hannibal felt utterly inevitable at that point, so that was exactly what Will did. Jack’s words ricocheted around inside his skull, you need to do whatever’s necessary, and he almost wanted to laugh, sure that this wasn’t quite what Jack had had in mind.
Instead, Will threaded a hand into Hannibal’s hair and pulled his head back.
“Is it smart for you to be doing this? I might bite your tongue off.”
“As I might bite yours.”
“I know why I’d bite your tongue. Why would you bite mine?”
It was foolish to think that Hannibal would simply say, Because I’m a cannibal, of course, but when he just smiled in response Will couldn’t help the rising tide of frustration. It wasn’t even about getting the confession; the meat on their plates was all the evidence that Will needed. But Will just wanted some of Hannibal’s secrets in return for the ones Will had given him; he was potentially fucking up the whole plan for Hannibal’s sake, and Hannibal couldn’t even extend the courtesy of the truth.
It was too much of a snarling, angry mess to think about, particularly when he was already feeling so uniquely compromised, so Will stopped thinking and carried on kissing. Hannibal’s mouth was hot and wet and still filled with the taste of bloody meat, and Will let himself become lost in it.
26 notes · View notes
andrewuttaro · 5 years
Text
New Look Sabres: GM 12 - DET
Tumblr media
One day my children will ask me what it was like to watch Jake McCabe in his prime. They’ll ask me: Daddy, how did our hero block shots so much and still have the strength to score goals and wreck fools? I’ll tell them it was the enduring power of the crossed swords crest and they’ll be Sabres fans forever. I’ll also tell them the Buffalo Sabres really turned the page from the dark days when they started responding. Responding to what, daddy? Losses, child: when they decided to start following losses, ugly losses, with shutout wins every single time, that was when they really turned the page. Speaking of the pages of history: I’ve been diving into the Buffalo Sabres 50Years Special Section of the Buffalo News for a couple weeks looking at their most historic games. I was prepared to default to that list for my reoccurring segment “Greatest Game Against” after each divisional matchup. When I put it out on twitter however I got some real beauties including a submission from @RegalMoustachio (Dan Ball) that is… for lack of better phrasing: Very 1980s. Allow me to paint you a picture: it’s December 23rd, 1987. Christmas is only a couple days away. Ted Sator is Head Coach and Phil Housley is the top defenseman (mind you Lindy Ruff is the Captain of this team) for a Sabres club mired in mediocrity for closing in on a decade. Sabre Kevin Maguire takes a run at Red Wings goalie Zach Stefan after Sabres goalie Tom Barrasso had apparently taken a fist in the shnoz earlier in the game. Here’s the link () go watch it, I can’t do it justice. For the next five minutes after the hit on Stefan it just escalates and escalates. Eventually Bob Probert fights Maguire and it got ugly. I don’t mean to glorify fighting but dear lord, watch that highlight and tell me that doesn’t color the history between these two teams. Last night’s game was Jake McCabe’s revenge game. He was taking revenge on all us nerds who said he’s not an absolute G. Sure he’s no Rasmus Dahlin, but he puts the Buff in Buffalo Sabres. And he did it in a game we really needed it. For the third time this season they responded to a loss with a win. For the second time this season they responded to a loss with a shutout win. For the first time this season my man Linus Ullmark has a shutout!
I was at Frightworld in Tonawanda for the entirety of this game, but the early returns clearly tended toward a snooze-fest. It appeared the Red Wings were dominating that telling statistical categories like 5 on 5 scoring chances and expected goals. They dominated the most basic statistic that is shots for the first period as they got doubled up 12-6. Luckily there were no goals against. You see a period like that and you kinda expect the worst. I went on record before this game and said if they don’t demolish the Red Wings then the first rant of the season from yours truly was coming. That rant was being prepared as I walked through the Storm Area 51 house fearing the Sabres would lose to two bad teams two nights in a row more than the face-panted acting students jumping out at me. Unfortunately we got another Rasmus Dahlin stinker this first period. I feel like I said everything I needed to say about Dahlin’s sketchy play lately after the Rangers game, but I didn’t say what I wanted to change other than don’t give over turnovers, bud. What I probably would’ve asked for occurred: Henri Jokiharju was moved up to Dahlin’s pairing and they had quite a bit more chemistry than Dahlin and Colin Miller had. In spite of that roster move, Dahlin was trying to move the puck out of the defensive zone and somehow yielded it right to Andreas Athanasiou. Athanasiou took a shot, got in back and passed it to another guy who almost out maneuvered a stick-less Ullmark. Luckily that was the worst it got in the first… well other than that Valtteri Filppula breakaway in the first five minutes… ugh, we were really lucky to survive that period scoreless weren’t we? Yikes.
The Red Wings are a team you’re not allowed to lose to. They’re like the Ottawa Senators, they’re biggest goal right now is to get a high-first round draft pick. They have real NHLers in the minors. Detroit has a team caught between then and now. You got the ghost of Niklas Kronwall on one line and USA Hockey Magazine poster boy Dylan Larkin on another. Evidently they’re taking one more dip in the tank in this year’s spicy good draft and so you have to beat them because frankly they want you to! Both the lines of REO Speedwagon and the Roaring Twenties had their chances through the first half of this game but how are you being out-chanced by the Red Wings! How? I very well could go on a rant but kinda like the night before I just have too many early good feels about this team right now to rant at em after a win. To their credit they actually got more shots and high-danger chances in the second period. All the while Jake McCabe is blocking shots like and absolute hero. And so it was his time to be the star before any of the big names that have found their way onto this club: Eichel gets knocked to the ice after laying a hit on Tyler Bertuzzi and Jake McCabe gets the puck near the Wings blueline and thinks for a moment. He decides to take the shot and it zings right past Jimmy Howard into the net for the first goal of the game. 1-0 Sabres with 8:20 left in the second. Buffalo finally had some good play for the remainder of the period including almost another goal from McCabe. Almost. Either way Jake McCabe became my Hard-Working again this game. He’s one of those phenomenons in cities like Buffalo where the populace just canonizes players they deem tough and diligent. I understand he’s not actually that good as anything more than a role player. That’s fine. Let’s celebrate the role players too because we’re winning games we don’t look so hot in because of them right now.
The third period was rowdy. So we’ve established Dylan Larkin is hot stuff. Evidently on a tanking team he takes on the role of penalty drawer. He gets Kyle Okposo for interference; he gets Colin Miller for tripping; watch the replays that data wasn’t all that convincing to me. No amount of powerplay time could save his team now though. The Sabres got a powerplay after Trevor Daley high-sticked Kyle Okposo and the mercenary unit that is this team’s powerplay that we fell in love with in the first six games came back with a vengeance. With all the video replay powers of modern technology I still don’t think I have enough angles on the absolute gem of a goal Sam Reinhart tapped in. It went from Jeff Skinner to Jack Eichel to Victor Olofsson to Sam Reinhart parked in front of the net and in. It was a thing of splendor and maybe one of those goals we look back on months from now. I mean… Jimmy Howard definitely botched that one hard but nonetheless the 2-0 goal here for the Sabres was just beyond magnificent. Unfortunately that goal deserved better than this game. For the remaining 18+ minutes Larkin went on drawing penalties, getting shots and Detroit never looked out of it. You look at 2-0 box score and think that may have not required a herculean effort from a goalie, this one did. Linus got his pad or a stick or a blocker on so many shots this game. He earned his first shutout of the season blocking 41 shots! That’s only 6 shy of the shots blocked Hutton got in his shutout Tuesday that earned him an NHL star of the week honor. I love Ullmark but he shouldn’t have had to do that much work against Detroit. This is a game the Sabres should have dominated a bit more than they did. They could not manage the clean zone exits and entries they did in the very early going of this season and had Detroit not skated around wasting minutes on end on offense then this game could’ve turned out differently. Nonetheless this one ended 2-0 Sabres and our squad improved to 9-2-1 leaving only one game left in October against a very hot Coyotes squad. Isn’t it nice to think at the absolute worst they’ll end this month 9-3-1? Crazy times we live in, eh?
A couple notes before we turn wholeheartedly into Buffalo Bills mode tomorrow: Sabres Stats tweeted in his 164 games as Sabres coach Phil Housley got them 5 shutouts while in 12 games as Head Coach Ralph Krueger has already gotten them 3. That’s a stat that one might call almost worthless, the Robin Lehner years were fraught but there is a grain of something telling in there. I also share the sentiment of many Sabres fans that a Skinner-Eichel reunion feels necessary at this point. “Skinhel” as I’ll call that combo because I’m feeling spooky, is something that can be unleashed like the blue shell powerup in Mario Cart. You use it when you really need to save your ass. We’re not to that point yet but I too feel that temptation. Before we warp this up your reply guy tweet of the game goes to none other than NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman who when asked about the efficacy of the current playoff format responded: “We think the format works well… unless you’re a Leafs fan.” BURN! That burn was so hot it just ensured it’s going to be a mild winter in southern Ontario! I can say for myself that such a comment is immediately my favorite Gary Bettman quote of all-time. There’s no beating that. Like, share and comment this blog as you go about your Saturday fun. I have nothing to say about the Coyotes Monday night other than maybe don’t let em get every shot they want like Detroit did last night. They will probably make you pay more often than not. Let’s Go Buffalo!
Thanks for Reading.
P.S. What are you looking to about the trip to Sweden for the Global Series? I am so not used to my sports teams getting fun opportunities like that. I don’t know how to get pumped for it.
1 note · View note