#the first few weeks were the worst but earlier this month i felt like i’d kind of plateau’d

[fingertipsmp3]

I’m not sure if the seasonal depression is hitting especially hard this year or if I’m just grieving for Mabel or if I’m finally going irreparably insane or if life/people is being unfair towards me or all of the above

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

The Kumquat (The Surprise, Part 4)

Emily Prentiss x fem!reader Warnings: pregnancy times, established relationship, fluff on fluff on fluff, some references to past sexual trauma (nothing graphic), a Pap smear (aka the WORST medical exam and I will stand by that) Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: It's Emily's first non-local case since finding out you were pregnant, and you're both struggling. Especially because it means she'll have to miss you first prenatal appointment–and the first sound of your baby's heartbeat. Maybe there's still a way to share the moment, though...

Week 10: The Kumquat

Your heart beat wildly as you pulled into the parking lot of the OBGYN’s office. You wiped your sweaty palms on your jeans and checked your phone. Nothing. You groaned and rubbed your forehead.

You had a hard time with doctors, particularly with gynecologists–a stubborn remnant of past trauma. Emily knew that. Emily knew it was your first appointment and that you’d be scared. She’d wanted to come along; she would have asked all the questions you'd forget.

But duty called. It always did. You’d gotten lucky over the last month since finding out you were pregnant. The BAU hadn’t caught any huge cases and, even the cases they did catch had been local enough that Emily still made it home to you most nights. But, of course, your luck had run out.

You were angry with Emily for leaving, but you knew that was unreasonable. This is what you’d signed up for. Her job was important to her. It was important to you. The fact that she was so passionate about and dedicated to her team and the work they did was one of the things you loved most about her. You were always sad to see her leave and, yes, sometimes frustrated when she had to miss things you’d planned together, but at the end of the day, you knew she loved you, and that was all that mattered.

But this time. This time you were struggling. You tried not to take it out on Emily too much; it wasn’t her fault that your hormones were going wild. You were more everything than usual. More angry at her for leaving, more sad while she was gone, more terrified of going to the doctor.

You glared at your message-less phone for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and texting Emily.

Headed into the OBGYN🤞 I wish you were here. Be safe love 💗

You waited a few minutes with no response, taking a deep breath to swallow your rage. For all you knew, she could be in a bulletproof vest trying to talk down a murderer right now. She loves you, you reminded yourself. If she could be here, she would.

In the office, you were assaulted with the smell of rubbing alcohol and Lysol. You filled out what felt like a full novella of personal and family medical history. When they finally called you back, you felt like a science experiment–poked and prodded and measured. When the doctor pulled out the stirrups, you flinched.

“Is that necessary?” you asked.

She nodded at you. “Sorry. It’s just been long enough since your last Pap smear that I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

You hated it. Hated the whole process, you always did. It was painful and invasive and it made you remember things you’d really rather not remember. Emily usually went with you, to let you squeeze her hand and to whisper that it was okay, you were safe.

You clenched and felt tears prick at your eyes as the cold metal forced its way into you. Hands gripping at the paper covering the seat, you tried your very best to imagine Emily’s voice, her face, the smell of her hair. And you tried not to feel too furious that she wasn’t there. It’s not her fault, you repeated like a mantra.

They took some blood, they asked about running tests to screen for the baby’s health.

“Yes,” you said. “Run all of them.”

“The good news,” the doctor continued, “about these tests is that you also get to find out the gender earlier if that’s something you want.”

You knew you’d need to talk to Emily about it, but part of you didn’t want to know. Emily stubbornly calling the baby he, so sure was she that it was a boy, and you calling the baby she out of pure spite, had become an endearing part of your pregnancy to you. You might just rather be surprised.

“Now for the fun part!” the doctor said, clapping her hands together. “Would you like to try and find the heartbeat?”

Your stomach fluttered with excitement. “Really!? Isn’t it too early?”

“Sometimes we can hear it early with Doppler.”

You nodded vigorously, lifting up your shirt. It was the only time in your life you’d voluntarily had a doctor examine you.

She pressed the device to your lower belly, searching for sound. You waited rapt, barely breathing, so scared were you that you’d miss it.

But then: a whooshing sound and a quick, urgent, pattering heartbeat. Your baby’s heartbeat. You grinned wide.

“That’s her?” you asked, giddy.

The doctor nodded.

You felt like crying, from pure joy, but also because you wished Emily was here. She would be so sad, so sad, to have missed this. But maybe you could bring the heartbeat to her.

You took out your phone. “Can I record this?” you asked. “I want to send it to my wife.”

“Of course,” the doctor said.

You pressed the record button on your Voice Memos, and recorded a good thirty seconds of the baby’s heartbeat, knowing that Emily would listen to it again and again and again.

When you finally left the office, proud of yourself, you hopped in the car and checked your phone. Still nothing. You sent off another text to Emily.

Must be a hard day. ❤️Here’s something to cheer you up! 👶🏻🫀I miss you. Call when you can.

Later that night, as you lay in bed reading, your phone started buzzing. You smiled wide. Emily.

“Good evening, Agent Prentiss,” you joked.

“The heartbeat!” she squealed, so loud you had to hold the phone away from your ear.

You grinned and gushed. “Isn’t it the most beautiful heartbeat you’ve ever heard!?”

“Yes! After yours, of course.”

“Wow, you’re laying it on thick.”

“I’ve got a lot to make up for.” Emily sounded genuinely sad. “Honey, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”

“It’s okay,” you said, most of your anger dissipating the moment the words I’m sorry left her mouth.

“It’s not okay. I should’ve been there. You hate going to the doctor, and it’s our baby. It’ll get easier after we tell my team. Then I can take a step back.”

“It’s really okay, Em.”

She sighed, and you could tell there was nothing you could say that would alleviate her guilt. She’d carry it with her until she was home again, until she could scoop you up and hold you and take care of you the way she wanted to.

“Was everything okay? With you and Little Kumquat?”

“Kumquat looks good. Healthy as a horse. I–” You thought about the Pap smear, the taste of metal seeping into your mouth. “I’m okay, too.”

“You’re lying.” Emily’s voice shifted, now deep and concerned. “Y/N, what happened?”

“I’m not lying!” Sometimes you really hated being married to a profiler.

Emily grew more panicked. “Is something wrong? Honey, do I need to come home?”

“No! Em, it’s just…” You sighed, picking at your fingernails. “They had to do a Pap smear.”

The line was quiet for a moment before Emily spoke, her voice thick with emotion. “Oh, honey. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you answered, shaky, afraid if you tried to say more you might start crying.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. I know how hard those are for you.”

You stayed quiet, willing yourself not to cry. Emily felt guilty enough; you crying would make it ten times worse.

“Listen, I’m at a hotel tonight, okay? I’ll have my phone by me all night. I know sometimes you get nightmares after, so just call me if you wake up, okay?”

“Emily, you don’t have to do that,” you said softly. “You need sleep.”

“I won’t sleep one wink if I’m worried about you all night, so promise me you’ll call.”

“Okay. I promise.”

“Thank you. Ugh, Rossi’s waving me over. I gotta go, but I love you so much, and I miss you every second, and I can’t wait to get home to you.” 

“I love you, too.”

You slept with your phone on the pillow next to you that night, and it wasn’t the same as having Emily there, especially when you woke up gasping in a cold sweat. But her voice lulling you back to sleep was pretty close, and you were so, so glad to have her–even from far away.

[talking-books-n-spice]

Regalia City - Club Honey

This is the first story in my Regalia City Series!

Plot: Your friend dragged you out to the newest club that's just opened, and through pure circumstance you meet the owner, who appears to be a charming Fae male...or is he?

First Person Female Reader POV NSFW

TW: Implied mind control/magical influence (if there's more, please let me know in comments or DM)

A/N: If you spot any spelling mistakes, please let me know! <3

At 27 you would think I’d know better than to let Lindsey talk me into going out on the town by now.

It was my first weekend off from work in two weeks, and Lindsey thought the best way for me to spend my hard earned money was to check out the newest club that had opened earlier that month.

The Hive.

It was apparently a 25+ only club on Sunday nights, which would eliminate a lot of the Regalia Tech students and the usual overly rowdy crowd.

There were protests to this ruling (of course), but since Friday and Saturday night were normal nights, their complaints fell on deaf ears. The police and lawyers of the city had even taken the club’s side, as it kept drug distribution and drunken disorderlies on the lower end.

Much to Lindsey’s protest, I’d chosen to wear my most comfortable and cute green dress for the night. I had to remind her that unlike her, I wasn’t actively prowling for a bed buddy. I was joining her at the club to keep her drinks safe, and to have some fun myself.

The club had been built on the corner of Marine Way and Bedell Street, putting it right in the crossroads of the Warehouse District and Late Night Row.

As we got in line behind a half-orc and his human boyfriend, I could feel the bass from the music through the walls. From here you could just barely catch a few beats of the song playing.

A cooler breeze blew by, making me shiver and dance in place.

“I always forget how cold it gets at night this time of year.” I mumbled, rubbing my hands over my bare arms to keep them warm.

Lindsey shifted back and forth on her feet, “I really need to stop wearing open toed heels.” When I gave her a tiny smug smile, as I’d advised her to wear her spiked books instead of the heels, she gave me a hard swat on the arm, making me giggle.

We kept ourselves distracted from the cold by catching up on our respective works’ weekly gossip.

Being the only human assistant manager at a clothes’ store tailored towards Naga, Lindsey usually dealt with the worst kinds of customers and coworkers. If she wasn’t of the “Out Crazy The Crazy” mentality, she’d have quit ages ago. Instead she trucked on, and helped bring in the best sales the store has seen since its opening.

By the time we got to the door, we were having to speak a bit louder in order to be heard over the music that was barely being contained.

The bouncer, an orc standing at 7ft with shoulders wider than the doorframe, gave our IDs a quick check, then gestured for us to go inside.

When I stepped over the threshold I felt as though I’d walked through a sheet of jell-o, raising goosebumps on my arms and legs. Lindsey pointed to the doorframe, “They’ve got this place juiced.”

Looking to where she pointed I saw runes carved into the wood of the doorframe. I couldn’t tell which language they belonged to, but they were clearly active as they were softly glowing in a golden hue.

“Maybe it's an age repellant? You can’t get through if you’re not the right age?” I suggested as we continued down the carpeted stone steps.

From outside, the building had looked like just another warehouse that was in better condition than the rest. If not for the neon yellow honeycomb shaped sign that hung outside the door, no one would know where this place was.

The stairs took us down two flights, then leveled out into a short hallway. Strobing rainbow lights and the silhouettes of dancing bodies beckoned us forward.

The scene we stepped into was something you could truly only find in Regalia City.

The warehouse had been dug down deeper by two stories and divided into two floors.

We entered into the lower floor, which was specifically for the dancers.The floor beneath our feet was designed to look like honeycomb carved from amber, and with each step you took, the section of comb beneath your feet briefly lit up in muted rainbow tones. It was somehow working with the strobe lights overhead, creating just enough lighting that you could see where you were going and who you were standing next to.

The second floor held the stage and equipment for the DJ, and a walkway built into the walls of the warehouse above, connecting to a larger section filled with tables and booths for people to sit and drink.

“This place is bananas!” Lindsey yelled over the music.

Unable to resist I yelled back, “I think you mean, its the BEES KNEES!”

“I hate you so much right now!” Lindsey cackled and towed me towards the bar that I’d missed with my initial sweep.

There was a bar built into the wall just to our right, and I couldn’t quite see it from the lower level, but I thought I could see the edge of another bar on the upper level as well.

We got a couple shots, tossed them back, and went to the dance floor.

~~~*****~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple hours, and a few drinks later, I was up on the second floor sitting at a table and sipping some water.

Tequila and excessive jumping around to music do not agree with my stomach.

I’d lost track of Lindsey at least an hour ago when she’d started shoving her tongue down a Naga’s throat. She’d given me the thumbs up behind his back, our basic signal that she was still conscious of what she was doing and that I didn’t need to follow them back to his place.

The DJ was playing a remix version of a song I knew, but couldn’t remember the name of. Each time the beat dropped, and ramped back up the dancers went nuts. Earlier when I’d first come up to the upper level, I’d looked over the railing and watched the dancers.

It was almost hypnotic to watch all their individual bodies moving in time to the music. Groups that had come to the club together would slowly sync up their movements, and you’d see these clumps of people moving in tandem just slightly against the rest of the floor. Add in the honeycomb lighting and it gave me a really strong impression of actual bees in a hive communicating.

Thinking back on that notion, I swept my gaze around the booths and tables.

If this was a kind of beehive, then there had to be someone here who was something of a Queen.

“...OMG is that?”

“No way, what are the odds?!”

“Can you get a pic?! No one will believe us if we don’t have proof!”

There was a group of women in the booth just next to mine, and they’d been relatively calm a second ago, now they were practically clambering over one another to peer over the top of their booth.

Following their line of sight I was able to spot who they were watching.

Over at the bar, a man was behind the counter speaking with the bartender. I’d guess his height to be about 6ft, in his yellow long sleeved shirt, and black slacks, I could see he was lean but not in the skinny sense. 

I had to wait for the white strobe lights to flash some white in his direction to see the rich gold of his hair which was styled in what I think is called a wolf cut.

With another flash of white light, I caught sight of movement just behind his shoulder.

‘Wings!’

“Rue! Can we get a picture?! Pretty please?!” 

One of the women in their booth must have had just a bit more to drink than her friends, as she’d gotten onto her knees on the seat cushion and started hollering at the man while waving her hand to get his attention.

Her friends were trying to get her to sit back down, nervously giggling and whisper yelling at her.

Fully immersed in the entertainment that was happening, I tried my best not to break out laughing and draw attention to myself. Lindsey was going to be so jealous she missed this, (or not, considering she’s probably getting her rocks off with the Naga.)

To my amazement, as well as the women’s, Rue must have heard her over the music. He said something to the bartender, who laughed, and he came out from behind the counter and made his way towards the group of women.

As he got closer the women subtly adjusted their push-up bras, skirts, and hair to further enhance their best assets.

Sipping at my drink I couldn’t stop watching.

I had no idea who Rue was, but I did know he was quite handsome, and he was most definitely a Fae. 

I got a better look at the wings that fluttered and twitched with each step he took, their shape was almost like that of a bumblebee’s, except the rounded curves drew out into points. 

When he reached their table and turned to the side, I could make out a honeycomb pattern in the membrane.

Between his clothes and wings, I had a sneaking suspicion as to who he was.

“Good evening ladies. Are you enjoying your time here?”

Even from where I was sitting, I could hear the honeyed tone of his voice in each syllable of his words. 

A flush of heat tickled over my skin, and looking at the other women, I could tell they were just as enamored as I was. A couple of them had their mouths slightly open in a gape, while the woman who had initially called him over looked ready to rip his clothes off.

They giggled and chirped their replies about loving the club.

Rue’s lips drew back in a pleased smile, “Glad to hear it. Now what was this about wanting a picture?” His head tilted the slightest bit as he leaned in a little closer, and I swear I heard one of the women gasp.

‘It’s like watching a porno’s opening.’ I thought, still amused.

They all spoke at once and scrambled to dig out their phones from their tiny purses.

There was a bit of squabbling about who’s phone they would use and who would take the picture, since the one taking the picture would need to be the furthest from Rue to get everyone in the shot.

Rue’s smile stayed in place, and I wondered if he was amused or simply used to this scene happening.

His wings gave a small flutter, and his head turned in my direction.

There had still been a decent bit of distance between my spot and where he’d stopped to talk to the group, so I hadn’t been able to tell what color his eyes were.

Now as they locked with mine, I could see they were a vibrant shade of amber with a thicker black ring around the iris.

I was grateful I hadn’t taken a drink of water just then, as I would have surely choked.

Having his full attention on me was electrifying. ‘No wonder those women were losing their minds just to get a picture.’

Rue lifted his hand and gestured for me to come over.

I didn’t hesitate, or even consider declining. I was out of my seat and walking over to him.

“Hi there, I’m sorry to inconvenience you, but would you mind taking a picture for us?” 

Rue’s honey voice dribbled into my ears, and that flush I’d felt before turned into a wave of heat.

The women in the booth immediately latched onto the idea, and implored me to help them out, even offering to buy me my next drink in exchange.

Again, I didn’t even consider turning them…him…down.

“I don’t mind at all. In fact you’ve asked just the right person. I’m a photographer by trade.” 

This got me a burst of excited exclamations from the women, and Rue’s smile somehow managed to shift into something just a touch more interested.

Or was that just my imagination?

One of the women offered me her phone, which they’d agreed was the better to use as it had the best camera.

I had Rue sit dead center and had two women sit on each side of him. I took a couple pictures in this arrangement, then asked them to switch so everyone had a chance to be center. 

The smiles the women gave me were full of gratitude for giving them each a chance to have that moment. While Rue’s smile remained the same for every single picture.

It was just genuine enough to tell me he didn’t mind being surrounded by beautiful women, but it didn’t quite bring the shine of happiness to his eyes that I could see in the womens’. It was most definitely a rehearsed smile.

When I gave them back the phone and they crunched in close to look at the pictures, they squealed and giggled.

Rue leaned in to get a look and his brows rose, “If that’s the quality you can get with a camera phone, I’d love to see what you can accomplish with a proper camera.”

The women all agreed and asked if I had a social media account, and if I handled weddings and other special events.

Ever prepared for new potential business, I had a couple business cards on hand that I gave out.

To my surprise, Rue snagged one of the cards before I could put the rest away. He read over the information then asked, “I’d hate to take up any more of your time tonight, but could I interest you in a business proposition?”

From the corner of my eye I saw the other women try to cover smiles and eyebrow wiggles.The one that had called Rue over even gave me a subtle thumbs up and mouthed, “Do it for us!”

Who says us ladies can’t offer each other support?

“I was actually going to head home shortly, so I don’t mind at all.”

“Excellent, let’s go talk in my office.” Rue pointed to a door that was behind the bar and labeled ‘STAFF ONLY.’

In any other circumstance, I’d be politely excusing myself from the situation or suggesting a time and place that was more out in the open.

I couldn’t be certain if he was using magical influence, or he was just that charismatic, but my mind and body were completely drawn to this man, and I accepted the invitation.

Following behind him, I was able to get hints of his scent. It was earthy, sweet and floral all blended together with an undertone of something that must be his general musk, and it was making my mouth water.

‘I wonder if he’d taste sweet.’ 

The moment the thought crossed my mind, his wings gave a particularly strong flutter and he gave me a glance over his shoulder that was undeniably heated.

Everything I knew about the Fae came from my required history lessons in high school, and the odd bit of gossip I caught every now and then. One such thing I vaguely recalled was mention of some Fae being able to sense or know when someone was thinking about them, especially if it was something amorous, as it called to their darker nature.

The heat that had settled along my skin turned into a deep flush of equal parts embarrassment and arousal. As he apparently hadn’t minded the idea.

We passed through the staff entrance, and down a small hallway that led to  washrooms and a change room for the staff. At the very end of the hall was an unmarked door. 

This was the door that Rue opened and gestured for me to enter.

Stepping over the threshold I got that sense of walking through a layer of Jell-o again. Glancing at the doorframe I didn’t see any runes, and guessed that these were a different kind designed for security.

The inside of the office was much more spacious, with a light wooden desk, black pleather chairs and a couch, and walls that were designed with even more of the honeycomb pattern.

My curiosity overcame my etiquette, and later I would just play it off as drinking too much, “I apologize if this comes across as rude, but I’ve been wondering since I got here. Why the beehive theme?”

“Let’s just say it’s personal preference.” Rue teased as he took a seat at one end of his couch and invited me to join him.

I’d expected him to sit behind his desk in his sleek looking office chair, what with this being a business talk.

My mind noted that the door was still open, and the heat I’d glimpsed in his eyes a minute ago was gone.

I sat at the opposite end of the couch and practically melted into the soft synthetic material. ‘I might just steal this couch.’

When I appeared to be settled Rue went right into it, “First let me properly introduce myself. My name’s Rue, and I’m the owner of this establishment.”

Finally having that suspicion confirmed I replied in kind. I didn’t bother with a nickname or just my last name, as was a common safety practice when dealing with Fae, since he’d already seen my name on my business card.

“As you know, we’ve only been open for the last month. Our numbers have been good, and with the rotation of our designated nights, I can’t see our customers thinning out in the long run.” As Rue spoke of his business, the honeyed layer I’d heard from his voice before was more subdued. He was also using hands and his eyes were shining, making it clear how proud he was of his club.

“An idea I’ve been toying with is creating an Instagram for the club to better spread the brand. We’ll eventually be offering merchandise online, such as branded shot glasses, shirts, and keychains. For the Instagram account I was thinking of sectioning off a part of the upper level for a photo op area.”

Realizing where he was going with this I asked, “And you’re wanting to hire a professional photographer to work the area?”

Rue’s smile broadened, clearly pleased that I’d followed his trail of thought, “It wouldn’t be every night of the week, but at least once or twice a week for each of the designated nights. Guests would be able to take their own photos with their phones, or they could pay a small fee to have a professional take the photo as well as have it posted to the Club’s Instagram page.”

It was a rather brilliant idea, and not one I’d heard of other clubs doing either. Sure it was common practice for people to take selfies and pictures of the clubs and tag the business, which was great for publicity, but if that person was placed in the club’s feed, it was just as good as the old fashioned Wall of Fame restaurants tended to do.

“That’s a rather smart approach, and as someone that knows the field, I’m sure any photographer that deals with people would jump at the chance to have reliable income.” I deliberately phrased my words this way so it would open the conversation to a proper offer.

The man had only seen a couple pictures taken on a camera phone, he couldn’t possibly want to hire me for such a coveted position based on that.

Rue’s emotions were apparent as he went through confusion then amusement, “I was rather hoping you would be the photographer to jump at the position.”

“I’d be more than happy to take the job, but are you sure you’re wanting to hire me for it? You’ve only seen one picture from a camera phone. I’d be more convinced if you’d gone through my portfolio first.”

Was I fishing for compliments? Maybe just a little. It wasn’t every day a gorgeous man offered a golden work ticket to someone they’d just met 10 minutes ago.

And there was still that heated glance he’d given me earlier.

Some kind of magic had to be at play, as Rue’s eyes warmed, making the vibrant amber change to the color of liquid honey and his voice returned to that deeper, smooth tone, “I could tell from that picture how good your technique is, and I could tell from how you interacted with those women that you’re goal is always to give the customer the best memory captured in the moment. Am I wrong?”

I was so entranced by his voice, I didn’t notice when he’d shifted closer. The space left between our bodies suddenly felt charged, and heat returned to my skin.

“That’s…pretty accurate.” I was having a hard time getting my brain to think of words, as it was more focused on his eyes, and the more potent presence of his scent. I gently cleared my throat, “You’re deceivingly perceptive, you know that?”

Rue laughed, and the sound of it had my heart squeeze in giddiness.

“It's an effective bonus to my magic. Which reminds me…”

It was as if I’d blinked, and the distance between us was gone.

One of his arms was draped over my shoulders, and his other hand held my chin, allowing him to brush the edge of his thumbnail along my bottom lip.

My breathing stuttered and my brain practically flatlined as it tried to process what had just happened.

“...Just what were you thinking about earlier, my flower?” 

Even if I had the ability to control my blush, I doubt I would have been able to do so now. It burned along my cheeks, chest and neck, and where he touched me felt as though my skin was going to burst into flames.

He’d just been offering me a job, and now he was trying to make me admit I’d been having inappropriate thoughts about him.

“I…um…don’t think I should say, since you’re going to be my boss.” 

There was a shift in the air around him as his smile edged into the smirk of a cat that was about to eat the canary, and to my awe I saw the black edge of his iris spread out thin lines across the white of his eyes that interconnected into a honeycomb design. 

It was a startling and enthralling sight.

Rue must have seen my eyes widen, and his gaze lowered to my lips which had parted to release a small gasp. He seemed to give me a moment to react, as if he were expecting me to try and pull away. When I didn’t do any such thing he inched a little closer, “You’re not my employee just yet, and I think you’ll find the work environment rather lax in that regard.”

The hand that held my chin grazed up along my jaw to cup my cheek, a means to keep me in place and make room for his lips as they came down to meet mine.

The moment his lips captured mine, I heard the door swing closed, and every inhibition I had about this behavior left me.

There was no easing into things.

Our kiss was frenzied, as were our hands as our fingers searched and tore at the fastenings of our clothes.

I vaguely felt the clasp of my dress scrape across my scalp as he pulled it over my head, my own hands popped two of his shirt buttons off in my rush to tear it off him.

Lust allowed me to take a moment to scan my eyes over his chest, and every inch of it looked delicious. Particularly the golden hair that started below his belly button and descended beneath the waist of his slacks.

Desperation and curiosity joined forces and propelled me to taste him. 

My mouth trailed kisses from his lips down to his throat, nipping and biting as I went, continuing further down to swipe my tongue over one of his nipples. I felt and heard Rue’s groan, encouraging me to do it again before continuing down.

I moved off the couch and Rue eased himself back, our physical connection never breaking. I wouldn’t let it, my hands or lips needed to keep contact with him. The tang of his skin had the slightest hint of sweetness to it, and that sweetness was the most addicting thing I’d ever tasted.

When my lips reached his treasure trail his hands made quick work of removing his pants. His cock sprang free, and my urgency doubled.

I dragged my nails down his hips as my teeth nipped his skin down to the base of his cock. Rue’s whole body shuddered as he let out another groan. His hands went to my hair to tug on the strands and urge me closer in unspoken encouragement.

Not that I needed any, as I was more than eager to drag my tongue along his cock’s length, giving it a rough flick along the small vein just below the head. Rue hissed a word that wasn’t in English and his grip on my hair briefly tightened.

A bead of precum was already waiting for me along his slit, and I swiped it off with my tongue. I hummed in delight as my taste buds found this to be the strongest hit of sweetness yet. My mouth watered just imagining what his cum must taste like.

My self control held on just enough to make sure I eased him into my mouth, and sucked him in a bit at a time in order to allow my throat to adjust to his girth sliding down. His hands held my head in place and his hips began to snap forward, “My beautiful flower…fuuuuuck your mouth feels so good…so good for me, my flower…”

Over and over his honeyed voice praised me and cursed as he chased his pleasure through the use of my mouth and throat. I’d never been skull fucked before, and in this moment it was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced. I could feel my panties soaking through and the desperation for my own pleasure built to a point that I began to whimper and moan.

“Yes, yes, yeeesss my flower.” Rue’s voice rasped and his hips gave a sharp thrust forward, nearly causing me to gag. He held me in place and I felt the base of his cock engorge forcing my mouth to ease back. There was a strong twitch and a gush of warm, thick liquid surged along my tongue and down my throat.

As I’d hoped, his cum tasted of pure honey with a salted undertone. I swallowed and sucked him dry for every drop.

Rue had to gently force me off his cock, which I did with a pitiful whimper. Lightly coughing and panting hard I moaned, “More…Need more, tastes so good.”

“You’ll have more my beautiful flower, but not until I’ve had my fill of you first.” Rue cooed to me as he pulled me off the floor.

In a daze of pent up need, and still tasting hints of his cum on my tongue, I didn’t even register his fingers pulling off my bra and panties until his mouth latched to my nipple and his long slender fingers stroked between my folds.

I was so sensitive, that touch had me quivering and nearly collapsing to the floor.

He tugged me forward, making me straddle his hips. I arched against his mouth as my hips twitched and thrust against his fingers.

He curled one of them along the edge of my entrance, and I nearly wept in frustration when he didn’t push it in.

Drawing his hand up he showed me the coating of slick that covered his fingers, “Look at this delicious nectar.” He marveled before putting the fingers in his mouth. His honeycombed eyes remained locked with mine as his tongue extended past his lips, showing me that it had changed as well.

It was much longer and more narrow, the edges curled upwards forming a tube that wasn’t completely closed. It twisted and curled between his fingers to lap up every last drop of the slick, all the while a deep, vibrating hum of pleasure came from his chest.

Somehow I could feel that vibration against my core, stimulating me further and with no friction I felt my inner walls clench almost in pain. My hands clutched into his shoulders as I begged, “Rue…Rue please…I need it…Please, please.”

His tongue drew back into his mouth as he smiled in a way that my mind should have registered as wrong. Instead the heavy haze of lust distorted it into a good sign.

Reaching down Rue took hold of his still engorged cock, and ran his head between my folds, “My beautiful flower begs so prettily, of course I’ll give her what she needs.” He pressed the tip just at the edge of my entrance, then drew back his hand so he could take hold of my hips with both.

Without any warning, he shoved me down onto him, and at the same time he thrust up as hard as he could.

Where pain should have been, only overwhelming pleasure blanketed my mind. My climax was so brutal I wasn’t sure I even made a noise, as my lungs couldn’t seem to let out the air.

As soon as the pleasure began to ebb back, my lungs let out a keening moan and an assortment of curses and praises. Rue chuckled, kissing and nipping at my throat and breasts as he began to thrust into me.

My first climax had barely receded as I felt the next beginning to creep up, “Rue…oh Gods…don’t stop…Don’t stop!” 

Rue’s only response was to use my hips to move me in rhythm with his thrusts. I didn’t resist or attempt to help other than to keep myself upright. I let him use me as he wanted, as which brutal thrust granted me another surge of pleasure.

I felt my second climax fast approaching, and Rue sensed it as well. He must have, as he did just as I’d asked him not to, and he stopped!

Freezing in place with me lifted off him, his tip barely piercing into me, I whined, “No! No no! Please, was so close!”

Rue’s eyes bore into me as he leaned in close and placed a feather light kiss against my throat, “Does my flower want more? Does she want me to fill her with my seed?” His voice was just as light as his kisses.

My nails scratched along his shoulders, as I felt my climax and the high of my pleasure begin to recede, I was so tightly strung and ready to release I felt as though my skin would break open, “Yes, Gods yes I want that.”

“Does my flower promise…” He kissed the underside of my jaw, “To come work for me…” then the middle of my throat, “and  to join my garden?” His lips grazed over the juncture of my throat and shoulder as he whispered this.

Had I been in my right mind, had I not been intoxicated by the effect of his magic (something I came to learn later on) I would have realized the trap and immediately ended things.

But I wasn’t in my right mind, and all I could think of was how it would feel to have him cum inside me.

“Yes,I promise! Please, please just fuck me!” 

“Such a good flower for me.”

His grip on my hips clenched, and his cock thrust into me harder and faster than before.

My climax crashed through me harder than the first, leaving me breathless and barely staying up right.

“So good, so so so good for me.” Rue didn’t stop thrusting, not even as the base of his cock became engorged. I felt it press my walls open even further, sending an extra thrill of pleasure into the mix that was consuming my mind.

With a single hard thrust he sent his cock in as deep as it could go just as he began to cum.

My body shuddered from the inside out, as though it were enjoying the sweetness that his body could produce without the use of my stomach.

As the high began to calm, and I was left with the body strength of a cooked noodle, Rue eased me off his softening cock and laid me down on the couch.

The haze lifted from my mind as my breathing slowly came under control, and I gradually realized what I’d done.

Horrified by my wanton actions, as well as his encouragement and influence of it, I tried to muster a glare in his direction.

Rue gently tsked as his hands gently slid along my legs, “Now now, there’ll be plenty of time to be upset later. I still need to get my fill of you before you sleep.” 

I was so weak, I didn’t have any strength to resist when he pushed my legs back open and hooked one of them over his shoulder.

Realizing what he wanted I feebly protested, which he ignored and leaned in towards my now saturated and sensitive cunt. I could feel some of his cum already leaking out, which was what he darted for first.

His tongue flicked out, the tip which was somewhat split lapped at the fluids.

From this position I watched his wings stand erect and vibrate, creating a low buzz that accompanied the pleased hum from his chest.

“Just as I hoped, your nectar tastes even better this way.” He sounded entranced, his words were spoken in such a reverent way.

His tongue continued to lap at the moisture along my skin, flicking out and sucking in the droplets into his mouth. Pressing in closer it slid into my entrance, and despite its narrow shape, my walls still registered the intrusion.

Flickers of pleasure played in my mind, and if not for the sensation of warmth being drawn out of me, I would have given into it. 

He was sucking his cum and my slick out of me, drinking it up through his tongue.

I had no words to express the shock and terror this was instilling in me. I had no strength to push him back and make him stop.

More concerning, was the lack of will I had to even try either.

Rue had made me promise to be “part of his garden” and I was getting a terrible idea of just what that meant.

FIN.

[givethemsmut]

Dom Mysterio x Reader

Chapter Six | Where it all started…

After the holidays we purchased our first home in the same town as his mom and dad but we didn’t have to be quiet in our place. Our empty new house was going to be a project but one I loved. Dom had to go back on the road, pretending to date Rhea and traveling most of the time. It wasn’t going to be easy and it was going to put our pregnancy journey on hold.

Lifting me up I sat on the kitchen island with Dom between my legs. “I’m gonna miss you, mi amore. Fuck it was never this hard.”

“You’ll have Rhea,” I quipped. It was still a sore spot for me. WWE was pushing their relationship and behind the scenes like they were really dating. It was unheard of and only getting worse.

“Shut up. That’s work, friendship.”

My hands snuck under his shirt, working their way up his chest. “Sometimes it’s too far, Dom. Like when you touch her and she touches you.”

“No one is touching me like this. No one will. You gonna make beg on the last night I’m home?” He purred into my neck when my fingers traced back down to his gym shorts. 

“Maybe a little.”

“Come on baby, you know you want papi to make you come. What do you want, mi amore? You want me to fuck you right here? You want me to lick that pussy? Fuck.” He whispered all the ways he could have me and it sent me down a rabbit hole. My pussy ached for him more than normal.

“What do you think of when you touch yourself?” Pushing his shorts down I wanted this to last.

His mouth found mine and our tongues danced. “Being inside you, baby. That’s all it takes.”

Reaching down between us I felt how hard he was already. “I got my tripod out if you want to record it. For the road.”

His mouth smiled on top of mine, “Fuck yes.”

Dom fucked my tight little pussy on the kitchen island while I captured all the right shots for him. I didn’t want him to have any reason to cheat. I had heard the horror stories enough and his faux relationship was enough. I wanted Dom to have a piece of us on the road with him.

We had sex three times that night before Dom left for the airport in the morning. We even had sex in the shower before he left. He was about to be surrounded with beautiful women and every temptation. “Just promise you’ll call, Dominik, if you feel tempted.”

“I finally got you, I’m not fucking that up. I’ll text you when I land. I love you.”

THREE MONTHS LATER

It had been three months since Dom left and I had been busy filling our house with furniture. I had been so busy I didn’t realize I hadn’t gotten my period. 

I had extra tests for when we really started trying. I’d disjt expect to need one this soon but something felt off. Peeing on the stick I waited the few minutes before it turned positive. In shock I ok a few more and they all turned positive.

I had been watching Dom on TV every week, we’d talk on the phone every night and I would curse WWE for making their fake relationship seem real. Online there were countless extras of them making it seem valid. My favorite is Rhea and Dom answering what are their favorite thing to do together is when Rhea answered for them: fucking.

It was Monday and that meant live TV, Monday Night Raw. Flicking the TV on I watched, looking for any clues to where Dom was before I texted him that we needed to talk.

Dom called me immediately and pushed the phone speaker.

Dom: What’s wrong? I got like 15 mins before I go out.

Me: I need to come visit. 

Dom: Don’t do this baby. Don’t call it quits. I’ll be home next week for a few days. 

Me: It’s not that, Dom. I don’t wanna do this over the phone. Just let me know when I can come. I’ll be watching tonight, call me when you get to the hotel.

Dom let the line go silent and I knew he was thinking the worst.

I sent him a good luck text and parked myself in front of the TV that was just set up earlier in the day. Pulling a blanket over my lap I cuddled into the plush couch and placed my hand over my stomach.

That’s your daddy coming on next. I know it’s silly but daddy is silly sometimes.

Dom didn’t even text me the details when my email contained a round trip ticket to his next show. I knew he was spiraling and I should relieve him of his misery but it made my news even sweeter. Packing a small bag I asked his mom to drop me off at the airport for my red eye flight. Without argument she agreed. The flight was smooth and the middle of America was full of winter. Ice and snow clung to every surface still.

Security was a problem when I tried to advocate for myself when Randy Orton walked away. Him greeting me and ushering me in was enough for them when they stepped aside.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m trying to break my immaculate pregnancy to my boyfriend. Do you know where he is?” 

Randy laughed as I followed his lead. “Probably asleep. I don’t even think he’s shown his face yet. Want a lift to the hotel? I’m headed back.”

Agreeing I shook my head and Randy took my weekender bag from me. “Let me text him in case.”

I sent yet another text message that he hadn’t responded to when a car pulled up to the entrance and the crowd outside shouted you suck. Something told me to look up when Dom pushed a small suitcase alongside him. “Dom,” I shouted trying to get his attention when he finally spotted me.

Grabbing my bag from Randy I thanked him when Dom got threateningly close to Randy. “I don’t give a shit what happens between us; if you touch her I’ll fucking kill you.”

Randy threw his hands up and backed away. “She’s all yours, bro.”

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked him wondering what pissed him off before that. 

“Had to come in person to break things off? Give me some speech about how we’re better off friends?” He walked away and I was forced to follow him.

“Dom. Can we talk privately?” 

Still walking away I had to catch up to his long legs. “Just fucking say it. You regret it. I’m a big boy and I can handle it.”

I stopped walking, dropping my bag to the floor and rolled my eyes. “Dominik Gutierrez. I’m pregnant.”

Stopping dead in his tracks he twisted around and stared at me like I might be joking. “Are you serious? Are you actually serious right now?”

“I didn’t want our story to include telling you over text message. I’m pregnant.” Rushing towards me he picked me up into his arms and spun me around. 

[purplesurveys]

1485

Do you know anyone who works in a laboratory? Used to. They haven’t worked there in more than a decade now, as far as I know.

What was the very first social media site you signed up for? It was probably Friendster. If not that, Myspace.

Can you see yourself marrying your current partner? (if you have a partner) I don’t have one.

If you were in a coma, who would be making healthcare decisions for you? It would be my mom.

Are you the type of person who knows exactly what they want in life? No. I kind of just jump from one goal to another, depending where in life I currently am; I tend to work better and see more clearly that way, and if stuff changes along the way then I adjust accordingly. The burden of having to know the things I want out of life is too heavy for me, and unnecessary.

Do you have commitment issues? Never, in relationships.

What was the last thing you had an allergic reaction to? It’s been a while, but grass. It’s my only allergy anyway.

Have you gone out to dinner in the past week? Yeah, last night my friends and I had Korean fried chicken and soju, then we headed to Wildflour later in the evening for their weekly Retro Nights thing and for a second round of dinner.

If you were to start a business, what kind would it be? I’d love to open a café and mirror it to my personal aesthetic. I’ll have to learn a thing or two about coffee beans and running a business, though...

What was the last thing you felt nostalgic about? I was having lunch with Angela and her parents earlier today and the situation itself had me thinking back and realizing just how long we’ve been friends. Her parents have literally watched the both of us grow up, always having been best friends for the entire ride. That was a cute realization to come to.

What’s something you’ve done that sounds too crazy to be true? Having one of my all-time favorite wrestlers block me on social media.

Are there any flowers planted outside your house? Yes. I forget what they’re called but it’s my mom who primarily looks out for them. What was the last thing you drank? Coffee.

What’s the weirdest decoration you’ve seen in someone else’s home? I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.

Did you have your own bathroom when you were growing up? Nope.

Do you live near the ocean? I don’t. The nearest sea/beach is like two hours away, and I don’t have a clue how far the Pacific Ocean is from where I live.

What has been the worst thing that’s happened to you today? It’s Sunday, so...tomorrow I’m back to the job that I now extremely dread. I already spent a few minutes earlier crying to let myself process my emotions. Burnout isn’t something I’d wish even on my worst enemy.

Do you know anyone who never disciplines their children? Yeah, and it shows. I have a much younger cousin who is always let off the hook and he happens to be my least favorite in our bunch.

What’s the longest you’ve gone without leaving the house? Months, my dude. I didn’t go out at all during the 2020-part of the pandemic, except for when I had to get checked for my UTI.

Are you more of a practical thinker, or more of an imaginative thinker? Practical. This job has taught me how to have some level of imagination too and I give them credit for that, but I doubt it’ll stick.

When was the last time you were sick? What did you have? I’ll say January because I am 98% convinced I caught Covid back then.

Does anyone in your family smoke? Not in my immediate family. I have a few uncles who do, though.

Name three random colors: Green, purple, brown.

Color #1: what’s the nearest object that is this color? My Tata mic.

Color #2: would you ever paint your living room this color? No way. The color is way too loud for my liking.

Color #3: would you ever dye your hair this color? I already have.

What’s your opinion on hunting? I’m not a fan.

How well do you know your neighbors? Not well. I do know that there’s a household that has at least one Army because whenever I play BTS songs, they’ll usually respond by playing a song back hahaha but that’s pretty much the only thing I know about the neighborhood.

How far are you into the book you’re currently reading? I’m not reading anything at the moment.

Have you ever had a pet escape and run away? Not successfully. Kimi escaped all the time as a puppy but it was either I caught him after much running, or a kind neighbor would take him back home.

Do any of your exes know each other? I only have one ex.

What’s an opinion you find impossible to take seriously? Homophobia.

What was the very first election you voted in? 2016 presidential elections. It was the year I turned 18.

Do you know how to make omelettes? No, oops.

Do you feel positive and optimistic about your future? I want to. I’m in a bit of a hiccup now, to be honest. But I like to think I’ll overcome it as I always have.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (290): Sat 31st Dec 2022

My final workday of 2022. We were told at the start of the shift that although we were scheduled to finish at 4 today there was a possibility that we would be allowed to finish even earlier. I thought that they meant we would get to finish an hour earlier than planned bur at 12:50 we got a message through on our screens telling us we were finishing at 1 which was fucking awesome and music to my ears. I genuinely thought that I’d never have a job that I’d look forward to. I thought that a job like this was, like a good Jennifer Aniston film that isn’t Office Space, non-existent. Luckily this job has changed all that. Don’t get me wrong there are some days where I wake up after not having had enough sleep (due to staying up later in order to pack more stuff in after not getting back in from work until six) and bemoan having to return to work already but for the most part I’m happy to go to work for a hard days graft because I know the company pays handsomely in addition to rewarding those who work their arses off.

Since I now had the rest of the afternoon on free I decided to pop over to the town and pay the remaining balance for my holiday to LA. The moment I pressed the enter button on the travel agent’s card machine felt so good because now I know it’s definitely happening: I’m going to WrestleMania (well I shouldn’t say “definitely” since the plane could still crash or the stadium could still fall into a giant sinkhole but on paper I am going to WrestleMania and the Lakers game).

2022 has been a VERY mixed bag for me. For the first six months I went through serious mental fatigue thanks to the fact that for some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on I decided to accept a job in the fraud department with TSB. For someone who hates having to talk to people this was perhaps the worst possible career move imaginable. It didn’t help that the people responsible for training me and giving me guidance were fucking useless. I suffered multiple anxiety attacks and I would wake up dreading having to go to work because I knew by the time I got home my head would be in even worse shape. Luckily a few months after starting this job I decided on a whim to apply for a job at a factory and within one week I had started there and I’ve never looked back. Although this job is exhausting it’s still a major improvement on where I was before plus the money is good and critically: I don’t have to talk to any fucking customers. Other highlights from 2022 were starting therapy, taking surfing lessons, Edinburgh, Italy, and finally visiting Portmeirion. Therapy was great as it enabled me to finally get a few things off my chest without having to bite my tongue and worry about upsetting people. Surfing was great although o didn’t have as many lessons as o would like to have had. As soon as it gets warm next year I’m going to be down the beach at every opportunity to get better. Shinsuke Nakamura says that he never took surfing lessons but rather just learned through trial and error and is now a really skilled boarder. As tempting as it is to practice on my own I enjoyed the social aspect of surfing as the instructor and the people I was sharing the lessons with were nice guys so I think I’ll just carry on with the lessons. Edinburgh was fantastic as always but next time I don’t think I’ll buy tickets for so many shows as having to rush off from one to catch the start of another was exhausting at times. Visiting Italy for our first family holiday in four years was a tremendous experience. I enjoyed getting to chill by the pool in the baking sun plus having a guided tour around Pompeii was a great way to spend my break away from that hellacious call centre. I have high hopes for 2023 in fact I’ve already got three items penciled in to cross off my bucket list. I’ve always wanted to visit California…well actually I already have visited California but it was at the end of my Route 66 journey and I was knackered by then so I couldn’t really enjoy it. This time around it will be nice to experience to whole city of Los Angeles plus hopefully surf in Venice Beach. As soon as I get the cheque that HMRC have been promising me for half a year I’m going to book my tickets to see the Lakers play against the Clippers in what will hopefully be a superfluous game as by the time April comes around they will have already qualified for the playoffs. Finally in April the boyhood dream will come true as I will at long last attend WrestleMania. For someone who has been a wrestling fan since 1998 going to a WrestleMania has been the holy grail of wrestling fandom. I was planning on paying to go to the 2020 event and thank fuck I didn’t because that was the year the world shit down. But everything looks good to go this time around and rumours of a Rock vs Roman main event make me even more excited for my first (and perhaps only) WrestleMania. In addition to the surfing lessons I also want to finally finish my Edgar Award winning novel challenge as I’ve been at it for years now and frankly the fact that I didn’t finish it ages ago is embarrassing. I also want to get all of the travel based items on my bucket list out of the way so that I can concentrate on getting my own house / flat which will be incredibly expensive but now that I have a well paying job it should be doable. Bon voyage 2022, not a bad old year.  

[mi-gato-es-mi-vida]

An American In Paris

My dad's texts arrived as I landed in Montreal. Wish you a very good flight to Montreal!

And right after that one:

Also, do you mind if Y will join us for the trip to Paris? Her flight back to the US...

I was having a hard time gauging my feelings about Dad's graduate student tagging along the first leg of our Europe trip, after having spent the week prior with my father in Vienna. I liked Y--she'd always treated me with a shy, quiet kindness, that still never felt formal or awkward. She enjoyed baking and Downtown Abbey, and when we talked I often thought that if not the age difference we might be good friends. But there was the other, quasi-independent fact that my dad's wife had no idea Y would be in Paris with us, nor had she known Y had attended the conference in Vienna. Or driven with my father down to California for my graduation. Or accompanied my father on a trip to see me in Berkeley two months earlier. It should have been simple to read the writing on the wall, that so clearly spelled out "affair", but I was holding my worst suspicions in check. Barely. For as long as I knew my stepmom, my dad had treated her with respect, even adoration. It brought me discomfort when I was younger and still reeling from the divorce, but over the years that chilliness faded. My eyes opened to my father's geniune happiness, something I realized he had probably seeked my entire life up until his divorce. Now he was with the woman he loved, a woman who treated me with respect and moments of tenderness if not affection, and who was I turn up my nose or turn my shoulder? I would not describe my father as honorable, exactly. He was principled, firm in his beliefs, firm in the way he saw the world. On our latest drive back from Berkeley, we'd discussed humankind's fundamental morality and the ethics of revenge for hours. He was a moral man, and for my whole life a beacon of steadiness. Though I disagressed with him more and more as I grew older, I never had the sense that there was a hyprocrite behind the sharp nose and blue eyes. I couldn't look past those wide crows' feet and accept that an adulterer looked back at me. As we crossed the border into Washington, home now a tangible two hours away, Dad told me of a fight Y and my stepmother got into the past year, how there was enough of a schism to warrant secrecy, how it would be better to not mention any of Y's presences to my stepmother. Those were not the words of an honorable man, but that didn't mean they were the words of the ashamed, either. And who I was I to judge, when over the past year I'd done my fair share of leaving things unsaid in my own relationships. Oscar Wilde said "First, we love our parents. Then we know them. Then, maybe, we forgive them". It was a quote I tossed around when I was a few years removed from the divorce and searching for the tragedy of my life. But I started to worry that I was in the second phase, the knowing, and I was afraid of going further. When I asked my sister about the situation, she scoffed. Not unkindly, she said "Just ask him." I sputtered in half-hearted defiance. I've never been as brave as my sister, but I knew there was something else, deep down. My father painstakingly laid the groundwork of my morals, sowing and nurturingl he then brought me into the garden of right and wrong, showing me the fruits of labor and the fruits of evil, and in his greatest act of grace, gave me the space and silence to choose my own path through the maze. How would I live with my father if he were having an affair? What would I do? What would I be?

Europe held enough anxieties fand excitements or me to push away the thoughts. I--somewhat guiltily--welcomed Y's presence in Paris as it meant my father had company if I wanted detatch and explore with Eric. Paris, wrapped in all my dreams of rats and Julia Child, was too bright, too cyrstalline to believe in. I was afraid of being pricked by rude, arrogant frenchmen, looked down upon by waitstaff when I fumbled with my menu. Lodged somewhere in the depths of those fears was a sneaking suspicion that my imaginary French foes were right about me. That my American-ness represented a fundamental lack in culture, and inferiority. Without words or the safety of a common accent, I was laid bare for what I really was. Boiling all that down and it's ridiculous, obviously. If anything, it should have brought me a moment of empathy for the millions who arrive in America as the foreigner and pay for it in basic human decency. But the fears still nagged me, and the only reassuring thoughts were Eric and his utter confidence in navigating a foreign city, Eric's French proficiency, the energy of Julia Child, and Paris in Stride. Child's memoir was equal parts delightful and fanciful. She attacked food and life the same--with a vigor and utter belief in the joy waiting on the other side. The French, in My Life in France, were described, for the most part, as a good-humored people, with especially those in the food world opening up to Child's gregariousness. There was a fair amount of dimensional reduction in those words, but still I entertained the hope that my love for food, Ratatouille, and my B- pronounciation of the French "r" might earn me a good time in  Paris. Paris in Stride was a lovely walking guide I bought off Amazon and was now resisting my original plan to return it once I came back to America. It was a walking guide with beautiful watercolor maps and descriptions of the treasure trove of monuments, gardens, manors, cafes, and restaurants of Paris. I understood the world through maps, made sense of the chaos through the lines, the higher perspective, and felt reassurance that I could disappear into this little book of Paris when the real thing became too much.

[pennylanefics]

Protective - Isaac Lahey

a/n: i finally wrote something!! though i’m not entirely happy with how this turned out :/ i’ve been dealing with writers block and i spent the entire week trying to write this, and still don’t like it that much 🤷🏼‍♀️

•••

Months after the pack got rid of one threat to Beacon Hills, another one came along as if it was the new normal. You found out a few days after the pack found out, mainly because you don’t really like being involved with everything.

Scott stopped you during school one day and told you everything you needed to know. Who they attacked, how they attacked, where in Beacon Hills was dangerous at the moment, and to reach out to him or anyone else if anything happened.

You were doing fine for the time being, but there was one person worried about you. Isaac has had a crush on you since you met at his first lacrosse game sophomore year. He just never acted on it, and kept you around as a friend.

But when there was an attack by the creature on your street, he knew he had to do something to protect you.

A couple nights after the attack, you were fast asleep in your room, having passed out earlier than usual after finishing loads of homework. Isaac had snuck out of Scott’s house and made his way to yours. Since he didn’t want to disturb your parents, he climbed through your window, which was unlocked.

“Oh, you’re going to be in trouble for not locking this,” he mumbles to himself. He makes it inside with ease and breathes out a sigh of relief when he sees that you’re still fast asleep.

He closes and locks the window, kicking his shoes off and taking a seat in the chair across from your bed. His eyes linger on your figure, roaming from your hair splayed across the pillow, to your eyelashes against your cheek.

A smile spreads across his face as he takes you in. He’s never been so in love with someone and the idea that the creature could have come into your house a few nights ago instead of the one down the street terrified him.

Isaac stayed awake for about an hour, reading a book from your collection that you’ve told him about before. When he felt his eyes starting to droop, he marked the page with a bookmark and set it down on your desk. Curling up in the chair, he falls asleep right away.

The following morning, you wake up at around eight in the morning. As you sit up, a small scream escapes your throat upon seeing your friend sitting in your room. This awakes him, making him jump out of the chair, falling to the floor.

“Isaac? How the hell did you get in here?” He stands, fixing his shirt that got twisted from sleeping.

“You,” he starts, walking over to you, “left your window unlocked.” His finger taps your nose teasingly, making you scrunch it.

“I had it open because it was raining earlier and I enjoy the sound and smell of it.” He chuckles and hugs you tightly, resting his head on yours.

“Now the important question: what are you doing here?” You say, pulling back from his body but staying in his arms. His expression falters a little and he lets go of you to take a seat on your bed.

“A couple nights ago, the creatures that are currently here attacked someone in their own home, a few houses down from yours,” he whispers, afraid to tell you that part. You feel a shiver run through your body upon hearing that, and you sit down to let it sink in.

“Well,” you murmur, speechless and a little scared now.

“It’ll be okay. Scott and Derek think they have an idea of who this person is, why they’re here, and why they’re only targeting non supernaturals.”

“So, I’m not even safe in my own home?” Your voice comes out as soft as ever, your mind racing with every worst case scenario possible.

“If you want, uh, I mean, you don’t have to, I can either stay here with you until they’re gone, or you can stay with Scott and I,” he offers.

“I couldn’t stay with you guys, that’s too much, I wouldn’t want to intrude. And what about my parents?”

“So then, I could stay with you guys every other day? Again, you don’t have to agree, it’s an offer I’m willing to make, if it’d make you feel safer?”

You think for a moment before looking over at Isaac with a small grin on your lips. He matches your expression.

“I’d like that,” you respond. “You can stay here whenever you want.”

“What about every night?” He pushes. A giggle escapes your throat and you lean against him.

“Of course.” There’s a pause in the conversation as Isaac fights with his mind on whether to admit his feelings now or not.

“Um, since we’re going to be spending a lot more time together, there’s something I want to tell you,” he starts.

“Okay,” you respond, pushing him to continue.

“I’ve had a small, well, maybe not so small, crush on you since we first met. There’s something about you that just captivates me, and I think you’re incredible.”

He goes on about what he likes about you, what qualities he particularly finds attractive, everything, and by the end of his little speech, your smile is so wide, your cheeks start to hurt.

“How come you’ve never said anything?” You wonder. Isaac blushes and turns forward.

“I just never did anything about it. And Lydia told me that you were interested in someone else at the time, so I didn’t want to ruin that for you.”

“Yeah, that person turned out to be a huge asshole, so it’s an upgrade from them to you.”

“You like me too?” His head whips up back to you.

“Uh huh. I thought it was obvious.”

“It wasn’t,” he chuckles. You smile and lean your head against his shoulder.

“We can’t tell my parents, though. They’ll flip if they find out you’re staying here, in my room.”

“They don’t like you having boys in your room?” He teases. You shove his shoulder playfully.

“Friends, they don’t mind. Like Scott and Stiles are fine. But you? They know I have a crush on you, so if I tell them you’re sleeping here every night, it won’t turn out well.”

“Ah. I guess that makes sense.”

You two continued talking for the rest of the afternoon, and right before dinner, Isaac went back to Scott’s for dinner with them and to gather a few things.

“Hey, we’re turning in for the night,” your mom pops her head into your room.

“Alright. Goodnight.” She leaves moments later and as soon as you hear her walk back downstairs, you text Isaac that he’s good to come over.

Twenty minutes later, Isaac comes crawling through your window, a duffle bag dangling from his shoulder. Unfortunately, this time he doesn’t do it so gracefully. He slips off the ledge and falls to the floor, his bag landing on top of him.

A groan falls from his lips as you laugh loudly. When he finally regains his composure, his eyes narrow at you and you immediately stop laughing. But moments later, he breaks the act and can’t help but smile.

After changing into a comfier pair of clothing, Isaac crawls into bed with you and pulls you close to his chest right away.

“Is there any new information on whoever’s attacking people?” You wonder.

“Yeah, but it’s late and I don’t want to...frighten you with it. So we’ll talk about it in the morning. I just wanna lay here and hold you and kiss you-”

“You know, you have yet to kiss me,” you mention. Isaac smiles widely and leans down to capture your lips.

“Just like I’ve imagined,” he whispers against your lips.

[punkgrogg]

Doorway Duo pt.4

Pairing: Hybrid!Taehyung x Reader, Hybrid!Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Hybrid!BTS, Non idol AU, fluff

Warnings: Pregnancy

Summary: Y/n was abandoned by her long time boyfriend and moves back home to help prepare for the baby. She’s surprised to find two unfamiliar hybrids at her house.

Length: 2,884

Notes: Okay I got a new laptop :) and I started a new job so I've been a bit busy but I should have a new chapter out sometime next week

Date Posted: 9/13/2021

“Come on, we don’t have all night. Let’s talk this out, communication is key.” That only caused them to meander their way in, softly shutting the door behind them with an audible click in this silence. Jungkook settled in at the foot of my bed but Taehyung stood next to him, his form rigid. The room had a tense air about it, the two refusing to speak. “Okay, fine, You don’t want to start then I will. Taehyung, how long have you been scenting me without me knowing ?”

“We both have,” Jungkook interjected. His face was resigned into one that expected only the worst outcome.

Well, that didn’t answer my question. “How long?”

“The second week after I met you. I’ve been scenting you since then, Jungkook has only scented you since we ran into that asshole at the grocery store.” Tae spoke up finally but kept his eyes trained on the floor. 

That did make sense but I was confused why Hobi never noticed.“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought you knew since Hoseok scents you constantly so after a few days I joined in and started to scent you too. I didn’t know you were oblivious until about a month ago when Hoseok noticed I was on you and you laughed him off. I realized I should probably talk to you about it since you’re dense when it comes to hybrids. But I didn't stop, I kept the pheromones low so I could keep you claimed in between then and now.”His body language was stiff, his eyes trained on the hardwood floors while he clenched his hands at his sides. He looked both defiant and scared, a combination that I would never have expected from the snow leopard.

The possessiveness that permeated the word ‘claimed’ ruffled a few of my feathers and I couldn’t help exclaiming: “You claimed me? What the fuck Tae?”

Taehyung finally looked up, his eyes much softer than I expected, he reached out for me and gently held my hand. “No, it's not what you think. It helps me know you’re okay. I knew something was wrong earlier because the pheromones soured all of a sudden so I ran down to you. Jungkook can attest! With both of our scents entwined with yours, it's easy to know when you’re not okay.”

“It’s why I noticed your pheromones changed with the babies.” Jungkook chimed in once again, he was letting Taehung do all the talking, typical Kookie.

I pulled my hands away to rub my forehead, frustrated a bit at how it just wasn’t clicking for me. A lot of useful information that means jack-shit to me when beating around the bush. “But what does this all mean? You mentioned pack earlier, what does that mean?”

“Well, a pack is a group of individuals who care for each other. It was more common among our grandparents but hybrids our age are bringing the idea back since the laws are changing for us to have more freedoms. By the time the babies are born, I think we’ll be fully independent and we were going to wait until then to tell you about our pack.” Jungkook explained, his hands knotting together under the stress of explaining it to me. I appreciated that he was trying and I knew somehow he was only speaking because of how stressed I looked.

I nodded, that could make sense. “So, we’re all in a pack? Then why did Hobi look so angry when you said that?”

“No, just You, Kook, and I. We are a pack, we claimed you together.” Taehyung finally sat down on the bed with us, his body coiling on the edge as if he was prepared to run at any second.

“Claiming you means we love you Y/n. We want every other hybrid to know that you are loved by us both- so we scent you. It took me a while to do it too but it’s this burning itch under my skin that won't go away until I can smell myself on you. Like Tae said before, when we scent you it helps us keep track of your pheromones so we’re more attuned to if something happens to you.” Jungkook stared deeply into my eyes, his sincere expression willed me to finally understand what they were saying.

Only one thing caught my attention. “It hurts you when you don’t scent me?”

“It drives me crazy, I hate when you don’t smell like me, it’s all I can think about,” Tae explained, his face contrite as he once again reached for my wrist. I let him this time and he lightly rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. Something he’s done a million times but this felt different.

I swallowed hard at the other major point in Kook’s explanation. “And you think you love me?”

Tae scoffed at that. “We don’t think, We know. You don’t have to love us back but you should at least know how we feel before you send us off.”

“Who said you’re being sent off? So what I reek of you two? It’s not hurting me but we’ll have to set some boundaries if you guys are going to keep doing this.” Both men perked up at that, both coming in closer as if we were huddling on my queen-sized mattress. The change in their moods was soothing to the tension that has bubbled up in my chest. ”First of all, we’ll have to talk about this loving me thing. Then we’ll have to figure out what's going to happen when the shelter is fixed because I'm not too sure when the government is going to get its shit together. Then  we’ll have to discuss this whole pack thing a little more- why can’t hobi be a part of it?”

“Whatever you want. We’ll do whatever, but can I scent you now? Since you know, I can do it now  right?” I’ve never seen Taehyung so excited, his eyes animated like he was a kid at Christmas. He leaned forward while bracing himself lightly against my shoulders while I nodded apprehensively. “I can do it fully right? No light scents?

At my second nod, Jungkook appeared to my left as he too broached my bubble. “Dammit Tae, you’re stinking up the whole room.”

Jungkook took to rubbing his head and neck against my own while Taehyung was butting me with his head seemingly everywhere- my shoulder, forehead, and a hand held my own close to his chest. Tae dragged his forehead from the right side of my neck down my shoulder and arm to my inner wrist. Once there he delicately kissed my pulse point. Jungkook had my right side occupied, pinning me into place, his shoulders crowding most of my frame. Our necks were pressed firmly together as he started to run his lips along the skin behind my ear before firmly pressing a kiss there.

The feeling of Jungkook kissing behind my ear made me shiver at the sudden affection. Taehyung groaned. “She smells so good now, smell her Kookie, she smells like us both. Like she’s finally part of our pack.”

Jungkook merely grunted in response as he pressed his face into my shoulder while taking in a deep breath. Tae reversed his process and traced his way back up to my neck where he decided to rest his head against my clavicle. I took a steadying breath to calm the tingles erupting across my body.

“Okay, that’s what you guys have been holding back? I’m alright with this happening more regularly, but not in front of others since Joonie looked so offended and  I assume it’s a more private thing.” They finally pulled away after what seemed like forever and I could feel the raging blush covering both my cheeks as I tried to calm down at the intimacy. “ Now, onto the love part.”

“I don’t have much else to say, it’s a simple fact for me.” Jungkook shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. He stayed glued to my right side and pulled my arm into his embrace as he played with my fingers idly.

“It’s been three months, you barely know me.” playing with my hand was distracting and there was barely any strength in my argument. It was nice to feel loved but I felt somewhat guilty over this- they deserved much more than I could give them.

“You were meant for us both but if you want us to wait then I’ll hold off on saying it until you’re ready to hear it.” Taehyung raised on his knees and kissed my forehead gingerly.

“You guys can’t be serious.” I shook my head at them both but a quick look at them both showed they had earnest expressions. “Guys what about the shel-”

“Adopt us, as tough as it is right now they’ll allow it especially because you’re living with certified fosters. Then we can’t be separated.” Taehyung spoke matter-of-factly, he reached out and traced lazy patterns on my knee while I stared at him in disbelief.

“I’m not going to adopt you if you guys want to be with me, it’d be a weird dynamic if we went to the doctors and I’d have to sign as your owner .” The thought of them being my property made an acrid taste form in the back of my throat.

“But that’s exactly why you should, we know you’d never see us as lesser and we’ll take good care of not only you but the babies as well.” Jungkook reasoned as he rubbed his cheek against the palm of my hand that he stole.

Another wave of guilty unease at this evolving relationship hit. I was okay with the affection and care that they’ve been supplying but was I okay with the relationship? Those cuddle sessions and tender moments that we’ve had so far now felt much more real and intimate than before. How had I convinced myself that it was platonic? “That’s another reason you guys should reconsider this whole ordeal, it’d be easier for me than you two. Do you want to commit to babies that aren’t even yours.”

A low growl sounded from Kookie’s chest- something I had never heard before. He usually kept his more animalistic traits under a tight leash. He sat up abruptly and reached for my face to make sure my eyes were trained on him while he spoke with a soft gruffness. “They are ours, don’t you even think about saying that again. We are the ones who’ve been supporting you throughout this pregnancy- not that asshole from the store. We tell them stories at night and bring you the food you’re craving. Hell, I rub your feet because of the swelling every time your feet are near me, and Taehyung rubs out the knots in your back when you’ve stood too long. We’ve been here for you the whole time and I know I love them as my babies. I am their dad, more than he would ever be.”

“I guess if you’re dad then I’ll be papa. It has a nice ring to it.” Tae butted in with a smile as Jungkook released me. His smile was so warm it ebbed away any lingering dregs of guilt.

“You guys can’t be serious,” I repeated once again but they were unaffected by whatever I had thrown at them. They were serious.

“Y/n, I’ve been planning this out since I’ve met you, it was love at first sight.” Tae took to holding my face this time, his hands were warm as he stroked my cheek lightly. The love was tangible in how he stared down at me, something I couldn’t ignore any longer.

“Okay, I get it, but what does this mean for us now?” I could hear the fearful hesitation in my voice.

“Nothing has to change sweetheart. We can act just how we always have and the only difference is that you know we love you.” Jungkook nodded along to the ashy-haired man’s assurances.

“Would you be happy with that though? To pretend that nothing has changed even though something has.” My heated tone kept them silent as I collected my thoughts. “Since you’ve claimed me- does that mean you see me as your girlfriend?”

“Well, to be honest, it’s a bit more than that. Girlfriend is a bit fleeting. It's more like you are ours and we are yours- for forever ideally but we don’t want to force that onto you.” Taehyung smiled bashfully as he stuttered through the clarification.

“If it’s more than a girlfriend- do you mean you see me as your wife?” Wow, with just a question I think I broke Taehyung. While he looked like he was blue-screening, Jungkook tried to hide a chuckle.

“For the sake of Taehyung’s face let’s just leave it as girlfriend for now. We can expand on that more later.” Jungkook explained, his smile evident through his words.

“So I'm a girlfriend to both of you and you guys are my boyfriends?” they nodded eagerly at my questioning tone. “Are you also each other’s boyfriends?”

“Uh, while Jungkook is gorgeous, that’s a no. we’re each other's packmates and there is a certain level of love and trust that goes into it but in the end, it's just enough for us to trust each other with you. If that makes sense?” Taehyung trailed off, his face twisted into one of confusion at the word vomit he just spewed.

“I think what Taehyung is trying to say is that we aren’t dating each other. Not that it is impossible for packmates to also get romantically involved with each other - we just haven’t.  we’d prefer to share your love and protect each other.” Jungkook tried to salvage the half-baked clarification.

“I am not protecting you Kookie, you are the one with a police background- you’re supposed to protect me while I protect her.” Taehyung suddenly pointed out.

“First of all, how rude. You’re my Packmate, you’re supposed to protect me too asshole.`` Jungkook playfully glared and by the twitching around his chin, I could tell he was fighting back a smile.

“I can’t protect someone who doesn’t need protecting. You are a one-man army, especially when it comes to the pack.”

Jungkook smiled at that and retorted with a: “You tried to fight Hoseok when he tried to separate our rooms at the shelter.”

“He was putting you with that bitch that growled at you when you first joined the group. How else was I supposed to react?” Taehyung had a beautiful blush rush across his face. He was so affectionate usually; so why was he arguing that he wouldn’t protect him?

“He was moving me because you complained about sharing a room with me for two weeks straight.'' Jungkook's exasperation was tangible; maybe they have this argument often?

“You get up before the sun to work out. How else was I supposed to get my beauty rest?” Tae’s argument was a paper-thin excuse. He was absolutely glowing red with his growing blush.

“Admit it in the end, you protect me just as much as I protect you.” Jungkook smiled at him with no mirth, he was done teasing him about it I guess.

That didn’t stop the flat-out refusal of: “I do not.”

“Y/n, wouldn’t you say Taehyung is just as protective of me as I am of him?” asked as he kissed the back of my hand, drawing all my attention to him.

“Tae, honey, you make his plate every night at dinner.” I sheepishly pointed out, a little unsure of how I'd place in this so-called argument. It was more flirting than anything if I was being asked but I guess I'm not the best person to ask since I did not comprehend them coming onto me in the first place.

Pseudo-shock flashed across his face at my statement.“That's because this idiot will only eat carbs and meat if we let him! I make your plate too.”

“That’s only proving my point. You are protective over your packmates.” Jungkook pushed at his shoulder playfully. A way they only ever acted when it was just us three, damn, maybe I should have noticed it sooner. There were definite lines drawn early on when it came to how our dynamic worked and they often showed me sides of themselves that my parents or brothers had never seen.

“That’s it, I'm going downstairs and giving myself over to Namjoon. His torture would be a mercy compared to this.” The drama queen stalked his way to my door and opened it with a flourish while Kookie and I both giggled.

“Tae are you not going to tell the baby a bedtime story?” My question stopped him in his tracks. He froze for just a second before gently swinging the door shut and marching his way back over to the bed with a smile that eclipsed the rest of his face.

“Babies. And of course, I am, tonight we’ll tell them the story of Hansel and Gretel.” He climbed back onto the bed and sprawled across the bottom of the bed and my extended legs. He settled in with his head resting slightly on my left hip before starting on his fairytale. Jungkook was curled up on my right side, still holding my hand captive, and he traced swirls across my forearm with a content smile. There was a warmth in my chest that I had been ignoring for a while, a warmth they only seemed to bring out and I realized I would be devastated if this warmth was to ever disappear.

Sorry, I forgot about my taglist last chapter! here's it as of right now and if you want to be added or taken off let me know!

@jelly-fishy-babie @nomimits7 @littlewolfieposts @fangirl125reader @xeirisarax @ghostkat23 @gayitachiuchiha @forever1313 @nellaphine @kooky-mysterious @rainbow-realm @xanny91 @demonslover @inumorph @uraveragefangirlsposts@alex--awesome--22 @akacamiworld @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh

[marauders-venting]

I Love You

pairing: wolfstar (remus x sirius)

genre: fluff

warnings: none

words: 2304

note: based on a textpost by @moonyspadfoot45

a/n: yes i know disposable cameras didn’t exist until the mid 80s but i wrote that part before i googled it and i don’t want to change it so we’re gonna go with it

Remus sighed in the direction of the stack of boxes that looked like it was about to topple over.

“Sirius?” he called, walking into the living room.

“Yeah?” Sirius replied, peering at Remus around the stack of boxes from the couch where he was sitting.

“I swear to god if you and James used any of the boxes marked ‘fragile’ for your fortress…” He left the sentence hanging as he reached up to lower the box on the top. “How did you even manage to stack the boxes that high? Did you have to stand on a chair or something to reach up here?”

“Rude,” Sirius said, coming around to Remus’ side of the fort. “I’m not that short.”

“James had to do it, didn’t he?” Remus teased, turning around.

“Moony, stop making fun of me,” Sirius pouted. “Come on, we’re going into the fort.” The ‘fort’ was made of boxes that contained all of Sirius and Remus’ possessions stacked to form walls with a sheet stretched over the top. And it was right in the middle of the living room of Remus and Sirius’ new apartment.

Sirius grabbed Remus by the hand and pulled him into the fort. The sheet, which was their makeshift ceiling, was hanging so low that even Sirius had to sit on the floor. They sat down and Remus looked around. Then he spotted a box labelled ‘kitchen ware’ and turned to Sirius.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he said. “I was looking for that box for like an hour! I nearly called the movers to ask them to double-check that they hadn’t missed any boxes!”

“I didn’t know you were looking for it!” Sirius said defensively.

“I literally asked you if you’d seen the box!” Remus said, laughing and shaking his head.

“Uhhh,” Sirius started, scrambling for an excuse, “I’m sorry, Remus, but you should know by now that I answer most questions wrong.”

“That is the worst excuse I’ve ever heard,” Remus said.

“Then you obviously haven’t heard any of the excuses I gave McGonagall for breaking the rules,” Sirius said.

“What are you talking about, I was there 90 percent of the time,” Remus said.

“Yeah but when you were there you were giving the excuses.”

“Yeah, my excuses were good, they got us out of detention,” Remus said.

“Feels weird knowing I’ll never have another detention,” Sirius said, lying down on the carpet he and James had brought into the fort earlier. “I keep thinking we’re gonna go back at the end of the summer.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Remus said, lying down next to him. “It feels like just yesterday you were asking me to move it with you and now we’re here. In our living room. In a fucking fort.” Sirius laughed and kissed Remus lightly.

Remus remembered the day Sirius had asked him to move in. He’d never forget it. It was their first anniversary and they were up on the astronomy tower, the same place they’d gotten together the year before. Remus remembered how hard he was trying to put aside his anxiety about the upcoming exams just for that day. Sirius made it easier. Sirius made everything easier.

“Can I give you my present now?” Sirius asked. Remus had felt his cheeks heating, despite the fact that he was quite cold up on the tower, in the cool breeze stinging his face.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” he muttered.

“I know,” Sirius said. “But I wanted to. Besides, you were the one who planned out this whole day. And you're the one who’s taking me out on the Hogsmeade weekend after exams.” Remus supposed it was true. He had planned out the day down to the last detail. He felt very cliche doing it but it was worth it to see the look on Sirius’ face. And to feel Sirius’ lips on his.

“Oh alright,” Remus gave in. He was curious now. Sirius handed him a small grey box. Remus cocked his head at him but Sirius’ expression was unreadable. He opened the box and inside it was a silver key and a disposable Muggle camera. Remus picked up the key and turned it over, examining it.

“Pads, what is this?” he asked finally. He was afraid he had ruined something. That this was something sentimental that he was supposed to understand.

“It’s a key,” Sirius said. Remus rolled his eyes.

“I’d figured that much out myself, funnily enough,” he said. “What is the key to?”

“Look at the camera.” Remus did. He picked it up and, glancing at Sirius to make sure this is what he was meant to do, looked through the photos in the camera.

“An apartment?” Remus said, still confused.

“Our apartment,” Sirius said. He was looking at Remus, his grey eyes alight.

“What?” Remus said, gaping at him.

“Only if you want it to be,” he added hurriedly. “I just thought… Everybody's been talking about living arrangements after school and I–I thought maybe you might like to live together. I mean, I haven’t finalised anything yet so we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Or we could still pick a different place. The owner’s of this one won’t vacate it until August so we’d have to figure something out for the first month and a bit after we graduate but I’m sure the Potters won’t mind if we stay there for a little while. And Lily and James might want to be alone in the beginning but I doubt they’d kick us out if we showed up but… do you hate it?” He had barely breathed in between words until now. He looked up at Remus nervously, biting his nail.

“Are you kidding me? I love it,” Remus said. “Sirius, this is… this is incredible. You’re incredible. I—” Remus hesitated. He knew what he wanted to say. But he couldn’t form the words. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“So you’re saying you’ll do it?” Sirius asked. “You’ll move in with me?”

“Yeah,” Remus said. “Yes, of course I will.” Sirius beamed at him. But then something occurred to Remus. “Sirius, you haven’t paid anything yet, have you? If you have I’ll pay you back, I—”

“Shh, don’t worry about that now,” Sirius said. “We’ll figure out all the technical details later.” Remus bit his lip.

“Okay,” he said. He could put it out of his mind for that night.

“Happy anniversary, Moony,” he said. And then he kissed Remus, there on top of the astronomy tower and Remus felt just as much excitement then as he had when Sirius had kissed him there for the first time, exactly one year previously.

And here they were now. In their apartment. They ended up deciding on the one Sirius had originally chosen, the one that he’d shown Remus photos of that evening. The owners had ended up vacating a bit earlier than they had said because there was still a week until August. Sirius had stayed at the Potter’s for the first few weeks and Remus had gone back home. But as they were spending every waking moment at Lily and James’ house anyway, they suggested that Remus and Sirius just stay with them. They had invited Peter to stay with them too, just while Sirius and Remus were there but he’d turned down the offer (“After seven years of sleeping in the same room with three other blokes, I think I’ll be good on my own for a while,” he had said). He still came over every day and stayed until around midnight but he always preferred to sleep at home. He said he’d never get used to it if he stayed at Lily and James’.

James, Peter and Lily helped them move in too. They’d been with them to Ikea a few days previously to buy furniture. And they had come over today to help start unpacking things. Well, Lily and Peter helped unpack. James was more interested in building a fort out of the boxes with Sirius.

Remus remembered worrying that he might spend less time with his friends after school since they’d no longer be living in the same big castle but so far the amount of time he spent with Lily, James and Peter had not decreased even a little.

But Lily and James had gone home now and Peter had gone back to his studio flat; Remus and Sirius were alone, together in their new apartment.

“Are you hungry?” Sirius asked, snapping Remus back into reality. “I could make you dinner.”

“You’re going to make dinner?” Remus snorted. “I’m sorry but have you ever made food in your entire life?”

“I have actually,” Sirius said. “Mrs Potter taught me how to make food when I lived there. I’m not as good at it as James is but I can make something edible without burning down the kitchen. Although I nearly did that the first time I tried to make food.”

“Well, that’s very convincing,” Remus said sarcastically. Sirius elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m kidding!” he said. “I’ll be on standby with the fire extinguisher.”

“What’s that?” Sirius asked.

“Kind of in the name, babe,” Remus said and then he crawled quickly out of the fort before Sirius figured it out and elbowed him again.

But Remus was pleasantly surprised because not only did Sirius manage to not light the whole house on fire, but he even produced some pretty good food.

“You know, this is quite nice,” Remus said, taking another bite. “Mrs Potter must be a really good teacher if she managed to get you to this level of cooking.”

“Why can’t you just have a little bit more faith in my talents, Moony?” Sirius said. “But yeah, she’s a great teacher. James, on the other hand, is a terrible teacher. It’s not that he can’t cook because he can. He just can’t teach other people to cook. But don’t tell him I said that.” Remus snorts.

“As if you haven’t already told him that to his face.”

“You know me too well,” Sirius sighs.

After dinner, Sirius goes to shower and Remus continues unpacking boxes. The more boxes he unpacks, the more he realises how much crap they’re missing. But he’s not too worried about it. They’ll go to the store tomorrow and find whatever it is that they’re missing. It’s nothing essential. The only essential thing to Remus in this house is Sirius. As long as Sirius is here, Remus would be fine.

Remus opens another box with a utility knife. He looks inside and his jaw drops.

“Rem?” Sirius asks, coming into the room, his hair still wet from the shower. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Remus says. “Look at this.” He takes out the contents of the box and sets them on the table. It’s photos. Loads of photos of them from school.

“Wow,” Sirius says, looking through the photos. “Oh my god.” He holds one of the photos out to Remus laughing. Remus looks at the photo and starts laughing too. It’s him sitting next to a dog, a stag and a rat. His friends in their animagus forms and him in the middle, smiling awkwardly as Lily takes a photo.

They spent a little longer looking through the photos, laughing at how much they had changed since the first day they’d met each other in first year. They all looked so little. And now… well, now they’re grown up. Remus didn’t feel like it though.

He returned the photos to the box, deciding he’d find a place for them tomorrow. He was reaching another box when Sirius took his hand.

“Come to bed, darling,” he said. “It’s nearly midnight and you’re still unpacking boxes.”

“Yeah, okay,” Remus said. He smiled and laced his fingers with Sirius’.

He showered and put on a massive sweater (despite it being midsummer) and clambered into their new bed, where Sirius was already waiting for him. Sirius pulled him in and kissed his forehead before resting his head against Remus’ chest.

As they cuddle in their brand new bed, in their brand new apartment, Remus is overcome by the urge to tell Sirius, to just say it. To say what he wanted to say months ago on their anniversary but had been too afraid. He doesn’t even care if Sirius says it back. He just wants to say the words. He wants Sirius to know. Sirius deserves to know.

He lifts Sirius’ chin with his hand so their eyes meet as he brushes his thumb against Sirius’ cheek.

“I love you,” he says.

“I– I–” Sirius stutters.

“And you don’t have to say it back or anything,” Remus assures him. “I just wanted you to know.” Tears spill from Sirius’ eyes.

“You’re crying?” Remus said, sounding concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asks softly.

“No, nothing wrong, I just—” Sirius hesitates, sniffing. “That’s the first time anyone’s told me that,” he admits.

“That’s a shame,” Remus says, pressing a kiss to his temple. “I’ll always remind you how much I love you. I love you so much, Sirius.” He pulls Sirius into a tight hug. “You deserve so much love.” Sirius kisses him softly. It’s a quiet, gentle kiss, tears still flowing freely down Sirius’ face.

“I love you too,” Sirius whispers.

“You don’t have to say it just because I did,” Remus says.

“I’m not,” Sirius said. “I really do love you.” Remus smiles as he feels the blush blooming on his cheeks. And suddenly he can’t remember what was holding him back in the first place. He feels like an idiot for waiting so long to say this. He loves Sirius. He loves Sirius with all of his heart and he’s going to make sure Sirius knows it.

[wandanatfluff]

"I love you"

One shot Fluff (and a little bit angst I guess)

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female Reader

Summary: Reader and Wanda are good friends. Reader is in love with Wanda and tells Wanda, but even though Wanda loves Y/n, she tells her that they can’t be together.

Warnings: none

Word count: 3.8 K

A/n: So this is my first fanfiction!!! I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you guys enjoy reading it :-)! Wanda is in italics.

Steve, Tony, Bruce, Nat, and Clint were currently in a debriefing of the most recent mission at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and that leaves you and Wanda alone in the Avengers Tower.

You open the door of the freezer and grab the chocolate ice cream that you bought earlier this week. It is four a.m. and you are in the kitchen in a pair of soft shorts and a t-shirt. After closing the freezer and grabbing two spoons, you turn off the lights in the kitchen and walk down the hall to room 208. With the ice creams and spoons in one hand you stand still in front of the room. You hear can hear someone sobbing on the other side of the door quietly before you knock. The person in the room quickly wipes away their tears and clears their throat before opening the door.

“Hey?” Wanda speaks with a hoarse voice.

“Hey. It’s me.” You say.

“I brought you ice cream.” And you show her the ice cream. A small, but sad smile appears on her face and she lets you in. She gestures to the bed and you take place on the colorful covers. She sits down next to you and turns on the tv. She puts on a sitcom and you hand her a spoon.

“Do you want to talk about him?”

“Uh… not really.”

“That’s okay.”

Wanda nods her head and tears fill her eyes again as she softly begins to cry. You put away the ice cream that was standing in between the two of you so you can move closer to Wanda. You lay one hand on her shoulder, silently asking for permission to hold her in your arms. Wanda’s body relaxes under your touch and you carefully pull her into a hug. You lay her head on your chest, one arm wrapped around her warm body. Your other hand on the side of her head, softly stroking her hair.

It’s later in the evening and you are in your room, reading a book in the chair next to the window. You flip the page and you are just about to start your next chapter when Wanda knocks on your open door. You put your finger between the pages and you close your book, looking up at Wanda, making sure she knows she has your full attention. Wanda is standing in the door opening, fidgeting with her fingers, like she always does. It’s the most adorable thing.

“I uhm, was going to start dinner. The rest should be here in an hour or so. I could use some help in the kitchen.”

“I mean, you don’t have to… I can do it alone, but just if you, you know, want to.” A shy smile appears on her face and her cheeks turn soft pink as she looks down at her hands.

You smile at her flood of words and tell her that you would love to help her cook. You pick up your bookmark, put it between the pages and lay your book on the side table. You get up from your chair and walk to the kitchen.

“What do you want to make?” You ask Wanda. “I don’t know, I was thinking maybe pasta?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Let me just change my shirt, I’d prefer not to spill red sauce on my new top.” You say and smile. You go to your room and replace your light blue tank top for a short red t-shirt to go on top of your dark blue jeans.

Once you made your way back to the kitchen, Wanda has already started to gather the right ingredients, while mumbling in half English, half Sokovian.

“Chicken… tomatoes… paprika.”

You grin and let out a small chuckle at the way she pronounces paprika. She looks up at you and your eyes interlock.

She looks so good in that red shirt. It’s impossible not look at her. The short red shirt shows a bit of her tanned body and your eyes are immediately drawn to her perfect skin. Your eyes make their way up to hers and they suck you in. You suddenly realize that you are staring and quickly look the other way as you continue with what you were doing. Your cheeks turning the color of the tomatoes.

It was just for a brief moment, but you could have sworn Wanda stared at you. It was probably just your imagination, but it was what you needed to take the first step.

Wanda had already cut the zucchini and was just washing the paprika when you softly touch her wet hands and lay the paprika next to the sink.

A pleasant shiver goes through your body as your hands touch.

You hold each of her hands in yours, so that she faces you. She is looking down at the floor and you let go of one hand to gently touch her jawline, guiding her eyes into yours. You look into her beautiful green eyes as you grab her hand once again.

“Wanda-” You start. Your heart is beating so loud, that you’re afraid she can hear it, your skin on fire and a lump starts to form in your throat as your lips form the words.

“I love you.”

You said it. You finally said, what you were trying to tell her for months now.

I love you, she said it. Your worst fear had come true. Don’t get it wrong, this was exactly what you wanted, but at the same time it was what you feared. You feared your feelings for her. You loved laying in her arms and being around her, without having to talk about anything, without having to tell her how you feel. But it all changed, because she said the three words, that you couldn’t say. The words that would change everything between the two of you. You knew that she expected a response. Y/n obviously wanted to know how you felt and all you wanted to do was tell her you loved her too, but you couldn’t, so instead you said:

“I know right, how could you not.” And you fake-grinned.

You bit your tongue as soon as the words left your mouth. She had just handed you her heart and you made a joke about it. A joke. Literally the worst thing you could do… and the last thing you wanted to do.

You could see y/n’s demeanor change. You caught a glimpse of pain in the e/c of her eyes.

She continued.

“I don’t know if you get what I’m trying to tell you, Wanda, but I love you. I like, love you.”

Of course you knew what she meant, you were just playing dumb and all that because you couldn’t deal with you own feelings. You played it dumb and you hated yourself for it.

“I’m sorry, y/n.”

“You don’t feel the same.” She said and she looked down before meeting your eyes again.

You could now clearly see the hurt in her eyes. Before you met y/n, e/c eyes were just e/c, but her eyes are the warmest eyes you have ever seen. They are soft and ever-comforting. Whenever you would cry, you would find comfort in them. Whenever she was sad it broke your heart. And your heart did break, seeing her like this. The fact that you caused it made you feel even worse.

“I, I’m sorry Y/n. I love you too, but not like that.”

You loved her, but you couldn’t be with her. You had forbidden yourself to fall in love with her.

“I get it.”

Y/n let go of your hands and turned around to open a drawer to get a cutting board. She grabbed the mushrooms and started to slice them.

Everything inside you was hurting, your heart shattered into a thousand pieces. You didn’t blame Wanda for feeling like that, though. You understood it. You yourself had come to terms with your feelings a while ago. You loved her and you knew you could never love anyone as much as you loved Wanda, you wanted to be with her. Even though Wanda did not reciprocate your feelings, you were still happy you told her about yours. At least you can now live without constantly wondering if she felt the same about you.

After the two of you finish preparing dinner, you put on your coat.

“Don’t wait for me for dinner. You guys can start without me.”

You leave the compound, stepping into the cold air. You get into your car and drive as far from the compound as possible. You try to hold back your tears as you reach the edge of Central Park. You step out of your car and with your hands in your pockets you enter the park. The wind stings in your eyes and you finally let out the tears. You walk around the entire park while tears stream down your face. After two hours of crying, you numbly walk back to your car. You sit in your car for a moment, your eyes thick and red. Even your nose turned red under the cold outside. You take a detour back to the compound and arrive at around 2 a.m., you lock your car and open the door of the building. The warmth of the air inside hugs you as you walk to the kitchen. You see that Wanda left you a plate with pasta on the counter and you put it in the microwave. Five minutes go bye as you stare at the clock counting down. You grab your hot plate and almost burn your fingers. You sit down on the couch and turn on a random tv show, while eating your pasta.

After you finish your pasta, you fall asleep on the couch.

*** You wake up by Natasha’s voice. She is standing next to the couch.

“Hey y/n, wake up sleepyhead.”

You grumble some noises and shift on the couch. “I heard you come in last night, it was quite late. Are you okay?” Natasha asks you with a slight worry in her voice.

Anyone could have slept on the couch, that didn’t mean anything was off. Natasha knew better, though. Where the rest may have thought you drank too much and had a hangover, Natasha knew better. You never drink. Your brother was involved in a car accident with a drunk driver and he didn’t survive. Therefore, you didn’t drink any alcohol. Natasha and Wanda were the only people that knew about the accident.

You yawn before slowly opening your eyes, but the second you do, you remember everything that happened last night. Your eyes fill with tears as you start to cry and Natasha pulls you into a hug, sitting next to you on the couch.

“Shh, let it all out darling, I’m here.” Natasha comforts you. You cry and your salt tears stain her shirt. When you’re done crying Natasha lets go of you and gets you a glass of water. You take a few sips.

“Where’s the rest?” You ask her with a hoarse voice. “Fury called them in for a mission. We have the compound to ourselves for the next few days.”

You nod your head and to be honest you’re happy that you don’t have to see Wanda for a while, because you’re not sure if you would be able to keep it dry. You slowly sit up straight and take a few deep breaths, before standing up and walking to your room. You open the door and see a framed photo on your bed. It is a picture of you and Wanda at a funfair. You had put ice cream on the tip of Wanda’s and were just about to clean it with your thumb when the picture was taken. You had never seen this picture before, so you assume Wanda must have had it all this time and after last night she decided to give it to you. There was a little note next to the picture.

We keep this love in a photograph We made these memories for ourselves Where our eyes are never closing Hearts are never broken And time's forever frozen, still

So you can keep me Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet

- Ed Sheeran

I wanted you to have this.

Wanda

Your stomach twisted as you read the words. You let the picture slip out your hand and rushed to the bathroom. Kneeling down next to the toilet you throw up. Nat heard you and immediately rushed to you. She stood behind you, holding your hair up and softly humming a Russian song. When you emptied your stomach, Natasha got your glass of water. As Natasha left the bathroom, you sat down leaning your back against the wall. You pulled up your knees and with your hands in your hair, you closed your eyes. You felt like crying, but there were no more tears left to cry, you were exhausted. When Natasha came back, she ordered you’d take a shower and then go to bed. You followed her orders and snuggled into your blankets. You were cold, even though your blankets were thick, you probably had a fever. Great. You eventually fell asleep and woke up a few hours later, when Nat came to check on you.

“Hey y/n. How are you feeling?” She sat down on the edge of your bed with two pills in her hand. You took the pills with a sip of water and sighed.

“Better, thanks. The sleep served me well.”

“I was thinking about watching a movie, wanna join me?”

“Yeah, sure.” You got out of your bed, put on your robe and put on a pair of fluffy socks. You walked to the couch, where Natasha was waiting for you with a blanket on her lap. You sat down next to her, laying your head on her lap as she put the blanket over you. You looked up at her, cracking a smile. She smiled back and started the movie.

*** A few days had passed and you were feeling a lot better already. Well, physically. Your mental health was still a mess and you would often burst out into tears, while doing the simplest things like taking out the trash. Today was a good day though. You were able to think about Wanda without breaking down. You were walking on the grass around the compound, taking in the silence. Natasha was out doing groceries, so you had the entire compound for yourself. You decided to take advantage of the situation and went back in to find the piano in the corner of the common room. You sat down on the piano stool and let your fingers rest on the keys. You played a few songs and sang along. After a few minutes you were so lost in the music, that you didn’t hear her enter the room. The song you played was about her and you pretended you were singing the song to her. If only she could hear you…

While the rest was still outside, discussing the mission, you entered the compound. It was a tough mission, especially with all the things that were going through your head, your conversation with y/n playing over and over again. You had already gone inside, headed for your room, so you could give your tired body a shower and change into some clean clothes. You are halfway down the hallway when you hear music coming from the common room. Curious, you open the doors.

There she is, Y/n, playing the piano while singing along. Her hair tucked behind her ear. Slightly flowing on her back as she presses the piano keys. Her eyes closed as her clear voice echoes through the room. The music is soft to your ears until you listen to what she’s singing.

You recognize the song, Y/n would occasionally hum the song with a sad smile on her face. Sometimes she would even let a tear stroll down her cheek. Now that you heard the lyrics that belonged to the tune, you finally understood the sadness in her smile.

I can’t stop these silent tears from rolling down

You and I both have to hide on the outside

Where I can’t be yours and you can’t be mine

But I know this, we got a love that is hopeless

Why can’t I hold you in the street

Why can’t I kiss you on the dance floor

I wish that it could be like that

Why can’t it be like that

…

Cause I’m yours

And you would always be.

You knew Wanda couldn’t be with you, but it didn’t stop you from hoping. Hoping and dreaming of a future with her.

What you didn’t know was that Wanda felt the exact same, that she was in the same room as you, hearing every word that left your lips. She took in every word like they were hers.

Why can’t I say that I’m in love

I wanna shout it from the rooftops

Tears formed in Wanda’s eyes and she wiped them away. She stormed out of the room, sight blurry as she undressed, stepped in the shower and tried to wash off her feelings. The hot water burned on her skin, but she figured she deserved it. She broke your heart, simply because she couldn’t confess to herself that her crush was a girl. A girl.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, merging with the water coming from the showerhead.

And then it hit her. She didn’t just like any girl. She liked you and you weren’t just someone she could stop herself from falling in love with. She could no longer deny her feelings about you. No. She loved you and all she wanted was to be with you. She missed the warm hugs you would welcome her with after another exhausting mission. The soft kisses you would leave on her cheeks. The ice cream you would keep in the freezer for whenever she missed her brother. The sitcoms you would watch with her in silence. She had to be with you.

Wanda quickly finished showering and put on some shorts with a red hoodie on top, matching her copper locks. Her wet hair unbrushed, bound together in a low messy bun. She took a quick look in the mirror, her cheeks slightly red from the warmth, caused by the nerves she felt. What if she had ruined her chance on you? What if you didn’t want her anymore? She figured there was only one way to find out and she went to your room. You weren’t in your room, so she went to the main living room. You weren’t behind the piano anymore. Instead, you were now in the kitchen, talking to the rest, laughing. You looked gorgeous. Wanda honestly didn’t think nor care about the company. She couldn’t stop herself…

You were talking to Steve when the redhead in the corner of your eye caught your attention. She was just as pretty as usual in her simple shorts and hoodie. So pretty that it hurts. You guided your attention back to your conversation with Steve when you felt a hand on your lower arm. Wanda pulled you away from Steve and took you to the living room. She pulled you into a shadowed nook and pressed you against the wall. You looked into her emerald eyes wondering what was going on, but just when you were about to ask her, you felt soft lips touching yours. Your breath caught in the back of your throat as you were completely starstruck. What was she doing? Wanda didn’t like you… right? You shoved aside your doubts, you just wanted to feel her. Enjoy the moment for as long as it would last. You cupped Wanda’s face with your hands and pulled her into another kiss, this time a more intimate one. Wanda’s soft lips clashed with yours as you warmed up inside. Wanda put one hand in your neck and another around your waist, pulling you closer. This was all she ever wanted, it felt so right. Wanda opened her mouth for you and you slipped your tong into her mouth, your tongs slowly moving around each other in perfect harmony.

You gently pulled back, slightly out of breath.

“Wow, I thought you didn’t like me?” You quietly said, not wanting the others to overhear you.

“I never didn’t like you. I just wasn’t ready to admit it to myself, but I am now. I love you and I never want to lose you. I was a fool to deny it. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.” And she looked down to the floor.

A tear strolled down her check and you gently wiped it away with your thumb, your hand resting on her cheek.

“Wanda, honey. There’s nothing to forgive.”

Her eyes went up to search yours and you pulled Wanda into a soft kiss, reassuring her that there was nothing to worry about. You had never stopped loving her.

And you couldn’t imagine that you would ever.

Songs: Photograph - Ed Sheeran

Secret Love Song - Little mix

[sweetkingdomstarlight-blog]

they were roommates

Warnings - non consensual sex, anal sex, somnophilia, forced drug use

Pairings - Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words - over 2k

A/N - READ THE WARNINGS - I can’t stress this enough. Also if you are under 18 just shoo, bugger off. I wrote this from a prompt on @darkficsyouneveraskedfor​ stalker writing challenge, the prompt was your roommate isn’t who you thought they were. I’m still super new to writing and this is new territory for me, as always a huge massive thankyou to my beautiful wife @buckyownsmylife​ she helped me a lot and continues to hype me up.

It’s been six weeks since your friend got a new job upstate and moved out,. You’ve had an advert out for a new roommate but so far everyone who’s applied has either been rude or hasn’t shown up. You’re running low on your savings and would probably accept Satan himself if he could pay his fair share. That’s when your latest applicant knocked on your door.

James was polite and charming, he offered to pay a month up front to secure the room and could move in as soon as possible. You felt like a weight was lifted off your shoulders when he moved in later that week, it was a bit odd that he had no friends to help him but he didn’t seem to have a lot of stuff and had himself sorted while you worked in your home office.

The first night he offered to buy pizza and beers so you could get to know each other better, it turns out you two had a lot of things in common and he was easy to get along with. You must have had a few too many beers because your head felt fuzzy, deciding it was time to go to bed. You said goodnight to James and stood up but felt so dizzy you had to immediately sit back down. James was so sweet though, looking after you, he actually picked you up and put you to bed so you didn't have to walk the short distance to your room.

Waking up the next morning you realised you were wearing a t-shirt you didn’t recognise but you didn’t remember getting changed, your mouth felt strangely dry so you got up for a drink. That’s when the soreness hit you, in between your legs, rushing to the bathroom you were confused that you weren’t getting your period and nothing seemed to be different. You assumed you were getting sick and went for hot tea to soothe yourself.

Sitting at the kitchen counter drinking and nibbling on some dry toast, James walks in looking like he’s just been for a run. He grabs a bottle of water and walks over to you giggling “you can’t possibly be hungover you only had three drinks last night” you look up at him smirking and sarcastically respond, “yeah, well, maybe I’m just a lightweight”.

As you get up to clear away your mess he clears his throat making you turn. “Should we have a system for when we have people over in the future?” You look at him confused. “I’m sorry what do you mean? Do you want to bring someone over tonight?”

He chuckles at you, “Well no, not tonight but if you want your friend from last night to come back I can make sure you have some privacy,” he offers you, smirking at the confused look on your face.

“I’m sorry, I don't understand, I went to sleep last night. I didn’t have anyone over.” Taking a step closer, he leans on the counter separating you both. “Then who did I hear you with last night and who did I kick out this morning?” You stare at him open mouthed and scurry off to your room to check your phone for some clues, you feel your chest tighten when you see that you matched with someone last night and invited him over. How could you not remember? You were absolutely mortified, what is James going to think of you now?

Sitting in your home office talking to idiot customers on the phone all day, you try to take your mind off what happened last night. How can you have invited someone over, had sex and apparently stolen his t-shirt without even knowing? You vow there and then you aren’t drinking ever again. However, the end of the week rolls by and it's been the absolute worst, your boss is a dick, your customers are all idiots and to top it off your best friend hasn’t responded to your calls all week and you don’t know why.

You have a quick shower and decide to spend the night binge watching whatever you can find on Netflix when James sits next to you handing you a gin and tonic. “Thanks but I’m not drinking for a little while.” You go to put the drink down but he pushes it up to your mouth

“Don’t be silly, you’ve had a hard week. One drink won’t hurt” smiling at him you take a sip and he’s right, you instantly relax and get cosy on the sofa, ordering chinese and laughing at the show you both decide on. Waking up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth again, you find yourself laying on your bed but this time you have your own clothes on which is a relief. Standing up, you feel a bit weird round the back like you’ve been stretched out with one of your plugs but that’s not possible, they’re hidden in your box under the bed.

You drink a big glass of water and sit on the kitchen counter, a little uncomfortably, but quietly and relax. Something has been off the last week and you can’t put your finger on it, it's always weird when you get a new roommate and you’ve put it down to that but you just sense something isn’t quite right. You lean your head back on the wall behind you and get a surprise when James walks round the corner. “Hey doll, you feeling ok? You looked a bit sickly earlier and went to bed. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

You nod at how sweet he was and drink some more water before hopping down. “I’m fine just going to sleep it off.” He takes your glass for you, offering to wash it and says goodnight, watching you walk away very closely and licking his lips as his eyes roam over your body.

It’s been a few weeks now since James moved in, he’s got to be the best roommate you’ve ever had. He pays his bills on time, keeps the place spotless and he’s such a good cook, always making food and drinks for you. It's lucky that he’s so kind because none of your friends seem to be in touch anymore, you message them and even try calling them but no one ever replies.

You sit watching your usual Friday night film with drinks and Chinese takeout, talking to James about both your weeks, tonight though he sits closer than usual and his face seems to light up when you talk to him. He’s possibly the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen in real life, you’ve never looked at him that way before because not only is he your roommate but he’s so far out of your league it's laughable. You tell one of your stupid jokes and he laughs with his whole body, his arm goes around the back of the sofa and he pulls you in close, hugging into him, you relax biting your lip when he kisses the top of your head.

That was the beginning of it for you both. You had daily movie nights, he cooked for you every day, listened when you got upset that your friends seemed to have dropped you and even encouraged you to start running with him. Everything felt perfect, you still occasionally woke up sore with a dry mouth but James told you it was just your body getting used to all the exercise you were now doing. Both of you had really found each other, loners who just needed someone to listen.

You went down to collect your mail one day and stood talking to your elderly neighbour when she told you how familiar James looked, she couldn’t work out where she knew him from but she praised you on finding such a nice young man who apparently had carried her groceries up the stairs for her when the elevator was broken. Smiling at her you told her to have a good morning and went back to your apartment looking at the thick brown envelope addressed to you, you never really got anything in the post except the occasional leaflet. James had made you a coffee and you smiled at him taking the package in your room to open while you got ready to have a shower.

In the shower you decided tonight would be the night with James, you shaved yourself from head to toe and used your best lotions. Winking at him as you walked to your room, he had a weird look on his face and couldn’t seem to look at you. In your room the envelope had been moved, it looked like it was open too. Bending down to pick it up you hear James behind you but before you can turn around you feel a pain in your neck and everything goes dark.

You wake up with a blinding headache and go to move but your body feels too heavy. “Ssshh sweetheart, don’t move, I had to tie you up for your own safety.” You look at him confused, trying to pull on your wrists but you can’t move.

“James, what’s happening?” Sitting next to you he slips some ice chips in your mouth to ease your dry throat and takes a deep breath.

“You can blame your friend, we were so happy and she had to try and take you away from me.” A tear runs down your cheek, you’ve never heard him talk like this and it’s terrifying. “I told your little friends to leave you alone or I’d take care of them all but they just didn’t listen.” He throws the envelope down and slowly shows you the newspaper clippings and articles they had sent you, apparently he was on the run and considered dangerous, something to do with what happened with the helicarriers that crashed a few months ago.

“I’m not the Winter Soldier anymore,” he says with a smirk, wiping your tears away and tutting. “Don’t be scared of me, I’m doing this for you, for us!” Pulling on the restraints on your feet and arms again he shouts, “Enough!” You stop immediately, scared of what he‘ll do if you don’t. “You were so nice to me on the phone when I first got free, you helped me hire that car that brought me to New York. I hacked into your company's database and found you. Your roommate was easy to convince with a little bit of money and I hired all those people to come and see you so when I finally got my chance you’d want me as much as I’ve wanted you”

“Why didn’t you just ask me out like a normal person?” You managed to stutter out, trying not to sound too pathetic.

“You never leave the house, you stay home all day working then sit watching TV all night, I saw you through the webcam. You really should be more careful.” He smirks before running his fingers over your naked body. Feeling how smooth and soft your skin is he smiles. “Did you do all this for me? Sweetheart, I’ve already had all of you, you don’t have to do anything special for me. I love you just the way you are”.

The realisation hits you and you sob loudly. “Have you been touching me while I sleep?” He tilts his head to the side and looks at you with so much admiration.

“You’re so smart, I’ve been preparing you to be mine. I didn’t know how long it's been since you’ve been with a real man, not those silly little toys under your bed and I wanted our first time to be special. I even set up that fake dating account so you would think you had a guy over on that first night.” He strokes your cheek and you have to bite your tongue to stop yourself from crying.

“James I’m cold, can you untie me and we can talk properly, please.” He studies your face for a brief moment before leaning forward and chuckling in your ear.

“You can’t think I’m that stupid baby, oh and you can call me Bucky now. If you’re going to be mine forever we need to get better acquainted.” He drops his sweatpants and straddles your hips. “We’re going to have so much fun”.

[fruitcoops]

Accidental Family

Hey folks! This is one of two fics for the six month celebration of this blog! Woohoo! Blood on the Ice is one of the most popular series I've written, and expanding it into Josie’s (@prohibitionincurls ) Winging It world with her was unbelievably fun. Disclaimer: one of the OCs has ADHD and it is a central theme of the story--while Josie based some of his characteristics on her own experience, we both recognize that this is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Thank you again for six amazing months, and I hope you enjoy!

Lots of love,

Eve <3

TW for mentioned injury

“Oh my god, they’re gonna kill me,” the kid whispered in a wavering voice, sounding much younger than he actually was as he left the penalty box.

“They’re not going to kill you,” Bowie soothed, still watching the tunnel where Remus had disappeared mere minutes earlier. From what he saw, there had been a bit of blood, but the bruising didn’t look too bad. Then again, there had barely been enough time for anything to visibly swell before he was whisked away.

“Can I just stay in the box?” Felix cast a look toward the Lions bench and his voice cracked. “They can’t yell at me in the box, right?”

“Hey. Look at me, Marty.” Bowie took him by the shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. “The Lions are good guys. They’re not going to hurt you, but you did just fuck up one of their best friends. What would you do if someone hit me in the face?”

“Come on, man, I’m a terrible fighter. I don’t know how well I’d be able to defend your honor after something like that. It was an accident. Do you think they know it was an accident? Should I go tell them?”

“I know. They know. Loops definitely knows. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a little cold at first.” He ruffled the rookie’s hair and turned back to the game; the Lions were moving fast and brutal, slicing right through their defense for yet another goal. Shit. Felix clearly felt bad enough already--losing the game wouldn’t make him feel any better. 

They ended up losing the game.

Bowie had figured it might happen; he would have had the same fire if it had been his teammate that got clocked like that. Hell, he used to have the same fire when he and Remus had played together, so he completely understood. 

That did not change the fact that once they got home, Felix was still borderline inconsolable. The 18-year-old wasn’t technically billeting with them, but the apartment he was renting just so happened to be in the same building, on the same floor, and right across the hall from his and Simon’s. This led to an informal adoption of the rookie and he was around their house at least five times a week, if not more. 

Felix Martin was a good kid, and that idea was confirmed when Kronk immediately took a liking to him; the cat loved nobody but the three of them. Bowie was grateful that he and Simon were there to quell some of the homesickness that came from moving out to a new city on his own for the first time. The transition was always tough, but they could provide a little support.

They parted ways from the team when the bus got back from the rink and drove to their building in silence. Once they made their way up the stairs and down the hall, Felix moved to go back to his apartment. 

“Nope,” Bowie said immediately, placing a hand on his shoulder and steering him through the door to his and Simon’s place. It wasn’t a good idea for Felix to be alone right now--there was nothing to do alone after a loss aside from beat himself up about it, and Bowie would be damned before he let that happen. 

Simon and Kronk were perched on the couch, but they both moved into the kitchen as soon as the door clicked closed. Simon took one look at the pair and carefully wrapped his arms around Felix; the kid practically melted. The three of them stood there for a moment until Simon pulled back a bit and tilted his head toward the living room. Felix nodded and Bowie followed the two, sharing the couch with Simon while the rookie curled up in the large armchair diagonal to them. 

He...well, if Bowie was being honest, Felix looked like hell. He chewed his lower lip like an anxious beaver and fiddled with the loose threads of the closest armrest; everything about him screamed discomfort. Bowie caught Simon’s worried glance in his periphery and let out a slow breath, trying to relieve at least a little of the tension in the room.

“You don’t have to relive it if you don’t want to. I saw the game. But if you want to talk about it…” Simon trailed off with a significant look.

Felix sighed and his shoulders caved in a bit. “It was just one of those moments. All of a sudden, I didn’t really have a grasp on what was going on, which feels like shit because I’ve been doing pretty well so far. I dunno. It was just...bad.” 

That was it. Bowie knew Felix had seemed a little off. When Felix mentioned he had ADHD at the start of the season during one of their ‘getting to know your neighbor’ chats, Bowie hadn’t thought much of it. But as they grew closer, he began to notice when Felix forgot to eat or drink, or got overwhelmingly excited about something, or when he suddenly spaced out. It wasn’t just Felix being Felix.

The whole team stepped up and became intensely protective, of course. They not only helped him remember meal times, but also scheduling, directions, and everything in between. Bowie felt especially responsible for reasons he didn’t entirely understand--there was just something about the kid’s sweet heart that struck a chord.

He also knew that Felix was highly emotionally intelligent, but had no concept of whether people liked him or not. He was someone who assumed the worst, all the time. So, Bowie decided to do the only thing he knew would work: after a few more beats of uncomfortable silence, he pulled his phone out, tapped a few buttons, and pressed ‘call’.

“Hey, Remus, are you alive?” 

An amused snort came from the speaker even as Felix blanched. “Hello to you, too, Bowie. Jeez, you’re worse than Sirius.  I’m one hundred percent alive, just a little swollen. Your rookie’s got a helluva shot, but maybe tell the kid to hit the puck and not my face next time.” 

Felix flushed red and put his face between his knees, though hearing the laughter in Remus’s voice and knowing that he was okay clearly took some of the weight off his shoulders. Bowie whooped internally and shot him a quick, reassuring smile.

“Yeah, the kid’s got spirit, but he’s also got ADHD. He’s great most of the time, but sometimes under extreme pressure he can’t figure out where the fuck he--or anything else around him--is. Something about focusing or neurons firing the wrong way, maybe? Either way, it’s why he’s a terrible fuckin’ driver.”

Felix flopped back against the chair with a groan. “How the hell am I supposed to know how far away the cars around me are based on the mirrors? And how am I supposed to park?!” 

Remus’s laugh echoed once again. “Don’t ask me, kid, I’m not allowed to drive, either. Not because I’m ADHD, but because I’m terrible at it.” 

“You can say that again!” a muffled voice called from behind Remus. 

“Please excuse my fiance,” Remus said politely. “He’s a jackass who’s trying to make me lay down again.”

Felix smiled, though it was a bit pained. “I didn’t get a chance to apologize earlier. That stick was totally on me. And--I mean, I heard some of the guys talking afterward and it sounded like you got pretty banged up, so I’m really sorry. Like, really sorry.”

“Hey, woah, you’re fine,” Remus soothed. Bowie recognized his ‘talking to newbies’ voice and hid a smile in the cuff of his hoodie. “It’s the name of the game, after all. Did Bowie ever tell you about the time I accidentally checked him into a wall? Or when I broke his visor with a puck? For context, this was when we were on the same team.”

“Or that time you kicked my legs out from under me and sent me sprawling across the ice during practice.”

“That one was on purpose.” 

Bowie glared at the phone, but Felix was snickering and his grin was genuine. It calmed him a bit. “Thanks, Loops.”

“No problem, kiddo.” Remus paused for a moment, then mumbled something inaudible to someone in the background before clearing his throat. “Bowie.”

“Yes?” Remus had never been a wild card, per se, but he certainly had a knack for asking strange questions out of the blue.

“Did you accidentally adopt a child or do my ears deceive me?”

Bowie was about to laugh at the absurdity of it, but then he took a moment to think, looking back and forth between Simon and Felix. “Fuckin’--maybe I did, Re, but he’s ours now. And if that’s the case, I’m going to formally request that you tell your fiance to quit being mean to my son.”

Remus laughed on the other end of the line. “Will do. Felix seems like a sweetheart, I’m glad he’s got you two.” 

Bowie nodded with a slight smile, even though Remus couldn’t see him. “So are we. I can practically sense Sirius hovering, so go let your boyfriend fuss over you for a little while.” 

An offended noise came from Remus’s side, followed by a lower laugh and the click of the call ending. 

Simon looked Felix dead in the eyes. “I’m seconding the ‘kid’ thing. You may just barely be a legal adult, but it doesn’t mean we can’t adopt you. Congrats on your new gay dads.” 

Felix’s bright laugh sent a wave of relief through Bowie. “You guys are only, like, eight years older than me.”

“Silence, spawn,” Simon said, pointing a playful finger at him as his grin widened into something sweet and lopsided. “Now both of you need to come eat something. I made cookies while you were getting pushed around for a living.”

Bowie was still worried about Remus’ face--he made a mental note to call the next day to check in--but all his concerns disappeared as Felix scooped the cat up for a snuggle and followed Simon into the kitchen. They may have lost the game, but he would lose a million Cups to keep that moment forever: his Simon fussing over them both, his cat purring in pure bliss, and his kid settling into place at last.

[please-buckme]

A Broken Heart.

Lee Bodecker x fem!reader

Chapter 2

Chapter warnings: 18+ mentions of death, mentions of sex, cursing, Lee being an ass, angst, meninist behaviors

Chapter summary: You move back home after three years to find your heart still in shambles.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Chapter 1 // Chapter 3

3 Years Later

After moving a whole county away, Highland Ohio to be exact, you stayed for quite some time. Your aunt was amazing and the sweetest woman you’d ever known, and living with her was a breeze. She’d even gotten you a job at the auto shop her recently deceased husband left to her, which you loved. Life was good, for a while. You never had a reason to come home until your momma got sick.

For the past year you watched as your momma slowly faded away until the last week of April when she finally passed in her sleep. You were devastated, of course, but not only because of her death. She didn’t have much to her name besides a couple thousand in the bank and the house you’d left so long ago, which she left all to you.

The house was old. White paneling a faint tint of brown, grey shutters that were almost all off their hinges and rust anywhere you looked. It was a fixer upper and there’s no way you could sell it in its current condition. So, you decided to move back to Knockemstiff, just for the time being.

In all honesty, you’d grown to hate that town. Nothing but bad memories and any good memories you’d had were tarnished completely. So, once the house was decent enough to sell, you were out of there and back to the life you’d created in Highland.

Your aunt and you drove together in her pick up truck back to the house after your momma passed. She helped you unload your stuff and take things to the necessary rooms.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? I can make my famous pancakes. I know you love’em.” She grinned.

“As tempting as that sounds, I’m fine. Please, I insist you go now before it gets dark.” You pull your aunt into a hug, a tight hug.

“I’m gonna miss havin’ you around, kiddo.” She sighed, her breath fanning over your neck.

“It’s only for a few months. I’ll be back to annoying you in no time, oldie.”

“Hey, I’m not old.” She laughed and pointed her finger at you sternly but still in a lighthearted way.

“And I’m not a kid.”

She laughed a little more then sighed, “Well, I guess I’ll head out. Call me if you need anything and don’t forget to go down to Billy’s tomorrow. He’s excited to bring you in.”

You smiled, “How could I forget? I need some sort of income to fix this craphole up.”

You walked your aunt to her car and waved her goodbye as she drove way. Your eyes welled up but you made sure not to cry in front of her or she’d never leave.

Once you went back in, you immediately got to work. Starting in the kitchen, you didn’t have much but a few coffee cups. The house was still occupied with your momma’s things and you were already dreading having to go through it all.

Things started to come together room by room as you worked most of the day away. You cleaned and rearranged things to your liking now that it was your house. It felt almost empowering to do what you want. You’d never lived alone so, in a way, this was an adventure as well.

You took your old room instead of the master, since that’s where your momma passed. It gave you goosebumps just thinking about and you knew you’d never get any sleep if you stayed in there. Your room wasn’t big but it was good enough for now and much better than sleeping in your momma’s death bed, hard pass.

You’d taken a seat on the couch with some tea you’d brewed up earlier that morning. This was the first time you sat down since arriving, and of course there’s a knock at the door.

“Whatever you’re selling, I promise you, I ain’t interested.” You shout, too exhausted to even attempt getting up.

The knocking continued, “Oh, for fucks sake.” You groaned under your breath and stood on your aching feet to tell them to fuck off in person. You opened the door, “did you not hear me the first time. I said-“

“Hi, Y/n” Lee greeted as he removed his hat.

You scoffed, “Can I help you with somethin’, Sheriff?”

Lee stood there, fiddling with the bill of his hat. His belly had gotten a little bigger and his cheeks had gotten a little chubbier, but you couldn’t help the hitch in your throat when his wedding ring caught your eye. Just a basic silver band, nothing special. But it still left a hollow pit in your stomach.

“I-“ he cleared his suddenly dry throat. “I heard you was back in town. Thought I’d come see for ma self if the rumors were true.”

“Welp, here I am. You can go now.”

“Y/n, I-“

“No, Lee, please. I’ve had a long day and I honestly don’t feel like talking to you right now. No, I take that back. I don’t feel like talking to you at all.”

“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think, doll.” He grins.

“Goodbye, Sheriff.” You shut the door only to hear him holler at you from the other side.

“Still can’t say my name, huh, Doll? Boy, I really did a number on you, didn’t I?” Your heart sank at his words. It seemed your pain was a joke to him this whole time. You’d always pictured him crying alone like you were but clearly that was never the case. Y’all’s relationship didn’t seem one sided until you were the only one hurt by the fall out.

“Welcome home, Y/n.” He said before you heard his boots click against the porch as he left.

You took a deep breath as you backed away from the door. Tears rimmed your eyes and you scoffed aloud to yourself. After three years you still weren’t over him and you knew that. You didn’t know, however, that he’d still have such a hold on you. And by the way he reacted to how sensitive you were towards the situation still didn’t help the ever growing void that ran through your entire loveless body. The only man you ever loved looked at you as if you were a quick fuck and a punchline.

A tear burned against your cheek and you were quick to wipe it away. You swore to yourself that you’d never cry over that man again and you won’t, instead you decided it was time for a much needed bath.

The bath was scolding hot, just how you liked it, and you opened up a bottle of wine as a sort of reward for the work you’d done today. Once the water got cold and the wine ran out, you brushed your hand and teeth and went to bed.

//

The sun beamed down against your skin as you walked to the local auto shop where your aunt had set you up with another job. You were always good with numbers and they desperately needed someone on the books. Your job would be to look at their spending over the last few months and figure out some sort of budget. You did that for your aunt at her shop, so this didn’t worry you at all.

“Hi, you must be Billy.” You greet the owner, “I’m

y/n, Peggy’s niece.”

“Oh, yes. I’m glad you finally made it down.” He beamed, shaking your hand, “How long will you be here for?”

“I’m not sure, actually. Just until I get my house fixed up enough to sell.” You say, retracting your hand from his sweaty one.

“Ah, well as luck would have it, our secretary just quit on us last week, so there’s a position you’ll adjust to right fine.”

You scoffed, “Wait a minute. Did you say secretary?”

“Yeah. You need to get your hearing checked, Honey?” He grinned. What is it with the men in this town?!

“No, I heard you just fine. My problem is that I was supposed to be your Budget Holder, not a damn secretary.” Your face was turning a touch of pink as you became increasingly annoyed.

“That’s a man's job, sweetie. We don’t you blown a fuse tryin’ ta add up all them numbers, now do we?”

“You can’t be serious.” You say flatly.

“Look, it’s the only position we got. Take it or leave it.”

Everything in you wanted to March out of that shop and never go back again. A secretary's position is nothing to frown upon, but to only be offered it because you’re a woman was despicable. Sadly, you needed this job and it would only be for a few months. So, when you told him you’d take the job you swallowed every ounce of respect you had for yourself. Knockemstiff was truly the worst town in America.

“Sounds great. We’ll see you tomorrow for training. There’s no dress code but there are a few things you’ll need to know before starting. I’ll fill you in once we start your training tomorrow.” He shook your hand again, completely ignoring the furious grimace on your face.

“Great. See you tomorrow.” You mumbled, walking away so you didn’t ‘accidentally’ hit your new boss.

//

Before heading home you decided to stop and grab some things for the house. Being sick, your momma didn’t eat much besides soup, and there was an over abundance of vanilla flavored Ovaltine cans littering the kitchen counters, which you hated.

The second the doors opened, all eyes were on you. You even heard a faint gasp coming from the woman at the register. A smirk crept upon your face. These people's lives were so boring that they still aren’t over your breakup that happened so long ago. Rolling your eyes, you grabbed a cart and headed down the produce aisle.

Once you grabbed the vegetables you’d need for a stew, you headed towards the baking aisle. You need the ingredients for an upside down pineapple cake your momma used to make for you as a kid. Your aunt was coming into town on Saturday to lend a hand and celebrate her birthday. You told her to go have fun, but she insisted on spending her special day with you.

As you searched for the baking soda, you heard your name.

“Did you see Y/n’s back in town?” A lady with a high pitched voice whispered.

“I did. I just saw her. Poor thing. She’s probably still caught up on the sheriff. Prolly wish it was her that was on his arm instead of Laura-Jean.”

You rolled your eyes.

“I know it. Wouldn’t you, though? He’s so handsome.” The lady with the high patched voice giggled.

“Oh, hush! Don’t say things like that.” The other lady joined the high pitched one in whispered giggles. “Oh my goodness, here he comes.” She cleared her throat, “Afternoon, Sheriff.”

“Evenin’,Ladies. Y’all behavin’ yourselves?” You could hear the smirk in his voice.

They both giggled and in unison said, “Yes, Sheriff.”

“Oh give me a break.” You grimaced to yourself.

“Heard Y/n’s back in town.” The high pitched one spoke up. Your face burned. Why would they bring you up to him so bluntly like that? Everyone in this town was so unbelievably nosy.

“I- I heard. Actually just went to see her yesterday.” He said, clearing his throat.

“Uh-oh, the misses didn’t like that, I’m sure.” They giggled.

“Oh, no. She didn’t mind. I was just droppin’ by to give her my condolences about her momma dyin’. Then, she slammed the door in my face. I guess she’s still pretty upset with me.” He was pouting, trying to get some sort of sympathy. If you rolled your eyes any harder you thought they’d pop out of your head.

“Oh, you poor thing. Is there anything we can-“

Suddenly the baking soda slipped from your hand and scattered all other the floor in a puff of dust. “Shit, shit, shit.” You whispered to yourself.

“What was that?” One of the ladies asked.

“Excuse me, ladies.” Lee said. You could hear his boots clacking against the floor on there way over to you.

Shit.

You desperately wanted to run away but leaving this mess for someone to clean up wasn’t right, not even with the predicament you found yourself in. “Well, well, well,” Lee mocked as he rounded the corner. “Only here for less than a day and you’re already causin’ trouble.”

“Stay out of this, Bodecker.” You huff, trying to scoop the baking soda back into the card box it spilled from.

“Was you eavesdroppin’, girl?” He asked, kicking the soul of your shoe.

You scoffed, “Oh, please. I could give two shits what you say about me, Bodecker.”

He leaned in close, hovering over your left side. You heard him chuckle which startled you. He was so close. You could feel the familiar heat radiating from his body and smell that familiar cologne. His lips came down close to your ear. He licked them and then whispered, “If ya weren’t eavesdroppin’, how’d ya know I was talkin’ bout you, hm?”

Your eyes shuttered closed as he spoke, feeling his hot breath against your cheek. His deep southern drawl always made you weak. It took you back to those times in the back of the cruiser. He whispered such dirty praises in your ear when you would ride his cock. Those dirty words that could make you cum in seconds.

“You still with me, doll?” You felt him tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear.

You flitched and stood up, “I- don’t touch me and stop calling me doll, alright? I really don’t have time for your games today, sheriff, and I’m not even really sure what you’re playin’ at in the first place.”

He smirked, running a thumb across his lip, “Darlin, I think the only thing I ever played was you..”

“I-“ your breath hitched in the back of your throat, “I have to go.” You turned to walk away, leaving the mess you’d made and your cart behind. Your eyes welled up with tears again. You didn’t know the man that stood in front of you. Lee was nothing but good to you when you dated and now he’s the most hateful man you’d ever met. The man you loved had disappeared and there’s nothing you could do to bring him back, no matter how bad you wanted to. A tear stained your cheek as you sped through the aisle. You could hear Lee hollering for you to stop but you wouldn’t this time.

All the heartbreak and sorrow that you’d left behind was creeping its way back in. The sooner you sold the house and got the hell out of there, the better.

Dividers by: @firefly-in-darkness

Taglist: @haydens-moles , @c00lkidvibes , @tcc-gizmachine , @buckysm3talarm , @gogolucky13 , @cryptidcasanova , @heavenlyseb , @writersbuck , @teddy-bearbaby , @bbmommy0902 , @sweetllamaparadise , @thereblogcrusader , @aleemendoza2425-blog , @frostbytebaby , @jessyballet , @emotionallyandphysicallydone , @sarge-barnes-sir , @generalbagelcookieslime , @lady-loki-ren , @dime-piece-xo , @greeneyedblondie44

(Dm me to be added to taglist)

[bonny-kookoo]

Catch it (JJK x Reader)💜☁️👽

💚 Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Reader

💚 Genre: Alien!AU, strangers to lovers, fluff, angst, smut

💚 Warnings: Mentions of war, Reader is homeless, Jungkook is kind of clumsy, he hurts her accidentally sometimes, it’s never intentional though, slavery (in a sense), sweet boy Jungkook, no smut yet sorry haha PLEASE DON'T LEAVE I PROMISE ITS GOOD

💚 Summary: The world is literally ending. In a last effort to save earth, the race of Alcor demands humanities planet to be given into their care, as humans have been slowly killing the planet for way too long. But it’s humanity we’re talking about; they never give up without a fight. Even if they should.

Part of the Alien!Jungkook series!

Catch it | Hold it | Keep it | Save it | ???

  The world had officially gone to shit.

Now, that was hard to overlook at this point; with almost every street in utter ruins, every corner looking like the worst slums at this point. Humanity had lost the war they had started; and the Alcorian people had by now begun to get rid of everything, building up things from scratch, and planting new trees and other plants.

They were healing the planet, as they called it.

You'd always despised the ways your own race handled things in the past, but this time you'd genuinely thought they would do the right thing. When you'd seen it on TV, the Alcorian government speech, you'd been surprised. You didn't really know what to think of aliens if you'd ever been asked in the past, Alcorian people already known to be existent by the time you'd been in school still. Now, years after finishing and living a life of a sole survivor on the streets, you'd never truly took time to think about what kind of appearance they may had. But now you knew- and it was nothing like you would've ever thought.

From what you've seen and heard they were tall- and had much more physical strength than a regular human. Their eyes had cat-like pupils designed for their naturally long nights on their homeplanet, giving them a distinctive look. The most common color seen had been green or a very dark brown- light brown, beige, or blue eyes were a rarity. The carried themselves with a certain kind of confidence that wasn't overbearing or too pushy. They simply knew they had the upper hand.

Humanity had been simply stupid.

Or narcisstic, as you liked to call it. The government had just been too scared to have power taken away like a toddler who'd throw a fit if it was time to let someone else play with a toy. But this wasn't kindergarden, and no one was playing around.

"Do you need help?" He'd asked, and you kept your hood down low, careful not to show your face and reveal anything to the Alcorian standing close to you. He had a nice voice, you'd noticed, but the fear still crept into your bones from the very real possibility of him taken you away, just like everyone else at this point. The war had been over for a little over a month by now, and Humans were not seen that much anymore. Everyone kept themselves hidden, stories about humans getting snatched and sometimes even eaten keeping you up at night like a child afraid of the dark. "Hey- are you okay?" He asked again. Considering your very small height in comparison to him, he probably mistook you for an alcorian child, and wanted to take you somewhere safe. They were known to be protective of their family after all.

At his touch, you slowly backed away, as he grew more and more suspicious of you. His hand reached for your hood, and that was the exact moment you decided to absolutely book it, and run off.

Sadly, he wasn't at all dumbfounded by that, and you should've listened to that weird drunk guy some weeks ago telling you that Alcorian's were hunters- they loved to chase and run. And oh well, with legs like that, he totally had all odds in his favor. You're only chance of escaping was the backside of an old grocery store, old vending machines serving as a hiding spot for you every time you needed one. Your small body always fit right between the two large machines, giving you a sense of security. Not now however, as he almost ran past where you'd squeezed yourself in, hood now completely down as your face- and most importantly eyes- were exposed to be seen.

“You’re- Human!” He exclaims with wide eyes, cat like pupils contracting in shock as you squeeze yourself tighter against the wall behind you, vending machines providing a bit of distance between you and the Alcorian. He’s too broad, too tall to fit where you’re hiding, but his arm is long enough to reach you as he grabs your jacket, pulling on the fabric as if to force you out.

“No, leave me!” You demand, eyes squeezing shut as tears begin to gather. This was it; your chase was over, and this dude would be having you for dinner. Or not- you didn’t really know exactly what Alcorians did with humans after they captured them. All you knew was that you were already small for human standards- these beings were taller and stronger by nature already.

“Sto-Stop being so complicated-!” He gritted our, still pulling on your clothing to get you out of your hiding spot, grabbing a bit more for good measure. Why couldn’t he just leave you alone? Why did he have to be so fucking strong? The gravel and dirt underneath your shoes made scratching sounds as he slowly but surely pulled you out of your spot, not letting you go even for a second, even as you'd tried to pry his hand off, scratching his skin and making him hiss. "There we- go!" He exclaimed, having gotten you out of your spot, holding you tightly against his chest as he held your wrists tightly, leg thrown over yours to keep you from struggling. You felt your tears fall down your cheeks, as you began to pathetically breath heavier, faster, huffing as you kept your eyes closed tightly. As if you'd wake up.

"Please don't hurt me." You whispered over and over pathetically, a begging tune to your voice as he simply.. hushed you? And wait, was that hand on your head.. petting you?

"There there.." He consoled, as if you were a scared cat he had to calm down. "I'm not gonna do anything okay?" He hummed, letting you calm down for a moment, before he spoke again. "I'm gonna let go of your legs now, okay?" He said, and you nodded with hesitation as he did just as he told you, slowly moving his leg, and softening the grip on your wrists as well. You stayed completely stiff in his hold, not daring to move as he continued. "You're not claimed." He stated, and you nodded again, not trusting your voice as you agreed to his statement. It was rare by now to find an unclaimed human just like that. Something in his jacket buzzed, making him groan a bit, before he slowly stood up. "I wish I had more time to make you feel a bit more comfortable but-" He started, before he pulled out a black.. collar? You instantly struggled again. He may looked nice, but he was an alcorian at the end of the day- you never knew what he'd do. "No no no please-" He desperately tried, looking around in frenzy as he held your hands again. "Look- its nothing bad okay? I just want to help you!" He urged on, making you furrow your brows at him. "I promise you, I really do- I'll take care of you okay? Just- trust me for a bit. You can decide after we took off okay?" He said, and you became a bit less hesitant.

"Take off where?" You asked, and he genuinely smiled at the fact that you spoke to him, before explaining.

"I'm taking you home with me." He said, and you grew uneasy again. "No, don't- don't look at me like that!" He whined, before he squatted down as if to make him seem less dangerous to you. "They're collecting. I've seen you around these parts for a couple of days, and I'd like you to have a chance of deciding where you want to be." He said, and you looked at him in question. But- as soon as he would claim you, you were his property. "I'm just going to put this on you for the duration of the flight, okay? I promise you, you can decide afterwards where you want to go. But we need to move now!" He urged, and you nodded. There was nothing keeping you on this rotting earth anyways, even though you'd still hoped to stay. He beamed at you, smile reminding you of a bunny as he carefully placed the collar around your neck, before taking your hand.

You whined a bit at his tight grip as he looked back, eyes contracting again at the sight of your angrily red wrists. He looked apologetic as he seemed to think, before he simply decided to pick you up instead, carrying you to wherever he was going. "Sorry, for uh.. I didn't mean to." He said, and you simply didn't answer, letting your head rest on his shoulder as you watched the familiar grocery store grow smaller the further away you went.

This really was the end, wasn't it?

"Little one?" A voice spoke, slowly awakening you from a nap you didn't even notice slipping into. You were still leaning against the body of that Alcorian guy who'd picked you up, warm body making you feel sleepy. You moved a bit to detach yourself, as you looked at him, for the first time in proper lighting.

He looked young but mature at the same time, with wide, brightly colored eyes. His dark hair was long and straight, while his face was slightly soft in its proportions. Lips pink and arched into a soft smile seemed to fit perfectly, just like the tiny beauty mark in the middle just underneath his lower lip. He was handsome.

"You can sleep in a second." He promised in a low voice, careful not to disturb other passengers as he looked out the window. "I just thought you.. might not want to miss this." He said carefully, unknowing if this would be a painful goodbye for you.

It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be.

You held onto his jacket a bit tighter as the shuttle roared to life, slowly gaining speed on the runway as it departed, earth and the city growing smaller, until clouds blocked the way. Jungkook watched you with a studying gaze, glad that he'd managed to get you onto the shuttle before departing. He'd found you a few weeks earlier, roaming the streets like a lost animal, as he studied you. You were nice and friendly towards other humans, and agile in escaping Alcorian police forces who searched the streets occasionally. Sharing food was never something you denied when asked, and he'd also watched with a hurting heart as your small amounts of belongings got stolen one night, leaving you with nothing behind.

He just.. had to do something.

Humans were always depicted as selfish creatures only knowing their own benefit, and he had to agree to a certain point; a lot of them were like that. It was understandable to a degree, but it also wasn't, considering that his race had only tried to help. They'd never intended to start a war.

"Whats your name?" You asked in a quiet voice, careful not to speak too loud, as he smiled at you.

"Jungkook." He replied. "Jeon Jungkook." He spoke as he tilted his head. "And yours?" He asked.

"Y/N." You answered, and he nodded.

"You can keep it, if you want to." He said, and you simply leaned into him, watching as you broke orbit, earth now far away. For some reason, you didn't know if you wanted to. There was no reason to keep it, if you were leaving your old life behind like that. He seemed nice, and friendly- a bit rough, but that was to be expected. For some odd reason, you didn't want to decide whether or not to stay with him or not. He'd claimed you, end of story. You didn't even notice that you had started crying until his hand began to run over your head again, shifting a bit to have you sit a bit more comfortably.

Maybe he wasn't so bad.

"And there we are." He exclaimed, setting you down for the first time after the flight once you'd both entered his living space. It seemed- oddly like a regular apartment, with rounded windows and furniture that looked similar to what you knew. You stood still, until he gently tapped your back a bit. "You can go explore a bit- I have to make a call real quick." He said, and you nodded, taking off your shoes before walking inside further, watching as Jungkook left to go into a different room. Alcorians and Humans were similarly developed and shared a lot of technology. It was surprising however how much alike but different at the same time things were. You went closer to the largest window, watching as cars sped by- or, where those planes? It wasn't easy to tell.

"A friend of mine will stop by in a moment." He explained from behind you, as he kept a small distance from you, as if to preserve your personal space. "Just to give you a quick check up." He said, and you grew a bit uneasy, as he suddenly tried to retract his statement. "You know, nothing bad! Just, you know, to make sure you're okay and in good health-" He said, before you spoke again.

"What.. Why am I here?" You asked, and his eyes widened at the realization on what you hinted at. The tips of his pierced ears grew a bit pink at that, as he scratched the back of his head.

"Not for that- promise, I'm not like that!" He said, before he sat down on his couch. "Like I said, I wanted to, you know, get you somewhere safe." He explained. "I work with.. a few friends. We're trying to help humans find compatible people here, to live with." He said, and you nodded, rather sitting down on the carpeted floor a bit away from him. You noticed however, how he said 'people', instead of owners. It made you feel less like a pet.

"So.. you're a rescue organization for.. humans." You stated, and he nodded.

"If you want to call it that, yes." He answered, before someone knocked at the door. You sat up a bit straighter at that, growing uneasy at the visitor. "Please stay calm okay? I promise he's a good guy." He said, before he left to open the door, another tall young Alcorian walking through the door after greeting him. He wore glasses, and his hair was a light sandy brown color, while his eyes looked dark. He spotted you and you slowly began to scoot backwards. Nop, the bag in this guys hands was clearly containing medical equipment, and you were not here for it. "Y/N- No, come back!" He called after you as you ran off to the nearest room, closing the door in a hurry as you frantically searched for a place to hide, choosing the underside of his bed as the perfect place. You could fit right underneath.

"..-rmal for her to react like that. They're usually scared." An unfamiliar voice spoke through the door. "Did you tell her why I would be here?" He asked, and the other voice you clearly by now deciphered as Jungkooks answered with a whine.

"I did, and she was fine with that!" He explained, before the door opened, voices now clearer. "Well, she was a bit scared but I thought that was normal." He admitted, as the stranger sat down near the door, Jungkook next to him as if to block your only way out. Jungkook tried to reach for you only to be held back by the other guy, making him whine at him. "Namjoon, I have to get her out of there!" He said, and the other guy, Namjoon, still pulled him back to sit down.

"You can't force her out like that.!" He scolded, and it got quiet after that for a moment.

You carefully peeked out from underneath the bed, only to be met with Jungkooks smile, and the strangers gentle face. You slowly crawled out of your hiding spot, still staying a safe distance away as you watched both warily. "Hello Y/N. I'm Kim Namjoon, I'm a medical practician majorly focusing on human health." He said, and you scoffed, making Jungkook look at you surprised. You seemed absolutely different from just moments ago with him.

"So you're a vet for humans." You simply said, and Namjoon merely chuckled.

"Feisty. But yeah, you can call it that if you want to." He answered, as you still kept your scowl. "So can you cooperate with me now, or will I have to use force?" He asked, and you became even more hostile, Jungkook stepping in.

"Namjoon no- we won't be using anything like that" He tried, but Namjoon didn't seem to listen as he watched you with an amused expression on his face.

"I'm not a pet." You stated, and Namjoon grinned.

"You're certainly behaving like one." He answered, and you scoffed again.

"Then you won't be too shocked that I will bite you." You said, and the man shook his head.

"You wouldn't be the first one. Your kind loves to be difficult." He said, and your expression got even darker, as Jungkook desperately tried to find a way to diffuse the situation.

"Is that why you like to have us for dinner?" You asked, and both of them looked at you with questioning eyes. "Or is it more fun to fuck us first and then use us as slaves?" You bursted out, standing up as Namjoon looked genuinely caught off guard.

"Is that what they say on earth?" He asked, and you huffed out at that, moving into the furthest corner of the room, needing space. "It definetely does explain the hostility." He mumbled to himself, as Jungkook stood up, walking closer to you, but stopping when you yelled at him to.

"Okay, okay, I'll stay right here." He said, sitting down on the floor a few steps away from you as you hugged yourself in a pathetic way to comfort yourself. This was all getting too much. "If you don't want him here, I'm going to tell him to leave, okay? We don't have to do this now." He said, and you looked between him and Namjoon, uncertain. You may didn't have to face it now, but you had to eventually, right?

"We don't do any of that to humans, by the way." Namjoon suddenly chimed in, as you looked at him. "It's true that humans are being claimed, but they are not forced to do that. Most do it to ensure their safety, others do it out of romantic reasons, and some do it for the thrill, yes." He said. "But no, we don't keep them as slaves, no, we don't use them just for sex, and we certainly do not eat them." He said the last part with an almost humorous expression as you grew shy.

Well, this was awkward.

"Can you stop being difficult now, and let me do my job?" He asked with a more gentle tone now, before you nodded. You didn't walk over to him, however, still not trusting him as you decided to instead crawl onto Jungkooks lap, who happily took you into his arms as you looked over his shoulder at Namjoon, almost as if to say 'fuck you'. "You know, he won't always be there to-" He started, but Jungkook turned around as if offended.

"I will!" He said, holding you like a precious toy he'd just been gifted. "I mean- if she want's to." He mumbled, before Namjoon moved closer, shaking his head with a smile as he started to take your temperature first.

It somehow felt as if he was belittling you. But for some reason, that was okay in some way, considering his bright smile every time he did it. It felt a bit weird at first, but now, after a few days, you felt almost at home with him. You didn't think about earth much, not wanting to spoil your mood while you were with him for that matter.

You were growing a bit more independent day by day however.

Still with his collar wrapped around your neck, since you wouldn't be allowed to roam the streets without one without getting stares left and right, you stopped at a grocery store.

Before leaving today, you had your first fight with the Alcorian.

"I'm not trying to keep you obedient Y/N, I'm trying to protect you!" He explained, trying not to get too riled up as he knew this could scare you.

"But you do! I can't do anything by myself, you're always hovering over me!" You said, and he looked at you in disbelief at that.

You felt so bad, still.

Now more than ever, as you were walking through isle after isle, every word more complicated than the next it seemed. You'd learned some words by now, but most were still a challenge- making it impossible for you to work things out by yourself without probably making a fool of yourself.

You left the grocery store after realizing you couldn't even pay for stuff since he was the one with the money, and it made you feel frustrated. You squatted down near the entrance, calling Jungkook pathetically.

"Little one? Are you okay?" He asked, as if you didn't just fight minutes ago. You sniffled, and he became even more concerned. "Are you still at the grocery store? I'm coming, just wait-" He said, as you chuckled a bit.

"I'm fine Jungkookie I just.. I'm sorry." You explained, as you heard a door close on the other side of the line. "I was horrible to you." You said, but he cut you off.

"Let's talk when I'm there, okay?" He said, and you agreed, waiting for him patiently, trying to ignore the stares and looks you got, some Alcorian kids even pointing at you before getting scolded by their parents.

"I'm sorry." You said immediately as his figure approached you, already opening his arms to welcome you in his hug. "It was uncalled for, I was so mean, please don't hate me-" You said into his chest, as he chuckled.

"What're you doing little one?" He asked with a gentle smile as he looked down on you.

"Apologizing?" You said, and he smiled.

"I know, I'm familiar with that concept." He said, before continuing. "I mean, why? You were just stating your opinion on things." He said, and you felt even worse now.

"But I was mean, and rude to you! I shouldn't be so ungrateful, after all you've taken me in, you let me live with you, you provide me food and shelter, you keep me safe-" You began, as he chuckled again, ruffling your head.

"I do that because I want to. I'm responsible for you." He said, and you nodded.

"I'm sorry." You said again, and he continued smiling. "I managed to find some stuff like flour and Milk, but-" You started, as his eyes widened in wonder.

"You could read that?" He asked in disbelief, as you nodded.

"Yeah, but that's about it. I only picked up on a few words like caramel and stuff-" You explained, as he suddenly squeezed you into his arms, making you whince a bit at his strength. He immediately let go at the sound.

"Sorry sorry, it's just- whoah, my little human is so smart!" He said, genuinely excited over the mere fact that you could read a few words. "It took Taehyung Months to learn a couple of phrases, and here you are, already reading on your own!" He said, and you chuckled a bit at that. Taehyung was a human claimed by Namjoon and his partner Seokjin, who also had a second human by the name of Jimin. You'd met them for a bit prior, but hadn't had a true conversation with them yet. "Lets go then." He said, taking your hand into his as he walked into the store again with you.

Jungkook had slowly learned to hold your hand less tightly than he would usually do, his strength the reason for almost all of Namjoons visits to your now shared home. He didn't mean to hurt you, but it happened occasionally- and you always forgave him. He couldn't help it, and it was almost sweet to see him so upset over it straight after.

"Thats almond milk, right?" You asked, pointing at a carton with a label you thought said the words 'almond milk' on it. Jungkook beamed almost proudly.

"Yep!" He exclaimed, as he kept a hand on your back, a more comfortable gesture to show you he was by your side than holding hands. It was less likely for him to hurt you that way accidentally. "Let's get you something sweet too." He said with a smile, as you smiled back- for the first time, completely comfortable.

"Jungkook?" You asked hesitantly, as you walked up behind the couch, making him turn around.

"Hm?" He wondered, turning the TV volume down lower. "What is it little one?" He asked, as you suddenly placed a couple of papers down onto the small table in front of him. He took them wordlessly, before he suddenly jumped up, head thrown towards you as his eyes were wide open, catlike pupils staring at you as they glazed over. "You-how-" He stuttered, as you swayed on the spot a bit shyly.

"I talked to Namjoon about it the other day. He helped me get all the paperwork stuff done since I can't read much still.." You said, and Jungkook walked over to you, picking you up as he twirled you both around, making you giggle.

The bold letters on the front page clearly reading;

'Official documents for legal human ownership.'

You wanted to be his.

"Do alcorians kiss?" You randomly asked one day, laying on Jungkooks lap as he suddenly looked down towards you.

"We- uhm.. we do." He said, before swallowing the piece of sweets he was eating. "Why- why do you ask?" He wondered, and you simply shrugged.

"I kinda want to kiss you." You said.

And he almost choked.

[annonymouslyblonde]

Where I Should Be

Fandom: PJO/HOO

Pairing: Percy x Annabeth

Genre: hurt/comfort, fluff

Summary: Set during Mark of Athena the night of the day they found Percy. What if the stable scene wasn't the first moment alone Percy and Annabeth had? While I love the stable scene, Annabeth just isn't patient enough to have waited that long to catch up with Percy. My take on an additional scene for MoA.

A/N: Everything follows canon for HOO other than the fact we don't have a consistent timeline on the amount of time Percy was missing. So bare with me. My headcannon is that for Percy, it was a few months (thanks to his Hera induced nap), but for Annabeth, he's been missing eight months now.

The slight creak of the door woke Percy. After four years of fighting monsters and Lupa's training, he had learned to sleep lightly. Before the door could close, Riptide was uncapped and at the intruder's throat.

A sharp gasp came shortly before the person hissed, "Percy, it's me!"

Annabeth. Of course, it was only Annabeth. Percy sheepishly lowered his sword. Nothing said "I've missed you the last eight months" like a sword to the throat. Then again, she had judo flipped him, hadn't she? Seemed fair enough.

"I thought you were a monster!" he whispered harshly in defense of his actions, but Annabeth leveled him with a signature glare.

"A monster quietly making it past Jason on guard and opening your bedroom door instead of exploding it?"

His cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Hearing it aloud especially from Annabeth did make it seem pretty ridiculous.

"I was half asleep, and stranger things have happened. Besides I wasn't exactly expecting anyone tonight."

Annabeth looked away from him distracted, half asleep herself. She was barefoot and clad in her favorite worn flannel pants and a camp half-blood sweatshirt of his that was definitely too big for her.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she admitted quietly. "I just- I shouldn't have come, it's stupid. Go back to bed, Percy." She started to turn for the door when he dropped his sword completely to reach for her.

"Hey, don't."

He turned her back to him. In the light of Riptide, tear tracts stood out on her cheeks, and her eyes were red, puffy, and glassy like she may cry again any second. He gently stroked her cheek.

"You've been crying," Percy noted. She wiped angrily at her eyes trying to remove the evidence.

"Nightmares again?" he asked gently. Percy was always gentle with her when nightmares plagued her. Being vulnerable didn't come easy to Annabeth, and he felt honored she would trust him enough to show her vulnerable side.

When she confirmed his suspicions with a nod, Percy collected her in his arms and felt her sigh with relief. He remembered how awful the nightmares had been before at camp and when she'd stay at the apartment, even taken a few elbows as she fought them when she fell asleep during their movie nights. And now? A shudder cut through him trying to imagine how awful they must have been when he vanished. For him, it had only been a few months, but Annabeth had been looking for him nearly a year now not knowing what she may find on the other end.

He pressed a long kiss to her hair and asked, "Which one this time?"

Percy was familiar with most of them by now. Her mother and father rejecting her, blankets turning into spiders, standing at his funeral shroud in hand with everyone telling her he was gone, him accepting the offer of immortality and leaving her alone. And now he had actually left her alone at camp for eight months. The thought made his stomach turn.

"Same one I've had the last few months," she mumbled into his chest. "Every worst-case scenario. You not remembering me, not wanting to leave Camp Jupiter. Or not finding you at Camp Jupiter at all, that you'd never been there and we were completely wrong. Or worse." He knew the "or worse". Her biggest fear used to be abandonment and rejection, but now it had become more than that. The worse was finding him already dead.

"When I woke up, I just- I didn't trust my own mind that we really had found you. That you were really here. I thought I'd finally snapped. Today was probably the best scenario I could have thought up, and you know how it is for half-bloods. Things never go right."

He tightened his hold and stroked her tangled curls, burying his face in her shoulder. "Today they did. Right enough at least. I'm here. I'm with you where I should be."

"I'm so sorry, Percy," she sobbed into his shirt. "I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. I failed you epically."

"No, you didn't." He gently extracted himself taking her face in his hands and made her look at him. "That was all Hera. You did everything you could. I know you did."

"I can't help but feel like that's my fault too. After all, it is Hera," she spat the name out with a much venom as gorgon's blood. Somehow her voice could do that. One side sweet and comforting, another as deadly as poison. "She had to take you. Part of me feels like she took you to get back at me."

Percy couldn't help the chuckle. "Oh, I've done my share of angering that psycho goddess."

The pair stood for a moment in an extended silence. It wasn't enough to alleviate her guilt and he knew it. So he continued.

"It had to be me I think. Any other half-blood getting to California and through the wolf House with no memories? Even if I didn't know about it, I had Achilles' curse protecting me until I got to camp Jupiter. It saved me more than a couple of times."

"Until? You mean-" Her voice trailed off as her fingers grazed the spot at his lower back that he'd confided in her was his only weak spot. His stomach flipped at the gentle touch of her fingers in a way that had nothing to do with the weak spot he previously had.

"I had to give it up to enter Camp Jupiter," he explained. The realization donned on her.

"So when I flipped you earlier-"

"Oh yeah felt every bit of that, thanks. Probably bruised my back along with my ego," he teased. A thunk sounded as she hit her head on the door.

"I'm an idiot," she groaned. "Of course you couldn't carry a Grecian curse into a Roman camp. I'm sorry, Percy. I never meant to hurt you." Her hands skimmed his back hoping she hadn't hurt him too badly.

"I know you didn't, babe." Her heart flipped at the affectionate term. He didn't use that one often, usually when they were alone, but it did strange things to her whenever he did call her babe. It still felt surreal occasionally that they were together in that way. The days of them arguing on the way to LA didn't seem so far in the past.

"You were angry and scared and had every right to be after I disappeared like that. Besides you've done more damage in sparing practice. I'm fine."

She didn't say anything, choosing instead to wrap her arms around him again assuring herself he was really there. Soon, he felt her breathing even out against his neck, and she slumped heavily into him starting to fall asleep again. When he shuffled them towards the bed, she stirred making the task more difficult.

"Come on," he whispered into her nest of golden curls, loving the way she burrowed into his arms. "Lay down with me."

"Can't," she mumbled sleepily. "I shouldn't even be here. I need to go before we get caught."

"I think we've earned this for one night at least. It's been too long since I could hold you." His arms tightened around her, adding to his point. "I'll even set an alarm so you can sneak back before anyone is up. Better yet, where's your hat?"

"Stopped working," she spat out bitterly. "Only gift mom ever gave me, and apparently she kept the receipts. I don't wanna talk about it."

That concerned him. If Athena was taking things from Annabeth, what did that mean for the rest of them with their parents? Percy made them promise to be better with their kids, and here they were a few months later going back on their promises. Typical.

"You and your mom aren't talking again?"

"No one is talking. Olympus has gone silent except for Hera apparently." Bitterness crept back into her voice as the hurt and worry of the last several months tightened in her chest again. Before her mind could go too dark, the ship pitched suddenly sending them tumbling into his bed and Percy into a fit of laughter.

"See even the ship is telling you to stay."

She snorted and settled against him as he pulled a blanket around them. If the Fates seemed to be telling her to stay, then who was she to argue. Curled into his side, she took a deep, comforting breath of the salty air that seemed to follow him. The smell of the ocean, the smell of him, always calmed her now. Automatically, Percy ran his fingers through her hair. Well as much as he could considering it was a knotted mess.

"Speaking of moms though, your mom and Paul are doing well. They've been worried about you, but they're good."

"You went to see them?"

Distractedly, she drew Greek letters across his chest needing to keep her hands busy. Curse half-blood ADHD. It was always worse when she didn't sleep well, but Percy didn't mind. The light touch of her fingers dancing across his chest focused him. All he could think of was her. The smell of her shampoo. Her warm breath as she spoke to him. The feel of her securely wrapped in his arms. He never wanted to forget this again.

"I wanted to keep them informed and see if they heard from you," she answered having finally ordered her thoughts enough. "I've been going at least once a week when I'm at camp. Your mom's kept me sane the last eight months."

"She's pretty great like that. I tried to call her. I don't know if it helped or made things worse. I didn't really explain too well."

"It helped," she assured him with a squeeze. "She managed to forward it to me, and we must have spent an hour on the phone together listening to it. It was good just to hear your voice. And speaking of, you should call her in the morning. The camouflage on the ship will make it safe for a phone call."

"She's going to kill me when I get home," he groaned. Annabeth laughed into his chest. It was the best feeling in the world to hear that laugh again.

"Probably so, then she's going to hug you for a month straight. She wanted me to tell you she loves you and misses you. She never doubted I'd find you."

When Annabeth first came to tell Mr. and Mrs. Jackson-Blofis about Percy's disappearance, she made sure Sally knew she would do whatever it took to bring him home. The older woman merely nodded and smiled at the younger girl.

"Of course you will, dear. I have every faith in you." And she hugged her. Sally never once doubted Annabeth's ability. And later as Annabeth worried over the quest from her mom, it was Sally that held her hand reassuringly and told her everything would be alright. In the past eight months, Sally Jackson had become a rock to Annabeth, and she would never be able to thank the woman enough for that. The woman never doubted that she'd find the most important thing in both their lives.

"And she shouldn't have." Percy interrupted her thoughts, answering both her words and internal musings. "Because you are amazing."

Looking down at the girl curled against him, Percy couldn't help but finally feel at home. Emotions overwhelmed him fighting for dominance. Pride in her. Anger for being snatched away. Fear that it would happen again. Happiness to have her in his arms again. But one feeling was more powerful than the rest, and he needed to make sure she knew before anything else could happen.

"And I love you, Annabeth Chase."

She propped up on her elbows, staring at him dumbfounded. A long quiet moment passed before Percy broke the silence with a nervous laugh.

"Oh that's so sweet," he mimicked in a high voice. "But you know I'm not sure I feel that-"

She shut him up with a kiss. By now, they had kissed lots of times. There was Mt. St. Helen when she had surprised him with a kiss. Or the time they came back to camp high on the victory of defeating Kronos when they had kissed by the lake. And of course, the best underwater kiss ever which had become every underwater kiss since. But every time she kissed him, it made his stomach flip just like it was the first time all over again. When they finally parted, she leaned her forehead against his with a satisfied smirk.

"Of course I love you, seaweed brain. Think I'd have gone searching for eight months if I didn't?"

"I'd do it for you," he vowed, wrapping a ringlet around his finger. "I'd do anything for you."

"You're proving my point for me."

She smirked at him, and he took the moment to truly study her face. She was beautiful as always, but the deep, puffy rings under her eyes had definitely not been there before. Her cheekbones stood out sharper and he realized when he held her, she was thinner, gaunt even. He could feel each of her vertebrae when he ran his hand down her back. Her face was noticeably paler as well, and her hair lacked its normal shiny, glow. Overall, she pretty much looked like death warmed over. He traced the purple skin under her eyes.

"Gods, Annabeth, when's the last time you slept?"

She rolled her eyes at him. The first time he told her he loved her followed up with how tired she looked. Leave it to Percy Jackson to ruin a beautiful moment.

"Always the charmer, aren't you?"

"I mean it." The laugh in her throat died with his serious tone. Percy was seldom serious. "When's the last time you actually slept a full eight hours? And you haven't been eating well, I can tell. I know how you get when you stress."

Annabeth settled against his shoulder again, not able to bear the concern on his face. No, she hadn't taken great care of herself lately, and she didn't need Percy to remind her of that. Sally did enough of that commenting on the increasingly dark circles under her eyes, always insisting she stay for dinner, that she was getting too thin.

"I couldn't," she finally admitted in a small voice. It seemed pathetic to her now that she hadn't been able to take care of herself, but she lacked the will to without Percy. All of her focus has been on finding him.

"I had to find you. When I did sleep, I snuck into your cabin or fell asleep in your bed at the apartment." She paused waiting for his reaction. Would he be angry she snuck in there? Would he not like her sleeping in his beds while he'd been missing? But Percy just tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her head. She released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. It amazed her sometimes how Percy always seemed to know exactly what she needed.

"Being in there where it smelled like you, it was the only way I could actually get some sleep. Chiron had to know, but no one ever said anything."

Tears collected in her eyes, and she turned her face into his chest trying to stop them. Percy was the only person she ever let see her like this, weak and emotional. The only time she let herself break was in the seclusion of the Posidon cabin curled around his pillow.

"I missed you," she whispered hoarsely.

"I missed you too. The whole time, all I could think about was getting back to you. You kept me going, kept me alive."

"You mean you remembered me the whole time?" she asked incredulously. How could she have been the one thing he remembered? When Jason showed up, he hadn't remembered anything. It didn't make sense to her that Percy would remember anything, much less her.

"Yeah. Whether she meant to or not, you were the only thing Hera didn't take from me. The second I woke up, I didn't know my name, but I knew yours and knew I had to get back to you no matter what. More things came. The quests and all. That kiss under the lake. But it always came back to you. You're ingrained into who I am now, Annabeth. You were the reason I kept going because I knew I had to get back to you."

She leaned up pressing her lips to his again, tracing every inch of his face trying to memorize it. The kiss spoke everything they had struggled to say to each other. Her euphoric relief seeing him alive and well. His hope for a future with her in New Rome. The deep connection that had tied them together since they were twelve. Everything.

"I love you, Percy Jackson," she breathed against his lips, pouring every emotion she felt for him into the words. He grinned that lopsided smile she adored so much.

"I love you too, wise girl."