#the way paul forgets to wave because he’s too busy looking and smiling at richard?

[look-into-abyss]

Prague, 11.05.2024.

[xxbyimm]

Trick or Treat - Richard Armitage x Reader

So. @deepestfirefun came up with this idea, and I was like, well I can write this for ya!!

When our minds collaborate…. weird things are about to happen! In a good way, I hope! ;D

Trick or Treat

Summary:  It’s Halloween’s eve and Richard is staying over at your place. He’s about to learn you are extremely frightened of clowns. :)

Forever tagged: @fizzy-custard @nelswp @bellastellaluna, @imagines-for-multiple-fandoms, @leah-halliwell92, @sassytyphoondetective, @hannibatchsmuse, @patanghill17

If you wish to be on this list, let me know.

Warnings: Fluffy & seducing Richard. Some angst. Oh, Nin, I’LL SAY THIS IN ADVANCE, I’M SORRY DON’T HATE ME FOR THAT GIF I’LL USE BELOW…

Ding dong.

‘TRICK OR TREAAAAT!!!’

The sound of a number of little high-pitched voices make you stop in your track. You put your water kettle down, make your way through the hall and open the door. A little witch, two ghosts and a vampire are standing on your porch, staring hopefully up at your face.

Ah, the kids from the Miles family.

‘Trick or treat!’ they yell simultaneously again. ‘We’re here to collect ALL your candy!’ the vampire (or rather your nine year old neighbor kid called Adam) exclaims. ‘Or what?’ you tease him. ‘I’ll have to bite you, because I’m Dracula!’ Adam says and he shows you his fangs.

You suppress a smile. Adam’s mom did a good job. But even with his white painted face and voluminous black cape, Adam looks way too cute to be really scary. You doubt that’s what this little Dracula impersonator likes to hear, though.

‘Well, I certainly don’t want to be turned into vampire.’ you say. ‘Who did you bring with you, Dracula?’ ‘My helpers.’ Little Dracula tells you as he points at his younger sister and brothers. ‘And where’s your big brother?’ you say. ‘He didn’t want to come.’ Dracula sighs. ‘He thinks he’s a grown-up, but I think he’s a big baby.’ You bite on your lip and quickly change the subject. ‘You all look terrifying. Who are you?’ ‘Rosie is a witch.’ Dracula chatters. ‘Dean and Paul wanted to be werewolves, and they got mad when I told them they couldn’t. It’s obvious they can’t.’ ‘Why can’t they be werewolves?’ you ask, trying to catch up with his logic. ‘Because werewolves and vampires are natural enemies, miss S.’ The tallest ghost says matter-of-factly. ‘We would have to fight each other, and then there’s no time to collect treats.’

You recognize that smart-ass attitude as the third child of the family. Seven year old Paul is a bookworm and he really enjoys to lecture you about all sorts of facts he has learned whilst reading. You don’t mind, because you always learn a great deal too. You suppress a giggle. ‘Of course, Paul. I should have known that, I’m sorry.’ You confess. ‘No, my name isn’t Paul!’ Paul says irritated. ‘I’m Chase, the bloody helper of Dracula!’ ‘Oh.’ You nod and turn your attention to their younger brother, the little spook. ‘And who is this?’ ‘I’m Curse! And I love candy!’ Dean chitters. ‘Do you have snickers, miss S?’

Before you can answer that in fact, you have bought snickers for him, you are interrupted by the youngest member of the family, a girl called Rosie. ‘I’m a witch!’ the little girl beams, unable to contain her excitement any longer. She twirls around before you so you can admire her black dress. ‘Oh Rose, YOU are SCARY!’ you praise and you gently pull on her fake nose. ‘And you brought Felix with you!’

You eye your neighbors’ red tabby cat. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by the harness he’s wearing. He lays down on the porch and watches you intently with his big golden eyes. Rosie laughs. ‘Yeah, mommy says all witches must have a cat!’ ‘Now, back to business!’ Little Dracula says impatiently. ‘Give us our treats, or you’ll have to pay with your life!’

You take a step back and pretend to be scared. ‘Rich!!’ you shout. ‘I’m being threatened by a vampire, a witch and TWO ghosts! I need some help over here!’ ‘AND A CAT!’ Dean adds enthusiastically. ‘Felix wants candy too!’

‘What do we’ve got here?’ A deep baritone sound comes from behind you and the man that belongs to the voice, puts his arm around your waist. Your boyfriend. You look up and his enchanting deep blue eyes are staring right at you. Richard smiles and it makes your heart melt down. You almost forget the children are there. His eyes, his strong jawline, characteristic nose, that perfectly trimmed beard… Oh, did you mention his trained body? The man is divine. The two of you have been dating for a few months now, and sometimes you still cannot believe he chose to be with you.

‘We’re surrounded by these scary creatures.’ You tell him. ‘What should we do now?’ Richard sighs. ‘There’s only one option, Nin. It’s best if we give up our most treasured possessions…’ ‘Yes, or pay with your lives!’ Paul proclaims. ‘Not the snickers!’ you howl and you have to press your lips together to keep in character when you see Paul’s face lighten up. ‘Yes, my darling.’ Richard nods slowly. ‘Especially the snickers. I heard monsters absolutely love snickers.’ ‘Alright.’ You give in. ‘Get the stuff.’ Richard chuckles and shows the little kids the bowl full of candy he has been hiding behind his back. ‘Please accept this as payment and spare our lives, sir Dracula.’ He says. ‘This will do.’ Dracula responds solemnly, but he quickly drops his character when he gets his hands on the candy. ‘Oh! You’re the best, miss S!’ Paul chirps as he grabs a handful of snickers and pushes it in his bag. Dean and Rosie follow his example.

Richard puts his arm around you as the both of you watch the little kids quickly run away from the porch and disappear into the dark street. Rosie wants to follow her brothers and tries to persuade Felix to move, but the cat isn’t having any of it. ‘Felix, please!’ Rosie tries and she pulls on the leash that is secured on the cat’s harness. Felix is unmoved and curls up in a little furry ball. He looks comfortable and you suspect the poor cat just wants to be left alone and take a long nap. ‘I don’t think this kitty wants to play trick or treat anymore, Rose.’ You say. ‘But as a witch, I need a cat!’ Rosie frets, tears welling up in her eyes. You lower yourself on your knees so you can look her in the eye. ‘No darling, a scary witch like you doesn’t need a kitty. He’ll only make you share your candy with him, and we don’t want that, do we?’ The girl smiles a little. ‘Felix can’t eat candy, miss S. He’ll get sick if he does. Don’t you know that?’ You heave a sigh. Rosie is clearly learning from her bigger brothers. She’ll be a smarty-pants in no time, just like them. You pick up Felix and take Rose by the hand. ‘Let’s find your brothers, Rose. Then I’ll take Felix home, ok?’ You gesture at Richard you’ll be back in a minute. Richard waves at you and closes the door behind you. You peer into the street. Now, where did Rose’s mischievous brothers go?

‘So, the cat is safely home again?’ Richard asks with a smile as you finally return to your bedroom with two cups of tea. ‘Yeah… luckily he is.’ You sigh and plunge down next to him on the bed. ‘I can’t believe their parents agreed to let them take him on this candy raid…’ Richard chuckles and looks up from his script, his deep blue eyes enchanting you. ‘They’re good kids. I doubt they would’ve hurt him.’ You shrug. ‘I don’t think they would… on purpose anyway. I’m just glad they didn’t dress him up as a… pumpkin.’ You glance over at one of your own cats, who is eyeing you suspiciously from its favorite place on the radiator. You smile. There’s no way one of them would voluntarily wear a harness, let alone a costume… If you would try to make them, your home would be a battlefield. No survivors. Except for the cat itself of course.

You lay your head on Richard’s shoulder and look down at the script he’s reading. It’s one of his new projects, a film called ‘Sleepwalker’. The concept is really intriguing and normally you would leave him in peace, but tonight you’re craving for some attention. You had to miss him for the past few days, and you want to make up for that lost time. You shift a little and kiss a sensitive spot in his neck, earning a soft groan. Then you ghost your lips over his bearded jaw, traveling upwards until you can kiss his right temple. ‘Are you bothering me on purpose?’ Richard rumbles. Your mouth curves into a devious smile. ‘Maybe I am… Do you mind if I do?’ ‘I don’t…’ Richard breathes. ‘But I’m sure the director does, Nin. I really got to study. My character…’ ‘That can wait until tomorrow…’ You say casually and before Richard can react, you grab the script from his hands. Your initial idea is to toss it off the bed, but Richard is faster than you. His hands wrap around your waist and he pulls you closer. You quickly roll on your stomach and make sure to keep the script under your body. You’re not going to give in. He’s not going to get it. Yet.

Richard chuckles and you glance at his face. His blue eyes are sparkling with mischief. ‘What?’ you say and you try not to smile. ‘I was wondering if you could hand my homework over.’ Richard says with a grin. You slowly shake your head. ‘No. You can tell the director that your girlfriend’s cat ate it. ’ ‘Hmm.’ Richard chuckles. ‘I doubt he believes that.’ ‘Then you have to use your acting skills to persuade him.’ You giggle. Richard sighs dramatically and he rolls on top of you, placing his legs on each side of you. His body is weighing heavily down on yours and you can feel his growing arousal against your bum. His breath is tickling your face, his beard rasping over the sensitive skin of your neck. Oh, there’s no way to go. He has you pinned down on the bed, and you have absolutely no problem with that.

‘I’d rather persuade you, Nin.’ he whispers teasingly in your ear. ‘Now, hand that over and I’ll overlook your naughty behavior this time.’ ‘I don’t think so.’ You breathe. ‘I think I’ve got a strong position over here.’ ‘You do?’ Richard muses. ‘You’re being held down, my love. Do you call that a strong position?’ ‘Yes.’ You grin. ‘You’ll never get that script from me.’ ‘We’ll see about that.’ Richard purrs. ‘Bring it on.’ You whisper.

Richard shifts a little and he gently brushes the hair from your neck. His breath tickles your ear and you suppress a pleasant shiver. His fingers ghost over your body and you have to force yourself to breathe normally. He has just begun and you already feel light-headed. ‘Nin..’ Richard groans in your ear and he passionately starts to kiss your neck. The low sound makes the heat within your body firing up. Fingers dig into the soft curves of your hips and you just can’t help yourself. You push your body against his and a soft whimper escapes our lips.

Oh god.

You know that if he continues kissing you like that, you will be unable to resist him. Your body is already begging for his touch and it won’t take long before you really lose your mind. You don’t want to give in, so you have to distract him from winding you up further.

‘And what is your point exactly, mister Armitage?’ you murmur as you try your best not to let another moan escape your mouth. ‘Persuading you.’ Richard growls. ‘To doing what?’ you enquire. ‘Give me my script of course.’ He teases. ‘I’ll never surrender.’ You stutter. ‘Oh, you will.’ Richard purrs. ‘This problem just needs a different approach.’

You make sure you don’t move and watch him apprehensively from the corner of your eye as his fingers travel from your hips to your waist. Richard isn’t one who gives up that easily. He knows you were moments away from giving in. So why did he stop? In other words…. What is that bastard up to?

You burst into laughter as Richard’s hands dart to your sides and he starts to tickle you. ‘This is unfair! Stop it!’ you squeal as you desperately try to escape from his grip. ‘Unfair?’ Richard chuckles. ‘There are a lot of things that I consider unfair, but this isn’t one of them…’ You wriggle under him, unable to catch your breath because you simply cannot stop laughing. ‘I surr- I… I…’ you manage to stutter. ‘What did you say?’ Richard asks and he temporarily loosens his grip on you.

You quickly make use of his swift inattentiveness and throw the script off the bed. Before Richard can make a move, you push him over and continue to straddle him. ‘Now what?’ Richard inquires. You tilt your head and wink at him. ‘Now I give you what you deserve.’ Your hands slide under his shirt and wander over his abdomen. Richard groans and you smile. You lean forward, your lips inches away from his and you let your fingers ghost his sides in a teasing manner. Richard bites on his lip. You are ready to attack him and give him the same treatment, when…

Ding dong!

God damnit. The doorbell rings again. More kids? You glance at the alarm clock on your nightstand. Hmm, 8.30 P.M. You really would like to ignore the bell, but on this Halloween’s eve there are undoubtingly more little trick or treaters out on the streets. You didn’t buy all that candy to eat yourself, did you?

‘You stay right there.’ You threaten as you roll from the bed and jump on your feet. Richard is eyeing his script and you quickly pick it up from the floor before he can reach it. You dodge his strong hands as he tries to grasp you and almost trip over the plinth in the doorway. ‘Nin, give that back!’ Richard laughs. ‘Not in a million years!’ You shout at him as you haste your way to the door, holding the script tightly to your chest again.

You’re still giggling when you put the script down on the cabinet next to the door and reach for the bowl of candy. ‘And who is this-’ You begin as you open the door, but your joy quickly turns into fear when you register that the person on your porch isn’t a kid. You don’t even know if it’s a human being. A creature with a pale face, huge red nose and crazy ass reddish hair is standing just inches away from you. It’s clothing must have seen better times. The once white material now looks worn and has a faded greyish color. The mouth of the creature is curved in an wide, evil grin, showing you dangerous pointy teeth. It’s dark eyes are eyeing you hungrily.

Oh god.

A clown. A freaking clown!

Shivers go up and down your spine and you start to sweat. Your heart is pounding in your chest and you suddenly don’t remember how to use your muscles anymore. Your fingers clench around the edges of the bowl. You just stand frozen in the doorway, unable to move. Great, so much for all the self-defense classes you went to. Your body just shut itself down and has gone into panic mode. You whimper as you watch the clown coming closer.

‘Aye, Ninnie.’ The creature grins as he takes a step forward. ‘Aren’t you gonna say hello?’ You slowly shake your head. ‘Ohhh, come on!’ The clown coos and he takes another step. ‘Don’t you want a balloon?’ ‘Stay back.’ You stutter. ‘Don’t you want to play with Pennywise?’ It queries. ‘I don’t !’ you hiss. ‘Oh, but I do want to play with YOU.’ It promises. ‘You all taste so much better when you’re afraid.’

You start to scream and the agonized sound fills the air. The clown lunges forward in an effort to make you shut up, but you throw the bowl in its face. The creature hisses in pain and takes a step back. You smash the door shut and lock it. Your body is shaking violently and you lean against the wall to prevent yourself from falling down. You vaguely hear Richard running towards you.

‘Nin!’ he exclaims, taking you into his arms. ‘What’s going on?’ ‘There’s a clown.’ You stutter while tears are running down your face. ‘What?’ Richard says. ‘A fucking clown.’ You repeat. ‘On my porch.’ ‘Let me see.’ Richard mutters. ‘NO!’ You shout. ‘THERE’S NO WAY I’M OPENING THAT DOOR AGAIN!’ Richard chuckles. ‘Calm down, love. Everything is fine. I’ll check it out. It’s probably some kid who’s trying to scare the hell out of you.’ ‘Please.’ You beg him. ‘Don’t leave me alone. I hate clowns.’ ‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’ Richard says. ‘I’ll-’ ‘It was Pennywise.’ You whisper, staring at the wall behind Richard. ‘The dancing clown…’ You mutter. ‘From my nightmares.’

Richard bites on his lip, trying to keep himself together. He would never have guessed that you, a badass female who doesn’t seem scared of a damn thing, is actually terrified of… clowns. He doesn’t think they’re funny either, but scary? Nah. More fucking annoying. Richard watches your pale face and agonized expression. You look genuinely shaken. He strokes your cheek and brushes away a tear that’s rolling down your face. Richard sighs and suddenly the whole situation isn’t as comical anymore. No one is entitled to scare you like that without suffering the consequences. He’s going to find out who’s responsible for this tasteless prank.

Richard gently lets go of you and cups your face with his hands. ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’ He promises. You whimper. ‘Don’t go!’ Richard smiles and stands up. ‘Just a moment. I’m going to find out who did this.’

You curl up into a tiny ball and watch him open the door. There’s nothing on the porch. Richard steps outside and looks around. The clown is nowhere to be seen. All that’s left of the scene that happened moments ago, is the empty candy bowl. It lies on the ground, the candy still scattered around it. Richard bends down and starts to pick it up. You force your body to get it together again and you stand up slowly, using the wall as support. You take little steps and make it to the doorway. You almost fall down again as you see the clown nearing your ignorant boyfriend.

‘Good evening sir Armitage.’ Pennywise cackles as he almost jump on him. ‘Do YOU like to play?’ Richard rises on his feet again and towers over the clown. ‘Do you think this is funny?’ he asks, clearly annoyed by the whole matter. The clown tilts its head. ‘Shall we play, Richard?’ When Richard doesn’t reacts and just eyes the clown in an irritated manner, it quickly turns and watches you again with that awful grin. ‘Or do you want to play, miss S?’

Richard clenches his jaw. ‘No, we will not. The only game I WILL play, Scott Miles, is if I should tell your parents about this or not.’ ‘Please don’t, mister Armitage.’ The clown howls and he forgets to stay in character. ‘I’m already grounded.’ ‘Scott?’ you exclaim, not believing you didn’t recognize the eldest spawn of your neighbors earlier. You descend from the porch and inspect the clown’s face. It’s indeed Scott, your fifteen year old neighbor kid. You suddenly feel stupid for being so afraid. Of your fucking fifteen year old neighbor. ‘God damnit Scott!’ you hiss as you try to reign in your anger. ‘I can’t even…’ ‘Nin.’ Richard says calmly. ‘No.’ you reply. ‘I’m going to tell him EXACTLY what he needs to hear!’ ‘Nin, love.’ Two strong arms touch your shoulders. ‘Look at me.’ Richard pleads. You look up, and his face makes calms you down a bit. ‘I got this.’ Richard smiles as he strokes your cheek. ‘Go inside.’

You shake your head and grit your teeth, knowing that Richard is right. You should remove yourself from this situation. Right now, you just want to smack that stupid teen in the face. Of course he couldn’t know that he would confront you with your worst fears, but walking around the streets dressed up like Pennywise the clown when children are around… Some people got stupid ideas, but this one is the dumbest you’ve ever encountered. You turn around and walk into your house again. It’s probably for the best that you leave the talking up to Richard. You’re too hotheaded now to react in a normal way. You slam the door of your bedroom shut and lie down on the bed. You close your eyes and try to consciously slow your breathing, but the image of that horrible smiling face won’t go away.

You’re still in bed when Richard lies down next to you. ‘Are you okay, darling?’ He asks as he pulls you into his arms. ‘Hmmm.’ You groan. ‘Scott told me he just wanted to prank his younger siblings.’ Richard rumbles. ‘I don’t even…’ You sigh. Richard chuckles. ‘I know, it was a stupid idea, but he told me it wasn’t his intention to scare you like that. He was following his brothers and little sister around the whole evening, trying to find a right moment to give them a good scare. He hid in our front yard when his brothers suddenly ran away. He didn’t want to frighten Rosie, but when he saw you walking away with her he thought it might be funny to pull a prank on you instead.’ You mutter something under your breath and Richard starts laughing. ‘He’s just a kid, Nin.’ He says. ‘Besides, will you tell me why you’re so terrified?’ You shrug. ‘I don’t know. I just am. I don’t like them. They’re creepy.’

Richard kisses your neck and you can feel your muscles slowly relaxing again. ‘From now on I’ll be here to protect you from any scary looking clown.’ He teases. ‘Until you have to leave to do a new project.’ You say. Richard chuckles. ‘Talking about projects… Where is my script?’ You giggle. ‘I have no idea, mister Armitage. I truly believe my cats ate it.’ You inhale sharply as Richard’s hands start to roam over your body again. ‘What were we doing before the doorbell rang?’ Richard breathes, his lips brushing over yours. ‘I don’t know.’ You murmur. ‘I think I was trying to seduce you.’ Richard purrs. ‘Is it working?’ ‘It’s always working.’ You reply. ‘Even when you don’t mean to.’ ‘Good to know.’ Richard pulls you closer and lands his lips on yours. It’s a sweet kiss, but you want more. You know exactly what renders under that soft, dorky surface of his, and you need that. Right now. You push your hips against his and ruck up his shirt. Richard growls into your mouth and his strong hands dig into your hips. You smile as he rolls on top of you, his mouth exploring your body greedily. You can feel the anger and stress being melted away by each kiss. Heat flares up in your body and your mind becomes hazy again.

You bite your lip. This man is a magician, and there’s no doubt he’s able to make you forget what happened tonight. You’ll probably forget your own name too. Your head falls back on the bed as Richard’s hands slip under your shirt.

Oh god.

This is going to be a long, very long night…