#this also is her first night sleeping in her own bed and i think h

[puttersmile]

Crittertember Day 16: Sleeping

Yes have some more Puppylove! And a oneshot to go with it!

When the skies darkened Dogday had a sinking feeling it was too late to leave.  He’d lost track of time and without warning a sudden  thunderstorm rolled in. The thunder rumbled, making Dogday tense up and his tail sag. He had always tried to hide his fear of storms, even though his friends knew. 

Bobby didn’t like it much either, but as the storm intensified and it became clear that Dogday couldn’t leave, she nervously suggested,

 “Why don’t you, uh, stay the night? We could… keep each other company?” Bobby saw the rain pouring in sheets outside her window. “ Like maybe we could–”

“S-sleep together? Like… in the bed? Under the covers? The same bed? The both of us?” Dogday stammered, trying to play dumb to mask his own nervousness. 

Bobby blushed but nodded.. “Yes, in the same bed. We’ll be more comfortable that way, and it’s not like I want to face this storm alone.”

Dogday gulped. “I mean, I can always take the couch…”

Bobby shook her head quickly. “No, really. I’d feel better if you were with me. It’s already late enough as it is.” Bobby genty pulled his hand. "Promise I won't bite."

Dogday couldn’t help but laugh, albeit shyly. “Well, when you put it that way… Okay, I’m in. But fair warning, I might need to hold onto something if the thunder gets too loud.”

Bobby raised an eyebrow, feigning nonchalance. “Well, as long as that ‘something’ happens to be me, I think we’ll be just fine.”

She lead him to her room, the storm outside seemed to boom only half as hard as Dogday’s heartbeat. Yet it also made the space feel cozier despite the crackling tension in the air. They settled into bed, a timid excitement bubbling up as they cuddled close. 

Dogday was hyper-aware of her warmth, the scent of her fur, and the steady rhythm of her breathing. It felt right, yet the newness of it all made his pulse race.

Another boom of thunder rolled through, and Dogday instinctively pulled her closer. 

“You weren’t kidding about needing to hold onto something, huh?” Bobby teased.

Dogday smiled sheepishly. “Guess not.” He glanced around, “You know, this is pretty scandalous. What will our friends think?”

Bobby grinned, playing along. “They’ll probably be jealous they’re not getting a warm hug from someone as awesome as me.”

Dogday snickered as he eased his side into one of Bobby’s oversized pillows. “You’re probably right.”

At that moment, Bobby leaned in and began peppering his face and neck with soft kisses, each one sending a thrill through her dog friend, his tail thumping against the blankets wildly. Enraptured by her affection, he managed to joke, 

“H-hey, Bobs! You know, I’m starting to think you wanted the storm to get me into this kind of position!”

Bobby pulled back just enough to smirk at him, her eyes gleaming. “That’s a strong possibility, but I’ll admit nothing.”

A comfortable silence fell between them, the storm outside no longer feeling like a threat but more like a backdrop to this moment.

Bobby broke the silence with a soft voice, “You know, I’ve imagined this… falling asleep with you. It’s nice, even if I didn’t picture the thunder.”

Dogday’s heart swelled, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Me too. And I don’t care about the thunder as long as you’re here.”

Bobby giggled. “It can’t hurt you as long as I’m around.”

Dogday yawned. “My hero.”

Bobby smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the blankets wrapped around them. “Well, in that case, I guess we’ll have to make this a regular thing.”

Dogday chuckled, the sound soft and comforting as he started drifting into sleep. Finally his tail rested.

“I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

AN: I doggedly continue making Crittertember art. They should be under the blankets but I drew them first and didn't want to erase half their body lol.

[glitterhammies]

 Alcina Dimitrescu x reader

A night spent with Alcina caring for you when your feeling bad. 

FLUFF 

Your lady was your greatest concern of a evening, when you first arrived at the castle you were one of the scullery maids, nothing more than the lowest of the low. But now you were her lover, her personal maid also. everything you do was for your Lady. Even though Alcina loved to look after you and make sure you didn't have to lift a finger but you couldn't help continue you maid duties. 

You knocked on her bedroom door eagerly awaiting her voice, "come in" she called. You slowly opened the door and stuck your head round the corner. she was facing her dresser putting her hair in little rollers, you loved seeing her like this. Everyone sees the grand lady Dimitrescu who shows no emotion and instils fear in all who speak to her. But this is your favourite Alcina is your favourite, the wish of living a domestic life with her. 

she saw your reflection in the vanity mirror " My darling" she grinned at you " come help me finish this off" she said pointing to her hair. You shuffled over taking her gorgeous midnight locks into your hands. No matter how long you have been together she still takes your breath away every time your close to her. " 

" How was your day Darling" she whispered into your hands as you moved them to gather more hair. " It was okay, I've missed you though. spent most of today in the library" you replied. Now you were no longer Alicnas maid you spend your days anywhere other then the wings that lead to the dungeons. you have seen you fair amount of maids go down there and never return and the screams are enough to keep you awake at night. You were lost in your own thought brushing your hands through her hair humming to yourself. You felt Alcinas large hands over yours, she was looking at you in the mirror with concern " My love, tell me, what is bothering you" 

you sigh looking down at the floor. Alcina notices your sadness and turns round so she's facing you, even with er sat down and you standing she was still a head taller than you. she lifted your chin up with her fingers. " I just never see you anymore" you whisper trying to hold back tears "Your always in meetings with Mother Miranda or dealing with business for the wine, which is good I'm happy your doing business but I just miss seeing you I get lonely being here by myself" you were battling with tears that feared escaping from your eyes as you spoke " I just feel like you don't want me around anymore"

You look into Alcinas eyes you could see the sorrow forming " oh my Darling don't think that, I'm sorry I haven't been spending as much time with you but with the wine and Mother Miranda i don't have much time during the day and when I get back here I see you sleeping so peacefully i don't dare wake you" 

"Here let me make it up to you" she picked you up bridal style carrying you to the bed something she enjoyed way too much considering your height difference. she set you down on the edge of the bed and started slowly removing your dressing gown. she kissed a trail down your neck as she removed the fabric replacing the silk with her lips. you moaned slightly into her touch enjoying the closeness. Once she got down to your belt she pulled it off and slowly let the fabric fall onto the bed. You were wearing a black lace underwear set, something Alcina has specifically tailored for you.

She looked down at your figure on the bed and brought her lips to yours, you took her mouth in yours and enjoyed the moment, you brought your hands to her waist and took off the belt that surrounded her waist, pulling the fabric back over her shoulders and onto the floor. she released your lips and pulled back so you could see what she was wearing, a Blood red lingerie set accented with black lace. It complemented your set perfectly. you licked your lips at her.

You scooted back onto the bed giving her indication to join you, Alcina crawled up the bed towards you. you could see her animalistic side coming out. She kissed you again this time with more passion, grabbing hold of your waist and pushing you into the bed. She enjoyed how soft you were under her fingers, she loved your curves and the plumpness of your body, letting you know about it every time you were together " you look gorgeous my darling" she said into your lips not letting you go. "I could say the same about you" you giggled pulling back and biting her bottom lip. 

There you stayed for a while cuddling with each other, talking about simple things like what dates you want to go on and rearrangements of the never-ending pile of books in the library. 

Looking into your ladys eyes you noticed them looking darker then usual. " Are you okay my love" you ask a bit concerned. Alcina looked down at you " would you mind if I got up to get some wine" she asked with genuine concern in her voice. " of course go, go" you chimed shooing her away. Alcina got up and slid back into her robe swaying her hips as she walked to the wine cellar. 

You didn't mind about Alcinas constant drinking, you knew she needed the Blood to keep her mutation under control, and if you had to admit you found it incredibly sexy seeing how animalistic she got over it. 

After a few minutes she returned, ducking her way under the door bottle and glass in hand. She sat down on the spot she had just been in before. you taking the bottle and pouring her a glass. She sipped back the first mouth full and you could see her visibly relax. " Darling, you look so beautiful when you drink that" you say to her. you couldn't help yourself you loved to see the stain of red around her lips and smell the wine on her breath. you didn't care what she had to do to get the wine as long as it meant she could stay with you, you didn't mind. 

You had a idea watching Alcina taking the last swigs of her glass. she positioned the glass towards you so you will be able to fill it up again but instead you brought the bottle to your lips letting the liquid fill your mouth. Alcina looked confused " my love what are yo-" 

You pulled Alcinas face close and put your lips around hers pushing the liquid into her mouth. you felt her ease into your grip and drink down the liquid. parts dripping out of your mouth and down your chest. Alcina pulled back, a slight moan leaving her lips admiring your blood stained mouth. 

"oh darling, you have no idea what you have just done" she grabbed you and slammed you back onto the pillows. Passionately kissing you for the rest of he night. 

[xxlelaxx]

I feel like the worst mom ever and I've only been at this for a day.

[starsjulia]

hi i’m not sure if this is how you submit a request but i have a possible idea, maybe pregnant r is really insecure about her body, stretch marks and just herself in general and maybe leah starts to notice when r won’t shower with her or get changed near her , and maybe leah just comforts her and reassures her she’s beautiful.

by the way i absolutely love your writing!

insecurities // leah williamson

a/n : thank you for the request!!

warnings : pregnancy, insecurity (weight, stretch marks ect) comfort!!

The gentle hum of the morning alarm stirred you awake, pulling you from a dreamless sleep. You blinked groggily, your hand instinctively reaching for the warmth beside you. Leah was already half-awake, her arm draped lazily over your waist. Mornings had always been your favorite—those precious moments of quiet before the day truly began, where it was just you and her, tangled in sheets and sleepy smiles.

But lately, things had changed. It wasn’t just the fatigue from the pregnancy or the random bouts of nausea; it was something deeper, something that made your chest tighten whenever Leah’s hand grazed your skin. You used to look forward to these mornings, to the way she’d pull you close and kiss you softly before leading you both into the shower. But now, every touch felt like it was magnifying the changes in your body that you were desperately trying to ignore.

As Leah stirred, she turned towards you, her fingers tracing lazy circles on your swollen belly. “Morning, love,” she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

You forced a smile, your heart heavy with the familiar dread. “Morning.”

Leah propped herself up on her elbow, her eyes soft as she looked at you. “Shower?”

Your pulse quickened. You hesitated, searching for an excuse, any excuse. “I… I think I’ll skip it for now. I’m just too tired.”

Leah frowned slightly, a hint of concern clouding her expression, but she didn’t push. “Alright, no worries. I’ll be quick, yeah?”

You watched as she slid out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. The door clicked shut, and you exhaled a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding. As soon as the water started running, you slipped out of bed, hurriedly grabbing some clothes from the dresser. Your hands shook slightly as you dressed in record time, ensuring you were fully clothed before Leah could return.

When she came back into the bedroom, towel wrapped around her body, you were already brushing your hair, avoiding her gaze. Leah noticed the change—she always did—but she let it slide, offering you a small smile instead.

---

Days turned into weeks, and the distance between you and Leah grew, not in miles but in moments. The once seamless routine you shared began to unravel as you found new ways to avoid her gaze, her touch, and most of all, her questions. You started showering late at night when she was asleep or early in the morning before she woke. You’d dress in the bathroom, your back turned towards the mirror, never daring to look at the reflection staring back at you.

It wasn’t just the stretch marks, although they were part of it—the way they snaked across your skin, marking the changes you couldn’t control. It was everything. The way your clothes no longer fit the same, the way your body felt foreign, heavy with the weight of your growing child but also with the weight of your insecurities.

Leah was patient at first. She knew pregnancy was difficult, and she wanted to give you space, to let you navigate the changes at your own pace. But the more you withdrew, the more worried she became. The once open and easy conversations were replaced with stilted exchanges, your laughter with forced smiles.

One evening, after Leah returned home from training, she found you in the bedroom, folding laundry. You were humming softly to yourself, trying to drown out the worries swirling in your mind. Leah watched you for a moment, her heart aching at the sight of you so lost in thought, so distant.

She walked over to you, placing a gentle hand on your back. You flinched, just slightly, but it was enough for Leah to notice.

“Hey,” she said softly, her accent more pronounced when she was emotional. “What’s going on with you?”

You glanced up at her, forcing another smile. “Nothing, I’m just tired.”

Leah sighed, her eyes searching yours. “You’ve been saying that a lot lately.”

You shrugged, folding another shirt, desperate to change the subject. “I mean, I am growing a human, you know. It’s exhausting.”

“I know it is,” Leah said, her voice gentle but firm. “But it feels like more than that. You’re pulling away from me. You barely look at me anymore, and it’s like you’re avoiding being around me when you don’t have to be. Please, talk to me.”

You froze, your hands gripping the fabric in front of you. “Leah, I’m fine. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Leah stepped closer, her hand resting on your arm. “I want you to be honest with me. Whatever it is, you don’t have to deal with it alone. We’re a team, remember?”

You pulled away from her touch, the fear and insecurity bubbling up in your chest. “Leah, please. Just drop it.”

Her face fell, and she stepped back, giving you the space you seemed to crave. “Alright,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “But I’m here when you’re ready.”

You nodded, unable to meet her eyes. Leah turned and left the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts, your fears, and the overwhelming guilt that gnawed at you.

---

It wasn’t just one moment that broke Leah. It was the accumulation of them—every time you avoided her touch, every time you flinched when she reached for you, every time you slipped away before she could catch you in a moment of vulnerability. It was seeing you pull on a sweater in the middle of a warm day just to cover up, or the way you’d disappear into the bathroom for what felt like hours just to change.

She wanted to help, wanted to reach out and pull you close, to remind you that she loved you, every single part of you. But you were slipping away, and she felt helpless to stop it.

One night, after another awkward dinner where you barely spoke, Leah couldn’t take it anymore. She’d watched you retreat into yourself, and it broke her heart every time you looked at her with that forced smile, the one that never quite reached your eyes.

After dinner, you’d gone upstairs to the bedroom, claiming you were tired. Leah followed you after a few minutes, determination in her step. She found you standing by the bed, your hands resting on your belly, lost in thought.

“Y/N,” Leah started, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. “We need to talk.”

You looked up, startled by the firmness in her tone. “Leah, I—”

“No,” she interrupted gently, but firmly. “I’m not letting you brush me off again. We need to talk about this. About us.”

Your heart pounded in your chest, the fear and insecurity you’d been trying to keep at bay surging forward. “Leah, please, I don’t want to do this right now.”

Her eyes softened, but she didn’t back down. “I know you’re scared, love. I can see it. But I need you to be honest with me. You’ve been pulling away, and I can’t just stand here and watch it happen.”

Tears welled up in your eyes, your resolve starting to crumble. “Leah, I don’t want you to see me like this. I don’t even want to see myself like this.”

Leah’s heart broke at your words. She reached out, taking your hands in hers, her voice trembling slightly. “Love, I could never see you like that. You’re carrying our baby. Your body is doing something amazing, something I can’t even begin to understand. Every mark, every change—it’s beautiful to me because it’s you.”

You shook your head, tears spilling down your cheeks. “But I don’t feel beautiful, Leah. I feel… lost. I don’t know who I am anymore when I look in the mirror. And I’m terrified that you won’t recognize me either.”

Leah pulled you into her arms, holding you tightly as you started to sob. “Oh, love,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling like this, and I wish I’d noticed sooner. But you’ve got to know, you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever known. Not just because of how you look, but because of who you are. You’re strong, you’re kind, and you’re going to be an amazing mum.”

You clung to her, the tears you’d been holding back for so long finally spilling over. “I’m scared, Leah. I’m so scared.”

Leah kissed the top of your head, her own tears mixing with yours. “I know, love. But you don’t have to be scared alone. I’m right here with you, every step of the way. We’re in this together, remember?”

You nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over you as Leah’s words began to soothe the storm inside you. “I’m sorry I’ve been pushing you away.”

Leah pulled back slightly, just enough to cup your face in her hands. “No more apologizing. We’re learning as we go, yeah? But promise me, from now on, we’ll talk about this stuff. No more hiding, alright?”

You nodded, your heart full of love and gratitude for the woman standing in front of you. “Alright. No more hiding.”

Leah smiled through her tears and leaned in to kiss you, a soft, lingering kiss that told you everything words couldn’t. When she pulled away, she wiped your tears with her thumbs, her touch gentle and reassuring.

“Come on,” she said softly, taking your hand and leading you towards the bathroom. “Let’s get ready for bed. Together.”

You hesitated for a moment, the old fears trying to resurface, but Leah squeezed your hand, her smile encouraging you. With a deep breath, you followed her into the bathroom, letting her help you out of your clothes. Her hands were tender as they traced over the stretch marks that had caused you so much insecurity, her eyes full of nothing but love and admiration.

For the first time in weeks, you didn’t flinch or pull away. Instead, you let Leah see you, all of you, and for the first time, you didn’t feel ashamed. You felt loved—completely, unconditionally loved.

As you both stood under the warm spray of the shower, Leah’s arms wrapped around you, you knew that with her by your side, you could face anything. Even the parts of yourself that you were still learning to love.

[enchantedflameandflower]

Billy Butcher fic! 18+ only for sex, mild spanking, smut, piv, Butcher’s fingers and a bit of soft dom for fun (also some h/c)

“His gaze always seemed to linger when she wore it and it didn’t seem he was able to resist the way it fell off her shoulder and clung to her body in her sleep.

"Ya know this one's my favorite..." he murmured low against the shell of her ear plucking at the material.

"Mmmm..." she hummed in reply, her eyes still closed. "You want to borrow it?"

Billy made a noise then brushed his mouth over the shell of her ear again, tugging her hips closer. "I wannna do unspeakable, dirty things to ya while it's rucked up over your tits, tanglin’ your arms together while ya gasp my name."”

karl urban masterlist

taglist: @2dead2function @secretdreamlandmentality @nosebeers @vavafaure1994 @weallhaveadestiny @str8-jack-it

~*~*~ more under the cut!~*~*~

direct link to part 1

Part 38 (you don’t need to read previous parts to enjoy this!)

Addison did not see Butcher for days after the incident at Vought tower. He barely answered his phone and when he did it was only to talk for a second and beg off, then maybe text her later. Maybe. Thanks to M.M., she knew where Billy was, but he never actually said it. 

Nearly five days later, M.M. called her to let her know they were releasing Billy from the hospital. She was almost shocked he didn’t leave on his own AMA, but that must mean it was just as bad as she imagined. Or maybe worse. 

She didn’t hesitate to call Billy’s phone and she didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until he answered. 

“‘Lo, sunshine.” His voice was hoarse and gravelly but it was perfect to her. 

“Can you come over?” she asked without preamble. She wouldn’t force him to tell her where he was or talk about anything he wasn’t ready to. But she wanted to catch him before he left and ended up somewhere else, unwilling to move again. 

He was silent for a very long moment. “Aye,” he finally answered. “I’ll be there in a bit.” He paused. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m okay. Just want to see you.”

“Alright then. Soon, yeah?”

The exhaustion in his voice broke her down for a second but she pulled herself back together. 

“Yeah.”  ~*~*~

The first two nights at her place he didn’t come to bed at all. His bruises had started to fade, his cuts were healing, but she could still see them, and she could still see the devastation in his expression.  

He had told her what happened at Vought but she knew there was something more. Something he wasn’t telling her. Something awful. He was different now, she could see it in his eyes. 

The third night she finally got him to come back to bed with her and he didn’t have any nightmares but she didn’t think he ever slept at all. The next night they started once more, in excess, worse than ever. But he wouldn’t talk about it. Not yet, he mumbled. 

Addison didn’t know what else to do but wrap her arms around him, so she did and he fell against her chest. In the next moment, she felt his body shaking and she realized he was crying, silently, his tears seeping into her shirt as he seemed to completely break down. 

She tightened her hold without saying a word and she felt the tears start stinging in her own eyes. She wouldn’t let go, no matter what. After that he finally fell into a deep sleep and stayed that way for hours. She wondered if it was the first time he had truly slept in weeks. The next day he was miles better, and even more so the following day, but he still wouldn’t tell her what the weight was he was carrying so heavily. Addison didn’t push, instead just spending the time peacefully together. ~*~*~

A few days later, as the morning light was only just barely starting to filter in around the edges of the curtains, Addison woke so, so slowly to the soft feeling of Billy’s strong fingers. They drifted idly up and down her side over the material of her little nightgown as she burrowed her face against his chest. His hand slipped up to just under the curve of her breast, then slowly back down over her hip and behind to her bottom. Then he repeated the entire path again.

On the third run, she couldn’t pretend to be asleep any longer and she made a soft little noise in the back of her throat, pressing just a little closer to him, nuzzling against his chest. He seemed to have forgotten about his nightmares, at least for now and she felt a swell of utter joy that she could maybe give him a second of peace. She didn’t want to bring it up by asking how he was, so she just enjoyed the moment, humming softly. Maybe he needed this. 

Billy took a contented breath and pressed on her lower back, pulling her against him before returning to his gentle strokes over the satiny material. She knew that he in fact knew this nightgown was not silk; it was old and she’d had it forever. His gaze always seemed to linger when she wore it and it didn’t seem he was able to resist the way it fell off her shoulder and clung to her body in her sleep.

“Ya know this one’s my favorite…” he murmured low against the shell of her ear plucking at the material.

“Mmmm…” she hummed in reply, her eyes still closed. “You want to borrow it?” 

Billy made a noise then brushed his mouth over the shell of her ear again, tugging her hips closer. “I wanna do unspeakable, dirty things to ya while it’s rucked up over your tits, tanglin’ your arms together while ya gasp my name.”

Addison grinned, finally opening her eyes to look up from his chest and meet his own, so dark she could barely see the hazel. “Well that sounds like a good time,” she whispered in a breathy voice.

“Atta fuckin’ girl,” he grinned at her consent then leaned down to capture her mouth. Though his words were rough, he kept his motions slow and sultry, meant to seduce, stroking his tongue over hers and rubbing her body with deliberate, soft strokes of his palm. 

As he disoriented her with the kiss, his big hand slid down over her ass, kneading and pressing her against his quickly swelling length. Addison purred her pleasure and he pulled back from the kiss to let her breathe.

“Do ya think your arse’ll get bigger?” he asked, squeezing again. 

Addison laughed softly. “I think all your favorite parts of me will get bigger.”

“Mmmmmm,” he rumbled happily, dipping his head to bite along the curve of her neck. “Can’t wait…” He lifted one hand to cup her breast over her the material, kneading there before retreating again to make good on his promise. His hand slipped under her nightgown where it was resting on her thigh and he caught the hem with his wrist as he pushed it up her body. He helped her maneuver as he did, making sure it was all the way over her breasts then he turned her over, nestling up behind her. 

Addison arched her back, pressing her bare bottom against his cock and pushing her breasts out as his big hand slid up to cup them again. He tugged at her nipple until she whimpered then slowly slid his hand down her stomach until he could nestle his fingers against her clit.

She felt his hot breath on the sensitive spot just below her ear as the tips of his fingers slid through her wetness then circled her clit slowly. He only stayed there for a moment though and shifted his fingers down to slide inside of her, teasing. 

“Billy…” she moaned his name, his strong fingers starting to stretch her perfectly, a teasing promise of more and bigger things to come. 

“Tell me what you want, princess.”

“I -“ she gasped as he crooked his fingers, pressing in even further. “I want all of you.” 

She pressed back against his erection and it was his turn to groan. 

“Say it,” he rumbled. 

“…want your cock, Billy.”

“Hmmm…” he pretended to think while he circled his fingers around her swollen clit again, teasing her higher. 

Addison felt the fire inside of her grow even hotter as he edged her closer to release, but stopped before she could reach it. 

“What was that love?” 

Addison hummed, squirming against his fingers but he held her hips still with his free hand. 

“Your cock…need it Billy…”

“You’ll get it then,” he finally gave in. “Need ya on your knees for me now.”

“Condom?” she asked, turning to look back at him before she lost all sense. 

“I’m clean,” he answered. “They tested me for everything when I were at - uh, last week. So we’re good.”

Addison almost asked where, even though she knew, but then she decided to let it go. It wasn’t the time. Instead, she turned over on her stomach, tossing her nightgown away, and smiled up at him. “Come and get me then, love,” she teased.

He gave a low, soft moan. “Sure?” he asked one last time, even as he was already moving into place. 

She squirmed, letting her ass shake a little for him and he smacked the round cheek, making her purr before she spoke again, her voice a little breathless. “Might as well have some fun before I’m the size of a country cabin.”

He gave a low chuckle. “I’ll still want you the same.” Leaning over her, he bit the curve of her shoulder, then nuzzled a line of soft kisses down the length of her spine. 

“This fuckin’ ass,” he rumbled and he grabbed her hips, tugging her up on her knees as soon as he was situated kneeling between her thighs. “Not an offer I’ll ever turn down. I want ya to press your cheek to the pillow there, love, get your arse all the way up in the air for me. Don’t move. Understand?”

Addison could only moan again, her core was aching for him with his knees pushing hers farther apart and knowing he was so close. But Billy Butcher loved to tease and she knew it. She shifted her body back anyway, searching for something, anything. And maybe if she found it he would give in. 

But no. 

“Mmmmm,” he rumbled, rough and low kneading her hips as he inched back and held her in place. “Such a needy little thing, aren’t ya.”

Addison whimpered a little, pressing her face against the pillows and holding on for dear life. Open to him like this, but without his touch or his cock just made her feel empty, made her want him more. His palm smoothed all the way up her back and back down over her ass, tracing the curves. 

“Billy…” she begged. 

He finally dipped his hand back down between her legs, pressing one and then two fingers inside of her tight core again. She was already drenched for him and she knew he loved it. After every second or third stroke, he’d glide them around her clit and then he’d slip them back inside. 

After a few minutes of this Addison groaned with wanton impatience. It felt so good but she needed more.  

“That’s my girl,” he husked in response, “soaking…” He pumped his fingers a few more times before he finally pulled back. 

Addison mewed, knowing what was coming and pressed her hips back once more. He caught her around the waist and slapped her ass cheek again, making her jolt and moan, before he positioned her in front of him. 

She felt the tip of his swollen cock first, teasing over her folds and she shifted her knees just a little, trying to spread her thighs further apart for him. He groaned and pushed in just an inch. Addison wanted to scream but she whimpered instead, breathing his name. “Billy…” She was desperate but this felt like something he really needed. 

“Nice and slow, babe,” he rumbled. “Need it to last.”

And he kept to his word, pressing in slowly, inch by thick inch. Addison tried not to squirm too much but still she fluttered and squeezed around his shaft. He gave a husky moan every time she did and the sound took her even closer to the precipice. 

When he pushed in as far as he could he paused there, rubbing his palms over her body prone in front of him and just letting her feel him. 

“Such a good fuckin’ girl for me,” he husked. “My girl. Takin’ it all so well.”

After a long second he started to thrust, slowly, pulling back and pushing all the way in while Addison clutched the pillow in front of her, holding on as best she could. He felt so fucking good…

She moaned as he hit that perfect spot inside of her and his hands tightened on her hips. He pulled back and thrust in again, and again, and then suddenly she was coming, whimpering into the pillow as the aftershocks rolled through her and she couldn’t ever remember climaxing that quickly before. 

“Fuck Billy,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath, her entire body trembling.

He gave a husky chuckle in response, rubbing his palms soothingly over her back. “Ready for more yet, love?” he rumbled after only a moment, still deep inside of her. 

She clenched around his length and nodded her head, not quite able to form words yet. 

He started again, slowly thrusting in her body but careful not to overwhelm her or push too far too fast. He moved like he just wanted to stay here fucking her forever. 

Eventually, though, he started to pick up his pace, thrusting harder, his grip tight and bruising on her hips, but she didn’t care. It all felt so good. “Billy…close…” she moaned. He slid his arms around her, pulling her up into a sitting position over his lap and then he started to thrust again, pushing deeper inside her. One hand slipped up to squeeze her breast while the other slid down, finding her clit easily. 

She turned her head and he caught her in a sultry hot kiss, his tongue rough and possessive. As good as it felt for him to fuck her into the bed, seeing him out of the corner of her eye made her realize she was missing out on all of the view and she vowed to herself that next time he would be under her so she could savor looking at every inch of him. 

But this…he thrust deeper and he felt so thick inside of her, filling her completely. She reached for his forearm, gripping it tightly as her head started to spin. “Oh fu…” she gasped. “Please…”

He made a low growling sound from behind her and circled his fingertips roughly over her clit as he continued to push his cock deep inside of her. 

She held on to him like a lifeline, trying to prolong the euphoria for as long as she could, but it was impossible. 

He bit at the shell of her ear. “Come for me, sunshine,” he husked, his voice gravely and gruff, “come on my cock…”

And she did, almost immediately and hard. A soft cry left her throat as she squeezed tight around him and pleasure exploded within her. His hips stuttered and he pushed himself deep inside her as his own orgasm came over him fast and forceful. He emptied himself inside her, rumbling a deep moan against her ear before he buried his face against the curve of neck and tightened his arms around her body, holding her to him. 

Addison clung to him as wave after wave of overwhelming sensation washed through her, and he held her tight against him through all of it. Eventually she felt all strength leave her and he carefully slid out of her, tipping her down to the bed. 

“Don’t move, love,” he rumbled in a hoarse voice and he left and returned to help her clean up. After that they laid in bed, just completely entangled, for hours. 

It wasn’t until almost noon Addison even spoke again. “Let’s do something…just completely normal. Just once…like we’re normal people.”

He hummed, his eyes still closed but he rubbed at her hip. “Like what, love?”

She turned in his arms, to lay on her side and tilted her head to look up at him. “A movie? Nice and dark. And we don’t have to talk to anyone.”

He looked at her for a moment, his hazel eyes full of some unnamed emotion. But there was real love in there too, somewhere deep down. 

“Sounds perfect, sunshine. Let’s go.”

~*~*~

karl urban masterlist

And we made it to the very end of season 3! When Butcher walks into the office at the flatiron building with that movie theatre soda cup in the last scene, I always imagine he had just come from a long healing bout of time with Addi. As always I have more to come!

Reblogs and likes and comments are appreciated so so much! Thank you for reading! The next part is mostly written but let me know what else you want to see!

[writtensweethearts]

Something More

Pairing: Steve Harrington x GN!Reader Word count: 2k+ CW: Misunderstandings, friends to lovers, Eddie being his lovely self A/N: Not my best work but I hope it makes you smile Also Thank you for all the love on my first post, xoxo

Steve has been your friend as long as you could remember.

The years have been kind, gifting you with memories you’d soon come to agonize over, memories you’d learn to feel such fondness over, it left you dizzy. Late nights rotting in bed, laughing over melted ice cream, Steve was summer. He was the distant smell of campfires, tanned and freckled skin. He was road trips and movie nights and so distinctly him, a place of comfort, a constant in your life. He was the anchor during your first heartbreak, the shelter you sought after nightmares, the soft reassurance during the aftermath of witnessing the Upside Down. He never changed, never outgrew you, never once stopped prioritizing you even when faced with the snarky remarks of his peers in high school. Steve has been your friend, your best friend, for more years than you can count.

But you can’t remember exactly when you stopped seeing him as one.

Maybe it was the summer after freshman year, when he’d slowly grown taller right before your eyes. Limbs growing lanky only to be filled out with sharp lines and taught muscle by the end of senior year, when you couldn’t recall exactly when he’d changed so much. Or maybe it was the whispers in the hallways of Hawkin High, classmates speculating that the two of you held something more. Or maybe it was right now.

“Hey, do you remember Cassidy Davis?”

Your elbows sink into the mattress of Steve’s bed as you push yourself upward, angling your body to face him as he stands over the sink of the connected bathroom.

“From highschool? I think so, blonde right?”

He hums in response, reaching over to grab the razor resting on the counter top. You always loved moments like this, the domesticity of it all, the quiet, intimate moments where you could pretend that this was all that mattered. You and Steve.

“She stopped by Family Video today during my shift.”

You frown at that, head turning away in hopes he wouldn’t catch your reaction from the reflection. 

“Huh. Did you talk to her?”

He nods, eyes fixated as he glides the blade against his jaw, “Yeah. She was eyeing Dawn of the Dead and I mentioned Eddie’s obsession with it.”

Your lips twitch upwards at that, for all the wry comments made between the two boys it was endearing to see the light cracks in the facade.

“So I told her what he told me, and she seemed interested enough to check it out by the end of it,” He paused, eyes flickering over to you. You watch as his throat bobs, before he turns his attention back to his own reflection. Curious, you waited, watching as he rinsed the remaining shaving gel off his face.

“I asked her to dinner.”

Oh. Oh. 

“Or well- She asked me if I wanted to watch Dawn of the Dead with her, and I didn’t want to tell her no, so.. It just kind of happened.”

He walks over to you, knees hitting the ends of the bed frame.

“I won’t go if you don’t want me to.”

You stare at him, brows furrowed. 

“Why wouldn’t I want you to?”

He seems a bit puzzled at that, hands reaching up, nervously tugging the back of his sleep ruffled hair.

“No I just, I just meant if you don’t like her it’s important to me. I won’t go out with someone you can’t stand.”

“Steve, how I feel shouldn’t matter. If you like Cassidy you should go for it.” He looks at you warily so you add, “I barely remember her. I think I had calculus with her but we never talked. I promise I don’t have any negative feelings.” He returns your response with a small smile, leaning forward to press a light kiss onto your temple, leaving the skin warm and tingly and your chest tight.

The date hadn’t gone as hoped. Guilt gnawed at you as you watched Steve return, head high yet ego bruised. Though he’d seemingly taken the failed night in stride, you felt uneasy with the relief you’d felt as he told you about his evening. 

Things began to change after that. As the months went by Steve continued spending time with girls he’d met. Movies at the drive in, picnics at the park, pool days in his backyard.

The unfamiliar feeling of wanting more made everything unbearable.

“And so Robin was telling Janice that no way is David Bowie the best musician of all time-” The distant ringing in the hallway cuts him short.

“Hold on, sorry.” Steve watches as you untangle your legs from his, the lost warmth of your calves leaving goosebumps in its wake, his thighs missing the pressure of your weight. You’re off the couch in seconds, high speeding to the landline attached to the wall of your hallway, in hopes to catch the call before it ends. He could hear your voice through the echoes of your empty home.

“Hello?” He leans forward in an effort to figure out who the person on the other end is. It’s too far for him to recognize the voice, but his ears perk at the sound of your laughter and a quiet promise of seeing the mystery caller soon. You return, nudging his legs to the side as you take your place back onto the comforter, pointedly ignoring Steve’s watchful gaze.

A beat passes, “So you planning on telling me who that was?”

“Just a friend.” You keep your head down, fingers picking into your cuticles as you try to act unaffected under his scrutiny. 

“Hm. And does this friend have a name?” You chance a look at him, his eyebrows twisted upwards with an expectant look on his face. You sigh, “It’s just Eddie. We’re hanging out tomorrow, he was calling to let me know when he’d be coming around to pick me up.” You're gifted with a surprised look. You grin, “What? I got other friends too, Harrington.” 

He doesn’t take the bait. 

“What are you doing with Munson?” 

You shrug, pulling yourself away to face him properly, “We’re just hanging out. He’s taking me to his trailer to show me his guitar but we didn’t make a full itinerary. Nosy much?” You tease.

His expression remains thoughtful as the conversation ebbs, both of you content in the silence and comfort of each other.

It’s been weeks now since you last saw Steve. You’ve dropped by Family Video a few times only to be greeted by a sympathetic Robin letting you know that no, Steve was not available. You weren’t sure what to do, but by the fourth missed call that week, you’d decided to leave it alone, he’d come around when he was ready. 

Restless from the longing in your heart, you tiptoed out your bedroom door, slipping into the night. Eddie’s trailer was a short walk away, a new found solace, the evening breeze cooling your warm skin. You’d wondered on your way whether you’d made the right decision, unsure if an unwarranted visit at late hours would cross a boundary in your new friendship. But you were lonely, sick of the quietness of the dark, embarrased at the radio silence from your best friend.

You eye the dim light of the trailer, the faint noise of Eddie tuning his guitar. Taking a breath you knock loudly, door rattling in hopes he could hear you over his music. It takes a second, a sharp “who is it?” before the door opens, revealing ring clad fingers and tatted skin.

“Hey sweet thing, to what do I owe this pleasure?” He’s grinning down at you, the steps of the trailer allowing him to tower above you, you smile widely in return.

“Munson. Dropping by to keep your lonely heart company.” He doesn’t hesitate to shove the door wider, metal creaking as he steps aside, allowing you to walk into the living space. His hand wraps around the knob, attempting to pull the entrance shut before a hand reaches out, desperately holding it open.

“Eddie, wait.”

The familiarity of the voice has you spinning on your heels, eyes wide as you exchange glances with the metal head. He leans on the frame of the door, broad shoulders blocking Steve’s view, a strange sense of dissappointment overcomes you as you realize, he hadn’t noticed you yet.

“Harrington, what a lovely surprise.” You could imagine Steve rolling his eyes at Eddie’s tone, dripping in sarcasm.

“Do you have a second to talk?” You stand still, holding your breath as you watch Eddie hesitate for a moment before answering, “Sure.”

“What’s going on with you two?” 

“Gotta be more specific than that lover boy. Me and who?” It’s so soft you could have missed it, Steve’s voice calling out your name, said so lovingly and full of endearment, a complete opposite of how he'd made you feel the past few weeks. You catch Eddie’s eyes, tilting your head in a slight nod as you take light footsteps towards him. He takes a step back as your body fills the entrance,

“Why don’t you ask them yourself?”

The harsh crinkle of fallen leaves breaking as you walk down the quiet streets of Hawkins, makes you cringe. The relief you’d once felt just moments before, autumn winds embracing you, has now left you feeling overheated, sticky, uncomfortable. Or maybe it was a result of the boy walking silently next to you, the thick tension twisting the cool night into something dark, something uneasy.

“So you and Eddie huh?”

You pause. “What?”

“I didn’t realize,” Steve huffs out a humorless laugh, “I should’ve known.”

Dumbfounded, you stare into his back as he continues walking, unaware. It takes a moment before he turns, a confused stare painted on his face, matching yours.

“Steve, what are you talking about?”

“You and Munson. Come on, I already heard. I- you could’ve told me you know. I could handle it.”

Your head is spinning, trying to understand what he’s trying to say, trying to work out what you should say. But all that comes out is, “Who did you hear that from?”

He’s staring at you as if you’ve confirmed his suspicions, “Max was telling Lucas at the arcade about how you’ve been visiting his trailer recently. She bet five bucks you guys are dating.”

Shocked, you choke out a laugh.

“Steve. Max is fourteen. She’s brilliant and I love her, but she’s fourteen. Eddie and I are just friends, I’ll regret to inform her that she just lost five dollars.”

Your laughter dies down, leaving only the sounds of crickets in the air. A sense of understanding falls over you, “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” you ask gently. He flushes, pink stretching over his cheeks, reaching the tops of his ears, you take that as a yes. 

“Why? Were you hurt because you didn’t hear it from me?”

He”s staring at the distance between you, eyes intently watching the concrete. You move, closing the space until you’re standing close enough to see the freckles on his face summer had left behind.

“Steve?” You call out.

“I’m sorry,” he shuts his eyes as if in pain, “shit, I- I didn’t mean to avoid you I just.. I didn’t know how to be around you without you knowing.”

Your heart swells with hope as you peer up at him. 

“Without me knowing what?” You prod.

He opens his eyes, focused on your lips as a smile blossoms on your face.

“You really going to make me say it sweetheart?” You nod, cheeks aching.

“I love you. I’ve loved you since we were kids and you cried when I carved our initials into a tree, because you didn’t want it to feel pain. I loved you in middle school when I had that awful haircut and was worried about what you’d think. I loved you when we were teenagers and I listened to you cry about Nate Thompson standing you up. And God I love you right now even though I’m terrified you’ll break my heart.”

And maybe it really was the summer you’d noticed he’d grown taller, or maybe it was the day months ago when he’d announced he was going on a date with Cassidy Davis, or maybe it was right now. In the gentle air of the fall weather, standing over crumpled leaves on an empty street, where you realized Steve Harrington was not your best friend. He was so much more.

[jesterofcringe]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE MORE ENDERMAN LOTTIE FICS OR AN AI BOT OF SOME KIND PLEASE PLEASE

See No Evil Enderman!Lottie x Reader

!!tw mentions of blood and implications of murder!! also sorry this took a while anon i've been busy with finals 😭 ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────

★Have you ever tried to pick up a cat and force it to cuddle with you? Because Lottie likes to do that to you. A lot.

★She quickly learned that you couldn't sleep at night so long as she was around, so day time naps were the way to go.

★You would usually be going about some chores when you would feel her arms wrap around you and pick you up. Before you got the chance to say anything, you were being teleported back into your bed and Lottie was curling up against you.

★"H-Hey! I need to finish that- Lottie hold on a sec!"

★At first you would fight against her grip, attempting to wriggle free, but Endermen were strong and you slowly got used to it and just let it happen. Because of these typical shenanigans you eventually became somewhat nocturnal, tending to your chores at night and taking long naps during the day.

★Sometimes you forgot Lottie was a mob until she gave you a good reason to remember.

★One of these instances you were tending to the garden late at night [because your clingy ass girlfriend ruined your sleep schedule] when you realized you hadn't seen Lottie for a little while. This didn't really strike you as odd since Endermen had a tendency to just vanish. So you were minding your own business, and tending to your crops, perking up when your favorite mob appear behind you.

★As you spun on your heels to greet her, you felt your heart sink into your feet. Lottie was covered in blood, and acting abnormally nonchalant about it.

★"Holy shit! What happened to you?"

★At first you thought Lottie had gotten hurt and was now bleeding out as if that was totally normal. But then you remembered Endermen blood was purple, not the sickly crimson splattered across Lottie's clothes.

★You recalled seeing a death message from the server, but you hadn't paid too much attention to it. As you watched the blood slowly drip down her claws, you seriously wondered if you should have.

★"Lottie... what did you do?"

★She brushed past you and ignored the question completely, which made you all the more concerned.

★You grabbed her wrist [instantly grossed out when you felt the blood on your own hand] and forced her to stop moving away from you.

★"This is serious! What happened out there?"

★She huffed before pointing at her eyes and then your own.

★"What does that even... oh wait, eye-contact? They made eye-contact?" She nodded quick, and you couldn't help but to sigh with relief, "Ok, at least it was an accident and not out of some random murderous desire."

★As you said it, she kind of made a face and shrugged.

★"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN-"

★The reminder alone that Lottie was capable of being dangerous was a weird taste of reality. You knew she was a monster but... did you? It never fully processed in your mind. You knew she wouldn't hurt you though, so long as you were careful.

★Except you weren't careful, and you had accidentally made eye-contact with her. You were certain you would never experience something scarier.

★For what it's worth you had fought Endermen before, but something about seeing Lottie, a mob you were used to being completely peaceful, become totally hostile was absolutely terrifying.

★It happened because she jokingly took a tool you were using, and held it above your head so you couldn't reach it. You spun around too fast, looking up quickly without thinking about it.

★For a moment, all you could think about was how pretty her eyes were, until you watched her eyes go wide with shock. Her tail bristled up, and her jaw fell slack revealing sharp fangs you had never noticed until that point. Never noticed, likely for a good reason.

★Your hand instinctively rested on the hilt of your sword, but the moment you noticed her hands were shaking you knew you were screwed. You didn't even have your shield on you. Fuck.

★You did have something else in your inventory you could use. An enderpearl. You had acquired it a long time before you met Lottie, and you felt bad trying to get more since meeting her, so you had decided to save it for emergency. This seemed like as good of time as any to use it.

★Before you got a moment to calculate your throw and plan out your escape route, she lunged at you and caused you to fumble, tossing the pearl up and behind. Her claw grazed over your nose as you landed upside down in a tree branch.

★Endermen couldn't teleport up, and you were grateful for that. You decided you'd stay in the tree as long as you needed until she hopefully calmed the fuck down. That, unfortunately, didn't stop her from sitting at the base of the tree and staring at you from below, her tail flicking in anticipation.

★"Lottie I'm sorry!"

★">:("

★"I love you?"

★">:("

★"Ok-"

★You were in the tree for a while. You could see the sun peaking over the horizon when you heard her finally teleport away. You decided that was a good sign that you were safe as you slid out the tree.

★You didn't see Lottie until much later. Well, less see, more felt. Her arms wrapped around you from behind, and you reflectively jerked away from her touch. She seemed genuinely hurt by this, which is when you realized she was back to normal.

★Gently this time, she ran a finger over the cut that ran across the bridge of your nose before giving you a puzzled look.

★"That was you, don't you remember?"

★In all of two seconds her expression shifted from confused, to concerned, to absolutely guilt ridden. You felt kinda bad for reminding her.

★"I'm fine Lot, just a little shaken up is all."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── sorry this one is a bit shorter i really do have to finish studying lol [tag lolz : @thedreemer-artrequestsopen]

[redheadspark]

Hi! Could I request a Benedict Bridgerton X reader where reader can’t sleep so he stays with her for the night? Just super fluff?

A/N - Awwww, I find this adorable! Thank you so much for this request, dear friend!

Midnight

Summary - Benedict knows when you're restless, so he helps.

Warnings - Just some cute fluff

You hated being restless. It was the worst, especially when you were trying to go to sleep.

Your mind was racing from one problem to the next problem, a never-ending cycle and list of problems that needed to be solved. You tried to close your eyes, but your mind was still racing. So you tried to pace, but you weren't getting tired. Reading didn't help, nor did tea.

The options you had were slipping out of your hand, and it was getting beyond annoying with all that was plaguing your mind.

You were simply sitting on your bed, head in your hands, and feeling exhausted but not exhausted enough to be tired and fall asleep. The tiredness was from your brain still running and running. Meetings that were needing your presence, charities that needed your approval, and family affairs that seemed far too much. You wished to cry, and perhaps you were since you felt some of the tears hit your nightgown sleeve and skin along your wrist.

"Hey....darling?"

Your head snapped up and looked at the door to your room, seeing it open slightly as Benedict was picking his head in and looking at you in concern. You blinked, looked at the clock on the fireplace mantel and you cringed. Midnight.

"You should be sleeping," Benedict said in worry as he slipped into your room, closing the door and moving without haste to you at the bed, "You had a long day..... darling what's making you cry?"

"I..." You paused, blinking and pushing the tears away with your fingers in haste. Benedict took your hands and started tending to them in a soothing fashion, "I didn't realize...I can't sleep. My mind is racing with so many things and I...I can't fall asleep,"

Benedict perhaps could read it on your face, he then shrugged off his jacket to let it fall to the floor before he unbuttoned a few of the buttons on his dress shirt. You stared at him in confusion while he then wrapped you in his arms and leaned back on the pillows of your bed.

You and Benedict were no traditional couple: you would share a bed since you were married and saw no reason for having separate rooms and different beds. He loved having you in his arms when he woke up in the morning or when he fell asleep at night, but he still had a separate room to go to if he was out too late at night from being at a social event or a male-only event. That night he was out with his brothers and some other male acquaintances, so he was going to go to his own room to not wake you when he got home.

"Benedict?" You asked as he got you in his arms. You could breathe in some of the scotch that he was drinking, also a small whiff of cigar and his own unique sweat that was mixed on his skin.

"I think you have had a lot on your plate lately, my dear." Benedict explained to you gently as he stroked some of your long hair with his fingers and had an arm wrapped around your waist "I know you said you could handle it all, and you have handled it beautifully. But perhaps we need a holiday. A proper holiday,"

"We can do that, this time of year with all of our engagements and commitments?" You asked him gently as you were still a bit worried about what you had to deal it. Benedict only sighed as he kissed your head lovingly.

"I'm sure a weekend away from all of that will be what we both need. And frankly, your well-being is more important to me than any simple charity," He explained thoroughly, you grinning from how determined he said it. Benedict would always place you first, especially your health and how you were feeling.

It wasn't that you were faint of heart, but you loved to tackle so many things at once and make things seem perfect. Benedict loved that drive in you, but he loved your kind heart more and he would hate to see it crack under pressure.

"So, where shall we go? You can pick where we go for our holiday," Benedict said to you, getting your mind off of some of the tasks that were haunting you. You and Benedict end up talking for another few minutes together, you picturing in your mind going to the countryside, amongst some of the new flowers that bloomed, and taking new books with you that you were meaning to read and finish.

Before you knew it, you were sleeping in Benedict's hold and your husband watched you with love and affection in his eyes.

The End

Spring Prompt Session

[spoilmesweetieforficssake]

can i request a melissa x reader anniversary fic? i would think mel would have some feels after joe and be really touched when reader is thoughtful/romantic. i'd also imagine some spiciness, but that's just me...

I hope this ticks all the boxes foe feels (even if the spice is a little lacking!). I really enjoyed writing this one so I hope you enjoy it too!

A Year Of You

It’s rare that you’re up before Melissa.  In fact, it’s rare that either of you are up before the alarm blares, but today is different.  You sneak out of bed as the silent alarm buzzes on your watch, tiptoeing to the kitchen to set the coffee machine going and setting up the card and flowers you had left hidden in your car the night before.

“You goin’ somewhere?” asks Melissa as she appears in the kitchen doorway, her voice still rough with sleep.  “I heard the door?”

“Nope, not going anywhere,” you smile, moving to brush an errant copper wave from her face and tucking it behind her ear.  Leaning in, you press a gentle kiss to her lips.  “Just making coffee.”

You leave it at that, moving back to the coffee machine and setting out your mugs in front of it.  Hearing her shuffle into the kitchen behind you, you know the moment she sees your little gift by the hitch in her breath.  You hear the envelope of being opened and when you turn around a few moments later, coffee in hand you find her looking at you with a soft, shy smile, tears in her eyes.

“I love you.”

*

You’re not known for being a morning person, so when you roll into the break room that day bearing doughnuts from Melissa’s favourite bakery and a wide smile on your face you get more than a few concerned looks.

“Can’t a girl just be in a good mood?” you ask as you pick your favourite from the box and settle in your usual chair next to Melissa. 

On the other side of your little table Barb offers you a knowing smirk. 

*

As is usual, Melissa swings by your classroom on her way to lunch, only to find it empty.  She checks her phone, but there’s no message.  Shrugging it off, she makes for the break room.

You’re not there either.  With a frown, she moves to fetch your lunches from the fridge, starting to warm them in the microwave.  She glances at her phone again, checking the time and for any messages from you.  It’s not like you have to tell her your every move, she reasons as she takes your lunches over to the table you share with Barb.  “You haven’t seen Y/N, have you?”

“Oh, I saw her heading out right at the bell,” offers Janine as she passes. 

Melissa lets out a huff.  You could have said.  She takes a rather forceful forkful of her lunch and is just about to more than likely burn her mouth with it when you appear in the doorway of the breakroom, looking a little out of breath. 

You grin as you move towards her, taking the fork out of her hand and putting it back in the Tupperware tub before placing a paper bag in front of her.  She looks up, confusion written all over her features.  “You think I’m gonna forget the first place Melissa Schemmenti takes me to eat?”

Her frown only deepens. 

“I know it’s not where we had out first date, but it turns out that even if you ask them very nicely they don’t do a take out lunch menu so this was as close as I could get,” you explain as you collect the Tupperware tubs that contain your own and Melissa’s lunches and turn to the table where Janine and Jacob sit. 

“It’s your lucky day guys, enjoy!”  The surprise on their faces is clear, but they’re not about to pass up a Schemmenti cooked meal, especially when its warm and ready to each. 

When you come back to Melissa, she’s still frowning.  You weren’t sure she’d remember.  You were still tentative friends when she had first invited you out to lunch with her and Barb.  Something had shifted that day, for you at least.  Away from school, she was more open, quicker to laugh and smile. 

Picking up the bag that still sits untouched in front of the red head, you start unpacking its contents, laying out lunch in front of her and Barb before setting out your own.  You watch as she tracks your every move, inspecting the contents of each box you open. 

She finally raises her eyes to your face, the frown now replaced by a watery smile, unshed tears in her eyes for the second time that day.  So she does remember.  You clear away the unnecessary packaging cluttering the table, pressing a kiss to her cheek as you pass, trying not to draw anyone’s attention to her emotional state.  “This was the best I could do for lunch.  But I did make reservations for tonight at 8.”

Finally taking your seat, you smile as she mouths ‘I love you’ across the table.

*

“I owe you an apology.”

You look up at the familiar voice to find Melissa leaning against the doorframe to your classroom. 

“I didn’t know we were doing the whole first date anniversary thing,” she mumbles, dropping her gaze to her own shuffling feet.  “Didn’t know if you’d remember.”

Pushing up from your chair, you cross the short distance between you, taking her hands in your own.  “Oh, I remember,” you grin.  “I was so nervous I was gonna screw it up.  That you’d see I was just some huge, awkward nerd and wonder what the hell you were doing.”

“You’re still a huge awkward nerd,” she says, looking up at you with a smirk.  “But you’re my nerd.”

“That I am,” you grin, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips, whimpering as Melissa immediately seeks to deepen it.  When she finally pulls back a few moments later, you’re breathless and wearing more of her lipstick than she is.

“Dinner is at 8, right?” she asks, pleased when you can only nod in reply.  “Come by mine to get ready first?  I have something for you.”

*

It turns out what she has for you is the dress you saw weeks before when you were out shopping together.  As much as you’d loved it, you couldn’t justify buying it when you had nowhere to wear it to. 

“I might not have been sure we were doing the whole anniversary thing, but I was sure I was gonna give you a reason to wear this.”

*

Freshly decked out in your new frock and feeling a million bucks, you sit opposite Melissa at the same table you did a year before.  The red head has even found the same dress she wore then, looking even more beautiful to you now than ever as she smiles warmly at you.

“Shots to start?” she asks with a smirk, earning a groan of embarrassment from you.

You remember your first date with Melissa Ann Schemmenti all too well.  You were so nervous you could barely even form a sentence, finally excusing yourself to the bathroom to give yourself a few moments to compose yourself. 

In your usual awkward style, you had somehow convinced yourself that messaging her would be the best option.  So you did, apologising for being so awkward and explaining that dates made you nervous.  That dates with beautiful women apparently rendered you speechless but to please give you a chance to get over your nerves, not judge you for downing your first couple of drinks and asking her to be patient while you found the words to describe just how lucky you felt to be sitting opposite such a stunning date.

You had sent the message form outside the bathroom, able to watch her pull out her phone and read it.  Her face had gone through quite the journey as she read your words, first falling at your apology, no doubt thinking you’d not only gone to the bathroom, but gone full stop, only for her lips to then quirk upwards in a smile that only grew as she read the rest of your message. 

That smile gave you hope.  You remember taking a moment to breathe, appreciating her from a distance.  She really was, and still is to you, the most beautiful creature in the room.  And she was there with you.  Wonders would never cease.  You had continued to watch as she caught a waiter’s attention, clearly requesting something before heading back to your table.

“You sure you want to do this?” you had asked, hesitating with your hand on the back of your chair.  “You could have anyone you wanted.”

“Well, I apparently want you, you idiot” she smirked.  “So sit.”

You had, blushing furiously under her gaze.  A few moments later the waiter had appeared, placing a small tray of shots on the table. 

Melissa had placed two in front of you, that same smirk still tugging her painted lips.  “No judging, just waiting patiently for what comes out of that pretty mouth once they’ve kicked in.”

*

“Just so you know,” smirks Melissa as you stand behind her, patiently waiting for her to unlock her door.  “This date ain’t ending the way our first one did,” she informs you as she twists her key in the lock. 

You quirk your head, questioning.

“You think I didn’t see that little happy dance as you skipped down the street when I kissed you goodnight?”

You can’t help but blush.  You had acted like a smitten teen on their first date. 

“Oh yeah, I saw,” she chuckles darkly, pulling you inside and swiftly backing you up against the front door, using your body to close it.  “I might not have got myself a new dress,” she breathes into your ear as her lips find your throat.   “But I think you’ll like what I got to wear underneath.”

[moonchildstyles]

Okay last one tonight bc I don’t want to overwhelm you but….if you want more 👀

Angel having a night were she’s just :// she’s just sad :( n she doesn’t know why :/ maybe Sarah’s been out of town for the past week, so she’s been alone at her place. And it’s been 2 or 3 days since she’s seen Harry cus they are both just so so busy lately. And maybe she’s been thinking about her parents lately cus she knows her moms birthday is coming up, and even though they aren’t even on speaking terms it still just makes her sad to think about:( she wishes their relationship wasn’t how it is. N she’s just…sad so she’s crying in her bed and just :((( and she knows Harry would drop everything if she told him any of this but she knows he’s at work and he’s gonna be until late tonight cus he has this client who wants a really big and detailed tattoo and he’s really excited about it cus it’s sick (and also he’s gonna make soo much money from it) but she still just :/ she misses him and shes feeling quite lonely :( so she’d head to his place even tho he’s still at work and will be for a couple hours, she just wants to cry in his bed instead of her own. And when she gets there that’s what she does. Just cry’s and cry’s until she falls asleep. And when h comes home and sees her laying in his bed asleep hes soooooo happy cus he thought he wasn’t gonna be able to see her until tommorw but here she is. And he knows he shouldn’t wake her up cus it’s late and she needs her sleep cus she’s been so so busy with work and school. But he just can’t help it cus he hasn’t seen her for two whole days. So he’d kneel down by the side of his bed and brush over her cheek with his thumb softly and “baby? You came to see me hm?” And she’d sleepy open her eyes and “Harry?” And he’s “s’ me baby” and she’d sit her self up enough that’s she’s able to wrap her self fully around him and “missed you so so much” and he’s “missed you more my sleepy girl” and she’d shake her head that’s buried in his neck and “..I was cryin” and he’d :((( and pull her back to look at her face and “you were crying?” and that’s when he’d really notice that her eyes are blood shot and her face is all splotchy red. And she’d just nod and he’d be “oh, my poor baby” and pull her in to him again, his big hand on her head, holding it against his chest while rocking her and he’s “why was my girl crying huh? What’s got my baby all sad?” And she’d get teary eyed again and “just lots of things” and his heart is breakinggggggg hearing her teary voice and she’d continue after sniffling “just missed you. And felt lonely with Sarah gone. And I’m sad that my mom doesn’t want me.” And he’s 💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔 petting her hair and “m’ so so sorry. My poor baby. Should told me Angel I woulda came right home. Ya don’t have to be lonely. Never have to be lonely. M always here for you. Ya know that right?” And she’s hiccuping back sobs and “yeah I know…don’t know why I’m so sad. Just missed you is all.” And he’s “oh my Angel.” Kissing her head “I love you so much you know? So so much” and she’s “know that too. Love you more” and he’s “promise you that’s not possible” and he’d just hold her all night and dote on her and Rock her to sleep and bundled her all up in blankets that smell like him and his arms. And then when she wakes up in the morning she realized she started her period and everything makes sense hahahah

FIRST OF ALL.....OFC I WANT MORE ALWAYS LITERALLY ALWAYS IN NEED THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!!!!

and I think you have sent this one before but I do love it bad like I jsut always love him comforting her and taking care of her :((((( never a bad one to remember :(

[phebth]

Pills

Tw: mention of illegal drugs, prescribed medication, foul language, violence, “bad trip”

☆ G/N reader, reader goes to college, oc ish Sanzu? ☆

A/N: Important to note I've never taken any heavy drugs so i’m sorry if the description is wrong! First time writing for Tokyorev I’ve never watched the anime but I’ve read A LOT of fanfiction so that's why it’s mid, anyways enjoy 😸

————————————————————————————

————————————————————————————

Sanzu had decided to stay the night as he had gotten badly hurt earlier that evening when fighting. He insisted he was fine and that it was just a bruise but you knew your boyfriend well enough to know that his ego was also hurt, you knew not to mention it since it would've been rude. “I’m fine baby let's just forget this all happened and get to bed,” he said as he took something out of his pocket and set it on the kitchen counter. After that, you both went to bed knowing you had responsibilities in the morning.

You awoke to him peppering kisses all over your face, he always did this when he had to leave early in the morning not even having time to stay for breakfast as he dashed out the door grabbing his things off the counter. As for you, you slowly got up to do your morning chores while doing so you thought about last night, you still had about an hour before leaving so you took that time to get ready for school and to make breakfast. You opened the pill bottle while looking at your phone your best friend had texted you about her one-night stand and how hot he was. A glass of apple juice in your right hand ready to chase down the medication, it was second nature to you at this point.

You went back to your room ready to get dressed you smiled to yourself knowing if Sanzu were here he’d complain as this part always took the longest. Finally, after 10 minutes you had your outfit, now you just needed to brush your teeth as you made your way to the bathroom you started feeling queasy….. You held on to the bathroom counter for support as your vision blurred. An uncomfortable feeling in your gut, “It’s probably because of stress” you thought. You had an important exam coming up and you took every opportunity you could to study which had taken up all of your free time.

You picked up your textbooks and shoved them in your bag “Wait I'm missing one” you thought as you glanced toward your desk spotting the missing notebook. You got up quickly “Shit,” you said as the world started spinning around you “I got up too fast,” you thought as you clung to the doorframe, your vision blurring as your ears start ringing. You were clutching on the door frame for dear life at this point if you weren’t you were sure to be on the ground by now, something wasn’t right, your heartbeat was fast, you could barely keep yourself up, you couldn’t think straight and….. Since when did we have two hallways??…..

“Something is wrong” is all you could come up with as you felt your thoughts leave your mind as if they had a mind of their own. You desperately tried to think of what could have caused this…..

….Yesterday…………….

……………Knock…………door…………….

…….Sanzu………talking………………

……Bruise…………….

…………………..Pills……………………counter…………………

…………….Sleep…………

…

……

………

Your heart dropped to your stomach as you realized…You could hear your phone ringing from the kitchen

Sanzu was told by Mikey to wait for him behind the warehouse. According to him, it was way too early to be out and about at 7 AM he would’ve preferred to stay in bed with you cuddled up. He reached into his pocket to grab a cigarette, fortunately, it was his last one as he lit it he made a mental note to stop by the convenience store to get a new pack. Speaking of a new pack last night he had gotten scammed by his new “dealer” he had sold him the wrong stuff which was 1/3 of his usual dose. He smirked as he remembered how his night ended, with a bloody nose on the ground knocked out cold. “That ought to teach him,” he thought to himself as a cold wind brushed past him.

Chills ran up his spine making the hair on the back of his neck stand up, it wasn’t that cold out…. He was feeling….on edge…like something wasn’t right. Chalking it up to his drug craving he threw his cigarette on the ground crushing it under his foot as he reached into his left pocket for the pill bottle. At this point, he didn’t care if that lowlife had given him the wrong dosage he needed something to fill the void expanding in him.

He took the bottle out of his pocket, opened the lid and poured out its contents.

…

White and blue pills pooled in his hand. Cylinder shaped……… not his usual round white pills….

…..But that’s not what he saw last night…..

He thought back to last night when he was talking to his “ex” dealer. No, no he clearly remembers opening the bottle and taking 4 after beating him senseless. It's all he could think about walking home, getting in the door taking-

…

……

He quickly forced them back in realizing the label…..

Shinjukukabukicho Pharmacy

-

Japan,Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Kabukicho, 1 Chome−16−1 Shinjuku

Tel- 000-000-0000

30mg Vyvanse

Y/N L/N

He stood there. Not moving, not breathing, not a single sound came out. How could he have been so stupid?!? Why did he have to put his drugs right next to your medication?! He knew why you kept it out too because if you didn’t see them you would forget about taking them-! “What time is it?” He pulls out his watch as the clock reads 7:37 AM. “FUCK, FUCK, FUCK” he cried out taking out his phone as fast as he could. It had been well over 30 minutes since you had taken your “medication” and he immediately called you. His legs have a mind of their own immediately heading toward the nearest shortcut to your house. “FUCK” he screamed as you didn’t pick up on the first try, he was so angry with himself for making such a stupid mistake that could possibly cost you your life.

You felt like you were gonna throw up, the thought of you puking your breakfast all over the floor was not a pleasant image making you feel even sicker. The sound of your phone ringing felt like a police siren blaring through the street, you weakly crawled toward the kitchen and lifted yourself to pick up your phone.

“Hello..-”

“Y/N BABY I’M SO SORRY, I messed up so badly please stay with me I’m almost home,” Sanzu said running back home

You had known about your boyfriend’s drug addiction since you met him, it bothered you at first and you even started to try convincing him to quit however he made it clear he had no intention of doing so. You came to a compromise that he wouldn’t be on drugs around you as it broke your heart seeing him that way.

“You……wrong………pills…” you meekly said to him on the phone.

“I know baby please I'm so sorry please forgive me,” he said finally seeing your house in the distance. He ran up to the door practically breaking it open and immediately made his way to the kitchen where you were lying down on the ground. He had never been more terrified in his life, he quickly picked you up and brought you to the bedroom setting you down softly on the mattress. “Shhhh baby it's okay I'm here now alright? I understand how you feel ok? Don’t worry the effects will wear off soon it’ll be okay I promise” he said softly while caressing your hair. You were shaking from head to toe confused and scared but somewhat reassured that your lover was here with you. “Gimme….. hand…” you said while reaching toward his, you could feel his skin rubbing against yours, they were usually rough but it was different you could feel every ridge in his skin. Seeing you calmed and stressed him out even more, thoughts ran through his head as he could barely think straight. “I’m here y/n, I'm not going anywhere” he whispered, it made you feel safe and slowly but surely calmed you down.

After 30 long minutes, you had sobered up enough to form a coherent sentence.

“Sanzu can you do me a favour?”

“Yes anything you want baby what do you need?”

You stared a him for a little bit, and slowly a smile started to form “Don’t ever do that again please.” you said as you got up from his lap.

“I promise you it will never happen again” Sanzu declared as he looked into your eyes thanking the lord for having you in his life.

Ps: I’m so sorry if this is shit it’s my first time writing smth so long and new also I just searched up a random pharmacy in Japan but I put my adhd medication in the label so don’t come at me 😅

[thebunnednun]

Whispers of the Heart Dracule Mihawk x Fm! Reader (Part 5)

I do not own the artwork its by: @xuchuan25 Tell them they're amazing y'all!

Chapter 4 in the building y'all!!!! I just needed to see my Buggy.

Part 1 can be found: Here

Part 2 is right: Here

Part 3: Right over yonder

Part 4 right here baby!

Don't be afraid to send me any requests my loves and if you are waiting for the next installment I have another Mihawk story:

*Shadows of the Blade (Dracule Mihawk x Assassin reader)

Chapter 3/4 is where it gets good.

You all voted so here is chapter 5! We get some of Mihawks POV again!

ON WITH THE SHOW!!~

______________Chapter 5: A Gathering of Friends__________________

[Name] found herself standing on the soft sands of a secluded beach, the rhythmic lull of the ocean waves creating a soothing backdrop. The moonlight painted the scene in silver hues, illuminating the world in an ethereal glow.

Beside her stood Mihawk, his presence both commanding and comforting. They walked in companionable silence for a while, the only sounds being the gentle lapping of the waves and the occasional call of a night bird. Finally, they reached a small, intimate cove where Mihawk had set up a modest picnic. A simple but elegant spread of fruits, cheeses, and wine awaited them.

"Tell me," Mihawk said, his deep voice breaking the silence as they settled onto the blanket. "What are your thoughts on love?"

[Name] looked into his golden eyes, feeling a mixture of warmth and curiosity. She took a moment to ponder his question, her thoughts drifting to the many forms of love she had witnessed and experienced.

"Love is complex," she began softly. "It's not just about passion or desire. It's about understanding, trust, and sometimes sacrifice. It's a bond that can give you strength but also make you vulnerable."

Mihawk nodded thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving hers. "And do you think it's worth the risk?"

Before [Name] could answer, the dream began to fade, the edges of the cove blurring and dissolving into a haze. She woke with a start, her hand instinctively reaching under the pillow where she knew Buggy kept a knife. In one swift motion, she grabbed it and threw it towards the direction of the voice that had stirred her.

"Well, I see you're still as fun as ever," a familiar voice remarked with a hint of amusement. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, [Name] focused on the figure standing at the foot of the bed. It was Alvida, her curvaceous form outlined by the soft morning light filtering through the porthole. She was smiling, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Alvida," [Name] sighed, a smile tugging at her lips. She relaxed, her heartbeat slowing down from its initial adrenaline-fueled pace. Alvida sauntered over, smoothing [Name]'s hair with a gentle hand.

"Buggy's making breakfast," she said, her tone softening. "I thought I'd come and wake you."

"Thanks," [Name] replied, sitting up and stretching. She glanced around the room, her eyes falling on Buggy's closet. "Do you mind if I borrow a shirt?"

"Go ahead," Alvida said, stepping back to give her some space.

[Name] slipped out of bed and walked over to the closet, pulling out a loose, comfortable shirt that belonged to Buggy. As she slipped it on, her gaze fell on a small stash of photos tucked under Buggy's pillow. Curious, she picked them up, sitting back on the bed to examine them. The first few photos were of Buggy and Shanks, their youthful faces beaming with joy, the pictures clearly having been taped back together after being torn apart.

She smiled at the sight of them, their camaraderie evident even in the still images. Then she found a photo that made her pause. It was of her, Mihawk, Shanks, and Buggy, much younger and full of life. They stood together, arms around each other, (Or at least Mihawk had rested his hand on your hip before Buggy freaked out) their smiles wide and genuine. She ran her fingers over the image, tracing the faces of her old friends and recalling the memories they had shared.

The details in the photo were vivid: Mihawk's intense gaze, Shanks' carefree grin, Buggy's exaggerated expressions, and her own younger self, caught in a moment of unguarded happiness. The edges of the photo were worn, showing signs of age and frequent handling. A wave of nostalgia washed over her, mingling with the remnants of her dream. She couldn't help but smile, despite the bittersweet tinge of the memories.

"You okay?" Alvida's voice brought her back to the present. [Name] looked up, meeting Alvida's concerned gaze. She nodded, slipping the photos back under the pillow. "Yeah, just... reminiscing."

Alvida smiled gently. "Come on, let's go see what Buggy's burnt this time."

[Name] chuckled, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. She stood up, giving Alvida a grateful look. "Lead the way."

As they left the room, the scent of butter cooking wafted through the air, mingling with the promise of a new day. You decided to keep that memory you dreamt of to yourself.

You and Alvida made your way down the narrow hallway of the ship, the creaking of the wooden floorboards accompanying their steps. The scent of something delicious wafted through the air, making your stomach rumble in anticipation. As they entered the kitchen, the sight that greeted [Name] made her stop in her tracks. Buggy stood at the stove, a spatula in hand, flipping pancakes with a surprisingly deft hand. The counter was a mess, flour and batter splattered everywhere, but the smell was unmistakably enticing.

"Christmas day in the morning!" [Name] exclaimed, her eyes wide with delight. Even though it wasn't Christmas, the sight of Buggy cooking her favorite breakfast filled her with an unexpected warmth.

Buggy turned around, a grin spreading across his (for once) bare face. "Good morning, [Name]," he said, stepping over and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "I figured I'd surprise you with breakfast."

[Name] felt a blush creep up her cheeks as she smiled back at him. "You certainly did. I thought you gave up cooking."

"Don't get too excited," Buggy said with a chuckle, handing her a stack of plates and cutlery. "Why don’t you set the table while I finish up here?"

As [Name] started arranging the plates and silverware on the small, rickety table, Alvida leaned against the counter, watching Buggy with an amused expression. "I never thought I'd see the day when the great Buggy the Clown is flipping pancakes."

Buggy rolled his eyes, though a smile played on his lips. "Don't make a big deal out of it, Alvida. Even a captain needs to eat."

Alvida smirked, folding her arms. "Oh, I'm not complaining. Just enjoying the show."

Buggy flipped another pancake, his movements fluid and practiced. "You just wait. These are going to be the best pancakes you've ever had."

"Bold claim," Alvida retorted, raising an eyebrow. "Let’s see if you can back it up."

[Name] couldn't help but laugh as she finished setting the table. The banter between Buggy and Alvida was a familiar and comforting sound, one that made the Big Top feel more like a home. As she placed the last fork down, she noticed Buggy sneaking glances over his shoulder. "Something wrong, Bugg's?"

Just as Buggy was about to serve the first pancake, a familiar voice echoed from the doorway. "Well, isn't this a cozy little scene?"

[Name] turned abruptly, her heart skipping a beat. Standing in the doorway was none other than Shanks, his trademark red hair and jovial smile instantly recognizable. He leaned casually against the frame, his eyes twinkling with amusement, and a basket of smoked salmon on his arm.

"Shanks!" [Name] exclaimed, a mix of surprise and joy flooding her. "What are you doing here?" You practically jumped over the table and threw yourself in the arm of the other man you could call your brother. He received you with much vigor, his warmth flooding into your bones and causing you to sigh out contently like a pleased cat. Shanks grinned wider, stepping into the kitchen while balancing you and the fish basket with an easy grace. "I heard there were pancakes. Thought I'd drop by and see for myself."

Buggy groaned, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "Of course you'd show up now, you red-haired freeloader."

Shanks laughed, the sound infectious and warm. "Can't help myself, Buggy. You always did know how to make a mean pancake." Alvida raised an eyebrow, looking between Buggy and Shanks with a smirk. "This just keeps getting better. Should I set another place at the table?"

"Yes, please," Shanks said, moving to give [Name] a quick squeeze before setting her down. "It's good to see you, [Name]. It's been too long." [Name] let her arms remain around Shanks' middle, feeling a surge of affection for the man who had been a part of her life for so long. "It's good to see you too, Shanks. You always know how to make an entrance."

As Shanks and [Name] settled at the table, Buggy began serving the pancakes, each one a golden, fluffy masterpiece. Alvida helped distribute the plates, and soon the small kitchen was filled with the sounds of clinking cutlery and happy chatter. Buggy took his seat, looking around at the familiar faces with a satisfied expression. "Well, dig in, everyone. Let's see if these pancakes live up to the hype."

[Name] took a bite, the warm, buttery flavor melting in her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste. "Christmas day in the morning indeed," she murmured, smiling at Buggy. "These are amazing, Buggy."

Buggy's cheeks turned a faint pink, and he ducked his head slightly, clearly pleased with the compliment. "Glad you like them," he muttered.

Shanks chuckled, taking a large bite of his own pancake. "I have to admit, Buggy, these are pretty fantastic. You've outdone yourself." Alvida nodded in agreement, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Looks like you've got a new calling, Buggy. Master pancake chef." Buggy waved a hand dismissively, though he couldn't hide the grin on his face. "Alright, alright. Enough about the pancakes. Let's just enjoy breakfast."

As they ate, the conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter and the occasional teasing remark. For [Name], it was a moment of pure contentment, surrounded by people she cared about deeply. The memories of past adventures and the bonds forged over time made this simple meal feel like a celebration. While the last pancake was devoured and the plates were cleared away, [Name] leaned back in her chair, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Thank you, Buggy. This was perfect." Buggy looked at her, his expression softening. "Anything for you, [Name]." Shanks raised his glass, a twinkle in his eye. "To friends, old and new. And to many more breakfasts like this one." "Here, here," Alvida chimed in, lifting her own glass. They all clinked their glasses together, the sound a harmonious note in the morning air. For [Name], it was a wonderful to finally have the men she called her brothers by her side and the only other woman she could trust to keep an eye on them. 

'Coming here was the right decision after all.'

As the breakfast plates were cleared away and the remnants of their meal were tucked into the sink, the conversation took on a more relaxed, leisurely pace. Shanks, ever the instigator, leaned back in his chair and fixed [Name] with a mischievous grin.

“So, [Name],” he began, drawing out the words with exaggerated casualness, “tell us more about your little crush on Mihawk.”

[Name] felt her cheeks heat up immediately, and she rolled her eyes in a futile attempt to deflect the attention. “Oh, come on, Shanks. Do we really have to go there?”

Buggy, who had been sipping his coffee, nearly choked with laughter. “Oh, absolutely. This is prime breakfast conversation material.”

Alvida smirked, leaning forward with keen interest. “Yes, do tell. How did you get tangled up with that stoic swordsman, again?”

[Name] groaned, burying her face in her hands. “You guys are terrible.”

Shanks laughed, a rich, infectious sound. “We’re just looking out for you, like good big brothers should. Besides, it’s not every day we get to hear about someone actually catching Dracule Mihawk’s attention.” He tried reaching for Buggy's hand before the Blue clown slapped it away with a loud "Whap". However, that didn't deter the red head next to him. If anything, it caused Shanks smile to get even wider. 

Buggy nodded, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Yeah, you must have some sort of magic charm. The guy’s as prickly as a cactus stuck in someones ass and about as sociable as one too.”

[Name] sighed, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. “Fine, fine. If you must know, it’s not like I planned it. It just… happened. We do actually like living together, and he’s surprisingly thoughtful when he wants to be.”

Shanks raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Thoughtful, huh? That’s a side of Mihawk I’ve never seen. Must be something special about you, [Name].”

Buggy chuckled, leaning back with a smug look. “Oh, definitely. She’s got the magic touch, alright. I’m just surprised she hasn’t run him through with his own sword yet.”

[Name] shot him a playful glare. “Oh, please. He’s not that bad. And for your information, we do typically travel and stay in the same areas together.”

Shanks leaned forward, his expression earnest but still laced with amusement. “So, what’s it like being in a relationship with the world’s greatest swordsman? Do you two spar with each other, or is it all moonlit dinners and quiet conversations?”

[Name] laughed, shaking her head. “A little bit of both, actually. He’s intense, but he’s also got this softer side that he doesn’t show to many people. It’s… complicated, but in a good way.”

Alvida’s eyes softened, and she reached over to squeeze [Name]’s hand. “I’m happy for you, [Name]. You deserve someone who sees you for who you are.”

Buggy, not one to let the moment stay too serious for long, leaned over and nudged [Name] with his elbow. “Just promise us one thing. If he ever gets too serious or brooding, remind him that you’ve got a whole crew of big brothers who are more than willing to knock some sense into him.”

Shanks nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. We’re always here for you, [Name].”

[Name] smiled, feeling a warm surge of affection for the people around her. “Thanks, guys. That means a lot.”

Buggy, ever the clown, couldn’t resist adding one more jab. “Just make sure he knows that if he breaks your heart, he’ll have to answer to us. And believe me, we can be pretty creative when it comes to payback.” "Oh yeah, the blue waffle clown and a drunk flirt, so scary!~ HEY! He kicked me!" You kicked Buggy's shin back before the room filled with laughter, the sound echoing off the walls and mingling with the morning sunlight streaming through the windows. For a moment, [Name] allowed herself to bask in the warmth and camaraderie, grateful for the bonds that tied them all together.

As the laughter subsided, Shanks leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. “Alright, enough about Mihawk. Let’s talk about what’s next for us. Adventures to plan, seas to sail…”

Buggy grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “And plenty of trouble to get into, I’m sure.”

[Name] felt her heart swell with a mix of excitement and contentment. No matter where life took them, she knew she could always count on these moments of joy and camaraderie with the people she loved most. And that, more than anything, made her feel truly at home.

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

Meanwhile, Dracule Mihawk stood at the bow of his sleek black ship, the winds of the Grand Line whipping through his hair as he stared out at the endless expanse of the sea. His mind was consumed with thoughts of [Name], her presence lingering in his thoughts like a persistent melody. He had never been one for sentimentality, but there was something about her that stirred emotions he had long thought dormant. 

As he sailed toward his destination, Mihawk found himself contemplating his next move. He had sought out Zoro under the guise of training the young swordsman, but in truth, he had been searching for answers—answers to questions he couldn’t bring himself to voice aloud. He needed guidance, someone to help him navigate the turbulent waters of his own emotions.

"And what of her?" Mihawk murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "What role does she play in all of this?"

The sea offered no answers, only the rhythmic crash of waves against the ship's hull. But Mihawk pressed onward, his resolve unwavering. He knew that he had to confront his feelings head-on, no matter how daunting the prospect may be.

Mihawk stood on the deck of his ship, his expression unreadable as Zoro approached him, a curious glint in his eye. Perona hovered nearby, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

"What's going on, Mihawk?" Zoro asked, his tone serious. "Why are we really heading to the Red Line?" Mihawk's gaze flickered towards Zoro before returning to the horizon. "We're going to seek answers," he replied cryptically. "There are matters that need to be addressed." Zoro frowned, sensing that Mihawk was evading the question. "Answers? From who?"

Before Mihawk could respond, Perona huffed impatiently. "Stop beating around the bush, Mihawk. We all know why you're really going to the Red Line."

Mihawk raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Perona. "And why is that, Perona?" Perona's eyes narrowed. "Because of [Name]. You can't hide it forever, you know." Zoro's eyes widened in surprise, his gaze darting between Mihawk and Perona. "What? What does [Name] have to do with this?" Mihawk sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's complicated, Zoro. There are feelings involved—"

"Feelings?" Zoro interrupted, his voice incredulous. "You mean... romantic feelings?" Perona nodded emphatically. "Exactly! Mihawk has been pining after [Name] for ages, but he's too stubborn to admit it." Mihawk's cheeks tinged pink, a rare display of embarrassment. "Perona, that's enough. This is not something to be discussed so casually." Perona rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Like it's not painfully obvious to everyone except you."

Zoro shifted uncomfortably, feeling like an awkward bystander in the midst of their conversation. "Um, yeah. I think I'm gonna go train," he muttered, edging away slowly.

Mihawk sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Zoro, wait." Zoro paused, looking back at Mihawk expectantly. Mihawk hesitated for a moment before speaking, his voice soft but firm. "Yes, it's true. I have feelings for [Name]." Perona's eyes widened in excitement, and she let out a delighted squeal. "I knew it!" Zoro blinked in surprise, a blush creeping up his cheeks. "Uh, I'll just... go train now." As Zoro hurried off, Perona turned back to Mihawk, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "Well, now that you've admitted it, what are you going to do about it?"

Mihawk sighed, his gaze drifting out to sea. "I suppose we'll just have to see what the future holds." Perona grinned, linking her arm with Mihawk's. "I can't wait to see how this unfolds."

As the ship sailed towards the Red Line, Mihawk couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building within him. And so, with a sense of determination that belied his stoic demeanor, Mihawk set his course for the Red Line, where he knew he would find the one man who could offer him the insight he sought: Red-Haired Shanks.

It was a journey fraught with uncertainty, but Mihawk pressed onward, his resolve unwavering. Along the way, fate saw fit to throw him an unexpected curveball in the form of Vice Admiral Garp, the legendary Marine known far and wide as the Hero of the Marines.

Their encounter was brief but enlightening, Garp’s gruff demeanor belying a wisdom that Mihawk had not anticipated. The old Marine spoke of love and loss, of the fleeting nature of time and the importance of seizing the moments that truly mattered. It was advice that struck a chord with Mihawk, resonating deep within his soul.

"As always, Garp, your words are both insightful and cryptic," Mihawk remarked, a rare hint of amusement in his voice.

Garp chuckled, a twinkle in his eye. "Ain't that the way of it, lad? Sometimes, you gotta read between the lines to find the truth."

As they conversed, Mihawk couldn’t help but notice the presence of a few familiar faces among Garp's company. Sitting at a nearby table were Luffy, Ace and Sabo, their laughter ringing out as they regaled the old Marine with tales of their latest adventures. And beside them sat Uta, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she teased the two brothers mercilessly.

Their reunion was a bittersweet one, the weight of their shared past hanging heavy in the air. But amidst the laughter and the banter, Mihawk found himself feeling strangely at peace, as if for the first time in a long while, he was exactly where he was meant to be.

As their conversation turned to more serious matters, Garp mentioned something that gave Mihawk pause. “You know, Mihawk,” the old Marine began, his voice grave, “the civilians think [Name] is dead. Ax-Hand Morgan has been searching for her, but so far, he’s come up empty-handed.”

Mihawk’s brow furrowed in concern, his thoughts turning to [Name] and the danger that seemed to follow her wherever she went. “I see,” he murmured, his mind racing with possibilities. It was a sobering reminder of the dangers that lurked in the shadows, dangers that threatened to tear them apart.

But even as the weight of the world bore down upon him, Mihawk felt a glimmer of hope stirring within his heart. For in that moment, he thought about what it would be like to have [Name] by his side. As they disembarked from the ship, Zoro shot Mihawk a sideways glance, his expression unreadable behind his usual stoicism. "So, where to next, Boss?" he asked, his tone casual but his eyes betraying a hint of curiosity.

Mihawk cast a brief glance over his shoulder, his gaze lingering on the bustling streets of the port town. "I have business to attend to," he replied cryptically, his voice low and measured. "You two are free to do as you please."

But to his surprise, Zoro and Perona exchanged a meaningful look before nodding in unison. "We'll stick around," Zoro said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You might need our help."

Mihawk arched an eyebrow in mild surprise, but said nothing as he led the way through the crowded streets, his mind already turning to the task at hand.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination—a quaint little bar tucked away in a quiet corner of the town. As Mihawk stepped inside, he was greeted by the familiar scent of stale ale and the low murmur of conversation. It was a far cry from the opulent halls of his castle, but there was a certain charm to the place that Mihawk found oddly comforting.

As he made his way to a secluded corner of the bar, Mihawk motioned for Zoro and Perona to join him, their presence a silent reassurance in the face of what was to come.

It wasn't long before Shanks made his entrance, his trademark grin lighting up the room as he sauntered over to their table. "Well, well, well, if it isn't my old friend Mihawk," he said jovially, clapping the swordsman on the back in greeting. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Mihawk's expression remained impassive as he gestured for Shanks to take a seat, his gaze unwavering. "We need to talk," he said simply, his voice devoid of its usual edge.

Shanks raised an eyebrow in surprise, but complied, settling into the seat opposite Mihawk with a bemused smile. "Talk about what?" he asked, his tone light but tinged with curiosity.

Mihawk's eyes locked onto Shanks'. "I have acquired certain affections for your sister."

Shanks blinked, the smile slipping from his face as he processed Mihawk's words. "You're serious," he said, leaning forward slightly, his tone now serious.

Mihawk nodded. "I am. These feelings have been growing for some time now."

Shanks rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a myriad of emotions flickering across his face. "And what do you plan to do about it?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral.

Mihawk exhaled slowly, his gaze never leaving Shanks'. "I intend to pursue her, but I felt it necessary to speak with you first. Out of respect."

As Mihawk and Shanks delved into the depths of their conversation, memories of the past resurfaced like specters from the shadows, haunting and bittersweet.

"Do you remember when Buggy introduced you to her?" Shanks asked, his voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia. "Smaller than a dust mite and fiercely strong. She was quite the character, wasn't she?"

Mihawk couldn't help but chuckle at the mention of her name, a fond smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "How could I forget?" he replied, his voice soft with reminiscence. "She was a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure."

Shanks nodded in agreement, a wistful smile playing on his lips. "I still can't believe she managed to outsmart both of us," he mused, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "That woman was something else."

Mihawk couldn't help but laugh at the memory, the sound ringing out like a bell in the quiet confines of the bar. "Indeed she was," he agreed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "But I suppose that's what makes her so captivating."

"She's something special, isn't she?" Shanks remarked, his gaze lingering on Mihawk with an intensity that bordered on scrutiny.

Mihawk nodded in silent agreement, his thoughts drifting to the woman who had become his constant companion, his confidante, his... everything. "She is," he agreed quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I would do anything to keep her safe."

There was a gravity to his words, a solemnity that hung in the air like a shroud as they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. But amidst the uncertainty and the doubt, there was a glimmer of hope—a hope that no matter what the future held, they would face it together, bound by bonds stronger than steel.

But it was also when the conversation turned to the future that things took a decidedly somber turn. "What if she wanted to leave?" Shanks asked quietly, his gaze piercing as he locked eyes with Mihawk. "What if she wanted to return to a life at sea?"

Mihawk hesitated, his mind racing as he considered the question. It was a possibility he had not allowed himself to entertain, a fear that had lurked in the darkest corners of his heart. But now, faced with the reality of the situation, he knew he had no choice but to confront it head-on.

"If that's what she truly wanted," he said at last, his voice barely above a whisper, "then I would have no right to stand in her way. But I would be lying if I said it wouldn't hurt."

There was a heaviness to his words, a weight that hung in the air between them as they sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. 

Shanks leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "You realize this isn't something to take lightly, Mihawk. [Name] is... well, she's special."

"I am fully aware," Mihawk replied, his voice firm. "And I do not intend to take this lightly. My feelings for her are genuine."

There was a moment of silence as Shanks studied Mihawk's face, searching for any hint of insincerity. Finding none, he finally nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Well, if anyone can handle her, it's you. Just don't break her heart, Mihawk."

Mihawk inclined his head slightly. "You have my word."

Shanks chuckled, the tension in the room easing slightly. "Alright, then. Guess I'll have to get used to seeing you around more often."

Mihawk allowed a rare, faint smile to touch his lips. "Indeed."

As the two old friends sat in companionable silence, the weight of the conversation lingered between them, a silent acknowledgment of the new path Mihawk had chosen to take.

Shanks fiddled with a gold chain around his neck, his fingers tracing the delicate links. "You know, Buggy isn't going to like this."

Mihawk's eyes caught the glint of the chain before he rolled them, exasperation clear on his face. "I truly do not understand how the two of them could be so close."

Shanks smirked, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Watch it now, Hawk Eyes. That's how you fucked around and found out the last time."

Both men chuckled, the shared memory lightening the mood. Shanks stood, stretching slightly. "Well, I need to make a phone call. Excuse me for a moment."

Mihawk nodded, watching as Shanks walked away, the gold chain catching the light with each step. As Shanks disappeared from view, Mihawk allowed himself a moment of contemplation, the weight of the conversation settling in. Whatever lay ahead, he was ready to face it, knowing he had the support of an old friend and the resolve to follow his heart.

Mihawk sat quietly at the bar, his drink in hand, contemplating the conversation he had just had with Shanks. The dim light of the room cast shadows across his face, highlighting the intensity of his thoughts.

The door to the bar swung open, and Zoro and Perona walked in, their expressions determined. Zoro spotted Mihawk and headed straight for him, Perona following close behind.

"Mihawk," Zoro said, his voice carrying a hint of excitement. "Perona and I have decided we're going to stay with Luffy for a while."

Mihawk raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Is that so? And what brings about this decision?" Zoro smirked. "We have our reasons. Let's just say it's time for a change of scenery." Perona nodded enthusiastically. "Besides, I miss annoying those idiots. It'll be fun." Before Mihawk could respond, the door burst open again, and the full Strawhat crew poured into the bar, filling the room with their lively chatter. Luffy led the way, his trademark grin plastered across his face.

"Hey, Mihawk!" Luffy called out, waving energetically. "What are you doing here?"

Mihawk raised his glass in a silent greeting, his eyes scanning the familiar faces. Along with the Strawhats were Uta, Ace, Sabo, and Law, each adding their own unique presence to the gathering.

Nami was the first to notice Mihawk's contemplative expression. "What's going on, Mihawk? You look like you've got something on your mind."

Usopp grinned, nudging Sanji. "Maybe he's in love or something!"

Sanji raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Who would have thought? The great Hawkeye Mihawk, in love?"

Robin's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Is that true, Mihawk? Do you have feelings for someone?"

Mihawk sighed, knowing there was no avoiding the onslaught of questions. "Yes, it's true. I have feelings for [Name]."

The room erupted into a chorus of excited chatter and encouragement. Luffy, in his usual exuberant manner, jumped onto the nearest table. "That's awesome! You should tell her!"

Nami nodded, a knowing smile on her face. "Luffy's right. You shouldn't keep your feelings to yourself."

Zoro crossed his arms, grinning. "About time you made a move, Mihawk."

Uta chimed in, her voice sweet and teasing. "Just be honest with her. She deserves to know."

Ace clapped Mihawk on the back, his grin wide. "Go for it, Mihawk. Life's too short to hold back."

Sabo nodded in agreement. "You'll regret it if you don't take this chance."

Law, standing off to the side, gave a rare smile. "It's not often we see you vulnerable, Mihawk. Use that to your advantage."

Perona's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Just don't mess it up, or I'll never let you hear the end of it."

Even Chopper and Brook joined in, offering their support. "You can do it, Mihawk!" Chopper cheered, while Brook added, "Love is a beautiful thing, yohoho!"

Franky, flexing his muscles, gave Mihawk a thumbs up. "Show her your super side, Mihawk!"

Jinbe stepped forward, his deep voice steady. "Matters of the heart require great courage, Mihawk. We believe in you."

Mihawk looked around at the enthusiastic faces surrounding him, feeling a mixture of amusement and gratitude. Their encouragement was unexpected but not unwelcome.

"Alright," Mihawk said, his voice steady but filled with determination. "I'll tell her."

The room erupted into cheers, the Strawhat crew and their honorary members celebrating Mihawk's resolve. As the noise subsided, Mihawk felt a sense of clarity and purpose. Whatever challenges lay ahead, he knew he wasn't alone, and with that, he slipped out the back of the bar to find the Blue haired Freak she loved so much. 

------------------------- Bonus part: 

As the bar's atmosphere buzzed with excitement over Mihawk's revelation, Shanks excused himself to step outside for a moment. He felt the vibration of his den-den mushi in his pocket and answered it, recognizing the familiar voice on the other end.

"Shanks," Buggy's voice crackled through the line, sounding both hesitant and urgent. "I've got something to tell you about [Name]. She confided in me earlier."

Shanks leaned against the wall, a smile playing on his lips. "What is it, Buggy?"

Buggy cleared his throat, his tone shifting from urgent to slightly embarrassed. "She... she mentioned Mihawk. I think she might have feelings for him. She seemed really serious about it."

Shanks chuckled softly. "Funny you should mention that. I just had a talk with Mihawk. He confessed he's got feelings for [Name] too."

Buggy's eyes widened on the other end of the line. "You're kidding. Mihawk? The guy who treats emotions like they're some kind of disease?"

"Yep," Shanks replied, still smiling. "Seems our sister friend has managed to break through that icy exterior of his."

There was a brief silence before Buggy spoke again, his voice softer. "You should come over, Shanks. I think it’d be good for us to be here for her, you know, in case things get complicated."

Shanks couldn't help but tease, his grin widening. "Aww, does the clown prince miss me?"

"Shut up, you red-haired idiot!" Buggy snapped, his voice going up an octave. "This isn't about us. It's about [Name]. She deserves to be happy."

Shanks laughed heartily, the sound warm and genuine. "Alright, alright. I’ll be there in the morning. It’d be nice to see her settle down. And you know what, Buggy? It’s nice to see you care so much."

Buggy huffed, trying to regain his composure. "Yeah, well, don't read too much into it. Just hurry up and get here."

"Will do," Shanks promised, his voice softening. "See you soon, Buggy."

As he ended the call, Shanks felt a sense of anticipation. Tomorrow promised to be an interesting day. He re-entered the bar, catching Mihawk's eye and giving him a reassuring nod. Mihawk returned the gesture, understanding the silent message. With friends and family by their side, the future seemed a little less daunting.

Meanwhile, Buggy sat by [Name]'s side as she slept, watching her peaceful expression. Pulling the covers up to her chin, he felt a strange mix of protectiveness and hope. "Oh babydoll, you don't even know how much we love you." With that, he turned the lantern down and lay down to sleep with his hand on his chest to play with the golden chain that rested underneath his vest.

With Shanks on his way and Mihawk ready to make his move, things were about to get very interesting. 

______________________________________________________________

CHapter 6

Chapter 7

Make sure you check out the a03 account by the same name. Everything I have posted here is there in chronological order. I also have other one piece fanfics posted in the masterlist! Give it a read if you please!

Be sure to check out my other works and leave likes and comments, they really help. Drop a follow as well if you please. Don’t be shy to leave me a little reblog if you want.

I promise I bite~

See you soon my loves!!~ <<33

[garmanarnarr]

Rickorty Week Day 4: Mythological Creatures

vampire morty | 2k words | Rated M for blood drinking and sexual content

@rickortyweek

Morty’s getting pretty good at asking for it. 

“H-hey, Rick?” 

Rick doesn’t look over from the TV, which is currently playing a rerun of a JoJo Siwa political documentary in a universe where she’s the president of the United States. It’s a miniseries, a retrospective, and they’ve been powering through episodes all night. Everyone went to bed long ago; Mom, Dad, and Summer had started to give Morty a wide berth after ten PM. But he doesn’t mind not sleeping, now, because Rick doesn’t sleep either. Only in fits and starts. Sometimes over his work bench, face mashed into mechanical junk, or passed out on the couch. He snores, but only when he’s really drunk– not that Morty’s watching. 

“Um,” Morty says, picking at a thread on the couch cushion. 

“What?” Rick sounds too distant to be annoyed, just flat and tired.

“M’ getting kinda, you know.” 

“What?”

“Hungry?” Morty’s voice cracks on the last part. 

Jojo screams something excitedly on the TV, pointing at a diplomat from another country and waving. Her facial rhinestones match her power suit. 

Rick’s still watching, glazed eyes flashing in the TV’s glow. “Her foreign policy sucked,” he mutters.

“I’m hungry, Rick.” 

“Want me to order some fucking sugar chicken, then?” Rick asks, finally swiveling to actually look at Morty. “Huh, Morty? Want some Panda Express?”

Morty’s throat feels so dry it crackles. He thinks of the pool of sunlight that’ll be creeping towards them through the glass patio doors when the sun rises in a few hours, ready to burn him. His vision blurs a little and he gives a painful swallow. 

“Y-y-you know what I mean, Rick,” he whispers. It isn’t fair that Rick always plays him like this when he’s fucked Morty up in the first place. Experiment gone sour, vampirism— Morty had to pick that term up– spreading too aggressively to be cut out, too deeply to pull the plug and hop to a clone. He rests his hand on the couch next to Rick’s leg. Not touching it, but just, you know, next to it. He can feel the heat of Rick’s body beside his own like he’s sitting near a radiator. Throbbing is such a weird word, but that’s the only way to describe it. Rick is throbbing with heat. Morty runs his tongue over the stubs of his teeth. 

“You know, my blood is probably some of the nastiest shit you could put inside you,” Rick’s saying. “Got yeeears of k-lax and alcohol abuse in here. And some other stuff. I think one of Unity’s non-humanoid bodies might have had–”  

“I don’t care. E-everything else tastes like ass and I don’t want to drink it.” Morty makes a face, saying that out loud, but it’s true. The bags of O-positive Rick had pulled out of his lab freezer after he’d just turned Morty had tasted like the equivalent of soggy pizza cardboard. Real pizza– all normal food– also tastes terrible. Animal blood has a funky, earthy smell and a worse flavor, when he’d tried it. And he isn’t about to make anyone else let him drink their blood.

Rick made his own bed. He can lie in it. 

Rick watches his face for a moment, expression unreadable. Then he sighs, and rolls up his sleeve. 

“Not on the couch, you little moron. Or, you wanna g-get b-blood everywhere?” 

“I won’t get it everywhere,” Morty whines. He did the first time, when they fed in the garage, but he’s neater about it, now. He’d been so new, then, and dying for it, ready to rip Rick’s veins right open, ready to swim inside him to make the pain of his thirst go away. Now, after two weeks of feedings, he doesn’t waste a drop. 

Rick tries to stand, but Morty catches his wrist. He’s taken aback at his own strength; that’s still a surprising perk. He keeps accidentally breaking doorknobs off of classrooms in school. Denting his locker door when he closes it with a slam so loud it echoes through the hallways. Shattering glasses. Jerking his own dick too hard and too fast by accident. 

Rick pauses, looking down at him. He seems like he’s weighing making his grandson let go with words or by force. But Morty doesn’t let go. He can feel the throbbing of Rick’s blood now, pulse pressed against the circle of his fingers. His stomach twists with a tortured sounding gurgle. 

“Please,” he says. 

“Alright. Jesus,” Rick says, sitting back down with a roll of his eyes, yanking his wrist out Morty’s grasp quickly enough to break his hold. “Just a second, A-A-Augustus Gloop.”

He reaches into the breast pocket of his lab coat and pulls out a little packet, which he rips open with his teeth. Morty’s chest thuds because it looked kind of like a condom. He probably shouldn’t have thought that. Rick unfolds the moist towelette inside and uses it to briskly swab the inner part of his forearm. The pale stretch of it gleams up under the light of the ad that’s playing on TV, riddled with blue and green veins, skin going translucent with age. Morty’s mouth waters. 

“You– you just carry a swab with you?” he asks, licking back drool. It’s a genuine question. Did Rick want to– was he just waiting around for Morty to—

“More for my benefit than yours. Human mouths are one of the diEUUGHrtiest parts of our bodies, Morty.” 

“That doesn’t seem true, but okay,” Morty says. 

“I’m not fucking with you. Humans are filthy.” 

Rick throws the used wipe over the back of the couch, then pats the space beside him, like they’re going to cozy up and watch more TV together, easy as anything. Morty crawls over.  

Rick offering his skinny-ass forearm to him like this in the middle of the house is insane. They usually feed in the garage, sitting clinically in separate foldable chairs, lights flipped on. It’s dark in the living room, and it should be hard to see—should leave Morty fumbling and awkward, unable to function—but it doesn’t. Morty’s different, now. Darkness is easy. This close, he can sense all the sweet spots where the most blood flows in Rick’s body and where to land the best bite; he would have liked it a lot better if Rick let him feed at his neck, or at the top of his thighs, or even near his armpits, he thinks, but he’ll take what Rick will give him. 

“Don’t– don’t rip my fuckin’ arm off here, Morty, I need it.” They’re so close together that Rick’s voice is quieter than normal. Maybe he’s a little scared. Morty likes that; the idea of being able to scare Rick, a bit, for once. 

“I won’t,” Morty says with a lisp. His pointy canine teeth are getting longer in his mouth and making it hard to talk. Carefully, he takes Rick’s offered arm into his hands. His left one, the one with less cybernetic shit in it, flesh and blood around a hollow titanium bone that sheathes a grappling device. He smells kind of bad but also kind of good, like he always does, like alcohol sweats and a familiar old man powderiness. Morty darts his tongue across his lower lip. Rick’s chest is rising and falling gently, calmly, as he waits for Morty to start. 

“M’ just– don’t mind me, Morty, just watching TV, here. Just gonna finish this show, or whatever.” 

Rick claims he’s a god-robot-monster all the time— won’t shut up about it. But it turns out he’s still human, Morty thinks, a little vindictively, as he bites down. At least, still human enough to feed him.  

As he adjusts his bite to get the blood flowing, pressing against the smooth, hairless slip of Rick’s forearm with his tongue, he wonders if this was why people like wine. He’d always hated it, and spat out the mouthful of Mom’s that he’d snuck when he was ten and she was on the phone, because it was nasty, but maybe there’s something more appealing to it than he thought. An age and bitterness, in a good way, the kind that gives it a lot of different and interesting flavors at once. That’s what Rick’s blood tastes like. It tastes really fucking good. 

The TV’s making more sounds, but Morty can’t hear them anymore. He’s way too busy gulping Rick’s blood. Distantly, as if it were happening to someone else, he realizes he’s getting hard. Vaguely, he tries to direct his thoughts towards Jessica, but it’s tricky, considering he’s touching Rick and smelling Rick and drinking from Rick’s body. That Rick’s delicious blood is filling his mouth and sliding down his throat with every swallow. 

The flow stutters, so he pressed up all along his grandpa’s side to get a better angle. For a second, his dick brushes against Rick’s leg, hot and obvious. He tenses. Rick doesn’t say anything, though, just keeps sitting there quietly, so he relaxes again. Whatever, if Rick doesn’t care, he doesn’t care, and everything feels good. This is so fucking good. It feels right. He keeps feeding, actively sucking, now, because the flow is starting to taper off, blood only coming in hot spurts when he coaxes it out. He rocks his hips, a little, getting some friction on his dick, because he’s  so warm and full, and that feels good, too—

“—orty. Morty, that’s enough. Stop.”

Morty doesn’t stop. He swirles his tongue needily around the bite marks, pleasure unfurling up from his stomach and over his whole body, from his scalp to the bottom of his feet. Feeding from his grandpa like this is euphoric. 

“M-Morty, stop.” 

A hand pushes him back, roughly. It could be anyone’s hand. Morty is longer tethered to earth, fully. Suddenly, Morty’s laying on the floor by the coffee table, panting, ass sore from falling on it. His chin’s covered in own spit. His cheeks are flushed. There’s a definite tent pitched in his jeans, and everything is cold with the lack of a body to be pressed up against. When he looks up, Rick seems pale, even by his own standards, and his hair’s wilder, too. He’s blinking kind of a lot, staring down at Morty with fury on his face despite his heavy eyelids. He looks like he’s having trouble staying awake. 

“You– you don’t know how lucky you are that my cybernetic enhancements will start injecting substitute into my bloodstream if I lose more than a quart of blood, Morty,” he says in a low, deadly voice. Morty hears the edge of a wheeze in it. “A quaAAAUGhrt. Do you know how much that is? You fucking, you fucking numbskull braindead idiot?”

“No?”

“That’s what I— that’s what I thought,” Rick says, getting unsteadily to his feet with the help of the couch arm. “I’ll be in the garage. Don’t follow me.” 

Morty watches as his grandpa woozily makes his way out of the living room. He’s actually a little worried Rick’s going to pass out, or crash into something, but he doesn’t. He’s gone. Morty rubs the back of his hand across his mouth, and when he looks at it in the TV’s half-light, it’s smeared dark with Rick’s blood.

“S-sorry,” he says, late. 

–

Morty climbs upstairs to his room even though it’s more like roleplaying someone that needs to sleep than an actual need. He lays down on top of his covers next to his closet that’s now full of hats and sunglasses and UV-protective long sleeve shirts, above a kitchen filled with food he can’t eat, and a hallway mirror he can no longer see his own reflection in. 

He lays there quietly and waits, full-stomached, giving Rick a little privacy. Some time to cool off. If Rick noticed Morty’s hardon, he didn’t comment on it. 

But Morty had seen where Rick’s blood went, while he was feeding. 

He could sense it, the thick coursing of it, even in the dark.

[sturnstvs]

covid - chris sturniolo

summary: chris hasn't been able to see y/n sense she got covid and has been up with nick however a reunion and a confession is soon.

warnings: use of y/n

requested: no

chris and y/n were inseparable. they were attached at the hip. they were best friends and each others number one supporter. the two hardly ever separated from each other however it was one of those instances. nick had recently gotten covid and being best friends with him, y/n also had gotten it as well being around him and all. unfortunately for her however chris seemed perfectly fine unlike the other three, so they all ended up in their own rooms.

y/n, who usually slept in chris's room more often then not since she moved in with the boys, had to be one of the other boys rooms considering she didn't want to get her best friend sick.

at first he protested in agony not wanting to be away from y/n longer then he had to however his brothers convinced him that it was for the best.

y/n ended up picking nick's room because it was the most preferable. which led them to where they were now.

"how are you feeling with the whole being away from chris thing?" nick asked before turning the camera towards the half asleep girl

"nick shut the fuck up!" y/n goggled

"apparently fine" nick said with a straight face turning towards the vlog

nick had decided that because each of the brothers had to be away from each other they would vlog separately for their wednesday video the following week.

nick was partly better then y/n as he had the sickness a bit before she caught it meaning even though he was still somewhat tired he was also wide awake.

nick was watching rupaul when y/n had awoken from her slumber. he paused the t.v when he heard the covers moving slightly not knowing the girl was awake

"these days have been going by so slow" y/n complained not being able to see her favorite person.

"when are finally going to tell chris you have a crush on him?" nick asked out of the blue

y/n shot up from her spot on the bed hearing this. there was no way she was going to tell chris she liked him anytime soon. it was to much. he probably didn't even like her back. she couldn't ruin a friendship that had taken years to develop. no way.

"never" y/n answered simply

nick laughed at that at first before he noticed the dead pan expression on the girl. 

"oh you're seriously not going to tell him!" nick asked shocked

nick knew his brother liked the girl from the very beginning it was quite obvious and he was surprised y/n hadn't fully caught on. i mean i wasn't like he hide it or anything.

"why would i? i'm not going to ruin a friendship that means the world to me over some silly little crush" y/n expressed confused as to why nick had yet to understand her reasoning.

nick however just sighed turning the previously paused television off, and going to bed. y/n doing the same soon after

meanwhile chris who was sill in his room not with covid, was struggling with sleep. he got so used to y/n sleeping by his side that it was almost uncomfortable to sleep alone. he tossed and turned trying to at least get some sort of sleep which unfortunately he was unsuccessful with.

he couldn't stop thinking about y/n either which was also not helping. he hated to say it but he liked her, more then a friend. he knew this wasn't a good thing with his commitment issues and everything, but unfortunately he couldn't help it.

when he woke up in the morning he had bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep the night before. he thought about it a lot prior and he had come to the conclusion that he needed to tell y/n about his feelings before it was to late. his brothers always said that to, how ironic.

over the next couple of days chris planned out what he might want to say to y/n. from his confession to what they should be. it was all chris could think about that would make it so he didn't lose his mind.

y/n on the other hand was also losing her mind. nick had somehow convinced her to tell chris of her feelings for him. even though she was getting better by each passing second she was getting anxious to what she would say to chris and what he would say in response.

it was currently friday and it was also the day that nick and y/n were able to get out of quarantine. matt had gotten the virus a little later then the other two so he was still in quarantine. 

"I can't believe we're finally done with quarantine, took long enough" nick voiced as him and y/n walked out of the former's room

"I know right, finally fresh air" y/n agreed with a chuckle while nick also laughed in response. 

the two got down to chris's room soon after. y/n was going to tell him now. 

"okay you got this" nick encouraged as y/n knocked on the door.

hearing a knock chris opened the door being faced with y/n and his brother. 

"hey, you guys are quarantine free?" chris asked, hugging both of them 

"yeah, I guess we are" y/n giggled 

"can I uh...can I talk to you" chris asked y/n with a serious face while y/n nodded.

chris sent nick a look telling him to leave so they could talk. the other two walked into chris's room sitting on his bed. 

"okay, I'm just going to go ahead and say it, I'm not going to make a big corny speeh about how much you make me smile and make my heart happy, and how I love that your so amazing with my brothers and how your smile is my favorite thing, ever better then Pepsi, which is a big deal by the way or how-" but before he could say anything else chirs was cut off by a pair of lips on his own. 

the kiss was slow yet gentle and spoke a thousand words. 

"I'm guessing you like me then?" y/n asked nervously 

"are you kidding me of course I like you" chris exclaimed with confusion of why y/n wouldn't think chris liked her. 

y/n just smiled pulling Chris into a hug. they would talk about what they were later all they needed right now were each other. 

note: this honestly sucks ass but this took and insane amount of time and I haven't posted a one shot in forever so here you go.

remember if you wanted to be added to any of my taglists go comment on the post

[maysileeewrites]

i'm here - Harry James Potter x best friend!reader

link to my m.list

SUMMARY: Harry still has nightmares about the graveyard … [takes place during OotP, Harry and reader are best friends] 

word count: 1.7k (she’s a shortie! well, at least for me, seeing as I’m usually never able to keep anything short) 

warnings: angst, fluff, (best) friends to lovers, nightmares, mentions of an abusive family (I hate the Dursleys so much … ), love confessions; Harry’s inner James coming through (kinda); the reader is gn in this one :) 

AN: Harry James Potter is so criminally underrated in his own fandom, the lack of fanfics about him is astounding. (So if you have any requests for Harry fics, feel free to tell me!) 

Also, this turned out a lot angstier than I originally intended, but then, it kind of does fit with OotP Harry, doesn’t it? 

„No, Cedric!“ 

Harry’s terrified whisper wakes you up and you immediately throw your bedsheets aside, jumping out of bed, rushing over to the bed at the other side of the room, where Harry’s tossing and turning in his sleep. You’ve never been more grateful that you managed to convince Mrs. Weasley to let you and Harry share a room in Grimauldplace, telling her that you’re just friends and that she doesn’t need to worry about anything happening between you two. 

Though you sometimes catch yourself wishing that maybe something would happen between you two - maybe one day you’ll find the courage to tell Harry how you really feel about him? - nothing has happened between you two. Not that any of that matters right now. 

„Not Cedric, please don’t kill him, no, Cedric!“ 

„Harry!“ With shaking hands, you reach for Harry, trying to gently shake him awake, but the nightmare’s still got him in its grip. 

„Don’t kill him - „ 

„Harry!“, you say, louder this time, but Harry still doesn’t hear you. Deciding that trying to gently shake him awake is not going to work, you grab his shoulders instead. 

„Harry, please wake up, I’m here, please - „ 

Gasping, Harry finally opens his eyes, but he doesn’t seem to recognize you, his green eyes seem to stare right through you. 

„No, get away from me - „ 

„Harry, it’s me! Y/N!“

Your words must have reached him, because Harry stops trying to twist away from you. He screws his eyes shut for a moment, and when he opens them again, his green eyes find yours. 

„Y/N?“, he croaks, almost as if he’s too afraid to believe that you’re really there, that the nightmare is actually over. 

„Yes, Harry, it’s me, I’m here, you’re - you’re safe“, you say, your voice breaking at the terrified look in Harry’s eyes. 

Harry’s still shaking like a leaf and he looks so small and vulnerable in that moment that your hatred for Voldemort reaches a new height. Without Voldemort, none of this would be happening. Cedric Diggory would still be alive. Harry wouldn’t wake up screaming from nightmares almost every night. He wouldn’t have that haunted, terrified look in his eyes. 

You force yourself to swallow down your anger. Mentally cursing Voldemort isn’t going to help Harry right now. 

„I- I’m sorry“, Harry starts to say, but you silence him by leaning forward and throwing your arms around Harry, hugging him so close to you that you can feel his racing heartbeat against your chest. 

„Harry James Potter, you are not going to apologize for having nightmares about Voldemort“, you say firmly. 

„Harry James Potter, huh?“, Harry says, laughing weakly, his warm breath ghosting over the skin of your neck. 

„Yeah … „, is all you say, tightening your hold on him. You want to tell him that he doesn’t need to pretend with you - he doesn’t have to put up a strong front, trying to find some kind of humor in the situation. But, you think, deep down, Harry already knows that. Ever since meeting each other in your first year at Hogwarts, you’ve always been close, always been comfortable with each other. Harry knows that he can just be himself around you, that there’s no need to hide anything from you. 

Your heart breaks even more for the boy in your arms when you realize that he’s not putting up a strong front for you - he’s doing it for himself. 

Harry’s never had an easy life - the first eleven years of his life he had to grow up in a household with his abusive, neglectful aunt and uncle, and when he finally went to Hogwarts, everyone’s already had their preconceived notions about what kind of person The Boy Who Lived would be. He’s always been living a life under scrutiny, but ever since the graveyard, ever since Voldemort returned to power, his life has been literal hell. From the Daily Prophet making him out to be some disturbed, dangerous liar, to nearly being expelled from Hogwarts for defending himself and his cousin Dudley from a dementor attack, to having to deal with Umbridge and her own brand of cruelty, it’s no wonder that he’s barely been able to hold himself together these last few months. 

„Hey, are you alright?“ Harry’s concerned questions interrupts your spiraling thoughts. 

„Yeah, though I should be the one asking you that question“, you say. 

„Don’t worry about me, I’m fi- „ 

Reluctantly, you pull away from Harry, leaning back so that you can look him in the eyes. „Don’t tell me you’re fine, Harry“, you say, swallowing around the sudden lump in your throat, „don’t lie to me, please.“ 

Harry’s expression hardens and for a moment, he seems almost resentful at your words, and you’re afraid that he’s going to push you away from him as well, when his right hand suddenly reaches for yours. 

„You’re right“, he says, his words coming out slightly strained, as if he too has to swallow around a lump in his throat, „I’m not fine. But - I, uh, do feel much better with you here … and I, uh - I know that I’ve not been easy to be around these last few months, I - 

„I don’t care“, you interrupt him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. 

„But - „ 

„I don’t care“, you repeat, more firmly this time, „you’re my best friend and I love you and - „ You stop speaking when you realize what you’ve just said. You can feel yourself blushing a furious red and you cast your eyes downward, trying to avoid Harry’s green eyes. Of course, having been best friends with him for nearly five years, you’ve already told him you love him in some way or another quite a few times. But you’ve never used these three words, never said ‚I love you‘, always said something like ‚love you‘, ‚take care‘ or ‚try not die‘ and though you both knew what these words really were supposed to mean, you’ve never said these exact three words to him. 

„I, uh - mean, like a friend - „, you stammer, trying to backtrack, „- a, a best friend - and, you know, I mean, we’ve all had our rough patches, remember Ron last year or me in year three when I’ve made such a fuss over the whole dementor situation? I know I must’ve been quite annoying, but I was only worried about you and - „ 

Your rambling gets interrupted by Harry suddenly leaning forward and softly pressing his lips against yours. For a moment, you freeze, your eyes widening in shock. 

Is this really happening? Maybe you’re the one dreaming and any minute now, you’ll wake up, still lying in your bed at the other side of the room, Harry still tossing and turning in his bed, with nothing between you two having changed - 

But then, almost as if he’s read your thoughts, Harry gives your hand a squeeze, before lacing your fingers together and reaching up with his other hand to gently cup your cheek. When he kisses you again, though it’s nothing more than a fleeting, almost questioning brush of his lips against yours, you’re ready for it, closing your eyes and leaning into the kiss. 

„So, uh, I take it that I wasn’t annoying you that much when I made a fuss over the whole dementor situation?“, you say, sounding out of breath, almost as if you’ve just run a marathon, when Harry breaks the kiss, looking at you with a shy smile on his lips. 

„You’re not annoying - I thought I just made this clear?“, Harry says, his fingertips softly stroking your cheek.

„Well, maybe I just need another reminder?“, you find yourself saying, not quite sure where this sudden surge of confidence is coming from. But then Harry’s green eyes meet yours and you realize why you’re suddenly feeling as if you could walk on air, when, just a few minutes ago, you’ve been worried out of your mind over your best friend. 

You’ve just told Harry that you love him, and not only did you not ruin your friendship with him by doing so, but Harry actually seems to feel the same way about you, otherwise he wouldn’t have kissed you, right? 

„Really?“, Harry says, smirking, leaning towards you and you think he’s going to kiss you again, but instead, he tackles you, causing you to fall back onto the mattress of his bed, before starting to tickle you. 

„No, Harry, stop - please - st-stop“, you say in between fits of laughter, as Harry continues to tickle you mercilessly. Any other complaints die in your throat when you take in Harry’s expression - he’s laughing, the haunted, faraway look in his green eyes completely gone. 

Of course, you know that a few kisses and an unexpected love confession won’t suddenly drive all his demons away. You can still see the dark, prominent circles from lack of sleep under his eyes, can still recall his terrified, helpless cries for Cedric. 

Still, something in him has changed. There’s something in his expression that you haven’t seen for far too long - hope. 

Feeling emboldened and giddy with excitement over everything that’s happened since your sudden confession, you reach up, winding your arms around Harry’s neck, before pressing your lips against his. Harry starts moving his lips against yours and you can feel him smile into the kiss. Just when you run a hand through his untidy black hair, he’s breaking the kiss again. 

Supporting his weight on his elbows, Harry smiles down at you, breathing heavily. „I love you too, you know?“, he says, smiling widely when he says the words. „And I know that I’ve been kind of a jerk these last few months - you don’t need to try to deny it, but - you’ve always been there for me and I - I’m really glad you stuck around - I - I guess what I’m trying to say is just that I love you, so damn much.“ 

You feel yourself smile stupidly wide at his words. „I’m glad you stuck around? You really do have a way with words, don’t you, Harry James Potter?“, you say, grinning. 

„Oh, you know what I mean“, Harry says, grinning back at you. 

„Do I?“, you ask, and, just like you’d hoped he would, Harry softly presses his lips against yours again in way of answering. 

taglist: @ahqkas

reblogs, comments and likes are greatly appreciated <3

[notyour-valentine]

Welcome to Downton, Mr Shelby 13 ~ Tommy Shelby x Crawley!OC (Series)

[Masterlist] [Taglist] [Series Masterlist]

Summary: Derby Day - what could go wrong?

If interested, you can check out this post for more about Charlotte

All my writing is produced by an adult and created with an adult audience in mind (18/21+). You are responsible for your own media consumption.I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other.

Wordcount: 5400 words

Part 13

“What does love feel like?”, she asked Sybil, sitting down on the edge of her bed. “Why are you asking?”

Charlotte glanced down at her lap before answering, seeing her hands fidget on their own accord. 

“I want to know.”

“Why are you asking me?”, Sybil wanted to know, as she sat down next to her. 

“Because you love Tom Branson.”

It wasn’t an accusation, just a statement of fact. And perhaps, after days of hearing how it was just a fancy, that she didn’t - couldn’t - really love him, seeing Charlotte accept her feelings was what made her answer. 

“It’s strange, really.”, Sybil said. “You think about them even when you’re not thinking. You hear their voice in your head as if they were sitting right beside you. You knew what they would say or think or how they would react to something that is happening around you, but these thoughts come on their own.”

Her voice was so soft and dreamy as she spoke, almost as if she wanted to lull Charlotte to sleep. 

“It’s not a conscious choice to be reminded of them, but everything somehow does, as if they were the sun and the world had begun to revolve around them.”

So Tom Branson is the sun?

“It sounds rather invasive.”, Charlotte mumbled. “But it’s not- at least it doesn’t feel that way.”, Sybil argued at once. “It’s comforting really, because sometimes the person you love feels like the only person who knows you.”

Hearing that hurt, after all Charlotte knew Sybil as much as anyone could, and Mary and Edith have known her since the day of her birth, as had Mama and Papa. 

Surely Branson, no matter how Sybil liked or even loved him, couldn’t know her better than they did. 

“They also inspire you to be the best version of yourself - the true version of yourself. The you without limitations, and maybe the you were trying to hide.”

Charlotte doubted Sir Richard was bringing out the ‘her’ Mary was trying to hide, nor exactly the best version of her. She was just Mary- the way she had been with the Duke and she hadn’t loved him. 

Not that she was the best judge of love. Or any judge on anything remotely romantic unless it was taking place between the softly bound covers of a romance novel. 

Then again, in these novels, especially the dangerously raunchy ones, weeks of pining, fo sleepless nights, fluttering stomachs and shaking hands all culminated in the purest and most devastating expression of love that was a kiss. 

Or was supposed to be. It wasn’t like she had the experience to warrant a literary exploration of the subject on her own, but the last time she had shared a kiss with someone, she had felt so much, she thought she would combust - the thrill of the forbidden, the fear of being caught, the disbelief in the fact that someone actually wanted to kiss her, and that she wanted to kiss someone too.. And that were her thoughts alone, not the butterflies in her belly, not the softness of his lips and the smile they formed after, not the way his hand searched for the side of her face, as always as gentle as a butterfly’s wing, fleeting traces at first, and then the warmth of his palm that lingered after he had pulled away. 

She hadn’t been sure that that was love, but it had taught her heartbreak. 

This time there were no butterflies, no fear, no excitement, not even the knowledge she was doing something forbidden. It was beyond inappropriate, being seen kissing in broad daylight, and then a man she was neither engaged nor married to. 

Instead, all her mind could summon was “Oh-”

A realisation of what he was doing, followed by the rather important question of “why?”. 

Her own absence of emotion surprised her, especially since it seemed to be such a significant thing to him. She yet remembered how he leaned his forehead against hers, how his breath had shuddered, and his hands trembled. 

For a moment he had held her such, his hands cradling the side of her face, before he had stroked his thumb over her cheekbones. 

“I have to go now.”, he had told her, his voice thick with an emotion she couldn’t place, let alone hope to return. With another short kiss to her brow he had disappeared, something that filled her with immense gratitude since she had not the faintest idea of how to react to that. 

In the days that passed between then and now, she had given the question of why people kiss great thought. Beyond her own experience, she had seen it in only a few examples. Of course, her Mama and her Papa kissed, but she mostly only saw it on greeting or departing, or in moments they stole when they thought no one was watching. On the lips that was, her father was quite fond of kissing her hand too. She had seen Sybil kiss Branson, but that wasn’t exactly an appropriate example, although there was a little Lady Marion and Robin Hood to it all. If Robin Hood’s friends set fire to Nottingham Castle and gave the money to the Irish. 

Once when she had been little she had seen a maid kiss a footman, both long gone from their service, and once she had seen Anna and Mr Bates share an embrace from her window. Another greeting between those already certain of their feelings. 

Why Tommy Shelby thought to kiss her was a mystery to him. It did make things a whole lot more complicated and left a bitter taste in her mouth, and it was especially harsh since she lacked Sybil’s advice. She was so far away. 

And it wasn’t like she could ask her other sisters. Edith did not have a lucky hand in love, and Mary, well, whatever in love was, it certainly wasn’t a term to describe her and Sir Richard. 

Although they both made a valiant effort, him especially, but she knew her sister well enough to know it was icy between them, even in the suffocating heat. Beside her, Edith groaned. 

“I didn’t remember it being this hot.”, she complained, flapping air towards herself with her fan. 

“I wouldn’t know.”, Charlotte said. This was her very first race season. Before the war, she had been too young and during the war, they hadn’t gone. 

But since the season had resumed, so had the race attendance. 

Edith was right, it was impossibly hot, and even in an all white dress, with a white hat and white shawl to cover her bare shoulders, she had to fight the heat with her fan - also white to match the rest. It was a colour scheme that was carried throughout their part of their enclosure. It was separate from the grand-stands, and only for guests with name or title. 

There was so much to see - the race course, naturally, but also the many, many people who had come to watch and cheer, the betting stands and bars below. Not that they were allowed to go there. Hospitality took care of them. 

“Charlotte, Edith, darlings,”, Mama said, gesturing them closer, “stay a little in the shade, will you? I don’t want you getting a headache.”

“Of course.”,  she agreed. 

Although that might save her from the planned meal at Sir Richard’s later. She had to be polite and kind for Mary’s sake, but that didn’t mean she had to like him. 

Right now, he was bragging to Mary about all the bets he had laid on the horses. Charlotte didn’t know much about racehorses, how could she? 

But she was looking forward to seeing them - so tall and proud and strong. 

Only until the race started, there were a lot of greetings that had to be exchanged, a near endless list of people to be introduced to and an infinite number of courtesies to be exchanged. 

The heat didn’t exactly help make that more durable. Everyone said the same things. Unfortunately for her, she was still a topic of interest, as a debutante and a fresh face, with Edith, who kept her company, sadly being unable to take much of it away from her. 

“I just need a minute.”, she whispered softly, after one particularily keen Viscount had taken his leave. 

“Do you want me to come with you?”, Edith asked, but she shook her head and took her absence with a squeeze of her hand. 

She walked all the way to the edge of the balcony, to where the waiters were loading champagne glasses on a tray. 

One drink will probably kill me in this weather, she thought, and instead opted to look down at the ring below. 

People there looked to be far more excited, far more at ease than them up here. 

There were so many of them - hundreds upon hundreds. Charlotte tried to think if she had ever been to an event with this many people crowded into one place. Each and every figure she saw had their own mind, their own name and family and fate, their own reasons for being here today and their own loved ones they could come home to. 

It was rather overwhelming - so many, so very many and just one her. 

But then she spotted something, a man, in a long dark coat, too far away for her to make out his face, but she didn’t have to. Why should she, if she noticed the walk?

Charlotte couldn’t help the wide smile that came to her lips at once. 

Tommy. 

He was headed in the direction of their hospitality, or close rather, and with every step he took, her heart began to beat faster. Then the memory of their last interaction came back and made her smile drop, taking with it the excitement of possibly introducing the man whose foundation she helped build to her family to finally get their approval for her work. It would be wise not to mention the kiss - and if she told Tommy that, he too may forget it ever happened and they would all be able to go on as they had, working together on a real project. 

This was just the plan! Besides, she could introduce him to the other guests too. That wouldn’t hurt his business. 

Glancing over her shoulder, she rushed towards the exit of the hospitality and began to rush down the stairs. 

She passed four sets of security officers, who all gave her funny looks, but didn’t stop her. They weren’t allowed to talk to her after all. 

Once she was down, she had to weave her way past a few race goers to reach him. 

He didn’t seem to care for any of the surroundings, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on something ahead of him. 

“Tommy!", She called once she came into earshot. “Tommy!”

His head piqued up, but there was no smile on his lips, no light in his eye- nothing. 

Instead he just stared at her as if he didn’t recognise her. 

"How wonderful to see you!”, she said, offering him a wide smile, in spite of the pit in her stomach. Perhaps she had miscalculated drastically. Then again, what reason would he have to wish to avoid her when he had been the initiator during their last encounter? 

"You're here?", He asked breathlessly. 

"Of course I am.", She said. "We all came, it’s the first race of the season and Papa said we could go.”

As she spoke, she looked up at the balcony of the enclosure. 

"I could introduce you if you like.", she offered. 

"Introduce me?", He asked as if he didn't understand a word she was saying, as if the language was foreign to him. 

"Yes, my parents would surely be most interested in meeting you.” 

He shook his head, swallowing hard. 

"No, no, Charlotte.", He said under his breath, his pale blue eyes glancing around as if he was searching for something. 

"But why not?”, she demanded to know, trying not to sound as disappointed as she was. 

"This is not a good time. I have things to do."

"Aren’t you here to enjoy the race?”

What other things were there to do at a race track?

He didn’t say. Instead, his eyes danced around impatiently. 

“Tommy are you quite alright?"

He didn't respond. Instead he licked his lips, took her by the arm and pulled her up the stairs. 

"That's your family? Over there?", He said breathlessly, pointing at them. 

"Yes, do you want me to introduce-"

"No!", He insisted sharply. "No, that blonde one? The tall one that's your cousin, yeah?"

His tone was rougher than she was used to, coming from him. “That’s your cousin, Captain Crawley”

She was surprised to hear him using his military title. He didn’t like anything to do with the military, and Matthew hadn’t been a Captain since the war ended, and hadn’t introduced himself as such. Why would he know his rank?

“Well, yes, Matthew.”

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him. His grip was uncommonly tight. 

"You stay close to him, you hear me? Promise me you'll stay close to him."

His eyes were wider than usual, and although he didn't show more emotion than usual, there was something about his voice that made her skin crawl, something that made her heart skip a beat. 

"Tommy, whatever's the matter?", She demanded to know. 

He took a deep breath and came even closer, so close that she could smell the lingering scent of an already-smoked cigarette. 

One of his hands found her cheek. 

"Promise me you'll stay close to your Captain.”

“But-”

“Charlotte, I need you to promise me.”, he snarled. “I’ll try to find you after the race and if not, I’ll call you tonight.”

She swallowed hard and nodded. 

"Good. Now go, go!"

The police officers let her through without a word but with suspicious glances. 

It was as if his uneasiness had washed over her, even once she was with her family once more.

"What has gotten you so pale, Poppet?", Mama asked, putting an arm on her back. “Is it the heat?”

She waved for a lemonade. 

Sipping it, Charlotte’s eyes scanned the track below, trying to find something - anything - that would be amiss. He wasn’t like that for no reason. Something must have happened. Something must have him concerned. It couldn’t have been the kiss, surely? 

Maybe something is wrong with his horse. 

But she saw nothing, no one, and his horse was brought to the starting line. 

Before the race started, she moved up next to Matthew, Tommy’s instructions ringing in her head. 

He had been in quite a mood today, but didn’t seem to mind her company. 

The gunshot rang through the air and the horses began to race, and yet she still couldn't look at them. Instead she looked at everything else, even as all around her the people cheered. 

Then she felt commotion- it wasn't that she saw it, not at first, but she felt the shift of energy all around her as if someone had clicked a switch. 

Soon after, Matthew noticed too, his head peeking up and his eyes dancing around the ring below. 

Then, he suddenly stepped away from the balcony and towards the exit. Charlotte followed suit, but by the time she reached Matthew, he had already returned from speaking to the police officer. 

"What is going on?", She asked him, taking his arm.  

"Nothing.", He lied, and very poorly at that, guiding her back to the group. Charlotte, however, saw that only two policemen remained at the entrance of the group. 

Stay close to him. 

"Matthew, where have all the policemen gone?"

He swallowed hard and gave her arm a little squeeze. "Everything is fine."

It's not, she thought as her eyes darted over everything that was happening below. It's not fine. 

She had no clue what was happening but she knew it had to do with Tommy. She just felt it deep down in her bones. 

Absentmindedly, her fingers brushed against her dress, where Sybil’s pearl pendant lay beneath. 

But the race went on, and the people, most people, even Mama and Papa, Edith and Sir Richard were watching and cheering. Only she knew she and Matthew and Mary who had caught them both looking and was now equally confused. 

There was loud cheering as the race concluded, followed by celebratory drinks and the like, but Charlotte could only stand at the edge of the balcony, staring down at the ring. 

She knew there was something she was missing, but even as the stands began to clear, she couldn’t say what it was. 

“Charlotte?”, she heard a booming voice from below. “Oi, Charlotte, that’s you up there, eh?”

She recognised the voice at once, but it took her a while to find the person that spoke. 

Only when she heard Arthur Shelby curse “Get the fuck off me!”,  and saw the ring of commotion did she realise he was on the steps already. 

They wouldn’t let him in, they wouldn’t let anyone in. 

“Charlotte, come ‘ere love, we need your help!”, he said, gesturing at her to come down. 

She glanced back at where her family was sitting and standing with drinks. “A moment’s all we need, come ‘ere”, Arthur Shelby repeated. 

There was a burning in his eyes, that made her rush towards the exit. 

“Ma’am, you shouldn’t leave the enclosure.”, the police officer warned. “It’s not safe out there.”

Arthur growled at the man as he took her arm. 

“She’s safer with us than you!”

They were walking so swiftly, she had trouble keeping up. “What’s going on?”, she asked him breathlessly. “Is everything alright.? Has something happened with Tommy?”

“Wha- yeah, Tommy is Tommy, he’ll be fine.”, he growled. "Wherever the fuck he is."

That was not at all reassuring, especially given his use of profanities. They made her flinch each time. 

He hurried her past tables and chairs with empty glasses and tipped over bottles until they reached the edge of the circut. 

“What the bloody hell are you doing, Arthur?”, the familiar voice of John Shelby asked. “What is she doing here?”

“She’s the only one who can go in there.”, he said. “The only woman here we know.” “Go where?”, Charlotte asked. 

John spat on the floor. “What happened?”, she demanded to know, glancing at each of them in turn. 

All of this made her skin crawl, from the distress in the crowd, the swearing and the fact that John was as keen as ever to be in her company. 

For a moment, both Shelby brothers stared at each other, and she knew they were having a silent deliberation. 

“Fine.”, John finally spat, beckoning her closer. Only now did she realise that they were close to the facilities. 

“Lizzie’s in there and she won’t come out. Just get her to come out and don’t ask stupid questions.”

He had always been dismissive and rude to her but now he had an urgency in his voice.

“Miss Stark?”, she asked. 

“Please.”, John sneered, although it was clear he didn’t like saying it. 

This is why Arthur took me? For the emergency that Lizzie Stark wasn’t leaving the facilities? It almost sounded like a bad joke to her, but she was here now and so she nodded and walked towards the facilities, passing the security guard standing by to ensure order. 

Charlotte walked inside. By now, it was nearly deserted, her heels echoing on the wooden ground. 

The first door was open, as was the second, and the third and even the fourth. The fifth, the one furthest away from the door was the only one locked. 

But behind it, there was silence. 

Charlotte took a deep breath and stepped closer to the stall door. “Miss Stark?”, she asked softly. “It’s me, Charlotte Crawley.”

“Go away.”, she snapped. But it wasn’t an angry voice. It was strained and tense and Charlotte swore she heard a sniffle too. 

“The Shelbys are outside. They are worried about you and they sent me to fetch you.” “Fuck them!”, she spat, her voice trembling, followed by a shuddering breath. 

Charlotte flinched slightly, the palm of her hand against the door. 

“Miss Stark? Is everything alright?”

The stall door was opened with such force, Charlotte jumped back. “Does it look fucking alright to you?”, she screamed at her in a tone that made her flinch worse than teh swearing had done. 

Charlotte’s eyes widened as she saw the cut on her brow and the blood on her cheek. The top of her dress had been ripped and she had lost her hat, leaving her hair in a tangled mess. 

Her eyes were red from crying, smudging the dark makeup around them. 

A hand flew to her mouth. “I’ll call the nurses!”, she insisted and had already turned, when a bruising iron grip clasped her wrist, pulling her back. “No!”, she hissed. “No fucking nurses. And no fucking Shelbys!”

More tears spilled out of the corner of her eyes, spreading the dark makeup around her eyes further, and her voice cracked as she said their name. Then, in a split second, the fury seemed to abandon her, leaving her weak and hurting almost like a lost child. 

“I just want to leave. I just want to fucking leave.”, she wept, clasping her hands over her face. 

When the other woman began to sob, Charlotte did the only thing she could think of and that was stepping forward and pulling her into an embrace. To her own shock, Miss Stark clung to her with a strength she had not anticipated, her whole body trembling as her hands dug into her. “I just want to leave. I just want to leave. I just want to leave.”, she repeated again and again. 

“Alright.”, Charlotte said, her own voice breathless, as she tried to think of what to do. Step by step, she thought. I’ll figure it out as we go. 

“We can leave.”, she offered, allowing her request. 

“But they are outside. I don’t want to look at them. I don’t want to speak to them!”, she insisted. 

“You won’t have to.”, Charlotte said. “You can leave with me, We’ll find a way.”

She could put her in a car home, but this was so unlike the Miss Stark she had known and she felt responsible for her. Something told her that she shouldn’t leave her alone. “I can’t go out like this.”, Miss Stark whispered as she saw her reflection in the mirror. 

“Fuck!”, she whispered, cursing her own reflection. 

 Charlotte draped her shawl over her shoulders. It hid her ripped dress. It left her own arms bare, but oh well. At least her dress wasn’t ripped. 

Then she took her handkerchief and let water run over it before wiping her cheeks like she would do with those of a child, before smoothing down her hair. 

“Better?”, she asked. 

Miss Stark only nodded meekly.

“I can take you with me. To London.”, Charlotte offered. “You won’t have to go home with the Shelbys. Is that alright?”

The nod was barely there, but she took it as confirmation enough. One arm was around her waist, the other holding her arm. 

Once outside, they were swarmed by Arthur and John and at once, she felt the other woman tense. “Miss Stark doesn’t wish to speak to you!”, she announced without stopping in her tracks, like Mary would, and they just kept walking. 

For a while she feared that they might come after her, but thankfully her tone seemed to have stunned them into silence.. 

Charlotte walked over to their hospitality with Miss Stark, in front of which now six police officers stood. 

“Sorry no access.”, he told them. 

Charlotte scowled at him. “I am an invited guest!”

They exchanged a glance. “There were orders not to let anyone in, Miss.”

Charlotte spoke with all the authority the Crawley family history granted her, with the forcefulness that would put Mary’s to shame. “I am no Miss, Sir, I am Lady Charlotte Crawley, now I politely request you let us pass right this instant!”

Her tone was less polite, granted, but it did make them step aside. 

Most people had moved away from the balcony and inside to the shade and the cooler drinks. “Would you like to come or wait here?”, she asked, but before Miss Stark could answer, she heard fast footsteps. “Charlotte, there you are!”, her mother scolded. “I was so worried. You can’t just disappear like that with no one knowing where you are.!”

“Apologies, Mama!”, she said quickly. “I-

Over her shoulder, she could see her looking at Miss Stark, her eyes wide. 

“Mama, this is Miss Stark. She works for Mr. Shelby- the foundation, you remember?" At that mention, Miss Stark scoffed and seemed to shrink into herself. 

“What happened?”, her mother demanded to know, concern written all over her face, and a recognition Charlotte knew she lacked. What confused her about Miss Stark’s state, seemed immediately obvious to her mother. “I fell, Milady.”, Miss Stark said without looking at her, the injured side of her face turned away. “The heat.”, Charlotte said at once. “Miss Stark lives quite far from here and so I was wondering if perhaps I could take her back to the house, to rest.”

“Of course.”, her mother said at once. “But I gave the staff the day off until dinner, so you’ll be on your own. Perhaps you take her to Rosamund’s?”

“We can manage, I think.”, Charlotte said, glancing at Miss Stark. “Well then, have the chauffeur take you.”

“But who will take you to the luncheon?”, she asked. 

“I won’t have you two young women in a stranger's car. “, she said sternly, “Run along now. I’ll make your apologies to Sir Richard.”

“Thank you, Mama!”, she said, as a tension she didn’t know fell from her, as she kissed her goodbye. 

The car ride was entirely silent, all the way from Epsom to St. James Square, with Miss Stark trembling beside her, and her not knowing which words to say. 

Usually, in the absence of causes for conversation one could always turn for the weather or flowers of the season as topics, but both seemed hollow and useless to her now. 

Inside, Paul, the hallboy opened the door. It was strange to return to such a deserted house without Carson or Mrs Hughes or anyone there, but she felt that Miss Stark might prefer it this way. 

“I…I..”, Charlotte stammered, before relinquishing her attempt at sounding like the presentable and put together hostess. For that, she was just too unsettled and uncertain. “Just please tell what you need.” “Can I wash somewhere?”, she asked, speaking to the tips of her shoes. 

“Of course.”, Charlotte said. She took Miss Stark by her hand and helped her up the stairs and down the corridor to the bathroom she shared with Edith and Mary. 

With Miss Stark was just standing there, it was left to Charlotte to draw her a bath and lay out some towels for her. “Everything is here, I think. Just use whatever you want.”

With that, she left Miss Stark alone. Only once she was alone with the silence, Charlotte felt her hands tremble. 

She didn’t claim to understand everything, but she understood enough to know that something truly horrid had happened to Miss Stark today, something so awful it made her mother throw out all their day’s plans and even end the scolding of her running off.  And by chance it was her taking care of the woman now. 

In he mother’s parting words was a charge, a task she would now fulfill to the best of her abilities. 

Miss Stark was a great deal taller than her, more Mary’s size, but she couldn’t take her sister’s clothes and so she picked out some of the clothes she had brought which she thought Miss Stark might like to wear, and placed her robe over the fire Paul had lit in her bedroom. 

Then she set about trying to find anything else that might be helpful. 

It wasn’t much, but it was something. 

When she hadn’t heard a noise from the bathroom in over an hour, she knocked on the door. “Do you need anything, Miss Stark?”, she asked. 

When she didn’t hear a response, she decided to try again. “I have a robe here, if you want to step out. It’s been warmed, I presume the water has turned cold by now.”

When once again, no response came, Charlotte decided to open the door and enter. Miss Stark had already stepped out of the bath and was sitting next to it on the floor, with towels wrapped around her body. Her hair was still dripping wet. 

But she got up, when Charlotte came in and put on the robe she offered. 

Her own clothes had been torn by her own hand and thrown on a pile. 

“Do you…ah…have any clothes I could borrow?”, she asked. 

Charlotte guided her back to her bedroom and showed her the pieces she had set out for her. 

“I will let you change.”, she said softly and stepped out once more, going down to fetch what she had prepared earlier. Miss Stark looked confused when Charlotte returned with a tray. 

“I brought tea and cakes. I would have cooked something, but I don’t know how and the staff has the day off.”, she admitted, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. 

She had also added a bowl of chocolates and some tarts from yesterday’s tea she could find. 

“I hope that’s alright.”

Miss Stark stared at her with wide eyes. “I also found Mrs. Hughes medical kit. I think you might need some iodine or cream for…”

The fact that Miss Stark only stared at her made her increasingly uneasy. 

“I could also have a doct-”

“No doctor!”, she insisted at once. 

She nodded and raised her hands to soothe her. “Whatever you want. We have a telephone in the hall that you can use if you want to call someone.” “No one there to call.”, she whispered under her breath. 

That felt like a punch to her gut. 

“Miss Stark,”, she said softly, “I want to help you but I don’t know how.”

The woman’s dark eyes found her, staring right into her soul and making Charlotte feel as weak and foolish as a school girl. But for once, there was no malice in her gaze, just…sheer disbelief. 

“Do you have a cigarette?”, she asked, shaking her head with resignation. 

Charlotte wrung her hands. “I guess I could bring you one of Papa’s cigars.”, she offered. “They are kept in the Smoking room. He has South Americans which he is rather fond of.”

Miss Stark scoffed and shook her head. 

Then she bit her lip and looked up at her. 

“Why are you even helping me?”, she asked. “You hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”, Charlotte argued, her voice softly, “we are not the best of friends, but that doesn’t mean I hate you.”

In all, she doubted she hated anyone. Except perhaps Fräulein Kelder, her old Nanny, with Sir Richard being a close second. 

Lizzie Stark scoffed and shook her head, then another curse slipped her lips. 

“I didn’t believe them when they said you didn’t know, but you really don’t, do you?”

Charlotte felt her chest tighten. 

“Know what?”, she asked, her hands finding Sybil’s pearl. 

“About Tommy.”

She said the name like a curse, as if each word was a glass shard stuck in her throat. “Who he is. What he does. What his family does.”

Charlotte swallowed hard and stared at her wide-eyed. "I don't understand- he's a businessman. He sells cars."

Miss Stark scoffed, pulling the borrowed scarf around her tighter, as the look she gave Charlotte, made a shudder crawl over her spine.

~

Thank you for reading - I'd love to hear your thoughts

Taglist

Overall

@lilyrachelcassidy @jyessaminereads @chlorrox @watercolorskyy @books-livre @quarterpastmidnight  @lilyevanswhore  @polishcrazyone  @zablife  @just-a-harmless-patato  @stevie75 @flyingjosephine-blog @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @babayaga67 @butterfly-skinnylegend @shelbydelrey @mrkdvidal1989 @raincoffeeandfandoms @midnightmagpiemama @adaydreamaway08 @kmc1989 @trixie23

Tommy

@knowledgefulbutterfly @babayaga67 @signorellisantichrist @lespendy @geeksareunique @look-at-the-soul @lothbrokcore @rangerelik @elenavampire21 @evanore