#to let herself believe that her heart is alive again?

[softquietsteadylove]

I have a Thenamesh AU request if it’s alright?:)

Let’s say they got Gil back and his memories too. But Thena has a hard time to accept him since she saw him die and can’t really believe that’s him. She keeps a distant to him and avoids him as good as she can on the domo. So what if Gil does something that really proofs that he is real and he really came back? Where Thena finally believes it?

Would be a very emotional request and a bit soft in the end :)

"Dinner is served!" He turned to them with a bright smile, "get it while it's hot!"

The rest of the Eternals clambered to get some of the delicious and lovingly made food for themselves. Especially those who had been held captive in the World Forge, adapted to human life and missing the small comforts.

He eyed the doorway, "there's more than enough-"

Thena left.

Gilgamesh sighed, looking down at his pot of stew. She hadn't spoken a single word to him since his return. It was so dire that even looking at him was an improvement in her acknowledgement of his presence.

"Hey," Kingo said gently as he came up for his serving. "Don't let it get to you. She's...well, you know."

He did know; he knew better than anyone, in this life or the next. He nodded, giving Kingo a smile. Once everyone had a helping, including a very different looking Sprite, he dished out two bowls and walked out with them.

She didn't make a sound, she didn't leave any trace. But he would always be able to feel that pull to her.

The door swished open for him, sensing its users presence. Perhaps it was kind of her to not lock him out of his old room. "Feeling nostalgic?"

"These are my quarters."

He smiled, walking in cautiously and placing down the two stew bowls. No matter her reluctance to be with him now, it still warmed his heart that his room had brought her more comfort than her own. She always did sleep better in here with him.

Or maybe all she had done was come in here and mourn him.

Gilgamesh frowned at her, sitting rigid and folded around herself on his bed. Her legs were crossed, her arms folded, just staring at the far wall. "Thena."

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk?"

"Anything else?"

He supposed he should be grateful to get this much out of her. If his Thena truly didn't want to talk, not a force in the universe could pry those perfect lips open.

Thena looked up at him as he pushed the bowl of stew into her line of sight. Unstoppable force met immovable object, and finally, she accepted it from it.

Gilgamesh sat down beside her, giving her enough space not to feel imposed upon. They took slow bites, listening to their breathing, their chewing, the clink of the spoons in the bowls.

Thena stirred hers around, taking it in as she swallowed.

He looked at her. "Is it how you remember?"

She didn't bother answering him.

Maybe questions about her memory weren't the best ice breaker. He shifted on the bed and cleared his throat. "It is a little different from our recipe at home."

At home; the words made her flinch, as if he'd lashed out and cut her.

He was slow and gentle, though, like the first times he'd had to lure her out of her room after an episode. "Can you tell what's different?"

She looked at him, finally, if only to express her annoyance. But she looked at her bowl again, her lips pursing faintly as she moved her tongue around in her mouth. "It's missing...something."

He was honestly impressed she could tell that much. "What have you been eating?--while I've...been away?"

That was a risky question to ask, but it would have to be asked sooner or later. Thena took her time answering, which was just fine with him. "Druig would make food."

But had she eaten it, was the question. It wasn't as if she could starve, and all she would need was a bite here or there to keep herself going. But it always made him sad to think of her letting herself go without the simple comforts of food for that long.

Gil set his half empty bowl aside, angling himself more toward her. "I'll give you a hint. It's-"

"Mushroom."

"Okay," Gil nodded as Thena stopped his little game dead in its tracks. She took another bite, though. "You've gotten better at that."

"You don't have bay leaf here on the ship so you used mushroom to make it more savoury," Thena murmured as if on autopilot. Another bite.

"I guess you would know if it was any different."

"It's his recipe."

"It's my recipe."

Her eyes shot to him, smooth and swift and lethal, just like the rest of her. He didn't startle from it, letting her eye him with annoyance and disdain and poorly veiled hope. Those eyes always told him everything he needed to know, whether she liked it or not.

"It's my recipe," he repeated softly. She let him pull the bowl away from her, his hands lingering against hers. If she didn't want him to, she could push him away. She could snap even his bones if she really wanted to.

He had never used his Cosmic Energy against her outside of an attack, and he never, ever would.

"Everything else was the same," he began, her hands - slim and light and delicate - resting in his.

"Beef, onion, carrot, flour, broth," Thena listed off, her eyes horrifically distant as she watched the process of it being made in her memory.

Gilgamesh chuckled, moving their hands slowly. She watched him do it, letting him slide their fingers together until his palm could meet hers. "What's the first ingredient?"

Her eyes hardened. She was fighting so hard to protect herself.

Just this once, he wouldn't let her. "What's the first ingredient of everything I make for you?"

"Love."

Gil reached forward, brushing away the deluge of tears suddenly flowing from those stunning eyes. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. I've been gone for too long."

Any time would be too long apart from her.

"It's you," she whispered, every fibre of her being fighting not to come unwoven permanently.

"It's me," he promised, understanding of what she needed from him. He brought her palm up to his cheek. "I'm here."

She shook from head to toe, looking at him as if they were in that forest again--as if he had a hole in his neck and was breathing his last breaths. "I see this sometimes. And it's not real."

How cruel. How wretched and unfair Arishem was to make his beautiful Thena endure that. He turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand, "I'm real."

She shook her head again, even as she both pulled him closer and moved closer herself. "No."

"I'm real," he whispered as she climbed into his arms, the way she would at home. The way she would in Australia, wounds on both of them, her dress tattered and trailing behind her. She would settle herself into the safety of his arms and find there as much rest as she could.

"How do I know?" Whatever she had been through in his absence had shaken her to her core. He could ask her about it later, slowly, a little bit at a time. Or never, if she truly didn't want to tell him.

He tightened his hold on her, resting his cheek against her hair. "You'll just have to trust me."

She had nothing to say to that, at least not yet. But she remained in his embrace. She pressed her face into the side of his neck, feeling the pulse of his blood in his veins. "Gil?"

How he had longed to hear that. That one little sound, from her soft little voice. Just for him. "Hm?"

The rumble of his chest against her helped her unwind a little. His hand pressed flat over her back, offering warmth and the promise of his support. It helped her anchor herself to him.

In Australia, if she woke in the night, she would call to him like that. To check if he was there, if he was awake, if he was safe--if he was real. Any number of things. And he liked to believe that even in the depths of sleep, he would respond that same way.

Thena buried her face in his chest, undoing his vest and slipping her hands around him. The closer her hands could be the more sure she could be that he was within her reach.

He would combine the rest of their bowls later, make sure she got enough food in her. But for now, she needed this. He did too, to a degree. He would always need his Thena, and she needed time with just him like she needed air in her lungs.

"The others?"

"Who cares," he chuckled, lying back on the bed with her in his arms. The little pearls in her ears touched her cheeks, and her cardigan was soft to the touch. But this was undeniably what he had been missing in that state of suspended animation from which they had woken him.

[tojirights]

❛ you taste like heaven. ❜

Alastor with angel!reader omg. I imagine that reader was Alastor's wife back when they were alive, but didn't see eachother again after death because Alastor is in hell and reader is in heaven. I imagine that after Sir Pentious got redeemed, Sera sent reader (because she has experience with demons(? Ur choice) and Sera trusts her a lot) down to hell to investigate this 'hazbin hotel'.

a/n: AHHHH i almost didnt want to write smut into this because it was so precious 😭 ooc alastor again but its so CUTE. i added my "alastor speaks french" agenda to this as well lol.

buy me a coffee? 😇

tags: 18+ smut nsfw, fem! receiving oral

heaven was in shambles after the last extermination, no one knew what would happen next now that souls could be redeemed from hell. it was then that sera approached you in private, all but begging you to go be an "ambassador." you were hesistant at first, not only thinking that this was a lot of responsibility, but also that your... husband had to be down there. he wasn't a "good man" after all, but your heart still fluttered at the thought of seeing him once more. with a sigh, you accept sera's plea and prepare for your trip down to the hazbin hotel.

there to greet you, was charlie morningstar herself, bright eyed and bubbly just like you heard all about. she leads you into the foyer of the hotel before you stop dead in your tracks. charlie is still speaking a mile a minute in your ear, trying to welcome you as best she can, but you're not listening. your eyes meet alastor's, immediately recognizing him even in this new form of his. and when his smile almost fades, you know he recognizes you too.

there's another brief pause before you're running towards him, your wings unfurling on their own as you're quickly wrapped up in his embrace. the other inhabitants of the hotel watch, confused, seeing as alastor hasn't really let anyone but niffty get close enough to touch him, let alone embrace him. your wings fluff up and cover your faces as you lean up to kiss your estranged partner. "oohh, sweetheart.." he sighs against your lips. "its been..."

you smile between kisses, your heart racing in your chest. "too long." you finish his sentence, earning a chuckle from the demon. his lips kiss a trail to your ear, a low growl to his voice as he whispers to you. "you taste like heaven, darling." your cheeks go red, not quite prepared for such a comment, especially in front of company. "alastor!" you hiss, hitting his chest gently but he just pulls you closer in response.

finally, he addresses the group behind you who are all standing with their jaws hanging open. "now, if you're all done gawking, i believe my wife needs to be shown around..."

husk spits out his drink as alastor speaks, covering angel in alcohol. "your WHAT!?" you hide your face as calamity ensues, everyone trying to speak over eachother at the insane news. "your wife... is an angel?" charlie asks gently, trying to get to the bottom of this. "well, i couldn't have known for sure but she was always more a saint than i." alastor hums, running his hand down your back. you shudder when he touches your wings, to which he notes in his head for later.

"o-oh! well then! i guess you should show her around, yeah?" she smiles bashfully, still taken aback by everything happening since your arrival just a few minutes ago. you look up at alastor, your cheeks aching from smiling so wide. "i think i'd like that." you whisper to him, enjoying the way he pulls you closer to him. "hold on tight then, my love."

you're not sure what he means by that until you're slipping into the shadows with him. its an odd feeling, but you don't think much of it until you're reappearing in what you assume is his bedroom. alastor is careful with you, like he's afraid the wrong touch will burn you, but he craves the feeling of your bare skin against his hands more than he can admit. you smile, reaching your hands up to cup his face. "touch me, al. i'm not fragile..."

your words light a spark deep within him, forcing him to restrain himself from ripping your pretty clothes into tatters. he groans inwardly, large hands reaching around to pick you up before fumbling his way to the bed. "corrupting an angel wasn't on my bucket list until seeing you again, my dear." his tone, its not what you're used to hearing, but that gravelly undertone shoots straight through you. "oh please, you can't corrupt me more than you already have." alastor's lips find the sensitive skin of your neck and you feel him smirk.

"i hope that's not a challenge." he tests, tugging at the hem of your dress. you all but giggle, lifting up so alastor can free your body of clothes. "and what if is it?" you challenge, knowing full well that alastor wouldn't let your teasing continue without proper punishment. his eyes darken red, and there's a tinge of fear in your gut. because this may still be alastor, but its been quite a while, you don't know how he's changed.

but as he kisses down your stomach, you're reassured that the man you married is still there somewhere, underneath this 'radio demon' persona. "your lips tasted of heaven, mon amour, does this taste so sweet as well?" alastor's words alone are enough are enough to make you whimper, then the feeling of his hot breath against your clothed cunt makes your core pulse.

your hands naturally fall to the top of his head, feeling the softness of his ears and the rough points of his antlers. "c-can i..?" you start, timidly holding onto the horns. alastor's body shudders as he shoves his face into your thigh. "yes, ma chérie. please do." he breathes, tugging on the thin fabric of your panties until they rip in half.

alastor wants to be patient, wants to treat you like the angel you are, but he is a demon after all. and he hasn't gotten such a delicious meal in far too long. after he feels your grip tighten on his antlers, he lets loose his self control. his first taste of your sweet pussy sends him into a frenzy, eating you like a man starving. his tongue swipes up your slit before circling your clit in quick flicks. your legs are shaking already, breathy moans leaving your lips with reckless abandon.

there's a part of you that is concerned to be getting your cunt ate by a demon, but this demon was your husband, after all. sera made you come down here and you might as well enjoy yourself, right?

your hips arch up, craving more and more, and alastor is happy to oblige. "this is heaven, my dear. not some palace in the sky, but here, between your legs." your eyes well with tears, overwhelmed in more ways than one. every pass of his tongue has your release teetering on the edge while his sweet words make your heart flutter. its almost too much, and when alastor sucks on your clit, your walls burst.

"a-alastor i'm..." you mewl, every nerve on your body screaming as your orgasm rolls over you. you're almost sure you're hurting him by how hard you tug at his hair, but alastor doesn't stop. the intensity is something you've not experienced in many, many years, and the tears stream down your cheeks. alastor coaxes you through it, licking slow and soft circles around your sensitive bud until your shaking stops.

he's quick to climb up, wiping the tears from your puffy eyes. "such a good girl, mon amour. there's plenty more where that came from."

[samandcolbyownme]

Summary: anon request- "Hear me out, y/n is on a girls trip to Vegas. When out at a club one of her friends spots Colby (and friends) and plays wing woman mentioning to Colby that he is y/n's "hall pass." He's interested and they party and hook up all weekend. Including heavy smut and dom Colby, please"

Warnings: this story is going to contain reader CHEATING on fiancé with Colby, SMUT18+, Hall pass Colby, LOTS of unprotected sex, rough sex, fingering, oral (f rec), hair pulling, choking, creampie, scratching, biting, lots of filth 

Again, this one shot is going to contain reader cheating on fiancé with Colby as their chosen hall pass.

Word count: 8.2k | kinda proofread

╔═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╗

N I G H T * O N E 

"I'm so excited for this trip." You say walking to your rental car, "I can't believe we're here!" 

Your best friend, Hadley sighs, looking around, "I know! Im so glad we agreed on doing the solo bride and maid of honor trip." 

You nod, throwing your suit case into the car, "So the hotel?" You ask getting into the drivers seat. Hadley gets in and nods, "Yeah we gotta get ready." 

"Ready for what?" You look at her with a laugh. 

"Please tell me you didn't think we were staying in the hotel room all weekend.." she shakes her head, "No baby. We're throwing a bride sash on you and not having to pay for any drink." 

You laugh, "Okay. Yeah. Your idea sounds so much more fun." 

"There's the spirit." She punches your arm handle and you laugh, "I'm so glad you remembered the bride sash. I literally forgot about it until right now." 

She points to herself, "I'm the maid of honor, of course I'm going to be on top of things." 

You nod and shake your head as you continue to drive to the hotel. 

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

By the time you got settled and showered and all dressed up to go out, a few hours have passed by, making it time for you and Hadley to go out. 

"Oh!" She rushes to her suit case and pulls out the sash, "can't forget this!" 

"Yes!" You laugh and point to her. She walks over and lifts it over your head, "Perfect." She steps back, pointing to the door, "Let's go." 

Luckily, the club you were going to, was only a short walk away. 

You get your ID back from the bouncer and you walk in, looking around. 

Every thing was so, alive. 

You were amazed and excited because you can scratch going to Vegas off of your bucket list. 

"Alright." Hadley says, "Let's make that sash, work." 

She interlocks her arm with yours and pulls you towards the bar. You had to admit, you didn't think the sash would work. 

A guy does a double take, smirking as he reads over your sash, "Bride to be? Huh." He nods, "You get a drink yet?" 

Haley nudges you and you laugh, "Oh, Um. Not yet." 

"Here." He waves the bartender down and motions to you and Hadley, "Add the next two drinks to my tab." 

The bartender nods and you smile at the guy, "Thank you." He winks and looks away. You turn to Hadley and laugh quietly, "Oh my god." 

She prances in place and squeals quietly, "I knew it would work." 

After the last two hours of mingling and sipping on drinks, Haley rushes up to you and grabs your arm, "Guess who the fuck is here." 

You look around, "Who?" 

"Colby Brock." 

You feel your face relax with shock. 

Colby is your celebrity crush basically. You adored him. He was in fact, who you told your fiancé your hall pass is. 

"Isn't he the-" 

You nod, already knowing what she's going to ask, "Yes. Yes." You laugh slightly, "Avery knows my hall pass is Colby." 

She covers her mouth, "how often does this fucking shit happen?" She sighs, "So if you meet him do you get to use it?" She look at you and raises her brows, "Cause I mean.. I would." 

You laugh, "um, no. I don't think that you can ac-" 

"Come on." Hadley pulls you through the crowd and your heart starts beating. You can't sit there and say you haven't thought about Colby while having sex or while doing it solo, because you have. 

Colby's hot, like godly, you'd let him ruin your life hot. 

So, you would in fact risk it all, "Hey." You pull Hadley back to you, "Keep it low key, I don't want very many people knowing about my embarrassment if I get rejected." 

She smirks and nods, "Alright. I gotchu." 

You move over to an empty table and sit down, your eyes scanning the crowd. Hadley leans in, "Okay, so I'm going to wait for Colby to go up to the bar and then I'll go talk to him." 

You laugh at her, "You're too good at this." She shrugs, "Wingwoman things." 

You look around, anxiously thinking about what you wanted to do. 

Well, you already knew what you were going to do, you were mainly anxious about the possible outcomes for the repercussion of it. 

After a little bit of waiting, she gasps, "Oh. There he goes." She quickly gets down from her stool and she looks at you, "Look cute, okay?" 

You nod and quickly go into the mode of trying to be cool and cute.

You force yourself not to look over there, you couldn't believe that this was even happening, like, Hadley was right, how often does this shit really work out? 

A few moments later, Hadley returns and she nods, "He's interested." 

Your eyes go wide, "no." You shake your head, "You're lying." She laughs, "That would be a sick joke. I'm serious! I gave him your number. I told him to text you because it's a big deal. Blah blah privacy. You know." 

You stare at her, slightly in shock, "This isn't real. This isn't happening." 

Hadley sighs and reaches out, pinches your arm. You wince in pain, "ouch?" You look at her and she smirks, "You're awake. This isn't a dream." 

You laugh, "Oh my god." You sigh, "What about Avery? Oh god. I don't think I can do this."

Hadley lays a hand on your arm and leans in, "y/n. Look at me." She squeezes your arm, "You know that saying, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?" 

You nod and she nods, "Exactly.." 

"The fact that you're thinking about passing up the chance to fuck Colby Brock." She shakes her head, "Are you seriously going to do that?" 

So along with the whole wanting to fuck Colby, you also have had this, weird feeling, that you could always pull him. 

Maybe it was just your ego expanding because you know you're hot enough to actually pull him. 

"Is he really the person you'd risk it all for?" Hadley asks and you sigh, "Fuck, yeah. I mean, look at him." 

She laughs, "Good, because here they come." She straightens up and you sit up, "Oh fuck. Fuck." You smile as Colby's eyes meet yours. 

The way he makes you feel soaked just by looking at you, really tells you that you made the right choice. 

"Hey, guys." Hadley smiles, "Colby, who's your friend?" Colby smile and motions to the blonde next to him, "This is Sam." 

You laugh slightly, smiling at you nod, "We know. We watch your videos." Your eyes move from Sam to Colby. 

He smirks and nods, "We appreciate it." 

"So which one of you is the bride to be?" Sam leans in looking for the sash, "Ah. There she is." He smiles up at you and you tilt your head, "Here I am."

"I'm going to go get a round for us, be right back." Sam points and you nod, your eyes following Colby as he sits down next to Hadley, "So when's the big day?" 

You couldn't lie. You were so nervous you could throw up.

"Um, three? Weeks? Three and half maybe." You slowly lick over your bottom lip, "It's been quite crazy." You laugh and bring your drink up to your lips.

"That sounds like you need to take this-" Colby pauses and looks at Hadley, "How long are you here for?"

"Mm." Hadley pulls her straw from her lips, "The weekend. Friday to Sunday."

Colby looks back at you, "you need to take this weekend to relax." 

You slowly pull your bottom lip between your teeth and if it was just you and him, you'd jump him right then and there. 

"That's what I've been telling her! The whole plane ride here." Hadley sighs, "she deserves this." Hadley looks from you, motioning to Colby with her eyes and you can't help but laugh, "Yeah, yeah. I know." 

"Tell you what, our friend is throwing a party tomorrow night, why don't you guys swing by?" Colby looks between the two of you and you nod. 

This man has you in a mental chokehold, "That would be great, just text me the details." 

He smiles at you and nods, "I'll do that." 

Sam walks back up and sets the small tray down on the table, "Here we go." He grabs a glass and holds it up. You all follow along with raising yours and Sam looks at you, "To the bride to be." 

Your she's move from Sam, locking onto Colby's and he smirks, tilting his head slightly, "to the bride to be." 

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

"Alright. I think we're going to head out." You say getting down from your stool. 

"So soon?" Sam jokes and you laugh, "Yeah, it's almost two am." 

"Fair enough, did Colby tell you about our friends party?" Sam asks and you nod, "Oh right, yeah. Colby. Text me the address and stuff." 

Colby points back, "Yes, thank you for reminding me." 

The more you drank, the more the tension of wanting to fuck each other was growing quickly. 

You smile and link arms with Hadley, "Thank you for the drinks!" Hadley turns, "Bye guys!" She waves and you walk out. 

The cool, night air chilling your overheated bodies. 

"That did not.. just fucking happen." You press your fingers to your lips and think for a moment, "What the fuck." 

Hadley sighs, "Ah yeah. That's what you get for waking up in Vegas." You laugh, "Yeah, but wait, we didn't wake up here this morning." 

"Can you just-" she laughs, "don't ruin this for me." 

"Oh. Sorry." You both drunkenly laugh as you walk back to the hotel. As you make your way in, you dig your room key out of your purse. 

You step onto the elevator and the only thing on your mind right now is Colby. 

"Are you thinking about him?" Hadley asks and you nod, "Oh yeah." 

"Are you gonna do it?" You can tell she looks over at you but you keep your eyes on the doors of the elevator, "Do you think it's worth it?" 

"So you think Avery was serious about the whole hall pass thing?" Hadley asks, and you both walk off the elevator. 

"I mean.." you sigh, "I couldn't tell if they were joking or not." 

Hadley looks around and leans in, her voice going quiet, "The way Colby was looking at you tonight.. tells me that there's no way that man didn't catch feelings for you right then and there." 

You roll your eyes and she tilts her head, "I'm your best friend, so I'm going to be honest with you.. let's not forget who doesn't even want you on this girls trip to celebrate their upcoming wedding." 

You nod, "We talked about it.. it's fine now."

She nods, "Okay. But still." 

You look up at her, "Look I know you don't really care for Avery, but they're who I'm here, celebrating to being married to soon, okay." 

You both needed to sleep. You've been flying, driving, and just non stop going all day. 

You sigh, "We just need to go to bed and the alcohol isn't helping.. so yeah." You turn around and walk into the room. 

You go over to the door that conjoins your rooms and you stop to look over at her, "If this happens, are you going to tell anyone?" 

A smirk grows on her lips and she shakes her head, "I promise I won't." You nod, laughing slightly, "I'll let you know how it goes." 

She salutes you, "As you should." 

You laugh, "goodnight." 

You walk into your room, leaving the door unlocked and you go to get undressed. As you're stripping down, you can tell your phone goes off so your heart starts to beat faster. 

You grab your phone and walk in to the bathroom, smirking as you see it's a text from Colby, mainly just giving you the address. 

You bite your lip and type up your text back, Sounds good. See you tomorrow. 

You set your phone down on the counter and take a deep breath as you turn on the shower. As you're waiting patiently for the water to get hot, Colby responds. 

You pick up your phone and smile as you read his text, It was really great to meet you and Hadley. 

You hop into the shower and pull the curtain closed. You turn your back to the water and tilt your head as you type, It was really nice meeting you and Sam. You both are just absolutely unreal. 

You hit send and rest your phone on the little shelf thing so you can take an everything shower. 

You couldn't go without checking your phone, in hopes to see his name pop up. 

You couldn't lie. This was all a lot for you right now, like you couldn't believe that Colby Brock and Sam Golbach know who you are. 

When Colby finally answers, you give it a few minutes before you unlock your phone and read over his text, Speaking of, I gotta say. What she said kind of really peaked my interest.

You take a minute, because this could go one of two ways. 

Something tells you to just roll with it, so that's what you do, what did she say to you again? I just want to confirm that she got all the details that we talked about, lol. 

You sit your phone down, forcing yourself to finish your shower before looking at your phone again. 

It was a twenty nervous filled minutes. 

You wrap the towel around yourself and walk out to the room. You sit down on the bed and read what he said, Oh, I see. So you were in on it. If I have to say, that's probably the hottest pickup line ever.

Something flips in your stomach, peaking your interest even more. 

You lay back, holding your phone above your face as you type, I just need to know if it's a real thing, ya know? 

You jump slightly when you see Avery's name pop up at the top of your screen. You let out a sigh and accept the FaceTime with a smile, "Hey, babe." 

"What's going on, baby?" They ask and you sit up, "Just got back from the club a little bit ago.. you?" 

They shrug, "Nothing. Just got back from Cam's house." 

You nod, "Oh yeah? How was that?" 

"Eh. I just can't wait until you're back on Sunday, but you probably are having way too much fun without me." 

You laugh slightly, seeing Colby's text appear at the top of the screen, It can be as real as you want it to be, y/n. 

"Do you miss me?" 

You chew the inside of your lip, nodding as you look at Avery through the screen, "Of course I miss you, too!" You laugh slightly, "Why would you think that I didn't?"

"I'm just messing with you, babe." Avery laughs and you roll your eyes, "Very funny." You yawn and Avery sighs, "Yeah I'm going to head to bed." 

"Yeah, me, too." You nod, "I'll call you tomorrow, alright? I love you." 

"I love you, sleep good." Avery smiles and waves before hanging up and you take a second to process the call. 

You get this really strange feeling that you, honestly, have never felt before. 

You didn't like it. 

You thought about what you wanted to do, and either way, if your suspicions are right, at least you can say that you fucked Colby Brock, right? 

You go to Colby texts and type, The Venetian. Floor 25 room E, last room on the left.

You hit sent and you toss your phone as you now anxiously await the sound of a knock on your door. 

A few moments later, theres a soft knock on your door. 

You walk over, peeling back the tape on the peep hole to look and to your shock, you see Colby. You push the tape back over and open the door, "How'd you get here so fast?" 

"I was down in the casino actually, how weird was that?" He glances down, raising a brow a he tilts his head to the side, "So.. you're really getting right to it, huh?" 

You look down, completely forgetting that you were in just a towel, "Oh.. shit. Wow this is embarrassing." You turn around and Colby walks in, "Mm. I like it." 

You look at him shyly and smile, "Oh, okay." 

"So.." Colby walks up to you, "Can I ask you a question?" You look up at him, giving him a smirk, "Of course." 

His eyes stay on yours, which makes it kind of hard for you to stay focused as he asks, "Out of everyone, why me?" 

You bite down on your lip, "I mean." To step back and motion to him, "Have you seen yourself?" 

Colby chuckles and shakes his head, "I should be asking you the same thing." He bites his lip and sighs, "I am very flattered that I am what you call your - "He puts air quotes up, "Celebrity Hall Pass.." he laughs, "And you being hot makes it ten times better." 

You bite your lip, "How do you.. wanna do this?" Your eyes flick up to meet his and he shrugs, "How ever you want to do it, baby." 

Baby, you smirk, god you wanted him. 

He steps closer to you and you can feel yourself freeze. 

His hands hover over your body. Teasing you with the oh so close presence. You grab his wrists and push his hands to meet your body. 

His fingers dig to grow his grip tighter. Your hands slide up to his neck and your eyes never move from his, "I want you." 

That's all it took - Colby lifts you up, your legs wrapping perfectly around his waist and he walks you over to the bed. He gets up on his knees before laying you down. 

His lips crash into yours with that fiery passion you knew you felt. You moan against his lips as he grinds his bulge against your bare cunt, causing you to whimper out. 

You needed him, you want him so bad it hurts. 

"You sound so pretty, baby." Colby leans up, shifting all his weight onto his left arm as his right hand drags up to the top of your towel, "Can I take this off?" 

You nod, "Yes, yes." You bite your lip as he pulls back the towel, revealing your fresh out of the shower body. 

Colby can tell you instantly want to cover up. He licks His lips and leans down, "I think.." he presses a kiss to your neck, leaning back to make you look at him, "You are the hottest fucking person I've ever come in contact with."  Your pussy grows wetter and your cheeks grow hotter from his words, "You hear me?" 

You nod and lift your body so he can pull the towel from under you, "Hey." He tosses it and leans in, "You are fucking beautiful. Okay?" He nods at you and you nod back. 

He plants a kiss to your forehead and you feel his hand drag down your body. He stops at your waist, looking from his hand to you, "Can I touch you?"

You nod quickly, laying your hand on his to push it down to your achy cunt, "Yes." You breathe out, "Please."

Colby's voice is low, "Spread 'em for me, baby." 

You comply, parting your thighs. He smirks and you move your hand so you can watch his hand slide down to press his middle finger to your clit. 

You let out a gasp and buck your hips, you needed more, "Colby!" You whine out and he chuckles, resting down on his side and presses a kiss down your shoulder, "Tell me what you want, sweetheart." 

"I need you in me." You whine out, turning your face to look at him. You lay a hand on your cheek and moan out.

He watches your face twitch with pleasure as he drags a single finger between your folds, listening to you let out another moan as he pushes that finger into you. 

"Fuck." You breathe out, rolling your hips, "C-Colby." 

"What, baby?" Colby asks and you whine, "more.." you whimper, "I need more." 

"How do you want me to fuck you baby?" Colby slowly pushes in another finger, obliging to your request, making you moan out. 

Colby chuckles, "Want me to be slow and gentle?, Or do you want me to fuck you rough and hard?"

You nod, whimpering out, "y-yes." 

"Which one baby? Talk to me." Colby curls his fingers inside of you and you arch your back off the bed, "F-fuck me.. hard and rough." 

"Hard and rough? Mm" Colby leans down, kissing up your neck, "you want to be treated like a slut now don't you?" 

You nod and Colby chuckles, "Words, sweetheart." 

"Yes." You whisper out, "I want to be a slut for you."

He pulls his fingers out and stands up, "Rub that clit for me while I undress, baby." Your hand drags to your clit and you gasp as you slowly rub circles over your it. 

"That's it, baby." Colby nods as he strips his clothes from his body, "You're so wet already." He smirks, as climbs onto the bed, "I turn you on that much?" 

You nod, laying your hands on his shoulders, "oh yeah." You bite down on your lip as he positions his hips in between your thighs. 

"I couldn't wait to be inside of you the second I saw you sitting at that table." Colby whispers as he rubs the head of his cock against your opening, "So fucking hot." 

He inches his cock in, a groan from him mixing with your moan. Your nails dig into his shoulders and you squeeze around him. 

Your eyes roll back as you feel him stretching you the further he pushes in, "C-Colby." 

You drag your nails up his back, moaning out loudly as he pulls out and thrusts back in. His pace is slow, but his thrusts are hard. 

"Does your fiancé make you feel this good?" Colby mumbles with his lips against your forehead. You gasp out, tilting your head back, "Fuck, no no no." 

Colby slips an arm under your back and holds you up slightly. His other arm supporting his weight as his thrusts grow faster, more vicious. 

"You have the pussy that was made for me." Colby moans lowly and you whine, "You feel so good." 

Your nails sink into his shoulders as he rams himself into you. You moan out with each thrust, eyes rolling back as he lays you back on the bed.

He leans up, hands reaching down to hold your hips, and his thrusts grow hard, "F-fuck." 

Your back arches against the bed and you groan loudly, "F-fuck.." you gasp, feeling yourself come undone around him.

"Fuck, fuck." Colby groans, tilting his head back. He pushes your thighs back, pinning them down as he watches his cock disappear into you repeatedly. 

As he's fucking you through your orgasm, you feel his thrusts growing sloppy, "Where do you want me to cum, baby?" 

You roll your eyes, shrugging as you whimper out, "Anywhere, I don't care." 

He groans and nods, "Fuck." He thrusts his hips forward, slowly thrusting as you feel his cock twitch inside of you. 

You couldn't help but moan. 

Colby slowly pulls out, still keeping your thigh pinned back, "Fuck. Tell your fiancé that I'm sorry in advance." 

You bite down on your lip and furrow your brows, "Huh?" 

He lets go of his grip on your thighs and leans down, hands beside your head, "I said." He chuckles lightly, "Tell your fiancé that I said I'm sorry because I'm about to murder this pussy every day you're here." 

You swallow, nodding desperately. Now that did fuck him, you're addicted. 

"Really?" You whimper out quietly and he smirks, "Any chance I get, baby. This pussy is mine this weekend, right?" 

You nod and Colby tilts his head, "Come on baby. Let me hear it." 

You smirk up at him and nod, "This pussy is yours for the weekend." 

Colby presses his lips to yours, "Glad we're on the same page." He winks and moves off of you, "Now come on. I need a shower." 

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

N I G H T * T W O 

You and Colby fucked again last night. 

You fucked again this morning. 

And you're one hundred percent sure that he's coming back to your hotel room after their friend's party, which was honestly kind of boring. 

You and Hadley were loners until Sam and Colby and some of their friends joined. Once you got a few drinks in you, the night got a little bit better. 

When you're finally ready to leave, you look a Colby, "Are you, um." You laugh slightly, voice going lower, "Coming.. over tonight?" 

He gives you a nod, "Do you want me to?" 

You smirk, "I think we both already know the answer to that question." He nods, a smile on his face, "I think we do, yeah." 

An hour later, Colby is opening the hotel door from behind you. Your back is pressed against it, and his lips are on yours. 

He walks you backwards through the door and kicks it shut before bending down to lift you up, "This dress is fucking hot as hell, baby." 

You smirk, "I thought you'd like it." 

"Seems like you know me well enough already." He teases as he walk you over to the bed. He lays you down and lays down on his side next to you, fingers gently dragging up and down your thigh. 

You giggle, "I mean, I can't lie. I've followed you on social media for so long, so that kinda helped prepare me for this." 

"Smart girl." Colby slips his hand under your dress and you part your thigh a little more, "Sometimes." You breathe out with a laugh. 

Colby's fingers drag up and down your clothed pussy, "Are you wet for me?" 

"I've been all night."

He smirks and presses his lips to yours as he reaches down to undo his belt. You eagerly pull your dress up and work it up over your head before moving to get your panties off. 

As soon as the clothes are off and scattered, Colby's on his knees on the bed by your feet, "Roll over." He motions, "Ass up, sweetheart." 

You smirk and roll over onto your stomach, glancing back over your shoulder as you feel his hands on your ass. 

They stay on your ass as you raise your hips, keeping your arms bent flat by your head. 

"Good girl." Colby says lowly, gliding his cock up and down your soaked slit. 

You push your hips back as he slides in and you grip the sheets, letting out a loud moan, "Fuck, Colby." 

His hands tightly grip your hips and his speed picks up. He pulls you back to meet each of his thrusts, "Can't get enough of you." 

You moan out in response, pleasure consuming you as he hit that perfect spot with each of his thrusts, "F-Fuck." You whine out, "Gonna cum." 

You felt so close already and you blame the connection you and Colby have. 

It's incredible. 

Colby leans down, sliding his hands up your body to grip your shoulders. He pulls you up and you push yourself up onto your hands. 

His hands slide around your throat, gradually closing his grip tighter, "Such a good little slut." He breathes out, "Fuck." 

You let out a strangled moan, eyes rolling shut as he pounds you into orgasm. 

Colby groans as your walls squeeze his cock, "Fuck, baby. That's it, cum for me." He focuses on guiding you through your high, loosening his grip on your throat and you gasp. 

His left hand goes to your shoulder and his right hand grabs your hair and gathers it into a makeshift ponytail, "Can I fill you again. Sweetheart?" 

You nod your head, wincing as he pulls, "Words. Baby." 

"Y-es." You moan out, "Fill my pussy." 

Colby smirks at how much control he has over you. He knew you would do anything for him. He had you wrapped around his finger. 

"If you say so." He smirks, pushing your face down to the bed. 

You let out a loud moan as the slight position change and Colby's hand keeping a tight hold on your hair, "Fuck." 

Colby moves his left hand down to your hip, gripping it right as he thrusts harder into you. You clench around him, urging him to fill you, just like he did before. 

"Please please please." You whimper, "Fuck, fuck fuck." 

"Whose pussy is this?" Colby asks and you smile as you moan out loudly, "Yours, baby. It's yours." 

He pushes his cock all the way in as he lets go of your hair to grip your hip. He pulls out slightly and pushes back in, "Fuck." 

He allows you to feel his cock twitching as he fills you completely before he pulls out fully. He lets out a sigh, "You are fucking perfect." He leans down to look at your face. He brushes hair from your eyes and smiles, "Do you need anything?" 

You shake your head, "No I think I'm going to go for a shower though." 

He tilts his head and before he can even say anything you smile, "Come on."

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

S U N D A Y * M O R N I N G 

Colby ended up staying the night with you again and you found yourself wide awake around four a.m. 

You just laid there, rethinking everything. 

You reach over slowly, making sure not to wake Colby and you grab your phone from the stand. You bite your lip as you navigate through your phone and into your text message threat with Avery. 

You struggled to type out your question, because you didn't want it coming off as bad, but you just had this feeling that either way, with you being in Vegas with a fiancé who doesn't even want you here isn't going to make it better.

You locked your phone, deciding on not sending a message. You cuddled back into Colby's chest and he pulled you closer, "You okay?" 

You nod against his chest, a soft toned lie coming from your mouth, "Yeah." 

It's quiet for a few minutes and you clear your throat, "I'll be right back. I'm going to see if Hadley has any melatonin or something..." 

Sounded like a decent excuse. 

You got up, walking over to the connecting door and quietly unlocking it. You push it open and step in. You quietly prance over to her bed and sit down on it slowly, "Hey." You whisper, "Hadley." 

She stirs but still no luck. You lean down, "Hey. I need to talk to you." You whisper slightly loud and her body jolts, "what.. the fuck? Y/n?" 

She rubs her eyes, "what time is it?" 

"I don't know like four thirty?" You move to get over the covers and your sigh as you lean back against the headboard, "I'm stuck." 

"On?" She knows, she just wants you to make yourself say it out loud, so you do, "Calling.. off the wedding.." 

"Why?" She rubs her eyes, "Like, because you've been hooking up with Colby or because you want to be with Colby." 

You know the answer, but you stay silent. 

"Do what makes you happy.. I mean.. all I'm gonna say is that you're with someone who doesn't even want you here celebrating their wedding." 

You nod, "But.. I still slept with Colby." 

"Okay, before he starts to get skeptical about what-" she tilts her head, "what are you here for?" 

"Oh." You nod, "I told him I was coming to get some melatonin. I was going to text Avery but I chickened out." 

"Well before he starts wondering why you're taking so long, I think first off you need to find out whether or not Avery was serious with the whole hall pass thing but you can play around it either way. Just tell them that you got to meet Colby and I was joking about it or something." 

You stare at the bed, thinking for a moment before you nod, "Yeah." You look at her, "That's good. Thank you." You go do get out of her bed, "Sorry for waking you up." 

"Mhm." Hadley mumbles as she moves around to get comfortable again, "Night. Good luck." 

You let out a soft laugh as you make your way back to the conjoining door. You quietly slip through, closing it beside tip toeing back to hour side of the bed. 

Your eyes move up and down Colby's sleeping figure and you just can't help yourself. 

You move onto the bed, sitting on your knees as you lean down to lay a few kisses over his abdomen. You glance up at him and smile as he stays asleep. 

You reach up, laying a hand on his cheek, "Colby?" You whisper as your thumb strokes his cheek, "I need you." 

"You need me, mm?" Colby smirks and you're not in the mood for jokes, which Colby picked up on when you moved to straddle his waist. 

You slip your shirt off and toss it, leaving your boobs in full view. You're thinly clothed cunt hovering above his sheet covered cock, growing harder as the situation continues. 

"Yes." You whimper out, "I need you." Colby's hands grip at your waist and slide up to move your shirt, "Whatever you need, sweetheart." 

You leaned down, pressing your lips to his and his hands slide around to your ass. He pushes you down as he pushes his hips up. 

You moan as his cock grinds against your clit, "F-Fuck." You whimper against his lips, "Please." 

He flips you over moving the sheet to bring it over you and he moves his body to hover over yours, "You're needy early this mornin'.." Colby tilts his head, "everything alright?" 

His hands move down to slip into the top of your panties and you gasp as you feel his fingers brush your clit, "I'm good." 

You were in fact not good. 

Far fucking from it. 

Your mind was racing as lighting speed, did I just ruin someone's life? What if doing this wasn't worth if? There's a chance Avery could have been serious about it.. 

You let out a groan, grabbing onto his neck, "Fuck me. Please." You could cry from the amount of emotions you have, you just wanted Colby for fuck them all away for a little while. 

He pulls his hand out of your panties and he slips them into the waist band, pulling them down your legs. 

He pulls them over your feet and your knees are spread wide. You reach out for him and Colby smirks as he leans down. His lips sync with yours and you wiggle your hips, moaning out as you feel the head of his cock rub against your soaked folds. 

You bite down gently on his bottom lip, gasping as you feel his cock slide in to you. Your nails digging into the top of his shoulders as you tilt your head back, mouth parted as you moan loudly. 

"O-oh.. F-Fuck." You arch your back and Colby takes the opportunity to slip his arm under your back and hold you like that as he begins to thrust. 

His lips meet the valley between your boobs, planting open mouth kisses as he moans against your skin, "Please don't leave today." 

"Colby." You whisper, clenching your walls around his cock, "I-I ha-" Colby cuts you off with a sloppy kiss and he shakes his head, "No. no. Baby, please don't say you have to." 

He rests his forehead against yours and you moan out, "why?" Colby rolls you over so you're now the one riding him, "Why, what baby?" He asks, hands tightly gripping your hips as you move your hips up and down.

"Why shouldn't I leave?" You breathe out as you dig your nails into his chest. He bucks his hips upward, "Do they fuck you better than me?" 

You shake your head, "N-not even close." You smile and look down at him, rocking your hips against his as you tilt your head back. 

Colby slides his hands up from your hips, gripping your boobs to knead at them. 

You let out a moan, whimpering as you look down at Colby, "I'm so close." 

Colby slips you back over, one arm bent by your head to hold his weight and the other on your cheek, "You feel so good." 

You were desperately chasing that high when all of a sudden your phone rings. Your head snaps and to the side and from as far as you can lift it, you know it's Avery. 

"Fuck." You gasp, trying to sit up. You groan when Colby doesn't move and you groan, "Colby, I need to answer that." 

"Answer it. I'm not stopping." He leans up and you quickly grab your phone, "please don't say a thing." 

He smirks at your plea and shrugs, "My mouth will be full don't worry." 

You answer the phone, sounding like you just woke up, "Hello." 

"Hey," Avery says, "What are you doing?" Your eyes fix on Colby bending up your legs and pushing them up and away from him, "Trying to wake up." You laugh slightly, gasping quietly when Colby's tongue presses to your clit. 

I mean, he did give you a few minutes of talking normal to your fiancé, so you can't be mad. 

"Yeah." Avery laughs anxiously, "Sorry about that."

You hum in response, mainly towards Colby slipping a finger into your soaked cunt, "No.. it's fine." You breathe out and Avery stays quiet for a few seconds, "Doesn't sound fine." 

You know this is turning into an argument. The anger rising within you, is starting to make you not want to care if they hear another person making you cum. 

You arch your back up off the bed as Colby adds another finger and you manage to choke out words, "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"You huffed when you said it's fine." Avery says, a hint of anger dashing their words, "No. no. You know what. You come home today, I don't want to fight with you. I shouldn't have even brang it up." 

You look down at Colby who is staring up at you, beautifully to add. His fingers thrust into you at a slow pace, curling up ward right when you needed him to. 

You felt awful for being on the phone with your fiancé while Colby Brock is knuckle need in your pussy. 

Also, turned you on in such a way that could never ever be waterboarded out of you. 

"Avery." You say, pausing as Colby moves to rub your clit with his other hand, "I just woke up." You breathe out, turning it into a fake yawn, "What's going on with you?" 

They take a breath and start speaking, "I just wanted to call and say that I love you so much and I'm so excited to see you today. You're going to make sure a beautiful wife. My beautiful wife." 

Your stomach drops and you get that same  gut feeling that you got when you were on the phone with them. 

Your whole demeanor changes and Colby notices, stopping his actions as he sits up. You hold your hand out to him displaying one finger and he nods. 

You move to sit up, "Avery.. what's going on?" 

"What do you mean what's going on?" They ask and you rest your head in your foreheads, "I don't know, you must haven't ever called me to tell me you love me like this before." 

You mainly repeat it just so Colby can know what's going on. You lay back down and roll your hips towards him. He smiles, taking the hint right away. 

He leans down, tongue sliding in between your folds and you fight back a moan. Luckily, it was Avery's turn to speak. 

"I'm just.." they sigh and you bite down on your lip, waiting for them to continue, "I'm nervous but so excited about the wedding I just wanted to tell you that I love you." 

Their excuse didn't sit right with you. 

"Oh." You laugh slightly, "I see. Well.. I love you, too, baby." 

Your words made Colby's grip tighter on your hips. You look down at him just as he rises to his knees, hand gripping the base of this cock as he slides it against your glistening cunt. 

You know this was going to be hard. 

"What time does your flight get in?" Avery asks and you hum as you keep your lips pressed together, "Five.. I think." 

Colby pushes his cock in and you lay a hand over your mouth, "Fuck." You quickly cover it up with a laugh, "I'm so excited to see you." 

Colby thrusts his cock deeper into you and you clench your jaw as you close your eyes. He lifts your right leg, placing his hand flat against the back of your thigh so he can push it back. 

You fight back the moan from the new angle his cock is  sliding in and out of. 

"That's the spirit." Avery laughs and you weren't sure, but you thought you heard the sound of a distant door shutting, "Alright, I think I'll let you go back to sleep." 

"Mm." You hum lowly, "Okay." You lay your left hand on Colby's as you keep the phone pressed to your ear. 

He leans down, replacing his hand on your leg with his bicep so he can interlock his fingers with yours. You squeeze his hand and tilt your head back, "Wait." You laugh, trying to make it a funny story, "Hadley and I were at the bar and you'll never guess who I seen leaving just as we got there." 

The lying is good, keep it going. Avery hums, "Mm, I'm not sure." 

"Colby Brock." Your eyes meet his and his gives you a wink, followed by a cocky grin. He didn't give a fuck about your finances feelings. 

Only yours. 

Colby really didn't you. He thought you were literally the perfect girl ever for him. He wanted you so bad that he sprinted to you at every call or text. 

He wanted to be yours just as much as he wanted you to be his. 

"I'm not su- wait." Avery laughs, "Colby Brock, isn't he the.. fuck, what do we call it?" They pause for a minute and you ask, "Hall pass?" 

You smirk at Colby and take your hand from his grasp, moving it to place your fingers on either side of his slowly moving cock. 

He fights back groaning at the sight and you bite down on your lip as Avery laughs, "That's wild. What did Hadley have to say?" 

"She pointed him out as he was waking away and all she said was, How often does that shit fucking happen." You answer, sliding your fingers up to your clit. 

Your eyes stay locked on Colby's as you continue to speak, "She asked if that meant I could have sex with him and I said no. Avery wouldn't like that very much." 

A laugh leaves their lips and Colby bites down on his, smirking as he shakes his head. 

"Exactly. I would in fact, not like that. Thank you, baby." They sigh, "Alright. I'm going to bed. I love you." 

"I love you." You whisper, "Mhm.. bye." You hear the three little beeps and toss your phone off the bed, sitting up at you reach up to grab Colby's neck slightly rough,"fuck me good." 

Colby smirks, taking your hand from his neck and pins it above your head. He does the same with your other one. He holds both of your wrists against the mattress with one of his hands as he holds his weight up on his left arm. 

Your legs wrap around his waist and your arms go to his neck, tangling your fingers in his hair as his thrusts speed up. 

His face is buried in your neck, leaving little love bites on where he can kiss. He whimpers out quietly, "I can love you better than they can." He kisses up your neck, whispering in your ear, "I can fuck you better than they can." 

He lets go of your hands and you instantly sig your nails into his back, squeezing his cock with the walls of your soaked cunt. 

You drag your nails upward which causes a groan leaves Colby's lips, "Fuck, baby." 

He lifts his head to look at you, "Stay. Please." He presses a sloppy kiss to your lips, whimper the next words against them, "Stay with me." 

You bit your lip, "C-Colby.. wh-" 

"Y/n." Colby moans out quietly, his forehead resting against yours, his eyes on you, "We work. I know you know we do." 

You arch your back, rolling your hips to meet his, "Fuck.." you moan, looking up at him, "Yeah." You breathe out, "We do. We do, baby." 

"Fuck." Colby groans, "As soon as I saw you." Colby shakes his head, letting out a sigh, "I just fucking knew that you were who I needed in my life." 

You smile, panting as your orgasm is teetering on the edge, "F-Fuck, s-so cl-" Colby lays a hand on your clit and you gasp, nodding as he runs fast circles with his fingers. 

"Fuck. Fuck." You moan out loudly, "C-Colby." You cling to him, moaning constantly as your body explodes with fireworks. Your walls pulsate around him as he kisses your neck, moving up to kiss your lips. 

You feel his cock twitch inside of you and you use your ankles, that are interlocked behind his back, to pull him in closer to you. 

You could tell that he loved it. 

"Fuck." He groans out, a smile on his face, "So fucking good for me." He presses a kiss to your temple and slowly pulls out, "Come on." 

Colby stands up and holds his hand out, waiting to lead you to the shower with him. You smile as you sit up, taking his hand to follow. 

He walks in, closing the door behind you and you go to turn the water on. You turn to face him, "I think.." you swallow, she's searching the ground as you the strength to say it out loud. 

"What's going on?" Colby is hesitant now, unsure if you're going to say anything towards him. 

You bite your lip and try to fight back crying, "I think Avery is cheating on me." You keep your eyes on your feet you quickly see Colby's before he tilts your head up to look at him.

"What makes you think that?" Colby asks, thumb rubbing over your cheek. You sigh and nod towards the steamy shower, "Come on." 

You pull him back and get into the shower with him. The warm water rushing over both of your bodies. 

"They said they went to Cam's house and I've heard from multiple people that Cam doesn't like me. And then they call me at five am and wants to tell me how much they love me?" 

Colby keeps his hands on your waist, nodding as he continues to let you rant, "I just.. usually that isn't a good sigh. I've been through something like this before with another person and they were in fact cheating." 

You take a breath and Colby cups your cheeks, "You deserve someone who worships you. Who love you inside and out." 

Was he referring to himself? 

He places a gentle kiss on your lips but that quickly grows into a slow, hands groping each other make out. 

"I just.." Colby sighs, "Fuck." 

"Say it." You urge him, "Tell me." 

Colby's hands slide up to the sides of your neck. His eyes search your face, "I.. I don't want to scare you away." 

You shake your head, "You won't." Your eyes stare into his and he nods, "I honestly.. think I may be falling in love with you." 

You nod, "I think.. I may be falling.. in love with you, too." 

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

Hi hello! Thank you so much for reading! Please tell me what you thought of it, as always I love you all! 🖤

Likes and reblogs are majorly appreciated!

[svltzmans]

lipstick - c.h.

warnings: 18+ smut, fem! reader, hickeys/marks, nipple play, top!reader, edging, many other dirty things <3 cassie is in love with reader's lipstick <3 i wanted to finish this bc i'm excited to post it so i didn't proofread 😬

a/n: i'm obsessed with cassie y'all... also i feel like this is a little smuttier than what i would normally write? do we like this or is it too much? let a gal know

y/n stares at herself in her bathroom mirror, focused on the deep red lipstick she was applying.

her girlfriend, cassie, had reserved them a table at one of the most lavish restaurants in the area. it was what cassie liked to call a "surprise date," although y/n was made aware beforehand.

as much as y/n likes to dress up for this type of occasion, she has never gone this far with her appearance.

she had picked out a princess-esque gown that flowed behind her as she walked, paired with black stilettos and her best batch of jewelry.

cassie is beyond obsessed with the way her girlfriend dresses herself up. her heart skips a beat seeing y/n look as angelic as she does.

"baby, are you ready to g- oh wow," cassie fails to form words when she sees y/n in front of the mirror.

the way y/n is leaning into the mirror over the sink makes cassie's legs feel weaker. she stares for a moment, not even noticing that y/n had responded to her.

"cass, you in there?" y/n brings her out of the fantasies she had already started dreaming of involving y/n and the sink.

"yeah, i just... you look beautiful."

cassie is absolutely in awe of the woman in front of her, almost struggling to believe that they were really dating.

"you're not so bad yourself, howard," y/n quips, sending a wink cassie's way.

cassie struggles to stand, and the feeling only worsens when she sees the dark red stain on her girlfriend's lips.

something about the way y/n looked wearing lipstick made cassie shiver. there was something so seductive about it that made something as simple as y/n talking especially attractive.

"i, uh, i really like that lipstick on you," cassie says shyly, trying to hide the fact that she is staring deeply at her girlfriend's lips.

"new shade i'm trying out," y/n simply replies. "wanna try some?"

the thought of y/n putting lipstick on her makes cassie feel like she has ascended directly to heaven.

"sure, yeah, i'd like that."

cassie is still somewhat shy; she still hadn't fully adjusted to the sight in front of her.

y/n pulls cassie closer and kisses her gently, resting her hands on her cheeks.

"there you go, now you can wear it too," y/n says nonchalantly, smirking at her awestruck partner.

without even thinking, cassie pulls y/n in again, much more intensely this time. her body feels like it's on fire, never quite feeling close enough to the woman in front of her.

"cassie, what are you do-"

y/n is interrupted by cassie unzipping her own dress, desperately trying to get it off her body.

"our reservation is in a little while, baby," y/n attempts to reason with cassie, to no avail. she tries to hide her stares, which is impossible with her girlfriend's body in full view.

"fuck the reservation."

cassie rests her body against the sink, the back of her head resting against the mirror.

she feels alive being exposed in front of y/n, as if it was her favorite drug.

and when y/n attaches her lips to cassie's neck, she can't help but let out an anguished whine.

y/n is both gentle and sloppy, kissing and sucking on cassie's pulse point.

"god, y/n..."

when cassie looks down, she sees the maroon color of y/n's lipstick smeared on her neck, and she swears she has never needed anyone so badly.

"mark me," cassie mutters, desperation evident in her voice.

without warning, y/n plants a kiss on cassie's nipple, leaving behind the shape of her lips.

"more," cassie breathes, barely keeping her composure.

the encouragement is all y/n needs, swirling her tongue around cassie's nipple and obscenely spreading the red pigment.

y/n bites and sucks on cassie's boobs in a way that is almost animalistic, a combination of lipstick and broken vessels creating a masterpiece on cassie's chest.

cassie is unapologetically a mess, running her fingers through her girlfriend's hair and throwing her head back against the mirror. at that moment, she didn't care if she broke it.

the noises she makes are both obscene and heavenly, a mix of gentle whines and almost-screams.

cassie can't help but start to push y/n's head down, wordlessly begging her for more.

y/n looks up at cassie, ceasing the contact between her mouth and her girlfriend's body.

"gotta use your words, cass," she teases, resting her chin on cassie's thigh.

"need you, y/n," cassie manages, already breathing heavy.

"need me for what, baby?"

"fuck me. need it so bad. please pretty, i'll be good, i promise..."

cassie is blabbering at that point, doing everything she can to get y/n's touch once again.

eventually, she wins.

y/n tantalizingly plants kisses on her thighs, dropping to her knees to be at eye level.

cassie practically melts into a puddle seeing her girlfriend on her knees in front of her. she's mesmerized, feeling like she was on a high she'd never come down from.

"stop teasing, y/n. need your mouth baby," cassie slurs, bucking her hips up from the sink.

y/n finally dives into cassie, roughly and swiftly sucking on her clit.

"fuck, y/n," cassie practically screams, simultaneously feeling the strongest form of desire and relief.

y/n briefly pulls away, lewdly licking her lips.

"you taste as good as you look, pretty girl," she mutters before continuing without skipping a beat.

cassie whines at her girlfriend's comment, already feeling the coil in her stomach growing at a rapid pace.

"god, y/n. gonna make me cum."

cassie relishes in the pleasure, her legs vibrating as she gets closer and closer to her orgasm.

as she's about to fall over her peak, y/n pulls her mouth away.

"what- what're you doing?" cassie whines, the loss of contact almost painful.

"not done with you yet, cass. can you hold on for a little longer for me?"

cassie could never object. as badly as she needed to cum, she needed more of y/n just as badly.

when y/n starts again, cassie is already close, gripping the porcelain below her.

when y/n slowly pushes a finger into cassie, she absolutely loses it.

"oh my god, just like that. feels so good, fuck. can't take much more."

cassie's words sound like a cocktail of nonsense, her brain seeming to give out on her the longer y/n fucks her.

"gonna cum on my face, aren't you, cass? i know, baby. let it out princess, you can do it."

cassie is practically crying out of pure ecstasy, her body giving out from under her.

"i, i'm gonna, can i?"

"cum for me, cassie."

cassie's vision completely blacks out, her head once again thrown back against the mirror. she grips y/n's hair, still seeing stars after several seconds.

cassie feels like her orgasm will never end, not fully used to the intensity of the feeling.

when she comes down from her high, she stares down at her girlfriend, who finally stands up from her knees.

y/n's lipstick is entirely smudged, and her dress was half off her body.

"fuck," cassie giggles, pulling y/n in for a kiss.

y/n's eyes widen in realization when she remembers they had entirely forgotten about their dinner plans.

"the reservation!" y/n says, exasperated.

"as i said," cassie replies. "fuck the reservation."

[shegatsby]

Love Thy Enemy

Summary; Y/N Atreides had always been a stranger to the entire galaxy, her bed wasn’t her bed, her home wasn’t her home due to the fact that she was sent to accompany and be sisters with Irulan. She had limited access to her actual family and over the years they grew distant. She thought she would be like Reverend Mother, alone, yet powerful, and soon she would realize that there was no need of being alone when a wild creature had his eyes on her for a long time.

A/N; Hi babies! I hope you're doing amazing! I love writing this story i feel alive after months of depression lol. Don't worry, there will be SMUT in the future chapters. Sorry for any typos English isn't my first language.

TAG LIST IS OPEN! (Text me if i forgot to tag you little doves 🕊️ ♥️)

Warnings; None.. Female Bene Gesserit Reader x Feyd-Rautha, enemies to lovers! reader is reffered to as she/her.

Words; 2.291K

Chapter 4

Chapter Three – ''Caught in the Web''

The throne room was spinning under her feet, she felt the sudden rush of hot air on her body. No one dared to speak, one could hear the birds outside singing in harmony. Y/N’s alerted eyes found Pyramus, he seemed in shock and quietly left the throne room. Y/N looked at her parents pleadingly, Leto’s brown eyes were fixed on the Emperor, Jessica had a victorious smile and it dawned on her.

This was planned.

 ‘’Rise young warrior.’’ Shaddam’s voice was heard. ‘’Do parents of Lady Y/N object to this offer?’’

Entire room held its breath. ‘’No, Emperor.’’  Leto answered on the behalf of his house, it broke Y/N’s heart into million pieces. ‘’Not here.’’ she whispered to herself, she couldn’t burst into tears in front of important people and show weakness.

‘’So it is done. Paul Atreides shall take my daughter as wife and you, young warrior Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen shall take Lady Y/N Atreides as your wife.’’ And the crowd went into hypnotic frenzy.

The following hours went blurry, Y/N was taken to chamber to another…

At last, she was in her family’s quarters, she waited for servants to leave them alone. The door closed and a thick silence fell like a dark cloud, hovering over the House Atreides.

‘’How could you?!’’ she yelled, stood up to her feet, her skirts swirling, her face showed nothing but anger, she was a lioness. ‘’How could I refuse the Emperor?!’’ Leto yelled back, he felt powerless like the exact time when Emperor Shaddam demanded his beloved baby daughter to accompany Princes Irulan. Again, someone else was going to take her from him. ‘’Wake up father! This isn’t the Emperor. This is Bene Gesserit’s doing. It has been all along.’’

Leto turned to face Jessica who averted her gaze, she looked guilty of a crime she didn’t commit yet she had her fingers in it. ‘’You?!’’ He didn’t want to believe but she was right. Jessica’s blue eyes couldn’t face her beloved. Paul knew that his parents needed to talk in private so he gently held his older sister’s arm. ‘’let’s go to the gardens.’’ He knew that would calm her.

Y/N stormed odd to the halls of the palace and with Paul they walked to the lush gardens. Gardens of House Corriono were always well maintained and aesthetically pleasing with colors and scent. She had to take deep breaths and pray in silence;

 ‘’I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.’’

Paul was standing there hands in his pockets, counting his blessings.

‘’Y/N’’ he called softly, ‘’What?!’’ she was about to take her anger out on him, ‘’Do not give me that look Paul. You and Irulan and that.. that Bal headed beast are the ones who profit from this arrangement but me!’’ she tried to keep her voice low, servants and spies could be anywhere. ‘’You can manipulate him, Y/N, remember our training.’’ Paul was making sense but Y/N was too furious to hear .

‘’Y/N…’’ a soft voice called out, they turned to face the owner, ‘’Pyramus..’’ she breathed out, a brief silence fell, his dark brown eyes found hers, ‘’I shall take my leave.’’ Paul announced and left them be.

Two lovers embraced, she started to cry in agony, ‘’What are we going to do now?!’’ her voice desperate, rebelling against her fate. ‘’I have an idea.’’ He said holding her face, ‘’Tonight, after Irulan and Paul’s wedding we run away together.’’ She was shocked to hear him being bold. ‘’We can hijack an ornithopter and hide till we find a ship to fly to my home, you can use the Voice on people.’’ It would be the most outrageous scandal that the Imperium had ever seen, but it was now or never.

All day she got ready for Irulan’s wedding, she wore a long black dress an black lace gloves that were see-through, her long hair let loose. A big obsidian stoned necklace on her delicate throat, the stone shined every time lights hit from the glowglobes. After tonight she was suppose to be shipped to the hellhole called Giedi Prime. House Harkonnen.

The feast was bountiful, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, no one cared about Y/N and her situation. Among the crowd she found her family’s place and started to move past dancing couples to go to them but a firm trap caught her delicate wrist, it was Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.

‘’Where to, little dove?’’ he was in his regular black clothing, a silver ring on his little finger, a cunning look on his ocean eyes, ‘’To my family.’’ Y/N replied coldly, ‘’I am your family now.’’ He was so direct it caught her off guard. He didn’t wait for an answer and guided her to the dance floor, his tone was stern, was he hurt that Y/N didn’t go to him first? She deduced with her Bene Gesserit powers. ‘’I highly doubt that.’’ She clapped back in annoyance. He was trying really hard not to lose his temper. He couldn’t show his true self among other houses, he couldn’t humiliate his family so he simply had to wait and be patient and when the time comes… he could insert his ways on her. As if he wasn’t doing it now….

‘’You have a silver tongue. I like that but-‘’ he made her twirl, ‘’be careful.’’ Y/N looked up to meet his orbits, under the yellow lights, among dancing couples one could assume that Feyd and Y/N were a loving couple. It was so easy to lose oneself in his aura that she had to look away. Their bodies pressed to each other, she could smell his cologne, manly and just.. there

‘’You know what, I’m going to be nice to you tonight.’’ She said which caused him to rise his nonexistent eyebrow in questioning. ‘’How come?’’

‘’You might not find me again, so, it’s on the house.’’ And the music ended and she immediately let herself part from him and go to her family.

Rest of the night she avoided most of the people and observed. Paul and Irulan were shipped to Caladan and tomorrow morning all of the lord and ladies were to go back to their home planets. Perfect timing.

Y/N wore her black leather pants and top, she couldn’t afford running in her beautiful gowns if any trouble arrived. She prepared a small bag of essentials, and had been waiting for Pyramus to whistle from outside, her windows were all wide open.

When she heard him she activated her shoes which were made to float in the air and she softly landed on the fresh cut grass, they kissed passionately. She could feel her heart in her throat, this was the first time she was actively rebelling against her family and the rules. Pyramus had his outfit from the night’s entertainment. ‘’Why didn’t you change?’’

‘’Didn’t have time. Follow me.’’ If she was more observant she could have seen the cut on his eyebrow and small bruises on his face clearly.

Ornithopters were on the airfield, since it was really late most of the guards were sleeping on their duty.

Pyramus held her hand, his palm sweaty, ‘’Let’s go.’’ He made her move fast ‘’Wait-‘’ she whispered,

‘’Let’s not wake them up-‘’ he seemed like he didn’t care, they got to an ornithopter. He opened its door, it was for two people. Before she climbed inside she turned to face him for a second, he seemed terrified, ‘’Wait-‘’ her hands went to his face, ‘’What happened to your face?’’ Y/N asked in horror and saw his expression change into guilt.

‘’Pyramus?’’ she whispered, ‘’I’m sorry Y/N..’’

And all of the lights on the field were turned on like lightning on a rainy day, alarms were going off, soldiers wide awake… were they awake the whole time? They were surrounded by Harkonnen soldiers, a sound of applause echoed on the open field, soldiers moved to make way for him.

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen approached, he stopped clapping when he saw them, he had his black and dark grey uniform. Y/N could see he was geared up.. just in case.

‘’Did you really think that you could escape me?’’ Feyd asked sarcastically, his voice amused, he looked like a theater actor who finished his bit and proud of himself. ‘’I’m sorry..’’ Pyramus whispered again and let her go, he, without a beat climbed into the ornithopter and flew away.

Y/N could feel the tears of betrayal coming in, Feyd-Rautha with a sudden move grabbed her wrist, she felt like an animal who just stepped into a metal trap, his fingers bruising her wrist, he started to drag her back to the palace. ‘’Let go of me!’’ because of the panic she couldn’t use the Voice on him.

‘’Enough games, little dove. You will be locked to your chambers until we leave for Giedi Prime.’’

She kept trying to fight and get away from him and he stopped in his tracks, an annoyed huff coming out of him he turned to her and with a swift move he lifted her to his shoulder like a cave man.

‘’I order you to let go of me!’’ this time she used the Voice but he wasn’t affected. Why? Y/N noticed the earplugs he was wearing. ‘’I out rank you Lady Y/N.’’ he chuckled and she could feel the panic rise in her. He slapped her butt and she whined in pain, his hand was heavy and big.

Feyd-Rautha marched the empty corridors and found her bedroom, he kicked open the door and threw her onto her bed which was covered with fluffy pillows and he was startled to see so many colors at once. She froze, supporting her body with her hand, he stood there like a statue, immobile. ‘’Thankfully other houses don’t know this foolish attempt of yours.’’ He said coldly ad slowly leaned to be on the same level as her. ‘’Try to humiliate me again and see what happens, little dove.’’ She felt the threat of his words settle into the room, she felt as if his presence made her vision go dark and the only thing she could see was him.. Feyd-Rautha was so many things but a liar.

He left and she heard the lock on the door.

Y/N was in shock, she had to take deep breaths to calm her racing mind. Soon a maid came to lock the windows and leave her there, without a word.. even her own maids turned their backs on her, Harkonnens were feared. She belonged to them now, her body and soul was his.

She moved to the window to see the full moon, on her knees she prayed till morning came with its fog. Jessica entered with the maids and servants, Y/N was on her knees praying like a mad Bene Gesserit witch. ‘’Prepare the bath for my daughter.’’ Jessica ordered and went to sit next to her.

‘’You will understand me one day.’’ She knew what happened last night and was surprised, Jessica had never thought Y/N would rebel like this.. ‘’When I was in your whomb…’’ she began, ‘’why didn’t you change my sex?’’

Jessica had to tell the truth, ‘’I was ordered to have a daughter as first born. They didn’t tell me why. If I had known.. things would be different.’’ Her blue eyes searching hers, hoping to see something but Y/N was trained well, not a single emotion on her face, a blank slate. ‘’If you don’t manipulate him he’ll be the end of you, you’re my daughter, you have to survive.’’ Jessica kissed her daughters soft hair and stood up to give more orders to carry Y/N’s belongings to the Harkonnen ship.

Y/N watched other houses leave from her window, she tried to read while her servants worked in silence. The sun was setting when she wore her ceremonial gown. It was emerald green, the color fo her house and a hawk was on her chest, symbol of House Atreides. Her long hair was braided elegantly. Her father came to take her outside before the Emperor, it was the custom. Leto tried to talk to her but she didn’t budge, they walked in death silence.

There was a breeze outside, she saw everyone standing in their rightful places. Feyd-Rautha was standing in front of the Emperor who was seated on a moveable throne. Feyd’s hands clasped behind his back, he watched Duke Leto bring Y/N to stand next to her, he noticed that she was avoiding eye contact like an expert.

Leto, when he made her stand next to her husband- to-be he took a step to Feyd, held his arm and whispered into his ear, ‘’Hurt my daughter and I will end your entire blood line.’’ He gave a pat on Feyd’s shoulder and left them.

The field was silent, she could hear the birds, it calmed her. Were there any birds in Giedi Prime?

Padishah Emperor Shaddam basically announced that this young couple had his blessing and the wedding would take place in House Harkonnen’s planet. He made them kiss his ring and ended the ceremony. Y/N walked to her family to say goodbye, Feyd watching her intently, Leto kissed her daughter’s forehead, Jessica hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear.

‘’Remember your training.’’

Feyd made her take his arm, his ceremonial clothing was black, he was covered in it, together they walked to the ship. ‘’I must say you look pleasant in green.’’ He spoke quietly, Y/N turned to see the small smile on his plump lips, ‘’Thank you.’’ And they walked to the ship, Y/N looked at her family before the metal door closed.

Tag list; @superchatnoir07

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Thank you for reading. :)

[aouiaa]

Reflect

Outline: When all the leads dried up, Ellie is forced to accept the heart wrenching reality that she’s never gonna see you again. Until two years and half later, the unexpected happens. People don’t come back from the dead so, How did you?

Word Count: 8.2k

Warnings: Tlou au + Death and a lot mentions of it + Mentions of suicidal behavior + Angst (alot of it) + Fluff + Self-deprecation + Flashback? + Mention of weapons + Mentions Harm inflicted to R and others + Torture + Depression + Mentions of blood + Mentions of grieving + Mentions of survivor’s guilt + Description of a corpse (I think that’s it, comment if I missed any!)

Previous Chapter -> Chapter two -> Next Chapter

Two and half years ago…

Five weeks after the Calamity.

Get out of bed

Get dressed

walk to…

Everything since the…incident, felt like a task. Obligations that only got harder and harder to complete each day. Shower…check. Make your bed…check. But today was the hardest.

It was your funeral, and fuck was it the hardest task to get done. But she couldn’t miss today, no she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. So here she is, standing beside Joel staring down at her shoes. And the tension being around your family was suffocating. She felt their stares, their fucking stares.

Did they blame her?

Wouldn’t blame them if they did.

The priest’s soft-spoken tone only made this feel more real, “Today we are gathered here to celebrate the life of Y/N L/N, who left the world of the living to start the journey in that of the dead. Though she lives...” his voice faded as Ellie submerges into her overwhelming thoughts.

She couldn’t believe it, you were really gone. This is the first time in weeks since she’s been outside her once vibrant, and happy room, rotting away. Replaying it over and over, thinking what she could’ve done. What could’ve kept you alive.

But if she’s in her head for too long that’s when her self conscious begins to gnaw at her and sometimes enflaming her. She hated herself for letting you down, letting you spend your last moments in fear. Not a peaceful and soft moment, but in one where the world was on fire. Where hands of the devil himself were pulling you back into the pits.

What’ll forever keep her up at night is your scream, and the look of pure terror on your face as you were pulled back before darkness took Ellie’s vision. She often loathed about if your final moments were merciful and not cruel. If it was quick and painless rather than torturous.

God she hoped not—

“May she rest easy now” The voice of the priest disturbs and elicits Ellie to look up.

As the priest finishes the last of your eulogy, One by one everyone begins throwing their roses onto your casket. And when it was Ellie’s time to let hers go, she kisses it as a final form of goodbye and watches as it falls in with the rest.

“Rest easy, angel.”

Present…

“Y/n?”

Every night before today she’d pray. Prayed, that she'd open her eyes and you’d be there, sleeping peacefully beside her—like nothing ever happened. But it never did happen, and she stupidly secretly held on to that possibility. Even if it sounded ludicrous, she still held on to that small hope.

And now that hope was in front of her, getting off a horse. She didn’t want to believe it, she couldn’t. She thought that she finally lost her mind. Seeing your face on different people.

Snap out of it.

She scolds herself, closing her eyes, and taking a few deep breaths. Feeling her face reddening up from embarrassment from how stupid she must’ve seem calling out to a dead person. She doesn’t know how long she stood in the dark, terrified to meet the disappointment that always shined at the end of the tunnel.

“Ellie?”

But there it was, your voice. The sweet sound that could only be heard in her dreams. That euphoric feeling Ellie would get just by hearing it, turned into despair, when she couldn't remember it anymore. Locked and sealed away when she woke up. Like her mind was playing against her. How torturous it felt to be humiliated by her own mind.

But she heard it, one that couldn’t be replicated.

She opened her eyes hesitantly, but in front of her was you. You weren't a hallucination—No you were real and here in front of her face. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed towards you, giving you the tightest hug. Not loosening the grip she had around you once because she’d be damned if she did again.

Only once to cup your tear stained face, “How—How is this real?” She stammers, scanning your features. The amount of blemishes that littered your face didn’t ravage your beauty. Her thumb lightly grazed over a scar on your left cheek, What happened to you? She didn’t question you, of course. The timing wasn’t right.

“We have to get them to the infirmary, Ellie.” A voice snaps her out of her thoughts, and looking to the side to see standing beside her was Maria with her hand on Ellie’s shoulder. Still in her frenzy state, she just stares at Maria before replying.

“Yeah, yeah—let’s go.”

She stayed in the infirmary with you for sixteen hours just staring at you as you slept. You were being supplied with the appropriate amount of nourishment via VI. And she just sat there in that uncomfortable ass chair just staring at you, scared to even blink. Because maybe if she did, you’d disappear. She had so many questions rightfully so. But she didn’t want to overwhelm you with them all. You were in a fragile state of mind.

Next morning, you woke to see Ellie already looking at you. Her eye bags were more prominent, Did she not get any sleep? Did she stay up all night just staring at you? “Hey, how are you feeling?” her voice still sounded so familiar, yet so foreign. You just stare at Ellie not knowing if this was real, your mind had to be fucking with you again. You begin to tear up which Ellie catches on immediately, and wipes the fallen tears rolling down your cheek.

As soon as you feel her touch, her finger grazing over your cheek lightly, you gasp. Your mind wasn’t playing with you, you were here. Back home? “Relax, it’s okay, just breathe. You’re home again.” her voice was so soothing, it made your stomach twist into uncomfortable knotting.

“Are—are you real?” you stuttered, not truly believing after everything you’ve been through, you’d see the one person you’ve yearned for—just in front of you. Her freckles, you'd count every night but mess up halfway and give up an hour later out of frustration. Her hazel green eyes, you’d stare into every single moment of the day. Her plumped lips, you’d kiss everyday.

If you had anything in your system right now, you’d barf it all up.

“I am, just relax.” Ellie says, placing her hand on your arm. You look down at her hand gently placed on your forearm as you feel something bubbling inside of you. Not a love feeling but a weird one. Ellie could see it in your demeanor which causes her to remove her hand away with a quiet “sorry” falling from her lips before resting that hand on her lap.

You meet her gaze again, “Are you hungry?” you take a second to respond making Ellie uncomfortable slightly before replying with a small “Yeah.” Ellie nods, getting up and returning with a tray of food. “The nurse left it for when you woke up.” You grab the tray immediately, stuffing your mouth with food as Ellie settles down into her chair.

Ellie watches you before looking away and shifting in that stupid uncomfortable chair while scratching the back of her neck. Contemplating on what to do or say, anything to relieve this tension that strangled her. For a while, it’s just her mind eating at her and when she does finally decide to, she can’t bring herself to look at you when she begins, “I’m sorry for everything...” She whispers. You stop and look at her, confused. “What?”

“I’m sorry for everything.” she repeats in an audible tone, looking at you with tears forming at her waterline.

You catch on to what she’s referring to immediately and shake your head, “No it wasn’t your fault, Ellie.” You say, watching Ellie’s walls she built so high and secure, crumpled.

“No it is all my fault, why you're even in this position. I didn’t save you—“ she says in between sobs. “—I was weak and stupid and, and—“ she stammered over her words, placing her hand over her chest, trying to desperately breathe.

You look at this girl who you called call your girlfriend just cry. You didn’t know how to respond to this random burst of emotion. But one thing was for certain, you never blamed her once. Why would you? It wasn’t her fault, it was the people who captured you. Who ruined you. But you dealt with them.

“I never blamed you, not once.” you set your tray aside and move towards Ellie's trembling figure. Cupping her face gently to make her meet your soft gaze, “never once in that hell I was in did I blame you.”

When Ellie met your gaze, It only made her want to cry more. Throughout those two agonizing years, she sat in her hatred and guilt. She couldn’t accept the fact that you were gone because of her but here you were alive and telling the opposite. It felt confusing.

“What?”

“I never blamed you, Ellie.” You repeated, “You did everything you could.”

“Ellie, no!” you screamed.

You felt your heart drop when the grip your girlfriend had on your hand faltered. But that wasn’t the only thing she lost grip of. Her footing, you could see the fear on her face as she fell off the roof. That’d be the last expression you’d see on your lover’s face.

Fear.

Without the resistance you fall on your back, and you’re met with the difficulty of breathing. Every breath is met with the same irritation of carbon monoxide causing you to cough and wheeze. The fire has already spread to the bedroom and is slowly killing you. It went at a rapid pace up the walls and to the ceiling. The smoke created silhouettes of demons, it was hell on earth. And the devil had grabbed you pulling you with him to inferno.

You wouldn't let him though, no you wouldn’t go out like this. You kicked his hand off your leg, giving you a chance to crawl towards the open window and just as you’re gonna pull yourself up. A voice behind you says in a menacing song-like tone, “You’re too slow!”, and grabbing you by the hair, slamming your head against the windowsill. Upon impact, you felt your world spinning and your ears began to ring. Throwing you on the ground he gets on top of you, wrapping his hands around your throat.

You let out a choked mewl, bring your hands to his face, scratching at him. But to no avail, it only makes him add more pressure, “Don’t fight, it’ll make this more difficult” the gruff masculine voice said. You desperately try to break free but slowly succumb to the lack of oxygen. “Yeah, there you go.” is the last thing you hear before going unconscious.

You jolt awake from a sharp pain to your cheek. “Ah—fuck..” you hissed. Instinctively, you try to lift your hand to soothe the stinging pain, but you can’t. Confused, you look down at the lower half of your body to realize both of your hands are bound to the chair, along with your legs. Your eyes shoot up to investigate your surroundings.

Where am I? Why the fuck am I tied to this chair?

Upon inspection you realize you’re in a dimly lit bathroom. There’s filthy and dry splattered blood on the walls. Looking at the ragged mirrors mounted on the wall ahead, blood splattered and dried in its crevices. The sinks below are a whole nother story by themselves. But what’s more prominent in the room is an amazon of a woman in front of you. Or to help to understand—The one who rather rudely awakened you from your slumber.

Oh fuck..

You have so many questions racing through your mind; Where’s Ellie? Did they capture her too? Is she okay? Or is she dead? Who is this woman? What is she gonna do to me? Where the fuck am I? So many questions that litter your mind like a landfill, but gets soon disrupted by the beefy woman sitting in front of you.

Clearing her throat, she says, “I need your name.” she slouches forward into her chair, placing her elbows on her thighs. Her hardening gaze set on you as she waits for your answer. Your train of thoughts abruptly stops and goes blank. “I—Uhm…Y/n” you respond.

The muscular woman seems amused by your answer, “phff—“ She blows out a breathy snicker, “We already forgot our name? What a world we live in, huh?” She sneers, standing up and walks to one of the broken sinks, grabbing something. But you can’t quite see what it is due to her figure blocking your view, but the sound of a knife slinking out of its carrier is all the confirmation you need.

Your demeanor immediately tenses as the woman turns around with a knife in hand. You begin squirming in your chair, letting out a shaky breath. “Woah—what—what are you gonna do?”

Your immediate reaction makes the woman cackle, “Here’s how this is gonna go” She starts, kneeling down, and putting the knife dangerously close against your skin. “You’re gonna tell me what I wanna know and I won't ruin this pretty face of yours, yeah?” She taunts, turning her head to the side, a sinister smirk displayed on her face.

The knife blinds your left eye from little light that shines perfectly down onto the blade making you wince, your breathing starts to become erratic, “What are you gonna do to me?” you repeat, sheepishly, now staring at the woman in front of you.

“What I‘ma do to you?” She restates your question, “What Ima do depends on your choices.” She answers, grazing the knife gently against your cheek. You gulp, watching the woman as she stares at the knife grazing over your skin, seeming fixated by it before snapping out of her sick trance and meeting your gaze once again with an ominous smile on her face, making your guts twist and turn into unbearable knotts.

“So what’s it gonna be, huh?” She asks, but doesn’t let you answer, continuing, “Gonna die for your friends and that little girlfriend of yours or cooperate? The choice is yours.” She proposes, staring at you keenly as if she could scan your facade hard enough, she’d find the answer within your expressions.

With your choices layed out, you contemplate on your next move. Your landfilled mind only returning and overflowing with more thoughts. Why were you even contemplating this? There was no way in hell, you’d rat on Jackson, on Ellie. Even if you were to, this stranger would have no reason to keep you alive anymore since you would outlive your usefulness.

It was clear what you've chosen.

And the look on your face must’ve given it away because the woman's jaw suddenly clenched. “You seriously think your friends are looking for you? That girlfriend of yours doesn’t give a shit about you.” she insinuates, “because if they really cared, they’d be here by now—“

“Shut your fucking mouth, you dont know what you’re talking about—“ Your booming voice intrudes, you don’t know what empowered you to say that, but you should’ve just bite your tongue because your ears begin to ring as you endure a powerful smack to the face causing your head to fly to the right upon impact.

Turning your head slowly to face the woman, you’re met with an enraged expression plastered on her face, “You wanna keep fucking running that mouth, Huh?!” She spits out, “Better choose the next words out that stupid fucking mouth of yours carefully or I’ll cut your tongue out.” she threatens.

Still dazed from the assault, it takes you a second before mumbling out an incoherent sentence. “What was that?” she taunts, seeming to enjoy your suffering.

“I said—“

“Didn't hear ya, What was that?” She taunts, laughing.

“I said If you cut my tongue out” you huff out, watching her laugh, “how the fuck am I gonna tell you.” you remark.

The sound of laughter turns into silence with an inhuman look in her eyes morphing within seconds before saying, “Don’t say I didn't give you a chance.” She deadpans before plunging the knife into your thigh causing you to let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Interrogate, Torture, and Repeat.

That cycle had been going on for god knows how long. You were merely unrecognizable, the blood and bruising that littered your face was disturbing. You wondered how much more your body could take before death. Every blow she gave you, you wondered, Will this be the final blow? The final blow that takes me out of my misery? You hoped it did every. single. time.

But you didn’t go down, just kept withstanding the pain.

And when she felt like it was enough, she momentarily pauses and asks, “Ready to talk?” With all the strength you managed to gather, you lift your head and speak, “Is-is that all you got?” letting out a weak chuckle that turns into wheezing to coughing. The woman jaw clenches, “You just don’t know when to shut the fuck up, do you?” she sneers before landing a blow against your swollen cheek.

It sends your face slanting to the side upon impact causing you to spit out blood. It was a dumb move to even say that, you knew that. But if you were to die right now, you weren’t gonna die showing fear. You couldn’t show the one thing you knew she wanted to see you express. No, you’re not gonna let her get that satisfaction.

Grabbing your jaw, she redirects your gaze firmly to meet hers. She opens her mouth to talk, but a knock on the door leaves her speechless. You watch her huff in annoyance and look at the door.

“Enter.” she instructs.

The door opens to reveal a blonde woman, she scans the room and her eyes immediately land on you, seeming to scrutinize you.

“What is it?”

The sudden interruption causes her gaze to set on the woman in front of you, “Oh right,” she says softly before speaking in a firm audible voice,”Ma’am, Louis and Regina are here.”

A nod is shot at the blonde,” Alright, take them up to my office. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Alright, and her?”

“Take this one back with the others, she isn’t gonna talk…yet.” That “yet” runs a chill down your spine. You watch the woman in front of you let go of your jaw causing your head to go slack. The rough landing causes you to let out a weak groan as you hear the sounds of footsteps and soft murmurs with the shut of a door following behind it. There was a lot of eerie silence that came after that, a lot of it. You wanted to lift your head up to see what was happening but you couldn’t. Your body was tired and too weak to support that action.

So you waited.

Waited and waited until you heard the sounds of muffled talking and footsteps. The sound of the door opening is when you move your head, looking up you see a different pair of people. A woman and a man, their voices became more apparent.

“Alright, be ready. Ima cut these ropes off.” the woman instructs.

You hiss at the added pressure to your sore wrists as she undoes the ropes roughly, but as soon as the aching pressure is relieved, you fall forward. But the man in front of you breaks your fall, “Shit…Liana really fucked this girl up.” he says with a grunt as he lifts you up.

Liana…that was the woman who I was with…

“Yeah…Let’s hope our little medic can fix her up.” the woman behind you responds in a condescending tone, and ending it with a chuckle.

A gruffy laugh erupts from the man as he throws you over his shoulder which elicits you to groan. They were so rough and careless with you—With that action completed, they began to walk out of the dingy room and walk down a hallway. Your world was literally upside down, you tried to see what this new uncharted territory was, but the swelling around your eyes proved it to be difficult. Every once in a while, light would seep into view causing you to wince.

You don’t know how long you were lounged on this random man’s shoulder, but it’s the sudden halt in their movements that catches your attention. “Alright everyone, step back. New arrival coming through.” The woman announces.

But to whom?

You can’t even process what just happened until you’re on the rough concrete floor. The impact causes you to wheeze and turn on your back. The blinding light above begins to become fainter as the sound of multiple voices only increases the ache in your head.

But one is more prominent than the rest, “Oh my—Alright everyone—Stacy, grab anything we can use.” Her voice is strong and impactful and you begin to feel the softest hands grazing over your face, “Stay with me, sweetheart.” she directs towards you.

Such a sweet gentle voice, a voice you’d only hear from a mother soothing her offspring. It brought you comfort to the aches in your body. Only a little. You really tried to stay awake, obey what you were told to do, but soon darkness invaded your senses once again and everything went to muffled to silence.

Death is many things; Terrifying, Inevitable, Unpleasant, Unpredictable, Unbearable. But in this case for you, death felt right. The only way to stop this nightmare that you couldn’t seem to wake up from. The only way to move on, to become a form of energy in this universe, but a memory to some.

Jackson.

Your parents.

Ellie.

No, you didn’t want to leave. You couldn’t leave, not now! You’re not ready to go. Not when you have to get back to her, your lover. You couldn’t bear the thought of her living the rest of her life believing you’re dead. No, no, You wouldn’t, you couldn’t let it happen! You’ll do anything in your power to get to her, no matter the cost. So wake up.

Wake UP!

A sharp gasp leaves your throat stinging, you shoot up in bed, drenched in sweat. Every inhale you take, you feel the windpipe becoming more and more tight. You place your hand on your chest, and desperately try to breathe. It’s until you feel a hand on your back that snaps out of it.

“Breathe, Y/n. Breathe.” The familiar voice says.

No, It couldn’t be.

The drumming in your chest only becomes more erratic as you hesitate to look beside you. This can’t be real. Until you do and see the face you thought you’d never see again.

“E-ellie.” you stammer, tears forming at the waterline.

“Yeah, I’m here baby. Just breathe.” She says gently as she wipes your tears away, “You okay?”

You’re not…how?

“How…how are you real?“

She looks at you, confused, “Real? baby, you just had a bad dream.”

“No, no, This isn’t….no because in my dream—“

“We got separated.” she answers for you.

How the fuck?—Was that all just a nightmare? No, It felt so real. This couldn’t be the reality. You immediately look down at your arms, No scratches, no bruises. You let out a gasp upon seeing clear arms then look at Ellie who’s staring at you with a worried look.

“Y/n, calm down. you’re home, okay?” she says and touches your shoulder.

God, that touch felt so…real. You stare at her with tears forming once again, “Ellie?” you say shakily.

Ellie sees the look in your eyes and immediately pulls you into her arms, “I got you.” she says softly in your ear, pressing a kiss on your head.

You sigh, Everything about this felt wrong. Part of you was screaming to wake up. That this wasn’t real, This couldn’t be, but…another part of you felt peace. Peace, you’ve been searching for your whole life before you met Ellie. Being in her arms, you felt it like you did when you were.

You need want it to be real.

Ellie gives you a gentle squeeze, “Alright, try to get some rest.” she says, letting you go to let you lay down. And you do, lying down on your side. You stare at the girl in front of you as she begins to do the same. Once on her back, she catches you staring and smiles, turning on her side to face you as well.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know…I’m just scared.” you finally admit.

“Scared?”

“Scared…scared, I’ll wake up and you won’t be there.”

“Don’t fear that.” she says softly, moving a strand of hair away from your face and behind your ear. Her touch felt real, it brought more tears to your eyes. “You know that’s just your mind talking. Rest. I’ll be here in the morning, by your side.”

Her reassurance puts you at some ease, some, “Yeah, Okay.” you say quietly.

Your response makes Ellie to move closer to you and wrap her arm around your waist, pulling you closer. You happily embrace this familiar warmth. It always made you feel so safe, so comforted, so loved. As you feel yourself drift back into oblivion, a smile adorns your face.

You’re finally home.

The soft caresses that feather your face cause you to move away and groan in response. Ellie must’ve been drawing on your face! Oh you’re gonna fucking kill her—…What. Upon opening your eyes, you’re not in your girlfriend's infamous room, You’re not laying down on her comfy bed, No, you’re still in that nightmare. Opening your eyes, you see the same older woman sitting beside you with a cloth in hand.

You didn’t wake up with her by your side.

You try sitting up, but she immediately stops you, “Don’t move, dear.” She says gently, helping you lie down once again, “You'll strain something and we don’t want that.” she says with a smile, but god it felt so creepy to you. “The painkillers have already set in so you won’t feel any of the pain for now.”

“Painkillers…Where…where am I?” You lift your hand to rub your forehead with a groan.

“Yes—You’re in Cell B.”

“Cell B?”

“Yes, Cell B.” she confirms, “You went into shock after taking that fall, so just take it easy. Your body is still fragile.”

“What’s Cell B? Where the fuck am I?”

She settles down the cloth in the bowl beside her and sighs, “If you really wanna know where you’re at, you need to know who you’re gonna be dealing with.” She has this look in her eyes that makes you shudder, but you simply nod and let her continue.

“Well, These people; They’re slavers. They stalk and capture. Sometimes go for big communities and make them no more. They…my community had that same fate.” She says the last part quietly with a glance of sadness in her eyes.

Seeing the look that this woman portrayed enraged you. How could they do this to someone who seemed like an angel sent from god himself?! To anyone for that mattered! This wasn’t right, but it also held so many questions for you.

“And why the fuck hasn’t anyone tried to retaliate?” you said in a louder tone than anticipated.

The woman’s eyes widened and she immediately put a finger to your mouth, hushing you and looking around to see if anyone heard you. As if on cue, a guard came strolling by with a rifle in hand, seeming to be perimetering the area. Your intrusive voice only seems to cause the guard to glance inside the cell and a few people inside with the both of you to stir in their respective beds.

The woman above you seems visibly shaken, but is immediately relieved when the guard doesn’t pay much mind to your outburst. Setting her gaze onto you, her facade hardens slightly, “Don’t talk like that, those types of things get you killed around here.” She warns.

You gulp and nod as she removes her finger from your lips and looks around once again before speaking in a lower tone, “People have before, but they’ve all perished or worse.”

“So….there's no way...outta here?” you say, feeling all of your hope slowly dwindling.

“Yes, but it’s almost impossible. Only way to “escape” is to fight, but everyone here is terrified of standing up against these people.”

“So we encourage them! You said it yourself, it’s almost impossible, but not impossible.” you whisper-yell, “You seriously can’t see yourself living here for the rest of your life!”

“Of course I don’t” she sighs and with her tone softening before she continues, “I have no other choice, dear. I’m getting old and my knees don’t go how they used to anymore. My chances are dismal. So I just follow the orders and avoid getting punishments.”

“Then I'll do something about it. You won’t be—“

“No.” she says sternly, “You don’t even know what you’re up against and with the state you’re in…you’ll die.”

You let out a breath, you didn’t know you were holding. She was right, and you knew it. You couldn't do anything in the condition you’re in, you’d be killed on the spot. So you had to wait. Wait for how long? You don’t even know, but you won’t rush it. Patience brings success—or some shit like that, meet the right people and resources. But for now you need to get your strength up.

“Hurry the fuck up and pass it before they catch us!” Ashley warns with a quiet giggle.

You exhale with a chuckle and pass the stick over to her, “Shut up, you’re just being paranoid.”

She scoffs, “Me, paranoid?”

“Yes, you.” you reply with a smile, watching her inhale then exhale a few seconds after, “How many times have we smoked back here and gotten caught?” you say with a cocky tone as you grab it and bring to your lips.

You watch her huff in defeat, “None…” she mumbles.

“Exactly.”

“Oh, suck my dick.” she responds with an eye roll, taking and bringing it up to her lips. “We should get back anyway, stupid ass Tammy might wonder where we’re at.”

You cross your arms and sigh, “Yeah, I don't need her squeaking in my ear.” you remark with a chuckle.

Your comment eclits a laugh out of Ashley as she throws the joint on the ground and stomps on it with her foot, coating dirt over it as if it never happened.

“Right, let’s go.” she says, beginning to walk back to the others.

It had been a year and half since the whole incident went down. And life since you’ve healed from your injuries hasn't been great. Immediately after you were cleared for work, you were put on the job. It wasn’t light work to get you used to it, No. It was rough, blazing sun hot work.

Forced to work in insalubrious conditions with others plucking various fruits and vegetables. It was the same greenery that would be poorly rationed to you and those around you. Rationing it as if they didn’t have an endless supply of it, just sitting in their pantry. It was one of the many cruel acts these people did.

But you had to consider yourself fortunate, lucky even. That you haven’t gotten a punishment like those unlucky few. Because every single time they'd blow that “death horn” as you called it. You knew someone was either gonna be dead or left to die, bleeding out.

It was a sick guessing game.

And everytime someone initiated that heart dropping tune, a shudder would run down your spine. But what was strange about it was that everyone knew what to do without even being instructed too. Like machines, everyone would drop everything they were doing and make their way to the courtyard.

As if it put them under a trance.

You remembered the first time you heard it. Just after you dropped the last apple into your basket. That twisted melody aired through the establishment causing you to freeze in fear. The ambience of everyone’s demeanor changed from lighthearted to stoic in a blink. It was terrifying to see it without context. But now knowing the meaning behind it, you understood why they acted that way.

You weren’t gonna lie, seeing people die so savagely, it scared you. Made you lose hope of actually trying and planning an escape. You could see it in everyone's eyes; despair and hopeless. And you were starting to get that mentality too.

Hopeless.

Mallory was the only hope you truly had. Just seeing her every single day after a long and rough day working in fields brought a smile to your lips, even if you had no reason to smile that day. She didn’t just earn that title, “medic” she owned it. She taught you the ropes of basic and advanced medical care.

It wasn’t the lessons you loved—well of course you loved it, but you loved hearing the woman talk about her past and dreams as a child. You never knew why, but every conversation you had with her felt like a mother and daughter bonding over fresh cookies, they baked together.

You loved her.

You want better for her.

You knew she wouldn’t get it here—no…with the way they treat her.

It’s impossible for her to live a peaceful life for when she grew too old and can’t move around without complaining about joint pain.

Because the truth was, she was getting older. Time wasn’t stopping for her. And you could see it. And you’d be lying out of your ass if you didn’t say you were worried about her. The endless nights of caring for wounded people, was taking a toll on the old woman's body.

That sweet old altruistic woman who nursed you back to health and still does. Scolding you like a little girl who tripped over a rock from being unaware of her surroundings. But you knew she loved and worried about you—all the time.

Parents say they know everything about their child, and in this case. She definitely knew something was up when you started to act weird. Suspicious.

But of course, she never questioned you—mostly because she thought you were grieving. And she’s never questioned the way you grieved—even if your ways of grieving could get you killed or worse.

Now why were you grieving? Omid, it’s one of the biggest burdens you’ll ever have to carry. He was one of your closest friends. One out of the many people you knew, you could truly trust. He was actually one of the people you confided in with your ideas of escaping.

And he encouraged you.

He told you, he’d help you for as long as he could because he had an advance. An advance, so little had, but honestly so many that people wouldn’t want to have. He was Liana’s personal maid, or pushover. He would take you the amount of bullying he’d take from her and her fucking goons.

And he was such a good person, he didn’t deserve any of it.

None of it.

Liana would threaten to kill him in brutal ways in front of everyone if he fucked up—even if it was the little mistake. And of course it was all talk—never bite. Until she did bite, and hard. Hearing from friends, you heard that Omid was tripped on purpose by one of Liana’s members while holding a tray of drinks during a meeting. Spilling all the drinks over Lianas fresh plans for future establishment builds.

It wasn’t pretty finding his body, strung up like a pig, gutted. It broke you, left you in a depressive, guilt trip state. Because you weren’t quick enough. He gave all the information he could find on layouts, patrol routes and more. But you were slow, it was hard finding people who were brave enough to help.

And now your lack of being effective payed it’s price.

Now, you sat in front of his makeshift grave that everyone pitched in to make, watching the dirt falling from your hand as you continuously kept playing with it.

Should’ve been me, not you..

I was slow..

I’m so sorry…

You. Should’ve been, you. Staring at the ground, unable to stare at your friend, even now in death. Your mind is tormenting you for being incompetent. Wiping a tear away, you get up from your kneeling position and finally look at your friend's grave—for the last time.

“I’m sorry, O-Omid.” you say quietly.

It was a mistake that wouldn’t be made again. Because walking away, you leave with a sense of determination—and maybe honor, too. You were gonna escape this fucking nightmare in honor for him. Because the truth is you were scared of losing everyone you loved and being alone.

And that was happening—slowly.

You couldn’t cower in a corner in hopes of a person with more bravery to rise and lead you to freedom because the truth was everyone was just as terrified as you.

So, You had to.

And the following months to now, have been twisted to worse to good. You manage to sum up a large number of people to join. Thanks to the help of a black sheep. Or to be less cryptic—a traitor.

Ada, a rat willing to ruin everything that benefits her, seemed fishy. Because why would a slaver ever think to help you? It smelled like hardcore bullshit—at least at first. Because when she pulled you to the side and began begging you to reconsider—made you feel indifferent.

But it shocked you how alike the two of you were, both what did whatever the two of you needed to do, to survive. Just that she joined a cause that wasn't a good one. She hated every single time that happened to these innocent people, but pretended to be okay with it for the benefits that came with being a soldier.

And now having someone from the enemy side on yours was one of the best things to happen to you, from Omid and Ada’s little hideout she found, it made the process much easier.

From mapping areas to keep stolen supplies, to finding weak spots on the high walls surrounding the facility, to locations after the operation of “Where to go if separated.” You had everything set into motion. Expect one thing, getting Mallory out of here, and agreeing to everything—or some of it. Whether you had to drag her out of here, you’ll be getting her out of here.

She was the only thing that was holding you back.

“Look, I know, this is gonna be hard to understand sigh but—please just hear me out, okay?—Fuck ughh” you groan, running a hand through your hair. You’ve been standing in front of a mirror for minutes—which felt like hours, just rehearsing what you’ll say to Mallory. And every single approach you try to go through with, you couldn’t see the outcome. It felt useless, you went through every sentence starter in your book!

“Still working on what'll you say to Mal?” a voice interrupts your daily rehearsal.

You huff and look back to see Ada who’s walking through the door, “Yeah…”

A laugh flows through the girl's windpipe, “Why don’t you just tell her?—without all this rehearsal bullshit.”

You roll your eyes and face the mirror once again, “Because you don’t know her like I do—She's gonna freak out if I just say; Oh hey, Ima gonna be doing the one thing that you warned me not to do!” you say sarcastically.

“Yeouch…” She breathes out, sitting down and contorting her body forward, looking down at the carefully configured plans.

You sigh in defeat, deciding to try again later, and walk over to Ada to view the plans as well, “Anything new?”

Ada shakes her head, “Nope, but the lady boss is losing her shit over the dropping percentage in food..”

A smile blooms on your lips, “Alright, well, I think we should be set then. I just have to tell Mallory and we’re good!”

Ada just nods in response—weird, “What? You’re not excited to be leaving this shit hole?” You inquired.

“Of course I’m ready to leave this place—just..when?”

You try laughing it off, “What do you mean, ‘when’?”

“I mean when are you gonna tell Mallory?” she restates bluntly, her gaze turned to set on you firmly, “Because it seems like we’ll never leave with the way things are going.”

You’re stunned as you look at the girl below you as she continues, “You tell her today or tomorrow or—“

“or what?” You interrupt, becoming defensive, “you’re gonna leave me?” you accuse.

Your accusation leaves Ada speechless for just a moment before arguing back, “No, I wouldn’t leave you. I’m talking about leaving Mallory behind if it comes to that. We can’t save everyone—“

“Oh fuck you, I’m not leaving Mallory behind! She deserves a shot at a better life!” You remark.

“And the others don’t?” She emphasizes, standing up from her chair, “—‘cause it seems like you've only cared about yourself more than the people around, depending on you.”

You felt every word hit your gut one by one because she was right, you were being selfish. Only thinking about Mallory and not the hundred lives at stake. You’ve been careless as of lately, wasting time and for what?—because you were scared? You’d be the reason if this whole operation doesn't go according to plan.

But you never could think rationally when angry, if it wasn’t you that got yourself in trouble, it was always your big mouth that did.

Just never know when to shut up, do you?

“Right because it’s totally not your fault why I’m here.” you chide sarcastically while pointing your finger in her face condescendingly. The look Ada relays when those words leave your mouth sends waves of guilt throughout your body. Staring at the woman’s expression in front morphe from anger to disbelief in the matter of seconds.

“Fuck you.” She spits out before walking past you and out the door.

You sigh upon hearing the door slam, soaking into your overwhelming guilt. What went through your head to think that was right to say? Oh right—none. You throw yourself onto the now vacant chair. Your head goes slack and is only caught by the palm of your hand.

You stay in this position trying to justify why you say that. You could blame it on sleep, but who the fuck says that? On what?—Two hours?—Three? Shit..when was the last time your head hit a pillow?

With a sigh, you get up from the chair and begin to look over the written plans. Instead of worrying about your recent actions. With every minute passing, you start feeling the fatigue finally catching up with you. Take a break, you deserve it—right? Despite the opposing side of your conscious saying otherwise, you stand up and pace around the room to stretch your aching muscles.

Waddling around the room like a chicken with its head cut off, you stop in front of the mirror once more and just stare at yourself. What’s wrong with you? You feel that guilt creeping up and looming over your shoulder as you stare at yourself. Scrutinizing what’s more prominent to you; the scar on your cheek, the rough and dry spots on your skin, the recent bruise you got as a warning, scaling up and off your imperfections and landing on your hair.

You never really took it into consideration, but your hair was a hazard. Pulling open the drawer, you see the solution to said concern. Scissors. Without any hesitation, you pick them and cut a large portion of your hair. You watch in the mirror as the hair cascades down and on the floor. You don’t stare for long and cut until there’s nothing left to cut.

Hair grows back anyway—it’s no biggie, you continue to repeat over and over in your head as you stare at your reflection. Setting the scissors down, you brush any stray hairs off of you when you hear it. That bone chilling sound—or “The death horn” as you call it, blares throughout the building and through the walls into your eardrums. You wince upon hearing that deafening sound that pumps fear through your veins.

Who is it this time?

In a blink, you’re gone and flying down the winding hallway to the courtyard.

Ada?

Tears blind your sight as you rush towards the end of the hallway and make a sharp right turn.

Mallory?

You make it to your heart-wrenching destination and are met with a crowd surrounding the podium where there’s five people standing on it, whom you immediately recognize—well at least the first three. The leader's voice, Liana, is more prominent as she speaks to the vibrant crowd. And the two behind her on each side are guards, but the last two aren’t identifiable, only seeing the top layout of their heads as the crowds block the rest of their body. You have—No, need to know who the last two are.

They have to be okay—it can’t be them!

Your body is tense with anticipation of finding out as you rush towards the crowd, pushing your way through. The crowds’ voices only intensify the momentum in you. Just as you see an opening to the front and try to make a move for it, you’re hindered from doing so when a hand wraps around your forearm.

The grip is strong and pauses any planned sudden movement which elicits you to glance back at the person. It’s Ashley, her facial expressions covered in worry as she stares at you with tears rolling down her cheeks, “Don't go—Y/n stay here please!” she begs.

Her pleads only feed into your curiosity, Stay?—No, you can’t stay!—oh but you can—“Ashley, let me go!” you began to try to loosen your arm from her grip, but to no avail. Your struggles only are met with Ashley tightening her grip, “No! I won't let you see—Please!” she begs once more.

All her desperate attempts to make you stay are futile, because with one harsh pull, you're released from her grip and stumble back. A bystander catches you before you can truly fall on the ground and once on your feet, you run. Run as fast as you can from Ashley—your protruding thoughts to stay with her. To not look at what lies before you.

Until you do, and god did you wish, this was just a bad figment that your brain made up. That you’d wake up in the comforts of your dirty mattress beside—Mallory. She’s one of the final pieces to the stressful puzzle, a damaged puzzle piece. She’s on her knees, Hands bound behind her back, and blind folded. And beside her is the final puzzle piece—the final nail in your coffin.

Ada, she’s in the same position as Mallory, but not badly beaten as her. Her lip tremors in fear as the woman behind both of them continues to speak, “These two have been selfish and are a danger to our thriving community here.” What?—No…,”Therefore, they need to be dealt with accordingly.” This statement only riles up the crowd and you, “N-no! Mallory! Ada! No, no, please!” You try to proceed forward, but stopped once again when arms wrap over your body.

It’s Ashley's voice that can be heard behind you telling you to stop and how you’re gonna get yourself hurt or worse going up there. But you don’t care—No…not when the two people you let back into your heart are gonna perish in front of you—No, you need to do something—Anything!

“Get the fuck off of me!” you scream, thrashing around her arms.

You try and try but to no avail—you’re not successful. You watch the gun in Liana's hand aim towards the back of Mallory’s head. And with every amount of breath in you—you scream out “no” just maybe…it’ll do something.

“Please, no!” You cry out, but at that moment everything is in slow motion for you. You watch as with no hesitation from the carrier, the gun fires and the bullet goes flying. Your body feels weak—unable to look or stand anymore so you fall on your knees letting out guttural sobs as you hear the sound of her body dropping to the ground and losing all its vitality.

As quick as life came, so did it go.

You couldn’t feel or hear anything—nothing. Not the voice of Ashley or her actions of trying to get you up again—nothing. Well actually…you did feel one thing; Anger. The feeling of it coursing through your veins, but wait…Ada! No, not again! You can’t lose her too—

The sound of a gunshot pierces your eardrums and plays havoc into your trance instantly. The familiar thud of another body falling on the ground causes the crowd behind you to lose all control and sets fear into you.

Who is it this time?

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a/n; Woah what a journey it was from January 8th to now, and I wouldn’t change any of it. I genuinely wanna thank and send love to everyone who send nothing but love and support, you are the highlight. I am so sorry it took me so long so long to post another chapter, but holy shit we are! As always, thank you sydney and ami for being here to listen to me yap because holy fuck, there were many scenarios that were cut and left it and blah blah. I don’t wanna yap for so long because it is currently four in the fucking morning where I live and I need to go to sleep 😭 BUT I’d like to thank you as always for reading and showing me unconditional love and support. Thank you and I truly appreciate it. So with that out the way, MAKE SURE TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE SO YOU NEVER EVER MISS A BANGER FROM MEEE 💯💯💯💯‼️‼️‼️🔥🔥🔥

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[flowerandblood]

The Fall from the Heavens (10)

[ canon • Aemond x Strong • niece female ]

[ warnings: angst, arranged engagement, violence, swearing, trauma, regret, depression, mention of a suicide attempt ]

[ description: A cool distance turns into friendship and more when two children see that they can find refuge and understanding in each other. However, naïve dreams collide with the reality in which every event has consequences and what once could have been love becomes a dark, newly painful obsession. Angst, sexual tension, obsession, violence, madness, very dark Aemond. ]

The story in this series is an alternate reality from the oneshot Stay and love, leave and die, in which Aemond reads the letters his niece has sent to him over the years. They are the same characters and it shows what would have happened between them − I have changed the background story from their childhood slightly for the sake of the plot.

Characters & Series Moodboard Lady Strong Moodboard Aemond & Lady Strong Moodboard Aemond & Lady Strong Childhood

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

_____

It seemed to her that for days she had lingered in a deep, restless sleep, once seeing her past before her eyes, and once seeing something that seemed to her to be the future, dark and frightening.

When she awoke the first thing she smelled was his scent, smoke and ash; she felt his hands stroking her body, his soft lips on her neck. She sighed then with relief, thinking that all she had seen, all that had happened to her, was just a bad dream.

It occurred to her that they had escaped from the library together and were still lying in each other's embrace in the chamber to which he had taken her, that perhaps she would soon bear his child, that she would become his wife. Her fingers intertwined with his then, and despite the discomfort she was feeling within her wrists, she felt safe.

She finally opened her eyes and found to her surprise that it was morning, but she was in her chamber, his body pressed against her from behind, his arms embracing her tightly, his calm, warm breath enveloping her neck.

She smiled to herself and attempted to lift herself up to sit, but she hissed loudly, surprised at how much pain she felt in her wrists when she shifted the weight of her body into her hands. She looked at them and froze, seeing the bandages on them, feeling the cold sweat on her back, her heart began to pound like mad.

"− my love? −" She heard his voice, startled and uncertain. She looked at him and already knew; her lower lip trembled, tears of anger, regret and disappointment gathered under her eyelids.

It was all true.

His betrayal and what happened next.

Moon tea.

She pressed her lips together so that no sound came out of them and lay down again, turning her back to him, trembling all over. She drew in the air loudly when she felt him embrace her immediately, his warm, accelerated breath enveloping her neck.

"− I didn't know − I swear I didn't know about moon tea −" He muttered with a pain and regret from which she felt her heart squeeze, his face pressed into her hair seeking comfort, but nothing came out of her mouth.

She looked towards the window behind which the sun was shining, and although a new day had dawned, night had fallen in her heart and mind, for despite still being alive, she felt dead.

She stayed for him, she gave him what she held most precious, she believed him.

None of his tears or grief could change the fact that all she felt for him was compassion.

She thought he was a pathetic, weak man running at his mother's every beck and call, thinking he was entitled to everything.

She decided that she would punish him the way he had punished her all these years.

With her silence.

It turned out that persevering with her decision came easily to her, as she had no desire to look at him; she would not answer his questions, she would not let him feed her or stay in the chamber when she took a bath with the help of his servants.

She didn't use words, so she couldn't tell him that she didn't wish for his presence, however, she later decided that she did not feel the need to do so − she derived satisfaction from him returning to her like a moth to a flame, night after night falling asleep in his tentative embrace, feeling the closeness and warmth of his body, his fingers stroking her hands and arms.

He didn't try to take her, he knew she wouldn't let him, and there was something about it that, to her despair, aroused her.

The fact that she could feel his swollen, throbbing manhood on her buttocks, that she could feel his anxious, shuddering breath on her neck, his body writhing restlessly behind her making her insides clench wonderfully.

She fought with herself, trying to keep a sober mind from guiding his hand between her thighs, to keep him from satisfying her with his long, warm fingers.

She decided that she would not give him that satisfaction and pleased herself alone, in brief moments of solitude during her baths, involuntarily thinking of him and what they had done then, in that cramped, cool chamber.

Once she had fallen from her elation all that was left in her was emptiness, regret and bitterness.

She thanked the gods then that she had been able to restrain herself and not let him take her again, that after what he had done he deserved nothing she could and wanted so much to give him.

Her thoughts wandered to her family, to how she could be of service to them.

She decided that she would wait patiently until her uncle's wedding to one of Lord Baratheon's daughters, remaining calm until then, not causing any trouble, wanting to lull their vigilance.

She knew that such an event would focus the attention of most of the keep and she would be able to try to use this to escape.

One of the servants whispered during her bath as she poured oils into her tub that there were people in this stronghold who still supported her mother, that they would help her flee when the time was right.

She accepted these words with relief, finally having the feeling that she was not alone.

No one besides her uncle and his sister visited her, questioned her or demanded anything of her. She was surprised when, in her presence, a servant girl conveyed to him that the Queen wished to speak with her, and he replied that she was to convey to her that he forbade it.

Neither the Queen, Otto, Aegon nor Criston Cole crossed the threshold of her chamber after what had happened at his clear command.

Her uncle had decided that Helaena would stay with her in his absence, and although she craved nothing more than solitude, her presence did not bother her.

She was their hostage, just like she was.

Helaena was an affectionate caregiver to her – when she was still weak she helped her to eat, get up and dress. They did not speak to each other, however, she felt that there was a kind of warmth between them, a kind of understanding, a sense that they both suffered just as much and supported each other in their agony.

All day long they would sit and read books or embroider, listening to the birds sing; all around them a strange stillness, the calm before the storm, a tension that could be felt in the air.

War was coming, they all felt it in their bones.

"– from the mingled blood will emerge a dragon's crown –" She whispered under her breath, cocking her head, looking dreamily at the spider figure she had embroidered on the light fabric.

She lifted her gaze to her, surprised, wondering if the very thing her uncle had once told her about had happened.

He had said to her that Helaena had seen things in her dreams.

"What does it mean?" She asked softly, piercing the needle with thread across to the other side, pulling it so that it formed another knot folding into one of the wings of a bird.

The Arryn family crest, her expression of who she identified with, who she supported.

Helaena hummed under her breath, mending one of the threads that had entangled, piercing the material from underneath with a needle, pulling it out on the other side.

"He really tried. I was there. He tried, but they cornered him and forced him to succumb." She said calmly; she felt a tightening in her throat, understanding perfectly well that she was referring to her brother. She lowered her gaze, clenching her hands into fists, feeling discomfort in her stomach.

"I trusted him. I gave myself to him." She said in a trembling voice, regret, resentment and disappointment flowing out of her like a black stream, feeling that she could no longer hold it in, that it was poisoning her from the inside.

She shuddered when Helaena finally looked at her, in her bright eyes understanding and compassion, but also something else, some kind of deep, bottomless sadness.

"He wanted to keep his vows. He said he wanted to marry you, but the only person who supported him in that decision fell asleep forever. When you…" She fell silent for a moment and lowered her gaze, swallowing quietly, both of them didn't say a word for a moment, knowing what she meant.

"…I've never seen him like this. I didn't think he was capable of such despair, of such affection." She said, sighing quietly, looking up at her again, her white hair tied into a braid that shone wonderfully in the sunlight.

"After you moved to Dragonstone, he wouldn't let anyone mention you. When I spoke of you, he would burst into a rage and leave. He never came to terms with what had happened. My grandfather, disturbed by information from the servants that they had seen your letters, told me to go to his chamber to look for them and then bring them to him. He stated that he would not suspect me of anything. I found them in his drawer. There were so many that they barely fit in there. Each year tied separately with a black ribbon, sorted, arranged in the right order."

Helaena spoke, looking absently out of the window; she felt her heart begin to pound like mad, her throat and stomach clenched with pain. She played with her fingers in a nervous gesture listening to her intently, wanting so badly to know what had happened to him over the years, what he thought of her.

"Some of them looked much more worn than others, as if he returned to them particularly often. It shocked me but also gave me hope because I had stopped recognising him over the years. He had turned into a cold rock who rammed everything in his path. I told my grandfather I hadn't found anything, that he had apparently burned your letters after he read them to leave no evidence." She said and sighed, massaging her temple, looking tired and discouraged as she clearly could not get the peace she so desperately wanted.

Their conversation made her feel even worse.

Some part of her sympathised with him, while another part resented him for simply not kidnapping her to Essos, for intending to take this girl as his wife and beget his children with her, for hoping that she would understand and forgive him.

That evening he came to her chamber as he did every day – she pressed her lips together lowering her gaze to her embroidery, feeling his burning gaze, her heart began to pound like mad.

She heard him sit in the same place he always did, in a chair facing her right next to the fireplace, watching her for a moment; she heard him sigh heavily as he turned his head, simply looking into the flames, thoughtful.

She swallowed quietly, trying to focus on the pattern she was sewing and not think about what Helaena had said to her.

About her letters that he had kept in his drawer for years, that he had returned to and cherished, that he had tried to fulfil his promise in spite of everything.

She felt resentful towards herself that she had begun to feel some kind of sympathy for him again, to justify him in her mind wanting to believe that he actually cared for her as much as she cared for him, that what had happened was the result of his grandfather's cold calculation and not his will, that he, like her, was standing between a hammer and an anvil.

She felt a discomfort in her stomach and a squeeze in her throat at the thought that they were both in fact prisoners of the situation, unable to express or do what they really wanted.

She shuddered when he stood up suddenly with a loud creak of wood and walked over to his secretary's desk, opening it, pulling out parchment, quill and inkwell. She blinked in confusion, watching as he sat down and mused, sinking the tip of the quill into the ink, then began to write.

She wondered what had happened, who had been the recipient of his words, and thought with regret that it had surely been Lord Baratheon or one of his daughters, that his mother had commanded him to take action and try to win their hearts.

She lowered her gaze at this thought, sad and discouraged, returning to her work, piercing the needle from underneath the fabric, pulling it out on the other side with a light, soft flick of her hand.

She looked at him surprised when, many minutes later, he put down the quill, rolled up the parchment and walked over to her, placing it next to her on the table and simply left the chamber, closing the door behind him.

She looked at the scroll in disbelief feeling the cold sweat on the back of her neck, her heart pounding like mad, her fingers clenched tightly on the material she had just embroidered on.

For the first time it was he who had written her a letter.

His words to her, his act of desperation.

She felt some kind of emotion at the thought, felt tears under her eyelids because although she didn't know what was written there, she felt it would break her heart.

She reached for the parchment with a trembling hand and unrolled it slowly placing it on her lap, beginning to read in breathless amazement what her uncle had to say.

My Rhaenys,

I set out on my journey to Storm's End to quench my grandfather and mother's thirst with a sense of injustice. It occurs to me that only now am I able to understand what you have been going through all these years, experiencing from me only the silence I deeply believed you deserved at the time.

I'm sure you think the same of me now, and you're not wrong, because I myself am unable to comment or justify what happened through my hesitation, which cost me everything.

I thought it is easy to see what is right and what is wrong, to choose the proper path, but after my father's death it became apparent that none of this was the case, and my mother's and my grandfather's decision set it out for me, against my will, and although I tried to stand up to it, it seems to me that the consequences of their actions have sunk me like a wave that carries me onward, away from the safe harbour that you are.

I want you to realise, my niece, that one word from you is enough for us to slit our lips and hands upon my return and drink our warm, mingled blood, sealing at last our destiny once and for all.

I, unlike Aegon the Conqueror, want you in my bed every night.

I don't think Lord Baratheon's mind can contain what we read about as children and that he would accept that his daughter would be merely a second, and moreover, unwanted wife in my life. Union with him may give us an army to wage war on, but my union with you may in my mind end it with the birth of our child, a descendant of the Greens and Blacks.

I am not, and will not be able to accept, either as your uncle or as your husband, Jacerys, Lucerys or Joffrey as heirs to the throne for reasons that are well known to you, and which neither the marriage nor the threats of your stepfather and your mother can change − we both know full well that they do not and cannot have rights to the crown.

However, Aegon's and Viserys's rights to it are strong, unassailable even by me, and although as your uncle I have no personal interest in your mother or her offspring sitting on the Iron Throne, as your husband I would be willing, as part of a truce, to agree that it should not be Helaena and Aegon's children who inherit the throne, but my half-sister's and my uncle's or, if both sides in the conflict were to be at least partially satisfied, ours.

I have spent the last few days reflecting on what has happened and on what I think would be a solution that would satisfy me, but it has turned out that there is none. Unlike my brother, I don't delude myself that your mother will bend the knee, any more than any person with any dignity or pride would.

We all have to sacrifice something.

She looked at what she had read with a kind of disbelief, and covered her mouth with her hand, clenching her eyelids, warm tears of simultaneous relief and pain flowed from the corners of her eyes, for here was her uncle, a man she no longer recognised suddenly seemed closer to her than ever.

He had shared with her musings that would have been considered a betrayal by his brother and grandfather.

She read his letter quickly a few more times, trying to calm her breathing, noticing with surprise that her hands were trembling.

I want you to realise, my niece, that one word from you is enough for us to slit our lips and hands upon my return and drink our warm, mingled blood, sealing at last our destiny once and for all.

I, unlike Aegon the Conqueror, want you in my bed every night.

My Rhaenys.

She covered her face with her hand, letting out a loud breath, no longer knowing for herself what she thought of it all, distraught and torn, at the same time wanting to stay with him and run away, to support him and her mother, wanting to be in two places at once.

To be a good wife and to be a good daughter.

Though she tried, she could not choose.

She thought with pain, lying in her bed at night, covered in furs, that he had just chosen his future wife, that he would marry this woman if she did not agree to his terms, that she would lose him forever, that his hands, his lips would caress another woman.

She clenched her eyelids and wept quietly, feeling a sting in her heart at the thought, furious with herself that despite all she had been through she had not been able to stop loving him, she had not been able to tear him from her heart.

It would be better if you ripped your heart out, she remembered Daemon's words and thought with a sneer that she only now truly understood them.

She looked at her wrists, her still red, healed wounds, and considered trying again, but decided it made no sense, that if the gods wanted her dead, Ser Criston would not have stepped into her chamber then.

The gods wanted her to live, but why?

She screamed and pulled herself up, sitting up, turning towards the door when she heard someone enter her chamber, within seconds her uncle was beside her, pulling her by her arm and dragging her forcibly from the bed, grabbing her grey cloak on the way.

"− uncle? − what are you − stop −" She cried out horrified as he surrounded her with it and put the hood over her head, pulling her towards the door despite her standing up to him, not understanding what was happening, what he was up to.

She thought he would want to marry her by force, that he had no intention of waiting for her decision.

"− no − I don't want to − you won't make me − I'm going to scream −" She mumbled as she followed him barefoot down the torch-lit corridor, trying to break away from him but fruitlessly; she heard him snort, he looked at her over his shoulder with annoyance and impatience.

"Be fucking quiet. Don't you want to see your little brother? Hm? I thought so." He growled and tugged her towards the narrow staircase leading underground; she squealed loudly but didn't say a word, breathing heavily through her mouth, her heart starting to pound like crazy.

Don't you want to see your little brother?

She wondered if he was mocking her, if this was some kind of trap, some kind of trial.

She was afraid of him.

She wept silently quivering with cold and terror, walking with him in complete darkness.

And then she spotted a light, a silhouette standing by the open door and she recognised him, his black curly hair, his terrified face expressing disbelief.

Her uncle let go of her and she stopped, breathing hard, his name bursting from her throat like a desperate cry.

Luke.

_____

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[sharpedgedfool]

I've ended up doing a full character sheet for each of the season's, I'll probably do the fairies grouped up together as they're not as detailed but this was fun!

Some more extensive lore under the cut!

So the seasons are all personified as these four spirits. They're not considered fae they're more like deities, the fae have their own courts separate but they pay respect to the seasons as they pass - Winter is the season with the least amount of fae present as most of the fairies are spring-born and die before winter and reincarnate every spring again, a select few fae stay alive through winter but their court is rather elusive. Winter is rarely seen in person, and so they are quite mysterious. Most of what people and fae alike know of Winter are only rumours passed around - they are often described to be cold, violent and deadly due to the amount of battles waged over wintertime.

Although Winter is necessary for the other seasons to thrive, they are often targeted by people attempting to kill Winter to save loved ones dying of the cold. They take no pleasure in it, but they've became accustomed to fighting those desperate enough to try, sometimes fighting armies off by themselves. Animal-patron-fae see the benefits of these battles first, the predator animals feed off the remains of the fallen and prey animals are less likely to be targeted in turn. Plant-patron-fae see more prey animals feeding off the berries in spring so they at least have a passive understanding of the events.

Those who know Winter, or know them by their name 'Black Ice', know they deeply care for animals, and do their best to not disturb those hiding away in hibernation and often enjoys the company of the more active animals. They often ride their Stag around in the snow, the two of them are almost inseparable. Wolves, crows and foxes tend to follow them around in case they slay someone and they can pick at the scraps, but they've secretly thrown snowballs around for them when they're playing. Winter fae like mistletoe or holly sometimes pay respect and offer gifts, but Winter doesn't partake in their festivities - they feel like they shouldn't celebrate when many are suffering in his presence.

Winter refuses to abandon their duty and takes pride in their role in the lifecycle, they know the importance of their season, but they are constantly in a state of grief witnessing more death than life. They know most of the people waging war against them aren't trying to take over the season's power (Summer is mostly targeted for this reason, as they're considered a 'good' season and people want their power and position) instead the attackers truly believe they're doing a good thing and are just foolish not malicious. Despite sympathising with them, Winter won't give them mercy or let their guard down, lest they do manage to kill them and throw off everything.

If they were to die, it is unlikely anyone would want to take up the mantle of winter due to it's hated reputation, but a cruel person could use winter to do untold damage and kill Autumn or Spring in the process - even Summer might falter if their heart were too cold to be burned. They knew the previous spirit of Winter when they were mortal. They had grown close, but she was fatally wounded in a battle against a grieving lover and she couldn't bring herself to strike back. The lover escaped unscathed, and Black Ice found her dying in the snow. In her final moments they promised to take her place and protect what she could not. They love the winter with all their heart, but they still struggle to see the beauty in the season, they still see her blood in the snow.

Winter is the eldest season of the current four, but holds great respect for all his three peers - he has never met Summer but trusts they are more than capable. He isn't talkative, and is quite clinical. They arrive and leave punctually and without much conversation with the other seasons, unlike the other three who often enjoy each others company for a few days before moving on.

[edgeray]

Arlecchino is a cold person.

(Arlecchino x Reader Blurb)

It's no suprise to anyone. It is simply an objective fact of the matter. She is aware of this. The House of the Hearth is aware of this. The Fatui are aware of this. It's ironic given the nature of her vision, but it nonetheless rings true despite the fire she possesses on her blackened fingertips. She is callous and curt, and underneath her skin there is nothing except frigid ice that envelopes her being like a fitted coat. She speaks with no warmth, acts with the absence of heat, exists in a constant state of cold emptiness--a state in which there is a void inside of her, as if sucking all that is human of her.

Years ago, when she was just a child of the same orphanage she headed, she had naive thoughts of finding companionship, someone who would provide the warmth she sought on lonesome nights. She was barely just an adolescent who dreamed of lying in someone's arms, feel the heartbeat of another so surely, it would remind her that she was indeed alive. For even the briefest of moments, she yearned for someone who would, if not shield, then distract her from the cruelties of this world. She had shed those foolish wishes aside. In the House of the Heart that she was raised in, such notions were admonished, in fact, the wishful thinking was one of the reasons she had nearly lost her life. Never again, she had promised to herself, when she mercilessly beat the backstabber. It was then that she believed when the time came, her tale would end the same way as it began for her: alone. As the years of being a Fatui, then becoming a Fatui Harbinger, hardened her, there was comfort in that view.

That is what she believed in. Until you came.

Iciness wraps her being. It is present in her expression, in her words, in her touch. But that is exactly why she finds solace in your being. Her vision could only grant her a synthetic flame, but, you, you're an everlasting hearth. She melts in your embrace every time she slots herself in your arms, as it feels like a kindling ignited in her heart. It is only with you, that she learns how warmth can be found in.

Arlecchino is a cold person.

It is why you, as a warm one, is perfect for her. You whisk away the most depraved thoughts, ease her of any emotional and mental turmoil, and you do not treat her with the same coldness as the world seems so fond of doing to her. You are her flame, the one that sparks her being and reminds her that she is alive because her heart beats with you, beats for you.

Except you are cold now. It is unfathomable to her how you can be this way when your entire being exists to warm her, but when she touches your skin, you are unbearably frozen. Your body does not tremble like it does when her clawed fingers ever so gently trace your skin. The corner of your lips doesn't quirk up into the usual small smile of yours when she appears in your sight, but they remain ever rigid like the rest of you. Uncharacteristically, your expression doesn't soften with her presence.

You are cold, just like her. And that makes her afraid. Her hand searches for it, prodding your skin for a familiar thumping that is nowhere to be found. You continue to stare at her, unblinking. Here would be the moment where you give her a beaming smirk and you'd cup her face tenderly as if she was glass. And she would let you, because you are her beloved, who has watched her shatter so many times before and wordlessly each shard back together, and it is for that reason that she would lean closer towards your touch.

Because you lie broken in her arms and her hands are stained again with the familiar color of red. Your eyes are glossy and gaze unblinkingly at her. Frozen. Even when you are covered in your blood, you are beautiful, she notes, but oh, so cold that it makes her doubt if you were warm to begin with.

She misses your warmth. Where has it gone? Or has it died along with you?

Her hearth is gone. And as she clings onto your form, her body wracking with a fear and desperation she's never known before, two revelations come to her: that there is no such thing as an everlasting fire, and even after so many years ago, she was right along.

Arlecchino is a cold person. And she will remain always cold.

[blackwomanwriter]

"Mine"

Read: Part I, Part II

It's been a minute, but I finally wrote something. And of course, I had to go back to this series because there is something about Thomas Shelby. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and let me know your favorite part. Happy Reading!

He entered quietly like he was on a mission. Although this one was unlike the ones he had performed during the war and after. No, this mission was different. Very different. Yet, Tommy performed it with the same intensity.

Eyes narrowed on the quiet interior, clocking each entry point and exit way, like a soldier, he assessed his environment. He hadn’t been in a house this small since his childhood. Even back then, the space had felt cluttered and cramped. Too noisy to think. Too busy to breathe. The stench of his father’s hangover in the air before it disappeared altogether.

He remembered talking Arthur out of trying to find their father. A man unworthy of carrying - no, sharing his surname. Tommy tensed his jaw, moving past the memory. Instead, he raised a brow at how devastatingly clean the entire place felt. Physically tidy, but clean in a way that made the house feel empty. Unlived. Unloved. Cold. The opposite of everything he thought of her. She was warm. Tender. Inviting.

Moving to the narrow staircase, he could hear the water running. The pipes pushing the water through the house. She was here. She was alive. She was avoiding him - again.

He hiked up the stairs, stepping one foot in front of the other. Like a soldier, he kept moving. He carried on with the task before him. His mind focused on the mission.

Opening the door quietly, Tommy leaned on the door frame - taking in the sight before him. Curved hips that were fuller since he had last seen her. A waist that tempted him to wrap his arms around her. It was now that he reached in his pocket for a cigarette.

“Jesus, Tommy,” she shrieked. The click of his lighter giving him away.

She rested a hand on her heart, shuddering as she closed her eyes.

Unbothered, he traced the stick along his bottom lip before lighting it.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” She pinched the bridge of her nose, as her breath steadied.

“You haven’t been taking my calls,” he stated. Gaze unchanged. Smoke filling the air.

“I’m in mourning,” she enunciated, grabbing a towel to cover herself. She didn’t bother hiding her frustrations as she shoved past him. She was angry. He liked her angry.

At first, when she didn’t answer his call, he had briefly worried that she was sad. Tearful over the sudden death of her husband, who the police found floating in the river after a night of drinking. His death ruled accidental according to the official report. A drunken man’s blunder. An unsurprising end of life. An expected death for a man who drank as much as her late husband did.

An easy lie to believe, but she knew the truth. The greatest mistake the dead man had made was marrying Thomas Shelby’s favorite whore. It was her mistake more than his. She knew what she was doing when she said yes. The risks she was taking by marrying while Tommy was off in America. Her moment of rebellion had cost a life.

Although, they had gotten past the letter. She hadn’t returned to him. She wanted to keep her promise. To stay married. To honor what was left of her vows. She wouldn’t work for him. She wouldn’t see him. The temptation of losing herself in him made her stay away. She had already ruined the sanctity of her marriage by sleeping with him in his office. She didn’t want to continue making a mockery of the words she vowed before God and man.

She was suddenly religious, which amused Tommy. He thought it was a game, but she clung on to every word spoken by the priest. At the funeral, she remembered his words at the wedding. How he had pressed upon her the importance of repentance. Before Thomas Shelby, she had been a good girl. Never told a lie. Prayed before bed. Devout daughter. Devoted sister. An upstanding and honorable member of her community. He had changed her. Corrupted her. Loved her. Destroyed her.

“It’s been weeks,” Tommy stated coolly.

She ignored him. Her hands focused on the cream she was applying to her skin. Smooth skin. Soft skin. Skin his lips remembered. The taste imprinted on his tongue. Tommy exhaled.

His patience was wearing thin. He loved her. She loved him. He figured out how to help her keep her promise and allow him to keep his. Her husband was dead, and she was free.

“I see you’re eating again,” he quipped, trying to stir a reaction out of her. She didn’t disappoint. He ducked as the bottle of cream nearly struck his head.

“I went from being a whore to being a widow.”

“Sounds like the beginning of a book.” Tommy shrugged then ducked again. This time, she threw a shoe.

“At least I can bargain my way into heaven as a whore,” she resolved, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Is that what your priest tells you?” He brought the cigarette back to his lips for another drag.

He knew. Of course, he knew. She wondered if he was having her followed again. How else would he know about her visits to the church. Her talks with the priest.

“My greatest sin is you,” she finished her thought.

Her words were meant to be cutting, but Tommy remained unbothered. His eyes stoic, jaw set as if he was watching a horse race. He brought his cigarette to his lip, letting it dangle as he neared her. 

She stood up, ready to shove past him again, but he grabbed her forearm. Her eyes flared up at him as she tried to loosen his grip, but he remained firm.

“You want to talk about sins, ey?” He whispered against her ear. “You married a man who picked a pint over his life. A man who stowed you away in a house he couldn’t bear to live in himself, while he stayed three doors down with his brother’s wife.”

She frowned, hearing him confirm a suspicion she wouldn’t allow herself to believe. When he stopped coming home, she told herself that he was drunk at a pub or sleeping his hangover off at his mother’s house.

“A man who lost his wages betting on fights.”

So that’s where all their money had gone, she thought. Her face didn’t flinch as Tommy confirmed another truth. Her late husband was just another man who had let her down. All the words she threw at Tommy about him being a good man were lies. He was just better at hiding his wrongs.

Tommy softened his grip on her hand, as he relayed the sin that he couldn’t forgive. The sin that forced him to intervene without thinking of the consequences. “A man who was willing to sell his wife to settle his debts.”

Her eyes widened then glazed over. The shred of innocence he once found in those warm brown irises was quickly disappearing. He cursed at himself for the letter, but it wasn’t just the letter. It was the months he left her wondering if he could ever love again. It was the voice that told him to push her away. She married the man because of him.

Tommy released her hand. There was a part of him that wished he hadn’t been so honest. Her hardened eyes told him just as much. The look on her face was one he had seen before in the women who dared to love him. When his darkness eventually shadowed their light. When his world swallowed them whole.

She reached for the cigarette hanging from his mouth. Taking a long drag, she exhaled. The smoke covering Tommy’s face.

“My sin was marrying the wrong man,” she concluded.

His thumb brushed her skin, remembering when her lips pressed against his in hunger. His lip bleeding as their need took precedence. Her lip bruised from his appetite. Even when he had her, he needed more. Tracing her lip, he gently placed the cigarette between his fingers then lifted it to his mouth. The first puff was for the memory. The second was for his patience.

“No, my god doesn’t care about sins.”

“I didn’t think you believed in,” sighing, she looked up, “anything.”

Tommy closed his eyes. His patience wearing on him again. “You’re moving out of this house. You’re coming back to work, and you’re going to answer when I call.”

“Of course, Mr. Shelby,” she answered.

His jaw ticked at the use of his surname. The smoke from his cigarette creating a haze over his eyes. “Don’t start.”

“Tell me what your god thinks about whores.”

“Everyone’s a whore,” he muttered, as he moved toward the door, already thinking of his next order of business. The kiss would have to wait.

“Is that what your wife thinks?”

Tommy stopped walking. Leaning his hand on the door frame, he closed his eyes. His nose flared. His annoyance growing with her disobedience. He seemed to attract women who were determined to do the opposite of what he asked.

“She confronted me. Told me to stay away,” she admitted, and in that second, he realized why she ignored him. She was no longer his secret. He made his affection too obvious.

“I’ll take care of it,” he firmly stated, leaving no room for further questions. Yet, she continued.

“Does she follow any of the other girls or is it just me?” She asked.

He wasn’t ready to admit that there weren’t any other girls. That there hadn’t been other girls for a while. From the moment he declared his love, Tommy had made himself hers - only hers.

“You love me, but there are others,” she whispered. “I love you, but all I do is think of them. To be with you, I have to worry about them. I have to wait to be yours.”

“Is that what you’re doing then - waiting?” He asked, closing the distance between them.

Her hand dropped to her middle and Tommy’s eyes followed. He stared, then frowned before bringing his gaze back to her. “How far along?”

Her eyes softened. The grief coloring every muscle in her face. Tommy closed his eyes. She was in mourning. He understood her words clearly now. It was moments like this that made him miss Polly. She would have known.

Tommy muttered something in his Romanian tongue as he sat on the bed. He stamped his cigarette out in silent rage. There was never an end. Death seemed to find him at every turn. It hunted him. Craved him.

His hands went to her robe. Slowly, he pulled the fabric, revealing her body. A body that had prepared itself to carry his child. A body that had nourished him back to life. His fingers moved to her belly, tracing the skin there. The soft, smooth skin.

He looked up at her and saw the tears she wouldn’t shed. How long had she held them in, unable to weep. Unable to speak. Unable to fully mourn. Wrapping his arms around her middle, he pulled her in and kissed the place his hands had touched. He tried to do what she had done for him; he tried to make it okay for her to feel.

“I’m fine, Tommy. It’s better this way,” she said, her voice cold and void of any emotion.

“When?” He whispered, knowing it was his, and yet wondering how he’d missed so much in so little time.

“It doesn’t matter,” she stiffened. “It’s gone now, and I need to move on.”

She gave him a second to make peace with the reality she had lived with for weeks. Then, she moved from his touch, closing her robe as she distanced herself. Loving him was painful enough without the added grief of their lost child.

“You shouldn’t have come,” she folded her arms, avoiding his gaze.

Tommy raised a brow, staring at her before glancing around the room. It was as cold as the rest of the house - bare of any details or remnants of her. Standing up, Tommy found a new mission. He moved past her in search of anything that made the four walls more of a home.

His hands traced the metal bed frame. His fingers trailing the linen and cloth. He opened windows and tapped on wooden walls. He inspected the little furniture in the room, unsatisfied with the results.

“Tommy,” she started to say as he pushed open a wardrobe, finding it empty.

She was leaving. She planned to leave London. She planned to leave him. The thought stung in Tommy’s mind as he opened drawer after empty drawer. His anger taking center stage.

“Tommy,” her voice raised with concern.

He shoved the empty wardrobe back, watching as it crashed against the wall.

“Stop,” she yelled, as he shoved the wardrobe again and again. His grief coloring his anger. His anger coloring his grief. Her heart jumped as the wooden drawers finally cracked under the pressure. The splitting wood overshadowing her screams as the wardrobe completely fell apart.

“Tommy,” she cried, rushing to stop him from breaking the wood further. “Stop.”

“Please,” she whispered. Her plea full of a love she couldn’t deny him.

He exhaled. The sound of his heightened breath taking all the space in the room. His anger taking all the air. Tommy closed his eyes. The familiar whispers creeping in his head, telling him to put out the fire. To walk over to the other side. To let go of this life. To finally rest.

She swallowed, unsure of what to tell him, and yet, she persisted. “My sister found work outside of London. She thought it’d be good for me…”

Tommy shook his head, looking up at the ceiling.

“I wanted to tell you,” she stopped, lowering her head. There was nothing to say.

He scoffed. “Tell me.”

It felt like deja vu to hear him utter those words to her again. To hear the same command. The same request he’d asked from her when she told him about the wedding. Yet, this time, there was nothing left to say.

She stared at the back of his head. Her fingers yearning to brush his hair or wrap themselves around him. Her lips longing to kiss the nape of his neck.

Closing her eyes, she confessed. “There’s no life for me here.”

“You’re not leaving.” He pushed back, ignoring her words. “You’re mine.”

“When?” She sighed. “When am I yours, Tommy?”

He lifted his head, staring at the wall. His mind moving a mile a minute. She couldn’t leave him. His heart wouldn’t allow it. His body would protest. His hunger was contained to her. His thoughts all went back to her. How many minutes until he can think of her? How many meetings until he can dream of her? He suffered without her to be with her. Every hour he was away was an hour he promised to give to her.

He was a selfish man, who wanted what he wanted. A man who endured wars and monsters disguised as men. A cursed man. A broken man. A suffering man. A man who didn’t deserve her, and yet, he wanted her. He needed her. She was the cigarette on his lips. The pain tablets in his pocket. The shirt on his back. The razor blade on his cap. She couldn’t leave him.

“When your wife is gone? When you’re fucking other women?” Her voice continued in the background, but Tommy was half-listening. “When you’re bored? When the nightmares come? When the work is done? When am I yours?” She asked again, although there was no anger in her question.

“When you married him, you were mine. Every time you put on his fucking ring; you were mine.” His brows furrowed as he reached into his side pocket for a cigarette. “When you moved into this house, you were mine. When you had my fucking child inside of you, you were mine.” Tommy sniffed, turning to face her. “From the moment you entered my office, you belonged to me.”

She stiffened, as she traced her empty ring finger. His crassness didn’t bother her as much as his refusal to listen. He disregarded her words, only focusing on what he wanted. It was why she didn’t want to tell him about the baby. He would have stuck her in a big house that he would never visit. Given her everything except the thing she wanted, which was him. But now that nightmare wasn’t even a reality because she’d lost their child. She'd lost a piece of him.

“Is that all it takes…” she started to argue, but words were pointless. Their arguments were pointless. They had a love that was cursed from inception.

In this life, he was promised to another. In the next, he would be reunited with another. In life and death, she had no place in Thomas Shelby’s life. Her love for him didn’t save their unborn child. It reminded her that their love had no place to grow. It was wilted, and no amount of money or prayer could save them.

“You’re not leaving,” Tommy declared, cornering her until she had no choice but to look up at him.  Her brown eyes sinking into him, full of a love he didn’t deserve.

“You made me a promise,” he whispered. His jaw tensing as he remembered that night in his office when he had made himself hers. When he had promised to live. To stop craving death. The gods had given him a second chance with her.

“Tommy,” she protested, but he continued.

“You gave me your word.” His lips brushed hers and her body shuddered. “You made promises to me. Promises I intend to collect.”

His hand slipped down to her robe, loosening the ties. His fingers marking a trail from her chest to her neck to her lips. “Promises you agreed to keep.”

She folded under his touch. Her head falling on his chest as she exhaled. Quick, short breaths that made Tommy pull her in closer.

“And what of your promises?” She grabbed his fingers before they could slip between her thighs.

“Hmmm,” he hummed, trying not to smirk. “Remind me again.”

Shaking her head, she moved from his hands. Her heart ached, but it would always ache whether she was with him or not. He was not wrong. It belonged to him. From the moment she entered his office, her heart had become his. Knowing he was promised to another, it still beat for him. It yearned for him. It acted without consequence.

Thou shall not commit adultery. A vow she’d broken within a month of knowing Thomas Shelby. But her heart didn’t care. It didn’t care about the commandments she broke. Her sins were plenty but her heart was full. Full of love for a man who couldn’t confess his love until she married another.

Turning away from him, she closed her robe. Her hand wanted to follow the trail he etched on her skin, but she didn’t. She could hear him lighting a cigarette. His eyes on her. His eyes undressing her. His eyes claiming her as his.

She wanted to run, but her heart wouldn’t let her. Instead, she willed herself to face him. Smoke in the air. His scent in every crevice of the cramped room. She inhaled and tried to tell him again. Her thoughts were on her lips, and yet, nothing.

Offering her his cigarette, Tommy stepped towards her. “Leaving London won’t cure you of me.”

She reached for the smoke. Grateful for the distraction. For the heat. For the vapors. For the way her lungs would expand and contract. For the cigarette they shared between them. His lips on her lips. Her lips on his.

“That priest of yours won’t help you either,” he added.

“What is the cure then?”

Tommy leaned into her. His hands on her waist, slowly moving her robe up past her knees then her thighs. “First, you have to stop running.”

“Running?” She asked, confused by his accusation.

“The wedding. The job. This house.” He counted. “And now these plans of leaving London.” His hands pushed the fabric of her robe from her skin, leaving her naked before him. “You mustn’t run.”

“And what if I do?” She questioned, not allowing her nudity to dissuade her.

Tommy brushed her cheek before taking the cigarette from her lips. “I’ll find you. Remind you of where you belong.”

“And where is it that I belong?” She asked. Her eyes gentle and pleading. 

He brought her hand to his chest, placing it where his heart lay. “Here. Right here.”

She swallowed her nerves, terrified of letting her heart speak. “Second?” She went back to his list.

“Second.” He took a drag, exhaling the smoke before he continued, “You must know, I get scared,” he admitted, and she finally understood why he’d written her that letter. Thomas Shelby was scared of loving her. The first woman he loved died in his arms because of a bullet meant for him. Love was something to fear, and he was terrified.

“Now, it’s unpleasant and it’s unkind. But when I am…”

“I’ll remind you,” she finished, “of where you belong.”

Tommy cupped her face, placing a kiss on her head. “Good.”

She closed her eyes. Her heart too fragile for Thomas Shelby’s confession. He hadn’t proposed, yet they were already exchanging vows.

“Last.” He leaned his head on hers. “And the most important.”

“Yes,” she breathlessly whispered.

Tommy’s finger traced her bottom lip before he kissed her. His lips hungry to taste her. Selfish in his desire - his consumption of her. He groaned when he felt her kiss him back. Her own need just as desperate as his. She moaned when their lips parted, disappointed by her body’s need for air.

“I promise to have you pregnant by spring.”

Her eyes lit up as she laughed for the first time in months. She chuckled, not taking him seriously. “Tommy.”

“A boy,” he declared, wrapping his arms around her middle. “He’ll have your eyes and my charm.”

She giggled, playfully hitting his chest as he picked her up and placed her on the bed. Her smile widening as she gazed at him. She was returning to herself - returning to him. Weeks of grief slowly thawing from her heart.

Tommy stamped out his cigarette before joining her with a kiss. His body on top of hers. His hands on either side of her head. His mind fixated on the softness of her skin.

“I’ll be back at work in the morning,” she whispered in between kisses.

“You won’t be working anymore.”

She pulled away from his kiss, frowning at him. “What are you on about, Tommy?”

He sighed, already knowing he was about to start another fight. “I won’t have you working with a child of mine inside of you.”

“What?”

“You’ll be carrying my son,” Tommy repeated.

Closing her eyes, she realized he was serious. Of course, he was serious. She wondered how long he’d been planning to get her pregnant again.

“I don’t deserve you,” Tommy kissed her lips. “But, I promised to give you a life worthy of everything you are.” He reminded her. “I promised to let you in my head. I promised to do more than just wait to die. I promised to live.”

She wanted to be angry with him, but he remembered. Every word. Every promise. Everything they had discussed in his office.

“I promised to keep you safe.”

“To make us safe,” she corrected.

He kissed her again. “There are no other girls,” Tommy confessed, reminding her of his other promise. Tommy Shelby was hers.

Grabbing his collar, she pulled him into a long kiss. “No more running,” she vowed.

Tommy smiled. “No more.” He pressed his lips on hers before adding, “You’re mine.”

This time, she didn’t argue, simply letting him kiss her. “Now, where were we, Mrs. Shelby?” He asked, slipping his fingers between her thighs.

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

This was a long one. If you made it to the end, thank you for reading! Let me know your favorite part.

[toournextadventure]

movie night vii

Summary: Ghostface got you, and Tara isn't going to let him go without a fight. No one hurts someone she loves. It's time to end this.

Word Count: 11.4k Warnings: Swearing, Scream typical violence, wound descriptions, murder, grief, mention of Scream V events Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Reader (pt.i) (pt.ii) (pt.iii) (pt.iv) (pt.v) (pt.vi) (pt.vii) (pt.viii)

You weren’t answering your phone.

Tara had been calling you nonstop from the hospital to Gale’s apartment, and you weren’t answering.

“It’s probably fine,” Chad said as he struggled to catch up.

As much as she wanted to believe him, he was wrong. He was so very wrong and Tara couldn’t even string her thoughts into a coherent sentence for long enough to tell him why. Why her heart had tried to jump out of her throat when she saw the text from you that simply said “gf here.” She couldn’t explain the icy fear that froze in her veins.

Why couldn’t she run faster?

Tara’s heart dropped to her stomach the moment she saw those red and blue flashing lights. No no no. She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn around or answer. Her eyes were glued to Gale. Only Gale. Why was she alone? Where were you?

Gale’s tears and hyperventilating did nothing to ease the lump in her throat as she got closer.

Her eyes surveyed the entire scene before her. There was no ambulance sitting in the street, waiting to take an injured person to the hospital. An injured you. Police were just milling around, twiddling their thumbs until someone told them what to do. The only one who was attempting to help was Detective Bailey, but even he wasn’t doing much.

“Where are they?” Tara asked, finally turning to look at Gale.

She blinked a few times and let out a shaky inhale and exhale.

“Gale,” Tara said again, more forceful, “where are they?”

Her inability to focus or meet Tara’s eyes forced the air out of her lungs. Why couldn’t she look at her? What had happened to you that she didn’t want to admit? That she couldn’t admit? Gale needed to say something and she needed to say something now before Tara lost her mind.

“Gale.”

Everyone turned to face the voice. Alfie was doing an awkward jog over to where they were all standing. Tara studied his face, looking for any indication of what had happened to you. If someone didn’t fill her in soon she was going to combust. Where were you?

“Alfie what-”

“-They’re headed to the hospital,” Alfie interrupted her with his hand held up in a pitiful attempt to keep her calm.

You were headed to the hospital? That meant you were alive, right? Surely they wouldn’t have bothered taking you if you weren’t alive, that wouldn’t make any sense. Oh god, Tara’s mind was running rampant. How bad had it been? Would you be able to recover quickly? What if it was worse than they thought and they couldn’t save you?

“How bad is it?” Sam asked.

Everyone slowly turned to face Gale.

“It’s-” she swallowed harshly, “-it’s bad.”

It was only then that Tara noticed the blood soaking Gale’s clothes. Her shirt, her pants, her hands. Oh god, was it yours? It had to be, Gale seemed untouched. Tara’s hands shook even as she did her best to clench them into fists. That wasn’t enough to stop the unbearable ache of the muscles in her forearms.

He had made you bleed.

She was going to kill him.

“Sam.” Danny was next to appear, instantly going to Sam’s side and checking her over. “Are you okay?”

“What are you doing here?” Chad asked. Tara had almost forgotten he had come along.

“I’m Y/N’s emergency contact,” he said. “Came as soon as I got the call, but are you okay?”

“We’re fine,” Sam said quickly, “we were at the hospital.”

His hands were all over Sam, and Tara wanted nothing more than for him to leave. She didn’t care about Sam’s little boy toy, and he certainly wasn’t doing them any favours. He needed to leave so they could focus on the real issue at hand. He was nothing more than a liability at that point.

“Good,” your Pop said as he approached; he seemed to be far more relaxed about the situation. At least outwardly. “You’re all here.”

“Don, I didn’t-”

“-It’s okay,” he interrupted Gale quickly, “I know.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze before looking at Tara. “You all need to follow Tony to the safe house.”

“I’m not going anywhere until I kill that motherfucker,” she said.

“You’re going to a safe house,” he insisted. Actually, it sounded more like an order, just spoken with a more gentle tone. “No one else is getting hurt, you understand?”

No. No she didn’t understand. How could he be so calm when you were probably dying in the back of an ambulance? You were his child, how could he be so reserved? Surely he had a plan, he had to. She certainly did. She was going to find that bastard and kill him. Nothing drawn out, no, quick and efficient and gruesome.

“Aren’t you going after him?” Tara asked. Your Pop just gave her a sad look. “He tried to kill Y/N.”

“I know what he tried to do,” he said quickly. “I’m making sure it doesn’t happen to any of you.”

“But what about-”

“-you might not understand this just yet, little lady,” your Pop said, quickly shutting Tara up, “but Vitales do not charge in without a plan.”

“So you have a plan?” Tara asked eagerly. Someone’s hand fell onto her shoulder and squeezed gently. Judging by the size, it was Chad.

“I do,” Pop said with a simple nod. He let his finished cigarette fall from his lips before pulling out another one and lifting his lighter. “That plan involves you going to the safe house and waiting.”

Tara groaned and turned away. How could he expect her to just walk away? To hide away while you were dying and the one who tried to kill you was still running free? No, no that wasn’t going to happen. There was no way in hell she was just going to stay in someone else’s safe house. Carpenters didn’t hide.

“Do you understand me, Tara?” Pop asked, his brow raised and that cigarette hanging haphazardly from his lips.

“Yes sir,” she said even as her mind continued to run rampant.

Pop stepped forward and lightly placed a big, callused hand on her cheek. “I promise you, we’ll take care of it.”

His kindness was almost unsettling. How on earth did your family manage to be so kind when she could assume what they did for a living? She wasn’t stupid, she knew you weren’t accountants. It was a horrible lie, and none too convincing either. So how could your father - and your family - be so kind and gentle? 

And how could he tell her that she couldn’t go after Ghostface? If anything, she was the professional Ghostface killer. She and Sam were the ones who had killed Richie and Amber. When had your family ever dealt with Ghostface? Sure, you had held your own twice, but clearly the third time was not the charm. They had some nerve to keep her hidden while they took their sweet time.

“Go with Tony,” Pop said, giving the most reassuring pat to Tara’s cheek. “We’ll take it from here.”

With that, Pop leaned forward and gave Gale a kiss on the cheek before guiding her away. She was walking on shaky legs, and if his arm hadn’t been around her waist Tara had no doubt she would have collapsed. What had happened to you that had caused so much mental anguish to her? Tara assumed it was close to how she had been when she discovered Dewey had been killed.

“I want to see Y/N,” Tara said, turning around to finally look at everyone. “I’m not going anywhere until I see them.”

“I know which hospital they’re at,” Danny said quickly.

“I can have Tony meet us there,” Alfie chimed in. “We can go to the safe house when we know they’re okay.”

“Let’s go,” Sam said before Tara had a chance to answer. “It’s too dark to stay outside.”

Everyone mumbled their agreements before starting the walk. Thankfully the hospital wasn’t too many blocks away. Danny had his arm around Sam’s waist, seemingly holding her up, and whispering in her ear nonstop. It would have been cute in any other situation. Not that Tara was sold on him yet, but Sam seemed comfortable and that was the important part.

But she was too busy plotting her revenge to focus on how cute her older sister was being. Tara needed to see you, that was before anything else and it wasn't up for debate. After she was sure you would pull through? Oh it was on, Ghostface had better start praying that she didn't find them. If given half the chance, she would make him regret every moment of his life that led up to the moment he had attacked you.

"They'll be okay," Chad said, pulling Tara out of her bloody and violent imagination. "They're too stubborn to die."

"I thought you hated them," Tara mumbled as she shoved her hands into her pockets. "Why would you care if they were okay?"

"I don't hate them," Chad said quickly, "I just didn't trust them."

"And now?" She asked.

"I mean," he exhaled softly, "they saved Anika and Mindy." He stepped sideways to avoid running into a stranger that refused to move. "And they kept Gale safe."

Yeah you did. You did all of that even though you knew Sam and Chad weren’t your biggest fans. There was nothing any of them could say or do to change the fact that you had put yourself in danger for them not once, not twice, but three times. On your date at her apartment, in your apartment, and just now in Gale’s apartment.

Maybe you just shouldn’t be trusted in apartments, that always seemed to be the location where you got most hurt.

The hospital was cold; it wasn’t the same as when she had initially been there to visit Anika. There had been tension, of course, but everyone had been happy and laughing and having a good time. A feeling of comfort and safety surrounded them and almost made them feel like they could recover from anything.

This was different. Each sound and smell assaulted Tara's senses until her hands started to shake and her palms grew sweaty. Did they have you in a room yet, waiting anxiously for someone you knew to appear? Or were you still unconscious, unaware of anything that had transpired since the attack? Truthfully, Tara didn’t think she liked either answer.

“The hell are you all doin’ here?”

Your sister Mercy looked furious as she practically stormed over to where everyone was standing. Not that Tara could blame her, the entire situation probably had her on edge. And if she was one of the staff having to take care of you? Oh, there would be no need for explanation.

“Listen-”

“-I’m not listenin’ to shit,” she interrupted Alfie. “Pop said you were going to the safe house.”

“Tara wanted to see Y/N,” Sam said quickly. “And then we were heading over.”

“Well you can’t,” Mercy said with a rushed exhale and a shake of her head. The momentary silence settled in Tara’s bones. “They’re still in surgery.”

“Still?” Tara blurted out.

“They only got here about 15 minutes ago, T,” Mercy said, “of course they’re still in there.”

“How bad is it?” Chad asked. His hand fell to Tara’s shoulder again. She knew he was trying his best to comfort her, but it really wasn’t working. If anything, she wanted him to get away; she didn’t want anyone touching her.

Mercy sighed before shifting her weight to her other hip. “Lacerations to the face, and bullet fragments to the shoulder.”

The hospital started to tilt under Tara’s feet while they all continued talking, but she couldn’t hear them. It was like they were speaking underwater. You had been shot? They had gotten your face? How bad was it? Her mouth went dry at the thoughts that ran rampant in her mind.

“Tara.” A familiar hand cupped her jaw. Sam. “You okay?”

No. No she wasn’t okay. How could she be? It was hard enough to deal with Ghostface on his own. It brought back memory after memory of Amber. All those dates, all those spilled secrets, shared kisses. And she had turned out to be nothing more than a fake, a murderer, someone who would’ve traded Tara in for her 5 minutes of fame.

Add onto that the fact that you were laying on some cold operating table, all alone? Because of her?

“Tara?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. Sam’s thumb brushed gently across her cheekbone before she pulled away. “Is there anywhere we can sit and wait?”

“I’ll take you somewhere quiet,” Mercy said softly. Still shocking, coming from someone of your family.

The little room wasn’t too far away from where they had come into the hospital. It seemed private, at least compared to the usual waiting room that was wide open for the rest of the hospital to see. At least there was a door in this one, and a small coffee pot and a basket of snacks over on a table in the corner. Simple, but Tara could appreciate it. It was the most homey space in the unsettling environment.

“I’ll come get you when I know more,” Mercy said before leaving, closing the door with a gentleness that made Tara’s skin crawl.

It felt like hours before Tony came in, slipping through the door like a shadow, clinging to the walls like he wasn’t supposed to be there. He sat down dutifully beside Tara, not too close to encroach on her space but still far too close for comfort. She knew he was only there to make sure she actually went back to the safe house afterwards.

Your family was a bunch of bastards.

“Tara?”

Her eyes flew open, the world seeming hazy before she could blink the sleep away. She didn’t know what time it was, or how long she had been there, but she had been waiting for something. You. She had been waiting for you. Tara pushed herself up from the chair, standing on shaky legs for only a moment before walking mindlessly to the door where Mercy was waiting.

“How are they?” Tara asked before Mercy could even finish shutting the door behind them.

“Restin’,” she said with a subconscious nod.

“But alive?”

“Alive,” she reiterated with a small smile. “But there’s a lot of rehab in their future.”

“Better than the alternative,” Tara sighed, chewing her bottom lip in an attempt to feel something other than immense guilt.

It wasn’t working.

“Tara.” She tried not to flinch when Mercy’s hand landed on her shoulder. “Y/N would want you to be in the safe house.”

“They nearly got killed because of me,” Tara said quietly. “I can’t just let that go.”

“They nearly got killed because of that rat bastard,” Mercy said with a surprising amount of calm in her voice. “Not because of you.”

“But-”

“-do you think they would want you gettin’ yourself killed for this?” She asked. Tara froze. “Because they wouldn’t.”

“I can’t sit by and do nothing,” Tara said.

“You’re not,” Mercy shrugged. “You’re sittin’ safe.” She smiled and tilted her head slightly. “Isn’t that the best kind of revenge? Sittin’ nice and comfy while they get hunted down like the rat they are?”

Well. When she put it that way, maybe it didn’t sound quite so bad. And Tara wouldn’t lie, she was tired. She wanted to feel safe for once, not looking over her shoulder every second of the day because there might be someone following her. It was a miserable existence and she didn’t know how much longer she could do it.

“Okay,” Tara mumbled to herself. When Mercy didn’t answer, she looked up and spoke a bit louder, “Okay.”

“Atta girl,” Mercy said with a toothy grin that was almost a perfect duplicate of yours. “Let’s get you guys somewhere safe.”

Everyone seemed to already have some sort of idea of what was going on when Tara and Mercy got back into the waiting room. Sam was quick to rush over to Tara’s side, checking her over even though they both knew Mercy wouldn’t dare lay a hand on her. It was a habit. It was something Tara was getting tired of being a habit.

“Who all is comin’ with me?” Tony asked.

“I’ll go back to Mindy’s and Anika’s room,” Chad said. “It’s plenty safe up there.”

“You should stay,” Sam told Danny.

“Sam-”

“-Y/N would like a familiar face when they wake up,” she continued. “And you’re not Woodsboro.”

“Neither are they,” Danny said instantly, gesturing with his head to where all of your siblings were huddled up.

Tara and Sam turned their heads slowly to look at them. They were all talking with each other, worry etched onto each of their faces. She knew exactly how they felt; she had felt the same just knowing Sam was in danger back in Woodsboro. But to know that you had actually been hospitalised for it? Was it how Sam had felt when she was attacked last year?

“They’ve been through enough,” Sam said before turning back to face Danny.

“And I haven’t?” Danny asked.

“Never trust the love interest,” she said with a shrug.

Tara could see how much it hurt Sam to say such a thing. But it was the smart move; after all, both of their previous love interests had turned into Ghostface. They didn’t exactly have the best track record. And with you being unconscious and hospitalised, you were out for the count. That just left Danny.

“Sorry, pretty boy,” Tara chimed in. She desperately wanted to take the heat off of Sam, at least as much as she could. “Better luck next time.”

“Tara,” Sam whispered, but didn’t really do anything to actually silence her. She looked back at Danny. “I’ll see you when this is over.”

“Okay,” he said with a soft sigh. “Okay, then I’ll see you soon.”

Tara turned her head when he leaned closer to Sam. She didn’t want to see it, but she could hear them kiss. Sure, she loved Sam, but she didn’t need to hear what all went on with her boy toy. Although she supposed Sam did have to see you half-naked in her living room a few nights ago, so maybe this was the least of her worries.

When Danny walked past her, patting her forcefully on the shoulder, she finally looked back at Sam. There was a resignation on her face that Tara hated to see, even though she would bet she mirrored the look. They were both tired. They were both just far too tired. It was time for a much needed vacation. Maybe somewhere warm.

“You two ready?” Tony asked, finally coming over after confirming he wouldn’t be interrupting something.

“Let’s go,” Sam said with a definitive nod.

“We’ll call when Y/N wakes up,” Alfie said when they passed by, but no one else had anything else to add.

It was practically a silent trip to wherever the safe house was. Almost as soon as Tony led them out of the hospital, he guided them into what looked like an abandoned alley before ushering them into a hidden nook that led to a tunnel. Tara hadn’t explored much of New York, but she knew it wasn’t common knowledge that there were these tunnels all over the city. Right? If it were, everyone would be using them.

There was something utterly fascinating about the instinctual way Tony navigated through the tunnels. If it had been up to Tara, she would’ve gotten lost within 5 minutes tops. But Tony? He seemed to know every turn like the back of his hand. Was that how you had navigated them through when you took them to your family’s house the other day? 

Had it really only been a day or so ago? It was hard to believe, given the amount of things that had happened since then. Even harder to believe that it hadn’t been all that long ago since your date at her apartment. Maybe there was something to be said about the fact she was so worried about you after what was, technically, only one date.

You must have hypnotised her or something. It was the only logical explanation.

“Right through here,” Tony said as he stopped in front of what looked like the most useless, broken down door Tara had ever seen.

“You guys are so sketchy,” she mumbled to herself, but she still didn’t waste any time in opening the door and stepping through.

“I know,” he said softly as he closed the door behind the three of them.

It was a rather nice looking room, Tara wouldn’t hesitate to admit. It was only a singular room, but it was rather spacious for the circumstances. There was a set of bunk beds against the far wall, a small living room with a couch and TV, and even a tiny kitchenette in the corner. A bit nicer than most studio apartments in the above ground, Tara noted.

“The kitchen is stocked,” Tony said as he walked over to the kitchen, opening the fridge and cabinet doors to show the excessive amounts of food. “And thousands of movies downloaded and ready to watch.”

“Legally downloaded?” Sam asked.

“Sure,” he shrugged. “Anyway, you’ve got everything you need to last a few days.”

“How long do you think this will take?” Tara asked. “I don’t like just sitting here.”

“Pop has a plan,” he said. “Shouldn’t take more than two, maybe three days.”

“That’s too long,” Tara said with a shake of her head. “Something else could happen in that time.”

“We’ve never failed a plan yet, Tara,” he said with a kind smile that was almost disturbing. “Don’t plan on starting now.”

“Just let them do it,” Sam whispered even as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“We’re professionals,” Tony said, now his smile turning a little too eager. A little too sadistic.

“And someone is watching Y/N?” Tara asked.

There was no doubt in her mind that you would still be a target. Even though Ghostface had attacked everyone in your apartment, you were the one coming out with nearly all the injuries. She wouldn’t dismiss Anika and Mindy’s injuries, but you seemed to be the one that was targeted. If you were left alone in that hospital, he could get to you in an instant.

Oh god.

“Mercy and Joel are up there,” Tony said quickly. “They won’t even be able to think without someone watching.”

It wasn’t enough. Tara trusted your family, sure, but two people? It wasn’t enough, even if it was your family. You were all more than trained for the situation, she knew it, but it wasn’t enough. Ghostface was smart; too smart. He could probably outsmart your entire family with barely a second thought.

But she supposed it was good enough, so she nodded at Tony once before looking around. She needed a distraction.

“Ma will be down first thing in the morning with some breakfast,” he said before backing away to the singular door that didn’t look quite so broken from this side. “If there’s any news, she’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” Sam said. Thankfully. Because Tara couldn’t get herself to say anything in return.

Tony bid his goodbye before leaving, and Tara was finally left alone with her thoughts. She knew Sam wanted to talk with her; they were rarely alone anymore and she was far too nosey to just let Tara think without interruption. But she didn’t have the energy anymore. Not for that night.

“Want one of the beds?” Sam asked when Tara still hadn’t moved. “Or the couch?”

“Couch works,” Tara said softly with a subconscious nod of her head.

“Come on,” Sam said just as softly as she reached over to grab Tara’s hand and lead her to the couch.

Tara let herself fall back while Sam moved around the makeshift living room, looking for… something. She didn’t really know and, quite frankly, didn’t really care. After all, what was there to care about? Someone else had gotten hurt, and someone else was taking care of it. All she had to do was sit there, behave, and wait for the situation to resolve itself.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She wondered if you were okay. Maybe you had woken up already and were laying there with your family. They would surely take care of you, right? Of course they would, they were your family and they loved you. She wondered if you would text her, let her know you were okay. Maybe say something ridiculous just to ease the tension.

The TV flickered on and Sam nudged Tara aside with her knee before also falling to the couch. Without even an ounce of hesitation, Tara leaned over until she could lay her head in Sam’s lap. It didn’t take long before she felt Sam’s fingers running through her hair, scratching her scalp as she flipped through movies.

“You care about them,” Sam said slowly. Softly. Gently. 

Yes I do.

“I just don’t like people getting hurt because of me,” Tara answered with a shrug.

“We both know that’s not all it is,” Sam continued. Her fingers never stopped scratching Tara’s head even as she finally decided on a movie.

The Godfather. How appropriate.

“I just…”

Tara let her voice trail off into nothing. She just what? Even she didn’t know how she felt about you. Annoyance was certainly one of those feelings, but there was something more. It was so difficult to tell if it was just a fascination, maybe even an infatuation. But she didn’t trust herself to “like” anyone again. Not after Amber. You were a distraction from the pain and nothing else.

All those repressed feelings started to bubble up at just the mere thought of Amber again. Feelings of guilt because she had no idea of Amber’s double life. No idea that she would have even thought about prolonging the effects of Stab on Woodsboro. Then there was the overwhelming anger. Anger because how dare she try to use her and Sam as pawns in her game? How dare she use Tara and throw her away like she was nothing?

“They’re not Amber,” Sam said, almost as if she could read Tara’s mind. And maybe she could. Or maybe she could see all the reactions on her face that she wasn’t bothering to hide. “I can tell that much.”

“How?” Tara asked. “I knew Amber for ages and still couldn’t tell.”

“I’ve seen how they look at you,” Sam said with a shrug and quickly looked back up at the TV. “And unlike Amber, they let themselves get attacked three separate times for you.”

“Don’t put it that way,” Tara groaned. She brought her hands up to cover her face.. “It makes me feel bad.”

“All I’m saying,” Sam said quickly, “is they’re different.” Tara finished dragging her hands down her face until she could look at Sam. “And if you like them, then I can tolerate them too.”

“How generous of you,” Tara said.

“I still think they’re stupid enough to get you both killed though,” Sam continued. “And not even in a nefarious way.”

“Think they’d get a piano dropped on them?” Tara asked; she didn’t even bother hiding her little smile.

“Like Wile E. Coyote,” Sam instantly replied. “It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.”

“You’re a dick,” Tara said, finally letting a small laugh slip past her lips.

“It’s late,” Sam said after the laughter died down and the movie was barely audible in the background. “Get some sleep, I’ll keep watch.”

“Wake me if anything happens?” Tara asked.

“Of course,” Sam said with a smile that reminded Tara of her mother back when she was still capable of being a mother. A comforting smile that warmed her from the inside out and instilled a certain safety that no one else could really give her.

No one except you.

“Good night, Sam,” Tara mumbled, turning to lay on her side as she kept her head in Sam’s lap.

“Good night, Tara,” Sam said quietly right before Tara finally let the day settle on her and put her to sleep.

It felt like only moments before Tara felt Sam flinch underneath her. She sat up quickly, turning her head every which way even as her eyes refused to blink away the sleep. What had happened? Sam had flinched, had someone come in? She could hear someone walking around and setting things down, had someone snuck up on them?

“Good afternoon, ladies.” Ma’s voice cut through the haze of sleep. Just Ma. “I hope you don’t mind, I let you sleep in.” Ma is safe. “You both looked so exhausted.”

She finally managed to get the sleep out of her eyes and take in her surroundings once again. Sam was trying to act like she hadn’t been sleeping, even though it was more than clear that she had been. Not that anyone could blame her, it had been a long few days. There was nothing wrong with her getting some sleep.

Ma was still standing in the kitchenette, rummaging around and setting things out. If Tara looked a little closer, she noticed the entire array of food she was warming up and perfecting. Had she brought an entire family’s worth of food just for lunch? Actually, that probably wasn’t too far from the truth. Tara may have only met your Ma once, but she knew a homemaker when she saw one.

“Come over here and eat while it’s hot,” Ma said, “and I’ll fill you in.”

Tara and Sam gave each other a single look before standing up and making their way to the little two-person table. Ma had already made them their plates and set them down before quickly following with coffee and orange juice. It would have been enough to make Tara feel a little guilty if her stomach hadn’t decided at that moment to air its grievances at the lack of food lately.

“Y/N woke up a few hours ago,” Ma said once they had both started eating. Her hip rested against the counter. “Still a bit groggy, but otherwise okay.”

Tara nearly choked on her coffee. You were awake? That was a good sign, right? It meant you were going to make it, at least for now. That was a positive. But how else were you feeling? Mercy had mentioned lacerations to the face. How bad were they? Would you still look the same? Were you going to be okay?

“Any news on Ghostface?” Sam asked, acting as if Tara hadn’t nearly drowned in her own coffee.

“Not yet,” Ma said with a shrug. “But the boys said they’re close.”

“How do they know?” Tara asked, her voice croaky and weak. It was pathetic. Stupid coffee.

“They know,” Ma said without a hint of doubt. “Trust ‘em.”

She didn’t. Not really, at least. It wasn’t personal, but she could be forgiven for not entirely trusting people that she had no proof for. Not that she thought your family were liars, or incapable, or anything else. But she had proven time and time again that she could handle Ghostface and your family hadn’t. It was just the principle of the thing.

Ma didn’t take much longer to fill them in and tell them goodbye. She had mentioned someone else would stop by later that evening to fill them in and bring dinner, but otherwise they had the house - room? - to themselves. And as much as Tara didn’t want to be left alone, she was almost thankful for the peace and quiet.

The rest of the day and evening went off without a hitch. Tara and Sam watched far too many movies that were… not good, and played some of the board games that were left. Monopoly hadn’t gone well and had nearly ended in a brawl before they quickly called it a truce and put it away. No more Monopoly, that was the final decision of the night.

Mitch came by later that night with homemade pizza and little news of the outside world. Mindy and Anika were doing well, nothing new to report aside from the fact Mindy was starting to get stir crazy. Which was pretty accurate for her, the Carpenters wouldn’t deny it. You were also going stir crazy, apparently, and were on the verge of either fighting or flirting with every nurse that came into your room.

Tara wasn’t even upset. She had seen how you flirted with your brothers’ girls; this was on par for you.

Even though Mitch tried to prolong his stay and find something to do, Tara and Sam told him to go home and get some rest. He was sweet, probably one of the outwardly nicest ones of your bunch, but even they could see the exhaustion plain on his face. There was barely enough energy for him to argue once before he conceded and bid them goodnight.

There was no effort to stay up late and watch movies or delay the inevitable. They were tired, they were full, they finally felt like they could slow down and rest. At least Tara did, and she assumed Sam was on the same page considering she could also barely keep her eyes open. The bunk bed stayed unused as they made a small pallet on the floor in front of the still-playing TV and fell asleep.

When Tara awoke the next morning, it was to hushed whispers. She knew Sam’s voice like the back of her hand, but the other voice was still new. Although when Tara sat up and looked into the kitchen, she wasn’t entirely surprised to see Danny sitting across from Sam, his hands over hers like he was trying to comfort her.

“Morning,” Tara said just loud enough to make them both jump. Good. She hoped they felt a little guilty for waking her from the first peaceful night’s sleep in weeks.

“Danny brought breakfast,” Sam said.

“Thought we told you to stay away,” Tara said as she pushed herself to her feet. She was a little unsteady, but quickly recovered and made her way into the kitchen; she supposed he could be forgiven, considering he had brought donuts.

“I was worried,” he said with a shrug. “And if Y/N tries to sneak out one more time, someone is going to strap them to the bed.”

“So they’re doing okay?” Tara asked as she took a donut from the box. Blueberry; your favourite.

Nothing more than a coincidence.

“A little too okay,” he said. “Mercy is on the verge of keeping them sedated until they’re more than, you know, two days healed.”

Tara nodded to herself while she continued to munch on her donut. It was a little too sweet and a little too thick. But she supposed that was probably what you enjoyed so much about them. Did you like sweet things? If so, it didn’t explain why you liked her. She was anything but sweet.

She grabbed the nearest glass of orange juice - probably Sam’s - and walked back over to the couch to sit down while she continued to think. It wasn’t smart for her to let you invade all of her thoughts, not when there was still a killer on the loose. A killer that you hadn’t managed to stop and that most likely had an accomplice. She didn’t have time to sit there and think about your smile or your preferences for donuts.

Wait. Your smile?

Oh god, she hated you.

The longer Danny sat at the table with Sam, the more the atmosphere felt… wrong. Tara couldn’t quite put her finger to it. Nothing was going on, it was actually the most relaxed situation she had been in in months. A year, if she really thought about it. The TV was going, Sam and Danny were acting like lovesick puppies, she had a belly full of food.

She couldn’t put her finger on it.

A creak came from the door, and Tara didn’t even bother looking behind her. After all, why should she? The only ones who could find this place were your family. There was no doubt that no one else would have any idea even of just the tunnels underneath the streets, let alone finding the safe room that, surely, couldn’t have been the only one.

Wait. That wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t just your family…

“Hello Sam.”

Every cell in Tara’s body froze. Now that. That was what was wrong. She knew that voice. It haunted her every dream, every thought, every waking moment. A voice that reminded her of Amber, of Richie, of being alone and knowing that he was going to win because of course he was, he was a cult classic icon.

Tara looked at the doorway before she could convince her body to stand up. Two Ghostfaces stood in front of the door as it swung shut, far too gently for the situation. Her eyes stayed locked to the two while she maneuvered herself around the couch, using it as a buffer on her way to where Sam and Danny were now standing.

“Lovely to see you here, Tara,” one of the Ghostfaces said. It was almost more terrifying to not know which one was talking.

“How did you get here?” Sam asked. Tara wasn’t looking at her, but felt her arm reach out and grab Tara’s forearm.

It hurt.

“Just like you,” Ghostface said. “We had a guide.”

Flashbacks of Amber ran through Tara’s mind. The room started to look like it was on a boat, rocking back and forth without giving her any chance of staying still. Someone had betrayed her again. How could this keep happening, why couldn’t anyone just let her live?

“The last Ghostface that cornered us didn’t have such a good time,” Sam said. “You might want to reconsider.”

“Do you want to tell her?” Ghostface said. “Or should we?”

What? Who were they talking to? Tell Sam what? Tara’s face pulled into a frown as she looked back and forth between everybody. Two Ghostfaces, one Sam, one Danny. What the hell were they even going on about? Maybe these two weren’t as smart as the other ones. Which Tara could’ve picked up on her own, but she had given them the benefit of the doubt.

Everyone remained silent, staring at each other. It almost felt like the entire room was daring someone to speak up, either to explain or to taunt. If it were up to Sam or Tara, she knew they would have taunted the Ghostfaces into making a stupid decision. All of them tended to have a bit of an ego problem, so it should have been easy enough.

“Fine,” Ghostface said. “We’ll make the first move.”

Tara’s entire body tensed to the point of pain. Her knees locked in place and she knew even if she wanted to, she couldn’t have moved. If they were going to come at her, she wouldn’t be able to get away fast enough. That old ache in her thigh came back as the image of Amber snapping her leg flashed behind her eyes.

Both Ghostfaces lifted their hands and Tara only thought of you. Of you laying in that hospital bed, completely unaware of the fact that you wouldn’t be getting a second date. There was nothing in the room to keep Tara safe, and she knew she couldn’t overpower the both of them. Not at once. She couldn’t even let you know.

But they didn’t reach for weapons like Tara had thought they would. No, they just reached up and grabbed their masks, pushing them back over their head until the hoods fell off and she could see their faces. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Hey Tara,” Ethan said with a smile and a friendly wiggle of his fingers.

“You’re Tara?” The other guy asked in a posh accent that reminded Tara of someone with money. She didn’t recognise him at all. “Y/N never shut up about you.”

He knew you?

“Ethan?” Sam asked. Tara still couldn’t bring herself to look away from the Ghostfaces.

“It’s not really what it looks like,” he said, his smile never leaving.

“It’s not?” Tara asked. “Because it looks like you’re the one who’s been hunting us.”

“Not you,” the other guy said before Ethan even had a chance to open his mouth. “Notice you never got hurt?”

“I don’t even know you,” Sam said with a shake of her head.

“Oh, right,” he said. He rubbed his gloved palms against his thighs before stepping forward and extending his hand. “I’m Garret.”

“I’m not shaking your hand,” Sam said with a shake of her head.

Tara knew that name…

“Garret as in Y/N’s roommate?” Tara finally asked, looking back at the guy.

“The very same,” he said with his own cheeky grin.

Your roommate. The one you had lived with for years, if your account was anything to go by. He was Ghostface? Surely he had to have known he was going after you, no one was that stupid. It didn’t make any sense. He looked far too happy and…

He had a giant bruise on the right side of his head.

“You’re the one who broke into Y/N’s apartment,” Tara mumbled. “You tried to kill Anika.”

“I didn’t mean to get her that good,” Garret said with a shrug. “She just got in the way.”

“I don’t understand,” Sam said with a shake of her head.

“Then have your boyfriend explain,” Garret said. Ethan quickly hit his arm, but he didn’t even flinch. “It was his idea.”

Tara swallowed harshly. The room started to get fuzzy, and she blinked her eyes rapidly to clear the haze. With the smallest move of her head, she looked at Sam and Danny out of the corner of her eyes. His jaw was clenched tight and he wasn’t even looking at Sam.

But Sam. Oh Sam. She probably had the same look Tara had when they found out Amber was Ghostface.

“What?” Sam asked softly.

“Now, just listen-”

“-Better explain faster than that,” Tara interrupted Danny. “Before I pull a Ghostface.”

“No one is after you,” Danny said in a soft voice that was enough to make Tara cringe.

“Then who?” Sam asked. She stepped back, holding her arm out so she could feel where Tara was and stopped when she was directly in front. Tara reached out to hold her hand, and Sam instantly squeezed it. “What’s going on?”

“Some idiots started the rumour that you were the killer,” Danny said. “After I met you, I knew they were wrong.”

Tara huffed. Was he really going to play Romeo? He better not be, she knew he wasn’t entirely stupid. At least he didn’t seem to be. On the other side of the room, Ethan and Garret stepped closer. If they took one more step, she was going to start swinging.

“If I could take the suspicion off of you, then you could be free again,” he continued. “Ghostface wouldn’t follow you anymore.”

“Did you tell them to hurt Anika?” Tara asked. “Or Mindy?”

“Of course not,” he said with a shake of his head.

“How about Y/N?” Tara asked.

Danny exhaled through his nose and looked over at Ethan and Garret. It’s not a no, she thought to herself. None of them were so much as making a noise, just standing there and communicating silently. About what, she couldn’t even begin to imagine.

But it didn’t matter. It was confirmation enough. He had either ordered it, or allowed them to try and kill you. Someone that he was supposed to be close with, someone that trusted him. Amber’s soft smile flashed in Tara’s mind’s eye; she quickly shook her head to rid herself of the memory.

“They’re at the most risk so,” Danny sighed, “they got to choose the target.”

Ethan twirled the knife between his fingers. “Think of it as payback for all the shit they gave me over the past year.”

“Bullying excuses murder?” Sam asked. “That makes sense.” She shrugged, but the roll of her eyes gave away her real opinion.

“And it frees you up, Tara,” he continued with a dreamy sigh and a boyish smile. “Wanna go on a date after this?”

“I’ll cut your dick off,” Tara said without an ounce of hesitation or remorse.

His smile slowly fell back into a thin line. There was no way he genuinely thought she would agree to go on a date after he tried to kill you. It didn’t matter if she had admitted how much she liked you, there was no way he was that stupid. Right?

"I told you," Garret said as he turned his head to look at Ethan. The side of his head looked like it needed stitches. "You have to finish Y/N off before asking her out."

"And what's your bullshit excuse?" Tara asked when it was clear Sam was too busy looking at Danny and zoning out. "You blaming it on some sick infatuation too?"

"Of course not," Garret said with his pretty rich-boy smile. "I simply thought it sounded fun."

That. That right there was almost more terrifying than any other motive Tara had heard. He had decided on killing his roommate for fun? She could hear the blood rushing through her ears, steadily increasing until it was practically deafening.

"Sam," Danny said softly, "everything is already in play." Tara turned to frown at him even as Sam stepped closer to her. "Once the boys finish taking care of Y/N, the police will arrest a decoy and you'll both be free."

Tara squeezed Sam's hand. They were going after you again? She had to warn you. She had to text you, or call your Ma, or Tony, or something, anyone that could get to you and keep you safe. Too many people had died because of her already, she refused to let you join the list.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tara saw something drop to the floor behind Ethan and Garret. Something heavy that continued to move even after landing. No one else seemed to notice it, as Sam and Danny were still talking to each other. 

The thing stood up behind Ethan and Garret, and Tara could finally get a decent look. It was a person, in an oversized jacket with the hood pulled over their head. Some kind of half-mask covered their face almost completely, save for the eyes that were shadowed by the hood. Their left arm hung dead at their side as they slowly walked closer.

Surely it wasn't another Ghostface, right? There were already three, technically. Why the hell would there be four? Were they not smart enough to follow the script? There were supposed to be two Ghostfaces, with the exception of Roman. And so far, no one had hunted Ghostface before. Although if Tara was being honest with herself, she would take up that mantle if ever given the chance.

She opened her mouth to say something, ask who their fourth party member was. But the person quickly lifted a gloved hand to their face, holding their finger over where she assumed their mouth was. Hush. Tara knew that one. And when she saw the knife gleaming in their hand, she quickly shut her mouth and nodded once.

The figure twirled the knife once. Tara barely even had time to breathe before the tip of the blade sliced its way through the back of Garret's head, extruding from his open mouth that was now no longer smiling. Someone screamed, but Tara just watched, frozen, as blood poured from the knife.

“Holy shit,” Ethan said.

He was soon interrupted by the sound of Garret choking on his own blood.

There was a wet, sickening sound as the knife pulled back. His eyes rolled back in his head before he fell to his knees, soon slumping over to the ground. He gagged and choked for a few more seconds, with everyone watching, motionless, before he fell silent. Only the occasional wet gasp broke the silence.

Tara lifted her eyes slowly, and her heart nearly beat out of her chest when she noticed the figure hold her gaze. She couldn’t see their eyes well, but she knew they were looking at her. There were almost no emotions in their eyes at all, nothing to show that they had just killed someone and was still standing in the ever growing pool of their blood.

“That one yours too?” Sam asked. She pulled Tara back into a corner, away from everyone else in the room.

“No,” Danny said. “It’s not.”

He tried to move closer to Sam, but one look from her kept him still. If it weren’t for the situation, Tara would’ve laughed at him. But she was a bit too worried about the new player of this sadistic game. If they weren’t one of Danny’s goons, then who were they? How had they gotten into the room so effortlessly? Did your family have any idea how many people knew the location of their supposedly safe room?

Ethan stepped back, tripping over his own feet on his way to stand next to Danny. Cute, Tara thought with a sneer before looking back at the figure who was still just standing there. What the hell was going on?

“What do we do?” Ethan asked.

Little bitch.

The figure blinked a few times before their eyes widened again. They wiped the knife on their pants leg before then pushing the hood back and away from their face. It was a Ghostface move, except for the shaking of hair that had Tara looking just a little closer-

-she knew that hair.

“I knew they couldn’t keep you down,” Danny said.

You just held his gaze. The half-mask stayed put, covering your face from the bridge of your nose down. There were bruises around your eyes that really made them pop. Not that Tara wanted to see it; she would rather you be safe and healed. Your arm still hung limply at your side. Bullet fragments, she remembered Mercy saying.

“How?” Tara asked quietly. You turned to look at her, and your eyes scrunched up.

“They’re high,” Danny said. “Aren’t you?” The scrunch of your eyes disappeared when you looked at him. “Mercy gave you the Vitale special.”

You still didn’t say anything.

“It’s fine with me,” Ethan said with a shrug and another twirl of his knife. “Means I get to kill you myself.”

You stepped backward until you were near the door while Ethan stalked forward. Tara knew how it was going to go; he was going to attack, you would either live or not, and then they were going to come after her and Sam. Even though they had said they wouldn’t, Tara wasn’t so naive as to believe them. Ghostface always targeted someone who went back to the original.

Amber’s face popped up in Tara’s mind again. She wanted her gone. She didn’t get to come back at the worst time possible while you were about to have to fight off Ethan. Why couldn’t she just leave her alone and let her move on? Tara wasn’t an original, she was just some kid from Woodsboro, she didn’t fit into this movie scheme that just wouldn’t quit.

Tara squeezed Sam’s hand when Ethan stepped closer, lifting the knife above his head. He was going to kill you, and you weren’t even trying to stop him. Why weren’t you trying to stop him? You had fought so hard, why was this any different? She needed you to put up a fight, she couldn’t live if you died-

-you turned the handle on the door and pushed it open before stepping to the side.

Gunshots rang through the small room, and Tara and Sam grabbed each other and fell to the floor. She could feel Sam’s hands covering her ears, and she quickly did the same. The shots were so loud, echoing throughout the room, leaving Tara’s ears ringing. Even when the shots stopped, she could hear them.

She flinched when a hand brushed against her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Sam’s hands were still covering her ears, but she opened her eyes and looked up and met Pop’s eyes. He had the same eye scrunch that you did when he smiled. It was an adorable similarity.

“Come on, sweethearts,” Pop said far too gently. Or maybe it was the fact everything was muffled by Sam’s hands.

Pop grabbed her by both shoulders and helped her up to shaky feet. Directly across from her, Tony was helping Sam stand as well. Pop’s hands didn’t let her go even as she started to look around at the room. Blood was dripping down the walls and spreading under the now three dead bodies laying on the floor.

Sam gasped.

Tara’s head quickly turned to face her, following her line of sight to Danny’s body laying on the floor near the table. It was riddled with holes that Tara assumed came from all of your brothers that were still standing around with guns hanging from their hands.

She put her hand on Sam’s bicep as gently as possible, even though she still flinched in response. But she quickly recovered and covered Tara’s hand with her own, giving her a sad smile before looking at Danny’s body one last time. Tara couldn’t imagine how devastated she must have been.

Two boyfriends, two Ghostfaces.

Sam would definitely need more therapy.

She looked down at the bodies again and grimaced.

Maybe she would need therapy too.

“Are either of you hurt?” Dicky asked from his spot beside you. You were leaning further into his side, your injured arm held close to your body.

“No,” Sam said as she pulled Tara into her own side. As much as she wanted to protest, Tara eagerly allowed it.

“Then let’s get everyone out of here,” Joel said. “We can talk back at the hospital.”

Pop and Tony led both Carpenters out of the room. Tara looked back to see Dicky wrap his arm around your waist, and Alfie was right behind you. You looked utterly exhausted and leaned heavily into Dicky’s side. She hoped you were okay. You were still wounded, obviously, but she hoped you were okay.

Tara’s mind was running rampant the entire trip back to the hospital. What had Danny meant, you were high? What was the Vitale special? She didn’t know very much about your family’s business, but that indicated drugs. There was no way you had managed to hide drug use from her. Right? No, there was no way. You were a bit eccentric, but clearly so was the rest of your family. It wasn’t possible.

That led to Tara’s next thought; how was Sam going to feel about everything? About you, the possibility of drugs, the fact that you had gotten your family to kill her boyfriend? Sure, Sam had killed her first one, but this one? This one truthfully hadn’t even tried to kill her. It was some bullshit Romeo excuse, but at least it was different. Was Sam going to hate you for everything?

Her mind wouldn’t shut up the entire walk, and even when they all got settled back in your room and Mercy started hooking you up again, she couldn’t silence the thoughts. She did her best to listen to what Mercy was berating everyone for, but nothing was making sense. It was like listening to the parents from all those Peanuts cartoons back in the day.

She did her best not to gasp when Mercy removed the mask to show the bloody bandages covering the bottom half of your face. When she was finally done, and you were hooked up to whatever you were supposed to be hooked up to, everyone finally sat down.

“We can explain,” Mitch said after a few seconds of awkward silence.

“Go ahead,” Tara said with a shrug. “I’ll accept anything at this point.”

“Danny wasn’t Y/N’s emergency contact,” Martha said from her spot at the long table in the room. “And none of us called him.” She shrugged. “I bugged his phone when he was in here.”

Tara had forgotten Martha was your tech guru. She looked over at you to see your reaction to the whole thing. Your eyes were open, but you were just staring at the spot right above the door. From what little you had told Danny, he had been your friend. Someone you had trusted. How did it feel to know he had been more than happy to sacrifice you for the chance at keeping his girl?

"He didn't even hide it in his texts," Alfie said with a shrug.

"Amateur," Martha scoffed.

"They won't be hurting anybody anymore," Pop said quickly before the conversation could take a different turn.

Everyone mumbled their agreements before going silent. It was more uncomfortable than nearly anything else Tara had ever experienced, which was saying a lot. She had been abandoned by both parents, left by her sister, nearly murdered by her girlfriend, killed her own girlfriend, and now had just seen three men get brutally killed. And yet, the silence of your family still trumped everything else.

Thankfully it wasn’t too much longer before everyone started talking again, laughing and joking and acting like a family again. But Tara couldn't help but notice that you were still unmoving, not even looking at whoever was talking. At one point, Ma moved until she was sitting directly beside you, talking with you until you finally nodded your head. She smiled, pressed a kiss to your head, and moved back to her original spot.

It wasn't until you finally fell asleep that everyone quieted down. Most bid their goodbyes, saying they would be back later. The kids should come, your Pop had insisted, and everyone mumbled agreements on their way out. Ma and Pop left the room to bring back some food, and Tara was left alone with Sam.

What was she supposed to talk about now? Did she apologise to Sam for her boyfriend getting killed? She hadn’t exactly done that with Richie, and this was the second time. Tara was no professional, but she knew for a fact there wasn’t some script for how to handle two of your boyfriends being Ghostface.

You shifted on the bed, and both Tara and Sam looked at you quickly. But you settled almost instantly and fell back asleep. She exhaled slowly and looked down at her hands. You were okay. Just sleeping. Yeah, just sleeping.

“We need a vacation,” Sam said, pulling Tara’s thoughts back to the situation at hand.

“Before or after therapy?” Tara asked. From her seat directly beside her, Sam gave her a tired smile.

“Definitely before,” she said with a nod. “Cancun?”

“I can work with that,” Tara said. “Just the two of us?”

“Yup,” Sam answered. She was still looking around the room, not focusing on any one thing. “10 days in Cancun, you and me, no distractions.”

“We can get everybody a t-shirt,” Tara continued.

They both laughed lightly, letting the conversation die down. Maybe talking things over with Sam wouldn’t be too awful. They would still very much need therapy but maybe they could get through it together again. Tara reached over and grabbed Sam’s hand, locking their fingers together.

“You know what I was thinking?” Sam asked once their tired laughter had died down.

Tara hummed in response.

“The next few weeks are going to be so nice,” Sam continued, squeezing Tara’s hand lightly.

“Why?”

“Y/N can’t talk.”

“Sam,” Tara scolded. But even she couldn’t deny that maybe it wouldn’t be such an awful thing.

“Should make it easy though,” Sam continued. “Now you can tell them how you feel without interruption.”

Tara sighed. Seemed Sam wasn’t going to let it go. Didn’t she know there were other things to worry about? Like the three guys they had just seen get shot to hell? Or the fact that they were now apparently part of some crime family with no known weaknesses? There was no way Tara’s admission to you was her top priority at the moment.

“This could have been a lot worse, T,” Sam said, finally turning to look at Tara. “Don’t wait.”

“Thought you hated them,” she said slowly. It was beyond clear that wasn’t the case anymore, but she wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to do something reckless until she knew all the facts.

“I do,” Sam said. “They’re the most insufferable person I know.” She smiled. “But I trust them.” Her smile turned into a smirk. “And I know you don’t sleep with just anyone.”

“Oh my god, stop,” Tara groaned.

“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten,” Sam said even as Tara pulled her hand away and back into her lap. “I may not have seen much, but I’ll never get that out of my head.”

“I’m not having a sex talk with you,” Tara said.

“Were you at least safe?” Sam continued. “Condoms, dental dams, have they been checked?”

“Sam?” Tara said. Sam looked over at her. “Get out.”

“Okay,” Sam said as she held her hands up in surrender. “But you better tell them.”

Tara watched Sam carefully as she stood up and left the room. They both knew they weren’t being serious; at least Tara hoped Sam knew. But she instantly started to regret her decision to kick Sam out when she realised now she was alone with you for the first time since… well, since she had stayed at your family’s house.

And now your eyes were open and you were looking at the ceiling again, seemingly in a daze.

“Hey,” Tara said softly. You blinked slowly before turning your head in her direction.

Obviously, you didn’t say anything.

Tara stood up and stretched as she looked around the room. Danny had said you were annoying everyone, so clearly you were talking to them somehow. Couldn’t be a phone, yours was nowhere to be seen. She looked over every inch of space, seeing nothing that would suffice. Well, seeing nothing until she finally found the small whiteboard at the foot of the bed. With shaky hands, she grabbed it and brought it back to the bed, setting it down on your lap.

“How are you feeling?” She asked. She waited as you slowly grabbed the marker and started writing on the board with messy handwriting.

Better than Ghostface.

Yeah, you were fine.

“Did you hear what Sam and I were talking about?” She asked.

You nodded, and that little crinkle under your eyes came back. She huffed; of course you did. It shouldn’t have been any surprise, you were apparently good at hearing things you weren’t supposed to. Maybe it was just something you were particularly adept at.

You started writing on the board again.

Gale told me the same thing.

Tara’s heartbeat was loud in her ears.

“You first,” she said quickly. Your crinkled eyes disappeared, transforming into a frown. “You’re oldest, you first.”

She heard you exhale harshly through your nose. Please do it, she thought when you still hadn’t moved. If you said it first, then she would know how to go about everything. Because what if you didn’t actually feel the same way? Sure, you had fought Ghostface, but that could be chalked down to survival. What if she was being delusional and you didn’t really like her like that, you only wanted to get laid?

You looked back down at the whiteboard and used the hospital blanket to clear it. With a shaky hand, you started writing again. She tried to follow what you were writing, but when you noticed, you moved the board sideways so she couldn’t see it.

Never mind. She didn’t feel bad for you anymore, you could suffer for all she cared.

When you put the whiteboard back down, it took a moment for her eyes to refocus before she could actually read what you had written. Her heart was so loud in her ears she almost couldn’t read. But when she could, she almost laughed.

I like like you.

She looked up at you. Your eyes sparkled for a second before you looked back down at the board, hastily scribbling something else down.

Not just for sex.

Now at that she did laugh, although it was more of a nervous laugh than anything else. She wouldn’t ever admit it to you, but you had just eased one of her biggest worries. Tara was more than aware that she had used you at that frat party all those months ago, but she had hoped you weren’t just doing the same thing.

Now she knew better.

“We’re not in middle school,” Tara said as she pointed her finger at the first sentence you had written. You rolled your eyes. Her hands felt clammy. “But I like like you too.”

Your head turned so quickly Tara almost thought she heard a pop from your neck. The eye contact was borderline unbearable; it was like you were searching her soul. That clamminess in her hands only got worse, and she pulled them back and rubbed them on her pants. She knew you couldn’t talk, but the silence was drowning her in her own thoughts.

You erased the whiteboard and wrote on it again.

Does this mean I have to be nice to Sam?

“Yes it does,” Tara said without hesitation, all worry from only a second ago now gone. “Chad too.”

You groaned, the first noise she had heard from you since she had seen you again. It was scratchy and almost a little funny sounding.

An idea popped into Tara’s head, and before she could talk herself out of it, she nudged your side gently. You frowned at her for a second before moving over, an almost inaudible groan leaving your lips. Her palms got sweaty again as she climbed into the bed and sat down next to you. It was like you were nothing more than a puppet as she grabbed your free hand and brought it into her lap.

She felt you move and heard the marker against the whiteboard.

You won’t leave?

“I mean,” Tara smiled to herself as she recalled what you had told her in the theatre. “I’ll have to leave to pee at some point.”

You groaned again and threw your head back against the pillow while Tara couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling past her lips. Seemed you could dish it out, but you couldn’t take it so well. But then you squeezed her fingers and turned your head to look at her again.

“Get some sleep,” Tara said softly. “I’ll be here.”

You held her eyes for a moment before you nodded once. Your eyes crinkled, and it left a warmth in Tara’s chest. She held still as you shifted around, scooting down on the bed until you could lean your head against her arm. You left your hand in her lap and it only took a few seconds before you were out again.

Only after she was sure you were asleep did Tara lean down and press a lingering kiss to the top of your head. All the anxiety and fear from the past few days disappeared with each calm, steady breath you took. Ghostface was gone, no one would even know they were gone, and maybe this whole fad could fade away.

With the comforting thought of finally getting some peace, Tara leaned back against the bed and closed her own eyes. Sleep had never come so easily.

[obessedwithfictionalmen]

I'll come pick it up after pt.3

John Egan X Female! Reader

Sumarry: Tonight is the celebration for the soldiers. Bucky hopes to see his nurse there...

Warning: +18/ almost smut/ swearing/ use of Y/n/ historical innacuries/ flirting/ Buck being a cock block/ alcohol/ mention of injuries and blood (like once)/

Word count: 3,05k

A/n: Y'all... I got carried away writing this, but I don't think you'll complain. Please let me know what you think. :) (also her dress is like Leisl, from sound of music)

She was looking at herself in the mirror, she just finished getting ready for tonight’s celebration. The men that was bleeding today was alive, she succeeded in finding the artery to stop the bleeding. He was going to make it. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, going to tonight party, after all, there is a sexual tension between her and Major Egan. She had to keep her professionalism earlier, he was staring at her like she was the most beautiful woman on earth. And she felt like it, that’s why she was all dressed up, that’s why she was going to the party. Her dress was long, stooping at her mid-calf, perfect for dancing. The dress was light pink, it was perfect for her tanned skin, her hair was put in a crown braid, with small pieces of her hair falling down. She didn’t put too much makeup, just enough to change her everyday look, she put lipstick on, it was red, but not too much. She felt pretty, and she was sure that John Egan was going to agree with her.

Bucky was getting ready for the party with his friend Buck, telling him all about the nurse that healed him today. ‘’Wait, so you asked your co-pilot to punch you in the face, so you’ll have time with her?’’ Gale Cleven was in disbelief, he couldn’t believe what his best-friend was telling him. ‘’Yeah, I know it’s a good idea! And she flirted with me’’ John Egan had heart eyes, he was smiling and was taking extra time to get ready. Buck rolled his eyes in annoyance before signing. ‘’You do realise that you sound fucking crazy, right?’’ Buck was trying to reason his friend, but that battle was lost before it even began. Major John Egan had a crush, and no one could stop that. ‘’I hope she’s here tonight, so you can properly meet her’’ Bucky said, fixing his hair, again. It was official, Buck’s best friend had gone crazy, over a woman. His lady’s men reputation was long forgotten, John Egan was head over heels over Y/n Hamilton.

She entered the room with the other nurses. It was early, but there were some soldiers already there. Harry Crosby was one of them, he was the humblest person Y/n had ever met. He’s sweet, they talked a lot when she arrived at the base. He was the one of the few that welcomed her at the base. But he was busy talking with his friends. Some of the nurses were getting stole away by some soldiers that wanted to dance with them. Y/n always made sure that her girls were comfortable with their dancing partner. They even made a code, in case a girl isn’t comfortable, one of the nurses, or Y/n, would go see the girl and asked if they had received needles, if the girl said yes, she needs help. For the youngest nurses, Y/n was like a big sister, she’s only 23, but the other girls liked her very much. She heard a bark and knew that it was Gale Cleven’s dog, so John Egan was certainly with him.

Bucky entered the room with his friends, looking for only one person. His nurse, was she here? Meatball ran towards the group of nurses near the wall, and that’s when he saw her. She was magnificent, her pink dress made her tanned skin even more tanned, her hair left her neck exposed and she wore heels, making her a little bit taller. ‘’Whenever you need to find her, ask Meatball’’ Buck laughed as his dog came back to him, with the beautiful nurse. ‘’I’m starting to think that this lovely dog is confusing me with a stick’’ She laughed as she walked to the two men. Cleven smiled, but Bucky smiled even more. ‘’I should train him better, so he doesn’t try to bite you’’ Gale responded. ‘’If he ever bites me, do you know where the nurse’s office is? They didn’t give me a proper tour’’ she says, acting clueless. Bucky laughs as his best friend leaves to go talk to another soldier. Leaving Egan and Y/n alone.

‘’You are breathtaking, darling’’ Major Egan says as he takes her hand to kiss the top of it. Butterflies flying in Y/n’s stomach, when his lips leave her hand, it feels cold. ‘’Thank you, Major Egan- ‘’ ‘’Please call me Bucky’’ ‘’Thank you Bucky, you look really handsome too’’ They both blush a little, the tensions between the two of them is still there. ‘’You know, if you want a proper tour of the base, I can give it to you’’ Bucky proposed. ‘’Maybe later, tonight about you, and all the other guys that were on the mission’’ she says as they start walking towards a table. ‘’Do you want something to drink, darling?’’ She nods. ‘’I’ll just have whatever you’re having’’ she answers. ‘’Coming right up milady’’ he says with a poor British accent to make her laugh. When Bucky’s back is turned, one of the youngest nurses, Daisy, runs towards her table. ‘’Oh dear, was that Major John Egan?’’ she askes, grinning like a child. ‘’Yes, it was, why?’’ Y/n giggles. ‘’Was he flirting with you?’’ she nods, and Daisy takes her both hands. ‘’I heard rumors about this morning – ‘’ ‘’Daisy you know we don’t gossip’’ she frowns, but she’s still interested about what the rumor’s about. ‘’Yes, but this one is interesting, I heard that Major Egan asked his co-pilot to hit him so he could spend time with you!’’ Daisy quickly whispers. She gently taps her hands away. ‘’That’s absurd, Daisy, but hey, could you maybe go check on Molly?’’ Y/n asks. Daisy nods and walks away before Bucky returns to the table with the drinks. ‘’Champagne? Well, I didn’t know John Egan was drinking champagne.’’ She teased as she took a sip of the beverage. ‘’Well, I didn’t know if a pretty girl like you can handle whiskey’’ he explained. ‘’Trust me Major, you have no idea what I can handle.’’ Bucky was impressed, his girl was flirting with him, and she can handle whiskey! ‘’Really, uh, so what can you handle?’’ ‘’That’s the conversation I usually have after 2 glasses of alcohol’’ she took another sip, while holding eye contact with the men in front of her.

The more the time passed, the more they drank and talked. They flirted openly and even teasing the other. But after the Colonel’s speech, the party really began. The band started to play some dance music and the people were getting on the dance floor. Y/n was still looking after her girls, making sure they were okay, but her gaze was more on Bucky. ‘’Do you want to dance, darling?’’ he asked. She nodded and they made their way to the dance floor. The beat was quick, but not too quick, they danced together the hole song, and the one after, and the one after the previous one. After 4 songs, they needed to sit down, so that’s what they did. ‘’Tired already?’’ Bucky teased. ‘’Try dancing with these!’’ she pointed her heels. Bucky laughed and took a sip of whatever they were having. Buck came to sit with them, Meatball following him. ‘’Where were you Buck’’ Egan asked. ‘’Been talking with some of your nurses, Y/n, uh, Elodie is really sweet’’ Buck said. She tilted her head, surprised by the men that was usually shy. ‘’You flirted with a girl? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend’’ Bucky laughed. Y/n smiled and looked at Bucky, his smile was beautiful. Meatball came next to her, so she petted him. ‘’Hi, you, you’re so adorable, and you can always find me. You won’t bite me, you’re too nice for that!’’ She said, petting the dog. ‘’So now, it’s the last dance of the night, gentlemen it’s time to ask your ladies to dance’’ The signer of the band announced. Bucky looked at Y/n, she smiled. ‘’Hold on’’ she said while untying her shoes. She took them off, leaving her only in her tights that matched her skin tone. The men chuckled before offering his hand for her to take. They went on the dance floor as It’s Been a Long, Long Time from Harry James started playing. Bucky started to dance, but Y/n just came closer to him. They hugged, but it was just for the dance. Bucky hands were resting on her lower back, she putted her arms around his neck. Their face was so close, but she decided to put her head on Bucky’s shoulder. Their bodies were slowly moving to the beat of the music. Y/n could hear Bucky’s heartbeat, it was fast, he was nervous, but so was she. ‘’Your heart’s beating fast’’ she said, loud enough for him to hear. ‘’That’s because you’re dancing with me, darling’’ he replied. She looked up at him, their eye contact was filled with tension. She took a shaky breath before smiling to him. ‘’Want to give me the tour you were talking about’’ she nervously said. He smiled to her while he nodded. ‘’Wait, I need to get my shoes back on’’ she realised she was barefoot. She quickly went to put her shoes back, before they both head out the crowded room.

They were both alone, outside. ‘’So, where’s the nurses office?’’ She playfully asked. Bucky offered her his arm; she took it and they started to walk towards Y/n worked. ‘’You looked beautiful tonight’’ He complimented her. ‘’Thank you, Bucky. ‘’ she blushed. ‘’Can I ask you something?’’ she asked. ‘’Anything’’ he quickly responded. ‘’It’s probably just a rumor, but Daisy said that she heard something about you asking your co-pilot to punch you in the face’’ she laughed nervously. Bucky laughed too, but he was stressing. Would she think he was stupid for doing so? ‘’Uh, I- uh, yeah, I did. I wanted to see you alone after the mission. I figured if I was injured, it would be easier to have you for myself’’ he stopped, realising what he just said. His mind and his heart were racing. Y/n giggled, blushing, she was nervous too, he was John Egan, he had a reputation of being a lady’s men, but he got punched in the face, just to see her. ‘’ Well, that’s a first. You know you could’ve just come to my office; we didn’t have many injured’’ Bucky was relived. ‘’Yeah, well i-i- ‘’ he stammered. ‘’Next time, maybe not in your pretty face’’ she flirted. Bucky blushed. Y/n shivered, it was cold outside, the party had many people, so it was warm, now that they’re outside, it’s cold. Without thinking, Bucky took off his jacket and put it on his girl’s shoulder. ‘’We’re almost there, darling. It’ll be warmer inside’’ he said.

When they entered the nurses building, it was empty, the men that were there were transferred to another base. They were completely alone. ‘’Here we are the medic center’’ Egan announced. She smiled as she looked at his stitches. ‘’How is your face?’’ she asked. ‘’It’s okay, I don’t have any pain’’ he watched at she came closer to him. With the heels she was wearing, she didn’t need to stand on her tippee toes to reach his face. ‘’Can I?’’ she asked his permission. It was the first thing she was thought in medical school, always ask for the patient’s consent. She took it very seriously, especially when there was a sexual tension between the two of them. She was nervous, they both had alcohol in their system, and she had a confidence boost.

Her hands were shaking, but he stood still as she examined his wound. He noticed her lipstick, it’s still there. He couldn’t take how pretty she was; he imagined her lips on him, how her lipstick would mark his body. How gentle she would be with him, was she a virgin? Bucky tried to erase these images from his mind before he got a boner. The way she looked at him, with innocence and lust at the same time. How can she flirt with him that much and look like she never saw a man in her hole life. ‘’Your heart is still racing’’ she said, a hand on his chest. Before he could answer, she took his hand and put it on her chest. He was touching her breast. But when he focused on the feeling under his hand, he felt her heart racing, just like him. ‘’Mine’s racing too’’ she said, while looking at him in the eyes. Her hand was still holding his in place, he tried not to think about his hand on her chest, but it was impossible. ‘’Do I make you nervous, darling?’’ he teased. ‘’I could ask you the same question, Major’’ She was playing with fire, and she knew it. ‘’Fucking hell’’ he muttered under his breath. ‘’Let’s go in my office, I have a fireplace.’’ She said, taking him by the hand that was on her breast. ‘’Why do you have a fireplace in your office?’’ he questioned. ‘’It was there when I arrived, the late chief nurse was, presumably, always cold.’’ He closed the door behind them, as he watched her, getting the fire ready.

It was getting warmer in the office, so she took his jacket off her shoulder. ‘’Do you want something to drink?’’ he was confused, she had a fireplace and drinks? But he nodded and she took out a bottle of whiskey with two glasses. ‘’Whiskey, I’m impressed, darling’’ he smirked. ‘’What can I say, I’m full of surprises’’ oh how he wanted to kiss this attitude out of her, but he loved it. Her shameless teasing and flirting, she was amazing. She poured two glasses and handed one to Bucky. Their fingers brushed together, they made eye contact, but they wouldn’t break it. ‘’Are we playing a staring contest, darling?’’ his tone was challenging. ‘’Maybe’’ she whispered as she brought up her glass. ‘’Cheers, honey’’ she purred, before drinking the liquid. Bucky did the same, when their glass was empty, she took them and broke eye contact. She turned so her back faced him.

He couldn’t take it anymore, so when she turned, he decides to get behind her. His chest was pressing against her back. ‘’ You lose, darling’’ he whispered in her ear. Sending shivers in all her body. She turned her head, their lips were so close to each other, it was intoxicating for both. ‘’What are you going to do, Major?’’ she practically moaned. ‘’Like I said, darling, I don’t know if you can handle it’’ he responded. She turned to face him, but she sat on the desk, opened her legs. The same position they were earlier, but the roles were changed. ‘’I told you, Bucky, you don’t know what I can handle’’ she says, her voice challenging him. With a boost of confidence, thanks to the alcohol, she lifted his chin with her fingers. ‘’Don’t underestimate me, Major’’ she said, dangerously close to his lips. He was about to faint; she became this confident woman, and he loved it. She wasn’t shy anymore, she was teasing him, touching him.

‘’You’re playing with fire, darling’’ he warned, with his deep, husky voice. ‘’But you already know that you like to play with me like that, uh?’’ he affirmed. ‘’What can I say, you’re fun to play with.’’ John Egan was speechless, he was in awe, ready to drop to his knees if she’d ask him. ‘’What do you want, Major?’’ she whispered. They looked at each other, their pupils were dilated, they were both in the same situation; horny. He leaned in, reaching her ear. ‘’What I want, darling, I want to kiss every square inch of your body. I want to take you right now on this desk. I want your lipstick to mark every inch of my skin. Should I continue?’’ he teased. Her face was hot, they weren’t flirting anymore. It was a pure invitation to have sex with him. His hands were on her thigs; his thumb was caressing her skin. He looked at her with desire, what was she gonna say. ‘’Cat got your – ‘’ he was cut off by the mouth of the chief nurse on his. She was kissing him.

He was in shock of what just happened, that he didn’t respond to the kiss. So, when she pulled back, she was nervous, did she do anything wrong? When he realised that she wasn’t kissing him, he looked at her. ‘’Darling, can you please do that again, so I can kiss you back’’ he pleaded, with need in his voice. She nodded and their lips were back together. One of Bucky’s hands moved up to hold her neck, the other one moved down her back. His body moved forward so they could be as close as possible. They stopped kissing to take a breath. The kiss had left them both breathless. ‘’You feel what you do to me Y/n?’’ he almost moaned. One of her hands dropped to where his boner showed. ‘’Is this what I do to you Major? She mewled. He could only nod, his words were stuck in his throat. They kissed again, both fighting for dominance. But their kiss was brutely stooped by a knock at her door. ‘’I’m sorry for the interruption, but Bucky, we have a mission tomorrow, you must sleep’’ Gale Cleven was at the other side of the door, feeling bad that he interrupted his best friend in whatever he was doing in there.

‘’Fuck’’ he moaned, frustrated. She noticed a necklace in Egan’s neck. She took it off him and put it around her neck, the cross at the end of it was directly in her bra. ‘’Come and take it back tomorrow.’’ She whispered. Sure, she wanted to have sex with him, but they were in a war, he had to be well rested to kill the Germans. Bucky smirked and kissed her goodnight. When he left her lips, he wanted more, he was like a starved man. ‘’Goodnight Major’’ ‘’Goodnight darling’’ and he left her office. She couldn’t wait for him to come back tomorrow.

Part 4⬇️

[thefanficmonster]

Piss off your parents pt.3 (finale)

PART 1

PART 2

Colby Brock x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Drinking, Swearing

Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Time wasted can only be compensated with time well spent.

"You wasted us so much time."

Y/N's reply is so far from anything he could've expected, he nearly sprains his neck when his head snaps up. To find a small smile on her face, of all things.

"What?"

There's a note of deep-rooted anger in the laugh that deflates her lungs, "How long?"

"Huh?"

"How long have you felt that way?" She doubles down, her gaze now stiffened into a glare piercing right through him.

"Since we fucking met, ok?!" He'd be less nervous answering questions in front of the FBI. He doesn't know how the script flipped to her being the angry one but it's clear she's gonna let him have it. And he's gonna have to take it, he owes it to her.

"I can't fucking believe you." She shakes her head, shifting to back further away from him and lean her back against the cold mirror behind her. She'd rather hop off the counter and run off - that's what sober her would do, anyway. But, for one, her drunk alter ego is a lot more confrontational, and for two - she physically can't do that. Somewhere along the past ten minutes, Colby somehow ended up standing between her parted legs, blocking her the ability to run away without even meaning to. "You've kept me at arm's length for a whole fucking decade! Treating me like a child, a porcelain doll you feel obligated to look out for! You broke my heart so ignorantly by sleeping around with half the damn town and bragged to me about it! You pushed me into brainwashing myself in love with someone else, led me to believe he felt the same way and now you have the gull to say you were in love with me all along! Bullshit!"

Hellfire, she's showering him with utter hellfire. Each thing she listed got worse than the previous just when he expected it couldn't. It unlocked so many memories he made a vow to never again visit. That was such a low point in his life he didn't notice he had dragged one of his best friends into it as well. Well she's spelling it out for him right here, right now. Loud and fucking clear.

"And to think I was in love with you throughout all of that...fuck, I'm stupid..." She adds in a whisper, highly contrasting the rain of bullets she unleashed seconds prior. It was meant more for herself than him yet it was the final blow for him. His heart is officially down for the count.

"Was? Past tense?" Colby's eyes widen immediately. He didn't hear the words in his brain, they were as news to his ears as they were to hers. He doesn't know where the audacity came from. It's as if he's asking to get smacked. At this point, he'd prefer that to whatever venom she might spew at him. All well within her right.

To his luck, Y/N's gotten tired. Physically and emotionally. And she can't keep the grudge flame alive. Not with Colby at least. She can't help the soft spot on her heart for him. A spot so bruised and sore she can't believe it hasn't turned stiff as stone. It can't, not when her heart starts racing within his proximity every damn time. Not when a smile spreads across her face every time she looks at him. It hurts, yeah, but she doubts it'll ever go away.

"Like it fucking matters." She whispers, again with the same bitterness from earlier.

"Yes it fucking does, Y/N." It's like his brain has been shut off, all rationality has gone out the window. "You said I wasted us so much time. Don't waste more just because you're angry."

She's quick to bite back, "How can I not be? You deserve it, Colby!"

"I know that!" He might not be rational, bordering on desperate, but he's still self aware enough to see and admit to the error of his ways. But he'll be damned if he lets go of this last string of hope. He's clinging onto it like a twig in a flood. "I know I deserve it. But we don't. What we could be, that doesn't deserve more time down the drain, Y/N."

Sudden banging on the door startles them both, reminding them they're in a very peculiar location. A public bathroom. The ladies' bathroom on top of all.

"One second!" Contrasting the deer-in-headlights panic on Colby's face, Y/N takes it upon herself to handle the situation. The sound has scared him into backing away from her, giving her the required space to hop down. She turns to him, poking a finger to his chest, "Act normal. Nothing happened."

With that said, she leads the way out, unlocking the door and slipping out, giving the two girls waiting outside an apologetic smile. They return two knowing smirks when they see Colby emerge from the bathroom right behind her.

"Sorry, girl. Didn't mean to interrupt." The brunette slurs, winking at them both before following after her friend.

"You're good." Y/N replies politely, muttering after the door closed, "You helped."

The pang in Colby's chest cannot be put into words. Before he's had time to recalibrate, she's already gone, having made her way back into the party, disappearing into the crowd.

And just like that, he feels that last string of hope break.

* * * * *

"Hey, I'm so sorry about what I said earlier." Nate shakes the strands of hair away from his eyes so can properly look down at his semi-sober companion who's currently carrying him towards the elevator.

Y/N can't help but smile at him. It hurts like hell but at this point it's like the twentieth blow to the heart tonight. She's become used to it.

"It's ok, Nate. Thanks for being honest and not leading me on." She's aware she's thanking him for the bare minimum but that little conversation with Colby earlier proved to her she should be grateful for that even. Hey, he could've lied. He could've stringed her along, had his fun and then pulled the 'nothing serious' card.

But that's not Nate. He could never.

You thought Colby would never lie to you either. Now here we are

"No, that's not what I mean. I got scared, you know? Friend groups don't survive romance. But I don't care now that I think about it. We should give it a shot. It could be great. Fuck what they think." His words are slurred and his eyes are glazed over, but each syllable is drowning in sincerity. Drunk words are sober thoughts and all that but she'd rather take it as complete nonsense right now.

"Nate, sweetie..." She readjusts the hold she has on her heels so she can grab hold of his hand, "I doubt you know what you're thinking right now. Let's talk in the morning, ok? Get some sleep, sober up, and then we'll figure it out. Sounds good?" She says gently, as if explaining to a three-year-old that Santa isn't real.

He gives her one of those smiles that were the initial reason she (thought she) fell for him, "Yeah." They stop at the door to his shared hotel room with Sam and Colby. Before she can reach for the doorknob, Nate turns to her, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. She momentarily lets herself play along and leans into his touch, knowing how wrong it actually is. "You're the best, Y/N." Their faces, almost instinctively, inch closer and she doesn't do anything to stop it. Fuck all rationality. This night can't get much worse, how bad could a kiss shared between friends be?

She never gets to find out though because the door to the room is thrown open, forcing them apart in an instant. The person standing on the doorstep makes it ten time worse - because of-fucking-course it's Colby.

Y/N immediately starts regretting what almost just happened, semi-glad it didn't. She shouldn't have let it get that far. She's doing to Nate what she was thankful he didn't do to her - stringing him along. She can barely recognize herself - almost kissing one of her best friends while being completely in love with another.

"Oh, um....sorry. I wanted to come help carry Nate up but.....guess you got that covered." He speaks up, trying to cut the awkwardness him and Y/N are currently drowning in. Nate is none the wiser, waving off his friend's apology with a quick 'don't worry about it'. He gives one last squeeze to her hand before going inside, leaving the two staring at each other.

"Is Sam ok?" Y/N asks, cocking her head to the side to take a peek inside the room where she can see Sam's shoes at the foot of the bed. "That fall was pretty bad."

"Yeah, he's fine." Colby sighs heavily, looking over his shoulder at the blonde in question, "Should've stopped climbing on tables like he has nine lives long ago. This might be the lesson he needed."

"Hey!" She frowns at him, "Have some compassion!"

He chuckles, opening his mouth to respond when a sudden yell cuts him off.

"Y/N? That you? Come in!" It's Sam, his voice conveying the pain he's currently in.

She knows she should be heading back down to the front desk to grab her key and go to her own room. But she can't just leave her friend on 'read' in real life and at such a dire time.

So, despite her better judgement, she goes inside to find Nate already out like a light and Sam laying flat on his bed with an arm over his eyes.

"Hi Sammy. Partied a little too hard there, dude." Y/N smiles softly at him, sitting on the edge of his bed.

Sam removes his arm from his face, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes, "Am I gonna die?"

Simultaneously both her and Colby snort out a laugh, sharing a look of mutual understanding and amusement before she returns her attention to the wounded soldier, "You won't. I promise. Just go to sleep." She replies reassuringly, readjusting the ice pack Colby had placed on his knee, causing him to hiss but still nod.

"Stay here for the night?" He asks, almost pleadingly. This interaction is a good insight on the siblingship they have. Colby and Nate have always been variables to her, but luckily she has Sam to be her constant.

"Where am I gonna sleep, Sam?" She asks lightheartedly, looking around the room at the two already occupied beds and the couch by the window.

"There." Sam points at said couch where Y/N can see some trademark Colby clothes splayed around. That's his little nook, clearly.

"And where's Colby gonna sleep?" She laughs, shooting Colby a soft look to find him already staring at her with the same gentleness she's always felt emanating from his eyes.

"The floor." Sam says with no hesitation, causing you both to laugh.

Colby is quick to flip him off, "Fuck you, man."

All he gets in response is a soft snore, alerting them that Sam too has drifted off. Probably for the best cause that scrape on his knee doesn't look pleasant.

And suddenly, they feel like they're alone. Sure, there are two other people present but a canon firing wouldn't be efficient in waking them up. So, they're practically alone.

Neither of them is happy about it.

"Really though, you should stay. What are you gonna do alone in your room?" Colby breaks the brief silence as he awkwardly struts across the room to subtly clean up the mess he's made on the couch.

Y/N shrugs, "Watch TV, drink some more, snack on something, pass out. The usual." She shrugs, carefully getting up so she doesn't nudge Sam out of his slumber.

"You can do all that here....with some company." He offers, cautious about every word that comes out of his mouth. "We don't have to talk about anything. Just raid the minibar and snack tray."

They should talk, they both know it. They're aware that they're at an age where they are considered adults. And adults talk about difficult shit even when they don't want to. They do what should be done.

Not Y/N and Colby, though.

They've cracked open a bottle of rosé and a bag of Cheetos and are currently sitting in silence. A comfortable one, for a change. They've quietly agreed to have this moment be outside the realm of everything else that occurred tonight. Like an island in a stormy sea. There will come a time when they'll have to talk about it, but most definitely not tonight.

Unless...

"Remember the first time we got drunk together?" She asks, watching the pink liquid splashing around in her glass.

Colby snorts at the memory, or whatever he can recall of it. "Barely."

"Yeah, same." She laughs, downing the rest of her wine, "I remember you disappearing for a good portion of the night. Sam and I found you bruised and bloodied hours later."

He joins her in the reminiscing, "That rose bush really did a number on me."

She takes a moment to look him in the eyes. She stays quiet, analyzing him in a way that heats up his skin as though her gaze were a physical force, "You didn't actually fall in a rose bush, did you?"

Ah, there's another lie. A small one in comparison to the first but still a lie. And since it's a night of confessions..."Remember Austin?"

He just unlocked a forgotten part of her brain, "Oh shit yeah! Whatever happened to that guy?"

A dry chuckle rattles his chest, his hand coming up to rub his face, "Well, in short, he liked you a little too much for my liking. So he found out what happens when I'm jealous and drunk."

Y/N can't help but smile. She's a simple girl, of course she finds it hot. But she'll be damned if she lets him notice. She quickly masks it with a joke, "Oh my God, you killed him!"

He laughs, shaking his head before leaning towards her a bit as if he's about to spill some government secrets, "Full disclosure, between you and me..." His eyebrows lift, waiting for her to nod a vow of silence before continuing, "I got my ass kicked."

She busts out laughing, undermining all concern for her two sleeping friends, "I'm not surprised." She teases him, reaching for the bottle for a refill.

Colby doesn't let that happen though. He quickly snatches the bottle, keeping it out of her reach, "Excuse you?!"

"You can't be salty after admitting it yourself." For caution purposes, she sets down the glass before getting up on her knees, extending her arm in a futile attempt at retrieving the stolen item. To her dismay, he just stretches his arm further, making it that much harder. "Oh, fuck you..." she mutters, hovering herself over his lap precariously, putting them in a pretty compromising position.

Colby kicks it into high gear, freeing his hand by setting the bottle down so he can sit her in his lap with a slight tug, earning him a small gasp from her. She settles into him just perfectly, like this is far from the first time they've found each other in such predicament.

Their faces are inches apart. His hands are on her sides, hers are on his shoulders. The proximity is more intoxicating than the alcohol they've consumed throughout the night. They are high on each other and are just now realizing it. Or just now admitting it.

"I thought we weren't gonna talk about it." She whispers, afraid of breaking the thin veil of tranquility currently surrounding them.

"We're not talking about it." His tone mimics hers as though he's afraid he'll scare her off. His grip on her is gentle but firm. It'll physically hurt if he tries to force himself to let go of her.

Luckily he doesn't have to because, before either of them know it, their lips collide.

The innocence of the kiss is brief and gone within seconds. Hands start roaming, breaths are shared, lines are crossed. And, technically, they aren't talking about it. But still, plenty is being said. A decade of pent up emotion is coming to fruition. It's nothing short of passionate, desperate almost.

Right on-brand for them.

* * * * *

"Hi."

"Hi."

They're fully clothed, cuddled up on the couch and alone in the room. Not all lines were crossed last night of fear they might regret it in the morning. However, if their smiles are anything to go by, nothing is being regretted.

Neither of them attempts to move from their comfortable little bubble. Neither of them cares that Nate and Sam probably witnessed this sight when they woke up. Neither of them tries checking the time. It's their way of trying to make the moment last longer into infinity.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Colby breaks the silence, threading his fingers through her hair.

Her ear is directly over his heart, listening to its steady rhythm she finds so much comfort in, "Just that I can't even lie right. I tell my mom one lie and it ends up becoming true."

Laughter vibrates throughout his chest, sending waves through her body as well, "Is this you asking me out?"

"Do you want it to be?" Y/N shrugs, tilting her head to look up at him.

He smirks down at her, "So much for rebelling, huh?"

"Shut up."

Knowing he won't do so on his own, she tends to the matter herself by pressing her lips to his, effectively shutting him up.

Tagging: @benbarnesprettygurl @beanredacted @m1tsk1l0v3er

[alvojake]

Accusations | P.JS

「paring」 : bf!jay x fem!reader 「word count」 : 0.6k

「synopsis」 : after hearing rumors about your boyfriend and 'bet' you can't help but believe them, but what if they were just false accusations?

「genre」 : suggestive, angst

「warning」 : accusations, pet names (princess, baby, love), slight choking, let me know if I need to add anything!

“Let me ask you something Jay?” She looked over at the man she called her ‘boyfriend’ yet now she wasn’t too sure.

Worry etched into his features as he walked over and kneels down next to her legs, “anything baby.”

Silence filled the room, the only sound was the deafening ticks of the clock that sat on the bookshelf off to the side. She muled over her words, she hated the fact that she was going off baseless rumors. However, she knew that rumors stemmed from some kind of truth.

“Was any of this real?” Her question caught him off guard… What was she talking about?

“Baby I don’t understand, of course this is real. Every single part.” He reached out wrapping his hands around her trembling ones that sat in her lap.

The moment she didn’t move to intertwine their fingers like she's done countless times before, he knew. He knew something wasn’t right.

“I know Jay…” Her voice came out in a meer whisper, Jay almost didn’t catch it.

“What?” The confusion that twisted on his face was causing more guilt to pool in her gut, had she been wrong? Was she just falsely accusing him?

“I heard them talking in the halls… by the lockers.” Her voice was quiet, almost hesitant, not sure if what she was saying was actually true.

“Heard what princess?” Jay's voice was smooth like honey causing her heart to beat a hundred miles an hour, but she didn’t dare to meet his eyes to which Jay wasn’t having any of it, “look at me.”

There was an undertone of his dominance that she didn’t dare to disobey, meeting his deep brown irises she felt goosebumps travel down her spine. There’s no way what they were saying was true, not with how he was looking at her right now.

“Tell me what they said baby girl.” The drop in his tone had her turning into putting right into the palm of his hands.

“They said…” She trailed off again as she averted her gaze only for Jay to reach forward grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning her eyes back to him.

“What. Did. They. Say?” 

Jay didn’t leave any room for discussion, his grip never leaving her chin. Her eyes searched his, suddenly more wary of speaking.

“Princess.” The warning in his voice had her clenching her hands into fist, her nails digging into the palm of her hands.

“They-” She swallowed thickly, “that you only got with me because of a bet.”

The air suddenly grew tense as Jay’s eyes bore into her, trapping her with his gaze. In seconds his face was merely inches away from hers, his warm breath brushing against her skin. 

“A bet, hmm?”

She didn’t dare to break eye contact, not sure how he’d react. She wasn’t scared, god no she wasn’t scared. She felt more alive than anything, she always did when she found herself in these predicaments with her lover.

“I can promise you love, that what we…” he motioned with his finger between the two, “have isn’t because of a bet.”

She felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, only to be replaced by something else. Something more hot, heavy, tense. 

Sensing the sudden change Jay moved closer watching as her eyes fluttered shut, waiting. With a smirk he let his fingers trail from her chin to encase her throat in his palm.

A soft gasp fell from her lips as he pushed her back, laying her flat on the couch. Trapped underneath him.

Jay moved closer to her face, watching as her eyes trembled with anticipation.

“Why don’t we make our own bet?”

@alvojake | Do not steal, plagiarise, translate, or repost any of my work

𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖗 : ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴘᴜʀᴇʟʏ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ꜱᴇʀɪᴏᴜꜱʟʏ.

[mysticraven20]

Chapter 24: First Kiss

@adrinetteapril

Artwork by the amazing @verabraun-art

Marinette watched as Adrien rounded the corner, leaving her life once again. She had wanted to take it slow, but everything about this evening had proven he most certainly did not — he was doing this for her. The kind, caring boy she’d grown up loving had once again pushed his own feelings aside and allowed her to take the lead.

But it was about time she took the lead herself, and going for what she wanted!

Her heart started a rhythmic command to get moving, to go find him and stop this stupid game once and for all.

She hastily seized the nearest pair of shoes, her father’s cherished boots, slipping her feet into them despite their vast size. Ignoring the discomfort, her heart pounded with urgency as she rushed out into the street, desperate to find Adrien. She couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving again. After New York and then London (twice), she was determined to make him stay this time. He belonged with his family, his friends, and most of all, with her—the love of his life.

Yet, doubts gnawed at her insides. What if their love wasn’t enough to anchor him here?

But she pushed those thoughts aside, clinging to hope as she sprinted down the familiar streets, her heart racing with both anticipation and fear. Catching up with him, she saw him turn to face her, a questioning smile on his perfect, kissable lips.

“Marinette?” he questioned. His eyes glistened and glowed underneath the moonlight. Or was it the lamppost? This was the exact spot he’d proposed to her a couple of weeks ago. A proposal that, regardless of its validity, she’d accepted.

She stared up at him, summoning the courage to speak. “I know they say if you love someone, you should let them go. Well, I did that once and, believe me, there’s no way I’m strong enough to do it again.”

His eyes flickered across her face. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, I don’t want to take this slow. Not anymore.”

His mouth opened, before closing again, his eyes burning into hers.

They stood bathed in the soft glow of the light, accentuating every imperfection and detail as they locked eyes. His velvety, green gaze delved into her deep oceans of blue. Silence enveloped them, each absorbed in the weight of what this moment could signify for their relationship.

Amidst the quiet tension, she felt a surge of readiness and determination. She wanted this, despite the uncertainty. Her heart swelled with love for him, and in that intense gaze, she found the courage to embrace whatever changes lay ahead. She bit down on her bottom lip and his gaze moved to focus on her mouth.

“Do you love me?” she asked with all the confidence she didn’t know she possessed.

Her pulse quickened as she locked eyes with him again, feeling the searing heat radiating from his intense, emerald gaze.

They stood motionless, the weight of the unspoken answer heavy in the air. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest, each beat echoing in her ears. Goosebumps raced across her skin, every nerve alive with tingling anticipation, as their eyes remained fixed on each other, conveying a torrent of unspoken emotions.

“Do you love me?” Her voice trembled, as the raw emotion broke through. Why wasn’t he answering?

Her heart raced in anticipation of his answer, breath caught in her chest. With deliberate steps, he moved closer, closing the distance between them, his hand rising to tenderly cup her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed instinctively, savouring the intimacy of his touch and surrendering to the tender caress.

She watched him wet his lips with a nervous flick, before leaning in to whisper the words she had been yearning for. “Yes…I love you!” The breath of his voice against her ear sent a shiver down her spine, his warm breath mingling with her own, creating an intimate moment filled with longing and desire.

Her throat tightened as she watched him retreat, his eyes searching hers with a silent invitation to reconsider. He had an uncanny ability to read her thoughts.

As her eyes met his, she was mesmerised by the intensity of his gaze. It had turned to molten heat, a fire that burned only for her. And in that moment, she felt like the most cherished person in the world – not some distant ideal of beauty, but Marinette Dupain-Cheng, baker’s daughter and retired superhero.

His eyes bore into hers with an insatiable hunger, as though she were the sole craving of his existence. It was a look that conveyed a depth of longing and desire that superseded any other want or need.

She no longer allowed her doubts to resurface. She didn’t stop to question it, to question him or to question herself.

Marinette allowed her instincts to guide her, her hands reaching out and grabbing him by the shirt, twisting the fabric in her grip as she closed the distance between them. Lifting her head, she watched him bite his lower lip, his eyes continuing to blaze in the same way her core was. He kept his eyes trained on her, darkened, his pupils dilating into the green of his irises in a way that made her gulp for breath.

The tension between them was like a tightly wound band on the brink of snapping, the impending release promising a cataclysmic explosion of emotion, reminiscent of a supernova.

“Hey,” he greeted, his voice deep and gravelly.

As if on cue, the tension that had been holding them apart released its grip, and Marinette felt herself drawn irresistibly closer to him. Their lips met in a long-awaited kiss that spoke volumes of unspoken desire and heartfelt connection. She could feel the weight of anticipation lift, replaced by the warmth of his touch and sweetness of their lips.

At that moment, he was everything.

The kiss started slow and controlled, slightly tentative, and Marinette could sense the underlying tension and desire building between them. She felt his possessive growl reverberate in the back of his throat, a primal sound that stirred something deep within her.

As the kiss intensified, she sensed his urgency, the fiery passion igniting between them, a mutual need for more, for deeper connection and exploration. In that moment, amidst the heat of their embrace, her thoughts raced with longing and anticipation, her heart pounding with the realisation that this was just the beginning of something electric and profound.

His hands slid up her arms, fingertips skating across her collarbones and along her throat before cupping around her face almost desperately.

She felt something ignite in her body, and her hands moved up to grab his hair. A match lit inside her, and she was teetering on the edge of an inferno.

She suddenly remembered a quote from a book, where the character asked another what drowning felt like. The response was…not everything feels like something else.

Like falling in love.

Like having your heart broken.

Like kissing Adrien Agreste.

She could never have felt anything as jubilant as this. It wasn’t a tentative first kiss like when they were 14, breaking spells and defeating Akumas. This was a full kiss where she finally knew what Adrien tasted like — a flavour she’d desired for over a decade.

Her thoughts flew further, imagining what he would sound like as his hands moved over her body, adding in her own whimpers for more as he touched her. Her fantasies could never fully capture the unadulterated bliss of this moment, the sounds of his pulse quickening, or his breath catching as he finally relaxed and relinquished control to her.

They couldn’t go back to their normal dynamic now. This kiss was more than she ever could have imagined and everywhere he touched it felt like an electrical storm cracking.

He was more than just looks and a name to her. He was her Kitty, her Adrien. And as she remained in Adrien’s arms, breathless and not nearly satisfied, she understood how a simple kiss could bring two grown people to their knees, her own legs barely keeping her standing.

“Nice boots,” he said before stroking his thumbs over her cheek bones and moving forward again, this kiss just as heated and intense as the last one.

She wanted to experience everything with him because she loved him and she was sure now that he loved her. She never had to do anything to make him see her, because this kiss told her he’d been watching for a long, long time.

If this was what drowning felt like, she would be happy to drown forever.

Read the whole story here

[imagine-knowing-a-name]

i miss who i used to be

Summary: In the aftermath of Ultron, two Sokovians find themselves contemplating their pasts and their loneliness in the present. When their paths cross again, they might just find comfort in one another's company.

Word Count: 1379 Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader Warnings: grief/loneliness/a lot of reflection on topics of that nature A/N: First part of a short series of sorts? Childhood friends to lovers kinda vibe which maybe could have been a one shot but I wanted to try something different! I have the next part written but after that, let me know what you'd like to see happen between Wanda and R (any interactions/conversations to be had/etc.) and it might influence where this story goes 👀

Part 1 of 'half of my hometown' series masterlist next part ->

»»————-　★　————-««

If there’s one thing she knows, it’s grief.

Wanda Maximoff was born and raised in a war-torn country; she’s borne witness to a lifetime of destruction, endured suffering, and experienced the slow death of dreams. It seemed like there could be no worse feeling since she’d already experienced it all, but life seemed determined to prove her wrong.

After all that, it took her brother.

If her life were to be likened to the myth of Pandora’s Box, then Pietro Maximoff would have been her hope – the one bright light in her life that she believed could never fade, that would never leave her. From the second she was born, and for 26 years thereafter, Pietro had always been by her side; no matter what happened, they went through it together, reacted together, and emerged alive on the other side together. For all their disagreements, Wanda couldn’t think of a single experience she hadn’t shared with Pietro. Which makes this new feeling – the painful, unenviable knot of loneliness in her heart – all the more terrifying.

Pietro will never share it.

Months continue to pass, with Wanda taking notice of nothing but herself becoming more withdrawn, avoiding Stark's parties and spending more time in her room, where she can let the loneliness consume her. She really did try when the Avengers first brought her to America, but Pietro had always been the social twin, and the conversations only made his absence more pronounced.

Wanda's mood worsens as her loneliness grows, but only she can see the change in herself. The team hardly noticed the difference -- they hadn't even known her before her grief, so how could they see what it had caused in her?

Lingering on the thought, Wanda realises there is no one left who remembers the girl she used to be before the pain and grief and suffering. She used to believe that her childhood friendships would last forever, but those friends are likely gone, she thinks, lost to the rubble just as her family were. Wanda Maximoff is the last person alive who could ever remember her true personality, but now, even she isn’t so sure.

»»————-　★　————-««

On that same night, in that same building, you suffer from the same line of thought. Brought from Sokovia to America in your early teens, joining SHIELD was your way of doing good in a world you knew firsthand needed help. You hadn’t expected it to be your own teammates and colleagues who had been causing the troubles in the first place; some went under with HYDRA’s exposition, but many remained, passing test after test because, despite the presence of their names on documents approving the bombing of your birth city, they truly had no allegiance to HYDRA. They are SHIELD agents throughout, but that doesn’t make them ‘good’.

Your sense of hope is naive, really. It’s a remnant of the lingering childhood sentiment that you would make the most of your escape to America, to make real change and bring peace to the friends you left behind. By now, you’ve seen the worst of SHIELD, endured mockery for your opinions, watched the organisation fall and then rise again only somewhat cleansed to assist the Avengers, yet you still work for them. Perhaps it’s fear that keeps you here, perhaps it’s delusion, but either way, you find your workarounds and do your best to progress.

That’s the situation that leads you to now, patrolling the halls of the Avengers Compound at 2am, pondering what you are even working for now that the only evidence left of your country’s capital city is a crater full of rubble. 

Loneliness takes centre stage when you work night shifts – an unfortunate coincidence considering loneliness is what caused you to take the time slot in the first place. You don’t want to work with your colleagues, always feeling like you’re on the sidelines of the group, never quite as close to them as they are to each other – now exacerbated by the seed of doubt that any one of them may have seen your country as a necessary sacrifice, an inevitable fatality in a world of war. 

It’s easier to work alone, you tell yourself again, but you begin to doubt it.

With no country to return to, no relatives, and no friends at work, you wonder how else you can change yourself before you finally fit in. Maybe then you wouldn’t have to be alone.

»»————-　★　————-««

Those thoughts are interrupted by whirring machinery, and you suddenly snap to attention and creep towards the Avengers’ gym. An intruder wouldn’t settle down for a quick training session, you imagine, and lower your guard marginally, but still ready yourself for a confrontation – there shouldn’t be anyone around at 2 am.

You walk in, only to stall immediately when you see a familiar brunette on the treadmill. She’s not one of the Avengers you’ve met before, nor one of the ones you’ve only seen on TV despite living in the same building – she’s new then, you conclude, or an intruder, but that doesn’t explain why you feel like you’ve seen her face before. 

She looks up and her eyes widen when she sees you, before she shuts the treadmill off and quickly ducks her head. You don’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry,” she mutters while she hurriedly gathers her things, “I didn’t think anyone would come in here.”

You know why you recognise her now, the accent giving it all away.

“You’re Sokovian.” The woman clearly wants to leave; her belongings are bundled in her arm and she’s taken several quick paces aiming to pass you to get to the door, but she pauses at your statement and finally raises her head to meet your gaze.

“You’re not.”

“I am,” you reply, somewhat indignantly.

“You don’t sound it.”

Your natural accent had slipped over the years, it was true, a mix of natural evolution and forced acclimatisation on your behalf as an attempt to better fit in had led to the accent you now had. Not good enough to fool your American-born colleagues, but enough, it seems, to fool your fellow Sokovian. You think carefully, the new accent is so well practised that you struggle to separate what comes naturally and which parts you condition yourself to speak with. Eventually though, you speak and let the traces of your Sokovian past shine through.

“It’s been a while,” you tell her, “13 years since I last saw Novi Grad. I thought I’d return one day but… I guess not.”

Her eyes narrow as she tilts her head ever so slightly, the action once again striking you with a sense of familiarity. She seems to shake herself out of it eventually. She tightens her grip on her belongings and finally inches past you, not speaking again until her hand is on the door handle. 

“I suppose neither of us can ever return home… your accent is rusty, Y/N, but it’s nice to see someone else survived.”

You jolt suddenly at her use of your name, but she’s gone before you can even turn around and acknowledge that she recognises you too; all that remains of her is the door slamming shut in her wake. 

Memories crash back to you of the first half of your life, it's enough that you need to take a seat before allowing yourself to reminisce. It's been thirteen years since you last saw Wanda, but you'd never forgotten the shy brunette you used to run to and from school with; the girl whose apartment you would visit whenever the power went out, to huddle together and make up stories to entertain yourselves.

You wonder briefly why she left the gym so suddenly, rather than staying and catching up, but you realise that even you need a moment to process the fact that one of your friends, a memory from your past, is not only still alive, but also living in the same building as you. It seems likely that you'll see her again, and you hope it's something that she wants too.

You're already planning to give her time, but no matter how the night started, the encounter plants a seed of hope in you that the future might just be a little less lonely.

next part ->

»»————-　★　————-««

General Taglist: @canvascoloredin @fxckmiup @wizardofstories

(Might do a series taglist for this too - let me know if you'd like to be added! @family-house-of-m you have no choice but to be tagged)