#was technically possible that i forgot to close the door and it was the wind or someones dog responsible for moving the thing

[be-good-to-bugs]

:/ god my apartment manager sucks

[captain-jensen]

Good Kisser, Bad Kisser

Chris Evans x Reader (smut)

Summary: You and Chris reminisce about a time when you were co-stars and things get heated

Authors note: I’ve seen comments about Chris possibly being a bad kisser based on watching him in movies and it inspired me

Warnings: 18+, unprotected sex (don’t be dumb),smut, manhandling kink, tiny bit of degradation, oral (m+f recieving),

        After grabbing a bottle of your favourite wine and some thai food you stand knocking on Chris’ front door. The door flings open and there he stands in a simple pair of sweats and a hoodie. “Finally! I’m starving, give me that” he rips the food out of your hands and makes a run for it towards the kitchen island. 

“Hi Chris! Good to see you too, it’s been a while” You say to yourself slightly annoyed that he hadn’t even thought to greet you. Nevertheless, you make your way inside and open your wine. After handing you a plate and a fork Chris pulls you into a tight hug. 

“Hey Y/N, it has been a while and I’ve missed you” He says, insinuating that he heard your sly comment at the door. You just giggle a bit and hug him back just as tightly. You guys separate and make your plates, opting to eat at the table. “So, how was filming?” he asks.

“It was good, nothing super special if I’m being honest though. The cast and crew were kind of boring and I didn’t even make any new friends” You respond forlornly. 

“Awe that’s the worst. To be fair though, I think I set the bar too high in terms of fun co-stars” He says with a cocky grin. 

“Well you’re not entirely wrong. I think you were the last real friend I’ve made on a set”

“It’s probably because I was the best kisser you’ve ever acted with” He claims, obviously deciding to stick with the prideful theme of jokes tonight. You can’t help but burst out laughing at this claim. Sure he wasn’t a horrible kisser but he wasn’t exactly the best either. Chris watches in bewilderment. “I’m sorry, did I say something funny?” he asks in mock exasperation. 

“Chris c’mon” you say through your de-escalating laughter. 

“No, what? What was so funny?”

“I just thought you were joking”

“Oh so you’re saying I wasn’t a good kisser?” 

“I mean I don’t really know about best but I’m not saying you were terrible” You try to defend yourself. 

“Well I guess that was a while ago. I mean we were in our 20s then. We’ve both changed a lot”

“Yeah you’re probably right. I’m sorry for laughing. I know I probably wasn’t the best either” you say. Now feeling bad because you might have actually hurt his feelings. 

“I don’t know. I thought you were pretty good” he responds shyly, not taking his eyes off of his food. 

“Well now I just feel bad” You say laughing.

“You don’t have to feel bad. I know for a fact I’ve gotten better since then”

“Well good for you then” you respond humorously.

“It’s just too bad that that’s your memory of me” he almost sounds actually sad. 

“It’s ok. I’m not exactly friends with you for your kissing ability. So it’s all good”

“It’s not all good. Let me show you that I’ve gotten better” He proposes.

“Um, what?” you ask taken aback. 

“Let me prove to you that I’m a good kisser now” he says again matter of factly. Clearly not understanding what has you so worked up. 

“Chris I’m not that worried about it believe me. I’m fine with the memory I have.” you say, trying to see if he was serious about this. 

“Well I’m not ok with it.” He definitely sounds serious. He stands up and walks toward you. He motions for you to stand, and despite your brains best efforts, your body obeys. He’s already standing so close to you, chest to chest. You apprehensively look up to him and see he’s already staring at you attentively. You glance at his lips quickly, and as soon as your eyes meet his again, his lips make contact with yours. This is undeniably a much different kiss than the one you had shared when you were basically kids. His lips move fervently across yours as he tilts his head and grabs the side of your face, deepening the kiss intensely. You can’t prevent the small whine that escapes the back of your throat, just like he can’t control the tightness of his sweats. He presses into you more, letting you feel every inch of him. Your hands move from their place on his arms to wind around the back of his neck. Grabbing the little hairs at the back of his head you subconsciously give a little tug and he groans deeply into your mouth, making your legs quiver. He guides you to the couch by your waist and sits you on his lap. You can feel his hands everywhere, roaming your body while his heat seeps into you and his mouth explores your chest. You moan and instinctively grind into his center. He rids you of your shirt and you do the same to him. His lips are around one of your nipples, one hand one one breast, and the other hand on your backside, gripping tightly. It’s like he’s scared you could be ripped from his arms as any second. You kiss behind his ear, finding his sweet spot making him release a guttural moan that shakes you to your core. After hearing that you’re sure he can feel your arousal seeping through your pants into his lap. It’s then though that you pull away to ask “Chris are you sure? I mean, you aren’t just trying to prove a point right?”.

“Baby I’ve honestly been thinking about this moment all these years”, he leans in close to your ear so you can feel his breath against your ear, making a shiver run down your spine. “I’ve always dreamt about how you’d feel against me like this, how I’d feel inside of you, how I’d feel tasting you”, in the midst of his beautiful speech, he catches you off guard and flips you on the couch so that you’re slightly angled off the couch. He kneels on the ground as he kisses his way down your body slowly. When he reaches the waistband of your pants he plants a dark mark on your skin, claiming you. He leaves trails of smaller marks down your thighs as he works your pants off. The slight bruising feeling of his bites matched with the roughness of his beard makes for a downright sinful feeling, matched by a sinful moan. He works his way back up your bare legs to your naked center. Placing small pecks mixed with small licks to your core he makes you a whimpering mess before he fully delves into your folds. He’s drinking you like a man who has been deprived of water his whole life. When he introduces a couple of fingers into your throbbing hole you fully lose it, coming undone within a matter of minutes. 

   Since you’ve fully turned into jelly around him, he effortlessly carries you to the bedroom, all but throwing you on the mattress. “Sorry to break it to you, but playtime is over now honey” you shudder at his words. You watch helplessly as he rids himself of his remaining clothes. As he goes to grab a condom, you stop him. “Just wait” You say, practically begging to taste him on your tongue. You pull yourself to a sitting position on the bed as he stands tall at the edge, already almost fully hard. You grab his length and stroke it a few times before giving him the same treatment of a small kiss at his tip and small licks to the underside of his shaft. His breathing becomes laboured as he watches you in awe when you take him into your mouth fully for the first time. You relax your throat and breath through your nose as you feel him hit the back of your throat. When you hollow your cheeks and moan around him he lets out a beautiful and deep moan. You work him for bit longer with a combination of your hand and mouth before he’s ripping you off of his cock and throwing you back on the bed. You gasp as your back hits the sheets but then you’re quickly being flipped over onto your stomach and he pulls your hips up. He’s working you like a doll, and you’ve never loved anything more. You feel him press himself against your back and say sensually but still firmly in your ear “I said playtime is over” you feel him rub his tip up and down your folds, collecting your arousal on his tip before he enters you. He wastes no time fully sheathing himself inside of you. He gives you but a second to adjust to him before his thrusting into you at an easy pace. Feeling every inch of him enter you again and again at such an agonizing speed starts to get to you and he notices you moving yourself against his shaft. “I had no idea you were so greedy baby. You’re having a hard time being patient aren’t you?” he asks in a demeaning tone. All you can do is mutter a pathetic little “please” while still trying to up the ante. He gets the hint and decides to give you what you want. Chris starts to move at a speed unlike anything you’ve had before. You’re certain your eyes roll to the back of your head while he pounds you endlessly into the mattress. You barely have the power to say “I’m cumming” by the time the wave hits you. All you can do is mix your obscene moan with the slapping and wet noises coming from between your bodies. Not long after hearing you and feeling you clench around him, Chris spills inside you with a groan of your name, which is almost enough to throw you again. He collapses onto your back, trying with all his might to keep his weight on his arms. You both stay like that for a second, with heaving breaths, sweaty skin, and rosy cheeks. When he finally exits you, you turn around to face him one his back. His one arm covers his eyes as he gives a light giggle and says “We completely forgot the condom”.

“Well technically you forgot the condom. But it’s ok, I’m on birth control” you slyly respond. 

“Well thank god for that, because I don’t think I could have stopped if the fate of the world depended on it” you both let out a chuckle as he pulls you into his side. “So?” he asks gazing down at you with post-orgasm bliss.

“So what?” you ask, still trying to gain back the ability to think straight.

“Have I gotten better at kissing?”

“Yeah, you could say that” You respond nonchalantly, peaking at him through one eye. 

“Well I’ve got all the time in the world to keep proving it to you” He says before getting up to get a cloth to clean you both up. As you watch him walk away you can’t help but think about what the rest of your nights are going to look like now. 

[enjennie]

Stay [ Lee Jeno x Reader ]

Summary: You find yourself in a dark room at a party underneath the basketball captain Lee Jeno. And he might just have a thing for you.

genre: Smut! (minors begone!) Fluff. 

warnings: contains smut and profanity. losing virginity + unprotected sexc time (pls practice safe segz)

a/n: my second smut ... i’m still testing the waters and this isn’t proofread but i just wanted to write smth to destress. also yes there is lack of foreplay bc im not too familiar with writing that yet but i hope it's not too bad !! enjoy ♡

The room was both dark and unfamiliar, but you push yourself into it without a second thought. Jeno’s arms are wrapped around your waist securely, lips molded together in an electrifying kiss that sent waves of euphoria all over your body. Jeno wasn’t any more familiar than the room. Not to you, of course. You knew all about him, but not the other way around. You were a stranger to him. Or so you believed. But none of that mattered to you in the moment. It should have. Yes. You kissed him. Yes. You initiated it. So why were you so confused on why it was leading to a very heated make out and possibly into… sex?

The music from the party you’d both left downstairs is muffled by the shutting of the door but what was really drowning it out was Jeno taking you into another world of your own as his lips drift from yours down to your neck while his hands touch you in places you’ve never been touched before. It all felt like a dream. But his voice brings you back to reality, proving that this all was in fact real.

“Are you okay with this?” he breathlessly asks. You’d both gone from the door and were now on the bed, with him towering over you looking mighty as ever. Godlike. Jeno the basketball team captain, whom you’ve crushed on for years was in front of you, had just kissed you back. You gave him a nod, not having it in you to construct a sentence by how baffled you were. “You’re not…drunk, are you?” he tilts his head to the side, inspecting your face in the dim light the moon provided.

“I barely had anything to drink,” you shyly confessed. You’d been throwing out your drink in bushes and every shot you took were mostly infused with soda. But Jeno knew. Jeno noticed it all. He chuckled, dipping his head closer to yours. Close enough that he caught a whiff of your perfume, close enough to hear how your breath hitched in your throat with the sudden proximity between you two. “Me too,” he quietly whispers into your ear.

So why was this happening right now? If it isn’t because of the heavy alcohol intoxicating you both to make unsure decisions, why were you in a room with Jeno when you were both very much sober and aware of what was going to happen? It wasn’t like you were the only girl at this party. Why was basketball captain Lee Jeno in the room with you, student council secretary Y/N, right now? Isn’t it an odd pairing?

You couldn’t think about any of that. Not when his lips are on yours again and they’re all you could think about. It didn’t take long before his shirt was on a pile on the floor along with yours. Jeno drew circles on your waist with his thumb as he grinded against your needy area. Your fingers laced through his while the other found itself entangled in his hair. Jeno let out a low growl when you pulled on his roots, and you can’t keep the smug smile from appearing on your face at the thought of him reacting this way because of your doing.

He didn’t waste a second more, he lined his tip against your entrance after pushing your skirt up and panties aside and thrusted himself inside you, making you yelp louder than you’d intended. You forgot to mention the fact that you were a virgin. Never have gone past the third base. Jeno drew in a sharp breath at your tightness and seemed to notice that the sound you’d made was more pain than it was pleasure. The boy propped himself up to peer at you. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone so rough,” he apologized, concern flooding his face.

“I’m… I’m a virgin,” you let the cat out of the bag. It settled in the air for a while, hovering above the both of you in the dead silent room. You couldn’t look at his face. Out of embarrassment and shame. But Jeno placed a hand against your face, framing it and letting you look into his honey brown eyes in the darkness. “You’ve never done it before?” he whispers.

I ruined it. You thought. Maybe I should’ve told him I’ve already done it…

“C’mon,” he snaps you back into reality by pulling away and you see him holding his hand out to you. You stare at it, not knowing what to do in this situation. “Give me your hand,” Jeno smiled softly at you, his face completely changed as if he isn’t balls deep inside you right now.

You take his hand and he threads your fingers together, gripping yours firmly in his and pushing it down on the mattress. “Hold onto me, tell me how you like it,” Jeno shifts his body, pulling himself out of you, leaving you empty. Hollow. The friction made you gasp for air, which melted into a moan. You let your nails prick him on the hand from how hard you were holding his as he entered once again, slower this time. The stretch was painful, but so good. Jeno watched your face change from depicting pain to a mixture of pleasure. Such a sinful expression on an angelic face. You could feel him get harder inside you as he continued to thrust in a controlled pace.

“You okay” he asked softly. His mouth is by your ear and you can hear his soft panting. You let out a hum, too overwhelmed by what you were feeling to make up a reply. “Use your words, baby,” he urged.

“I feel great,” you breathlessly sighed back, just as his tip hit a new spot that felt otherworldly. “Fuck-,” you moaned. Jeno paused, biting on your neck, trying to restrain himself from going fucking you senseless.

“Keep going,” you directed. Jeno’s eyes grew dark from hearing your sultry voice telling him what to do. He pushed himself deeper, earning a delicious moan from you. Jeno bucked his hips and continuously rammed himself into you, filling you up with each thrust. He was pushing you into the soft mattress and had your thighs spread apart to give him space between them.

The sensation you felt gradually built up in your stomach as you cried out his name, your moans filling the empty room. Shutting your eyes and letting yourself indulge in the feeling Jeno gave you, the knot in your stomach tightened. He peppered your chest with kisses before his thrusts began to get sloppier, you noticed he was close. You let yourself look up at him and the sight of you was enough to send him to the edge as a string of curses along with your name escaped his mouth as he came. You clenched your walls around Jeno as you felt your orgasm hit moments after. Jeno slowed his pace down before pulling out completely and collapsed beside you, falling on the mattress of the poor stranger’s bed where you’d just lost your virginity in.

Your head was spinning and your hearts hammering as you came down from your highs. You turn to him, pushing your skirt down to cover your thighs.

“Did you enjoy th-,”

“That was amazi-,”

You both interrupt each other as you spoke, and you chuckle as he let you go first.

“That was amazing,” you finished your sentence. Jeno looked at you, his smile prominent on his face and his eyes displaying crescents. “Yeah? You’re not too bad yourself, made me forget that this is Hyucks’ parents bed,”  

That was enough to get you to spring off of the bed, looking back at it in horror. Jeno cracks up laughing, sitting up and reaching for your shirt before handing it over to you and pulling his own over his head. “Let’s go somewhere else,” he says, his tone suggestive. You knew it was to ask for a greenlight. It was surprising he even wanted to spend more time with you after the sex. The question brought a smile to your face as you put your shirt back on.

“Let’s get out of here,” you tell him. Jeno smiled at you, pushing the hair that covered his view behind your ears.

 That night, as you and Jeno sped away in his convertible with the top down, you let the cool wind run through your hair and engulfed the summer breeze. Jeno watched in awe, while he drove you to the hill with the best view of the city. He didn’t know how this was happening, when you both had never spoken before. It was always him and his little crush on you, going unnoticed. Shy glances from across the room at the girl who thought she was invisible when in fact you brought light into every room you walked into, almost like the sun followed you around.

But it was senior year. Fuck it, he thought. He’d heard you got into the college of your choice and it wasn’t in town. Jeno had decided on a whim that night, as he watched you bob your head to the song playing while mouthing the words along, that he was gonna tell you how crazy in love he was for you. When you disappeared into the hallway looking for the toilet, Jeno had followed you in a rush. To profess his adoration for you, tell you how you were the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. However, before he could spit it out, you’d kissed him. You didn’t know what came over you, in the moment it just felt right. It turns out to be the best decision you’ve ever made.

He pulled over, and you admired the view upon you. Twinkling lights from the bustling city of traffic and skyscrapers. Jeno turned the engine off, leaving you both in the sounds of nature around you. Crickets and the distant sign of life in the city. Cars beeping and music playing from different homes as seniors were having their party to celebrate the end of examinations. You looked at Jeno and he cupped your cheeks with his hand before pulling you in for another sweet kiss.

Unreal.

He pulled you easily onto his lap. How could you be so comfortable with a man you’ve technically just met? You felt like you could trust him with your life.

“We skipped all the formalities,” you murmured as you dipped your head close to his. Jeno lowered his gaze to your lips which made you subconsciously wet them with your tongue. He smiled sheepishly, leaning in and giving you a peck. “Then let’s start from the beginning,” He plants a kiss on your lips before pulling away after each one. “Hi-,”

Kiss.

“My name is-,”

Kiss.

“Lee Jeno,”

Kiss.

“Will you go out with me?”

[kindahoping4forever]

...Ready For It? // Ashton Irwin

Thank you to everyone who said they wanted to read this story, whether it was in the poll I posted 12 hours ago or when I first posted In My Dreams... You Should See The Things We Do back in June (!) - I actually started working on this not that long after I posted and while the skeleton concept stayed the same, everything else was kind of fluid until last month when I finally felt satisfied with it. As always, thank you to @cal-puddies​ for listening to me whine and obsess over every detail and for (virtually) slapping me upside the head every time I said I was going to just scrap it (and there were many times, trust.)

Note this is a sequel but I think there’s enough context within this piece that you’d be able to enjoy as a standalone if you haven’t read or forgot what happened during In My Dreams...

Warnings: Sexual tension, frustration and resolution. I couldn’t figure out how to do specific warnings without also spoiling the narrative (yes, really) so this is kind of a blanket fluffy smut warning. The sex is explicit in detail but not extreme in nature. ‘Tis a soft, dirty story you’re about to read. Also yes, Ash wears the mountain pants again and no, I will not apologize. 

Word Count: 10,555

Masterlist // Ko-Fi and New 2021 Taglist linked above

Let  me  know  what  you  think!

“I can’t say this is how I imagined getting you out of your clothes for the first time but after months of isolation, I’ll take what I can get,” you quip.

Ashton giggles as he peels off his button down shirt, leaving him in a classic white tank. “I can’t say anything about tonight has gone the way I imagined it would,” he confesses. “I’m sorry things have been kind of a bust.”

You try not to blatantly ogle his muscular build as you playfully jab, “You mean, you didn’t spend all that time longing for us to spend hours waiting outside a restaurant for a socially distant table only to be turned away because now it’s closing time and ending up having to eat drive thru burgers in the backseat of your car?”

“With ketchup dripping all over one of my best shirts? And you saving the day with a suspiciously convenient stain remover pen?” He riffs, passing his top to you.

“Exactly how I pictured it,” you shrug, dabbing at his shirt with the aforementioned magic pen.  “Shame, our fantasies tend to match up a lot better than this.”

You’d never thought much of long distance relationships and you especially never thought you’d find yourself in one with only a few miles separating you but 2020 had been full of surprises; getting to know Ash had turned out to be the silver lining in an otherwise terrible year. 

You’ve each reflected on it plenty and agreed it seems as if your connection was destined to see you both through this strange period. You met at the last party you were invited to before quarantine started, you ran into each other again at the last concert either of you got to attend. Your first date was also your final restaurant meal, the last time you went to a movie was with a group of mutual friends and you sat next to him, giggling like a teenager, intentionally brushing his fingers in the popcorn tub.

When the stay at home order was issued, it didn’t take long for you to check in with each other and while it wasn’t an easy time, you were grateful to build a bond with literally no outside influence. And now after countless texted inside jokes, heart to heart phone calls (and more than a few naughty ones), restrictions had been relaxed and you were finally able to reunite. Only the real world is proving to be a bit more complicated than either of you remember.

“You know, I’m not usually a ‘hop in the backseat on a first date’ kind of gal, but this is pretty fun,” you joke.

Ashton grins. “If it makes you feel any better, I think technically this is maybe our third or fourth date?”

“Anything pre-quarantine doesn’t count,” you shake your head insistently. “That was a lifetime ago, another world. I cook now, I go for walks, I do crosswords now. Whoever you went out with in The Before Times - I don’t know her.”

His loud laugh fills the car and the warmth of it overwhelms you; after months of hearing it through a speaker, you can’t believe you’re finally getting to witness it in person. 

"So if we’re starting over at square one, then what’s the explanation for that kiss you laid on me when I picked you up?” He teases.

“I’m a complex woman, I feel like you should know that by now,” you reply with a coy shrug, handing him his now stain free shirt.

The two of you finish your meals, chatting happily and making non-stop jokes about what a fail your date was. You’re relieved at how natural things are flowing; you knew there was undeniable chemistry but part of you was still nervous about getting used to being around each other - another person, even - again. But beyond the standard date jitters, things were comfortable and familiar.

Your anxiety briefly returns as he pulls the car into your driveway. Of course you want to invite him in, you’ve been waiting so long to invite him in but things just feel… off. You turn, ready to offer an apologetic goodnight but before you get a chance, he’s turning to look at you sheepishly.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but would you mind if we maybe called it a night?” He rushes out, nervously running a hand through his hair. You watch him, fascinated. You’re still not used to how long his hair got in quarantine and you’re definitely not used to seeing him bashful. “I know we joked about it and I appreciate you being cool about everything but I really did want to give you the night out you deserve… and that just didn’t happen. I’d like to try again.”

Your heart swells at his sincerity; he’d always been so genuine and open over the phone, but it’s almost overwhelming experiencing it while he’s looking into your eyes. “Have I never told you that ketchup stains are one of my biggest turn ons?” You tease, hoping to ease some of his obvious embarrassment. “Hey, we’ve waited this long, what’s a little bit longer?”

A little bit longer ends up being the following weekend. It turns out, coming up with romantic and yet responsibly distanced date ideas is harder than either of you thought. With you both having the luxury of working from home and generally not having to venture out unless absolutely necessary, you both decide you’re most comfortable with eliminating the public out of the equation as much as you can.

You settle on a short hike followed by a picnic and when you open your front door you realize just how unprepared you are for the concept of Morning Ash. You smile to yourself as you realize that he must have overslept as his face is still adorably puffy from sleeping, hair still wet from the shower. Yesterday’s five o’clock shadow is still present - he must have been running so late he had to forego his morning shave. The thought of waking up next to him looking like this pops into your mind, that soon you could be the reason he’s running late in the morning and your stomach actually drops.

You push your thoughts aside as you move to greet him with a hug; his cologne is prominent and obviously freshly sprayed and you think to yourself that you're excited to smell like him for the rest of the day.

“Got a surprise for you in the car,” he murmurs.

You’re in the middle of wondering how he makes even a simple white t-shirt look devastating when he opens the passenger door for you. Before you even climb in, you’re instantly greeted by the smell of fresh coffee and breakfast burritos and he chuckles at the way your face lights up. 

“Flowers seemed too formal for a morning date, I figured caffeine and grease was just as nice.” 

“I’ve never felt more seen by a partner,” you smile, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him in for a sweet, slow kiss. 

You start to pull away to get in the car but Ashton snakes his arms around you and draws you back in for a few more smooches. “Figure we should get as many of these in as we can now, those burritos are no joke,” he laughs.

It’s a bit of a drive to get to a hiking trail that seemed unlikely to be crowded but you don’t mind. After months of waiting to be in this man’s presence, the more time you can spend with him the better. The trip passes quickly, with the two of you basking in each other’s company, play-arguing over playlists and agreeing that “when this is all over” you should plan a road trip together.

“Looks like we’ve got the place to ourselves,” he observes, pulling the car into the empty lot. He’s first out of the car and you hear a distinct “UGH” from him as soon as he steps out. He sees your puzzled look through the windshield as he walks around to your side to open your door. “I didn’t expect it to be so fuckin’ hot,” he explains.

You get out and instantly scrunch up your face as a gust of hot wind breezes over you. “Well, we did travel more inland, I guess it makes sense it’d be a little warmer,” you reason. 

You commiserate about the weather and then Ash starts gathering your things from the trunk of the car, taking non-essentials out of your backpacks since the heat is going to make your hike a lot less leisurely than planned. 

Despite the weather, the first portion of your hike is nice: you stroll and talk, enjoying the scenery and your time together. Ashton brought his camera with him and you catch him sneaking a few photos of you along the trail so you teasingly start snapping an excessive amount of pics of him using your phone.

As you get closer to the area you planned on stopping at for lunch, the heat starts getting more and more intense. The morning clouds have now dissipated and the sun is bright and unrelenting, causing the conversation to drag as you both start breathing a little more labored, focusing on getting to your stopping point as quickly as possible. It takes a lot longer than expected and by the time you reach your picnic spot, you’re both exhausted and covered in sweat.

You spread a blanket on the ground and immediately throw yourself on it, grateful for a chance to rest. You look up and see Ash peeling off his t-shirt and draping it over a rock in hopes it will dry before you have to head back.

Normally you’d be silently reprimanding yourself for staring at his bare flesh on display but truthfully all you’re thinking about is how much skin he’s exposing to the sun. “Think we left the sunscreen in the car,” you declare, sitting up to dig through your stuff. “As much as I’m enjoying the show, you’re gonna get fried if you don’t throw that back on.”

He sprawls out on the blanket next to you. “We’re shaded, it’ll be fine,” he insists, pulling his sweat-soaked hair back with a rubber band from his wrist.

The picnic is pleasant but far from the romantic adventure you’d envisioned. You’d hoped the two of you would be laughing under a tree, eating a delicious meal as an equally delicious breeze grazes your skin. The reality is the two of you sitting in silence because you’re so uncomfortable under the unforgiving sunshine, eating food that you would’ve preserved better had you known about the weather, as a hot wind scorches your skin. The part of you that had fantasized about sneaking in a heated makeout can’t get enough of the irony that this date is definitely heated, just not in the way it should’ve been.

With the peak temperature of the day still to come, you agree to call it and head for the car already; Ash puts his shirt back on and you notice him wincing as he moves his obviously sunburned skin, but you choose to say nothing.

The trek back is quiet, both of you physically drained and a bit mentally defeated at yet another date gone awry. At one point, you stop in a shaded area to catch your breath and you give him a quick kiss. “Had fun,” you say quietly. He offers you a soft smile in return.

The drive home is equally lowkey, the discontent and exhaustion of the day filling where there should be sexual tension. He knows the mood has deflated considerably so he doesn’t even ask you to come back to his, he just drives you home. 

The car pulls into your driveway and you turn to him. “Think we’re cursed or something?” Your voice is joking but he can detect the undertone of worry.

Ash gives you a bright smile that’s instantly a comfort. “Nah… maybe cursed with too much ambition and insufficient planning skills but I have no doubt this is exactly where I’m meant to be.” He reaches for your hand, interlacing your fingers and kissing your knuckles.

He walks you to your door and gives you a long kiss that almost has you reconsidering inviting him in. “We got this,” he whispers. 

You ruffle his hair. “I’ve also got aloe you can borrow for these sunburns, how are you even able to move?” You laugh, unlocking your door.

A few days pass before either of you broach the subject of another date; you’re finally the one to bring it up and you both agree on a simple dinner at home for the next night.

“Third time’s a charm, right?” You joke as he opens the door.

He draws you in for a slow kiss as you step inside. You murmur when you feel his facial hair brush against you; his beard is fuller than when you last saw him and you suspect he may have quit shaving simply based on the reaction you’d had to the look on your date. “Well, we’re already off to a good start, I’d say,” he comments against your lips.

You’ve only ever seen Ashton’s house in the background of your video chats and when he notices you looking around with fascination, he excitedly offers to give you a tour. You swear you can actually hear your heart going pitter patter as he proudly escorts you around, sharing funny memories about his friends involving each room or telling elaborate stories about different trinkets he owns. You can tell he’s missed entertaining people in his home and you’re so happy that you’re able to fill that void for him tonight.

You follow him to the kitchen. “Smells amazing, must be quite the dish,” you tease, knowing full well you sent him the “secret” recipe for your grandma’s spaghetti sauce the night before. He pokes at you and you giggle, “Anything I can do to help?”

“The groceries should be delivered any minute,” he answers, checking his phone. “There’s gloves and sanitizer wipes under the sink if you don’t mind taking care of that when it arrives.”

A few minutes later, you peck his cheek as you pass by to go outside and tend to your assignment. Ash nearly spirals when it’s discovered that the shopper made some substitutions without asking but you reassure him that dinner’s not ruined even if the sauce uses regular sugar instead of brown and will be poured over fettuccine noodles instead of spaghetti. 

“Not to jinx anything but I think this is our best first date yet,” you joke after dinner, getting out two coffee mugs from the cabinet he’d directed you to.

“All we had to do was eliminate the variables: other people, the weather, the outside world in general,” he ticks off the list on his fingers with a smile.

You hit the brew button on the coffeemaker and slide closer to where he stands loading the dishwasher. “Well. Just proves that all we really need is each other,” you muse, with a sweet smile. He grins at you, drying his hands so that he can cradle your face and kiss you. His hands are soft from the soap he just used and you sigh approvingly into his mouth as his thumb draws circles on your cheek.

That flirty but sweet tone continues as you move to the living room; you sit on the couch, drinking your coffee, chatting comfortably. You both keep finding reasons to scoot closer together, a thick layer of tension between you. You’d each talked a big game when sharing fantasies about what your first time might be like but now that it might be here, you’re surprised by the hazy combination of excitement and nerves you feel.

It’s hard to say who makes the first move: there’s a lull in the conversation and then suddenly, a kiss. Ashton’s hands quickly make their way into your hair and before long, things get heated and you find yourself climbing into his lap to straddle him. This was about as far as things had gotten between you pre-quarantine and it’s as glorious as you remember.

You roll your hips above him and he groans into the mark he was leaving on your neck; your shirt rides up with your movements and his fingers softly dance over the exposed skin. As you nibble along his jaw, his hands find their way up the back of your shirt and you shiver at his warmth. You put your hands on his wrists, guiding them up, letting him know it’s OK to take your shirt off; he does and you silently thank your past self for wearing one of your pretty bras tonight. 

“So beautiful, baby,” he breathes and then his mouth is back on yours, hands busy exploring the new skin on display for him. You shift your hips again and this time find yourself the one to groan, feeling him hard beneath you for the first time; you’ve spent a lot of time wondering what this would feel like and it’s more intoxicating than you ever could’ve imagined.

Ash lifts you off his lap and lays you back on the couch, peeling his own shirt off before moving to be on top of you. He kisses you hungrily and then makes his way down your body, the scratch of his beard deliciously teasing you, lips pecking over every inch of your neck before they attach to the tops of your breasts.

You pull him back up to your mouth and slide your hands down to unbuckle his belt. You brush over his length through his jeans and nearly gasp at the contact; you know he’s not even fully hard and he feels huge. This revelation has you getting impatient and you attempt to push his pants down. "Jesus dude, are these painted on or what?" You joke, struggling.

 "Hey, I could ask you the same thing," he retorts, running his hands along your ass to prove his point. With a goofy smile, he asks, "Should we pause and de-pants ourselves?" 

You laugh as you untangle yourself from his body and pull your pants off while he does the same. He eyes your matching lace lingerie and teases, "That’s some mighty fancy underwear you've got on there, Miss ‘Let’s Take The Pressure Off And Not Expect Anything To Happen Tomorrow Night’.”

You feel your cheeks warming at both his gawking attention and his implication you were hoping things would end up this way. You playfully fire back, "Maybe I dress like this all the time, you don't know me… or maybe I wanted to feel sexy for myself tonight." You try to pull him into a kiss but he pulls back, looking at you with a raised eyebrow. "Or maybe I'm really behind on laundry and I only have the nice stuff left," you say with a sheepish giggle. 

“That I believe,” he laughs delightedly. "Whatever the reason, you look fucking incredible.”

You intend to murmur a thanks but the way his kisses are currently being  peppered in between your breasts causes it to come out as a moan instead. His fingers toy with the closure of your bra and he looks at you to softly ask, “May I?”

You nod enthusiastically and close your eyes as his mouth acquaints itself with your bare breasts, your hands tangling in his hair. Your mouths find each other again, tongues familiarizing themselves with every detail of each other. You reach between your bodies and grip the tent in his underwear; you trace the shape of him through the material and he breaks your kiss to let out a strained moan. “God, I can’t wait to make you cum,” you murmur, a bit surprised by your own boldness.

You feel Ash breathe deeply, affected by your words. “Well, I’m afraid I have a strict ‘ladies first’ policy in this house, so I clearly need to get started,” he jokes, attempting to steady himself. “Bedroom?”

He helps you off the couch and you start to reach for your discarded clothes but he pulls you along, shaking his head. “You won’t be needing those for a while,” he grins.

You follow him to his room, impressing yourself with how steady on your feet you are, how calm you feel; your heart is racing but it’s from anticipation instead of uncertainty, which is unusual for you when you’re about to sleep with someone new. You tend to make these decisions impulsively, with a bit of a “fuck now, ask questions later” attitude. The fact that you’ve waited for this long to be with him and that you feel totally at ease, wandering through his upstairs hallway in just your panties, is the latest in a series of signs telling you that your feelings for Ashton are different.

You settle on the bed while he pauses in the doorway, fiddling with the dimmer on the light switch, determined to get it just right. He finally comes over and you don’t waste any time, climbing over to the edge of the bed to pull off his boxers. His cock springs free and you bite your lip, hoping you’re not actually drooling like you fear you might be.

“You good?” He goads you with a smug smile. During a couple of your video romps, you’d gotten yourself off with toys and he teased you about your selections, calling you a size queen. As you find yourself fascinated surveying the notable length and girth in front of you, you have to admit, he’s not wrong.

You silence his remarks by leaning forward and tentatively licking his tip, closing your eyes in satisfaction when you taste a drop of precum. You roll your tongue around the head, tracing every curve and ridge with your tongue. When you get comfortable enough to wrap your lips around him and slowly start taking him into your mouth, he quietly breathes your name, brushing your hair out of your face, and you feel like you could cum right then and there.

He senses your eagerness and lets you work for a bit longer before he gently pulls you off with a heavy sigh. "Ladies first, remember?" He rasps, flashing you a dazzling smile that would've made you weak even if he wasn't naked in front of you.

He gestures for you to lay back as he kneels at the edge of the bed, dragging his beard across your thighs before hooking his thumbs in your panties to slowly pull them off. You close your eyes, a blissful, close-mouthed smile decorating your face. Ash groans, gazing up at you. “Do you have any idea how many times I laid in this bed picturing what it’d be like to have you here like this?” He asks, raising himself up to kiss you passionately. “Better than I ever could’ve imagined.” 

His lips travel back down your body and you’re so caught up in how dreamy it is to finally feel him like this, you don’t notice he’s already made it back down your body and you cry out when his tongue licks a bold stripe up your center. You’re almost certain you feel him smile against you, proud of the reaction he’s achieved. 

You run your hands through his long hair, trying your best not to tug at it too much, although you suspect he might enjoy that. He alternates between soft, fluttering licks at you and long, intentional strokes, using every centimeter of his wide tongue. It’s overwhelming but you breathe deeply, trying to maintain control; it’s when he wraps his lips around your clit and starts sucking that you start writhing, your legs involuntarily closing in around his head and you tap at him to get his attention.

He immediately pulls back. “Too much?” He reassuringly squeezes your ankle, looking at you encouragingly. “Tell me what you need, sweetheart, wanna do what I can to make you feel good.”

You sit up on your arms, lightheaded from both pleasure and his care. “Ash, oh my god, it feels amazing,” you insist, reaching out to brush his hair out of his eyes. “I just… I really wanna cum with you in me... and I can’t always go for two… and it was feeling so good right now…”

Ashton leans up, pausing your nervous rambling with a sweet kiss. “Hey, it’s all good, I’m glad you told me,” he soothes. “Do you want to go ahead or do you need more time? We can do something else to get you ready. Your call.” 

You grin and guide his hand to run along your wet folds. “I think this qualifies as ready, don’t you?” 

“Alright, cheeky girl,” he teases, casually lifting his fingers from your wetness to his mouth, tasting you on them. “Still, there’s lube in the left nightstand if you want to get it out just in case.”

“Gentlemanly offer and a brag at the same time, I’m into it,” you laugh.

He giggles loudly, moving off the bed. “Gotta grab the condoms,” he explains, leaving the room.

You retrieve the bottle of lube like he suggested and tidy the bed up a little bit, adjusting the pillows to make yourself comfortable. He’s gone for what feels like a long time but you chalk it up to your excitement for what’s about to happen. You sit back, surveying the room, making mental notes about different things you want to ask him about later. Finally, you hear him call your name from down the hall and you curiously holler back at him.

He pops his head in the room, looking mildly panicked. “Please tell me you saw a box of condoms in the groceries you put away,” he inquires breathlessly.

Your heart sinks. “Um… no? I didn’t,” you take a steadying breath, bracing yourself for what seems like very bad news. “It was mostly food. And the napkins we used. Toothpaste I put in the bathroom. No condoms.”

Ash inhales sharply, nodding rapidly, which unsettles you; he comes to sit on the edge of the bed and drags his hands over his face and through his hair. “Well. This is just never gonna fucking happen, I guess,” he declares dramatically. You feel weirdly exposed now that the mood has shifted and you reach for a blanket to cover yourself with before you crawl over to him.

You rest your head on his shoulder, letting him know you’re there. He smiles sadly and strokes over your hair. “I’m so sorry, baby. I hadn’t dated in a while and then with lockdown… I didn’t know until yesterday what I had was expired so I tossed them and ordered some today… and they’re just… not here,” he says regretfully.

You chew your lip, evaluating how you should respond; you’re disappointed, obviously - very disappointed - but Ashton is clearly upset with himself and you don’t want to make him feel any worse. “I suppose it’d be irresponsible of me to suggest we ignore this road block by employing the old ‘spray and pray’ method?” You joke… at least you think you’re joking.

He snorts, turning to look at you with a smile on his face, which makes you feel better about things. “I’m sure you’re not serious but no, after all this time, after we finally had the perfect date, no, I’m not going to pull out and ‘spray and pray,’ he chuckles.

You smile back at him. “Well,” you start flirtatiously, “I meant it when I said I couldn’t wait to make you cum.” Your fingers dance along his bare thigh, travelling close to his softened cock. “We can still fool around, if you want.”

He looks at you fondly, squeezing your hand on his leg. “I really don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“Ash, as sweet as you are, this is an entirely selfish act on my part, I really just want you to moan for me,” you smirk, moving to sit back against the pillows. “Plus this is possibly the most turned on I’ve ever been and if I don’t get off soon, I might actually die.”

Grinning, he crawls up the bed and settles in next to you. “Well. Can’t have that, now can we?” He teases in a low voice, kissing you with an intoxicating restraint. “Got anything particular in mind?” He feels you sigh against him as he gets his mouth on your neck and his hand on your breast.

It takes you a second to find your voice again, still getting used to the novelty of being able to feel his touch. “To be honest, I wouldn’t mind getting my mouth back on you,” you confess with heavy breath. “Or we could just, you know, play with each other.” You slide your hand down to find his cock, lightly rubbing your fingertips up and down his shaft, feeling it start to rise for you again.

Ash groans and throws his arm around your shoulders, turning so that you’re cradled into his side. Your hand lazily drags over his length while he holds you, kissing you with a renewed intensity. The arm around you softly massages your shoulder while his free arm is exploring your body: palming your breasts, twirling your nipples, fingers caressing the rise and fall of your tummy. 

He breaks the kiss as his hand makes its way between your legs, tentatively brushing along your inner thigh, watching you closely as his fingers move to trace your lips and then your folds. He swirls through your wetness and then gently starts rubbing your clit; your hand instantly stills on him and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. 

“This feel alright?” He asks, studying your face. 

You take your free hand and place it on his, encouraging him to apply more pressure. “So good, Ash,” you murmur, raising your mouth to his again, eager to have his affection completely enveloping you.

You resume your motion on his cock, stroking him firmly, listening for the hitches in his breath or gentle grunts to tell you that your instincts of how to please him are correct. You try to recall what you can from the months you spent watching him touch himself online; you vividly remember him twisting over the tip while he used his other hand to cradle his balls. You give it a try and he lets out a loud moan, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

The two of you familiarize yourselves with each other’s bodies, savoring the noises you’re pulling from each other because although it’s not the first time you’ve ever heard them, it’s the first time they’re being caused by you. 

Ashton’s fingers tease along your entrance and you can’t breathe out a “Please” fast enough; he slides two fingers inside and starts thrusting. He starts with a moderate pace but you’re so worked up, you’re bucking against his hand almost immediately, overwhelmed at the thought of some part of him finally inside you.

You try your best to keep jerking him off but it’d be an understatement to say you’ve become distracted as his fingers move in you; you whisper an apology as you let go of him, starting to lose control, digging your nails into his bicep, whining at how you can feel it flex from the way he’s working your body. 

Ash can’t get enough of how receptive you are to him so when you mutter out another “Sorry” upon realizing how red the skin around his snake tattoo is from you holding on to him, he squeezes your shoulder in reassurance. “Listen, you can scratch that thing clean off if it means I’m making you feel that good,” he teases, nipping at your neck. “Are you as close as it sounds like you are?”

You’re sure your cheeks must already be flushed but you still feel them warm up at the implication that he recognizes your noises from quarantine. You nod, chest heaving, trying to catch your breath.

"Do you need something different to help you finish or keep this up?" He asks, understanding in his eyes.

You groan and jump as his fingers hit your spot again. "Um, actually I think I’d like if you went back to just my clit."

He nods, following your instructions. He rubs careful circles, checking your face to see if he’s getting the pressure right. You start to tuck your face into Ashton’s chest to minimize your reactions but he tenderly pulls you back to lay with him, stroking his hand through your hair to soothe you as he feels you start to shake in his arms. “God, you’re so fuckin’ beautiful like this,” he praises, sucking below your ear. “Let me hear you, baby, you always sound so good when you cum for me.”

His raspy affirmations work in perfect tandem with the vigorous movement of his fingers and you begin to unravel. You breathily cry out his name as your back rises off the bed and your hands fly out on either side of you, one gripping the sheets, the other grabbing for his arm again.

Your hips buck, riding the waves of pleasure surging through your body. Ash watches you carefully, continuing to work you until he detects a slight wince of overstimulation and he removes his hand, deciding to kiss you through the rest of your orgasm. 

Your body finally relaxes and while you’re definitely exhausted, you’re also eager to satisfy him in return. While he presses kisses over your face, whispering quiet praises as you settle, your hands move to explore his body again, one caressing at his chest and abs, the other taking hold of his cock, making good use of the precum he released while playing with you, starting to build momentum again.

He groans, closing his eyes, losing himself in your touch. You can't resist shifting slightly to travel down his body, pecking your way down his stomach, nibbling at his hips before moving your lips back to his cock. You suckle at the head and the throaty "Baby" you receive in return is already worth your trouble.

Ashton traces designs on your back while you suck him off; he constantly murmurs encouragement, which you appreciate because your heart is racing, this is the first time tonight you've felt truly nervous. You've always enjoyed giving head but you've fantasized about blowing Ash for so long you were slightly afraid it might not live up to expectations - for the both of you, since you'd shared many fantasies with him.

You try to pace yourself, not wanting to get greedy and take too much at once, using your hand to make up for what your mouth can't handle yet; every time you pull off to catch your breath and check in with him, he sweetly wipes at your mouth with his thumb and it's much cuter than it should be, considering the situation.

You bob along his shaft a few more times, fluttering your tongue along the underside, finding a particular vein you remember him paying special attention to. Your memory serves you correct and he emits a surprised whimper. He squeezes your shoulder a few times and you pull off curiously.

"Want your mouth on mine when I cum," he rasps.

You quickly reclaim your place laying in his arms, kissing him as requested. It’s just a few tugs until his breathing starts to stutter against your lips. "Fuck, yes, cum for me, Ash," you murmur, letting out a little moan yourself when you feel his cock throb in your hold.

Ash huffs out short belabored breaths as he moves his hand down to join yours, showing you how to work through his orgasm, adjusting slightly so that his cum shoots on to his own stomach instead of yours.

You lightly kiss him through it until he pulls your hand off of him, lacing his fingers in yours, squeezing briefly. You lay back in his arms, basking in the intimacy of the moment.

He pecks your forehead before he regrettably pulls away from you to gesture towards the tissue box on the bedside table. “Would you mind?”

You start to reach for it and then pause, deciding you’re comfortable enough to make a request. “Actually… could I…?” You trail off, raising your eyebrows as you steal a glance at his torso.  

Ashton chuckles out a surprised “OK” and then you’re quickly shuffling down his body to get your mouth on his cum covered skin. He breathes in sharply when he feels your warm breath on him and his stomach flutters under your tongue as you clean him up, blissfully humming as you discover his taste.

Your hair falls in your face and he brushes it out of the way, not wanting to miss a second of what you’re doing. When you’re finished, you sit up and daintily wipe your mouth with your fingertips. You catch a glimpse of Ash looking downright dazed, chest still heaving from his orgasm, eyes glazed over from watching you eagerly volunteer to lick up his release.

With the heat of the moment having passed, you start feeling slightly self-conscious about your boldness. “Was that over the top? I feel like that was too much for a first time, oh my god,” you laugh, hands covering your face nervously. “I just… on our calls, every time I would watch you cum, I would just… think about it…” You shake your head, surprised at your own behavior.

He laughs and reaches for you, kissing the top of your head as you lay against him. "Just the right amount of 'too much', trust me." His voice gets deeper as he leans in to whisper, “I’d thought about it too, for the record. As fuckin’ hot as I’d thought it’d be.”

You lay quietly wrapped up in him for a bit longer and when you move to get out of bed, he grabs your hand, squeezing it gently. “D’ya wanna stay tonight?” He asks, hazel eyes swimming with sweetness and sincerity. “I didn’t want to jinx it and get stuff for breakfast but I was thinking we could order in.”

You smile brightly, leaning in to peck his lips. “You can finally make me your famous coffee you’re always bragging about,” you tease.

“It’s disgusting, you’ll love it,” he grins, playfully pinching your ass as you get out of bed.

The next morning you wake up to the feeling of Ash climbing back into bed beside you. You open one eye and look him up and down suspiciously. “Where have you been?” You murmur.

He settles on his side, pulling you closer to him so your faces are inches from each other, at the edge of your respective pillows. “Ordered breakfast already, had to go unlock the front gate,” he explains, voice still thick with sleep. He strokes your hair and smiles at how you close your eyes, melting into his touch. “Sleep OK, baby?”

You feel your lips curl into a dreamy smile; you already knew you loved hearing him call you that but hearing it in his deep morning voice is fucking transcendent. “To be honest, it’s been so long since I slept next to someone, I wasn’t sure how it was gonna go at first,” you laugh, scooting closer. “You’re warm, though, which was nice.” 

“Well at least I have that going for me,” he jokes with a mock pout, which you promptly move in to kiss right off his face. You enjoy a sleepy, slow makeout for a few minutes and then he pulls away. 

He takes a deep breath before quietly saying, “Hey… I wanted to apologize for how I acted last night with the whole condom thing. I just got so frustrated because it seemed like we’d finally gotten it right… but that kind of negativity has no place in our relationship. Especially in a situation like that where you were feeling disappointed and vulnerable as well. So I’m sorry.”

“Ash,” you whisper softly. You take in the sight of him: long, dark curls darting out every which way from sleeping, scruffy beard you’re still certain he grew just for you, lips swollen from your kisses. His eyes are gorgeous as always but you can see the concern and remorse behind them and you feel like you can’t put him at ease soon enough. “You don’t have to apologize, it was disappointing and you don’t have to be Mr. Positivity 24/7 if you don’t feel like it. Not for me. I’d rather know how you’re really feeling.” 

“I guess I thought this would be easier. We’ve had so long to think about being together and to plan for it and it’s just been a constant let down,” he admits.

You chew your lip. “Well, listen. Last night still worked out? We still got to be intimate, I still got to experience waking up next to you. Sort of,” you tease. He cracks a smile and you couldn’t be more thankful. “But what you just said, maybe that’s part of the problem. Maybe because we had so much time to think about this, maybe we’ve built it up too much in our minds and we’re just setting ourselves up to be disappointed.”

He nods, mulling over your words. “Like the fantasy was important during lockdown but now it’s tripping us up. If we were in more normal circumstances, we would’ve just slept together without much thought.”

“You really think your game’s that good?” You joke and he pinches you in response. “You’re right, though, I haven’t thought this much about a first time since I was a virgin.”

“So we need to find a middle ground between this idealization we’ve invented and doing it just to get it over with,” he suggests.

“Exactly,” you peck his lips in encouragement. “At the end of the day, it’s just sex. I’ve been looking forward to being with you, not to some super romantic, candlelit lovemaking experience at the end of a dream date.” “Whenever it happens, it’ll be perfect because we’re perfect,” he smiles.

The two of you carry that mentality with you throughout the next couple weeks. You hang out, go on a couple dates and even end up having a spontaneous video sex session like old times. You still burn with desire nearly every time he’s near you but removing that looming pressure to set the mood really does help put you at ease with each other. You feel more connected than ever, like you’re able to focus on him now instead of the experience.

“The drive-ins are opened back up now,” Ashton mentions during your afternoon call. “Think you might wanna catch a movie tonight?”

“God, remember movies? That could be fun,” you agree.

“A buddy of mine went last weekend, opened up the hatchback, put a bunch of pillows down, made it nice and cozy. Thought I might ask if I could borrow his car… we could have a little picnic back there before the movie,” he proposes.

You smile to yourself, loving how excited he gets planning dates. “Better bring your comfiest hoodie for me to steal, we’re gonna get fuckin’ snuggly.”

Ash loves a good reveal so when he picks you up, he’s sure to walk you around the front of the car so you don’t peek in the back of the mini SUV. You have fun teasing him on the way there, adjusting the mirrors, exaggeratedly acting like you’re glancing over your shoulder; watching his eyes go wide and hearing his stern “Hey!” simply never gets old. 

Amused as he is by your game, Ashton knows how to tease you right back and when you arrive at the drive-in, before he gets out of the car to finish setting up, he offers you a kiss and a quiet warning of “Be good” that basically guarantees you’ll stay in your seat until he says otherwise.

After a few minutes, he finally calls you back there and you’re blown away at the elaborate transformation. He pops the hatchback up to reveal the back rows of seats have all been laid flat and a thin layer of memory foam lays across them, covered by piles and piles of blankets. Pillows of every shape and size adorn the setup, along with a small cooler and a tote of movie snacks. In the center of the makeshift bed is the pizza you picked up for dinner and two champagne flutes filled with your favorite soda.

“Ash,” you coo as you climb into the back of the car. “This is so fucking cute? You said your friend put some pillows down, not made an entire love nest back here.”

“Well, I may have embellished a little,” he chuckles modestly, following you inside. “One of our first hang outs was at a movie, so I thought our grand return should be special.” 

You grin as you serve pizza onto each of your plates. “That feels like that was a thousand years ago but I still remember the chill that ran down my spine every time you leaned over the armrest to whisper some comment about the movie.”

“Yeah? I remember being nervous because I couldn’t tell if you were aroused or annoyed, to be honest,” he laughs. 

“Oh it was definitely both at first. You talked a lot and I didn’t pay LA ticket prices to hear your commentary track,” you giggle, playfully shoving his shoulder as his jaw drops. “But then I decided I really liked how it felt to have you pay attention to me.”

“And of course what I was saying was clever and enlightening and added to your cinematic experience,” he adds on with a smirk.

You give him a tight-lipped smile, raising your eyebrows in exaggeratedly mocking agreement. He flicks your leg in response and you yelp, unable to keep from smiling at him. The two of you continue reminiscing and making easy conversation while you devour your pizza dinner. By the time you’re done, the sun is setting.

You lay back on the pillows you’ve propped up and watch intently as Ash gets rid of the pizza box at a nearby trash can. You’d both agreed that the dress code for tonight was ‘comfort’ and he went with a black t-shirt and an endearingly bizarre pair of lounge pants that feature a mountain landscape illustrated across the legs. Unsurprisingly, the t-shirt hugs his chest and biceps, drawing attention to the tattoos up and down his arms that you haven’t been able to keep your hands off of. What is surprising is how the loose pants still cling to his body in all the right ways - pulling across his thick thighs and ass, making you wonder if he’s keeping things in his pockets or if the bulging in front you’re seeing is all him. You squeeze your legs together, pleased that he’s almost back at the car, eager to feel him, even if it’s just for a snugged up movie date.

He flashes you a dazzling smile as he walks up to the car. “What’s got you all dreamy-eyed?” He teases, settling in next to you. You feel your breath hitch as he comfortably rests his hand on your bare thigh, toying with the hem of your lounge shorts, but he doesn’t seem to notice.

“Just happy to be here,” you shrug, leaning over to peck his bearded cheek.

He hums at your affection, leaning his head on your shoulder as he fiddles with his phone, pulling up a radio app so he can tune to the station that will be broadcasting the audio for your screen. “It’s kind of a deadzone out there, there’s only maybe 5 other cars,” he reports, reaching behind you to make sure the bluetooth speaker he’s connected to is on. “Even with all the distancing, we probably didn’t need to park all the way back here.”

“I like it… Gives the illusion you rented out the place just for me, makes me feel special,” you joke. He giggles and kisses your shoulder.

The first movie of your double feature starts a few minutes later and you couldn’t possibly enjoy it more. The two of you trade jokes and snacks; it’s all just so comfortable and lovely, unfiltered and natural.

During the intermission, you decide to get out and stretch a bit before the second film starts. You notice that when you feel Ashton’s eyes poring over you as you bend and twist, you only feel pride and desire, none of the nervousness or timidity you’d felt a few weeks ago.

Once the movie starts, you sit and try to patiently wait and see if he’s going to make a move but by the time the opening credits are over, you can’t help but advance things yourself. You scoot closer but his eyes remain trained on the screen; you decide to more explicitly ask for his attention by nuzzling your face into his neck, pressing a few light kisses behind his ear, scratching his beard with your nails. “I’m having a good time,” you whisper, feeling him grin under your touch. “This was such a great idea, I’m happy you suggested it.”

He slinks his arm around your waist, pulling you closer. “I’m so glad you like it,” he beams at you. “It’s fun to be out in the world again but also still pretty much alone.”

“Alone enough to do this,” you lilt, leaning in to plant your lips on his. Your kiss is gentle but urgent and he reciprocates your energy, cupping your face with one hand and using the other to press you against him, murmuring when you slide your tongue into his mouth. Just when things start to get heated, one of you pulls back and warmly smiles at the other, as if you’re both excited for more but still wanting to appreciate what’s happening in this moment.

You don’t want to disrupt the makeout but you can’t fight the craving you have to feel more of him; you’re finally able to pull yourself away and you lay down on the bed, patting the spot next to you in what you hope is an alluring manner.

He moves closer and you close your eyes, ready to feel his touch. You’re startled to instead hear a grunt of frustration and the shifting of a leather seat. Your eyes snap open and you see him straining to reach into the front seat, trying to reach the keys in the ignition. You’re half a second away from asking what the hell he’s doing when you hear a distant beep and the hatchback slowly begins to close at the end of the cabin. 

He plops himself on the pillow next to you. “Thought we could use a little more privacy,” he explains, grabbing a handful of your ass and using it to pull you closer. “Just in case someone else out there thinks the movie is as boring as we did.”

You start to giggle at his remark but your laughter is interrupted by his lips returning to yours. You both let your mouths and hands do as they please, exploring and enjoying without hesitation and without expectation. You’ve just peeled off his shirt and are sucking a mark at his collarbone when you feel his hand slip up your shirt to palm your breast. You give a light bite to his skin as his fingers pull at your nipple; he groans as you breathily tell him, “You can do it harder.”

A few dozen kisses later, his hand is sliding down your stomach and past the waistband of your shorts. You pull out of his kiss to whine quietly as his long fingers brush through your wetness, only touching your clit incidentally before adding light pressure. 

“Good?” Ashton checks with a smile as your head lulls back and you grab onto him.

“Oh, you know… ‘s alright I guess,” you joke, your attempt at being casual undermined by the way you’re basically grinding into his hand. You let out a long moan and he quickly brings his mouth back down to yours in an attempt to silence it.

As his fingers and lips drive you wild, you find your own hands reaching for his pants and you sigh into his mouth when you feel his cock hard and ready for you. You run your fingers across the straining fabric, teasing him with one hand while the other works to loosen the drawstring. 

You dip your hand inside and grip his cock, choking back a moan when you feel how much he’s already leaked for you. The slickness helps you easily begin stroking him and you shift so you can study his face, wanting to see evidence of the pleasure you’re giving him. As your thumb swipes over his tip and your fingers firmly squeeze his length, Ash’s eyes flutter shut and he bites his lip, quietly muttering your name under his breath.

His fingers slip inside you and you gasp as pumps them in and out, dragging them against your walls, teasing your spot. It’s an intense moment when your eyes lock as his fingers work inside of you while yours glide up and down his cock, the two of you breathing heavy as you basically fuck each other without fucking.

“Ash…” You start, voice wavering.

“Yeah,” he answers in strained agreement. “Do you want --”

“Yes, yes I do. I brought --”

“So did I.”

You break apart from each other and reach for your belongings, chuckling as he pulls a handful of condoms from his backpack and tosses them onto the bed at the same time you pull some from your purse and add them to the pile.

“Well it’s good to know we’re both the kind of people who can learn from their mistakes,” he laughs, pulling you into a delighted kiss. 

An exciting energy fills the car as you both shift around, getting yourselves situated. Ashton pulls back a layer of blankets from the seats in case you want to cover up and bursts out laughing when he turns around to see you’ve already stripped off your shorts and panties and are sitting there pantsless and unbothered.

“We’re parked in the back, there’s barely anyone here and the windows are fogged up,” you shrug, grinning.

You find yourself captivated as you watch him kick his pants off and get up on his knees, wrapping a hand around his cock, pumping it a few times before rolling a condom on. This is really happening. Finally, really happening.

“C’mere,” he breathes, reaching for you. You crawl to him and he cradles your face, kissing you softly. You nibble at his lip as you pull away and the two of you can’t stop smiling.

You climb into his lap, sitting on his legs, staring into his eyes. “Ready?” He asks you, sweetly rubbing your thighs. 

You nod eagerly and lift yourself up to hover over his cock. He slicks the tip through your folds, stopping to tease over your clit a few times and then he’s watching your face as he presses against your entrance. 

Your mouth drops open as you start to take him. He's so thick the stretch is instant, breathtaking and everything you've been dreaming of. His fingers gingerly brush over your hip, encouraging you as you ease him further inside you, rocking up and down until you're impossibly full.

Ash wraps his arms around you, kissing you deeply, hands in your hair then running down your back, then squeezing your ass. You feel completely surrounded by him and it’s overwhelming in the best way. You break the kiss to quickly peel your t-shirt off and then you’re reattaching your lips to his, pressing your chest against his, needing to feel as much of his skin on yours as you possibly can.

“Yes, baby, fuck” he murmurs as you slowly begin to move on his cock. “Feel so fuckin’ perfect… better than I’ve been imagining.”

You respond with a series of whimpers, so caught up in the feeling of finally having him in you. You move cautiously, almost torturously slow until you adjust to his size and then you pick up the pace, his hands firmly gripping your ass, helping you along.

You don’t even have the end goal of an orgasm in mind, you just can’t get enough of the new sensations his cock is making you feel. You shift from rocking to bouncing on him, moaning loudly each time his length hits a new place inside you.

“Ash… your cock feels so fucking good,” you pant, riding him with increasing speed, losing yourself in it. “Can’t believe you’re finally filling me up, baby… fuck.”

Your movements are bordering on frantic when you feel Ashton lightly squeeze your hips, attempting to still them, gently breathing your name. You slow down and look at him inquisitively. The mixture of amusement, desire and warmth painting his face is enough to make your pounding heart skip a beat.

“Can I?” He softly asks. You nod and he carefully pulls out of you and lays you back against the pillows before settling over you. He pecks over your neck and face as he guides himself back inside you. “Think we owe it to ourselves to slow down and live in this for a while.”

He starts to push up so he can get to work but you stop him, tucking his long hair behind his ear, stroking your hand over his beard. “You’re right, just feels so good,” you grin. “Hard not to get carried away.”

Ashton kisses over your palm and begins leisurely moving his hips. He keeps a moderate pace, steady enough that you’re feeling consistent pleasure, feeling something building in your core, but not so hurried that you’re aching to reach the finish line. You hook your leg around his hip and when he pushes it slightly back towards you, he slides in deeper and his groan blends with yours to form possibly the most gorgeous sound you’ve ever heard.

“Jesus, baby… pussy’s takin’ me so well,” he praises, voice sounding more wrecked than you expected. “Such a pretty, giving pussy, baby… what a good girl.”

You shiver at his words, your hands running up and down his back, feeling his muscles flex as he moves above you; you slide your hands down to grab his ass, pulling him closer, willing him even deeper. Ash reaches between your bodies to find your clit, teasing it with just the right amount of pressure to make you moan. The snap of his hips has become slightly quicker and you can tell by his breathing that he’s getting close.

“Ash… so good, yes,” you mumble, reaching down to direct his hand in the pattern you need. He mimics your movements expertly and you start rocking your hips along with him, feeling the stirrings of your climax. “Fuck, like that… god, please.”

“Yeah?” He pants, watching your body start to tense. He takes his free hand and reaches for yours, lacing your fingers, squeezing encouragingly. “Been waiting so long to feel you cum around my cock… come on, baby, cum.”

The first pulse of your orgasm hits you so forcefully you’re shocked he doesn’t react to how hard you squeeze his hand. By the time the next one hits, you’re crying out in senseless mutters from how heavenly this moment feels, how his thick cock couldn’t fit more perfectly inside you as you tighten around it. The sensations feel like they might echo forever as you start to come back down, Ash continuing to move gently in you, reassuring you in a soft voice about how incredible you feel around him.

You pull him down to kiss him breathlessly, satisfied from your orgasm but still hungry for his affection, still needing him on you. “Want you to cum for me, babe,” you whisper. “Let me know how much you love being buried in this pussy.”

Your words drive Ashton’s thrusts to become frenzied as he growls your name, followed by a raspy string of curses. He lets out a deep groan as he fills the condom, rocking into you deep and slow as he works through his climax. His head drops to burrow into your neck and you shiver at how his beard prickles your overstimulated skin. You stroke through his curls, lightly damp with sweat, and whisper in his ear, “So good, Ash… so fuckin’ good.”

He plants an exhausted but sweet kiss on you, only breaking it for you both to whine as he pulls out of you; he carefully ties off the condom while you reach for some of the leftover napkins from dinner to clean yourself up. You sort through each other’s clothes, the two of you grinning like fools the entire time you’re getting dressed.

Ash leans back against the pillows and sighs loudly, gesturing for you to come lay with him. You crawl toward him, making a small detour over the front seat to press the release on the hatchback again. You settle against him as the door opens, the cool night air filling the car again, the long forgotten movie still being projected in the distance.

“Worth the wait?” You tease, giving him a toothy smile.

He holds you tight to his chest. “Fuckin’ hell, baby… as much as we built it up, think we still might’ve undersold it. Like. Goddamn.”

You hum in agreement, closing your eyes, enjoying the afterglow. “I’m glad we just kind of let it happen. That’s probably the best first time I’ve ever had. Definitely the most comfortable.”

“Same. Easy but still just… perfect,” he says dreamily.

You play with his fingers, chuckling, “I was so comfortable I almost asked you to cum on me until I remembered we were fucking in your friend’s car.”

“I mean, it was already questionable for us to have gotten fully naked in his car, we might as well have gone all out,” Ashton laughs loudly, squeezing your hand. “I think Cal had a suspicion this might happen, he left breath mints, condoms and Clorox wipes in the glove compartment.” 

You cackle. “No blacklight, though?”

He pinches your leg and leans in to drown your laughter with a kiss. You gaze at him for a beat, marvelling at how normal everything feels for once. You notice he’s looking at you with a familiar fire in his eyes and you swear even though you were naked with him just a few minutes ago, you actually feel butterflies in your stomach.

You raise your eyebrows at him expectantly and Ash smirks. “Was just thinkin’ it’s for the best anyways. The first time I cover you in cum I don’t want it to be in a dark backseat, I want to be able to see it.”

You quietly groan, a naughty glint in your eye to match his. You sit up and plant a heated kiss on him, pulling away to murmur, “Well. It’s still early… my place or yours?”

————-

Thank you to everyone who signed up for my new taglist, both for the support and the lovely (occasionally hilarious) feedback! If you haven’t signed up yet, the form is linked above! (If your name is crossed out, please check your blog settings, I was unable to tag you)

@notinthesameguey @cxddlyash @2fangirl4u @cashtonasfuck @talkfastromance4 @itjustkindahappenedreally @saywhatnow07 @mymindwide @suchalonelysunflower @pxrxmoore @findingliam-o @fedorable-killjoys @ashton-trash @trix-arent-for-kids @olivia-foster-irwin @Burntout-ky @saphseoul @calmsweetcreature @onthecliffside-mgc @feliznavidaddycal @curlycalums @maggiesupertramp @wiiildflowerrr @karajaynetoday @ashtonangst @sunshineeashton​ @aladyofalbion​ @xsongbirdx​ @loveroflrh​ @memyselfandbea​

[sparkleswritings]

Prompt 12 -> Cuddling by the fireplace + Kakashi Hatake

I think this might be one of my favourite works for him- But you guys can be the judge of that.

And yes, reader has some history with him, but what that consists of is up to your imagination ;)

Enjoy!

Word count: 959

Tags: Angst, fluff (?)

"Y/N," Kakashi's eyes widened upon seeing you, at his doorstep, looking rather dressed down considering the weather. "I have so many questions."

"I didn't think it'd snow and your place was the closest," you grumbled, not even bothering with the manners and pleasantries at this point. The cold can really make one snappy. "Now, are you going to let me in or what?"

"Well, I don't really want you freezing to death if I could help it," the door widened and he stepped to the side. 

You mumbled a thanks and rushed in, only to find that the interior was not as warm as you had thought.

"Kakashi- do you even turn on your heater?"

Said man shut the door behind him with a click before replying,"ah yeah, they're on. Is it not warm enough for you?"

"Not really…" you murmured, but you didn't exactly want to complain. Considering your vague relationship status with him, him letting you in was already something to be grateful for.

"Can I just, maybe, make tea for myself? Or anything you have really, I'll be out of your hair as soon as I'm warmed up."

And you meant it. You wanted to get out and come back home as fast as possible, but with the winds picking up and the snow falling faster and thicker, it doesn't look like you could anytime soon.

"You know, funny thing is I ran out of hot beverages. I would go out to buy some but," Kakashi gestured to the window then bent down to open a drawer. "Will warm water do?"

"Yes," you said, cupping your hands around your mouth and breathing into them. A minute longer out there and you'd surely turn into an icicle. This is why you need to read up on the weather report sometimes.

You could hear Kakashi rummage around for a glass, pouring some water into it, but other than that the room was silent. So silent it made you uncomfortable. But what were you expecting? Asking him about his plans for the holidays? Or even worse, asking him how his life was at the moment? Such small talk would've been possible if it weren't for-

"Here you go," your thoughts were interrupted by him handing you a steaming cup of water. 

"Thank you," you said, making sure your hands did not touch while he was passing the cup to you. The warmth instantly made you loosen up a little and for the first time since you got here, you took a good look around.

"Never knew you had a fireplace."

He was out of your sight, so you didn't know what he was doing or even where he was, but you assumed he was by the window where you saw a plain wooden chair had been.

"It's built in. I never use it though, except during Christmas day when the kids come to visit."

At that, a small smile tugged at your lips. Before you could stop yourself, you had asked yet another question.

"How are they? Naruto, and Sakura? And Sasuke?" 

You heard Kakashi let out a breathy chuckle,"Naruto's grown quite nicely, still as spritely as ever though. Sakura's in med school now as far as I'm concerned. And Sasuke's...well, the same as he's always been."

"I'm glad to hear that," you pulled the now empty cup close to your chest, its warmth cooling rapidly now that its heat source was gone. 

As if on cue, the doors and windows rattled slightly. The snow looked like it was getting worse. You shivered.

"I'll be right back," Kakashi said all of a sudden. You turned round and saw him getting up from that wooden chair you pictured him sitting in. Ah, he was reading that god awful book series. Was he still into that kind of thing? Thinking about just how much you missed made a pang of nostalgia echo from your chest to your ears, much like how the physical cold had made you feel. 

You shivered.

With all that was going on inside your head, you didn't notice him come back, but you were forced to notice when the fireplace blazed into life.

"You didn't...have to do that," you squirmed in your seat, now comfortably warmed by the roaring flames. Why did he have to be so caring? When you were the one who technically barged in unnoticed. 

Kakashi just shrugged, before sitting beside you with a distance in between, reopening that book you saw him reading earlier.

Silence again. And you couldn't bear it. This god be damned snow had brought you to face old memories you thought you forgot, but still deeply cared about. Curse it all. 

You were warm on the outside now. But why were you still feeling cold? Where was it that the flames couldn't reach?

"Kakashi."

Through your quickly blurring sights, you could see him turn to face you out of the corner of your eye. 

"You don't have to...and I-i'm being selfish but-" you struggled to say the words without quivering, tears that should have fallen a long time ago now falling down the sides of your cheeks. "Would you hold...me?"

It was a ridiculous request. And you wouldn't even be upset if he didn't comply, but as those oh so familiar strong arms wrap around you and the feeling of his head on your shoulder, the something that has been keeping all the hurt back broke. And you broke. But it was looking like it'll all be alright now, because he was here now.

Even if the heartbreak was your own fault, even if this relief was only temporary, you were glad he still embraces you like he did the first time.

[alch3mic]

in between. (drabble series)

chapter five (comfort.)

cheshire!sans x gender neutral reader. 3k+ word count.

please be advised for themes of addiction, drugs, alcohol, self deprecating thoughts and apathetic feelings.

* it’s time for our dear underlust sans, cheshire, to have his turn! if you’d like to check out more about our resident catboy, feel free to check out his tag here on my tumblr!  thank you and i hope you enjoy!

Don't get attached.

That seems like a pretty simple motto to live by, huh?

Well that's because.... it was.

In a world that cared little for anything beyond their momentary value, it was easy to not get attached. Everything changed day by day in this fast paced life. There was always a new video to look at, or a new phone to buy. Always a new trend to jump on or a new topic to talk about. You didn't form attachments to those things, you just used them to pad out your day so you didn't have to think about your meaningless existence, and then you were done with it.

You got rid of it.

Threw it out.

Forgot about it.

It no longer mattered because it no longer entertained you. 

There was always something newer and shinier to look at just around the corner anyways, so.. why would you think twice about it?

Things were just.. easier.. when you didn't get attached...

You.. couldn't feel the pain of being let go.. if there was nothing holding you there in the first place.

.....

A shame he had to learn that the hard way, but that was life.

This world treated it's people like a commodity, always being bought and sold for their looks, money or talents.

Anything else was just worthless.

Filler. 

Like packing peanuts that belonged in the garbage after you stripped a box of its goods.

Nobody cared how you felt.

Your emotions didn't matter in the slightest.

All that really mattered is that you played your part.

You spoke your empty words.

You did your flashy dance.

..You sold your soul.

..And then.. you'd collect your earnings and leave so you could go and buy the newest phone model you had your eye on.

.....

Emotions were.. well.. 

...Worthless.

...Just like they always were..

Just like they had been.. back in his own Underground.

Which is why, on that day.. 

When that realization set into Sans' bones that the surface really was no different..

That it didn't matter what he did..

Or how he felt..

...He swore to himself...

That he'd never get attached.

......

..And that's exactly why...

He could never forgive you.

Because in a world that was ever changing.. 

Day by day...

And always moving forward... 

..How dare you stay the same.

Ah.. dammit!

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!

It just wasn't fair..!

Just what the hell was wrong with you anyways?

He went to all that stupid trouble to close all those damn doors! 

He boarded up every stupid window and stuffed everything shut as tightly as he could! 

He gathered up all those loose emotions, tied them with a lock and a chain, and then threw them into the basement to never see the damn light of day again!

He even threw away the damn key to it all  and yet...!

..And yet...

Somehow.. someway.. you still..

Weaseled your way right into his soul.

....

It just wasn't fair.

...He hated it.

..Or.. rather.. himself.

Because despite the fact that you were the one who did this, even after his multiple attempts to shove you away.... he could never say he actually hated you.

....

Maybe jokingly but..

No.. he could never actually hate you..

Despite how hard he tried.

  You were just so damn.. persistent.

Not even in the annoying way! You were just..! Always there!

Really..

How dare you.. become someone that meant something to him!

How dare become a pillar of support for him to lean on!

How dare you open your arms to him, offering your gentle words and affirmations to him like he deserved them or something, and letting yourself become such a comfort that he actually sought you out now to help mend these pieces of his broken soul.

....

H-how dare you..

...Always be there for him.

Time and time again you were.. just..! 

There!

You were always there!

Why were you always there!?

Christ, it's like you really had nothing better to do!

What, was he just your entertainment!?

A cute little show!?

Did you just want a front row seat to how much of a mess he really was because you were that bored!? Is that why you were always there!? Is that why you always picked up the phone when he called, no matter the starsdamned hour of the day? Is that why you were always there... no matter how far it was..? ..Rain or shine.. snow, hail or even when the damn wind was blowing nearly everything off its feet you were..

You were.. always..

....

There.

And that was just so damn unforgivable.

.....

There were times when he wished to himself.. that you had always been there.

...Way before.. he became like this.

Maybe he wouldn't have been such a mess if he had you in the first place but..

Life just wasn't fair, now was it?

He wanted to be angry about it still.

To blame you.

But he couldn't.

Really all he had to blame was himself.

He.. betrayed his own promise.

He had sworn to himself on that day that he'd never get attached.. and yet here he was.. more dependent upon you than he had been for anyone else in his life.

..Even to his own brother.. who had really seen him at some real bad lows.

But you..

You saw him at rock bottom.. and yet..

...You were still here...

.....

Really, you were by all accounts, an anomaly. 

An outlier. 

Someone who shouldn't be counted with the rest, because unlike the usual scum of this city.. you were...

Well you certainly weren't a ray of sunshine, that's for sure.

A little stoic and kinda stone faced, which probably worked to your benefit because people seemed to shy away from asking things of you, but..

You were.. different.

Despite the fact that you grew up here in Ebott, a vile city filled to the brim with criminals and thieves who ate people up for breakfast and then spat them out before lunch.. you.. were.. still you.

Calm. 

Insightful.

...Caring.. 

..And... dependable.

....

...And how...

How was he not supposed to get attached to you?

..When you were always there for him..

Like now, as you held him steadily in your arms while he so desperately clung on to you as if you'd run away if he let you go. Of course a part of him was always scared you would because.. why wouldn't you? 

What could someone like you possibly see in someone like him..?

Someone.. shallow and.. terrible with a whole novel's worth of issues.

Not at all good at comforting people. 

Fickle and who practically ran at the first signs of trouble.

If he were you..

Well.. he would've given up on himself a long time ago.

..So.. why did you.. stay..?

.....

He was too scared to ask that question.

Too scared of the answer that may come from your lips, even though those words might just save him...

..Because he was absolutely certain that they'd actually just be the final nail that turns him to dust..

So he pushed the thought far from his mind to the back to die with the rest of his unnecessary feelings. Not that it was hard really, Sans' mind was a bloody fucking mess, clouded by a horrid mixture of alcohol and drugs that had him feeling on top of the world just a measly few hours ago.

Stars.. it really was easy to get lost in that madness wasn't it?

..Into the pleasure and fun that came at the end of a bottle, or at the end of another hit. 

In a way.... it was just like magic.

In an instant, all those troubles that clouded your mind would seem so far away...  

For a while you'd be unburdened by responsibility or society. 

You'd let go of the constraints holding you back, you'd let loose and finally just be free. 

Your mind would let go of it's troubling thoughts..

Of things... and... 

..People...

......

You'd have fun without stress. 

You'd lose yourself to the motions

To movements. 

To the descent.

..To the fall.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Down the rabbit hole you'd go.

....

But with every fall.

Came a landing.

....

Right to the very bottom... and you'd suffer the consequences of your descent.

Now that once hypnotic neon that drew him into this club seemed sickening to his eyesockets, and the smell of smoke mixed with sweat and grease made him want to hurl. He didn't want to hear anymore words spoken by anyone else, much less those so called 'friends' who invited him here in the first place. Their words had long faded away to numbing static in the background now that the intense music was gone. He was sick of their empty flattery and jealous praises anyways, all trying to catch his attention so they could use him as a footstool to higher society. The only reason they invited him here was to get some damn clout for themselves and he was lonely enough to accept the offer because...

For once, you weren't there.

.....

Well you were technically there, because you always told him to call if he ever needed you, you just weren't like... there there!

..And he was feeling sad and...!

You weren't.. well-!

It's just-! He.. just-!

....

He didn't want to...

.....

Ugh.

It didn't matter. 

He was just tired of it now. Tired of those damn pieces of trash..

They deserved to sit in the dumpster where they belong, but he was too fucked up to put them there so instead he just let it become background noise.

He wanted nothing more than to stay right here, in the only place he really felt at ease.

..With you.

So he turned his head away from it all and breathed in deep, a familiar scent washing away the muck that clung to the edges of his mind. It was fresh and a bit misty, like the scent of rain just before it fell with just a small hint of earthiness, and it brought him such a sense of..

..Comfort.

Just... like it always did.

Just like you always did, whenever you were around.

It made him clutch on to you all the tighter as he buried his head further into your shoulder, wanting to be lost in the mellow scents of your coat and the steady rhythmic beating of your heart as you spoke softly to someone else.  

He was just.. 

Tired.

Tired of this, and tired of that.

Really he was tired of everything and just wanted to.. go..

"...home," he slurred, clearly interrupting your conversation with someone but not having the slightest care in the world.

His skull could hardly make sense of what was being said anyways, still washed up in the dizzying effects of alcohol and.. whatever else he took, but he really didn't care.

He wanted to go home.

That's why he had messaged you in the first place.

So you could come pick him up, yet again, and take him back home.

At least.. he hoped that's why you were here.

Who knows, maybe you'd finally come to your senses and would just dunk him in the trash can where he belonged.

"We're heading out in just a second, alright?" you said gently, your words cutting clear through his own thoughts.

.....

He barely turned his head to peek at you, catching the vague shape of your face through the fluorescent neon.

Funny.. how just your tone settled his troubled mind, almost making him feel silly for thinking you'd abandon him. Even if he didn't understand why in the slightest, you clearly cared for him. It came through in the way you spoke, and in the way you held on to him, like he was something precious and worth keeping.

...He just really didn't get it..

So he didn't think about it, instead just squeezing his eyesockets and letting out.. a noise in response. 

..Really it was more like a painful, almost guttural groan, but he didn't want to acknowledge how unattractive it sounded, so a noise it was. 

Thankfully it was enough.

"Just hang tight."

And then you spoke again, but not to him, so he let your voice fall to the side too, the gentle rumblings steadying him as he buried his face back to his usual spot.

For right here, in the small space between your neck and your shoulder was his own personal Wonderland. It was the same place his skull always went, whenever you two were close. The place he buried his face when he cried, or where he turned his head away to escape from it all. He loved to feel the pleasant heat of your skin against his cheek, and let those soft and subtle scents wash over him once more.

He really could just.. get lost in it.

He'd stay there forever, if you'd let him.

And that's exactly why he could never forgive you.

Because.. you did.

Time and time again you gave him that place all to himself, without question or complaint.

You let him come undone in so many ways in that small space, that house he had built for himself and boarded up.. no longer felt like home.

..And the feelings that he had locked away tight..

They were always so close to just.. coming out.

They threatened to spill from his mouth and dirty your jacket with their sullied words.

His admiration.

His respect.

His... love... for you.. 

..And all that you've done.

They danced tantalizingly on the end of his tongue, sometimes escaping in the friendly ‘I love you’s you both shared, or passed through his fingertips when your hands gently brushed, sending shocks to his soul. They seeped into almost every action and he..

Well..

A part of him felt like he was going to just go crazy over it..!

Or maybe.. he always had...

But for every moment he stayed in your presence it lingered..

And it swished and swirled... bubbling at the surface and just threatening to...

Break.. loose..! 

"You doing okay?"

No.

No, he really wasn't doing okay.

Really he wasn't.

The words.. they were...

Slipping...

No...

He was...!

..Going to..!

"....i think i'm going to throw up."

"...Ah."

......

He probably would've been angrier if that wasn't the truth.

The excess magic bubbling in his soul was threatening to rush out thanks to the alcohol, and he certainly didn't want that spilling out of his ribcage so the only other option was out from where it came.

"Can you hold it?"

Ya know, normally that kind of question might've been seen as insensitive given the circumstance, but you very well knew Sans hated throwing up in public areas because it was... well kinda gross.

"..yeah.."

"Then let's go home."

And that was it. 

You looked back to whomever you were speaking to and said your goodbyes before turning and heading out of the club with him in your arms while he tried to cling to you like a koala.

The awful neon was fading away along with the horrid smells, leaving him in just the gentle presence of you..

At least until you opened the door to the outside world the city lights and smells hit him like a fucking truck. He cringed, for even in the late hour the lights were in full shine and cars honked aggressively at each other in the streets. It was overwhelming and only made him retreat farther into arms, trying to escape from it.

Oh great, here comes the nausea again.

He groaned and you thankfully put a bit more pep in your step as you headed into the musky night air, finally reaching your car after what felt like a small eternity.

He had felt the keys already in your hand when you picked him up, and now you carefully tried to unlock the car door while maintaining your hold. It was surely a fairly easy task, considering the two of you had been in this exact position so many times before, and it wasn't long before you opened the door and tried to place him into the passenger seat.

"...You know you gotta let go so we can go home."

".....no."

He could feel your breathy laugh brush past his skull and neck, nearly making him tremble, but he still held on tight.

Sans just didn't want to let you go.

"..Please?"

.........

He.. reluctantly released his grasp, slowly sliding into the seat as he already began missing your warmth. His eyes automatically slipped shut, feeling more relaxed in the familiar space of your car. The passenger side seat was still just how he left it, tilted back just enough so he could nap comfortably.

"Just a sec."

"...mmmhh."

At least it was a more attractive sound this time.

Then he waited.. for what felt like another small eternity, almost tempted to brave the bright world to look at you before he was joined by a pleasant warmth, and the soft scents of rain and earth.

You laid your jacket on him, and he quickly hugged on to it while you busied yourself with buckling him in. Another easy task, as he heard the click of the seatbelt in place, and felt your presence leave him once more. He barely cracking his eyesockets open to catch your gaze, and for the briefest of moments he was greeted by your smile

"Was it fun?"

"...no.."

You let out a snort, shaking your head at his bluntness before standing up closing the door.

One last small eternity later and you opened up the driver side door, seating yourself before buckling yourself in.

"If I remember correctly you didn't have fun the last time you went out with her either, so why go?" you asked, turning the key and starting your car.

There was no judgement in your tone, more like a genuine curiosity. Surely it must've seemed dumb to keep torturing yourself in the presence of people you didn't like.. but..

"i'unno..." he muttered.

He was lonely.

"..jus didn' have anythin' else...since you were gone.."

There was a small pause as he watched your brows furrow, but you kept your gaze ahead as you pulled out of the parking lot and into the busy streets of Ebott.

"Well I did invite you," you reminded him  and he let a small huff.

"i didn' wanna... intrude.. on your.. family... whatever."

"You know my mom wouldn't mind."

"...i know.."

Urgh.

Darn that woman for being almost as equally likeable as you were.

Really.. at first he could hardly believe the two of you were related with how bright and cheerful your mother was compared to your rather indifferent demeanor, but you both had that same tenderness that shone through in the way you cared for people.

...She always made him feel so welcome anytime he came around.

Like family..

....

And yet... 

He didn't want to sully such a happy image with someone like himself.

So instead of joining you for an evening of board games and home cooked meals with your mom, he filled his meaningless life with people who were just as meaningless. He stuffed that empty skull of his with hollow praises, and anything that'd take these vile feelings away.

He didn't deserve this.

He didn't deserve.. you.

He deserved to be used up.

Thrown out.

And forgotten.

..Just like the rest of the people like him..

So... why did you refuse to let him go?

....

Once again he was too scared to ask.

Too scared of the answer he might receive, even if there was a possibility that it could save him. He just wanted to keep holding onto this. On to you, in hopes that you'd still just always be there for him.

Just like.. you always were.

....

He let out another huff, feeling those words threatening to spill forth again as he clutched on to your jacket. His hand wandered over to the same place it always did when he felt like shit but couldn't say it, to the middle console where it waited patiently.

His patience was rewarded, one small eternity later, when he felt your hand gently settle over his.

There was nothing more he could do to keep the words from spilling forth.

"i love you..."

And he meant it, with every fiber of his soul.

"I love you too Sans."

..Not in the same way, he knew, but...

This was still just enough.

Enough to keep him here.

Enough to keep him going, with the hope that maybe some day.. you would really love him too, in the same ways that he loved you.

[mofieroll]

Thunderstorms (Josuke Higashikata x Reader)

A Josuke Higashikata x Reader one shot where you were once part of the Crusaders, coming to Morioh with Mr. Joestar, and your pomp baby likes you.

Word Count: 5.2k

A chilly breeze under the warm sun. You were standing on the port of a moving boat, facing the wind that blew your [H/C] hair as you leaned on the sill with a calm expression, eyes closed and lips quirked into a wide smile. You loved moments where you just partook the natural quiet sounds around you, the splashes of water and whispering currents being music to your ears. The day has been serene so far, but you didn't really come here for vacation.

"Shizuka! Come quick! Come quick!"

The voice of a man called for you, disturbing your moment with the calming ocean. You stood from leaning and yawned, popping some stiff muscles before you ran off in panic upon realizing that you were supposed to take care of the person that called for you. Yeap, you forgot of your job for over a second.

You entered the lounging room of the boat and darted your eyes on the back of a crouching man who seemed to be inspecting something on the ground beside the couch. You couldn't see what it was but you were relieved, placing your hands on top of your heart as you sighed.

The man shifted his head and glanced at you with wrinkled eyes and parted lips, "I tried slipping on it, Shizuka, but I couldn't!"

You peeked over him after you reached his side and saw something yellow, "Is that what I think it is?" You replied, giggling as you realized his comedic attempt on trying to solve cartoon logic.

"This banana peel couldn't make me slip.." The old man repeated as he tried to stand up. You held his arm and helped him settle on the couch. He grabbed his wooden cane and placed it in between his legs before setting his eyes on the oceanic scenario outside the windows, "[Y/N]..! I'm sorry.. the name Shizuka has been on my mind lately.. It's-it's a pretty name, don't you think?"

You smiled at his words, grabbing the banana peel from the ground before sitting beside him, "I think it is, Mr. Joestar!"

Familial and friend, you were someone that Mr. Joestar would describe with those two words. Being a member of the Crusaders, and being the youngest one at that, had a big contribution on your platonic relationship with the old man. He was always looking out for you while your brave self assured him that you're afraid of one thing, but you're not afraid to kick the lingering enemy Stand users' peaches. He believed you like how a father would believe her daughter's imaginary stories, making sure you won't feel like you were invalidated. Although, his worry that the trip would scar you, both physically and mentally, increased to the max when the group arrived at Egypt, which led to you being transported back to your lonely home by the Speedwagon Foundation.

You couldn't understand the reason of his worry along with the other Crusaders, so you had a childish decision to to cut ties with them, only to reach out a few years later. At that time, you talked to Mr. Joestar himself, not even hiding the fact that you broke down on the phone when he hesitantly told you that only three of your group survived. You were joyed that he still considered you as a part of the Crusaders, but you were disappointed that you were immature, making you miss all the trivial things that happened. The old man comforted you like those nights when you were missing your parents, fondly telling you, "That's a no-go! The boys wouldn't want you shaming yourself now, and neither would I. Live your life like you're supposed to, little [Y/N]. Everyone would be so proud of the woman you'd become!"

Now that you're on the legal age of 18, you're trying to fulfill your number one goal in mind, and that is to be a doctor under the Speedwagon Foundation. Sure, you're a bit forgetful sometimes, but you have a free pass for being under special training which was only possible because of your Stand.

..and your connection with the Joestars.

You and Mr. Joestar were sitting in silence, lost in reminiscing thoughts, until the sound of a water vehicle grew to be disturbing the peace even if it sounded far.

"What..?" You glared at the surroundings, frantically looking from the door where you came from to the side of the windows, figuring out where the vehicle is most likely to be, "Mr. Joestar, I have to check something outside. It'll be quick, a'right?" You stood up, rushing outside after you received no reply from the unbothered old man who still had his attention on the scenery.

You ran through and up the hallway until you reached the edge of the deck. You held on to the red fence as you leaned with squinting eyes, trying to see who was on the.. motorboat approaching the boat you're on. The attempt took minutes, making you sit on the floor in boredom before you jumped to your feet in excitement as you finally saw the passengers of the smaller vehicle. One was a boy in a blue uniform you absolutely do not know and the other..

The other was your childhood emo crush who now wore a white hat and coat, "JOTARO! Jotaroooo!" You screamed, waving both your hands with a cheeky grin. This is your first time meeting him after a decade! You forgot, but you were just as excited when you were informed about meeting Jotaro Kujo during this boat trip with Mr. Joestar.

"I heard you're a Marine Biologist now, huh! Remember when you knocked that one shark out to save me?!" You ironically screamed before laughing, following the motorboat to the back as the boy in uniform whispered to Jotaro while pointing at you. The adult man didn't mind the two children around him and focused on driving the motorboat, tugging the brim of his hat down as he gave himself a small smile.

Two of the Speedwagon Foundation crew was already waiting for the motorboat when you reached the back, "Sirs! You knew they were coming?" You asked as you reached their side, eyes still on the said vehicle.

"[L/N]? We actually informed you about this.." One of the two answered, making you rub your neck as you looked up, trying to remember it happening. You tried.. and got extremely confused in just a minute that you didn't even notice that the passengers of the motorboat had boarded yours. You were snapped with your sudden realization that you've told Mr. Joestar you'll only be quick with checking, making you run back to the room he's in.

Okuyasu Nijimura, who actually thought you ran off because he stood in front of you, looked back at Jotaro with a puzzled face. The adult man shove his hands inside his pockets and gave permission to follow you with a jerk of his head, to which the student complied to, but not without a scrunched face and a dramatic hop on the small wall that separated the stern of the boat from the hull where the lounge was.

Mentoring three different teenage boys has been a pain in the back. Jotaro doesn't know if he should be happy that you're back with them or.. he should just devise an escape plan from all of this. Either way, with you here, he's certain that he doesn't have to look out for his Jiji that much.

The boat arrived at the harbor safely. Knowing that an enemy posed as a crew and wanted to get rid of Mr. Joestar was a bit surprising, you even thought Okuyasu was Mr. Joestar's son at first! But now that you're seeing his actual son who had an eye-catching pompadoured hair, you weren't surprised on how charming he was.

You whistled and nudged Jotaro who was on your side. Everyone had their eyes on the father and son walking away hand in hand, "Woah, that's Josuke Higashikata? Sheesh, Jotaro. What's with y'all Joestars being so hot and everything?"

Jotaro glared at you, "Gimme a break. You're older than him."

You glared back and faced him, "I'm literally 18 and he's 16! Don't say that like I'm some sort of creep!" You jokingly punched him on the shoulder and voiced an ora, to which he responded with tipping his hat down and turning his back on you, "Hmp— Oh, may you please tell Josuke that I could tend to his wounds? I don't wanna ruin their moment right now, so maybe later?"

Jotaro turned his head and nodded, "Coolness! Thanks, my dear ocean man!"

—

Several weeks have passed since yours and Mr. Joestar's arrival at Morioh, and you've grown closer to the group as to be expected. Okuyasu always goes out of his way to meet you at the hotel you're staying at because of how much he enjoys your pampering when he blurts to you about how his pomp-haired friend gets the ladies in school, he had even told you that Koichi had a scary girl obsessing over him, not forgetting to mention that she was cute anyway. You seldomly meet the said boy, Koichi, as he was not the type to go around town if not needed, and only accompanied him once when he walked his large fluffy dog. Josuke on the other hand, always comes with Okuyasu to the hotel but he doesn't speak to you and only observes your interactions with his friend and his father while you also played with the invisible baby they found, whose name is now Shizuka. You didn't know there was a relevant reason as to why he wouldn't talk to you even if you tried to start a conversation, so you shrugged it off and just shot him genuine smiles whenever your gazes met. You were technically the older sister in the gang and it would make sense that Jotaro was the older brother, but he was more of an uncle figure.

Josuke planned to continue his tsundere facade until he was sure of asking you out -on a date- for a hangout with just the two of you, but what he didn't expect was for a certain someone, who he just can't seem to get along with, to poof up and force him to ruin his own plans.

"Listen, listen! I met a Stand User earlier today. I was just doing my own thing when he took photos of me without my permission. He even directed me of what to do and straight up got mad when I hesitated! Turns out, he's a mangaka who found me as a good reference and I was like, good and not perfect? He glared at me for a second then he just summoned his Stand! Yo! It was a cute, white and gold dude! Of course he didn't get the chance to use the dude on me, I have my totally cute Stand too! Next thing I know, he invited me for coffee! Rad, huh?"

You didn't even need to mention his name for them to know who you were talking about. The two boys who listened, Josuke and Okuyasu, looked at each other in shock before talking to themselves like you weren't there. Calling him the 'spider-licking guy', badmouthing him and expressing every inch of their dislike for the man. Inviting you for coffee was a bad call, it just meant that you two became friends and scheduled a date. Josuke tried his best to make you back out of it, eventually talking to you all the time and taking care of you, his father and the baby, like the older brother —your partner— he wanted to be since the time he realized he likes you. He couldn't accept that the mangaka had the upper hand, so he tried to do everything he can to change that.

But of course, the 'pure love kind of guy' failed.

The day of your date with the great mangaka arrived. You were in a good mood as you prepared, the voice of Kai Harada playing on the background radio noise. The man had said that today is a sunny day, to your delight, but there is a chance of a hard gloomy storm at afternoon, to your dismay. If there's one thing about nature that you dislike the most, it's thunderstorms. Although those weren't mentioned, the anxiety of being out in the open while it occurred crept over you. You observed yourself at the vanity mirror: your hair fixed into a [H/S] that you do only for special occasions and a [F/C] [O/F] that fitted your style and body as you kept your face in a natural but fresh look, eyeing details of yourself to shrug off the previous thought.

It's now 1PM and you are finally face to face with the mangaka, seated outside the famous Cafe Rengatei in Morioh. You arrived earlier than the meeting time, making you certain that your efforts to fix yourself went to a shame.

"It seems you've made an effort for your meeting with me today. You look quite presentable," Rohan started, leaning on the chair as he crossed his arms and had his chin up.

You quirked a brow, copying his action, "And what does that imply, Mr. Good Reference?"

"It implies that you're a perfect reference right now so I'll be straight to the point of this meeting," He frankly stated. Puzzled at the word 'meeting', your brows creased, "I want you to let me use Heaven's Door on you, and you will be paid. Since I didn't get a good— let you get away before, I'm asking for the permission you're requiring me of. I heard from my friend, Koichi, that you might have an interesting story. I could have just used Heaven's Door on him, but his information of you is limited. So, is that settled?"

And here you thought this was a date.

You bit your cheek from the inside and held the clothing on your lap, "Yeah, yeah. When do we start? Oh, and you don't have to pay because you sounded real genuine and kind. Thank you very much!" You replied, a bit of sarcasm coming with it.

Rohan raised an eyebrow and battled with your blank stares before speaking, "Tch. I have the money to pay, [L/N]. Meet me at my house tomorrow morning. Don't make me wait." He grabbed his sketchbook from below the table and stood up, giving you one final, sassy look before he left.

You watched him walk away, sighing deeply as his form vanished. He got you hard with the coffee invitation and he didn't even stayed a little longer to order and enjoy an afternoon snack with you. Oh, right.

You were just acquaintances. Nothing more and maybe less. It's not that you liked him in a certain way, you were only bummed that you requested a day off for this. Taking care of the people you care about and studying for your medical course are much better than misinterpreting a business deal for a casual date. You sighed once again, lightly hitting your head on the table, "This is the work of the worst enemy Stand."

The disappointment took over your senses on your surroundings, so you became more oblivious to the Josuke that was watching you far behind.

And yes, he's been there all the time.

Shocking and unbelievable to the ears of the mutual friends of Rohan and Josuke, but the mangaka was the one to set you and the student up. It's true that Rohan had heard of you from Koichi, but that's not all. He had also heard that Josuke had been acting distant to you when all he talks about at school is.. well, you. How did he even know about that? It's absolutely not the work of Heaven's Door, Koichi just had to slip up.

You and Josuke both stayed at your respective places, unsure of what to do next now that Rohan had done his part. A few minutes passed, and you both sighed at the same time. You stood up, deciding that you'd go back at the hotel and play with the adorable Shizuka, while the nervous Josuke continued watching you, figuring out the right time to show up.

You were supposed to walk back, but then drops of water started falling from the sky. You opened your palm and looked up the sky, only to see gray colors eat up the blues. You closed your eyes and sighed once more, whispering to yourself, "This day is a work of an enemy Stand."

Not for Josuke who brought an umbrella that he'd share with you, though.

The drops of rain became a heavy storm within minutes, making you run to the nearest waiting shed. There were only hints of you being soaked, but it didn't help your body that had low resistance towards the cold. In this moment where you hugged yourself to keep your body heat, you remembered the Crusaders. The group of big men who all had a soft spot for you, and the small dog who accompanied you at your mischievous times. They were the group that always made sure to keep you warm, the group that always assured you that thunderstorms—

"AAAAH!"

You squealed upon hearing the deafening noise from above, the sound of pouring rain quickly enveloping after. You whimpered and tucked yourself in the corner of the shed, hands covering your ears and tightly gripping your now messed hair as you trembled greatly. Slowly and weakly, you dropped yourself, your knees meeting the coldness of the ground. This was supposed to be a nice day. A nice, enjoyable day that involved no stress and no professional work. Mr. Joestar also wanted you to enjoy but this, fighting back the urge to sob while you silently hollered in the storming public, isn't exactly your idea of spending your leisure time.

"[Y-Y/N]?"

Josuke stood just outside the waiting shed, a black umbrella, protecting him from the rain, in hand. He ran when he heard your scream, resulting to his shoes and pants to be thoroughly soaked. He looked at you with worry and guilt, although clueless as to what exactly caused your outspoken self to curl into a whimpering puppy. Rohan.. It must've been him. He shouldn't have just stood there watching, "[Y/N]..? Did Rohan do—"

A loud thunderstorm sounded once more, making you scream and push yourself to the corner. Josuke gasped, it's.. the thunderstorms that's causing this.

Josuke entered the shed and closed the umbrella, hanging it on the roof. You weren't paying him any of your attention, your conscious mind devoured by unsettling thoughts. Your phobia of thunderstorms was something you caught from your childhood. Something you caught from the freezing and lonely nights without your parents, people who you most expected to be there for you when you're being secluded by fright.

The boy who was now crouching in front of you noticed your lack of attention as he's been calling your name. He bit his lower lip, feeling more and more soft as each second passed. He should have known.. he usually did ask Mr. Joestar about you after all.

Josuke gave up on calling you and proceeded to his second move, which was to cover you with his gakuran. He stood up, unclasped the remaining buttons and gently enrobed you with the garment, slight joy sparking in him when you quickly accepted and wrapped yourself with it. He expected that you were still clueless of a person here with you, but you really are filled with surprises.

"T-thank you.. Angel.." You muttered, a serene feeling slowly emerging when you thought a kind citizen had randomly decided to be concerned over a breaking down woman. You exhaled deeply, eyes opening as your whole form has been blanketed by the coat.

"Angel? You think that suits me?"

You felt your heart skip a beat upon hearing the familiar cheerful voice. It wasn't some random citizen who helped you, of course it had to be someone you know.

You draped the coat over your shoulder and wrapped your body with it, head turning to the side where your sight met the ever-majestic boy's grin, hastily noticing his biceps as he only had a yellow sando as a top. Your eyes widened in surprise, bringing back the coat over your head to hide the creeping blush on your face. The turn of events had you sweeping away the thoughts of your phobia, at least.

"A-ah..? Of course it suits you! You're my.. our JoJo after all!" You faced him and answered after sighing inside the coat, trying to compose yourself, "Your g-gakuran is so warm, Josuke. I might just steal it now!"

Josuke let out a chuckle, comfortably glad that you feel better now. He had one more move up his sleep and he'd ecstatic if he could do it, but maybe some other time.. or later..? Woah there, he shouldn't be thinking about that right now. But for real, he's curious on.. how having you in his arms would feel. Your body insufferably close to his.. your loving arms wrapping around him as he shared his body heat so that you'd be shivering no more.. Sh*t, this is still a crush, right?

"U-uhm, Higashikata to e-earth..?"

"Ah? What? Oh! Yeah, sorry! W-were you saying something?"

Josuke got too far with his thoughts that he stayed still, staring at you with half-lidded eyes and a smirk, a pink shade on his cheeks which were becoming evident even with the storm blocking out the light from the sun. You didn't consider that he looked at you like a lovestruck boy and snapped him from his trance, concerned that he might be feeling cold now.

"I was asking if you.. uhm.. now that I think of it, I m-might sound like a creep," You said, still trembling. You closed your eyes and sighed, meeting his encouraging expression as you opened them again. A pursed smile formed on your lips, "You could have your coat back although I.. I was hoping if we could share it but—"

"Of course we can! I thought you'd never ask, [Y/N]!" Josuke jumped to his feet, a confident grin on his face. You looked up at him, confused, "Brr! I'm starting to feel cold too! Well?" He happily lied, crossing his arms and making an up and down motion over his biceps to add to his bluff. Josuke's not going to let this chance pass! You were the one to offer the.. intimate gesture, he'd be cursing himself forever if he messes this up.

You nodded with your mouth agape and tried to stand up on your feet. Your legs were numb for having to carry your weight on the ground, so it'd make sense if you stumbled for a bit. Fortunately, a strong and quick-thinking boy was there to catch you before it even happens, his hands —which flicked the coat— supporting your waist as you held on his wrists. Oh boy, why is it that you think he'd be a perfect gym partner?

"Perfect gym partner, huh? I wouldn't mind that too, Ms. [Y/N]!" Your eyes widened upon his words, "Yep, you just said it out loud!" Josuke laughed, giving you the urge to turn around in embarrassment but you couldn't, his stubborn hands locking you in place. An awkward silence engulfed as you looked into each other's eyes, the sound of pouring rain joining in again.

You gulped as Josuke sighed and cleared his throat, "I know this isn't a good moment to say what I'm about to say, but I don't think I could do it anywhere else without being awkward so I'm going to say it," Josuke sighed once more and you blink as a response. He sounded complacent yet also shakened while your confusion is getting ahead of you, "I'm really, REALLY going to say it now! I'm actually going to say it, will you let me say it? Uh.."

"..F*ck this is harder than I thought."

You creased your brows, adamantly switching to your sister form, "Language, JoJo!" You retreated your hands and tapped his cheeks, and.. you know you shouldn't have done that.

From another person's view, yours and Josuke's position just got more romantic than ever. Your small hands cupping his adoring face as his were firmly placed on your waist.. His almost bare top fighting the cold breeze brought by the storm just so you could be warm under the cover of his gakuran that was appealingly big on you.. This is much preferable than what Josuke daydreamed. You even called him JoJo, which he's never heard you call his nephew or his father with. Holy.. you're oblivious to the fact that you're setting the mood for him, aren't you?

You were about to pull your hands away when he swiftly locked your wrists, your waist now free from him. You gasped and felt your heart skip a beat. It was just like when you first heard his voice earlier. Being with him like this feels good but.. it doesn't feel right.

"I'm being pushy here, aren't I?" Josuke chuckled shakily, "I feel like bursting at this moment, so.. Ms. [Y/N], would ya listen? I know it'd be uncomfortable and freaky, but I seriously need to say it."

You barely nodded, his hands bringing down yours and holding it in his. He was looking down at the pairs, smiling at how yours fitted in his, "It's only been weeks since we've met— heck, since I've met you and Mr. Joestar, and this isn't really the right time for me to be having this.. puppy crush when enemy Stand Users are on the lose, but I don't usually crush over someone this hard." He grunted, his hands delicately squeezing yours, "I.. I like you, [Y/N]. Like, like-like like you. There.. I finally said it."

The moment would have been cute because of his mulish confession, but you just had to ruin it for the poor boy.

"Josuke we're.. we're family." Josuke flinched before looking at you, his arched brows hitting each other. The tables have turned, and he's the one that's waiting now, "Mr. Joestar, Jotaro.. they're like father and older brother to me while.." You sighed, successfully pulling your hands away from his weakened grip, "Josuke, I don't want to trade my close relationship with your father's family.. for a possibly temporary feelings for me."

Your words hit like Cupid shot their arrow backwards, but Josuke didn't let himself be completely fazed. He was taken aback for a second, but that doesn't mean he didn't expected this. He knew how much the Joestar Family meant to you. You're even proud that you owe your life to them, to such good people that were the epitome of justice and heroic greatness. He took note of that fact when he was getting to know you through his father, who seemed to enjoy telling stories about you. Somehow, he could say he was prepared for this.

"But, doesn't that mean if I proved my feelings aren't temporary and I'm proudly certain of it, I would have a chance with you?" Josuke grinned, tilting his head as he shove his hands in his pockets, "Also, Mr. Joestar approves of you being his daughter-in-law. Man, I'm just glad you didn't accept his offer to adopt you years ago. That would have sucked!"

Your lips opened and closed like a fish underwater, making Josuke smirk inwardly. You were almost speechless, and that's a good thing for him, "How did you.. Why do you even.." You stiffened, fiddling with his coat as you turned on to your side, facing the raining scenery, "Josuke, I don't know why you're doing this, b-but this ain't funny, y'know? Don't you like, see me as your older sister or—"

"At first," You glanced at Josuke who was now facing outside too, "When you introduced yourself as Mr. Joestar's caretaker, yeah," He stole a glance back and pouted, "But when we got to know you and literally took care of me like you're my caring girlfriend? Hell no. I could even bet Okuyasu also had a crush on you, but he told me you were like a mom, a cute mom at that." He shook his head, chuckling at what he said, "Misunderstanding your actions was a sh*tty move for me but I don't regret it one bit, Ms. [Y/N]."

There, Josuke did not just confess his romantic feelings to you, but also admitted how his decision to like you seemed inappropriate. It was valid nonetheless, as you weren't related to him by blood, but you take pride in being the Joestars' comrade —even if you seemed thirsty for them some times— and he acknowledges that.

No one gets to choose who they specifically prefer to be with, anyway. He had to 'Dora!' his way out of his boundaries with you or he would be lying to himself, which he dislikes the most, aside Rohan.

"Are you sure Mr. Joestar's okay with this?" You asked, sighing, "I don't mind giving you a chance now that—"

Josuke didn't even let you finish and proceeded to lock you in his arms, pulling you in excitement as his arms snaked around your neck and your head, "I said 'chance', JoJo! You haven't even asked me if you wanted me to be your girlfriend—"

"So you like me too?" Josuke cut you off again, smiling down at you. You sighed and nodded, accepting your defeat. He shouted a yes, an arm punching above, hitting the roof of the shed, "Aw—! But hey, you just admitted that you like me! Take that, Rohan!"

You slightly pulled away from Josuke, "What does Kishibe have to do with this?" You asked, glaring at him. Josuke shook his head, scratching the back of it as he grinned. Rohan totally had something to do with this as he didn't only set them up, but even tried to discourage the lively Josuke by saying that you'd reject him and tell him that you only see him as family. Technically, he was right— but that didn't last long!

You were going to ask about it again when a thunderstorm sounded, breaking down your collected spirit as you ended up holding yourself close to the boy in front of you. His playfulness aside, he fixed his gakuran that was still on you and wrapped you in his arms protectively, assuring you that you're going to be okay. Another thunderstorm followed, startling you even in his arms. You were a shaking mess, your fists grabbing a handful on the back of his sando, face buried on his chest. He should've been shivering from the cold all this time, but your presence provided warmth for him and he's grateful for that. Josuke willingly let you nuzzle yourself around him, knowing that it comforted you and it brought contentedness to his feelings.

"I hope you won't mind being the rainbow that brings color to my life, [Y/N]."

"Y-yeah, JoJo.. u-unless I strike you as a lightning w-when you break my heart.."

"I'm frightened that you can be scary while you're scared [Y/N] but.. sh*t, I just realized.."

"What i-is it now..?"

"It's also hot."

[End!]

[vampcubus]

Izuku with a reader with a vampire like quirk (acts like Marceline from adventure time) and likes to sing. She and Uraraka argue and fight for his attention and affection. Fluff and angst at the end please. I really like your writing luv! Keep up the good work!! UwU

| A/N: I had so much fun writing this so it got pretty lengthy! It’s also not as fluffy as I had first intended, but I hope you like it nonetheless! |

(Edit: It’s been split up into two parts due to text block limitations.)

♡ Warnings: Angst, blood-drinking.♡

♡ Words: 2200+ ♡

See part 2 … here

.   .   .

Bite Me (Midoriya/Vampire!Reader) [Part 1]

You reclined on Midoriya’s bed in his dorm room, fingers plucking at the strings of your guitar to find a good rhythm that stuck. You were technically here for a friendly study session with Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka, but your bluenette friend canceled last minute so it was just you three. Which, was fine you could still get a lot of work in.

The only thing was, it wasn’t fine. Your eyes drifted from the strings to where Ochako and Deku sat adjacent to you, laughing about something you didn’t care to know about.

Midoriya has barely paid any attention to you the entire time you’ve been here and it was getting on your damn nerves. You frowned, leaning further away from the rays of sun that shone through the slightly open curtains. He always made sure to close them for you when you came over. I guess he was too busy with Uraraka to care.

Not that you couldn’t close them yourself! But that wasn’t the point.

As selfish as it may sound you like to think that he thinks about you. And normally, he does! But when Uraraka-san’s around… not so much.

Why did he like her so much? Was she better than you? Was it because she had a more reliable pulse? Better impulse control? Fuck, now you’re just making yourself feel bad.

While sifting through your bitter thoughts your fingers subconsciously caught onto a good tune, and you closed your eyes, humming to the rhythm and trying to think up some rad lyrics to pair with it. A bit early, but you were never a conformist to basic music composition anyways.

You heard Uraraka giggle and Midoriya chuckled back, the sound making you snap your eyes open and strike a harsher yet kind of nice-sounding chord.

You continued playing quietly to yourself, whispering a few different lyrics every now and then to sound them out and see which ones stuck. As you build a good foundation, you had unknowingly captured the attention of your classmates who finally turned away from the assignment and one another to look at you as you played.

She looks so concentrated! Midoriya thought as he watched you with sparkling eyes, feeling blessed to have been given the opportunity to bear witness to your creative process. He’s always admired you, especially your way with music. And now that you’re properly hanging out as friends more often, he’s written almost an entire notebook about you and your quirk! You were so cool!

Your quirk was very vampire-like in nature. You had increased physical strength and speed, the ability to float, and the more blood you consumed the stronger you were. Not only that but you could shape-shift into a bat! A cute one at that… Midoriya smiled crookedly at that, reminded of the time you fell asleep in class and when Mr. Aizawa smacked a book down on your desk. You got so frightened you poofed into a little bat version of yourself!

He might have drawn your bat form too…

Some might say your quirk was a little villainous, but he didn’t see it that way at all! You’d make a great hero one day, regardless of how er… exotic? Morbid? Your quirk was.

“Wow, Y/N-chan, that sounds really good so far!” Midoriya gushed a little, shaking you from your focused trance and negative thoughts—accidentally pulling the wrong string, making you cringe.

“Oh-uh, thanks!” You blushed, feeling the blood rise to your usually ice-cold cheeks.

“You’re going to make a great artist one day. After you go pro that is.” Deku flattered, freckled cheeks lighting up with the slightest dusting of pink. That’s also when he noticed the weird angle you were leaning to keep out of the light streaming through the curtains.

“Oh no! The curtains! I completely f-forgot, I’m so sorry, Y/N-chan!” He stuttered apologetically, scrambling to his feet to go and pull the curtains shut. You sighed in relief leaning back into a more comfortable position. “You should’ve said something.” He frowned, the guilt clear in his mesmerizing emerald green eyes.

“D-don’t worry about it, Deku. You looked… busy.” You coughed awkwardly, fingers subconsciously returning to strumming across the strings to distract yourself.

To your delight, Midoriya sat closer to you this time. And you shot Uraraka a subtle-yet-victorious glance, to which you were met with her frustrated one. It was almost like there was an invisible bolt of lightning between you, cracking challengingly between two rivals as you shared a familiar look of ‘friendly’ competition. You knew she had a crush on Deku, and she knew that you had feelings for him in turn. Neither of you wanted to step away, both dead set on winning Deku’s affections for your own. Of course, the little green ray of sunshine had no idea about this, but he didn’t need to know.

“Can you—um… c-can you possibly… teach me some things?” Midoriya asked bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes darting from your own now-softer ones and your guitar. Your normally-still heart swelled and beat a few times, your cheeks burning. You felt the excitement bubble inside and you couldn’t help but give him an enthusiastic fanged smile. You didn’t even have time to send Uraraka a bragging look, you were too eager.

“Of course!” You exclaimed, slipping your guitar strap off your shoulder. “Scoot a bit closer.”

A while later you found yourself sitting behind Deku, arms wrapped around him to guide his clumsy hands across the strings of your favorite guitar. He had been incredibly nervous the first few lessons, especially with you touching him like this, but he relaxed once you got him into the zone. Uraraka scribbled away at an assignment to your left, sending you glances every now and then.

For once you weren’t worried about her though. All you could think about was the rough texture of Midoriya’s hands under your own as you adjusted his posture once more.

“Hey, there ya go, you’re getting the hang of this!” You complimented, and he flushed, cringing when his fingers fumbled and played the wrong tune. “You’re fine. You’re a natural, Deku!”

“You think so?” He asked, eyes shiny as they glanced over his shoulder at you. You avoided his gaze deliberately to hide the heat that had risen to your face.

“Mm-hm.” You hummed, trying to contain your excitement as he managed to play a few basic tunes. You were so proud!

“Hey, Deku?” Came Uraraka’s voice out of nowhere. You’d forgotten she was there… Midoriya turned to her, asking her what she needed. “I’m having a hard time with this problem, can you help me out?”

Ochako smiled charmingly, tilting her head to the side in a cute way as her pink cheeks spread with her grin. You scoffed, covering it up with a fake cough when Midoriya gave you a questioning look. She wasn’t that cute.

Apparently, that was an unpopular opinion because Midoriya gingerly returned your instrument and scooched over to the end of the bed to help Uraraka with her assignment. You weren’t saying that she didn’t actually need help, but you weren’t saying that you trusted her either. You knew she was just trying to deter his attention from you and onto herself.

You sighed, standing up from the bed with a look of temporary defeat.

“Sorry, guys. I think imma leave, catch you later.” You announced, and while your back was turned you missed the look of disappointment on Midoriya’s face. You slid your guitar over your shoulder to rest on your back and slung your book bag over your other shoulder. Your green-haired classmate didn’t have much time to say goodbye before you were crossing the room to the door.

“Oh, okay I’ll see you—” the door closes before he can finish. “Later…”

.   .   .

The next morning you sat on the steps at the entrance of U.A. with your guitar, doing your usual morning fiddling around with a new song. The same one you started the night prior. You’d gotten pretty far, an open notebook with scrawled lyrics and music notes balance on your outstretched knee crossed casually over the other.

You used to do this while waiting for your friends to come to school, perhaps serenade them jokingly as they approached. Even after moving into your dorm, you couldn’t quite shake the habit.

The sun wasn’t ideal, but you had a giant sun hat and the appropriate clothing for being outside in it. Deku usually met you on the stairs anyways so why would you move?

“Hey there, Y/N!” You hear Deku call from behind you.

Speak of the devil.

You turned your head to look over your shoulder, flashing him a fanged smile while your finger continued dragging your pick across the strings. “Heyyy, g’morning sleepy, you’re later than usual.”

He laughed nervously, walking over to sit down on the stairs beside you. Now that you got a better look at him, you noticed how drained he looked, the bags underneath his eyes more prominent in the light of the morning sun. A gentle wind rustled his curly green hair, and his jade eyes reflected the glare of the sun, making them almost glow.

Your cool cheeks darkened and you cleared your throat, eyes darting from him to save yourself the embarrassment.

“Long night?” You asked and he nodded sheepishly. He’d spent most of the night studying with Uraraka who was unusually… enthusiastic? He wasn’t sure how to put it.

“You usually stay up with us. Was something wrong last night? You left… so suddenly.” Midoriya looked to you expectantly, eyes crinkled with concern and something else you couldn’t quite place. You tried to laugh it off in your usual cool, smooth way, playing a bit more enthusiastically in an attempt to sell it further.

“Nah, man I’m cool. I was just… I was just.” Your words failed you when you were suddenly taken back to last night, the stare Uraraka had given you, how jealous you’d felt. So much so that you just couldn’t stand being in the room any longer. The same reason the lyrics of the same song you’d been working on since then were so bitter. You couldn’t help it, really. The way Ochako looked at him sometimes sent your blood way over the boiling point.

It was like a parasite, feeding on your patience with every tiny competition for Deku’s attention until eventually one of you cracked. It wouldn’t be you.

You jumped when you felt a hand on your shoulder and whipped your head to the side to see Midoriya with a sympathetically worried expression, hand twitching on your shoulder. The coolness of your flesh crept through even your sleeves and for a moment he was mesmerized by it. He made a mental note to scribble it down in his notebook later. You felt the frosty sheen of your resolve melt under his touch. Not many had the balls to touch you.

“You were just what? Are you okay?” He asked, not sure if the surprised look of confusion swirling in your eyes as they reflected some of the morning light—even from under the huge sun hat on top of your head—meant that you were going to get angry or not. You didn’t normally respond well to others worrying about you when you could obviously take care of yourself.

“Pssh—Yeah! I’m fine, quit worrying. Wouldn’t want any of your pretty green hair falling out for me.” You chuckled, and his spotted cheeks bloomed a light pink. Did you just say he had pretty hair? You looked away from him and back to your guitar with a newly-lit smile. It was alarming how much effect this boy had on you, being able to cheer you up just by worrying for you. “And uh, if you’re free later…”

“Yes!” You blinked at him as he blurted it before you could even finish your sentence. Did he even know what you were going to say?

“Uh…”

“I-I mean, um…” Izuku blushed madly, realizing that he’d just gotten way too ahead of himself. He must sound so desperate right now! The truth is that he would’ve said yes regardless of what you asked, never the type to pass up the chance to hang with you. “S-sorry, please continue.”

“I was going to ask if you wanted s’more guitar lessons.” You giggled at his embarrassed posture, palm shielding his face from you as it reddened.

“O-only if you promise to train with me!” He blurted out without thinking, eyes shining with emerald stars as he stood up from the stairs.

He couldn’t help it. He’s been wanting to ask you to train with him for such a long time but never knew how to ask without coming off as strange. Your quirk fascinated him, and he still knew so little about it! And what better way to evaluate your quirk than in a fight?

Again you blinked, caught off-guard by his enthusiasm.

Hah, what a fanboy. Can’t blame him though, I am pretty rad.

“Deal.” You grinned, showing off your pearly-white fangs, floating into the air and strumming your guitar as you made your way inside.

[penaltbox]

begging for more - roman ahcan

to the anon who asked for this to get reposted - i forgot this needs a slight nsfw warning hahah. i hope you guys like it (again)! let me know if you do!

word count: 3.5k

__

“Tie or no tie?” Roman asks as he steps out of the bathroom, fixing his collar. 

You glance up from your phone and stare for a moment, forgetting that he’d planned to wear your favorite suit that night. The dark blue material with the brown belt and white shirt has you wanting to skip the banquet altogether, but you know he has to be there. 

You stand and walk over to him, helping him get his collar in the right place, “I like it without one. I think I could be biased on that though.”

Roman laughs a little and leans down to kiss you, “I knew it wouldn’t take long for a comment on this suit. You better be careful tonight.”

He throws you a wink and heads back to the bathroom to finish getting ready, leaving you to wait impatiently for him. 

“Uber’s here, Ro. Let’s go,” you yell, grabbing your things. 

He comes out quickly, slipping his shoes on and grabbing his wallet from his dresser. He grabs your hand and heads for the door but stops before opening it. He looks back at you and smiles suddenly. 

“I didn’t tell you how pretty you look yet,” he says, leaning down to kiss you quickly, “you look amazing.”

You blush and squeeze his hand, “thank you, Ro. You look good, too.”

The ride to the athletics hall is short, but you weren’t risking walking across campus during the winter in heels. Roman doesn’t argue the logic and goes along easily, making sure you get into the building safely. 

There’s people everywhere right from the beginning and you stick close to Roman until he finds his teammates. You can relax around them, which is nice, and Roman knows that too. He mentions he needs to go talk to someone quickly, leaving you with the boys. 

It was so loud in the banquet center and dinner was still almost an hour away. There’s people from all different sports teams in the room and you need to take a quick breather. You lean over and put a hand on Max’s arm, asking if he’ll let Roman know you’d stepped away for just a second. He agrees and goes back to his conversation with Brock and Tarek as you slip away. 

You step out and roam down a couple halls, realizing you didn’t really know where you were going. You stumble upon old team pictures and somehow find the hockey team. 

You’re looking at the framed roster photo from the year before with all the boys lined up in their uniforms. You can’t help but smile when you find your boy, eventually looking at the rest of them. You hear footsteps behind you and glance back, seeing Roman walking up slowly towards you. 

“There you are,” he smirks, pressing against your back. He leans in to leave a kiss on your shoulder as his arms wind around your waist. You look back at the roster and go to say something when his hand slides up around your neck, “should we try something new tonight? I’ve seen the way you keep looking at me and it’s not making this night any shorter.” 

You bite your lip, trying to figure out if he’s being serious or not. Of course you want to try it. You’d wanted to try it ever since you saw the video of him grabbing Mike at their team dinner. You had been too shy to ask though and so you let the thought fade. Until now. 

Now when you’re in a hallway where any athlete could stumble upon the way Roman is holding you  and has you so completely flustered that you’re grabbing his hand that’s still tight around your waist to try and keep yourself from getting too worked up. 

“Please,” you whisper, not able to muster out any other reply. 

Roman’s thumb presses down hard enough to feel your pulse that’s hammering beneath the skin and you can’t help but gasp when he does it. You push back against him and he lets out a low grunt. 

“So that’s a yes then? I didn’t know you wanted it so bad, baby. Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks, kissing your cheek softly. It’s a sharp contrast to the feeling of his rough fingers on your neck. 

You can feel how hot your cheeks are and can only imagine what they look like, what this whole scenario must look like. You didn’t expect to have such a quick reaction to his hand around your throat, but you did and you’re trying to get your mouth to say even one coherent thought. 

“I wasn’t sure if you’d want to,” you manage to say, turning to look at Roman. His cheeks are rosy and he’s staring hard, evaluating your expression as his fingers tighten gently before loosening up. 

“You trust me, right?”

You nod immediately, because of course you did. Roman lets go and turns you towards him, his hands resting on your hips now. 

“If you’re good the rest of the night we’ll go back and try it. I have the room to myself tonight, guaranteed,” he says, a cocky smile taking over his features. 

Your knees practically give out from the way he’s looking at you. You find yourself pulling him down for a kiss, grabbing the lapels of his suit coat. He presses you back into the wall, slipping one leg between yours. He lets you catch a little friction before pulling away and earning a quiet whine from you. 

“I said you have to be good, baby,” he says, his voice already teasing. 

You look up at him with a pout because if his hand on your neck hadn’t been bad enough that small amount of friction had sent you over the edge of wanting to skip the banquet. 

“I’ll be good. I promise,” you says, nodding at him. 

He kisses your forehead before taking your hand and heading back to the event. There’s just as many people as when you left, if not more, but the noises seem more fuzzy now as you focus on Roman. He pulls your chair out for you at the table before sitting down next to you. 

You smile over at Dom sitting on your left as he says hello to the both of you. You’re about to say it back when you feel Roman’s hand on the back of your neck. You shiver immediately and Dom laughs at it. Of course he noticed, but you don’t think he fully understands. 

Roman’s hand squeezes a little, but he innocently asks, “are you cold? Do you want my coat?”

You nod, trying to cover up the real reason you’d had such a reaction to Roman’s seemingly innocent touch. He slips his arms out of his suit coat and puts it over your shoulders, successfully making you even warmer than you were. His hand falls back onto your neck as he faces you and starts a conversation with Dom. You sit between the two, looking straight ahead and trying to keep your cool. 

He glances at you every few seconds, his hand squeezing gently when he does. Every time he does it you press your legs together and try to keep your expression even. Dom either doesn’t realize or doesn’t say anything, luckily, but you’re sure someone must notice. 

“Ro, how much longer?” You ask quietly after what feels like forever. 

He frowns and checks the time on his phone, “we still have almost two hours technically.”

Your jaw drops, but you shouldn’t be surprised. You knew there were awards to go through and speeches to listen to. Roman raises his eyebrows and gives you a look that you know all too well. ‘You have to be good’ rings in your mind, his words tumbling over and over in your head. You nod, giving him a little smile then. 

He’s slightly confused by the quick change in your demeanor, but he lets it roll off him and kisses your cheek. You cross your leg over the other, scooting your chair as close to Roman’s as you can and reaching for his hand that’s on your neck. 

You set it on your thigh and Roman quickly grabs on, his thumb rubbing back and forth without even thinking. You wouldn’t survive with his hand on your neck so you had to distract him with something he was used to. He always ended up with his hand on your thigh when he drove so you figured autopilot would save you during the banquet. 

The event starts to kick off and coaches, administrators, and players all get called to the stage. It’s fine for a bit and you think your tactic was successful, but then Roman leans over suddenly during some football player’s speech. 

“So do you want me from behind or do you want to look at me when I wrap my hand around that pretty little neck tonight?” He asks quietly, his lips pressed against your ear. 

Your breath catches in your throat and your eyes widen a little. You glance over at your boyfriend who looks far too proud of the reaction he just drew from you. You clear your throat, subtly shaking your head at him. 

“Stop,” you whisper, but you can see the spark in his eye now. It’s a game to him and you know you’ll lose. 

He lets you sit for a few more minutes, another coach stepping up to the stage. You try and pay attention but Roman slowly slides his hand up a little higher on your thigh, rotating his grip more to the inside of your thigh. You bite your lip but won’t look at him. 

“Hey,” he leans over once again, “what about in the bathroom? Then you can watch it happen in the mirror.”

“Jesus Christ, are you serious right now?” You whisper harshly, your head whipping over to look at him. 

He shrugs, turning his attention back to the stage but his hand tightens on your thigh. You grab his forearm, squeezing your eyes shut. He shouldn’t have this much of an influence when he’s just sitting next to you, but he does, and he knows it. You tug his suit coat a little tighter around your shoulders, trying to hide in it as much as possible. 

The comments continue every once in a while from him for the entirety of the event. You’re all but squirming by the time things wrap up and Roman is just as ready to leave. You hand his coat back and he slips it on, standing still while you fix his collar quickly. You’re ready to grab his hand and rush out when Max steps over. 

“Think we’re gonna go grab a quick drink at KK before we call it a night. You two in?” Max asks, smiling at you both. 

He has no clue that Roman’s been ramping things up all night and teasing you endlessly. You’re about to say no, and you can feel Roman’s hand land on your hip and tug you into his side. You get an idea suddenly and look at Max with a smile. 

“We’d love to.”

“What?” Roman says quickly, looking down at you like had spoke a different language.

“Why not?” You ask, turning your attention to him, “we didn’t have plans tonight, right?”

You can see his jaw tighten as he gives you a fake smile. You hear him agree, but your mind is already wandering. He’d be even more worked up by the time you got home now and you were glad Max had extended the invite. 

Roman reluctantly calls an Uber to get to the bar, piling in with you, Max, and Brock. The ride over is short but Roman’s eyes are locked on you, making you feel hot all over. You knew you were pushing your luck for that night but you were having too much fun to stop now. You didn’t want to lose the game just yet. 

The bar has plenty of people in it when you all get there, most of them coming over from the banquet, and you easily find the other boys. You see Ryder and an idea forms in your head quickly. You knew he’d play along if you asked. 

You step away from Roman, saying hi to everyone, but pulling Ryder down for a hug when you get to him. He laughs a little and you take the chance to ask him for a favor. 

“Will you help me make Roman a little fired up tonight? I just need to ruffle his feathers a bit before we leave,” you ask, pulling back and seeing Ryder glance over your shoulder. 

He smiles and nods, “he already doesn’t seem happy about this so it should be easy. I’m in.”

You laugh and let you hand rest on Ryder’s chest, looking up at him. He leaves his arm low around your waist as you turn to talk to Mike standing next to him. Ryder’s arm slides and he leaves a hand on the small of your back, glancing over at Roman. 

“He’s gonna kill me. You know that, right?” Ryder asks, leaning closer so you can hear him better. 

Mike overhears and looks at his teammate that’s glaring in your direction, “Ahcan is not a dude I ever want to piss off. Just saying.”

You look from Ryder over to your boyfriend and see the way his jaw is set. He’s not having fun with this game and you waver. 

“Okay, call it off. I don’t want to do this to him anymore,” you shake your head, giving Mike a hug before you walk away to make the whole thing look more innocent. 

You duck your head as you walk back towards Roman, sure that he was going to have an attitude about the stunt you’d just tried to pull. He holds out a beer for you instead, a smirk on his lips that makes you wonder what was going on in his head.

“Baby,” he mumbles, pulling you close once you take the bottle from him, “I knew you were trying to play games, but let’s be honest here. None of those little boys over there could handle you like I do. None of them could make you beg like I do. And they certainly won’t choke you like I know you want me to.”

You lean hard into him, your heart beating wildly against your chest. You swear he always knows exactly what you’re thinking and you’d be lying if you pretended he wasn’t right on the money yet again. 

“I’m sorry, Ro. I know you know me best,” you pout, looking up at him with the best puppy dog eyes you can manage. 

He swears a little under his breath before he leans down to kiss you hard, his fingers digging into your hip and making you press against him even more if it were even possible. His teeth tug on your bottom lip as he pulls back and you can’t hold in the moan that leaves your mouth. 

Max happens to be right next to both of you when it happens and his jaw drops at the noise. You immediately bury your face in Roman’s chest but you can hear him as he speaks up. 

“Guess I’m staying with Mersch tonight, holy shit.”

Roman chuckles and kisses your head, thanking Max for his quick decision. You look up at Roman finally and realize he’s talking with the boys, no one worrying about the obscenity you’d released a moment before. 

You let out a sigh and spin around, leaning back against Roman and working to finish your beer. You knew it was a one and done kind of night, so the sooner you finished yours, the sooner you could leave. 

The cold liquid goes down easily and you find yourself setting it on a nearby table before grabbing both of Roman’s lapels, waiting for him to look down at you. Once he finally does you tug him lower and lean towards his ear. 

“Please take me home now. I really need you,” you say, feeling the effects of the quick beer you’d all but slammed and the desire he’d built up all night. 

Roman stands up straight and nods, waving at the boys over your shoulder. He’s quick to request the Uber and even quicker in getting you out to the curb. The ride back to his apartment is a blur and your excitement is through the roof, causing you to practically buzz in anticipation. You can’t help but fidget occasionally, stealing glances at Roman and giggling when he’d return eye contact. 

You both stumble into the apartment, both in a hurry to get things started. You trail towards his room, clothes being left behind you down the hall as your patience finally disappears. Roman’s quick to get you onto the bed, hardly having to do any prep work. 

He slides a condom on quickly and presses in almost too fast, making you gasp and yell his name for the first time that night. Your fingers dig into his sides as he starts to thrust in, dragging back out slowly each time. The pace is killing you and you beg him to hurry. 

“Roman, please go faster. I need more,” you whine, trying to pull him closer to you. 

He listens for the moment, his hips snapping at a faster pace, driving you up the wall. You can feel the build and you’re sure you won’t last long, mumbling to Roman that you were getting close already. 

He slows down suddenly and leans up, one hand fully supporting his weight as the other slowly wraps around your neck. 

“Look at me,” he says seriously, “if you get overwhelmed I need you to tap my arm three times and I’ll let go.”

You swallow hard and he can feel it, the smirk on his lips widening. He starts to tighten his grip as his hips move faster again, maintaining eye contact that’s almost too intense. You don’t notice much at first but he hits a certain point and you can feel the restriction then. 

You grab his wrist, but not to pull him off. You give him a little smile to let him know it was good and he tightens his hand just slightly more. You can feel how close you are then and he must know because his thrusts falter for a second. 

Before you know it you’re tumbling over the edge, trying to say his name but barely any noise comes out. As you tighten around him he swears and lets your throat loose, finishing hard and leaning his forehead down on your collarbone. 

You both catch your breath, your fingers carding through his damp hair as he leaves a couple soft kisses on your chest. You laugh a little and Roman props himself on his elbows, smiling down at you. 

“What are you laughing about, pretty?” 

You lean in and kiss him quickly, “I can’t believe I waited to tell you to try that. It was so good.”

He agrees, finally moving to stand up and detangle himself from you. He suggests a shower that you agree to easily, asking him to carry you into the bathroom. You weren’t trusting your legs just yet. He’s gentle throughout, helping you wash your hair and even rubbing your shoulders a bit. 

It’s such a contrast to the feeling of his fingers pressing into the sides of your neck and you revel in it. When you’re finished he gets his biggest towel and wraps you up in it, kissing your forehead as he slings a towel low around his own waist. 

You wander out to his bedroom, picking up the button down he’d worn earlier and replacing your towel with that, inhaling the smell of his cologne you loved so much. You return to the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed and find Roman brushing his teeth. 

You groan, “seriously, gray sweatpants after all that? are you trying to kill me?”

He rinses his toothbrush and wipes his mouth off before stepping over to you and kissing your cheek, “I figured you might like them.”

You shoo him from the bathroom and get your own business done. You find him half asleep in bed by the time you’re finished and slide under the covers carefully. He’s quick to pull you closer, nuzzling into the crook of your neck like he loved to do at night. 

“Was that good tonight?” He asks, his words slurring a little from how tired he is. 

You kiss his head, playing with his hair gently, “sure was. I think we may have to try it again.”

“Deal. Just don’t try and flirt with the freshmen before. If you ask, you can have whatever you want.”

You blush and give a quiet ‘okay’, feeling called out. He knew you too well for you to try and play games like that. Roman’s breathing starts to level out and you find yourself wondering what else he might want to try next. You definitely had a couple questions ready for him the next morning.

[jjoutermaybanks]

Electric Love || JJ Maybank x Reader

part one part two part three

summary: you’re the newest member of the pogues, a girl living with one foot in the rich life and one foot in the risky life. you fit right in with the crew, especially the charismatic, annoyingly attractive JJ. how will a drunken night of deep conversation and a dreaded summer party change your friendship forever?

word count: 4k

warnings: reference to abuse, flirting and fluff

*not my gif, credit to owner*

PART ONE

The Wreck was buzzing with activity.  Your shift was nearly over, but the number of diners had yet to start shrinking, and you had a feeling you wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.  Kiara, your best friend and coworker, hurried from table to table trying to keep up with the mid-afternoon rush.  Plates of steaming food were piled high on your tray as you wove around the tables, depositing drinks and appetizers with ease.  Although you’d only been working there for the month of June, you’d slid right in and picked up all the right skills to be a prized employee.  Kiara met your encouraging gaze across the room and smiled, throwing a thumbs up.  She was probably thinking about the plans you two had with the guys after work; in a matter of minutes, John B, Pope, and JJ would burst through the doors and raise hell in the small restaurant.  You couldn’t wait.

Despite the short amount of time you’d been in the Outer Banks, you loved every second of it.  You and your mom made the move pretty suddenly, and you were worried you’d spend the summer friendless and wandering around the island alone.  But within a week, you’d noticed a certain group of misfits always parading around causing chaos.  For a few days you shadowed them, fascinated by the adventures they went on.  And then one day, the loud-mouthed blonde one spotted you sitting alone at a beachside bench and demanded you join them on their latest expedition.  Later you learned his name was JJ, and you owed him everything because he introduced you to a life of exhilaration.

Now, weeks later and after many perilous antics, you were just another Pogue.  You gossiped with Sarah, joked with John B. and Pope, ranted with Kiara, and flirted with JJ.  He was just so damn charming, and his smile made you roll your eyes as much as blush.  It was all friendly banter of course, because of the no Pogue-on-Pogue macking rule.  However, Sarah and John B. sort of complicated that now, and even Pope and Kiara were crossing some lines.  No one had offered to change or eliminate the rule, so everything was sort of in limbo.  You knew not to push things with JJ though, since you wanted to preserve the friendship.  The last thing you wanted was to ruin things and have to spend the summer alone again.

Time was ticking, and in a few short minutes you’d technically be free to go.  But upon seeing Kiara’s overwhelmed expression as she approached, you knew it would be more than a few minutes.

“Dad wants us to stick around till the crowd lessens,” she explained with a pout.  “The only thing is it’ll take hours for this crowd to disappear.”  She gestured to the overly full dining room, and you groaned.

“Aren’t there people coming to take over our shifts?  We have plans.”  You had been anticipating the day for a week now; after work, a quick trip of delivering groceries would help you unwind before the party the Pogues were throwing on the beach.  It would be your first real Pogue party, and you couldn’t wait to meet more kids from The Cut and even some snobs from Kookville.  Despite not living in The Cut and having a bit more money than your friends, you didn’t consider yourself anything close to a Kook.  Your mom might have been trying to get in with the rich crowd, but you were more than satisfied with your band of misfits.

“Yeah, but you know we’re the only capable waitresses who work here,” Kiara joked, and you chuckled.  She was right; you two always got the most tips and the most tables turned in the shortest time.  You were the dream team of The Wreck, so if anyone could deal with this crowd it was you two.

The next ten minutes you both hustled to get as much done as possible; you were practically running to give people their bills so they’d be out the door.  And this speedy method actually worked; enough tables cleared that you could take a breather.

All of a sudden, a familiar chorus of voices sounded behind you.  Whirling around, you grinned as you spotted your best friends marching into the dining area, already chanting and laughing and annoying the customers.  This was their best tactic since it forced Kiara’s dad to let you two leave.  Once you left, the obnoxious teenage boys would be out of his hair.  It was a win-win.

“Y/N!” JJ called, blue eyes sparking with mischief as he swung his body around the tables to stand beside you.  His beachy blonde hair was pushed off his forehead and blowing in the warm breeze, his tanned skin shining with slight sweat.  “I almost forgot how good you look in that apron,” he commented, whistling approvingly as you smacked his arm and smiled.

“No hitting on me while I’m on duty,” you scolded him, suppressing a laugh as he mocked you for saying duty.  You practically had to shove him away in order to finish your shift, but his infectious energy caused a wide grin to stretch across your lips all the same.

“Some time today, Kie,” John B. whined, drumming his hands on the tabletop for effect.  “So much to do, so little time.”

Kiara snorted, pouring fresh lemonade into a few glasses.  “The party doesn’t start till sundown, and besides Pope doesn’t have that many groceries to deliver.”

Pope shrugged, admitting she was right.  “But still, wouldn’t you rather waste the day on the water than in here?”

Kiara frowned, glancing at the clock on the wall.  “You’re right,” she grumbled.  Her brown eyes peered around the corner for her dad, spotting him and pasting on the sweetest smile she could muster.  “Alright Dad, that’s it!  Me and Y/N are outta here!”

Before he could protest, you both tore off your aprons and threw them onto the counter, sprinting out of the restaurant as fast as you could.  It was only a short run to the docks where the trusty HMS Pogue was waiting for your arrival.  As you ran, you felt Pope, Kie, and John B. hot on your heels with JJ closer to your side.  You liked to brag that you were by far the fastest Pogue, and quite a few sprints had proved that point.  JJ still liked to challenge you though, and today was no different.  As he tried to keep up with you, you laughed and tilted your face to the sun, letting your long hair out of the messy bun you kept it in for work.  As the long waves of sun-bleached hair fell on your shoulders, blown back by the wind as you ran, JJ faltered his step and began to lag behind.

“Ha!” you yelled triumphantly, fist pumping.  “Slow-pokes!”  You were the first one to reach the dock, breathing hard but satisfied with the exhilarating run.  JJ was second, and he hunched over his knees, panting.

“Damn you, Y/L/N,” he wheezed, shooting you a toothy grin.  “Caught me off guard with that sexy hair flip.”

You laughed and pushed at his shoulder.  “In your dreams, Pogue.”  You glanced over and saw Sarah jogging over to join you, stopping first to kiss John B. of course.  You wrinkled your nose at their PDA, but also felt a pang of jealousy.  They were crazy in love, it was hard not to envy them.

JJ caught you staring and elbowed you.  “Could be us, you know,” he prompted, a suggestive smirk on his lips.  “You’re missing out big time.”

You were about to sock him on the chest when Pope forced himself between you two to get on the boat.

“Alright guys, we actually have a job to do now.  My dad’s probably waiting for us.”  You gave JJ a warning expression and mouthed I’ll get you later before climbing onto the boat.  John B. took the wheel with Sarah at his side, and Pope and Kiara sat next to each other by the front.  JJ whipped his shirt off and sprawled out on the back floor, arms flexed behind his head as he soaked up the hot sun.  You sat beside him, legs swinging as you felt the spray of water when the boat took off.  The lazy sun, the warm water...you were absolutely in love with the Outer Banks.

The group chattered endlessly for the whole ride, never ceasing even when Pope went to collect the groceries for the day.  JJ attempted to show off with a hacky sack, but ended up kicking it into the water.

“No no no no!” he wailed, arms waving wildly.  “John B., you gotta stop bro!  Man overboard!”  Slowly, the boat came to a halt in the water, and everyone laughed as JJ pretended to freak out.  “I can’t see her anymore!  Oh my god, I loved that sack!”

You scoffed, standing up and discarding your shirt.  You had spotted the hacky sack floating just a few meters back  “Relax, JJ, you’ll survive.”  You then took off your shorts, left only in a bathing suit, before stepping onto the side of the boat and swiftly diving into the water.  You broke through the surface and were immersed into refreshing water.  Coming up for air, you turned back to the boat and saw JJ leaning over the side of the boat, gaping at your bold action.

“Hey!  Now we have two men overboard!” he called, and you giggled as you kicked your legs to stay afloat.  Spotting the hacky sack, you dove back under and swam over to it, snatching it up and waving it in the air.

“She’s a hero, ladies and gentlemen!” Sarah announced with a grin.  You pretended to bow and accept the congratulations before swimming back to the boat, pausing before grabbing JJ’s extended hand.  He only needed to use one arm to pull you up effortlessly, landing you sitting off the side and smiling breathlessly before tossing him his beloved hacky sack.

“You’re welcome, you big baby,” you chuckled, gasping when he suddenly gave you a big hug.  Your dripping body pressed against his bare torso, and you smiled into his shoulder as he squeezed you tight.

“How can I ever repay you?” he said dramatically, leaning back to meet your eyes.  “I might just give you a kiss I love you so much right now.”  As his face neared yours you quickly pushed it away with your hand, giggling as he let out a whooshing breath of disappointment.

“Not today, slick.”  Swinging your legs over onto the floor, you flipped your hair and ran your hands through the damp strands already drying from the sun.  The rest of the groceries were delivered without a hitch, and soon enough it was evening and the sun was beginning to set.  After docking the boat, the group gathered in a circle to discuss the plan.

“Meet back here at 8,” John B. instructed.  “We’ll bring all the coolers and cups out onto the beach.  Then it’s party time.”  

JJ let out a whoop, and everyone else broke into excited grins.  You especially were beyond excited, and couldn’t wait to get ready with Kiara and Sarah.  The three of you had of course planned outfits in advance, getting advice from each other before deciding.  Everything was ready and waiting at Sarah’s, and as the group split up you three practically ran back to her house.

With music blasting in her room and clothes strewn about the floor, you began to get ready.  Makeup was always minimal since you never knew when you’d be swimming, so just some moisturizer and an eyelash curl was all you needed.  You loved the sun-kissed, beachy vibe your tanned skin and curled hair was giving off.  You looked like a fun, adventurous girl who lived a carefree life.  It was a welcome change from your usual appearance.

“Pope was totally checking me out, right?” Kiara wondered aloud, fiddling with a hair tie as she attempted a half-up hairstyle.  “I mean, I know I looked good, but did he notice?”

“Totally,” Sarah confirmed, plucking at a few stray hairs in her eyebrows.  “He’d be an idiot not to be into you, Kie.  And JJ was definitely going crazy over your little dive, Y/N.”  Sarah’s suggestive expression made you throw a pillow in her direction, laughing.

“No way,” you refuted.  “No Pogue-on-Pogue macking, remember?”

The two girls snorted.  “Uh, hello, Y/N,” Sarah said.  “Me and John B. do a lot more than macking, you know.”

Pretending to be grossed out, you feigned a shudder.  “Ew, absolutely not.  JJ’s my friend, I’d hate to ruin things by trying to be something more.”

Kiara frowned, finished with her hair and now leaning against the wall.  “That’s how I feel about Pope.  But I don’t want to be just friends anymore.”

Sarah stood up from her desk, fully dressed and primped for the party.  “I say go for it, Kie.  You only live once.”  She checked herself out in the mirror, nodding approvingly.  “Ladies, we outdid ourselves tonight.”

The three of you looked good, you had to admit.  Even in the dark people would be watching you all, checking out the hot Pogues who totally overshadowed the stuck-up Kook princesses.  You could just see JJ’s jaw dropped when you got to the beach, and resisted rolling your eyes even now.

It was a short walk back to the beach, and by the time you got there it was pitch black.  No one had really arrived yet other than the Pogues and a few stragglers from The Cut.  The Kooks were always fashionably late, and it was only a matter of time before the walking Hollister models arrived.

Pope, John B., and JJ were pouring drinks into red cups and passing them around, and you accepted a cup with a grin.  Getting drunk was fun, and you loved the way you felt when tipsy.  Like you were lighter than air, and the world had a bubbly, gold-tinted glow.  Downing the first cup too quickly, you choked a little at the end and rubbed at your chin, flushing in slight embarrassment.  JJ raised his eyebrows and handed you another full cup, catching your eye and smiling.

Soon, the party was in full swing.  Kooks and Cut kids alike swarmed the sand, downing alcohol and dancing around half-drunk.  Sarah mingled with a few Kooks, dragging John B. with her despite his less than thrilled expression.  Pope and Kiara were of course together, debating some meaningless topic while trying to keep the stupid grins off their faces.  JJ was manning the drinks, hat twisted backwards like he always did to keep his hair off his face.  You were a few drinks in, already feeling the effects of the alcohol.  You’d always been a light-weight, and after one more drink you’d be fully drunk.

It didn’t take long to reach this point, and then you were stumbling across the sand towards JJ, calling his name in a slurred voice as you sloshed your half-filled cup.

“JJ!  JJ!  Heyyy.”  You grabbed his arm when you reached him, stumbling a little as you lost your balance.  He reached out to steady you, and you giggled ridiculously.  “Can I have more?” you slurred, still swaying on your feet.  “I wanna taste the clouds.”

JJ smiled, taking your cup from you and setting it down.  “I don’t think so, princess.  One more drink and you’d be on another planet.”

“Ooh!  Which one?  Mars?  I always liked Jupiter.”  Attempting to grab your cup off the sand, you felt yourself falling and scrambled to stay up.  Luckily JJ’s strong arms grabbed you before you face-planted, and you laughed into his chest.  “Sorry ‘bout that.  I’m an...unbalanced drunk.”

He grinned, nodding at your explanation.  “Makes sense.  How are you liking your first beach party, anyway?”

“It’s so fun!” you said too loudly.  “Everyone is so nice, even the snobs that Sarah introduced me to.  If they loosened their buttons a little I think they’d be tolerable.”  JJ laughed at your drunken retelling, taking a swig of beer.  He looked a bit drunk himself, but way less than you.  JJ knew how to handle his alcohol, whereas you were a stuttering, stumbling mess.

A thought crossed your mind, and you tapped him repeatedly on the chest.  “JJ, JJ, JJ,” you repeated, until he grabbed your hand and exclaimed, “What?!”

“You know what would make this even better?” you asked, meeting his shining blue eyes.  “A swim.”

Immediately he snorted at your proposition, crossing his arms.  “Right now?  It’s pitch-black out and the water’s probably cold.”

You shrugged your shoulders, unaffected by his protest.  “So what?  The surf looks so calm and serene, I just want to float, you know?”  Without waiting for his answer, you whipped your shirt off and unbuttoned your shirts.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” JJ said, putting his hands up.  “What is it with you and random stripping?  Not that I’m complaining, but--”

Pulling your shorts off and standing only in your bathing suit, you put your hands on your hips and pretended to pout.  The sight made JJ’s eyes flash, and he licked his lips. 

“Look, I’m swimming.  Join me if you want.”  Before the last word left your lips JJ had practically torn off his shirt and kicked off his boots.  His shorts hung low on his hips, and in the moonlight his defined abs shone like chiseled marble.  Biting your lip, you turned quickly and skipped down the shore.

Dark black waves lapped gently at the sand, and when you dipped a toe in you felt the cold temperature and flinched.  But a little cold wouldn’t stop you, and as JJ came up behind you you began wading into the water.

“Holy shit!” JJ exclaimed, the sound of splashing indicating he had jumped upon contact with the frigid water.  “You really want to cross hypothermia off your bucket list?”

“Just for a few minutes,” you swore, heading deeper and deeper until the water reached your shoulders.  It was definitely cold, and froze the blood in your veins until your heart thumped in your chest.  But it was also weirdly exhilarating, and you let out a crazed laugh before dunking your head fully under the water.

“You’re absolutely crazy!” JJ cried, shivering visibly as he tried to keep up with you.  Since he was taller less of him was submerged, so you splashed water at his exposed chest.  “Hey!” he protested, but there was a grin on his face.  You leaned back to float, spreading your arms out as you gazed at the star-filled night sky.

“Isn’t this so beautiful?” you murmured, treading water softly to stay afloat.  JJ followed your gaze to the sky, expression unconvinced before glancing back at you.

“You’re so drunk, anything would be beautiful.”  As he said this, his eyes glazed over slightly as they traced your face.  Not noticing, you sighed blissfully.

A few minutes of silence passed, before JJ spoke.  “Alright, Y/N, truth time.  I hardly know anything about you and we’re damn near best friends.”

You frowned.  “You know plenty about me, what are you talking about?”

He rolled his eyes.  “I know stupid things, like you prefer sunrises over sunsets, you hate every kind of seafood except shrimp, and your favorite color is orange.  I want to know the deep stuff.”  He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis.

You furrowed your brows.  “When did I tell you my favorite color?”

“You didn’t, or at least not specifically.  One morning you dragged us out to the beach at like, 5 am in the morning just so we could see the sunrise.  When the sun had just broken over the water, you pointed to the clouds and said that that was your favorite color in the whole world, that muted, pale orange.”

If you weren’t so drunk JJ’s words would’ve touched your heart.  They were so personal, and no one had ever paid attention to you like that before.  But because the alcohol made your brain fuzzy, you just laughed and nodded.  “That was a good day.”

A gentle splash hit your face, and JJ said, “Come on, this is a safe space.  Open up to your best friend JJ.”

“Fine,” you countered, wondering where to start.  You knew the only reason you were opening up was because of how drunk you were.  But you also knew it would be nice to actually tell someone about yourself, after keeping it bottled up for so long.  “Well, you know I live with my mom.  I don’t have a dad.”  You paused, but JJ was silent.  “Well, I have a dad, obviously, child-making process and all that.  But he left when I was nine.”  You said the words simply, matter-of-factly.  Truthfully, you hadn’t thought about your dad in a long time.  “Which actually kind of sucks.  That he left when I was nine, I mean.  When you’re really young and your dad leaves, it’s fine because you can’t remember him.  But I knew my dad.  He was the guy that made really good waffles on Sundays and picked me up from school sometimes.  So when he left...well, I couldn’t just act like he never existed.”

JJ’s only reaction was to blink slowly, gaze trained on your face.  His normal light-hearted smirk was softened slightly into a more serious expression.  

His comforting gaze made you feel like you could say anything right now, so you continued.  “Anyway, my mom never really got over it.  I think she wishes she could’ve gone after him, chased after the love of her life, you know?  But because she had me to deal with, she couldn’t.  I feel like she hates me a little bit.”

"No way, she can’t hate you,” JJ responded firmly.

“How do you know?”  It was more of a rhetorical question, but JJ answered anyway.

“Because it’s impossible for anyone to hate you.”  You were lightly stunned at his honest reply, and faltered a bit in the water.  But he said nothing more to ease the sudden tension, making your mouth dry up.

Uncomfortable with the silence, you joked, “So how’s that for opening up, huh best friend?”

This brought a big smile to his lips, and he looked at you closely before saying, “Wonderful job.  I feel closer to you than ever.”

Smiling, you still weren’t thinking straight you were so drunk.  Stupidly, you said, “Hey, I guess we have more in common than I thought; we both have daddy issues!”

You knew it was the wrong thing to say when his smile immediately dropped.  JJ’s dad was a sore subject that he hardly ever brought up.  You knew the basics that Kiara had filled you in on; that his dad hit him, oftentimes a lot more than just a simple punch.  You knew whenever you saw JJ with a busted lip or black eye that it was his old man’s doing.  This joke was insensitive and way too overbearing, and you regretted it as soon as you said it.

But JJ didn’t make you feel bad for it, instead plastered on a smile and nodded.  “Got that right, Y/L/N.”  You swam in the water for a few more minutes, until you announced even you were getting a little chilly, and you made your way back to shore.

Teeth chattering, you hugged yourself tightly as you rejoined the group.  Thankfully there were a few blankets that JJ and you gladly wrapped around yourselves, slowly warming up after the frigid swim.

“Having fun, Y/N?” John B. asked as he walked over to you.  You nodded, accepting the drink he offered you even though you knew you didn’t need it.  Anything to dull the awkwardness that just happened with JJ.  Taking a huge sip of the alcohol, you felt it burn down your throat.  

“This girl is crazy,” JJ announced.  “Thinks swimming at this hour is fun.”

John B. grinned, giving you a high-five.  “You make JJ seem like a stick in the mud, Y/N!  Way to go.”

You smiled, and felt JJ’s eyes on you as he scoffed in mock offense.  You met his gaze, and he was watching you with a challenging expression.  But there was also something else there, something you usually pushed him away for.  Tonight, though, with too much alcohol in your system and your guard completely down, you wouldn’t be opposed to a little Pogue-on-Pogue macking for once.

[sims2bellaswan]

pas de deux VI [Bruno Bucciarati x Reader | Risotto Nero x Reader]

[SFW]

AO3 VERSION

PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER

You’ve worked your whole life to earn a place in the Rome ballet company, yet everyone seems to work against you.

Between the stress of working to match the other dancers to unforeseen romantic issues, problems just seem to pile up.

Trish’s cigarette hung from her lip as she listened to the other dancers gossip. Her appearance greatly contrasted that at the party the night before; her face showed signs of exhaustion and a hangover. Ballerinas were not permitted to smoke, but that hadn’t stopped any of the girls from doing so on their lunch break.

They spoke, quickly, about many topics. Some pointed out news articles to their wiry, little friends, while others simply gossiped by word of mouth. Trish did not take part in this ritual, too stubborn to engage and far too disillusioned to care. Though, her ears would pick up words of interest when necessary. She was much like her father in that sense.

This afternoon, the girls prattled on about how a famous ballerino’s daughter was put in jail two days ago, how those two dancers from Japan were to get married soon, and how one of the newer company dancers was supposedly sleeping with the ballet master.

That was a word of interest, yes. Trish took the cigarette from her lips, keeping it at knee level between her pointer and middle finger. “What was that?” Her brows creased the middle of her forehead.

“I’m sorry?” The dancer that had mentioned it was bewildered that she was even showing an interest in gossip. The younger prima hardly spoke if it wasn’t a necessity.

“What did you say?” Trish spoke slightly firmer, making it a point that she wanted to hear gossip. Both wildly out of character and not her cup of tea, the other ballerinas paused their conversations to hear the news as well.

“Oh,” The woman laughed, breathlessly and awkwardly, “I had just heard one of the newer members was sleeping with the ballet master.” She croaked like a frog under Trish’s scrutinizing gaze. “I don’t know who, though, no one seems to know which one it is anymore.”

“I hope it isn’t one of the boys.” Another ballerina added, sighing into her palm. “Master Nero is kind of cute, I’d be heartbroken if he were gay or something.” Her friend slapped her arm, then they both laughed.

Trish found this information odd. The conversation continued around her, girls chatting now about which person they found most attractive in the company. Yet, she could only consider how Risotto Nero wouldn’t do something as stupid as that. She had known Signore Nero when he was still a dancer and she was still a child; he worked with, then under, her father for a very long time. He wasn’t the type to seduce a dancer into ruining her career like that.

Evening settled onto the world like a warm blanket. Trish extinguished her cigarette, dropping it in a cup on the windowsill and spitting out the window. Light slowly brightened the city from windows and streetlamps, bouncing off the stone streets and shimmering to the naked eye. The wind slowed down from that afternoon and while it was said that there would be rain, couples still walked hand-in-hand down the street.

Evening for you, however, meant the start of a tumultuous night spent working. You couldn’t go home, eat dinner, and spend the rest of the night lounging about on the couch in your apartment. You had to go dance more than you already have. With a man that you’re certain despises you.

The doors to the company looked more decrepit at night. This was a fact you thought you'd understand, yet as you stood before the large wooden doors, you found yourself shivering. Maybe it was the cooler night air, but something was wrong right now. The vibes felt off. With a start, you pushed them open.

The lights were still on inside. As you walked, you found dancers strewn about the place like dolls. Some slept on their friends’ shoulder, others were arguing over phones or looking up Uber prices. You supposed some dancers stayed later than others. You kept your distance.

Fearful like being caught for a crime you didn't commit, you quietly made your way to the studio room. You opened the door to find your ballet master, mid stretch, in front of the mirror. His form was almost godlike, his flexibility hardly fading with age or lack of practice. You admired in awe for a moment, then cleared your throat. Your phone said 7:02. You hoped you weren’t too late.

He sat up, giving you a quick glance over. You hadn’t kept your leotard on, you thought leggings and a tank top would work fine. He said nothing but his expression wasn’t one you liked. You’d have to get used to it. He stood, clearing the floor so you could change your shoes.

“Wear your pointe shoes. You’ll be en pointe for this.” He stated, his back to you. You were not in the mood to be en pointe, but in this room, whatever the ballet master says, goes. You slid on your shoes, quickly tying the ribbon.

Even without his civilian shoes, Risotto stood at least a head over you. You felt like a child next to him, which was probably how he felt as well, considering how lowly he thought of you. You stood at the ready, in first position, for him to begin his instructions.

“You will be learning the pas de deux from act two of Giselle, understand?” He finally turns to you, watching as you find the center of the studio floor. He finds a similar position behind you.

He says a form, you take it. En pointe, you take little steps backwards, as per his instructions. You knew the Giselle pas de deux, not well but it’s more than nothing. It’s an intimate dance, with lots of lifting and touching your partner. Normally, you’d love to dance the technically difficult piece but with him? You tried to determine his level of seriousness as you finished the move in his arms, hands wrapped at your waist.

You catch the two of you in the mirror, his expression matches yours in it’s solemn nature. You lose sight of yourself as you lift your leg and arms, once again per his instructions. Risotto is quiet for a moment as he spins you, softly. Your head turned away from both him and the mirror, you can’t see his expression anymore, cant check if it's morphed from the sadness he showed to disdain for you. It made you nervous.

“Good,” is the only thing he has said so far, beyond choreography. It imbues something in your chest, whether that be spite or pride is hard to tell anymore. Risotto pushed your torso down, now level with your hips. “Lift your leg higher, straighter.” His voice is quiet. The room is so serene.

You rise back up, your extended leg wraps around his hips and your head falls into the crook of his neck. His firm hand stays at your waist as he flourishes with his free one. You open your eyes again to catch another glimpse in the mirror. He looks so professional, his brows scrunched in the anguish Albrecht felt, lips parted slightly in a frown.

You move away from his chest, extending your leg further. Both his hands on your waist, you move your leg for a moment then return to the ground.

“Ready?” He asks, again, so quietly. You nod, not leaving your position. You know what comes next, you have to nail several lifts, returning to arabesque everytime he sets you down.

Risotto lifts you like you weigh nothing, as you mime a grand jete. He lifts you again, this time completely over his head and you bend your back as much as humanly possible to get your legs as straight as humanly possible. You land in an arabesque.

“Stop.” He lets your waist go. If it weren’t for the balance you spent years perfecting, you would’ve fallen on your ass.

You huffed, slightly, “What was wrong with that? That was the best lift I’ve ever done!”

“No, it was sloppy.” He stands in front of you, between yourself and the mirror. Risotto sighs, he’s tired. “You were so focused on your legs, you forgot every other part of your body.” His tone grew more frustrated as he continued. “Your arms were all over the place. Your bend was too far.” You had to hold back something in you that wanted to punch him.

“So? You can't see my hands and back on the stage, but my legs are on full view.” Your hands flew to your hips. Your own tone suddenly took a frustrated note as well.

He stepped closer to you, emphasizing his words. “So, it’s not correct.”

You bit at the raw flesh of your inner cheek. You were no longer sure if you felt more of a need to storm out or cry. “It was never a problem before.” Your voice firm, your resolve steeled, you felt a wave of confidence flood over you as the words simply left your mouth.

Risotto closed his eyes, “It is now.” Oh, look, there went your confidence, right out the door. He moved back to the center of the floor. “Again. From the top.” You, dejectedly, return to your position and begin again.

He had you do the entire first quarter of the Giselle Act II pas de deux seventeen times. The two minute section felt longer every time you did it. But, each time you did it, he found something different to critique. You think it was the 6th repeat that you caught his eye in the mirror and he had looked away quickly. You were sure you had caught him looking for things to scrutinize.

As even he began to feel tired, the night slowed down. He slowly stopped barking orders at you and actually started to show you what to do. You would stand at the barre, him behind you, and his hands would adjust you slightly.

Finally, the session ended around 11pm. You never wanted to have to do that again, yet somehow you don’t think you’ll get a choice.

You collapsed on to your bed, almost too tired to turn your alarm on early so you could shower in the morning. Sweat could definitely wait for every muscle in your body to stop aching.

The stars shone through the curtain, wind softly touching them and causing a billow across your room. Had you been awake, you would’ve remarked how as a kid you would’ve thought it looked like a dancer’s skirt. It would have been a very creative and astute observation. But, you slept soundly, seeing neither the stars nor the bubbling curtains.

[sleepyfaceandsnark]

Distant Lover, One Day I'll Hold You Like the Sun Holds the Moon

Summary:

When Steve leaves a letter for the new resident at the lake house he stayed at during the summer he doesn't expect to get a letter back, or such puzzling exchange that'll make him ask is this fate? Or is this just an expertly crafted practical joke?

AO3

January 4th 2012

Dear New Resident,

I hope you enjoy this quaint house as much as I did. May it feel you with many times of peace. Please if you receive any mail addressed to me to forward it to my current address listed at the bottom of this letter. The paw prints on the dock and the box in the attic were here when I got here. Not sure who the box belongs to.

Enjoy your stay,

Steve R

Steve leaves the letter in the mailbox and takes his last bag of luggage. He didn't so much lie in the letter it really was a nice, quaint place and it was very peaceful but regardless of those facts he couldn't wait to leave the lake house behind him. It wasn't the lake house's fault he had a bad break up and had to go back to shifts at the emergency room after his private practice lost their funding and he certainly didn't believe it was cursed so it was okay to omit his personal drama from the note. He takes one last look at the house, placed in the middle of a lake 5 miles wide with large windows being the only source of outside exterior walls. It gives the illusion just anyone could look in but there was no one around to do so, and even then by some technological advances of some kind Steve couldn't bother to remember, the glass reflects in a way that disables anyone from seeing in. The walkway from land to house is around 10 yards and narrow, leaving enough room for one person and maybe a dog Steve thinks as he rolls his eyes looking at the pawprints again. He finally jumps in his car and pulls away from the house with promise he'll be back to check on it soon.

February 3rd

Bucky Barnes drives his truck down the gravel road towards the secluded lake house he decided, on a whim, to rent. A stupid decision possibly, especially for a bartender, but a great place for him to get peace to write. He checks the mailbox and sees a letter written by the previous inhabitant. He slings his only bag back over his shoulder and slides his fingers though the flap of the envelope to open it as he walks up the walkway. He unfolds it as he puts the keys he was given in the lock, flicks the lights on by the door, and drops his bag down. He walks to the couch and starts reading.

Quaint? Definitely. He got that memo when he checked out the place. He glances quickly at the bottom to see the address he's supposed to forward the mail to and goes back up to reading.

Paw prints on the dock? Not sure he remembers seeing those unless he wasn't paying attention when he was shown the place, or even just now. He'll check in the morning.

Box? That could be interesting. Soon as he's settled and orders some food he'll find his way up to the attic.

He puts the letter down. Okay so no notion of anything be haunted. That's good. Except maybe the mysterious box.

His food comes and he puts on the tv, setting it up when he was waiting for the delivery. Of course setting up the tv took longer than the thought so he didn't have time to look in the attic for the mysterious box. He finishes his dinner, discarding the remnants in the trash. He sits back down to finish the episode of whatever mindless tv program he settled on to rid himself of scrolling through all of the channels. He already forgot the name of it but it was a rerun of some show about people jumping through impossible obstacles. Bucky sits back and wonder if he could do that, maybe even win there prize...if there even was a prize. Note to self look up how to apply to American obstacle course show or something...

He turns it off after the episode ends resisting the urge to let it go to the next one and decides now is a good time as any to look up at the attic.

He pulls the covering down, revealing a small latter, and climbs up. He peaks his head through the hole and notices how empty the room is. He climbs through regardless and walks around the room seeing a few pieces of furniture, some with sheets covering it some covered in dust. That's odd. Almost as if no one has been up here in years. He looks around some more but doesn't see anything resembling a box. Maybe the letter was old and not only did the other inhabitants paint over the paw prints but also got rid of the box (and never dusted). Shame he was curious.

He checks the letter again and there was no date besides the day and month. Maybe it was January 4th of another year?

Bucky sighs and goes back to the television, scrolling through again until he falls on some movie that was halfway done. He falls asleep on the couch. Next day he looks around the house, in daylight this time, and sees what could possibly be fixed. He doesn't notice much in the house besides some rusty hinges which wont be a huge project so he goes outside to look. He walks on the walkway still not seeing the paw prints that were supposedly there however he does notice the paint chipping, pieces of it coming of in his hand as he slides it down. Looks like he'll need a trip to the nearest hardware store for some paint. It'll probably be easiest to just match the black that's already on it as much as he'd like to try his hand at a bold color change.

Luckily the hardware store was nearby so about a half an hour later he has the paint, brushes, a roller (in case that's easier), and a tray to dump the paint in.

About an hour in, and not even halfway done, he hears something near the bushes on the other side of the road of the house. He hears something jump out of it and the light scratching of nails on the pavement. He's about to turn around and face whatever beast decided to intrude on his peaceful Lake House when he hears a playful bark. The best, or otherwise known as a Golden Retriever, gallops towards him tongue flopping in the wind. Bucky manages to dodge out of the dog's way but unfortunately the paint pan didn't make it. The dog's feet run through it, knocking the paint can over as well in the process, and continues to run down the walkway and towards the house. Bucky stops the dog as it's feet touch the front porch of the house, and thanks himself for closing the door.

"Hey, buddy. What're you doing?" Bucky asks the dog as if the dog will answer him back 'Oh nothing much just going for my mid day jog'.

Bucky laughs to himself . “Alright let me see if I can get you cleaned up,” he says to the dog. He put his hand on the door knob but stops himself. Oh right. House that’s technically not his, dog that’s definitely not his with paint on his paws. Probably wouldn’t make a good mixture.

“Umm…” Bucky turns back to the dog who is sitting patiently. “Stay,” he apprehensively orders, pointing to the ground. “Stay,” He repeats as he opens the door. “Stay.” He says again as he moves his body backwards into the door, not leaving room for the dog to come in. Besides extending his head to the door the dog stays still.

Bucky rushes to the kitchen and looks in the drawers for a dish towel of some kind. Nothing. God the previous people really didn’t leave shit. He sighs and takes the roll of paper towels he had got on his way back from the hardware store. He ripped some off and folded it as he wet it under the sink quickly. He walks back to the front door mostly expecting the dog to run off, which he actually did think it did until he opens the door fully and sees it laying down on the porch near the door.

“Well at least you’re a good listener,” Bucky says, lowering himself to the ground. He grabs a paw, darkened with paint. The dog lets him, wagging its tail as Bucky uses the cloth to wipe off some of the paint. “Even if you did ruin my walkway…” He looks past the dog to long cement connecting the house to land. “Wait a minute…” He gets up and sees the paw prints all the way from towards the road to his house. The walkway, the painted paw prints. He walks over and brushes his shoe over one. It’s already dry. Paw prints on the walkway just like the letter described.

He walks back over to the dog and finishes cleaning its paws. He wears a puzzled look on his face as he thinks, much to the dog’s displeasure. Bucky feels a light kick on his face as he notices the dog roll on his back, asking for a belly rub. This shakes Bucky out of his trance as he laughs again at his new friend and obliges. The dog’s paws are clean and Bucky packs up the remaining paint, he’ll finish tomorrow. He heads inside, this time not giving the dog any orders so he follows him inside. Bucky doesn’t mind. He grabs the letter from the table by the couch and rereads it. He shakes his head again, maybe this dog has done this before? Or any dog for that matter? He sighs, looks through one of his bags for a piece of paper and decides to write a letter back. Tomorrow, after getting the dog checked at the vet, he’ll pick up some envelopes and stamps.

[the-melting-world]

Warm Water 🍋

Kipling x Tikos

~ In which a humble gardener has dinner with a daring pirate…

This 🍵 was infused with “Warm Water” by BANKS

I had so much fun writing this fic with @dreams-of-the-arcana’s Tikos the pirate! So, technically this is Tikos and Kipling’s third date, which *cough cough* usually means….

cw: slow burn lemon

~ 1.8k words

Kipling Bronne is about to board a ship set to sail for Nevivon. She’s traveling on business to pick up a shipment of a rare ivy that doesn’t export outside of the port. To Kip’s surprise, the captain of the ship has hired a certain blond pirate and his crew for security.

***

“No wonder the tickets were so cheap,” Kip grumbled.

Tikos the pirate tossed his head back and laughed good-naturedly. He casually threw his arm around her shoulder and steered her up the ramp onto the deck. 

“Kip, come on. You have nothing to worry about! Think of my presence as nothing but a small insurance policy. Trust me, these trips are so standard that the chances of us running into petty thieves is slim to none.”

His words caused Kip to relax a little, but being out at sea still made her nervous. She hadn’t been on a boat since she left her island more than a decade ago. Tikos may not have known the source of Kip’s unease, but he was quick to detect it. So he turned her until she was facing him and asked, “Would you like to join me for dinner tonight, Bee? I’m making it from scratch.”

For a moment, Kip forgot about the past and looked up at the pirate. The midday sun reflected sharply against his bleached curls. That combined with his tapered ears and swarthy complexion made it easy to believe that he was born from some pirate fairy tale. 

“You can cook?” Kip covered her mouth at the rude slip. But Tikos merely laughed as he drew her in by her waist. 

“I love to cook.”

Kip felt her face grow warm at the close contact. Tikos didn’t seem to care that they were in plain sight of the ship’s crew and passengers. Kip lightly rested her hands against his ribs, hoping he would wait until they were below deck before making another move.

“What are you going to make?” Kip asked, trying not to lean too much into his strong chest. 

“That, my sweet honeybee,” he gently lifted her chin, “is a surprise.”

***

Rich, pearly light shone down on the ship’s passage over dark, warm waters. Kipling stood outside of Tikos’s cabin in a dress the same color as the moonlight. The garment fit snugly above her waist before it flowed and rippled loosely about her frame. Kip checked and smoothed it down for the millionth time before knocking on the door.

When Tikos opened it, his radiant smile slipped. “Kipling, you look ��”

“Too formal?” Kip blurted. “Or not formal enough?”

Tikos shook his head as he stepped through the door and pulled Kipling against him the same way he had that afternoon. Only this time when he lifted her chin, he gently muffled her questions with a slow kiss. Though this wasn’t their first time, Kip’s eyelids drifted shut and she let herself get lost in the moment. Tikos always made it so easy to do so.

“You’re too beautiful,” he said as he pulled away, “that’s all.”

Kip blinked herself back to reality. She suddenly noticed the rich scents wafting out into the hallway.

“T, that smells incredible.”

Excitement took over Tikos’s face as he tugged Kip along. “I made souvlaki!”

Before Kip could even ask what that was, Tikos guided her to a small bistro setup in the center of his cozy cabin and pulled out a chair for her. Kipling nearly fell speechless at the sight of the rustic, yet elegant spread of mezes, quartered lemons, and of course, the entree – a combination of skewered meats and vegetables. After they both took their seats, Tikos started to pour the wine. “The souvlaki is made with–”

“Wait! Don’t tell me!” Kip held up her hand. “I want to see if I can figure it out on my own first.”

Tikos’s smile nearly took over his whole face. He hardly paid attention to his food as he watched on while Kipling slowly savored each bite and worked through all the possible flavors in her head. Most of her guesses were correct, though Tikos teased her a few times to see if she would second guess herself. 

Eventually, their game evolved into more mature conversation. Kipling took a sip of her wine and asked, “Does it make you uncomfortable to talk about your eye?”

The pirate’s gaze turned sly. “What would you like to know? It’s brown like yours and looking at the most enchanting lass it’s ever seen.” He propped his chin on his fist and deliberately fluttered his eyelashes.

Kip tried to stifle her laugh behind another sip of wine. “I meant your other eye.”

Tikos pushed some of his hair back to show off the full patch as well as the scar snaking out from under it. “There is no other eye, Bee. It’s all just glass now.”

The wine suddenly tasted sour.

“I’m sorry.”

Tikos let his curls flop back into place. “I’m not. People wanted me dead. Did everything  they could and all they got out of it was a useless eye.” He stretched his arms above his head as he leaned back. “Meanwhile, I inherited the sea, the gales and the winds, the fish and all their kin.”

Kipling smiled. “Sounds like you found all the treasure a pirate could ever need.”

Tikos came out of his stretch and leaned over the table until he was face to face with Kipling.

“Exactly.”

Before long, they were sharing soft, savory exchanges, tinged with wine, lemon, and heat from the spices.

“Kipling,” Tikos whispered against her lips, “would you like to stay for dessert? And then, maybe you wouldn’t mind staying a little longer…?”

Kip met his steady gaze, but before she could answer, the door to the cabin burst open.

“Bandits! Above deck!”

Kipling felt her veins turn to ice, but Tikos grinned as he rose to the challenge. Brandishing his sword, he offered his other hand to Kipling.

“Come with me.”

Kip kept close to Tikos’s side as he whisked her down the hall and onto the deck. It wasn’t quite pandemonium to Kip’s relief. The invading pirates wanted to steal rather than harm, but they still had weapons and wouldn’t hesitate to fight off those that got in their way.

Kipling hung back while Tikos pursued those trying to take off with the most valuable cargo. The gardener clung to the side of the ship and did her best to keep track of Tikos with nothing but the moonlight to assist her.

How could he manage to smile and laugh at a time like this, she wondered. The pirate’s blade caught and tossed the light as he entered a complex sword dance. He spun, leaped over steel, and somersaulted away from some potentially fatal blows.

“Tikos – watch out!”

The pirate defended himself in time, but not without taking a hit. Kip ignored the danger and ran to his side. Luckily, the last of the bandits were retreating and Tikos’s crew were crying out in victory. By the time Kip reached her pirate, he was trying to hide his flesh wound so he could celebrate with the others.

Kip took it upon herself to tuck his arm around her shoulders and encourage him to lean on her as she guided him below deck. After she helped him out of his shirt and wrapped the wound in his side, Tikos simply couldn’t help himself.

“Sorry our dessert got ruined.” He smiled at her from where he rested on the cot. “I suppose you won’t want to have anything to do with me for the rest of the evening.”

Kipling got on her knees and came up beside him. “Oh, I want something to do with you.”

For the third time that day, Kipling kissed the pirate. But there was something more restless and urgent about it than before. When the things they both wanted couldn’t be any clearer, Kip drew back and glanced at his shirtless torso in concern.  

“What about your ribs?”

Tikos gave a lazy shrug. “I’ve been in worse shape while having, uh… quality time.”

Kip snorted and shook her head. But she took Tikos for his word and easily slipped out of her underwear before carefully straddling him so he wouldn’t have to move.

“I’ll go slow anyway,” She mused, dropping her gaze in order to focus on unfastening his belt.

Tikos sobered a little, a faint blush spreading over his freckles as he watched. “That is… much appreciated.”

Making sure that she didn’t jostle him, Kip leaned over Tikos and kissed the scar by his patch while she made herself snug and comfortable around him. Tikos grunted in amusement and then again in excitement as Kip eased into a rhythm as natural as an ocean wave.

The pirate’s hands drifted up her thighs and under her dress, resting around her waist. He held firmly to her warm curves, encouraging her with light squeezes whenever he needed a change in pace. 

Kip kissed him one last time before positioning herself upright for better control. Usually she would have let go of the shyness by now, but it was hard to do so with Tikos. She closed her eyes off from his low, teasing gaze and simply concentrated on showing him a good time.

Tikos, meanwhile, never stopped looking at the gardener. His breath hitched at the sight of her pierced nipples tenting against the cotton of her dress. His hand drifted up and touched one, which caused Kipling’s hips to buck unexpectedly.

“Oh,” Tikos gasped, barely noticing the stinging in his side. “Can you do that again, Bee? It felt good.”

Kipling opened her eyes. Her cheeks were warm with sweat and lingering blush. Some of her concentration broke as she chuckled nervously. “T, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

Tikos couldn’t resist teasing her. “Please?” He pushed the fabric of her dress back and brushed a sea-weathered thumb across her turquoise stones and hardened bead of flesh. 

“I know you want to.”

Kipling gasped and leaned over him, her hips bucking impatiently. Tikos rushed to kiss her. Kip moaned into his mouth and then into his shoulder, unable to hold back now. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she didn’t want to stop either.

“Tikos, I’m –”

“Mmmm,” Tikos hummed, “me too.” He captured her hips between his hands and held fast as they both lost a little of themselves to the other.

When their bodies finally let them rest, Tikos helped Kipling snuggle in between his good side and the wall. The food, wine, and not to mention all that action above and below deck was more than enough to send Kipling directly to dreamland.

Tikos, however, lay awake for a while, watching the humble gardener’s breath rise and fall against his tanned chest. He read the spaces between her freckles and springy curls like they were bedtime stories. Because he was a pirate and the sea was his only constant, Tikos committed Kipling’s features to memory. Then he let sleep take him to the same place as his humble gardener.

[breakmebucky]

Until The End Of The Line

Note: My hand slipped. Sorry not sorry. Word Count: 3787 Pairings: Stucky x Reader

Warnings: Magic Sex Powder, DubCon (cause of sex powder), language, smut, please don’t be a child reading this. There’s some chasing happening. This was all an excuse to write smut, I’ll be honest. PWP.

               It all started with an innocent question. A nondescript box sitting on the kitchen island with an equally nondescript note attached.

               “This is for everything you’ve done.” The note read. A smiley face for a signature and nothing else.

               “What’s in the box?” Steve asked as Y/N entered the kitchen where he and Bucky had been about to chug some post-workout shakes.

               “Who’s it from?” She answered his question with another.

               “Not sure. Just says ‘This is for everything you’ve done.’ with a smiley face.” He explained as he cut the tape on the box. Bucky and Y/N exchanged alarmed glances

               “Steve no!” Bucky and Y/N shouted at the same time as Bucky nearly vaulted over the island to knock the box out of Steve’s hands. A blue powder exploded from the box and covered both his and Steve’s faces and clothes before settling onto the floor and seeming to vanish.

               “Biological Contaminant Detected.” FRIDAY’s voice rang through the complex. “Lockdown initiated.”

               Darkness swallowed the frozen scene as the blast shutters slammed shut over the windows and the silence was pierced by the sounds of the entire complex going into full lockdown. The generator kicked on as well as the internal HVAC system that would purify and recycle the air in the compound so as to not risk the contaminant being released into the atmosphere. The emergency lighting that lined the floors and ceilings of the compound lit up and cast an eerie orange glow over the still frozen inhabitants of the room.

               “Steve you fucking idiot.” Bucky groaned as he finally moved himself off of his friend and tossed the box as far away from them as possible.

               “I thought it was a thank you from a fan or something.” Steve said, his voice soft with shock and the realization of the stupidity of what he’d done.

               “What…what do we do?” Y/N asked, still frozen where she’d been when Bucky and Steve had gone hurtling over the island with the mystery box.

               “Containment procedure says we-ah!” Steve suddenly grabbed at his chest as if something had struck him. “We need to…oh god…” His face flushed, unseen in the orange glow, and he looked over towards Bucky in horror.

               “Y/N. You need to go.” Bucky said. His voice was low and heavy with an emotion Y/N hadn’t heard before. She took a step towards the pair and they both held out a hand to stop her. “NO! Don’t...don’t come any closer to either of us.” Bucky managed to get out before his hand also flew to his chest.

               “Lock yourself in the lab. Radio for help.” Steve groaned out as his hand slid down his chest until he was palming himself through his sweatpants.

               “What the fuck is going on?!” Y/N shouted. She had been working in the lab with Bruce for a while, just trying to learn more of the sciencey-technical side of the team, but even with her masters in Biology and her extensive training and knowledge of biological weapons, she’d never heard of one that would produce this kind of reaction.

               “Go!” Steve reiterated, his voice on the edge of a growl.

               “NOW!” Bucky added, fighting to not bring himself to his feet. When Y/N still didn’t move, he kicked a chair into the wall behind her for encouragement. It worked and she was suddenly dashing down the hall, cursing Steve and his unwavering trust in the human race.

               Y/N hadn’t even made it halfway down the hallway when the sound of both men echoed off the walls behind her.

               “Wait, Y/N!” Steve called from the doorway. “Don’t go. I forgot to tell you something.”

               “Steve?” Y/N asked as she continued to slowly back down the hall towards the elevators. “What did you forget to tell me?”

               Steve braced himself against the doorway and a breathy laugh fell from his throat.

               “You smell so fucking good.” He answered. Steve turned his head as Bucky found his way to the threshold as well and asked, “Doesn’t she smell so fucking good, Buck?”

               “Steve, no.” Bucky growled out in warning, his vibranuim hand crushing the frame of the door as he fought to keep control of himself. “Y/N. Go. Now. Run.”

               She didn’t need to be told twice. Y/N dashed down the remainder of the hall as the sounds of a struggle broke out behind her. She had just made it into the elevator when the hall filled with the sounds of both men running after her. The doors shut just as they reached them and Y/N was able to catch a brief glimpse of both of their faces; a glimpse of two sets of normally blue eyes that were drowned in the black of their pupils and filled heavy with need.

               “What the fuck?” She kept repeating to herself as she hit the button that would take her to the floor the lab was on. “What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?!”

               The wall to her left erupted in the sounds of thundering footsteps that moved faster than the elevator did and Y/N stared in horror as her brain pieced together what she was hearing. Both Bucky and Steve were racing down the stairwell to beat the elevator to its stop. They were literally chasing her like wild animals. Y/N knew there was no way she could ever outrun them, not with their enhanced abilities. But she was clever and she was smart and if there was a chance of her making it to the lab to call for help, it lay in her ability to outsmart them and to hide from them.

               With time running out and the elevator nearing its destination, Y/N made the split second decision to hit the buttons for all the remaining floors before climbing on the handrail and forcing the hatch at the top of the elevator open. She heard the steps falter two floors below her as she shut the hatch behind her and waited, crouching on the elevator and trying to avoid the cables. The steps began to echo closer as the elevator closed its doors and descended another floor before stopping once again.

               “Where are you, Y/N?” Bucky’s voice shouted from the floor above her.

               “We’re not going to hurt you.” Steve assured from inside the elevator before his steps moved back into the hallway.

               One floor and she would be in the clear. One floor and she’d have a chance at getting to safety. She shifted in anticipation as the elevator dinged and the doors moved to close, but her shifting must have sounded like thunder to the enhanced super-soldier hearing of Steve’s ears because the elevator doors were suddenly blocked and they opened again, allowing him to enter the small space again.

               “I know you’re around here, Y/N.” He said, his voice growing darker every minute. “We just need to talk. We need to see if you’ve got it too. We need you, Y/N.”

               “Please, Y/N.” Bucky’s voice joined Steve’s below her and it was all Y/N could do not to scream. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

               Her foot slipped and she watched through the grate of the hatch as two pairs of blackened eyes looked up and made contact with her own.

               “There you are, little mouse.” Bucky grinned. “Come down. We won’t hurt you.”

               “Just let me go to the lab.” Y/N replied. “You’re sick and you need help. Both of you. I can help you, but I need to get to the lab.”

               “You’re right.” Bucky replied. “You can help us.”

               The hatch was knocked open suddenly and Steve’s hand wrapped around Y/N’s ankle before pulling her feet out from under her and throwing her onto the floor of the elevator. Her scream was cut short as the wind was knocked out of her, but she quickly recovered and kicked Bucky’s feet out from under him before making a dash out the door. Her brain was running through rapid-fire split-second decisions and without a clear memory of how she got there, Y/N suddenly found herself curled into a ball at the bottom of a supply closet just down the hall from the lab.

               Bucky and Steve could be heard in the hall, calling out for her and growing both more irritated and needier with each word.

               “Y/N, please.”  Bucky whined. “I just need to see you.”

               “Sweetheart, Bucky’s right. We just need to make sure you’re okay.”

               “Come out, please, Doll.”

               “We just wanna make you feel good.”

               “Wanna make you feel so good, baby.”

                 One pair of footsteps stopped outside the door to the supply closet and Y/N bit her fist to keep herself from audibly whimpering. She still had no idea what was happening to her friends and, although she had dreamed of them saying the things they were saying now –both separately and together– it was the darkness in their tone that set her on edge. A hand rested on the doorknob and time felt like it slowed to a crawl as Y/N watched the handle turn. The door opened and Bucky stared down at her, his shirt soaked in sweat and his cock standing at attention.

               “There you are, love.” He crooned lowly before grabbing her by the arm and yanking her up off the floor. He shut the door behind her and then pushed her against it before rubbing his cheek against her own. “Been looking for you everywhere, Y/N.” He pressed his hips forwards and ground his cock against her stomach as his hands slid up her arms and came to rest, one cold against her neck and one hot gripping her jaw and turning her head to the side to expose her neck. There was rush of air as Bucky inhaled her scent deeply and then choked out the exhaled breath. “Steve’s right. You smell so fucking good.”

               “Bucky, please.” Y/N plead softly. “Just let me get to the lab and I can help you.”

               “Shh.” Bucky’s hand on her jaw shifted until he was pressing a finger to her lips. “I just want to taste you.”

               Warmth flooded Y/N’s body when Bucky’s lips pressed against her own. The kiss was gentle at first, as though some humane part of him still resided inside and had control. But then his tongue was inside her mouth and the kiss grew into something needier and wilder. The hand at her throat squeezed just enough to start the coil in Y/N’s core tightening and then she felt his other hand fighting with the button of her jeans. Y/N pulled back and her hands flew to Bucky’s fumbling fingers.

               “Bucky, no.” She gasped out against his mouth. “Not like this.”

               “I just wanna make you feel good.” He insisted, swatting her hands away and popping the button of her jeans off with a quick tug. Bucky silenced Y/N’s protests with another devouring kiss as his hand slid past the band of her underwear and his fingers delved into her folds.

               “Oh fuck…” Y/N moaned, breaking away from Bucky’s mouth again as her head fell back against the closet door and her hands struggled to find something to grip onto. Bucky pressed first one and then two fingers into her and pumped them in and out with purpose, until Y/N was panting heavily and gripping his arm tightly. “Bucky….feels so good. Oh, fuck…I’m gonna…”

               “That’s right.” Steve’s voice sounded from behind Bucky. “Come all over his fingers, baby.”

               Y/N’s eyes snapped to Steve’s face and then to his hand, which was pumping his own cock furiously as he watched Bucky bring her ever closer to the edge. Something about watching Steve stroking himself while Bucky fucked his fingers deeper and faster into her sent Y/N over the hill and crashing down in bliss.

               Bucky pulled his fingers out of her and brought them to his mouth, languidly licking her juices off and moaning as he did so. His hand on her throat released her and Y/N slid to the ground in a panting, unfocused mess. Steve was there to catch her and he laid her out right there in the hallway before the sound of her pants being shredded filled the corridor. The sudden chill on her skin brought Y/N back to her senses just in time to feel Steve line up with her entrance and slide into her. A gasp ripped itself from her chest and Y/N’s back arched at the sudden feeling of fullness.

               “Oh god. You’re so fucking tight.” He groaned as he sheathed himself completely in her warmth and then stilled. “So fucking warm and soft.” He slowly pulled out of her, almost completely, before bucking his hips and slamming back inside with force. Steve pulled out once more and then drove into her quicker and quicker each time, drawing moans and gasps from Y/N as she dug her fingers into his shoulders.

               “You gonna come for me, baby?” Steve asked, his voice heavy and dark. “You gonna come all over my cock?” He pushed himself deeper into Y/N’s warmth and she yelped as a sharp pain shot through her.

               “Steve, don’t. That hurts.” She whined. “Not so hard.”

               Steve didn’t seem to hear her because he kept slamming harder and harder into her until a scream tore form her throat and she came a second time, though under less pleasurable circumstances. At the sound of her scream, Bucky’s hands suddenly gripped Steve’s shoulders and wrestled him off of Y/N, pulling him free with a wet pop as his cock slid out of her.

               “Play nice, Stevie!” Bucky growled before he took Steve’s place inside Y/N’s warmth. As he filled her, a moan fell from his lips and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Fuck, Doll.” He breathed. “I-I don’t think I can stop. You feel so fucking good.” Bucky’s lips collided with Y/N’s again as he began to fuck into her with gusto, pulling a combination of moans and whines from her lips.

               The both of them were pushed over, still coupled, until Bucky was on his back and Y/N was straddled atop his hips.

               “Steve, no.” Bucky warned. “She’s not ready.”

               “Then share.” Steve groaned.

               Y/N’s head cleared enough for her to realize what the two of them were talking about and her eyes widened in trepidation.

               “My-my mouth, Steve.” She stuttered out. “Use my mouth.”

               “Oh, FUCK…” They both groaned simultaneously.

               Seconds later and Y/N was choking on Steve’s cock as he thrust eagerly into her mouth. She could taste the brine of herself mixed with the salt from Steve’s skin and between that and the realization that her deepest fantasy was suddenly her reality, Y/N came for the third time. She felt Bucky dig his hands into her hips, bruising the skin for sure, as his thrusts stuttered and finally stilled inside her. He painted her walls with heat as he came inside her, though she had no time to relish the sensation because Steve was suddenly gripping her head and slamming into the back of her throat, grunting as he thrusted away. Y/N felt his release coat her mouth and slide down her throat as he came with a loud groan before sliding out of her mouth and sinking to the floor beside her and Bucky.

               “What…the fuck?” Y/N panted after she was able to catch her breath finally. She slid off of Bucky’s lap, whining slightly as his fullness left her, and pushed herself away from both men. After a moment of silence, she finally pushed herself off the floor and used the wall to help herself stand. Neither Steve nor Bucky seemed to be coherent enough to explain, or even notice as she slowly backed away from them and made her way down the hall towards the lab, pulling Steve’s discarded shirt over her head in an effort at modesty. The emergency communication line was flashing rapidly, lighting the room with brief blasts of red light, as she hit the switch that would seal her inside the lab. As Y/N stumbled over to the communicator, the reality of the last few hours rushed over her and reduced her to a shaking sobbing mess as she pressed the button that would open the com-line.

               “HELLO?!” Sam’s voice urgently flowed over the open line. “Anyone there?!”

               “Yes…” Y/N whispered before sobs overtook her again.

               “Y/N!?” Nat’s voice this time. “What happened? Are you guys okay?!”

               “Box…light blue powder…I don’t…” She croaked out between sobs. “Bucky and Steve…I couldn’t run…it was fine and then…”

               “Stay there.” Nat ordered. “We’re just waiting for FRIDAY to finish cleaning the air and open the doors.”

               “Lock the lab.” Tony’s voice now. “It’s reinforced. Even Banner couldn’t break in.”

               “I did.” Y/N said, choking as she gasped for air. “I…can’t…breathe…”

               Suddenly the room was hot, the walls were closing in and, no matter how she tried, Y/N couldn’t catch her breath. She couldn’t escape the feeling that what was left of her clothes was suddenly too much, even Steve’s loose shirt. Her own skin felt like it was burning, like she just needed to get out of it. She needed help. She needed them. Her body suddenly craved the touch of skin on skin. She needed to feel them –both of them– on her, inside her, all over her.

               The com-line faded into indistinct chatter as Y/N’s instincts took over the rational part of her brain and she made her way back to the doors. She overrode FRIDAY’s programming and the doors slid open with a soft whoosh. Bucky and Steve were still at the end of the hall, though they seemed to have recovered as they had both pulled their pants back up and were looking around at the remnants of Y/N’s clothes. As soon as the doors shut again, both men turned their eyes to Y/N, who was slowly striding towards them, tugging off the powder covered shirt as she made her way down the hall.

               “Is this what it felt like?” She whined, gripping the edge of her tank top and discarding it and her bra just as quickly. Y/N’s hands slid over her now bare skin and dug into the softness of her own breasts, leaving tiny crescent shaped indentions in the tender flesh. “I’m sorry I ran and hid. I didn’t know.” She looked up at the duo with pleading eyes and begged, “Please, help me?”

               “Y/N?” Steve questioned cautiously, before spying the blue powder that had rubbed off his shirt and into her hair. “Bucky, she’s…”

               “I know.” Bucky’s voice was clipped and strained. They both seemed unsure what to do, now that the drug had burnt its way through their enhanced immune systems. They were fine after one release, thanks to the serum. But a typical human? The drug would burn its way through her until she went mad or her heart gave out. Bucky had experience with the drug, thanks to his time as a hydra asset, and even his enhanced stamina hadn’t always been enough to fully satisfy or save the unfortunate women that had been experimented on throughout the development phase. There was no telling which phase this particular dose came from, which scared Bucky right to his core.

               “You can do it.” Steve said, reluctantly. “She likes you. I’ve seen the way she looks at you in the gym.”

               “No. It’s okay. You can do it.” Bucky answered, though his expression didn’t match his words one bit. “I’ve seen the way you two are in the kitchen. Her laugh is genuine.”

               “For fucks sake, you’re both pretty. I like you both.” Y/N growled. “Please just touch me before I crawl out of my fucking skin.” Her words ended in a whine as she gripped the wall and pressed her thighs together desperately.

               “Choose.” Bucky said, his voice growing desperate at the sight of her.

               “We’ll help. Just…just choose.” Steve agreed.

               Y/N’s eyes flashed with need and her hand that wasn’t gripping the wall slid down between her thighs.

               “I don’t want to choose.” She said, her voice dripping in sin. “That’s why I haven’t.” A gasp and a moan fell from her lips as she delved into her own warmth and began to try and ease the ache herself. “I don’t want to choose…” she repeated as she slid to the floor, her legs falling open and exposing her dripping cunt to both Steve and Bucky. “I need you both. I want you both.”

                 Sometime between their second and third orgasms, Steve and Bucky managed to collect themselves enough to move the party out of the hallway. Y/N protested, her body still shaking from the drug coursing through her veins, but she quieted down as soon as Bucky was buried deep in her again as he pressed her back against the elevator wall. He carried her, still coupled with him, into Steve’s room as Steve held the door open and trailed in after them.

               After another hour of both men fucking her in tandem, filling her in every way possible, Y/N’s fever began to finally subside and she collapsed into a boneless heap between Bucky and Steve on the bed. The three of them lay there panting in a tangle of arms and legs, as soft kisses were passed between them and bites and bruises were washed over with gentle caresses. As Y/N curled into Steve’s chest, she felt Bucky curl against her back and press his lips to her shoulder gently.

               “How are you feeling, Doll?” He asked softly, murmuring the words against her skin, which erupted in goosebumps at the sensation.

               “Better.” Y/N hummed just as softly. “So much better.”

               “C’mere.” Steve mumbled as he cupped her face delicately and brought his lips to hers. The kiss was sweet and gentle and so very Steve that it left a smile on Y/N’s face when they parted. A smile that quickly shifted to a frown when Steve spoke again. “Sorry, I just wanted to kiss you properly before this is all over.”

               “All over?” Y/N questioned. “I don’t understand…”

               “You should choose-”

               “Steven Grant Rogers.” Y/N said sternly. “I said I’m not choosing between you two.” She pushed herself up to look him square in the face before continuing, “So, unless you’re going to tell me this isn’t something you want, then it’s not over.”

               “We’re with you, Steve.” Bucky added, sitting up enough to look at Steve from over Y/N’s shoulder. “Both of us.”

               “Whatever you choose.” Y/N agreed.

               Steve hesitated a moment as he blinked back tears and stared at the two people he loved the most in the world.

               “Until the end of the line?”

               “Until the end of the line.” They replied in unison.

[raineydaywrites]

let he who is without sin throw the first stone

Febuwhump day 24: memory loss

notes: This doesn't follow the prompt as much as some of my other fics have this month, primarily it refers to the canon memory situation. It is extremely Lucretia defense, and your mileage may vary, so know that going in. This comes from some frustration about the fact that a lot of people don’t seem to want to talk about the fact that the rest of IPRE crew also had a messed up plan that they thought was right that ended up hurting people and not working... basically the same thing some people crucify Lucretia over, and I wanted to explore that in writing.

June was glad to have been invited to the party, truly. She was fond of the Birds, and she'd let go of the anger she felt over finding out that their town 'saviors' had in fact been the ones to doom her to the fate of the Chalice for so long.

She enjoyed spending time with the Birds, and sought out opportunities for it when they arose.

She hadn't spent time with all seven of the Birds in the same room since the Day of Story and Song though. And now that she was here, she was finding out something that was rather off-putting.

It seemed that there was still quite a bit of tension between Madame Lucretia and the rest of the Birds.

June had caught wind of that possibility from things she'd hear from or around the other Birds, but never had it been so obvious as it was here and now, with them all together.

There were a number of Bureau members and other natives to this plane at the party, but none of them seemed willing to say anything about the situation. June wasn't sure if that was because they had just gotten used to it, spending more time around the Birds than she, or if they just didn't feel like bothering, but it was clear that they weren't going to address it.

Well. She may have a strange relationship with age, but she was, technically a teenager. And wasn't it a teenager's prerogative to start a perhaps-poorly-planned argument no one else was willing to start?

She saw Lucretia standing with the other Birds, before she suddenly turned and walked out of the room. The Birds seemed to be arguing amongst themselves, and June was certain that one of them had said something to upset Lucretia and the rest were wondering if it had been too harsh or not.

Now, June understood that the family members had felt betrayed by what Lucretia did, and she tried not to judge, really, or stick her nose into business that wasn't hers, but she couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of anger at the sight.

She slammed her hands down on the table in front of her, standing up to address the Birds.

"You know, I try not to judge, friends, but what the hell was that?" she demanded, pointing to the door that Lucretia had fled out of.

"None of your business," Taako sneered, but they all knew him well enough to see the defensiveness in his posture. Lucretia had written about it extensively in the journals.

June would normally feel a touch kinder to him in response to that- they all loved the Birds enough to understand his idiosyncrasies, but she was still too angry for that.

"You haven't forgiven her, have you? Have any of you?" June shouted.

She was starting to get the attention of other people in the crowd, but she didn't care. This needed to be said.

"She betrayed us. She hurt us- we have a right to not forgive her ever! She's lucky we let her spend time with us at all!" Taako shouted back.

Magnus put a hand on Taako's arm, calming him slightly.

"June," Magnus said, looking pained. "I forgive her. Merle forgives her. Lup forgives her. I think the rest of them will too. But it takes time to get over some things, ya know?"

"Oh, I know." June kept her voice cold, staring them down, and she saw Magnus wince at the phrasing. She would apologize to him later. "I understand forgiveness and time very well. And I wouldn't normally say something like this- would give you time to work it out- but you clearly still want her in your lives, or you wouldn't spend time with her, and what you're doing now is just deepening the wounds in all of you. You need to get your shit together or stop hurting her to make yourselves feel better."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Davenport said, slowly, carefully. "You've been through a lot, and I respect that, but you only know what you heard in the Story. You didn't live it."

"No, I didn't live through what you lived through," June began, knowing she had to be careful not to say something that she would regret. She thought about her next words very carefully before she started to say them. "But I did live through what you forced upon this world."

She saw Magnus flinch again, and he wasn't the only one. The other Birds did as well, to a one, and a number of the Faerun natives did the same.

There was an unspoken agreement between the Faerun natives not to say anything about the Relics that the Birds had created. They had saved the world. They regretted the hurt they had caused.

But June was starting to think that their silence had gone on too long. Someone needed to remind them.

"I'm grateful to what y'all did for us. But before you did it, you used our plane as a testing ground for a plan that you weren't sure would even work. You were responsible for atrocities the likes of which our world had never seen before. And you had no right to do that to us. Not even to save everyone."

"June..." several people murmured for her to stop speaking, reaching out as if to comfort or confront her.

"No! I am speaking!" June shouted, and she stood up on the table to stop them from blocking her from view of the Birds.

"And did it work? Madame Lucretia didn't get any of the Relics other than her own back for a decade! Some of the Relics were in continuous   use or close to it that whole time, and wasn't that your plan? To keep the Light separate, keep it being wanted and used?" It was a rhetorical question, but she needed to say it. "And did it stop the Hunger? Did it help at all? Or did it just make them desperate and angry?"

"It helped!" Merle insisted.

"Why are you saying all this?" Lup demanded, face and voice devastated, and June felt bad, but she couldn't stop. "You just want to hurt us because we haven't all forgiven her yet?"

"I'm saying all this because I think you've gotten a little cocky. You've forgotten just what it is you did before Madame Lucretia did what she did," June said, looking them each in the eye as she spoke.

"Are you fucking saying we deserved that?" Taako demanded, stalking forward towards her.

June wasn't intimidated by him.

"No," she said, watching him with a detached haughtiness that she hadn't felt since she was combined with the Chalice. "I'm saying you deserved worse."

She let that sink in for a minute, watched Taako's face go slack as if she'd slapped him, then angry again. She spoke again before he could.

"You did something horrible. Something that you had no right to do. Something that hurt people. Because you thought you knew what was best for everyone. And your plan didn't even work out how you wanted it to. Sound familiar?" she cocked her head to the side, to the door that Lucretia had left from.

"You did something that was wrong and unjust. And you had to be stopped. Some people might suggest that you oughta consider yourselves lucky that you had a friend to stop you, who would do it as kindly and lovingly as possible. Because if it had been up to your victims? If you hadn't saved everyone first? We might not have been nearly so merciful."

She took a breath, trying to calm herself. She wanted to make them understand, not to hurt them. The realization might hurt a little, but she was really trying not to do any worse than she needed to.

"I know that you meant well. I know that you didn't think you had any other options at your disposal. I know you and I love you. And so I can forgive you for the pain you have inflicted on me and on my world. On everyone I love," June said, and her face turned pleading, almost apologetic. She hoped that they wouldn't hate her after this. "But I find it very disturbing that you aren't willing to pay that forward. Especially when I can tell that you still love her. Still want her in your lives. You suffered because of what she did, I know. But so did she, for your benefit. And this refusal to forgive her for this, this refusal to even acknowledge that your plan and hers were motivated by the same things- all it does is hurt all of you. And it hurts us to watch it happen."

June felt the anger she held slowly dissipate, and she suddenly felt foolish for her dramatics. She stepped down off the table, walking forward through the now silent crowd around her, past the Birds, all standing very still, strange, conflicted expressions passing over their faces as her words sunk in.

She stopped in front of Magnus, dipping her head a little and reaching out for a hug, if he was willing.

He pulled her in, but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry if what I said hurt you. I wish I could have said it in a way that didn't," she said, speaking to Magnus primarily, but making sure that her voice was clear and loud enough for them all to hear.

The hug seemed to have broken the standoff.

"Forgot how smart you are," Magnus whispered into her hair. "And how much you care."

When she pulled out of the hug, she saw that Taako was running off somewhere, probably to lick his wounds without lashing out at anyone. Seemed like Kravitz intended to follow though, so she wasn't too worried.

The rest of the Birds, aside from Magnus above her, were moving towards a corner of the room, huddled together and speaking softly enough that she wondered if they'd cast some sort of spell to stop anyone else from hearing them.

"Should I leave?" June asked, pulling out of the hug. "Give everybody some time to calm down?"

"You don't have to do that!" Magnus insisted, then his expression twisted a little. "Maybe try to stay away a little bit though. It's- it might take a second for people to stop feeling angry and defensive."

"So, wait to apologize to the rest of them for like, a week? Two?" June asked, half-joking and smiling to show it.

"Week for Dav, Lup, and Barry, two weeks for Taako," Magnus said, nodding decisively and grinning widely back at her. "I think Merle's already past it."

"And you?" June asked. "How do you feel?"

"I don't know," Magnus admitted. "But I think you were right that we had to hear that. Maybe you could have waited to not be at a party, but who am I to criticize rushing into something?" His laugh was happy, if a little rueful.

Magnus glanced back to where the other Birds were speaking and grimaced. "I should probably go talk to them. We're, uh, gonna have to have a long family meeting after this."

"Go on," June said. "Give them my love."

"I will!" Magnus assured, before he turned and jogged off to the others.

June walked back to her seat, grabbing her cup of water and moving to lean against the wall. She was sure that everyone was watching her, and it was off-putting. There were enough people that were strangers to her that she felt uncomfortable with the attention.

She was not all that surprised when someone came up to talk to her, all things considered. It was the kid, Angus McDonald, and she was really unsure how he would react to this. He saw the Birds as family, if she understood the situation right. Being raised by Taako and Kravitz, she thought, with a lot of help and input from the rest of them. So this could really go a lot of different ways.

"What's your favorite candy? I'm buying you so much of it. You seem like you need it," Angus said in greeting.

"Uh-" June laughed, "-anything chocolate, really."

Angus actually wrote that down, and June laughed again.

"They've been very frustrating lately," Angus sighed, leaning against the wall next to her. "I didn't want to say anything, because I love them and I know that these things take time, but you brought up some really good points. They won't admit it easily, so I will."

"I don't know if I did anything all that useful really," June said, letting a tinge of regret color her voice. "I should have been nicer about it."

"Nice hasn't been getting us anywhere. Sometimes you just have to force your way through!" Angus insisted.

"I hope you're right," June said, softly, watching the Birds speak, wishing she had thought about this more before speaking. But maybe her message would still get through, regardless of the tone.

-

About a week after June got back to Refuge after the party, she found a big pile of chocolate on her desk, and a letter with a drawing from Angus. The drawing featured all seven Birds, along with Kravitz and Angus himself, sitting around a table playing some kind of game. It was childish and inexperienced and June already knew she'd treasure it forever.

She settled in to read the letter that came with it, happy and comfortable for the first time in a week. Looks like she'd been forgiven.

[anxiouslymalicious]

Losers Club Plus One  Part 7

A Richie x daughter!reader series.

Read the previous part here or go here for the complete series-masterlist!

A/N: So here we go! The next part is here. I really am scared of posting this, you’ll see why once you finished this chapter. This is about 4.5k words so it’s a bit longer and, as always, trigger warnings apply. 

I hope you enjoy!

Numbness took over. It was like she was in no control whatsoever over her body. Like her mind had shut off, and she had turned into a puppet, being controlled by a vicious being, not wanting any good for her.

Almost comically, she popped the balloon before throwing on a new, unbloodied and untorn jacket. She struggled to put it on over the towel slung around her arm to somewhat stop the bleeding, but it worked in the end and, finally, she left the room. The hasty movement of walking down the stairs caused a stabbing sensation in the wound, but she felt she needed to get away from the place. Away from the clown. Anywhere in that god forsaken town seemed safer than the hotel room she was attacked in twice.

A harsh wind blew in her face. The cold air of late September bit at her face but calmed her a little. The stinging felt good, almost natural and normal. This was a sensation she knew. This was something she had encountered several times before. When her father was on tour with her and they visited northern states in the autumn months, for one. Or when they packed their bags short before Christmas one year and decided to spend their holidays up in the mountains, spending their days watching Netflix with hot cocoa because they realised that it was actually fucking freezing up there.

All in all, it just felt like something that naturally occurred and happened. A wound caused by claws from a psychotic clown-being that was actually some supernatural being in a place it shouldn’t have been at really wasn’t close to being normal. And it scared her. It scared Y/N to the point where she wondered what the next day would be like. Or the day after. She wondered if she would ever fall asleep without finding the quietness suspicious. She wondered if she would ever walk down the streets at night without being scared by the rustling of leaves because it could be IT. She wondered if, once they left Derry, her life would ever go back to normal.

It wouldn’t be, she thought, not if that damn clown was right.

Slow steps took her through the streets. They were mostly empty except for the occasional family passing her, happily laughing with their children around them. Y/N could swear that she caught something of a ‘canal festival’ but decided to ignore it for now. It didn’t seem important to her situation. What was important, was finding a drug store to fix herself up a little. Maybe being in a lively place where people could be witness to whatever the clown might do. Her hand kept twitching towards the shard in her pocket. The small object made her feel a little less helpless.

“Uhm, excuse me, ma’am.” Y/N finally pressed out as she spotted a relatively young woman. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders in messy locks, her face one Y/N decided she could trust for the moment.

The woman looked up from her phone, curious as to who stopped her in her tracks.

“Do you know where the next drug store is? I’m kind of new around here.” Y/N asked, trying to smile a little to seem less tense, but the stinging of the towel loosely rubbing against the wound was getting worse and worse. It wasn’t yet unbearable, but it was beyond the point she could nor wanted to tolerate much longer.

“Oh, of course. It’s on Center Street.” The unnamed woman replied, a confused expression on both of their faces as she tried to explain the walk to Y/N. She thanked the woman before making her way through the foreign streets, a little unsure, but she didn’t have another choice. Y/N had managed to run out of mobile data just the other day, so google maps wouldn’t be of any help.

Once she had turned into different streets two or three times, the girl started to notice the streets were slowly getting crowded with people. Everything seemed a lot more alive and she felt herself relax at the sight of children as well as adults walking down the streets. From there on, it wasn’t much farther until she found herself on Center Street, drug store in sight. An involuntary smile of relief tugged on her lips as she opened the door, stepping into the kind of run-down place. A slightly musty smell filled her nose, along with the sharp smell of medical alcohol. Instead of bothering her, though, like it would under any other circumstances, she felt at peace, welcoming said smell.

Quickly, she moved around the store, looking for disinfectant and bandages. The place was a little unorganised, like it hadn’t been taken proper care of in a long time. Once she had grabbed what she needed, Y/N noticed that she had no purse with her, meaning, she didn’t have any money on her.

“Fuck.” She mumbled, examining the products in her hands.

Someone was screaming, followed by hectic stumbling before she heard a door open and saw a familiar face run through the store. All eyes were on Eddie. Y/N quickly looked around, ducked down a little, and stuffed the disinfectant, cotton pads, bandages and whatever else she needed in the pockets of her jacket and sweatshirt before getting up. She watched as Eddie struggled to open the door before he left in his still panicked state. Quickly, the young girl moved to follow him.

Her vision almost blurred with tears of pure joy as she saw Eddie’s figure mere steps away from the door.

“Uncle Eds-“ she started, pure horror marking her face. Y/N wished that Eddie hadn’t heard her, but he turned around as if she had never called him anything else. Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he stood still for a moment, questioning why she was here and not at the hotel. Warily, his eyes remained on the insecure girl, outweighing the possibility of her being a trick by IT, but Eddie decided that there was no way in hell IT would call him ‘Uncle Eds’ and so, he moved fast to embrace Y/N.

The second he came closer, Y/N started sobbing. She hugged the man tightly, burying her face in his jacket, letting her tears drop freely. Eddie surely wouldn’t mind. Especially not as his clothing was already dirtied with whatever the black substance on him was.

Carefully, Eddie held the girl, at first awkwardly patting her back, but finally relaxing a little himself. After that nightmare, a familiar face was very much appreciated.

“What are you doing here?” Eddie finally asked, puzzled by her presence.

“Uhm… There was… IT was in the hotel room. And it got me,” she moved her hurt arm a little, “So I went outside and got something to treat it.” Eddie’s eyes widened at that, gently shoving the girl into a lonely alley where he made her sit.

“Show me.” Eddie said, worry prominent in his voice. Y/N complied, very carefully taking off the jacket. Eddie winced a little once he saw the blood on the towel. She removed that as well and Eddie was immediately thrown back to the day when he had patched up Ben after his run in with Bowers. He smiled a little at the memory of the strange bunch.

“What did you get, Y/N?” Eddie asked, looking up at the girl’s face. Sheepishly, she pulled the few appliances out of her sweatshirt and jacket, handing them to Eddie. His eyebrows furrowed a little, deep in thought, before he got to work.

“Why don’t you have a bag for those?” he was focused on the wound, but still a little curious.

“Because we need to take care of the environment.” She replied stiffly. Eddie looked up at her again, the look on his face silently asking her if he looked that stupid. With a sigh, she tried again.

“Because they forgot to give me one. They were too busy watching you struggle with the door.” Eddie looked at her, an annoyed look on his face. Why did Tozier’s always feel the need to tease him? 

“Because I forgot to pay.” She finally admitted through gritted teeth, sugar-coating the act.

“You stole all this?!”

“Shh! We don’t want to get caught, now do we?”

“WE?! This is your doing!”

“You’re using this shit. We’re in this together now, asshat.” Y/N whisper-yelled at the older man. To Eddie, it felt almost like bickering with Richie. Just less swear words and insults thrown his way. He shook his head but chuckled a little as he got back to work on her arm.

“What?” Y/N asked, cringing visibly as Eddie disinfected the wound.

“This just reminds me of what the Losers and I once did.” Eddie replied, continuing to tell her how Ben had stumbled into them, how they had seen him all beaten-up, how they had their first actual encounter with Beverly that day, too. How Richie hadn’t let him off, not for a single second, as he tended to Ben’s wounds. Y/N smiled a little at the story, smile deepening when she saw the look on Eddie’s face as he told her about the bickering between him and Richie.

“Have you and… my father always been this close?” Y/N finally asked, thumb nervously flying up, teeth carefully digging into the nail. Eddie blushed violently at the question, not sure how to reply to it. The small man awkwardly coughed, thinking of Myra, his wife, for the first time since arriving. Were he and Richie close? Close enough for anyone to assume something would be going on between them?

“How did you… Why do you think we’re close? I mean all of us Losers are really close friends and- I mean- technically… We have all gone through trauma together. Something like that really brings you closer together.” Eddie stammered.

“Can I be honest with you?”

Eddie nodded.

“You always follow him around. You’re always standing close to him. You’re the only one who offered to walk us back to the hotel. You two mercilessly tease each other. More so than the other Losers. You both just always take that extra step, you know what I mean?” Y/N asked, looking into Eddie’s eyes. He gulped a little. A cold wind blew through the alleyway, slightly cooling Eddie’s burning cheeks. His face resembled a tomato.

Now that he thought about it, actively thought about his actions, Eddie really did notice that he was closer to Richie than the other Losers. Not because he favoured Richie, definitely not, he would have felt incredibly lost as a kid without Big Bill around to lead him. Without Stan to back up his opinions. Without Mike educating him and the others on the history of Derry, warning them about the dangers this place hid. Without Ben who stayed with Eddie as he ran out of medicine and Bill raced into town on silver to get a new inhaler. Without Bev who protected him more times than he could count. But with Richie, it had always been a little different.

Eddie remembered how often he had climbed into the hammock with Richie, openly infuriated at Richie’s disregard towards the rules, but secretly excited he got to do it again.

Eddie remembered how often he had bickered with Richie, throwing insults and swear words at each other without missing a beat, not stopping until one of the other Losers made them.

Eddie remembered how often they messed around together in the quarry, water fights, pushing each other into the water. Eddie always struggled with himself those days. The germs and potential dangers emitted from the quarry held him back. Until Richie challenged him. Until Richie pushed him in. Until Richie came and did something.

“I- uhm… I’m not sure… This is probably just one-sided. I mean according to Richie I’m probably a push-over anyway.” Eddie mumbled, hopeful that she would disagree. And she did. A shake of her head was enough to make Eddie’s heart leap out of his chest as he wrapped the bandages around the girl’s arm.

“What is this?” Y/N finally asked, catching Eddie by surprise.

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked nervously.

“You said ‘this is probably just one-sided’ so what is ‘this’?”

Eddie finished wrapping her arm up, stopping still. Well, what was it? Did he feel more for Richie? But he was married, and he was sure he loved Myra. In some way at least. He wouldn’t have married Myra if he hadn’t. Right?

Eddie couldn’t deny the way he felt. When he first saw Richie again after all these years, he felt a different spark than with the other Losers. Like a bubble of air that had been caught under the ice all winter long had finally burst through the slowly melting ice, popping at last. It was rapid, strange, unexpected yet so welcome.

But hadn’t he felt that way for Myra too some time earlier in their relationship? Eddie wasn’t sure. He really wasn’t. He couldn’t even remember if he had felt somewhat of a spark when they had met. Richie had already teased him about the resemblance between his late mother and his wife and how their marriage must have been a result of his mommy-issues. It had hit close to home when Richie uttered those words but for what reason? Because Eddie felt insulted and loved Myra? Or because Richie was spot on with his suggestions?

“I don’t know.” Eddie finally croaked out. He seemed equally, if not more disturbed than Richie had only hours earlier. “I- I think… I mean I have a wife. I’m married. I don’t think I could… Richie means a lot to me. I know that much. But I never thought about how much and in what way…” Eddie felt hot embarrassment rise in his chest. Tears filled his eyes, threatening to spill at any given moment. His lips quivered. Shame nagged on him, tearing him apart although he didn’t know why exactly.

Y/N nagged on her lower lip. She never knew how to act around Eddie. She had already had a soft spot for Eddie in her heart. He reminded her a lot of herself. Anxious but brave when need be, careful and calculating, but still very dependent on his heart. She shuffled a little closer to Eddie, carefully wrapping her arms around him.

“It’s alright to feel that way. It’s okay to be gay.” Y/N mumbled, making Eddie sob into her shoulder.

“Can I ask you something?” Eddie asked, voice strained as he muttered. Y/N simply nodded in reply.

“Do you know if Richie… If he feels… the same?” Eddie was now anxiously fiddling with his fingers, scared to hear the answer the young girl would give him.

“Well I know if he does. He just asked me not to tell anyone. You’ll have to find out yourself.” She smirked a little, winking at him and, judging by the huge grin spreading like a wildfire on Eddie’s lips, she was sure that he knew exactly what she meant.

Eddie sat up a little straighter again, wiping his eyes with a dry spot on his otherwise dirtied jacket before standing up. He had pocketed the items Y/N stole.

“Come on, let’s get back to the hotel.” He said, holding out his hand for the girl to take. She did, and was helped up rather clumsily, but she appreciated the effort. The two made their way back to the street, where Eddie stopped a taxi to take them back to the place Y/N now dreaded the most.

Y/N fidgeted in the car. Playing with the zipper on her jacket, fiddling with something on her jeans, toying with the shard she had moved from her jeans pocket to the one on her jacket, it went on and on, until she started toying with the top of her bandages that peeked out under the slightly rolled up jacket and sweatshirt sleeve. Eddie swatted her hand away and gave her a pointed look.

“What has you so wound up?” he asked, and she just shrugged in reply. Maybe, if she didn’t speak it out loud, it wouldn’t be true. Maybe that would save her dignity and whatever of her sanity she had left since arriving in the forsaken town that is Derry.

“Come on, you can talk to your uncle Eds.” He smiled at her, a teasing smile, asking her to join in on the friendly banter. She didn’t.

“I’m sorry for calling you that, Eddie.” Y/N mumbled, turning her back a little towards Eddie, looking out the window instead, watching the world pass by. The town looked so pretty, so calm and peaceful. It was incredible to Y/N that something as evil as IT could be lurking somewhere among them.

“No, no…” Eddie’s face was furrowed, fearing that he might have said something wrong, something to push the girl away from him. He wanted to protect the girl, not push her away from him. “I-I appreciated it. Please don’t feel sorry for calling me that!”

Y/N smiled a little, but remained as inexplicably cold towards Eddie as she had been since climbing into the stuffy car. The heater was at full blast, giving the car an uncomfortable heat contrast to the chilly outside. It was like Y/N had been exchanged in the few seconds Eddie hadn’t paid attention, when he had gotten into the cramped car and checked his seatbelt twice, thrice to make sure that it really would protect him.

“What’s going on, little one?” Eddie asked, met with only a shrug and a soft sigh in reply. He wiped his face with his hand, it still smelt like disinfectant that he had used on the girl (and, admittedly, a little on himself) earlier. It made him smile for a short moment, giving him some sense of safety. It wasn’t much, after all he was still covered in the black goo vomited up by the Leper IT had turned into, but it made him feel a little cleaner.

“Funny story,” Eddie started, hoping to catch the teen’s attention and take her mind off whatever was bothering her so much, “down in the basement in the drug store, I was thrown up on by IT. That’s- that’s why I’m covered in… this shit.”

An airy chuckle sounded through the car. It was huffed, barely there, but he heard it. Eddie looked at the girl, spotting the smallest trace of a smile on her lips. It was worth making a fool out of himself for.

“I was attacked by IT down there before. When we were kids. No idea why I was stupid enough to go there again.” He chuckled to himself, glancing up at the rear-view mirror where he was met with the questioning, almost disturbed look of the taxi driver. His eyes left Eddie and the man focused back on the traffic before him.

“Maybe we shouldn’t openly talk about this in front of people who aren’t involved.” Y/N whispered, a sad smile on her lips as she leaned closer to Eddie. He gulped a little, embarrassed that he forgot about that, and nodded before a chuckle burst out of his chest. He pushed the girl playfully. Y/N pushed him back.

The atmosphere in the car seemed so much brighter. The sun, although it shone weakly through the dirty windows, felt much warmer, nicer, and even the rattling heater didn’t bother her anymore. She was almost compelled to confessing to Eddie.

Fuck it, she thought.

“Eddie… Uncle Eds, before I came to the drugstore something happened.” Y/N started suddenly, her eyes trailing over his dirty face for a moment before she couldn’t bear seeing his curious eyes watching her intently anymore and looked down. Her hands kneading themselves in her lap suddenly seemed so much more interesting. The taxi driver lifted his eyes to watch them, suddenly seeming strangely curious. Eddie nervously glanced at the rear-view mirror for a minute, not sure if he wanted her to continue right there, but he really wanted to know, needed to know to help her.

“I was in the hotel room and IT was there. IT attacked me again. Hurt me. But you know about that part. What you don’t know is that IT left me a little message and- “

“We’re here.” The taxi driver rudely interrupted Y/N’s confession. Her palms were sweaty and she could still feel her heart painfully hammering in her chest. A groan escaped Eddie’s lips as he hurriedly pulled a few dollar bills out of his wallet, giving them to the driver with a muttered ‘keep the change’.

Eddie and Y/N got out of the car, standing before the hotel that was connected to so many bad memories already. Y/N sighed while pushing the doors open, Richie’s frantic, desperate voice hitting her ears immediately.

“IT took her! I know IT did!” Richie’s voice was almost booming through the lobby. Beverly had wrapped her arms around the shaking man, desperately trying to calm him down. Richie’s back was facing the door and Bev was too concerned with Richie to look up and notice the girl walking in.

“She’ll be alright, she’s a tough-“

“Y/N!” Ben exclaimed as he spotted her and Eddie in the entrance of the hotel. Richie lifted his head from its place on Bev’s shoulder, whipped around and, not wasting a second, ran to embrace the girl. His arms wrapped tightly around her shaky body, pulling her into his chest and kissing her head. To the Losers, Richie seemed to be in a frenzy, but none of them could blame him. He was left thinking that his daughter might have been taken, hurt or killed. They understood.

Y/N loosely wrapped her arms around him as a strange cocktail of emotions bubbled up in her chest.

“Where have you been?!” Richie now asked, his anger catching up with him as he looked at her. It wasn’t anger so much as worry.

“Why do you even care?” Y/N asked, trying to pull out of Richie’s iron grip.

“Why do I- fuck, you’re my daughter! Of course, I care!” Richie was puzzled at her reaction, lacking understanding for what was going on. Had he missed something? He loosened his hold on her to look at her face. Eddie had been meanwhile embraced by Ben and Bev who looked worried but kept listening in on what was going on. And the Losers were confused. Y/N and Richie seemed like they had an incredibly close relationship, none of them could understand why she was acting like that.

“Am I?!” Y/N asked, tears stinging in her eyes as she hit Richie’s chest, pushing him away from her. He stood shocked. Silence swallowed the room. No one understood.

“Am I your daughter? Your fucking flesh and blood? Because I’m pretty fucking sure that you’re not my dad. I’m pretty fucking sure I’m adopted!” she continued, breaking the thick silence weighing them down. She pushed Richie again as hot tears uncontrollably rolled down her cheeks, over her jaw, until they united just under her chin, turning into one fat tear that finally dropped onto her shirt.

Ben wanted to speak up, wanted to interfere and hold the girl in his arms, calming her down, but something stopped him.

“I- What- what makes you think that?” Richie asked, tears of his own leaving trails on his cheeks, hurt evident in his voice. He was sure he had just witnessed not only his heart, but his whole world shatter right before him.

“Wh-what happened? Y/N what happened?” he continued before the girl even so much as had a chance to explain herself. Eddie, Ben and Bev couldn’t speak. They felt as though their breath had been stolen from their lungs, their minds blank. Richie sounded just like he did when he was 13 years old. They had barely seen him cry back in the day, but if they did, it was brutal. The Losers felt their hearts break as they watched their best friend turn into his insecurity-ridden, hurt 13-year old self.

“IT came back. IT fucking attacked me and I was all alone,” she cried, taking a few steps back from the group of friends, hands balled into fists, “and IT left me a little truth. IT left me a balloon with a message on it, telling me that I’m fucking adopted. You’re nothing but a fucking liar.”

“Y/N, please. You can’t trust IT. IT lies and-“

“Oh yeah? Last time IT talked about Stanley, it was telling the truth. Before any of you fucking knew. Richie fucking lies for a living, how can I be sure he isn’t lying to me too?” Y/N interrupted Beverly and pushed past them, shaking their hands off her as the Losers tried to gently get a hold of her. None of them felt capable of moving though.

Richie felt his heart ache. He felt as though his heart had been stabbed, blood filling his lungs, killing him slowly from the inside. He didn’t know how he felt, what he felt. He felt the world crashing down on him, he felt heartbroken and scared and lost altogether, but he most importantly felt numb, overwhelmed. It was like his mind had been set to auto-pilot. 

Richie, standing a mere two or three steps away from the stairs, was the first to move, letting his body drop.

Eddie was the next one to work himself out of his stupor, rushing over to embrace Richie tightly. He felt Richie’s arms around his waist, but Richie was still too rigid to let himself fall completely.

“Is it true?” Ben asked, uncomfortable, but he managed to suppress the shakiness in his voice. Eddie pulled out of the hug a little, his arms still resting on Richie’s shoulder as Richie’s remained loosely around his waist. Eddie looked into Richie’s eyes, seeing the hurt in them, waiting for the answer. Fat tears filled Richie’s eyes as he looked at Eddie, then glancing over at Ben and Bev who had moved to sit next to the pair.

“I don’t know.” Richie whispered. “I really don’t fucking know.”

Tags (if you want to be added, let me know!)

@whereyoustand @bellero @shockwavee @daniellajocelyn @robindoesntloveme @halefirewarrior  @ucy161 @captainshazamerica @catscrochet @gabiatthedisco @strangemaximoff @robynel @the-summer-of-39 @sammy-salamander @majorlyextra @im-justafangirl @bohemiancrue @weebishtae​ @nobody7102​ @creativedogs​ @sirenjules​ @littlemaeve @precious-bands-love​ @darth-dorle​ @zigabrielle​ @ggclarissa​ @bat-shark-repellant​ @zoemassingale​ @avengerswon​ @artlovingbre​  @supernovavision @eggytozier​ @eeemmiillyyyy​ @russian-romanova​ @isweareverythingsalright​ @supernatural3002​ @intoomuchfandoms​ @detroitbecomevenom​ @hitoshi-s-stupid-bitch​ @keeley-virgo​ @deviantly-gayy​ @thedragonofgallifrey​ @sycard​ @sassy-specter​ @psychosupernatural​ @jerkyheree-michaelm3ll @chros-nomsworth @princesskhy @chocolatecakeandme​ @felicityofbakerstreet​ @transparentaliencookiehoagie​ @danas-wonderland​ @paige-howell-lester​ @1800kaspbrak​ @donteatmycookiesplease​ @im-justafangirl​ @finalfemm​ @tozierskaspb​ @afictionaladventure16​ @morgan-macguire​ @niallisworld​ @sp00kymonthenthusiast @blancastans​ @delicately-important-trash​ @blue-paradise-girl @im-a-rocketman​ @emiliesnowflake​ @peachysinnermon​ @whatsupsherl0ck​ @wheezy-kasp-brak​ @ihatemyselfmorethanmydepression @ilovetaquitosmmmm @stranger-maze​ @your-not-invisible-to-me​ @oisek-si @itsarandomsparkle​ @queen-fam​ @antivscogirl​ @fear-epidemic​ @burner-cell​ @cait-elizabeth​ @kind-sober-and-fully-dressed-99 @srtafarrell​ @opalof @x0softxgirl0x @cocastyle​ @themagicianssister​ @adritozier​ @the-almost-perfect-username​ @edwardspaghedwardtozier​ @attractiveugly​ @cait-scribbles​