#we were supposed to discuss the first offer and before I opened my mouth she went

[joanthangroff]

On another note insane that I got a job offer and it did NOT send me into a spiral about how this is actually a fluke and how horrible it could be,

[magics-neptunes-things]

Turmeric or Turmeric? (Prompt)

Hi guys!

You can find the request for this one here :) And the prompt here too!

For the context, it was from a TikTok Mary Earps posted a few weeks ago. Mary, Maya and Alessia were supposed to drink an awful thing with turmeric, pepper and others horrible ingredients.

Enjoy!

TW : None, pur fluff.

______________________________________________________________

"We are the hot shot threesome" Mary says happily before getting up to cut the camera on her phone, finishing her TikTok.

"I need some lip balm" Maya says before starting to look for it in her bag.

Alessia, on her side, falls on the bed with a moan of discomfort. Unlike Mary who seems to have enjoyed the content of the "shot" and Maya who drank it in one shot, she had more difficulty drinking it in its entirety. And did it only under the insistence of her teammates, not to kill the fun.

"Is she dead?" Mary asks Maya, laughing.

Smiling softly, Maya leans towards the blonde to pinch her ribs, making her growl while pushing her hand back.

"No, she looks okay" Maya laughs softly

Still with a grimace on her face, Alessia sits back on the bed to grab the bottle of tea and drink new long sips, hoping to pass the horrible taste that remains in her mouth.

"It was awful" says Alessia with a grimace before finally getting up

"It was really not good" confirms Maya, drinking too from the bottle.

"You are babies. I liked it" Mary says

Alessia smiles softly shaking her head. Heading towards the door, she is about to greet her friends when Mary jump from the bed in her turn.

"Where are you going?"

"Find Y/N. Why, you have another horrible challenge to offer me?" teases Alessia.

"No, but I have a better idea" Mary replies with a huge smile that really doesn't announce anything good.

********

"Mary there is no way in the world that I'm doing that to my girlfriend" Alessia frown.

"Come oooon, it could be fun!"

Alessia turns to Maya hoping to get some help, but she just smiles and shrugs. She understands Alessia’s reluctance but on the other hand she cannot help but find Mary’s idea rather amusing.

"Come on Less, all you have to do is find Y/N and kiss her so we can see her reaction"

"But I didn’t even wash my teeth" Alessia whines

"That’s the point" smiled Mary

"She’ll never want to kiss me again after that"

"Oh I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you" laughs Maya gently. "Y/N has been crazy about you for years, long before you opened your eyes to the nature of your respective feelings."

Alessia groan for any answer. Maya is right and she knows it, you have developed a crush for her for years, maybe even since the first time you saw her. But until a year ago, when Alessia’s behavior towards you changed, you were content to live one-way feelings, dating around, hoping to get over the feelings you had for Alessia. It never worked out.

Seeing that Alessia begins to hesitate, Mary leads the attacker into the common room where you are. Sitting on a stool and leaning at the coffee bar, you are in full discussion with Esme when the trio arrives at the entrance of the room.

"But she’s busy! She’s talking to Esme, I don't want to interrupt" Alessia tries, hoping to escape what she was asked.

"For God’s sake, Alessia, go kiss your girlfriend"

Alessia sighs gently and shakes her head before shyly entering the room. Satisfied, Mary grabs her phone to film the scene. She can thus have a perfect vision of Alessia’s hesitant steps in your direction.

For your part, you end up spotting the silhouette of your girlfriend who approaches you. You address her a big smile while still talking to Esme.

Before you really understand what is happening, Alessia finally arrives next to you and positions herself between Esme and you who are face to face on your respective stools. Even sitting, thanks to your seat, your face is almost the same height as Alessia's who is standing.

Alessia gently grabs your face by taking it in her hands and gently raises your chin before putting a kiss on your lips. You blow your nose under surprise, usually you don’t kiss in public. Unlike hugs or gestures of affection, it's not uncommon to see Alessia’s arms around your waist or to see you sleep on the shoulder of the blonde during your trips or movie nights.

Your arm passed around her waist, you look for Alessia's eyes after your kiss that lasts a few seconds and you prepare to question her before frowning. Her lips taste strange, far from the sweet taste they usually have.

"Did you eat something special?" you ask your girlfriend curiously.

But Alessia doesn't have time to answer that Mary’s laughter is heard. Maya appears smiling behind her and both of them approach you, drawing the attention of the other girls in the room.

"What’s going on?" you ask, a little lost.

Alessia informed you that she was going to do a TikTok with Mary and Maya, without really telling you what it was. When Mary throws you one of the bottles they drank and you catch it easily with your free hand.

"Hot shot threesome" Maya grins as you read the ingredients on the bottle with a grimace.

"I’m sorry Baby, they made me do it" Alessia plead, turning a little bit to look at Mary and Maya.

Mary snorts while you look up at Alessia with a little smile. She seems worried about your reaction, which really doesn’t matter. You’re pretty calm by nature, Esme is your best friend and it’s not for nothing.

"Don’t worry" you smile affectionately at her before gently kissing her cheek.

Alessia hums as she tightens against you, briefly pressing her temple against your forehead. You take the opportunity to deposit a new kiss, on the corner of her jaw this time.

You don’t really listen when Mary, Maya and Esme start talking about the drink and spicy food they’ve eaten so far. Alessia sometimes gets involved in the discussion as well. But you, you just watch your girlfriend. You’re obsessed with the blue of her eyes and the different features of her face. You feel your expression soften when she laughs and you pass your second arm around her waist after a few minutes.

It draws Alessia’s attention to look and smile at you, gently kissing your forehead.

God, you are so in love.

When Alessia shifts her attention back to the conversation, you listen to them with a distracted ear. You aren't surprised when Ella comes to mingle in the conversation, but you quickly turn away to admire Alessia. After so many years of trying to reason yourself about your feelings for her, you still can’t believe you can finally consider her "yours".

Unable to resist, you put your lips on her cheek again. Then you slide your lips all the way up to her jaw to finish in the hollow of her neck. You feel Alessia shivering, you know how sensitive she is here. Her hair is loose so no one can see what you just did, but Alessia is giving you a warning look.

"Sorry" you whisper softly before kissing her shoulder this time.

"Not here" whispers Alessia in return, forgetting in turn your teammates. "You can have all the kisses you want when we get back to the room"

"Mh… after you brush your teeth then. You taste weird" you smile maliciously.

"Don't talk about it… I didn’t want to finish, they forced me" Alessia pouts, very aware that she just drew Mary and Maya’s attention to you.

"Oh, really?" you coos, kissing your girlfriend’s cheek again.

"Yes, they were very mean"

"My poor little love" you laugh softly, gently tightening Alessia in your arms.

"You’re so dramatic" Mary sighs.

But Alessia gives her an ironic smile as you continue to hold her protectively against you. The blonde even lets herself go a little against you, standing impossibly close to you. Mary rolls her eyes and throws a ball napkin in your direction.

"Can't you stop two seconds from reminding others how single they are for god's sake?"

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Office Space 5

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as noncon/dubcon, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: you’re an assistant to private and corporate investigator, Nick Fowler, and find yourself brought into the fold of his shady professional life. 

Characters: Nick Fowler, Jonathan Pine, this reader is known as Elfie.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself💜

💼Part of the Bad Bosses AU💼

The steakhouse is beyond your usual pay grade. You’re more the kind to order a burrito to enjoy in the privacy of your own home. As it were, you’re not in the habit of going out for business dinners. With your boss, the prospect has never arisen. You prefer that. The task of balancing tidy bites with conversation has always been tedious. 

You focus on the menu to keep your brain from going into overdrive. There are no prices. He did say he was paying, right? 

You stop your hand from completing its journey to your mouth. The urge to chew your nails makes you itchy. You think the ahi tuna might disappoint your boss. He did suggest some steak. Waggy? Wally? Waifu? You don’t know. 

“Mm, I would recommend this cabernet,” Pine says as he taps the smaller menu on the table, “unless of course we were opting for lager?” 

“I prefer the scotch,” Fowler returns, “but I’m open to suggestion.” 

Is he? Really? For as long as you’ve known Fowler, there is only his way. 

You look between them and smile, “I went drinking last night, I might just have water.” 

“Oh, I see you’ve worked for him far too long,” Pine chuckles. “It is the weekend, you should indulge.” 

“If she doesn’t want to drink, don’t make her,” Fowler girds. 

“I wonder why she should abstain with you around,” Pine retorts, “they’ve a cocktail menu. This blueberry mojito looks rather interesting.” 

Pine offers the menu and you look it over. You don’t want to step on either side of the tightrope but you feel yourself losing balance. You also don’t want to spit in the face of generosity. 

“Suppose I might try that,” you agree. “And uh, sir,” you look at Nick at your other elbow. It only occured to you then that you’re trapped between both of them on the curved bench of the booth, “what was the steak you mentioned?” 

“No sirs. Just Nick, Elf,” he corrects you. “The Wagyu,” he reaches over to point to the menu, angling towards you. “How do you like your meat? Medium?” 

“Ummm,” you twiddle your fingers on the table then stop them as you notice his eyes follow the nervous gesture. “Medium rare?” 

“Mm,” Nick nods, “I might’ve had to reconsider your employment if you said well done.” You stare at him and he grins. That’s unusual. “It’s a joke.” 

“I think I may opt for the tuna,” Jonathan intones, “I’m not in the mood for steak.” 

“British guts,” Nick chides. 

“A refined palette, rather,” Jonathan rebuffs with a cool laugh. He looks over as a server approaches, “let us get our drinks first, yes?” 

The waiter patiently takes your orders; the mojito for you, scotch for Nick, and wine for Jonathan, he insists on a bottle for the table. You resist the urge to slouch back and try to hide against the leather. You feel crowded with the bodies at your flanks. Did they get closer? 

You wait patiently for your cocktail. It’s not very big. You hoped to nurse it most of the night to keep from over indulging. You put in an order for the Wagyu, mispronouncing it horribly, and Nick orders the same. Pine keeps to his fish and you feel a spark of jealousy. It does sound better than red meat. 

“When did you start working for our mutual acquaintance?” Pine asks. 

“Um,” you glance at Nick, “about a year and a half.” 

“Something like that,” Nick agrees flatly.  

As you sit forward on the seat, keeping on the edge, you feel his hand behind you, lazily resting on the cushion. You shift and face Pine again as you try to ignore it. The other man seems to pen you in as he angles his shoulders towards you. You never thought you were claustrophobic but you’re starting to panic. You take a sip. 

“Ah, well, so long as I’ve known the man, he’s always been one to work alone,” Pine muses. 

“Oh,” you have no other answer. 

“Operations’ changed. Can’t do it all myself,” Nick sits forward and brushes his hand up your lower back before withdrawing. “She’s a valuable asset. Organized and reliable.” 

It’s as much praise as you’ve ever received from the man but it is not exactly reassuring. Something in his tone lacks the sentiment of his words. A harshness meant to rebuff the other man at the table. 

“What a glowing reference, she should be a hot commodity then. Any would be happy to have her on their team.” 

“She has a job,” Nick insists. 

“Yes, but certainly aspirations beyond assistant work,” Pine counters. 

You’re dizzy as the men argue your future in front of you, as if you asked, as if it’s up to them. You take another drink and nearly sigh as the waiter approaches with a tray. The food will be a good distraction. At least you hope it can fend of these prowling wolves. 

[sailor-aviator]

Meet Me at the Sea: Chapter Four

Meet Me at the Sea: Chapter Four

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Reader

Summary: Your best friend, Bob Floyd, had insisted you join him for the summer at his family's home along the Carolina coasts. You had been hesitant at first, but ultimately agreed to his request. Now, here you were in a new town with strange locals who spoke in hushed whispers and cryptic retellings about glistening scales, glowing eyes, and haunting songs that echoed from the sea. You didn't believe them at first, but when you wake up on the beach one morning after having fallen overboard the night before, you can't help but think that maybe you hadn't imagine the strong arms and deep, green eyes of the man that had saved you.

Trigger warnings: Language, talk of courting and mating, FBI, mentions of murder. Think that’s it.

Word Count: 3.87k

A/N: Here is Chapter Four! A whole lot of setting up what's to come, I think, but hopefully y'all still like it! If you're feeling kind/generous, please consider buying me a ko-fi! Also, if you DO NOT fill out the form below (Tag List) then you will not be tagged! I will be referring to that Google form from now on! As always, reblogs, comments and likes are greatly appreciated! Asks/requests are always open! 18+ ONLY!! You can find me on AO3 under sailor_aviator where I also post my updates!

Series Masterlist || Jake "Hangman" Seresin Tag List

“Are you still feeling alright, honey?” Susan asked you, checking you over. You gave her a small smile as she gave you a once over. Her green scrubs contrasted against her blonde hair, and the wrinkles around her eyes were more pronounced as she frowned at you worriedly. “You’re still taking it easy, right? Remember what Dr. Carson said when he checked you out the other day.”

“I’m fine, Susan. I promise,” you reassured the older nurse. She studied you for a second longer before turning to fix her coffee.

“You know, it’s a real shame about that Morris girl,” she continued. “She was always such a sweet girl. Wasn’t she in your class, Bobby?”

“No, she was a year ahead with Reuben, Nat, and Jake,” he muttered through a mouthful of Cheerios.

“That’s right,” she nodded.

Bob swallowed his mouthful and peered up at his mother. “Are you going to tell us what’s been going on?”

“You know,” she sighed exasperatedly, “I could have sworn I had told you. Or at least I would have if you bothered to answer your phone every once in a while.”

“You could tell me now?” Bob said sarcastically. Susan glared over at him.

“Tone, mister,” she warned before letting out another sigh and leaning against the kitchen counter. “I suppose it’s been a little over two months now since they found the first body. Everyone thought it was just an accident since it looked like a drowning. But then a couple of weeks later another body washed up, and then another one a couple weeks after that. They were all young women about the same age, and they all appeared to have drowned. Maverick was worried that there was a serial killer on the loose, so he called in a favor to Tom. You remember Tom, don’t you, sweetie?”

“Yeah, I remember Mr. Kazansky, Mom,” Bob nodded. “He was only the my baseball coach for most of middle school and high school.”

“Such a sweet man,” Susan nodded with a small smile towards you. “We were all sad to see him leave, but when the FBI offers you a job, what person in their right mind says no?”

“So he and that other guy are here because of this serial killer no one told me about?” Bob asked her, eyebrow raised.

Susan scowled at him, but let out a sigh. “Tom and his partner, Agent Simpson, got here about two weeks ago when the last body was found. I was talking to Tom the other day, actually, and he told me that there were signs of a struggle, which is why they got called in.”

“Should he be telling you that?” Bob frowned. She shrugged, sipping from her coffee mug.

“I think they’re holding a press conference today to discuss everything. He wouldn’t have told me if they weren’t already planning on telling everyone, I’m sure.”

“A serial killer,” you hummed, frowning. “That’s really scary, actually.”

“It is,” she agreed, eyeing you. “Which is why I want you to promise me that you won’t go off on your own at night, alright? You should be fine during the day time, especially with the summer crowds, but I want you to make sure you have somebody with you after the sun goes down.”

“I will, Susan,” you smiled.

Bob peered over at you from over his own coffee mug. “I promised Dad that I’d take the boat out with him today. I don’t suppose you wanted to tag along?”

“No,” you told him, shaking your head. “Nat actually texted me last night and asked me if I wanted to go and hang out at the boardwalk today, and I told her that I did. You’ll be okay without me, yeah?”

“‘Course,” he snorted, moving to take his dishes to the sink. “Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve ditched me for other friends.”

“If you’re talking about that time in sophomore year when I went with Abby and Rachel to the football game after you insisted that you would be a fourth wheel even though we all told you that you wouldn’t be, then this is not the same situation at all.”

“I beg to differ,” he laughed, heading for the back door.

“You can beg all you want, but it’s the truth,” you giggled. “Oh, wait!”

You got up from your own chair, moving to follow him.

“I think I left my bag on the boat last night,” you told him. “I’m going to grab it before I head out.”

The two of you walked down the stone path until you reached the small strip of sand that led out onto the dock.

“You know I’m not ditching you, right?” You asked him, suddenly worried that your best friend really did think you were trying to leave him behind. Bob snorted and looked over at you with a quirk of his brow.

“Of course I don’t,” he said, making a beeline for the boat that bobbed up and down with the waves. “I don’t expect you to tag along with me everywhere. I’m actually really happy that you and the gang are getting along so well.”

“Okay,” you trailed off. “Good. Because I really like hanging out with them.”

Bob chuckled as he stepped onto the boat, turning to face you. “I know. Stay right there and I’ll grab your bag, yeah?”

You nodded, turning to watch the waves as he disappeared towards the back of the boat. You glanced down when a shine of light danced in the corner of your eye. Sitting on the wood of the dock was a collection of more shells and pearls, and you immediately crouched down to take a better look at them. A couple of sand dollars were added into the mix this time and even more pearls of various shapes, sizes, and colors were mixed in with the lot. You picked each one up gently, inspecting them. Your favorite was the beautiful black pearl that rested in the center of the grouping. The oily colors on its surface danced as you inspected it, and you felt your skin prickle in delight.

Your gaze shifted to the breathtaking conch shell that rested near the edge, and you gingerly lifted it up to get a better look at it. It truly was a marvelous sight. One of the best specimens you had ever had the privilege of seeing.

“How much crap do you carry in this thing?”

You whirled around to see Bob grimacing as he made his way towards you with your simple hobo bag.

“I carry just what I need in it,” you replied to him, reaching an arm out to take the bag.

“What are you doing crouched over here?” Bob asked you, brow furrowing as he handed it off to you. He stopped short when he saw the collection of ocean treasures at your feet. He inspected them before moving his eyes up to meet yours.

“Look at these!” You grinned, gesturing down at them. “These are more spectacular than the last bunch! Have you ever seen such amazing specimens? And these pearls!”

“Yeah,” Bob said uneasily, eyes shifting to look out at the water. “They’re pretty great.”

You stood up suddenly, turning to fix him with a small glare.

“What is up with you?” You demanded, hands on your hips. “You love things like this! You’re the one person I know who gets more excited about this shit than I do, and you’re over here looking like someone just told you they were planning on kidnapping me. You did the same thing yesterday!”

Bob’s eyes widened at your outburst before melting into a sheepish expression as he looked away. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck before letting out a sigh, looking back at you with an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, y/n,” he sighed. “The shells are great, really. I guess I just have a lot on my mind with the murders and all that.”

You felt a wave of guilt wash over you, replacing the annoyance. Your hands moved to pull him into a hug, one he returned.

“Nothing is going to happen to me, okay?” You told him, squeezing him tight. “I’ll be extra careful to not be by myself at night, so you don’t have to worry about me, yeah?”

Bob didn’t say anything for a moment. He pulled back to look at you, a fond smile on his face as he regarded you.

“I’m always going to worry about you, you know,” he smirked, something serious behind his eyes despite the teasing tone he used. “You’re like the little sister I never had.”

“Bob,” you scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest. “I’m literally three months older than you.”

He grinned at that.

“Semantics.”

The street was busy as people walked back and forth along the boardwalk, taking in the different rides and stalls as the excitement for summer festival began to grow. Several decorations littered the pathways, all of various sea creatures and more than a few mermaids. You watched the different families, friends, and couples run around to the different events, and you let out a sigh as you checked your phone once again.

Sorry, Skip! Mom needed help with some things at the shop so I’m running late. Give me half an hour!

That had been thirty-five minutes ago, and you hadn’t heard anything. Sighing, you wiped the sweat from your brow, deciding to take a break from the overwhelming heat. You spotted a familiar, little shop and began walking towards it.

The bell above the door rang out as you stepped inside, letting out a breath of relief as the cool air washed over you. The shop hadn’t changed much in the days since you had last been in. There were new novelty items scattered about, but for the most part, Mrs. Cambroni’s shop was still quaint and cheesy.

The old woman appeared from the backroom, giving you a warm smile as she gave you a once over. Her eyes landed on your neck, an eyebrow quirking as she took in the raised skin that still shone in the light.

“My, my, dear,” she hummed, leaning against the counter. “What happened there?”

“Oh this?” You asked, resting your hand over the mark. You suppressed a shiver as a oddly pleasant feeling washed over you. “I had a bit of an accident the other day. I fell of a boat and washed up on shore.”

“Oh, how terrible!”

“Yeah, but I’m okay!” You chirped. “The doctor checked me out and said I was fine, just a little bruised. Said I was really lucky that nothing worse happened.”

“I’m sure you were,” she murmured, eyes still locked on your neck.

“But I guess I must have hit my neck pretty good on some rocks because the bump hasn’t gone away and the algae practically looks like it’s a part of my skin now,” you joked. Mrs. Cambroni blinked at you.

“The…algae?” She asked. You nodded, and she threw her head back in a fit of laughter. You stared at her in confusion until she calmed down, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

“I’m sorry, dear. I don’t mean to laugh,” she said through bouts of giggles. “What brings you by my little shop?”

“Oh!” You cried, moving closer to the counter. “Nothing really, I was just waiting for a friend, but she’s running late. So, I thought I’d pop back in and say hi after I got dragged out of here the other day.”

Mrs. Cambroni gave another hum, a knowing look on her face. She took a sip from the cup of tea she held in her hands.

“Have you found any interesting seashells along the beach since I last saw you?”

“Actually, yes!” You smiled, digging through your bag to pull out the collection you were beginning to compile. “I found these over the last couple of days. It’s strange though, none of these were on the beach. I found a pile of them on our boat and then another pile on the dock this morning. My friend said it must have been the current-”

Mrs. Cambroni’s eyes widened as she coughed up her tea, nearly choking on it as she fought to regain control over her breathing. You reached out a hand to soothe her, and she gave you a grateful smile.

“The current, you say?” She said, barely hiding her amusement. You nodded self consciously, and the old woman shook her head with a chuckle.

“Seems to me like you’ve caught the eye of a sea person, my dear.”

Now it was your turn for your eyes to widen. “What?”

“I’m surprised no one’s told you yet,” she mused, setting her cup down and examining the shells and pearls. “It’s part of the courting rituals for their kind, after all. Just like that intention bite on your neck.”

Your blood ran cold, recalling how your first reaction to the raised skin was that it looked like a bite mark.

“But it’s not-”

“Oh, but it is, dear child,” she smiled, no hint of malice to it, just understanding. “I’m not sure why no one is telling you the truth. Perhaps it’s because you aren’t a local, and they don’t know if you can be fully trusted yet. Or perhaps it’s because you were chosen in a moment of frenzy. Choice is such an important piece of the courting ritual, after all.”

“Is that why you’re telling me all of this?” You asked her, brow quirked. “Because you think I should have a choice?”

“Precisely. How can you make an informed decision without all of the pieces?”

“Alright, then,” You started, deciding to amuse the woman before you, “what is it you can tell me?”

“What is it you want to know?”

“Tell me more about the courting rituals. What are they? What does it entail?”

“Well,” she smiled, “that certainly is an interesting first question. It’s simple really. It starts with the bite mark on your neck. What you have right now is called an intention bite. This bite is to let other sea people know that you have been marked as the intended mate for someone. As long as that bite remains on your neck, every sea person who lays eyes on it will know that you are spoken for. If that wasn’t enough of a hint, it changes your scent as well.”

“Are you saying that I smell different?”

“Oh, yes,” she nodded. “But not in an unpleasant way, dear. And as long as that’s the only bite mark that remains on your neck, it’ll fade after a few months along with it. The intention mark is only meant to be a placeholder for the permanent mark.”

“And what is that?” You asked her. Mrs. Cambroni turned her serious gaze to your face.

“That would be the mating mark.”

“And what does that one do?” You murmured, voice barely above a whisper. You weren’t sure why you were entertaining this conversation, to be honest. Maybe it was your longstanding fascination with mermaids that kept you rooted there, listening intently. Or maybe it was because a part of you, one that you were trying your best not to acknowledge in that moment, believed her.

Before Mrs. Cambroni could respond, the bell above the door chimed again, and you both turned to see Nat red faced and out of breath as she looked at you.

“There you are!” She smiled, relaxing as she let out a sigh of relief. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Sorry!” You exclaimed, gathering your seashells and giving Mrs. Cambroni an apologetic smile. “I was getting really hot and I thought I’d stop in here for a few minutes.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Nat said, watching the older woman with a suspicious frown. “I lost track of the time after I texted you.”

You waved to the shop owner as you followed Nat out the door, the sun bathing you in its warm rays. You peered over at your friend, a mischievous smirk on your face as your eyes lowered to her neck.

“Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that huge hickey on your neck, right?”

Nat’s hand flew up to her neck, cheeks flushing as she tried to splutter out an excuse.

“So,” you chirped as your friend continued to recover her speech. “Which of the boys is it?”

“What makes you so sure it was one of them?” She muttered, the red on her cheeks growing more pronounced.

You ignored her. “My money is on Javy.”

“How did you know?” She shrieked, earning a couple of stares from passersby. You laughed at her expression.

“I didn’t until just now.”

Nat let out a long groan, hiding her face in her hands. You rested a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her.

“Hey, it’s okay,” you said. “I think the two of you are really cute, and I don’t think the others have figured it out yet. I just see the way you two look at each other when you think no one else is. I wish someone would look at me like that.”

Natasha peeked out from behind her fingers, an oddly thoughtful look on her face as she studied you. Before you could ask, she was straightening up, a smile replacing her embarrassment.

“Do you think you could hold off on saying anything?” She asked you. You nodded, holding out your pinky to her. She wrapped her own around it, and the two of you shook on it.

“Scout’s honor, Nat!”

“Good!” She giggled, peering around the boardwalk. “What do you want to hit first?”

After Nat convinced you to take a ride on the tilt-o-whirl, you were sure you’d never walk straight again. You groaned as you fought to stay upright, nearly crashing into a man as you passed him. Your shoulder bumped his, and you turned around to look at him.

“I am so sorry!” You cried, hands reaching out to steady him, but stopping when you noticed that he was just fine. And staring at you. You gave him a sheepish smile, but the look on his face remained impassive. If the world wasn’t still spinning around you, you might have said that the green in his eyes glowed in the summer light. Natasha laughed beside you, throwing out another apology to the man as she dragged you off.

“Never again, Nat,” you said, suddenly feeling nauseous.

“I’m surprised you managed to make it without hurling!” She cackled, leaning you against the wood railing so you could catch your breath.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” you muttered, leaning over the side.

“Natasha!”

The both of you turned to see the weathered face of the FBI agent and his partner strolling up to you.

“Oh! Hey, Mr. Kazansky!” She called out with a wave. You turned to face them just as they stopped in front of you.

“C’mon now, Nat. It’s Tom, you know that,” the older man chuckled, eyes moving to you. “And who is this?”

“Y/n,” you introduced yourself, reaching out a hand to shake his. “But everyone just calls me Skipper these days.”

“Ah! You must be the young lady Susan was telling me about the other day,” Tom smiled. “It’s good to finally put a face to a name. This is my partner, Agent Beau Simpson.”

“A pleasure,” the other man said as he shook both of your hands.

“So are you two enjoying the festival so far?” Tom asked, smile still on his face. “This small town isn’t too boring for you, is it, Skipper?”

“Not at all!” You assured him, shaking your head. “I think it’s quite a charming little place! And everyone has been so nice since I got here.”

“That’s good to hear,” he chuckled, eyes falling to your neck. “Where’s the lucky boy?”

You gave him a confused look, and Nat cleared her throat, stepping up.

“It’s so embarrassing,” she started, giving Tom a pointed look. “Javy and I have been seeing each other on the sly for a while now, and I didn’t even think he left a mark. I’ll have to tell him to be more careful next time.”

Tom glanced between the two of you, understanding dawning on his face. He gave another smile.

“Young love is such a wonderful thing, don’t you agree Beau?” He asked his partner, who just smiled in agreement. “Don’t keep it a secret for too long, Nat.”

“Of course,” she smiled.

“You two are being careful, aren’t you?” Asked Agent Simpson. Nat’s face could have been mistaken for a tomato from how hard she was blushing. Agent Simpson seemed to have realized what he said and a blush of his own crept onto his face.

“With the murders, I mean,” he explained quickly. Tom let out a chuckle as Nat cleared her throat. “We just got done giving a press conference. No curfew yet, but we’re advising young ladies to not be out at night on their own until we can find whoever is doing this.”

“Oh, of course!” You said, nodding your head in understanding. “We’re being careful! It’s such a shame what happened.”

“You two were there, weren’t you?” Tom asked.

“Yeah, we were,” you trailed off, feeling the nausea return at the memory of the girl’s body as it lay in the sand. You suppressed a shudder. “It was awful.”

“It was,” Beau agreed, giving you a sympathetic smile. “Which is why we don’t want to see anything happen to anyone else.”

“You don’t have to worry about us,” Nat said, a determined smile on her face as she looked at the two older men. Tom chuckled, eyes moving from her to you, still studying the mark on your neck.

“No,” he said finally. “I don’t suppose we will.”

You couldn’t help but think back to your conversation with Mrs. Cambroni.

As long as that bite remains on your neck, every sea person who lays eyes on it will know that you are spoken for.

“Well,” Tom started, eyes looking over your shoulder now, “you two ladies have fun! We won’t keep you any longer.”

He made to move, and Agent Simpson made to follow after him. The dark haired man stopped just after he passed you.

“Oh,” he said, “And don’t hesitate to let us know if you see anything suspicious, yeah?”

“We will!” Nat called after him as she started dragging you in the opposite direction. The whole exchange felt weird to you. Why had Tom asked Nat about who the lucky man was when he was looking at your neck? Why did he keep starting at it at all? What had he meant by not having to worry?

You took a deep breath, deciding that you were overthinking the matter and that Mrs. Cambroni’s stories had just gotten in your head. But even as you had made your mind up to ignore your questions, you couldn’t help but feel a pulse come from the base of your neck as if it were begging you to keep questioning.

Tag List: @jakeseresinlover @haley-hotchner @queerqueenlynn @dempy @fanficfandomlove @aworldwideapart @stoptaking-the-good-names @maximus890 @sky2nd @devil-angel-winchester @hopip99 @hookslove1592 @lemmons1998 @yuckosworld @uniquedreamlandcheesecake @imamomof8 @pietrothemovie @kmc1989 @mayhemmanaged @imnotcreativeenoughforthisblog @deliriousfangirl61 @hangmandruigandmav @na-ta-sh-aa @witchybabel @keyrani @i-wanna-be-your-muse @buckysteveloki-me @clancycucumber230 @dreamlandcreations @emotionallysalty @fandom-life-12 @a-girl-who-loves-disney @nouis-bum @topherwrites @squeaky-bumblbee22 @crybaby-21 @goldenseresinretriever @bobgasm @linkpk88 @number-0-iz @xl-pr @stillreadingfantasy

[whereianonymouslypostfics]

Reunion 

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~4.3k

Summary: You and Wanda attend your high school reunion.

A/N: This was fun to write. Wanda gets kinda mad. It’s so cute. Part one of the  jealous Wanda series. 

Warnings: jealousy😈, thoughts of violence, fluff

Going to your 15-year high school reunion sounded unappealing anyway you thought about it. You hadn’t really liked high school because of how stressful it was, and how mean people could be. You didn’t remember it fondly and when the phone call came one day, and the emailed invitation the next, Wanda found you in the kitchen scowling at your computer.

After a long discussion, Wanda had convinced you to at least give it a shot. She’d promised to take time off to go with you, and given that it was almost all the way across the country, it would be a three-day trip. The appeal of spending time away with your wife was much higher than that of going to your high school reunion, but you decided to worry about this later. You’d left Boone with Yelena, and Fletcher would get a couple of visits a day from Steve while you were gone, so they would barely miss your absence.

Right now, as you sit beside Wanda as she drives you through an unfamiliar part of the airport, you’re very confused. You look to your wife who takes off her sunglasses with a sigh before turning down a road that leads dangerously close to the runways.

“Uh, Wands.”

You’re supposed to catch your flight soon, but Wanda had driven you both somewhere that doesn’t seem anywhere close to the terminal. She smiles at you before realizing that you look a little worried, but she doesn’t have to wonder about it long as you voice your concerns hesitantly.

“Why are we here? Don’t we have to catch our flight soon?”

Wanda simply smiles at you as she turns down one last road and pulls into a small garage. You’re too focused on the plane that you drive by and you’re staring at it with an impressed look as Wanda explains what’s happening. You’d told her about your reservations about this trip, and she’d wanted to make everything as stress free as possible for you both. For this reason, she’d dealt with organizing your travel and your hotel room. You were just along for the ride until the reunion.

“We’re here, detka. This is our ride.”

Your head whips back around toward your wife as your jaw drops in bewilderment. You must have heard her wrong because Wanda definitely wasn’t saying what you thought she was. You followed her lead and got out of the car before peeking out of the garage at the damn jet that was not twenty feet from you.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Wanda smirks as she opens the trunk and grabs your bags before handing you your backpack with a smile. She reaches out to push your chin up to close your still gaping mouth, and she can’t help but chuckle under her breath.

“This is one of my planes.”

Wanda walks toward the jet where you now see someone is coming out to meet her. He looks like a pilot, but you can’t even comprehend this right now as you chase after your wife. You had so many questions, but the first one that you asked was arguably the most relevant.

“What do you mean you have a jet?”

Wanda smiles before she grabs your hand so you can meet the pilot and then the small three-person crew that will be with you on this flight. They offer to take your luggage, and you’re too stunned to protest as you follow Wanda up the stairs into the plane you’ll apparently be taking to Miami.

“It’s not just mine, or ours rather, but I made sure we could use it so we can enjoy the trip.”

Wanda leaves out the little detail of her not being able to fly commercially like you. She’s a known criminal and she’s pretty sure that if she stepped into the airport with the intent to ride on a passenger plane, they’d refuse if not arrest her for simply trying. Seeing your wide eyes and the awe in your expression, she realizes that this was a good choice. She doesn’t think you’ll mind this surprise as you take in the small yet somehow spacious interior that looks more comfortable than anything you’ve ever sat on.

“Oh my God.”

There are sets of four seats that are divided into two groups on each side of the plane. The leather recliners are paired with tables that have drinks already set up. There are also two televisions on each side with charging stations beneath, and you can’t stop yourself from sitting down in the nearest chair. You turn to your wife with a stunned expression that you’ll probably wear for the entire trip.

“This is amazing, Wanda. Were you ever going to tell me about this?”

Wanda just shrugs as she takes off her coat and sits down beside you with a smile. She just wanted you to enjoy your weekend, and as she says this you can’t help but kiss her. She’s so sweet and you can’t wait to go on this trip with her. It’s been too long since you’ve had quality time alone and although reuniting with the high school mean girls wasn’t something you were excited about; you at least were going to enjoy the ride.

The 4-hour flight seems to fly by and when you and Wanda leave the plane you almost wish it had been longer. You and Wanda arrive to the hotel that she’d booked and you are once again surprised by Wanda’s choice. It’s very reminiscent of the one you two stayed in during your honeymoon, and you’re already recalling how much fun that was as you and your wife step into the elevator.

“So? How’s the trip so far?”

Your wide smile is enough of an answer for Wanda, but she doesn’t complain about you offering you a verbal response as well. You are the only ones in the elevator so you don’t resist the urge to kiss your wife appreciatively. You sneak a hand in her hair, careful not to knock off her sunglasses on her head as you deepen the kiss with a sigh.

“It’s perfect, Wands. Thank you for this.”

Wanda’s hands squeeze your hips before she buries her face in your hair. She turns so she can kiss your neck before leading you off the elevator as soon as you reach your floor. The top floor.

“Of course, detka. I want you to enjoy this weekend, and not stress about the mean girls. I promise I’ll beat them up if they look at you wrong.”

You laugh as you follow Wanda into your room that resembles the rest of the hotel in its extravagance. You see your bags in the room already so you just hurry over to the king size bed and fall face first on it with a sigh. This weekend is proving to be unpredictable, but luckily, it’s in a good way so far. Hopefully this will continue to be the case as the reunion rolls around, but you have no real way of knowing.

Wanda comes to lie down beside you, and you adjust so you’re more comfortable and able to put an arm around her. You know that regardless of what happens tomorrow, you’ll have Wanda by your side and you couldn’t be more grateful for this. You appreciated your wife’s support and despite the fact that you would not let her beat up anyone for you, it was nice to hear that she would be in your corner. You hadn’t seen any of these people in nearly 15 years and you were nervous to say the least.

You hadn’t been popular in high school, but despite keeping to yourself you knew that you’d be recognized. You had no idea how people would remember you but you hadn’t been out of the closet then yet, so maybe some of them would be surprised to learn Wanda was your wife. You weren’t ashamed of anything, but you’d rather talk about how much you loved being a vet and maybe see some people’s puppy pictures. However, you were going to take what you could get, and not worry too much about it. You’d prefer anything to having to talk about Wanda’s less than legal career because that could definitely get dicey.

“Thank you, Wands.”

The rest of the day is mostly spent in bed ordering ridiculously expensive room service. You didn’t want to go out much before the reunion and Wanda understood. You were anxious and you’d rather just hang out, and luckily for her you were in the mood for sitcoms and cuddling. Her two favorite things. It wasn’t until you fell asleep that night that Wanda considered how tomorrow would go for you two.

She wasn’t too worried about being recognized because anyone that knew her there would have a secret of their own to keep. She supposed she was mostly wondering how meeting your former classmates would go. You’d never told her much about your time in high school, but from what she’d gathered you were more studious than social. You mentioned friends occasionally, but you didn’t really keep in touch with them anymore. You only talked to vet school friends every now and then, but never high school.

She wonders if you really wanted to go to this or if you felt guilted into it. Wanda sighs as she lies down next to you to finally go to sleep. It’s nearly midnight and she’s just been watching you sleep for the past hour. She supposes she should try to get some rest. Tomorrow will surely be exhausting with how much you’re going to have to socialize.

This is what you’re thinking about as you and Wanda arrive at the venue where the reunion is being held. You try not to cringe as you see the large banner that says ‘Welcome back class’. You’re regretting your decision to come here, but you choose to focus on the food you’ll hopefully get to eat and your beautiful wife that’s accompanying you. She’s wearing a dress that should make you jealous, but instead you’re proud to show her off to your former classmates. The dress isn’t overly revealing, but the black accentuates her assets and is complemented well with her bright red hair.

“Are you ready for this, my love?”

Wanda smiles as she takes your hand and leads you into the building. You come up on a table quickly and see it’s full of sticker name tags that you’re going to have to stick to your shirt. You smile at the unfamiliar woman sitting behind it. She’s blonde and you definitely could buy that she used to be a cheerleader, but you can’t be sure. You’re certainly not going to ask.

“Hi there, welcome! Let me try and guess?”

You don’t get to respond and you just watch as the blonde looks at the names in front of her curiously. You are actually surprised when she guesses right and you accept it with a small smile before Wanda’s handed a blank tag to fill out with her name.

“I remember you, Y/n. You dated my friend!”

You’re a little confused by this and when Wanda stops in the middle of writing her name you realize she is too. You don’t get to ask ‘Hannah’ for clarification before two other couples come in behind you and force you to move on. You just shake your head as you hold Wanda’s hand and whisper under your breath.

“I have no idea who she was talking about.”

Wanda just laughs at this as she follows you through the hall to the ballroom. The sound of a room full of people chatting makes you tense a little, but Wanda squeezes your hand and offers you a reassuring smile. You take a deep breath before kissing her cheek and leading her the rest of the way to the open doors.

“Let’s do this.”

You were optimistic to say the least about how this day was going to go. You’d believed that it would be fine and you could just mingle with your old friends and try to kill time. This had worked out for the first half hour, but then the group you’d been talking to decide to venture off to talk to others. You’re fine with this and after bidding them goodbye you look to Wanda with a smile.

This was all a little anticlimactic if you were being honest. Given who you were, you’d feared that something dramatic and uncomfortable would happen to you. However, you and Wanda had chatted and actually had a decent time catching up with your old acquaintances. You’d introduced your wife and told everyone that she was in sales. Something boring-sounding but potentially lucrative, yet not specific enough for anyone to try and look her up.

“Thank you for coming with me to this.”

You say this a little while later when the two of you are alone with your snacks. You’re sipping on your drink when Wanda takes one of your hands with a smile. She’s glad that she came here with you. She can tell that you’re less on edge and you’re almost enjoying yourself when someone new comes up to you.

Wanda hadn’t seen the other redhead here as she’d glanced around casually while you talked to your friends. She was pretty and Wanda hates this fact as soon as she realizes who she is or rather was to you.

“Dr. Y/L/N. Look at you all grown up! You somehow look even better than the last time I saw you.”

The urge to crawl into a hole and die overwhelms you as you force yourself to swallow what you’re chewing before you turn toward the familiar voice. You were torn between horror that you’re running into her, and shame at the fact that you’d forgotten about her existence up until this moment. As you turn around to face her you have to stop yourself from doing anything other than smiling.

She looks as good as you remember, albeit briefly forgot, and you meet her blue eyes before looking away to her shirt to remind yourself of her name.

“Jessica. Hi. I didn’t expect to see you here!”

It wasn’t exactly a lie given that you’d forgotten a majority of high school due to the sheer amount of stress it had caused you. Your tactic had been to repress whatever you didn’t want to remember which ended up being most of it. This happened to include your brief, trivial fling with the redhead in front of you.

She’s smiling at you still as she leans in for a hug that you feel obligated to give. You try to keep it short and you bounce uncomfortably on the balls of your feet as you watch Jessica shrug as she looks around the room.

“Of course! How else am I supposed to catch up with everyone. I knew for sure it would be the only way I’d ever see you again.”

Wanda notices that your smile is a little pained, and she doubts this could indicate anything good. She doesn’t have much time to consider this further before you’re reaching out for her and looking between her and the redhead who’s still staring at you.

“Jessica, this is Wanda, my wife. Wanda, Jessica was one of my friends.”

It would have been too lucky for this introduction to go unchallenged. You could feel the color drain from your face when Jessica laughs as she reaches out to shake Wanda’s hand. You can tell she’s confused and you want to explain, but not here and now.

“Mostly friends, sometimes with benefits.”

Wanda’s eyes widen when the other redhead says this, and she can’t help but frown as she turns back to you. You hadn’t told her about any relationships you’d had, other than that short stent with the guy you went to prom with. You take a deep breath before releasing an uncomfortable laugh that seems to spur Jessica on. You take a moment to look at her, and you see that she doesn’t have a ring on her finger. This could mean many things, but unfortunately for you it means that she feels free to flirt with you. Despite the fact that you’re wearing a wedding band and your wife is holding your hand, she’s bolder than you’d feared.

“It’s so good to see you! I hate that we lost touch.”

You run a hand through your hair yanking a good bit of it out as you use work as an excuse. It’s a valid one considering how busy you’d been, but you also hadn’t said a word to Jessica in person or otherwise since graduating high school. She couldn’t have forgotten this.

“Yeah, school was just crazy and now work is crazy.”

You talk a little bit about work when she mentions that she’d read that you were a vet. You ask what she does in return and you listen to her marketing spiel before realizing that Wanda’s near frozen beside you. She’s watching Jessica carefully as she speaks to and continues to ogle you. She’s amazed by this woman’s boldness; her blatant disregard for her presence as she looks at you like she’s imagining you naked.

“I bet you’re amazing at that. You were always so passionate.”

When she reaches out to touch your arm Wanda considers smacking her hand away. She looks to you as you let her do it for only a split second before stepping away. You tug at the hem of your shirt needlessly before covering your discomfort with a cough.

“Ahah thanks, um. If you’ll excuse me.”

You run off before either redhead can stop you and they just frown in unison before turning their attention back to each other. They’re sizing each other up and it’s fairly obvious to any onlooker as Jessica’s frown deepens before speaking up.

“So how long have you and Y/n been married?”

Wanda doesn’t need to think about this at all and she tells Jessica the truth. She has to remind herself to take comfort in the fact that she’d been with you for years, and you’d never once mentioned her.

“For 5 years, but we’ve been together since before she started vet school.”

Jessica nods before she looks toward the doorway that you’d disappeared through before grinning at your behavior. You’d always been a skittish thing until she got you alone, and it was then that you’d find your confidence. She remembers the time she spent with you fondly, and despite wanting to rehash some of that, she has a feeling this won’t happen since Wanda’s here.

“She did always have a thing for redheads.”

Wanda’s still scowling when you return from bringing the car around. You’d wanted to flee and you considered taking Wanda with you but she hadn’t followed you so you decided to just make it quick. You ran back into the building hoping to avoid any drama, but seeing your wife near glaring at Jessica’s smug expression, you realize you’re too late.

You walk back over to them quickly and reach out for your wife’s shoulder with a smile.

“Wands, are you ready to go?”

She doesn’t hurry to respond as she considers what you could have seen in this woman. Beyond her looks, Jessica is pretty intolerable and Wanda opens her mouth to say this when you cut her off. You’d seen the look in your wife’s eyes and you knew that things were about to get ugly if you didn’t get her out of here now.

“Jessica, sorry to run off but we have a flight to catch. It was nice seeing you.”

Two minutes later you and Wanda are sitting in a suffocating silence as you drive back to the hotel. You hadn’t bothered to say goodbye to anyone else because you were mostly worried about your wife. You’d made such a hasty exit that you wondered what rumors were spreading, but that thought is cut short by Wanda’s voice.

“Why didn’t you give me a heads up about her?”

Your grimace isn’t missed as Wanda turns to watch you come up with a response while trying to focus on driving. You hadn’t been able to think of an answer to this question that wasn’t more annoying than Jessica, but you didn’t have a lot of time or the courage to come up with a lie.

“I forgot about her, Wands.”

The responding scoff is probably paired with an eye roll you don’t see as Wanda crosses her arms in annoyance. She hadn’t thought that today would go like this. You’d given her no reason to believe that things would go so sideways, and that’s part of the problem and the reason why she’s ticked.

“Bullshit. You didn’t forget about her, Y/n.”

You open your mouth to protest but you realize you have no excuse so you just stay silent. Wanda seems to get more annoyed at this and she huffs in exasperation as you pull into the hotel parking lot.

“How could you? It sounded like you had a really nice time together.”

The sarcasm in Wanda’s voice makes you cringe in realization. You’d really fucked up and in more ways than one. Not only had you neglected to tell Wanda that you had a friend with benefits in high school, but you’d also just let her flirt with you right in front of your wife. You’d be mad too which is why you’re not surprised when Wanda gets out of the car and storms towards the elevator in silence.

“Wands, come on. I was just a kid it didn’t mean anything.”

She’s just angrily pressing the button for the elevator when you reach out for her only for her to jerk away. She watches the elevator crawl down to their level with an inaudible sigh. She really wishes that they’d just stayed in bed today.

“Well, you didn’t rush to tell her that did you? You just let her fucking flirt with you.”

The ride up to the room is made in silence, and you’re almost afraid that Wanda won’t let you go in as she practically storms out of the elevator.

“I’m sorry, it made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to risk her saying more.”

You realize too late that this is admitting to remembering something about your time with Jessica and Wanda zeroes in on this immediately. She opens the door to the room before turning to watch you sweat as she backs up.

“More about what, exactly? What more do you remember, detka? “

You’d like to lie down and cry right now because you’d almost been having fun. You’d been starting to think that it was a good thing that you’d come out here to see old friends, and then this bullshit happened. Sure, maybe you’d liked Jessica a little in high school, but that was 15 years ago. You’d moved on and had an amazing wife and you loved the life you shared with her.

“I remember that we had meaningless sex in the theater changing rooms. However, it’s not something that I’d ever want to think about because it wasn’t memorable.”

Wanda scowls at the confirmation that you’d had sex with the other redhead, and she can’t help but hate that she’d had you first. She knew it was irrational. You’d been in high school around the same time as her, but on completely different sides of the country. You would have never met her at that time.

“I also have it way better now because I’m married to my wonderful wife.”

Wanda sighs in frustration before she turns and walks over to the bed with a frown. She sits down on her side and crosses her arms and legs as she watches you follow her tentatively. She is mad at you for not telling her about this sooner, but unfortunately, she’s starting to forgive you for that. However, she’s still pissed that you hadn’t said anything to deter her from flirting with you, and she wants to remind you of this.

“I shouldn’t have had to watch her flirt with you.”

You’re nodding before Wanda’s even finished speaking, and you creep toward the bed as your wife continues. She’s shooting you a look that makes you want to agree to anything that comes out of her mouth. She’s furious and you don’t want to ruin the rest of your trip because of your stupidity. She watches as you kneel at the edge of the bed and just wait for any indication that you’re not welcome.

“You’re mine and you should have told her that.”

Again, you nod furiously in agreement as you do your best to placate your wife. You need her to know that she’s right, and that you will always be hers; never anyone else’s.

“I know, you’re right. I’m yours.”

Wanda’s eyes darken and she stares at you for the longest time before she lays back against the pillows behind her. She doesn’t want to fight with you about this. However, she’d love to teach you a lesson that will hopefully prevent you from doing something like this ever again. Her arms are still crossed as she watches you fidget nervously, and a smile creeps onto her lips as she decides what your punishment will be.

“Prove it to me then.”

Your head snaps up and you meet your wife’s hard gaze with a puzzled look.

“What?”

Wanda’s smile widens as she leans forward and takes a moment to look you over. You’re tense and flushed and Wanda has a feeling you’ll be very compliant given that you feel guilty for not standing up to your ex-friends with benefits or whatever she was. She plans on taking advantage of this, just so long as you’re game. 

“Prove to me that you’re mine and I’ll forgive you.”

To be continued...

Masterlist

[sansxfuckyou]

let it really sink in

summary: he just wants to help now because he could nothing then

tags: self-esteem issues, canon compliant, ambiguous relationship

authors note: so yeagh thinking about them, A Lot, they mean so much to me

"Just open up and say 'ah,' it'll be over before you know it," Soul said.

"I'm not letting my Weapon spoon feed like I'm a baby," Maka said, a bit of a snap to her voice.

Pathetic.

She got hurt to the point that her Weapon is offering to spoon feed her- in front of a crowd of people no less. It's just so demeaning.

Soul rolled his eyes, "C'mon, you need to eat to heal."

Maka flopped back against the pillows in spite of the partial paralytics, "I refuse to let you belittle me like this."

Soul blanked, "Belittle? I'm just trying to help you out."

"How would you feel if I tried to spoon food into your mouth?" Maka asked.

The bickering didn't really subside until Black Star and Tsubaki had left, Kid and the twins followed suit. What could they add to the discussion anyways. The spite between a Weapon and a Meister are personal things for them to work out.

Soul is still trying to convince Maka to just stop fighting and accept the help.

She still isn't having it.

"Why won't you let me help you!?" The small cup of fruit is tossed to the floor when Soul hits the breaking point.

Maka didn't expect that response.

"I'm just trying to make sure you're healing properly and not starving and-" He cuts himself short.

"Soul-"

"No, it's whatever. It's cool. I'll go."

"Soul Eater Evans."

Soul froze up, "Yes, Maka?"

"You can feed me, if it'll get you out of this funk," Maka offered.

"Well I just tossed the fruit cup to the god damn floor." Soul thrust a hand in gesture to the splattered fruit chunks.

"Sit with me."

Soul heels to her offer without even realizing it. His arms are crossed and he's sitting at the edge of the bed.

"You've never tried to feed me when I got hurt before," Maka started with, "What happened?"

Soul doesn't speak.

"Soul."

"I couldn't help you. I didn't protect you. I'm supposed to be ready to die for you. I should've taken the fucking hit."

"It's fine, we didn't know it'd paralyze me," Maka said.

"It's not fine!" He's baring his teeth like a dog, "Just let me help you."

Maka paused, "Mishaps happen on the battlefield all the time."

"A mishap shouldn't leave you paralyzed from the neck down," Soul snapped.

He dropped onto his side, curled against Maka just a bit. Hell, if she got hit again he could've lost her. That'd get him revoked from being a Weapon, a failure who couldn't even keep his Meister from dying. His best friend, from dying.

He listens intently for her to speak, the steady thrum of her heartbeat ringing in his ears. He could've lost that, could've watched it end in an instant. Could've felt his Soul be severed from hers within seconds of an impact, felt as presence became absence.

It's a horrifying notion.

Ninety nine human Souls and a cat Soul, and then he'd have to start it all over again with someone new. Someone who wouldn't be able to wield him with the same prowess, who wouldn't be able to resonate with him the same. Someone different, someone that isn't his fucking Meister.

That's not gonna happen.

That'll never fucking happen.

He won't let it, he can't let it-

"Soul, can you stop gripping my hip?" Maka asked.

Oh.

He didn't, he didn't even notice it.

He retracts himself from her entirely, "Sorry."

"It's fine, just felt weird because you were gripping it too tight." Maka answered with. She would reach out to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, but all that her reflex is greeted with is a sharp sensation shooting through arm.

"I can leave you alone if you want me too," Soul offered.

"Why would I want you to leave?" Maka asked.

"I'm being a nuisance, first I try to spoon feed you, then I hold you to tight, and I'm just being a clingy bastard."

"Why are men like this?" It's an utterance that doesn't go unnoticed but Soul doesn't say anything in response.

He lays himself across Maka's shins instead, it's nice to just be close. That's his Meister, sure she can't hold him right now. But just being beside her, next to her, able to try and protect her even if it's just with his human body, is nice.

It's his fucking job.

A Meister's life will always come before a Weapon's life.

"I am kind of hungry," Maka said.

Soul perked up.

"Could you get me some food?"

Like a dog, Soul does exactly as asked.

-/-/-/-

He spends the rest of the day doing as asked, even if demeaning it is nice. To be of use. To not be a failure. An unneeded assurance that he's actually good at being a Weapon, at being something intended to be used.

He's submissive, yes.

But submissive in the way a dog is submissive to the sheep it kills wolves for.

A submission that was earned and offered all at once.

Still, in spite of that he finds himself resting at Maka's feet like an obedient dog. He let's himself be a space heater, even if the heat he gives off is beyond minimal.

"Soul," Maka starts with.

Soul shoots up.

"Stop acting like a mutt," Maka said.

"I'm not acting like a mutt! I'm just being a good partner," Soul said firmly, although he was vaguely aware of the fact he was acting very much like a mutt. Not that he didn't like it. He did enjoy being useful.

"Sure you aren't," Maka teased, "Can you get me some water?"

Soul slung himself off the bed and faltered at the desk beside her bed, "You trust me enough to not spill water all over you if you drink from a cup?"

"Isn't that your cup?"

"Yeah, but tap tastes better than bottled- nobodies gonna see and nobodies gonna care."

"Yeah I want cup."

"Cool."

Soul brought the rim of the cup to her lips and slowly tilted. Bottled water is so much easier to not spill. But it's whatever, it's what Maka asked of him. So he'll oblige to her request.

He retracts when she bites on the edge.

"That looked like it hurt."

"It did, thank god this paralytic will wear off sooner than later."

Soul nodded, "Agreed. Anything else I can do for ya?"

"No."

"Cool, I'm gonna try and conk out then."

Soul places the glass on the desk before splaying himself flat across Maka on his stomach. His hands lay, fingers twined, at the base of her ribs, head tilted to the side where it rests.

"You're gonna sleep on top of me?" Maka asked.

"Yep, got any issues with it?" Soul asked back, grinning up at her the whole while.

"It's fine," Maka said. A wash of pins and needles shot through her arms as she tried to raise them. Stupid paralytic.

He lets himself rest up against her again, "Thanks."

[sarahfeliciam]

The Ultimatum Ch 34

Chapter 34

They had five days left before they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

In three days time, they would go to retrieve Harry and bring him in for safe keeping as they rapidly approached the start of term. 

Emeline was handling this stress quite well, feeling ease at the familiarity of preparing to be around Harry and him getting to see Sirius again. She had fought many times with them on why they couldn’t allow him to come with them to Grimmauld Place the entire summer. 

Her questions were shot down everytime, especially by Sirius, whom she knew was playing along but incredibly disheartened by the entire thing.

It was a bright and crisp morning as Emeline aided Molly in getting breakfast on the table, the smells of a variety of different breads, meats, and porridge filling the dining room. 

To Emeline’s delight, her father had taken over the morning tea and she was fully prepared for the sugar crash this afternoon of what would stem from his indulgence of her love for as much sugar as she could add. 

“George will be here in a while with Freddie.” 

Molly told Emeline happily, humming over the breakfast gravy. Remus joined in on her humming involuntarily.

“That’s wonderful.” Emeline responded simply, unsure how much Molly knew. 

She needn’t wonder for long.

“He’s been a right mess, Emeline. You both feel sorry. It’ll be easy to move past this is you both can let it go.”

Emeline nodded with a smile. “It’s my fault. I have every intention of fixing things.”

“It’s no one’s fault, dear. But I’m happy to hear it. He’s quite taken by you. We all are.” She pat the side of her cheek and turned back to stirring the gravy as Emeline grinned. 

Remus glanced over at his daughter with a smile.

“She’s quite likable, I suppose.” He quipped and she elbowed him slightly on his way past her to help set the rest of the table.

“Like her father.” Molly replied lovingly, which awarded her a slight blush from Remus.

“Morning, all!” Tonks bounded into the dining room. 

“Goodmorning!” Emeline pulled her in for a hug and handed her a piece of bacon she’d stolen from the table, knowing it was a favorite.

“How’s everyone this morning?” She called out as she sat next to eachother. “Molly, everything smells lovely!” 

“Thank you, dearie, we’re well.” Molly replied cheerfully.

“Alive, that counts for something doesn’t it, pup?” Remus replied cheekily. She rolled her eyes and Tonks let out a loud laugh.

“I’m very happy to see that.” She said softly, looking at Remus for a moment too long. 

See? The lingering! 

You’re reading too far into this.

“Our first mission together is coming up, Remus.” She began again, stuffing her mouth with toast before finishing. “Harry will be thrilled and I’m glad we’ve been paired to look after each other. I won’t let you down.”

Her hair was bubblegum pink.

Emeline and Molly shared an excited look which they quickly got under wraps.

She’s obsessed with you

Emeline joked silently.

His face was slightly flushed and he reached for the back of his head before focusing on his tea.

“Sirius is overjoyed to get Harry here. And I will do everything in my power to protect you on our mission.” He replied evenly, offering her his typically warm smile. 

Emeline hid her second-hand embarrassment at the sweetness that was unfolding before her. 

Tonks had it down bad. 

The only thing her dad had down was denial. 

As the rest of the Order flooded in and Sirius took a seat near Remus, they all discussed exactly how this mission of retrieving Harry would go and informed Emeline she had one more session with Severus and Remus here at Grimmauld Place before Severus took over once a week at Hogwarts. 

The rest of breakfast was fairly peaceful and there was a slight air of excitement at the thought of going back to Hogwarts. She hoped that would feel slightly more normal, too. 

Once they were finished and she was helping clean up, they heard the front door open and her breath caught in her throat. 

George 

She set down the dishes she was working on immediately, to Molly’s delight, and headed for the hallway. 

Fred and George both offered her a smile, George’s albeit fairly sheepish, and she smiled back.

“Hey, E.” He offered, shrugging off his coat and throwing it on the hanger by the stair post. 

“Hi.” Her voice was breathless and unsure. 

Fred glanced between them and slid by to leave the hall, finding it in poor taste to joke for the first time in his life.

“Would you like to talk?” She asked nervously, reaching for her fingernail but stopping herself. 

He nodded quickly. “Yes, please. Shall we?” He turned back to the front door and reached out his hand. She took it quickly and nodded.

“Dad! I’ll be back!”

He popped his head around the corner, seeing their hands already entwined, and smiled. “Before sundown this time, please.”

“Ofcourse.”

•

“George, you were right.” Emeline immediately started when they had taken a seat at a small, local diner. The waitress set down waters and they declined ordering, much to her annoyance. 

“E, I don’t care if I’m right or wrong. I wanted to give you space but thinking that I hurt you has been gnawing at me. All I want is for you to be happy and safe.”

“I know. I was short tempered and I’m sorry.”

“I understand why.” He lowered his voice, and she nodded quietly.

“Well, we’ve decided.. against that, for now.”

He lifted his head in understanding and fell into a nod.

“I see. And you’re safe?”

“I trust him.” She said quickly.

“So you’re happy about it?”

“I’ve seen a new perspective. He’s encouraged me that perhaps, I shouldn’t welcome it so eagerly. So I won’t.”

“Okay.” George said slowly, twisting his straw around against the ice. “Then that’s that. For now.”

“That’s that.” She agreed. 

The waitress came back to their table as the  door to the diner opened and Emeline’s hair stood up on the back of her neck and arms. 

She turned to face the entry and saw a tall man with disheveled hair hanging to his shoulders and facial hair covering most of his chin, cheeks and neck. He looked dirty and his eyes were slightly yellowed. Wearing all black, his shirt opened into a plunging V, his clothes were distinguished, but his looks and sneer were disgusting.

I will find you. Everytime. 

You smell just like him.

Her blood ran cold and George desperately tried to get her attention, which fell on deaf ears. With that, the man was gone, unbeknownst to the rest of the diner.

“Who the hell was that?” She asked breathlessly, her hands shaking and her face pale.

George furrowed his brows and shook his head cautiously. 

“No one came in. Are you alright?”

“No.” She stood, glancing around. “We need to get back.”

•

“What happened?” Arthur asked quickly as they entered the house, briefcase in hand and a worried expression painting his face at the sight of Emeline. 

Still shaking and completely pale, George shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know, she saw someone, but I didn’t. There was no one, dad. Where’s Rem-“

“-Emeline, what’s wrong?” Remus pushed past Mad Eye and Severus who’d entered the hallway just as quickly and the second he got close to her, he stopped dead.

“I saw someone, dad; someone entered the diner. George said he saw nothing. I felt him. He talked to me, like you and I do,” tears began welling up in her eyes as she shook and Remus shot a glance back to Severus. “He said I smelled like you. And that he’d always find me because of it.” She whispered.

Remus held her close to him and swallowed a painful lump in his throat. 

His chest was on fire and his hair stood on end like hers. 

He knew before she spoke.

Greyback. 

•

“I warned you that other wolves could sense her.”

“I don’t want anyone else in my head!” She cried out, angry and emotional. 

“He wasn’t even there!” Remus replied to Severus desperately.

“He didn’t need to be. I’m sure he’s been attempting this for a long time. These instincts are finicky. I’m pleased you’ve evaded his attempts this long, Miss Lupin. Outside of the guard of Grimmauld Place, it was likely just easier to penetrate your mind.  It does not mean it will happen all the time, if you are strong enough.”

She nodded, staring at the floor though it looked like the hardwood was waving as water. 

She felt sick and was still extremely pale. Remus nudged her with a small chunk of chocolate in an attempt to calm her down, though the lack of color in his face matched hers.

“Severus, what shou-“

“- Remus, do not ask me to make that choice. I can’t and I won’t. But if you’re worried about Greyback getting close to her, I would never pretend that isn’t a very real possibility. He’s got a genuine vendetta; she needs to be stronger.”

That’s all she’d heard for so long now.

Strength, strong, control, not enough.

She wanted to scream. 

She wanted to slink back into her room with George and lock the door behind her until all of the evil was gone. She didn’t want to have to be strong; she didn’t want to be afraid. 

“Are you well enough for some practice, Emeline?” She could hear the tone in her father’s voice. 

It wasn’t really a question. 

“Yes.” She said softly, looking up at Severus. 

•

When it was time for supper, Emeline tried to enter the dining room with a smile, but everyone’s downcast expressions quickly changed her mind. Her faux smile faltered and George stood to pull out a seat for her. She sat next to him and across from her father, who she noted was in between Sirius and Tonks.

“It’s been a difficult day,” Mad Eye said gruffly. “I’ve got no news other than we’re down to two days before our Advanced Guard mission, Nymphadora is guarding the prophecy tonight, and Molly has prepared some lovely nosh. Tomorrow is a new one.” 

He nodded curtly and everyone began filling their plates, Tonks’ hair a fiery red that caused Remus to chuckle as quietly as possible. 

He cast Emeline a loving glance and she tried a smile once more.

Excellent work today, pup. I know it was hard.

“I thought maybe we can try our hand at some new flavors tomorrow.” George spoke to her cheerfully. “I know you wanted to try something with raspberry.”

She nodded, shoving the smallest piece of potato possible in her mouth. 

“I’d like that.” She said quietly.

Remus and Tonks watched her closely, sharing a sad glance. 

“Do you suppose she’ll be comfortable going back to Hogwarts?” Tonks asked in a whisper. 

The closeness in which she leant in to whisper in his ear sent chills down his spine and he straightened up with a polite smile before response.

“I think she’ll do just fine. She’s very strong.”

Tonks smiled back and nodded, turning again to her food.

Emeline was strong, even if she didn’t like it or want to admit it. 

But deep down, Remus missed that bubbly, kind Hufflepuff who lit up a room.

The darkness surrounding them was changing his little girl, as it changed most.

Greyback’s interference did nothing but intensify the fire building in Remus. 

He would protect her at all costs. 

[youwouldntbelievehowigothere]

@zelinkcommunity

Chapter 4 of untitled arranged marriage oot child timeline Zelink story. Forgot to add in this blurb that it has eye patch Link for those who like that. This chapter also does have something to do with the prompt by sheer coincidence.

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CH 4: HAND IN HAND

The next day, the two were called into her father’s solar to discuss plans for the future. Zelda, feeling as though the night before had been some strange dream, was surprised when she ran into Link in the hallway. Both were so lost in their thoughts they didn’t realize the other was there until their hands reached for the door handle at the same time.

Zelda felt her cheeks go ruddy and averted her eyes. Right, none of it was a dream. Link took the initiative and opened the large double doors, revealing her father sitting at his desk, as pleased as the cat who got the cream. 

“Ah, come in, come in, there is much to talk about,” her father started, waving them over to sit at the two chairs in front of his desk. “The first being, you were both very good at acting surprised when I announced it, I think the people enjoyed that very much.”

…Her father thought they were acting? Well, it wasn’t like it was a complete surprise for her hand to be offered, but she was legitimately surprised when Link accepted! She dared to sneak a glance at her new fiance. The eye covered in an eyepatch was on her side, and she couldn’t guess what his stoic expression meant. He had been surprised, he’d said as much before, right?

“In general, I’ve heard many people express excitement over such a wedding. It has been some years since your mother and my’s wedding after all. With the peace we’ve had since dealing with that whole Ganondorf business all that time ago…” Her father trailed off, and Zelda once more couldn’t figure out how to tell him the ones who’d attacked Link had gotten away, and were perhaps still at large. Many were still unhappy with how ‘leniently’ the Gerudo were dealt with, and if they knew a hopefully rogue faction had attacked their prince-to-be… well… it wouldn’t be good. 

But there was also a good chance they were dead. Or lost in the woods, which was as good as dead.

Link said nothing, so Zelda kept her own mouth shut. 

“So, I was thinking we could have the ceremony coincide with the summer solstice. I believe a priest said it would be an auspicious time.”

Summer was only a few months away.

“And it would give us enough time to prepare without pushing anyone too hard. I hope that’s not too long a time to wait…”

He glanced at the two of them meaningfully, and Zelda finally found her tongue. “No, we wouldn’t want anything to be rushed. If anything, should anyone need more time that would be–”

“Nonsense, I already put out feelers for these things before I arranged everything. If all goes to plan you two will be married on the summer solstice.”

Zelda smiled, a small and nervous smile. She didn’t futility check Link’s expression again. 

Her father looked expectantly between the two of them, and Zelda knew she had to say something. Unfortunately, all that came to her were too formal platitudes that her own father had taught her! She was happy, she really was, she just… didn’t want to leave her heart too vulnerable. Being too eager was never the wise spot to be… though she supposed love was different than battle. 

Besides, she was terrified! Her feelings had always been so strong to him, to acknowledge them was almost overwhelming. 

“Oh, no need to be shy, I know you’ve both held these feelings for some time. While my marriage was arranged, and it worked well enough, I’m glad that my daughter can have a love match.”

Love match? 

Well, it was at least half a love match, but what exactly was her father expecting them to do? Especially in front of him? What were fiances who held a secret love for each other supposed to do? 

Zelda knew what she’d read in stories, but courtly romances didn’t seem like a realistic spot to start. 

“Forgive us, Your Grace,” Link finally said, “I think this is all just very new.”

“Oh of course,” her father said with a laugh. “You’re both such good kids, I know it must’ve been hard to stay so proper all the time, but I mean it when I say you can let loose a little. Not too much mind you, but it does set the peoples minds’ at ease to know their future rulers are happy with each other.”

And on that note, they started discussing important details like the color scheme of the future wedding.

…

They left her father’s solar after a light meal and a heavy hinting about future grandchildren names. Zelda had never been so mortified, so it was to her surprise that Link pulled her aside once the meeting was over.

“I’m sorry he’s so,” she searched for the word, “like that.”

“No, it’s no problem,” Link replied easily. “Though what has given him the impression that we have been carrying on in secret?”

At that, Zelda shut her mouth and avoided his eye. What indeed? As subtle as she believed herself to be, even her father must’ve noticed how she pined and sighed when the Hero was away. He must’ve seen how she lit up whenever Link was in the room. And knowing how confident she was in every other aspect of her life, assumed her feelings must be reciprocated, but unable to be truly consummated because of Link’s humble origins. A simple man couldn’t ask a princess to marry him.

But to say all of that would be the same as confessing. And even affianced, Zelda couldn’t do it. 

“And what has you turning away, hmm?”

She knew her face was red when he leaned in in such a teasing way. He must not like her to be so able to tease. He must view her like a good friend. How to answer so he wouldn’t know how pathetic she was? But it had to be something embarrassing, as to cause her current state…

Ah! She had it!

“You may not recall, but there may have been a time after Princess Ruto arrived that I… loudly declared you would never marry her because you had promised yourself to me… and my father overheard.”

“All the way since then…” he said, almost amused. “Did I really say something like that? I don’t recall.”

“I… may have been stretching the truth about knight’s oaths.”

“Ah, that makes more sense. I do remember doing that around that time. Princess Ruto really bothered you that much?”

His teasing roused her temper. “She was just so possessive of you. I had been your friend longer and yet she made it seem as though you were in love with her. I knew you weren’t.”

At the time she had hoped that was the case. She glanced up to see if she was close to the truth.

Link’s sole eye squinted with a fondness, and he said, “I suppose I can keep relying on you to stop women from getting too familiar.”

“That will be your job too!” she burst. 

He laughed at her anger, and it only stoked the fire. 

The lack of denial, or real addressing of his feelings did nothing to quiet the uncertainty within her. Would he cheat on her? No, even if he wasn’t in love with her, he respected her enough to remain loyal. 

“Some kings are allowed to take mistresses,” she said, “but Hyrule does not. It would bring great shame to the royal family.”

Link sobered slightly. “When I give my word, it means something,” he said.

Zelda regretted douring the mood, and added, “This does mean you can interfere in my social affairs with other men as much as you want, which I’m sure you’ll have great fun with.”

He did perk up at that. “I hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps that’s also why your father thought we were…” he trailed off, unsure.

Link’s protectiveness hadn’t been restricted to danger, he’d at one time gotten in a fist fight with a son of a nobleman over what she could only gather had been an inappropriate compliment to her. She later found out through snooping that it wasn’t an isolated incident. Her fourteen year old heart had been aflame with certainty of reciprocity until she’d confronted Link about it. 

He’d responded that she was the Princess. She ought to be respected. 

After a long silence, he started again.

“...Your father, and everyone else, they all think we’re in love. I think… that is, if it’s not too forward…” She watched him with wide eyes. Link finally spat it out. “I don’t see a reason to correct them.”

Zelda blinked. Of course, they hadn’t corrected her father, and what use would it be anyways? “I agree, if anything, it's easier if they think we’re a love match. No one will question our motives, and it leaves less blame on not pursuing a more political match.”

He nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. And if we’re to seem like a love match, I was thinking we ought to…”

Her face burned at all the thoughts of what a love match would do. 

“Shouldn’t we seem more at ease with each other?” he asked.

She nodded. Right, they should seem more at ease with each other. He held out his hand and without thinking she took it. It wasn’t too much, holding hands. They used to do so as children, not for affection, but to drag one another into trouble. And even now as adults they would touch each other there on walks and such, as was appropriate. Hardly ever in time alone though. 

When she glanced up to see his expression, she was surprised to catch the moment of… something under his eye. Just a glimpse of some of that sadness before the mask came to cover it once more. 

“I feel at ease with you like this,” she murmured, “shouldn’t we ought to…”

She trailed off, feeling almost dirty to think to suggest they… 

To suggest they kiss. 

But they were engaged, it… it wouldn’t be wrong to do such a thing, would it? Maybe he would fall in love with her properly if they kissed! 

That was a fanciful notion. She glanced at his lips and a frightful thought came to her. 

What if she was bad at kissing and didn’t know? What if he had kissed others and– And she wouldn’t compare. What if he resolved himself to her because he didn’t know how to say no?

Her rational mind mitigated her fears, as she recalled that she’d never heard of someone being bad at kissing. 

While she was preoccupied with kissing, Link apparently had been thinking much more above board thoughts, and after some strategizing, placed a hand on her waist in a familiar way. The touch brought her back to reality and she was sure her face was an even deeper red. Tentatively, she reciprocated, putting her own hand at his waist. 

Their bodies weren’t flush together, but they were still closer than usual, and she could feel the faint heat of his form. Especially where his hand touched her waist. 

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Is this too much?” his breaths caressing her ear. She held back a shudder and shook her head, not trusting her voice to come out in any dignified fashion. 

As exciting as it was, being in his arms also came with a sense of rightness, as if that was where she belonged.

The training ended shortly after.

~~~~~~~~~

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[jodithann827]

One Night Stand (Revised)

11/13

Rated: this chapter general/ Ao3/ @today-in-fic

Scully Residence

Saturday, April 17 1993

“So, in the end, I decided I couldn’t give her up,” Scully concludes. She’d left out some of the more intimate details of the birth, including the part where she longed for William, or who she thought William was.

Mulder’s quiet for a long time, soaking in every detail that left her lips. Scrunching his eyebrows, lost in thought, he finally speaks. “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.” His voice is steady but quiet. During the story, he had moved, ever so slowly, and unintentionally, closer to Scully.

“Thank you,” she genuinely replies, then adds, “I wasn’t alone. I couldn't have gotten through that day without my mother or Melissa. Heck, not only that day but all the months that followed. After we got home from the hospital my mom stepped up and taught me how to be a mom. Apparently, it doesn’t come naturally to everyone.” Scully neglects to tell him about her bout with postpartum depression and how Melissa would crawl into bed with her some nights, just so Dana knew she wasn’t alone.

“I loved her unconditionally, but I had no idea what I was doing. The first few weeks were difficult, to say the least. She wouldn’t sleep or eat. I was sleep-deprived. Missy was a godsend, and even my dad came around once he got home. He spent so many evenings driving her around in the car to put her to sleep. Now she has him completely wrapped around her finger.” Scully smiles at the memories.

“We stayed with my parents for about a year. I was able to finish my training at the academy and was then offered a position to start teaching at Quantico. I knew it was time for us to get a place of our own. We got into a pretty good routine, although it’s kind of been uprooted a bit now…” she trails off. She still hasn’t met his eyes, almost afraid of looking. She’s never been this vulnerable; she hates the feeling.

“We can focus on cases closer to home,” Mulder interjects.

“That's Sweet of you to offer, Mulder, but that’s okay. My parents have already told me they’ll keep her when I travel. I know they miss her. Even though they see her often, they watch her during the day, it’s still not the same as having her under their roof all the time. And Missy helps when she can. She’s back to traveling a bit more, but she makes it a point to come home more often since Emma’s gotten bigger. She doesn’t stay away as long.

“You’re amazing,” is all Mulder says. Scully gives him a genuine smile that immediately fills his heart with warmth.

“Thank you, Mulder,” she starts, though she’s interrupted by a yawn. Covering her mouth in embarrassment, she starts to apologize. Mulder waves his hand.

“It’s been a long day,” he rises. “I’ll let you get some rest.” He hesitates slightly, knowing he needs to leave, but not wanting to leave the discussion unfinished.

Sensing his unease, Scully offers, “We’ll talk Monday?”

Nodding, Mulder makes his way to the door, Scully trailing behind him.

He opens the door, then spins to face her again. “She’s amazing too, Scully. She’s a special little girl.” This makes Scully grin again. He leans in, ever so slowly, and places a gentle kiss on Scully’s cheek. “Thank you for today. I’ll see you Monday morning.

Before she can respond to his words or the kiss, he's out the door. She lifts a hand to her cheek, caressing the spot Mulder’s lips had just touched. Ginning again, she closes the door and makes her way to bed, knowing she will have wonderful dreams tonight.

Scully Residence

Sunday, April 18 1993

The steaming mug of coffee is almost too hot to touch, but Ellen wraps her always-cold fingers around it. She was supposed to hear from her friend that morning. Since Dana had changed units at work, she was always on the go, between her job and Emma; though she couldn’t and wouldn’t begrudge her friend. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t dying to know what happened after their first case, so when Dana called this morning asking her to come over, she jumped in the car without a look back.

Pouring herself a cup and checking the monitor one last time, as Emma is down for her nap, Scully sinks into the chair at her kitchen table. She blows into her mug, seemingly avoiding Ellen’s inquisitive eye. “I told him,” she says, more so into her mug than directly to her friend.

“And…” Ellen trails off, waiting patiently, albeit anxiously, for Scully to continue.

“Well, it didn’t quite happen the way I thought it would, that’s for sure.” At Ellen’s questioning glance, Scully continues. “It happened by accident. I told him he was her father. How do you think he reacted? I don’t think shock covers it. He got up and walked out of the apartment. He didn’t seem angry or sad, just zero affect.”

Ellen starts to interject, but Scully doesn’t let her. “Then he called me later that evening and asked if we could go to lunch; him, me, and Emma. So we met him yesterday and had lunch. We talked. He asked a few questions. Then he wanted to know if he could spend the day with us. So we did. We went to the park, got ice cream, came back here, and had dinner together. Then he helped put Em to bed after I bathed her. Once she was asleep he asked me about the day she was born. I was honest and told him most of it. Then he left.”

Ellen carefully nods her head, almost treating Scully as a nervous doe; afraid one wrong move would spook her and keep her from telling the rest of the story. She’d known her long enough to know she was holding something back. “And…” Ellen pushes gently.

“And he kissed me on my cheek when he left.”

“Well that’s a lot to digest,” Ellen says, sitting back in her chair.

“I don't know how to start,” Scully tells her friend, honestly. “Ellen, it felt so natural. The day itself was a day I dreamt about ever since I had Emma. It was like we spent the day as a family.

“Dana,” Ellen said, sternly, but softly, “Don’t get carried away. You spent one day together. That doesn’t make you a family or Mulder a father. He has no idea what it’s like to be a parent. Hell, Rob’s been a father for six years and he still doesn’t know what to do with Trent half the time,” she smirks, trying to lighten the mood.

“I know, I know. It was just…. Well for those few hours, it was nice.

Ellen pauses, taking a sip of her coffee, hoping to regroup. “So? What’s Mulder going to do?”

“That’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. We’re going to talk at work tomorrow.” Ellen choked back a sip and arched an eyebrow at her.

“What?” a slightly defensive tone emerged from her.

“It’s just… the office?” Ellen hesitates.

Ever inquisitive mind, Scully questions, “What’s wrong with that?”

“Dana, you are so smart, but sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours. You aren’t making a business deal or talking about your latest case. You’re talking about a decision that could impact you and your child for the rest of your lives. It isn’t something that you should talk about in passing by the water cooler.”

Sighing, Scully knows her friend is right as she considers her words carefully. At the end of the day, this is the second biggest decision she needs to make, next to having and keeping Emma. It’s not something that should be treated lightly.

“I’m scared,” her voice is barely above a whisper. She feels Ellen’s hands envelop hers and her eyes travel to meet her friend’s.

“Talk to me,” Ellen persuades, gently.

“I told him if he wanted to be a part of Emma’s life, I wouldn’t stop him. If he decides he wants to, he can choose in what way, and how much involvement he wants. But I made damn sure that he understood that he can’t go in and out. I refuse to expose my daughter to that. Once he’s in, he’s in,” she explains.

“I’m not hearing a problem, Dana. I mean, I haven’t met him, but from your descriptions of Mulder, he doesn’t seem like a horrible person.

“No matter what, I have to work with him daily, Ellen. We are just starting to develop our working relationship, developing our trust in each other–”

“Dana, come on. The trust is already there and you know it. You felt it the night you met him. I mean, you’re the mother of his child for Christ's sake. He’s going to do his damndest to protect you, and before you say it, I know you don’t need protecting, that you went through the same training he did. I’m just saying it’s nice knowing someone has your back; someone who is as much invested in your home life as you are,” Ellen rationalizes.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Scully sighs.

“You’re in love with him,” Ellen tells her, in a tone Scully is used to hearing come from Missy’s mouth. Very matter-of-fact. “I know how enamored you were with him three years ago. I know that you fell hard for him, that you tried to hide it most of the time, and that it took you a very long time to get over him. Those are the facts, the hand you were dealt. He’s back in your life now and if I had to bet money, just from the way you’ve described him, he’s going to want to be in Emma’s life. The real question isn’t what do you want from Mulder for Emma, but what do you want from Mulder for you?”

The silence was deafening as Scully absorbed her friend’s words and before she could respond, Ellen added, “Is there any bureau policy about partners becoming involved?”

“Well, nothing explicitly, though it’s probably frowned upon. But Ellen, we’ve only been working together a few months. We’ve been on a handful of cases,” she rationalized, “And don’t get me started on the good ole’ boys club…” she trails off.

“You have to tell him,” Ellen pushes.

“I can’t,” Scully pushes back.

Ellen sighs, pulling her best friend into an embrace. “I don’t know if you’re going to have a choice. However, if I were you, I would focus on taking it one step at a time and focus on his relationship with Emma first.”

Nodding, Scully knows her friend is right, but it doesn’t make her any less terrified, and there isn’t much Dana Scully’s afraid of.

Later that evening, once the dishes are cleaned and Emma’s in bed, Scully sprawls out on her bed, grabs her phone, and nervously dials the number that has become so familiar over the past weeks. He answers on the first ring, his voice sending chills into the very depth of Scully’s core.

“Mulder, it’s me,” she says, attempting to even out her breathing, not wanting to convey how nervous she is. She licks her lips as she waits.

“Hey Scully, what’s up?”

She pauses, formulating her thoughts. “I’ve been thinking. I know we had an emotion-filled day and we covered a lot of information. I also know that there’s still a lot to talk about. I’m not sure that talking in the office, or passing, is the best thing.”

“So what do you propose?” he sounds relaxed. Scully could picture him smiling into the phone.

It’s now or never, she thinks to herself. “I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner next weekend, just us. We can talk about everything then. I can ask my friend Ellen to watch Emma; she loves having her over. My mom watches her so much during the week so I don’t particularly want to ask her on a weekend too, and I haven’t ever left her with a traditional babysitter yet,” she’s rambling.

“It’s a date,” he replies. So simple, so sure. Then he adds, “Friday night?”

“Friday night is great,” she manages to squeak out, having lost her senses when the word date came out of his mouth.

“Okay then. I’ll see you in the morning, Scully.” And with that, he hangs up.

Scully slowly places the phone receiver back on its cradle. Surely he used the word date as an expression, didn’t he?

[ace-angel-judas]

Can we see some more Targeryan Jungbella au? I am invested

Small council meetings were the bane of Arabella’s existence.

She understood why her father often blew them off all together, preferring to be on his dragon and training the soldiers. Her aunt was better suited for the battle of politics, no one dared to say a word against her.

The man across from Arabella was an older male, having ruled his house for almost fifty years now. There was a disdain in his eyes as he looked at Arabella, like she was dirt under his boot.

“I suppose we should discuss the current-“

“We will wait for the Prince, your highness,” The male spat.

“Time has passed and my cousin has not come yet,” Arabella sighed, “This cannot wait-“

“I will not take orders from a bastard princess,” The man growled, “Shut it,”

Eyes wide, Arabella stared at the man. The others on the council raised eyebrows and exchanged looks.

“My father has banished that word,” Arabella argued, “Saying it means your tongue should be cut out,”

“Why? Because it describes you?” The man huffed, “It is what you are, a bastard from a common whore-“

Arabella watched as the doors to the council room opened, her cousin marching in. Only he pulled the sword from his side, suddenly moving it with swiftness.

She covered her mouth, averting her eyes as the man who spoke was now decapitated, his head rolling to the floor.

“Keep his tongue,” Jungkook spat as he took his seat beside Arabella, “Get rid of him,”

The guards stepped forward, dragging the body away.

“As I was saying..,” Arabella swallowed thickly, “My father is at Seamark, looking at potential marriage offers, we have a list of suitors,”

Jungkook picked up the piece of paper, scoffing as one of the maesters spoke.

“It would be best for her highness to marry a first born or heir,” The old man droned on.

“Well, the first one on this list prefers the company of men,” Jungkook laughed, “The second, Prince Taehyung of SeaMark, he’s enthralled by one of the Neo women,”

Arabella looked at Jungkook, “I will marry by the end of the season,”

“Our house commonly marries its own blood,” Jungkook pointed out.

“Yes but there is no one for me to marry-“

“You are blind, cousin,” Jungkook teased, “What about-“

“Prince Mingyu!” The maester announced, “He’s been spending his time in the Seventeen Islands but he’s your great aunts descendant and he rides a dragon,”

Arabella sat up, Jungkook glaring at the maester. He knew Mingyu well, they often fought together in battle and had something akin to a friendship.

“His position in his house?” Arabella asked.

“The first born son,” The maester spoke, “He’s an honoured knight, a dragon rider and shares your blood,”

Before either could speak, a loud roar erupted through the air. Arabella stood up, rushing to the window. A massive dragon, one so large it blocked out the sky, made a smile appear on her face.

“We’ll continue this discussion when my father is present,” Arabella turned, “The council is adjourned into further notice,”

Jungkook simply watched as Arabella rushed from the council room, her white hair flowing freely behind her as she did.

[legends-of-time]

The Journey of Living at Downton

Chapter 30: May 1922

Masterlist

Passing through the Main Hall, Emma sees Mary walk out of the Library and up the stairs with what looked like tears in her eyes. Emma frowns as she watches Mary go up. She knows that Tom and Mary had held a conference with Robert on who they will be taking of the Drewe's farm now that the father of the family had passed away, but wonders how that conversation turned into Mary being teary eyed. She peeks into the Library and sees that Tom is alone with Robert.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Emma asks as she walks in.

"No." Robert says with a smile. "Only Mabel Lane Fox and Tony Gillingham getting engaged."

"Oh." Emma says, suddenly knowing what had put Mary out of sorts. Not knowing what else to say, she moves on. "I suppose you'll be going to the funeral?"

"Yes, I feel like it's important," Robert replies casually though Emma can see he's not pleased with the situation, he'll have to if Downton is to survive.

——

Emma walks down the stairs and into the Hall to see Mr Carson sorting the post on a table near the front door as Cora and Edith come in at the door, which is being held open for them by Jimmy.

"Your Ladyship. M'lady." The footman greets.

"Ah, pleasant walk?" Emma calls to them as she steps into the Outer Hall before Cora can turn into the door to the Library sitting in the Hall.

"Quite." Cora replies with a smile.

"Is that the afternoon post? Is there anything for me?" Edith asks Mr Carson, noticing what the butler is doing.

"There's just a couple for His Lordship and Mrs Branson, m'lady." The butler replies as he offers the dish he had put the letters on to Emma, who takes her letter from it. She frowns at it questioningly as it doesn't seem to be the handwriting of any of her in-laws but of Dr Clarkson. Interesting.

"Were you expecting something?" Cora asks her daughter.

"Not particularly. I haven't heard from Michael in a bit, that's all." Edith replies calmly though clearly disappointed as the three of them walk to the Library door.

"I expect he's busy." Emma tells her with a smile though then murmurs to herself, "I hope."

They walk into the Library to find Mary at the writing desk. The eldest Crawley daughter seems to startle out of a daze when Emma walks in first and continues writing as if she hadn't been distracted. Emma frowns in concern at that but seems to be the only one that had noticed.

"What have you been up to?" Cora asks her other daughter.

"I was writing to Tony Gillingham." Mary tells her in a tone that's aiming for blasé, but Emma notices the cracks. She lingers as Cora and Edith walk past her to sit on the settees. Perhaps she should say something.

"Give him my regards." Cora says.

Emma sees Mary dab her eyes as she begins to follow them, probably thinking she's out of sight. She looks actually close to tears or has just been crying, but the other two don't notice. Emma feels confused as she hadn't thought Mary and Gillingham had been all that serious except for some flirting, it seems she was wrong.

"Say we look forward to knowing Miss Lane Fox."

Emma sits next to Cora with her letter on her lap to open later, opposite Edith and opens her mouth to speak after Cora's words but Edith cuts her off with this remark over her shoulder, "I am surprised. I thought he was rather keen on you."

Emma closes her mouth and deems it not the right time to ask Mary about her feelings with Edith around.

"Not for the first time, you've got the wrong end of the stick." Mary snips back.

The door opens and Cora spins in her seat quickly but amusedly huffs at herself when Rose walks in.

"Oh. I thought you were Robert." The Countess remarks. "Is he back from his funeral?"

"Not yet, I don't think." Honestly, Emma can see as clear as day that Mary's voice isn't as strong as usual.

"While he's not here, shall we discuss his birthday?" Edith suggests.

"Oh, does he have a birthday soon?" Rose asks eagerly as she sits down next to Edith.

"Fairly soon." Cora replies.

Mary walks over to join them. "Do you have any plans?"

"Nothing beyond his favourite food. It's not a special one." Cora puts down.

"Why don't we have a party? To cheer ourselves up. A small one." Mary suggests. "We'll be having Ivy's birthday first and she won't need much, not after her birthday last year."

"That'll be fun." Rose agrees with a grin.

"I can't believe she's turning two." Cora murmurs with that motherly softness she exudes.

Emma sighs with a grin. "I know. It seems only yesterday I was introducing her to you all for the first time."

——

Emma opens her letter as soon as she has the chance. She reads through it and is in shock about what it says. Dr Clarkson writes that the head nurse at the Hospital, Nurse Roberts, is retiring and he suggests she come in to talk about the possibility of her taking over.

She's mulling over the letter in her mind when she bumps into Nanny Jean.

"Oh! My apologies, Mrs Branson." The Nanny says, flustered.

Emma smiles kindly at her. This Nanny has been much better than that dreadful West one. "It's quite alright. You not with the children?"

"No, I'm collecting some clothes from Laundry. Mr Branson said he'd stay with the children." Nanny Jean tells her.

"Well, I better join them, make sure they're not up to too much mischief." Emma remarks. Nanny Jean chuckles at her comment before moving on.

Emma walks inside the Nursery to find her husband on the floor surrounded by the children. Ivy and Sybbie are watching him intently while George bashes a few block's together or stuffing them in his mouth. Michael is rolling from his front to his back.

Emma beams with pride at her son's success. "Someone's on the move." She comments, drawing her husband's attention to her as well as the children.

Ivy grins at her. "Mama!"

"Hello sweetheart." Emma murmurs, briefly brushing her hand over her daughter's curling locks and crouching down to kiss her forehead.

"Ah, I was just going to look for you. I think Michael is near feeding time." Tom says.

Emma glances over to her fussing son. "Yes, I believe so." She scoops him up and sits down in the chair so to feed him.

When Mary walks into the Nursery later on, she comes to find Tom stretched out comfortably on the rug with Ivy, Sybbie and George and lots of toys scattered around while Emma sits in a chair having just finished feeding Michael and rocking him back and forth as he relaxes in her arms, satisfied after his meal.

"Thought I'd get an extra ten minutes in with George." Mary says. She picks up her son.

"You can help me with this. Sybbie and Ivy say there's going to be a hurricane any moment now." Tom explains. Emma had been greatly entertained in watching her husband try and get the almost two year olds to construct different buildings. They have used building blocks and a picture book to build a shelter for the wooden animals. What they could've done with Lego.

"A hurricane? Really? In Yorkshire?" Mary remarks as she settles on one of the beds with George on her lap.

"So, they're getting all the animals under shelter." Emma adds.

"I'm sure they are. Where's Nanny?" Mary asks.

"Collecting some clothes from Laundry. I said I'd stay with them and Emma joined me." Tom tells her, stroking his daughter's hair.

"She's so much more relaxed than our Nanny ever was. My childhood wasn't anything like the children's." Mary remarks.

"Nor mine, God knows." Tom comments.

"You could say mine was extremely different." Emma jokes. She and Tom share a look.

"Do you think they're having a good childhood? That we're doing well?" Mary then suddenly asks them causing them to pause.

"I think you're doing your best for them. If that's what you mean." Tom replies after a moment.

This makes Emma contemplate her job offer all over again.

"It isn't quite."

Tom is obviously not ready for this conversation just now and turns to Ivy and Sybbie. "Ooh. I think it's time for the hurricane. Whoo!" He makes the shelter collapse.

"Uh-oh." Ivy says. Emma grins at the sound.

"Uh-oh." Tom echoes with a chuckle.

Sybbie herself decides it's as good a time as any to start repeating it over and over again making them laugh.

——

"What Mary said about us giving our children the best childhood, it got me thinking," Tom says as he and Emma walk around Downton's grounds in the time they have before the gong goes.

"What do you mean?" Emma asks.

"I wonder if Downton is the best place for us to be." Tom explains. "You saw how the house party went, how they all treated you, me and Billy. Maybe it's time to start looking into moving on. Find somewhere where we fit."

Emma frowns in thought. "I agree that perhaps we don't fully fit in this world." She admits. "But where would we go? And I'm not so sure Liverpool is exactly the right choice and we can't go back to Ireland." She can't help but wonder if she accepts Dr Clarkson's offer that it would affect what they do. Emma decides to keep it to herself till she talks more with Dr Clarkson.

"I was thinking America actually. I have family there." Tom suggests.

Emma nods with a teasing smile. "You wouldn't be Irish if you didn't. Two of my grandma's sisters go there one day."

"But what do you think?" Tom pointedly asks.

Emma realises he's not interested in any teasing and is looking for a straight answer. She purses her lips as she thinks about how to word her answer. "I feel open to the idea but we can't do anything until we've thought it through and know it's the best decision."

"What do you worry about?"

"I just worry if it'll cause too much disruption to our children. They love George and Sybbie and the others as family."

"Michael is only a baby, he won't notice." Tom argues.

"He won't be a baby forever and Ivy is turning two soon." Emma counters.

"It's okay. We're in no rush." Tom reassures. "If we're going to do this, we will introduce it gradually to the children, no sudden moves, okay?"

Emma nods. "Okay."

——

"Emma?" Emma turns from where she'd about to walk down the stairs to join everyone in the Drawing room to find Mr Bates standing behind her.

Emma gives him a warm but hesitant smile. She knows that Anna has been acting off still, her bruise hasn't completely faded, and it must hurt Mr Bates.

"Mr Bates, what can I do for you?"

"I was thinking about the night of the concert." Mr Bates starts, he stares at her with a searching look.

Emma stays calm as possible. "Oh?"

"And how near the end, you'd gone down stairs to find that Anna had hit her head and you'd patched her up."

"That's right." Where's he going with this?

"How did you know to go downstairs?"

"Well, I saw Anna go down then realised she'd been a while so I went to find her." That bit isn't a lie.

"And there was no one else?" Mr Bates then says, a dark look on his face.

Emma frowns. Why's he asking this now? What had happened to make him start asking more questions?

"Why would there'd been?"

"Are you sure that it was the sink Anna knocked her head on and not something else?" He asks instead.

"Positive." She needs to get out of this conversation, it's making her uncomfortable. "Now I really should hurry. They're all waiting for me."

She quickly leaves down the stairs and Mr Bates doesn't stop her.

——

Robert, Mary, Billy, Tom, Cora, Edith, Emma and Rose are at dinner, tasting the savouries that Alfred has made and are all enjoying them. Alfred learnt a while back of a cooking contest in London at the Ritz where it could mean advanced chef training if one passed and today he has received a letter saying that he'd been accepted to go to the test.

"I say. Well done." Robert compliments. Alfred inclines his head in acceptance of the compliment.

"We'll be sorry to lose you, Alfred. But I think you'll pass your test." Cora encourages.

"Fingers crossed, M'lady." The footman replies.

"When is it?" Emma asks, turning in her seat to have a proper look at him.

"The day after tomorrow. I'm going up in the morning." He looks nervous but who can blame him?

"Our best wishes go with you," Robert says as Emma turns back to have another bite of her food.

"I'm going up myself tomorrow." Edith says. Emma looks at her curiously, confused by the way she says it without looking any of them in the eye.

"Oh?" Cora prompts.

Edith looks up briefly to speak. "Just for the day. To visit Michael's office. I'll be back for dinner." She reassures. Emma can see that Edith looks unsettled and Emma supposes it's to do with the lack of word from Michael.

"So, how's your new lady's maid settling in?" Billy asks his mother-in-law.

Cora smiles pleased. "Oh, quite well."

They begin to discuss Miss Baxter in more detail but Emma doesn't listen. She can't help but feel like something's going on as she had been recommended by Thomas and he's always up to something.

——

"Is everything alright, Edith?" Emma asks the Crawley daughter. She'd planned to wish Alfred good luck as he heads off to London but thought she'd grab Edith first as they walk down the stairs and through the Hall. "You've seemed worried for a while now. Still no word from Michael?"

Edith shakes her head with a small smile. "No, but I'll fine. I'm sure I'm over worrying."

"Maybe you'll hear something while you're there." Emma suggests as they walk out through the front door, where a car is waiting. Mr Carson and Jimmy are overseeing the departure. Alfred stands waiting by the car.

The butler approaches them. "I thought you wouldn't mind if Alfred rode in the front, M'lady. He's catching the same train."

Alfred takes off his cap in respect. He's looking extremely nervous. Jimmy opens the car door for Edith.

"Of course I don't mind." Edith reassures. "We all wish you luck, Alfred."

"I'm going to need it, M'lady." Alfred replies.

"It's his first trip to London." Mr Carson explains.

"How exciting." Edith says as she climbs into the back seat.

"Exciting's one word for it." Alfred remarks.

Mr Carson tells him with a look that he's talking too much.

Emma chuckles. "Couldn't agree more there, Alfred." She hopes the smile she's wearing is as warm and reassuring as she's aiming for.

Alfred returns her smile before turning and folding himself into the front passenger seat. The car moves off with Jimmy, Mr Carson and Emma watching.

"I hope it goes well for him." Emma murmurs.

"I'm sure, Mrs Branson." The butler declares. "He's had the practice and he's a hard worker."

——

Emma comes wandering into the Library and quickly realises she's walking into a tail end of a conversation between Mr Drewe and Robert.

Both are standing near the writing desk with Mr Drewe wearing a mourning armband on his arm, cap in hand.

"Mr Drewe. I would prefer to report that you are prepared to repay the arrears in full. I'll lend you the difference myself." Robert says. Emma lingers by the door on the opposite side, listening in surprise though she really shouldn't. This is Robert.

"You'd do that for me?" Drewe asks in shock. "It won't be less than £50."

"I'll send a cheque when I'm sure of the outcome."

"You won't regret it." Drewe promises.

"No. I don't think I will." Robert holds out his hand. Drewe takes it before saying his goodbyes and taking his leave.

Robert turns and startles at the sight of Emma, who has stepped further into the room. She's carrying the aura of expectation with her raised eyebrows and hands on her hips.

"Explain?" She prompts.

"I'm letting the Drewes stay on." Robert admits like a child who's been caught red handed.

"Does Mary and Tom know about this?"

"They will."

Emma sighs. "If you're sure..."

"I am."

Dear god.

——

Naturally, Emma quickly informs Mary and Tom as she feels they have the right to know as agent and co-owner. Mary brings it up at lunch with Edith and Billy absent (one in London and the other at work) and Isobel and Violet joining them.

"Emma told us you know." Mary says from between Cora and Tom. Emma has to sit at the end of the table between Isobel and Rose, directly across from her husband. "You might've talked it over with us before you made up your mind."

"But I haven't. I told him we'd think about it. That's all." Robert argues.

"Which sounds like you have come to a decision." Emma remarks. Mary gives a nod of agreement and sends a pointed look to her father.

"If we don't respect the past, we'll find it harder to build our future."

Violet looks at her son with surprise and suspicion. "Where did you read that?"

"I made it up. I thought it was rather good." Robert replies.

"It's too good. The one thing we don't want is a poet in the family." Violet laments.

"Would it be so bad?" Isobel asks provokingly.

"The only poet peer I am familiar with is Lord Byron. And I presume you all know how that ended." Violet retaliates.

"It's good he doesn't have a half sister then." Emma comments. She receives amused smiles from Rose and Tom while Violet gives her a disapproving look to which Emma simply grins. She can almost see Jimmy repressing a smile.

Cora shakes her head fondly before turning to her husband. "So, you'd like Mr Drewe to stay on."

"Since he wants to repay the debt, I think it only fair." Robert answers. "Besides, he talks of the partnership between the farmers and the family, and I like that."

"Well, I think it's splendid." Isobel declares.

"Says the Queen of the Rebels." Violet remarks.

"Thank you." Isobel replies pointedly.

Emma hears Rose let out a slight giggle at the exchange.

"And you agree, even though he has no right to renew the lease?" Mary questions Tom.

"No right legally, no. But we think he has a moral right." Cora argues.

"It's a pity it should be Yew Tree. It would've filled a hole in the land we're farming." Tom admits.

"You've managed without it till now." Isobel points out.

"But you haven't said what you think. Which side are you on?" Mary persists. Emma is glad to see it, to see someone wanting to hear Tom's opinion and not brushing it aside like Robert has the habit of doing.

"Well, the farmer's, of course." Tom answers. "I've not abandoned all my socialism. Even though it feels like it sometimes."

"In this one and only instance, I am glad to hear it." Robert remarks.

Emma huffs and rolls her eyes at the remark and one glance at Tom shows that he too shares in her irritation.

"When will you tell him?" Mary asks.

"There's no tearing rush. We've a day or two to talk it over," Robert answers then turns directly to Mary, "and then you can tell him."

Mary looks unpleasantly surprised. Tom looks uncomfortable.

——

Mary is at the writing desk in the Library while Emma is sitting on one of the settees reading. She had spent most of the afternoon playing with the children and thought she might as well do some reading of some medical books to keep up with her knowledge.

Mr Carson comes in and clears his throat. "Mr Napier."

"What?" Mary murmurs in surprise as the man walks in and stands up to greet him

"Eh?" Emma eloquently blurts out. Emma hasn't seen him since the disaster with Kemal Pamuk though she knows he had attended the seasons in the next couple of years before the war.

"Hello, Mary. If I can still call you Mary?" The man greets her pleasantly.

"Of course you can." Mary says with a beaming smile. "How lovely." She kisses him on the cheek. "Do you remember Mrs Branson?" Mary gestures her hand in Emma's direction.

Emma puts her book down and turns to greet their guest. "He might not. I was a maid last time he was at Downton and I was mostly known as Emma." She smiles at Mr Napier. "It is good to see you again."

Mr Napier thankfully doesn't look at all judgemental as he turns to her in surprise and embarrassment. "I do apologise. It's nice to meet you properly Mrs Branson." He holds out his hand.

"No need to apologise and you too Mr Napier." She shakes his hand.

"What brings you here?" Mary asks him.

"I'm working on a government thing and we've got some research to do in Yorkshire. I'm on a sort of reconnoitring expedition." Mr Napier explains.

"Lucky us." Emma remarks.

Mr Napier chuckles. "Quite. I was in Thirsk, and I suddenly thought, why not take a chance?"

"Well, I'm so glad you did." Mary says still beaming. She walks over to pull the bell. "Let me give you some tea. I'll get them to tell Mama and Papa that you're here."

Emma smiles at the two and wanders back to her seat and her book.

"While I've got you alone..." Mr Napier begins. Emma can see he's wringing his hands anxiously. "Well, moderately..." Emma gives him an apologetic smile and is about to offer to leave but he continues. "You've been in my thoughts a great deal since the whole... ghastly business."

"That's nice to know." Mary replies pleasantly but Emma can see some hesitance.

"Which is why it's lovely to see you looking so, um, lovely."

Aww.

Mary smiles at his lack of eloquence. He's certainly sincere though.

——

Later on, Mr Napier is on one of the settees, Mary and Robert are on the other while Emma sits on a chair next to them. Cora is helping herself to tea on the table.

"So, what is this thing you're working on?" Robert asks their guest.

"It's all to do with the rural economy. Very hush-hush." Mr Napier replies.

"Well, don't tell us if it's meant to be a secret." Mary says.

Cora sits down next to their guest.

"Oh no, it's not like that. A lot of landed estates are in difficulty. The department wants to assess the damage of the war years. Are they likely to survive, and so on." Mr Napier explains.

"And it's all hush-hush to avoid embarrassment for the owners?" Emma concludes.

"Something along those lines, yes."

"And are they likely to survive?" Cora asks.

"Some of them."

"It sounds rather interesting." Robert comments.

"It is. Interesting and incredibly depressing." Mr Napier admits.

"Which places are you studying in Yorkshire?" Cora asks.

"That I cannot say." Mr Napier avoids. "It wouldn't be fair on the owners. But we have earmarked the ones in serious trouble. And you'll be glad to know Downton's not among them."

"Still, we'd love your opinion on whether or not we're doing the right things." Mary says. "Wouldn't we, Papa?"

"We don't want to add to his labours." Robert replies pointedly.

Mary forces a smile as she asks, "Where are you staying while you're up here?"

"We haven't decided. There's quite a good hotel in Ripon I know of." Mr Napier replies.

"Nonsense. You must stay with us."

"I couldn't possibly."

"Why not?" Emma asks. Surely he can stay? Downton has enough room.

"Well, to start with, I'll have my boss with me." Mr Napier replies awkwardly.

"Who's that?" Robert asks.

"Charles Blake. Have you ever come across him?"

"I don't think so."

"Of course you must both stay here." Cora insists.

"That way, we'll get the benefit of all your knowledge for the price of a couple of dinners. What could be better than that?" Mary remarks.

Mr Napier looks like he couldn't possibly say no now he's had the insistence of both mother and daughter. He glances over to Emma who raises an amused eyebrow at the situation causing him to huff a quiet laugh, barely detectable if it were not for his shoulders moving because of it.

——

Mr Napier soon leaves after his visit. That evening, Cora and Mary sit on one settee in the Library while Emma and Billy sit on the other and Rose sits on the pouffe in between with Tom lingering around the room as they wait for Robert and Edith.

"So, will you be giving a birthday party?" Rose questions Cora.

"For Robert? Why? Do you really want me to? I thought we'd be partied out after Ivy's." The Countess comments.

Emma shrugs. "Well, Ivy's won't be a big one."

Rose glances back and Emma gives her an encouraging nod before speaking, "And I'd had rather a good idea for it."

Billy notices the look. "Have you two been conspiring?"

"Not exactly, she won't tell me what the good idea is, but promises I'll like it." Emma replies. They all chuckle at that.

"If I did have a party, would you give me a hand?" Cora asks Rose.

"Absolutely." The door opens. "Oh, shh!" Rose hurriedly stands from her spot as Robert, Edith and Isis the dog walk in while Billy stands in politeness.

"So, have we come to a final decision about Drewe?" Robert asks as he closes the door.

"I suppose so. If it means that much to you." Mary replies.

"And Tom's socialism will ensure his approval of the plan." He chuckles as he comes to stand next to them all as Edith takes a seat next to Billy. Tom and Emma don't join in.

Emma lets out an irritated huff at his attitude and comments before saying, "You laugh. But as a matter of fact, we've been thinking about it quite a lot lately."

Both of them have been delving more and more into the topic since their first discussion. Emma hasn't quite given her final response, not before talking to Dr Clarkson but it's good to have options.

"About what?" Cora queries.

"Our beliefs, I suppose." Tom replies. "I'm not too sure what mine are any more. Since the house party—"

Robert cuts him off, irritating Emma, "I won't hear another word about the house party. Somebody said something to upset you the two of you. That's all it is."

"What was this? Who was rude?" Mary quickly jumps on the bandwagon. Emma appreciates Mary automatically jumping to their defence.

"No one. He's got that wrong, well not entirely." Emma hurriedly reassures her.

"But Emma and I realise we feel like intruders." Tom further explains. "It's made us face the fact that we're living where we don't belong."

"Welcome to the club." Edith despondently replies. Emma looks at her curiously. What's brought this on? Has she heard from Gregson?

"Oh, stop moaning." Mary snips at her sister.

"But if you went back to Ireland, would you belong there?" Robert questions.

Emma shakes her head. "It's not possible. We've changed so much since returning to Downton."

"Well, then..."

"There is America." Tom says, cutting him off. "I have family there now, and they're doing quite well. It would be a new start."

"But you've both made a new start here." Mary argues, looking mildly upset at the idea of the two leaving.

"And what would I do without my best friends?" Billy adds. Emma gives him a small smile and a reassuring hand on his arm.

"But we're talking about the world Ivy and Michael will grow up in." Tom says. "Wouldn't it be easier for them to begin with a clean slate, rather than being the children of an uppity chauffeur and maid?"

"Well, don't do anything in a hurry." Robert insists.

"We don't want to lose you both." Mary adds.

——

News arrives the next day that Alfred sadly did not get his position to be trained at the Ritz. Emma gets more news when Anna pokes her head into the Library to find Emma sitting on one of the settees, reading.

"They said I'd find you here." The lady's maid comments causing Emma to look up.

Emma gives Anna a warm smile. She knows the woman has been going through a trying time, as even though it wasn't rape but attempted rape is always still traumatising, and Emma is happy to see Anna has a smile on her face.

"Anna, what brings you here?" She stands to talk to her.

"Well, I was in Ripon yesterday..." Anna begins.

"Yes, Gemma mentioned it."

"Well, I, um, Mr Bates had been getting suspicious you see, about what happened when Dame Nellie performed."

Emma winces when she recalls Mr Bates questioning her. "I'm aware."

Anna nods. "And because of that, he'd questioned Mrs Hughes, backed her into a corner and she told him what happened."

Emma looks at her in alarm. "Everything?! But wasn't the point of not telling him so that he wouldn't—"

Anna hurriedly shakes her head and interrupts, "She didn't tell him it was Gre- him. Mrs Hughes denied it, said it was an outsider."

Emma relaxes slightly in relief. "But he suspected?"

"Yes, but he seems to taken her word for it."

Emma nods in thought. "And what now?"

"We're going to put the whole thing behind us." Anna says with a hesitant smile.

"That's good perhaps moving forward is the best thing though I'll curse that man for the rest of time." Emma spits the last sentence.

Anna gives her a small smile and places her hand on Emma's. "Thank you for your support. I don't know what I would've done without you and Mrs Hughes."

——

Later that week, Emma gets round to meeting with Dr Clarkson.

"What are you doing out here?"

Emma looks up to see her husband stepping out of the car and smiles. "I should ask you the same question?" She sits on a bench just outside of the Hospital, rocking Michael's pram back and forth with her foot as she reads a book to Ivy, who sits on her lap. Emma had wanted to take her children out for some air and since she was heading into the Village, it seemed as good a time as any.

"I was doing my rounds. You?" Tom replies. He sits next to her on the bench and Ivy, now no longer interested in the book, eagerly reaches out her arms to her father, babbling his name until he takes her into his lap.

"Talking with Dr Clarkson about my job." Emma says evasively.

Tom frowns. "Why? I thought it was already sorted and you'll be going back in a few months?"

Emma hurriedly shakes her head, realising he's taken the wrong end of the stick. "Oh, no, no, I'm not losing my job. Well, I am but not in the way that you think."

"What do you mean?"

Emma bites her lip. "Well, um, Dr Clarkson wanted to speak with me cause Nurse Roberts told him she plans to take her retirement this year, likely in a few months."

Tom's smile grows. "And?"

"And the position of head nurse is mine if I want it!"

Tom wraps his arms around her and squeezes her tight. Emma knows he would've picked her up and swung her around if it wasn't for her holding Michael's pram and Ivy on his lap.

"I'm so proud of you."

Emma grins. "I'm rather proud of myself."

Tom kisses her. "And is this what you want?" He asks.

"It'll be an interesting challenge for sure." Emma says contemplatively. "It may not be what I want to do forever and it doesn't have to tie us down, but it'll be valuable experience while we're still here."

"If it's what you want and it'll mean we're earning our own money from you at least until we want to move on." Tom replies.

"Exactly."

They lean against each other and soak up their family on a bench in the spring air.

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[ahdenyadahling]

Final Fantasy XV- Fate & Destiny

Chapter Three, Part Two

Though my body still felt heavy with exhaustion, I forced myself to stand, albeit unsteadily, with the muscled, tattooed man offering his arm to steady me. I grabbed it for just a moment as a reflex, and he smiled down at me. My cheeks began to burn; this was the most physical contact I’ve ever had outside of my parents’ embraces. I trudged forward, heading for the kitchen.

“Mom, there’s something I need you to do first.”

She looked up from her cutting board, and her smile disappeared as she saw the seriousness of my expression. “What is it, Deni dear?”

“I need the Scroll.”

She almost dropped her knife, and tried to regain her composure as she set it down with shaking hands. “You activated the Scroll?”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. My mother nervously wiped her hands on her apron, and she wasn’t doing much better than I at hiding her emotions. She marched to her bedroom where she hid the key to a hidden compartment in the living room, behind a picture frame.

“What’s going on?” the blond boy asked, “What’s the big deal?”

No one answered him as my mother removed an object from it’s hiding place, taking it carefully into her hands, touching only the ends of it. The rolled document, only four or five inches long, was partially covered with an intricately carved iron casing about two inches in diameter. The paper inside was already glowing a soft yellow. She turned, tears forming in her eyes, presenting it to the muscled man who had been at my side nearly this whole time.

I reached out my arm to stop her. “No, not him!”

She looked confused, as if I had made some kind of mistake. She turned to the man with the accent. He held up his hands to stop her and backed a step. Apparently he knew what this was and wanted no part of it. I can’t say I didn’t blame him.

“It’s for him,” I pointed to the blond boy.

She paused, looking from the young, pale, skinny boy to the man with the glasses, then the prince, and her gaze lingered on the tattooed man for an instant more. She opened her mouth to try to convince me otherwise, but I took the Scroll out of her hands.

“I know what I’m doing,” I lied with all certainty. With my hands and knees trembling, I offered the Scroll to the blond. Intrigued by the mystery and supposed secrecy of the situation, he took hold of the glowing Scroll, ignoring his friends urgent shouts for him to wait. The Scroll burned hot for just a moment, imprinting on his palm, and he jumped in surprise at the sudden pain. Quickly, I took both his hands in mine before he could drop the Scroll and I whispered the incantation as quietly as possible, “A life for a life, mine is yours now, until mine own death, or we eternally vow.”

The Scroll’s yellow glow receded, turning dull and seemingly common. I took it back, stowing it in my pocket.

The blond’s clear blue eyes were full of wonder as he watched the words, once burned onto his hand, fade away. “What was that?”

“Yeah, what was that?” the muscled man asked harshly.

The man with the accent raised his voice slightly. “We’ll discuss it at a later date. Let’s enjoy our host’s meal, shall we?”

They were still wary, but the prospect of food seemed to take priority.

Dinner was pleasant enough, and a bit sophisticated. The man with the accent and glasses traded cooking secrets and recipes with my mom, and while we ate, she talked about my dad and the Crownsguard, keeping the conversation going as I quietly excused myself.

I went to my bedroom, picked up my dad’s old duffel bag, and cried a few silent tears. Maybe I had made a mistake, overreacting and activating that Scroll. Was my life in that much danger? Was I really on the verge of death? Why was the smallest, skinniest, most immature-seeming of the four the one to save me? Fate? Destiny? Dumb luck? With the way everyone reacted, were they going to hate me because of this? It was too late now. The words were spoken and there was no backing out. I wiped my eyes with the heel of my palms and set to packing, bringing extra clothes for both hot and cold weather, all of my money (a whole fifty-one Gil), a small picture of my parents, and some basic accessories. I didn’t think that I would be leaving home this quickly. I actually never thought I’d leave home at all. Yesterday, traveling was a daydream. Tomorrow, it would be real.

I set my bag beside the couch without realizing I had even left my room. I guess my mind was still foggy with pain and anxiety.

“Where are you going?” Noct asked casually.

“Nowhere, yet,” I answered, keeping my face turned from them, “Just gonna check the Chocobos before dark.”

“Chocobos?” the blond boy literally jumped onto his chair, then crouched like a child excitedly. “You have Chocobos here? And no one told me!”

His three companions sighed in annoyed unison, and I smiled for the first time today. I jerked my thumb toward the door, “You wanna come with me?”

“Woo-hoo!” he shouted, leaping out of his seat and rushing toward me. “Chocobos, guys!”

I was almost to the door when I froze up, recalling the snarling, drooling maws of the Voretooths this morning, my mother’s shouts from behind this very door.

The muscled man suddenly appeared in front of me, pushing the door open. “I’ve got this,” and he confidently walked out into the twilight. The blond skipped past me, eager to see the birds. If I was to go with them, I needed to steady my nerves, get over my fears and be ready to fight. I followed them out with false confidence, but calmed when I came upon the Chocobo coop. The Voretooths leap from it earlier left a set of long, jagged claw marks etched on the roof, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage. We entered the gate and I led them to the coop, where the two adults had already gone to roost for the night. Yet some of the older chicks were still running around, chirping loudly. The blond boy couldn’t contain his excitement, exclaiming how cute they were as he hugged a couple close. He asked question after question about feeding them and raising them, how to train them to follow commands. As I answered to the best of my ability, I watched as the muscled man slowly walked the perimeter, watching and listening for danger, and I jumped in surprise as I heard a click. The blond had an old fashioned handheld camera on him, taking selfies with the birds with the sweetest, most innocent grin on his face. A face I would probably die for.

[hajimesh]

𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 — olympic team / fem reader

[ atsumu, sakusa, suna, kageyama, gao, bokuto, hinata, iwaizumi, oikawa ]

the stress of the first match seems to be taking a toll on the team's spirit, and you refuse to sit and watch them fail when you know you can be of help. but can you really handle all of them?

(or, where you end up having a gang bang with 8 professional volleyball players, and 1 athletic trainer)

⥅ word c. 7,928

⥅ warnings. sub reader, gang bang, foursomes, voyeurism?, fellatio, cum play, vaginal penetration, anal, unprotected sex, creampie, facial, size + stomach bulging kink, praise kink, mild degradation, double penetration, pussy job (for like, one second), double vaginal penetration, fingering, squirting, overstimulation, someone passes out, aftercare

⥅author n. brought to u thanks to this tweet + @kmorgzz​ who suggested adding iwaoi to the mix

special mention to my wife and love of my life, runa. @tsumue​ u had me laughing at 4am as i read ur comments in the google doc. i don't know what i'd do without u, tysm for beta and putting up with me for the past week ♡ 

ps. im v sorry if ur fave didn't make the cut (╥_╥) i added the ones im more familiar with, in terms of writing

if someone had told you you’d be attending the olympic games not as a spectator but as part of japan’s team, you’d have never believed them. but here you are, sitting in the same room with the most skilled players in the country as none other than their personal assistant.

“iwaizumi-san! do you think kageyama and i could pull off a quick attack right at the beginning of the set?”

“shoyo-kun, if there’s someone you’ll be doing the quick attack with it’s me,” atsumu’s eyes land on kageyama, smirking at the other setter from across the room, “right, tobio-kun?”

“you’re a disgrace.”

sakusa’s statement earns an offended scoff from the blond setter, the rest of the team rolling their eyes and sighing at the all-too-familiar scene.

“oi! we don’t have time for petty fights!”

after iwaizumi gets everyone’s attention back on him, he barely finishes explaining tomorrow’s match opponents and their plays without losing the team’s attention. he might be there to train them and make sure they’re on top of their game, but he knows when the team is lacking morale and, sadly, today’s one of those days.

the meeting is over and all of you go to the dining hall, fetching your dinner and sitting on your respective table with you right next to iwaizumi.

since you took that part-time job at the msby jackals, you quickly caught onto their small tics and tell-tale signs when something isn’t right. atsumu becomes a complete asshole which makes sakusa lose his temper sooner than usual. meanwhile, bokuto and hinata become very fidgety, often causing a bit of chaos around them as clumsiness radiates off of them.

when the national team was announced, you were offered the job as the trainer’s assistant—all thanks to the jackals who recommended you to their superiors for said position. your pay-check might say you’re just iwaizumi’s assistant, but you’re basically there to cover the needs of the entire team—all of them.

“iwa-chan!”

your head snaps to the side as a good-looking man takes the last free seat next to iwaizumi.

“aren’t you supposed to be sitting with your team?” iwaizumi asks him, taking a bite of his food while waiting for an answer.

the unknown man huffs exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes as he too starts to eat, “thought you’d miss your best friend.”

“hanamaki isn’t here.”

the stranger opens his mouth to reply, clearly offended by iwizumi’s words, when he notices you peeping at him.

“oh? hi! i think we haven’t met,” he shoots you a charming smile, bringing out his remarkably handsome features, “oikawa tooru, it’s nice to meet you.”

you introduce yourself, bowing at him and focusing back on your food.

both friends start to discuss tomorrow’s events, which inevitably brings out iwaizumi’s concern for his players.

“they seem off,” he’s playing around with the food as he stares at the players sitting in the table in front of yours, “i don’t know if i should talk to them or let them be.”

he’s clearly concerned for them, you can see it in his eyes—the doubt, wondering if he has been doing a good job with the team.

“iwaizumi-san, i-i… perhaps i could aid them this time?”

his head snaps in your direction, a mix of surprise and worry taking over his face, “no way, that’d be too much for you.”

oikawa’s eyebrows scrunch up as he observes you two but says nothing, choosing to listen attentively at you trying to convince iwaizumi while the latter sighs and reminds you that it’s not just the jackals this time.

it takes a while for iwaizumi to accept your offer, pondering the pros and cons, but he ends up accepting it; for everyone’s sakes.

“i’m lost.”

oikawa’s words make your insides flare-up, looking down at your hands in order to avoid looking at him, his curious eyes switching between his best friend and you.

iwaizumi ignores him, standing up from his seat and walking to the table in front of you with you and oikawa watching closely. the team turns to look at him, waiting for him to speak since it’s obvious it has to be something important by the severe look on his face.

“seeing as some of you are clearly out of it, our assistant here has very kindly volunteered to help you guys for tonight.”

a few heads immediately perk up, looking at you with bright eyes once you answer their silent question with a smile.

“please, be good to her. i’ll be there supervising anyways, so don’t think of trying anything funny.”

“oikawa-san! you’re coming with us, right?” hinata looks expectantly at said male, excitement clear in the redhead’s eyes, “she’s the best!”

both iwaizumi and you freeze on the spot, gauging oikawa’s reaction who only looks more confused.

“you’re welcome to join us, if you so desire,” it’s you who’s offering it this time, surprising iwaizumi and earning a worried glance from him.

oikawa can’t deny he’s dying to know what everyone’s so excited about, and after thinking about it for a few more seconds, he has made up his mind.

“shall we go, then?”

—

“alright, ground rules.”

just a handful of the team sits in the room, the ones who know what’s happening waiting eagerly for the green light while the rest wonders what the fuss is about. as much as you want to help them all, it’d be impossible; which is why iwaizumi picked the ones he thought needed the morale boost the most.

with a nod in your direction, he lets you know you’re free to speak.

“the jackals already know this,” you say and atsumu snickers from his seat, winking at you as hinata and bokuto nod excitedly, “but i’m not too strict about the entire thing.”

you can feel the pairs of curious eyes burning holes in you—trying to decipher what’s going on. so, after taking a deep breath and getting an awkward, encouraging smile from iwaizumi, you start voicing out the rules.

“please, be patient. there are so many of you and only one of me. i promise you’ll get your turn,” you give atsumu a pointed look, and this time it's sakusa who snorts while the blond setter rolls his eyes, “which brings me to the next rule, no seconds.”

a hand raises in the air, making you advert your attention to its owner. 

“i still don’t get what’s happening,” suna’s eyes narrow down at you, noticing the embarrassment and hesitation in your posture.          

“don’t worry, suna. we’ll show ya.”

“shut it, miya.”

clearing up your throat, you smile coyly at the middle blocker, “it’ll make sense once i finish explaining, suna-san.”

he shrugs but stays quiet. taking into account the jackals’ reactions plus the cryptic rules, an idea has already formed in his mind. but it couldn’t be that. right?

“uh, again, only one round. all entrances are fine,” you pause, going through the rules in your head to see if there’s anything you might be forgetting, “oh! and you’ll be paired up in teams of three to make things faster.”

“one more thing,” iwaizumi speaks up, this time looking at you instead of the awaiting men, “don’t forget to let us know how you’re doing.”

two loud claps break the tense atmosphere, “well, we should get started then,” atsumu raises from his spot and walks towards you. his hands cradle your face between them and lift it so you can face him properly, “what do ya say, princess?”

his lips land on yours before you can reply to him, a small squeal getting stuck in your throat when his hands travel down your body until he’s squeezing your ass.

you’re too caught up in the kiss to notice the new presence looming behind you.

“i’ll take your pussy before anyone can taint it with their dick.”

sakusa’s words make you shudder. you break apart from atsumu’s mouth to turn around and face him, his dark eyes alluring and drawing you towards him.

“oi, newbie,” atsumu calls out to suna who scoffs in return, “c’mere and join us.”

meanwhile, sakusa guides you to the bed, making you sit on his lap as you wait for the other two to show up. once they do, atsumu immediately settles behind you while suna stands awkwardly at the foot of the bed. it’s hard for you to read his expression since you’re not too familiar with him, so you offer him a reassuring smile and pat the spot next to you. 

the rest of the team watches from their seats as the four of you get started. 

suna lifts your chin, his eyes staring down at you before leaning down and kissing the corner of your mouth. he trails down your neck until he reaches your chest, sucking on the skin gently before running his tongue over the delicate area. in the meantime, atsumu unbuttons your blouse, taking it off and playing with your breasts while sakusa busies himself with taking your pants off.

“i get the hype, now,” suna whispers in your ear, blowing air on it and then biting down on your earlobe, making the hairs of your body rise.

his lips capture yours in a slow kiss —savoring your taste— and one of his hands goes to the back of your neck to keep you in place. his teeth play with your bottom lip, biting it softly and pulling away, his hooded eyes calculating your reaction.

“don’t get too excited, suna,” atsumu says from his spot behind you, pinching your nipples between his fingers and prompting a whine to escape your lips, “you’ll only get her mouth.”

“mhm, is that so?” suna’s question is directed towards you rather than atsumu, tilting your chin up and smirking at the dazed look in your eyes, “can’t wait to see that pretty mouth bulging with my cock, then.”

his lewd words earn a few coughs and clearing throats from the rest, which he chooses to ignore when your hand cups his growing bulge.

“enough you two, let the poor woman have a bit of pleasure too,” sakusa’s dark eyes look at you questioningly, silently asking if you’re ready to continue.

in return, you cup his face with your free hand and kiss his cheek—knowing he wouldn’t appreciate a kiss on the mouth when you just finished making out with another man.

they finish getting you out of your clothes until your bare cunt is hovering over sakusa’s lap. he’s quick to undress and ease his cock into you, suna and atsumu observing as they get rid of their clothes as well.

“fuck,” sakusa groans in your ear, the position allowing you to hide your face in his neck and wrap your arms around his shoulders, “always so tight.”

“scoot over, i need to prep her ass.”

suna snorts at atsumu’s words, pumping his cock twice before kneeling on the mattress—right next to you. he pats your cheek with the swollen head, looking down at you with a faint smirk.

“open up.”

your eyes immediately focus on his length, your mouth watering at the sight. you open your mouth and stick your tongue out, looking up at him and observing as he rests the tip on your tongue. 

“looking so pretty with a cock in your mouth,” he slowly slides in, guiding your head down until half of him is inside, “so warm.” 

a cold liquid dribbles on your backside, making you flinch forward and causing suna’s cock to slide in even more.

“relax, baby. it’s just me,” atsumu rubs the liquid on your asshole, playing with it with his finger before finally sliding it in.

your muscles contract involuntarily, making sakusa groan as he keeps still inside your pussy, waiting for you to grow used to the multiple things going on around you.

“hurry up before i start fucking her.”

a second finger slides in and you moan around suna’s cock, spit running at the corners of your mouth which reminds you to swallow. you hollow your cheeks and retract your mouth until only the tip remains inside, running your tongue over the slit and making the middle blocker shudder.

“someone’s hungry,” he muses.

you hum around him, bobbing your head back and forth and pumping the rest of his length with one hand.

“i’m gonna try get in now, okay?” atsumu taps your ass with his cock, lining it up with your asshole and thrusting in. he watches as the head of his cock finally slips in, groaning when the familiar tightness engulfs him, “that’s it, baby. doin’ so good for me.”

you have to remove your mouth from suna’s cock to avoid biting down on him, the stretch slightly more painful than pleasurable which eventually leads to you tensing up even more. 

“you gotta relax,” atsumu says under his breath, strained by the way you feel around his dick.

it takes you around a minute to calm down, taking deep breaths until you feel yourself loosen up and, with one last push, he’s finally inside.

“omi?” you say against his neck, “could you move a bit, please?”

said man grunts as he starts to move his hips, your slick helping his cock glide in, “color.”

it takes you a few seconds to understand what he meant.

“oh! uhh, green.”

atsumu’s thrusts are slow —testing the waters— since the last thing he wants is to get yelled at for being too rough, too soon. but you’re growing impatient, moving your hips backwards and trying to get more of him inside of you.

“m-more, ‘tsumu. i can take it,” you say and he immediately complies, his muscular thighs now slapping against your ass.

suna remains kneeling next to you, cock in his hand as he waits for you to bring your attention back to him. but he doesn’t have to wait too long, your hand wrapping around his cock and guiding it back into your mouth once you’ve set a steady pace with the other two men.

“thought you had forgotten about me.”

he pushes your hair out of your face, watching your lips wrap around his girth. it’s taking all of his willpower to not hold your head and fuck your face until you’re gagging around him, afraid it might be a big ‘no’ from you. and since it’s the first time he’s getting to experience this, he decides to take whatever’s given to him.

“you’re so wet,” sakusa points out as he looks down at where you two are connected, observing his cock slide in and out of your cunt, covered with your slick.

“‘course she is, she’s being stuffed by three cocks.”

“feels good…” your manage to say after releasing suna with a pop, pumping his shaft with your hand, “a-am i making you feel better?”

a hand lands on your ass, causing you to yelp and tighten your hold on suna’s cock. 

“what do ya think, hm? we’re getting our dicks wet in none other but our slutty little assistant's holes,” atsumu plays with your ass, squeezing it and humming when the imprint of his hands appears on the soft flesh.

“mhm, quite the slut you are,” sakusa whispers in your ear, kissing your neck afterwards, “as long as i get to make a mess out of that cunt of yours before anyone else, i will always enjoy these little sessions of ours.”

your eyes land on suna, waiting for him to say his thoughts on the matter.

his gaze drops to your hand, covered in his pre-cum and your spit which sends a jolt to his cock, making it throb in your hand.

“can’t say i hate it.”

you smile at his words, recognizing the challenge hidden behind them. your mouth wraps around the flushed tip, eyes closing when both sakusa and atsumu thrust up into your holes at the same time. you try to keep your hand steady as you suck suna off, but the lewd grunts and moans coming from them, plus their cocks filling you so nicely make your rhythm falter every once in a while.

a hand starts toying with your clit, causing you to moan around suna’s cock. the vibrations make him shudder, scowling at himself when he realizes his orgasm is approaching faster than he expected.

“fuck, fuck– princess? do you mind if i cum inside?” atsumu grunts.

your muscles clench at the thought of being filled with his cum, imagining the thick liquid oozing out of your sensitive holes only to stuff it back in with your fingers.

“y-yes, ‘tsumu. cum inside me,” you pant as your hands squeeze suna’s cock, pumping it faster as you notice his hips jerking towards you. you turn your face to look at sakusa, who has his eyebrows drawn upwards and his mouth open slightly as he too feels overwhelmed by the pleasure, “omi, you can cum inside as well.”

and he doesn’t need to be told twice, his large hands holding you by your hips so he can thrust his cock into your drenched cunt faster.

moans and squelching noises echo around the room. atsumu picks up his pace as he feels his orgasm approaching, his deep grunts fanning over your neck and taking over your hearing. the drag of sakusa’s pubic bone against your clit has you cumming shortly after. your head rolls forward as both men keep thrusting in and out of you, only stopping once their cum fill your clenching holes.

“shit– look at me,” suna orders you, and you barely have time to process what’s happening.

his cum lands on your face, his hand helping you pump his throbbing cock as the ropes of cum cover your skin. he exhales heavily once he’s done, brushing the flushed head of his cock over your swollen lips, and smearing the white liquid around them.

it’s silent for a few seconds, save for the heavy breathing and pants coming from your mouths.

“holy shit,” oikawa’s voice breaks the silence. his cock strains almost painfully against his pants at the sight of what awaits him.

“yeah, holy shit,” atsumu laughs off, brushing his hair out of his face with one hand as he massages the flesh of your ass with the other, “ya never disappoint, princess.”

with a grunt, the blond setter removes his softening cock from you, his honey eyes —plus a few curious ones— observing the way his cum dribbles out from your stretched hole. the same thing happens with sakusa, who lifts your hips off of him, his cock falling on his stomach and the mix of your slick and his cum dripping down on his length.

atsumu’s fingers immediately go to your cunt, pumping the juices back into you, “god, you love this. don’t you, baby?”

all you can do is whine, your hands clenching the sheets until he removes his fingers from your sensitive pussy, and stuffs them inside your mouth. 

“we all get a turn?” kageyama whispers not so discreetly to hinata, who only nods eagerly in return.

you lick atsumu’s fingers clean which earns you a radiant smile from him.

“here.”

suna has his arm outstretched, handing you a tissue so you can clean your face.

“thank you,” you take it from his hands as you climb off of sakusa’s lap.

you’re cleaning the residues of cum on your face when a hand falls on top of your head. 

“drink some water before you start the next round,” sakusa’s dark eyes suddenly seem warmer and kinder to you, patting your head before disappearing into the bathroom.

after tossing the used tissue away, you turn to iwaizumi and give him a firm nod.

“who’s next?”

your dazzling smile has the rest of the men in awe, silently praying it’s them who get to feel your body with their hands next.

“bokuto,” the wing spiker’s immediately perks up at the sound of his name, “you, kageyama, and hakuba are next.”

the three men raise from their seats and make their way towards the bed—towards you.

“hey, bo,” you offer a loving smile to him, “you ready?”

his strong arms wrap around you, kissing your cheek loudly and making you giggle, “it feels as if i’ve been waiting forever. of course, i’m ready!”

meanwhile, kageyama and gao stand at the foot of the bed, waiting for any instructions or a signal from you that could tell them when to start. luckily, you’re quick to notice their hesitation.

”is there a particular place where you want to be?” you ask them, looking specifically at kageyama and gao, since you want to make sure they feel included.

“dibs on your mouth!”

you blush at bokuto’s enthusiasm but accept his request, stroking his cheek as you wait for the other two to answer.  

“i’ll take whatever,” kageyama says and scratches the back of his neck.

“me too,” gao smiles and takes a few steps towards you, making bokuto move away from you. his large hand tucks one piece of your hair away, his eyes staring at yours before dropping to your lips, “although, i think i’d like it better if i had your pussy gripping my cock. wouldn’t you like that?”

he presses his front against yours, his erection poking at your belly which earns a small gasp from you. you have to stop yourself from taking a look at the tent in his sweatpants, trying to figure out how much of him there is hidden inside the fabric.

“o-okay.”

the middle blocker smiles at you before diving down to your lips. his hands grab your waist, lifting you up from the ground and making you wrap your legs around his torso. he gently places you down on the bed and kisses his way down your neck until his mouth is right above your erect nipple.

“hey! i want to kiss her too,” bokuto complains, “you can’t hog her like that.”

“s’okay bo, come here.”

he doesn’t have to be told twice, immediately climbing onto the bed and leaning down to kiss your lips.

you grab the back of his head and run your fingers through his soft hair, pulling on it gently which causes a groan to rumble in his chest.

a pair of hands slide over your legs, pushing them apart until your bare cunt is spread wide open for everyone to see.

“you’re dripping, babe,” gao murmurs over your nipple, giving it a light tug before flicking his tongue over it, “do you want my cock that badly?”

you can only moan and nod, your lips still busy with bokuto’s.

but there’s someone who still has yet to join you.

“tobio-chan, if you’re not going to do anything then let me take your place instead.”

oikawa’s words snap you out of your daze. you pat bokuto’s cheek signaling him to let go of you, and the same thing happens with gao as you try to sit up. your eyes fall on kageyama who stands at the same spot with a conflicted look and an obvious erection in his pants. 

“hey,” you crawl your way towards him and sit on your knees, “are you uncomfortable?”

his mouth opens but nothing comes out of it. he can feel the weight of everyone’s stare on him, making him look away from you. 

a few seconds pass and there’s still no answer.

“you don’t have to do this, you know?” you say in a small tone, slightly confused as to why he’s rejecting you, “i just thought… i could help you relax.”

he nods, still avoiding your gaze.

you take a look at iwaizumi –who looks as equally as puzzled as you– before looking back at the setter.

“do you want to leave?”

at this, his head finally snaps towards you, “no, i-” he pauses. his eyes are immediately drawn to your mouth, making him involuntarily wet his lips, “i want to stay.”

relief washes over you, a timid smile spreading on your lips which is quickly mirrored by him. you take his hand in yours and guide him to the other side of the bed, urging him to join the rest of you. there’s a hunger in his eyes that has your pussy dripping with your slick, a sigh leaving your lips when your back hits the pillows as you watch him take gao’s previous spot.

“kiss me, tobio.”

and he does. it starts slow, hesitant, but it soon turns desperate. his tongue strokes yours before sucking on it, spit coating your lips thanks to the messiness of the kiss. the strain of his cock inside his pants becomes too uncomfortable to his liking, causing him to start humping against you, trying to relieve himself.

noticing his predicament, you move your hand between your bodies and palm his hard-on. he groans against your lips, his hips jerking forward seeking more of your touch.

in the meantime, both bokuto and gao pump their cocks with their hands, having taken their clothes off while you talked to kageyama.

gao squeezes the head of his cock between his hands, pre-cum oozing from the slit as he imagines the way your cunt is going to grip him, “babe, you’re making us suffer.”

“get in line!”

“atsumu, shut the fuck up.”

“baby?” bokuto asks from where he stands, his own cock stiff and ready to be inside your mouth, “we don’t mean to be pushy, but do you think you could get to us soon?”

“bokuto-san, you’re going to break a rule!” hinata says, clearly concerned for his teammate, “be patient, remember?”

the rest of the team laughs and you can’t help but join them.

at this, bokuto pouts playfully at you, “you’re just teasing me, baby.”

“then come here,” you gasp when kageyama’s mouth sucks at the base of your neck, “y-you wanted my mouth, right?”

bokuto kneels next to your face, patting the leaking tip on your lips.

“i’m going to fuck that pretty mouth of yours and you’re going to take it like a good girl,” he says, his tone leaving no room for questions, “open.”

you comply immediately, lolling out your tongue and waiting for him to rest his heavy cock on top of it. 

the lewd sight in front of him makes bokuto shudder. his hands grasp your head, pushing you down his length until he feels your throat constricting around him.

“fuck– baby,” he grunts and gives a shallow thrust, “i know you can do better than that.”     

you try to relax your jaw so you can fit more of him inside of your mouth. but as you are about to graze your nose against his pubic bone, a finger runs between your folds causing you to flinch.

“i’m still here.”

gao’s tone sounds stern, even if a playful smile tugs his lips upwards, you can see the seriousness swirling in his eyes.

kageyama sighs and leaves your side, stepping away momentarily to take his pants off. 

the middle blocker takes it as his chance to settle between your legs as bokuto keeps your mouth busy.

“you’re drenched, sweetheart,” he muses, running his digits over your slit, “don’t worry, i’ll fill this pussy with my cock so well that you’ll be cumming in no time.”

your eyes travel to his shaft, watching as he pumps it twice before running it between your folds. your brows furrow when you notice how heavy it feels, making you wonder if it will fit in.

he lines himself up with your hole, pushing the head inside which is enough to have you whining around bokuto’s cock.

“you look so sexy,” bokuto groans, pushing your head away from him and watching your spit run down your mouth. he looks at kageyama who stands awkwardly with his cock in hand, “i guess we’re sharing her mouth.”

the setter’s eyes widen slightly before nodding, mimicking bokuto’s position and nudging his cock on your lips, “suck.”

your breath hitches at his order, caught off guard by his demanding tone. you grab his cock from the base and guide it into your mouth, pumping bokuto’s length with your other hand. you hum around kageyama, running your tongue over the head of his cock before hollowing your cheeks and sucking harshly on it. 

but your attention on them doesn’t last too long, the sudden feel of your pussy getting split open by gao’s cock taking it away.

“so tight,” he grunts, one of his hands running over the skin of your inner thigh until he reaches your soaking cunt. he pulls your folds apart, watching you struggle to take his cock inside you—no matter how wet you are, “i bet those jackals haven’t been fucking you like you deserve.”

“oi!” “not true!”

you free your mouth from kageyama and use both hands to pump his and bokuto’s cock, “s-so big, ugh-”

gao pushes more of him in, half of his cock already inserted in you. but he’s just so thick, so big, that you can’t help but clamp down your walls around him. his thumb starts rubbing circles on your clit, trying to relax your walls, as his other hand settles on your abdomen.

“you’re going to be so full of my cock that you’ll be able to see it,” he gives a gentle pat to your belly, “right here.”

your grip on the other two men tightens as gao finally bottoms out, a whine breaking through your lips at the stretch.

“if only you could see yourself,” his thrusts are lazy, mesmerized by the way your belly bulges when he pushes his cock inside you, “so fucking sexy with my fat cock inside your cunt.”

your lips wrap around the tip of bokuto’s cock once more, closing your eyes as pleasure clouds your head. he thrusts in, hitting the back of your throat and making you gag.

“good girl,” bokuto exhales, “taking my cock so well.”

you quicken the pace of your other hand, looking at kageyama as you obscenely suck bokuto.

the setter’s eyes refuse to leave yours, “who would’ve thought our assistant could be so naughty.”

“as if you’re complaining,” gao says, lifting your leg over his shoulder. the new angle allowing him to press his hips closer to yours.

“i never said i was.”

bokuto curses under his breath when you start sucking his balls, pumping the rest of his length with your hand and squeezing the head of kageyama’s cock with the other.

“you’re going to make me cum,” bokuto groans.

giggling, you lick your way up and run your tongue over the slit, “cum in my mouth.”

the sound of collective groans echoes in the room, a fair amount of players finding your words arousing.

“what a slut, let’s see if you keep talking when you’re covered in our cum.”

gao’s threat goes straight to your pussy, making you cream around his girth. the pace of his thumb on your clit quickens once he notices your walls spasming around him.

“ngh, fuck!” you’re breathing heavily by now, barely managing to keep the pace of your hands consistent, “i-i’m gonna… i’m gonna cum.”

“let go, baby.”

one of gao’s hands travels up your body until he’s pinching your nipple between his fingers.

“shit, shit, shit,” you’re thrashing underneath him, your cunt fluttering around his cock thanks to your orgasm.

kageyama’s way too focused on the way your face contorts in pleasure to notice how his hips have started to jerk faster. that is until the familiar coil suddenly snaps and his cum lands on your chin and part of your chest. 

“h-how did you get even tighter- hah!”

warm spurts of cum fill your cunt, the sense of fullness intensifying as gao frees his load inside of you.

“i’m cumming, baby. fuck, fuck–” bokuto chants your name as he too reaches his orgasm, quickly shoving his cock into your mouth and releasing his thick cum inside of it.   

you make sure to keep sucking him, milking his cock dry. once you remove your mouth from him, you bring his and kageyama’s cock closer to your face and pucker your lips, letting the mix of cum and spit fall on their cocks before giving a few kitten licks to the flushed heads.

gao starts to remove his cock from your insides, cursing at the state of your pussy once he’s finally out.

“holy fuck, she’s tightening around nothing.”

you let out a low moan when his fingers spread your lower lips, “t-too sensitive.”

“i think that’s enough,” iwaizumi intervenes, pushing him away, “color?”

“yellow,” but you continue as soon as you see his face become stern, “relax, i just need to calm down a bit.”

kageyama offers you a towel before awkwardly thanking you for your help. and after receiving a kiss on the forehead from bokuto, the three of them leave to go clean themselves.

“iwa-chan, why don’t you give her a massage?”

you let your body fall on the mattress, extending your arms above your head and moaning at the stretch.

“mm, that’d be nice.”

iwaizumi rolls his eyes playfully when he sees you pouting at him, “get on your stomach, i’ll be right back.”

in the meantime, oikawa and hinata take the spots next to you, eager to finally have their turn with you.

“you’re so pretty,” oikawa runs his hands over the skin of your shoulders, “those idiots are lucky to have you.”

your eyes start closing up, focusing on the feel of his fingers on your skin and making goosebumps appear all over your body.

“shoyo, we should help her relax too. don’t you think?”

you catch the suggestive tone in his voice, but his touch feels so good that you choose to ignore it.

both men start caressing your body, hinata’s hands paying special attention to your shoulders while oikawa pets your hair, murmuring sweet nothings. 

“you ready?” iwaizumi pops back into the room, a bottle of oil and a clean towel in his hands.

“mhm.”

the towel rests on your ass, iwaizumi’s warm hands spreading the oil on your back and rubbing at the sore muscles.

“does that feel good, princess?” oikawa asks when he hears you sigh. you are about to reply when iwaizumi hits a sore spot, a groan slipping past your lips and making the setter chuckle, “can you tell me your color now?”

“green.”

oikawa looks at iwaizumi and both men seem to communicate through their eyes, the latter smirking before going back to work.

at first, you don’t pay too much attention to his movements, choosing to focus on the pleasure. but then you notice how his hands seem to ghost lower and lower until he’s kneading your ass, the towel long forgotten.

before you can comment on it, he moves them to your thighs, massaging the soft flesh. it all goes back to normal –or so you think– until his hands reach higher and his digits start grazing your slit.

“hajime…”

“shh,” oikawa coos in your ear, pushing your hair out of your face and kissing your temple, “let him take care of you.”

iwaizumi inserts one finger inside your pussy, curling it until he’s teasing the spongy walls.

whines escape your mouth, your hands gripping the bedsheets which are quickly replaced by hinata’s hands.

“so cute.”

another finger slips in and makes you open your eyes, looking at oikawa helplessly, “o-oikawa-san-”

“tooru,” he interrupts you.

“tooru,” you try his name and he hums, letting you know he’s listening, “could you… uh, k-kiss me?”

“of course, princess.”

he leans down to capture your lips, swallowing your moans when iwaizumi curls both fingers and massages your spot. 

you open your legs, allowing iwaizumi to finger you better as you rut your hips on the mattress, rubbing your clit against the fabric of the sheets and chasing after your orgasm.

“iwa– faster, please.”

he complies immediately, causing wetness to gush out of your cunt and making the distinctive squelching sounds fill the room.

“i’m gonna– ah! i’m c-cumming!” 

“cum for me,” he encourages you, and that’s all you need.

you gush around his fingers, your slick coating them as you squirm under the gaze of the three men.

hinata tugs at your hand, pulling you underneath him and kissing you sloppily. you gasp on his mouth, caught off guard by the sudden movement but quickly melting into the kiss.

he blushes once he pulls away, “s-sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“it’s okay, shoyo,” you breathe out, caressing his cheek, “want me to help you?”

he beams at your offer, nodding eagerly as he watches you climb on top of him. you straddle his hips and run your cunt over his cock, shivering when his length grazes your clit.

“do you want me to ride you?” you whisper, playing with his hair. 

“wait- i think i have a better idea.”

hinata lifts you from his lap and moves until he’s sitting on the edge of the mattress. he pushes your hips with his hands, turning you around so you’re facing away from him. 

“you can sit on my lap now.”

your ass rests right on top of his cock, but he hooks his arms on your knees, spreading you open, as he lets himself fall back on the mattress.

“what are you–”

“oikawa-san, doesn’t this remind you of something?”

said man laughs, “how could i forget? we had quite some fun back in brazil, huh?”

you’re visibly confused, looking at oikawa with furrowed brows, “what do you want to do?”

“say, princess,” his tone suddenly sounds too sweet for your liking, “have you ever had two cocks in one hole?”

your eyes widen, looking back and forth between oikawa and iwaizumi—who has ridden himself of his clothes and sits next to you, his thick cock in his hand.

“i’ll take that as a no.”

“can we do that?” hinata asks from behind you, his breath fanning on your ear, “we’ll be gentle.”

“there’s literally another free hole for you to use!” someone yells, clearly annoyed they didn’t get the chance to do it.

oikawa clicks his tongue, “where’s the fun in that?”

after taking a minute to think it through, you agree to their offer, “okay… uh- iwa?” you turn to look at him, “what about you?”

seeing as there’s no room for him to take your ass, his eyes land on your mouth. and with two taps of his finger on your cheek, he lets you know his decision.

“think you can suck me off?”

they’re all given the green light when you answer his question. hinata raises you from his lap, aligning his cock with your entrance before letting your weight fall on top of it. you groan at the familiar thickness stretching you nicely, missing the flash of hunger in the setter’s eyes.  

“my turn.”

oikawa presses the tip on your entrance, pushing forward and making room for his own cock.

the burn of having two cocks in one hole is new to you, but it’s surprisingly more pleasurable than you thought it’d be. you lift your eyes to look at oikawa, his gaze already locked on you, and you feel your pussy cream around their cocks at the lust in his eyes.

“enjoying yourself, princess?”

you moan when he bottoms out, watching the muscles of his abdomen contract and feeling his cock pulsing inside of you.

the thrill of being stretched by two cocks, at the same time, has your head spinning; your thoughts becoming lewd as you picture both men cumming inside you and globs of cum dripping from your abused hole.

“oikawa-san, did you feel that?” hinata asks. half-amused, half excited, “she’s squeezing us so well.”

“naughty, princess,” the setter grunts, “don’t forget about iwa-chan.”

you turn your head to face him, catching the irritated look he sends oikawa before looking down at you.

iwaizumi’s eyes immediately soften, but a smirk slowly tugs at the corners of his lips, “you seem busy.”

“there’s always room for japan’s national team athletic trainer.”

he can’t help but laugh, shaking his head at the silly title. he raises from his seat and settles himself above you, his cock hovering on your face and making your mouth water.

“whenever you’re ready.”

you don’t need to be told twice. grasping his thick cock with your hand, you lean forward and flick your tongue on the head, looking at him through your lashes with faux innocence.

“start moving,” iwaizumi hisses, the words directed at the other two men, “seems like she needs a little reminder of who’s in charge right now.”

oikawa and hinata look at each other with smirks on their lips. as hinata said earlier, they’ve been in this position before, so there’s no need for words between them since they both know what’s coming next.

hinata moves his head slightly to the side, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder and, at the same time, granting him the view of your cunt being filled with their cocks.

“look at her, oikawa-san” his eyes are locked on your pussy, captivated by the way you suck them in, “she looks so pretty with two cocks splitting her open.”

hinata’s lewd words prompt you to involuntarily moan, the vibrations landing on iwaizumi’s cock.  

“hmm, you like it when you’re reduced to nothing but a slut. don’t you?”

you blink up at iwaizumi as you keep bobbing your head up and down his shaft, opting to hum to let him know you’re not ignoring him.

but his words catch someone else’s attention.

“is that true?” oikawa asks, amusement clear in his voice, “you like being reminded you’re a whore? how much of a greedy slut you are by fucking an entire volleyball team?”

you’re speechless, his words –matched with his and hinata’s harsh thrusts– causing your eyes to roll to the back of your head.

“answer me.”

oikawa’s hand wraps around your throat, barely applying any pleasure but it’s enough to send your mind into a frenzy.

after releasing iwaizumi’s cock from your mouth, you take a second to swallow down your spit before answering him.

“y-yes, tooru. i like being treated like a slut.”

his eyes sparkle with mischief, pleased by your words.

“good, because that’s how you’re going to be treated from now on.”

a hand travels to your throbbing clit, rubbing circles on the sensitive nub.

“s-shoyo!”

“shh, it’ll make you feel good.”

something wet slaps against your cheek, “don’t get distracted.”

you nod and go back to sucking iwaizumi off, moaning every time hinata or oikawa hit a spot inside your cunt. you dare take a look at where your body connects with both men, and you catch yourself becoming entranced by the way their cocks slide in and out of your pussy so easily.

you are familiar with hinata’s cock, but it’s nice to see the contrast between the two of them. while hinata’s length is thick and veiny, oikawa’s leans towards the slimmer side—but still with a considerable length. either way, both men manage to hit those sweet spots inside you and make you see stars. 

“shit– princess,” oikawa falters a bit when he feels your walls fluttering around him.

“we can cum inside you, right?” hinata asks, sensing his orgasm approaching. after all, he had been waiting for his turn for around an hour.

you pull away from iwaizumi, a string of spit connecting your lips with his cock and causing it to twitch at the sight.

“you can cum wherever you want.”

“oh? the team’s cocksleeve,” oikawa adds, “i see.”

iwaizumi chuckles, combing your hair out of your face and pushing his cock back into the warmth of your mouth, “you like that nickname, sweetheart?”

with his length still in your mouth, you manage to hum in affirmation.

hinata’s pace on your clit quickens as his hips jerk faster, your cunt squeezing their cocks even more in return, “i’m cumming, ah– i-i’m gonna cum!”

he manages to say before you feel him twitch inside you, pumping his cum into your walls. the fullness plus his rapid movements on your clit cause the familiar warmth to take over your body. but it’s your fourth orgasm of the night, and before you can warn anyone, liquid spurts out of your cunt.

you squirm on top of hinata, gushing around his and oikawa’s cock while your mouth remains occupied with iwaizumi’s.

“holy shit.”

both oikawa and iwaizumi cum at the sight of you squirting before them, observing the wetness soaking oikawa’s abdomen and running all the way down onto the bedsheets. they groan as they feel their load releasing into you, oikawa filling your tender cunt while iwaizumi fills your mouth.

you try to swallow a bit of iwaizumi’s cum but it’s useless. your chest heaves in exhaustion, your eyes closing involuntarily as you’re being hit with wave after wave of fatigue.

“hey,” oikawa winces when he removes his cock from you. he shoots a worried glance at iwaizumi before he’s leaning forward so he can take a closer look at you, “princess? how are you feeling?”

iwaizumi nudges hinata with his knee, wordlessly telling him to let go of you.

the following moments become a foggy mess, your mind barely registering the pair of arms wrapping around you and carrying you somewhere else.

all you can feel is tiredness, and the dampness between your thighs, before you finally pass out.

—

consciousness slowly makes its way to you, replacing the sleepiness and making you aware of your surroundings as a familiar soreness sits heavy on your body.

in an instant, flashbacks from the previous night run through your mind.

you grip the duvet and push it away from you, only to notice the set of clothes you’re wearing: an oversized hoodie and a pair of sweatpants that clearly don’t belong to you. but you don’t have time to dwell on it, the sound of your ringtone blasting all over the room and making you scramble around the bed so you can answer the call.

but it’s of no use when it goes to voicemail—you were a bit too late.

when you manage to find your phone, you tap on the screen to see whose call you just missed.

‘hajime’

your fingertips hover on the contact name, debating between returning the call or wait for him to call you again. but a few notifications pop up at the top of the screen signaling you have three text messages from him.

hey, i guess you’re still asleep. don’t freak out when you wake up, you deserve the rest so it’s okay if you stay in bed. i left your breakfast on the nightstand and you can always call me if you need anything else.

and i thought you’d like to see this.

there’s a link attached at the end of the message.

you click on it and wait for the page to load, tapping your nails on the back of your phone anxiously. a headline in big bold letters takes over the screen and you have to stop yourself from squealing.

‘japan men’s volleyball team makes it past the first round.’

you start scrolling down the article, reading how spectacular the match was and how the entire team seemed to be in their best shape. you feel your face heat up when you read the argentinian team won their match too, with multiple comments praising oikawa’s performance.

with a smile on your lips, you go back to your messages to type a quick reply to iwaizumi. only to notice you have one more text from him.

it’s our turn to take care of you.

[thebluewritingbench]

if you’re still taking prompts, can you do happiness #1?

Before we launch into 6b next week, here's a small fantasy of a scene that I wish the cw would give us. Happiness #1 from this prompt list again.

“I’ve loved you since the day we met.”

“Alex calls it The Honesty Policy.”

Lena takes the mug of hot chocolate Kara offers, cradling it between her hands. “The Honesty Policy?” she asks, as Kara sits down on the couch beside her.

“I imagine Kelly probably fed it to her,” Kara says. “But she was helping me try to figure out how we could get ourselves… well, back to normal, after everything, and she was really insistent that this one was worth a try.”

“What is it?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. No more secrets,” Kara says, tapping her own collarbone, then fixing her gaze pointedly on Lena. “No more lying. We tell each other things. We’re honest. We trust each other with our secrets.”

Lena nods, looking down into her mug of hot chocolate. The dim lights of Kara’s loft glow orange across her cheekbones, and in the silence, the sounds of late-night passing cars rumble up from the street below. It’s the first time they’ve really spent time truly alone together since… well everything.

There’s still a lot of awkwardness between them; turns out secrets and betrayal and double-crossing—and the fact that forgiveness was barely hatching between them when Kara was banished to the phantom zone—will do that to a friendship. There was the initial hug, of course, after Kara was rescued, when Lena wrapped her arms around Kara and buried her face in Kara’s neck and held her so tightly that Kara was certain she’d never let go, her breath coming in ragged gasps and her whole body quivering. It was somewhat surreal, the warm shock of having Lena in her arms after so many months, her hair against Kara’s cheek, the muted scent of her shampoo. They’d sank to the floor, still holding each as the ship creaked around them, and stayed there for god knows how long in each other arms.

But since then, since that initial wordless embrace that felt as much like coming home as anything, they haven’t known what to say to each other. They work together easily enough, the animosity between Supergirl and Lena finally gone, but it’s more difficult when they’re just Kara and Lena. They’ve forgiven each other, Kara thinks. Or at least agreed to forgive each other, even if there’s still work to be done. But it’s weird. It’s not like they can snap straight back into how things were before.

Hence The Honesty Policy.

“Okay,” Lena says finally. “Yes. No more secrets. A clean start.”

A clean start. It’s what they need, after an entire friendship where one or the other of them has been hiding things. For the first time, everything between them will be out in the open. Nothing left to hide.

It’s oddly freeing.

Kara takes a sip of her hot chocolate. “So, where do we start?”

“Start?”

“I think we should have just an honest conversation. I don’t want this to be awkward anymore, I want to be able to talk to you like we used to. So, in the interest of honesty, tell me something you’ve never told me before. It doesn’t have to be big—” she adds hurriedly, when Lena’s eyes widen in alarm. “Something small. Something tiny you’ve never had reason to tell me.”

Lena nods slowly, thinking. “In the interest of honesty…” she starts. “In the interest of honesty, I… I really think that those bangs were a mistake.”

Kara makes a noise of offended disbelief in the back of her throat. “I—Rude!”

“You said to be honest!” Lena says, biting her lip like she’s holding back a laugh. “They’re growing out now, anyways. It looks much better.”

Kara gives her bangs a self-conscious pat. They’re still at a slightly awkward length, but they’re long enough to blend in semi-decently with the rest of her hair now. “If we’re being honest, then,” she says. “I think that blouse is really ugly.”

Lena looks down at herself. She sounds slightly hurt when she says, “What’s wrong with it?”

“Everything! It’s—the pattern! The sleeves! The collar! It looks like it’s made of cheap polyester.”

“It’s designer!” Lena pouts.

“Who designed it?”

“Well, I thought that blazer you wore last week was kind of hideous. I didn’t say anything at the time, but in the interest of honesty…”

Kara laughs, and Lena’s irritated expression melts away at her laughter, something in her eyes softening. It’s an expression Kara’s been seeing on her more often, in moments she catches Lena watching her when she thinks Kara isn’t paying attention.

She’s always paying attention to Lena.

“Maybe we should just agree to say that we both have questionable fashion taste sometimes and call it a day,” she says, downing the rest of her hot chocolate and placing the mug on the table.

Lena takes a dainty sip of her own still mostly filled mug. “Fine.”

There’s a long pause, and Kara taps her fingers on her pant leg and tries to think of a new conversation starter. She finally settles on. “In the interest of honesty… how are you holding up?”

Lena shrugs. “I’m okay, I suppose. I’m anxious about Lex—I know it’s only a matter of time before he’s back on our heels. Mostly, I’m just glad to have you back.” She looks over her mug at Kara. “I think that’s more a question I should be asking you, though.”

The look of intense concern in Lena’s eyes makes her feel hot, and Kara squirms slightly, pulling her collar away from her neck with a finger. She wants to say I’m fine, but honesty is the whole point of this exercise. “I’m… still not great. Being back there it… brought up a lot. Brought back a lot. I’m still having a really hard time with it all. It’s—it’s hard to talk about.”

“We don’t have to talk about it right now.”

“I want to talk about with you at some point. I just… don’t want it to ruin every conversation I have, you know? I want some things to be normal, still. I want to pretend things can be normal.”

“That makes sense,” Lena nods. She looks small when she says, “In the—in the interest of honesty, are you still mad?”

“At you?” Lena nods again, and Kara sighs, looking away. “It’s complicated, I guess. A little, maybe? I meant it when I said I forgave you, but there’s still part of me that’s a little angry. You did a lot of things that were… really bad, Lena.”

“I know.”

“Are you still mad at me?” Kara asks, and Lena’s shaking her head before she even finishes the question.

“No. No, I’m done being mad at you. I get it. I get why you hid your identity, and I wish you’d told me sooner, but I’m not angry anymore. I don’t have enough energy to be angry anymore. I’m happier if I don’t hate you.”

“Well, I’m glad for that.”

“I would have done anything to get you back, you know,” Lena says in a rush, words spilling out like she can’t stop them. “You say I did bad things before, but I would have watched the world burn if it meant I could have brought you back.” She looks down at her lap. “Who knows what I would have done if Alex hadn’t been there to stop me.”

“Lena.” Kara reaches over to take her hand. “You know I can’t possibly be mad at you for that.”

“No?”

“Of course not.”

“Okay,” Lena whispers. Kara watches her swirl around the dregs of her hot chocolate and takes a deep breath.

There’s still one more secret between them. One more secret that has the potential to ruin their friendship. Kara thinks they’re both aware of it, on some level. Aware of the way the weight of it shifts their every interaction. The others are aware of it too, have maybe known longer than Kara has. Alex certainly has. It was she who looked Kara in the eye when they were discussing this whole honestly policy and said, “You have to tell her this. You know you do.”

She can’t risk another secret in their relationship.

“Um, in the interest of honesty,” she starts, and finds she can’t quite meet Lena’s eyes. “I have to tell you—in all honesty, I would probably just keep it a secret, if I could, but I don’t think we should do secrets anymore, so I just need to tell you that I, um, have feelings for you.”

Lena straightens. “Feelings?” she says, her voice cautious.

Kara closes her eyes. Takes a breath. Steadies herself. Opens them again. “I’m in love with you,” she says. “Um, nothing has to change if you don’t want it to, but I need… I need you to know.”

“Oh,” breathes Lena. She opens her mouth, and it seem to take several moments for the words to catch up with her. “Well, in—in the interest of honesty, Kara, I’ve—I’ve been in love with you for years.” She gives a wry little half smile. “If we’re being honest.”

“What? You have?”

“Darling,” says Lena. “I’ve loved you since the day we met.”

“The day we met?”

“Why do you think it hurt me so badly when I found out who you were? Why do you think I was so deep in denial about it that I never figured it out myself? Do you really think you were that good at hiding it?”

“I mean, I thought—”

“The disguise. The hair. The glasses.” She puts down her mug, then reaches over and gently tugs the glasses from Kara’s face, folding the arms in and placing them on the table. She brushes a strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. “You mentioned Supergirl far too much as Kara and Kara far too much as Supergirl and one time you told me you flew to my office on a bus.”

“That’s—yeah, that’s fair, actually.”

“You’re in love with me? Honestly?” whispers Lena.

“I am. I really, truly am. Why do you think I refused to give up on you when everyone else was ready to?”

“I thought that just how you are. You don’t give up on anyone.”

“I try not to. But you, I could never bear to, even when it seemed like the only logical option to everyone else. Why do you think I waited so long to tell you in the first place? I was so scared to ruin things between us.”

“Why do you think I bought you an entire media empire?” Lena murmurs, and she’s so close, hand fisted in the collar of Kara’s shirt.

Kara giggles. “Why do you think I flew all over Europe to get you lunch?”

Lena laughs, and it’s such a relief to hear her laughter again, to let the conversation flow between them. There’s a bud of hope for the future that’s been sitting in Kara’s chest for years now, and under Lena’s adoring gaze, it starts to open.

“In all honesty,” Kara says, “I’d really like to kiss you right now.”

Lena slips a hand into her hair, runs her thumb over Kara’s cheekbone. “In all honesty?” She leans in, pressing their foreheads together. “I’d like that.”

[slytherinsight221]

Judge Turpin: The Negotiation

Warning: mild dub con, loss of virginity, age difference

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leonora dutifully walked towards the large, brick mansion. The gentleman, if one wished to call him that, leered at her youthful form while she took in the sight. It was a shame, really, that London was always so gray. This house could look beautiful were it not for the dingy skies and polluted air. Her escort grabbed her thin arm, just above the elbow as he tugged her, willing her to move closer to the front door. The heavy wooden door, almost black in appearance, stuck out against the white brick of the building and the golden lion head knockers.

103 Primrose Hill. This is where she would become a woman.

Her escort reached up a pale, dirty hand. His unwashed fingers wrapped around the polished gold of the door knocker. He raised and lowered the ring that hung from the lion's mouth three times. Then they waited.

Leonora heard the internal workings of the lock click as they unlocked. The door was quickly pulled open and the striking figure made himself visible as he cut through the shadows.

Turpin.

"Ah, Beadle. To what do I owe this... interruption?" The judge queried, cocking his left eyebrow in a menacing way. Her previously confident escort seemed to cower from this man, which at once she found humorous as well as daunting. She enjoyed that her escort was so uncomfortable, after having been so inappropriate with her in their carriage ride from the courthouse. However, if he was fearful, it had to be for good reason. What had she gotten herself into?

"M-my Lord!" Beadle cried, "this is James Worthington's daughter. She has.... If you'll excuse my interruption my lord... she has come to ask a favor from you". The man bowed dastardly, unable to raise his eyes from the pavement.

The Great Judge Turpin allowed his eyes to rake over her form before he stepped aside, reaching out a hand to offer her sanctuary inside his home. The young woman raised her chin, hoping to show the confidence she didn't inwardly feel as she stepped over the threshold, the man pushing the door closed behind her and locking it.

"Come, join me in my study so we can discuss your... desires".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leonora followed the Judge to his office, the Beadle remaining outside. As unwelcome as his presence was, she would have been more comfortable with some sort of witness to their exchange.

As the man strode into his office, she allowed herself to take notice of his appearance for the first time. If she were being completely honest, she felt some attraction to the man, despite his prickly demeanor. The man had beautiful brown eyes that were very expressive, she had noticed, especially when they were accompanied by his expressive eyebrows.

His hair was a bit unkempt. She supposed this was due to the powdered wig he was required to wear for his profession. It was on the longer side, and grey with some streaks of white. He had some stubble upon his cheek, implying it had been some time since he had shaved last.

His clothing complimented his form as well as announced his placement in society. They were regal and made with the finest materials she had assumed. His waistcoat was form fitting, drawing her attention to his broad chest and sturdy shoulders; while his long, leather coat hung well below his knees. She tried to focus more on his upper body, however, she was unable to completely ignore the very tight, very form fitting trousers. She flushed and averted her eyes before her lasciviousness was recognized.

Instead she turned her attention to his study. He obviously spent a lot of time here; his leather chair still held the imprint of his body. Leonora was distracted by his murals that had been painted on the walls, mostly naked women, tastefully done of course. She felt him slither behind her, feeling his hot breath on her neck as he offered her a chair to sit in. She shivered as he spoke, obediently lowering her body into the buttery feeling of his guest chair.

"Miss... Worthington, was it? How can I be of assistance to you?".

"I've come to ask for mercy on behalf of my father," she stated quietly, keeping her eyes fixed to the floor.

"Ah, my dear, that will be quite impossible I'm afraid. He's scheduled to hang tomorrow," Turpin responded with mock sympathy.

"But sir! He is a good man, he doesn't deserve to die! My mother and siblings need his support. I can't provide us with enough money and I'm the only one old enough for an occupation," she pleaded, tears filling her eyes.

Turpin swooped bedside her, perching on the edge of his desk nearest her. He offered his handkerchief before speaking. "No woman of your beauty should have to work". The judge fingered his stubble, lost in thought until a mischievous grin crossed his features.

The Judge remembered the case well, it was only two days ago that her father had stood trial. The man evidently had enjoyed his drink too much the evening in question and presented himself drunkenly in the middle of the town square before dropping his trousers and urinating on the side of a building.Turpin had never been an understanding or lenient man, especially when it came down to detriments of public health. He easily passed his verdict of death with minimal thought or concern.

"Perhaps... we could come to some sort of arrangement, Miss Worthington. His crime was of a vulgar nature. Perhaps there is some poetic justice that a vulgar act should set him free, hmm?" He bit his lower lip as his eyes followed every curve of her body, focusing on her heaving bosom that threatened to spill over her form fitting jacket. She was indeed quite beautiful.

"S-sir?" She questioned nervously.

"Are you experienced at all, Miss Worthington? Have you allowed any man, or worse yet a fumbling boy, touch you? Or is your virtue intact?" He cocked his eyebrow at his last question, lifting his chin higher so he looked down his aquiline nose at her. As she shook her head in response, he found himself grinning. He rose to his feet and swiftly strode to his bookshelf.

"I had hoped as much. You see, my dear, I myself am quite practiced". He sensually fingered the spines of his books as he sauntered past each one. "Oh yes.... Such practices. The Geishas of Japan, the concubines of Siam, the catamites of Greece, the harlots of India. I have them all here. Drawings of them. Everything a man has ever dreamed of doing with a woman. Would you like to see?". Turpin plucked a book from its spot, holding it out to her. Leonora's face flushed brightly as she interpreted what he was requiring of her. She swallowed audibly before standing before him.

"I want his pardon in writing first," she stated confidently. She had allowed the idea of an exchange such as this occurring, so she wasn't completely shocked. Still, she was upset that she'd be giving herself to a man she had no feelings towards, not to mention she'd have a difficult time getting married after this encounter. Still, she was willing to do anything to save her father.

She jumped at his deep, booming laugh as he replaced the book and returned to his desk. "Good girl," he purred. Taking out a piece of parchment, he wrote out a full pardon, allowing her to read over his shoulder before he sealed it with his family crest.

"Shall we away, my dear? My chambers are upstairs. Unless you'd rather stay here?"

"N-no sir. I think a bed would be easiest".

"Mmm, yes I quite agree. Come," he pushed her out of the room with his hand placed at her lower back, leading her towards the long staircase that would lead to her loss of innocence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The stairs seemed to be never-ending. She had assumed it was just her nerves slowing time. She allowed herself to be fearful and anxious during their walk, but knew she needed to appear confident in front of the judge. She sniffled as she reached the top of the stairs.

"Don't cry, my dear. You're doing this for a good cause," he cooed as he tucked a tendril of dark brown hair behind her ear, it had fallen loose from her braid. She shivered under his touch, her treacherous body responding to his fingers. "Mmmm I think I'm going to like this. So responsive already my dear and we haven't even begun". Her lips parted as she exhaled a shaky breath.

They continued their walk down the long corridor, she tried to focus on the ornate rug she was walking in instead of the heat of his towering body walking beside her. When they came to the 4th door on the right, he stopped. "In you go," he teased as he escorted her through the door. She had imagined this event before; being carried through the threshold, cradled in her husband's arms, gentle kisses being provided as he walked. But this wasn't her imagination. This was real. And she wasn't swooning, or being carried, or kissed gently by her husband. She would be taken; used for his pleasure and returned with naught more than a piece of parchment to free her father. She felt her unbidden tears fall.

"Shhhhh, my dear," Turpin purred as he gently stroked her cheek. She couldn't help but lean into his touch. His gaze darkened as he roughly cupped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "You should feel honored. I never... never... go back on my verdicts. This is but a small price to pay for your fathers freedom. However, by all means.... If this isn't what you want, leave now... for once I start, I will not stop no matter how much you plead".

He allowed her to consider his words for a few moments before smirking; realizing she wasn't leaving. He walked towards the bed and sat on its edge. "Come, Nora. Undress your lord". She gulped as she approached the man. She was confused about his familiar way of addressing her, but it did seem to calm her a bit. He opened his legs to allow her to settle between them.

Leonora started with his silk cravat; the material was cool and smooth beneath her fingers. She delicately slid the material through its own knot, tugging the tails of the scarf until it was finally freed of his neck. She decided to move onto his waist coat. The embroidery on it was so delicate, she couldn't help but run her fingers over the golden threads as she made her way to his buttons. Turpin sat rigidly on the side of the bed, but did shiver a bit as she touched his chest. It had been a long time since he had a willing female in his bed.

She dexterously popped the buttons on the waistcoat, one at a time until it opened to her, revealing a white linen shirt and broad chest. She pushed his leather coat and waistcoat from his shoulders, leaving him in his loose linen shirt.

Leonora reached down and pulled his shirttails from his trousers. The Judge assisted her with pulling the article over his head, revealing his pale chest to her for the first time. He was an older man, true, but he seemed to take good care of his body. She ran her hands over his chest again, apparently she was unable to prevent herself from feeling the strong, ropey muscles. He had a few sparse hairs on his chest with  a bit more hair on his belly, darkening as it disappeared beneath his trousers. She gasped as he cupped her bottom, pulling her flush against him as he nuzzled her bosom with his nose.

His voice was thick with lust as he spoke to her, guiding her actions. "Lie down on the bed, Nora".

"Yes, Sir". She scooted up on the bed, lying directly in the middle, crossing her arms over her chest protectively. She stared at the ceiling while she felt the mattress dip with his body weight as he crawled in between her legs.

Turpin kneeled between her legs which he had to nudge open to allow himself to fit. He reached down to pull over her ankle-length boots, carelessly tossing them off the bed, hitting the floor with a thump. Leonora lifted her head from the pillows to watch what the man was doing, only to lower herself back down, unable to make eye contact while he undressed her.

Her whole body was quivering with nerves. She wished the room was darker so she wouldn't have to watch what was happening; she feared for the pain that was likely to occur. She also feared for her embarrassment that she knew she'd experience; she was likely to be labeled a whore, afterall. She started fidgeting with her fingers as he continued his actions.

He ran his hands under her skirts; up her long legs, slowly, taking his time to enjoy the shiver it produced in the young woman. He caressed over her shins, past her knees and up to her thighs. He felt for the silky ribbon that held her stockings in place and tugged at it, allowing it to fall away, her stockings unrolled to expose her beautiful legs. After both stockings were removed, Turpin placed his body above hers, supporting himself on his arms as he gazed down upon her.

"I wish to watch you finish disrobing. Do it... slowly. We are in no rush this afternoon".

Leonora slowly nodded, reaching for the buttons that kept her marigold colored jacket closed. The judge sat back on his haunches to allow the woman the room she required to undress. She sat up, pushing the jacket off, before she lifted her hips to pull down her matching petticoat. She shivered as she left herself in her linen chemise. She drew her arms over her chest, attempting to remain modest.

The Judge scowled, "do not hide from me," as he pulled her hands away. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, chewing on it as he admired her. He made quick work of his remaining clothes, eager to begin his negotiation. The young virgin blushed as she witnessed his hardened member spring out from his trousers. It looked angry, the veins protruding as the plum-like tip leaked a clear fluid.

"I need to prepare you first, Nora. I must warn you, once I taste you I will be unable to stop myself. This is your last chance to leave. Our deal would be broken of course, and your father sacrificed... but the choice is yours," his manipulative tone made her angry and fearful. He smirked as he watched the woman's face settle into a mask of concern.

"T-taste me, Milord?" Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as he chuckled darkly.

"Mmm yes, Nora. I need you prepared for me; the better prepared you are now, the less it will hurt later. So... I will taste you, for I need you wet. Very wet". Turpin took his time to allow the enunciation of his final two words to affect her as he knew they would. The whores and other women that he had taken to bed were always driven mad by his deep baritone, and they were always eager to inform him of this quality.

He grinned as he watched her start to squirm. The build up was always his favorite part. He wanted the woman to scream his name, claw at his back and pull at his hair before he finally provided her the relief she was so desperate for. He wondered if the virginal woman who was in his bed was capable of such wanton behavior. Ah.. what a pleasure and honor it was to be her first. He could shape her however he wanted.

The man couldn't wait any longer for her. He reached up to the neckline of her chemise and ripped it apart, splitting the fabric down the middle with a few sharp tugs. He licked his lips hungrily as his eyes feasted upon her creamy breasts. He lowered his head immediately to latch onto her nipple, sucking and nipping at the peak until it hardened.

Leonora instantly hissed at the feel of his hot mouth upon her flesh. Her back arched as she succumbed to the feelings he was bringing her. She whimpered as he withdrew from her nipple, her hands twitching as she longed to run her fingers through his hair. Turpin licked his way over to her other peak, tugging at it as he gave it equal attention.

Reluctantly he released her from his mouth, looking into her eyes as he slid down her body. He placed open mouthed kisses upon her chest and belly as he slithered his way down the bed. He felt her body tense as he reached the apex of her thighs.

"N-no. Please. Can.. can we just...". Leonora wasn't comfortable with his face being that close to her most sensitive area. Her body felt as if it was on fire from his kisses and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle his tongue down there. Turpin placed a large, heavy hand over her pelvis, applying some pressure to still her squirming.

"You are not in control here, Leonora. I am. Mark me, for I will not repeat myself". The girl nodded as she bit her lip and looked away. She was embarrassed about being on display and felt tears begin to prickle in her eyes. Turpin returned to his previous actions, brushing his hand over her soft curls as he descended into her quim. He dragged his middle finger through her arousal, gathering the lubrication before he touched the bundle of nerves he knew would drive her crazy.

The woman immediately jumped, willing herself to sit up as soon as he touched her. He chuckled as he looked up, meeting her eyes. He rested his chin on her hip bone as he spoke. "If there's something you don't like, tell me and I shall consider it. Alternatively...if there's something you wish for me to do... beg".

Turpin dropped his head between her legs, dragging his tongue slowly through her labia. He moaned at her taste, thrilled he was able to make her this aroused with just a little petting. He used his thumb to circle and press against her clitoris as his tongue continued to caress her folds. She keened as he continued, arching her back unwillingly. Her hands automatically came to his head, tugging on his hair as she undulated her hips against his face. He reached underneath her legs to cup her bottom, pulling her deeper to him while he plunged his tongue inside her.

He could feel her body start to quiver, so he quickly released her. She cried out as her building orgasm was denied. He grinned as he witnessed her disappointment. Fuzzy headed, it took her a few moments to realize why he stopped. She attempted to wiggle beneath him, hoping her non verbal pleas would be enough, but he just looked into her eyes; his own glittering in amusement.

"P-please, sir".

"Please what?"

"I..." she trailed off, unsure of what exactly it was she needed. He moved his thumb back to her clit as he started to slowly circle it, varying the pressure from hard to a gentle tickle as he tortured her.

"What is it you need, Nora?" the man purred. She couldn't handle his teasing any longer.

"I... I need more," she choked out. Turpin squeezed her clit before rolling it between two fingers, watching her head fall back.

"More what? Be specific," he demanded.

"Mmmph. Oh please sir! Please! I-I need your mouth...ahhhhh!" She screamed as he sealed his lips around her bundle of nerves, sucking hard as he brought her over the precipice.

He continued lapping at her, bringing her down from her high. Once she stilled, he looked up, his face glistening with her own juices as he smiled smugly. "You taste divine, Nora. Come, now it is my turn". He pulled her up so they could switch places. He laid down on his bed as he guided her over towards his throbbing member. She clumsily grasped it, causing him to hiss at her strong grip.

"Ah! Gentle, love, gentle. Here, let me show you," he entwined his fingers with hers, bringing her hand to her own mouth. "Spit," he commanded. She hesitantly agreed, lubricating her hand as he moved her to grasp himself; showing her the pressure and motions he liked. Once he felt confident she could keep her rhythm, he released his own hand from hers and laid back. She had originally had difficulty deciding where she should grasp, since his appendage was much larger than her delicate hand. However, with his guidance she gained confidence, discovering he liked a tighter squeeze at the very base of his shaft as well as the very tip. She could actually feel him pulsate under her grip; delighted in her apparent success, she gripped him with both hands, twisting in opposite directions.

"Use your mouth," he stated as he gently pushed on her head in encouragement. She found herself eagerly obeying him, sticking out her pink tongue and running it across the very tip, desiring a taste of him as he had done for her. She felt the silky liquid on her tongue; it was salty and bitter but she found she didn't mind it that much. She placed gentle kisses over his member, reveling in his deep groans he was allowing to slip through his delectable lips. He placed a hand on her head, taking a hand full of her hair as he pushed her down firmly. Her eyes watered as she gagged and struggled to catch her breath. She struggled but he was relentless and wouldn't allow her to pull away. Once she stilled, he allowed her to move. Gasping, tears fell from her eyes as she looked at the man fearfully.

"Learn to breathe through your nose. I want to fuck your throat and can't have you coming up for air every few seconds," he reported sternly. She nodded her head in understanding before lowering her mouth again, without being told. He smiled as he relaxed back. "Mmmm you're such a good girl! Taking my prick so well your first time," he cooed as he pet her head. She continued to bob her head up and down, swirling her tongue as she became more comfortable. After a few more minutes she felt the burning pain of her hair being pulled as he forced her off of him.

"Did I do something wrong sir?" she asked, wiping the spittle from her chin.

"No, darling, you did something very right. I just want to be inside your quim, not your mouth, when I finish. I want to fill you up so you are reminded of who took your virtue as it cascades down your beautiful thighs when you walk home to your newly freed daddy".

"Oh," was all she was able to respond with. She had never heard such language in her life! Surely if someone else spoke so crudely the Judge would find some reason to kill them. But here? Now? All she could think about was his husky voice, his long fingers, and that delectable tongue.

He pushed her back onto the mattress as he settled himself between her thighs. Grabbing his length, he pumped it a few times before stroking it against her glistening folds. "Prepare yourself Nora, this will hurt," he warned as he started to slowly press into her. He closed his eyes in bliss as he felt her heat engulf him.

"It.. it hurts, sir. You're too big..." she cried out as he pushed in further. Her walls shuttered and pulled him in further and further until he was flush against her body. He stayed still, enjoying her tight body, fearful if he moved it would end abruptly. He needed to calm himself as well as give her a head start. He bent his head down as he kissed the tears that were streaming down her face.

"Mmmm such a good job, Nora. Your cunt is so tight and you're taking me so well. How does it feel to know you belong to me now? Hmm? If I have my way, I will be the only prick to ever enter this gorgeous little body".

Nora moaned slightly as he started slowly moving inside her. She felt the friction of him against her, the tearing of her precious membrane she had been saving. She wanted to scream... to cry... to push him off of her. But once he started moving, he started providing pleasure. A pleasure that she had never felt before. Her whole body felt hot as a tantalizing prickle sensation crossed over her. She was unable to keep her eyes focused anywhere but where he was joined with her. She watched as he slowly retreated before hastily thrusting back inside. She could see her own arousal, tinged pink with her virginity, over his length as he retreated each time. Biting her lip, she threw her head back as he reached down with his thumb to rub her clitoris again.

He needed to bring her close to her own orgasm so they could reach their climaxes together. He stroked her bundle of nerves, precisely how she liked while he held his weight on his other arm, fearful of hurting her with his sturdy weight. When she started keening and moaning in pleasure, he licked the notch between her collar bones before sinking his teeth into the fleshy part of her shoulder. He felt her walls clamp down on him as she came undone. He thrusted as hard as he could, slamming the bed into the wall with his strength as his own orgasm was pulled from him. As he slowed his movement, he finally released her flesh from his bite and observed his mark he left upon her porcelain skin.

Breathless, he licked his mark before rolling over. "Something to remember me by, my dear". He continued breathing heavily with his eyes closed. He felt the mattress dip as the young woman perched on the side of the bed preparing to dress herself.

"I don't need a mark to remember this my lord," she stated quietly. He could hear the slight smile on her voice as she fingered her bruised skin.

"William, Nora. Call me William".

Come check me out on Wattpad and AO3!

[babyboibucky]

The Match - Part 9

Pairing: CEO!Bucky x Fem!Reader

Summary: Bucky brings you and Mackenzie with him to an important meeting.

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Uhhhh hmm work tension, sexual tension, idk Bucky and Mackenzie being annoying as usual lmao

A/N: ALSO I know I haven’t mentioned what the fuck Bucky’s company is all about because c’mon, I didn’t expect I’d get this far lmao so IDK there might be continuity issues or inaccuracies or whatevah, just ignore it lmao it’s fiction. ANYWAAAY, I just want to say how GRATEFUL AND OVERWHELMED I am with the amount of attention that this series is getting. I appreciate every feedback, every ask and every freaking debate about this shit lmfao. I love you guys. I can’t put into words how much I appreciate you all askcnasjkcnak bye

The Match Masterlist || MAIN MASTERLIST

Don't let Bucky or Mackenzie get to you.

Mark's advice rang in your ears like a chant as you watched Bucky and Mackenzie's exchange about the project. Joining them in the conference room for a major brainstorming session was you and a couple of people from your team with Beverly taking down the minutes of the meeting.

The upcoming project was a huge one, given that Barnes Group of Companies was a huge name in the automobile industry. Meanwhile, Wilson Enterprises is one of the biggest autonomous vehicle technology companies out there. This partnership was one for the books, possibly an industry changer too.

You wanted to be a part of it, wanted to spearhead the entire thing and watching Mackenzie take the reigns on this one was truly making your blood boil.

"That sounds like a nice idea, Kenzie." Bucky praised, nodding his head.

Mackenzie shrugged, "It's what I do, Buck." she said.

"Yeah, it's a great idea. I do have some comments though, if you don't mind?" you asked.

Bucky and Mackenzie exchanged glances before turning to you. You glanced at Bucky for a quick second before ignoring the way he was eyeing you with genuine interest.

"I know that bringing in a celebrity to endorse this brand new model would definitely create noise around the partnership. Although I think that would take the spotlight away from the actual product we're creating here. We want customers to focus on the brand new car model and the technology that Wilson Enterprises will be providing it with, not on the celebrity endorser." you explained.

Mackenzie hummed, "I get where you are coming from. That's a good point, actually. But a celebrity endorser will pretty much do everything for the brand. Have him up on billboards and different advertisements and you're all set." she further explained.

You chuckled, "But then how will people understand what the entire partnership is all about? Aren't we supposed to be communicating a certain message to our consumers? Wouldn't it be better to hold an event to launch the product instead? Invite the press and key opinion leaders to spread the word. Have Bucky and Mister Wilson talk about this partnership. They're famous and powerful enough to get the message across. Why waste the budget on a celebrity when we literally have everything we need to make noise?" you shrugged.

The entire room was silent after your feedback, even Mackenzie wasn't able to respond to your suggestion. Glancing over at Bucky, you saw that he was giving you the look-- the one with half-lidded eyes matched with a head tilt, the one that often resulted to him giving you a very nice reward once office hours are over.

Feeling your breath hitch in your throat, you quickly looked away and shrugged your shoulders, "I mean, that's just my two cents. Having worked here for years, I just based it on my experience. You're the expert here, Mackenzie." you offered a proud smile.

Mackenzie tried to brush it off and turned to Bucky, "What do you think, Buck? I'm still into the idea of hiring a celebrity. That's good publicity. And let's not get worried about the budget now," she said, placing a hand on top of Bucky's that was resting on the table, "I have a lot of connections so I can definitely get an endorser for a much lower rate." she reassured.

"We may have a huge budget for this, but that doesn't automatically mean that we have to use it all up. We can allocate it somewhere else, maybe start a CSR campaign as well? We are, after all, coming out with an environmental-friendly model." you suggested.

You heard Bucky when he took a sharp inhale, bringing his hands up to rub his lips as if in deep thought. He then turned to Beverly, however, his eyes remained on you.

"Take note of everything she says." he reminded her before standing up.

He asked everyone else in the room of their opinions, whether it was your or Mackenzie's idea that the company will go for. The team was divided in half, some of them preferring Mackenzie's celebrity pitch probably because they didn't want to do a lot of work.

Bucky nodded, "Well, I guess we'll have to discuss both ideas with my partner Sam and let's see where we will go from there. I have a meeting with him this afternoon, I need you and Kenzie with me there." he said, looking at your before turning to Kenzie with a charming smile.

Don't let them get to you.

-

You've never wanted for the ground to swallow you up until this moment as you stood behind Bucky and Mackenzie in the elevator. This felt so much more uncomfortable than when you shared it with Bucky after swiping right with him on Tinder. There was still tension and it felt so much worse now because you didn't know whether it was between you and Bucky or him and Mackenzie.

Fucking Mackenzie and her nicely manicured nails which always seemed find its way around Bucky's arm. You eyed her hands as they squeezed his arm, the both of them talking in hushed voices as if you weren't standing behind them.

"I've been dying to try this restaurant, I heard they serve good food. Do you want to go have dinner there sometime this week?" she asked Bucky.

"I'll check my schedule, which restaurant is this?" he asked.

When Mackenzie uttered the name of that restaurant where you celebrated your promotion, you and Bucky choked on your own spits at the same time. Warmth crept up to your cheeks at the same time Bucky's ears reddened.

"Oh, what's going on?" Mackenzie asked with a nervous chuckle as she looked at you and Bucky, struggling with your coughs.

You recovered first and shook your head, "Sorry, I get allergies. Anyway, I've been to that restaurant. They do serve good food, the staff was very hospitable as well. I'm sure Bucky would enjoy it there." you said with a smile, pushing your way past them when the elevators door slid open.

Mackenzie asking Bucky whether he was up for dinner was the last thing you heard. Good luck explaining to her why he's banned from there, you thought to yourself.

Bucky led the way to his car and it instantly brought certain memories back. You weren't going to lie, you missed the fucking and how Bucky always made sure to take care of your needs. Seeing his car was enough to make your thighs clench at the memory of him fingering you as he drove.

His gaze was on you when he opened the door to the passenger's seat, his eyes inviting as you approached him. And just as when you were about to slip in, he turned over to Mackenzie and gestured for her to get in.

What a fucking asshole, you thought to yourself as you took a step back to ride in the back instead. You tried to keep your expression stoic when you saw that Bucky checked for a reaction. He seemed perplexed when he saw that you didn't react that much to what he did.

One hundred points to Gryffindor.

-

The location for the meeting was at a nearby restaurant so you didn't suffer that much during the entire ride. Mackenzie was busy with her phone anyway, typing out messages with those manicured fingers you were beginning to hate.

By the time all three of you arrived, Sam was already there. He donned a navy blue suit and he was rocking it. You'd seen his photos on the internet and knew that he was good-looking, but seeing him in the flesh, you were stunned at how gorgeous he was. Sam stood up when he saw Bucky, offering a kind smile to you and Mackenzie.

You weren't sure whether you were just being assuming or what, but you noticed how his eyes lingered on you longer that it did with Mackenzie.

"Sam." Bucky greeted, shaking his hand before introducing you and Mackenzie.

Sam shook Mackenzie's hand first before he turned to you. You took his hand and introduced yourself, "Mister Wilson." you said.

"Please, just Sam." he told you as he gently squeezed your hand before letting go.

"Have a seat." Sam said to Bucky and Mackenzie before pulling out the chair next to him, motioning for you to sit down.

You thanked him and sat down; straightening up, you were met with Bucky's watchful gaze as he sat down across you. Your attention was taken away when Sam asked what you wanted to order, he even suggested a certain dish and immediately went to discuss that it was his favorite thing to order.

This was going to be an interesting meeting.

And interesting it truly was, because you didn't expect for Sam to be so laid-back and easy to communicate with. He wasn't one of those uptight CEOs who were very intimidating to work with. Simply put, he was the complete opposite of Bucky. While Bucky was ice cold, Sam was sunshine and warmth with his attitude.

When it came down to pitching your and Mackenzie's ideas to him, you suddenly got nervous. Sam wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth; from what you've read, he started off working regular jobs before he climbed his way to the top. He was a self-made man and he had extensive knowledge in the marketing industry, having a doctorate degree in the said area.

Mackenzie was the first to discuss her strategy about hiring a celebrity endorser. She said it was fast and straight to the point. When it was your turn, you started off a bit shaky but eventually found your pacing.

"We wanted to ask you how this should go on about. I know that the offer for a partnership came from our end and that we're supposed to pitch the details for it. But we wanted you to be involved in this as much as we are." Bucky further explained.

Sam nodded and let out an amused chuckle, "I really appreciate this, Buck. I was going to ask you if I can contribute with the planning as well. I'm very particular when it comes to marketing our products." he said.

"That being said, I loved both ideas. I think hiring a celebrity endorser is good." he said, making Mackenzie smile proudly.

"But I would rather hold an event to launch the product. You understand the product and what we want to do with it. It's not just a brand new car, it's an innovation and the messaging is very important. I'm very impressed." Sam said, his attention geared towards you.

"Wow, I'm honored." you laughed. "Coming from you, I mean I've read about the marketing studies you did. Pretty big deal to receive a compliment from you." you admitted.

It was meant to be a genuine reaction, really. You had no ill intentions for it, you didn't do it to make Bucky jealous or get the upper hand. However, your passion for your career and area of expertise seemed to favor you. It had Bucky on edge, seeing you and Sam get along so well.

You didn't even need to check for Bucky's reaction because he simply cleared his throat and excused himself to go to the restroom. Mackenzie seemed unbothered though, when Sam favored your pitch over hers. You couldn't read her, sometimes she'd come off competitive but right now, she was unaffected.

When Bucky got back, he was quick to finalize the meeting, "I guess it's a done deal then. We'll work on the details of the launch and maybe we can set another meeting for the major presentation for your approval?" he asked Sam.

"That sounds like a plan. I'm looking forward to working with you." Sam told everyone, although he did seem to be directly addressing you.

"Alright, I'm leaving too." Mackenzie announced after Sam left the restaurant.

"Oh, you're not heading back to the office with us?" Bucky asked.

Mackenzie shook her head, throwing her bag over her shoulder, "I have another meeting. You know how it is with freelance work." she said as all three of you stood up to head outside of the restaurant.

"My Uber's here, I guess I'll see you both sometime this week." she said and waved at you before turning to Bucky and pressing a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm counting on that dinner, okay?" she reminded before slipping into her Uber, leaving you and Bucky to head back to the office together.

Alone with Bucky. In his car. The exact same car where plenty of fucking happened. Again, you chanted Mark’s advice in your head over and over again.

Don’t let Bucky get to you. And most of all, don’t cave in.

You quickly slipped inside the front seat of Bucky’s car before he could even open it up for you. The air was thick between you and Bucky and it almost felt like it was suffocating you. Reaching for the seatbelt, you tugged at it but it wouldn’t budge. Cursing to yourself, you tried again but to no avail.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asked.

“Nothing. Seatbelt’s just stuck.” you grunted, using both your hands to pull down at it.

“Here, let me.”

Suddenly, Bucky reached over to your seatbelt and tried to fix it. His face was inches away from yours and you literally felt your insides jump at how you were immediately drowned in his perfume. If you moved forward so much as half an inch, your lips would already be pressing against the corner of Bucky’s mouth. And that thought was sending your senses into overdrive.

Do not. Cave. In.

The loud click of the seatbelt made you relax and thank goodness that Bucky was quick to move away from you, fixing his suit before starting the engine. The office may just be nearby but the fact that you and Bucky were together was making it feel like it was going to be an hour-long drive.

“So what do you think about Sam?” Bucky asked out of the blue.

He was gauging you, trying to get a reaction from you. Maybe he was expecting you to be flirty with your response, or be defensive even? You weren’t going to give him that.

“I think he’s great. Like I said, I’ve read his marketing studies and they were very insightful. I learned a lot.”

Plain, simple and safe. There was no hidden meanings and no malice; you were doing great at this whole not letting Bucky get to you thing. You made a mental note to thank Mark for his advice.

“He seems interested in you.” Bucky said again, shrugging his shoulders a bit and trying to be as nonchalant as he could.

“Well we are in the same field of expertise and I was very straightforward about admiring his skills. I’d be disappointed if he brushed off my ideas.” you slightly chuckled.

“I liked Mackenzie’s idea better, honestly.” Bucky blurted out.

By this time, you had Bucky’s plans figured out. He was coming for your job, using it as a bait to get a reaction out from you. He knew how much your career meant for you, how competitive you were in your field. Whenever his other tactics wouldn’t work, he’d always go for the career aspect.

“It was good.” you agreed, turning to Bucky with a small smile. “I think we can do that for other campaigns. Just not with this partnership. I like her.” you said.

“You do?” Bucky asked in surprise before he cleared his throat upon realizing that he sort of broke his facade.

You shrugged, “She’s a headstrong woman. She reminds me of myself actually.”

If you were alone, you would have given yourself a high-five because that statement truly made Bucky think. His forehead creased as he drove, his hand rubbing his chin and his jaw clenching as if he was in deep thought.

It was silent inside the car for a brief moment, before it was interrupted by the trilling of Bucky’s phone. He fished it out of his pocket but before he could even answer it, it slipped out of his hand and disappeared beneath his seat.

“Fuck.” Bucky cursed, both his hands on the steering wheel as he continued to drive, his attention divided between driving and searching for his ringing phone.

“Shit.” he hissed again, not knowing how to get his phone while driving. He quickly glanced at you before focusing on the road again. “Baby, can you get it for me?”

You almost missed the term of endearment. Almost. It was obviously a slip of the tongue because he genuinely didn’t seem to realize that he called you that. Bucky was more focused on the road rather than processing what he just said. You chose to ignore it the same way you did to the butterflies that erupted in your stomach.

“Yeah, okay.” you said and reached over to him, bending down to look for his phone.

In a split second, your face was right in front of Bucky’s crotch as you tried to reach beneath his car seat. You tried to ignore the bulge that was staring right at you and let your hand do the searching.

“Can you reach it?” Bucky asked.

You straightened up, “No. Can you pull aside?” you asked.

Bucky checked the surroundings and then the rearview mirror, “We can’t. We’re at a no loading and unloading zone.” he explained.

The phone continues to trill and it doesn’t seem like it would stop any time now. You sighed and removed your seatbelt before stretching your body over Bucky, slipping underneath his arms on the steering wheel so you can fully reach under his seat.

From another car’s view, you looked like you were giving him a blowjob. Not that you haven’t done that before, in this same car.

Finally, you felt his phone at the tip of your fingers and stretched further, your free hand coming to grip Bucky’s thigh unintentionally. It was only when you felt his muscles flex beneath his trousers that you realized how near your hand was to his crotch.

“Did you,” Bucky cleared his throat. “Did you get it?” he stammered.

You still have a certain effect on him, how very nice. Biting back a smirk, you hummed in response before pulling back and then handing him his phone casually. Mackenzie’s name was flashing on the screen as the phone continued to ring.

“Sorry, can you answer it and put it on speakerphone?” Bucky asked again.

You shrugged and did as you were told, holding the phone near Bucky as he continued to drive.

“Hey, Kenzie. Sorry, I dropped my phone. What’s up?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah, so my meeting got cancelled at the last minute. I was thinking maybe we can grab that dinner tonight instead?”

Bucky stole a quick glance from you but your face remained stoic, your hand steady as you held out his phone.

“Sure, how does around 7pm sound? I can pick you up.” Bucky offered.

“Sounds great. So are we checking that restaurant I was talking about?”

Bucky’s ears turned red again but he quickly recovered, “I was thinking of trying out a different one. I honestly didn’t like their dessert.”

Huh, that was weird. You and Bucky didn’t even make it to--

Fuck, he was talking about you, you realized. Clenching your jaw, you tried to keep calm. He was trying to get a rise out of you, don’t give in. Don’t react. Bucky’s conversation with Mackenzie didn’t last long and ended when they settled the location for their dinner.

The ride back to the office was quiet again, until your phone lit up from a notification. Bucky was already parking in the basement when you checked your phone, an audible gasp slipping past your lips upon reading the notification from LinkedIn.

Samuel Wilson wants to connect with you.

-

The Match Special Tags:

@marvelslag @weird-mumbling @propertyofpoeandbucky @lostinthoughtsandfeelings @mostly-marvel-musings @squishybabies @megzdoodle @suchababie @annathesillyfriend @xhollycowx @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @5-seconds-of-mendes @gogolucky13 @countonthesun @iloveshawnieboi @learisa @borikenlove @scarlet-natasha89

Everything Bucky Tag List:

@ddowii​​ @jessou893​​ @stealapizzamyheart​​ @bagelofthelord​​ @mxnt​​ @dontputyourfckingdrinkonmytable @jeeperky​​ @ohladymacbeth​​ @wildflowergubler​​ @supraveng​​ @twinerd14​​ @buckysmar @bakugouswh0r3​​ @sweetcoldharmony @wintersfilm​​ @charminivy​​ @amelia-song-pond​​ @iamvalentinaconstanza​​ @mcubqrnes @im-squished​​ @tcc-gizmachine​​ @sipsteacasually​​ @prettyintopeerpressure​​ @weloveyasmin​ @est19xxshit​ @bloodhon3yx​ @dressed-in-prada​ @lizette50​ @thatfangirl42​ @sunflowerbunny2​ @unmagically​ @okiegirl24​ @sugarpunch-princess​ @enlyume​ @vvipgotbb @slimeyderp​ @lyoongx​ @just-deka​ @nobody-will​ @jaziona92 @elisebuitron​ @dpaccione​ @suvikamahes98blr​ @buckybarneshairpullingkink​ @earthtonav @x-judyjude-x​ @nani-kenobi @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @belladonnabarnes​ @iloveangstposts​ @weenersoldierr​ @asemistablehundredyearoldman​ @reidbuck​ @lizzarooni​ @girlfriday007​ @bonkywobble​ @lost-in-the-stars03​ @its-yasbxtch​ @whoth3hellisbucky