#weekend pancake report

[linddsayy]

[radioactivegummyworm]

can you draw this gee? :3

I HAVE BEFORE ACTUALLY here he is

[delta-romance0]

Is Pancake Day too commercial?

“What i’m saying is it’s not pancake day for six months and there’s flour and there’s eggs and there’s syrup and there’s batter and it’s madness!! It’s way too commercial 😪”

Weekend but not really weekend pancake report with Gerard Way for you all on pancake day😁😁

x

[foolscapper]

✍️🥞

[desivyhumr]

˗ˏˋ 🥞 ˎˊ˗

if you saw the first version, uh, no you didn't (got too excited over finishing it, it's embarassing heh)

[pokin-my-bones]

Weekend pancake report Gerard please save me from artblock

[felixjmustdie]

https://youtu.be/xq-Y1PY59T8

happy national pancake day btw!!!

[houseofvenommcr]

i hope that by this time of the pancake day, all mcr fans have watched gerard ways pancake report at least once

[etfrin]

❝ꜱᴏᴜʟꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ❞ — chapter twenty-three | coriolanus snow

「ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ:」 NSFW | coriolanus snow, canon typical violence, canon typical death, oral sex (m. receiving), implication of committing murder | lmk if I forgot anything

「ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ:」 young! Coriolanus Snow x fem! Reader

「ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:」 coriolanus gets more blood on his hands, he also gets his cock sucked.

「ᴀ/ɴ:」 two more exams to go!! can't wait for it to finish! Make sure to reblog and give your feedback! <33

beta read by the birthday girl @nowitsmissing

masterlist | navigation

The next days of Coriolanus Snow are spent in constant paranoia. He avoided you and refused to make eye contact. He was simply so afraid of what was going to happen. Before him, you were much closer to Sejanus. Snow briefly wondered if you interacted with Sejanus because of the power his family held. But he quickly dismissed that thought. Surely you wouldn't have been so calculating since childhood.

District 12 was in chaos trying to find out what happened with Mayfair and Billy Taupe. Spruce had kept his lips sealed. However, he knew that won't be the case for long.

Sejanus Plinth would be dead. And Spruce would know exactly who is responsible. But Coriolanus thought that he would escape to the north before it happened. Lucy Gray was in a hurry too. She was the lead suspect as Mayfair was the reason she was in the games.

Today was the day the bodies were found. Rotten. It was a miracle it was hidden for so long. He had an inkling it was due to you. Because the bodies weren't found at the original place of murder but on the outskirts of District 12. People rarely go there.

The Peacekeepers were talking about it right now. Coriolanus carefully listened, trying to see if anyone had any knowledge of what had actually happened.

“They’re both locals, but one of them is the mayor’s daughter. The other one’s a musician or something, but not one that we’ve seen. They were shot dead.”

“Did they find who did it?” asked a Peacekeeper.

“Not yet. These people aren’t even supposed to have guns, but like I told you, they’re floating around out there,” another replied. “Killed by one of their own, though.”

“How do they know that?” asked Sejanus.

‘Shut up!’ thought Coriolanus. Knowing Sejanus, he could be one step away from confessing to a crime he didn’t even commit.

“Well, she said they think the girl was shot with a Peacekeeper’s rifle, probably an old one that got stolen during the war. And the musician was killed by some sort of shotgun the locals used for hunting. Probably two shooters,” Smiley reported. “They searched the surrounding area and couldn’t find the weapons. Long gone with the murderers, if you ask me.”

Coriolanus’s nerves unwound a bit, and he ate a forkful of pancakes. “Who found the bodies?”

“That little girl singer — you know, the one in the pink dress,” said Smiley.

“Maude Ivory,” said Sejanus.

“I think that’s it. Anyway, she freaked out. They questioned the band, but when would they have had time to do it? No guns were found, no prints either,” Smiley told them. “Shook them up pretty good, though. I guess they knew the musician guy somehow or other.”

Because of the past night’s events, the commander locked down the base for the day.

He and Sejanus floated around, trying to look normal. Playing cards, writing letters, cleaning their boots. As they knocked the mud from the treads, Coriolanus whispered, “What about the escape plan? Is it still on?”

“I’ve no idea,” Sejanus said. “The commander’s birthday isn’t until next weekend. That was the night we were supposed to go. Coryo, what if they arrest an innocent person for the murders?”

‘Then our troubles are over’, thought Coriolanus, but he only said, “I think it’s highly unlikely, with no guns. But let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Coriolanus came into your room that night. Ready to confess his sins and come clean. His mouth went dry when you opened the door. Your lips stretched into a lazy grin. “Hi, Coryo,” you said, as your hand was on the shirt, getting a grip on the fabric to pull him inside of the room.

“What did you do?” you asked him as you pushed him down onto the bed. You stood at the side, towering over him. Your arms crossed in front of your chest.

“I- I didn't do anything,” he said, “I missed you.”

You raised your eyebrows. “You fucked up. Real or not?”

“Real,” he muttered.

“Worse than murder?”

Coriolanus winces.

“Do you care about Sejanus?” He asked, hoping that the answer would be in his favor. He could feel his palms sweating, and he pressed his hands onto the sheets.

“No.”

Coriolanus blinks in shock. “No?” He questions, visibly confused, “But- but-”

“Is this about you sending the jabberjays to Dr. Gaul?”

Coriolanus managed a nod. In truth, he had suspected you would find out as Dr. Gaul seems to trust you. Which was one of the main reasons he wanted to come clean beforehand.

You let out a harsh chuckle, “Yeah, Dr. Gaul told me to keep an eye on the boy. I told her he murdered innocent citizens who were against the rebellion. You presented a death warrant to her, I signed it.”

You eye Coriolanus with a smirk. “You should know you can't keep secrets from me, baby,” you shake your head, “I don't know why you try when it's so obvious.”

“Sejanus Plinth and Spruce, the leader of the rebellion, will be dead soon. No need to worry about them, Coryo. Good job, Dr. Gaul is impressed, she sees your potential even more so than before.” you add.

“Is there anything else or…?”

Your eyes turn lustful as you begin to slowly check him out. His heart starts to beat faster, his blood rushing downwards. A tent quickly forms in his pants. It was from your heated gaze alone.

You tease him with a smile, “You're such a boy.”

“Shu- shut up! It's on you- it's because you're looking at me like that,” he whispered.

“Like what?”

“Like you'll eat me up,” he replied.

“That's the plan,” you whispered, as you went on your knees in front of him.

He lets out a desperate, needy noise at the sight. You looked so pretty like this. He spreads his legs, making up space for you. You bite your lip in anticipation. Your mouth salivating for his taste.

“Holy shit, dove,” he whines when your hand presses into his bulge. You palm him through his pants.

“So needy,” you murmur. “Do you want my mouth on you that bad?”

“Yes,” he gasps out, willing to beg. “Please.”

“That's a good boy.”

You unzip his pants, dragging them down around his knees. His dick is strained against his boxers. A wet spot on the fabric. It was clear how much pre-cum he was leaking. It was pathetic too. But you didn't blame him for it. You pressed your thumb on his clothed tip, and gently slid your fingertip back and forth, letting his sensitive slit feel the slick texture of the fabric.

“Fuck,” he curses, “Don't tease me.”

“I am not teasing,” you lie.

You pull his boxers down, letting his cock spring free from its confines. The tip is red, the veins on his length popping out, just waiting to be traced with your tongue. You don't let a second go to waste as you let yourself lick his slit. You hold his cock by the base, as you make sure to enjoy his taste like it's a lollipop.

You lick all over, slathering his cock with your saliva. You make sure to trace his veins before you find your way back to his tip. You take his cockhead inside the warmth of your mouth. Coriolanus groans, it took him an iron of will not cum right then and there.

You slowly take more of his length inside and he lets out a whimper. His hand rests on your head, trying so hard not to pull you forward and make you choke on his cock like you were supposed to.

His free hand fists the sheet, as he bites his lower lip to stop a groan from escaping. He could feel that he was getting close to snapping. “Fu-fuck,” he lets out, “Dove… that's so good.”

You continue to suck his cock. You hollow your mouth and he lets out a whimper, his hips bucking up. His cockhead reaches the back of your throat. Surprisingly you don't choke. With a moan of your name, Coriolanus could feel himself cum inside of your mouth.

You taste his salty, thick cum. Letting it coat on your tongue, some of it escapes from the corner of your lips. You pull away as his cock softens and wipe your mouth.

You sit down beside Coriolanus who is trying to catch his breath. He tucks himself in. “Thank you,” he said, “that was good.” You smile at him. Your hand on his cheek. You caress his face.

“You needed to relax, after all, you need to have more blood on your hands,” you said, your smile turning cruel.

“Lucy Gray?” He questions.

“Lucy Gray,” you confirm.

Coriolanus nods, “Yeah, I understand. She will be the only witness left except us.” Coriolanus takes a deep breath. “We'll need to find a way.”

“Let Sejanus die first. I can stay here for a few more days. I'll help you figure it out.”

Coriolanus agrees with you and turns to leave. Before you shut the door, you say to him,

“I was only friends with Sejanus because of you. Because you seemed to be close to him and I wanted to be closer to you.”

After everything, that's not a surprise to him. Though he feels his heart flutter. He falls asleep on his bed with a stupid, lovesick smile, momentarily forgetting about how red his hands are.

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

The next day Coriolanus was instructed to stand in a squad flanking the hanging tree. Coriolanus knew why. He had already seen Spruce being dragged into the base. Likely to be tortured for information. Coriolanus knew he was protected by you, so there wasn't much to worry about. Sejanus has been missing since morning. He knew what that meant. Dr. Gaul had nailed his coffin.

The Peacekeeper van arrived and both Sejanus and Lil stumbled out in their chains. Sejanus Plinth was accused of treason. He was caught.

Arlo, an ex-soldier toughened by years in the mines, had managed a fairly restrained end, at least until he’d heard Lil in the crowd. But Sejanus and Lil, weak with terror, looked far younger than their years and only reinforced the impression that two innocent children were being dragged to the gallows. Lil, her shaking legs unable to bear her weight, was hauled forward by a pair of grim-faced Peacekeepers who would probably spend the following night trying to obliterate this memory with white liquor.

As they passed him, Coriolanus locked eyes with Sejanus, and all he could see was the eight-year-old boy on the playground, the bag of gumdrops clenched in his fist. Only this boy was much, much more frightened. Sejanus’s lips formed his name, Coryo, and his face contorted in pain. But whether it was a plea for help or an accusation of his betrayal he couldn’t tell.

The Peacekeepers positioned the condemned side by side on the trapdoors. Another tried to read out the list of charges over the shrieks of the crowd, but all Coriolanus could catch was the word treason.

He averted his eyes as the Peacekeepers moved in with the nooses, and he found himself looking at Lucy Gray’s stricken face. She stood near the front in an old gray dress, her hair hidden in a black scarf, tears running down her cheeks as she stared up at Sejanus.

As the drumroll began, Coriolanus squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could block out the sound as well. But he could not, and he heard it all. Sejanus’s cry, the bang of the trapdoors, and the jabberjays picking up Sejanus’s last word, screaming it over and over into the dazzling sun.

“Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma!”

Sejanus Plinth is dead.

It's Lucy Gray's turn now.

NEXT PART

[absurdthirst]

Cellblock Tango {Marcus Pike x F!Reader}

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 20.6k

Warnings: Mentions of drinking, hangovers, drunk tank, flirting, mismatched power dynamics, jail cell sex, rough sex, fingering, hand cuffs, derogatory language, role play, unprotected sex, miscommunication, Dad Marcus deserves his own warning, father/son bonding, there was only one hotel room, break ups, angst, confessions, oral sex (female receiving), love making, mentions of future children.

Comments: One little interlude leads to a surprising discovery eleven years later, Marcus Pike has a son. You are the woman he fucked in a jail cell when he was a cop and now, you're the mother of his child.

Co-written with @storiesofthefandomlovers

**Follow @absurdthirst-writes and turn on notifications to stay up to date on all new fics.

|| MasterList || Marcus Pike MasterList ||

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

“Pike.” Marcus answers his phone as he tries to finish this report and he half listens until he hears the words “art stolen” and then he’s listening to the call and he nods, stopping typing. “I’ll be right there.” He promises and hangs up, grabbing his jacket. 

He is quick to drive over to the gallery and he flashes his badge when the police ask who he is. He ducks under the tape and makes his way into the gallery where glass is shattered on the floor and several employees are clearly shaken. “Hi, I’m Marcus Pike, FBI.” He introduces himself, “who’s the curator?” He asks and you step forward.

“It’s nice to see you again, Agent Pike.” You smile and Marcus frowns, trying to place your face until it hits him.

 **Eleven Years Ago** 

“Let me outtt.” You whine, slapping the bars of the cell you’re in, your head aching and you look at the officer on duty sitting at his desk. 

“You can’t come out until you sober up.” He says and you squint as you look at his badge. 

“I’m sober…ish.” You bite your lip and he shakes his head, “drunk and disorderly behavior…not great for your record.” He says and you scoff, “I’m a senior in college. Art history. I am graduating this weekend. I- I just wanted to celebrate.” You whine, resting your head on the cool bars and you aren’t sure how long you’ve been in this cell.

Marcus shakes his head and has to admit that you look cute for a criminal. You won’t be charged, you aren’t even booked in right now, taking mercy on you, although he hopes that you understand that you need to curb bad habits before it does get you into trouble. “You’ll be there until you can tell me your telephone number backwards.” He tells you with a grin, looking up from his paperwork. Marcus is known as a by-the-book cop and even though he’s still green, he’s going places. His application to the FBI should be accepted any day and he wants to make an impact on the world and community. 

You whine, slumping down on the bench in the cell and soon enough, you’re falling asleep. You wake up a couple of hours later with a headache and Marcus hands you a cup of water and some aspirin. “Here.” He says and you open the bottle, taking a couple and downing the water. He refills it for you and you sigh, feeling sober and worse for wear. 

“Got any good hangover tips?” You ask the cop who chuckles and you finally notice how handsome he is. His brown eyes are tired looking as he nears the end of his shift and you tilt your head against the wall.

“Nothing that would be appropriate for a jail cell.” He jokes, happy that you seem to be sober now. You had been a little rough there for awhile and it seems like though you have a hangover, you’ve learned your lesson.

“I guess pancakes and bacon is a no go in a cell.” You chuckle and look over as Marcus stands up. “You got any mints?” You ask and Marcus nods, reaching into his desk drawer and he hands you the box of altoids. You chew a few and sigh, “thanks.” Handing him back the tin, your fingers brush and you notice again how handsome he is. “I bet you’re ready to head home to your partner after dealing with drunk me tonight?” You ask with a smirk, knowing you were a handful.

Marcus snorts and shakes his head. “No partner.” He admits, shrugging sadly. “Ex-wife didn’t want to be a LEO wife.” It had stung but he understood it. He would rather end it amicably than turn nasty after kids. “And you were pretty cute drunk.” He admits with a grin.

You giggle, loving how kind he’s been despite being locked up. “At least I have that going for me.” You wink at him and he leans against the bars. “Your ex wife is an idiot to have let you go. You’re handsome and funny and you have a good job.” You flirt, leaning towards the bars. “I’d wait for you allll night baby.”

“Yeah?” Marcus smirks, enjoying the banter even though you’re probably just trying to get out of being charged. He had no intention of charging you, but it’s a harmless little indulgence. “I think you’re just hoping I’d use my handcuffs on you.”

“Ooo don’t tempt me with a good time, officer.” You wink, “I like a man who knows how to take control.” You reveal with a smirk and you playfully hold your hands up. “Arrest me again, officer.” 

He chuckles and your stomach twists, “for what crimes?” He teases and you grin, “for lusting after a man in uniform.”

There is nothing that Marcus finds sexier than a confident woman and you are not simply flirting with him because you are behind bars. Or if you are, it’s because you find it sexy. The spark of desire in your eyes makes him bolder, pushing off the edge of his desk to come and prop against the bars with a smirk on his face. “Yeah?” He asks, lifting a brow. “What would you do then? Fight me?” He asks. “Or what would you let me do? Right there in the cell?” He’s dangerously close to inappropriate behavior but he doesn’t think that you mind it. 

You look up at him from under your lashes, wrists still outstretched when you say “anything you want.” You promise and he inhales sharply, “I wouldn’t fight you. I’d fuck you. I’ve been a bad girl, officer, and I need some punishment.” You pout playfully and lower your hands, lifting your dress a little higher to expose your panties.

“Jesus Christ.” Marcus’ eyes widen in surprise. “Are you serious?” He asks, looking around and then back at you. “You really want that?”

You nod, feeling bold at the look in his eyes and you reach through the bars to play with his badge. “Officer Pike. Do you want to fuck me?” You ask, licking your lips.

“Yes, I do.” His cock twitches and starts to harden in his uniform and he reaches for the cell keys. “Are you sure?” He asks. “You can say no at any time.” He reassures you. “I- don’t want you to feel like this is to get out of being charged. You’re being released no matter what.”

You nod in understanding, watching him open the door, and you watch him stride in. “I know. I - I don’t usually do this but you’re - you’re so sexy. I want you.” You confess. You’ve been sensible your entire life. Focusing on getting your degree, you didn’t even go out for drinks most weekends and tonight, you want to celebrate. The officer steps closer to you and you reach out to take his hands, bringing them to your waist.

“Shit. I don’t either.” Marcus confesses, squeezing your waist and then he is whipping one hand behind his back as he twists you around. “Hands behind your back.” He growls, a thread of authority in his voice. “I’m going to cuff you.”

You gasp when you feel the cold metal encircle your wrists and your cunt clenches at the way he manhandles you. “I’m sorry, officer. I didn’t mean to be bad.” You play along, arching your back so you can grind against him and you’re pleased to feel how hard he is.

“Should have thought about that before you broke the law.” He grunts, twitching against your ass. “Gonna have to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.” He never thought he would be a man who enjoyed roleplay, but he is very eager to see how you react.

He bends you over the bench in the cell and tugs your dress up over your hips, making you whimper and your nails dig into your palms. “I’m sorry, officer.” You gasp when his hand comes down on your ass after he sits down beside you, one hand gripping your cuffed wrists, the other slapping your ass hard enough to make you cry out in both pleasure and pain.

It’s a good damn thing that there’s no one else in the entire building at this hour. You are loud and he loves it. “Fuck. You like this, don’t you? You little slut.” He stops and strokes your ass gently. “Was that okay?” He asks, realizing you could take offense and wanting to check in.

You love that he’s asking you if it’s okay, breaking the roleplay, and you know he’s so sweet but also so dirty to be doing this. “It’s perfect. I’ll tell you if I don’t like something.” You promise and he nods, rubbing your ass before he brings his hand down again. “I love it.” You moan, “I love it, officer.”

Marcus groans and he slaps your ass again before he slides his hand down your hip and drags your panties down. “Let’s see how much you love it.” He growls, his fingers seeking your cunt and loving how wet he finds you.

You moan loud when he finds your cunt, sliding his fingers through your folds until he is rubbing your clit. “Oh shit.” You pant, arms starting to ache but you don’t care. You want this, you want him. It’s cleared your head and you know you are no longer drunk on booze but rather drunk on his touch. “Yes. Yes. Fuck, that’s - I need more.” You beg greedily.

Marcus pulls his fingers away and he lets go of your arms so you collapse onto the bunk. Unzipping his uniform pants and pulling his cock out, he spits in his hand and pumps himself. “I’m clean.” He promises you. “Are you…on birth control?”

You nod, “I’m clean and on the pill.” You promise and he shifts to kneel on the bunk, straddling your thighs as he pumps his cock a couple of times. “Jesus.” He hisses as he lines up and starts to push inside of you. You whine and clench your fists, enjoying the stretch of him.

You’re so fucking tight he feels like he’s going to bust. Granted, it’s been awhile for him, but he’s clenching his jaw and enjoying the way you squeeze him. “Goddamn.” He grunts when his hips are flush against your ass.

You can’t open your eyes, mouth open in a silent cry as he stretches you and you are certain you are dreaming, this has to be a wet dream. When he starts to move, you moan out and try to spread your legs a little wider but he keeps you pinned down. “Fuck baby. Yes!” You finally cry out when his hips press against your ass with each thrust.

It’s probably the roughest, kinkiest sex Marcus has had in forever and he’s into it. Holding onto your cuffed wrists, he covers you, driving into you with increasingly rougher thrusts. “Think you can spread your legs and get out of trouble?” He growls in your ear. “Your tight little cunt your get out of jail free card?” He demands. “Whoring yourself out? I should book you, keep you here to fuck.”

Your eyes roll into the back of your head, his words making you gush around him and he sets a harsh pace, “do it. Keep me - I - fuck. If you fuck me like this every day, I’m yours.” You moan, enjoying the way he pushes deep and his deep voice. It makes you shiver under him.

Marcus hisses when you clench around him and the keys on his belt around his hips jangle as he fucks into you. It’s a damn good thing he’s going home after this because you are soaking the front of his uniform. “You are mine.” He huffs, biting his lip and watching as his cock plows into your cunt. “Fuck, this is so hot.”

You moan your agreement, your voice echoing in the empty cell and his keys jangle a little faster as your nails dig into your palms. “Fuckkk. I’m gonna - you’re gonna make me cum.” You whimper at the way he angles your hips and you cry out as you cum, clamping down on his cock.

Marcus moans, fucking you harder as you soak him with your cum. Desperate and unmeasured thrusts as he starts to feel his own orgasm building. “Shit- shit,” he whines. “So tight, you’re so fucking tight, baby.” He let’s go of your wrists to hold onto your hips and changes the angle to fuck down into you for the last half dozen thrusts before he’s grinding deep and painting your walls with his seed.

You pant, loving how he feels when he cums inside of you, and you close your eyes, savoring the feel of him inside of you. “Fuck that’s good, officer. Oh God.” You wish you could reach back and touch him. “That was so good.” You sigh and he hums in agreement as his forehead rests on your back. “Are you going to - are you going to let me go?” You ask playfully, eyes still closed as you smile.

"I shouldn't." Marcus plays along, his hand running soothingly up your spine as he catches his breath. He kisses your back and then sits up. "But I think I have to, with something this good." He chuckles, pulling out of you gently and admiring the way your cunt spasms and starts to push his cum out. He tucks himself away and pulls your panties up respectfully before he reaches for his keys. "No regrets?" He asks softly as he uncuffs you.

You let him uncuff you and you sit up, looking at him. “Baby, I couldn’t regret it.” You tell him with a wink, and you cup his cheek. “Thank you. Am I - on a serious note…am I being charged?” You ask timidly and lower your hand from his cheek.

“No.” He smiles, even though he is serious. “I had told you last night you were just being held until you could tell me your phone number backwards.” He chuckles. “You whined it out right before you fell asleep.” He hums. “So I can throw it away, or maybe… I can call you after my work week and maybe take you out on a date? Unless you want to get picked up again for drunken disorderly?” He teases. 

You fluster, nodding at him, “I, uh, I would like to see you again…showered and completely sober. Not that I’m not sober but you know what I mean…not - not recently arrested.” You chuckle and he smiles softly, his brown eyes sweet and soft, albeit tired. “I’d love to go on a date with you.” You promise and he blushes a little, making you grin.

“Well then, I’ll call you.” He promises, reaching up and stroking your cheek gently. “Tonight was fun, but I know you want to get home and shower and I’m about to get off to go home and crash.” He admits. “Make sure to hydrate today, okay?”

You nod, squeezing his hand when he lowers it from your cheek. “I’ll see you soon, officer.” You wink playfully and he nods at you. You are soon reunited with your things and call a taxi to take you home. You collapse on the bed as soon as you get home and fall asleep, the exhaustion getting to you. You’ll wait for the officer to call and you dream of brown eyes and handcuffs.

**Present Day**

Marcus squeezes your hand and his face flushes hotly, remembering every moment of his time with you. Your name comes off his lips quietly and he wishes that you were meeting under less public circumstances. “It’s good to see you again. It’s been a long time.” He segways lamely. “I tried to call you.” He blurts out. “The number you gave me was wrong. And I finally figured out what the real number was about a year later. By then I figured you had forgotten about Officer Pike.” 

You stare at him in shock, unable to believe that you are seeing him right now. You clear your throat, glancing around to his colleagues and yours and you offer him a soft smile, “don’t - it’s okay. I understand. I just figured you changed your mind.” You shrug like it’s no big deal and he frowns but you stop him before he can respond, “do you want me to show you where the piece was that got stolen?”

Marcus snaps back into a more professional mode and nods seriously, reaching into his suit jacket pocket to retrieve a notebook and a pen. He likes to jot down his first impression of the scene while he’s there. “When did you notice the piece was missing?” He’s aware that you gave your statement to the local police but he wants to hear it straight from you. Unable to believe that the drunk tank encounter eleven years ago had turned into his victim on his latest case.

“This morning. I came into work as I always do at 8:40. I walked around to check everything was clean and in place and then of course I saw this piece was missing. I checked the security cameras but it’s been interfered with as it’s all fuzzy. I called the police right away, didn’t touch anything else, and they sent you over.” You tell him as you walk towards the area of the missing artwork, trying to conceal the way your hands shake from seeing him again after all these years.

Marcus nods, jotting down notes and he looks over the scene carefully. “When did the museum close last night? Are there any night shift personnel that clean or maybe a guard?” He wants to make sure that he does everything right and he can’t help but be a little flustered by you. He looks over at you and sees you shaking. “It’s okay.” He shoves the pen and the notebook into one hand and pats your shoulder soothingly. “I know that being robbed is a terrible violation but we are going to do our best to recover your painting.”

“There’s a night guard but he was sick and - he admitted to me he fell asleep for a couple of hours during his shift.” He mistakes your shaking for fear and you play into it, nodding and smiling in appreciation of him helping you with this situation. He’s the last person you ever imagined would be helping you find the art, especially after he never called and you had no way of getting hold of him. “Thank you.” You smile and he continues to assess the crime scene. Forensics comes in and you spend your work day with Marcus and his team working on finding the missing painting.

Marcus is delighted to find that the younger woman he had a brief liaison with has become a smart and capable woman. You are thoroughly knowledgeable about the museum you run and the staff. Even the maintenance schedules are quickly located and accounted for. You seemingly run a tight ship. “Okay. Have there been any visitors who have been unusually interested in the security? Asking questions pointed around the room that the painting was in?” He asks, wondering if there’s another possible angle to this.

You bite your lip, pondering the question before you turn towards Jenny, the new receptionist. “Didn’t you say we had a man come in and he was asking several questions about different pieces and you thought it was weird because he kept looking at the cameras?” You ask and Jenny nods. Marcus asks her to describe him and Jenny tries her best. While Marcus is writing down her description, you admire his profile, the way he’s matured into a handsome man and you remember the way he fucked you.

“If possible, can we see if the camera footage is still available from the days he visited?” A photo of the suspect is worth more than a description, but he hopes that the entire hard drive hasn’t been compromised. He looks up at you. “Do you know how far back the data has been corrupted?”

You nod, “about seven days. It’s spotty in the past 36 hours but it’s solid up until then. I’m not sure if they used some kind of tech to fuzz the cameras but it’s spotty at best.” You explain and look over at Jenny, “can you show office- Agent Pike to the security room?”

Marcus catches the slip up and his cock twitches, but he ignores it. He can’t go there with you. He’s in a relationship. Instead, he smiles and nods, thanking you quietly and following Jenny to the office so he can watch the videos with her to the approximate time the suspect was there.

You watch Marcus leave with Jenny and you check your watch, biting your lip. It’s getting close to four and you glance at your phone, wondering if you should call. No…Marcus will be gone by then. You keep glancing at your watch and finally Marcus appears, notebook in hand just as the door to the gallery opens. “Mom! Mom! Guess what happened? I made the team!” Theo announces as he runs into the gallery and over to you, your mom behind him carrying his backpack.

Halfway between the door to the security office and you, Marcus freezes. His eyes widen and he feels like he’s been kicked in the chest and he swears his heart stops. The boy, he’s guessing around ten years old, looks like he could be a copy of Marcus when he was a boy. Skin tone is different and there are small features that are a unique blend of your features, but he looks like him. There is absolutely no way that this child, this boy, isn’t his. His mouth drops open and he nearly chokes on his own breath.

You ignore Marcus, avoiding his eyes as you look down at your son. “Really? That’s amazing, baby.” You hug him, kissing his hair. He’d been so excited to try out for the baseball team and now he’s on it. You know it’s gonna be a lot of work to take him to practices and games but you don’t care, you want him to be happy. Your mom looks over at Marcus and back at you, her eyes wide. She sees the resemblance immediately and you told her about Marcus when you found out you were pregnant.

He can’t move, trying to process what the hell possibly happened and he’s immediately flooded with intense guilt. He had gotten you pregnant. He had gotten you pregnant and he didn’t call you. You didn’t have any way to get into contact with him and you had been a single mother for ten years. He knew you weren’t married, or at least he thought you weren’t. There’s not a ring on your finger, but you might have a boyfriend. He watches the boy, his son, closely. Absorbing every detail of his mannerisms and excitement as he talks about his obvious passion - baseball. The same sport Marcus had played in school. 

You glance at Marcus finally, seeing his eyes, and you know he has figured it out. You swallow harshly and look at your mom who has questioning eyes. “Can you take Theo for a snack, mama?” You ask your mom who nods. 

“You wanna go to the place on the corner for a snack, honey?” She asks Theo who nods, “can we, mom?” He asks and you smile, ruffling his hair, “of course.” Your mom takes him outside and you inhale deeply, turning to face Marcus. “We need to talk.” You tell him, “you wanna come sit in my office?”

He nods, not even able to put anything into words and follows you to the back. Your office is across from the security office and is neat. It’s obviously filled with personal touches. There’s a picture that is obviously from last Christmas of the two of you. Theo beaming as he holds a new baseball glove and bat. “I- does he- what’s his name?” He asks, once the door is closed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

You can see he’s struggling but you’re hurt too. He didn’t call and when you found out you were pregnant, you were newly graduated and alone. Your mom helped, letting you move in with her and it’s been hard to get your career where you dreamed it would be all those years ago. “His name is Theo Lucas. He has my last name…obviously. It’s - you didn’t call and I thought that you - that you just asked me out to save face for a quickie in a jail cell.” You cross your arms and turn towards the closed door, “he’s - he’s the best thing that ever happened to me so I guess I should thank you for that night.”

“I want to meet him. Officially.” Marcus clarifies. “I didn’t know that he was - that you were pregnant. If I had I would have helped you, supported you, been there for both of you. “Please?” 

You bite your lip, watching him with hesitation. What’s to say he won’t just take off again after Theo has gotten attached. You’re not sure if it’s sensible or really the actual reason why but the words “of course” escape your mouth before you can think about his. His answering soft smile makes your heart ache a little and you clear your throat. “I’ll give you my cell phone, proper numbers this time as we can talk.”

Marcus chuckles and reaches into his jacket pocket to pull out his badge folder. Pulling a card with his information on it and handing it to you. “This way the ball is in your court.” He offers. “Theo likes baseball?” He asks. “I used to play in high school and college when I wasn’t playing with my band.” He tells you. “Maybe I can practice with him or take him to a game? I planned on seeing the Rangers play this weekend.”

You bite your lip, looking down at his card. “I bet he’d love that.” You smile at Marcus and are terrified but excited for your son to meet his father finally. You’ve imagined it so many times and he has asked about his dad. You tried to explain it as simply as you can to a young child and you told him you and his dad had a brief relationship. It sounded better than what the reality is. “It’s good to see you again, Marcus.” You say just as his phone rings.

“Shit.” He jolts and reaches for his phone, glancing down at it and then giving you an apologetic look. “Hey.” He answers, a smile on his face when he speaks. “Are you finishing up for the day?” He asks, “I’m still working on a case.” Listening for a few moments he hums. “I’ll meet you there, okay. Sounds good. Bye.”

You see the look on his face and you know it’s his romantic partner. The look in his eyes is soft and sweet and it makes your heart twist even though he’s not yours, he never was. You just had one night. You wait for him to finish and he smiles at you after he shoves his phone back in his pocket. “Sorry about that.” He says and you shake your head, “it’s fine.” He clears his throat, “so I’ll see you soon. For the case and for Theo. I will wait for your call.” He promises and you nod, twisting the card in your hand. 

“I’ll see you soon, Marcus.” You promise and he gathers his things, bidding you goodbye and you sit down at your desk and close your eyes, hating how your heart twists at seeing him again.

Marcus makes his way out of the museum and when he gets into the car, he just sits for a moment. Absorbing the life changing information that he is a father. He wants to jump in and help and support you in any and every way he can. Feeling guilty for not knowing about Theo sooner. He knows he has to tell Teresa as soon as possible. Tonight at dinner. She will understand.

****

“You met my dad?” Theo asks when you discuss it at dinner. 

“Yes baby. He’s - he - we lost touch and now he’s back. I got his number. He wants to meet you. He loves baseball too and said about taking you to a game. I- I know it’s a lot to take in but he wants to get to know you.” You tell Theo who frowns, looking down at his plate. 

“Why now?” Theo asks and you clear your throat, “I told you…we lost touch.” You explain and Theo shakes his head, “he didn’t want me?” He asks and you reach for his hand. 

“No. No. Not that. It’s complicated. Adult stuff you won’t understand.” You try again but Theo is pushing his chair back and rushing to his room, “you didn’t want me to know him!” He yells and slams the door, making you close your eyes and rub your head.

****

“I have something I need to tell you.” Marcus gazes at Teresa nervously over the votive in the middle of the romantic table at their favorite restaurant. He’s already had two glasses of wine because he’s excited and nervous. Reaching out, he takes her hand. “Eleven years ago, I had a….fling.” He isn’t going to give all the specifics, but Teresa deserves to know. “It was right before the FBI academy and somehow, the phone number I was given was bad, so it didn’t go beyond the one encounter.” 

Teresa tilts her head and laughs. “Marcus, I don’t need to know about every person you slept with. We both have a history.” She assures him. 

Marcus shakes his head. “No, I ran into her today. And….” He takes a deep breath. “I have a son. He’s just like me. I saw him and I-“ he shrugs. “I’m going to get to know him, become a part of his life.”

Teresa stares at Marcus in shock, looking down at their hands, and she swallows harshly. “How - you - um, that’s - wow.” She finishes lamely, still in shock. “That’s great, Marcus. Truly. That’s - I can’t wait to meet him.” She says, a little through her teeth but Marcus doesn’t notice as he beams, squeezing her hand. 

****

You call Marcus the next day due to Theo constantly asking you when he’s going to meet his dad. “Are you free this evening?” You ask and Marcus holds the phone in his hand, “of course. I’m free.” 

You smile, “great. You want to come over for dinner? Theo is excited to meet you. I told him we had a fling and tried to explain it as much as I could without getting into details.”

Marcus hums in agreement, “he doesn’t need to know the details, I don’t think a child would understand that yet.” He will follow your lead on Theo since you have been the one raising him. “Does he have a particular favorite baseball team?” Marcus asks. “I don’t want to come empty handed the first time I meet my son.”

You smile against the phone at how sweet he is. You remember that from that night, how funny and sweet he was even when he was wrecking you with his cock. “He loves the Nationals. My dad…he lives in D.C and has gotten Theo into his team, so yeah, Nationals.” You answer and Marcus hums, “Nationals, got it.” 

You nod even though he can’t see it, “so I’ll see you at 6?” You ask and he confirms. “Great. I’ll text you my address.” You say and bid him goodbye, hanging up the phone to quickly shoot him a text. You’re nervous and you know Theo is nervous, unsure of going to school today but you took him and he was fine once he settled in. You’ve got the day at work to figure out what to cook for the first time your one night stand meets his son.

During lunch, Marcus runs out to a sporting goods store to pick up Nationals gear for a ten year old. Then back to his apartment to pick up his own glove and some balls. If you’ve got a yard, he wants to get out there and throw the ball with Theo if he’s up for it. Your text comes through with the address and by 5, he’s leaving the office and plugging in the GPS to go to your house.

You smile as Theo rushes up to the front door when Marcus rings the doorbell. “I’ll get the door, sweetie.” You say, rubbing his shoulder and he’s practically buzzing as he watches you open the door. You send a silent prayer that this is gonna go well and you come face to face with Marcus, standing there holding a big duffel bag. “Come in.” You gesture and he steps in, clearly nervous, and his dark eyes find Theo. “Sweetheart, this is - this is Marcus. He’s your dad.” You introduce him officially and Theo looks at Marcus with wide eyes.

Marcus sets the bag down and kneels down so he can look his son in the eyes. The same shade of brown as his own. “Hello, Theo.” He offers quietly, beaming and trying not to cry. “It is so good to meet you. I brought my glove. If it's okay with your mom, after dinner we can throw the ball around?” He asks, glancing up at you for permission before looking back at him to see if that’s something he wants to do.

Theo beams, staring at his father, and he nods enthusiastically. “Yes! Mom - can we - can we go outside?” He asks you and you nod, “of course you can.” Theo surges forward to wrap his arms around his father, “hi dad.” He says into his father’s neck as he grips him tight, excited to have him there.

His eyes close and his arms wrap around Theo tight, holding his son against him. “Hey, buddy.” He chokes out, opening his eyes and looking up at you. He’s overwhelmed and emotional and it’s almost a relief that you are silently crying. He’s not being too much with his reaction to meeting the son he didn’t know about.

You wipe your eyes, seeing the unshed tears shining in Marcus’s eyes and you know in that moment that you haven’t made a mistake. You know Theo is going to have his father in his life finally. “Come on you two. Dinner will be ready soon. Marcus, what do you want to drink?” You ask after clearing your throat.

“Anything would be great, thanks.” He squeezes Theo once more before he pulls away to grin at him. “I brought you some presents. Although I know I have a lot of missed birthdays and Christmas’ to make up for.”

Theo grins, “lots. Ten years worth.” He says and you chuckle, “dad is here now and he brought you some presents. You wanna open them while I finish up dinner?” You ask Theo who nods and grabs Marcus’s hand to practically drag him into the kitchen. 

“Come on dad, I wanna open my presents.”

It’s surreal to hear someone calling him dad and it makes him break out into a wide grin. He had managed to grab the duffel bag and he sets it on the table to open up and start pulling out gifts. He had thought he had gone overboard, but he doesn’t believe that now, the way Theo’s eyes are widening and he’s practically bouncing with excitement.

You get Marcus a beer and a glass of wine for yourself then set them down after getting a glass of milk for Theo. “Wow! I always wanted one of these!” Theo gasps when he sees the Nationals jersey and you feel a little guilty that you didn’t get the right one that he wanted. You got the Rangers and he was happy, but it’s not his favorite team.

“I’m glad. Your mom told me that you’re a big Nationals fan.” Marcus chatters nervously. “Now I have tickets to the Ranger’s game this weekend, would you want to go? Even if it’s not the Nationals? Since we are here in Texas?” It’s a commute to Ranger stadium and he would buy you a ticket if you preferred to come too, but he wants to give Theo that experience together.

You watch Theo bounce, nodding his head, “yes yes yes. Oh can I go mom? Can I?” He asks you and you nod, “of course baby. You can go.” You won’t deny him this time with his father and you know Marcus is a good man. He works for the FBI for goodness sake. “I’ll go get dinner. Sit down, both of you.” You order playfully.

“We better listen to your mom.” Marcus grins, happy that his son wants to go to a game with him. He reaches up and ruffles the boy's hair. “Let’s go wash our hands, gotta be clean to eat.”

You watch Marcus take Theo to wash his hands and you smile to yourself as you plate up the spaghetti and meatballs. The boys sit down at the table and you set the plates down in front of them. “I hope you like it. I didn’t ask if you were vegetarian. Oh shit. Are you? If not, I can make something else.” You start to panic a little, realizing how little you know about Marcus.

“No.” He smiles up at your reassuringly. “I love spaghetti and meatballs.” He looks over at Theo. “And I’m sure your mom’s is great, isn’t it, Buddy?” He asks. 

“Oh yeah! Mom’s spaghetti is the best!” Theo cries out with a grin. “She puts extra cheese on top for me.”

You smile, loving that your son loves your cooking. You look at Marcus, “I put extra cheese on yours too.” You wink at him and watch Theo as he starts to dig into his food, hungry as always, “why don’t you tell your dad about school today?” You ask Theo, wanting Marcus to be involved in the small things like hearing Theo talk about his day.

Marcus listens intently, nodding while Theo tells him every little thing about his day. Grinning to himself when the boy would go off on a little tangent like he used to as he shovels in his food with the enthusiasm of a growing boy.

You finish eating while Theo talks about his school and his friends. You watch Marcus hang onto every word, nodding and responding like it’s the best thing he’s ever heard and that makes your heart thump. “Everyone done?” You ask and Theo nods, “thank you, mom.” He stands up to collect the dishes but you stop him. “Not tonight, honey. Sit with your dad. I’ll clean up.” You tell him as you gather the plates, “I have dessert too. You want ice cream?” You ask and Theo nods, eyes lighting up.

“Must be a special night.” Marcus muses. “Dessert too?” He grins when Theo bobbles his head so hard he might rattle some teeth around. “After we eat dessert, you wanna throw the ball?”

Theo thinks that Christmas has come as he nods and Marcus chuckles, “sure thing, bud.” You smile as you load up the dishwasher and listen to Marcus and Theo talk. “So why did you not stay with my mom?” Theo asks, always inquisitive and you wince slightly but leave it to Marcus to provide his own explanation.

Glancing up at you for permission, he knows he needs to tell his son why the two of you aren’t together. Why he’s never met him before. “I- it’s complicated.” Marcus winces, knowing that isn’t the best answer. “Your mom was wonderful. And I had plans to take her on a date, to spend more time with her, but I messed up.” Marcus stresses. He will take the blame, of course he will. “I wrote her number down wrong, and couldn’t call her. And I didn’t know where she lived.”

Theo stares at Marcus for a moment, absorbing his answer until eventually he nods and looks over at you. “Well, you’re dumb because my mom is amazing.” Your heart clenches and tears sting in your eyes at the compliment from your son and you look at Marcus with an apologetic smile.

“I know I am.” Marcus accepts that rebuke and nods in agreement. “Your mom is amazing and I have to thank her because she gave me a son.” He reaches over and pats your hand. “Thank you. For taking care of him while I wasn’t around and being amazing enough for him to defend you.”

You smile at Marcus and lean in to kiss Theo on the head as you slide the bowl of ice cream towards him. “Okay. Let’s eat some ice cream.” You declare, trying to lighten the mood and give yourself a moment as you hand Marcus his own bowl. “Toppings are yours to pick. We have chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and strawberries.” You say and Theo begins to put a river of chocolate sauce in his sundae. “Maybe we have enough sauce to go with the ice cream, huh baby?” You tease and he chuckles, setting the sauce bottle down.

“He’s a man with taste.” Marcus chuckles, amazed that he is sitting down and eating dessert with his son. “I love chocolate syrup too.” He admits, taking the bottle and turning it up over his ice cream. The little boy beams happily, loving that his dad likes the same things he does. It’s almost a family moment and he feels guilty that Teresa isn’t here to see it. “What else do you like? Whipped cream and a cherry? Or strawberries?” He asks, wanting to know everything about Theo.

“Whipped cream, for sure. And nuts.” Theo answers and reaches for a spoonful of nuts. You watch him and Marcus chuckles, “same. I do like strawberries but not on ice cream.” He says and Theo nods. You reach for the strawberries, “those are for me. I love strawberries.” Marcus nods and you watch him as he takes the spoon from Theo to cover his sundae with nuts. The ice cream goes down well and you’re soon putting the dishwasher on while Marcus and Theo go outside to play catch.

Outside, Marcus feels like he is living every ‘dad dream’ he’s ever had. It started with small tosses of the ball to warm up and he started asking questions. Theo’s likes, dislikes. His dreams. Favorite movies. Learning about the boy and hopefully bonding with him. They play until you come back outside as the sun starts to go down.

Marcus sits in the living room while Theo showers and gets ready for bed. He’s already done his homework and you get him in bed. “You want your dad to come and say goodnight?” You ask Theo after you kiss his forehead. 

“Yes, please mama.” He murmurs and you nod, standing up and walking into the living room where Marcus is sitting. “He wants you to say goodnight.” You tell him and he stands up, rubbing his hands on his pants.

Marcus goes down the hall and hovers in the doorway for a moment, taking in the bedroom and smiling when he sees baseball posters on the wall. It could be a bedroom from his own childhood. “You all ready for bed, buddy?” He asks, coming and sitting on the edge and nervously rubbing the covers on the edge. .

“No.” Theo says and you smile as you lean against the wall in the hallway. 

“I know, I’m never tired after a big day.” Marcus smiles and pats the bed sheets. 

Theo nods, settling down against his pillow, “after you fight the bad guys?” He asks his father with a sleepy smile.

Marcus reaches up and brushes Theo’s hair gently. “After I fight the bad guys.” Marcus nods and smiles down at his son. “Goodnight Theo.” He murmurs softly, amused that despite being so adamant about not being tired, he’s already starting to fall asleep. Marcus sits with him until he’s completely gone and then watches him, amazed that he is here with a child who is his.

You push off of the wall as Marcus walks into the hallway and you smile at him, at seeing the way his eyes are soft and glassy. You reach out to pat his arm, “you want another beer? Or coffee before you go? We need to talk about how we move forward.”

“Sure.” Marcus nods and follows you back out to the living room and into the kitchen. “He’s a great kid.” He gushes after a moment. Standing around, he wonders where to go from here. “I owe you a lot of child support.” He blurts out, reaching into his pocket for a check he had written. “Obviously it’s not ten years worth, but I want to start making up for not being here.”

Your eyes widen at the amount of the check. “Marcus. No- it wasn’t - you didn’t know. I can’t accept this. You didn’t know about him. You didn’t dodge it and I’ve done well. My parents helped. Please…this is way too much.” You shake your head, knowing you could never accept his money when you had ten years with your son and he’s missed out on so much.

“Put it in a college fund for him.” Marcus shakes his head when you hold the check back out to him. “Please. I might not have known about him, but I know now. If I had known then, he would have had a college fund started from the day you told me.”

You can’t deny him that, knowing that your funds for his college are a little low after you have been working hard but it’s not enough, never enough. “Marcus. It’s - I’ll put it in the bank account I have ready for his college fund.” You surge forward to wrap your arms around his neck, “thank you.”

Marcus hugs you back, there’s nothing wrong with hugging the mother of his child. This is the woman who gave him the little boy in that bedroom. He tries not to remember how good touching you had felt all those years ago. That was past, and he is involved with Teresa now. “You’re welcome.” He murmurs sincerely. “I’ll give you more. I promise.”

You step back, patting his chest, “you’re just - I’m glad you’re in Theo’s life.” You step away and you make your way to the kitchen followed by Marcus. “Take a seat and I’ll get you a beer then we can talk details.” You watch him head into the living room and you grab two beers, making your way into the living room and you sit down on the sofa beside him. “So, uh, we didn’t exactly discuss our - our situations in life. I don’t have a husband or even a boyfriend. It’s been tough dating with a young son and I’ve been focused on work and Theo. I just wanted you to know that.”

“I’m sorry.” Marcus winces and shakes his head. “You didn’t deserve to be left with the responsibility by yourself.” He won’t let go of the guilt easily. “Maybe with some help, you can have some time for yourself.” He won’t say ‘date’, but that’s your decision. “I- I am in a relationship. Another agent.” He confesses, feeling guilty again.

You hate how your heart clenches at the news but you know he was never yours. “That’s great. I- I can’t wait to meet them one day. Did you tell them about Theo?” You ask, and Marcus nods, “she knows. Her name is Teresa.” He says with a smile that makes you want to cry a little. He’s such a lovely guy and he belongs to Teresa. 

You know you can’t be an idiot, you have a child together that he’s just met. You need to be sensible. “So I want you to see him. We can work out a custody schedule in a few months I’d say once Theo is comfortable and I am. I don’t want you to feel like I’m keeping him from you but I need him to be safe and secure and happy.”

Marcus holds up a hand and shakes his head. “Absolutely.” He agrees. “Theo has been your priority for ten years, eleven really.” He reasons. “You are his mother and I would never try to come in and immediately change everything. I was going to ask you if you wanted to come to the game too?” He asks. “Since it’s a few hours away? He can say that he wants to go and then get nervous because I am essentially a stranger to him. Plus, I can see how you parent, because I want to work with you on raising him.”

You appreciate how accommodating he’s being, not demanding more when he hasn’t been here at all even though it’s technically not his fault. He’s missed out on so much but he’s still wanting to include you. That makes you warm to him even more and you nod, “I think that’s a great idea. Let's all get to know each other more. We didn’t exactly have an in-depth conversation before we had sex.” You fluster and reach for your beer to take a sip, “do you want to ask Teresa if she wants to come too?” You add, hoping he says no but she’s going to be part of Theo’s life and you need to assess her.

“She has a case that she’s working on.” Marcus frowns slightly and shrugs. “She’s going to have to be on a stakeout or something.” He had originally been going to go with her, and then he had considered selling the tickets when her plans had fallen through, but this is perfect. “What do you want to know about me?” He asks.

You are relieved that Teresa isn’t coming on this first adventure and you lean back against the sofa, tucking your leg up beneath you. “First of all…I didn’t - Theo is fine but do you have any medical family history? I know mine of course but I want to know in case there’s something I need to look out for.”

“Nothing really.” Marcus shakes his head and takes a sip of his own beer. “Grandfather died of a heart attack, but he was 87.” He shrugs slightly. “I can’t say that’s a short life. Parents are pretty healthy. I haven’t told them yet, but I know they will want to meet Theo, get to know him. When you’re comfortable.”

“I’d like that. Theo would love that. I have always felt so guilty that he hasn’t had a lot of family.” You confess, taking another sip of your beer, tears stinging in your eyes as you think about all the things Theo has missed out on with his father. 

“You okay?” Marcus asks and you shake your head, a few tears escaping. 

“I just wish - I wish I had given you the right number.”

“It’s my fault.” Marcus will readily admit that. “I should have double checked with you before you left. I had been trying not to seem too desperate, or creepy.” He shoots you a sardonic grin. “Since we had just had sex in a jail cell after you were picked up.”

You chuckle, wiping away your tears, “that was sexy as hell though. I still think about that night sometimes.” You admit until you realize what you said, “I’m sorry. I- you have Teresa and I’m not asking you to - shit. Have I made it weird?”

“Don’t worry about that.” He shakes his head and hums with a small smile. “It’s okay. I promise. I’ve thought about it before.” He admits. “It was sexy.” He doesn’t really think about it now that he’s with Teresa, but when he was single, it was one of his go-to memories when he wasn’t in the mood to look at porn. 

You chuckle, “it was.” You nudge him and move to set your beer down. “I guess we go from here. I’ll see you Saturday for the game. Are you gonna come back to the gallery or is your team working on tracking down that guy first?” You ask, curious as to what’s going to happen with the stolen painting.

“They are working on tracking down the suspect, but I normally come check in every day, every other day.” He admits, shrugging slightly. “The worst thing for the victim is to feel like they are just bogged down in the system. Especially when dealing with art. It’s normally personal or professional so everyone is eager to know that it’s being taken seriously.”

You nod, “then I’ll see you in the gallery.” You shift to stand up, “I’m sure Teresa is expecting you to be home soon. Theo will be out like a light. Do you want some water for the ride home?” You ask, looking down at him.

“Oh, Teresa and I don’t live together.” It wasn’t for lack of planning but it hadn’t happened yet. Just wasn’t quite to that place in the relationship yet even though a lot of nights were spent together. “But I will take a water.” He agrees.

You walk over to the fridge to get him a bottle of water, admiring his profile as he gathers his things. “Here you go.” You hand him the bottle and your fingers brush his. “I’ll see you soon. Maybe…if you don’t see Theo, we can do daily calls? You can talk to him.”

“I’d really like that.” Marcus quickly agrees, happy that you are so willing to let him spend time with Theo and get to know him. “Thank you.” He murmurs as you walk with him to the door. “He’s a great kid and that is all because of you. I hate that you had to do it alone but you’ve done a fantastic job.” Mother’s Day will have to come early for you and he will have to make sure that it’s amazing to make up for the ones that he missed.

You fluster at his kind words, excited to see how this goes, and you are happy for Theo to have his father in his life. You know it’s been a missing piece. No matter how hard you try to cover both positions, you know he’s been jealous of the other boys going to baseball games with their fathers or going out with the father-son groups. It’s been hard and you try to compensate but it’s impossible.

Marcus pauses at the door, turning around and smiling at you. You had been gorgeous eleven years ago, hungover and obviously partying, but now you are even more beautiful. Maybe it’s because he had a child with you, but there’s a softness that he admires for a moment. He murmurs your name, “have a good night. Call me if you need anything, okay? I want to help anyway I can.”

You nod, crossing your arms as you lean against the doorway, watching him as he makes his way to his car. You bite your lip, admiring his broad shoulders, and you know you have to stop. You will not ruin your son’s relationship with his father because you haven’t had sex in a while. You watch Marcus, waving as he pulls away, and you shut the door, closing your eyes. “It’s gonna be fine.” You murmur to yourself, deciding to get ready for bed and watch your show to distract yourself.

On the way home, Marcus contemplates calling Teresa, but he doesn’t. Instead he thinks about the situation, knowing that he will have to tell his parents soon, and they will want to meet him. He knows they will have questions so he wants to talk to you about what to tell them.

**** 

“You having a good time?” You ask Theo as he takes a big bite of the hot dog Marcus got him. The game is in full swing and you love how Marcus and Theo are bonding over their mutual love of baseball. You take a few photos, certain that Marcus will want them, and you think about the past few days. You and Marcus established when Theo will meet his parents and the story you’ll tell them is the truth. Although it’s awkward, keeping secrets never helps anyone. You watch the father and son and feel emotional, wishing once again that Marcus had called you after that fateful night.

“Oh man!” Theo cheers when the home run cracks off the bat and he leaps out of his seat to watch it go flying over the left field fence. Marcus grins and looks over at you, emotional at how much he is enjoying this. Almost upset that there isn’t a team in Austin so this could become a weekly thing. He’d say that season tickets could be done. 

“Looks like extra innings.” He teases, playing with Theo’s cap. “You aren’t gonna wanna miss that, are you?”

Theo shakes his head so hard his neck nearly breaks, “no, dad! Of course not!” He scoffs and you hide your grin behind your hand. You watch Marcus point out various players to Theo and they discuss the stats, both clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the sport and it’s making your heart nearly burst with joy.

Marcus grins as he leans back, looking at you behind Theo’s head. “If it goes too late, do you want to spend the night?” He asks, thinking about getting a hotel depending on how many hours it goes over a normal game. “I’ll cover the cost. Two rooms.” He offers, knowing it’s not right to stay in one room.

“Please mom! Please!” Theo begs, looking up at you with wide eyes and you nod, “okay baby. Okay. We can do that if it runs too late. I, uh, I don’t really have anything. We can stop at CVS to get a tooth brush and toiletries.” You say, unable to take away from this experience for Theo. “Are you sure Teresa won’t mind?”

“She’ll be alright.” He’s already texted her and let her know that it might be a possibility. She had said ‘okay’, so he knew she was alright with it. Teresa tends to speak her mind so he trusts her. “We can stop by a store and get some things.”

Finally the game ends and it’s late, way past Theo’s bed time and you can see he’s tired from the constant yawns but he’s fighting it. “Are you ready for bed, sweetheart?” You ask, hugging Theo as you approach Marcus’s car. “Maybe a hotel is the best idea.” You tell Marcus, running your hands through Theo’s hair.

“Yeah.” Marcus frowns slightly as he has spent the last twenty minutes of the game trying to book rooms. “There’s a hotel up the road I have a room booked for you guys.” He promises, turning towards his son and smiling at how sleepy Theo looks. “We’ll find a Wal-Mart and grab toothbrushes and PJs.”

“What about you?” You ask as you buckle Theo in and get in the front seat. Marcus bites his lip, not answering. “Marcus…” You raise your eyebrows, wanting him to answer you before you start to get frustrated. You’ve learned he’s a people pleaser and it’s to his own detriment sometimes.

“There’s….” He sighs and hangs his head. “There’s some kind of big conference this weekend.” He admits quietly. “Everywhere is sold out. I could only get the one room. It’s okay, though.” He assures you. “It’s a nice place and I can catch a few hours in the car. Not like I haven’t done that before.” He chuckles, making a joke about stakeouts.

"No. No. You - you are going to get some sleep. You've been driving and you are driving tomorrow. I- Theo will sleep between us. We can share the bed. We are parents sharing a bed with our son. You can't sleep in the car." You shake your head, whispering harshly as Theo is asleep.

Marcus frowns and shakes his head. “No, the room has two beds.” He reveals. “I just don’t think that you would want…you know that Theo might get the wrong impression.” He murmurs quietly, looking in the back seat and then towards you. He’s trying to be a gentleman and give you privacy. The only intimacy you’ve shared was the night you created Theo and he’s not going to assume you would be okay with sharing a room. 

You bite your lip, "two beds is perfect. I can share with Theo and you get to spread out in your own bed. He won't - we can explain that there was only one room left. He knows you are with Teresa...he wants to meet her."

“Are you sure?” He asks seriously, turning expressive eyes on you. He’s thrilled to learn that Theo wants to meet Teresa, because he wants her to get to know him, but he is talking about the hotel sleeping arrangement. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You nod, chuckling softly. "I don't think you can make anyone uncomfortable, Marcus. You are the most caring man I can think of. We will be fine." You promise. You give Marcus a list of what you need and he goes into Walmart to get your list. You watch Theo sleep in the mirror and about ten minutes later, Marcus is pulling up at the hotel. You grab the bags after Marcus checks in and comes back out. "Can you carry Theo?"

“Of course I can.” Marcus beams as he opens the back door and starts to gently unbuckle the sleeping child and pull him out of the car. “He’s solid.” He grunts, grinning at you as Theo snuggles against his dads shoulder and grunts at being disturbed before settling back down into a limp mass of limbs.

You smile, watching Theo wrap his arms around his dad who carries him to the room. “Notice I didn’t offer.” You tease softly and pat Marcus on the shoulder as you take over finding the room. Once you’re inside, Marcus lays Theo down and you work on removing his clothes to dress him in the pajamas his dad had just bought for him. “Night, my love.” You murmur, kissing Theo’s head after you cover him up with the covers, the. you look over at Marcus who has removed his shoes and is watching you with apprehension. “I’m gonna get ready for bed. Thanks for buying these.” You hold up the shorts and tank top, feeling a little awkward but it’s necessary for Theo to get some good sleep.

“It course.” He nods, feeling bad that he always carries an overnight bag in the car. “I’ll change quickly while you’re in there and then we’ll get some sleep.” He offers, trying not to think about the mechanics of all of this. This is just two parents sharing a room with their son.

You brush your teeth and wash your face, coming out of the bathroom in the tank top and shorts and you had told yourself in the mirror that this isn't a big deal. It's Marcus and Theo. You get under the covers on the side closest to the nightstand since Theo shifted in his sleep and you look over at Marcus. "Goodnight." You murmur, your eyes finding his in the lamplight.

“Goodnight sweetheart.” Marcus whispers softly, smiling at you as he reaches over to switch off the light. “Thank you for today. Letting Theo come to the game.” He shuffles and settles in the dark. “Might be the best day I’ve ever had.”

“Me too.” You answer honestly and you smile when you hear him snore. You listen to him and Theo breathe for a while until you finally close your eyes, wishing this was real, that you were a real family.

****

The next morning is fun, if not a little hectic. Getting up and getting ready without crowding each other in the bathroom proves interesting and the two of you decide to take Theo out to breakfast before getting back on the road to Austin. Taking your time and enjoying the Sunday brunch, Marcus can’t help but laugh at your jokes and enjoy that you have such a warm and delightful personality. Making him wonder what would have happened if he had gotten your number right. Would you two be married right now? Would there be another child besides Theo? He hates thinking that way, since he’s involved with Teresa, but it’s there in the back of his mind. 

You hate how natural this feels with Marcus. It should be awkward. After all, he fucked you while on duty in a jail cell, yet it feels like you’ve known him forever. You smile as Theo tells his dad about his favorite show and you realize it’s gonna be hard to meet Teresa, to meet the woman that has Marcus. “Shall we get on the road?” Marcus asks, pulling you out of your thoughts, and you nod, gathering your things. The drive home is filled with music and Theo chattering away and you can feel Marcus look at you every now and then, his hand on the gearshift and it makes you want to reach out and place your hand on top. “Dad, can you come to my game on Friday?” Theo asks, “with Teresa?”

“I’ll have to check with Teresa, but as long as nothing comes up with your mom’s case, I’ll be there.” He promises, looking in the rear view mirror at his son’s hopeful eyes. “Sometimes the bad guys don’t stop being bad to do fun things, but I will never stop trying to make sure that I am there.” It’s important to him that Theo knows that. “Even if I’m coming in at the end or having to duck out early, I will be there as much as I can.”

He knows it’s a hollow promise to a ten year old, but he also wants to make sure that he knows that sometimes dad’s job has to come before other things. It’s one of the downsides as far as Marcus is concerned.

Theo nods, “okay, dad.” 

You look behind you to wink at Theo, “if not this game, the next one.” You compromise with your son, not wanting him to put all his hopes on this one game when Marcus could be working. You turn back to the front and Marcus nods, sending you a silent thanks. 

****

“Come on Theo!” You cheer, watching your son run to third base and then “home run!” You shout and clap your hands. Marcus hasn’t arrived yet, he texted to say he’d be late and he has a lead on the mysterious man who was in the video.

Marcus pulls into the parking lot, rushing out of the car and takes a moment so he can lock his gun in the glove compartment and take off his jacket. Rushing over to the ball field that you had told him. He managed to catch Theo sliding into home and cheering. “Yeah! Theo! Way to go buddy!” He stands at the fence and beams at the boy as he stands up and brushes himself off.

Theo sees his dad and his face lights up. He’s covered in dirt but he looks on top of the world. You clap and cheer your son and suddenly Marcus appears beside you. “Hey!” You greet him and glance around, your brow furrowed as you look past him. “Teresa couldn’t make it?” You ask him.

“She had to work.” Marcus frowns slightly but he shrugs. “She said that she would like to go out to dinner with you and Theo.” He offers, although he had been the one to suggest it. She had been a little distracted when she agreed, but she had been rushing to get off the phone to talk to Jane.

You nod, “that would be nice. I want to meet her.” You say even though you’re not entirely convinced. Teresa doesn’t seem to want to meet. She’s avoided every opportunity to meet Theo and you are worried she won’t accept your son.

“I think you’ll get along well.” Marcus hums, even though he’s starting to get antsy about the two of you meeting. He’s spent a lot of time with you lately and while she understands, it seems as if there’s not been a lot of time for them. He doesn’t want her getting worried about things.

After the game is over, you take Theo for ice cream to celebrate and Marcus is a little distracted, looking at his phone. “Everything okay?” You ask and he nods, “yeah. I’m fine.” He says and you don’t push, knowing he has a lot on his plate.

Marcus gets the alert that there is a name on the suspect, as well as a current address. He hums and looks up, smiling at Theo and you. “Tomorrow, I might be a little out of pocket.” He announces to you. “We are going to question the man from the security surveillance.” He tells you quietly while Theo is distracted with his ice cream.

Your eyes widen slightly, “wow. I hope - hopefully something comes from it. The artist is freaking out and I’m struggling to keep him calm enough to keep his other pieces in the gallery. We had to reassure him that our security has been reinforced.” You confess and Marcus nods, “we will get him.”

Marcus hates that he had been late, finding it to be too little time with Theo. “Sorry I was late, but I’m glad to see that home run. Those batting drills are paying off.”

“Yes they are.” You smile, happy that Marcus and Theo have already bonded. You are a little sad that your son has missed out on so much with his dad but you are happy he’s here now.

****

“You got him?” You gasp when Marcus comes into your office before telling you he has found the perp who stole the piece. 

“We got him. And the art. He had it in some storage unit out west, waiting until the dust settled so he could sell it.” Marcus tells you and grins. 

“Oh my God. Thank you!” You surge forward to hug him, relieved and happy that the piece has been found.

Marcus grins and hugs you back. Rubbing your back gently and nodding when he pulls back. “Obviously the piece will be photographed and logged into evidence for authentication, but once that is done, we will return it to you. The pictures from recovery will be enough for the DA.”

You kiss his cheek as you pull back, “thank you. Thank you.” You squeal, not even thinking about kissing his cheek until you hear a throat clear behind you. You turn to see a woman, her eyes flicking between you and Marcus whose eyes widen as he looks at the woman.

“Teresa. Come here.” He gestures her over and introduces you. You aren’t sure if she is upset or doesn’t like you being near Marcus but she’s polite yet aloof when you get to finally meet Teresa.

Teresa slides up beside Marcus and looks up at him in amusement. “Good news?” She asks and Marcus nods. 

“We recovered the painting today.” He tells her and her slightly bland smile turns genuine. 

“That’s great.” She murmurs, knowing how good a closed case is for an FBI agent. She wraps her arm around his waist and hugs him tightly before she looks towards Theo. “So, this must be Theo.” She grins, bending down slightly. “Your daddy talks about you….a lot.”

“My dad doesn’t talk that much about you.” Theo answers honestly and you clear your throat, offering Teresa an awkward smile, ruffling Theo’s hair. 

“It’s great to meet you.” You tell her and she nods, “you too.” Theo steps closer to you and you nudge his back, silently telling him to be polite and he looks at you with those same brown eyes as Marcus.

Marcus chuckles quietly, admitting that is true but Teresa just smiles. “I’m sure he has more to talk about with you than me.” She tells him before looking back up at Marcus. “Are we ready to go eat?” She asks. “I’m starved. Jane had us mucking through a field rather than having lunch today.”

You notice the frown on Marcus’s face as he hears the name Jane and he’s told you about Patrick Jane a few times, about how he feels like the man is trying to get involved in his relationship with Teresa. 

“Let’s go to dinner.” You declare after you grab your purse and Theo starts to chatter to his dad about the upcoming game. 

****

“So, uh, yeah. I haven’t given them my final decision since I wanted to talk to you first.” You tell Marcus as you sit on your sofa. Theo just went to bed and you asked Marcus to stay a little longer so you can talk. 

“The Smithsonian. Wow.” Marcus says softly, looking across the room. 

“Yeah. It’s - it’s huge. Modern art and I- it’s in D.C and I want Theo to have his father in his life but this job - it’s double my salary now and it’s the freakin’ Smithsonian. If you don’t want me to take the job, I understand, but Marcus…I want this. Not to guilt trip you but I’ve lived my life for Theo since I found out I was pregnant and this - this is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for.”

Immediately shaking his head, he hums in disapproval. “No, no, you should absolutely take it.” He insists. “There’s airplanes, we can visit.” He cocks his head and thinks about it for a moment. “There’s rumors of a position opening up in DC, that I’m also rumored to be in the running for now that my latest case has been solved so quickly.” He admits. “Maybe I can push for that position. You wouldn’t find it creepy if I moved to DC too? Follow you and Theo?”

You shake your head so fast it almost makes you dizzy. “You move to D.C? Marcus - that would be - I would love that. I don’t want Theo to lose his dad just when he’s got him. I want you to come to D.C with us…you and Teresa.”

“I’ll talk to Teresa.” Marcus nods. “If I get that position, it’s a director's job, I can pull some strings and get her a job at headquarters.”

You shake your head, a smile on your face, “you are amazing.” You lean in to kiss his cheek. “I’ll tell them I’m taking the job. We can figure everything out.” You promise and his phone starts to ring. “I’ll let you go home.” You say, standing up and he follows suit, deciding to silence the phone call so he can say goodbye.

“We will work it all out.” He promises as he walks with you to the door. He’s eager to get home and see about putting in for the position. He has a few friends in DC that he can call and have a conversation with.

****

Teresa is shocked when Marcus asks her to move to D.C with him, even more shocked when he proposes. She isn’t sure about the move to D.C but she can’t let him go. He’s a good man and although you and Theo aren’t her ideal, she’s reluctant to let Marcus go. 

When you hear about Marcus getting the job in D.C, you are ecstatic. When you hear about Marcus and Teresa being engaged, you try to be happy for him, but it’s hard. Teresa doesn’t seem to be on board about being a stepmom to Theo, nor does she seem able to tear herself away from Patrick Jane. You’re worried about Marcus getting hurt but you don’t want to say something in case Marcus turns against you. You can’t get involved for Theo’s sake. You often imagine being a family with Marcus and Theo but you’re not an idiot. Marcus loved Teresa otherwise he wouldn’t have asked her to marry him. You sigh and continue to pack. Theo has finished the school year and you threw a goodbye party for him, you leave tomorrow and it’s bittersweet but you’re excited for the future.

“So I’m going to go ahead and find us a place.” Marcus chatters with Teresa. “I’ve already got listings booked and I’m thinking of a house, at least three bedrooms.” He tells her. “I want a room for Theo, let him come over and spend the night, give his mom a break and let us bond together.” His apartment is packed and organized, ready for the movers to pick up. “What do you think?”

Teresa bites her lip as she holds her cell phone, Jane gesturing for her to hurry up as she shuffles her feet in the airport in Miami. “Yeah. I, uh, that sounds good. Marcus…I gotta go. This case…I’ll see you in D.C, yeah?” She says and Marcus frowns but doesn’t voice his annoyance, “sure. Speak later, honey. Love you.” He says and she hums before she hangs up the phone, following her partner out to their hired car.

****

“Oh my God, he did.” You nod, laughing alongside Theo and Marcus as Theo talks about his friend shoved a marble up his nose and you had to call his mom while taking the boy to the ER after you couldn’t remove it. Marcus shakes his head, laughing at Theo’s face. 

“I told him not to do it.” Theo mumbles and you chuckle, stopping when Marcus’s phone rings. 

“It’s Teresa.” He says and stands up, making his way into your new living room to take the call. “Hey.” Marcus smiles as he answers the phone, happy to see Teresa’s name pop up. She should be about to take off to come to D.C. He doesn’t quite understand why she called him a few hours earlier talking about coming sooner, but he’s happy. “You about to take off? I can’t wait to see you. You should see the new place.”

Teresa looks up as Jane runs onto the plane and she can hear Marcus talking to her but she doesn’t respond. Marcus frowns when he hears Jane say “I love you” to Teresa and that’s the moment he knows it’s over. He won’t be seeing Teresa in D.C. He guesses he should’ve seen this coming but a small part of him wanted him to be the one who comes out on top, who gets the girl for once. “Marcus, you okay?” You ask, “your ice cream is melting.”

“What?” He’s staring down at his phone, frowning at it and then looks back up at you. “Oh, oh yeah.” He shakes his head, plastering a fake smile on his face. “Everything’s good.” He motions back towards the kitchen. “Let’s go eat before it’s ice cream soup.”

You don’t believe that everything is fine but you don’t press as you walk back into the kitchen and Theo has already eaten half of his ice cream. “Where’s my cherry?” Marcus asks and Theo bites his lip. 

“Theo!” You reprimand the ten year old and Marcus shakes his head, snorting, “it’s fine. I’ll just have to have yours.” Marcus plucks the cherry from Theo’s sundae and the boy cries out in protest. 

“It’s not nice to take without asking, is it?” Marcus asks and Theo shakes his head, “no. I’m sorry, dad. You can have the cherry.” Theo shakes his head and Marcus places the cherry back in his son’s bowl. 

“You can have it but don’t take.” He teaches him and you nod, amazed at how far Marcus has come in being a father. It makes your heart thump and your stomach twist but you shove that aside.

He manages to eat his ice cream without causing his son to worry but he can feel your eyes on him. Wondering what is wrong since he’s not acting like himself. 

After ice cream, Marcus and Theo clean up the kitchen together. Marcus knows it’s important to have his son help you out and it’s good for him to see that a man should help with household upkeep. “Go tell your momma goodnight and get ready for bed, buddy.” He ruffles Theo’s hair after he dries his hands. “Thank you for helping.”

Theo comes rushing over and wraps his arms around you. “Goodnight mom.” He says and you bend over to kiss his hair, “go brush your teeth and get ready for bed. I’ll bring you some water and Dad will tuck you in.” You promise and Theo rushes off to the bathroom. You glance over at Marcus who is still in the kitchen, shoulders hunched. After Theo is in bed, you and Marcus bid him goodnight, shutting the door, and you walk into the living room and spin to face Marcus. 

“What’s happened?” You ask, knowing there’s something wrong.

His eyes slip closed and the tight rein on his control slips. He sighs and seems to just wilt under your gentle probing. “Teresa-“ he chokes out. “She’s- she’s not coming to D.C.” He turns and stumbles a few short steps to the couch and sags down into it, hunching forward and plopping his head into his hands, elbows on his knees.

You frown, sitting down beside him and you place your hand on his back. “What do you mean she's not coming? Is her flight delayed?” You ask, confused and wanting to comfort Marcus. He seems distraught and you feel helpless.

“She-“ he shakes his head and looks up, his eyes slightly watery. “Apparently Jane is in love with her and….” He shrugs. “She’s going to stay in Texas, with him.”

Your heart breaks for him, “oh Marcus. I- I’m so sorry.” You surge forward to wrap your arms around him, wanting to comfort him. He doesn’t need your opinion of Teresa or the situation, you know he needs you to just be there for him. “She’s a fucking idiot to pick Jane over you.”

“I should have known it wouldn’t be …” he shakes his head again. Not willing to burden you with the second thoughts that had plagued him and the terse unspoken things between him and Teresa. “It’s who she wants. I don’t want to be second place.”

You caress his back, resting your head on top of his shoulder. “You’re not second place. She didn’t know what she had. Jane is gonna break her heart. You were too good for her. Anyone could see it. Marcus…you deserve better.” You voice some of your opinion of Teresa, not wanting to say you think she’s a heartless bitch.

“It’s my fault.” Marcus groans, embarrassed that you are seeing this. Seeing him wallow like this. He should have just gone home. Now you are going to think that he is some kind of sap. Or worse, a horrible example for Theo. “I should have seen the signs. They were there.”

“She should’ve told you. She shouldn’t have dragged you along. She shouldn’t have accepted your proposal or agreed to move to D.C with you. I don’t see how this is your fault when you gave her every chance to say no. She should’ve backed out long ago if she was in love with Patrick Jane. She led you on and you should never blame yourself for that.”

“I should have ended things when I found out about Theo.” Marcus rambles on, appreciating your comfort but he always blames himself. “Concentrated on that. Instead of thinking about having it all.”

You huff, “finding out about Theo doesn’t change anything. She - Teresa didn’t exactly seem enthusiastic to get to know him and - and as his mother, I could sense that. You can have it all, sweetheart. You will. She just wasn’t the right one. I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve this.”

“I don’t want to be bringing women in and out of his life.” Marcus reaches out and he takes your hand, turning it over and kissing the back of it. “Thank you for trying to make me feel better, but I should go home.”

You nod, knowing he probably needs to go home and have a drink. “You’ll find the right one, Marcus. You deserve your happy ending.” You tell him, leaning in to kiss his cheek as he stands at your front door. “Go have a whiskey and pass out and tomorrow, wallow. Don’t force yourself to be happy, go lucky. You can be mad and upset.” You remind him, knowing he will try to push it aside.

“Thank you.” Again, the thought of where he would be if he had called you floats through his head but he doesn’t say anything. He’s not in the right headspace to say anything and you’ve never even hinted that you wanted anything to do with him. Besides, he doesn’t want a rebound. “I’ll see you later.” He pulls away and stands, grabbing his jacket and shuffling towards the door.

You watch him go and close the door, your heart breaking for him, and you want to fly to Miami and strangle Teresa for hurting him. He deserves more. You often wonder what life would've been like if he had called. Would you be married? Or would you be divorced? It’s hard to imagine you’d divorce Marcus. You know he’s gonna wallow and you make your way to bed, knowing you’ll be there for him no matter what.

****

“Hey.” Marcus has been wallowing for two weeks and he’s tired of feeling down and letting his personal life affect his relationship with you and his son. “What are you doing this weekend?” He tucks his phone against his shoulder and waits for you to answer. He’s gotten tickets to a Nationals game and wanted to take both of you.

You glance around your office, watching your staff walk down the hall through the window. “Nothing. I was gonna take Theo to the park, maybe get some brunch. What are you up to?” You ask him and he tells you about the baseball game. “Well you know Theo will love that.” You smile, “we haven’t been to a game here yet.”

“I’ve got three tickets.” He doesn’t say that it was for Teresa, because he had just bought them. “So I was hoping that you would come with us? Make it a group outing? Unless you want to take the time and have some alone, non-parental adult time for yourself?”

You bite your lip and know you’d love to spend some time to yourself but you also don’t want to miss out on spending time with Theo, and with Marcus. You want to discuss doing the DNA test to get shared custody of Theo so Marcus can spend more time with his son. “I’d like to go. I know Theo will love it and I think we could all use some time to enjoy ourselves.”

“Great!” He knows you are probably still worried about him, you’ve been texting him everyday. Checking on him and he appreciates it. He could have never imagined a better mother for his child or a friend. It makes him kick himself in the ass sometimes for not finding you after that night.

****

“You’re going undercover for a month?” You ask Marcus, arms crossed. It’s been three months since Teresa broke his heart and you’re worried he’s doing this because he wants to distract himself. You’ve been trying to keep him occupied, going on picnics, going to museums and the movies. All with Theo. It’s been hard to not want more from him but he’s emotionally drained and you have to put Theo first. “

“Yeah.” Marcus hates that he has to do this, but it’s also a good thing. He’s started imagining you as a complete family and he doesn’t want you to feel like he’s using you to get over Teresa. “Apparently there’s something that I can be good for.” He jokes quietly and flashes you a grin. “I’ve been sitting behind a desk too much lately.”

You don’t want him to go, you know undercover missions are dangerous and he won’t be able to communicate with you or Theo for the time that he’s gone. “You- you really want to go? I- Theo is going to miss you. So am I.” You admit, biting your lip as you stare at him.

“I’ll miss you both too.” That is easy to confess. “I will be safe, but honestly?” He sighs. “I’m the only one that can go in. My team isn’t exactly unknown in the art world.”

You nod, knowing you can’t stop him, this is his job. “You wanna stay for dinner and you can say goodbye to Theo?” You ask, a little annoyed that he waited until the day of to tell you but you can see he’s been nervous. 

“Sure.” You step forward to touch his upper arm, “you’d better not be killed, Pike…otherwise I’ll murder you.” You threaten playfully as you make your way to the kitchen to begin dinner while Theo sits at the table finishing his homework. Marcus chuckles like he was supposed to as you both walk into the kitchen.

“Hey buddy.” Marcus’ smile immediately brightens when he sees his son sitting at the table. 

“Hey dad.” He glances up and grins before he’s looking back down at his work sheets. 

“I wanted to talk to you before dinner.” Marcus sits down and waits until Theo puts his pencil down. “Buddy, I’ve got to go out of town for work. A big case and I’ve got to be out of touch. It’ll be for a month, and then I promise I’ll be back and you and I are going to spend a ton of time together.”

Theo frowns, “a whole month?” He asks and Marcus nods. “Why?” Theo whines and you turn to look at him in warning for his tone. 

“I gotta go fight bad guys. I can’t - I promise you I’ll spend as much time as possible with you when I get back.” Marcus promises and Theo pouts, “I don’t want you to go! You’re gonna disappear and I’ll never see you again.”

“That won’t happen.” Marcus promises, shaking his head. “If there’s an emergency, I’m going to give your mom a number so my work can get me a message.” He explains

You walk over to rub Theo’s back, “it’s okay, sweetheart. Your dad will be back  before you know it. He’s gotta go fight bad guys and he’s gonna come back and spend so much time with you. Maybe you can stay with your dads for a change.” You give Theo something to look forward to.

“We could do that?” Theo asks hopefully and Marcus nods. 

“Of course. I want you to stay. I want you to have your room set up just the way you want it.”

You nod, “your dad and I will talk when he’s back about spending some nights together. Boy time without mama.” You wink, and Marcus smiles at you before you finish cooking dinner. After you eat, it’s time for Marcus to go and you watch him say goodbye to Theo for the month.

There are extra long hugs and Theo tears up, but Marcus is right there with him. “I love you, buddy.” Marcus promises. “I’m going to be back as quickly as I can. And I’m going to be thinking about you all the time.”

You watch them say goodbye with tears in your eyes and you know it will be hard for Marcus and Theo to be away from each other. They are so close now and you wonder how they were ever apart. Marcus kisses his forehead and you watch Marcus as steps towards you. You wrap your arms around him and you breathe him in, holding him close before he leaves for at least four weeks.

“I’ll be back. I promise.” He doesn’t hesitate to kiss the top of your head. “Take care of our boy, okay?” He asks softly, wishing that he didn’t have to go.

You step back and you pull Theo into your side as Marcus grabs his jacket. “I’ll see you soon.” He promises both of you and Theo’s lower lip trembles as he watches his dad leave. 

“It’s okay baby.” You promise, pulling him into your arms to comfort him. You know he loves his father and if you’re being honest with yourself, so do you. 

**** 

The month seems to drag by and you decide to put up a calendar so Theo can cross off the days until his father is supposed to be home and finally, it’s that day. You are anxious, waiting for Marcus to call to say he’s coming home and finally, when the phone rings, you grab it so fast it nearly drops out of your hand. “Marcus.” You sigh, relieved when he says hello. “Are you okay? Are you safe?” You ask, desperate to hear that he’s fine.

“Hey.” Marcus grins, even though he’s exhausted. He just got out of a long debriefing and still has to fly home, but he wanted to hear your voice and Theo’s. “I’ve got a flight in about ten minutes. I should be back in D.C. late, but I was wondering if I could come over and see Theo? And you?”

You glance over at your computer, a little lost in the fact that he’s okay. Your pounding heart calms a little and you exhale softly. “Of course. Theo will be mad if I don’t let him see you as soon as you are back in D.C. Come over when you’re back. Theo can take the day off of school tomorrow and we can do something together to celebrate you being back. How long is the flight?” You ask and Marcus pauses, “I, uh, actually I’m flying from Austin. Had to go do a deposition. Figured I’d head straight there after the op ended to get it out of the way.” He confesses and you bite your lip, a little mad that he didn’t call first thing. 

“Oh, okay. Well, uh, I’ll see you soon.” You say and he clears his throat, “yeah. There’s something I wanna talk to you about. See you later.” He says vaguely and your stomach twists. What could he possibly want to talk about? 

You mull it over for a couple of hours until it hits you. “Teresa.” You choke, he’s getting back together with her. Something in your gut just tells you that’s what he wants to discuss.

On the flight, Marcus mulls over what he wants to say. He’s missed you. A lot. Not just Theo, but you as well. You’ve been on his mind constantly, wondering if you’re cooking dinner or curling up with your phone to giggle at videos that you’ll share with him. He realized over the last month that he’s been gone, he’s in love with you. It’s been hard to not call you and tell you, but he decided it was better to do it in person. If you don’t feel the same way, he won’t try to convince you. He’ll concentrate on helping you raise Theo. But he’s come to view the three of you as a family. The family that he’s been supposed to have all along.

The doorbell rings and you smile when Theo rushes to the door. “Hold on, sweetheart, let me check who it is.” You look through the peephole and your heart thumps as you see Marcus, looking different with a beard. You open the door and Theo rushes out, “dad!” He shouts and wraps his arms around Marcus.

“Hey buddy!” Marcus rushes towards his son and scoops him up into a crushing hug. Feeling instantly better now that his little boy is in his arms. “God, I missed you. I thought about you every day. Talked to you at night before I went to bed.” He pulls back and grins at the boy. “Have you been good for your momma?”

Theo surges forward to hug his dad again, reluctant to let go so you answer, “he’s been good. Been making a list of things he’s wanted to talk to you about so be prepared.” You joke and Marcus chuckles, “I got all the time for you, bud. I have the next week off so I’m all yours.” 

You are relieved to see Marcus and he steps forward to kiss your cheek while holding Theo close to his side. “Hey sweetheart.” He murmurs and you smile at him, letting him step into your apartment. 

“Come in, I’m just making dinner.” You tell him and shut the door behind him when Theo takes his hand to practically drag him inside.

Marcus chuckles and shakes his head. “You missed me?” He teases playfully but Theo just scoffs. 

“Of course I missed you dad. I didn’t have anyone to play catch with.” He sends you an apologetic look. “Mom tries but she’s not as good as you are.” 

He ruffles Theo’s hair. “That’s okay. Mom’s great at a lot of other things.”

You nod, “exactly. Who else is gonna make your lunch just how you like it? Daddy doesn’t know how to cut off the crusts.” You tease and Theo shakes his head, “I don’t want that anymore.” He lies, “I’m a big boy.” 

You snort, “sure thing baby.” You wink at Marcus as the boys sit at the kitchen table and you grab a beer for Marcus and a juice for Theo. 

“What did you do, dad? Did you fight the bad guys?”

“I did.” Marcus smiles a thank you towards you as he takes the beer. “But first I had to convince them that I was a bad guy too.” He admits and Theo’s eyes widen. 

“But you are the best!” He cries, making Marcus feel so very honored that his son thinks so highly of him. 

“I was just trying to get them to tell me all the bad stuff they were doing. And I did it. So I got to arrest them.”

“That’s awesome!” Theo cheers, a wide grin on his face and you are glad that Marcus is back with his son…for now at least. You work on dinner, listening to them catch up and when you sit down, Marcus asks how you’ve been. “Same old. Work has kept me busy. Trying and failing to play catch with this one keeps me occupied.” You tease Theo who looks down at his plate with a little remorse at his comment. You wink at him when he looks up to show you are teasing and he starts to dig into his dinner. “I, uh, had my mom come stay for a weekend. She looked after Theo while I went out with some work friends.”

“That’s great.” Marcus’ smile tightens slightly, wondering if it was a date. He doesn’t have any reason to be jealous, but he would love to take you out. To give you a kid free night and explore what could be between the two of you. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah it was good.” You nod, “Theo had a good time with his grandma, right?” You ask the little boy who nods, “she gave me soooo much chocolate.” He says and you chuckle, “and she was told it was too much.” You remind him and ruffle his hair. 

You finish eating and Theo is reluctant to go to bed but you soon convince him to shower and get ready for bed so Marcus can go lay in the bed with him until he falls asleep. “Night, my love.” You kiss Theo on the forehead and pat Marcus’s side as he lays down and pulls Theo close to continue talking. 

“Dad?” Theo asks softly. 

“Yeah?” Marcus murmurs back. 

“Mommy missed you.” He reveals without you knowing.

“She did?” Marcus’ heart leaps in his chest but he focuses on his son, brushing his hair back. “Why do you say that?” He asks quietly. He wonders if you just agreed that you missed him when Theo said something or if you had been upset that he wasn’t around to help.

“She would stare at that photo of the three of us, that’s in the hall. She’d cry and think I couldn’t see it, hear her.” He whispers, innocent eyes wide as he looks at his father.

“Oh.” He closes his eyes and nods. “I understand.” He whispers, leaning in and pressing his forehead against Theo’s. “I’ll make sure I make it up to her too.” He promises. He knows how much Theo loves his mom. You’re easy to love.

Theo snuggles into his chest, closing his eyes. “I love you, dad.” He murmurs, falling asleep moments later. When Marcus comes out of Theo’s room, softly shutting the door behind him, you look up from your phone. “He asleep?” You ask and Marcus nods, “out like a light.” 

You smile softly, setting your phone down, “he’s missed you so much.” You tell Marcus who comes to sit down beside you. 

“I missed him.” He says and you notice him hesitating. 

“Marcus…do you have something you need to tell me? Because I’d rather you just rip the bandaid off if you’re gonna be moving back to Austin, back to Teresa.” You spit out your worries, unable to stop it.

“What?” Marcus’ eyes widen and he’s bewildered until he remembers that he had told you that he was flying back from Austin. “No, no, I’m not getting back together with Teresa.” He promises. “I’m not going back to Texas. I want to stay here with Theo. And you.” He takes a step closer to you. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking while I’ve been gone.”

You look up at him, your brow furrowed and you wonder what he’s talking about. “Me too. I want - I want us to have shared custody of Theo. Officially. I want you to be listed as his father and I want you to be able to have all the rights a father has.”

“Is that all you want?” He asks softly, knowing that he’s putting his heart on the line. “I want- I needed that time apart.” He admits. “I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t just feeling grateful for you after Teresa, but I know that I - I’m in love with you.”

You stare at him, in shock and your jaw drops slightly. “You- wait - you - Marcus?” You ask breathlessly. He fidgets, looking like he’s regretting telling you but you shake your head and surge forward to cup his cheeks, bringing his eyes back to you. “I love you for the brilliant agent you are. I love you for how kind you are. I love you for what an incredible father you are. I am so in love with you, Marcus Anthony Pike. You are the one that got away but you’re back now and I’m yours if you want me.” You promise him, voice steady as you give air to the emotions that have been plaguing you since long before Marcus left to go undercover.

His brow furrows and he pulls you closer, feeling both incredibly frustrated for all the time you’ve lost together and relieved that you feel the same way. He whispers your name. “I love you.” He promises before he ducks his head and presses his lips to yours.

The kiss is sweet and full of yearning. You and Marcus may have started off as a purely physical encounter but these feelings are the culmination of months and months of friendship and respect. You sigh into the kiss, your hands sliding down to rest on his chest and you can feel how fast his heart is thumping.

“Baby.” He pulls away and kisses down your jaw. “I love you. I just- I wanted to make sure -“ he groans again and his hands slide down to the very cusp of your ass. “I’ve felt so guilty. Because I wanted our little family to be real.”

You whimper when his lips kiss down your neck. “Marcus. Whatever happens- we - we agree that Theo comes first but - I really want to take you to my bed right now.” You admit, “and do naughty things to you.”

He groans against your pulse, unable to deny the fact that his cock is twitching. He’s had sex with you once and it is one of the highlights of his sexual experiences. So he might be a little nervous that he doesn’t live up to your expectations. “Let me make love to you.” He begs, scraping his teeth over your sensitive skin and grinning when you shudder. “I promise it won’t be the last time we are in bed together.”

You should be worried that this will change everything and if anything happens between you and Marcus, you put Theo in the middle. However, you don’t feel scared, you feel like this is meant to be. You feel like you belong with Marcus, in his arms. The love you feel isn’t fleeting or a honeymoon phase, it’s deep and real. “Take me to bed.” You request softly and Marcus takes your hand, guiding you to your bedroom. He’s been in here before but mainly to help with DIY stuff and when you’ve been putting laundry away. He shuts the door behind him while you shift towards the bed and when he walks over to cup your cheeks, you suddenly go a little shy. 

“Hi.” You murmur when his nose nudges yours. Marcus chuckles softly, “hi.” His response is soft and sweet, making you lean forward to press your lips together while your fingers work on the buttons of his shirt.

It’s slow. An opposite response to the first time that you were together. He wants you completely bare, he wants to be bare. He wants this to be what it should have been that first time. Sighing when your fingers brush his bare skin, he reaches for your hands and brings them up to kiss your fingers. “I’ve dreamed of touching you again so many times.” He confesses. “I want to make this good.”

“It’s you. It will be good because it’s you.” You promise him, your fingers caressing his jaw while his hands let go of yours to find the hem of your shirt. You let him pull it over your head and his hands caress your spine while they slide up to the clasp of your bra. “God, I love you.” You sigh after he removes your bra and he’s dragging you against him, your chests pressed together and your confession comes seconds before his lips find yours again.

Your taste is intoxicating, his tongue slides into your mouth and tangles with yours. Keeping it lighter, but the hunger is there, just simmering beneath the softness. His hands roam over your back before he slides them down to unhook your pants. “I want to taste you.” He groans against your lips. “Thought about it that night. Just spreading you apart wearing my cuffs and tonguing fucking your cunt on that jail cell bed.”

You moan softly at the memory of that night. How feral and rough it was. “Fuck, I- I think about that night all the time. When I- when I use my vibrator. Remember how you felt, the way you touched me. How you sounded.” You confess while he pushes your pants down and you step out of them to leave you in your underwear.

“I want to touch all of you.” He groans. “I wish I had just stripped you down. Fuck getting caught. You are gorgeous.” His hands caress your stomach, in awe that this body gave him Theo so long ago. “I can’t tell you how many times I jerked off thinking about that night. What I would have done if I had you again.”

“Shit, Marcus.” You pant, loving the dirty talk that’s spilling from his mouth and you reach down to squeeze his hard cock through his pants. “Always imagined sucking your cock. Wanting you to cum down my throat. So much I want you to do to me and me to you. Fuck.” You gasp when he bends over to take your nipple into his mouth. You tangle your fingers in his hair and push him further into your chest, your body almost shaking from the sensation after so long without physical touch.

He can’t help but groan when you tangle your fingers and tug. You hadn’t touched him that night and all of your previous touch had been innocent and friendly. Suckling hungrily, he bites down on your nipple gently and then soothing it with a loving lick. Imagining them filled with milk for his son. Imagining seeing you pregnant.

“Marcus. I want - I want to see all of you.” You plead when he lathes your other breast with attention until you’re pushing him back. You reach for his belt, unbuckling it and working fast to unbutton his pants. Reaching in to wrap your fingers around his cock that you never got to touch the first time.

“Fuck.” Marcus hisses, his hips rocking up. “Jesus, baby.” He lets you take control, knowing that you had been at his mercy the first time. He owes you this. “Sit on my face.” He begs, willing to do whatever you want but he wants his tongue into you.

You won’t argue with him, letting go of his cock to push your underwear down and he works on pushing his pants and boxers down, struggling to kick off his shoes until he’s left in just his socks and he’s in too much of a hurry to remove those. You watch him lay down and you kneel on the bed. “Fuck, I want to suck your cock too. Didn’t get a chance to.” You say, bending over to run your tongue along the underside of his cock as it rests heavy on his lower stomach.

“Fuck.” Marcus moans, nodding almost dumbly as your tongue presses against the head. “Whatever you want. I just want to make you feel good, baby”

You nod, shifting to straddle Marcus’s chest. You want to suck him off but you remind yourself that you don’t just have one night, you have as many as he will give you. You slow down a little as you sit on his chest and his hands grab your thighs, shifting you until you are hovering over his face.

“Jesus Christ, you have such a pretty cunt.” Marcus groans before he lunges up and dives into your folds. Sliding his tongue through the wetness and moaning at your taste.

Your hands find your headboard, a moan escaping your lips as his tongue dives deep. “Fuck! Marcus!” You cry, throwing your head back and you realize you were too loud for sleeping Theo. You bite your lip, trying to remain quiet and rocking your hips down to meet his eager tongue.

Marcus groans, his hands coaxing you to ride his face. He doesn’t want you to suppress your noises, he wants to hear all of them. Cock throbbing as he probes deeper into your cunt, his chin grinding against your clit.

You let go of your lip as you can’t help the moan that escapes you as you grind down onto his face, his hands squeezing your hips with encouragement and you whimper when he nudges your clit just right.

Chuckling, Marcus makes sure that you are still getting that pressure that makes you whimper. Watching your ass move as you rock on his tongue, lost in pleasure. He wonders when the last time you had someone do this for you. He knows it will be something regular now, as long as you want it.

His chuckle vibrates through you and you reach up to squeeze your own tits after letting go of the headboard, your head thrown back as you grind onto his face. “Fuck. Fuck. I’m gonna - Marc - oh shit.” You squeal and clamp down on his tongue, soaking his face as you cum with a low moan.

He swears he could cum from just that alone. Groaning and continuing to make sure that you have the best orgasm you can possibly experience. Slowing his tongue and just keeping you shaking as you ride it out.

You take a moment to savor the feel of him before you bend over, taking his hard cock into your mouth with renewed vigor after he made you cum so hard. His answering groan makes you work harder, shifting off of his face to take him deeper.

“Baby.” He gasps, reaching down and cupping your jaw. “Holy shit.” His eyes roll back in pleasure when you flick your tongue over his frenulum and suck on the tip. “Not- not gonna last if you do that.” He pants, wanting to be inside you when he cums.

You reluctantly pull off of him, shifting to straddle his thighs, his cock pressed against your stomach as you lean down to kiss him. Again, there’s no rush as you languidly caress his tongue with yours. “Fuck, I love you.” You murmur against his chin. “I have an IUD. I know we never discuss anything sexual but it’s been a while for me and I’m clean.” You haven’t been a nun since Theo was born, managing a few nights out with coworkers or friends while your mom babysat back in Austin and you ended up having sex before rushing home to relieve your mom, never taking it beyond that for Theo’s sake.

“I love you too.” Marcus promises. “I- I got tested after ending things with Teresa.” It was a part of the work up for his undercover mission, but he had been planning on scheduling it anyway. “I’m clean and I trust you completely. You know that. Or you should.”

You caress his chest after you sit up, “I trust you with everything I am.” You promise him and his answering grin makes your heart thump. You shift up onto your knees, reaching between you to grip his cock and you position him at your entrance, sinking down onto him with a moan as he slowly stretches you out.

Marcus watches in rapture as your face twists up in pleasure at the fill of him. “I love you.” He groans, caressing your side and smiling up at you as you adjust to him. He wants you to take your time, whatever time you need. He wants you to have the exact pleasure you want tonight.

You take a moment to adjust to him, he’s long and you feel like he’s already in your guts. You caress his chest and close your eyes for a moment, just feeling him. Finally, your thighs touch his and you open your eyes to look at him. “Fuck, you feel so good.” You admit after you lift up, slowly, and you feel him dragging against your walls as you sink back down onto him.

“You feel good.” He groans. “You felt so good that night, but now.” He shakes his head and squeezes your hips. “I love you. Fuck baby, you look so good. You belong right there.”

Your heart pounds as you look down at him, your hand sliding over his chest to feel how his heart beats and you love the way he’s looking at you like you’re the most precious thing in the world. “It was meant to be. That night. Us having sex. Having Theo. It took a while but this is where we belong.” You murmur, grinding down onto him.

“Yes it is, baby.” That he’s now completely certain of. “I want to make a real family with you.” He knows that serious conversations need to happen, Theo’s best interests need to come first, but he wants you to know how serious he is. “Us baby. The three of us.”

His words make tears spring in your eyes and you bend over, cupping his cheeks so you can kiss him. “The three of us. A family, oh God. You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined it. Maybe…maybe one day…another baby. If it works out.” You suggest, “want you to be there for it all.” You murmur, kissing his jaw as you rock back onto him.

“Fuck.” Marcus groans and his cock twitches inside you. “I hate that I missed it. I would have waited on you, hand and foot.” There’s nothing he wants more than to see you growing his child, but maybe there can be another one sometime soon. If you want. He would love it. “Want to marry you, baby.” He coos.

His words make you shiver at the idea of being Mrs. Pike, but in the best way possible. It’s something you’ve definitely thought about, you’d guiltily admit that you thought about it when he was with Teresa. You rock back onto him, your chest still pressed against his. “I want to be yours, Marcus. In every way. You are - fuck - you are everything I want.” You promise, leaning closer to kiss along his neck.

The moment lingers and it’s everything that he’s wanted. The sensation more than he had with Teresa. He knows that now. His hands slide up your back, tongue pressing against the dip in your shoulder.

You are breathless as you rock on top of him, “Marc.” You moan as your body shakes above him, getting closer and closer as the angle hits just right and his pelvis is rubbing against your clit. You bury your face in his neck when you cum. It’s slow and intense, making your entire body vibrate as you feel it from your toes all the way to your head. It’s dizzying and you shudder as you try to work yourself through it.

“Good girl.” Marcus moans, closing his eyes and feeling your body shake and shudder as you softly come down from your high until you are limp on top of him. “God, you are so perfect.”

You tilt your head to kiss him, enjoying the feel of him inside of you and the lingering haze of your orgasm. His tongue slides against yours and you’re in no rush. You have all night and hopefully every night from now on. His hands caress your back until he pulls back from your mouth and rolls you over, his body hovering over yours. “You gonna make love to me?” You ask softly, fingers caressing his lips.

“I am.” Marcus leans in and nudges his nose against yours. Pressing his lips to yours in a petal soft kiss before sliding his hand down to lift your thigh onto his hip. “Want to make sure you know exactly how I feel about you.”

You caress his shoulders, “show me.” You order, wanting to experience Marcus like this. After so many months of pining for him, watching him with Teresa. You finally have him and he’s taking his time to make sure you know how he feels. When he starts to move inside of you, it’s slow and you feel every ridge and vein of him. “Shit.” You pant, tilting your head back.

He keeps his lips on your skin. Trailing kisses up and down your throat as he slowly rocks into you. Just slow enough that you feel him move but he’s not even built up anything that could be considered a pace. Feeling like he’s home and relishing it.

You keep your head tilted back so he can kiss along it, making you sigh and your hands caress his shoulders before sliding up to his cheeks, bringing his face to yours so you can kiss him. You wrap both your legs around him, wanting him to be even closer and he barely moves as your tongues slide against each other.

It’s like time doesn’t matter right here, and it doesn’t. The fatigue, the sorrow, the loneliness all evaporate as the two of you slowly move towards that pinnacle together. Almost more emotional than physical as he wants to stay buried inside you.

You shift your hips and Marcus moves a little faster, sensing what you need without you saying it, and you whimper when he shifts deeper inside of you. The pace is still leisurely and your lips hover against his, eyes closed as you breathe him in.

“Fuck, I love you.” Marcus promises, rocking slowly and tightening his hold on you. Feeling like he’s in Heaven. “This is- everything to me.”

“Me too.” You promise in return, caressing his shoulders and back as he rocks into you and he’s still in no rush. “You’re everything to me. You and Theo. My - my fucking world. Would do anything for either of you.” You vow, clenching around his cock.

He hums, knowing you mean every word you say. You have been nothing but truthful with him. Good to him when he didn’t deserve it and he’s honored that you fell in love with him.

When Marcus picks up the pace a little, you tighten your grip on him and can’t stop the little moans that escape your lips. “Oh God. Yes, right there.” You murmur, lost in the pleasure and the emotion as he pushes deep inside of you.

“There?” He grunts, biting his lip and concentrating to make sure that he makes you cum again. His arms brace his body up above you, still close as he works his cock in and out of your tight cunt. “Fuck, one more baby.” He begs. “Give me one more.”

You can’t speak as he hits the right spot over and over. Your stomach twists and your thighs tighten around him as he pushes deep until you are clamping down on his cock. Your head thrown back as you cum, gushing around him as a silent cry of his name graces your lips.

“Oh god, baby.” He groans, and presses his lips to yours as he starts to feel his own orgasm start to take over. “I love you, I love you so much.”

You watch him as he cums, his eyes squeezing shut as his jaw drops after he pulls back from you and you squeeze him within your walls, wanting to milk him for everything he has. Your hands caress his shoulders, sliding down his back. “I love you too. More than you’ll ever know.” You promise against his chin .

Panting, Marcus smiles and kisses your lips again. “I can’t believe that we are here like this.” He admits with a small chuckle. “I think that the best thing I did was watch the drunk tank that night.”

You cup his cheek, “I think the best thing I did was go out to celebrate my graduation. It’s been - it’s been a wild journey but I wouldn’t change anything. I love you and Theo so much. My world. I want to be your wife, I want to have more of your babies. I want you. Forever. Marcus, I fucking love you.” You declare breathlessly and he grins, pecking your lips. 

“You’ll get everything you want because that’s what I want. You’re what I want. You and my Theo. You’re everything.” He promises and you pull him close, his cock still inside of you and you know that you were always meant to belong to Marcus and him to you. It took eleven years but you and Marcus are finally where you belong: together.

[tsumuus]

hello! i hope ypu are doing well and taking care of yourself, you be open to doing your “love languages” promt with tenya iida as acts of service or quality time (if it isnt available of course)! i wish you all the best

₊✩‧₊˚ tenya iida + prompt 1 ˚₊✩‧₊

₊✩‧₊˚ quality time ˚₊✩‧₊

Being in a relationship with Tenya Iida meant that time was precious. His schedule as a hero-in-training and later as a professional hero was packed with responsibilities, but that didn’t stop him from dedicating quality time to you. Iida knew that your love language was quality time, and he made sure to show his affection by being fully present whenever you were together.

Mornings often started with a quiet routine. Though Iida had a disciplined nature, he adjusted his strict schedule to include breakfast with you. On days when he didn’t have early patrols, the two of you would prepare breakfast together. You’d mix pancake batter while he brewed the coffee, the scent of freshly ground beans filling the kitchen. As the pancakes sizzled, Iida would talk to you about his plans for the day, listening intently when you shared yours.

“Do you think you’ll be home early tonight?” you asked as you poured the batter into the pan.

Iida smiled, watching the pancakes form perfectly round circles. “I’ll make sure of it. I’ve scheduled my reports so that I can finish by six. We can have dinner together. How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” you replied, returning his smile.

In the afternoons, Iida would take you out for walks in the park. He knew how much you enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature, so he made it a point to explore different parks around the city. He held your hand as you walked along the winding paths, occasionally stopping to admire a particularly vibrant patch of flowers or to sit on a bench and watch the world go by. These walks were never rushed. Iida made sure to match your pace, allowing you to savor every moment together.

“I’m glad we’re doing this,” you said softly, leaning your head against his shoulder as you walked. “It’s nice to just… be with you.”

“I feel the same,” Iida replied, giving your hand a gentle squeeze. “No matter how busy things get, I want to make sure we always have time for this. For us.”

Sometimes, Iida would bring you to his agency's training grounds, not for a workout but to share a part of his world with you. He’d show you around, explaining how each piece of equipment worked and how it contributed to his training. There were moments when he’d demonstrate a technique, his serious expression softening whenever he caught you watching with admiration.

“Do you ever get tired?” you asked one day, watching him flawlessly execute a series of kicks.

Iida paused, wiping the sweat from his brow before walking over to you. “Of training? Sometimes. But knowing that you’re here with me makes it easier. You give me strength, you know.”

You blushed at his words, feeling your heart swell with affection. “You’re amazing, Tenya. But don’t push yourself too hard, okay? I want you to be safe.”

He nodded, his expression earnest. “I promise I won’t. Your concern means the world to me.”

Evenings were reserved for quiet, intimate moments at home. After a long day, Iida loved nothing more than settling down on the couch with you. He’d let you pick a movie, though he often ended up watching you more than the screen.

On weekends, when both of you had more time, Iida planned day trips to nearby towns or historical sites. He knew you loved learning about new places, so he took pleasure in researching destinations that would pique your interest. The two of you would spend hours wandering through quaint streets, exploring museums, or enjoying a meal at a local café.

“This place is incredible,” you said, taking in the architecture of a small, historical town.

“I thought you’d like it,” Iida replied, smiling as he watched your eyes light up with excitement. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“You always do,” you said, leaning into him as you walked. “Thank you for making time for this, for us. I know how busy you are.”

Iida stopped walking and turned to face you, taking both of your hands in his. “You’re my priority,” he said softly. “No matter how busy I am, I’ll always make time for you. I love you.”

“I love you too, Tenya,” you whispered, feeling a deep sense of contentment as you shared a tender kiss.

But perhaps what made your relationship with Iida so special was the way he made even the smallest moments feel significant. Whether it was studying together in the library, cooking dinner side by side, or simply sitting in comfortable silence as you read a book and he went over hero reports, Iida made sure that you always felt his love. He knew that quality time was what made you feel most connected to him, and he embraced it wholeheartedly.

In return, you made sure that Iida knew how much you appreciated the effort he put into spending time with you. The way he made you feel important, valued, and loved filled you with warmth and a deep sense of gratitude. And though Iida was always busy, he never let you forget that you were his priority.

a/n i love iida so much you don’t even know

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[maomilaa]

the weekend pancake report with a special guest 🌺🥞

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

The Nevermore murders | Ghostface!Xavier Thorpe x Addams!Reader

Summary: Shortly after the Addams twins make their arrival at Nevermore Academy, a series of gruesome murders among the student body begins. As bodies pile up, Wednesday gets into investigating and gets to the conclusion that the victims all have one thing in common: they are members of the Nevermore Academy's secret society. 

What if the killer was among the members of the Nightshade society?

Word count: 8.4k

Warnings: This fic has smut, blood, violence, murders, knife play and more. If that’s not your thing, do not read it.

A/N: Xavier will be a little ooc in this for the plot’s sake

I want to say a special thank you to @lightofdawnxo who helped me get to the end of this fic 

—

An early riser of Nevermore Academy stumbled upon a gruesome display in the quad on Monday morning. The body of Yoko Tanaka was found hooked to one of the branches of the tree.

Principal Weems felt disturbed by the brutality of the act. Whoever had done this must be a total lunatic.

According to the books, vampires are immortal, but by the amount of blood that was spilled into the fountain — likely caused by a stab in her heart —, Yoko was dead.

When you descended from your dorm, everyone was crowding the entrance of the quad. The unusual scene drew your attention. You tried to see above the crowd, but all you could make out was yellow ribbons and Jericho police officers.

‘’Did somebody die?’’ you asked in your typical dark humor.

The girl beside you turned her head in your direction, looking as if she had seen a ghost. ‘’Haven’t you heard? Yoko was murdered.’’

*

Before Nevermore could grieve their classmate, another body was found.

The whole student body was at the harvest festival when a scream was heard in the woods: Bianca Barclay's. At her feet laid the dead body of her fellow siren and close friend, Kent. His throat was sliced and blood was gushing out while his wide eyes were staring right back at her.

She crouched down and touched his arm — the body was still warm.

The crunch of a tree branch snapping under a foot put Bianca into alert mode. ‘’Hello?’’ she called into the dark woods, checking one of the most cliché — and dumb — things one says in a horror movie.

She looked around as her hands trembled, terrified Kent’s killer was still there. He had talked to her half an hour ago, right before going to meet his Grindr date. Whoever did this couldn’t be far.

The leaves rustled and twigs snapped as someone approached Bianca from behind.

‘’Bianca! I heard a scream—’’ Divina cut herself off with a scream of her own, seeing Kent on the ground just as Bianca caught a masked figure between trees.

*

The next day during breakfast, Kent’s name was on everyone’s lips.

‘’It’s the second death in the span of a week,’’ Ajax pointed out, stabbing a piece of pancake from his plate.

‘’Murder,’’ Xavier corrected, taking a seat beside you. Since it was the weekend, his uniform was replaced by a darker hoodie and regular tee shirt. ‘’Yoko had a knife in her heart and Kent’s throat was slit. They were murdered.’’

Before you, Enid gulped and pushed her half empty plate away, no longer hungry. Yoko was one of her great friends. The imaginative visual of her hanging by the tree in the quad made her stomach churn.

You felt Xavier drape an arm behind you to keep a hand on the small of your back, more protective since the beginning of the murders. ‘’Bianca told Weems she saw someone in the woods after finding Kent’s body,’’ you reported.

‘’The killer?’’ Enid asked in a hushed voice, the same way one would talk about Voldemort in Harry Potter.

‘’Possibly.’’ You popped a blueberry in your mouth and leaned back against Xavier.

Ajax sighed. ‘’Nevermore used to be the safest place for outcasts. Now, someone is out there killing our classmates.’’

‘’Who agrees to meet someone they met on a dating app in the woods? It’s almost like he ran after his own death,’’ Wednesday said, breaking her silence at the end of the table.

‘’How can you say that?’’ Enid gasped, shocked by her roommate’s indelicate words.

You backed your sister. Her words were wrongly chosen, but Kent wasn't the brightest one of the bunch and his death proved it. ‘’Wednesday is right. Don't you guys watch horror movies?’’

*

After a few days of peace, Divina joined her twin brother and became the third victim of the Nevermore Academy murders. She was found by the lake, gutted like a fish. Although barbarous, it was ironic and well thought out by the killer.

‘’First Yoko and now Divina? This is unfair,’’ Enid cried on her bed, saddened by her friends’ deaths.

‘’Life is unfair, Enid,’’ Wednesday deadpanned, not helping her roommate’s crying. She was terrible at comforting people.

‘’Why would someone want to kill them? Kent partnered up with Bianca to sabotage the other teams at Poe Cup, but he’s never done anything so horrible that would make someone want to kill him. Neither did Yoko and Divina. I don’t understand.’’

‘’Murderers are difficult to understand,’’ you said, having read your fair share of books about serial killers.

The petite werewolf looked up from her pink heart pillow, tear stains on her face from crying. ‘’Why can't the police find them? It’s their job to keep people safe and catch the bad guys and put them behind bars. I don’t think I can handle another murder…’’

Enid was an emotional person. She was so destroyed by the loss of her friends, it was heartbreaking to see. These murders were hard on her, but unfortunately you didn’t have any words to bring her comfort. You tried getting Ajax to come over to comfort her, but getting past the housemaster was impossible.

You grabbed Wednesday’s headless doll and played with the buttons of her dress. She owned an identical dress, which made the doll creepier. ‘’This is not Riverdale. There is no 'murderer or serial killer gene'.’’ Wednesday plucked the doll from your hands, the dark look in her eyes telling you to stop it. ‘’Besides, I doubt Jericho's police department is professionally equipped to track a murderer. I don’t know why Weems bothered to call them. Now outcasts are seen as a murderer's target and normies probably make entertainment and tasteless jokes out of this.’’

‘’Then maybe someone else should take the case in their hands.’’

Enid was not wrong. Someone better suited for the job would make this case go forward — and perhaps catch the murderer —, but you could hardly see Sheriff Galpin asking help for the outcasts he despised so much. He would rather sit and watch all the outcasts drop dead before lifting a finger to help solve this case.

‘’Serial killers are difficult to catch, but not impossible,’’ Wednesday aforementioned, grabbing her notebook with a pen. Her roommate’s words had sparked an idea inside her. ‘’Thing, help Enid dry her tears. I'm taking the case into my own hands. A masked boogeyman is killing our classmates and I intend on finding who’s behind it.’’

*

‘’Where is Enid?’’ you asked a few days later, not seeing the blonde girl on her side of the dorm.

At this hour, she was usually painting her nails or working on tomorrow’s post for her social media accounts. She was a busy lady.

Wednesday was sitting at her desk with paper cut-outs all over. ‘’Out with her gorgon boyfriend,’’ she explained flatly.

The ban on outings had been lifted as of yesterday so you expected no less.

Many students had gone out today, even just to grab coffee at Weathervane. Nevermore was a large ground, but nothing compared to the freedom of Jericho. The town was less than interesting, but at least there were shops to browse, people to spook and the best chocolate cake.

You hummed, walking up to the desk to creep on your sister. ‘’How’s the investigation going?’’

‘’I may have found a common denominator between the victims.’’

You took a seat on Wednesday’s bed, careful to not crease it. ‘’Enlighten me.’’

‘’Turns out all students have something in common: they’re part of Nevermore’s secret society,’’ Wednesday explained. She pulled out a paper with what seemed to be a coat of arms — moon phases at the top, a double nightshade flower with a skull as the flower’s middle.

You pulled your eyebrows together. ‘’Since when does Nevermore have a secret society?’’

‘’Since the 1600s. Our ancestor, Goody Addams, founded the Nightshades to fight against society and to bring peace to every outcast so they could be considered as equals with normies. It's been previously believed to be disbanded because of the death of a normie, but they seemed to be still a thing.’’

‘’Why haven’t I heard of that society before?’’

‘’Perhaps you are not as cool as you believe yourself to be.’’

Your jaw dropped and you tossed a cushion at your sister. She didn’t flinch or react.

‘’If I am right — which I 99.9% am sure of —, the list of the next victims should be found through Weems. Thing and I will attempt to sneak into her office at nighttime to get my hands on the list of the members. As headmaster, she must know about this secret society.’’

*

Despite having a masked killer on the loose going after Nevermore Academy students, Principal Weems decided to not cancel the Rave'N dance. She deemed the students needed to have a little fun for one night after the tragedies.

Dress-code be damned, you would never be caught dead in a white dress.

‘’You look like a murdering widow attending their husband’s funeral, but in a good way,’’ Enid complimented, a yeti-tini in her hand.

You smiled at her, still holding onto Xavier’s arm. ‘’Thanks, Enid. I like the fur trim on yours.’’

She was giving wintery sugar-fairy plum vibes with her pink wig and sparkles on her face. It was too colorful for your taste, but she pulled it off perfectly. By her side, Ajax had gone for a more casual look — his classic tee shirt and a hoodie combo underneath a beige blazer to dress it up.

‘’Do you know if Wednesday is coming?’’ the pink haired girl asked. ‘’She was not in our dorm when I left.’’

You shook your head. ‘’Wednesday doesn’t do dances. Besides, she is too brain deep into her investigation to care about these school events—’’

Behind you, a chorus of surprised gasps and whispers caught your attention, putting an abrupt end to your conversation with Enid. You turned your head, following everyone’s sight-line, and saw Wednesday stepping in in a Victorian lace number, making her big — and unexpected — entrance.

‘’Check it out,’’ Ajax said, pointing to your sister. ‘’Wednesday totally busted out of her cocoon.’’

Ms. Thornhill approached Wednesday before you could wave her over, looking equally surprised and happy to see her at the Rave’N — and, with a date. They talked for a short time, then she excused herself to the drink table and you let go of Xavier’s arm to get to her.

‘’I’ll be right back.’’

The bottom of your dress was sweeping the floor as you walked, making you wish you had gotten it hemmed before the dance.

‘’Nice dress, did you dig in a corpse’s coffin?’’

‘’I did not. Unfortunately,’’ Wednesday replied while pouring Yeti-tinis into cups — for her and Tyler. ‘’Thing stole it in a shop in town.’’ She gave you a look over, her face turning into a slight discomfort. ‘’You look like Mother,’’ she pointed out flatly, looking at your long dark hair and the plunging neckline of your dress. ‘’It’s truly disturbing.’’

‘’I’ll take it as a compliment.’’ You grabbed a glass and poured yourself a drink. ‘’Interesting choice of date,’’ you said, wrinkling your nose seeing Tyler dressed in a white suit and a blue button up. Something about him rubbed you the wrong way.

‘’Not all of us are interested by elite snobs.’’ Wednesday took her drinks and left.

*

Eventually, the DJ played the last song of the night. Some radio pop that made you cringe. You hated every single thing about that song, but danced with Enid anyway.

Just as the song was hitting its high point, you saw something drip on Enid’s shoulder. Something red. You looked up, trying to figure its provenance, and saw more red liquid dripping and coming from the sprinklers. More and more continued to drip, speckling dresses, jackets, hair and faces with red.

Your lips curled into a pleased smile, feeling the wetness on your face and dripping down. Your first blood shower. The sprinklers hit their full splashing speed and Wednesday's face mirrored yours.

The party ambiance turned into chaos and terror. Screams echoed all around, realizing what was happening. People were running and slipping on the now wet floor, turning up the level of chaos, while the Addams twins remained calm.

You dipped a red-coated finger in your mouth, only to be disappointed. ‘’It’s only paint.’’

Whoever had planned this little stunt were amateurs — or wimps. Although you were 100% on Carrie’s side, at least Chris Hargensen went through with her plan and got real pig’s blood.

Soon enough, the whole room was coated in red paint; it reassembled a bloodbath. It was magnificent.

‘’Have you seen Tyler? I lost him,’’ the voice of your sister asked, standing before you, equally painted with red paint.

You shook your head. ‘’I haven’t.’’

*

You walked down Ophelia Hall to your dorm, 'bloody' from head to toes. The paint had begun to dry in some places, making it feel tight and uncomfortable on the skin.

When you came out from your shower, you caught a masked figure sitting in your chair, spinning a knife on your bed-side table with a gloved hand — the masked killer. While most would have screamed and ran out of the room, your visitor made your stomach twist in a pleasuring way.

‘’Nice robe. Though it would look better on the floor,’’ the masked killer said with the use of a voice changer.

‘’Nice knife. It would look better against my neck,’’ you quipped back without a glint of fear.

You grabbed your hairbrush from your desk, totally unbothered by the stranger in your dorm, but when you moved to get to your bathroom, the masked killer was right behind you.

‘’I didn’t say you could go.’’

Your body stilled, feeling the warmth of their chest through the thin fabric of your robe. A gloved hand crept on your waistline, right where the tie of your silk robe sat. One firm tug and it would fall open — goodbye modesty.

‘’I saw you on the dance floor.’’ The hand on your waist slowly trailed down, searching for the opening of your robe to slip a hand underneath. ‘’All that blood on you made me want to ravage you. Unfortunately, I had other doings awaiting.’’

You could hear the other person breathing behind the mask and felt a jolt of pleasure shoot straight to your core. ‘’Are you going to kill me?’’

‘’Do you want me to?’’ the robotic voice asked.

You twisted in their grasp, now facing the masked killer. The danger of the situation excited you and you could feel it in your panties as the gloved hand slipped higher on your thigh, exposing more skin.

A smirk curled on your lips, deciding to entertain his little game. You then put on your best 'scared' face, peering up at them with pleading eyes. ‘’Please don't kill me Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel.’’

“I like it when you beg.” A gloved hand reached up and removed the mask to reveal a smirking Xavier, his eyes dark with lust.

‘’How was he?’’ you asked, hearing the mask hit the floor.

‘’Feisty.’’ Xavier rolled his shoulder, hissing a little. ‘’He kept screaming and fighting back. It was so annoying. I had to gag him and tie him up.’’

‘’This should keep Wednesday’s nose away from our business.’’

Xavier hummed, casting his green eyes down on your lightly covered body. He leaned in to attach his plush lips to your jaw, kissing along while he untied your robe. The front fell open, the chill air of the dorm waking goosebumps on your skin.

He led you to the bed and followed you down on the bed-spread. The sides of your robe had slipped on the sides of your body, uncovering the swell of your breasts. Xavier's mouth left your skin, pulling back and taking a moment to admire you under him.

‘’My deadly nightshade,’’ he breathed out in a whisper, running a finger over your clothed clit. He was so deeply in love with you; he would murder for you, abandon his morales just for one more taste of you. You didn't notice him reaching under his robe to retrieve his knife. He ran the cold blade up your thigh, making you shiver. ‘’I’m gonna have you screaming for me.” The blade slid briefly under your panties — black and delicate, just the way he liked.

‘’I don’t scream,’’ you said, your heart beating faster from the thrill of the knife. ‘’And if I do, there's a good chance I'm enjoying myself.’’

Xavier smirked with a dark glint in his eyes. He took that as a challenge. ‘’I’d love to hear that.’’ You heard the tear of the lace, the blade cutting through the delicate material and then moving to the left. Then, he gently dragged it down your mound, the blunt side touching your skin.

Your breath hitched and you clenched around nothing.

Xavier reached for the voice changer, bringing it to his mouth. ‘’Let’s play a game. Do you like scary movies, Y/N?’’

‘’Uh-uh.’’

‘’I ask a question and if you get it right, I’ll slip a finger in. You must be so fucking wet already, uh?’’ He slipped a finger between your folds, feeling your slick. You drew in a breath, bucking your hips and causing the knife to press into your delicate skin. ‘’That knife makes you wet, doesn't it?’’

Most would be terrified of the sharp edge touching their skin, but it gave you a rush of adrenaline and oxytocin.

‘’Wrong answer and I’ll—’’ He slapped your cunt, the sound echoing in the dorm, making you gasp a moan and quiver under his touch. ‘’Got it?’’

You nodded.

Xavier took the knife away and you whimpered, already missing it. ‘’How many people did Jason kill in the first Friday the 13th?’’

‘’Zero,’’ you answered confidently.

Jason was not the killer in the first movie. It’s his mother, Pamela Voorhees. That exact question was a trap for fake horror fans and they fell for it every time.

‘’Correct.’’ He brought a finger down to your folds and pushed it in with a squelching sound. ‘’What is the name of the swedish pagan cult in Midsommar?’’ Xavier continued while slowly thrusting his finger in and out.

You raked your brain for the right answer, not feeling full enough. ‘’The Hårga.’’

‘’Correct.’’ Another finger was added and you let out a soft sigh. ‘’In The Orphan, what is the not-so-little girl's real name in the movie?’’

You had watched this movie a few weeks ago. How could you not remember the little bitch’s name.

To deconcentrate, Xavier curled his fingers in just the right way, watching your eyes fluttering shut as a moan slipped out.

‘’Esther. H-her name’s Esther!’’

His fingers stilled inside you and that’s when you knew you fucked up.

Xavier shook his head. ‘’I'm sorry, that’s the wrong answer.’’ A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth and he slapped your pussy — hard —, making you moan, the line between pain and pleasure blurring. ‘’Her name is Leena Klammer. Esther is the name she gave herself.’’

Shit. You knew that.

‘’Should we go for another question? One last question?’’

‘’What does Emily Blunt's character, Evelyn Abbott, step on in the film A Quiet place?’’

A nail.

Instead, you said, ‘’A needle.’’

Xavier tsked you with his tongue, shaking his head. ‘’Wrong answer.’’ He gave your pussy another slap and you moaned again as you clenched, wishing he would do it again and again.

Was it even punishment if you were enjoying it?

‘’Mmh, look at that wet pussy.’’ Xavier dipped a finger between your folds, collecting your slick and making you push against his touch, wanting more. ‘’My pretty pussy.’’ He brought his finger to his mouth and sucked all of your slick like it was fucking desert. After cleaning it all up, he released it with a ‘pop’ and you kissed him, tasting yourself on his tongue.

Before you could engage in further activities, Xavier rid himself of his black costume and other black clothes. He was getting hot under this all — and his cock was so hard in his pants that it was aching. You wished he had kept his Rave’N attire underneath his costume, but he would've been too recognizable and blood was almost impossible to get out of white clothing.

You ran your hands over his bare chest, feeling the warmth of his skin. His face twisted in discomfort when you reached his shoulders, but you soothed them with kisses while his hands rubbed up and down your hips and thighs.

It was nice to not have to worry about a roommate returning or time. Your roommate asked to be moved to Bianca’s room after Divina’s death to support her in this difficult time and all the adults were too busy cleaning up the bloodbath in the ballroom to do bed check-ups.

‘’Ahh,’’ you gasped when you felt the tip of Xavier’s cock along your folds, wetness pooling between your legs as he teased you. ‘’Keep teasing and Tyler won’t be the only body found unalive in the morning,’’ you warned and nipped at his bottom lip.

Murderous tendencies were part of the Addams family genes. Adding a number to your body-count would bring a grin to your lips.

He sank into you in one smooth thrust, your legs closing on his back and pulling him closer. He was stretching you so good, filling you so good, that the slight pain due to rushing didn’t matter. You moaned loudly, fingernails digging hard into Xavier’s smooth back, almost drawing blood. He didn’t mind it. He actually loved the pain it resonated in his body. It made his pleasure sharper and stronger.

His thrusts got faster and harder, causing the decibels of your moans to rise with your pleasure as he bucked his hips and thrusted in and out of you at a rapid pace. Trying to quiet your sounds, you trailed your lips to his neck and up to his ear to busy them, taking his earlobe between your teeth as you tugged, releasing it only a moment later when he hissed.

You could feel your pussy quivering around him, already so close to coming. One hand moved up to grip his hair, pulling as he

Xavier looked down at you, his eyes burning just like yours and held his knife to your throat while he slammed into you. He wanted to paint that image so he could look at it everyday. ‘’Scream for me.’’

You shook your head, keeping your mouth shut.

He thrusted deeper, the intense pleasure that came from that thrust so intense you almost gave him what he wanted. ‘’Scream. For. Me.’’ He did it again, his thrust almost sending you to your grave.

Back arching and rising from the bed, you cried out, reaching a level of pleasure you never had before.

*

Eight hours later, Sheriff Galpin's cries were heard all around Nevermore's grounds. His son, Tyler, had not come home last night so Galpin tracked his phone. The app had led him to the academy, confirming that Tyler had not left Nevermore after the Rave'N, and to the perimeting woods. After some arguing with Weems, he searched the woods with his troupe of cops. Unfortunately, the reunion with his son had not been jolly as Tyler was found dead.

Despite the early hour, many students were outside — in their pajamas and slippers —, watching as a coroner rolled Tyler’s body in a black bag, taking him to the morgue.

The morning chill was biting through your thin nightgown and robe, making you shiver. You tried your best to cover your face with a veil of shock like the rest of your classmates, not wanting to wake suspicions.

But Galpin already had his and the first on his list was your dear sister, Wednesday.

‘’You Addams are a plague to this town!’’ the man screamed at your sister, pointing an accusing finger at her over the yellow crime scene ribbon.

‘’Wednesday didn’t do anything,’’ you said, taking Wednesday’s defense. She was innocent and you won’t tolerate Galpin screaming at her of the sort. ‘’She was actually looking for Tyler when the sprinklers splashed paint. I get that you have a grudge against our family — our father precisely —, but don’t accuse my sister or me just so you can have the satisfaction of putting an Addams behind bars. That’s a false allegation and my family won’t stay with our arms crossed if you make that move.’’

The wit on your tongue baffled him — your mother would be proud if she was here.

Wednesday didn’t need your help to defend herself, but she was thankful for you.

‘’You were so terrifyingly sexy when you put Galpin back in his place,’’ Xavier whistled, catching up to you in the academy’s hall. His green eyes were full of lust and if you dared looking down, you would see his semi hidden in his sweatpants.

You smiled. ‘’If there is one thing men have too much, it’s audacity. They will use their position of authority and power against you, but you can’t let them step on you. They need to be knocked down from their pedestal once in a while.’’

‘’Please knock me down from mine.’’

*

It’s always the most quiet ones that are the freakiest, who have the darkest fantasies. Behind his innocent eyes, Xavier was just as twisted as you.

‘’Xavier?’’ you called as you descended the stairs of the secret library, the portraits of past members of the Nightshade secret society all looking at you. ‘’Xavier? You asked me to meet here at midnight.’’ Your voice echoed through the darkened room and died to a silence.

A frown formed between your eyebrows. Where was he?

‘’Xavier—’’

His name turned into a muffle as a masked figure came out of the shadow and covered your mouth with their hand. You grabbed your attacker's forearms as you were being forcefully guided backward, trying to fight them off, but they were stronger.

Your back hit one of the shelves of the library and a knife was pulled out and pressed against your throat while you looked up into a set of deep black eyes. The cold steel of the blade against your skin made your pulse quicken. You clenched your thighs as your core tightened.

‘’Do you want to play a game?’’

You recognized the voice under the mask.

‘’You're in the wrong movie, mon cheri.’’

Xavier pulled off his mask, a dark look of amusement on his face. ‘’Did I scare you?’’

‘’A Halloween mask?’’ You sniggered. ‘’You're gonna have to work harder than that if you want to scare me. I'm an Addams. We scare people to death.’’ You snatched the mask from Xavier’s grasp. ‘’Where did you get this?’’

‘’I found it in a box.’’ He stepped back and twirled the knife between his fingers with a skilled spin.

You watched with fascinated eyes the way his long fingers held the handle. Heat pooled in your belly as you imagined what he could do with it. And above all, it excited you.

Xavier caught your gaze and raised an eyebrow, realizing with horror and fascination your twisted preferences for knives. Was he even surprised? ‘’Let’s have a little fun, shall we?’’

He took your hand with his other one and sat on a chair posted before a column, probably used as a stool to reach the highest shelves. Slender hands slid under your dress and pushed the skirt of your dress up to your waist. Once your delicates were revealed, Xavier kissed right over your panties, making you hum.

‘’Does that feel good, my deadly nightshade?’’

‘’Yes.’’

Xavier switched his mouth for his knife and dragged the cold metal over your panties, its tip very close to your clit. ‘’What about that?’’

You moaned softly, allowing your head to fall back back and exposing the vulnerable column of your throat. One move from that knife and it would be over for you.

After your little tryst, you adjusted your dress and pulled yourself together. You could still feel Xavier's hands on your thighs although he wasn't touching you, your pale skin probably bruised from his strong grip.

‘’It's a shame the Nightshades declined you into the secret society, you would've been a better leader than Bianca,’’ Xavier said, buttoning his pants back.

The mention of Bianca Barclay made sent fury through your body. You were a legacy to the Nightshades society, therefore by default a member, but the self-appointed queen bee had refused to let you in when you requested to. Xavier tried to talk to her, but Bianca’s decision remained the same.

You lifted your eyes to the collection of portraits of past members, lastly falling on your long-deceased ancestor, Goody Addams. The position was yours by blood and one thing about the Addams is that they don’t let others take what belongs to them.

‘’You are right, mon chéri.’’ You turned on your heels, facing Xavier. ‘’The position is mine and I intend to take it. Whatever it takes.’’ The corner of your lips curled into a machiavellian grin. ‘’Interesting thing about bees. Pull out their stingers, they drop dead.’’

*

Wednesday had turned Enid’s cork board into Ted Bundy’s pinterest board. Goodbye cute polaroid and photobooth strips, hello graphic pictures of the victims’ body injuries. It was both disturbing and fascinating.

‘’I’m sorry for Tyler.’’

Wednesday raised her eyes from the picture she was holding — a selfie of Tyler stolen from one of his social media profiles —, looking at you through her dark lashes. ‘’You don’t care about Tyler.’’ She pinned it to the board, adding it to the list of murders.

‘’But I care about you.’’

That was true.

‘’His death is unfortunate, but I cannot let myself be distracted by my personal emotions. I have to solve this case before anyone else gets murdered.’’ She stepped back, looking at her collage.

‘’Looks like the killer broadened their horizon of targets,’’ you said, your eyes following the pictures and names of your classmates…and then Tyler’s. ‘’Why Tyler?’’

‘’The reason escapes me.’’ Wednesday drew her eyebrows together very subtly. ‘’Until me, Tyler has never been affiliated with any outcasts,’’ she pointed out.

‘’Does that make you the next target?’’

‘’Maybe. Unless Tyler was a pawn. A diversion.’’

*

After leaving Wednesday's dorm, you needed to find Xavier. Your heart was beating fast as you walked to Hamlet Hall. You didn't think she would piece together so quickly that Tyler was a diversion.

On the initial plan, the next murder was in a few days, but the pace will have to be accelerated if you wanted to complete the plan before Wednesday solved the identity of the person behind the mask. She still had a bit of investigating left to get there, but you couldn’t take risks.

*

Rowan was the outcast of the outcasts, always looming around school by himself. Getting him alone won’t be difficult. Since he was Xavier's roommate, his daily schedule was given to you on a silver plate.

Every Monday, Rowan had a late session with Dr. Kinbott. His return to the academy was typically around 9pm, but according to Xavier, he never heads straight to his dorm although curfew is close. Instead, he goes to the Nightshades library after hours.

Prior to Rowan’s arrival, Xavier would hide and catch him from behind the way he did when he pranked you with the costume the first time. Only, this time, it won’t be for play. Blood will be spilled.

The only fault in your plan was, neither you or Xavier took into consideration his roommate’s telekinetic abilities and it had been a huge mistake.

As if you had sensed something had gone wrong, you snapped twice and went down to the secret library. You were quiet in the stairs, not wanting to make your presence known.

Your instincts had been right. In the middle of the library, Rowan’s hand was raised and crisped, telekinetically holding Xavier by the throat and pinning him against a wall. Anyone would’ve screamed at him to let him go, but Rowan had caught the masked killer. If you said anything of the sort, he would know straight away that you were working together.

‘’You thought you could get me — kill me.’’ Rowan laughed. ‘’I’m often mistaken for weak because I’m always alone, but tonight I’m gonna be the hero.’’

Using your quick thinking, you scanned the room, looking for a weapon or something to bash Rowan's head to make him snap out of his focus. Telekinesis is controlled with the mind and a loss of focus would free Xavier instantly. But beside a chair, hundreds of books and a ladder, there wasn't much in here.

The corner of your dark coated lips curled when you spotted Xavier's knife on the floor, abandoned. You gave Rowan a last glance before making a quiet run for it, grabbing it and stabbing him in the back. You twisted the knife sharply as blood pooled from his mouth, cutting him mid-sentence.

‘’I'm gonna be the one to take off your mask—’’

His hand fell as his concentration was broken, causing Xavier to fall off the wall and on the ground ungracefully with a pained groan. Rowan tried to speak, but more blood spilled from his mouth — you must have perforated a lung. He quickly started choking on his blood, falling to his knees and down as blood spilled on the floor. His body jerked slightly, but the light left his eyes.

*

Xavier reported his missing roommate to Wheems in the morning, as if he knew nothing. He told Weems that Rowan hadn’t returned to their dorm after his session with Dr. Kinbott — which was not a lie.

No one suspected a thing.

Unlike the previous murders, not many shed a tear for Rowan when his body was found.

Killing Rowan in the secret library was a direct indicator that the murders were related to the secret society, which sowed fear among the remaining members. Only three of them were left standing — Bianca, Xavier and Ajax.

‘’I need to talk to Xavier,’’ Bianca said in a hushed voice, coming up to him in the quad after class. Her siren eyes shifted to you. ‘’In private.’’

‘’Can it wait?’’ he asked, slowly trailing his eyes up to look at Bianca. ‘’I’ll meet you tonight.’’

Bianca wanted to protest, but she resigned with a sigh. ‘’Tonight,’’ she agreed, throwing herself right into the lion’s mouth.

You shared a knowing look with Xavier across the table after she left. All the pieces were falling into place. Bianca had set herself right into the trap and you didn’t have to come up with a lie to lure her there.

*

Revenge is a plate better served cold…and with a little blood on the side.

Before Bianca would meet with Xavier in the secret library, you snuck in, put on the ghostface costume and hid in the shadows near some bookshelves.

Welcome to act three.

Until last night, you never had to get your hands dirty. Xavier had been a perfect killing puppet, executing his fellow Nightshades society members one by one without getting caught, but he was busy with the bait tonight, the last victim, so it was your turn to be the masked killer.

You watched Bianca checking her phone every fifteen seconds and getting impatient as she waited for Xavier. She must be thinking you were holding him up or persuaded him not to meet with her. To her eyes, you were corrupting Xavier’s pure heart, but little did she know, her ex-boyfriend wasn’t so pure intentioned. The quiet ones are often the freakiest.

‘’Took you long enough,’’ she complained, raising her eyes when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Xavier had changed out of his uniform, not wanting to risk getting blood on it, knowing what was coming. ‘’Sorry. Rowan’s parents called and they want all of his belongings to be packed for tomorrow.’’

Bianca stepped forward to meet him. ‘’We’re the last members left,’’ she pointed out.

‘’You forgot Ajax.’’

Xavier hated how she always disregarded him. He was more quiet of nature and didn’t mingle with the others much, but he was a member of the Nightshades too.

‘’Right,’’ Bianca quickly brushed off. ‘’You know what this means? We’re next, Xavier.’’ There was a veil of fear in her eyes as she said the last statement. ‘’One of us is the next target of the masked killer. We must stay on our guards.’’

Xavier released a breath. ‘’I know.’’

‘’We need to watch each other's backs. We aren’t just an elite social club, our function is to protect the outcasts from anyone who would harm them, but if there are no Nightshades members left, who will protect them? There's Principal Wheems, but she can't be the only protector of the scho—’’

Her words were cut off by Xavier.

‘’Bianca! Behind you!’’ he warned, seeing the masked killer — you — coming out of the shadow and going for Bianca.

She turned around, terror filling her bones and eyes lighting up striking in fear when they fell on the masked figure. She slowly backed away, but you charged at her.

‘’Xavier, run!’’ she told Xavier, heading to the stairs and attempting to get away, but when they got to the bottom of the stairs, he turned, pulled out his knife and stabbed her to the hilt above the hip.

Bianca choked a pained gasp as the knife went through her unexpectedly. She looked down at Xavier’s hand on the knife, blood seeping through her uniform sweater vest, and flicked her eyes back at Xavier with betrayal and shock.

‘’No.’’ Her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head in disbelief. ‘’No, no. Xavier—’’ He twisted the knife and she choked a cry of pain.

You grinned wildly beneath the mask. ‘’Welcome to the third act, bitch,’’ you said, taking off your mask and revealing yourself.

*

‘’Hello, Bianca. Surprised?’’ You twirled your clean knife in your hand, watching as Xavier tied her to the chair.

‘’Of you? No. Of Xavier?’’ She hissed as he tied the rope around her, feeling it press on her injury. ‘’How could you do this?’’

You laughed silently. ‘’Sometimes we think we know people, but we really don’t.’’

‘’All done,’’ Xavier stated, tying the last knot and stepping back.

‘’I bet you forced him into this. Xavier would never—’’

‘’He’s not the innocent little boy you think he is. I’m the mastermind behind this, but Xavier helped me plan out everything. The order of the murders, how each victim would die and when — everything. He even suggested being the one getting his hands dirty.’’ You shifted your eyes to Xavier. ‘’Right, mon cheri?’’

He crossed the distance to you in a few steps, a twisted grin on his lips. ‘’The ones we trust the most are the ones who end up stabbing us in the back. You should know that,’’ he told Bianca.

Xavier placed his hands around your waist as he planted a kiss to the back of your hand. Since the day you met at a funeral when you were little, you knew that you were meant to be together. He would die for you. He would kill for you. Like Bonnie and Clyde, you had each other’s backs. But unlike those fools, you both wouldn’t die in the end.

‘’Do you know why these murders started, Bianca?’’ She gave you a clueless look. ‘’You.’’

A deep frown creased on her forehead. ‘’Me?’’

‘’Remember that day you refused me into your secret social club and turned everyone into voting me out? I didn’t like that.’’

‘’That’s your motive? Because I didn’t accept you into our social club?’’

She was belittling your feelings, and it made your blood boil in your veins. ‘’My parents were both members, my mother was the club leader in her days. I’m a direct descendant of the founder. I had every right to be a member!’’ Your voice echoed in the small library, sharp and loud.

You reached the wall where the picture frame of your mother and father hung, frightfully beautiful in their younger days. Your fingertips grazed the frame. Yours will be on that wall too one day.

‘’So I decided to take back what’s mine, to take revenge and eliminate everyone who voted me out,’’ you explained, turning on your heels to face your last victim. ‘’Yoko ended up being the first victim. I noticed she would go hunting in the woods every other Monday to feed on wild animals, so Xavier caught her at her vulnerable time. We needed something not too brutal, but just enough to shock so I came up with the idea of hooking her to the tree in the quad. I apologize to the poor soul who found her. Must be traumatized.’’

It was still unknown who found Yoko in the quad. Something to do with underage anonymity.

You pursued. ‘’Then, Kent. I knew he was looking for some boy action, so I created a fake account on a dating app and planned a meeting in the woods during the harvest festival. Easy target. Divina was Xavier’s idea.’’ Your eyes shifted to Xavier’s. ‘’Gutting her like a fish was side splitting.’’

Horror covered Bianca’s face as you explicitly went on about the murders of her friends. ‘’You’re crazy.’’

You walked over to her and tipped her chin up with the tip of your knife. ‘’Oh, you have no idea.’’

She moved her face away to glance at Xavier, somehow still thinking she could have him on her side. ‘’She's ruining your life, Xavier. You're gonna go to prison.’’

‘’What if it’s what I want?’’ His words took her by surprise. ‘’When I'm gonna get arrested, I'm going to plead guilty and take the blame for the murders. It's gonna ruin my father's life. My face is gonna be on every news report or newspapers — the world is gonna know my name. This scandal is gonna shatter my father's career by ruining the family name’s reputation. I'm gonna become famous, I’m gonna overshadow him and become the most known Thorpe.’’

Xavier’s hand slowly clenched into a fist, knuckles turning white at the thought of his father. God, he despised the man. He wanted to shove that knife so far into his skin while he screamed and watch the blood gush out from his—

He didn’t notice his nails digging into his palm, drawing blood until Bianca started to talk.

‘’For a proclaimed serial killer, you’re not that bright. You just told me your whole plan. I know the truth and I won’t let you get away with murder.’’ Her words had bite, but her threats were harmless.

You cooed. ‘’You thought you were going to live?’’ Your laugh rang in her ears. ‘’Come on, Bianca, the killer never reveals their plan without getting rid of the witnesses.’’

‘’W-what are you gonna do to me?’’

Since you’ve known Bianca, you’ve never heard her stutter. Until now.

It made you squirm with excitement.

‘’I've long thought about it. Should I take her out like Divina? It was magnificent, but where's the originality in repeating a previous murder? Let's take it a step further. Sirens are supposed to be royalty.’’ Your footsteps echoed around you as you paced, talking mainly to yourself. “What if I sliced the self appointed queen bee’s little throat?” you asked, pulling the knife to your throat and dragging it across, a sadistic smile formed on your lips.

Her eyes watched on, deeply scared, not knowing what you would do.

Your eyes locked with the siren that was trying to unfree herself. “You aren’t going to get anywhere, but please keep going, it’s very entertaining.”

Bianca gritted her teeth. “Screw you.”

It was Xavier’s turn to laugh.

*

Blood gushed out as the blade of the knife sliced through Bianca’s throat from behind. Her eyes were wide as she took giant gasping breaths through her severed windpipe, gargling blood and coughing.

A wicked grin curled on your lips as you watched, squirming with excitement. Slitting someone’s throat is a beautifully gruesome thing to see.

After a few seconds, her head fell forward, signaling she had lost consciousness.

Goodbye Bianca.

*

While Xavier was setting up the scene, you headed to your dorm…and came nose to nose with Wednesday.

‘’I need to speak to you about something of high importance,’’ she declared, holding her investigating notebook in her arms. ‘’Immediately.’’

You let her inside your dorm and closed the door.

‘’I believe I've cracked the identity of the masked killer. Take a seat, sister. You'll need one.’’

There was no way that she would crack it correctly, yet her eyes glimmered — Wednesday loved a good murder mystery.

“I was looking for you, so I sent Thing to see if you were with Xavier at his dorm, but when he got to the window, he saw the mask on his bed.”

The muscles in your face fought, trying to keep a straight face. Although Wednesday knew to keep secrets, you weren't sure if you could trust her with this one. The stakes were too high.

So you just sat there and listened to what your dear sister had to say.

“Xavier?’’ A disbelieved laugh left your lips. ‘’No, Wednesday—”

“It must be hard to hear that your beloved murdered our classmates, but Xavier is the killer behind the mask. You know, looking back it all makes sense.’’ She opened her notebook, well prepared. “Everything aligns.”

You watched as she turned pages, trying to find what she needed as proof.

“Remember after Kent’s murder your words: ‘Don’t you guys watch horror movies?’ played in my head,” Wednesday said, aggressively hitting the pages with her index finger. “The murders were all done from horror movies.” You watched the poor notebook being abused; if Wednesday pressed any harder, she would either break her finger...or the notebook in her hand.

She went on, pages crumpling and turning until she had reached the end and shut it closed with a loud slam. You've never underestimated your sister's investigating talent, it was only a question of time until she solved the puzzle and settled her accusatory finger on Xavier.

A laugh broke through your lips as you slow-clapped your hands together. ‘’Well done, Wednesday. But Xavier is not the mastermind behind the murders.’’

‘’I know. They plan came from you!’’

For the first time, you questioned if anyone would be able to hear your conversation if they were walking by. There was rarely anyone in the corridors at this hour, but better be careful than having someone hearing and spilling to Sheriff Galpin.

You walked up to your vanity, picking up the necklace your mother gifted you before leaving Nevermore. ‘’Mother would be proud. I orchestrated my first murder.’’ You glanced back at Wednesday. ‘’And unlike you, I didn’t fail,’’ you pointed out with a haughty smug look.

Wednesday’s eyes soften for a second before sucking in a breath between her teeth. ‘’Please don’t remind me of that embarrassing moment.’’

A proud smile broke across both the Addams sisters' faces. No one but you and Wednesday were allowed to torment Pugsley. Those jocks should've known who's door they were barking at when they picked on your brother.

‘’Now, what?’’ Wednesday asked.

‘’Xavier is in the secret library with Ajax and Bianca's body.’’

‘’Body?’’

You hummed casually. ‘’Yeah, her stinger needed to be pulled. She was standing in my way.’’

*

‘’Holy shit. Bianca!’’ Ajax hurried over, seeing the siren’s slit throat and blood all over her front. ‘’What happened? Is she…dead?’’

Wasn’t the blood pouring out of her slit throat enough of a giver?

Xavier ran a hand through his hair, as if he was freaking out. ‘’I found her like that,’’ he explained, lying through his teeth.

He hated lying to his best friend, but he didn’t want to implicate Ajax. He was just there as a body witness.

‘’We have to alert Principal Weems…and Sheriff Galpin and—’’ Ajax spoke frantically while pacing. ‘’We need to do something, we are the only ones left. Oh my god, are we next?’’ Color washed from his face, terrified to die.

Xavier stepped back and something slipped from his pocket and fell on the floor. The knife.

Ajax's eyes darted to the floor and then the knife. There were specks of dried blood on it, an immediate telling that it was the incriminating weapon.

*

Weeks after Xavier's arrest for the Nevermore murders, you took control of the Nightshades society and built it back. Wednesday joined, and Ajax convinced you to take Enid. Under her pink aesthetic, she was actually a ferocious wolf...after wolfing out.

The society could use more members, but you decided to keep a small committee.

You told your parents the truth about the murders. As expected, your mother was very proud of your well executed plan. Addams blood ran in your veins without a doubt.

The school year ended, and the trial came.

Heartbroken parents were present in the courtroom, seeking revenge and justice for taking their children's life. Yoko’s father wanted to drain his body until he had no pulse, Kent and Divina’s parents cried during the whole trial, and Sheriff Galpin wanted his head on a silver platter. Bianca’s mom and Rowan’s dad were there too.

You sat with your family in the row behind Xavier during the trial. He looked good in a suit. You wanted to jump over the barrier and smash your mouth on his. It’s been so long since your last kiss.

Xavier’s father sat on the same row, wishing he would be anywhere but here. As predicted, the accusations made the world-famous psychic fall from his fame. Xavier’s face was everywhere — in the newspapers, gossip magazines, social media. Vincent Thorpe was forced to step down and play a low profile for a while.

Ignoring his lawyer's advice, Xavier pleaded guilty to all crimes, condemning himself to a mandatory life-sentence in a federal prison with no chance of parole until twenty years.

His father was pissed.

A small part of you felt guilty for coming out of the courtroom scuff free while your beloved got a life-sentence.

‘’Worry not, my little rain cloud, we’ll get him out of there,’’ Gomez promised once in the car, out of the journalists’ ears.

You removed your sunglasses and glanced at the black diamond ring on your finger — a birthday gift from Xavier. Worry not, mon cheri, I will be coming for you.

—

Wednesday taglist: @sofiaadler @partyfly @hoodforcalum @thelilacmourning @ellessecretobsession @su-alteza-emia @achoo---uu @not-leaprvt @xaviersgf @peterparkerdilf @roadworkaheadisurehopeitdoes @dragon-chica @coldtacozinepanda @wrldofsage @eddiemunsonsluvrrr @capriaura @officialsaturn @babyfiva @maevaomizzolo @kelloggs-world @whosljt @ajpanda181 @belovedrey @emerycrt @elizabitchsshit @heaven-hiding @lilithlikestoread @est-liber @moonisu @dessxoxsworld @parker-nite @bellblake121890 @vesperazhier @kaldurahms-lover @beeebo234 @nephilimsss @mayuphoenix @sweetheartlizzie07 @watermelon-18 @snixx2088 @555stargirl555 @robinscardigan @chumchum19 @lilttblog @aphex2winn @heizenka @mystargirl-interlude @hwrtsiren @babygirljay20 @wildflowerlyss @strangersomeone @openfandoms @charlottelaffin @iheartmaddyperez @starless-starkov @ali-r3n  @poppet05  @ell0ra-br3kk3r  @rhaenyraswife  @teaganthemorningstar   @aphex2winn @moompie   @ifevilwhyhot @oliviah-25 @spenglerslime @wetwilliam02 @yellowcupcakes @haileyismoo @theyslayallday @wrldofsage @manofworm @rhydianissuperior @supersanelyromantic @nicangel13 @toylewestinnyc @meme-queen-1999 @rottenstyx @mxxny-lupin @idli-dosa @silenzju @ar40s @sweeterheartxamerica @renaissancewhxre @jordierama @lilppsblog @harrystylesfp  @katsuki420 @ravenssh1t @izzy-laufeyson @iluvwomenblog @kenzi-woycehoski @arunaposeidondottie @liidiaaag   @lilaconner @katsukis1wife @momoewn   @amithesimpoffandoms @chaotic-fangirl-blog @hawkegfs   @lyxrix @mommyruuetrue   @acornacreacure @lucassinclairsgf @youdontneedtoknowthisinformation @aabananaa @starrrslove @marissapearle @sshesang @scarxvodka   @xoxo-zainab @illf4iry   @yourfavdummy  @leoluvsur-pappy  

All and more taglist: @spiokybirdstarfish @kenqki @liidiaaag @hawkegfs  @gillybear17   @areaderinlove @acornacreacure @black-rose-29 @fudge13 @cece05 @rosie-cameron @Caxddce @laylasbunbunny

[verdemoun]

how the flip does arthur cope with no dutch?? for the first time in so so so long there is no dutch??

oh ouch thank you for reminding me what a question. this is high honor helped john escape arthur. an arthur who died alone because dutch walked away but he died holding onto the relief that dutch didn't go with micah. maybe dutch had a chance, maybe dutch could save himself

hosea and bessie silently agree they need to protect him from that knowledge for as long as possible and for just barely long enough arthur isn't curious. they've gotten pretty decent at helping people adjust to the timewarp! you don't start with btw we're in the future we know about everything that happens to the gang and it's awful.

they focus on the happy things like hey we're okay, we're all together and we're here. things are really different there's a lot of noises and smells and things to get used to like cars are mainstream. going outside means the constant noise of engines instead of horses. sometimes you can hear electricity humming and that is a really weird noise but look how easy it is to make toast! so many foods that were like insanely difficult/risky to get like milk are just parts of life. you can put milk in coffee without it instantly coagulating it's okay that the milk been in the fridge for four days it tastes the same as when we opened it

arthur jumps like a cat for at least 2 weeks every time the toaster pops but if there's one routine he picks up insanely fast it's the simple joy of waking up and having warm toast with coffee in the morning. arthur morgan figuring out what he likes on toast. the first weekend where bessie is home and he wakes up to the smell of bacon and eggs and pancakes (not because bessie is a homemaker but because the gang are yet to prove themselves capable of using a gas stove (hosea will take over one day and be too passionate about the perfect fried egg)) i'm so sorry i'm getting off topic but the sheer joy he would get out of the smallest simple modern pleasures

arthur wanted to get out of the gang, in the end. he wanted to rest and it literally took him dying to get it because he was so loyal to dutch. it's a relief to rest even if he isn't physically drained and sore because of tb anymore but that mental fatigue is still there. he went through so much and now he gets to rest knowing that the people he had to mourn are there. he gets to sleep in a bed every night instead of it being something he pays for the luxury of. it's comforting dutch isn't there because it means dutch is still alive somewhere

but it's innevitable. hosea, bessie, annabelle, even lenny and sean, waiting in dreadful anticipation for the day arthur connects the dots that they aren't in an alternate universe they are in the gang's future and they know what happens to them. and dutch-

hosea has to be the one to tell him. knowing arthur tried, remembering the relief in arthur's face literally days after processing his own death as arthur explains at least dutch didn't go with micah because arthur tried and he thought dutch had a chance of becoming himself again. it's the worst conversation in his life - explaining to his unruly son that dutch did change but he went back to micah. he got the blackwater money. he started a new gang that were almost a parody of the o'driscolls and killed innocents like muriel scranton just for a chance to escape. that eagle flies's death meant so little to dutch that he went out of his way to continue exploiting the anger of displaced young native americans to make up his new gang. that a professor that worked with john wrote about the night dutch van der linde jovially told john that he was going to kill him for 'i don't know, sport, i guess?' and dutch died in 1911 reportedly killed by john himself (according to the bureau's reports)

god fellas would it be enough to make arthur cry? christ i still don't think he would be able to let himself cry in front of hosea and tries to be dismissive like well we all saw what he was becoming after blackwater. reminds me of something rains fall said about people not changing, just becoming more of who they always were. guess we (john and I) were right in the end, maybe we hadn't really known dutch at all and we were never who we thought we were (who dutch told us we were, we were never idealists, we were killers from the damned start)

but he does cry. alone. in the bedroom that sometimes felt so comfortably private but suddenly feels like more of a box than his wagon back at camp. the fact he still thinks of back at camp, like it's something he can go back to. he still misses dutch. old dutch. he misses camp before blackwater and they made a goddamn mess of everything and he cries because he misses it. he still can't doesn't want to believe that dutch, old dutch who still cared and believed in things before he started making bad choices and plans went wrong, was the same dutch that went back to micah after arthur tried so hard to convince him. his last words were still pleading for dutch to realize he changed and to change back into the infallable, god-like man he admired. finding out he wasted his breath.

[konigsblog]

I have a birthday next weekend, may I please request König celebrating with me? I'm quiet, not super-outgoing person, so he won't have to live through the stress of any big party)

Doesn't have to be nsfw, I'm totally fine with König in any way possible, we can be good friends, it's fine)

Thank you so much!!!!!!

im pretty similar to you !! i prefer staying inside as im pretty introverted (and terrified of bugs...) i dont mind a restaurant, but parties are a headache and a half ... 😵‍💫 i hope you have a great birthday !! 🥹☀️ i did at soft smut at the end, i hope that's alright with you 🫧

KÖNIG CELEBRATING YOUR BIRTHDAY - how would könig celebrate your birthday? (female reader)

SUMMARY: könig decides to celebrate your birthday. being your boyfriend, knowing all your favourite things, and treating you like a princess, his sweetheart relaxed with him on her birthday.

NOT MY PHOTOS ABOVE, please dm for credit.

könig prefers staying instead rather than venturing out to parties. he likes the quietness of it, that's it's relaxing and not overwhelming and awkward with people you barely know also invited. so, he's glad to hear that you're similar to him; preferring the relaxation instead of a headache, and a hangover the next morning...

early in the morning, könig manages to slip away and into the kitchen. he -- somehow -- managed to get you off him, as you clung to him at nighttime, like a koala and a tree branch. he flipped the pan, a pancake falling atop of it, perfectly cooked and stacked apon another. he already had his ingredients and the day planned out, wanting to make this perfect for you. he grabbed some syrup, your favourite kind, drizzling it onto the soft pancake. your favourite fruit placed around it, and a sweet you enjoyed and favourited placed on top.

he smiles, leaning back and sighing, the room hot and the sun rising up the horizon. he placed it down on the kitchen table mat, a cup of your favourite beside. quiet footsteps to not wake you up too early, his hands shaking your body, sitting down beside you and admiring you in your sleepy haze... “wake up, mäuschen.” he smiles, that warm smile, the one that lured you in, and the voice that soothed you to sleep whenever you couldn't manage yourself.

he held your hand as he walked you to the kitchen, keeping you close to gather his warmth, sitting you down and showing you your breakfast. you thanked him gratefully, before sitting down beside him on the couch.

hours passed, and it became noon. you'd been looking for him all over the house. not in his usual office, working away on reports and sighing deeply with frustration as he accidentally spilled coffee onto the papers he'd just written. “engel..” you jump, his huge figure standing and looming above you, taking you downstairs to show you his dinner. you kissed his cheek, sitting beside him, his hand held in yours before letting go, eating your favourite for dinner. he just knew you too well, knowing all your favourites.

you rested your head in his lap, his hand nestled in your hair, the tv light reflecting onto both your faces, a movie to watch, you and könig's go-to movie. as the credits rolled onto the screen, he held you close to him, kissing your neck and burying your head in the crook of his neck, whispering in your ear and making you giggle as he joked. with your back against the couch, he lifted your shirt and slipped off your pjama shorts, whispering under his breath before unbuckling his jeans, the belt sliding off.

könig can fuck animalistically, but he can also fuck tenderly, sweetly. in missionary, he has your legs wrapped around his waist, chest to chest and his dick rubbing against your slit. “shh, mausi, let me take care of you.” könig's hand held your head, easing inside and sinking his huge size inside. you whimpered at the stretch, taking a moment to get familiar with his cock before letting him ease further inside.

sloppy and slow thrusts with his breathing laboured and heavy, your eyelids heavy with lust and his eyes gazing into yours. he kissed you softly, balls hitting your ass as he thrusted deep inside, filling you and praising you through guttural grunts. “always so tight, sonnenschein...” he chuckles and grinds against you, your pussy sopping for him, wet and slick, coating his shaft in your juices as he continues to fuck you slowly.

your head thrown back giving him access to your neck, sucking hickeys onto your nape and covering you in love bites, the room smelling of sex and musk, his body against yours. “that's it, taking it all, mm', there we go, schatzchen.” he pumps himself faster, your moans like ecsasty, addictive to him as he spurts warm ropes of seed into your cunt, walls clutching onto him as you pant, hair sticking to your forehead and your eyes fucked-out with pleasure. he leans deeper into you, keeping himself fully inside before lifting up, admiring your body.

he runs his hands up your body, groping your chest softly and pinching your nipples, rubbing soothing circles and giving you that same smile you fell for, his accent sleepy as he prepares to run you a nice, foamy bath, leaning you down onto your shared bed and slotting himself behind you, bodies pressed together and his nose buried in your hair...

i hope you enjoyed this !! i feel like könig would love soft sex on birthdays, sensual and slow, able to express his love :( 🫂🩵

[faggyv4mpire]

eating pancakes watching the "weekend pancake report" for the hundredth time must be part of the culture of every mcr fan