#woke up to do outside errands all day

[bpdshan]

srry abt complaining all the time but my god i am in pain

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

Goddamnit I need a coffee

[nomaishuttle]

IM A LITTLE WORRIED THO BC LIKE. I DONT HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABT AT ALL..

[ruggiezz]

— MOST TO LEAST LIKELY TO GO TO MCDONALDS WITH YOU AT 3 AM : twisted wonderland

[synopsis] twisted wonderland characters that would accompany you to mcdonalds at 3 am

[characters] all (romantic) + ortho (platonic)

[disclaimer] this post talks about food a lot and mentions of unhealthy food (in vil's and riddle's part)

[extra] i'm having way too much fun writing character's reactions

── Most likely

★﹕LILIA VANROUGE

Bold of you to assume he was sleeping in the first place. Lilia was playing the equivalent of Overwatch in Twisted Wonderland when you suddenly asked him to go to the nearest McDonald's. He agreed instantly, and now you're both on a date, with you eating fries and Lilia eating a strawberry sundae and a cheeseburger..

★﹕ORTHO SHROUD (platonic)

He agreed instantly. Can robots even feel tired in the first place? Ortho will search on the internet for coupons and promos, but first let him equip his eating gear; he wants to eat too. Everything for his best friend. By the way, he wants to buy something for Idia too.

★﹕ROOK HUNT

Rook got out of bed even before you even mentioned you wanted to go out, he woke up when he felt you were awake. Rook is a light sleeper; he can even feel when you wake up to go to the bathroom. If you really want a meal at McDonald's, who is he to say no? It makes him happy to see you happy, but he will stare while drinking his strawberry shake. Not a "I'm judging you" stare, but a "I like to see you enjoy your meal" stare.

★﹕MALLEUS DRACONIA

He has probably eaten McDonald's at least once because Lilia bought the whole of Diasomnia burgers. Alright, you're both going. Yes, he's still a little confused over why you would crave a really cheap burger at 3 am, but Malleus doesn't even care; the burgers are good and he enjoys indulging in human customs, plus he gets to see you smile. The only bad thing is that the employees got the fright of their lives when they saw the literal prince of Briar Valley enter the restaurant.

★﹕SILVER

Still sleepy, he agreed. There are times when he randomly awakes during the night, so he might as well spend it with you, even if it was at a fast food restaurant at 3 am. He'll order an iced coffee and some fries and listen to you while you speak about whatever comes to mind. You'll both have to make it quick though, he may fall asleep there, and you both need to get back before classes start.

★﹕DEUCE SPADE

He didn't even understand what you were saying; his mind was still foggy from being woken up so late. He said yes, not knowing what he was agreeing with, but a few minutes later he realized what he agreed to. Deuce, not wanting to have gotten your hopes up only for him to say no, got up and accompanied you anyway. He still enjoyed himself though, as long as he is with you, he's happy.

★﹕RUGGIE BUCCHI

He's tired because of how many errands Leona made him do yesterday, but you know what? He will still go. Food is food, and he could never refuse it. Leona lets him grab his credit card anyway, so order whatever you want, Leona will pay, even if he doesn't know that. It's not like he checks his credit card's expenses, so don't worry about it.

★﹕JACK HOWL

When he confessed to you a few months ago, he didn't expect that would mean signing up for you waking him up in the middle of the night, asking him to accompany you to eat fast food outside of campus. Still, he's your boyfriend, and he can't let you go alone, it's dangerous. Even if he doesn't feel like ordering anything, he will sit there with you until you finish your meal, chatting with you in the meantime.

★﹕ACE TRAPPOLA

You're lucky he loves you too much; he would have said no if you were another person. So now Ace is sitting at McDonald's, almost falling asleep while eating some nuggets. That one song they keep replaying will haunt him in his dreams; it got stuck in his head for like, a week. Riddle reprimanded him the next day for falling asleep during history class.

★﹕CATER DIAMOND

Out of everything he could have expected a person to say at 3 am, it certainly wasn't "I want to go to McDonald's". Cater takes a selfie with you inside and uploads it to his Magicam story, the close friends one, so Riddle doesn't realize he wasn't at the dorm. He still has no idea how you came up with this, but ok, it was for the funsies.

★﹕JADE LEECH

You're certainly unpredictable, aren't you? Jade stared at you for a good minute until he just got up, got changed, and went with you. Floyd has done weirder stuff during one of his mood swings; what harm can going to McDonald's do? He doesn't feel like cooking that late anyway. Just don't tell Azul you're both going to the competition, okay?

★﹕EPEL FELMIER

He had you repeat what you said twice to make sure he was hearing you correctly. You want to do what? Let him go back to sleep, please. Okay, whatever, he will accompany you, but make it quick. At least that's what he said before spending the next two hours chatting with you while eating. He sadly got caught by Vil when he came back. Rook snitched.

★﹕SEBEK ZIGVOLT

No, he has to make sure nobody attacks Malleus while he's sleeping. But with some reassurance from Lilia (and him asking Sebek to bring him a burger) and his love for you, he decided to accompany you. He'll ask for the biggest burger since he has a big appetite. He did enjoy it at the end; 10/10 would do it again (but he won't say that out loud).

★﹕KALIM AL-ASIM

He doesn't mind that you woke him up, and he would like to go, but there's a small problem: he isn't allowed to go anywhere without Jamil, which means he would need to wake him up. Jamil wouldn't be happy about that, and Kalim doesn't want to bother him either. So you both just order takeout and give the delivery guy a very generous tip.

★﹕IDIA SHROUD

Idia was awake, but he really doesn't want to go, and he's also farming for an event. Great, now he's craving McDonald's too. If you really want to go, you can have Ortho accompany you, but please bring him a chicken sandwich and some fries. You can use his debit card to pay.

★﹕TREY CLOVER

... What? What did you even dream about to crave McDonalds so late at night? Trey says you both can go on the weekend if you really want to, but go back to sleep, please. There's an important exam tomorrow, and you'll both be in trouble if you suddenly fall asleep in the middle of it.

★﹕FLOYD LEECH

He was not in a good mood after being woken up in the middle of the night. Floyd won't let you go, squeezing you so hard that you can't even move away from the bed. You're not going anywhere the whole night, and if you still want the meal, you can order some in the Mostro Lounge tomorrow.

★﹕LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

It's 3 am, what the heck. Leona says Ruggie can buy you some tomorrow; ask for as much as food as you want, but not at 3 am. He will fall asleep on top of you, so you can't even move, just in case you try to sneak out while he sleeps.

★﹕JAMIL VIPER

No, please, he's tired. He did so much work yesterday: laundry, cooking, folding clothes, tutoring Kalim, paperwork for an upcoming event, and preparing for an exam. He just wants to rest for at least a few hours. Go back to sleep, please. He promises he'll cook you a burger with some fries tomorrow. His cooking is way superior to fast food anyway.

★﹕RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS

"No, that's unhealthy", he says. Somebody buy him a happy meal or something, Riddle has probably never eaten fast food in his life. Either way, there's class tomorrow, and he would never forgive himself if he arrived late to a lesson. So no, you aren't going anywhere.

★﹕AZUL ASHENGROTTO

Why would you want to eat at McDonalds when he has a literal restaurant? Are you trying to buy from the competition? Now Azul is offended at 3 am, so offended that he dragged you to the kitchen to make you a meal resembling the McDonald's one just to prove Mostro Lounge's food is better.

★﹕VIL SCHOENHEIT

Excuse you? Not only did you interrupt his beauty sleep, but you want to go eat McDonald's'? It's 3 am, please go back to sleep or you'll get dark circles. Lack of sleep is bad for your skin, and he won't take the risk, much less to eat unhealthy food.

── Least likely

[hurts2think]

Hi! I really liked your profile and every now and then I check to see if you've written anything new. And I'm especially happy to see your love for the queer community!

I'd like to request something for Queen of hearts x fem!reader. Maybe their interaction in the morning after spending the night together. They're not really a couple and it's casual, but you can see that they both care about each other. Some bickering and small sassy remarks towards each other, but still a lot of compliments (both are too stubborn and oblivious to notice the other's feelings). Maybe all this in the context of the famous meme with lesbians doing each other's makeup (because I can't get enough of Rita Ora's brilliant makeup in this movie). Thanks in advance, have a nice day! 💖

🌹The Queen of Hearts x Reader🌹

Reader pronouns: She/her

Pairing: Queen of Hearts x Fem! servant! reader

Plot: Becoming a personal servant for the Queen meant a lot, little did you know it meant waking up in her bed and finding yourself with unexplainable feelings for her

Word count: 1.6k

Extra: Thank you so much you're so sweet😭🫶 it's currently 2 am so this one is kind of a mess but I hope you still love it🎀

When you were first selected for this job, you were honored yet a little horrified. It was a very huge opportunity but the past couple of people who held this job were ‘fired’, which was putting it lightly… You really didn’t have a choice on if you accepted or denied the job. The Queen wanted you so you had to listen.

You thought maybe you’d live a little more comfortably (financially speaking) than the other people of the kingdom before you eventual demise, but never would you have expected for this job to lead up to you waking up in the Queen’s bed.

Being the Queen’s personally assistant meant spending lots of time around her, of course. You did anything and everything she told you too. Running errands for her, fetching anything she may need, helping her dress, and undress, really whatever she didn’t feel like doing.

And she was gorgeous, of course. Everyone knew that. But you were both women so it's not like it was awkward or anything, right? Well, after so many times of helping her in and out of her gowns, it was hard not to look. The Queen was always very observant of everything, so naturally she saw the way you’d fidget and avert your eyes everytime. Then it was like she was purposely trying to make you squirm. One think led to another, and then another, and now you’re laying next to her in her grand bed.

And, well, this wasn’t exactly the first time this had happened.

You stared at the ceiling, really starting to question what has become of your life. The light from the sun started to gently peak through the red tented windows, casting a soft red glow into the room. You turn your head to see a still sleeping Queen, who even looked regal in her slumber with the light reflecting on her perfectly clear skin.

You carefully got up, cautious to not wake her, and grabbed your clothes that had been discarded on the floor the night prior. You changed into your usual attire, preparing to start your day. Better to get a head start before she woke and started to complain about something you hadn’t had time to do yet.

You always secretly wished you had something more with her. Because, as awful as she may seemed, you'd grown quite fond of her. You started to actually care for her outside of the fact you had to. But you knew she could never feel the same. You were tired of the same awkward silence after a long night with her to only pretend nothing happened.

After Bridget woke you helped her get ready for the day. You helped her into her extravagant gown, pulling the corset of the dress perhaps a little too tightly on accident.

"I'm sorry if I'm distracting you, but please do be more careful," she casted a glare at you and you immediately loosened the corset, you face heating up a little.

"Sorry, your majesty." You apologize quietly, fixing the back of her dress and fluffing the skirt of it. She rolled your eyes at your response but didn't say anything else.

Once you were done with her gown she'd demanded you did her makeup as well. Usually she did her own makeup so you weren't sure why she wanted you to do it. But you did so anyway. You stood in front of her as she sat in front of the mirror, carefully applying her intense eyeshadow as she stares at your face intently.

You stay focused and try not to notice the way she was staring at you. You finish her eyeshadow and then pull out one of her various deep red lipsticks that were of course shaped like hearts.

But as you were about to apply the lipstick you felt a hand firmly set on your waist and pulling you into her lap. You let out a small noise of surprise in response, looking her in the eyes as if asking what she was doing.

"I don't know why you must keep your distance, it's not as if I bite." She says, her face as stone cold as ever while her eyes trail on you up and down.

Your eyes narrow ever so slightly as you let out a soft scoff, "We both know that's not true."

She smirks, as if proud of herself in someway in response to your comment.

You gently grab her face to hold her still while you started to apply her lipstick, making her already beautifully colored lips an even deeper red. You bit the inside of your mouth, having a hard time controlling yourself while being so close and sitting in her lap.

"You seem distracted." The Queen states, though it was obvious she was mocking you and knew exactly what she was doing.

You look her in the eyes and give her a look that sceams you want to say something snarky but know you can't. And she loved it. She loved seeing you get frustrated and unable to make any kind of snarky rebuttal.

It was weird the way she found herself becoming attached to you. At first she thought she'd sentence you off like the others, but you've already been around much longer. Then she convinced herself she only admired how much of a diligent woman you were. Then she tried to tell herself she only liked the way you got along with her daughter just fine, something she was never able to do. But it was only so long before she couldn't deny the feelings she felt for you.

After you finished her makeup Bridget was ready for the day. She had court which you weren't actually supposed to attend. So, while she was being carried out on her throne, you were running around the castle and taking on many errands and jobs while she was away. She trusted you with pretty much everything which just meant MORE work for you.

As tired as you were and how you couldn't wait for the day to be over, you still got all of your work done in a quick and efficient manner and a way that would be acceptable for the queen.

A little later in the day, you were finishing up an errand before you returned back to the Queen's side.

You knock on the large double doors to her room before entering, seeing a very stressed Bridget sitting at her desk.

"Ugh, there you are." She only spares one glance at you before turning away again.

You could only suppose that court did not go well. "Do you need anything, your majesty?" You ask, a little too scared to actually ask what was wrong.

But it seemed you didn't need to because she was more than happy to start complaining about how horribly court went,

"I can never understand that girl. It's like she's learned nothing that I've ever taught her! After that indolent solider couldn't even protect my portrait or plaza, Red couldn't even properly punish him. How will she ever be Queen?" She lets out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb.

It wasn't unusual for the Queen to speak of her troubled relationship with her daughter. So you did as you usually did, setting your clipboard aside and coming up beside her and massaging her shoulders. Her body visibly relaxed, closing her eyes and already letting out a little tension.

You stayed silent and like that for a moment before she spoke again, "What should I do about her?"

Your face scrunches in confusion, "You're asking me?" You ask for reassurance. It wasn't very often she asked you for advise. Especially about her daughter. She was the kind of mother that was stuck in her own ways and refused to hear anyone out.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes. She seems to favor you, why is that? Why does she listen to some servant girl and not her own mother?"

You try to ignore the jab she made at you, "Well, if you're asking me... I think she just wants to be in charge of her own life without someone telling her how to live it..." You advise, still rubbing her shoulders to keep her relaxed.

The Queen of Hearts' eyes narrowed, "In charge of her own life? That's ridiculous. She gets to be a queen, what more could she possibly want?"

"Maybe a mother who will listen to her and let her decide what kind of queen she wants to be?" You felt you were getting a little too risky with what you were saying and you'd anger her but her response was not what you'd expected.

She sighed, holding her hand ontop of yours to signal you to stop massaging her. Her touch was surprisingly gentle and soft, "What would I do without you?" She asked though it was purely rhetorical. "Go speak to her about this," the Queen demanded.

You took her hand and held it, walking around to the front of the chair to look her in the eyes, "Maybe she'd appreciate it better if her mother was the one to go talk to her about it?" You suggest.

She rolled her eyes, but stayed silent. She looked at you as if conflicted about something. Really, she was thinking about how amazing you were. Nothing she felt she could ever say. Your hands were so soft, your voice was sweet, you personality was so caring. How could she not fall for you? You were irresistible.

"Fine." She scoffed, "But it will lead to another argument that you will have to clean up again."

You smile softly, taking the Queen of Hearts' hand and pressing a soft kiss on her knuckles, "I'm always happy to."

[carolmunson]

it's your party and i'll cry if i want to (sadist!daddydom!eddie x f!masochist!reader)

warnings: smut, 18+, minors dni. sadism/masochism. established relationship. intense spanking with hands and implements. angst. hurt/comfort. daddy kink, some major daddy dom energy from eddie in this one. lots of fluff at the end. some yearning. mild threats. accidental bratting/all around bad attitude from reader. eddie calls reader a 'bitch' outside of a scene. mentions of being on period. name calling: 'stupid' 'bad girl', pet names 'baby, angel, honey, etc'. mild exhibitionism (continuing a scene when someone walks in), YES there is aftercare/communication. anything i might've forgot, i'll add later. i'm sorry!

---

Eddie checked his watch for the third time with an annoyed grunt, elongated and growing in volume as he saw the time. 10:45.

And that would be fine -- that is, if he hadn't asked you to be at his trailer by 10:00 AM.

And being this late would have also been fine if you had called him to let him know you were running late -- like you were supposed to. It was one of the rules he gave you that was the most important to him. Not that he needed to know where you were at all times, he was just always quick to jump to the worst case scenario. 'Oh, she's late? She died. She definitely died. She's bleeding out somewhere alone.'

It didn't help that Eddie's van was in the shop getting fixed up. Sure he could've done it himself but the guys wanted to do something nice for him after all the extra shifts he'd been taking. So lately, he'd been relying on you to get anywhere that wasn't his job.

He hates how you drive, it's the only thing he doesn't like about you.

A few more minutes pass and he hears the familiar crunch of tires over dried leaves, the sharp blaring of your car horn beeping to let him know you were there.

You never do that. You always get out and knock to say good morning, to give him a kiss, to tell him how cute he looks in his outfit. Eddie frowns and opens the screen door, patting his pockets to check for his wallet and keys before closing the main door behind him. He sees you in the driver's seat and can tell you're in a mood so he swallows whatever venom he had collecting on his tongue.

"Morning, sweet thing," he says softly, opening the passenger's side door, "You okay?"

You take the keys out of the ignition and toss them on the seat toward him, "I know you're gonna ask to drive so, here."

You huff when you unclick your seatbelt and get out of the car, grumbling something under your breath that Eddie can't quite make out. He has half a mind to catch you by the chin and ask you to speak up but he shakes out the thought -- he punished you last week, he didn't need to punish you again. At least not yet.

Eddie gets in the driver's seat while you ease into the passengers seat, putting your seatbelt on before he can ask you to. Even though he never wears a seatbelt, so you don't understand his incessant need to make sure you're wearing one.

After he pulls out of the park and onto the road, Eddie settles into the seat catching glances at you when he can.

"Why didn't you call?" he asked, he tried to keep it as light as possible.

"Woke up late, slipped my mind," you shrugged, looking out the window at the orange and bright red leaves.

"I know it might've been a rough morning but you're supposed to call, baby," he turns his head to you, putting a hand on your knee, "I don't appreciate being left in the dark, you know that."

"It's really not a big deal," you mumble, moving your knee out of his hand and keeping your gaze on the Indiana foliage.

"Okay..." he says to himself, putting the spare hand back on the wheel to meet the other.

The first stop on your day of errands before movie night at Eddie's trailer was to the shop so he could check out the van. He didn't mean to be such a stickler about it, but that really was his baby. You stayed in the car while he went in, watching him look back at you with a little wave before he got in the shop.

When he got back, your mood hadn't subsided. He took a deep breath when he opened the door and you greeted him with a "What did you take the whole thing apart and put it back together? That took forever."

"Sorry, babe, they just had a lot to run down with me," he explained apologetically, "Didn't mean to take so long."

"It's really gonna be so nice when it's done though, they redid the carpeting in the back and everything," he tittered, knee bouncing with excitement -- only to have his smile fall when you mumbled a quiet 'yeah whatever' to the window.

Next was the grocery store for snacks and food for the party. You both stepped through the automatic doors in tandem, the scent of cinnamon hitting your noses hard as they had already switched over the Halloween displays for Christmas displays.

"It's October 24th," Eddie laughed, "Are they kidding?"

You just look at the display and then at the aisles ahead of you, walking towards the candy and cookies aisle where you know he'd be headed first anyway.

Eddie shakes it off, something had to be wrong. Maybe you just weren't ready to talk about it yet. You do like having your space, afterall. He catches up next to you, offering his hand for you to hold it and then dropping it to his thigh when you shove your hands into your pockets of your jacket.

He swallows a lump building in his throat. Was it something I said? he thinks to himself.

You get to the junk food aisle, scanning the shelves together and he speaks again, "Thinking about going for a red theme -- I'm thinking vampire movies, stuff that gives off bloody and disgusting. Y'know? Stuff like that."

"Get whatever you want Ed, I literally don't care," you say breathily, defeat and annoyance dripping over the words. His whole body turns to you, less offended and angry, more hurt than anything else. You never just dismiss him like that.

"Hey, hey," he says, soft but surprised. He presses you into the bags of chips puffing past the shelving unit, taking your face gently in his hands, "What's goin' on with you, hm? Did I do something? Are you mad at me?"

"No, Ed," you try to pull your face out of his hands and move but he replaces them on your cheeks swiftly. Your cheeks are hot to the touch -- maybe you're sick?

"Are you tired? Hungry?" Ed pleaded, eyes searching for a glimmer of a happier you in your eyes. You were acting a little hangry, you always were so huffy when you didn't eat enough. He guessed maybe you didn't eat breakfast since you woke up so late -- that had to be it.

"Want me to grab you something here? Or I can grab you something at a drive-thru. Is that what you want?" he's practically begging for you to smile, desperate to see you nod and say sorry -- you're just hungry, you're just tired, you just need a kiss. God, he hadn't even gotten to kiss you yet today.

"Oh my god, Ed, stop -- I'm fine. You're being annoying," you half-whine while pushing past him, "Just get what you need to get so we can go, please."

Ed heaves a big sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose before closing his hand into a fist and leaning his forehead on it. You're in public, don't react the way you want to react right now. You just punished her a few days ago, keep your cool.

He opens his eyes and reaches for your keys attatched to his chain, deatching them and tossing them to you.

"Why don't you go wait for me in the car, okay? I won't be long in here," he offers. Maybe you just didn't feel like running errands, maybe you didn't want to go to the grocery store. You had told him once that the lights gave you a headache.

The late October air bites your cheeks when you step outside, savoring the heat in the car when you start it. Some time later, Eddie comes out, gocery bags in his hands that make him look like a Libra scale.

He knocks on the window, "Hey angel, can I get those keys for the trunk?"

You roll down the window just a crack and pass them through, satisfied by the exhausted sigh he lets out when you do it. His patience was starting to wear a little thin. Even more so when you kept changing the radio station so often that he just told you to shut it off and keep it off.

The next and most obvious stop was to Family Video to pick up the tapes for tonight. Eddie stopped for a second to talk to Steve at the counter, keeping his eye on you while you walked through the aisles and shelves of tapes. Robin came out of the back, so pleased to see you — Eddie watched your whole demeanor change. Smiley, happy, reaching out to hug her — toying with her new bracelet, giggling. His jaw clenched.

“You okay?” Steve asks, tapping his arm, “You look like you’re gonna kick Rob's ass.”

Eddie shakes his head to wash the attitude out of his face, “She’s just — she’s been in a mood all day. And all of a sudden Robin makes her happy? I mean, come on.”

“Ladies, am I right?” Steve rolls his eyes and looks over his shoulder at you and Robin. You’re reaching up to grab a case for Misery to read the back, your pinafore riding up and up while you reach. Eddie knows your body, the curve of your ass just hidden by the hem clinging to the fat just under it.

“Let me get it,” Eddie calls over before you put on a show for Family Video. His voice is sharp, making you freeze in place at first. Sinking slowly back onto your feet, you toss him a scowl while crossing your arms.

“I don’t want it anymore, it’s fine,” you mutter, disappearing behind another shelf. Eddie rolls his eyes with a huff, gesturing to you to Steve silently saying ‘See what I mean.’

"Someone's moody," Steve teases loud enough for you to hear.

"Oh my God," they hear you groan, hidden in the aisles.

"Guys, leave her alone," Robin chides, grabbing a box of rewound tapes off the counter, "Everyone's allowed a bad day, y'know?"

"I'm literally here," you snap, stomping out of the aisles, "Can you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here? For fuck's sake. "

"Hey," Eddie warns, his hand falling down on the counter. You close your eyes and let your breath out through your nose.

"Sorry, Rob," you frown, shoulders sulking. Robin shakes her head, making a face to imply that you didn't need to apologize, pulling you into a hug. You know what you're doing by not apologizing to Eddie or Steve, but you can't find yourself to care about the consequences.

Ed takes you by the hand to grab the movies for tonight, shielded by the sterile aisles and the smell of plastic. You hear Robin and Steve talk amongst themselves, the jingle of the bell as customers file in and out.

"Ah, the horror section," you mumble, completely deadpanned, "Never been here before."

Eddie stiffens, he doesn't feel bad anymore. Now he's angry. Now he thinks you're doing it on purpose.

"You wanna get whupped when we get home?" he asks sternly, "Keep it up."

He hopes the threat doesn't fall on deaf ears, but you aren't listening. You just cross your arms and burn holes into the back of his curly head while he picks two movies and tucks them under his leather clad arm.

He smiles at you when he turns around, squishing your cheeks between his finger and thumb, "Y'know, sucks that you have to be so mean 'cause you are awfully cute when you're in a little mood." He can play your game, too.

Ugh, fuck him. You roll your eyes and pull your chin out of his hand, you're like a woman posessed. This bad mood swarming through your body like sludge in your blood stream. You want to be happy, you want to be excited for movie night -- but you're just not. You wanna rip your skin off and scream in the aisles of Family Video. You wanna cause a scene.

At check out, the door opens and a hard gust of cold wind blows through the entry way. It wraps around your bare thighs and knee high socked calves -- you catch a little chill, a small shiver running through your shoulders.

"It's startin'a get too cold to wear these little dresses, baby," Eddie chastises while Steve scans the tapes and enters his employee number into the computer, "You're gonna get the flu."

"The flu's a virus, you can't get it from being cold," you huff, drumming your fingers on the counter. Eddie bites his tongue in his mouth, exchanging a look with Steve while he passes the money for the rentals over to him.

"Learn something new every day, don't we Harrington?" he asks, trying to keep you from bubbling over in front of your friends.

"That's basic high school biology Ed," you snap, venom stinging on your tongue, "No wonder it took you three fucking years to graduate."

"Woah, woah!" Steve's brow furrows, shaking his head, "Yellow flag. Not cool." Of course, a sports reference.

"It's fine," Eddie says quietly, his eyes cast downward, "We'll see you guys later."

He grabs the tapes with one hand and your sweatered bicep in the other, wrenching you out of the store to the car. He tosses the tapes in the back seat, peeling out of the parking lot with a screech.

You're silent on the road, not even the radio on to soften the tension, both fuming -- buzzing with anger. Eddie reaches for the cigarette tucked in his ear, hiding behind his long messy curls. It sits between his full lips, dangling while he searches for his lighter. You hear the flick and wait for him to take the first inhale, your teeth grind together so hard you swear he can hear it. Time, and time, and time again you had told him -- "Jesus Christ. Not in my fucking car, Ed."

You pluck the cigarette out of his mouth and toss it out the crack in your window.

Eddie slams on the breaks and you both jostle forward at the impact, the squeal of the tires echoing through the empty road. He turns to you with wild eyes, incredulous, "Are you on the fucking rag or something?!"

You don't respond, instead you cross your arms tighter around your chest and look out the window. You avoid his angry look, your heart pounding, knowing his is too.

"We're going home," he mutters, pulling a u-turn and heading toward the backroads that lead to the trailer park.

"No, no, you still wanted to stop at Melvald's for paper plates, and decorations," you offer quietly.

"Well maybe if you'd been such a bitch, I would've gotten to run all my errands," he explains, frustration bubbling in his chest. He swallows the lump building in his throat again. He didn't mean to call you a bitch, he's never called you that outside of play. But fuck did you have to bring up how hard it was for him to graduate?

"We can still," your voice lilts, going up an octave, "It doesn't have to be ruined."

"We are going home," he says with finality, eyes glued to the road. You can beg with your soft voice all you want, he's had enough today.

The both of you continue the ride back to Eddie's trailer in silence, just his and your shuddering breaths breaking through every now and again. You knew what you were in for when you got in the door, and part of you knew you deserved it -- but another part thought maybe, if you were sweet enough, he'd change his mind.

He pulls in with a quick turn, tires skidding in the dead grass wet with frost. You roll up your window and open the door, watching as Eddie reaches back to get the tapes out of the back. You step lightly to the trunk, waiting for him to come around with the key so you can bring in the groceries.

"Oh, you wanna be helpful now?" his voice is bitter, "You're a brat all day and now that you're in trouble you wanna be nice?"

You pout, just a little. Watching his hands as he unlocks the trunk and it eases open. As you reach for the grocery bags he swats them away, "I got it."

"Fine," you sneer, marching toward the door, "You got it."

"Oh-ho-ho, you just wait darlin'," he smiles while he slams the trunk closed, but it's the smile he does when he can't contain himself. When his hands are vibrating. When he wants to yell but can only laugh. Bar fights at The Hideout, blow out arguments with Wayne, when the gas station clerk calls him a freak.

Now it was you.

He walks past you, groceries and tapes in hand, fishing out his keys to open the door -- the door squeaking open. The sound of it mocks you because you know what's to come when it clicks closed.

Eddie puts the bags down on the table in the kitchenette, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it on one of the chairs. You stand by the closed door, the leather of the belt hanging next to the door frame taunting you.

Eddie takes his time to put the groceries away, leaving out the chips and other snacks he picked up. He'd put them in bowls later for the set up. Fuck. He does have bowls or paper plates -- you didn't go to the store.

You watch him go to the phone on the wall in the kitchen, dialing without looking -- you can hear Steve's cheery voice on the other end. "What's up, Ed?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"You're the only person who calls me on my car phone."

"Okay, whatever. Sorry to ask this, but we didn't get a chance to go to Melvald's. Would you be able to pick some stuff up for me?" he asks while keeping eye contact with you. Now you feel bad. Eddie liked hosting movie night, he liked putting up decorations and making it feel like a party. It was something he looked forward to every month when it was his turn and his were always so fun that everyone ended up sleeping over. Now it felt ruined because you just couldn't stop. You couldn't let him have his day.

Eddie says his thank you's when he's done asking for Steve's help and hangs up the phone. He motions you over when he takes the few steps into the living room, sitting on the couch with a groan. You follow solemnly, standing across the room from him.

"Didn't I just have to punish you last week?" he asks while inching forward on the cushions, legs spread wide in front of him, "I mean, jesus baby girl, you're really just askin' to get whupped these days."

Daddy's home. Eddie always ended up adopting a mix of his co-worker's Hoosier accent and Wayne's slight southern drawl when he stepped into that role. Always coming out when maybe you needed to really learn a lesson. Whenever the brat came out to play without him asking for it.

It was your least favorite game -- not because you didn't like it necessarily, but Eddie relied heavily on making sure you were embarrassed. He wasn't mean. He was mocking. He liked how it made you feel, he liked how you turned red when he called you his baby. How your stomach turned when he put you over his lap. So rudimentary, but deeply effective. Somehow, getting spanked by his hand like this hurt more than anything else.

"C'mere," he says, waving you forward, "Come to daddy."

Your heart sinks and flutters simultaneously -- suddenly it's unbearibly hot in his trailer despite the light frost on the ground outside and your bare knees under your corduroy pinafore.

"Ed...c'mon, people are coming over," you say quietly, toying with the hem of your dress, "Can't you punish me later?"

"After you ran that mouth all day? After you showed up here late this mornin' and didn't even call? You broke all my rules," he scolded, "Get over my lap, sweet thing, gotta teach you."

"Please," you whisper, your glassy eyes meeting his, "I'll be good the rest of the night, I promise."

"That gives you way too much leeway. You'll start thinkin' you can get away with everything. You know what they say: spare the rod, spoil the child," he shrugs, "And you're so spoiled as it is. Aren’t you, baby?"

You nod, shifting your weight on your feet. Your skin crawls at the lilt in his voice; you can feel him getting impatient with you.

"So why doesn’t my spoiled little thing come over here and take her punishment, hm?"

You know if you don’t go over there, he’ll make you. His demeanor is so different when he’s like this, so sweet — cooing at you, gentleness even when he’s talking down to you. A soothing balm to help make you feel small, stupid, and needy. Like you can’t do anything without his guidance. He plucks at your emotional set backs as nimbly and expertly as he does his guitar.

“No, I think that’s too hard for you, baby. I'll figure it out.”

“Was that too difficult for you to understand? Why don't we try again.”

“I think you need a break, why don't you let Daddy take care of everything?"

"Let daddy do it for you. You need to learn when to ask for help when you need it."

"We can talk about it when you're not acting like such a little brat, okay?"

You inch over and slide over his lap and even though you know it’ll hurt, it’s so comfortable to let go for him. To let him teach you a lesson. To let it out on the couch cushions in the form of fat tears and whines and screams. Kicking your legs and squirming.

“There’s my good girl,” he murmurs while you get situation on top of him. eddie let’s a warm hand slide over your thigh before pushing your dress up over your hips to your waist, "Knew she was still in there."

Ed takes a moment to admire the softened bruises on your ass when he gathers your panties at the base of it, finally in their last stage of healing from last week's play time. Maybe he could afford to go harder than he expected. Excellent news for him, awful news for you.

“You don’t have to count out loud to me today, angel. Don't think you can count that high,” he teases, calloused hand smoothing over your ass before coming down hard over it with a loud smack ringing in the living room of the trailer.

“Ah-ow!” you yelp, his over the knee spankings just hurt a little bit more than anything else. Maybe it was the embarrassment of the position, the way he played with your mind a little before hand. Something about the crack of his palm against you when you felt dizzy like this was a different type of pain.

What a shame that you loved it so much.

“You know you deserve this, baby,” he says softly, “I don’t like to punish you, but I gotta keep you in line. You really embarrassed me today.”

“M'sorry, daddy,” you frown into the couch, hips jumping at the next strike. A warm little buzz forming on your backside while he continues.

"Are you?" he asks, his hand smacking especially hard against the swell of your ass. The first choke of a sob escapes your chest and he hums with satisfaction, "You don't sound sorry."

"I think daddy's gonna make you very sorry, though," he threats. Eddie takes his time switches his rings over to the hand he's using to spank you, knowing it just adds injury to even more injury. He smiles to himself when you squirm at the feeling of the metal skating across your warm skin.

"Don't like that?" he asks. You shake your head no and he 'tsks' above you, letting his fingers slide between your legs, "You sure?"

"Mmm," is all you can reply, feeling hazy and spacey under his touch. Your stomach tightens at his finger tips grazing your folds, presing slightly to get between them, a pool of slick welcoming them immediately.

"I think you do like that," he whispers headily. Eddie takes his fingers away, eliciting a wanting whimper from you, his chuckle was daunting.

His hand smacks upward and downward on one cheek, then the other, in a consistent rhythm. One, two, three, four, one, two, three four. Hard, sweeping spanks making a bloom of color spread over your skin more and more as he went. He does this for who knows how many minutes, as many as it takes for your legs to start kicking. For the color in your skin to fall to an angry crimson.

"Here we go with the dramatics," Eddie tutts, catching your ankles with his free hand, "What might happen if you don't stay still?"

You rack your brain and he isn't patient, raining down smacks in quick succession on your left butt cheek and then your right. The skin burning underneath his hand.

It comes to you hazily, what he says over and over again when you move around too much -- too many spots that could cause damage if he hits them instead, "I could get hurt," you whine out.

"Good girl," he coos, "Look at you, trying your best to remember -- my stupid little thing."

You can't help but pout at the dig, pouting more when his hand starts up their symphony again.

"Daddy, please," you cry, your hand reaching out to cover your ass, "Please no more."

"Excuse me," he hisses, spare hand now coming up to press your wrist against your back, "You earned this. Be a big girl and take it."

Your face burns when he admonishes you, embarrassment washing over your body. You can't help but struggle against him but he pulls you tight in place, steadying you before he starts again, "Behave."

You can feel Eddie's erection building against your hip, your mouth filling with spit at the thought of it. Maybe he'll fuck you if you just let him get through this part, he usually does. You're still playing afterall, this is just punishment -- you earned this.

Eddie continues, grunting with each stinging hit, as much force as he can into it. His tongue swells in his mouth when it watches the fat of your hips and ass bounce back at his assault. This was a show exclusively for him, the best part about impact play. You know, outside of the crying, and whimpering, and your shining wet pussy between your legs. And the power, fuck. Don't even get him started on the high of all that power and control.

Tears are streaming down your face, mixing with the strings of snot oozing from your nose. You look a mess, just like he wanted and just like he knew you would.

His smacks slow down to one every few seconds, like the end of a popcorn bag in the microwave, before smoothing his hand over your vibrating flesh.

"That was a good warm up, huh?" he asks. Your face pales.

"Wh-what?" you sob out, looking back at him. He smiles, his wolfish 'Master' smile, devilish.

"That was a good warm up, wasn't it angel?" he coos, nails softly grazing your thighs, making you hiss.

"Warm up?" you ask, eyes shining and round. He maneuvers you off his lap, steadying you while your jellied legs find some footing.

"You thought you were gettin' off that easy?" he asks, in that same soft voice, "That's cute."

You pout but it doesn't help, he pushes back on the couch and crosses his legs. Eddie's looking up at you but it still feels like he's looking down.

"Go get the paddle, baby," he instructs, "You know which one."

You swallow hard, shoulders shaking, "But why?"

"Because I said so," he says it like you're stupid. You feel stupid. You feel small.

You trudge to the bedroom and back to the livingroom with the paddle in hand: wooden and carved with holes. Beyond pain on it's own, extra painful with a warm up.

You reluctantly pass it to him and feel sick at how fucking hot it looks in his hand. With a sniffle and bite of your lower lip, you lay back down across his lap, bending at the waist, your toes meeting the floor in your socked feet.

He adjusts your underwear, pulling them back up to cover you, the elastic scratching uncomfortably on you, "How about we keep these on for this part? Does that sound good?"

"Yes," you shudder out, even though it doesn't make a difference. The cotton is so thin.

"What do you say?" he asks, sliding the paddle across your thighs.

"Thank you, daddy," you mumble into the cushion.

"What was that?" he asks, "Gotta speak up."

You know he heard you, he just wants to hear you say it again.

"Thank you, daddy," you say more clearly.

"Still can't hear you," it comes out like a song and the paddle comes sound with a loud SMACK across your thighs.

"THANK YOU, DADDY," you cry out, tears springing from your eyes. The air gets trapped in your throat, sputtering while you try to steady your breath. He gives you a moment to collect yourself, extra careful to check if you're too far gone to know how to tell him to stop.

"We're gonna do twenty, okay?" he asks, "Think you can do that?"

"Yes, sir," you sniffle out, head hanging.

"Twenty's good right?" he asks, you nod, "How come?"

"S'what I d-deserve," you say to him without thinking, fully obedient now.

"Smart girl," he coos, placing the paddle next to him so he can slide a finger into your panties, "Very smart girl."

"P-please," you whisper into the couch cushion, you pray he doesn't hear it but you also wish he would. You hear his pleased hum when his finger tip meets your soaked opening again, pushing further into you. He pumps it into you lazily, enough to watch your hips writhe in time against him -- but it's just not enough.

You know better than to ask for more, not letting more than a disappointed whimper out of your mouth when he takes it away.

“Maybe later, yeah?” he asks, voice mocking your wanton whines, “If you’re a good girl?”

You simply nod, bracing yourself when you hear him pick up the paddle again. Down it comes without warning, knocking the wind out of you once again. The pain shoots down your legs and up your back in in a shivering sting. You cry loudly, blubbering inconsolably into your forearms resting on the couch. This is what he wanted to hear. Thank god the windows were closed.

"Want you to think about this --" He grunts when he brings the paddle down again, "-- when you think about running that mouth to me."

He waits for the pain to almost stop reverberating in your body to bring down the next blow. Eddie never let you take a full breath between blows when you needed to learn something.

"When your in one of these moods you--" the next strike of the paddle elicits a near scream out of you, racked with tears, "-- talk to me about it before you start gettin' mean. You hear me?"

"Y-yes-s-s-s," you sob.

"Are you sorry?" he asks, the next strike is over your thighs.

"I'm sorry!" you yelp before falling back into shuddering cries, "So so sorry, I'm sorry."

He continues on without reprieve: 6, 9, 12, 14 -- or was it 13? -- you're not even counting -- you're not sure if you can count at this point. Your eyes have gone glassy, you're crying so hard that you're drooling.

The sound of a knock at the door takes you out of your haze for a moment but you don't feel Eddie's body tense, he just calls out, "It's open!"

You hear the door open and immediately reach for the hem of your dress to push it down, but Eddie's mean laugh and swat of his hand puts you back in place.

"Hey, they didn't have pumpkin paper plates but they had ghosts and I thought maybe that would be f-- oh," Steve stops with the plates in his hand, looking you both over, eyes lingering briefly on your reddened ass and thighs.

"Sorry to interrupt."

"You're fine," Eddie rolls his eyes, "You can put it all on the counter. Thanks so much, man. Let me know what I owe you."

Steve shakes his head with a little laugh, leaving the bags on the counter full of plates, napkins, and decorations. Listening to you whimper in the other room. Steve had been plenty privy to whatever you and Ed were getting up to. All of the older group was. The first time you showed up to a group hang with bruises was when you both had to come clean immediately -- there were hardly any secrets between the five of you anyway.

Plus, Steve liked learning new things.

Eddie doesn't mind the audience, bringing the paddle down again with new vigor. You try desperate to hold in the cry in your chest but it breaks when he speaks to you.

"What baby, you embarrassed?" Eddie coos, "You didn't have a problem embarrassing me in front of Steve earlier. Just returning the favor."

"You wanna tell him why you're gettin' punished?" he asks, one hand smoothing over your back while the other brings the paddle down again. You shake your head no, embarrassment washing over you in heavy waves knowing Steve is watching you get punished like a school girl.

"I think you should," Eddie continues, "Think it'll help the lesson sink in."

You know you don't have a choice, so you lift your head up mumbling weakly, "Because I was a bad girl."

"Little louder so Steve can hear," he encourages.

"Because I was a bad girl," you repeat. Your face was fuming with a deep blush.

"There we go," Eddie soothes to you quietly, "I think you had enough, sweet thing. Why don't you go wait for me in our room?"

You swallow, ignoring the shooting pain in your backside while you scramble off his lap and down into the hall to the bedroom.

Eddie turns towards Steve while you scurry away, "At least she's self aware."

"At least." Steve agrees, cheeks reddening, "Look I gotta go pick up Elaine, her sister took the car so she can't get over here. I'll probably be around when everyone else shows up though."

"So she's finally her real name and not just 'some girl'?" Ed asks, surprised.

Steve blushes, "Yeah I think she's gonna stick around for a while. She's been um -- really receptive to some new stuff we've been tryin' out."

"Well you're learning from the best, so," Eddie cockily meets his cheek to his shoulder.

"Pfft, okay," Steve rolls his eyes while he walks toward the door, swinging his keys on his fingers, "See you in a little."

Eddie watches him leave, stretching on the couch before getting up and walking slowly over to the bedroom. He slowly opens the door, listening for anything beyond your regular cry or whimper.

"Baby?" he asks, his voice back to normal. There you are on his bed, already in a pair of his sweat pants and a t-shirt. Your pinafore and sweater and socks folded neatly on the end of the mattress. Your makeup stianed face wiped clean with the cold cream and clean face cloths you kept on his dresser.

"Oh, baby," he frowned, "You look so sad."

"I'm sorry," you said, your shoulders curving inward in a sulk, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to take everything out on you today."

"I know," Eddie shuts the door behind him, just in case anyone showed up earlier than expected. He walked over to the bed, barely getting onto it all the way before you found your way onto his lap. Your tear stained face in his neck.

"Do you feel better?" he asked, rubbing circles onto your back and pressing a kiss onto your shoulder. You nod against him.

"I'm sorry," you repeat.

"It's okay," he coos, "I'm sorry, too."

You lean back to look at him and he looks at you with a smile, his big doe eyes warm and crinkling at the ends.

“I love you,” his voice is cozy. Medicine for you bad mood.

“I love you, too,” you respond, leaning in slow while you rest a hand in his cheek. Your lips find home against his and you hear him sigh with relief into it. He deeply reciprocates, mouth desperately meeting yours, hands resting softly in your hair.

“Haven’t gotten to kiss you all day,” he whispers. His next kiss is feverish and needy, pulling you close to him, pressed against his chest.

“I know, I’m sorry. I wanted to, I just…I don’t know,” you explained between breaths.

“S’okay,” he says, leaning back a bit to look in your eyes, “Can we talk about that?”

“Yeah,” you nod, sitting further back on his thighs.

“When we play, or when you make me upset, or if I’m feeling sad or angry - I don’t ignore you, right? I don’t deny you what you want or need unless it’s part of a scene? And even then you can always ask to stop?” he looks hurt when he asks, his hand finding your thigh, giving it a little squeeze.

“No, you always listen. You always communicate,” you say.

“So you have to offer me the same kindness, baby,” he strokes your cheek, “You really hurt my feelings today."

Your eyes water, chest aching, "I know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up high school or -- or act like I didn't care about t-tonight, or your c-car. I do care."

"Shh, shh, shh, I know. I know," he soothes, "But when something's bothering you, even if you don't know what it is -- I need you to communicate that to me. So I can try to help."

This isn't the first time you've had to have this conversation and he can see the defeat in your face.

"We're both learning," he says, pressing a peck to your lips and then your forehead, "We'll do it together."

You nod, resting into his soft hands that have now found your cheeks again.

"And I'm sorry I called you a bitch in the car," Eddie says and you know he means it, "I'll never call you that again."

"I mean, you will," you giggle softly. He melts at the sound.

"I will, but in a different context," he giggles with you, another kiss to your lips, "In the way that you like."

You match his posture, putting your hands on his face, pulling him close to you. Another kiss, slow and sensual, pillowy lips capturing eachother's with anticipation for whatever might come later. Clicks of spit exchanging and tongues dancing floating through the room like music -- their own language.

"I love you," he whispers, his forehead pressed against yours.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," he repeats. He needs you to know after scenes like that, where you're more vulnerable than normal. A real punishment that might make you forget.

At the same right, he needs you to say it back -- and when you do, he sees stars.

"Let me get you patched up, yeah?" he asks. You nod, laying down on the mattress to let him comfort you after such an assault. Feeling much better now that you had a sore ass and a good talk.

After the normal routine of aloe gel and a massage, you let Eddie get the trailer together for movie night while you took a break in the bedroom. Sometimes you needed a little time alone after a scene before you had to go be around people. Plus, he liked decorating by himself.

You can hear people start trickling in: Steve and his lady, Dustin, Robin, Mike, Nancy, their voices tittering their hellos while the screen door swings. You make your way out, padding down the hall in your socks.

"Hi," you croak out, your voice still scratcy from earlier. Eddie comes over to re-welcome you to the real world, leaving a kiss on your cheek.

Dustin looks at you quizically, "Are you okay? You look sad for movie night."

You shrug, about to speak when Eddie butts in, "She'll be alright, Henderson. She just got in a nasty fight with her dad."

You hear Steve snort in the kitchen and roll your eyes before you smile back at Dustin, "I'm okay, thank you for asking."

Eddie fixes you a plate of snacks while you fix him one. Somehow you still haven't realized that you should just get them for yourselves, but there's something sweet about the neutral need to always be caring for each other.

"More sour straws, you're lacking here Munson," you say at the exchange of plates.

"So true," he agrees, turning back around. The rest of the crew walks in, Lucas making a joke that Steve laughs at -- another snort coming out of his nose.

"You sound like a pig Steve," his flavor of the month Elaine laughs. You watch him smile at her, his eyes a little hard, and subtly reach for her chin. He leans in like he's about to kiss her, but before he does he offers a stern, "Watch your mouth."

Her face blooms with heat when their lips meet and you nudge Eddie in the arm, "What're you teaching him, Ed? He's a nice boy."

Eddie tosses you a sly smirk, "He's not as nice as he looks. I promise."

You take your plate from him, sour straws at the right amount, and take your place on the couch. He plops down next to you while everyone gathers in the living room around the TV.

"Day of the Dead, y'all. Let's get into it," Eddie says. He lifts the remote and presses play, turning out the lights at the switch behind your head. His hand falls to your opposite shoulder, rubbing it absentmindedly while the movie begins.

Your eyes meet breifly in the glow of the TV. He offers you a wink before spreading his lips into his regular award winning smile.

[quinnysnursery]

Can you do a little!matt x fem!cg!reader? 🩵🩵

[🩹] stressful week recovery | matt sturniolo one-shot

paring : little!matt sturniolo x cg!fem!reader

summary : after a stressful week, matt's girlfriend knows just what her little one needs !

warning/extra tid-bits : Matt and his CG are in a romantic relationship outside of being a little and caregiver but this still does not make age regression sexual, y/n used (sorry guys its inevitable sometimes😿)

word count : 2,423

divider credit : MEEE c: i made it using canva guys!!

a/n : save me monkey jellycat i saw at the store today....save me... (sorry for any typos ! i'm just a girl !)

Friday, 8:10 pm.

Matt let out a loud sigh as he finally let his head hit his pillows, his entire body relaxing into the plush mattress. Closing his eyes and letting out yet another exhausted breath, Matt recounted the week he'd endured.

On Monday, Chris woke him up screaming they were missing footage and Nick needed it to wrap up the video. Tuesday, he was supposed to drive Chris to a dentist appointment and everything was going fine until...a simple flat tire caused Matt to make Chris late, which Chris wouldn't let go of for the remainder of the week.

Wednesday, they filmed. The familiar nickname of "Miserable Matt" returned...which sucked. Matt wasn't miserable, he wasn't even annoyed by his brothers at first. He was just overstimulated, the leather seats of the car too uncomfortable, the car too hot but the AC too loud. It was unbearable....maybe even miserable.

Thursday started out good. He ran a few errands with Nick and Chris, who still insisted that Matt intentionally made him late for his dentist appointment. That didn't matter though, because he was just joking....hopefully. Thursday was going so well in fact, that he decided he would take some instagram photos with the help of Chris.

Well, apparently Chris thought it would be so funny to intentionally make each photo blurry to some degree. "If I can be late to a dentist appointment, you can survive with one less photo on your feed." He teased as Matt held back frustrated tears the entire way back.

Today, Friday, was probably the easiest of all. He spent the entire day attempting to de-stress. He had to film yet another video, but this one was easier as Chris seemed to finally let the damn dentist grudge go. That's what led him to now, laying on his bed with a blaring headache as the stress of the week caught up to him. The yelling from Monday, the week-long teasing…the blurry photos.

Everything just felt too loud. Too loud, or too bright. Too big.

Shit.

Everything felt too big. Matt felt small, little.

Groaning, Matt evaluated his options. His brothers knew mildly of his regression, but there was no way in hell he was going to ask them for help. Not now.

He didn’t even necessarily want to bother his girlfriend/caregiver right now but this regression was coming on strong and there was no way Matt would be able to handle it on his own. 

As if on cue, the familiar sound of your text tone went off on his nightstand. Quickly sitting up and scrambling for his phone, Matt read your message through teary eyes.

‘mommy🤍: hey hun!! were we still on for that movie marathon? x’

Shit. In the hell-spiral that had been this week Matt completely forgot he agreed to a movie marathon with you. Chewing his lip anxiously, Matt typed out a response.

‘matty💙 : really sorry, i don't think i can. had a really bad week, i don't know if i can drive over :(’

It took less than a moment for a reply to come back.

‘mommy🤍: be ready in 20, bring your littlespace bag’

A smile managed to form on the brunette's face. Matt took a few more moments to calm himself down, the familiar fuzzy feeling beginning to become even more prominent on his mind.

“Not yet.” He thought to himself as he stood up carefully, grabbing the bag out from his closet. He took in front of his open closet for a few moments before deciding to change into a looser fitting t-shirt and sweats.

Matt sat back down on the edge of his bed, checking his phone once more even though he knew you'd be at least another 10 minutes.

Friday, 9:00 pm.

‘mommy🤍: in the driveway, need me to come get you baby?'

‘matty💙 : i can do it'

‘matty💙 : not little yet.'

Matt began trudging downstairs with his backpack cast over his shoulder, he was just gonna slip out the front door and avoid having to explain to his brothers why he was going to spend the weekend at his girlfriend's hous-

"Matt!" Chris called, peeking his head over the couch. God dammit. Matt turned on his heels, flashing a fake smile to both his brothers. "Where are you heading off too in the night?" Nick joked, "Kid looks like batman." Chris added with a laugh.

"Mysterious Matt." Both Nick and Chris agreed before bursting into laughter. Matt had to remind himself to take deep breaths to avoid crying once again. His brothers were just joking around with him, he was just sensitive.

He wanted to just slip out the front door, hurry across the driveway, slide into your car and let you take charge. He just wanted to regress.

“Uhm…(Y/N)’s picking me up.” Matt swallowed, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "I'm staying the weekend." He added, reaching for the doorknob.

"Okay, loverboy." Nick said, Matt rolled his eyes at the old joke. The middle triplet stood awkwardly for a moment, the silence being interrupted by Matt's phone going off.

‘mommy🤍: everything okay?'

Smiling at the message, Matt bid his brothers a goodbye before shutting the door closed behind him. Matt smiled, the fuzzy feeling weighing down on his brain even more as he opened the passenger side door.

"Hey baby!" You smiled, "Look who I brought!" You reached behind you. You took a moment before pulling out Matt's beloved pug stuffed animal he'd left behind a few weeks ago, Mr.Wrinkleton.

A smile instantly formed on Matt's face as he quickly buckled his seatbelt, placing his backpack in front of him. "Mr.Wrinkleton!" The boy beamed, no longer feeling the need to fight off the obvious signs he was regressing.

Ruffling his hair, you put the car in park and began the drive to your home.

For the most part, Matt was silent. Only occasionally whispering something to Mr.Wrinkleton or pointing at something on the side of the road.

"Do you want mama to make you something? Or do you want something else?" You asked, turning down the soft indie music that was playing through the car speakers. Matt paused for a moment, thinking to himself.

"....grilled 'eese?" The brunette asked, looking over at you. "P'ease mama?" The puppy-dog eyes were now in full-effect. You smiled, glancing over at your boy, "Does Mr.Wrinkleton want a grilled cheese too?" You asked, "He can't have grilled 'eese! He's a pug!" The boy giggled.

Friday, 9:40 pm.

"One grilled cheese for Matt." You hummed, placing the plastic bear-shaped plate down on your kitchen island.

"No crust!" Matt beamed as he noticed you'd sliced the edges of the sandwich off. You nodded, wrinkling up your nose with a smile. "I cut it off, just for you." You tapped his nose playfully. "Do you think Mr.Wrinkleton would want the crust?" You asked, revealing a small blue bowl of bread crust from behind you.

Matt giggled and nodded enthusiastically, "Mhm!!".

Smiling, you place the plush dog in front of the blue bowl. "Eat your food angel, bedtime soon." You said, brushing his hair away from his face.

While Matt ate his grilled cheese, you silently snuck the pieces of bread from Mr.Wrinkleton's bowl into your mouth. The two of you enjoyed the comfortable quiet.

"Chris was bein' mean..." Matt mumbled, leaning into your arm. You quickly took your hand away from Mr.Wrinkleton's bowl as you turned your attention to your little.

"Really? What was he saying sweetheart?" You asked, snaking your arm around his lower torso and pulling him closer.

"Kept sayin' I made him late to th-the dentist on purpose..." Matt mumbled, his feelings quite obviously still hurt from Chris' comments.

"Oh honey..." You cooed as you felt Matt's tears trickle down his face and begin to dampen your shirt sleeve.

"A-And I didn't mean too! M' had to change the tire all by m'self!" Matt cried, abandoning his mostly-eaten sandwich to reach for your grasp.

Standing up, you gently led Matt to the couch allowing the two of you to collapse onto the cushions. Matt instantly scrambled onto your lap, curling into you.

"Shhh, I'm here. Just let it out." You soothed, wrapping your arms around your little, playing with the back of his hair. Matt cried, whimpering out a few more words about "blurry photos 'n lost footage".

You made a mental note to ask Matt about those things when he was no longer regressed.

"Mama's here....I've got you." You reassure, kissing the top of the brunette's head before he buried his head into the crook of your neck.

The two of you stayed like that for an hour. Matt unleashing the stress of his week through tears and you whispering reassuring words into his ear as you played with his hair.

Eventually though, Matt's tears turned to sniffles and sniffles turned to hiccups, which eventually turned to snores.

You carefully slid out from under him, taking a couch pillow from behind you and placing it under his head. You quietly went to your room, snatching the softest blanket you owned off your bed before returning to the living room and throwing it over your baby boy.

"Shhh, just relax baby." You soothed as Matt stirred in his sleep. Quickly, you grabbed Mr.Wrinkleton from the kitchen counter and his pacifier from his backpack.

Crouching in front of Matt, you softly tucked the pug stuffed animal under his arm before bringing the paci to his lips. Matt's eyes were still filled with sleep as they cracked open, "It's your paci, baby." You explained, a sleepy smile appeared on Matt's face before he accepted the pacifier, snuggling further into his covers.

You let out a content sigh once you were sure he was asleep once again, the gentle sounds of breathing and suckling noise from Matt's paci filling the room.

Saturday, 2:30 am.

"Mommy?" Matt called, peeking into your dark room. You awoke from your sleep, quickly turning to face the door and clicking a light on.

"What's going on angel? Something wrong?" You ask, rubbing your sleep-ridden eyes. Matt shook his head before sheepishly looking down at his feet.

You smiled, realizing what Matt was too nervous to ask. "C'mon," You called, opening up your blanket. Matt let out a small squeal, before climbing into bed and snuggling into your frame.

You let your boy get comfortable before beginning to play with his hair, both of you enjoying the safety of each other's presence. Just as you were about to let sleep take over once again, you heard a small murmur come from a half-asleep Matt.

"M' love you mama."

[oh-theseus]

the sound

pairing: astarion ancunin x gn!reader, astarion ancunin x gn!tav summary: your relationship with astarion has ran its course, but what happens when he recognizes the sound of your heart in a crowded tavern? word count: 4,071 a/n: this is post-game spawn astarion!! he's a freak here. like he's kind of a obsessed weirdo. idk, i wanted to play into all the weird things vampires can do 🤷‍♀️ also shamelessly admitting that the basis of this comes from 'the sound' by the 1975. def recommend giving it a listen :) anyways though SORRY I WAS GONE!! hope you guys accept this as a decent apology gift <33

warnings: ooc spawn!astarion, mean/toxic astarion, he's also kinda obsessed, astarion chokes reader???, blood depictions, blood drinking, stalker astarion if you squint, not a happy ending. SORRY I LIKE WEIRD FREAK SPAWN ASTARION!!! lmk if i need to add more!

Your relationship with Astarion had always been tumultuous. Perhaps that was because it was forged amidst the potential ending of the world, or perhaps it had something to do with the insane emotional baggage both of you brought to the table. Whatever it had been, it had not been enough to keep the two of you together.

Somewhere between killing Cazador and defeating the Absolute, things fell apart. And it wasn’t just Astarion’s fault, or just yours. Both of you… stopped trying? That didn’t feel right. Because you were trying, you really were. But it was never enough, on either side. So, you decided to part ways. It was better that way. At least that’s what you told yourself so that you could sleep at night.

Months passed, and Astarion became but a distant memory of fangs in your skin. Or, you tried to make him little more than that. You kept yourself busy in Baldur’s Gate, running errands of all sorts. You traveled some, but never as far as you did in order to defeat the Absolute. The days were long and grueling. Some nights you woke from nightmares, other nights you spent with lovers you’d never see again. Despite feeling a bit lonely at times, you have learned to enjoy this new circle of life for yourself. The routine kept you grounded. Kept you from thinking too hard about the vampire you once loved.

Taverns also helped. Not just because of the alcohol, but because everyone always wanted to talk about something. You had come to learn that most of the stories you heard were lies - or at least very embellished truths. Regardless, the fellow patrons were good company. They would laugh or cry shamelessly and were always willing to buy you a drink when you looked particularly rough. They didn’t pry, either. To them, you were just some other lonely fool coming to distract themself for an evening. And a good distraction it was, too.

Until that vampire you were trying so hard to forget walks in. 

For a moment, the world stops. Your eyes are locked on the figure in the door, his white curls seeming to glow in the moonlight outside. He winces when he steps inside - he didn’t like loud places, you remembered that. He looks just the same as you remember him, of course. A man unaged for two hundred years. What was a few months to his eternal not-quite-youth?

You look away before he can see you. And though you try to focus back on the adventurers in front of you, you find it difficult to do so. Your heart pounds with anxiety. You aren’t sure why you’re worried. Even upon parting with Astarion, he had remained relatively civil. But you knew Astarion better than most, so you knew that time did not heal Astarion’s wounds. No, time only seemed to make the vampire’s wounds fester up and get infected. If he wasn’t angry with you then, you had a feeling he would be angry with you now.

“I’ll be right back,” you say to the group of strangers you’re sitting with. You stand slowly, eyes scanning the crowded tavern for Astarion. You don’t see him, and your eyebrows furrow together - had you imagined him? It wouldn’t be the first time you saw something that wasn’t actually there.

The bar is crowded, the bartender working quickly to try to please everyone. You take one look at the scene and decide that slipping out the back door into the quiet street outside will bring you more relief than waiting however long for a single drink will.

As predicted, the streets of Baldur’s Gate are quiet. The moon is high in the sky, the fullness of it casting a soft glow over the street before you. A cat scurries out of a barrel nearby, but other than that, you are alone. Your back presses to the wall of the tavern beside the door, sliding down until you’re crouched on the ground, your hands rubbing across your face. 

This was all rather silly, wasn’t it? Running and hiding because your ex-lover showed up at the most popular tavern in the city you knew he resided in. It was childish, pathetic even. Still, you don’t get up. You let the cool night breeze dance over the exposed parts of your skin while your hands fall away from your eyes. Your eyes remain closed though as you inhale and exhale slowly - you were getting quite good at this self-soothing thing, weren’t you? You hear the door opening and the sound of feet stepping outside, but don’t think twice about it. People were allowed to leave the tavern, weren’t they?

“Ah, I thought I heard you.”

Correction - everyone except for Astarion was allowed to leave the tavern.

Your eyes fly open, and you’re on your feet in a moment. Astarion stands before you, wearing that all too-familiar smirk of his. You watch as his crimson eyes flicker across your body twice over, stunned into silence. Your heart is racing still, though you would wager it’s beating faster now based on how loud it was in your own ears.

“Cat got your tongue, my dear?” Astarion tilts his head to the side when he speaks. He is mocking you, of course. You were right to assume that he had grown angry with time. “I could hear you all the way inside, you know. Isn’t that just so interesting?” Hear you? What in the Nine Hells was he going on about? “What are you talking about?” You manage to ask, face wrinkled up in confusion. Astarion seems confused for a moment too, a distant look in his eyes that you knew meant he was trying to recall a memory. Impatient with him and his growing silence, you shift from foot to foot. Get on with it, you think.

“Hm, seems I forgot to tell you about that,” Astarion seems to say to himself. He focuses on you fully once more, waving his wrist when he next speaks. “Your heart, darling. I can hear it.” If this information had been presented to you a year ago, you might have slapped him. But you’d become quite desensitized to weird things - especially weird things pertaining to the nature of vampires. At least this part of Astarion’s nature made sense to you, unlike his inability to cross running water. If he was meant to live off of blood, then you supposed he should be able to hear the thing at the center of every living creature that made that blood flow.

But there were countless people in the tavern. You scoff - he’s lying. He couldn’t have been able to identify your heart among the numerous others in there. He must have seen you when you slipped outside.

“Your lies flatter me, Astarion. Truly,” you state sarcastically. Once, your sarcasm might have been full of mirth and lightheartedness when it came to him. But none of that is present now. Perhaps time had made your hurt fester, too? You always were more alike Astarion than you cared to admit.

“You wound me.” Astarion presses a hand to cover his dead heart in mock hurt. But he smirks down at you still. “Don’t you think I know exactly how to flatter you?”

Astarion takes a step closer to you. You’re suddenly very aware that the wall of the tavern is pressing against you. It’s almost frightening how much he looks like a predator like this. It’s almost… exciting. Your heart races faster, and Astarion’s smirk turns into a knowing grin.

You should’ve ran a stake through his heart when you had the chance.

“I do not have time for your antics.” Your voice conveys the same authority you once used to lead a makeshift army against the Absolute. Astarion finds it funny that you think it will work on him, the person who resented authority more than anyone or anything you had ever met.

“My antics are simply me wishing to catch up with an old friend. I hadn’t realized that was a crime these days.” He takes another step forward, that knowing grin of his not disappearing.

“Oh, a friend? Is that what we were?” Somehow, the implication that you had only been a friend hurts more than any insult he could possibly hurl at you right now. Had he truly thought so little of your nights together? Of the secrets you shared, the times you let him feed from you? “You wear your heart on your sleeve, my love. So easy to hurt it, isn’t it?” Astarion has moved so close to you now, that if he required air to breathe he’d be breathing in what you were exhaling out. You watch his eyes dance across your face, then trail down to your neck. Wordlessly, he grabs your chin and tilts your neck to the side.

Your hand is on his wrist immediately, the other one reaching for your blade strapped to your hip. You think he’s going to bite you. 

“Ah, ah,” Astarion stops your hand from grabbing your weapon with a tight grip around your wrist. “I’m just looking. Always so hungry for blood, aren’t we?” You don’t like the comparison of your desire to protect yourself to his need to drink blood. You don’t comment on it though, too busy watching his eyes burning into your neck.

If he wasn’t going to bite you, then - Oh. The scars.

Two puncture wounds on the right side of your throat, scarred over from the amount of times Astarion had bitten into that exact same spot to drink from you. You feel his hand leave your chin and push your collar to the side, exposing the scars to him more. He chuckles darkly, and you use your free hand to shove him away from you.

Astarion stumbles back, a look of surprise on his face. It’s quickly replaced with anger - an emotion you had seen on his face so many times before, but never directed at you until this very moment. 

“Do those make finding a little playmate difficult?” Astarion asks, eyebrows raised in mock interest. You would ask how he knew about your habits, but he did tell you once that he had a remarkable sense of smell. He could probably smell the elf you’d taken home last night on you still. You have half the mind to be embarrassed. The other half of your mind really wants to hit him.

“That’s not really your business anymore, is it?” You counter, crossing your arms over your chest. You’ve moved off of the wall now, making sure there’s empty space behind you should he try to approach you again. “But, I am glad you are still as jealous as ever.”

“Hah! Jealous!” Astarion does that fake little laugh of his. He goes so far as to bend over and then wipe a non-existence tear from his eye when he stands. “Darling, I truly could not care any less who or what you are doing in your free time. Rather - I could not care any less about you.”

It’s your turn to laugh at him. “Bold words for the man who just confessed to knowing the sound of my heart amidst all those other ones in there.”

Astarion doesn’t like this response in the slightest. You grin wickedly as he clenches his fists at his side and narrows his eyes. You two always did know how to hurt one another, didn’t you?

There is a truth to your words though. It was bold for him to claim not to care about you anymore, but to still have the sound of your heart so well memorized that he could find you in the middle of a loud, crowded tavern after months of not seeing each other. It’s almost romantic, if not a bit obsessive. Though, Astarion’s version of romance always had been a bit obsessive, hadn’t it?

“Cat got your tongue, Astarion?” You use his own words on him, tilting your head in the very same way that he had done not five minutes ago. You don’t suppress the wickedly pleased grin that spreads across your face when Astarion’s jaw clenches. Yes, you knew exactly how to hurt him. 

“Very original,” he hisses. You simply shrug - as if all of this and him are not worth your time. He does not like that. Not one bit.

When you and Astarion were together, he was always very careful with you, unless you requested otherwise. You had seen that he was strong in a way that was inhuman, but had never been anywhere close to being on the receiving end of that strength. Until now.

You let out a gasp when you are pushed back against the wall of the tavern. You immediately regret it, given that it leaves you with no air in you when Astarion’s hand wraps around your neck. Not strong enough to bruise, but certainly strong enough to have you reaching for your blade. Again, he beats you there and pins your hand to the wall

“You forget yourself, little dove,” he whispers, mere inches from your face. If someone else were to slip out the back door of the tavern, they would likely think you were two lovers with no shame. 

Given that you can not speak, you simply look at him. If you weren’t terrified of choking to death, you might have glared at him. Instead, you look at him with big, wide eyes. They plead for you - they show your fear. Your heart gives it away too. And the way your blood races beneath his hand. Your anatomy betrays your emotions more than you do.

But Astarion’s does, too. In his eyes, you see many things. Anger, of course, but there is also guilt, sadness, fear - hunger. His eyes go to those scars again. Your eyes go impossibly wider in understanding.

Your free hand taps at his wrist repeatedly, begging him to release you. He must see your desperation, because he relents. You would have fallen to your knees while you gasped for air if his hands did not catch you on either side of your waist. 

His crimson eyes are darting over your features, watching as you catch your breath. He’s got that far-off look about him again. His hands squeeze your waist gently, as if he was making sure you were still there. You know what this means - how many times had you seen Astarion act just like this because he hadn’t fed in a few days? And given that he was still a spawn and was limited to nights hunting alone, you imagined it might get hard to find something to eat every once in a while.

“I forget myself,” you mumble when you can breathe properly again. You straighten up, expecting Astarion’s hands to remove themselves, but they do not. “Does your hunger always make you act as a feral beast?”

Astarion winces at your insult, as if you had hit him instead of just spoken. He had thought you wouldn’t notice. But those big, wet eyes of his never kept his secrets when he desired for them to be kept most. 

“Perceptive as always.” His words are almost a compliment, just as his hands are almost comforting. 

“You haven’t come out here to taunt me, then?” You ask, anger seeping into your tone. Did he truly think you would just give him your blood after the stunt he had just pulled? “Were you seeking a meal for the evening?” Astarion is the one to shrug now. His hands leave your sides - you find yourself almost missing his touch. “I didn’t have a plan, darling. All I knew was that your heart was racing, and I wanted to know why.”

When he said it like that, it made it almost sound like he was worried about you and your safety.

A thick, uncomfortable silence settles over you both like a wet blanket. He’s thinking again, but this time, so are you. You’re thinking about the scars on your neck, the hunger in Astarion’s eyes. You’re thinking about how it used to be comforting to let him drink from you. You’re thinking a lot of stupid, foolish things. You’re also tugging the collar of your shirt down and tilting your head to the side. 

“Be quick.” You always were too generous for your own good, weren’t you?

Astarion doesn’t seem to understand what you’re telling him to do until your index finger taps over the scars on your neck. A look of pure delight fills his face, mixing together with surprise and something like mockery.

“In public? My, you’ve gotten dirty, haven’t you?” Astarion says, placing one hand on your side again. You don’t give him the pleasure of a response when his second hand comes up to your neck and traces feather-light touches over the marks. His gaze goes soft when he speaks next, peering into your eyes as if he can see into your very soul. “You are certain?”

No, you are most definitely not certain. 

“Yes,” you force out, tearing your eyes away from Astarion. “Do not be greedy.”

Astarion needs no further invitation. The hand that had been tracing your skin finds its spot on the back of your neck, holding you in place while his hand on your hip keeps you steady. The gasp that leaves your lips when his fangs puncture your skin is anything but quiet. Your hands have moved to his shoulder, gripping him so tightly that your knuckles have gone white. You’d forgotten how uncomfortable it was to have someone’s teeth in your flesh.

He drinks in slow, measured gulps. Those plush lips of his suck gently on your skin, his tongue laps up the liquid that tries to escape his mouth. There is a strange intimacy to it all that you choose to ignore. You choose especially to ignore the soft groan of pleasure that falls from his mouth when your fingers start to get cold and dig further into his shoulders. A single half-shove to his shoulders, and he pulls away, a trickle of your blood making its way down his chin.

Silence sinks into the (very limited) space between the two of you once more. Astarion wipes your blood from his chin, then shows the same courtesy to your neck before covering the puncture wounds with your collar once more. You wrinkle your nose a bit when he takes his thumb into his mouth, sucking the last taste of you from his skin - while maintaining eye contact, of course. It’s revolting - it’s erotic. You don’t let that thought linger.

“Better?” You ask, hoping that the swirl of strange emotions inside of you is masked in your voice. 

Astarion smirks - your voice has betrayed you. “Oh, much. You’re too good to me.”

You swallow your spit, your throat bobbing up and down with the movement. Astarion watches it carefully with dilated pupils. He’s still holding your waist, you’re still holding his shoulders. Neither of you makes to move away from the other.

The silence seeps into your very being. It finds the deepest parts of you and closes around them like a pale hand squeezing your neck. It finds your guilt - the old guilt of giving up on the man before you all those months ago. The new guilt of betraying yourself by letting him feed from you. You hadn’t even made him ask. 

“Would you like to hear a secret?” He whispers, his eyes back on your face once more. 

No. “Yes.”

He smiles at your response. His hand not gripping your waist begins to trace the slopes of your face with practiced familiarity. “I’ve been coming here every night. I heard you in there a few weeks ago - I only just got the courage to step inside tonight. I was hoping to see you.”

For some reason, your mind brushes over everything else he has just confessed, instead focusing on his final sentence. I was hoping to see you. It makes your heart skip a beat like you’re some kind of lovesick schoolgirl. Astarion’s smile widens, and you curse yourself for not being able to control your racing heart. It’s humiliating to know he can hear the exact reaction your body had to every word he said.

“Why?” You ask, far softer than you wanted to. 

“Oh, is it not obvious my dear? I miss you.”

You’re reminded of the time Astarion told you he loved you after only a few nights spent together. He had been trying to manipulate you then - was he doing the same to you now? 

“You expect me to believe that?” This time, your voice is forceful as you intended for it to be the first time. “You do not know me if you think I am foolish enough to take you for your word.”

Astarion laughs with his whole chest. His head tilts backward for a moment, the moonlight catching in his stunning white curls for a moment and making them appear to glow. His eyes have narrowed when he looks back down at you - you’re playing his game better than he thought you would. Unfortunately for you, though, he knew exactly what he could do to make you lose.

“No. Let me show you.” Astarion waits for no response before he leans forward, pressing his lips to yours. As soon as the familiar pressure of his lips is on yours, your body tenses. You are trying to decide what you want to do. But then he presses more into you, and you melt.

You can taste your blood on his lips. There’s something else, too. Bitter, yet a bit sweet. Some kind of wine, if you had to guess. His fangs brush over your lower lip, threatening to sink into the plush flesh there. But the puncture never comes, and inside it’s his tongue intruding your mouth. You let him explore the space of your mouth, your body shivering when he trails his tongue along your lower lip.

And then he’s gone - his lips glistening with a mixture of your spit and his. You are panting a bit, bringing a hand up to touch your lips as if you can undo what you have just done. You do not even register that Astarion has finally removed himself from your body, too busy trying to make sense of why you hadn’t pushed him away. 

You had come to the tavern tonight as part of your routine. To talk with old friends and new, and to not think about the very vampire who stood before you. How had you ended up kissing him and letting him feed from you? You might be sick from the deep sense of betrayal you feel inside of you. You’ve betrayed months of personal work to forget him. And for what? A single kiss and words you know are empty.

“You are perfect, every time,” Astarion remarks, his tongue darting across his lips to clean them of the wetness decorating them. He grins wickedly, then straightens his back. No, no. You know this look. He thinks he’s won.

You fell for his trap.

Again.

“Unfortunately, I do have rather important business to attend to.” He doesn’t even bother to look at you, too busy with straightening out the sleeves of his shirt. “Do keep yourself safe, darling. I would hate for something to happen to my little treat.” And then he’s gone, slipping inside of the tavern through the back door as if he hasn’t just ruined you with a single kiss.

You stand there, heart racing and eyes wide. You want to peel off your skin, to hide within your bones so that no one else could ever bother you. You are mortified. How could you be so stupid? You had known from the beginning that he was toying with you. Yet, you let him drink your blood, kiss your lips. And you would have given him more, if he wanted it. 

You clear your throat - it’s your turn to straighten out your clothing now, especially your collar.

Your heart is still racing when you walk away from the tavern. All the way down the street you find yourself repeating one thing, over and over and over: “Don’t you think I know exactly how to flatter you?”

You’ve never wished someone had been wrong more.

taglist: @bowtomytenderdays @misscrissfemmefatale @letsstargaze @peterpankat @sukuna-connoisseur

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[lunallaa]

||calling him by his first name||

gotham knights!jason todd x gn!reader

{not edited/proof read please excuse any errors♡}

You honestly didn't even realize that you said it. It was one of those rare late nights where Jason was out on patrol, and you were stuck back home at your shared apartment, struggling to fall asleep ever since he had left for the night. Normally after a long day of work and errands like today sleep came easy, you'd take a hot shower maybe have a cup of that tea Jason buys specifically to help with sleep, and then gather you and the new kitten the two have recently adopted and sleep until he came home. Tonight however, was a different case. No amount of tossing and turning, fluffing your pillows, cups of tea, or white noise playing on your phone could help you sleep.

Thankfully after however many(few) hours your body must've finally realized that you were in fact tired and in need of sleep cause when you woke up next, it was to your kitten stirring and loudly meowing at the bedroom door. Jason was finally home, and from the sounds of things he had just put away his gear from patrol and was making his way to your shared bedroom. You were always confident in your boyfriend and his family's capabilities at what they do, that you never exactly feared one of them never coming home, but it always filled you with such relief and peace whenever he walked through that door. Most times he's worn down and maybe nursing an injury but he's in one peice.

“Welcome home Jason.”

You had barely managed to say it in an audible enough volume with how much sleep and exhaustion you were fighting off. Despite that, it was clear he had heard you anyways. Through half lidded eyes struggling to remain open for more than a few seconds at a time you saw him pause from loving on your kitten almost as if you had told him something ridiculous and he was taking a moment to process it. It wasn't until you had registered his silence lasting longer that it should've for a moment like this, that you started to sober up from you sleepy state and turn your full attention to him.

“What's the matter-”

“Are you mad at me?”

“What are you tal-”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Jason-”

“You're mad at me.”

With a huff you push yourself up and remove yourself from the plush warm covers and expose yourself to the surprisingly cold air of your bedroom as you sit and stare at your boyfriend who stands holding your cat just a few feet from you staring back at you.

“Why would I be mad?”

“You called me Jason.”

You're tempted to crawl right back under your blankets. For how large and scary your boyfriend tends to be, when it comes to you he can be so silly and endearingly pathetic. You will admit that you hardly ever call him by his first name after the first few months of dating and it had only been petnames and nicknames since. Both of your first names were a rare occurrence in your household with how disgustingly in love and sappy the two of you were.

“You're worried cause I called you…your name?”

“You never call me just Jason and you know that.”

“You're an idiot” he's your idiot.

The slight tension in his shoulders immediately deflates as he feigns a dramatic gasp and covers your kitten's ears as if you said a very nasty swear at the two of them.

“How could you say that in front of our daughter! Do you know how damaging it will be for her to see her parents fight?”

“Well seeing as she's only been home for a month and walked in on her parents being very loving with each other more times than we can count on both of our hands combined, I'd say she'll be just fine.”

With the tension fully dissipated now and the both of you all giggles and love sick smiles, Jason walks over to where you sit in bed and plops the kitten on your lap before kissing you softly. The sneaky bastard tries to heaten the moment up, but you (hesitantly) pull away before he's successful.

“Nuh uh. Go shower you smell like gunpowder and outside.”

“What? I thought you liked my natural musk.” He’s got that stupid playful smile on his face that never fails to get a giggle out of you.

“That is not your natural “musk”, you smell like Gotham. Now go shower before you're sleeping on the couch tonight. Jason.”

He immediately straightens up and pouts at your use of his first name again but still makes his way to the bathroom. You don't miss the way he leaves the door completely open as he turns on the water and undresses as an invitation for you to join him. With a dreamy sigh and a kiss to your kitten's forehead, you get yourself up and out of bed and make your way to the bathroom door.

Inspired by a blurb from @gay-dorito-dust !

Read it here!

[violetszone]

At Home With Me

Carlos Sainz x fem!reader

From this request

Summary: It was one of the rare days that Carlos spent at home but he hardly spent any time with you and it really upset you.

A/n: It's been a few days since I wrote this, but I didn't have time to share it because of the lesson camp I went to.So I tried my best I hope you like it

Warnings: not edited writing

Of course the days you spent at home with Carlos were numbered.When your boyfriend wasn't racing, he was out for practice and testing almost every day of the week. Of course you wanted him to be successful and you knew these were small steps to success.But you still wanted to at least sit down and talk a little bit, you didn't expect much.

Carlos decided to stay home this Friday, you didn't know exactly why, but when you woke up in the morning you were so happy to see him in bed that you couldn't help but hug him.He slowly opened his eyes and looked at you "Good morning darling, what's going on" you could understand his reaction because of course you didn't always wake him up, sometimes you woke up on his alarm in the morning and at least you wanted to see him before he left.

You shrugged and got out of bed as you went to the bathroom and called out "I just feel like today is going to be a good day, that's all" you walk out of the bathroom with your toothbrush in your hand and realize that Carlos has already left the room.You thought probably he went down, of course you guessed right, he already went down and started doing his daily sports already.

You stood by the door leading to the backyard "Would you like me to prepare breakfast for you" Carlos called out without disturbing his position "No, I'll take care of myself, thanks, even don't wait for me, eat it" even though it was a bit of a disappointment to hear it, as he said, you prepared something for yourself and went out to where he was. You ate your breakfast by sitting at the table a little far from where he was doing his sport and start watching him.

When he finished his sport, he came to you and you had already finished your breakfast and were reading a magazine.He said he'd take a shower and then have breakfast, and placed a kiss on your cheek.You were trying not to upset yourself, after all, the hour was earlier, the day had just begun.

Of course, nothing went as you had hoped, after Carlos had his breakfast, he went outside to do a few errands. When he came back it was late afternoon and when you offered to prepare dinner he said he had already eaten, you were really upset

You left Carlos in the living room to enjoy yourself and went upstairs and read until evening. You didn't think about what Carlos was doing until that hour. When he entered the room and sat on the bed, you looked at him with a pout,he stroked your hair "Are you okay baby, you haven't been out of the room for hours" as you closed the book and placed it on the dresser next to you, your eyes were on the clock. it was already 10 o'clock.

You said "I'm fine let's go to sleep" and turned off the light on your side and settled on the bed with your back to Carlos.Of course you weren't sleeping, your eyes were open and Carlos knew that, he turned on the light and when you stood on the bed and turned to him, he pulled you into his arms.

No matter how angry you were with him during the day, you still felt better when you hugged him, so you wrapped your arms around him and laid your head on his shoulder.Slowly stroking your hair, Carlos said, "I'm sorry I haven't been paying attention to you all day." You looked into his eyes, it was enough for you to him saying that.

You hugged Carlos tighter. "It's okay, you had work to do." Carlos shook his head in disapproval."I still had to make time for you honey I'll make up for it tomorrow I promise you" His words were so sincere and you knew he was a man of his word.You smiled and thanked him and placed a small kiss on his lips.

[sweetprfct]

The Hate Formula

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: Living in the same building, across from each other shouldn't be much of a problem, right? But how come you and Joe tend to always push each other's buttons every day? Is it because you both truly just hated each other or is it because there was something more to it?

Author's Note: I know this is late. I apologize, work has been stressing me out so much. So, I also apologize if this is a little dry. I swear, the rest of the chapters will be more chaotic and fun! But anyway, let's welcome back our other favorite couple.

Disclaimer: 18+

Wordcount: 3.8K

part one - part two - part three - part four - part five - part six - part seven - part eight - part nine - part ten

Sundays were great for you. 

It was always quiet and more mellow. You and Sara tend to do all your chores and errands on Saturdays, so you could relax on Sundays. Ever since you both have been busy with work lately, you both barely saw each other unless it was the weekend. You couldn’t even remember the last time you two hung out outside of the apartment building. You couldn’t help but wonder if you two should take today as an opportunity to go out and have brunch somewhere. It was a nice summer day after all.

Since it was Sunday, you woke up pretty late. Stretching your limbs before getting up from your bed, you groaned softly and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. You were barely awake when you had walked out of your bedroom to make yourself a cup of coffee. If you wanted to, you would stay in your bed all day, but you felt like you couldn’t do that or else, you would just feel lazy for the rest of the day. 

As you yawned softly, you lazily walked towards the kitchen and immediately paused when you heard noises and saw an unfamiliar man, opening one of your cupboards. Silently grabbing the pan that was sitting on the stove, you held it up high next to your head and walked up behind him. 

“Who are you?!” You exclaimed as soon as he closed the cupboard and saw you standing there in front of him. 

The man dropped the tea bag that was in his hand and held his hands up in the air, his eyes widening in fear. 

“Woah! Woah! I’m with Sara.” He said, an English accent slipping through his voice. 

Sara?

You definitely knew he was lying because Sara was with Lucy, right?! She told you she really liked her. This man was probably a stalker or something because how the hell did he know her name? How the hell did he even get inside your apartment?

You held the pan higher, ready to swing at him as he took a small step back from you. His hands were still up in the air as he shook his head at you. 

“Liar!” You argued. “Who are you?!”

He flinched as he saw you take another step forward towards him. You were ready to swing the pan across his face as he took another step back from you. Your thoughts were in a flight or fight mode, and you were ready to hurt this stranger in front of you if he ever tried to do anything. The audacity that he had to use Sara as an excuse! This man could just be anyone. He could be robbing the apartment right now. He could be some creep. 

Oh my god. 

He could have touched Sara!

“I…I’m Wes. My name is Wes. I’m with Sara. I’ve been seeing her for two weeks now.” 

You knitted your brows, ready to argue with him again when you heard Sara’s bedroom door swung open. Her hazel eyes widened as soon as she saw the scene that was going on in the kitchen. She immediately ran and stood between the both of you, her hands reaching for the pan that you were holding.

“Woah! Put the pan down. He’s with me.” Sara confirmed.

Tilting your head at her, feeling so confused at the moment, you lowered the pan down and placed it back on the stove as Wes and Sara sighed in relief. You watched as Sara looked over her shoulder and gave Wes her apologetic eyes, but he only gave her an understanding smile before she turned her attention back to you. 

“This is Wes.” Sara introduced the both of you to each other. 

You furrowed your brows, giving Sara a questioning look. She immediately shook her head at you, giving you the answer to the question that you were silently asking her about Lucy. With the expression that she was giving you, you knew then that it didn’t work out with Lucy. 

Taking a deep breath, you introduced yourself as Wes shook your hand gently, giving you a nice genuine smile.

“Nice to finally meet you.” Wes said. “I heard a lot of things about you.”

You watched as Sara looked over her shoulder. Wes gazed down at her, his brows raised before clearing his throat and looking back at you. You were still sort of confused with what was happening. You saw the look in their eyes, and you wondered what they were silently talking to each other about. 

“Anyway,” Wes grabbed the pan from the stove. “Do you girls want breakfast?”

You and Sara exchanged looks before Sara turned to Wes and nodded her head. She had a cheeky smile on her face and even if she still looked sleepy, you could tell she liked this man a lot. You didn’t exactly know what happened between her and Lucy, but you just went along with it. You saw the twinkling in Sara’s eyes when she looked at Wes, and who were you to dim that, right? 

Setting up the table later that morning, you couldn’t help but watch Wes and Sara in the kitchen. Wes was cooking the pancakes, while Sara stood next to him. Her hand was caressing his back softly, while Wes would turn his head towards her from time to time. You couldn’t help but smile when Wes leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Immediately, you saw the blood rush to Sara’s cheeks as she looked Wes through her lashes, giggling softly. 

“Stop.” Sara whispered, cheekily grinning at Wes. 

You technically still didn’t know what happened between her and Lucy and how she met Wes but seeing her like this, you couldn’t help but feel happy for her. 

She was glowing. 

“So, how did you guys meet again?” You asked them when you all had settled on the dining table. 

Sara and Wes exchanged looks before they both chuckled softly together. Wes suppressed an embarrassed laugh as he scratched the back of his head, his cheeks flushing red. 

“Actually, we saw each other in the hall.” Wes replied. 

Your eyes widened in surprise, shifting your eyes at Sara. She let out a small shy laugh and nodded her head at you. You didn’t realize that Wes was living in the same building. Though, it sort of made sense since you haven’t heard or seen Sara go out lately due to all the busy work she needed to get done.

“Oh.” That was all you could manage. “I didn’t realize you lived in this building.” 

“Yeah, I just moved in actually.” Wes explained. “I bumped into Sara one night when she was coming home from work, and we sort of hit it off.”

You smiled happily at both of them and asked, “So, you live on the same floor then?”

Sara cleared her throat, getting up from her chair and asked, “Anyone wants fruit on their pancakes?”

“I got it, darling.” Wes quickly got up from his seat. 

As Wes disappeared towards the kitchen, you looked over to Sara and gave her a look of astonishment. You still couldn’t believe what was happening right now. You still couldn’t believe that Sara had snuck Wes in last night, and you didn’t even know? Has she snuck him in the last two weeks? Why did she keep this from you? 

“What?” She mouthed. 

You couldn’t help but laugh softly and whispered, “How come you never told me about him before?

Sara shrugged, playing with her pancakes with her fork. “I just wanted to see if it works out first.”

“Well, I like him so far.” You grinned happily at her. 

You saw the hesitation in Sara’s eyes but before you could continue your conversation, Wes came back with a bowl of mixed berries. You watched as he handed Sara some before handing the bowl to you. You couldn’t help but study Wes for a moment, wondering as to why Sara seemed uncertain about him. You saw how she looked at him earlier. That was someone who definitely was sure about their feelings towards someone they like.

Was he giving some hints that he may not be a good guy for her?

“So, you said you just moved here?” You asked Wes, hoping to get to know him better.

He nodded his head, taking a bite of his pancakes and said, “Two weeks ago. I just moved from South London because a job opportunity was given to me here.”

“Oh, that’s nice.” You smiled. “What do you do?”

“Oh, you know…” Sara interrupted. “You and Wes both like the same kind of hobbies.”

You raise your brow at your best friend. She was acting weird, and you didn’t know why. 

“Oh?” You gave Sara a weird look for a moment before shifting your eyes back at Wes again. 

“He likes to travel.” Sara added. 

“Oh, I love doing that!” You smiled excitedly. “I want to travel to Japan one day. I also want to travel to South Korea.” 

“I went to Japan once. My best friend was there for an event and—” Wes turned to Sara, who was giving him a look as she drank her coffee. 

“And?”

“And it was…fun.” Wes smiled nervously. “You’d love it.”

You let out a soft approving hum before continuing to eat your pancakes. The rest of the conversation was normal. You learned that Wes has always loved New York, and he was thrilled to be moving into the city. He already knew some friends in the city, so he already felt at home, and he seemed to be more excited now that he met Sara. 

Washing the dishes later that morning, Wes had said his goodbyes to you before Sara walked him out of the apartment. 

“I like him.” You murmured as soon as Sara entered the kitchen. 

“Don’t say that yet.” Sara shook her head. “We never know what could happen.”

You let out a breath through your nose, setting the plate down on the sink before grabbing the kitchen towel to dry off your hands. You turned to face Sara, who was cleaning the kitchen counter.

“What’s going on with you?” You asked. 

She stood still and stared at you with a blank expression. 

“What do you mean?” Her voice was almost nonchalant. 

“You’ve been acting weird since this morning.” You crossed your arms in front of your chest and asked, “What is it?”

“I just…” Sara took a deep breath. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up, you know?... Or mine.”

“But… Do you like him?” 

“Yes.” Sara answered your question too quickly. “I like him a lot. I don’t know how to really describe how I feel, but I know that he understands me. He’s so silly, but he’s also so calm around me.”

You couldn’t help but grin happily as you walked over towards her. 

“Then, don’t be so negative.” You laughed softly. “From just meeting him this morning, I could see why you like him, and I like him too for you.”

“Thanks.” Sara blushed lightly, looking down at her feet. “I just don’t want to hope because maybe he’ll change, you know?”

“I get it.” You nodded your head in understanding. “Just take it slow, but I like him a lot for you.”

Sara gave you a soft smile before turning and walking away from you. 

“I hope so.” Sara murmured under her breath before closing the bathroom door behind her. 

The next few weeks, Wes would come over during the weekend or on some week nights. You were able to get to know him better as the three of you would have a movie night. At the beginning, you sort of felt like a third wheel, and you kept telling Sara that you could spend your night in your bedroom. You really didn’t mind it, especially if it was a week night and you had a long day at work. 

“Wes doesn’t mind it.” Sara whispered to you one night when she was preparing a snack. 

“Okay, but I do.” You argued. “I don’t want to ruin your quality time together.” 

“Shut up, you’re not.” Sara nudged you on your side. “Join us tonight. Just for tonight, please?”

“Why are you begging?” You laughed softly. “Do you not want to spend time with your boyfriend?”

“No, it’s not that.” Sara rolled her eyes. “It’s good if you both get to know each other.”

“Why?” You tilted your head before letting out a small gasp. “Are you two… getting serious?”

“I don’t know… maybe.” Sara shrugged. “Just forget about that and join us, okay?”

You laughed softly as Sara grabbed you gently by your wrist and dragged you towards the living room. Wes was browsing through the movies as Sara set everything up to make the living room all cozy. There were blankets that covered the sofa and soft pillows. It looked like they were about to do a mini sleepover in the living room. 

“Don’t mind me.” You said, settling comfortably on the arm chair. “Just here third wheeling tonight.”

Sara rolled her eyes at your joke, making Wes laugh. Maybe it was just you who felt awkward to do this with them, so you let your humor shield the uneasy feeling in your stomach.

“You’re always welcome here.” Wes chuckled. “Besides I don’t want to interrupt your usual movie nights either. Technically, I’m third wheeling.”

You laughed, shaking your head at Wes’ nice excuse. Sara was lucky that he was a gentleman, and he got along well with you. 

“Nice try.” You rolled your eyes, pulling the throw blanket close to you. 

Wes and Sara had argued for a few minutes about which movie to pick since Wes wanted a horror film, and Sara wasn’t a fan of that at all. You sat there, scrolling through your phone until they decided to compromise on a movie. You couldn’t help but chuckle as the movie started because they both ended up picking a horror film anyway. 

“Don’t worry, babe. If Annabelle comes to your room tonight, I’ll fight her.” Wes teased Sara.

“Stop it!” Sara pouted, nudging him on the arm as Wes pulled her close in his arms. “It’s not Annabelle who’s going to fight you tonight.”

You laughed softly, shaking your head as you shoved a handful of popcorn in your mouth. You couldn’t help but think how adorable they were as you tried to focus your attention on the movie. You wondered if Sara was still feeling hesitant towards Wes but from the looks of it, she seemed to have made up her mind. You felt overjoyed for your best friend that she found someone special. 

“Wes!” Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard Sara scold Wes after yelling “Boo!” at Sara.

You looked over your shoulder and saw Sara used the back of her hand to hit Wes gently on his chest as he continued to laugh. He had scared her just in time when the jumpscare scene had appeared on the screen. 

“You will be sleeping with one eye open tonight.” Sara warned. 

You laughed softly, watching Wes pout at Sara and pulled her in his arms, kissing her softly. Looking away, you bit your lower lip as you hid your smile and focused your attention back on the movie. 

Getting to know Wes as days went by, you were glad that Sara had found someone good. That was why you were also glad that you were getting along with Wes too. He loved to take care of Sara on the nights where she would be exhausted from work, and you would just leave them alone in the living room because you didn’t want to interrupt their time together. 

So, when you came home one Saturday night, you didn’t expect Wes to be leaving your apartment a bit early in the night. You had hung out with your office mates at the bar for a few hours since you thought it would be nice to give Sara and Wes some space in the apartment. You were sort of tipsy when you walked out of the elevator and found Wes just exiting out of your apartment. 

Your eyes couldn’t believe it when he closed your apartment door and immediately walked across the hall and pulled out his keys. 

“Wes?” You furrowed your brows, your eyes widened in surprise.

Wes froze in his place, his keys dangling from his hand as he slowly turned around to face you. A nervous smile planted on his face, and you swore you could see the panic in his eyes. 

“D… Do you live here?” You asked, pointing at Joe’s front door. 

Wes’ mouth parted open, no words escaped from it as he stood still. He didn’t know what to say or do. He was already caught by you, and he knew there was no getting out of it. 

“Ohmygod.” You gasped softly. “You’re Joe’s roommate?” 

“Well, technically…” Wes finally uttered some words as he tilted his head, his eyes gazing up at the ceiling. 

Before he could continue, the front door swung open, and Joe stood there looking at the both of you with curiosity in his eyes. Joe’s eyes studied you and then at Wes. You could tell he was wondering what was going on between the two of you.

“Mate, is she yelling at you too?” Joe asked. 

Your eyes glared at Joe, knowing full well that he was trying to piss you off by teasing you. Right before the three of you could continue the conversation, your front door swung open. You immediately turned around when you heard Sara gasp in surprise. Her hazel eyes wide and big as she stared at the three of you in the middle of the hall. 

“Sara?” You asked, trying to get some answers with what was really going on. “Is Wes Joe’s roommate?”

“It’s not her fault.” Wes interrupted. “I suggested the idea.”

“No, technically… It was both of our ideas.” Sara added. 

“Wait, wait.” Joe interjected, shaking his head as his hands gestured towards Sara and then at Wes. “Sara is the girl you have been seeing?”

God, you were dizzy all of a sudden.

Wes scratched the back of his head before wrapping an arm around Joe’s shoulder and started pushing him towards their apartment. 

“Why don’t we go inside and talk about this?” Wes suggested.

Feeling Sara’s hand curled around your wrist, you saw the pleading look in her eyes as she tugged on your arm lightly. 

“Yeah, let me explain.” Sara stipulated. 

You took a deep breath, trying to understand what was going on. The alcohol in your system certainly wasn’t helping you at all. Looking back at the two men, you watched as they entered their apartment together and closed the door behind them. Without saying a word, you followed Sara inside the apartment and immediately paced back and forth in front of her. 

“You knew about this the whole time?” You asked, your voice so low. 

This whole situation was slowly making you sober up quickly. 

Sara hung her head low for a moment. She had been keeping this as a secret, and she wanted to tell you herself about who Wes really was, but it was too late now. You have found out about it before she could tell you the truth. 

“Yeah.” She nodded her head. “I wanted you to know Wes first before I could tell you that he lives with Joe because I know you would judge him right away the moment you knew that he’s friends with him.”

You scoffed, “Well, yeah. I mean… there are a lot of men out there, Sara.” 

“But I like this one.”

You stared at Sara, eyes blinking and a stunned expression on your face. You couldn’t find the words to even tell Sara how you felt about this because you have seen how she was with Wes for the last few weeks, and you didn’t want to burst her bubble. However, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander back at the thought of Joe. 

“He’s… friends with that… pig.” You murmured. “How do you know he’s not the same?”

Sara tilted her head at you, raising her brow. “You have known him for a few weeks and remember what you said? You said you really like Wes for me.”

“Well…yeah.. But I…” You stumbled on your words. “Yeah, but that’s before I found out he’s friends with Joe.”

“So, now that you found out that he’s friends with Joe, he’s a totally different person than the one you have known for the last few weeks?”

You pursed your lips and kept your mouth shut because Sara had a point. You did find Wes very interesting, and he seemed like a nice guy as you got to know him better, but how did you know it wasn’t a façade that he was putting up either? Joe was always known for that and if they were friends, Wes probably could have learned that easily from Joe, right?

“I really like him.” Sara took your hand in hers, her hazel eyes staring deeply into yours.

“You said that last time with Lucy.” You muttered under your breath. 

“Yes, but this one is different.” Sara replied, making you raise your brow at her. 

You watched as Sara gave you her pleading eyes, and you couldn’t help but let out a deep breath. She was your best friend, and you wanted nothing but happiness for her. If she liked Wes, then maybe you could give him a chance. But you certainly would kick his ass if he ended up just like Joe. 

“Why don’t we all go out for dinner?” Sara suggested. 

“What?” Your eyes widened, scrunching your face at the idea. “Like a double date? No way!”

“It doesn’t have to be a double date.” Sara argued. “Just something we could do, so that you could actually get to know Wes better. Plus, maybe you’ll get to know Joe better than what you just see every day.” 

You gave Sara a glare, tilting your head at her. “I’ve known Joe for two years. I think I already know who he is.”

“How well do you really know Joe besides the fact that you always see him with different girls and that he’s an actor?”

You couldn’t help but sigh and roll your eyes at her argument. You shook your head at her. As much as you hated this idea, Sara had a point, and you couldn’t believe that you were actually agreeing to this. 

“Please?” Sara squeezed your hands softly. “For me?”

“Fine.” You gritted through your teeth. “One dinner.”

*********

Taglist:

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[wonyourdreams]

may I ask for a florist!wooyoung x m!reader, the plot is up to you as long as there's flirting and fluff :)

9:15

Wooyoung x Male reader

Genre: Fluff, slice of life, crack(?)

Warnings: Toothache

Wooyoung hums as he arranges the flowers outside the shop "Woo I have to run some errands please watch the shop for me" you say as you try to check if you have everything you need in your bag

"You got nothing to worry about boss" Woo replies with a wide smile

"Do you want anything? Food? Coffee? My treat just tell me" You asked while looking at him wiping his hands with his small towel

"How 'bout a kiss before you go" He said with no emotion shown on his face, you blink a few times trying to figure out if he's being serious or just another of his awkward jokes

"I'm serious" you said raising a brow

"So am I" he replies still with a poker face

"I'm just gonna go" you said awkwardly pointing at your car

"If that offer of coffee is still up, yes i want one, i'd appreciate it" he shouts as you walk down to your car smiling at his response

Wooyoung was a florist at your shop, you found him at a dumpster all beaten up and filled with bruises, he was a former gang member

You were about to leave him but he woke up and asked for your help, you didn't want to but you knew your conscience wouldn't let you sleep if you just left a person asking for help

You remember him begging you to give him a job and help him start fresh, which at first you were hesitant but you did anyway

You laughed remembering how he promised to stop smoking if you did help him.

As you were out running errands, Wooyoung back at the shop was doing tasks, cleaning the shop, arranging flowers, and receiving the deliveries

"Hyung your so cute" he talks to the daisies in front of him

He loved taking care of the flowers but he took extra care of the daisies, as he knew they were your favorite

After two hours of errands you finally arrived

"Let me help you with those hyung" Woo said as he helped take out some paper bags out of your car

"Thanks Woo" you said "Here's your coffee" you gave him the cup you ordered

"Awe hyung you do care about me" he joked

"Shut up" you said, as you followed him inside

"But seriously hyung" You look at him waiting for him to say something "Thank you" he said as he holds both your hands

Your heart starts beating faster, shoot here we go again, you thought

"I took all the courage I could to tell you" He let go of your hands and went behind the counter to bring out a bouquet of daisies "I really like you hyung" he hands you the flowers

"Oh Woo—", he interrupted you, "No, I know, I'm not asking you out, for the past year I've been living in your house and working for you, I just really want you to know, I like you, you helped me change for the better and made me want to be more than just a gangster" He said

He pulls out a paper out of his apron and handed it to you, "Hyung I got into a University, I'm going to college" He smiled

"You don't need to worry about money I got a scholarship, as for the flower shop, I'm here still just there's a few hours a day I have to be in school" he said "As for the money for supplies and food, I got it covered, I've been saving up from the past year working here"

You cried, not out of sadness, not out of pity, but of joy, you have seen Wooyoung grow from a gang member who often bickered with customers to a ray of sunshine who likes to joke around with customers

"Hyung are you okay?" He said concerned as he saw you covering your mouth and started to cry

You jumped at him to hug him "I'm proud of you, always" you said burying your face to his shoulder

Wooyoung smiled, "I'm 24, but like you said, I don't need to be anxious of my age cause either way I'm just living my life, I want to be better hyung, as soon as I graduate I'll open up more businesses like yours and help you here in the shop, and then I'll ask you out" he said chuckling

You laughed at his antics "Then I guess I'll wait for you" you smiled at him fondly and caressed his cheeks

He smiles back at you, "Then I'll make sure I'm worth the wait"

—

A/n: Another long overdue, I tried to go to an angsty direction but I just finished my exams (fck nursing school) So tell me if this was boring

redirectory

[swarvey]

paper rings | harvey x f!reader

You think back to when Harvey was your best friend; Harvey reminisces on how he fell for you.

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3

paper rings masterlist

chapter two: so high school -> "tell me 'bout the first time you saw me."

Harvey woke up with a groan, rolling over to turn off his blaring alarm. He rose from his incredibly comfortable bed while keeping his eyes shut, not ready to face the day just yet. The birds outside his window sang loudly, as if they were reminding him of something.

His eyes shot open, scrambling for his glasses and checking the date on his phone.

Spring 1.

He couldn’t believe it. How had time passed so quickly? He swore he felt like he’d just spoken to you on the phone. He began to pace around his apartment, hands running through his hair as the realization began to sink in.

He was going to see you.

He was going to see you, in front of him, for the first time in years.

Harvey wanted to scream. No, he wanted to crawl back into bed and pretend nothing about his life was any different. 

In reality, he knew he didn’t want to do any of that. If anything, he wished he had the confidence or the courage Elliott had spoken so passionately about so he could spill his heart out to you.

He sighed. If only he had the capability of doing any of the three options he’d presented to himself. Instead, he took a few deep breaths to center himself, trying his best to stay collected. What was he so anxious about, anyway? It’s not like he was talking to any other person, it was you , the person he once considered his closest friend.

More specifically, the person he once thought he could spend the rest of his life with.

Just then, Harvey’s phone rang, your name lighting up the screen. He cleared his throat and chugged the glass of water on his nightstand before answering, reminding himself to sound calm.

“Y/N, good morning!”

“Good morning, Harvey.” God , he swore he could listen to you say his name all day. He shook his head; what in the world was wrong with him? “I know it’s a bit early, I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, not at all. I’ve been up for a bit now,” he said, ignoring the fact that he was still in his pajamas. “You’re moving in today, aren’t you? What time will you be here? I’ll make sure to clear my schedule as much as I can.”

“Oh, right! I forgot to tell you, I actually got here last night,” you replied, voice bright as ever. "It was late, though, so I figured I would get some rest before unpacking.”

Harvey blinked, slowly processing your words. Maybe he should have downed a cup of coffee, too. “So, you’re here?”

You laughed. “Don’t sound too excited. Come over whenever, okay? I’m going to start unpacking in a few minutes.”

“Right, I’ll be over soon!”

Harvey got dressed into his usual outfit, even remembering to spritz on some cologne before leaving his home. He figured if he was panicking internally, he might as well try to look put together on the outside. After making sure he didn’t have any appointments throughout the day, he locked up the clinic and put up the ‘Closed’ sign, making sure to leave his phone number on the door in case of emergencies.

“Harvey! You’re up early.” Pierre waved, making his way over to the front of the clinic. He glanced at the sign. “Closed for the day, huh? I’m guessing you have errands to run?”

“Well, uh, I promised the new farmer I would help her move in,” he explained, trying not to cringe at the thought of how he reacted in the store the other day. “You remember Y/N, don’t you?”

“Why, of course! You two were running around the town before Pierre’s even existed.” Pierre sighed, a wistful look taking over his face. “I was in my early twenties then. Caroline and I had just started dating, but I was already thinking about what kind of ring I was going to get her. We were so in love.” He paused, frowning. “I wonder when that changed.”

Harvey cleared his throat loudly, desperately wanting to escape the awkward topic. “I should get going, I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

“Of course. I’ll see you around, Harvey!”

“See you! And remind Abigail to set up her check-up appointment with me!” Pierre nodded knowingly and waved goodbye, turning back to start opening up his own shop.

Harvey let out a breath of relief as he turned away, suddenly racing to get to your farm. Once he got to the entrance, though, he stopped in his tracks, waves of memories beginning to flood his thoughts. Sure, the farm was more beat up than he remembered, but for the most part, everything was where it had been all those years ago. He especially recalled the times when he had slowly fallen for you more and more, his sentiments only growing stronger as the two of you got to know each other better over the years. 

As he slowly made his way to your front door, he reminisced on the first time he realized he cared for you in a much stronger way than he initially thought.

-

“Y/N, wait up!” Harvey couldn’t make out what you yelled back as he ran to catch up to you, the farm animals unamusedly watching him through their fences. You had been so excited to show him all the “secret spots” on your grandfather’s farm. 

He’d only caught up to you after you tripped over a rock jutting up from the ground, scraping your knee. You looked up at him with big, watery eyes, lip trembling.

“Grandpa’s gonna yell at me,” you mumbled, wiping your eyes on your sleeve. “He always says I’m too clumsy.”

Not entirely sure what the right thing to do was, Harvey opted to squat beside you, shrugging off the small backpack full of “emergency supplies” his mother always made him carry around. He took out the mini first aid kit, grabbing the ointment and a bandaid before delicately treating your knee.

“You know,” he started, trying to distract you from the stinging of the medicine, “I’m going to be a doctor when I grow up.”

Your eyes widened, suddenly inspired. “Really?” He nodded. “Wow. How’d you think of that?”

He gave a small smile as he stuck the bandaid on. “Then, I can always help you whenever you get hurt. You’ll always have someone to take care of you!”

You grinned before tackling him with a hug, wrapping your arms tightly around his shoulders. Harvey’s face was burning, though he blamed the heat of the sun.

“You’re my hero, Harvs,” you stated confidently, your hold on him unrelenting.

-

Your hero.

He huffed a laugh to himself at those words, shaking his head. Well, at least he kept his word — after that summer, he’d gone home and begged his parents for books on how to become a doctor. His medical career had begun before he’d even reached middle school, much to his mother’s delight.

Just as Harvey was about to make his way up to your porch, a glimpse of blue caught his eye. Squinting to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, he peeked below the stairs, wondering if an animal had gotten stuck.

Instead, he was met with the face of a small, blue . . . blob? 

No, that was impossible. They couldn’t be real, could they? Harvey had only ever read myths about them.

As he leaned closer to double-check his hypothesis, the blob jumped toward his face, letting out a small squeak as it disappeared right in front of his nose.

He let out a shout and jumped backward, tripping on a thick clump of weeds and landing on his back with a thump. He groaned, readjusting his glasses as he sat up and rubbing the back of his head. 

He didn’t even notice you were standing in your doorway until you let out a laugh. 

-

You continued to laugh as Harvey stood up quickly, dusting off his clothes as he rambled on about some blue spirit he saw under your porch. You raised a brow — his excuses were becoming more and more creative. You spared him the embarrassment of calling out his ridiculous comment, deciding to walk over to him instead and fix the collar of his shirt.

“It’s good to see you,” you said, smiling up at him. Harvey stared at you for a moment before nodding and looking away.

“It’s good to see you, too,” he replied shyly. “It’s been about four years, hasn’t it?”

“Try five,” you corrected. “You left the city after med school, remember?”

His eyes widened. “That’s right. You were working while I was finishing up, weren’t you?”

You pursed your lips and nodded, thinking back to the period of your life when you had just begun working for Joja.

“Thinking back on it now, I should have just done more school, too,” you confessed. “Working for that damn company sucked the life out of me.”

Harvey laughed. “You think? You know, most people are overjoyed when they receive a promotion — you were miserable.”

“You remember that?”

“How could I not? You were in tears in the middle of the restaurant we were eating at.” 

- 

You slumped in your chair, eyes burning with threatening tears as you looked at your childhood friend. 

“I’m doomed, Harvs,” you sighed, leaning forward to pick at your uneaten meal. “Is this what my life has come to? Working for some company that’s probably killing the earth as we speak?” You laughed, dropping your fork miserably. “At least one of us is doing something right for the world. Maybe you can share some of your good karma so I won’t be doomed in my next life, too.”

Harvey looked at you with an almost distraught look on his face. He hadn’t fully grown out his mustache back then, stubble trailing from his chin to his cheeks. You vaguely remember thinking facial hair would suit him.

“Y/N, please, we’re still young,” he pleaded. “It’s too early to be talking like that. Besides, everyone has different paths in life, and you never know where yours will take you.”

Sniffling, you’d shrugged, unable to get over the fact you were profiting from a company like Joja. Hell, you’d done such a good job that they’d given you a promotion, not that it was something you felt any pride over.

“Maybe we can run away,” you’d suggested idly, not noticing how Harvey choked on the soup he was eating.

“Wh-what was that?”

“Let’s move to a different country,” you suggested, smiling at the absurd thought. “Then, I can open a cafe, and you can open your own clinic right next to me. I’ll trade you coffee and cookies for free monthly check-ups.”

He’d laughed, though he wouldn’t meet your eyes for some reason. “That sounds like a plan. Now, you have to eat. I can only imagine the amount of sodium your usual diet of cup ramen consists of.”

“Hey!”

-

You coughed, a bit embarrassed at your dramatism in the past.

“That wasn’t a great moment in my life, was it?” you admitted, shaking your head. “Well, now that I’m on the farm, I’m sure I can earn back all the good karma I lost working for that evil place!”

Harvey smiled, nodding. “I’m sure you’ll more than makeup for it.” He glanced at the singular box left on your porch. “Is this . . . all you brought?”

You laughed, turning and gesturing for him to follow. You opened your front door to reveal the cozy cabin your grandfather used to stay in, several boxes already piled up in the living room.

“So, I’ve already moved in some of the simple stuff,” you started, moving some of them aside, “but for the life of me, I can’t get a good grip on that last one, it’s a bit too heavy. One of the ladies in town helped me carry it to the porch — Robin, I think it was?” The redhead and Mayor Lewis had greeted you the evening before, going over some basics and helping you carry some of your belongings from the moving truck. 

“Yes, Robin! I’m glad you met her, I’m sure the two of you will get along.” Before you could reply, Harvey easily lifted the box off the porch, carrying it inside and placing it in your living room. 

You blinked.

Had he always been that strong?

“What’s in this one, anyway?” he wondered, looking at you curiously.

You put a pin in your thought and walked over to him, opening the box with a smile. After taking out the fragile items you had placed at the top, you revealed what you’d shoved to the bottom as cushioning. Harvey’s jaw dropped, amusement lighting his eyes as he laughed.

“I can’t believe you still have this,” he said, picking up the giant stuffed animal. “I thought you would’ve given it away by now.”

You gasped, feigning shock as you grabbed the weighted bear away from him. “You thought I would betray Mr. Biscuit? How could you!” You looked at the toy affectionately, placing him next to your bed. “We won him together, after all.”

Harvey cocked his head. “We did?”

“Is that not how you remember it, big guy?” you joked.

“Well, not exactly,” he said, laughing nervously. “You won him after beating one of those carnival games, didn’t you?”

You hesitated, looking at the ceiling as you thought. “I guess I did,” you stated, “but I like to think of it as a team effort.”

-

You smacked your forehead as you pitifully watched Harvey struggle to win the game once again, the younger kids around him giving him smug looks. 

You felt a bit guilty; this was your idea, after all. Harvey had been adamantly against going to the Stardew Valley Fair that year, claiming he had to regain his focus since school was starting the following week. 

“Junior year is critical when it comes to getting into colleges,” he’d explained. “I can’t mess up my applications because of some festival.”

“Harvey, come on,” you had begged, clasping your hands together. He frowned and looked away, trying not to give in. “Please, let’s just go! Think about it, when is the next time we’re going to go to the fair together?”

“Next year! After we pass our classes!” You rolled your eyes, knowing that “passing” for him meant acing every course he took.

“Fine then,” you huffed, crossing your arms and looking away. “I’ll go by myself and tell everyone about how you left me there, alone.”

“Y/N, don’t be ridiculous.” You ignored him, opting to look at the shape of your nails instead. “Stop this act, you know I’ve been planning on going home today for weeks. My parents are expecting me.” You hummed, wondering if you should clip them or let them grow out. “Fine, fine! I’ll go, just . . . let me call my mother,” Harvey sighed. You grinned, bubbling with excitement next to him as he reluctantly took out his phone.

After watching him play the games, though, part of you wished he had given up. Sighing, you stormed up to him, pushing him away and snatching the slingshot from his hands.

“What are you—”

Without hesitation, you began shooting at the targets in front of you, easily hitting them and just barely winning against your opponents. The kids groaned in disappointment, sulking away as you excitedly picked out your reward.

Harvey simply looked at you in amazement, unable to speak.

You showed off your new prize, barely managing to hold it properly. “Look at what we got! Wasn’t this worth it?” He nodded slowly, still in awe of both your performance and the size of the stuffed toy. You shoved it into his arms, laughing at how he nearly toppled over. Before he got the chance to steady himself, you were racing off to see the booths nearby.

“Come on, let’s try the other games!”

“Y/N, slow down!”

-

“We can go again this year,” Harvey blurted. You looked at him in surprise. “I mean, we could, if you want to,” he corrected, composing himself.

You smiled. “We should,” you agreed. “We can win some more prizes. For now, though, want to help me unbox my things?”

“Of course. I guess we got a bit sidetracked.”

It didn’t take long for the two of you to have everything in place. After an hour passed, your house was finally starting to feel a little more homey — plants lined the corners, and your old rug was spread in front of the TV. Harvey helped you dust and mop the floors, opening all the windows so it could air out. The sun reached its peak in the sky when you finally decided you were done, leaning your back against the wall for support as you took a breather.

Harvey wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, setting the mop in his hand to the side. He had abandoned his jacket a bit ago, left in his white collared shirt and loosened red tie. You realized how grown up he looked. You darted your gaze away when he turned to you, looking accomplished.

“Looks like we’re just about done,” he said, looking around the room. “What do you think? Feel like home?”

“Just about,” you replied, taking in the amount of progress you’d been able to make with him. “Thanks a bunch, Harvs, I really owe you one.”

He shook his head, waving his hand. “It was my pleasure. Besides, take this as me making up for not keeping in touch all this time.”

“It was a two-way effort.” You grabbed his jacket and handed it to him, smiling. “We should sit down sometime and seriously catch up,” you suggested. “Are you free for dinner tomorrow?”

He looked at you for a moment — as if he didn’t realize you were talking to him — before nodding eagerly.

“Yes, I’d love to,” he said, pulling on his jacket. “There’s a place in the center of the plaza, the Stardrop Saloon. Does that work?”

“Works for me. I’ll buy you a drink,” you promised. You walked with him out the door, noticing how he glanced under your porch as he walked down the steps. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

He nodded, smiling. “I’ll see you, Y/N.” You sighed as you watched him leave the farm, brow raised and arms crossed.

“Yeah,” you decided, walking into your new home, “he totally doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

[bookworm551]

Of Duty and Desire | Chapter 5 | Neteyam x Metkayina!reader

A/N: sorry this took so long!!!! I wish I had a good excuse but really it was just writers block. Anyways, I appreciate your patience, I love you all <33

Word Count: 6.8k words

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 6 Epilogue

When you woke up the next day, you had a few blissful seconds where everything felt normal. You stretched as the light reflected on your face, and you enjoyed the sounds of the village waking up for a moment. Then, the memories of the previous night hit you all at once, and all the guilt came rushing back.

Memories replayed in your head over and over again. His hungry lips trailing down your neck, your eager hands pulling him close, the sound of your heavy breathing echoing around you. It was like a dream that never should have come to life.

You ran your hands over your face. This was not good. You thought you could still be friends, that you could maintain some form of friendship with him, but last night was clear evidence that it wasn't possible. Being alone with him, seeing him with the blue-green cast of colors on his face, and hearing him say how much he wanted to be with you had all been too much for you to think and act rationally.

Now, you had to get up and go about your day pretending as if nothing had happened. And that's exactly what you did.

You threw yourself into your chores, doing everything in your power to distract yourself from the night before. You even asked Ronal for more work when you finished your chores in record time. It was terrible for you to look her in the eye knowing that if she found out about last night, she would unleash a flood of fury on you.

Everything was going relatively smoothly up until late in the afternoon when Aonung found you on the beach mid-errand. "I've been looking for you," he stated as he came up behind you. You looked up at him in alarm, your heart speeding up anxiously. "Oh?" you managed to reply quietly, trying to appear unfazed by his presence.

"I am about to leave with Rotxo and the others," he explained. "There is still time for you to join if you'd like." The anxious tension in your chest subsided somewhat at his question. You had forgotten that he and the others were planning on going hunting, even though they had talked about it just last night. You also remembered that Neteyam had also been invited to go as well.

Forcing a smile, you replied, "Thank you, but I think I will stay inside the sea wall today." Aonung shrugged casually. "Very well," he said. "We'll be back by eclipse." You nodded and watched him walk off, taking a breath to steady your heart.

You needed to figure out some way to reconcile what had happened between you and Neteyam, but you didn't know what to do. You knew how upset Aonung would be if you confessed what you had done with Neteyam and how you felt about him. You knew how upset Ronal would be if she knew that you were in love with someone other than her son. To stay silent would mean you would be eaten up by guilt, but to speak would surely mean severe consequences.

You wouldn't mind facing the repercussions of your actions. In fact, you felt that you should, but you hesitated out of fear of what would happen to Neteyam. If you were to be in trouble, you still had some level of protection through Ronal's connection with your mother, but with Neteyam, there was no doubt that your mentor would be angry enough with him to try something as drastic as excommunication. You would never be able to forgive yourself if he had to face punishment like that.

Shaking yourself from your thoughts, you headed back to the village. You returned to distracting yourself through work, braiding, weaving, and organizing anything you could find. You hadn't even realized the hours that had flown by until you stepped outside to go diving for sea grass.

You had initially planned on swimming out to the edge of the sea wall on your own, but now, you considered taking an ilu. Glancing at the sky, you figured you had less than an hour before eclipse. After deliberating for a moment, you decided that it was enough time for you to gather what you needed without one. As much as you enjoyed riding, swimming on your own was more relaxing.

Swimming out to the edge of the sea wall, you became distracted from your thoughts by the graceful creatures darting around you. Nothing cleared your mind from plaguing thoughts better than floating in the warm water while the glowing dots and stripes of the sea animals swirling around you.

You swam down to the sea floor where the sea grass swayed lazily with the movement of the water. You began pulling up the grass from its roots, tying each bundle tightly before placing it in your pouch. While you were gathering, you were blissfully unaware of a creature nestled in the grass around you.

Reaching for another handful of grass, you touched the fin of what you quickly learned was a viper ray. Defensive and vicious, viper rays typically avoided the reef and rarely came in past the sea wall. Though they were beautiful to watch, being so close to one was dangerous. Their venomous sting had been known to kill Na'vi in the past, and even if it wasn't fatal, it was definitely a very painful experience.

Your touch startled the hiding creature. Faster than you could process, the viper ray whipped around and slashed its thick tail at you, swiping across your ribs.

You immediately flinched and released much of the air you were holding. The pain was immediate, a deep burning sensation that outweighed any sort of injury you had ever experienced. The viper ray darted away back into the grass, leaving you clutching your side as you felt you air supply depleting. Desperately, you began kicking towards the surface as quickly as you could.

When you broke above the water, you gasped in pain. You instinctively clutched at your side, the sting burning like a fire across your body. You looked back at the village, a decently long swim even without being injured. You cursed at yourself for not bringing an ilu. Now, you had no idea how you would get back on your own.

Still, you began kicking towards the beach, your breathing too fast and frantic to dive back down again. From the corner of your eye, you saw movement. Turning your head, you made out several figures in the distance on skimwings leisurely heading back to the village. Blinking through the pain, you recognized the people passing by as the group of your friends who had gone hunting earlier. They must have just returned.

In the dying light, you could make out Neteyam and Aonung side-by-side on their skimwings. Pain was coursing through your side as your breathing came in shallow breaths. You finally managed to inhale enough to call out as loudly as you could, "Neteyam!"

He must have heard your voice because his head immediately whipped around to find you. After a moment, he spotted your bobbing form in the water and swiftly moved to where you were floating.

What took less than a minute for him to cross over to you felt like an eternity with the viper ray venom coursing through you. You were grimacing in pain, the salt water causing your sting to burn even worse. Already, you were feeling the fatigue that came with viper ray stings.

"What's wrong?" Neteyam asked in concern, noticing your face contorted in pain. Right behind him, Aonung came up to you on his skimwing. "I've been stung," you managed to gasp as you struggled to stay above the water. "Viper ray."

Neteyam's face shifted from concern to panicked realization. He had heard the stories of the infamous creature and knew the potentially fatal effects it had. Aonung, too, realized the severity of your injury. "She needs to go to my mother now," he told his friend urgently.

Both boys jumped off of their mounts to take you, and you reached a weak hand out to Neteyam. He took it and pulled you over to his skimwing. You wrapped your arms around his neck, squeezing your eyes shut and resting your head on his chest as he hoisted the two of you onto the back of his skimwing.

Your breathing came in sharp gasps as you took off towards the village. In your mind, your thoughts were growing hazy, and it became difficult for you to understand the reassuring words Neteyam was whispering in your ear. Everything was blurring, and the only thing that somewhat distracted you from the pain in your side was the comfort of Neteyam's arms holding you tightly.

You didn't realize it at the time, but the rest of the hunting party that Neteyam and Aonung were with had noticed the two of them speeding off toward the village and quickly followed suit. When you reached the beach, they all pooled around you to figure out what was happening.

"Find Ronal," Neteyam told the group of them as he carefully slid you off of his skimwing. They all hesitated for a moment, recognizing you curled up in pain in his arms.

"What happened to—,"

"Now," Neteyam snapped, his composure cracking over the panicked desperation he was fighting. The group of hunters scattered across the village, but Aonung remained behind in the water with the two of you.

"Let me take her," he told Neteyam, reaching for your form resting in his arms, but he didn't let you go. "I've got her," he said sharply, wading through the water quickly. Aonung was taken aback somewhat, but he didn't press it since he didn't want to waste precious time arguing.

It wasn't long before Ronal came rushing out to meet you all on the beach. She took a moment to assess you, feeling how your skin was growing unusually warm. "Come quickly," she told Neteyam urgently as she moved back to her pod.

Neteyam stepped after her towards the village. You were groaning in pain, your vision coming in and out of focus. You were still aware of the fact that you were in his arms, but your thoughts were becoming increasingly disorganized. You had felt his strong arms around you before, but when? You had been upset about him earlier, but why?

You tried to focus, but the pain radiating from your ribs made it impossible for you to think clearly. Still, in your cloudy mind, you had a lingering memory of something scandalous.

"What are you doing here?" You mumbled quietly to Neteyam, your speech slurring a little bit. He looked down at you for a second before replying, "You are hurt, and you need help." You groaned again as if to prove his point and turned your face into his chest. "It's okay," he soothed in a low voice, "I will take care of you."

When you had made it to Ronal's tent, Neteyam set you down carefully on the mat. He stayed by your side while Aonung crouched on your other side. Ronal quickly set to work, pouring water over your sting and wiping away the bleeding. You hissed in pain as she inspected the gash in your side.

Grabbing Neteyam's arm tightly, you cried out through clenched teeth, "It burns." He ran a soothing hand over your forehead. "I know it does," he replied, trying to keep his voice calm for you and failing miserably. "You'll be okay." Your breathing was labored as you looked up at his with glassy eyes. "Every day, it burns," you murmured. "How can I stop it, Neteyam?"

Neteyam's heart ached. You weren't just talking about your sting. Your words were echoing what you had said the previous night. It had been weighing on Neteyam the whole day. He had been unable to shake your words from his mind, and he replayed the memory of kissing you over and over again. He would never forget the blissful moment you shared, but he could never forget the look of horror and heartbreak on your face when you had realized what you had done. It burned, indeed.

"What is she saying?" Aonung asked sharply, staring at Neteyam's longing face with suspicion. He looked up at him, pulled from his thoughts, and said dismissively, "She's hallucinating."

"I don't want to stop it," you whispered in a breathy voice. "I wish it could be real." Neteyam tensed at your words and prayed that you would stop talking in front of Ronal and Aonung. Ronal didn't seem to heed your babbling as she worked, but Aonung was looking back and forth between your face and Neteyam's.

"What is she saying?" Aonung repeated in a hard voice. Neteyam's voice felt stuck, and his silence was only made worse when you reached out your hand up from Neteyam's arm to trace his cheek gently with your fingers. He brought his hand up to hold yours and closed his eyes in guilt. There was no way he could justify this.

Ronal's working hands stilled as she witnessed him grabbing your hand, her eyes flashing to Neteyam and then to her son. Neteyam kept his eyes on your face, but he could feel Aonung's burning glare.

He was putting the pieces together. He had known for a while that you were good friends with Neteyam ever since he first came to the reef, but Aonung had never felt any reason to suspect anything else. Recently, though, he had noticed a shift in his friend’s behavior. He had inexplicably started avoiding your friend group, and it didn’t escape his notice the way that Neteyam had been much more reserved recently.

All this, Aonung would have ignored, but now, he reconsidered everything. He had noted how you had called for Neteyam in the water. He saw how you had reached out for him and how you wrapped your arms around him tightly. He noticed the defensive way that Neteyam held onto you, refusing to let go. Now, hearing your mutterings and seeing you reach out for Neteyam, Aonung felt anger bubble in his chest.

"What did you do?" He seethed. Neteyam looked up at him and held up his free hand. "Aonung, please, I can expl—" Aonung shot up quickly and repeated in a harsh voice, "What did you do?!"

The tension was palpable in the silence. "Take this outside," Ronal ordered sharply, and Neteyam could feel the tsahik's anger in her voice. He got up slowly, dropping your hand. You whimpered as he pulled away from you. "No," you pleaded softly. "Stay." Neteyam could see that your words made Aonung even angrier, so he got up and darted out of the tent, closely followed by the other boy.

Outside, the young Metkayina warrior shoved Neteyam's shoulder. "What was that?" Aonung demanded, his chest heaving in anger. Neteyam held up his hands as a pacifying gesture. "Please, let's just—"

"Did you mate with her?" Aonung cut him off furiously. His forwardness caught Neteyam a little off-guard, and his denial seemed to be stuck in his throat. Just then, Kiri, Tsireya, and Lo'ak came around after hearing that you were injured, and Neteyam groaned internally. Having an audience would make this so much worse.

"Did you?" Aonung pressed, ignoring the others. Turning his focus away from his siblings, Neteyam replied, "No, I would never dishonor you like that." Tsireya looked questioningly between him and her brother. "What is going on?" She asked in confusion.

Aonung ignored his sister. "But you want to," he accused Neteyam. Already uncomfortable with having his family present, he stepped towards Aonung. "Let's talk about this alone," he said in a low voice. The other young warrior shoved him back. "Why?" He demanded. "Because it's true? You want her?"

Kiri took in a sharp breath, and Neteyam heard his brother curse loudly. Neteyam felt trapped. "My friend, please," he implored quietly. Aonung scoffed. "You are no friend of mine," he spat in a loud voice. "How long have you been sneaking around behind my back?"

As if things couldn't get any worse, Jake, Neytiri, and Tonowari came up behind their children, alarmed by the shouting. "What is the meaning of this?" The Olo'eyktan demanded to know. Pointing an accusatory finger at Neteyam, Aonung replied, "He has fallen in love with the woman intended for me."

There was a short, stunned silence, and Neteyam saw the look of disappointed frustration on his father's face. "Is this true?" Tonowari inquired severely. Neteyam hesitated for a moment, but he quickly realized he was in too deep to deny anything. "Yes," he admitted quietly.

Everyone present reacted differently. Aonung looked ready to kill Neteyam, Tsireya gasped softly, and Kiri put her face in her hand. Lo'ak looked half-impressed while Neytiri closed her eyes and began muttering under her breath either prayers or profanities. Tonowari and Jake exchanged uneasy glances and shifted uncomfortably.

"Do not blame her," Neteyam continued insistently. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have—," Jake raised his hand, cutting off his son. "Stop talking," he said harshly. Neteyam remained obediently silent while Jake ran a frustrated hand over his face. "Did you two...?"

Neteyam shook his head hastily. "No," he stated. "We are not bonded." A small sigh of relief came from both of his parents before Neytiri stepped forward toward her son. "I never expected this from you," she said in a low, harsh whisper. "You have brought shame upon yourself, upon this family."

Neteyam stood quietly as his mother began her rant. He knew this was coming, and it hurt just as much as he expected it to. Disappointing his parents was the worst feeling for him, and now he was getting the scolding of a lifetime in front of the rest of his family as well as the chief's.

Ronal stepped out of the tent just then, looking extremely displeased, and everybody turned to her expectantly. "She is asleep," the tsahik explained. "Her body will burn away the venom in time." Neteyam breathed a quick sigh of relief, but he was quickly filled with the apprehension of having to face Ronal's fury.

She pointed her glare at him. "Now, what is going on with you?" She asked in a displeased voice. Aonung stepped forward before Neteyam could respond and interjected, "He is in love with her." Ronal turned sharply to face Neteyam, and her scathing glare deepened. "We bring you into our home," she began in a slow, seething voice, "show you our ways, offer protection, and you return it by blatantly disrespecting us, my son, by trying to enamor his intended mate?"

Neteyam shook his head again. "No," he insisted, working hard to maintain a composed voice. "That was never my intention." Ronal look away from him and back at the healing tent. "And what about her?" She asked, gesturing to where you were sleeping. "Does she return your affections?"

Neteyam hesitated, not wanting to bring you into the mess of trouble he was already in. "I cannot speak for her," he said finally. Aonung scoffed at his words. "You heard what she was saying," he told his mother. "Of course she does."

Neteyam didn't say anything—there was no point. Jake stepped up to him, his face hardened in aggravation. "I told you to back off," he reminded harshly in English. "I said not to cause trouble." Neteyam nodded solemnly and muttered, "I know."

Jake huffed an exasperated sigh. "I'll take care of this," he muttered to Tonowari. Neteyam closed his eyes in shame. This was exactly the thing he was trying to avoid in leaving you alone. Now, he was in for a long night of listening to his parents berate him for hours.

Ronal scoffed. "We cannot allow this," she stated in outrage. "Your son has dishonored our son. He cannot go unpunished." Jake held up a reassuring hand. "Believe me, he will be dealt with," he told her earnestly.

"And how do you suppose he is to be punished?" She shot back. "He cannot be allowed anywhere near her again." Neytiri took a heated step towards Ronal. "You cannot exile my son," she asserted angrily. The tsahik glared at her. "Perhaps that would be the best solution," she countered in a haughty voice.

The two sets of parents all began arguing over each other. Neteyam watched in silent guilt. All of this fighting and contempt stemmed from him falling for you. He should have been more careful. He never should have taken you flying. He never should have danced with you. He knew better than that, but he couldn't help himself. He had wanted to thrill you, please you, any way he could, but now, his indiscretion had caused this dispute between his family and Aonung's.

While Neteyam was dwelling on his guilt, Aonung was glaring at him in resentment.

In the time that the Sullys had been in the reef, Aonung had gone from viewing Neteyam as a rival to seeing him as one of his closest friends. He had taught him the ways of the Metkayina. They had hunted together. They killed the akula together. And it was true that Aonung had no romantic feelings toward you, but he still held great respect for you and thought of you as his future tsahik with satisfaction.

Now, everything was changing. It was one thing for you not to feel anything romantically toward him, but it was something else entirely for you to be in love with someone else, especially when that someone else was in love with you. These bitter thoughts swirled in his mind until his voice finally called out above the bickering parents.

"I call for First Blood."

Everyone froze.

The Rite of First Blood was a dangerous and rarely used rite amongst the Na'vi that is only invoked in the most serious of disagreements. When someone called for First Blood with another, they fought in close combat until one of the participants drew blood from their opponent. The victor's conditions were binding and unimpeachable. What made it dangerous was that there were no stipulations other than requiring blood to be drawn, so the victor could go as far as mortally wounding their opponent if they so chose.

"Aonung, are you sure?" Ronal questioned after recovering from her stunned silence. Even she was startled by her son's call for such a serious matter. Aonung held a level glare at Neteyam as he replied firmly, "Yes."

Ronal shot her mate a reluctant look. "Very well," Tonowari conceded after a moment. "What are your conditions?" Everybody stared at Aonung, waiting expectantly to hear what he would demand if he was the victor. "If I win," he began slowly, staring at Neteyam. "You will leave the reef and never come back."

Immediate protestations arose from each of the Sullys except Neteyam, who silently held Aonung's glare with his own level gaze. "Silence!" Tonowari roared, cutting off the forest family sharply. Aonung continued as though he hadn't been cut off, "And I will be with the woman I am betrothed to."

All eyes were on Neteyam for his reaction, but he remained still, face impassive. "I accept," he responded evenly.

"Neteyam," Tonowari addressed. "What are your conditions?" He didn't respond for a second, thinking carefully about what to say, and Aonung scoffed. "We already know," he huffed. "If you win, she is yours."

"No," Neteyam replied resolutely.

Everybody blinked in surprise and exchanged uneasy glances. He took a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing. "She has already had so many decisions made for her," he explained slowly, shooting a look at Ronal's scowling face. "She deserves to have a choice for once in her life."

He looked back over at Tonowari. "That is my condition," he said decidedly. "If I win, she chooses if she wants to be tsakarem. If so, then she will continue her duties without reprimand, but if not, then she can renounce her title honorably, without shame, and without fear of retribution."

Ronal hissed in anger, but Neteyam was waiting for Aonung's reaction expectantly. The young Metkayina warrior nodded slowly and stated, "I accept." Tonowari was not pleased in the slightest about the arrangement, but he nodded gravely. "The Rite of First Blood shall take place at high noon tomorrow," he confirmed before turning to Jake.

"I suggest you keep your son away from here until then," he muttered in a low voice to him, but Neteyam could still hear him. Jake was glaring at his son as he responded, "Believe me, he won't leave my sight." Neteyam's stomach sank at the reality of having to face his parents' wrath for the rest of the night until noon. All he wanted was to see you and make sure you were alright, but there was absolutely no way anybody was going to let that happen now.

The good thing was that you were actually alright. You slept for a few hours before you began to stir again. Strange dreams and voices in your head made your sleep turbulent, so it was a relief to open your eyes again. Through your hazy vision, you could see a person sitting next to you, wiping the sweat off of your forehead.

You tried to say something, but your voice felt stuck, and all that came out was a quiet groan. "It's okay," a soft voice whispered. "You are still fighting off the venom." You blinked several times before your sight focused, and you were able to see who it was.

Tsireya's face was full of concern as she gazed down at you sadly. You mumbled her name, and she ran her hand over your hair comfortingly. "What happened?" you asked, your voice rough as a result of a dry throat.

She didn't respond, instead reaching for a bowl of fresh water for you to drink. She held your head up as you took a few eager gulps of it before laying you back down gently. "What happened?" you repeated, sounding clearer now that you had slaked your thirst.

"What do you remember?" Tsireya asked instead, taking the bowl back from your hand. You thought back, the memory of the viper ray flashing in your mind. "I remember getting stung," you began slowly. "I remember finding Aonung and Neteyam." You paused as the memory of Neteyam's arms carrying you replayed in your head. "That's about it," you finished quietly.

Tsireya studied your face for a moment. "Neteyam brought you back here," she explained nervously. "But you started saying strange things." Your face scrunched in confusion. "What kind of things?" You asked. Tsireya hesitated. "I am not sure," she confessed. "But Aonung—," she hesitated for a moment. "Aonung thinks that you are in love with Neteyam."

You blanched. Your mouth opened and shut, but no words came out. You were entirely unprepared for this accusation and could not think of how to defend yourself.

"It is true, isn't it?" She asked quietly. Your mind was reeling, and you were trying to think of something to say, but there was no way for you to justify what you had done. Your heart started pounding, and you began taking uneasy breaths. "Breathe," she implored, taking your hand comfortingly. Her touch helped ground you, and you tried your best to regain your composure.

"Tsireya," you began, "I— I never meant for anything to happen. I never meant to betray your brother." You could see the sadness and sympathy she had for you on her face. "I do not blame you," she told you gently, but you could see that she was torn. "But Aonung is very angry, as is my mother."

You closed your eyes, feeling the bitter sting of knowing you've disappointed the very people you sought to impress. "What did they have to say?" You questioned, not sure you wanted to hear the answer. Tsireya hesitated a moment before answering.

"Aonung has called for the Rite of First Blood with Neteyam."

Your blood ran cold. You immediately propped yourself upright, but you still felt weak from the venom, and your arms buckled. "What?" You whispered, horrified. Tsireya pressed gently on your shoulders to get you to lie back down before she nodded reluctantly. "It has been set for noon tomorrow," she explained.

You stared up at her face, mortified by what she had said. "What are the conditions?" You managed to whisper finally. She took your hand again, and you braced yourself for whatever she was going to say.

"Aonung's conditions are that Neteyam must leave the reef forever," she stated quietly. Your stomach twisted at her words. You closed your eyes and squeezed her hand. This couldn't be happening. It was just yesterday that you had been wrapped in his arms. You had run away out of guilt, but now the very real possibility of never seeing him again made your chest tighten with fear.

"And Neteyam's?" You whispered, trying your best to remain calm. Tsireya sighed. "If Neteyam is the victor, then you are free to leave your duties as tsakarem if you so choose," she explained.

You blinked. "What?" You questioned, unable to process what she just said. "Neteyam said you should be able to choose whether you want to keep training to be tsahik or not," she repeated. "He also says that you will not face any repercussions for your choice, whatever it may be."

You stared up at Tsireya for a moment, completely stunned. Then, you felt your throat tighten as tears gathered in your eyes. It all hit you so suddenly, you couldn't help but let them fall.

He was fighting for you. And not only to be with you, but to give you the opportunity to decide for yourself what you wanted to do with your life. It was so selfless and considerate. Nobody had ever given you that before.

Tsireya ran her free hand over your forehead again, a look of distress on her face. "I did not know you were so unhappy," she said mournfully. "I wish you would have told me." You shook your head as you took ragged breaths to calm yourself. "I could not," you whispered in a hoarse voice. "Your mother is my mentor, and I am betrothed to your brother. To tell you would mean you would need to keep secrets from both."

She didn't say anything as you took another breath to calm yourself. What you had said made sense, but it didn't make her feel any better knowing that you had been hiding your misery from her.

"I need to speak to him," you said at last, moving to prop yourself up again. Tsireya's eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously. "No," she replied quickly. "My mother would be furious." You sat upright, the sting on your ribs burning as you moved. She must have seen how you winced because she pushed you back down and said, "You need to stay and rest. You are not fit to move around."

You didn't fight her, but you weren't giving up. "Please, let me see him," you begged. "This is all my fault. I need to talk to him, and I won't be able to tomorrow." She sighed regretfully. "I can't let you do that," she said. "Even if you were well enough, Neteyam's parents will not let him leave their home. Lo'ak said that they are very upset with him as well."

You closed your eyes remorsefully. You hadn't even thought about what his parents would think about a situation like this. You remembered Lo'ak's words to you just a few days prior. If this gets out, Neteyam would be in more trouble than I've ever been in. How had it all gone wrong so quickly?

"The best thing you can do is try to get some rest," Tsireya told you gently. "Especially if you want to be there for the Rite tomorrow." With your eyes still closed, you let out a defeated sigh and nodded. You weren't going to win this argument with her, and since you were already in a heap of trouble as it was, you decided not to press the issue.

Still, sleep was the last thing on your mind. A torrent of thoughts whirled in your head. There were no way you could rest when the possibility of losing Neteyam was looming over you. If he lost, then not only would he have to leave, but you knew that the rest of his family would go with him. After all that they went through to acclimate to the reef, they would be forced to pack up their lives again.

With your thoughts, you were resolved to see Neteyam, consequences be damned. Tsireya had left after about an hour, and it was late enough that most people would be preparing to go to sleep right now.

You sat up slowly, trying not to irritate the sting in your ribs. Standing up, you felt a little dizzy, but it passed after a couple of seconds. Carefully, you stepped out of the tent. You checked that there was no one around before moving quietly down to the beach. You waded into waist deep water before softly calling out to an ilu.

You felt too weak to swim out on your own, so you decided that having an ilu to help was in your best interest. It would also allow you to keep your sting clean and dry. When one of the ilus answered your call, you attached your queue and slowly made your way to the Sullys.

As you came around to where the Sullys lived, you were relieved by the sight before you. Neteyam was sitting at the edge of his home out above the water, an arm resting on his knee while his other leg dangled over the water. He was staring up at the night sky. You had often seen him there, gazing up at the bright stars littering the sky, and you had hoped that he would be out there tonight as well.

With his gaze turned upwards, he didn't see you approaching slowly in the water. You glanced around to ensure nobody was nearby to see or hear you. You noticed that his pod was dark and quiet, indicating that everyone had gone to sleep, so you called his name out softly.

He must have heard you because his head snapped down and fixated on your form in the water. When he recognized you, he immediately turned to look behind him and check that none of his family had heard too. "What are you doing?" He whispered in alarm. "Why are you not resting?"

"I wanted to see you," you whispered back. "Can you come down?" He glanced back over his should for a moment before turning back to face you. "The beach," he said softly.

It was all he needed to say in order for you to understand. You nodded before turning your ilu in the water and swimming back toward the beach. As you stepped out onto the wet sand, he was walking stealthily across the suspended walkways toward you. Leaping down onto the sand, he quickly crossed over to you with a concerned face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked quietly, bringing his hands up to hold your shoulders carefully. "You should be resting, healing." You shook your head as you looked up at him. "I could not rest after what Tsireya told me," you replied quickly.

Raising your own hands, you held his arms by the crook of his elbow. "Is it true? Has Aonung challenged you to First Blood?" You questioned, already knowing in your heart it was true. He let out a small sigh, looking down at you in regret.

"It is," he confirmed in a whisper. "We fight at noon." You closed your eyes and took a deep breath to calm yourself. "And the conditions?" You continued. "Tsireya said that if Aonung wins, you...," you trailed off, unable to speak anymore.

"I must leave the reef," he finished for you solemnly. You clenched your jaw in an effort to keep from tearing up. "But if I am the victor," he continued softly, "you will be free to choose the life you want. Whether you remain as the tsakarem or not, the choice will be yours with no consequences."

Your throat tightened at his words, and tears filled your eyes. Nobody had ever advocated for you to have a say in your own life. Ever since you could remember, things had always been arranged for you, and you had been too young to know what you actually wanted. Now, you had something that you wanted, and Neteyam was going to fight with everything in him for you to have it.

You shook your head sadly, looking down from his face. "You shouldn't have to do this," you sighed, squeezing his arms in concern. There was a small pause between you before his hands moved up from your shoulders to hold your face, making you look right up at him. His face softened, and his eyes moved back and forth between yours as he shook his head slowly.

"I would do anything for you."

Your breath faltered at his words, and you leaned into his touch with closed eyes. “I was so worried for you,” he continued softly. “I know what you said last night, but when I saw you in the water, I—,” he paused, his thumbs brushing against your cheeks.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he said finally, “but I can’t bear being away from you anymore. When I saw an opportunity to be with you, I couldn’t turn it aside.” The corner of his mouth turned upward before he added softly, “If you will have me, that is.”

His voice was so gentle and sincere, and he looked almost nervous waiting for your reply. You couldn't think of anything to say that fully encapsulated how you felt, so you stepped forward and pressed your lips against his.

Neteyam still held your face as he kissed you gently. You leaned into him, savoring the feeling of his soft lips against yours. He pulled away after what felt like too short a time, a faint smile on his face.

"I will have you," you whispered to him, the corners of your mouth tugging upward. You looked up at him, his face inches from yours. "But you better win.” His own smile widened in amusement. "I will," he promised, lowering his forehead to rest against yours. "I'm not going to stay away from you anymore."

You closed your eyes and relished the moment of peace between you. For a second, you were able to forget about the guilt and worry you were feeling about everything and imagined the life you could have with Neteyam, the life you wanted so bad, it hurt.

He pulled you back into another soft kiss. His hands left your face to wrap around your torso and wander up your back, exploring as much of your skin as possible. His touch left you breathless, and you eagerly pulled him as close to you as possible.

You could feel how much he wanted you, but he eventually pulled away from your lips, his eyes closed as he moved away. "I need to go," he whispered quietly, his forehead resting against yours. "My parents will know I've gone."

The reality of the situation returned, and you felt all the fear and anxiety of everything stirring in your chest. You sighed regretfully, not wanting to let him go. Neteyam must have sensed your apprehensions because his hands pulled you into a tight embrace, and he whispered in your ear, "It will be alright."

You buried your face in his neck and repeated the words in your mind, but it was difficult to believe when so much was on the line. It was cruel that this was only the first time you had let yourself hold him like this, and if Aonung won the next day, this may very well be the last time, too.

Gently, he pulled away from you. You let your arms slide off his shoulders, unable to meet his eyes. There was a moment of silence between you, neither of you wanting to leave the other. Finally, he sighed, raised a hand up to your head, and brought his lips against your forehead. You closed your eyes and tried to hold onto the moment while it lasted.

"It will be alright," he murmured against your skin. You nodded faintly. "It will be alright," you echoed. You looked up at him, and he had a small smile on his face. "I will see you tomorrow," he said at last as he began stepping backward toward his home. You could only nod as he moved away. Watching him go, you wrapped your arms around yourself and repeated his words over and over again in your mind.

It will be alright.

Chapter 6

_________

Taglist: @mashiromochi @eywas-heir @kafanizdakicokiyi @plzfeedmebread @afro-hispwriter @fanboyluvr @anm3mi @sadexact @peachinsomnia @fluroescentxadolescent @doulcha @crazy4books1 @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @thatonegirlwiththebeanie367 @alicetweven @sarasapen @sadexact

[scarlettsandmaroons]

midnight rain | n. romanoff

about me | series masterlist | natasha romanoff masterlist

pairing: professor!natasha romanoff x collegestudent!reader

chapter eleven | chapter twelve: it came like a postcard

chapter summary: sometimes, weather forecasts can be wrong; yours said it would be sunny yet a storm came. the same way the bestest days can take a turn for the worst. you'd never choose rain. you did it once and now you're lost. but when you are, the sun always comes. and it envelops you in its warmth. it finds you, it makes you follow it, and you're secure. you'd must always choose the sun.

warnings: angst; non-aggressive fighting, guilt.

a/n: i know it took so long, but im too busy!!! i barely have time for anything so please understand! this took so little time actually, i wrote this in class for 30 minutes, and while i do hate the way i wrote it (for some reason i could never write proper angst?) my creative juices won't allow me for more. so please bear with me. ALSO, LITERALLY ONE CHAPTER AWAY FROM THE ENDING, YAY US.

a few months ago, you attended a sophomore party around the first few days of your sophomore year. it was at the university, in the event hall which happened past midnight where none of the teachers would have known the drinking, the dancing, and the sex on each corner of the space. 

of course, natasha knew about it. she always knew everything. more so if it's something about you. you weren't supposed to go. but you and natasha had a small argument the day before the party—something about the way she so boldly touches you even when people were around. so to get your mind of it, you went; to get back at her, you didn't tell her and planned on going home drunk; and to taunt her, you wore the most absurdly revealing outfit in your dresser. 

you were expecting to go home to her waiting for you in a robe and red wine, as she usually does when you come home past midnight. but she didn't. a few shots, and some minutes of dirty dancing later, you were pulled off the dance floor but her harsh grip, and everyone stunned at the professor's actions. 

she pulled you in her office, trapped you between her and the desk, and when you thought she'd lecture you, she didn't. she dropped her forehead on your shoulder, and she bathed you in her warmth. 

she told you she loved you. that she loved you so much. that she loved you dearly, sincerely, desperately. and the next day, you woke up with flowers and a bottle of her perfume on your bed. you need not a note to know what she was implying—you can try to grind on every person you want, but they'd know. 

that's been your routine after every fight. 

flowers, and a present. 

today was undeniably one of the best days ever. granted, you and natasha had a little argument the night before, but that's what led you to the flower shop for the first time. you spent an hour smelling every plant; feeling the difference between the patterns of every petal; basking in the colors of the life the surrounds you. 

and then you rode a bike to the mall. it wasn't your bike, it was wanda's old one from when she and vision had just moved to westview. but you found it in the shed. and with the flowers you bought in its little brown basket, you went toe to toe with the massive cars driving right next to you. and somehow, you felt like you were saving the world. 

wanda, that morning, cooked you breakfast. and then she gave you ice cream in a bowl as dessert which doesn't happen at all. wanda can be a nag about health, and you often find the domesticity of having a mother nag you for eating junk very endearing, but it never hurts to have ice cream. and did you jump out in joy when she handed you a bowl. 

billy wasn't home. wanda sent him to an errand outside westview. but he left you a sweet note and a sandwich on your bedside table before he left, and before you woke up. he should be home long past 12pm though, which would give you the very opportunity to make it right with your girlfriend before he comes back. 

she wasn't here. 

she's never here when she gets into a fight with you. she cools off her head, gives you your space, then she comes back to talk. 

you assume that's how she'd always been, even with wanda given that she did use to live away from her family that you assume is because of a blowout. you never asked. and you knew she didn't want you to.

you bought her flowers and a scented candle that smelled like your favorite perfume. something that she can put in the office that's been home to too much of your sins, and overflowing with so much of your love. 

the sun was out, and for the first time, it didn't seem to burn. it was just... warm. no chance of rain, said the weather forecast. 

but of course, sometimes, they're wrong. 

"do you know i cheated on natasha with vision?" 

and it rained. 

"sorry, what?" 

the moment you closed the door behind you, and right after wanda called for you in the kitchen, it poured. harsh, angry rain. 

"it was over a year ago," wanda clarifies. "natasha was getting too busy with work, and vision happens to drop by." 

"wanda, i don't—"

"and i slept with him." 

you stiffed. your chest tightened, and the grip you had on the bouquet you couldn't be bothered to hide behind you became strained.

you weren't sure why wanda was telling you. neither did you want her to. but suddenly you feel for natasha. like that very thing wanda did was enough to justify and save natasha from every argument, every fight, every bad thing between you two. 

"wanda, i really don't know why you're telling me this," you whisper, voice shaking, resisting. "i think it's none of my business." 

you didn't know what to do, what to feel. wanda cheated on natasha. and natasha is cheating right back. should it be called even? you couldn't say. the anger of knowing what natasha had to go through, vs wanda... your mother. sweet sweet wanda. you justified wanda in your heart. 

she was standing behind the kitchen island, looking at the yard over the floor to ceiling windows. and then she turns to you, pauses when she sees the flowers and paper bag in your hands. 

she smiles, tiredly. "is that for her?" 

you didn't have to be asked twice. your mind didn't scramble for an excuse either. surprisingly, no "for who?" or "it's for billy". just silence. 

she looks at you. 

she knew. 

her eyes stayed the exact same green shade as they were earlier. or yesterday. or the many days before that. there was nothing different. she looked the same. but she knew. 

you'd already betrayed her, you couldn't lie to her. and your mind didn't allow you to even dig through your raging thoughts for an apology. 

and she beats you to it. "i'm sorry," she tells you; her voice raspy, coated in what pain you could feel her hide. 

all thoughts left your body. and you weren't sure why it was only now that guilt surged through your every vein, every muscle. 

you might have not chosen natasha, but a part of you knew that she would choose you. that she would always choose you. and somehow, that was able to keep you in your bubble. to spare you the guilt. to keep you safe. knowing that while you would choose wanda, that you would do what's right; she wouldn't. she would choose you. even if it's wrong. and that makes the weight of your sin much much lighter. 

"wanda i—" she gave you the chance. she stayed silent. she waited, she hoped, she looked at you with eager eyes. but you couldn't say anything. you didn't say anything. 

she walked closer to you. you could tell her knees were weak, barely carrying the weight of her body. then she smiled, a sad comforting smile. like when she told you what she'd done to your mother. like when she offered you a way out. 

you yelled in your mind. screamed. the voice begged to be ousted; 

don't touch me. 

don't touch me, wanda. 

please, it's my fault. 

don't smile at me. 

slap me. curse me. swear at me. 

throw me away.

force me to go. 

don't... 

please don't be nice. 

please don't smile. 

please... 

don't make it harder for me...

you stayed silent. 

something about the way her eyes sparkled with threatening tears made you feel a sense of home and longing. like the feeling you get when you know you'd have to travel the next day so you clean your home, and enjoy the few hours you have in your room. and you feel at peace. the dread, the excitement, and the longing. you feel everything all at once. 

"i'm sorry," she tells you again. raising her visibly shaking hand to caress your cheek. you didn't know what to do. you froze. "i was supposed to protect you, i was supposed to be your mother," her voice decreased to a whisper. but you still heard the way it cracked. the way it got stuck in her throat. "it's all my fault." 

and your heart broke. your heart broke for her. your heart broke for the crying eyes staring into you—the same ones the would shine when seeing her wife, or would sparkle when billy gives her a hug. your heart broke for the hurting mother. for your hurting mother. for the mother you hurt. 

"wanda, it's not...," you whisper.

she stuttered for words. avoiding your eyes, struggling to keep her composure, "i really love her," she cries. "and i needed her. and she wasn't here. and i was desperate."

she was defending herself for a crime she didn't commit. you're supposed to be the one justifying. you're supposed to be the one crying—looking at her with grieving eyes. 

but how could you? what could you say? 

i didn't love her, wanda. but i would long for her touch, crave for her lips, burn for her warmth the same way i long for air, and crave for love, and burn for every bit of earth that falls on my skin.  

i didn't love her, wanda. but when i go to heaven, and god tells me that this very sin is what would send me to hell, i'll tell him how ironic it was to have the only heaven i'd ever known be what would send me to burn down in hell. 

i didn't love her, wanda. 

but i did. 

oh how i did. 

"i'm sorry....," you finally say. you finally gathered the courage, the words, the thoughts to apologize. may it be the wrong ones, for the wrong person, but you were sorry for tolerating natasha. you were sorry for the indulgence. you were sorry for granting yourself the heaven when you were only meant to stay on earth. 

you were sorry for natasha. for everything that you did. but not for loving her. never for loving her. 

"no, darling i...," how could she call me that? "it's my fault. i should've—i should've known. i should've realized. you should have never been in that situation if i—"

"wanda what are you—"

"she wouldn't have used you."

she wouldn't have used you. 

she wouldn't have used you. 

she wouldn't have used you. 

she wouldn't have used you. 

but she loved me...

"at least it—it wouldn't have...," she choked. "it wouldn't have gotten this far, i—" 

she told me she loved me. she whispered it to me in bed, she wrote it to me in class, she moaned it in my ear. she loved me. 

"you were a kid, i—"

she wasn't looking at you. she was avoiding your eyes, guilt surging through her body, and pain glinting her eyes. she was shaken up, she was confused. and you... you were lost. 

"i married a beautiful woman. she is kind, she is thoughtful, she is caring," and she loved her deeply. you could hear it from her voice. and see it with the way a smile crept her face through her tears. the thought of her alone is enough to put her in a trance, in her own little bubble. 

and then the bubble pops. and she looks back at you, unaware that she'd been looking away. "i...," she searches for words, looking in your soul; holding it, hugging it through the windows of your eyes. "i didn't think she'd be the kind to... take advantage of a child so she could get back at me." 

i didnt think she'd be the kind to take advantage of a child so she could get back at me.

i didn't think she'd be the kind to take advantage of a child so she could get back at me.

i didn't think she'd be the kind to take advantage of a child so she could get back at me.

suddenly the memory of her touch burns your skin. the memory of her kisses slices you. the memory of her, and everyday of the past year, and you, and the both of you—suddenly, everything was hell. and you were on fire. 

your ear rings. 

she used you.

she loved me. 

she was using you for revenge.

she loved me. 

she took advantage of you. 

she loved me. 

she pretended. 

she asked me to run away. she loved me.

she's taking it too far. 

she told me she loved me. 

did she really?

no. 

"she loved me," you resisted her touch. you moved away from her. you insisted, you screamed, you cried. "she loved me wanda." 

you saw pain through the wrinkles on her face. you saw pain for the family she's losing, and pity for the daughter she'd come to love as her own. she grieved for her family. and mourned for your innocence in your place. 

you saw it overtake her—the broken woman whose family's at loss overtake the sweet mother who'd cared for you for over a year. and more as a child. you saw it glint her eyes, the change from pity to anger. 

"she loved me...," you cried, dropping to the floor. 

you knew she was torn. should it be pity that you loved her wife, or anger that you loved her wife. she was fighting in her head. you can see the way she defended you in her own mind. you were just a kid that her wife took advantage of. but also, you were the stain in the family that she's been trying to fix.  

you didn't know which one won, which side of her. the subtle cruelty of the way she dropped an envelope on the floor to your knees, and the love that it was to crouch to your level and look at you. 

"you're breaking my family...," she told you. "i can't let you do that anymore." 

you wonder which wanda your talking to. while her words were thorned, her voice was coated with the love of a mother. 

"this is enough to get your mother out of the hospital, and last you until you graduate."

she had kept a distance between you two, especially when she stood up. she's calmer now as if she'd already decided. 

"for what it's worth...," she trailed off. "i wish you never had to hurt billy."

the fight is over. you were the kid who her wife took advantage of, and let it happen. you were the woman who betrayed her son. and she hates you. like a mother who hates her child: forever.

just like that, you were out of the house you'd called your home for the last year, and under the blazing storm. you were lost. 

"y/n!" 

until your beacon shines again. 

"oh my lord, what are you doing outside!" 

billy runs over you from his car with an umbrella. he hadn't heard. but he takes you in his arms, and wraps you around his coat. "i left early," he whispers. "what happened?"

you were lost. you always had been. but billy always found you. and you always followed him. you were lost as a child, and followed billy to his home. you were lost after graduation, and followed him to university. you're lost now. and you knew you'd chosen well. because he always found you. 

[noeou]

COMPETITION ASIDE! —- octavinelle + pomefiore

( modern au! ) when they find out you’ve been working beyond your limit.

. . . ⟢ GENRE: fluff.

. . . ⟢ NOTES: old format for this post ‘cause im finishing this prompt. never got the chance to and i love it <3

[ azul ashengrotto | ceo and personal secretary. ]

as your boss, he was under the impression your day ended when his did. that’s why he didn’t work overtime at the office, so you could go home when he did. sometimes you stayed at his place when you worked late together, but that wasn’t too often.

he was concerned when you didn’t show up to his house at six in the morning, per usual. you weren’t ever late in the years he’s been working with you so he wasn’t mad you weren’t there, sure he was irritated but whatever.

when you don’t respond to his texts and show no signs of having shown up at the office, he gets worried. he drives himself to your place, despite the tweel’s protests that one of them should drive him, to check on you.

when i say he panics when you open the door, i mean he panics. you were in the same clothes you wore the day prior, hair a mess, and eyes deprived of sleep.

he pushes down the guilty feeling when he sees the same feelings occupy your eyes. he pulls you close with a hum of acknowledgment, then dragging you inside.

“you didn’t sleep well, if at all, did you?” azul shook his head, admiring your effort as well as your beauty. “go get ready, i’ll inform jade of our absences— ah, don’t object. you’ve earned a day of rest, i’ll see that you get it.”

[ jade leech | company secretary and employee. ]

made checking up on you apart of his duties, without being aware of it. he always stopped by your division just to see you, even if you didn’t notice him.

he was running late one day, unexpected errands his coworker piled up for him were holding him up. he got to your division at lunch, under the pretense he was checking on your project and he was beyond surprised.

your division was empty, as they probably went out for lunch, except for you; a uniform jacket was draped on your shoulder. jade was yet to figure out what pissed him off more: you not sleeping properly or another person taking better care of you than he was.

regardless, he shot a text to azul and tidied up your desk. when he was satisfied, he folded the jacket with an unknown owner and wrote on one of your post-it notes a thanks and put it on top before carrying you to his car.

you woke up at this point, it took everything in him for jade not to scold you on the spot. somehow he succeeded, letting out an uncharacteristic hum to lull you back to sleep.

after settling you into a guest room; jade prepared water, soup, extra pillows, extra blankets, anything you’d need as if you were sick. “i swear, the anxiety you give me takes year off my life.” you may or may not wake up to him asleep in a chair across from you.

[ floyd leech | employee and division leader. ]

unlike the former two, you’re floyd’s superior (aka his boss.) you worked in the testing division, you came up with food ideas and tested them for production.

you worked the most out of your team. yes they worked hard, but at work you were revising theirs; it’s only in overtime you get a chance to work on your own.

he was very much the attend all division parties type of guy, it’s one of the many things that made the both of you so different.

the recent month has been the busiest for you all, and shock horror— the crew decided to celebrate with a party. you were there as they planned on where to go outside the building, only cause you were looking for your keys and the inner parking lot was extremely dark.

floyd took this opportunity to wave said keys in front of you with a scheming grin.

“celebrate with me, l/n. we can go wherever you want… on me.” while it was uncharacteristic of him to offer to pay, you accepted. mainly cause you had nothing better to do, and also the fact you were his ride home so you wouldn’t here the end of it,

[ vil schoenheit | actor and preforming arts student. ]

allow me to start with you are an adult, in college in this timeline.

vil is an alumni at your school, it’s how you met. actually, it’s more because he was a prodigy that breezed right through the course, leaving you behind for another year or so.

guiding you where he could, vil was able to keep tabs on your well being. while he didn’t really struggle with school, it was quite different for you. having the tendency to hyper focus and forget the outside world, vil’s been the anchor to bring you back.

this weighed on him when he was offered an overseas project. while you reassured him to take care of yourself, he knew he’d be too busy to check that.

nonetheless, he went. it was quite clear within the first week, he’d be busier than you both expected. it was radio silence on his end; but you still made an effort to record yourself do skincare when talking about your day and sent it to him in place of face timing.

but what matters in behind the scenes, something that was meant to be his expertise. returning to your private doctor watching over you while you were on bed rest after fainting at school was most certainly unexpected, but not too shocking,

“what did i tell you about taking care of yourself? did we not make an agreement?” he scolded as your doctor took her leave. it took a while until he moved on from it; had only he knew his silence and exams on top of that caused you to be so anxious you fainted and not your lack of rest.. maybe he would’ve let you off the hook.

[ rook hunt | idol and manager. ]

tries not to bother you unless necessary because his group members can already be a handful, but makes sure to talk to you everyday (if that makes sense.) it doesn’t matter if it’s just hello, he’d prefer have a positive relationship with you.

one night you misdialed him, confusing rook a lot. he was surprised by the tiredness in your voice and your weak laugh when you realized it was him you called by mistake.

he stayed on the phone with you until you fell asleep, talking about random things. he didn’t hang up when you stopped responding, he actually went to go get you, your office wasn’t far away from where they practiced so he’d pick you up before going to the dorms.

it was at this point, being the leader of his group held an entirely different meaning and responsibility. slowly but surely, the other members stopped relying on you for all the trivial things, lifting a large weight off of your shoulders.

not only that, a new maturity settled in rook that you didn’t recognize. you weren’t sure what exactly prompted such a change as your memory of the night was hazy, but you were grateful no less.

“i already have their lunch handled. eat with me again, hm?” how could you disagree, your little lunch days were a welcome addition to your schedule.

[ epel felmier | farmer and baker. ]

you and epel are childhood friends, so knowing you well was something he prided himself in.

recently, you entered a baking competition and he was your partner (an honor, truly.) he couldn’t help but notice how much wasted bread began filling the trash cans in your kitchen.

while he wasn’t as skilled as you in the bread making department, he still made the effort of learning through online tutorials so he wasn’t clueless.

being the man of many talents he is, he seemingly surpassed your skill when you first started, however that wasn’t the point.

his intention was to learn terminology and the ‘baking dictionary’ per say, in an attempt to understand your ranting about your struggle in ‘lacking perfection’ better.

epel did make sure to carve you a special pastry as an reward, regardless of if you won or not. baking isn’t as easy as you made it look and he wouldn’t ignore that.

“each pastry tastes better than the last, don’t worry. you’re not giving yourself enough credit.” before you could protest, epel shoved a piece of the bread in your mouth with a smile, “—ah, i won’t hear otherwise.”