#y'all i did not lock in like i said i would this weekend

[haledraws]

i've been watching a lot of buffy lately

[a-b-riddle]

Part Five

Can't stop thinking about the attempt of reconciliation and reader ain't having it. Our girl is going to be wilddddd y'all. Also goodnight. See y'all tomorrow (maybe)

You call Meredith when you get home.

You. Are. Fuming. She's not sure she can ever remember a time you using so many swear words at one time.

How fucking dare them? Immature? You're the immature one? You were the one trying your best to salvage four failing relationship meanwhile none of those assholes could be bothered to try and keep one. They had one person to manage: you.

"I wanna go out this weekend." "Wear something tight and borderline risk indecent exposure."

"You know what I always say," Meredith begins. "The best way to get over someone-"

"is to get under someone else." You finish. You weren't exactly keen on the idea of bringing someone to your bed just yet, but a little attention would do you some good. "I don't want to fuck someone just yet." You admitted. "I'm more on the getting drunk and making out."

"I didn't know we resorted back secondary school heavy petting?" She teased.

"University, Dear." You corrected. "I didn't peak until after I graduated."

"No." She argued. "You didn't put your books down long enough to realize that boys actually wanted to fuck you." You were glad she couldn't see you roll your eyes. "Saturday work for you? I have a late night Friday and won't be up for it."

"That works."

"Sorry." She apologized. "I plan on getting you absolutely smashed so I need to be ready to play the nanny. I know how you love to get drunk and run off."

It was true. You had always found it hilarious when you were drunk to just run. Quite literally run away. It got to a point during university where Meredith would handcuff you to her so you didn't stray.

"I won't run." Your sober mind promised.

"Uh huh." Meredith's tone told you that she knew that was a load of shit. "I'll text Tabs. Let her know the plan."

The next day at the shop was pretty uneventful. No more unexpected visitors. You still had them all blocked. Not caring if now they decided to offer up some bullshit apology.

Months. This had been a steady decline for six months. A text or a simply sorry won't fix this. You weren't sure anything could.

But it didn't matter. You were done and they obviously were too.

You had picked up enough take out to feed a family, but you didn't plan on making your lunch before work or cooking when you got home. The rest of the week you planned on just going through the motions until you could go out Saturday and hopefully get everything out.

You weren't paying attention as you walked down the hallway to your flat. Fishing in your purse for keys. You were at almost at your door when you saw him.

Sitting next to your door was a familiar face. A face you felt you haven't seen in forever.

“What are you doing here, Kyle?" Your voice was flat as you continued to blindly try and find your keys with one hand. Fuck. You really need to clean out your purse...

“My key wouldn’t work.” He explained. "So I’m out here.”

"I'm aware why you're not in my apartment since I changed the locks," you said, trying to keep your irritation at bay. "What I am asking is why did you come here?"

"You won't return any of our messages."

"You're all blocked, so technically I didn't really get any messages." "Besides, you don't get to complain to me about not responding to texts, Kyle Garrick." Your fingers finally wraps around them. God bless. "If you're here for your things, it'll have to wait. I have to sort through everyone's shit and I don't know whose is whose."

"We need to talk." He explains as you put the key into the lock, opening the door.

"Nah," you say scrunching your nose in that way he used to adore. "I'm good. But you can swing by tomorrow and pick up your things if you'd like." You say before trying to shut the door on him. You were stupid in thinking you could be faster than him.

Dammit.

"I know things haven't been good and I've definitely could have been better,'' he admits. "But can you at least try and let us apologize? Let us try and work it out."

"No." You answered, trying to close the door. Not caring if you had to resort to kicking his shins to get him out.

"Why not?" He countered.

“Maybe because I've already tried, Kyle?” You gave up on trying to shut him out. You were strong, but he didn't have any issues in besting you. “Because I actually tried with you. With all of you. You didn’t need to come here giving me excuses about your life being hectic because I’ve made the excuses for you.” You didn't miss how he practically flinched. He had always blamed his busy life. Family. Work. You stopped caring about whatever excuse he gave you and realized it was just that. An excuse. “I’ve been telling myself for months that everything you guys didn’t do for me wasn’t because you didn’t care about me. It was because of the stress of your deployments is the reason none of you tell me when you get back from until it’s time to fuck. I tell myself it’s because of the fucked up situation of me being with all of you that makes it awkward to meet your families. Families you all have that I now know I’m not worthy of meeting.” He wanted to correct you. You were. You were worthy. He was an idiot. “It’s not that I need your excuses to make me feel like what you did was justified. No matter what it was, it was apparently to you because you did it.”

He took a step back, processing everything you had said. He had been selfish. You were the reliable constant in his life. Someone he believed he never disappointed. Someone he couldn't disappoint no matter how many times he fucked up.

You took the opportunity to slam the door. Quickly turning the lock before he had a chance to open it back up.

God...

That felt good.

You had spent that evening collecting their thing in case Kyle did show back up tomorrow. You wouldn't make their lives easier by sorting all their shit and organizing it. Everything. One box. Let them figure it out. You almost had a mind to add a shirt that you knew didn't belong to any of them just to have them argue over it. Or least make them think there was someone else...

You were almost tempted if not for the premise that you wanted them to realize this was their fault. Their fuck up. But now that you were officially all broken up, you were free game.

[linddzz]

Here an assortment of Facts About Morpheus in the Red Flags AU. Where I'm starting to lean more towards the version where they meet and are already into each other before the ""Fake Date"" Incident:

-Jessamy is the raven he took care of when he found her injured outside of his townhome. He now has a room with a window he often keeps open for her to fly into whenever she feels like it. I don't know how legal any of this is in London but tbh it doesn't matter because he also does not know what the laws are and doesn't care.

- His townhome is very dark maximalist in decor, which tends to surprise people at first. There are houseplants and little statues all over, and the walls are hidden behind millions of bookshelves. There is an art studio room and books scattered everywhere. Very recently, hypothetical visitors would notice a lot of child locks and child proofed areas that have a bit of a panicked "I bought every safety thing in the store bc I have no idea wtf I'm doing" energy to them.

- He has a therapist. Yes, the Morpheus that Hob meets is the upgraded version who is actually working on himself already. This is what the improved personal growth version of Morpheus is like.

Anyway, said therapist is Gilbert F. Greene. Because Morpheus going head to head with an unstoppable force of old timey adorable optimism who will also not take his shit is delightful. Dr. Greene insists on going by first names and Morpheus always makes "Gilbert" sound like a slur in retaliation. Some conversations I imagine include:

"Good morning Gilbert, you will never guess who had what you might call a """relapse into self destructive behaviors"""" last night."

"I am very sorry to hear that my dear boy. Let me say though, that I am so very proud of you for calling me! That is a phenomenal step for you and it's wonderful that you are being proactive in your recovery."

"Don't patronize me Gilbert. I will hang up."

(this ended up being super long so I'm just gonna spare y'all's dash. Warning for some lightly touched on mentions of drug use and self destructive behavior.)

- Him getting a therapist was part of the requirements for gaining visitation rights and then weekend custody once a month with Orpheus. The therapy is actually helping, and he's bitter about that.

- His given name is actually Dream, he goes by his middle name. All the Endless siblings have awful names. Desire goes by Adonai because who calls a fucking child Desire???

When Hob meets the rest of the family, Destiny goes "it's good to see you again, Dream" and Hob begins turning to Morpheus like "lmao who tf is named Dream" only to find Morpheus glaring daggers at his brother.

- The Endless parents are rarely around. Some of the siblings still live in the manor and they all use it for family dinners, but it's common for their parents to be off travelling for years at a time.

- Morpheus is an author and a painter who has a bajillion pen names to go with each genre he writes in, so it's hard to figure out exactly how much he's written. Even before becoming a father though, his face and full name is mostly associated with children's fantasy stories that he illustrates himself, and his Art vs Artist vibe is very Miyazaki.

Him and Calliope collaborated on a series of illustrated poetic translations of ancient epics. Their divorce was exactly as messy as one might imagine the divorce between two passionate artist types might be.

- His downward spiral of self destruction started before the divorce but oh boy did it nosedive during and after.

- When she got pregnant after divorce proceedings had started, there was a moment where they were both meeting with lawyers and one asked something along the lines of if this meant they would try for reconciliation and staying together. Calliope said "no" immediately.

It's not like Morpheus exactly thought they would get back together, but the speed and firmness of that hard "no" had his head screaming with white noise and some badly thought out self medication for months, which ended up being why Calliope got full custody and he is just now able to get more involved with the now two year old Orpheus.

- His rebound with Thessaly was also messy. She was just in it for a fun fling and he was... Morpheus. He found out he got dumped when she informed him she was already in the process of moving back to Greece, and Johanna said he needed to be banned from any more beautiful Greek expats from that day forth.

- No one can figure out what the deal is with him and Lucienne. The simple explanation is they're queerplatonic soul mates. Lucienne's wife Gault thinks they're a bit codependent (not an inaccurate assessment), but is more civil with him since the day she yelled at him to go get an actual therapist instead of constantly putting his shit on Lucienne, and he actually did. (It is unclear if this or Calliope demanding therapy for him to get visitation with Orpheus was his wake up call catalyst, but probably a bit of both.)

- Lucienne was originally a personal assistant. She now works as his editor since she seems to be the only person who can keep track of all the shit he's written. She is also the only person who can get away with critiquing his works in progress without sending him into a fit where he might burn all his manuscripts.

- When Morpheus started mentioning this Gadling guy a lot, Lucienne paid a visit to the pub. Not to do anything so crude as to threaten a man's life if he breaks her sensitive friend's heart. What could she do anyway? No no. She's just here to smile with zero trace of humor and ask some questions while looking him up and down through her spectacles. Hob will later describe this as one of the most pants shitting moments of his life, and he felt like he got transformed back into a primary school kid who talked slightly too loudly in the library.

- Morpheus went through a slutty phase during and shortly after University that was less of a healthy and fun exploration of his sexuality and libido, and a bit more "I will take anyone who will have me in any way they will want me and I know that if nothing else, I'm pretty."

- Him and Johanna used to have a game seeing who could get more free drinks in one night. This had to be put to an end when it turned into the catalyst for at least three screaming fights between them.

Fight subjects were

Quality vs Quantity. Morpheus insists his ability to get people to buy him a single glass of wine that costs £50 beats Johanna's cheap beers. Johanna disagreed. loudly.

Is it cheating when Morpheus ran to the bathroom to smudge on some eyeliner and then stole Johanna's lip gloss? Is it further cheating when Johanna realized that his main method of getting drinks was "act like Adonai"? Accusations that he would ever act like his horrid annoying younger sibling sent Morpheus into an absolute tantrum.

Competitiveness DID overcome sibling rivalry enough for Morpheus to go to Adonai for makeover assistance. This backfired because it made Morpheus hot to the point of intimidating, and Johanna won that night.

- After Hob starts flirting with him, Morpheus goes suspiciously into a Romantic, Pre-Raphaelite inspired art era featuring lots of noble knights with dark sunlit hair. A lot of them seem to be lured in by dark haired fae entities all La Belle Sans Merci style. It's disgustingly obvious.

-Therapy has made him juuuuust self aware enough to know that he MAYBE tends to go a bit hard and fast with romance. This makes him a little more cautious with Hob than he usually would be, and he's doing a bit of "Hob is so nice and sweet and interested but I'm gonna mess it up :(((" pining. Everyone around him is fucking sick of it. He is not self aware enough to realize he's still going super hard and fast, but this time he's doing it while sighing sadly and drawing Hob in his sketchbook all the fucking time.

[pyramid-of-starrs]

Stay with me

Pairing: Clingy Boyfriend San X Black/WOC Fem reader

Genre: Fluffy Smut (Tbh it got pretty filthy)

Warnings: Clingy behavior, whining, lowkey toxic behavior, possessiveness, oral sex (fem receiving), fingering, unprotected sex (be safe), anal play (tehe, I said it got filthy), creampie, saliva, Y/N is dick whipped real bad lol

Word Count: 3.8K

A/N: This will absolutely be getting a part two since this is not the original plot of this story lol.

Pt 2

Chapter Song Rec

You stretched out while sitting at your desk in your room, shutting your work laptop and happily jumping up from your chair. It was finally the weekend, and you were so excited, you wanted to get out the house and do something, anything! A ding was heard from your phone, and you grabbed it off of the charger on the side of your desk to see your friend group chat going off 

Erica: It's friday hoes what we doin today Katrina: idk but I'm down for whatever Erica: OMG let's go to that club down town! There was some fine ass men last time we went Meg: OOOUUU yes! The dude that just wanted to buy us drinks all night! Katrina: Now y'all know Y/N boo'd up ass ain't gone go if we lookin for dudes Meg: Is she even gone come? San be havin her locked up lmaoooo Meg: Y/N bitch wya??? Y/N:I'm here and I'm coming! Ain't nobody locked up lol Erica: I'll believe it when I see it bitch lol lets meet at my house at 10 to pregame then leave! And Y/N tell San to back the hell up off you!!!

You tossed your phone on your bed and sighed, they did have a point. Ever since you started dating San about 8 months ago your attendance for friend gatherings and outings has gotten less and less, it wasn't like you were doing it on purpose it's just that San was very adamant about spending lots of time with you. He always wanted to be with you when you two weren't working, he came over when he got off, spends the night or ask you to spend the night, takes you out all the time and even comes to pick you up just to take you back to his house that was 20 minutes away.  Though you loved your time spent together you were used to having your space, this was your first time dating a clinger and you didn't mind but maybe it was time you told him you wanted to do something else with someone else for the day.

Just as you were finishing your thought your phone rang again. You sat down on your bed and picked it up, speak of the devil.

"Hello?"

"Babyyyy"

You can already hear his whiny tone, it was cute you had to admit it, a grown man acting cutesy would usually be cringy as hell but this grown man made it work somehow?

"Yes baby? What's wrong?"

"I want to see you can I come over?"

"I'm going out tonight with my friends San."

You could hear a long groan before he continued the conversation.

"But I really miss you, I haven't seen you in forever."

"You saw me yesterday..."

"A WHOLE 24 HOURS! I'm suffocating without my baby!!"

You laughed at his dramatics.

"Fine...you can come over but you have to leave when I leave and you're not allowed to try to convince me to stay with you."

"...okay..."

"Promise me San."

He smacked his lips and groaned again; he was obviously going to try to convince you to stay with him, but he had to be good...just this once.

"I promise."

"Okay, you can come over."

You went to take a shower while San was on his way, you stepped out and put on your robe, once you walked out the bathroom your phone rang, you went to answer it already knowing who it was.

"Hey baby, let yourself in I just got out the shower."

The call ended and a few moments later you can hear the front door opening and closing while you're in your room, footsteps can be heard as San approaches.

"I'm naked still hold on."

If anything, that gave him even more reason to come in, San immediately opens the door to see you in a black pair of panties and a black crop top, his smile dropped to a face of disappointment.

"You liar you said you were naked." He said in a pouty voice.

"Sorry to disappoint, pervert." You giggled at him and sat on your bed, you picked up the lotion that you put on your bed.

"Let me do it."

"San"

"Come ooon, I already can't spend the night with you at least let me rub you down for the night."

"Fine." you flipped the lotion bottle to face him, and he came to sit next to you, he grabbed your legs and put them across his lap, your body turning to face him. He squeezed the lotion on to his hands, rubbing his hands together he started to rub it onto your thighs.

"So, what are the plans for tonight?" He asked with a smile on his face, even though San was sad that you were going out tonight he really was happiest when he was with you, even doing small task like this made his heart flutter, he really loved you.

"My friends want me to go to this club we went to a while ago, we are going to pre-game first though, they said they miss me since I don't go out much because I'm always with you."

He finished one of your thighs and moved down to your calves, he lathered you up while massaging your legs.

"Well, I could always come with." He said smiling like a cute little cat.

"No sir, no boys allowed, you would mess up the flow. Plus, all my other friends are single so it would be awkward."

He frowned at you shooting him down.

"That's not fair Y/N, it's not my fault they are all single! What if I get my friends to date them? Then we could go on group dates."

"Right, your friends that would rather play video games then see the light of day?" You said with an arched eyebrow.

He finished rubbing your legs and you walked to your drawers to look for the rest of your outfit for the night. San continued to talk about how he wished he could spend the night together and that he wasn't "technically" trying to convince you to stay with him just "Strongly suggesting" in his words. You turned on a chill RnB playlist on YouTube as you continued to get ready to drown him out. You were finishing up your make up while you were sitting at your vanity, well technically San was the one sitting on the vanities bench, he insisted that you sit on his lap while he held your waist and sadly rocked you back and forth. You finally took off your bonnet and brushed out your brown and blonde highlight wig you just installed last week; San watched you in awe.

"You're so gorgeous my love." He smiled; you could feel the love radiating off of him.

"Thank you, San." You looked in the vanity mirror slightly hunched over since San elevated you, so you were sitting a bit pass the mirrors height.

His warm and wholesome smile turned to a sneaky one as he decided to try one more thing to make you stay home. He buried his face into your neck as he sat behind you.

"You sure you don't want to stay here with me?" He said, trying to pursue you.

"Very sure." You said as you started to put away your make-up.

You could fill his plush lips start to slowly pepper kisses down your neck. At first you were just going to ignore him but then a particular linger kiss had suction to it as he started to suck your neck, you learned your head back and sighed. His hands left your waist and slid up your shirt, he started to massage your breast gently.

"Come on San I have to go, you told me you weren't going to do this tonight..."

"I'm not doing anything baby, I'm just appreciating your beautiful body and face."

You turned your face to the side that he was kissing as his lips migrated up from your neck up to your face then finally reaching your lips. The kiss was obviously not a quick appreciation kiss, so much lust as you followed his lead, his hands still on your breast as he made his way under your bra. You felt his fingers started to tweak your nipples and you moaned into the kiss, your moan was used as opportunity for San to put his tongue into your mouth, you had to stop it now or you were never going to make it out. You started to pull back from him, and he allowed you to.

"Come on pretty girl stay with me so I can give you what you really want." He said in a low raspy voice, his one soft kitten like eyes turned to lustful demon orbs, he rocked his hips forward so you could feel his semi-hard dick against your butt, your mini skirt left you bare on his laps, only your panties could protect you. You could have just said no and gotten up and left but you chose to stay silent, giving San hope that you could change your mind still. He leaned in to talk in your ear knowing that that was where you were weakest at.

"What if you stayed with me instead while I fuck your pretty pussy until you couldn't walk anymore? Or I could let you ride my face while you cum all over me."

It was like the devil himself was talking you into betraying God and eating the apple off the tree. Turning down San is the hardest thing you could do but you planned for this, you knew you were weak for him, so you texted your friend 30 minutes ago tell them to come pick you up. You were originally going to have San drop you off but the last time you did that you did make it out the apartment but 15 minutes into the drive San pulled into a Dark parking lot to fuck you in his backseat saying it was just a quickie. You ended up getting fucked so good your lace was lifted and your make up was running down your face.

"My friend is already on the way San."

Just in time your phone dinged and you picked it up thinking it was going to be your friend saving you from danger.

Meg: Hey girl, Katrina ended up needing a ride too and that's on the other side of you and she has no one else to pick her up, Imma grab her, could you ask your dude to drop you off?

You read the text in your head and so did the incubus behind you, you dropped your head in defeat as an evil grin was on his face, even had a maniacal laugh could be heard.

"Looks like she isn't, but don't worry baby I'll take you."

"Thank y-"

"But it'll cost you." San has never made you give him gas money, he thought as a man he should never have to ask you for money, plus he was paid much more then you.

"How much do you want?"

"Now, now gorgeous, you know good and well your money is no good with me, but you know what is?"

"Oh fuck."

....

You don't know how much time had passed, to be honest San was making you feel so good you didn't even know if you knew your own name or not anymore. His face was buried deep in your sopping wet pussy as his tongue explored your brown and pink folds. Your thighs sat pretty against his broad shoulders while his fingers dug you out.  Your voice was horse as he was steadily working on your third orgasm, your hands full of his black hair as you gripped it tightly, it stung but San loved it because it meant he was doing a good job. Tears started to form in your eyes as you could feel your climax approaching.

"San, I'm about to cum."

"Already? I'm not done licking up the last one, you're going to have to hold it until I'm done."

You whimpered as San continued to draw perfect 8's on your clit, His two fingers were pounding deeply inside of you as he did the "come here" motion. Your hips lifted on and off the bed, your mind was going blank.

"Please San, please let me cum"

"Almost done."

Your nails dug into his scalp, your thighs started to close around his head, his sharp eyes darted up at you, he loved watching you go crazy.

"You're so good for me, go ahead and cum my angel."

"Ooooh Fuck" was all you could say as you came undone all over his mouth and fingers. You were a sobbing mess as San slowly pulled his fingers from your leaky cunt. He sucked all your cum off of his fingers as he put your legs back on the bed and leaned back up.

"C-can we go now San, it's getting late." you said in a defeated voice as you leaned up on your elbows.

He looked at his apple watch then back at you.

"What's the rush princess? its only 9:56, you still have time, plus I already told you if you want me to take you, you have to let me make you cum 5 times, and we have 2 more times to go." He said as he got off the bed and stood at the end of it.

"San I was supposed to meet them at-" he wasn't listening anymore, he was done talking, his mind was only focused on you cumming again and again for him. San loved the way you felt around his dick, the tight wetness drove him crazy and don't get him wrong when you sucked his dick, he swore he could see the gates of heaven open, but nothing ever compared to how good he felt when he made you feel good. It was not only a sense of pride but he honestly just loved you so much that making you cum was all he needed to get off. When you first started seeing San you let him know that a man has never made you cum before and you made a bet with him that it was impossible to get you to cum. Boy did he prove you wrong, he made you squirt the first time he ever ate you out and it was history from that point onward.

He grabbed you by both your thighs and dragged you to the edge of the bed, he didn't stop there because then he flipped you onto your stomach, San was strong because he worked out a lot so any chance he got to manhandle you, he took it. He gripped the sides of your hips as he pulled your ass in the air to connect to his crotch while your face stayed down. He didn't bother taking off your mini tennis skirt when he started to eat you out earlier since it was so short. You were arched in front of him, your pussy was bare since he ripped your panties off earlier. He stepped back a bit and stood there watching it drip and clench around nothing.

"Don't just stare at it." you said as you started to get shy.

"Why not? It's so pretty all I want to do is look at it." He said while biting his bottom lip.

You wiggled your hips a bit. "San come on you know we have to go soon, you're doing this on purpose." you said in a whiny voice.

Your whine was interrupted by a moan as he slid in his two fingers abruptly.

"So what if I am, this is my pussy to do what I want to it." he started to move his fingers faster.

"I don't even like your friends a lot because they are always trying to steal you away from me, taking you to clubs so other guys get to see you and fawn over you. I'm not there so they don't know this pretty pussy belongs to me. All they see is your sexy face and body wearing your little make up and this short ass skirt."

Sans full on possessive behavior was out, Clingy and possessive could absolutely be seen as red flags to anyone else but with San, those red flags were heart shaped. You loved how much he only wanted you for himself, but damn was in inconveniencing sometimes. He thrust his fingers deep into you at a steady pace, the over stimulation was killing you.

He continued, "If a guy walks up to you tonight and ask you for your number are you going to tell him you belong to me?"

“Yes- fuck!”

“Yes what? What are you going to say baby.” He dug his digits deep into you.

“That I belong to you.”

“Who is you? That’s not my name.” he held his fingers in you waiting for your reply.

“I belong to San Ah~ and only San.”

“Good job lovely, go ahead and cum for me.”

That was exactly what you did, it was that easy for San to make you cum, just some words and gestures. San once again pulled his fingers from your abused cunt, he brought them around to your face for you to suck your cum off them. You but both the wet fingers into your mouth and sucked them clean while he pumped them in and out of your mouth.

“Are you ready for me my love?”

You nodded as he removed his fingers from your mouth.

“I want words baby.”

“Yes San, please fuck me.”

He once again flashed that devious smile before undoing his pants and pulling out his fully erect dick, he pulled you back a bit before pumping it a few times. He lined his tip up with your entrance and you immediately started to clench it, as he slowly pushed his hot length into your wet cunt, moving slowly so you could feel every single inch he was feeding you. Sans dick was just not fair, it had a good and comfortable amount of length and width, but the best part was that his dick had a perfect curve that made him reach a spot in your pussy that most couldn’t. He had a firm grasp on both your hips to make sure you couldn’t run away from him, you fidgeted and whimpered while he stretched you out. Once he finally got all of him inside of you he held it in just so he could bask in the feeling of your hot wet walls against his raw dick, he bit him lip, closed his eyes and just held his head up to the ceiling. You started to become restless, feeling him so deep inside while he wasn’t moving made you dizzy.

“Please San, please move I need more.”

San came back to earth when he hears you begging for more and locked back in.

“Yes baby what ever you want.”

He started to rock his hips into you, you folded your arms under you and put your forehead on your forearm as you let pretty moans fall from your lips. His pace gradually sped up, his hands pulling you back to make his pelvis and your ass meet.

“Are you going to stay here with me?”

“N-No!” You replied.

He rolled his eyes and started to dig deeper into you, moving his hips even faster as your moans started to get louder.

“I said are you going to stay here with me?”

“San please.” You said in a whimpering voice.

He started to slam into you, your eyes began to roll to the back of your head, you felt your orgasm approaching. Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse San placed one of his hands on top of the beginning of your ass. His thumb started to rub your asshole, it was still wet from his spit and your slick when he ate you out. The sensation of him rubbing your second hole felt amazing then he slowly slid his thumb into your tight hole, you could feel him penetrating your asshole slowly while he was still drilling his dick into your drooling cunt. This is the the kinda fucking that makes people want to kill for their partners. You moaned so loud you knew you were going to get a notice complaint, he started to move his thumb in and out your ass.

“You’re such a nasty little bitch, letting my thumb fuck your ass while your pussy takes my dick. Are you this slutty for anyone else?”

“Only you Sannie, only you!” You yelled out, unable to control the volume of your voice anymore.

“That’s right baby, you’re my little slut right?”

“Yes~ I’m your slut.” Tears started to fall from your eyes, he was fucking you dumb with both your holes being stuffed, your pussy started to rapidly clench and unclench.

“Going to cum deep in this slutty pussy and make you walk around that club leaking my cum.”

He kept pounding his hips into and the mental thread in your mind snapped as you felt his hot seed deep in your womb, you couldn’t take it anymore and came around his still leaking dick. San slowly pulled out and backed up a bit, you immediately collapsed to the side of the bed as your eyes felt heavy.

San pulled up his boxer briefs and took his pants off while he smiled at how cute you looked when your were tuckered out. You laid on the bed breathing heavily and fighting the sleep since you were determined to make it out still, he walked to the bathroom to bring back a warm towel to clean you up, he wiped you clean then went to get a different towel, this one had micellar water on it. He sat at the head of the bed and opened his arms to invite you in to be held, you gladly accepted, he held you in one arm as you closed your eyes. He carefully removed your false lashes and placed them on the night stand, the started to wipe the make up you word so hard on off, your body was to tired to even fight it anymore. Your phone rang and San grabbed it and answered it before you could.

“Hello?”

“Hello? San? Where is Y/N?”

“She’s right here.”

“Well when are you bringing her over we waiting’ on her.”

“Oh, she said she’s to tired to go, you know, work and all that.”

The line got quiet for a second before your friend spoke again.

“Boy stop holding my friend hostage.”

San laughed before he hung up. Yeah you’re never going to see your friends again.

taglist:

@mingyuwus@sillyhappygirl@atiny-dime-p1ece@bloody-wine@angelsaway

[tomhardyspinkyfinger]

Work Place Romance

Summary: Y/N is Alfie Solomons secretary, she knows his entire schedule and everything about him. How is she not supposed to fall in love?

Warnings: Language, minor sexual themes

Request: an alfie solomons and reader where shes his secretary or sumn and she brings him food everyday(bcs hes always so busy to eat) and everyone asks her wgy she does it and goes through extra work and she says its bcs she likes him? and he overhears it?

A/N: hey y'all! Sorry I'm still updating so slow. I think for a while I'm going to attempt drabbles and shorts so I can still write for you guys but just not very long. I hope you enjoy this @acupnoodle !

Masterlist

The bakery was bustling with life all day today. The men knew an impending snow storm was inbound, and they were in a rush to finish early and get home to their families. It had been snowing since early morning, and was set to get much worse.

Y/N on the other hand was in no rush, she usually locked up after Alfie retired for the night. He continued to insist she leave when he does, but she always maintained that she had work to finish.

Which was always true.

Y/N knew Alfie's entire life and was responsible for organizing every single event and meeting he was required to attend. Y/N's involvement in his life has left her with unstoppable admiration for Alfred Solomons. It wasn't like she could quit or take a vacation to get over these feelings, Alfie paid way too well and was the best boss she was going to find in Camden town. (Plus the bakery would fall apart without her). She considered going out on the weekends and meeting a fine gentleman, but the weekend was when Y/N picked up Alfie's dry cleaning, took Cyril to the groomers, prepped Alfie's dinners for the week, and tidied up the bakery.

"He will see you in his office next Wednesday at 3pm sharp. Thank you for calling Mr. Lewis!" Y/N spoke, ending her call and putting the phone on the line, scribbling in Alfie's jam packed ledger.

"Who' was that?" Alfie's deep accent sounded from behind her. Y/N jumped and turned, seeing her boss standing looking over her shoulder with a curious look. Y/N placed her pen back in its holder and straightened out her papers.

"Mr. Lewis, he was scheduling a meeting to talk about investments down in Bristol. You're meeting with him Wednesday afternoon after your lunch with Mr. Shelby." Y/N explained. Alfie huffed.

"Bristol? Fuckin' posh city 'at is, what's in it for him?" Alfie grunted, walking to his desk while removing his coat and hat, shaking the snow flakes off.

"Not sure, I think his import business is struggling, bread would be sure to bring in customers." Y/N shrugged. She looked at her wrist watch and then back to the man sitting at his desk reading papers with his glasses resting upon his nose.

"Why are you back so early? Your visit with the distributors wasn't set to be done for another hour." Y/N flipped through her ledger with a puzzled face. Alfie grunted.

"Storm's movin faster than we thought, left early to get back 'ere" He explained without removing his eyes from his paper.

"Well I wish you would have phoned ahead to tell me, I could push your appointments for the rest of the day up." Y/N huffed, frustrated that her meticulous planning could have been adjusted to save them both time.

"I don't 'ave anymore meetin's today." Alfie stated plainly. Y/N furrowed her brows even more and flipped back through the ledger.

"You have five more meetings before close Alfie, Jim is coming in on your lunch break in an hour an-" Alfie cut her off.

"Ah yes lunch, where is it? I'm starved." Alfie said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his stomach, looking like a grizzly bear as he did so. Y/N resisted the urge to smile at his cute act.

"Alfie. What do you mean you don't have any more meetings?" Y/N pressed again.

"Christ love, you're going to give yourself an ulcer. Like I said the storm is comin' in quicker 'an we thought. I gave the men the rest of the day off and canceled my meetings." Alfie explained. Y/N just about had a heart attack. She stood from her desk across from Alfie's and began pacing the room.

"Alfred Solomons! This throws my entire ledger off! How am I supposed to reschedule that many meetings? You're completely booked for the next six weeks! This is terrible for business, maybe if I call them-" Before Y/N could finish, Alfie was standing in front of her, his hands on her waist to stop her pacing. She could feel the indentation of his rings through her dress and she shivered lightly. She looked into his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"You're about to pace an 'ole through the floor, sit down and take a breath yeah? Those meetin's weren't important. The bakery is just fine." Alfie spoke, rubbing his thumbs up and down her waist gently. Her anger towards his carelessness was gone immediately, he had a way of doing that. She huffed and let him guide her to his chair where she sat. After sitting in his chair she went into his desk drawer and placed his freshly made sandwich wrapped in parchment on his desk.

“Roast chicken sandwich I made from my leftovers last night.” Y/N explained, rubbing her forehead. Alfie unwrapped the sandwich and took a gluttonous bite, smacking as he chewed the food. He sat himself at the edge of his desk, something Y/N knew would bother his joints.

“Fuckin’ delicous ‘at is.” He mumbled with his mouth full. Y/N let out a sigh and reached up, gently pushing his chin so his mouth would close, swiping crumbs from his beard as she removed her hand. It was then that Y/N realized how quiet the bakery truly was. No chatter from the men, no heavy machinery, even the streets outside were devoid of all sound. Y/N felt tempted to lean in after she removed her hand from Alfie’s face but resisted. He stared into her eyes with that look only he could give, the one that made her scared, weak, and in love all at once.

“What would I do without you?” He asked, quieter than his normal speaking volume.

“Probably combust into flames.” She shrugged. He let out a scoff laugh and Y/N chuckled. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes longer while Alfie ate and Y/N organized his space.

A few hours later Y/N and Alfie were doing what they usually did during a normal day at the bakery. Y/N’s workload was a bit different and more stress inducing, she had to call and reschedule all of Alfie’s canceled meetings and adjust inventory and compensation for all the workers Alfie let off early. Y/N knew these extra tasks on top of her usual work load would have her in the office later than usual. Alfie worked on his own paperwork, sorting contracts and things alike. They worked in silence how they usually do, but today was different. The silence surrounding the bakery was deafening, and the tension was palpable.

Y/N sighed and looked out the window, the snow falling quicker than it was earlier. Her walk home was going to be miserable. She knew Alfie had men following her to ensure her safe return, but she always insisted she walk to and from work to maintain her independence. Alfie decided to have men follow her without her knowledge, but Y/N was Alfie’s secretary, she signed off on the raise for that task.

“Alright, treacle, I’m takin’ the car home, the roads should be clear for a while longer from what I ‘eard.” Alfie spoke, breaking the silence. He stood and put his hat and coat on, walking to the door as his cane quietly clanked on the wooden floorboards. He stopped at my desk and opened his hand out to me.

“C’mon now, love, day’s over.” Alfie spoke. Y/N shook her head and looked back at her ledger.

“You go on home Alfie, I still have meetings to rearrange and set up on top of going through today’s accounts and a few other tasks. I’ll see you in the morning if the roads are cleared up.” Y/N dismissed Alfie, continuing to write.

“M’not leavin’ ya’ here to freeze, treacle. Stop bein’ stubborn and let me take you home.” Alfie grunted, getting frustrated with the determined woman who sat in front of him.

“You and I both know I won’t be leaving this office any time soon, and I won’t let you wait for me. I’ll see you tomorrow, Alfred.” Y/N spoke, a bit of irritation in her tone. Alfie sighed, when she called him Alfred whatever she was saying was final, no if’s, and’s, or what's about it. He nodded to her and left his office, deciding to wait outside of the bakery in the snow for her to finish up. He would show her she wasn’t the only hard headed worker in the bakery.

Y/N continued on working like normal, telling herself she was most likely going to crash on the couch in the office to avoid the storm. It had been about an hour later when she decided to take a break and call up her friend Myrtle, Ollie’s wife.

Alfie on the other hand, cursed himself and Y/N for being so stubborn as his joints ached in the cold winter air. Alfie used his key to reenter the bakery, rubbing his hands together and deciding to go and get Y/N, whether she came willingly or not.

Y/N walked about the office while chatting with Myrtle.

“What in gods name are you still doing down at the bakery at this hour? Didn’t that Solomons let everyone go home early?” Myrtle questioned on the other line. Y/N huffed.

“Yeah I would’ve been home early today if that damned man didn’t cancel all his meetings. I was left behind to clean up the mess.” Y/N complained. Alfie stood outside of the open office door and held himself back for yelling at her for that rubbish she was spreading.

“Oh please Y/N, we both know you could’ve done that work tomorrow and the bakery would still remain unchanged. You just want to please that boss of yours.” Myrtle scoffed. Y/N huffed and played with the cord of the phone.

“I do not want to please him! I just prefer to be organized! Can you blame me for being good at my job?” Y/N ranted. Alfie felt a bit bad for listening in, but then again he’s probably done worse than light eavesdropping.

“Sweetheart, you only need to be good at your job during working hours. Cooking his meals and walking his dog is hardly under the job description of a secretary. That’s the job of a wife.”

“Well, he isn’t married! He only has one maid and she’s not getting any younger, you saw Edith at the market last week, she looked weak. I’m just giving a bit of extra help to his household.” Y/N continued to defend herself.

“Why can’t you admit you are in love with him darling? After I told Ollie I loved ‘em he basically pushed me into the synagogue and had us married.” Myrtle urged. Y/N sighed but smiled nonetheless at the love those two shared.

“I can’t ever be in love with my boss, Myrtle. It’s incredibly inappropriate, he would never love me back, and I care about him too much to toss what we already have in the trash.” Y/N spoke, pushing tears back.

“You’ll never know until you just tell him! Things don’t have to be different Y/N, he might love you too! And with the way you care for him? You’re practically betrothed without all the fuckin!” Myrtle exclaimed. Y/N laughed.

“Yeah well, the only man I would consider fucking is a man who will never love me the way I love him. Alfred Solomons has made it very clear I am not a woman he would ever desire.” Y/N spoke, trying to stop her throat from closing up. She came to that conclusion after overhearing Alfie saying he would never date or marry, especially a hard headed woman, he said he wouldn’t have the time or energy for a woman of that caliber. So, Y/N knew he didn’t want her.

“An’ who the fuck told you that?” Alfie spoke from the doorway. Y/N jumped and turned to see Alfie there with his hat and coat in hand, placing his cane against the wall.

“Did he just hear everything you-”

“I will call you later Myrtle.” Y/N spoke, her eyes still wide and her heart now beating rapidly. She ended the call and avoided Alfie’s eyes.

“I-I’m sorry Mr. Solomons. Please can we just forget everything? I don’t want to ruin anything and I need this job! I am so embarrassed I can’t believe I-”

“Christ woman, would you shut up?” Alfie called out, rubbing his beard. Y/N’s mouth snapped shut and she grew even more nervous.

“I never would’ve thought you’d go for a bloke like me. I’m fuckin’ criminal, dove. I steal, I kill, I lie, and I’m a selfish bastard. I know I’m no good for ya, but because I am such a selfish bastard, I plan on keeping you all to myself if you’ll allow it. Judgin’ by you wantin’ to fuck me an’ all, I think we’re in agreement, yeah?” Alfie spoke, placing his hat and coat on Y/N’s desk before approaching where she stood in the middle of the office. Y/N’s cheeks flushed.

“So, you… want to be with me?” Y/N questioned, looking up into Alfie’s eyes. Alfie scoffed.

“If I knew you were this daft, I wouldn’tve hired ya.” Alfie joked. Y/N laughed and gently smacked his arm.

“You couldn’t tell your head from your ass wihtout me, Solomons.” Y/N replied. Alfie’s face spread out in his beautiful grin he rarely showed off.

“An’ that’s why I fuckin’ need you more than air, dove.” Alfie muttered, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. Y/N moaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his thick hair. He responded by placing one large hand across her back, pulling her flush to him, while the other hand gripped her waist. Alfie’s beard scratched Y/N’s face in the best way, and the feeling of his coarse beard hair coupled with his plump lips against his had her melting in his hands.

The sound of a loud bang pulled the couple away from each other. The bakery had gone pitch black, the snow storm knocking the power out. They both took deep breaths and looked around in the darkness until the pair managed to light enough candles to light up the small room.

The warmth of the candlelight surrounded them both as Alfie picked Y/N up, laying her down gently on the couch.

“How about I show you just how bad I want to fuck you, yeah?”

[alyswritings]

Fights and Thunderstorms

Request: can you do one where Yn holland ends up having a big fight with one of the brothers and ends up with them crying. So the others decide to come up with a plan for them to settle down?

Holland Brothers x sister!reader

Summary: Tom and Y/N get into a big fight.

Warnings: fighting, hurtful words are said, swear words,

a/n: thank you for the request! sorry it took a bit to get out! i'm not really sure how much i like this one but here y'all go 😅 hope you enjoy!

(gif not mine)

Neither Tom nor Y/N even remember exactly when the fight started. One minute they were fine and the next they were at each other's throats.

"God, you are so insufferable!" Y/N screams.

"I'm insufferable?! No. No! You're insufferable! You're the one being all hormonal and shit!" Tom shouts.

"You're blaming this on my hormones?!" Y/N asks.

"Yes!"

The two continue to scream at each other, Sam soon storming in from the kitchen, Harry and Paddy also running in.

"All right, enough!" Sam hollers, shutting the oldest and second youngest Hollands up. "God, you've been fighting for, like, an hour. Get over it."

"I'll get over it when she gets over it." Tom says.

"Mature." Y/N rolls her eyes.

Tom starts yelling, Y/N quickly matching the volume, the fight breaking back out. The three other siblings sigh, sharing clueless looks as what to do.

"God, you are just so fucking annoying!" Y/N screams.

"At least I'm not getting pouty because I got told no!" Tom retorts.

"I did not get pouty!" Y/N protests, earning an eye roll from the eldest.

"You are such a bitch. You know, you are so spoiled and lazy! You just expect everybody to do everything for you! And you need to get told yes all the bloody time! It's so annoying! You never do anything helpful!"

Tom is now in her face, slightly towering over her due to her shorter height.

"How would you know? You're never fucking home! You're always off playing movie star and getting everything you want without even having to ask! Even when you are home, you barely spend any time with me! You go out with the twins an-and Paddy and mum and dad, your stupid friends! You barely get five minutes with me!"

"God, that is such bullshit!"

"Yeah, well, you're a shit brother!"

"Guys--" Harry tries to interject.

"Well, I never wanted a sister anyway! You're just a waste of space!" Tom bellows.

"Tom!" Sam yells, glaring at his brother. Both Tom and Y/N have tears in their eyes at this point, glaring at each other. Y/N's not sure if the tears are from hurt or from anger. In her case, she's pretty sure it's both.

Y/N harshly slaps him across the face. Tom glares at her and goes to charge at her, but Harry and Paddy manage to hold him back. Y/N storms in his direction, but Sam holds her back, his arm wrapping around her waist.

"Hey, hey." Sam starts dragging Y/N off. "We're gonna go upstairs, yeah?"

"No! I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Y/N screams.

"No, you're not. Go." Sam says, dragging his sister up the stairs.

Tom starts fighting against his brothers' hold, shoving them away.

"Fuck off." He tells them, storming outside, slamming the door behind him.

"Well, that was eventful." Paddy pants.

"Shut up, Pads." Harry sighs.

- - -

The twins and Paddy are in the kitchen. Tom is still in the backyard and Y/N is in her room.

"We have to get them to make up somehow." Paddy says.

"How?" Harry asks.

"We could, uh... we could just wait for mum and dad to get home?" Sam suggests.

"They're out of town all weekend. You wanna deal with 'em that long?" Harry asks.

"I got an idea!" Paddy grins.

- - -

Y/N is sitting in bed, scrolling on her phones, her eyes now dry of tears, dried tear stains on her cheeks. Her door opens and she turns to see Sam walk in.

"What?" Y/N grumbles.

"You and Tom need to make up eventually." Sam says.

"Yeah... eventually." Y/N says.

"Don't hate us too much." Sam says.

"What?" She asks, confused. "What do you--" She watches Tom get shoved in by the twins. Paddy quickly shuts the door and locks it.

"Let me out!" Tom slams his palm against the door.

"Guys?" Y/N calls, getting up and going to the door. She tries to open it, but the knob refuses to move. "Let us out!"

"not until you make up!" Sam yells through the door.

"Samuel, I swear to God!" Y/N practically growls.

"I'm gonna kill all three of you!" Tom shouts.

"Paddy's the mastermind!" Harry informs.

"What the fuck, Harry?!" Paddy exclaims.

"Patrick!" Tom and Y/N scream in unison.

"It's for the best! Don't kill each other!" Paddy shouts.

The two hear retreating footsteps and listen to them disappear down the stairs. Y/N and Tom turn to each other with glares. Y/N rolls her eyes, going back to her bed and getting under the covers. She cuddles under her blanket, getting back on her phone, and ignoring Tom's existence.

Tom rolls his eyes and sits at her desk, getting on his own phone.

- - -

A few hours later, the two siblings are still scrolling through their phones, pretending the other isn't there. The door opens, Sam walking in with two plates of food and Harry stands in the doorway.

"You know, you two have to make up eventually." Sam says, putting one plate on the desk and the other on the bed.

"You know, you're not prison guards." Y/N retorts.

"We're not letting you guys leave until you make up." Harry says.

"What if we have to go to the bathroom?" Y/N asks.

"Okay, well, then we'll walk you to the bathroom." Harry says.

"Oh, my God." Tom groans.

"What if we don't make up before mum and dad get home?" Y/N asks.

"Then we'll just... throw Paddy under the bus and they'll make you guys apologize... and we'll leave with two petty siblings, I guess. So get to the guilt part of your arguments, please." Harry says, him and Sam leaving, the door locking behind them.

- - -

"Okay, can we just apologize and get this over with?" Tom asks. It's the middle of the night and both of them are still awake. Y/N has New Girl on.

"You can start." Y/N says.

"Why do I have to start?" Tom complains.

"Your insult was bigger." Y/N says.

"What?" Tom asks.

"I just went after your brother status. You're the one who targeted my whole existence. And you deserved that slap." Y/N bites.

"Y/N, I..." Tom starts.

"Don't apologize until you mean it." Y/N tells him.

- - -

Y/N is asleep, nestled comfortably under her covers. Tom is asleep on the floor with a spare pillow that he stole after Y/N fell asleep and a blanket he found in her closet.

Y/N is startled awake by a loud crack of thunder. She shoots up, looking around, watching lightning flash outside the window. Y/N lets a quiet whine out, burying herself beneath her covers. Ever since she was a baby, she's hated storms. She'd always go to one of her older brothers or parents when they occurred.

But now, she only has access to one brother. And it's the one she doesn't want and she's sure he doesn't want her. Y/N sighs, tightly holding onto the blanket, flinching with each boom of thunder.

Tom stirs, moving around to get in a more comfortable position. Well, as comfortable as the floor can get. Before he can drift back off to sleep, he hears thunder and listens to the rain. He doesn't care at first, but after a few moments, he remembers Y/N's fear.

Tom sits up, looking over to the bed and is just barely able to make out Y/N's form curled up in a ball. Tom quietly gets up, being careful in case she's still asleep and hasn't been woken up from the storm.

Tom peers over her shoulder, seeing her eyes squeezed shut and he hears her sniffle.

"Hey." Tom whispers, putting his hand on her shoulder. Y/N opens her eyes, turning to look at him and he notices the tears in her eyes. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe." He whispers reassuringly while running his hand through her hair.

"You want me to sleep in your bed?" Tom offers. Y/N thinks about it before nodding. "Okay." Tom grabs the pillow he was using before going to the other side of Y/N's bed and setting it down. He gets under the covers, pulling them up to his chin.

"Oh, it's so much warmer under here than on the floor." Tom mumbles gaining an amused smile from Y/N. "Seriously, it's cold down there."

"Good." Y/N teases.

Tom holds his hand out and she holds it, him giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"You know, you're really sweet for a waste of space little sister you never wanted." Y/N says.

"Y/N/N, I... I'm really, really, really sorry. About that and-- and our fight and everything that I said. I didn't... I didn't mean anything. It was heat of the moment and I know that doesn't make anything better, but I'm super super sorry. I love having you as a little sister, you're my favorite little sister. Honestly, a lot of times you're probably my favorite sibling."

"You aren't a waste of space. You are a beautiful, kind, amazing person and you deserve all sorts of happiness in your life. And I do not deserve your forgiveness and I probably deserve a few more slaps." Tom says making Y/N giggle.

"I'm really sorry, too. I shouldn't... I don't know what made the fight turn into that and... and I shouldn't have said anything either. You're not a shit brother. You're usually my favorite brother, actually. And I know what I said was heat of the moment too and that doesn't make anything better. But I'm also sorry. And with the slap--"

"No. No. Do not apologize for that. I deserved it." Tom says.

"Well, I'm sorry for leaving a bruise." Y/N says.

"Least we know you can pack a punch." Tom smirks in amusement, Y/N lightly rolling her eyes.

"You deserve all sorts of happiness too." Y/N tells him. "Just an FYI."

"Thanks." Tom gently smiles. "Well, I accept your apology."

"I forgive you, too." Y/N says.

Another boom of thunder is heard, Y/N lightly flinching.

"Come here." Tom whispers. She scoots closer to him and cuddles into his chest, his arms wrapping around her. Tom messes with the ends of her hair, Y/N burying her face in his hoodie to block out the lightning.

"I love you... a lot. Like a very great amount." Tom says.

"I love you, too." Y/N mumbles, already falling back asleep.

- - -

Sam quietly opens the door to Y/N's room, him and the other two finding Tom and Y/N asleep on the bed.

"Oh, they definitely made up. If she was still mad, his ass would be on the floor." Harry states.

"Thank God." Sam sighs in relief.

"We should probably, like... you know, hide or something, right? Once they wake up, they're gonna kill us." Paddy says.

"We could just keep 'em locked in." Harry suggests.

"Yeah. You know, delay our deaths. Until mum and dad get home at least." Sam says.

"Or until one of them breaks the door down." Paddy adds.

"Why don't the three of us just go stay at friends'? Or get a hotel?" Sam asks.

"I like that. That's good." Paddy nods.

"Yeah, we're outta here." Harry agrees.

Taglist: @glxwingrxse @peyton-14

[fuckin-sick-bih]

Tattoos and Tissues pt 2!

Fandom: Stranger Things Summary: No Upside Down. Tattoo Artist and Florist AU. Hellfire meets at the library, numbers are exchanged, secrets revealed, and love is starting to bloom... CW: Slight mention of runny nose, arousal, and kink talk in this chapter. (also let me know if I ever miss stuff to tag here!) Word Count: 2.4k Author Note: So this is shorter than I would have liked and a bit more text-y? But it's a bit of a bridge chapter to get things to pt 3 which I'm sure is where everybody wants to be and I'm sure y'all can guess where we're going after reading this part. Bridge chapters are hard, man. Hopefully, there are enough comedic lines and sneezes to hold y'all over til part 3! Enjoy! Eddie is the bold and Steve is the Italics. MINORS DNI

Once Steve the hot pollen magnet was out of his shop, Eddie got better during the day. His appointments went off without a hitch and Eddie left early to shower, have a nap, and head to the library to set up for Hellfire that evening. It didn’t take long for his players to start arriving.

No sign of Steve though.

The session began and Eddie was animated as ever, especially after his nap. Near the end, when Eddie was slumped more on his throne leaning against one arm with his leg haphazardly thrown across the other arm. He was smiling to himself as the brats argued amongst themselves on what to do about the Demogorgon in their path, picking a little at the black nail polish that was starting to chip.

The library had the perfect setup for Hellfire. Their Storytime area was conveniently castle themed complete with a throne for the storyteller to sit in which was where Eddie sat now. And also… sometimes on the weekends to read to kids.

What? He was good at doing the voices!

“Children,” Eddie drawled out, pretending to sound annoyed. “I need an answer if you please. Today preferably.”

There was the sound of a door opening and closing somewhere in the distance and Eddie didn’t pay much attention to it as Lucas piped up to ask him something about what damage resistances the Demogorgon had again.

With a small roll of his eyes, Eddie didn’t even have to check his notes to know he was right, so he rattled it off without looking. “Cold, fire, and lightning, Sinclair… C’mon, man. This is why I tell you guys to take notes during sessions.” He insisted, blowing a lock of stray curls out of his face that had fallen down to block his left eye.

When he looked up, there in the distance stood Steve Harrington looking shocked to see him lounging in the chair amongst his party of children. “Well, I think your mom is here to pick you guys up so how about we call it here and you guys can take the week to plan? Deal? I’ll be nice like that.” He smirks at the group of teens and nods over at Steve, a few looking shocked to see him come inside.

Others were just shocked that Eddie knew Steve. Assuming Steve wanted to keep the tattoo a secret, Eddie simply rattled off that they knew each other in high school which wasn’t an outright lie. He knew of Steve. Who didn’t know of Steve The Hair Harrington? Or King Steve?

Steve made his way over and gave Eddie a sheepish wave. “So, is this why you said I should come to sit in on a session?” He joked, hands in his pockets as he waited for the kids to pack up.

Meanwhile, Eddie had started to pack up too. Albeit, slower than the kids to maybe get some more chatting time with Steve. Even if it already felt like his nose was starting to prickle and burn slightly from Steve’s close proximity. Still, a chuckle escaped him when Steve called him out on his reasoning for wanting Steve to come to sit in. “Yeah, kinda. Just thought it would be funny to see if you actually did what I suggested and I gotta say… I’m surprised you did.” He admits to the other, sliding his dice into their little baggie which he cinches closed to drop into his larger bag.

“Surprised?” Steve asked in amusement and raised a brow at him. “Did you think I’d just… intentionally do the opposite of whatever you were telling me to do?”

Eddie gives a small shake of his head, “No, I just thought you might be too cool for D&D is a-all.” His breath nearly hitched as the itch continued to grow the longer he was near Steve and Eddie brought a hand up to rub at his nostrils. After the information Chrissy had given him, it was like he could feel Steve’s eyes on him. Watching him. Zeroing in on him. It almost made the burning tickle feel worse.

Though his statement seems to spark a laugh from Steve which makes Eddie smile. God, that laugh is like music to his ears, and he suddenly knows he wants to hear it just as much, if not more, than his entire metal playlist. “Dude, I hang out and babysit a bunch of kids still in high school. I haven’t been cool since like… sophomore year when Billy Hargrove beat the shit out of me.”

That made Eddie wince and he was just about to reply when he suddenly sucked in a sharp gasp as the tickle peaked, a hand shooting up to pinch his nose shut. “Hiih-! NXG’TSh! Huh… sorry.” He rubbed at his nose a little to try and work away the ticklish feeling to no such luck. “Yeah, shit, I remember when you came in with your face all…” He made a vague gesture to indicate Steve’s face being swollen and bruised, his brown eyes watching the other man carefully.

Steve’s mouth was ever so slightly open, and he was staring at Eddie. He seemed to realize it after a few moments, his jaw snapping shut and his smile reappearing as he refocused. “Um yeah- yeah that sucked. My face and… jeez, everything hurt for days.” He admits, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck.

There was a brief pause as Eddie shoved the last of his D&D supplies into his bag as the kids chatted amongst themselves. Eddie pressed his wrist to his nose, sniffling and feeling that tickle growing again.

“Were you okay once I left the shop?” Steve asked suddenly, making Eddie look up to find the other’s hazel eyes on him once more.

A chuckle left Eddie and he nods, “Yeah, yeah. Once you were gone I was fiiihh… iihhSHHew! HiiHESSHew! “ He held his long sleeve-covered wrist to his nose which was starting to run similar to his itchy eyes that were streaming a little.

From across the room, the kids had all turned to look at Eddie now with concern and confusion, but it was Max who piped up. “What’s wrong with you? You better not be getting sick because if you get me sick I swear, Eddie…”

“Relax, will you, Mayfield?” Eddie said with a sniffle and went rummaging in his bag for a tissue, surprised when he did find one. “I’m just allergic to your babysitter.” He joked while swiping at his nose.

The reaction from Steve was almost unnoticeable if he hadn’t been looking for it but the moment he said he was allergic to the other man he’d stiffened up. Almost like the first time someone had spanked Eddie. Then he pretty obviously shifted his weight, adjusting his jeans, and Eddie smirked to himself behind the tissue.

The rest of the party was back to conversing with themselves, so Eddie pulled a scrap of paper from his notebook to scribble out his cell number on it which he held out to Steve. “Realized I had your number fr-hih-! from the shop, but you didn’t have mine.”

“Oh.” Steve accepted the piece of paper, smiling a little at the devil horns Eddie had drawn over the ‘E’ in his name. “Thanks, Eddie. I’ll text you tonight after I get these gremlins home.” He jokes and gestured back at the group of teenagers behind him.

A sudden call for Steve from Will had the other looking back at said teenagers, “Steve! My mom is asking for an ETA.”

“Shit, alright, Will. Tell her ten minutes, and I’ll drop you off first. No, Dustin! No complaining.” Steve said sternly, already pointing a finger at the curly-haired teen who had just been about to protest since it meant he got dropped off sooner. “Sorry, Eddie, I gotta go, but I’ll text you!”

“IiiSHhuh! Ugh-” Eddie pawed at his nose with his knuckles again, wincing as his rings caught a little painfully at his pink and sensitive nostril. “Yep! Text me whenever, Harrington. I’ll be awake a while yet.”

Without much ceremony, Steve herded his flock of seniors into his car to begin dropping them off for the night. How they all fit, Eddie would never know.

. . .

It was just past ten thirty when Eddie’s phone vibrated against the couch cushions and the curly-haired man practically dove for it. A few missed tiktoks Gareth had sent him and then an unknown number with a text that read:

Hey! This is Steve from earlier at the shop and the library? Hope you’re feeling okay after everything today.

Eddie could have screamed outright in joy if his neighbors didn’t already hate him for playing guitar at all ungodly hours of the night. As it was he buried his face in the pillows of his couch, kicked his feet, and squealed. Once he had that out of his system, he sat back up and replied with:

steve! aw arent u sweet <3 im fine, big boy. once you and all your plant sperm is gone i stop sneezing eventually.

With the suspected knowledge Eddie had, true or not, it made the text he’d just sent feel almost like a flirt and he kind of loved it. Messing with Steve was kind of fun even if the other wasn’t into guys, but… well he had taken his number, hadn’t he? Or was he just being polite? Oh, shit. Eddie really hadn’t thought any of this through. Oh fuck.

Hardy har. But I am glad you’re okay. I was seriously worried about you for the rest of the day. And I hope seeing me at the library didn’t make it worse again.

That felt… sweet. And hadn’t Steve been sweet back at the tattoo parlor too? Especially about his sneezing, but well that was obvious as to why now. Somehow this felt like concern over Eddie beyond just whatever Steve happened to be into and some cold and blackened part of the tattooist warmed a little.

not too bad, some extra sneezes on my way home wont kill me. im waaay used to it. was totally fine by the time i got home.

Again, somehow it felt like throwing Steve a bone and seeing if he’d bring it back to trust him for more.

I’m glad you’re alright now. You know if you ever need anything, I’m happy to help out?

Eddie wasn’t sure what possessed him. Maybe the devil. Maybe fate. Maybe he was just too damn impulsive for his own fucking good and he was about to ruin a very good thing.

you sure youre not just asking so you can see me sneeze again? >:)

For a solid ten minutes, Eddie’s heart hammered in his chest, and he practically gnawed the corner off his pillow wondering if he’d done or said the right thing. He stared at his phone with growing dread. The waiting was killing him. What was Steve doing? Okay yeah sure Eddie had kind of maybe just dropped some weird fucking bombshell, but-!

The screen lit up and the plastic device vibrated almost angrily at him. This time, Eddie hesitated to grab his phone. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see Steve’s answer now that he thought about it…

Fuck. What gave me away?

Relief. Sweet fucking relief. Steve was receptive and Chrissy was right holy shit! Eddie stared at the reply from Steve debating what to say for so long that another came in.

I’m sorry. This is really weird. I hope I didn’t freak you out or anything like that.

That startled a laugh from Eddie and he immediately replied.

i was king of the freaks, steve. you cant freak me out. i think its pretty cute.

Cute? That’s new.

no one ever called you cute before?

No one has ever called me thinking sneezing is attractive cute before.

well theres a first time for everything, right? besides i like indulging in peoples kinks. its fun.

You’re a strange… strange man, Eddie Munson.

. . .

They texted on and off until Tuesday, the banter between the two becoming much more relaxed as time went on. Then early on a Tuesday morning, too fucking early if you asked Eddie, his phone went off. He groaned while trying to shuffle the blankets off over his head to find his phone buried somewhere in the sheets. Finally, his fingers knock into something hard and plastic and there’s a clatter as it goes skittering to the floor which makes Eddie groan.

He goes sliding half out of bed, tattooed skin becoming exposed to the chilly air as he pulls free from the heavy blankets he usually hides under. The chill of the morning air makes his skin pull tight and goosebumps appear across his flesh while he fumbles aimlessly under the bed for his phone.

The sudden shift from warm air trapped underneath his bed sheets to cold air outside of them makes his sinuses prickle like usual and Eddie’s no stranger to his usual bout of morning sneezes. Before even trying to read the texts, he waits. Lying there covered by just his bedsheets as the tickle grows until finally he sneezes uncovered into the air in front of him, “HiihEXTSHew! Hipt’shew! Et’shhhuh! Ngh…” He rubs a hand over his face while sniffling softly then checks his phone.

Hey, Eddie, I am SO sorry, but I think we have to reschedule the tattoo appointment. I was feeling a little iffy yesterday, but now I’m definitely not making it. I was really looking forward to it. Let me know what days are free and I’ll happily reschedule!

All at once his heart sank.

He rubbed at his eyes a little more, scrubbing the sleep from them. After a moment, Eddie pulls up the schedule on his phone to see what all he’s got going on today. Just… Steve and open for walk in’s which… Something between a whine and a groan escapes Eddie as he makes a decision before texting Chrissy and Gareth he won’t be in today since his appointment is rescheduling.

If Steve was going to go waking him up before his alarm did then he was going to suffer the consequences. And well… Eddie had a crush and a soft spot for the guy. Without further ado, Eddie rolled himself out of bed with a shiver to start getting dressed so he could make a run to the store for some supplies before gracing The Ailing King with his presence.

Link to Part 3

[raccoon-eyed-rebel]

A Hard Day's Night - Part Two

Summary: Your weekend plans with August threaten to fall apart when it turns out he's been under quite a lot of stress...

Series warnings: SMUT - NSFW, 18+ - Minors DNI! , througout - D/s, Male!Dom, Fem!sub, praise kink, use of pet names part specific - Masturbation (f), fingering, oral (m+f receiving), deepthroating, p in v sex, unprotected sex (be smarter, y'all), slight voyeurism, size kink? if you squint when the planets are aligned..., some angst, use of safeword (Part 4: see A/N for info)

Pairing: August Walker x Fem!Reader (no y/n)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

Word count: 1.2k

Part Two warnings: smut, masturbation (f), fingering, voyeurism, orgasm denial,

A/N: Ait here we go; smut under the cut! (@keanureevesisbae ready?)

“Get up.” Though the sound of his voice was still unusual, the familiar way in which he spoke the words almost made you jump up from the couch to obey him. You stood in front of him, goosebumps all over you, though the room wasn’t particularly cold, and butterflies in your stomach.

“Strip,” he whispered so softly that you were hardly sure that you had understood him correctly, but the impatient look in his eyes told you that you did, and you knew far better than to make him ask again. He followed your every move with his eyes as you unbuttoned the top of your pajamas and let it slip off your shoulders and drop to the floor. Your shorts followed shortly, and you reached behind your back to undo the clasps of your bra, but August signaled you to wait. 

“Come here.” Without hesitation, you responded by stepping forward, as he moved his legs so you could stand between them. After placing his drink on the small table next to the couch, he leaned forward, resting his forehead on your stomach. His hands made their way to your hips and squeezed, gently but urgently, fingers digging into your skin ever so softly. The tenderness of his touch and the heat of his skin sent shivers down your spine. 

“I like you in red,” he said as one hand reached up to your back. He pressed his lips to your stomach while his fingers traced your spine down to your ass, which he grabbed with a much firmer grip than that of the hand that still held your hip. A whimper escaped you, and you felt his lips widen into a grin, though you could not see them. He slapped your ass lightly, with much less force than usual, yet it was enough to make you clench your thighs, which did not go unnoticed. His fingers hooked around your panties, and he pulled them down in one swift move before leaning back into his seat and pointing to the armchair opposite him. 

“Sit.” Once again, you immediately did as you were told. The leather felt cool against your bare skin, and for the first time you became aware of the aching heat between your legs. You looked at August while he placed his ankle nonchalantly on his knee and picked up his drink. His eyes locked onto yours and a fiendish smile played around his mouth. Despite his worn appearance, he resembled once again the man you loved, the man who could make you do anything to please him. 

“Spread your legs for me, princess.” You did as he asked and put your legs over the arm rests of the chair, your mind running wild at the thought of all the things he might do to you. Quivering with anticipation, you waited for him to move, to make his way over to you or even say something, but he just smiled at you affectionately before taking another sip of his drink. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. “Touch yourself. I want to watch.”

Your eyes widened at the request. As was so often the case when it came to sex with August, this was not something you had done before – or even considered. He could sense your hesitation and nodded encouragingly. It was a simple gesture, yet it was filled with the promise that your efforts would be greatly appreciated – and that meant they would be rewarded, too. At the same time, the look in his eyes was stern enough for you to recognize that refusing him would have its usual consequences – and then some. Shy as you were, you looked away as you slowly brought your hand between your legs. As your fingers dipped slightly between your swollen lips, blood rushed to your cheeks - a testament to your embarrassment at the slick mess you found there. Two of your fingers traveled up towards your clit. On a whim, you parted them, opening yourself to give your spectator a better look - you even dared to glance at him to see if he liked the view. He looked right back at you, still with that faint loving smile playing around the corners of his mouth, clearly enjoying the show. With another nod, he encouraged you to keep going. His lips parted, a sigh escaped them, and he cleared his throat before he could finally speak. His words, though barely even a whisper, sent shivers down your spine, setting your already sensitive bundle of nerves further on edge, making your entire body scream for release. “Good girl.” You threw your head back as your fingers worked that sweet spot, and you could feel the pressure building inside every fiber of your being. Your breath hitched, moans escaped from your throat unconsciously, getting louder, higher and more erratic with every passing second, with every new stroke of your fingers that brought you closer to ecstasy, your eyes rolled back, the muscles of your legs contracted, forcing your hips off the cushion. You were close, so close.

“I’m c…” A hand pulled on your wrist suddenly and unceremoniously. You fell back onto the couch, back into the frigid depths of reality. Like a pitiful interpretation of Icarus, you had become arrogant, forgetting who was really in charge. Disregarding the knowledge that he commanded, perhaps even owned, you and your carnal desires, you had flown too close to the radiant heat of imminent bliss. August held your wrist with such force that you were afraid he would bruise it – and both because of and despite this, you wished he would never let go. When he did, you whined as he dropped your hand. As August chuckled at your displeasure you felt his breath on the inside of your thighs. You looked at him, eyes half open; he was on his knees in front of you. His hands found your hips, caressed them, traced soft lines along your thighs to your knees and back again. The feeling of his hands on your body reignited the fire that had been burning inside you with such vigor only moments ago, causing your eyes to fall shut and forcing a moan from your slightly parted lips.

“I’m not done with you yet, princess,” he hummed.

-> Part 3

[muddyorbsblr]

[teaser] relinquish the crown: atonement or debasement

I just started writing the first of two companion pieces for 'from a world away' and I wanted to give y'all the feel of what to expect from this piece.

Seeing as there won't be any smut in this, here's hoping that I can get this out, as well as the other companion piece which will be another entry to the 'locked away' chronicles, sometime this weekend 💖💛

"Princess, allow me this moment just to thank you for allotting me your time for the day," the crown prince of Alfheim, Damien, stated as he walked by your side and continuously tried to take your hand since you left the war room. "So where shall we begin? Perhaps you could show me your favorite spot in the--"

"Did you mean what you said earlier, your highness?" you cut him off, killing his sentiment mid-question. "About wanting for the opportunity to prove yourself reformed?"

The confusion that flashed across his face for a touch longer than a moment told you that the words were exactly that. Words. Empty promises, utterances meant only to appease your opinion of him, but the prince had no intentions to actually show action to follow through on this promise.

He stumbled over his words. "I erm--I uhh--Of course, Princess! My behavior and treatment toward the women in this realm was wretched, and cast a blindingly unbecoming light on me in your eyes. And in the eyes of so many others, I can only guess. And while I admit I'm deserving of that light, I would like for the chance to dim it somehow. Show you I've grown and changed. Matured, even."

More empty words, you thought to yourself, forcing yourself to give him an accommodating smile as you felt the beginnings of another headache pounding away at you. "Very well then. That is where we shall begin."

Damien gave you a smirk, stepping closer to you and gently taking your hand in his to raise to his lips. "Princess, I am truly and deeply sorry for my beha--"

"Oh no, Prince Damien," you cut him off once more. "You can apologize to me all you want, but it would all be for naught." You gave him a smirk of your own when you saw the confusion take residence on his features. "For you see, I am not the one whose decency you besmirched. It is not my place to forgive you for the actions you committed upon others. These actions, namely, being sending whichever companion you'd chosen at that time out of your chambers with clothing ripped to near shreds."

"Your highness surely you don't mean you want me to apologize to--"

"The women you did disgrace," you answered his unfinished question. "Every. Single. One of them."

[sallysgrancanwrite]

Chapter Seven

In the following weeks Chloe and Michael saw quite a bit of each other. They had gone to the movies, gone to dinner, antiquing, etc. Chloe found him fun to be around but did notice a dark side at times, almost a demanding tone. He didn't seem to care for Beth and disliked it when Chloe invited her with them sometimes. One Sunday, after a day of shopping with Michael, Chloe came in and headed straight to her room. No hi or anything, she seemed in a hurry about something. Chloe went to her room and locked the door. She went and sat in front of the mirror. What she saw frightened her. Another bruise on her face to have to cover up. Michael had taken her laughter as her laughing at him and she wouldn't do that. It didn't matter, before she knew it she felt the sting of his hand. On her face.

"Michael, what was that for?" Chloe said through tears.

" You know what it was for! Sitting there laughing at me. I am no one's joke to be laughed at!”

"Michael, we were both laughing and having fun. I would never laugh at you. I was laughing with you. I do not deserve to be hit ever. I'm walking home."

"Chloe get back in the car. This looks bad, get in. I'll take you home."

"Leave me alone, I'm walking home. We'll talk later."

With that Michael sped off, angry that she would stand up to him. Chloe knew what he had done was wrong. You should never hit a woman for any reason. However, she had fallen in love with him and it made it hard to just walk away. She wanted to help him. When she got home she knew she could let no one see her face so she hurried to her room and locked the door. As she looked in the mirror she realized it looked as bad as it hurt. She dug out some primer and foundation and whatever else she thought would be able to cover it but look natural. It wasn't going to be easy, her eye was even a bit red. Nothing a few drops wouldn't help. After about 45 minutes she thought had done a good job of hiding it and could re enter civilization again with no fear. About then someone knocked on the door. She unlocked the door and saw Beth standing there with Edith.

"We're going thrifting, would you like to come?" she asked

"Sure,” Chloe answered. “Let me get my sweater real quick."

As she turned to grab it Beth said,

"Do you have concealer on? It's kind of smudged. I can help you with it."

"No.” said Chloe quickly, “I'll fix it and meet y'all downstairs in a minute."

"I don't mind helping. Here give me the concealer," she said as she picked it up.

Chloe panicked and she snatched it out of Beth's hands. "Beth I can do my makeup. Now, ill meet you downstairs.”

Beth was stunned. Chloe had never talked to her with that tone or acted that way towards her before, ever. What was going on with her? Beth was going to have to find out. She was pretty sure it was Michael in some way. Chloe fixed her face, or she sure hoped she had this time. She can't be having close calls like that. The people in her life wouldn't understand. Shoot, she doesn't. Here she is, staying in a relationship with a guy who smacks you. Guess it doesn't make sense except to someone who loves him and believes they can help him. Most people would think that was naive thinking.

The ladies hit the thrift stores all day. It was great fun and they found great bargains as well. Soon they were hungry and decided to stop by the Cafe for a bite. Chloe loved having weekends off. Gave her more time with friends and family. As they sat waiting for their food they sipped on sodas, unless you’re Edith then it's coffee, and chatted. Soon Beth asked how her and Michael were doing,Chloe shifted in her seat and swallowed and said, fine. She told her he was fixing up his parents old house so he could move in. Not all of it was burned in the fire thar took their lives.

"So there isn't anything you want to tell us about you and Michael that we don't want to hear through gossip?"

Edith was totally confused now and just looked back and forth from one girl to the other. She had no suspicion about Michael like Beth did.

"No Beth, there is nothing I care to share with you. What is it you're digging for? Our sex life? What?"

"I'll let it go for now but trust me I don't care one bit about your sex life.” She stated matter a factly. “That isn't where this is going. I'm pretty sure you're aware of that."

"Beth, I know you care for me and I appreciate that, I really do, but you don't have to know everything about my life. Nor is there a mystery around every corner I'm fine, he's fine, it's all good." She said with a painful smile. Beth would kill him if she knew what was going on. Doesn't matter, I'll try to see if we can get him into a counseling program of some kind. I hope he will go. When they got home Beth pulled her aside away from Edith.

"You aren't fooling me Chloe. I know you are covering up marks, you never wear concealer and never wear makeup that heavy. Now, what the hell is going on? What has he been doing? I want to know what the hell is going on.”

"Beth, just stop. This is between Michael and me. We are working it out, okay? It will be just fine. Please don't go to him and meddle. It will make things worse, please promise me you won't. "

" Well,” Beth said, “that depends on how bad it gets. You're asking me to sit back and watch you get used as a punching bag. Not sure I can do that. Could you if it was the other way around Chloe?" She asked her.

"It isn't that way Beth. It's only happened a couple times. And he was really sorry. We'll get some help and work it all out. You don't need to worry."

"For your sake I hope you do work it out. This will only get worse Chloe. I've seen it on others and it doesn't get better. Trust me on this please. I really think you should at least take a break from him."

"No,” stated Chloe, “we love each other and he doesn't mean to hurt me. Now let's drop it please."

The next day at work a large bouquet of pink roses showed up for Chloe. They were beautiful and smelled wonderful. Chloe kept smelling them until Beth finally said,

"There's a card with them. Aren't you going to read it?"

Chloe pulled the little card off the stick and opened it and read it.

"Chloe,” it said, “I'm so sorry I hurt you. I promise it won't happen again. I love you so much." Michael.

"You expected that didn't you?" asked Beth.

"Stop Beth, just stop, isn't it enough he apologized?"

"Someday Chloe those apologies will mean nothing, they will be empty and hollow to you. I'm trying to prevent you from having to get to that point."

After work Michael came and picked Chloe up for a movie. After the movie they went to the park and sat and talked. He kissed her a few times and told her how much he loved her and would do anything for her. At that point Chloe decided to ask him.

"Michael, would you consider going to counseling with me about the problems in our relationship?" She asked. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. She swore he could hear it beating. She was trying to stay calm.

"Why do you think we need counseling? And what problems exactly? We have had fun tonight. Haven't we?"

" Yes we have. It's just sometimes things aren't so good for us. I just want to help us." She said quietly.

"So you’re talking about the times I've grabbed you too hard or hit you, like this." As he brought his hand up and slapped her hard across the face. “Is that what we need help with?"

"You promised you wouldn't hurt me anymore, please take me home now." Chloe said through her pain and tears.

Michael just sat there for a moment. Then he said,

"I don't know why I do it. Maybe because my old man did it and it's what I know. I just get filled with rage sometimes, like I get set off I guess. "

"So you’re saying I set your rage off and you hit me?"

"I guess so, kind of. Certain things you say I guess. I don't mean it, and the minute I do it I regret it."

"Michael I'm tired, take me home."

He started the car and said,

"If I was you I wouldn't want to be around me either."

He turned the car around and drove her home. Kissing her Goodnight was out of the question.

"Chloe, I do love you and I'm sorry, again. "

Chloe was glad no one was around when she walked in. She went straight to her room and locked the door. She laid down and quietly cried. How could she love someone so cruel? She got up and washed her face and saw her face was swelling already. She was going to have to sneak downstairs and get some ice. She didn't want to run into anyone. She peeked out her door and it was still quiet. She snuck downstairs using the back staircase and managed to get some ice and make it all the way to her door before running into Edith. Oh great. How to explain this.

"HI Edith, did I wake you. I'm sorry. Just get some ice for a cola.”

"Wrapped in a towel?” Edith asked.

"I didn't want to drip.”

"Then do what most folk do, put it in a cup."

"Actually my cups in the room". Chloe said as she made her way for her door, sure to keep her head down a bit in the shadows.

"Chloe,” Edith said, we should probably have a talk in the morning, about Michael."

"Michael? Why would we need to talk about him?" asked Chloe.

"I know you think I'm old, stupid and blind but I'm aware of more than you know. There has been some talk and it got back to me. We'll talk more in the morning. Goodnight."

With that she walked back to her bedroom. That's when Chloe realized Bob had been standing there. He blew her a kiss and said goodnight. He'd been doing that since she was little. She went back to her room and sat on her bed and put the ice, now melting, on her face. It was going to be a difficult discussion tomorrow morning with Edith and Bob. They loved her like their own. They won't understand. Darn it. Chloe didn't understand it either. What a mess. With that she finally fell asleep. Chloe was up early to fix her face so she looked okay for work. Or as okay as possible. She didn't want anymore gossip. She finished up, got on her uniform and ran downstairs. There stood Edith and Bob.

"Can we talk tonight. It's Friday and we can stay up and talk. I promise. I don't want to be late for work."

"I'll make a good supper and then we talk,” Edith said sternly.

"Yes, then we'll talk. Goodbye. I love you."

It was a busy day at the Cafe. There wasn't a moment to sit down and rest or breath. Chloe and Beth ran all day. The good side, the tips were great. It's nice coming home with a pocket full of money. As they finally found a moment where they could sit down Beth says,

"What's for supper tonight?

Chloe looked quite confused. She was having that talk with Edith and Bob tonight.

"You're coming over for supper tonight?” Chloe asked

“Edith invited me. Is that okay?"

"It's fine. You're always welcome."

In reality Chloe was a bit pissed off with Edith inviting Beth. It would be another person to attack about Michael. Beth didn't like him and she didn't hide it. She was probably glad Edith called this meeting. Well she's stronger than they think and she has a mind of her own and can run her own life. Yes, they care but this is going to end up being harassment. I just know it. They will never let up. They are like pit bulls sinking their teeth in, they won't let go. Ugh.

Beth interrupted her thoughts.

"You ready to go home?" I am ready for some good home cooking.” Beth giggled.

"Yeah let's go,” she said. " Get it over with,” she said under her breath.

"What was that?” asked Beth

" I said let's go get some food. I'm still starving."

As they left Chloe felt like she was driving to an execution. Three against one is not exactly fair. It's going to be a long night. I better stop and get some wine.

[planetsano]

everyone finds out you two are dating.

SYNOPSIS: Class 1A find out you're in a relationship with some of your favorite MHA boys.

TAGS: established relationships, secretly dating, social media, making out, date night, sitting on kirishima's lap, fluff, slice of life.

CHARACTERS: bakugou katsuki, eijirou kirishima, todoroki shoto, kaminari denki, izuku midoriya

— bakugou

Everyone finds out you two are dating when he accidentally posts a video of you captioned, "this idiot 🧡", on his snapchat story.

It was a Saturday night and you both decided that it would be nice to spend the night in enjoying each other's company. Obviously you told your friends that you would be busy studying but in reality you were actually with each other.

You were on his bed wearing one of his ridiculously oversized hoodies. Admittedly, he thought you looked cute. You had sweater paws like c'mon. He wanted to save the memory.

(Contrast to popular belief, Bakugou is capable of being a cute boyfriend sometimes. He's just rough around the edges, ya'know?)

When you looked up from your switch you saw your boyfriend recording you with a smirk on his face.

"Stop, I look ugly." You whined and hid your face behind your handheld game.

"No, you don't. Shut up." He scoffed.

"Make me." You stuck your tongue out and flipped him off.

"What do you want anyway, stinky?" You asked resuming your animal crossing gameplay.

"Show me your shitty island." He said.

"Really?!" You looked up at him again with your face lit up in excitement.

"Sike, no." He deadpanned behind the camera.

"I hate you!" You whined & jumped on him starting a play fight. The video was cut with a shaky camera & couple of your giggles.

After about maybe a minute of roughhousing, Bakugou's phone started to blow up with texts, snaps, and facetime calls.

"Someone's popular." You said while looking up at him. He pinned you down easily since he had a physical strength advantage over you.

You were curious as to why his phone was blowing up so suddenly but you were too entertained by squeezing his surprisingly squishy cheeks.

While you did that, Bakugou grabbed his phone. The facial recognition automatically unlocking it for him.

"The fuck?" Was all he said scrolling through all the notifications. He was confused.

One text in particular out of 64 unread stood out to him. It was from "Mina 👽", and it said:

"No but really, did you mean to post (Name) on your story? 💀🤚🏾 I knew you guys were going to date at some point!!"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

— midoriya

This man Midoriya is terrible at secrets. So it didn't surprise you when he accidentally spilled the tea about your relationship.

It all started when Uraraka, Momo, Iida and Todoroki asked him if he wanted to join them for dinner that night. Apparently they were treating themselves to something fancy.

"I'm sorry guys. I can't. I have a date with (Name) tonight." Midoriya doesn't even give what he said a second thought.

Everyone literally stops. "Date? 🤨"

"Yeah. I have a date... with...." Realization hits. "You know what? I've really gotta go guys! See ya!" This boy tries to run but they stop him so fast.

They have so many questions. The main being when exactly did you guys become an official thing and why didn't they know about it.

Midoriya tells them that he's not sure if he feels comfortable without you being there to answer all the questions they have since they weren't even supposed to know to begin with.

They're all understanding and don't push him any further. He's already embarrassed enough. The most important thing is that they're happy for the both of you.

Now the only thing on Midoriya's mind was how to tell you he told half the friend group you two are dating over dinner.

— todoroki

You both really thought no one would catch you guys sharing a "quick" makeout session in the kitchen area.

It was risky to begin with because it was like 9pm on a weekend and more than half the class was still awake roaming around the building.

But honestly, neither of you could help it. You were at that point in the relationship where you just couldn't keep your hands off of each other.

Plus that little adrenaline and dopamine you got from pulling little stunts like this made it all the more fun. It was you guys' little secret. It was fun.

You were sat on the kitchen counter with Todoroki standing between your legs. His hands were placed on your thighs mindlessly kneading at them while your arms were lazily draped around his neck.

"Sho, I really wanna kiss.." You said softly.

"The others might come in soon, love." His voice was so smooth. He really didn't want to tell you no but you guys were already pushing it in this position.

"Just one tiny little kiss?" You gestured the words tiny and little with your thumb and pointer finger. "Pretty please?" You pouted playfully and batted your eyelashes at him.

Todoroki mentally sighed in defeat. He just couldn't say no to you.

With that you two shared a simple kiss, then another just a little longer... and the last kiss turned into a full blown makeout. You didn't know how much time passed before you both heard a forced cough.

You guys pulled away and looked at this kitchen area's entrance to see Denki, Kirishima, Tokoyami and Asui.

Denki: "Care to tell us when UA became Love Island?"

Kirishima: "Aw, come on guys. The counter?"

— kirishima

Honestly, this pairing is bold because you two fully outted yourselves out willingly.

1A decided to have a movie night in the common area one Friday night. It would be some fun considering training and classes were particularly hard that week. It would be nice to blow off some steam and goof off.

You were a little late coming down from your room because you had to finish up some important papers your work study requested.

When you finally got down to the common room, everyone had already claimed their seats.

Kirishima sat at the end of one couch and the spot next to him was already taken :(

Through 1A's chaos and chatter, you locked eyes with him and pouted subtly.

Just when you were about to sit on one of the empty pillows on the floor, Kirishima beckoned you over with his head and patted his thighs.

He gives you a wide toothy grin when he sees you walk your cute self right over to him to plop yourself right on his lap.

"Hey." He looks up at you with a goofy smile while he wraps one of his arms around your waist.

"Hi." You smiled at him and ran your fingers through his hair. He had it down which was your absolute favorite. You guys didn't even notice the chatter die down until

"Um.. are you guys dating?" Midoriya asked carefully. The whole room silently thanking him for being the one to ask.

"Huh? Oh yeah, totally! I'm her/his/their man!" Kirishima smiled widely and gave a triumphant fist in the air.

*cue Denki, Mina, Sero, & Bakugou angry (but supportive ❤️) at you guys for not telling them*

— denki

Okay, this one is pretty funny.

Behind closed doors, Denki made it a habit to quickly kiss your lips before you two part ways. For example, when he leaves your dorm to sneak back to his, he gives you a quick peck before he leaves.

Everyone engaged in their own separate conversations waiting for class to begin.

Denki was sitting on your desk while you sat normally in your chair. Mina, Sero, Kirishima and Bakugou were gathered around holding a conversation about the homework that was due today and how it was harder than usual.

"Alright, everyone to your seats." Aizawa said as he walked into the classroom. Everyone audibly sighed and sulked back to their seats.

"I'll see you after class, babe." Denki as he leaned down to give you a quick kiss on the lips.

Now...

It only registered until after he pulled away from you that he kissed you in front of everyone.

You guys just stared at each other like "😀"

1A: 🤨🧐🤭

Aizawa: 🧍🏻🗿

"I don't care what you guys do outside of class.. but PDA isn't allowed in the classroom."

Yes, Aizawa put y'all on blast and if you weren't already embrassed, you are now.

© all content belongs to rekiri 2021. do not modify or repost.

[katsus-world]

How bakugou and kirishima would react if they walked in on you crying cause of a show.

umm totally not self-indulged

Genre: fluff, not really angst, hc's

Also these are kinda long

It's 6pm and bakugou is getting back to the dorms from the gym with his read head pal.

He's annoyed at you to say the least.

You haven't answered his texts. And hes worried bro

(Not that he'll ever admit it tho)

Anyways Kiri and him get to the dorms smelling like sweat

That's just Kiri

But bakugou left the red head behind when the blonde checked his phone

he was about to send u another angry text But he saw that you left him on read.

Lmao ╰_╯he does that face and goes storming up to your room.

When he noticed that the doors locked his first instinct is to blow the door

But he stops himself when he hears muffled sniffs

Bakubaby would stay at the door for a couple of seconds thinking if he did something to upset you

But then his thoughts go to the opposite direction

What if someone did something to you.

Just the thought if someone hurting you made his heart hurt and his blood boil at the same time.

Finally returning to his senses he knocks on the door hard.

Hearing a small scream come from your room and the cracking of your floor board, you open the door.

Puffy red eyes and pouty lips look back at him as you stare at you boyfriend.

Quickly he hugs you.

"Who the fuck did this? Huh, I'll kill them!" his own way of caring you laugh slightly.

"Nobody did anything, calm down Kat."

His face goes (｀o´)? For a moment and pulls away

"Then why the hell are you cryin'?" you push him inside your room and close the door.

you shuffle your way to your bed feeling his red eyes follow your figure. You clear your throat as you explain what happened.

"So the mc lost ANOTHER person Kat! They've gone through so much! And I really like [character name]!" your glossy eyes look back at your bf who at the moment looks stunned.

"Wait let me get this straight. Your cryin' over a fucking show?! Dumbass, come here."

You quickly made your way in his arms and he patted your back trying to make you feel better.

The next morning you go to kaminari and you both talk about the show and kami would get emotional too.

He told you to watch it so you both can talk about it

It's the weekend and Kirishima just woke up

It's like 9:35 and the first thing he does is grab his phone.

Mans would send you a good morning text but he found it odd that you didn't respond.

Lmao but then he remembers it's Sunday and you probably just wanted to sleep in

He goes down stairs and makes himself some all might cereal.

Don't come at me 😭

After that he goes to train with the Bakusquad and sero asks if your not awake.

"They're probably asleep bro, Ill check up in them later." he gives sero a toothy smile and make their way to the gym.

Meanwhile your at your dorm.

Your computer open and snacks around you.

Being the s/o of Kiri ment being friends with bakugou lmao

You two rarely talk only when he's screaming at you to fight him

Anywaysss you and Kiri were in baku's dorm studying. Not really he was just yelling at Kiri to focus.

Long story short Kiri went out for snacks and bc he trusts you to stay in the room with another dude and not do anything he left u and Baku.

Taking out your phone baku snatches it and tosses it with your sharky boyfriends on his bed.

"Focus on the homework!" not paying attention to what he said, something caught your eye.

Behind him was a shelf of romance manga, your lock eye with the blonde and laugh your ass off.

"Damn bakugou I didn't know you were into that stuff!"

"Shut up extra! I'll kill yo-" cutting him off you got up.

"Are any of them good?" he rolled his eyes and slumped in the floor.

"Why?" again you locked eyes with the blonde and sighed.

" I just finished a show an I need something else to watch, are any of these good?" you repeated yourself as you saw the angry blonde point at one of the mangas

"Tch, this one is good." a devilish smirk spread across his face as you turned around.

That was the saddest one he had in his shelf.

Back to present time, you still haven't answered the phone and it was 1:15 pm

You don't ever sleep this late. Walking back to the dorms he made his way to your room.

Completely forgetting that he smelled like sweat, very faintly tho.

Ax Body Spray that's all I have to say

When he opened the door, there you where lying on your bed, tissues crumbled up in your hands as you stared at your laptop screen.

Sniffles caught his attention, you not even fazed that the door opened.

He ran to you to see what's wrong.

"Hey baby! What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did somethi-" your hand placed on his lips as your glossy eyes stayed in the screen.

"Nishimiya!" the screen echoed across the room as hot tears spilled out of your eyes.

"Y/n!-" you shushed him very quickly as you pulled him on your bed. Your eyes never falling off the screen.

His arms wrap behind you as he looks too.

You gasp as the mc hits a table, his eyes widened as he calls the other girl by her first name.

Suddenly the girl falls, the mc running to save her, catching her by the wrist.

You cry out as you see nishimiya look at mc.

Tears gather in your boyfriend's eyes as he holds you tighter.

After finishing the whole movie, kirishima looks at you with puffy eyes.

"So that's why you were crying? Heh, I see why." you apologize for shushing him and pepper his face with kisses.

Later that day, you see bakugou at dinner and he obviously sees that you've been crying, a large smirk as he sees you walk towards him.

"I hate you." His smirk wideneds and replies,

"Don't go snooping in my shit then."

(T_T)(T_T)(T_T)(T_T)(T_T)(T_T)(T_T)(T_T)(T_T)(T_T

Lmao this was originally supposed to have todoroki too but I got lazy sorry (◞‸◟ㆀ).

Anyways have y'all seen euphoria? Well yeah I finished that and it left me in tears 😔🖐.

Un revised so sorry about any spelling errors 😅

[harrywritingsbyme]

The Shark Stuffie

Anonymous Said: my life’s been pretty shit recently and I’m so stressed rn and my anxiety is through the roof meaning I can’t sleep either..could you maybe write something small about harry comforting you and coaxing you to sleep with sweet coos💕

Based Off Of This Ask

And This One 

A/N: I feel like I haven't written some fluff in a LONG ass time...like the last pure fluff piece I wrote was all the way back in the beginning of January. That’s lowkey due to my vibes being off, my lack of motivation to do just about anything, and the fact that my writing schedule has been rearranged too many times. Either way tho...I hope y'all like this fic, it’s rlly cute and softtt and it’s definitely relatable for many of us. Enjoyy🙃

3.5k wordss

You had a bit of an obsession with animal documentaries. There was just something about them that just drew you in and captivated you. Whenever you watched the films or shows, you were always glued to the screen and utterly fascinated with the creatures being displayed before your eyes. Whenever you watched them with Harry, he’d always tease you about your obsession and being completely glued to the screen, jokingly saying that you were more in love with the animals than you were with him. Which couldn’t have been the farthest thing from the truth of course. But in true Y/n fashion, instead of just shooting his far fetched claims down, you would always tease him back; saying that you were in fact madly in love with whatever animal was on the screen at that moment, and that if he wanted to reclaim his number one spot on your list of loves, he’d have to put in some serious work. And then over the following couple of minutes, the two of you would go on to further the banter, trying to land the snarkiest little remark and “win”...even though it wasn’t even a competition to begin with. Sometimes you two were able to go a good while going back and forth on who you loved the most, Harry or the animals and their documentaries. Other times, and most times for that matter, you two would just burst into a fit of laughs before snuggling up together for the rest of the documentary. You of course rewinding it to play back anything you missed when your attention was on Harry. 

Which speaking of Harry, he thought your obsession with animals and the documentaries was the most precious and adorable thing thing in the entire world. He couldn’t (and never wanted to for that matter) get the image of your face lighting up when you watched the documentaries or discovered that a new one had come out for you to watch. He loved how happy and at ease you were when you watched the animal documentaries. On top of the fact that Harry loved how happy you got when watching the documentaries, Harry was slowly growing a little bit of an obsession with the documentaries too. And because of that, not only did he suggest making you guys’ date nights animal documentaries nights, but he also began to feed your obsession by means of plushies. If you two watched a documentary on giraffes, he’d be on the hunt for the cutest little giraffe plushie the entire week after and leading up to you guys’ next date night. And if you were going on and on about a particular animal he’d try to find the cutest plushy to get for you to add to your collection. Most times Harry was able to get lucky and find the cutest plushy for the animal you were obsessed with at the moment. But there were also times where he wasn’t so lucky. Either the animal was too exotic to be in stuffed animal form, or it wasn’t cute enough for Harry’s liking. He took his job of feeding your animal obsession very seriously. 

But either way, plushy or no plushy, you were just happy to enjoy and share your love of animal documentaries with your boyfriend who you loved even more. And Harry, whether or not he’d be able find the perfect plushy, was always going to do his very best to put an even bigger smile on your face. Even if it meant having to get a little creative at times. 

Now for the first time in the five or so months you’ve been obsessed with animals and watching the documentaries, you were stuck on one animal; Sharks. You weren’t quite sure as to what was so fascinating about the incredibly deadly creature but you couldn’t get enough of them. You were watching documentary after documentary on them and you even went as far as to find and watch old shark week episodes. You were quite obsessed to say the least. For the past, just about two weeks when you and Harry had your weekly animal documentary night/date night, you’d turn on something about sharks. Which prompted Harry to go out and find the perfect plushies to add to your collection. He managed to find the cutest one online the thought you’d love and he immediately placed his order so that it would arrive as soon as possible. While he waited for that stuffed animal to arrive, Harry figured you’d be onto the next animal. But no, the following week you were still obsessed with sharks. Which meant that a knot her shark plushy would be coming your way in no time. So once again, Harry went back on the “prowl” for the best shark plushies out there, spending the better part of his Wednesday evening looking for the perfect one. 

After looking through the pages of plushies, hoping to find one that he could buy in-store, Harry finally found the one. It was a fairly big shark plushy, and from the photos it looked to be pretty cute, and it seemed to be very soft. All of Harry’s boxes were checked off. But the ultimate selling point for it though, was the fact that it was weighted. See, you had really bad anxiety. Your mind was constantly racing, you were constantly worrying about things and what could go wrong, and you couldn’t stop overanalyzing everything and the decision you made. It was hard for you to get rest, even when you were exhausted and in dire need of a good nights sleep. And your preexisting anxiety was only exacerbated by school. One of the things that made your mind and body all calm down in those moments where you were completely overloaded and inundated with anxiety and stress was your weighted blanket. It kind of forced you to take time out for yourself and relax, and feel comfortable, taking your mind off of the stresses that were fueling the fire of your anxiety. It was honestly like a much needed big hug and was absolutely perfect when you couldn’t exactly have Harry, your ultimate anxiety and stress reliever. 

And on the topic of school, you were drowning. You were having a very rough week to say the least. Your to do list grew longer and longer as the days passed, and you were pretty sure your anxiety had reached an all time high and was on the path to reaching another record high. This week you had so many academic responsibilities you had to take care of, on top of all the things you had to do and wanted to do when it came to your personal life. You felt like every time you got one thing accomplished, two or three more things were thrown at you and demanded your attention. No matter how hard you tried to put things on a schedule and properly manage your time, a sudden wrench would be thrown into your plans and screw everything up; making your life increasingly difficult to navigate. Just the idea of school caused your anxiety to flare up. So to add everything you had to do for school this week along with your other responsibilities on top of that was quite much for you to handle. You didn’t even have the time, let alone the energy, to even have a proper breakdown and let it all out. You’d simply shed a few tears, take a deep breath, take a sip of your water, and push your feelings of being overwhelmed and tired to the side so that you could get shit done. The only things that brought you some type of relief this week were your weighted blanket, Harry’s comforting words, and you guys’ Friday night date night. And the plushies Harry told you he had for you.

When Harry spoke to you throughout the week and listened to how your week was going and how horrible it was going for you, he made it his mission to give you everything you needed when you came over on Friday night so that you can throw the terrible week you had away and have a relaxing and stress-free weekend. Once Friday finally arrived for you two, Harry spent most of the day just getting everything ready for when you came over. He went out and picked up all your favorite snacks, food, and anything else you liked, along with the weighted shark plushy and a new weighted blanket for you. You on the other hand were laser-focused on your school work and anything else that needed to be taken care of. You wanted to get everything done so that you’d have to spend no time whatsoever over the weekend doing anything besides being with Harry and relaxing your entire being. The only thing keeping you going today was the weekend Harry had planned for you. That’s it. And once you finally cleared your plate later on in the day, you dashed right over to Harry. You couldn’t wait any longer to watch your shark documentary with Harry and your new, no doubt, shark plushies.

 When you get to Harry’s place, you practically break the door down and you nearly knocked Harry off his feet from how you ran in and immediately nestled yourself into him. It was nearly five minutes before the two of you even verbally greeted each other. At that moment, you just wanted to be held. Harry was the sure-fire way to calm you down when you were going through a major bout of anxiety. His presence alone made you feel safe and okay. You had your arms locked around his midsection, keeping your grasp on him as tight as possible. Almost as if you were afraid that he was going to float away from you. And Harry didn’t mind this one bit, nor did he hesitate to wrap you up in his arms and just hold you just as tight and close to him. 

“Hi” You mumble into the soft fabric of Harry’s hoodie, breaking the silence between you two.

“Hi baby” He softly replies to you, squeezing you a little bit. 

“Missed you this week.” You continue on, relaxing a bit more into Harry. 

“I missed you too sweets. You had a pretty rough week huh?” Harry coos, continuing to hold you and stroke your back. 

“Mhm…m’so tired.” You sigh. 

“Well how about we get you upstairs and in a nice warm shower to get you relaxed a bit while I bring everything up. And then we can watch one of your documentaries. How does that sound sweets?” Harry proposes. 

“Sounds amazing.” You agree, loosening your grip on Harry in the process. 

“Then let’s get you upstairs” He then proceeds to loosen his grip around you as well before guiding you from the front door and up the stairs. Once you’re all squared away and in the shower, Harry moves his setup in the living room upstairs in the bedroom, hiding the little gifts he got for you on the floor on his side of the bed. Harry also lays out some clothes for you to throw on. You had your own drawer and everything, but even though that was the case, you still went right to his clothes. So Harry didn’t even bother going through your drawer for anything. After laying out your clothes and everything you needed for when you’re all done with your shower, Harry orders what you told him you wanted for dinner before you got in the shower. Which ends up being a good thirty minutes. It was just so nice to have some time to yourself and not have to stress or worry about something you had to get done. It was such a relief to be able to just stand under the running hot water and just not have to think. The steaming hot water melted the caked-on stress from the week and just rinsed it away, making you feel so much better than you did when you first walked through the door. 

It was also a relief to walk out of the bathroom and into your boyfriend's bedroom with everything waiting for you. When you stepped out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, you stepped into this warm and cozy atmosphere Harry created for you. The bed is all warm and comfy, and extremely inviting. He had your clothes and all your post-shower stuff laid out for you on the bed. Harry even had one of your favorite candles lit on the bedside table. The tv was even on with an array of animal documentaries for you to pick from. Up until he had to rush downstairs to get the takeout he ordered for you two, Harry helped you get all settled in bed. And when he comes back upstairs, this time with the food you (and your stomach) were beyond excited for, you were all done getting ready and tucked right under the covers waiting for him to come back.  

Harry quickly shuffles across the room to sit the food down onto the bed before lifting the little basket he filled to the brim with your favorite little snacks up onto the bed, making you even happier than you were already, and hopping into bed with you. He then hands you the remote, giving you the power to choose whichever documentary you wanted to watch, along with a small peck to your cheek, marking the official start to you guys’ date night/relaxing weekend. While you and Harry watch the first documentary of the night together, you’re intently watching the screen just like always as you happily stuff your mouth with the delicious food in front of you. As you watched the documentary, Harry on the other hand couldn’t help but sit back and just watch you. He was so happy to see you all relaxed and peaceful, opposed to being all stressed out and anxiety-ridden like you were when you first came over.

By the end of the first film, you and Harry are completely done with your food and have moved on to clearing off the bed so that you two can cuddle and possibly fall asleep during the next one. Once the bed is all clear and free for you and Harry to move around, you two immediately move in closer and get nice and comfortable in each other before starting the next shark-related documentary.

“Thank you so much for all of this Harry.” You thank him, breaking your focus on the tv and shifting it to Harry.

“Anything for you sweets” Harry coos, turning his attention away from the tv as well. “I hate it when you’re going through it, especially when I cant be there to help you get through. So I just wanted to give you a nice relaxing and calm weekend for you to just feel better.” He explains.

“I love you Harry.” You hum, lifting your head up from his chest to peer up at him. You weren’t able to fully comprehend why and how you even deserved such an amazing boyfriend who always wanted to make you happy when you were sad and not doing okay, and even happier when you were already beaming. He was one of the best things in your life, and one of the few that didn’t stress you out. 

“I love you too baby.” Harry whispers, looking down at you and locking eyes with yours. The same way you felt like Harry’s mere existence made everything at least feel better, Harry felt the exact same way. So whenever you were going through it and not doing okay, Harry didn’t take that lightly. He always made sure to do everything in his power to get you to a better place. 

When Harry puckers his lips in your direction, you immediately lock yours with them, sucking you both into a love-filled little kiss. It was nice and soft for the atmosphere you and Harry were in, but it wasn’t incredibly slow, nor it did it feel rushed or like it was lasting forever. It was perfect.

“I got you something baby!” Harry whispers excitedly upon pulling away from your lips, tapping at your sides for you to sit up.

“You told me they were plushies.” You reply, excited to see what he picked for you this time. Harry always managed to get you the cutest little stuffed animals so you were really excited to see what he got you this time. 

“Yup! And here’s the first one.” Harry says, leaning down to pick up and reveal to you the regular plushy he found for you the first time.

“Oh my goodness! That’s too adorable!” You coo, holding up and looking at the adorable little shark Harry got for you. It was absolutely amazing and you were so so so excited to see the next one. 

“Ready for the next one? I think you’re gonna like this one the most.” Harry says, causing you to immediately nod your head in response. “M’gonna need you to close your eyes too.” He instructs.

Once your eyes are closed, Harry leans down and picks up the weighted and fairly big shark plushy before sitting it in your lap. He then grabs the new weighted blanket he got for you and sits it between you both before instructing you to open your eyes.

When you see what Harry placed into your lap, you could instantly feel the tears welling up in your eyes. It was like Harry knew exactly what you wanted and needed. You absolutely loved your weighted blanket and you always used it, even when you weren’t in need of something to calm your anxiety. You also loved plushies, even before you were heavily into animals and Harry was finding you all sorts of plushies. They brought you some much-needed serotonin whenever you were feeling down and they were your little cuddle buddies. So to have a weighted one, a combination of everything that never failed to calm your anxiety down was absolutely amazing and you couldn’t have been more happy and appreciative. That’s why you just couldn’t help it when you started crying. You wasted absolutely no time wrapping Harry in the biggest hug, thanking him over and over for the plushy. But it wasn’t long until you just broke down. 

“You have no idea how much this means to me, I had such a horrible week.” You sob into him.

“I know baby.” He coos, stroking your back as you cried. Even though he hated it when you cried, he knew that you always felt lighter whenever you just let it all out.

“I had panic attacks every day and I didn’t get enough sleep and I didn’t eat much either and I didn’t have you there for cuddles. It was so bad.” You cry, your voice cracking at the end, making Harry only tighten his arms around you. He knew it was a bad week for you, but he didn’t know it was this bad. You only told him but so much over the phone.

“Well I’m here now baby and I’m gonna take good care of you and get you back and feeling better.” Harry promises, continuing to hold you as you cry into him. You were so vulnerable right now and he just wanted you, his baby, to feel better. 

As you continued to cry, you continued to mumble and talk about just how bad your week was and how much he was doing for you helped you feel better. Eventually, you ran out of words and the energy to speak or even cry. So Harry began to whisper sweet little nothings and reassurance that you’re going to be okay and that he’s going to take care of you. And as he did this, Harry could feel your body heave less and less from the crying and the little hiccups that came along with it. Once you’ve calmed down a little and as the sleep begins to overtake you, Harry then unwraps an arm from around you and reaches over to turn out the light and blow out the candle before pulling the covers higher up over you two. He also pulled the plushy and still folded blanket up as well, just in case you wanted either of them.

 “Please don’t watch without me.” You mumble, your voice all nasally and filled with sleep. You were no longer tightly wrapped around Harry, but instead resting on his chest.

“I won’t darling. I just paused it so that we can go back and watch it later on when you’re nice and rested.” Harry replies through a soft chuckle continuing to stroke your back. 

“Pinky promise.” You mumble back, lazily lifting your pinky up from under the covers for Harry to hook his around.

“Pinky promise.” He replies softly, bringing his pinky in to hook it around yours, sealing his promise. “Now get some rest baby.” He whispers, pulling your still intertwined hands down and pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

Masterlist

[sunflowersturn]

losing patience

david santiago/reader, based on the prompts:

“Am I your lockscreen?” “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“We’re not just friends and you fucking know it.”

@serpentstyles come get y'all juice

warnings: f!reader

"Come on, you admitted that you liked the movie last time."

You could see his lips curling, even as he lifted his to-go cup to his mouth to try to hide the smile. He took a sip of his green tea (the cafe manager, bless her heart, kept a separate brewer just for him due to his allergies) and gave you a carefully engineered flat look that did absolutely nothing to hide the amusement in his eyes.

"I said that because you were making those big, sad eyes at me," he said, setting his cup down on the table in front of him but keeping his hands on it. You'd had to take an outside table with the cafe being so full, and the fall air was brisk. "Also, you told me flat out that if I didn't say I liked it you would take personal offense and cry real tears. Those were your exact words."

"I said no such thing!" Your voice pitched up on your protest and he laughed a bit, lifting a hand when you got a bit too loud to try to calm you. Of course you had said exactly that but you would never admit to it, and he knew it very well if the way his eyes twinkled were any indication. You gave him a brief sour look, but were quick to relent again to try to wheedle him some more. "Please, David, you need to do something to unwind this weekend."

"If I say yes, will you come hiking with me next week? You said you would when the weather started to cool down again," he said, giving you that wheedling tone right back.

It really was an absolute sin that he had such pretty eyes, and such a pretty face, and such pretty hair, and such a pretty voice. You really never stood a chance when he asked you for anything. How you'd remained friends with him for this long without losing your soul to those deep brown eyes was an absolute mystery.

"Absolutely," you promised, knowing that Future You was going to regret that decision very much.

It was still worth it to see the delighted smile on his face. Maybe you had lost your soul somewhere down the line after all.

He picked up his phone to check the time and you swore—just for a second as the image flashed by—but it couldn't be. That would be ridiculous. This was David, after all. The golden child, the Lieutenant, the most perfect man in existence. You shook the notion out of your head and gave him a wry smile as he told you he had to go.

"I know, I know, duty calls," you said, waving him off. "Go save the world from drug dealers and murderers, and I'll save you from boredom on Saturday at seven. Don't be late!"

He promised and left, and you absolutely did not think about how for the briefest moment you thought you'd seen a picture of yourself for his lock screen.

Saturday arrived more swiftly than you would have expected; your weekly activities thankfully kept you better distracted than you normally would have guessed. Knowing David's preferences, you skipped out on microwave popcorn for healthier snack alternatives most of the time. This week you had gone with a bit of a lazier route of veggie straws and the fancy organic gummy bears his partner had once clued you in that he liked. The movie was a standalone thriller, no franchises for the pop culture baby, nothing to do with cop work just to keep his mind at ease. Simple, casual. Friendly. Just like always.

(You were not thinking about his lock screen.)

He arrived at two minutes before seven with a smug smile on his face, as though he'd done it specifically to show you up for your comment about being late. (Thinking back on it, you wouldn't have been surprised if he had.) He had a container of your drink of choice and a wide grin on his face, and when he saw the baggie of gummy bears on the table he pressed a kiss to your temple that had your cheeks heating.

The movie went mostly smoothly, in that your streaming service didn't crash while it was running. Everything else seemed to be going awry.

You were hyper aware of David through the whole run of the movie, which wasn't necessarily unusual. as like any fan of movies, you loved to watch for the reactions of your friends. Tonight, though... it felt like every single time he moved or breathed or, hell, every time he blinked, it grabbed your attention away from the movie. You'd long known that you couldn't beat down your attraction to him, but it was getting to be a bit much.

Every time he shifted in his seat your eyes would flick over to his legs as he readjusted. Whenever he moved to lean on the armrest of the couch you found yourself fixated on the flex of his fingers under his chin. He laughed at a joke and your heart soared, and he crossed his legs and you just—you couldn't help yourself peeking—

"You alright?"

His voice broke through the fog you'd been in when he'd uncrossed his legs and hooked his ankles together instead, and your eyes jumped back up to his face.

"Yeah, sorry! I guess I'm a little tired," you said, giving him a soft smile. "Maybe we can take a quick break? I need a new drink anyway."

You lifted the drink he'd brought for you and he nodded, groaning a bit as he stood. "I'm going to run to the bathroom, then. Meet back in a minute."

The two of you separated to take care of your self-appointed tasks, and it wasn't until you got back with your refill that you saw that David had left his phone on the arm of the couch.

It was too much to resist. You didn't hear the toilet flushing or the sink going in the bathroom, yet, so you knew that you had at least a few seconds. That was all you'd need to disabuse yourself of this wild idea, right? Just a few seconds to confirm that you'd seen some model or some kind of group precinct photo or—anything but your own face underneath the time display.

But when you raised the phone, there you were.

It was a photo of you that had been taken at a Santiago family gathering, you remembered. Everyone had been out by the pool, and you had been convinced to wear a top that was more revealing than your usual fare. The arm around your shoulders in the picture had been David's, but everyone else was cut off but you. It was just your smile, your laugh caught in the moment, and you jumped out of your skin when you heard David calling your name behind you.

"What are you doing with—?" he started to ask, but you turned it around to face him before he could finish the question.

"Why am I your lock screen?" you said, voice hoarse.

He blinked, and something passed through his eyes that you didn't fully understand.

"You weren't supposed to see that," he said softly, and he held his hand out for his phone. You didn't want to hand it over quite yet, and you held out for a moment longer. He said your name in that same quiet tone. "Please."

"Is this some kind of joke?" you found yourself saying, even while you knew in your heart it couldn't be true. Not David. Never David. But it was the only explanation you could think of. It was the only thing that poisonous little voice in the back of your head would let you believe, because this was David. Amy's sainted brother, the golden child, the perfect one.

"What? No, god, no!" He looked at you incredulously, obviously insulted by the mere suggestion, and he ran a hand over his face and for the first time since you'd known him he looked genuinely irritated. "You know that's not the reason."

"I don't see what other reason there might be," you said, voice pitching up as your anxiety started to rise. There was no way this meant what you thought it meant. It couldn't possibly—

"What reasons would a man have for making a woman he's close to his lock screen, do you think?" he snapped, and when you were finally able to meet his eyes again they were absolutely blazing. "What reasons do you think he might have for taking a beautiful picture and putting it somewhere he can look at it as often as he likes?"

Your throat felt tight all of a sudden, making it a struggle to swallow, and your hand holding his phone shook.

"That's something you do for a girlfriend, David," you said after a long moment. "We're not—we're just—"

“We’re not just friends and you fucking know it!" It was the first time you thought you'd ever heard his voice raised outside of work, and while it didn't make you flinch you were definitely surprised. He seemed to see it, because he calmed himself again and took a deep breath. "This has been going on for too long, and I'm starting to lose my patience. I knew that you could be skittish—"

"Skittish!" you said in a squeak.

"—but this is a bit much," he finished, giving you a bit of a flat look for the interruption.

He approached cautiously, like you were truly a wild animal he was afraid of frightening off, and he gently pulled his phone out of your hand to stick in his pocket before he reached up for your shoulders.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he said, watching your face and smirking a bit to himself when your eyes widened. You hated and loved how satisfied with himself he looked all at once.

"Okay," you breathed, and he smiled as he leaned in to press his lips to yours.

[empress-simps]

Strangers (seven)

▪︎Pairings: Kuroo Tetsuroo x Reader, Bokuto Koutaro x Reader, Bokuto Koutaro x Akaashi Keiji and Kageyama Tobio x Hinata Shoyo

▪︎Prounouns: She/Her [Fem!Reader]

▪︎Genre: Angst

▪︎Warnings: Some typos and grammatical errors

▪︎Synopsis: Finding out your soulmate rejected the bond to be with someone else feels terrible.

Note: This by far I think is the LONGEST chapter I wrote, the chapter ahead contains Kuroo's backstory and who his soulmate is👀 I know some of y'all are curious on who it is. I hope this vhapter isn't confusing since we're going to jump from Kuroo's memory to another. I hope this makes it up for the long awaited update!

》 next

》 previous

》 Strangers Masterlist

Kuroo didn't believe in love. Not after what happened between him and his soulmate did.

He can still feel the heartbreak, betrayal, anger and confusion that was in his chest when he'd found out she left him.

He remembers the days where Kenma would get annoyed at him for yammering about his soulmate, how excited and elated he was.

Kuroo felt special. Considering He's the only one who has a soulmate mark in his group of friends, he would proudly show off the ever forming mark.

On one uneventful weekend evening, he made kenma sleep over at his house for the purpose of 'getting to hang out more'

"Huh.." Kenma briefly glanced at the the clock, "It's already midnight.." He mumbles, continuing to play with his game as Kuroo buzzed around the room, seemingly not running out of energy while copying the spiker's pose in one of the recorded volleyball matches that was playing in the tv.

Kenma groaned, "Can you stop that? I already lost in the game.. you're making my head hurt." Kuroo rolled his eyes at his bestfriend who was in the the corner of his bed.

"It's not my fault you're just not good at it. Besides, okaa-san baked you an apple pie! So you don't have a reason to be grumpy." Kuroo huffed, sitting down besides his introverted friend.

"I only came for apple pie..."

Kenma mumbled while Kuroo snorted, "You don't think I didn't know that?" The younger boy shrugged, just as he was about to restart the game a loud gasp emitted from Kuroo.

"Did fhe mark became readable..?" Kenma mumbled as he peeked at his bestfriend's wrist.

Kuroo felt like he was on cloud nine. His eyes glimmered and his heart thumped loudly in his chest, he feels like nothing could bring him down. His thoughts ran with endless scenarios thay he formulated on his head. Kenma, who noticed his friend who's off in his own world stared at the name with curiousity (that would soon turn to anger).

Yamaka Mika.

Kuroo sighed, a lovestruck expression on his face as he gingerly traced the mark on his arm. "Don't make that face, it's weird." Kenma said as he 'bonked' Kuroo's head with a controller.

He believed that she's the one who he's going to be with until they grow old. Not once did a thought of him getting rejected passed by his mind.

He also hadn't thought that his soulmate would fall for someone else.

"U-uh Kuroo.." Yamaka mumbled, eyes downcast to the ground. Kuroo hummed, "I told you to call me tetsu-"

"I don't think this will work out."

Kuroo felt his world stop as he could only look at his soulmate with disbelief. "What do you mean...? I-i thought we-"

Mika sighed, "I tried Kuroo.. I tried to love you. I decided to give it a shot since we're soulmates. We're suppose to love each other after all, but I just—cant."

It felt like all of the weight of the world came crashing down on his shoulders as he could only utter out one word.

"Who?"

Mika gulped as she stared into her soulmate who's slowly falling apart.

"Daishou."

After the messy break up, Kuroo decided to keep his heart locked. He doesn't want anyone to enter just to break it again.

Then he met you.

Even though he desperately tries to put his walls higher, it all came tumbling down, and before he knew it, he found out that you could melt away the ice surrounding his heart easily.

At first, Kenma was hesitant. He knew how his bestfriend crumbled at the betrayal and rejection that happened a few years ago. He knew how Kuroo fell apart and how he struggled to pick himself back up.

He doesn't want the same thing happening again.

Kenma disliked you at first, he thought that you'll break Kuroo's heart again even if you don't mean it. But then, he saw how much you both meant to each other. Even if you still don't realize it.

You both healed each other's wounds.

Taglist [Closed]: @decaffeinatedtealover @lulu-102 @whateverfeelz @ginsan-eyes @pluviophilefangirl @bakuhoesbro @aonenthusiast @amecchii @jadasz @random-734 @sleep3deprived @snflwrkenma @archishaya @kissungjae @sakusasimpbot @its-the-aerieljeane @dimsumhomie @jessie9008 @crapimahuman @outflannel @ysatrap @denkibutinsteadofpikachuitspichu @johnnysactualgf @just-a-saltine @nekomavsnohebi @acsycharm @sazunari @baby-jichu @felixsamour

[mistersshelby]

removing the dagger

hi yes it's me, yes i know i haven't updated my masterlist in ages, yes i am aware i have an unfinished wip that i promised to post months ago, i'm just a stupid fanfic writer begging her audience to love her!!!! anyway!!! i have two other things in the works that I'm hoping to finish, but in the mean time this is one shot i based on ivy and tolerate it from taylor swift's album evermore. i hope you like it, i missed y'all!!! send me asks pls i'm lonely

pairing: tommy x reader

masterlist

questions, comments, concerns

“We’ll be entertaining guests this weekend.”

You looked up from your breakfast plate in shock, wondering if your husband was addressing you or someone else. You gave the room a quick scan. No, it was indeed just you. “Alright.” You said hesitantly, “Who will be attending?”

He hadn’t looked up at you from his newspaper at the other end of the table. He felt miles away rather than a meter or two. “Just some business partners and their wives.” He finally looks up. You’re so unused to his direct attention you have to stop yourself from flinching away from his gaze, “You should go into town. Buy yourself a new dress.” Just as quickly as his gaze had met yours, he drops it again.

You draw your attention back to your breakfast plate, spreading butter on a scone before biting into it. “Do you need anything while I’m out, dear?”

“No thank you, love.”

The endearments don’t mean anything, this you know. It’s a formality. You’re husband and wife, and you speak to each other that way, but the words are empty. The truth is, day in and day out you watch him, you know all his routines. You hand him items before he can reach for them. Buy the book you know he’d been wanting for ages, but never got around to go to the store for. Refill the liquor cabinet before he can get to the bottom of a vodka bottle. And still. And still, he doesn’t see you. Not really. You leave the breakfast table to get ready to go into town and you know he won’t notice you’ve left until the maid clears your plate.

***

Another evening filled with pleasantries, pretty gowns, fake smiles. Men complimenting you and informing your husband how lucky he is to have such a beautiful, young wife. Your husband simply thanks them and doesn’t even look your way.

It’s not until he walks into the room that you feel you’ve been startled from sleep. He looks the same as you remember. There may be a few more lines around his eyes and mouth, but otherwise the same. Except now he looks like a walking weapon. That’s what the war had turned him into. You had kept tabs on him once you found out he had made it home from France, alive. The things you heard, the things this man that you used to love so dearly had done, well you suppose it didn’t surprise you. Tommy had always been too clever for his own good, almost too resilient. It made sense that France would have chewed him up and spit him out, kept most of the love and kindness he possessed.

But then his eyes find yours through the crowd and when he locks on you the same love and desire that had always been there, burns there now. No, the war couldn’t burn out his love for you. Your abandonment and consequential marriage that he read about in the paper couldn’t burn it out either. He’d love you until his dying day. And then he’s in front of you and words fail you, “Thomas,” You finally manage, “You… look well.”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, “It’s good to see you.” And he ever so gently lifts your hand and presses his lips to your skin. A chill runs through you and it takes all your effort not to snatch your hand away. His knowing grin tells you he’s noted his effect on you.

“And who are you?” Your husband interjects, noticing the affront that was greeting you before himself.

“Thomas, this is my husband, Benjamin.”

Tommy looks your husband up and down for longer than is polite before reaching his hand out to meet your husband’s, “A pleasure.” He murmurs.

“How do you know my wife, mister…”

“Shelby.” Tommy fills in for him, and then glances at you, “Your wife and I were--”

“Childhood friends.” You interject before he can finish and force a smile.

Tommy stares at you for a prolonged second before turning back to your husband, “Yes. Childhood friends.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Benjamin exclaimed, “You grew up in Oxford then, yeah?”

The confusion is evident on Tommy’s face so you jump in quickly, “Yeah! Both grew up in Oxford, isn’t that right, Tommy?”

Tommy looks annoyed at having to lie, but nods anyway, “That’s right.” He speaks with Benjamin for a few moments about business and you find yourself staring at him, the freckles on his cheeks you used to kiss so tenderly. His hair that you used to run fingers through. His eyelashes that used to tickle your skin when he fell asleep. His voice that used to whisper adorations in your ear while other women looked on with jealousy.

“I hope you won’t mind if I steal your wife for a dance, sir, I’d love to catch up with her for a moment.”

Benjamin gave him a disarming smile, a smile you hadn’t seen since he had courted you and it made your heart ache. He lifted his glass to Tommy, “She’s all yours.”

You managed a small smile as Tommy took your hand and led you to the center of the room. You could feel tears burning the back of your eyes at the familiarity of his touch. No one had touched you like this, well, since Tommy left Small Heath.

“Oxford, eh?” Tommy started, “What else did you have to lie about to become such an esteemed lady?”

You frowned, “I did what I had to do. It appears you did the same.”

He shakes his head, “I never lied about where I came from out of shame to achieve the lifestyle I wanted.” His voice is bitter, and you won’t lie, it stings coming from the only person who had made you feel like you were worth something.

“I’m not ashamed of Small Heath.”

“Everything about who you’ve married, to what you’re wearing, to the house you live in, to the lies about me suggest otherwise.”

“I didn’t lie about you because I was ashamed, Benjamin gets… jealous. It was just easier not to explain.”

“Does Benjamin have reason to be jealous?”

You looked into those blue eyes you had adored so long ago and saw the same longing and lust sitting there. Your lips part and you pause, trying to find the right words to convey that you were sorry for how things ended. That you wished things could have been different. But he senses your hesitation and his eyes go cold, those familiar walls that you had worked for years to tear down are back up in full force. You suppose it’s what you deserve.

“Forget it. Stupid question.”

“Tommy--”

“No, don’t. You’re obviously very happy here.”

And you realized as he said it that he was so incredibly wrong about that, “I’m not.” The words tumbled out before you could stop them. Your eyes begin to water before you can stop them, “I’ve never been more unhappy in my life.”

Concern floods Tommy features, “Is he hurting you?”

You almost laugh, “No, no he’s never raised a hand to me. He’s never even raised his voice to me. He just… rarely remembers that I exist is all.”

“Well he’s an idiot then.” The corner of your mouth turned up just a bit at his crassness. “Can’t imagine having you walk around this house day in and day out looking like that and not giving you the attention you deserve.”

You have to bite down hard on your lip to keep the tears lodged in your throat at bay, “Do you have a smoke?”

He frowns, “I can’t imagine Benjamin allows a lady like you to smoke.”

“Tommy, please, he won’t even know we’re gone.” Sure enough, when you look over he’s immersed in conversation, “Come outside with me.” You tug on his arm before he can respond, weaving through guests who didn’t give you a second glance.

Once outside, you gulp in the cold air and lean against the stone wall behind you. Tommy joins a few seconds later, “Are you alright?” He asks as he reaches into his pocket and takes out his cigarettes.

“Can you tell me about Birmingham? What’s it like now?”

While you smoked, he talked about his family and the business. How Polly was doing, and Finn who you could still remember being born. Arthur and his anger problems. John and his relentless jokes. And when your cigarette was nothing more than a useless stub, you noticed there were silent tears rolling down your cheeks.

Tommy glanced at you and then dropped his own cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath his shoe, “Why are you here if it makes you so sad?”

The reason you had married Benjamin was because you had promised yourself you would never have to go hungry again. You would never have to worry about someone breaking in and slitting your throat for a loaf of bread. You wouldn’t have to stare at dresses in shops anymore knowing you would never have enough money for it. You never wanted any children you bore to feel that pain either. So you had done what you thought was needed to obtain this lifestyle and now that you were here, it didn’t feel the way you expected it to.

You can’t answer him and instead you look up at the sky and snow starts to fall on your face. “It’s snowing.” You announce to Tommy. He says nothing and you get the feeling he’s annoyed with you. “We had our first kiss in the snow. Do you remember?”

He scoffs and pushes himself off the wall, “I’m not playing your games tonight, I shouldn’t have come here.”

“And why did you come here?” You call after him as he walks away, “Why the fuck did you come, eh? To rub it in my face that I made the wrong decision?”

He turns back to you and he has that cocky smirk on his face, “Listen to that Birmingham accent. Does your husband know his lady’s got such a dirty mouth?”

You don’t know why this is the remark that does it, but you take a sharp intake of breath and your lungs shudder with sobs as the tears pour down your cheeks. The smirk falls from Tommy’s face and he reaches for you, but you pull away. “Love, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to--”

“Darling?” Your husband stands in the doorway and both you and Tommy freeze, “What are you doing out here? You’ll catch your death out there in the cold.”

You close your eyes for a moment, schooling your features before you respond, “I’ll be just a minute dear, Mr. Shelby was just leaving. I was seeing him off.” Every trace of the tears was gone from your voice. Tommy would be impressed if it didn’t mean that you had clearly needed to practice seeming happy and upbeat when you were breaking inside.

It’s so easy how quickly he loses interest, Benjamin, and turns back to go inside without another glance. “Why did you come here?” You ask Tommy again.

He sighs, “I had hoped that seeing you happy would give me the closure I needed. Unfortunately, seeing you choose misery over me has only made me feel worse.” He says bitterly. Your face crumples and he steps away from you, “Goodnight, my love.”

When he’s gone you wish to scream and cry and you hate him for coming here and shattering the glass walls you had built around yourself to tell you that you were fine. You were fine with your finery and your loneliness and the gin you drink when Benjamin isn’t home. How he ignores the smell of it on your breath. His deliberate silence when you know he can feel your cries shake the bed at night. You thought you had packed Tommy Shelby neatly away in the far corner of your mind where you wouldn’t find him again. Wouldn’t remember what it was like to feel loved. To feel alive. But you remember. And now he’s gone again. Just like when he left for France. Just like when you wrote that final letter to him that you were to be married.

And so you walk back into that house of stone. You murmur to Benjamin that you’re tired and you’ll be retiring early. And he just nods, barely hearing you, like he always does. And you settle into bed and stare at the wall as the house goes quiet. And finally the bed shifts with his weight and his breathing settles and he doesn’t reach for you. He never does.

Goodnight, my love.

***

The mud of the road squelches beneath your shoes and you're conscious of the way everyone in Small Heath stares at you, walking around like this, but you’d had no choice. No trace of your old wardrobe before you married Benjamin existed. He hadn’t allowed it. You didn’t want any reminders, anyway. Besides which, you had told Benjamin you were out for lunch with a friend and had dressed appropriately. When you swing open the door to the Garrison, you don’t see any Shelbys, but everyone stares at you nonetheless. You imagine word will travel fast to Tommy that you’re here.

Sure enough, as you finished your first drink, you heard the doors swing open and a hush fell over the occupants of the bar. You didn’t look up when he sat next to you. “What are you doing in my bar?” He said, his voice was demanding and cold.

“Having a drink.” You said as the bartender slid you another.

Tommy took it from your hand and dumped it on the floor, “Don’t give her another one.” He said to the bartender. “I asked you what the hell you’re doing here, don’t try my patience.”

“I was drinking that.” You said through clenched teeth.

“You’re drunk, you’ve obviously been drinking all day, surely Benjamin darling noticed that before he let you leave the house, eh?”

You turned to him, eyes bloodshot and unfocused, “I came here… Because you never told me… If you remembered our first kiss.”

He stares at you for a few moments, “You came all the way to Small Heath to ask me if I remember our first kiss?”

You blink, “Why are you just repeating what I just told you?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, “Yes, I remember it. Now will you go home?”

“I am home.”

“This isn’t your home anymore, you made sure of that.”

“How is what I did any fucking different from what you did? I married him to fuckin’ survive. That’s it. And you would’ve done the same in my place.” While you were talking you kept trying to get the bartender’s attention, but he was purposely ignoring you now, “Will you please tell your bartender to get me a drink?”

He leans in close to your ear and you still, “You could have married me. I could have given you everything if you had just waited.”

You turn your head to look at him and your lips are just inches from his, “I didn’t think you would come back, Tommy. So many men were dying every day, I didn’t think you would come back and I was running out of time to find someone else to marry. I’m sorry.” You don’t know if it’s the alcohol that makes you brave, but you lean into him just a little bit and he doesn’t move away. So you close the distance between you.

The kiss is quick, and you pull away to gage his reaction. But his eyes only dart from yours back down to your mouth before his fingers graze your chin and gently pull you to him again. You can’t believe how alive it makes you feel to be kissed, really kissed, by someone who wants you.

“You’re drunk.” Tommy says finally, pulling away.

“So what?”

“So you wouldn’t be cheating on your husband if you weren’t drunk.”

You snort, “I would do just about anything to feel the way you made me feel again.”

He shakes his head at you, “Fuckin’ hell, Y/N. So, what? You’re just going to have an affair with me and I’m supposed to be satisfied with that?”

“What do you suppose we do instead?”

“Leave him and marry me.”

He’s so sincere, and for a moment you allow yourself to think that you could. “You know I can’t do that.” You say quietly.

He nods and lowers his head, “Then I’m not sure how I can help you, Mrs. Davies.”

His use of your married name feels like a blow, “I know you feel the same as I do when we kiss, isn’t it worth it just for that?”

“I don’t do well with sharing.” He practically snarled in your face.

“I’m his in name alone. You own me, body, soul, and spirit, Tommy. You always have.”

Suddenly, he straightens as if he’s just now realized where he is. “Come with me.” He says quickly, sharply. You practically run after him and when you get outside, you see his horse. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

“Where are you taking me?”

He rolls his eyes, “Can you ever just listen to me for once?” And without asking permission, lifted you up by your waist enough to get you on the saddle. When he comes up after you, you hesitate before wrapping your arms around his waist to keep yourself steady. It reminds you so vividly of just a few years earlier, you allow yourself to sink into the memories. It doesn’t take you long to realize he’s taking you to your old haunt. An abandoned house in the middle of the woods, overgrown with ivy.

“Why are we here?” As he helps you down from the horse, your faces nearly collide as your feet touch the ground. He seems to want to kiss you, but holds back.

“I waited here for you for days when I got back.” He says, walking away from you and towards the house. “When you stopped sending me letters, I had a feeling you had changed your mind, but I still hoped.”

You blink, “You never got my letter?”

He turns back to you, now leaning against a half demolished wall, “Did you send me a letter to tell me you were marrying that wanker? I honestly thought it was kinder that you hadn’t.”

You swallowed, “Yes, I sent you a letter.”

“And what did it say?”

You sigh, suddenly you’re frustrated with him, “That was years ago, Tommy, can’t we move on?”

He laughs, but it’s cold, “For you it was years ago, I’ve been living in this hell you left me in ever since. I didn’t get to move on to palaces and dinner parties and expensive champagne. I came back here and started another war, all in the hopes that one day I could provide for you and you would come home. And all the while you’ve been sleeping in another man’s bed.”

You look down at your feet. You understand the anger and the resentment he holds. After all, you knew when you sent that letter if he survived the war he would never forgive you. But here he was, some sort of dark, fallen angel, standing in front of you. Spreading over you again like ivy, the same way he had when you were younger. “I know I can’t take back the pain I’ve caused,” He was already scoffing and turning away from you, “But I’m here now. And so are you. And all I know is that being with you again makes me feel something and I haven’t felt anything since I sent out that letter.”

“So just like that, you think everything’s fixed?” He storms up to you, trapping you against the wall behind you. “You think you can just pop back in, say you’re sorry, and everything’s all better?”

You roll your eyes, unimpressed with his display of anger, “Of course not, Tommy, I’m not stupid.” You reach your hand out and delicately trail your fingers down his chest, “I just think… That it’d be a shame to deny each other what we both want.”

Without warning his hand clamps around your wrist and slams it against the wall behind you. It doesn’t hurt, really, but he did catch you off guard so you wince anyway.

He leaned forward until his lips brushed your ear, “Who said you could touch me without explicit permission?”

A chill went down your spine at the sound of his voice and you find yourself smirking, “Don’t need permission to touch what belongs to me.” You still know exactly what to say to piss him off.

He shoves you against the wall again, “You think this is fuckin’ funny, eh?” He leans down to look you eye to eye, “Am I laughing?” He pushes himself off the wall and turns away from you, “Always a fuckin’ joke to you.”

“Tommy, I thought… I’m sorry, I thought we were teasing--”

He rounds on you, “I don’t fuckin’ joke when it comes to you, do you understand? None of this is funny to me. It may be all a big joke to you with your fancy house and your upper class husband, but I lost the one thing in my life that had value and I don’t think it’s fuckin’ funny for you to shit all over the marriage that you thought was good enough to abandon me for in the first place!”

It’s all so absurd you nearly snort, “Do you think this is fun for me? Do you think I like living with the knowledge that I gave up the love of my life for someone who is rarely home, and when he is home doesn’t even spare me a second glance? My husband hasn’t kissed me in six months.”

“And so now you think you can have both?”

Tears shine in your eyes as you gaze up at him, “Can’t I?”

You can see the internal battle going on behind his eyes, caught between wanting you and not being able to truly have you. You knew he would give in to you, though, and maybe you felt a little guilty about that but you couldn’t afford to let your mind go there. You just needed someone to touch you, someone to really, truly desire you.

And Tommy gave in. He pushed you against the wall again, his mouth finding your mouth in a lust-filled frenzy. You moan in equal parts surprise and delight as his hands roam your body, pulling you up until your legs wrap around his waist, back firmly pressed to the wall.

You might pay for this sinful offense against your marriage one day, but today you will simply relish the way Tommy tastes.

***

“You’re quiet this morning.” Benjamin notes a week later during breakfast. “Actually, now that I think about it, I can’t remember the last time I heard you say a word. Is everything alright, darling?”

You look up from your plate where you had been pushing your egg around aimlessly and force a smile, “Everything is perfect, darling, why shouldn’t it be?”

He watches you closely for a moment, miles away on the opposite end of the dining table. You don’t believe he’s watched you like this since courting you. Then, in a flash, the moment is broken and he returns to his paper, “We should have dinner, just you and I. I have that business trip coming up and I’d like to spend some time with you before I go.”

You try not to narrow your eyes too deliberately at him. A proper lady never thinks too hard about her husband’s motives, she just acts delighted to be considered. But this was unlike him and you would find out why. “That would be lovely, dear.”

***

Your arm rests delicately on Benjamin’s as he takes you inside the restaurant he had made reservations in. He was going on and on about the lobster and how you should get one too and what drink to pair it with and it was all so fucking boring your eyelids grew heavy with sleep. You hadn’t seen Tommy since that day at the abandoned house.

Afterwards, he had taken you on the horse until you were a mile away from the house and insisted on being dropped there.

“I can take you further, he won’t see me.”

“It’s alright, Tommy. I like the walk.”

He had hopped off his horse with you and cradled your face in his hands, kissing you goodbye, “I’m still upset with you.” He said and kissed you again, harder. He bit down on your bottom lip hard enough to make you yelp, “This doesn’t change anything.”

But it changed everything, hadn’t it? For you, at least. You understood Tommy’s anger and resistance though. Maybe this would be the only taste of him he’d ever allow you again while you rotted away in that mansion of stone. “I’m sorry.” Was all you could manage, your foreheads still pressed together, before lightly pushing yourself off him and walking down the road without looking back.

Eventually, you heard his horse walk away and you did your best not to cry.

“Darling?” Benjamin’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts. The two of you now sit at a small table in the corner. You’re buttering a roll absently, you couldn’t remember picking up the bread. “Darling, are you alright? I’ve been asking you to pass the butter.”

“Yes,” You said, reaching across the table with the butter dish in hand, “I’m sorry, my mind ran away from me.”

“And what were you thinking about?” He asks, taking the butter from you.

You blink, shocked that he would ask you such a thing, “Sorry?”

“What’s got your mind so occupied that I can’t seem to keep your attention?” He smiles when he says it and you realize he’s… teasing you.

“Oh, it’s nothing darling, I was just thinking about a dress I wanted to buy. I’m sorry that I wasn’t listening to you.”

He sighs greatly and for a moment you’re scared. Somehow he knows. He must know, otherwise-- “I realize that I haven’t been the best husband as of late. I don’t know what you spend your days doing, what you like, what you don’t like. I don’t kiss you in the morning or the evening when I come home from work--”

You’re shaking your head, “Benjamin--”

“You’ve been the perfect wife. Taking care of the house and entertaining guests, going out to the shop when I need something even if I haven’t asked. And I’ve ignored you. Aren’t you angry with me?”

Your eyes water and you sit back in your chair, looking down at your lap. Taking a breath you look back up at him, “You’re my husband.” You shrug, “I do what I must even if I don’t get anything in return.”

He hesitantly covers your hand with his own, “I’ll be better. I promise.” He sits back, “That friend that you went to lunch with the other day, what was her name?”

The fear returns all over again as you lightly dab at your eyes, “Martha, she’s a friend from Oxford.” The lie comes easily, too easily.

“Is she married?” Before you can answer, his eyes light up, “Oh! She must be that gentleman’s wife, the one who was at the party last week. Shelby, I believe his name was.”

Slowly, you nod, “Yes, that’s right. Martha’s husband is Thomas.”

“You should invite them for dinner, after my trip!”

Oh, fuck. “Oh, Benjamin, that’s so sweet of you dear, but you don’t have to--”

“I do.” He covers his hand with yours again, “I want to learn more about you. Your friends. What better way to do that than get to know the people you grew up with?”

You force a smile, “That sounds lovely.”

He smiles back, “It’s settled then! You iron out the details while I’m away and then just let me know which evening, alright, dear?”

“Of course.” You say, still forcing that smile. How the fuck were you going to get out of this one?

***

“Are you out of your mind?” You had summoned Tommy yet again by drinking at the Garrison and he had stormed in here ready to toss you over his shoulder and kick you out himself. But you had managed to get him to share a drink with you and you told him your new predicament.

“Well, yes, but that’s hardly the point.” He looks so annoyed with you, you almost laugh, “Please, Tommy. I’ll never bother you again.”

He snorts, “Yeah, that’ll be the day.” He knocks back the rest of his whiskey and then pushes the glass to the bartender, signaling for another, “This is really what you want?”

You bite your lip, “He seems sincere. Like he really wants to try.”

“But do you love him? Do you love him the way you love me?”

No. There would never be a love for you like Tommy. You look down at your hands. Either way you answer, Tommy will be hurt. But at least this way he could go on thinking that you’re happy. That you don’t need him. Maybe this way he’d fall in love with somebody else. The thought sent daggers through your heart, but you knew you had no one to blame for that but yourself. He should be happy, he deserved that. “Yes.” You lied.

His eyes shuttered and he looked away from you, “Alright. I’ll help you, then.”

You sigh in relief, “Thank you.”

“Now get the hell out of my bar.”

You manage a small smile and nod, sneaking out without another word.

***

The door buzzed and you nearly smiled, “That’ll be the guests, darling.” You moved behind Benjamin, squeezing his shoulder as you passed, “I’ll get it.”

When you opened the door and saw Tommy standing there with a tall, beautiful woman, you couldn’t deny the hurt that rushed through you. You had asked him to bring someone, you reminded yourself, you had told him he needed to bring a fake wife.

You step aside to let them through, “It’s good to see you, Tommy. Martha. Come in.”

“Your home is so lovely,” The woman said. You weren’t sure if you just felt like she was staring daggers at you or if she was. How much did this woman know of you and Tommy? Just from the way she looked at Tommy, you could tell she had feelings for him. He had probably fucked her at some point. You ignore the painful tightening of your stomach at the thought. Tommy, for his part, seemed bored by her.

“Thank you.” You gestured for the maid to take their coats and you couldn’t help the way your breath caught as Tommy took his off. Then his hat. And his gloves. Those hands and those rings and-- You looked from his left hand to hers. They were wearing wedding rings. You supposed it shouldn’t have surprised you, they were supposed to be married. But the sight painfully stole all the breath from your lungs. You wondered if this was how Tommy felt when he saw you. You turned away from it and guided them into the drawing room, immediately going to get a drink while Benjamin bored them with talk of business.

You didn’t expect for it to hurt so much, seeing him with someone else. Even if they were just fucking, you felt like you couldn’t breathe as you stumbled into the kitchen. The kitchen staff ignored you as you braced your hands on a table, looking down at it and trying to catch your breath. They were used to you having breakdowns here. The staff liked you because you treated them like people when Benjamin wasn’t around. When he was on his trips, you’d invite them all to eat with you in the dining room and they were some of the most fun dinners you’d had since marrying Benjamin. So they let you cry in here and didn’t speak a word of it.

When the kitchen doors open abruptly, you stand immediately, expecting Benjamin, but it’s Tommy who stands there instead. “What are you doing back here?” You asked with annoyance.

“Why are you crying?” He asks, and you hate the concern that floods his face.

“You shouldn’t be back here, Benjamin might come looking for me--”

“I told him I would go look for you, he seems quite charmed by Lizzie, he won’t come looking.”

“So her name’s Lizzie then? She’s lovely.”

He’s quiet a moment, “So you’re sulking in here because I brought another woman here, something you asked me to do.”

“I’m not sulking.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“We should go back out there,” You begin to walk around him, but his hand clasps on your upper arm and pulls you back.

“Does it hurt? Knowing I’m fucking someone else?” He whispers in your ear.

Tears sting your eyes and you realize he’s done this on purpose. He wanted to hurt you. You look up into those ice blue eyes to show him yours that are shining with tears, “Are you happy now?” You wrenched your arm from his grasp and left the kitchen, putting on a smiling face as you left.

Tommy watches you closely for most of the evening and you think that normally Benjamin might notice his predatory gaze, but Tommy was right. He’s enamored by Lizzie. They share touches and longing glances, even when you place your arm on top of Benjamin’s to signal that he’s yours. He just pats your hand and draws his arm out from under yours all without looking away from Lizzie. So when Tommy excuses himself for a smoke, you follow him out, not even bothering to excuse yourself.

“Ol’ Benjamin is really giving it his best shot with you, eh?” Tommy says immediately when you walk outside. You don’t say anything, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of your anger. “Can’t say I blame him,” He continues, “Lizzie’s a great fuck.”

You close your eyes, “I know what you’re doing.”

“And what am I doing, love?” He makes the endearment sound condescending and you hate him for that.

“You’re trying to get me angry so I’ll admit that I lied to you about loving Benjamin.”

“I saw the way you looked at the wedding rings when I took off my gloves,” He inhales on the cigarette in his hand, “I don’t need you to say it.”

“Then what, you’re just rubbing it in because you’re a sadistic fuck?”

“So you are angry, then.”

“Yes!” You threw up your hands in exasperation, “Yes, I’m fucking angry that I thought maybe Benjamin did love me only to see him touch and look at that woman in there more than he’s touched me in over a year! And I’m fucking angry that you are also fucking her! I’m jealous, I’m fucking burning with how jealous I am that she gets to touch you and I don’t! Is that what you want to hear, you fucking prick?!”

God help you, he has a cool smile on his lips, “Yes, sweetheart. That’s what I wanted to hear. Would you like to go make your husband terribly jealous?” He reaches a hand out to you.

You’re frowning at him and you shake your head, “I don’t understand.”

“Sure you do, I’m helping you get what you want.”

“But why?”

He lowers his hand, “Do you want the truth or the lie?”

You swallow, “Truth.”

He brushes the back of his knuckles against your cheek, “Are you sure? It’ll break your heart.” He says softly.

You smile sadly and bring his hand to your chest, right above your heart. Your eyes glitter with unshed tears as you look at him, “Already broken.”

You almost miss his sharp intake of breath at your admission. You suppose he’s happy, happy that you were in so much pain after shattering his heart. “So?” You say.

“The truth is that,” He swallows, “The only thing that hurts me more than you not being mine is seeing you so fuckin’ sad. So let me help you.” You look up at him with those big sad eyes that practically scream at him how much you love him. He can’t stand to look another second, “Come on.” He offers you his hand again.

You place your small hand in his and he brings you back inside, not even dropping your hand as you pass your husband and Lizzie who are looking even cozier than when you left. He brings you to the drawing room in view of the dining room and finally drops your hand to go to the gramophone.

You feel Benjamin’s eyes on your back, but you don’t turn, focusing on Tommy.

A smile breaks out on his face, “I knew you’d have it.”

He holds up a record that the two of you used to listen to so often, you had had to replace the record a couple years back. A small smile forms on your lips, “Tommy, are you sure?”

When the two of you were together, you had taken a dance class together, mostly as a joke, but then you surprised yourselves when you had so much fun with it. Soon, you were choreographing dances together and Tommy was spinning you around that abandoned house. It seemed lifetimes ago and you couldn’t believe that the man who went to France and came back ready to kill any man standing in his way would still know or want to dance with you like when you were barely adults. But he’s beaming at you now, hand extended and the song is starting.

Biting your lip to hide your smile, you curtsy to him before taking his hand and he did a slight bow in response. And then he’s whisking you around the room. You can tell he hasn’t done this in a while and neither had you, but as the song picks up you lock eyes with him. You hadn’t seen him this happy since before the war. The sight sends such a thrill through you, you laugh, and suddenly you’re both in sync.

The weight of both Benjamin’s and Lizzie’s stares nearly break you, “It’s just me and you,” Tommy whispers, noticing how the light had dimmed from you just a little, “Focus on me.” And you do, losing yourself in the music and Tommy’s touch. Tommy dips you, your head falling back and upside down, you can see Benjamin and Lizzie, their eyes on you just like you thought. Tommy pulls you back up and you nearly crash into his chest as the song ends. He clutches your hand to him and your foreheads nearly touch as you both breathe hard.

There’s footsteps behind you and you turn to look to Benjamin, a smile still on your face, and his hand collides with your cheek. There’s only silence for a few seconds and it takes you all of those seconds to realize that Benjamin has hit you and before you’ve reached that conclusion, Tommy’s fist is already connecting with Benjamin’s jaw.

“Stop, stop.” You reach for Tommy to pull him off your husband, “Tommy, that’s enough!”

He had only punched Benjamin twice before you were able to pull him off and then he’s looking at you, “Are you alright?” There’s such concern in his eyes, he even brings his hands up to your face, eyes darting back and forth to assess the damage.

But your husband is still here so you push him away, “I’m fine, you should go.”

He’s looking at you like you’re crazy, “I won’t leave you with him.” He says quietly enough that you’re sure you’re the only one who heard him.

“Yes you will.” You look at him with cold, calculated calm. Your husband is still lying on the floor with stupid Lizzie coddling him, “You both should go.” You repeat.

Tommy is still staring at you and Lizzie has risen from where she was crouching next to your husband, placing a hand on Tommy’s arm, “Thomas, let’s go.”

You hate the familiarity of the touch, you’re able to tell she’s done it several times before. “Listen to your wife.” You say bitterly and that ice in his eyes is back. He simply backs away from you, Lizzie pulling him out the door.

“You humiliate me.” Benjamin says, now sitting upright and dabbing at blood at the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief. It gives you sick satisfaction that Tommy had made him bleed.

“You humiliate yourself.” You say coldly.

“You danced with him like… Like you were some whore.”

You flinch at the insult, “I told you I knew him from Oxford, we took ballroom together. We were simply reminiscing.”

“You think me an imbecile,” He chuckles, “I saw the way you looked at each other. You’ve never once looked at me like that.”

Now you laugh and the sound makes him flinch, “Benjamin, when we met I looked at you like the sun and the moon set on your command, do not insinuate otherwise.” Your voice shakes with anger, “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to touch and talk to me the way you talked to Tommy's wife all goddamn night. That’s why I danced with him. I wanted to make you jealous, I didn’t think you’d hit me.”

He’s shaking his head, “That doesn’t change the fact that you once bedded that man and then brought him into my house.”

You stare at him blankly, “If I recall correctly, you were the one who invited him here. And I daresay, Benjamin, with the way you were with his wife I have no doubt what you do on those business trips. I will not be made the villain when all I’ve done is begged for your love from day one.” He looks away from you at that and you relish how you’ve made him submit to you after being submissive for so long, “I’m going to bed, you’re welcome to wallow here in your weakness if you’d like.”

***

Tommy drives in silence with Lizzie next to him, quietly fuming. He has half a mind to turn around and drag you from that house himself, but he knew you’d never forgive him for that. “Was a bit daft to dance with her like that in front of her husband, don’t you think, Tom?”

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, the only indication of his agitation, “Was a bit daft to flirt with her husband in front of her for three straight hours, don’t you think, Lizzie?”

“He advanced on me--”

“No,” Tommy’s shaking his head, “No, don’t give me that bullshit. You knew what she meant to me and you went in there to purposely hurt her. Well congratu-fucking-lations Lizzie, you won.”

“As if you didn’t enjoy seeing her hurting after she left you.”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t know.” He said dangerously.

“Fine, Tommy,” She says, slumping in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest, “Let her destroy you again, went so well for you the first time.”

He doesn’t respond as he knows there is some truth to what Lizzie is saying. He would let you destroy him again, he would give you his last breath if that was what you wanted.

***

When you wake the next morning, Benjamin is gone. The maid told you he left in the early hours of the morning and handed you a note.

I know what he is and I know what you are. Don’t be here when I return.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Who had told him? How had he figured it out?

The answer was obvious. It had to have been fucking Thomas, trying to force your hand after you refused to leave with him. You crumpled the note and ran back upstairs to get dressed. You figured you had a few days until Benjamin came home, maybe you could still sort it out. The first order of business was going to yell at Tommy.

***

When he sees you walking down the streets of Small Heath looking murderous, he wonders what he’s done. Maybe this is a response to the previous night, but you hadn’t seemed homicidal when he left you.

“What the fuck did you tell him?” You greeted him by shoving him against the nearest building. He raised his arms in bored surrender, not wanting to cause a scene, but you didn’t seem to care about that, “Did you turn around and come back and tell him everything? Do you think I’ll run off with you now that I have nowhere to go?” Tears run down your cheeks now and he frowns in concern, “Well I won’t. I’m fucking done with you, Thomas Shelby. I don’t care if I have to beg on the streets--”

“What are you talking about?” He interjects finally. You look him over, eyes darting over his face and you can see there’s genuine confusion there. He didn’t do this.

Rubbing at your eyes, you sit on the nearest surface, trying desperately to keep the tears at bay, “He knows who you are. Which means he knows who I am. He’s kicking me out.”

He gently puts a hand on your elbow, “Come inside. Please.”

For once, you let yourself be guided. He brings you inside the building that says Shelby Company Limited on the outside and then suddenly the rest of the Shelby family is staring at you.

“Tommy,” Polly says softly, staring at you with a hand on her heart, “You told us she was dead.”

You blink and then turn to Tommy who won’t look at any of you, “She was.”

Tommy Shelby had told his whole family that you were dead rather than go through the humiliation of explaining that you had left your old life behind in favor of another. Left him behind. You supposed, in a way, you had died.

Polly’s gaze drifts to your hand where you’re fiddling with your wedding ring. “Oh, Tommy. Tell me you haven’t killed someone’s husband.”

“Not yet,” The words send a jolt through you, “Stay here.” He orders, squeezing your shoulder.

“Tommy, wait,” He turns back to you, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to kill him before he ruins you and then you’ll have your pick of any lord you’d like. Maybe one of them will actually love you this time. Isn’t that what you want?”

It feels like a dig though you’re not sure he meant it to be one, “No.”

Sensing the energy in the room, the rest of Tommy’s family dispersed, leaving the two of you alone.

“What d’ya mean ‘no’?” There’s a bit of anger in his voice, “You don’t want to be with me, you don’t want to be a lady anymore, are you gonna live on the streets?”

“For your information, Thomas, if I wanted I could make a living for myself,” He scoffs. “But you’re wrong.”

“About what?”

You bite the inside of your cheek, eyes glittering with tears, “I do want to be with you.” After finally uttering the words, you brace yourself for rejection.

He stares at you and then rubs a hand over his face. He begins shaking his head, “You don’t mean that.”

You walk to him and reach your hands up to frame his face. You expect him to move away from your touch, but he doesn’t. When you gently stroke his face with your thumbs he closes his eyes and you truly understand how you had broken this man in front of you, “I do,” You say again, “And I’m sorry for ever making you think you didn’t deserve me.”

Finally, he does push your hands away and walks to the window on the far side of the room, his back to you, “I still want to kill him.” He says softly.

You frown, “Tommy--”

“If you weren’t in that room last night I would have kept punching and kicking and gouging his eyes out with my bare hands for daring to put a hand on you.” His voice is dangerously low, “Is that still the kind of man that you want?” He finishes bitterly.

He would kill a man for you. The thought sends a thrill through you. “I’ve spent the last few years of my life with a man who didn’t even attempt to learn my favorite type of jam, Tommy, do you understand?”

“It’s strawberry.”

You raise your eyebrows, “What?”

He finally turns to you, “Your favorite jam, it’s strawberry. I used to wait in line for hours in the summer when strawberries were in season to get some for you.” He smiles a bit to himself at the memory, “It was always worth it for the smile and kiss on the cheek you gave me.”

Tears finally cascade down your cheeks as you recall the memory, “I’d forgotten about that.” You say softly, “Tommy, it’s me who doesn’t deserve you.”

“You told me minutes ago that you wouldn’t run off with me, that you were done--”

“I know,” You say, “That’s when I thought you had betrayed me, that you wanted to force me to be with you--”

“I would never force you to be with me.” He says fiercely, “I would never force this life, this fuckin’ hell, on anyone.”

You shake your head, “I know what you’ve become since you came home. Knowing all of that, knowing what you’re truly capable of, I still choose you. I know you’re my only chance of real happiness.”

He stares at you for another few moments, “So you’ll marry me, then? The whole bit?”

You smile, “I imagined this whole bit to be much more romantic, but yes, I’ll marry you, Thomas.”

“You can’t change your mind once Benjamin comes back, it’s me or you figure out your own way.”

“I’m not choosing you because of the money. I’ve had the money, all it did was make me miserable.”

He steps to you and runs a thumb over your lips, “You’re really mine then, eh?”

“You know,” Familiar mischief lights up your eyes, “Benjamin won’t be back for a few days… What do you say we drink his expensive wine straight from the bottle and fuck on every surface we can.”

Tommy finally cracks a smile, “God, I fuckin’ love you.”

You laugh and go up on your toes to kiss him. He immediately dips his head to you, breathing you in deep as he kisses you. His tongue slides along your lip until you open to him, awarding him with a soft moan. His tongue strokes against yours and you feel hot need for him pooling between your thighs when he pulls away.

He relishes the pout on your face at his absence, “Save it for Benjamin’s bed, princess.” He smirks and tugs you out of the building, lifting you onto your horse. And as he rides, your arms wrapped around his waist, you only wish you had had the wisdom to choose Tommy Shelby first.