#yes it's not even noon leave me alone

[seagullcharmer]

sigh. feeling very shy and lonely in this chili's tonight

[nellandvoid]

me sneaking into the kitchen at 3 am for some mac and cheese

i gave the wayfinder a bit of a redesign cause i felt like her old mask may have been a bit clunky, so here’s a quick sketch showing off the new digs! her mask is still broken up into 3 pieces, but is held together magnetically by the visor - each piece can be worn separately, and each has an important purpose (top section mainly intimidation factor lol, middle section is audio and visual processor that translates alien languages and scans area for threats/makeup of landscape respectively, bottom section dimensional translator and oxygen tank plus intimidation factor)

also i updated the purpose of her extra arms - they’re semi-sentient permanent arm braces after a serious injury in the nightmare realm

[monzabee]

bad idea right? – ln4

masterlist

Summary: The one where seeing Lando tonight is a bad idea, right?

Pairing: lando norris x ricciardo!reader

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings: mentions of breakups and also fighting, cursing, kind of a toxic relationship?, allusion to smut, it's criminal how long it took me to finish this fic

Request: this wasn’t requested, but the idea is veeery loosely from this tiktok right here! (i might def write the scenario in the tiktok in the future though)

Author’s Note: hi, hey, hello!! it has officially been a month since i started my master's programme and i have to say it is absolutely kicking my ass, but thank you all for bearing with me while i adjust! this song has been stuck in my head for the last two-three (?) months and i really wanted to write a fic based on it. i also wanted to say that i've received all of your guys' requests, and i'm working on those, but it's harder for me to get out a request than a fic that just popped in my head because i tend to be more of a perfectionist with those - so, those are definitely on the way, don't worry! i hope you guys enjoy! good morning, noon or night wherever you are, xoxobee

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms. 

It’s not that you don’t like spending time with your brother and his girlfriend – because you do, but considering the fact that spending a mere hour with them causes you to suddenly question your life choices (of being single), you are very eager to leave them alone for the night. Which brings us to the current situation, with you standing in front of your brother’s apartment complex in one of the hoodies you stole from the sample boxes, waiting for someone you should’ve never hit up in the first place. It was probably not your brightest idea to message Lando to ask him if he wants to go for a ride, especially because a) the last time you saw him a year ago the two of you were yelling and throwing things at each other and b) you’re definitely buzzed from the bottle of wine you hogged upstairs. But you know what they say; absence makes the heart go fonder, right?

So there you are with your phone in your hand, texting Lily in hopes of getting the tiniest bit of reassurance about your decision.

To lily m: i texted lando To lily m: he’s gonna pick me up From lily m: WHAT? NO To lily m: seeing him tonight To lily m: it’s a bad idea, right? From lily m: YES From lily m: DO NOT GET INTO THAT CAR To lily m: yes i know that he’s my ex, but can’t two people reconnect?

Fuck it, it’s fine, you decide as you quickly delete the last two messages. With a soft sigh, you wrap your arms around yourself to shield yourself from the cold air of the night. And while you could just wait for Lando inside the apartment building, you really don’t want to attract more attention to yourself. You can feel yourself getting more and more nervous as the minutes pass by, and you even contemplate cancelling the whole thing and going upstairs to sleep. Just as you’re about to give up on the whole thing, a car honk grabs your attention. When turn to look at the source of the sound, you see Lando’s unamused face through the open window.

He motions you to get in with his head, his voice as equally detached as he calls out, “Get in.”

Rolling your eyes at his behaviour, you do as your told. But you tell yourself that it’s not because he told you to, but because you’re cold. And so you get in the car making sure you slam the door as hard as you can, which makes him scowl as a small smile forms on your lips. “You know, you could really try on being more polite.”

“I’m picking you up in the middle of the night,” he points out as he puts the car on drive and starts driving off, “and put your damn seatbelt on.”

You give him a sideway glance as you put on your seatbelt, letting out a sigh, “Are you okay? I’m sensing some serious undertone.”  

Lando doesn’t answer you, mainly because he is smarter than he looks and he knows you’re trying to goad him into another fight. That’s what the two of you had always done, not that he hated you or vice versa, but the two of you mainly got along in fights which ended up in both of you twisted between the sheets of the whatever hotel you were currently staying in. And it had worked for a while, until of course it didn’t, and Lando was mature enough to admit that he had a huge role in fucking up your relationship.

“You changed your car,” you point out.

“Thought you’d appreciate a roof over your head this time,” he replies.

The car is silent as Lando drives down the now empty streets of Monte Carlo, and you find yourself involuntarily checking out his side profile because well, he always looked so good while driving. You suppose it’s only one of the things that didn’t change with time.

“So,” his voice draws you out from your thoughts, “why’d you call me tonight? Are you drunk?”

“I am not drunk,” you scoff, crossing your arms across your chest, “if you don’t feel like being here Lando, I can just get off and go home.”

“Now I didn’t say that, I simply asked a question.” He steals another glance at you, but this time a little smirk forms on his lips when your eyes meet and he sees your scowl. “It was a harmless question, really.”

Your voice comes off as clipped as you answer, “I’m not drunk.”

“Your cheeks are red,” Lando points out but the playfulness from mere seconds ago is gone, in fact, he’s more serious than you’ve probably ever seen him, “you either had wine or your rosacea is acting up.”

It takes a moment for you to take in his words, and there is no humour in his voice or on his face when you look at him to see whether he’s joking or not. “I had some wine,” you confess, voice much lower than before as you add, “but I’m not drunk.” One of his eyebrows rise up, and you find yourself mumbling, “Fine maybe a little bit, but not a lot.”

His jaw ticks as he mumbles, “Okay, whatever you say.” And as you try to assess whether his voice is cold or not, you see his hands tightening around the steering wheel.

“What?” You ask, a bit quicker than necessary (in your opinion), “What did I say?”

Now it’s his turn for his voice to be clipped, and his eyebrows furrow as he asks, “Did you only call me because you’re drunk?”

“No,” your reply is truthful to some extent, you suppose, you would’ve texted him even if you had no alcohol in your system. “I wanted to see you.”

He lets out a hum, “Why?”

It’s a hard question, and you contemplate not being a hundred percent honest – but deep down you know he deserves better, even if you had your differences. So, to reveal the truth, you turn your face away from him to look outside the window, “I missed you.”

He doesn’t say anything, and you don’t turn to see what his reaction will be. Everything is peaceful for a moment.

He takes you to a hill, the very one he took you for your first date. Though, it doesn’t carry the same excitement this time around. The two of you remain in the car with the windows rolled down, but the colder air doesn’t make you chilly. It’s silent, but it’s not an uncomfortable one. Neither of you make the first move to start a conversation, and you don’t know if that’s because you’re both obstinate or he doesn’t want to be there. Though, you suspect he would’ve told you ‘no’ if he didn’t want to be there – not that he could ever tell you ‘no’.

It's unnaturally hard, you realise, not looking at him on purpose when he’s seated so close to you. Especially because you haven’t seen him in months. Not that you’d confess that to him, or let yourself have another weak moment where you say you missed him. Because you can’t. Because it’s not the way the two of you operate. Because he broke your heart but you’re not strong enough to let him go. With that last thought, you take a sharp breath, undo your seatbelt and get out of the car. You lean against the hood of the car and he soon follows suit. But where your hands are splayed behind your back, his arms are crossed over his chest.

“You’ve not been sleeping.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement. Because he is not dumb (or blind enough) to let the circles under your eyes slide.

And it’s a statement that might be true. You only give him half of a shrug, “So?”

“It means that something is bothering you.” You’re about to object, but he quickly shuts you down, “I once drove you around for four hours so you could sleep in my car, honey,” his fingers move to gently turn your chin towards him so he can look into your eyes, “and that was because you forgot to bring me back junk food from Australia.”

Even if you’re taken aback by his physical touch, you don’t show it as you stubbornly maintain your eye contact. “It’s the jet lag, I haven’t travelled in a while.” You gulp down a breath as you gently push his hand away, “And don’t call me that.”

“Why?” He turns his body to face you, “You’re just as sweet, aren’t you?”

“Lando,” you warn him, “don’t.”

He raises a brow, “Why not?”

“Because we’re friends,” your response comes off in an instant, “I only see you as a friend.” The biggest lie you’ve ever said.

“Friends,” he repeats, tests out the word, then shrugs, “sure. Now tell me what happened tonight that made you call me. Did you and Daniel fight?”

“What?” an involuntary laugh leaves your lips, and you catch the corner of his lips turning upwards just the smallest bit. “No, we didn’t, it’s not about Daniel. Can we just not talk about it, please?”

He gives you a firm nod, and you catch his grimace as he turns his attention back to the view in front of you. “You can tell me, you know,” he mumbles, “you used to.”

He’s right, you realise. You used to tell him all the little thought that popped into your head, whether it was nice or not, and he’d accommodated your thoughts. It was easier to talk to him, once upon a time, and you’re not really sure why it hurts so much right now that you can’t.

“Why do you care?” The question comes out quickly, and your voice is not as strong as you’d like it to be. “After everything, why do you care?”

“We’re friends, right?” The words tastes unbelievably sour in his mouth, and he has to restrain himself from making any sort of face, but it seems harder than it actually is for him to do and he questions whether it is worth it to

“Friends,” this time it’s your turn to test out the word, and it tastes as bitter as they come, “sure, can we ride around a bit more?”

“Fine,” he gives you a nod and motions you to get in the car, “but I have to get gas first.”

The fluorescent lighting of the gas station is definitely not the most flattering thing. So much so that you’re sure the unflattering light outside is exaggerating the bags under your eyes. But that situation of course doesn’t apply to Lando because even under the harsh lighting, he looks too pretty. And compared to earlier in the night, you don’t try to hide the way your eyes focus on him while he’s driving, though you hope you do a much better job at hiding the thoughts that come to your mind. Even after he’s parked the car in the nearest pump, you find yourself staring at his side profile a bit too long, which earns you a sideway smirk and you try your hardest not to react, but the smile you keep trying to fight is too strong and eventually you find yourself with the tiniest smile playing on your lips.

Lando turns towards you, meets your eyes and leans over the console, “Do you want anything from the shop?”

You blink once, trying to come up with anything, twice, then “Can you get me those gummy bears that I like?”

He gives you another nod, reaches into his pocket and then hand you his phone. Ignoring your questioning stare, he explains, “So that you can play music or something, the password is still the same.” Before he gets out of the car, he does the unexpected and leans in just a little bit more to press a feather-light kiss to your temple.

You watch him get out of the car and walk away from you with your mouth slightly hanging open. You contemplate trying to unlock the phone, because why would he tell you that his password is the same? And why would he trust you with his phone when the two of you have been broken up for over a year? With shaky hands, your fingers put in the password, calling Lando’s bluff. Oh shit, you think when the phone unlocks, now what? Throwing the phone out of your hands onto the driver seat, you grab your own and quickly type a new message to Kika, who of course got the news from Lily and has been blowing up your phone, while ignoring her dozen other messages who went unread in your text thread.

To kika: this was a bad idea kika Tokika: a very *very* bad idea From kika: please tell me you’re going home To kika: um… To kika: sure From kika: GET OUT OF THAT CAR AND GET YOUR ASS HOME From kika: NOW!!

Chewing on your lower lip, your eyes linger on the messages spamming your phone, and you contemplate just getting out of the car and trying to find your way back home. But you also can’t help yourself but think… what’s the worst that could happen if you stayed? Clicking the button on the side of your phone, you place it face down on your lap after making sure you silence it for the rest of the night. With the reminder of the abandoned phone on the seat next to yours, you open your window to let some of the night air in. As your phone keeps buzzing on your lap, your eyes focus on the figure that comes out of the convenience store – and by some grace of God, he doesn’t realise the way your eyes basically undress him as he approaches his McLaren.

There’s no smile on his face, in fact, if you didn’t know Lando, you’d say he looks like an asshole; not that he occasionally doesn’t act like one. He gives you that boyish smirk when he’s next to your window, signalling you to roll it down by tapping on it twice. Lando leans against the car, his eyes locked onto yours. “Got your gummy bears,” he says, holding up the package and handing it to you once you roll it down. “It was the last one too, you’re lucky.”

Giving a tight lipped smile to the man looking expectantly at you, you accept the packet of gummy bears. “Thank you, Lando,” the softening look in his eyes is, ironically, strong enough for you to choke on the next words that are on the tip of your tongue. “I–”

“I’m sorry to bother you, are you Lando Norris?” A third voice interrupts you, and you find yourself moving your gaze from Lando to the woman who’s excitedly waiting for a response.

“Yes,” he breathes out, and you can tell he’s trying to keep his voice polite but he’s also very annoyed at the same time – though the way he eyes up the stranger definitely makes your blood boil.

With his attention on the woman, you find yourself feel the tension in the air and quickly look down at the packet of gummy bears in your hands. You start absentmindedly picking at the wrapper, your mind racing with a mixture of emotions. As the conversation between Lando and the fan continues, you steal glances at them from the corner of your eye. She's gushing about a recent race, talking animatedly about the thrilling moments she witnessed. Lando, for his part, is gracious and engaged, taking the time to listen and respond. And despite the polite exchange, you can't help but feel a pang of jealousy. It's a reminder of the world he's a part of, a world where fans approach him with admiration and excitement. A world you used to share, but now only observe from the sidelines.

You watch the woman place her hand on Lando’s bicep, laughing at a (rather mediocre) joke he made about the understeer of the car. It’s not a funny joke by any means, and you are not scared to admit that the woman’s laugh that fills your ears makes your insides twist uncomfortably. You remind yourself that you're here by choice. You could have left at any moment. But there's something about this night, about being with Lando again, that you can't quite let go of. It's a confusing mix of nostalgia and longing, wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty.

The woman’s voice hits your ears as you hear her ask, “Do you want to come back to my place?”

Without letting them both know that you’re actively listening into their conversation, you attempt to subtly let out a warning cough, but Lando covertly smirks as he leans towards the car with his hand grabbing the lowered window – without caring about the possible finger prints he might leave behind, might you add. Without any hesitation, you let your fingers go of the packaging to thread your fingers with his.

While his thumb gently starts to draw circles on the knuckle of your thumb, he does his best to supress the chuckle building up in his throat. “That’s, um, very kind – but I’m with my girl, you see, and we are both pretty tired.”

Maybe you would’ve given her a friendly smile over a misunderstanding if you were in a better mood, but as the woman looks at you with wild eyes, all you can offer her is an annoyed pout, and soon after she leaves after apologising to you both for interrupting your plans. You watch her leave until there is a good enough distance for her to not hear you, and then turn to Lando and give him a glare as you hiss, “I am not ‘your girl’.”

He finally lets out the chuckle he’s been holding as he watches you letting go of his hand with an exaggerated push, and then diverts his amused eyes towards you, “Sure, whatever you say, jealous girl.”

“I am not– I wasn’t jealous!” you exclaim, eyes narrowed. When he starts walking towards the driver’s side, you can’t help but call out, “I’m not jealous!”

Lando is still chuckling to himself when he gets in the car, and even as he starts driving, completely ignoring your whining complaints. “That’s alright, honey,” he says, voice full of condescension, “it was very cute.”

“You are an ass.” You roll your eyes as you cross your arms across your chest. “Maybe I should’ve gotten off when I had the chance, that way you could’ve fucked her in the back seat.”

“Bold of you assume she’s the one I’d want to fuck in my back seat,” he raises an eyebrow, then shrugs “but sure.”

Your face scrunches up in disgust, “You’re, ugh, you’re just the worst, Lando.” Shaking your head in disbelief, you add, “I can’t believe I’m arguing with you over you fucking girls in your car.”

Lando manages to get out a disapproving tut, and then contends, “I never said I’d fuck girls in my car, I’d said I’d rather fuck you in my car.”

Completely baffled by this revelation, not that you should’ve been, you turn to him in disgust, “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He shrugs again, noncommittally, and without paying you any mind continues to focus on the road.

“Well,” you laugh, breathlessly, “good thing that’s never happening.” Gently clearing your throat, you later can’t help yourself but add a silent, “Again.”

“If you’d rather a bed, that could also be arranged, honey.” Lando assures you, and you realise the little fucker has a smirk growing on his face.

“As if I’d sleep with you willingly,” you scoff.

A boisterous laugh is what you get from Lando, who tilts his head towards you, “Come on, I’m a good-looking bloke.”

“And I’m sure I’ve seen much hotter man,” you sing, but you just can’t remember when. So deciding to block out what Lando is rambling about, you pull out your phone to message someone who has the answer for you.

To lily m + kika: can you tell me someone who is hotter than lando? From lily m: alex From kika: pierre To lily m + kika: ew, be serious please From kika: what about the guy with the accent, from hungary? From lily m: the doctor? To lily m + kika: i think she meant the reporter From lily m: god no he was a creep From lily m: what about the surfer? From kika: oh yeah he was cute too To lily m + kika: i need someone hot, pleaseee From lily m: THE MODEL FROM MILAN From kika: WITH THE ABS From kika: and also porche From lily m: BUT ALSO THE ABS To lily m + kika: okay thanks To lily m + kika: love you guys

Getting lost in the conversation, with the aid of your ambition to prove yourself right and, naturally, Lando wrong, you don’t realise that he’s actually driven you back to his apartment instead of a bar or literally some other place that sells alcohol in that ungodly hour.

“This isn’t a bar.” You point out, eyebrows furrowed.

Lando dignifies your comment with a scoff, “Well aren’t you quite the detective?”

Crossing your arms across your chest, you basically hiss at him this time, “This is basically kidnapping.”

Lando glances at you, a playful glint in his eyes. “Kidnapping? Really? I thought we were just catching up.”

You shoot him a sarcastic look, but can't help the small smile that tugs at your lips. “Yeah, sure. Catching up in the middle of the night at your place.”

He parks the car and turns to face you, a smirk dancing on his lips. “Well, here’s my proposal. I’ll go to my apartment and you’re free to either join me or drive my car back to Daniel’s – I’ll come pick it up tomorrow.”

You hesitate for a moment, considering your options as you watch Lando give you an assuring smile and handing you the keys before getting out of the car. Going back to your brother's place doesn't sound all that appealing, and Lando's offer, as questionable and a bad idea as it may be, seems like the lesser of two evils. Though, there is also the reality that if when you go up to his apartment, you’re probably going to do something that either you or your friends will regret tomorrow morning. Watching Lando’s retreating figure move further into the apartment building, you think, fuck it, it’s fine.

So, you wait for a few minutes, anxiously twirling the car keys in your hand to make him wait – but you’re pretty sure it makes you suffer just as much. You take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and then climb out of the car. Locking it behind you, you follow Lando into the building. The familiar scent of his cologne hits you as you step into the elevator, and a wave of nostalgia washes over you. The elevator ride going up to the second floor is pure torture, and it leaves you squirming in your place the whole time. Basically throwing yourself out of the elevator once it lands on the second floor, you realise that Lando has been waiting for you, standing and smiling at his door.

He gives you a teasing look as you approach, clearly amused by your slightly dishevelled state. “Took you long enough,” he remarks, unlocking the door and holding it open for you. But instead of saying anything or retorting back, you quietly follow him inside his apartment. Lando closes the door behind you, the sound echoing through the quiet apartment. The dim lighting casts a soft glow, creating an intimate atmosphere. The first thing that catches your eye is the helmet collection he keeps in the living room. Without saying anything, you quickly make your way over to the shelves that display the helmets, trying your best to avoid his approaching footsteps behind you. The familiar design of a particular helmet has you instinctively tracing the number at the top, and the arms that hug your waist from behind makes you freeze for a moment. Lando's touch is both familiar and foreign, stirring up a mix of emotions you thought were long buried.

“That's from Monza, 2021,” he says, his voice close to your ear. The warmth of his breath sends a shiver down your spine.

You clear your throat, attempting to regain composure. “I remember,” you reply, your fingers still lingering on the helmet.

For a moment, neither of you speaks. The weight of the past and the uncertainty of the present hangs in the air. Lando breaks the silence, his voice low and measured. “I wasn't sure you'd actually come up.”

You turn to face him, meeting his gaze, but don’t attempt getting out of his arms. “I didn't think so either.”

Without breaking eye contact, he slowly leans in, his lips brushing against yours. It's a tentative touch, a testing of waters, and you find yourself responding to the familiarity of the kiss. The taste of the past lingers, and for a moment, it's as if the years haven't passed. But reality crashes back in, and you pull away, the distance now a necessary boundary. Lando looks at you, a mix of emotions playing on his face. There's longing, regret, and an unspoken acknowledgment of the complexities that bind you.

“I thought we could just catch up,” he says, his tone a mix of apology and yearning.

You turn in your place, facing him. “Catching up was never our strong suit, was it?”

“Not really,” Lando shakes his head, “no.”

You bite down on the corner of your lip, threading your fingers through his curls as you pull his face down to meet yours as you rise on your tiptoes, “It’s a bad idea, right?”

Lando lets out a supportive hum as he lets his lips softly brush against yours, “The worst.” And maybe he should have been the gentleman and pull away, but when he sees your eyes closing, he just leans in further to press his lips against yours – and the way you respond to his kiss? It's as if the world outside ceases to exist. The kiss deepens, each brush of his lips against yours reigniting a long-buried flame. Lando's hands find their way to the small of your back, pulling you closer, erasing the physical space between you.

You don’t complain as he pulls you towards his bedroom, or when he gently throws you on his bed, the anticipation hanging thick in the air. As he hovers over you, the weight of the past and the intensity of the present converge. His hands trace the contours of your face, memorizing every curve as if committing it to memory. And when the two of you get lost between each other within his sheets, the only thing that ends up coming from your mouth is either his name, or some sort of encouragement to keep him going. After he manages to wear you out, Lando decides that you’re definitely not going anywhere as he wraps you in his arms around you. The room is filled with the soft sounds of breaths syncing, hearts beating in tandem. Lando's fingers draw absent patterns on your skin while you check the messages that have accumulated in your phone. The glow of your phone illuminates the dim room, creating a subtle contrast to the warmth that envelops you. Lando's presence beside you adds an extra layer of comfort, a silent acknowledgment of the shared intimacy that unfolded moments ago.

From danny: please tell me you didn’t get kidnapped by the organ mafia From danny: wink twice if you’re alive From danny: this is not funny, where are you? From danny: fine i’ll ask alex to ask lily

Rolling  your eyes before sending him a text to let your brother know you’re okay, you decide to turn your attention to the group chat with Lily and Kika.

From kika: did you get home safe? From lily m: daniel is pretty stressed about it From lily m: please for the love of god tell us you’re home and not with lando right now To lily m + kika: omg just calm down i’m in bed To lily m + kika: and i’m going to sleep To lily m + kika: love you guys

You catch a glimpse of Lando’s grin over your shoulder as you click your phone off, but he only chuckles as he buries his face into your neck as he leaves small kisses to the skin there. “Well, I’m not lying, I just didn’t specify where I was.”

“Or in whose sheets,” his laugher gets louder as you jokingly slap him on the arm, “go to sleep, honey, we’ll be tired in the morning.”

And it might’ve been a bad idea to message him in the first place, but it certainly doesn’t feel like one.

[noveauskull]

Tysm for feeding us with ur wuwa smut fics bro <33 and btw since requests r open as u said, can u pls write the NSFW reaction of wuwa men when their fem s/o is always half-naked when their both home alone?? Lol, and if they ask why their s/o is so relaxed to just roam and walk around their private home nearly naked, s/o just shrugs her shoulders and says something like: “We’re a couple, now— are we not? I don’t see the problem here.” EHHEEHEEHHEHHEHEH >:333 (Again tysmsmmss amd have a good day/noon! 🫶)

How WUWA Men React When You Walk Around The House Half-Naked (NSFW)

characters: jiyan, mortefi, geshu lin, yuanwu, scar, aalto, calcharo x reader

warnings: suggestive behavior, teasing, not really all the way, just a short post, nsfw

-----

Scar:

He doesn't mind when you walk around half naked, matter of fact he'd go walking around half naked with you

You just know that he's purposely trying to hug you just to feel your skin on his

Somehow the two of you would end up fucking

"Why bother wearing clothes at this point?"

Sometimes he even rubs himself on you while you're half naked, sick pervert

He encourages it a lot

-----

Yuanwu:

He's flustered by your confidence, but glad enough you trust him to see your body

Despite being a gentleman, he is still a man, so he'd often times stare at you while having a nice sip of tea

"Aren't you cold?" You were in fact, not cold at all. The only shivers you get is when you feel a pair of eyes on you

Suddenly he's smiling at you and offering you to help him get his glasses in the bedroom

And now he's pinning your hands to your head and kissing you

You didn't mean to be provocative, but it happened anyways

-----

Mortefi:

"WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?"

He's panicked at first but he gets used to it later, a bit of a drama king but when you pointed out on him revealing his chest he just blushes and sighs in defeat

Definitely ogling at you, he especially loves the way he could see your boobs when you're only in your bra

At one point when he stands too close to you he's already pinning you to the wall and kissing you

"If this is your way of teasing me then it's working" He's say while blushing profusely

-----

Jiyan:

He's shocked but he doesn't say anything, instead he just tries to avoid staring at you and hopes you'd out some clothes on

But you don't, you're still in your underwear and it's getting really bad for his heart to see you walking around so freely

When he feels like he wants to talk to you about it, he'll wrap his arms around your waist and make you stare into his eyes and ask you if you were interested in going to bed together to fuck

And of course you say yes, cause he's already slipping his hand down to grope your ass, leaving you no choice

Jiyan likes it when you wear less in front of him

-----

Aalto:

He starts acting like he saw you for the first time and starts flirting with you

You didn't expect him to wrap his arm around you and slip his hand into your bra though

Now he's trying to have a conversation with you while he's teasing your nipple, just so you would get wet

"Oops, almost forgot about my food in the microwave" He stands up and leaves you alone on the couch, wet and confused

But you're definitely gonna keep walking around half naked, that's for sure

-----

Geshu Lin:

"What do you think you are doing?"

He acts like he has a problem with it but when you remind him that its only the two of you and that he's already seen your body suddenly hes fine with it

But he will still complain about it

Eventually he gets tired of complaining and just carries you to bed, telling you that now that he's hard you have to take responsibility for it

Tsundere Geshu Lin?

-----

Calcharo:

He's like a big dog, staring at his owner and wondering what to do or say

For some reason, he'd start putting blankets or towels on you

"Is this a new way to make me turned on?"

Before you know it he's fucking you with the same clothes you had on half naked

He ends up wanting you to walk around the house half naked anyways

-----

A/N: SORRY FOR MAKING IT SHORT ANON I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO DO AND IM PUSHING OUT REQUESTS SO THIS IS PROBABLY NOT SATISFACTORY BUT I HOPE MY OTHER POSTS MAKES IT UP TO YOU 😭😭

[vagabond-umlaut]

affaire de cœur

Plucking one's heart from their chest and devouring it is all 'affairs of the heart' meant to the King of Curses— until his Queen walked onto the stage of his life, that is.

▸ trueform!sukuna x wife!reader; comprises of elements inspired by the tale of 'hades and persephone'; gallons of domestic fluff between sukuna and reader; hints of spicy times; no warnings except sukuna is very much sukuna here but you too are there, so he's sort of a better sukuna... [not loads better, though]

▸ belongs to the series 'mine? yes, mine.' but you can treat this as a stand-alone fic if you wanna!

▸ i don't own the characters, the image or the divider used. please don't plagiarize or translate or repost this. enjoy reading! ❤️

"Repeat those words after me, my lord."

"No."

The pouty face you vault his way from the other end of the bathhouse makes Sukuna huff an annoyed sigh. Few monsoons back, you would never even see him in the eye, gaze trained on his feet – until he lifted your chin up; even then you would shyly avert your gaze — yet, now?

Now, you show the boldness to wear such a pathetic expression while making such an imbecilic request– nay, demand of him– locking your gaze with his the entirety of the time, no less.

Another sigh finds its route past his lips. Watching the way those sin-filled lips of yours twitch in a tiny smile before dipping into a pout, he groans.

"Alright. Fine," Sukuna grumbles, resting his two arms on the edge of the tub while the other two move to card through his damp hair, "Will you ever leave me for another, woman?"

Your eyebrows rise for a beat, the second the question you chomped his ears off earlier for, leaves his mouth. Your lover rolls his eyes, loud scoffs erupting from him at the utter inanity of the whole situation at hand — you, not beside by him, but beside those damned towels and bath soaps; him, not soaking in the warmth of your flesh but of these bath waters; the humid bathhouse not resonating with the sounds of your whines but with the remnants of a query, whose answer he does not care the least for, for no matter what you say or do, he will not—

"Yes, I will."

Your clear voice scatters his thoughts away, akin a strong wind and a handful of chaff. Sukuna freezes, every crimson eye of his fixed upon your approaching figure– your soft footfalls, your yellow yukata, your simple hairdo, your angelic smile...

Your husband takes a while too long before discovering his lost voice, eyes narrowed, throat tight and chest heavy as he asks you, "You will leave me, pet?"

"Uh-huh, I sure will," you hum in response, sitting on the stool next to the tub and moistening a towel. Sukuna moves to grasp your wrist in his palm but pauses when he catches you switch your attention from the towel to him, a terrifying emotion brimming in your tender gaze.

You draw in a tiny breath before speaking, voice now a mere whisper.

"Show me someone who is the most feared creature to ever exist, yet is a sulking mess if he isn't being cuddled in bed till noon every single day; someone who detests humans like I detest carrots, yet visits the monthly market in secret, to get gifts for his close one; someone who everyone's told me is the worst, yet goes on to prove, again and again and again, how he's the absolute best in this world—"

You stop suddenly.

Chest growing heavy from an entirely different reason now, your lover drinks in the manner your smile widens, your fragile fingers letting go of the cloth to trace those markings on his skin instead – you resume.

"Show me someone whose embraces feel the safest place in all the three realms, and I swear, my king, I'll leave you and run to his arms without thinking twice."

For the first time in his millennium of existence, the two-faced curse feels the same distress of being paralysed, as his mere mien induces in the muscles of his miserable victims— except, it isn't the fear of an end to his life which is causing this abhorrent weakness to him unlike those worthless mortals��� no.

It is the fear of the unknown, of the uncharted, which is rendering his powerful self so, so powerless before your blinding brilliance. Sukuna thinks death might be an easier journey to undertake than these odd realisations your voice and touch elicit in him always.

These days, more so.

This moment, very much so.

The addicting timbre of your voice rouses him from his musings, the second time that night.

"Is every–"

"Is that supposed to be a love confession?" Your husband cuts you off before you can finish your question. You slowly blink at him once then twice, before leaning backwards and picking up the forgotten cloth, a visibly coy giggle bubbling out you as you return to washing his skin.

"Yes," you agree after a beat, gaze darting to his face before skittering away again, "That is supposed to be a love confession for my beloved king; though I wonder what my lord thinks of it. Was it heart-touching as I intended to make it? Or did it sound too tedious to him?"

The addressed being deliberately makes a big show of rolling each of his four eyes at your query. "Neither," he says, curling his lip in a show of vexation before they lift a little at the lower lip you jut out, "And you should count yourself to be lucky that you're my wife, not a worthless mortal, pet. For if you were not my wife–"

"– you would've sliced me into halves without a moment's hesitation," you finish the rest of the sentences for him with a fond shake of your head. "Trust me, my king, I know you. I do, I rea– Sukuna!!!"

The startled shriek of his name— not my lord or my king but Sukuna —parts the curse's lips in a smirk, which widens on noticing the warm water slowly seeping into your clothes, making them translucent; and you staring up at him with a disbelieving look etched onto your pretty face.

Sukuna allows his smirk to melt away into a genuine smile, for once.

Nestling your drenched form closer to himself, he closes his eyes to rest his forehead on your shoulder, palms holding you as if you were not a member of the race he lives for the sake of tormenting, but an invaluable blessing, beings he has never believed in, sent earthward for his damned self.

Which is true, the curse reckons. You indeed are a blessing he knows he doesn't deserve – yet will keep for and with himself for an eternity and some more.

Pressing you closer to himself, your husband lifts his head to plant a kiss to your forehead, followed by your warm cheeks — hoping you'll understand the meaning behind every reverent contact he's marking your form with now.

After all, you know him really well, don't you?

[You do— which is only why you reciprocate every brush of his sharp canine over your skin, with a brush of your soft palm over the wicked, handsome, wickedly handsome visage of the love of your life.]

▸ masterlist

[pomefioredove]

*does a little dance*

vil prompts you say? Can i get your take on Vil being confronted by Yuu's real and imminent return home? And it's their only chance too (ie. the portal can only be opened with a meteor traveling overhead and surprise surprise its passing NOW they have three days max)

*does a little jig, going away*

you guys love torturing this man omg. so much angst. I'm about to pour all my abandonment issues into him ikyk

summary: yuu leaving type of post: short fic characters: vil additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, angsty, post-book 7 author's note: my partner has been ignoring me for the past few days (I can't figure out why) so vil is about to experience pain, as he should

There are only six visible letters in lonely, and a thousand more hiding behind them.

The word carries such a weight with it, its meaning and its leaden implications, crushing the lungs of all who dare to shoulder it. It's a sore, tender sort of hurt, one that constricts the chest and numbs the limbs. Paralyzing, strangulating.

They say beauty is pain, but Vil has never felt more hideous in his life.

He had known; of course he had known. There was always a possibility you'd get your chance to return to your home, a world alien to him, and never come back. He'd been preparing himself for that reality from the moment he met you.

It didn't make it hurt any less.

Love is blind, but it's ignorant, too. Vil had pushed that thought to the back of his mind, covering it up with an if rather than a when, like throwing a veil over a tombstone. He had convinced himself that the chances of you leaving were slim, that when the time came, years from then, he'd be ready.

He wasn't counting on a few months.

"It works for about three days," you explain, a giddy smile on your face. He forces himself to share the expression. "The spell is so powerful, it can only be cast under specific circumstances... if I miss this, who knows when my next chance will be?"

Vil is an actor, yes, but this is different. This isn't something he's reading off a page to a room full of production assistants and actors. This is you and him, alone, tangled in an uncertain future with no ending in 12-point Courier.

His voice cracks. "That's wonderful,"

Sevens, is he selfish.

A part of him wants to slap you across the face and call you an idiot for even thinking about leaving him here, let alone being excited about it, but he can't even move his feet from where he's standing.

He should be celebrating with you.

He should be happy that you get to escape this terrible place. You get to go home, where you're accepted as you are, and loved, and where you belong...

But you belong with him. He accepts you. He loves you. Why do you need anyone else? What can they offer than he can't?

It's an egotistical fantasy Vil holds in the back of his mind for the rest of the day, one where you wake up and realize that your place is here, by his side, and not a world away from him.

He tries to convince himself it's not the end yet. Perhaps the spell will fail. Perhaps Crowley will change his mind. Perhaps someone else will overblot and throw the school into chaos. Each thought is more indulgent than the last, but without them, he might have lost his mind before noon.

What is he supposed to do?

Smile and wave while the only person who has ever understood and loved him unconditionally leaves him forever? Make a fool of himself pretending to be happy for you?

Every second without the certainty of seeing you the next day feels like an eternity.

It's wrong. He knows that. He can't keep you chained to the foot of his throne like a pet. You want to go, don't you? That's what you've wanted all along.

Once again, Vil only comes in second.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

End Game 4

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, age gap, stalking, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your gaming buddy asks to meet up but it doesn’t go exactly as planned.

Characters: Andy Barber

Note: I'm a sleepy babay.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

There’s a finality to the tap of your thumb. You hold the block button for a moment before you let it go. The window pops up asking if you’re sure. Yes. Certain. This is just a mistake and when you’re older and wiser, you’ll be thankful you made it. If you even remember it. 

You lay back and put your phone down. Done. Over. No more Jacob. No Andy.  

Maybe you’ll go back and see Kara again, or she can come here, even if she hates this town. You can at least be thankful that it reconnected you two, and you have to be grateful to learn a hard lesson. Don’t mess with strangers online. You’re better off alone. 

You close your eyes. You’re exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, and yes, physically. Who knew scooping ice cream could be so much work? 

When you wake up, you’re sore and still groggy. The sun peers in at you brightly in the slat between the curtains. You groan and hide under the pillow. Your shift starts at noon. You can’t spend all morning doing nothing or the whole day is wasted. 

You drag yourself out of bed. Your grandma is still asleep. You’re sure she was up until dawn with her latest haul from the used book store. You clean up the cluster of wrappers around her chair and tidy up the kitchen, dumping the old coffee and brewing a new pot. 

You go to grab your phone and pause as you see an unusual notification. Your email? Huh. You don’t really use that besides for school. You open it up, thinking it might be about enrolment. No. It’s him. Andy. Holy moly. 

You scroll up and down, skimming the blocks of text. Oh god. You hit delete. You’re not reading all that. You said what needed to be said. 

You have your coffee and load the machine for whenever your mother gets out of bed. You eat and wash up, catching up on some Youtube before you make yourself get your uniform on. You head out, walking to work to enjoy the sunshine, and key in between tying on your apron and chatting with Gavin, the high schooler who does half-shifts every now and then.  

He leaves at four and you have your complimentary cone just after five. Peanut butter chocolate; classic. You eat at the window as you watch the mostly empty street. Your phone vibrates and you slide it out, hoping to take advantage of the lull. 

WhatsApp request? No way. The shammy recruiters always want a piece of you. At least you never fell for that. 

You bite into the cone and your phone suddenly blows up with Insta notifications. Bots! Ugh. So annoying. Every new follower is faceless with some generated name. You mute the notifications and put your cell away. You really are a boring person. 

As you look up, tires crush over a patch of gravel and your barely catch a glimpse of the car as it rolls just around the corner. You feel like you’ve missed something. Maybe your grandma is right about you always having your nose buried in a screen. Who is she to talk? She lives in her novels. 

Your shift ends at eight. You lock up and stop by the convenience store down the block. Nothing special, just a tray of carbonara you can shove in the nuke. As you pay at the counter, the door chimes to signal another customer. You accept your meagre meal as the other patron strides into the aisle. You don’t look over as you go directly for the door. You’re starving for more than a scoop. 

Your footsteps seem to echo through the dull streets. The frozen meal makes your hand hurt as your other holds your cell phone close. You text Kara as you finally get through the essay she wrote about Calvin’s latest antics. You wish you could convince her to play something. You feel aimless without an analog stick under your thumb. 

There’s a scuff, close behind you, loud enough to make you jump. You fumble with your phone and glance over your shoulder. You don’t see anything but the thick oak outside Luella’s. Ugh. Alright, you need to eat and lay down. It hasn’t been a busy day but still a long one. 

You pass through your grandma’s front door. She’s where she always is, in her chair, but something’s off. Something’s different. The smell of pollen hangs in the air and a pot stands on the coffee table with several white orchids tall in the soil. You frown. The last time you got her flowers, she didn’t even put them in a vase. 

“Oh, those are pretty,” you say. 

“Mph, not mine,” she grumbles, not looking up. 

“Not... who’s...” 

“Delivery man said your name. I didn’t read the card. I’m not a snoop.” 

You nod, thankful at least that she isn’t nosy. You go to the table and examine the pot. Who would send you flowers? 

You take the card off the tall pronged stick and open the envelope. You slide out the paper and unfold it. 

‘I know I’ve told you a million times, so I’ll show you how sorry I am instead. Yours always, Andy.’ 

You nearly drop your handful. Your eyes flick up to the pot and you have to stop yourself from pushing it off the table. What the hell? How... how does he know where you live? You never even mentioned what town you’re from. He only knows your college and it’s so small, he wouldn’t have heard of it. 

It’s enough to unsettle you. That he knows where you live is bad enough but the flowers themselves make a point. It’s not over. He’s not walking away but what else can you say to make him? Didn’t he get it? You think were pretty nice considering. 

“You got some boy?” Your grandma raises her eyes from the page. You can’t remember the last time she even bothered looking at you. 

“Not exactly,” you tuck the card away and put it in your pocket. “I’m going to make my dinner.” 

“Eh,” she grumbles, “fine. Get them flowers somewhere else. They stink.” 

You lift the vase, hugging it around the pot, and carry it from the room. You balance it against your hip and go into the kitchen. You use your free hand to pull open the freezer and put the pasta inside. You’re not so hungry anymore. 

🎮

The irises are pretty. The pot they came in is fancy, probably expensive. It underlines once more the gap between you and the real Jacob. Between you and Andy.

It only reminds you of how ridiculous you must have sounded. So, you just can’t understand why he’s doing this? Why is he still trying? For you? A girl with dwindling hopes of even finishing her low-tier college degree. 

You try to forget. You don’t have a shift that day but you can’t just sit around. Usually, you would. You’d hole up in your bedroom and play video games. Not anymore. He ruined that. You’re disappointed you’re letting him. 

You got down to the library for a while and wander around. There’s nothing there you’re very interested in. They still haven’t got the latest release in the series you’d read in high school. Oh well, you’ll wait around until one day you learn the fate of those revolutionary spies. 

You walk the main strip of the town. It isn’t very extensive. There’s a coffee shop and the used bookstore which also carries hobby supplies. There’s the same diner that’s been there since you were a kid and the interchangeable business that open and close year after year. 

There’s a vibe in your pocket. It’s not Kara. Another WhatsApp request, more Insta bots, and Discord. You haven’t been on the server in ages. You couldn’t keep up with all the channels and most of it was arguing about mining strategies. 

It’s Andy. Frig. You should’ve blocked him there too. You just hadn’t thought of it. 

‘Did you like the flowers?’ 

You don’t answer but he’ll see that you read it. It isn’t long before he’s typing. 

‘I am still very sorry. I wish you’d talk to me. Hear me out.’ 

Hear him out? He said everything. His son is dead and he lied to you. That’s not anything you can hash out. 

‘I know you’re not working today. I’ll make a new world and we can chat there.’ 

No. That’s not going to happen. Over. O-V-E-R. It’s done. You’re not going to be like Kara. When you cut the cord, it’s snipped. 

You won’t answer. That’s just bait. He’ll keep nibbling if you do that. You press the chat settings and block. That’s better, you can’t breathe. 

You put your phone on silent and back in your pocket. You wish you had the money to try the sushi place. It won’t last long in the bodunk town so you probably won’t ever get to. Oh well. Back on campus, they sell decent California rolls at the cafeteria. Decent, not necessarily good. 

You go home. To your grandma’s house. It doesn’t always feel like home. You know she’s counting the days until you leave. You are too. 

You wish you were brave enough to apologise. To say sorry your mom and dad didn’t want you. That she got stuck with you. It feels like saying it out loud would be worse. Just wallow in the unspoken resent, one day you won’t ever come back and maybe then you can both be happy. 

In your room, you don’t know what to do with yourself. Your Switch taunts you from across the room. You want to mine or race or even scare yourself with some Hellblade. You can’t. More Youtube. More wasted time. That’s what people like you do; people from small towns with no one who loves them and no money; waste time. 

The mindless videos help you relax but not forget. You just can’t get rid of the little tickle at the back of your head. There’s a tinge of shame that remains and a sliver of guilt. It will go. It has to, one day. 

You catch yourself staring at the orchid. You can smell it. You want to throw it away but that feels rude. Even if Andy would never know, even if you shouldn’t care. He hurt you, didn’t he? He lied. Well, you could give it to Mahalia next door, she loves flowers. 

You lay in indecision. You don’t want to do anything but lay there. Now that you’re still, you have no strength. Your day off is chipped away in your laziness.  

The next day awaits you with another shift at the booth. And the day after and the day after. 

Your fourth day in a row and you get a new Discord message. You know even before you open it, even by the blank avatar and nondescript username. It’s him. Just leave me alone. Let it go. Let me forget. 

‘I know you don’t want to hear from me but I need you to hear me. I can’t stop thinking of you and what happened. I can do better. Please, let me apologise.’ 

Blocked. Again.

Work. Again.  

You’re half asleep as you fill cones with soft serve. You smile and swallow yawns, faking it for the hyper children and cheerful couples. 

When it slows, you work on cleaning the freezer, switching out empty containers with ones from the deep freeze. As you check the soft serve, there’s a tap on the open walk-up window. Oh shoot. You should’ve been paying better attention. 

You turn back to greet the next customer but as you approach the window, your chest deflates. Frozen, like the tubs around you. You stare at Andy as he smiles at you. He wears a short-sleeve button up with blue, grey, and white stripes. His hair blows in the soft breeze. 

“Do you have butterscotch ripple?” He asks brightly. 

You blink and hesitate. You don’t know what to do. How did he get here? How did he find you? Why is he here? 

You reach for the window and before he can stop you, you shut it. You lock it from the inside and step back. His face falls and his brow arches as he stands straight. He says your name, his voice muffled by the glass, and puts his palm to the barrier. 

“Please,” he begs. 

You shake your head and turn your back to him. If your manager was here, you’d be in shit. That’s a no-no. Never turn away a customer, only shut the window when you lock up. 

You ignore him and go back to tidying. There could be a line up out there but you don’t care. Your hands are shaking and it’s not just the temperature.

You just can’t believe he’s there. You can’t believe he won’t just give up. You don’t want to believe it because you’re afraid. You’re terrified and he seems entirely clueless about how scary he’s being. 

Flowers are one thing but showing up at your job? That’s a flaming red flag that even you can see. Not only because you told him plainly that you don’t want to talk to him again, but because he’s a grown man. Fortysomething and he can’t take a hint. Why would a man his age want to talk to someone as young as you? That’s another red flag on its own. As if catfishing you wasn’t enough. 

[probablyspooky]

Traitor (2010 Predator X Fem! Reader) Pt.3 Final

Its Time girly Pops

Last

"Yes love?", you ask, sitting up from your nest of furs and pelts, your mate slowly lowers himself to you.

"We are leaving...", he mumbled, "This trip was not successful, I was wrong to bring you here, I will take you home, and then come back alone when I can get a second chance"

You sighed, cupping your mates face, giving him a gentle kiss on the armored mask.

"Very well," you agreed, getting up from your nest, packing your items and then eventually getting on the ship and taking off back home.

It was a short trip back, you felt back you had ruined the trip by basically getting kidnapped by the game. Berserker could sense your sadness and promised that when you returned back to the clan, he would have a young one go to Earth and bring you back some nice Earth things, so that you could see some of the things that hail from your home planet. You smiled at this thought and proceeded to snuggle into your mates chest as he sat in the command room.

The return home was uneventful, as you were usually allowed to walk around, the first couple weeks home you weren't feeling so well. Often spending your mornings vomiting outside in the bushes, sleeping till noon, and eating weird foods that were even considered odd in yautja culture.

Berserker got quite nervous when you started getting moody, you never seemed to lash out at him, as you were afraid of upsetting him, but now you were a bit more annoyed at his mating advances, often refusing to go along with him on small hunts.

Worried you may have caught a strong virus, he took you to the clans healers, and the news was wonderful.

You were pregnant.

Your mates mandibles clicked with joy, and he purred into you, his claws grazing over your stomach gently, happy with the news he threw together a hunting party and went off into the local wilderness to find the largest animal he could to serve to you, as per tradition (that I made up).

He returned victorious, slaying the beast and presenting its skull and spine to you. It now hangs over the area where you decided to put your younglings sleeping bed.

Eventually as things go, days become weeks, and weeks become months, soon you were very swollen with child, carrying a yautja pup was very hard on your body, as you progressed you slowly began to slow down, not going out to hunt, you stopped doing chores, tending to be on bedrest more often that usual.

One day, while you were in a heated herbal bath, Berserker came in and joined you, causing the water to swish over a bit, he swayed over to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, placing his large hands over your stomach.

"(y/n)", he whispered, taking in a breathe of your hair.

"Yes love?" you ask, turning your head to look at him closer.

"The hunting spot came up again...I wish to go, but I will not go if you find it unacceptable for me to go."

You thought for a moment, as it took so long for him to get the spot for himself the first time, and now here you were ready to pop at any moment. Not wanting to be selfish you agreed that he could go, and that you would be fine.

Watching him, Tusk, and Falcon leave was a little heart breaking, you spent the time alone, thinking of names for the baby, learning to write in their language, and learning how to read their machines, as soon you would have your one communicator bracelet, so that when your mate goes off planet, you could still talk to him while he was gone.

He wasn't gone very long this time, he returned after a few days, you were so happy when you heard the news you waited at the landing dock for him to return. When those ship doors opened, you saw him walk off full of pride, new trophies tied to his belt, mostly human, perhaps he had hunted those humans from before. You ran into his arms, and he hugged you back, taking you up from under your legs, holding you up with his great strength.

"Was the hunt honorable?", you asked, feeling his dreads with your hands.

He carried you back to his home.

"I have many trophies to give to you my mate," he purred, leaving Tusk and Falcon to unload the ship.

But with their arrival back, Tusk and Falcon were sought out by other yautja women, and left the ship unattended, not knowing of what they brought back with them to their home planet.

While the darkness of night overtook the sky, two people stepped off planet, truing not to be scene by the lights coming off of the ship, they quickly scurried to the Jungle Hunters Clan. Taking note of the buildings, they looked around for anyone that would be out of place, something that wouldn't be needed by full blood yautja.

These two humans who have stepped off the ship, were familiar faces that had met you before. Isabelle and Royce, they had snuck onto the ship while your mate was hunting the others, Edwin and Nikolai did not make it, but they did not seem, bothered all that much, their minds were preferably stuck on their own survival.

Quickly scanning the many homes, their eyes landed on the ones that had a set of very small shoes sat outside the door, feet too small for yautja, but big enough for an adult to wear outside to cover the soles of their feet from the spikey ground.

The two of them walked up to the door, and gently pushed it in, not having locks on doors were often common on this planet, as it was dishonorable to attack someone while they were asleep. It was a code of like that many did not dare to cross, as it would bring dishonor upon themselves and their clans.

Walking throughout the halls of the place you called home, Isabelle and Royce walked through the kitchen rea, taking note of the abundance of fruit and veggies, often things yautja do not eat frequently, then walking past a living area where they saw a CD player and some discs of random artists.

"She's definitely here.." Royce whispered, continuing the sweep of the house, his eyes landing on the back room, which its doorway was covered with a large cloth.

Royce took a few moments to sneak up to the curtain, slowly pupping it back. In the middle of the room he could see the floating nest where Berserker and you slept. The two forms sleeping away peacefully on the bed, you curled up in his arms, while his limbs danged off the sides of the nest, hovering in the air.

Royce raised his hand above your mouth about to wake you up and smother your gasp, but Isabelle quickly ran up and stopped him

"What?", he whispered, annoyed that he was stopped.

"Look at her!" Isabelle, gestured to your body, "She's pregnant! This isn't a good idea"

Royce rolled his eyes, going back to his original plans, smothering his hand over your mouth and then tapping you awake.

You jolted awake, about to scream, but you felt a warm hand covers your mouth. You looked over to the owner of the hands owner, you felt tears sting your eyes, realizing the possible predicaments you were in.

Royce signals to you to come on, and slowly eases you off the bed, and out of your mates arms, trying not to wake up, and then sneaking you out of your home, Royce dragged you to the ship and shoved you towards it, pointing a pistol at you.

"Fly us home." he ordered, pointing the gun at you,

"I do-I don't know how to fly," you stammered

"Bullshit" he snarled, pushing you inside the ship and then forcing you into the pilots seat.

You felt uneasy as you were placed in the captains chair, the familiar hologram screen appearing before you, you slowly began to type into the control console, hitting enter.

Royce looked at you expectantly, watching you push buttons with symbols that didn't make sense to him at all, watching you hit the enter key, hoping that soon the ship would take off and they would be on their way way home. Yet nothing happened.

"What the hell was that?" he yelled, shoving your shoulder

"I don't know how to fly!" you cried,

"Royce, c'mon" Isabelle remarked, placing hand on your shoulder

Royce stomped back and forth, and looking out the open door of the ship, he began to see lights turn on, as yautja began to run towards the ship, his brain clicked.

Grabbing you by the hair, he dragged you to the front of the doors and threw you on the ground, you fell to the ground shielding your stomach from the fall.

"She fucking alerted them" Royce growled, pointing the pistol at the back of your head.

You looked up to see Berserker run at you, behind him Tusk and Falcon followed, along with other blooded members of the tribe.

Royce fired a warning shot a few inches away from your head, forcing all the yautja to stop in their tracks.

"Fucking traitor to your race," Royce spit at you, looking up at the yautja who were staring him down.

"I want to go home!," he shouted, "If I don't get to go home, neither does she"

You half expected for Berserker to have some sort of plan in dealing with this, but instead he slowly popped off his armored helmet, dropped his utilities belt, and walked up slowly towards the three of you. Isabelle had her gun pointed at your mate the whole time.

Clicking can be heard coming from your mates mandibles, as he pointed towards the captains chair, he calmly walked onto the ship, and silently typed on the keyboard, the rumbling of the ship started, indicating it was taking off.

Berserker then walked back, and picked you up slowly, not taking his eyes off of Royce and Isabelle. The ships door began to slowly shut, and since their window was closing, the two of them quickly hopped aboard the ship, and it slowly made its way off of the ground, and then eventually was floating through the air. Its thrusters slowly increasing in power.

As the thrusters began to glow a bright orange, your mate held his arm out in front of you, a single symbol was on his wrist brand, you looked at him and then at the ship. Smiling while doing so, you pushed the button, and together you watched the ship prepare are for takeoff, and then self detonate in the sky.

The clan erupted with roars and growls, chanting at the death of these humans who dared try and hold you hostage on their turf.

A part of you felt bad, you had just murdered the nicest human you've ever known, the first few humans you had met who had actually been to earth. Maybe you were a traitor to your race, but you were reassured, as the next days you found yourself in labor, and after that, you held close to your chest a small suckling, who was identical to his father.

Having his wrapped to your chest constantly apparently was a weird sight, as most mother of yautja did not care for their children the same way you did, but you didn't care, as your instincts were different, you were different.

He was the Berserker predator, and you his mate, the two of you from different sides of the planet.

One a grand warrior to his people and his race, and the other a loving mother, traitor to hers.

They were happy

I don't know what else to put here

[mxrvelouss]

yall im trying to sleep but my throat hurts and i cant, so im just gonna write this (cringe) scenario that has been swimming around in my head all day. to the girlies who wanna be saved by a handsome man like mike schmidt.....this lil story is for u. i cannot believe i posted this

The Scene at the Mall | Mike Schmidt x Reader | Dual POV

warning: mentions of stalking, drinking, kidnapping, harassment

note: this is when mike is still working as a security guard at the mall, so prior to the events of the movie

here is the link to pt 2!

-----------------

Are they following me?

That's the thought that was in your head as you made your way through the crowded mall. You had gotten off work an hour ago and, after a particularly busy shift at the restauraunt, you decided to go the mall and spend some money. You deserved it; you had been waitressing nonstop the whole week. It was Friday night now.

When you had left a clothes store about five minutes ago, you saw two men standing at the entrance in your peripheral vision. You heard them whisper and chuckle, and they have been following you from a distance ever since- or at least you thought so.

I'm probably just overthinking, you thought to yourself. But...I don't wanna go out to my car, just in case...

You took a quick glance over your shoulder, and yep, they were still there. They looked away as soon as you made eye contact. Your heart started to pound.

The mall was closing soon, and the area had emptied. You were alone. What to do, what to do....?!

You were getting close to the main exit, but there was no way you were going to go outside in the dark now. So you turn on your heel and do a swift u-turn, now facing the men. They'll keep walking forward, out the door, and then I'll just find another exit in this direction.

As you walked toward them, you started to go diagonally, to get as far away from the creeps as possible. One of them, however, suddenly lunges towards you, the other one close behind.

"Hey, what are you doing here all by yourself?" one of them said, now in front of you, his breath reeking of tobacco and alchohol. There was a nasty grin on his face. The other sneered and crossed his arms.

Just keep walking, just ignore them, they're drunk...

But you couldn't move, like a deer in headlights. You were so freaked out that you didn't even notice the security guard who was suddenly at your side.

******

Mike's POV

Today was a long shift. Mike had been at the mall since noon. And while he knew Abby was safe and sound at home with the babysitter, he was still anxious to get home to her.

He was making his way towards the main exit to prepare to lock the doors when he noticed a girl walking his way- quickly. He looked to the other side of the area, and two middle-aged men were eyeing her.

His heart started to pound.

When the men suddenly made their way in front of the girl, blocking her path, he was no longer at the mall. No, he was back in the forest, helplessly watching the car that took his brother away from him forever.

A voice screamed in his head. Help her!!

******

Protectively shoving you back from the men and forming a wall between you and them, the security guard spoke in a deep, intense voice. "Get out of here," he growled as he glared at the men. "Mall's closing."

The guard quickly turned over his shoulder, looking at you with worried eyes. "You okay?"

You were about to respond with a "yes" when one of the men reached for your arm before you could react. In a slurred voice, he says, "Aw, c'mon man, of course she's-"

The guard immediately turns and shoves him, hard, and the man's grip on your arm releases. You recoil, and the guard grabs both of the men by their shirts. His brown eyes are filled with fury. "I. Said. Leave."

Their alchohol-ridden minds finally take the hint, and they stumble towards the door as the guard follows closely behind. He shoves them out, quickly locking the door behind them.

He takes a deep breath, and turns to you again. You let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, oh my gosh, thank you." Tears fill your eyes and your body starts to tremble from the shock of what just happened. Great, now you just look like some sort of damsel in distress. "Sorry," is all you say as you wipe your eyes.

The guard looks at you with a soft smile and concerned eyes and moves in closer. You notice that he doesn't touch you at all; but even if he did, you would've allowed it. Everything about him, his voice, his presence- it just felt safe.

"You don't have to apologize," he whispers. "I'm glad I was here."

"What's your name?" you ask softly.

"Mike," he replies. The two of you sit down on a nearby cushioned bench, and the trembling starts to stop as he quietly sits by your side. You look up at him, and, to your suprise, now tears are starting to form in his eyes, too.

You wouldn't find out until years later why exactly he cried that night, or why saving you from those men was so personal to him. But that night, as Mike sat with you for a while and, when he was absolutely sure there was no danger, walked you out to your car- you knew that he was the one.

-------

guys this was so cringe ik BUT ITS MIKE SCHMIDTTTT ok goodnight im sorry

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Little Girl Gone

You Haven't Changed a Bit (2)

Mob Boss!Natasha x Mob Boss!Fem!Reader, Mommy!Wanda Maximoff x Mob Boss!Fem!Reader

Warnings: Nothing really this is a rather fluff chapter, Natasha is a condescending bitch towards the end

A/N: I love the dynamics that are being built between R and W and her boys in this chapter

The sunlight filtering through the windows is what stirred you awake, but it was the weight on top of you that truly woke you. Eyes shooting open to find Wanda’s body partially on top of your own. Her leg and arm draped over you and you realized you had some how had made it closer to the middle instead of the edge you had forced yourself to when you fell asleep.

Carefully you untangled yourself hoping not to wake Wanda, but as you shifted your weight she stirred. “Mmmm....Y/N?” She called out as you sat up, legs already over the edge. 

“Yes?” You call back over your shoulder, grabbing your pants and pulling them on.

“What happened last night? I thought you were staying up all night?” She asked, concern running through her.

“Natasha came by. I gave her half the money. Told her I’d meet her at noon with the rest.” Grabbing your button up and throwing it on and moving over to grab your gun from under the pillow to put it back in it’s place.

“Is she going to leave us alone?” Wanda crawls across the bed so she’s in front of you, staring up at you. She was in a cute pink slip, one of the thin straps falling down and giving you a lovely view of her chest. 

“I told her too, but she never actually agreed to it so if it’s okay with you I’d like you to come back with me, of course the boys will come too.” 

“To the place I was taken yesterday?” She asks, tilting her head. 

“Yes sweetie that’s my home.” Her eyes widen. 

“That place was huge. That’s your house?” She sounded bewildered. 

“Well when you’re head of the local mafia around here you kind of have the perks of a big house.” Sure your group was nothing big compared to Natasha’s or even T’Challa’s groups, but yours was family. 

You pick up your phone, calling on your friend and driver, Happy. “I’ve called for my driver and I would appreciate the three of you staying with me until I have things settled. I promise there will be no safer place for your boys.” You put your hands on her shoulders giving a reassuring squeeze and a soft smile. 

You couldn’t lie to yourself, Wanda was a beautiful woman who you’d love to have, but you also truly just don’t want to see her end up like you because of Natasha especially since she has kids. She has to be around for them. She gives a nod and a soft smile back. You don’t miss her biting on her bottom lip as she slips off the bed. 

“I need to get dressed and get the boys ready.” She tells you softly. While Wanda gets everything together you get ahold of Carol to let her know what’s going on. 

“Make sure nothing bad is going on by the time we get there. Am I understood?” I ask through the phone and she knows what I mean. 

“Yes Ma’am. Everything will be perfect when you get here with them. You have my word.” You hang up the call as you wait in the kitchen for the three of them and of course the boys are nothing but questions. 

You can tell Wanda is getting overwhelmed by all the questions the boys are throwing her way over all the sudden changes especially from Billy who you’ve quickly learned is the more sensitive of the two boys. You take a deep breath and kneel down, getting the boys attention. 

“Listen boys I know you have a lot of questions for your mom, but I want you guys to look at this like a vacation! My house that we’re going to stay at for a bit has a pool with all the toys you can think of! It has a slide and a waterfall! I have a room that is filled with every video game system and just about all their games. I have a room that has a pool table and a foosball table and air hockey!” You tell them, slowly seeing their faces light up. “I have a room that’s like a movie theater with popcorn and candy and soda. I have just about everything your little hearts could want or need and if I don’t have it, guess what?” 

“What?” Billy asks making me smile. 

“I will make sure we get it, okay? Does that sound fair enough?” The two boys nod in agreement. “So you’re going to stop asking your mom so many questions and instead help her pack, right?” Another nod in agreement to your words as they turn towards their draws, grabbing things they want and need while Wanda gives you a smile and you smile back. 

You stand up motioning for Wanda to follow while the boys pack up. You two head towards the kitchen. You lean against the counter, crossing your arms, Wanda standing opposite of you. 

“I hope I didn’t overstep by saying I’d get them things if we didn’t have it. I obviously don’t have kids and I honestly just wanted them to stop asking you questions because I could see it was overwhelming you since you weren’t sure how to answer.” Wanda reached her hand out to you, her hand gripping onto your arm. She rubbed it softly as you looked at her and you could tell she had done it as a friendly gesture to reassure you it was okay, but when you felt her hand tighten on your bicep you can tell she gets distracted for a moment. 

“We’ll cross the bridge when we come to it, okay? If it’s something I find unreasonable for them to be asking it will be a no. Make sure they always ask me and you get confirmation from me.” 

“That sounds like a deal to me. Always ask Mom.” You smirk at her as she pulls back her hand.

“I-I’m going to go grab my bags and check on the boys.” She stammers as she heads back upstairs, leaving you there chuckling to yourself.

======================================================

“Wow!” The boys said in unison as they came through the front door. “Are you made of money Ms. Y/N?” Tommy asks.

“I work very hard for my money Tommy. This is what hard work can get you boys.” You tell them with a smile as they poke their heads around Carol comes over with a smile along with Kamala. Carol leans over whispering in your ear,

“Ma’am I tried to tell her it wasn’t a good time, but Maya is waiting in your office.” If the boys weren’t here you’d probably smack Carol so hard. Instead you plaster a smile on your face.

“Well boys, Wanda. I have to attend to some work issues, but Carol and Kamala here will show you around, okay?” The boys nod excitedly and Wanda takes the few steps over to you, a worried look in her eyes as she grips your arm. You give her a reassuring smile, leaning in to whisper,

“It’s nothing to do with Natasha. It’s a friend who doesn’t know what no means. I’ll be back shortly. I promise you’re safe with them.” She looks into your eyes confirming the truth in your words then nods, letting you go off to deal with the problem at hand as you head up to your office. 

You open and close the sliding oak doors of your office stomping on the floor to get Maya’s attention as soon as she’s looking at you you sign,

“It really isn’t a good time Maya.” She rolls her eyes and signs back,

“I understand you met back up with Natasha.” You groan,

“Unfortunately.” Maya and you had met after being in similar situations of a mob boss taking advantage of you. Both of you wanted to be in charge so Maya tends to work in the shadows and also with the Tracksuits, she keeps them in line as much as anyone could. Mainly they’re muscle that the two of you use because they have maybe one braincell between all of them.

“So what are we doing about her?” She signs and you sit on your desk in front of her. 

“Meeting up with her in a few hours and paying off a debt for this woman.” You bring up the security camera’s around the house showing Maya Wanda and her boys. “Natasha gave her a loan and then when she couldn’t pay it back right away she took Wanda and tried to do what she did to me. She’s under our protection now.” Maya nods, 

“Are you keeping her here?” She signs.

“For the time being. I don’t trust Natasha.” You sigh. “Come with me to this meeting? I just need you as back up in the shadows incase things go sideways.” Maya signs for yes with a smile. 

Carol was your right hand for most things, but Maya was your most trusted person. No one could replace her between her skills and companionship the two of you had formed over the past five years.

“Thank you.” You sign and she just lightly punches your arm before slipping out. Though she wouldn’t be there when you exited you knew she wouldn’t be far. Just in the shadows.

You watched the security monitors for a few minutes watching the boys enjoy the much bigger room they’d get to share. Kamala showing them their room along with all the fun rooms scattered about the house. 

Your eyes flickered around until you spot Wanda and Carol in your room. It’s not where you had told Carol to take Wanda, but you’d let it slide for now. Your California King bed rather empty with just yourself. If Wanda wanted to stay there it would be fine by you.

======================================================

You sat in the café legs crossed and sipping on your usual order while looking at your phone while waiting for Natasha to show her face. You were always a person that goes by the rule, ‘if you’re on time you’re late.’ while Natasha always showed up five minutes or later to any meeting saying, ‘you hold the power that way.’ It always made you roll your eyes because you hated being late anywhere. 

When she showed up at 12:15 you rolled your eyes at the tardiness. She grabbed her coffee before joining you.

“Well isn’t this fun. You playing the boss roll. All grown up now aren’t you?” She teases and another roll of your eyes.

“I’m not playing Natasha. I worked hard to get here.” 

“No thanks to me.” 

“Yeah. No thanks to you. I didn’t want this Natasha. You forced me into this life acting like you just wanted me to be able to protect myself.” You accused as you grabbed out the manila folder. “It’s all in there Tasha. So I need your word that you’ll be leaving Wanda Maximoff and her boys alone now that the loan plus interest is paid.” Natasha looked it through just as she had last night. 

“One more thing and I’ll leave your new little toy alone.” You want to jump across the table and punch her in the face for her little comment, but you’re in a very public place for a reason and you won’t ever be the one to hit first.

“What is it Natasha? What could you possibly want?” You ask exasperated.

“You of course. One last time. You know since you walked out on me.” You feel your face pale; your whole body going hot and ears ring until you can’t hear anymore.

Did she really just ask you that? To sleep with her again? You could feel the familiar feel of bile in the back of your throat, the sound of a gunshot, the metal and sulfur in your nose like you were reliving that night all over again. 

“You’ll leave them alone?” She nods. “Promise me.” 

“I promise.”

“On Yelena’s life.” 

“On Yelena’s life.” She repeats, and so you have no choice but to agree.

[talesofesther]

tangle me in all your broken pieces (and watch me stay) | ch 3

Loki x Reader

Series Summary: An Asgardian god has just threatened your planet and you were called in to provide a little help. What you didn't expect was to develop a strange soft spot for said god, who hid more pain behind his cold facade than you thought possible.

A/N: This story is already occupying a very special place in my heart.

Word count: 4,2k

Masterlist | Read ch 2 here

You arrived at Stark Tower a little before noon. The quinjet landed on top of the building and you were once again relieved to be stepping out of it. The ride back had somehow been even worse than the one before, as there was a heavy shadow looming in the air.

Loki had been quiet since he'd stepped back in the jet after the meeting with Odin, his eyes always downcast, fixed on his cuffed hands. You couldn't blame him—even though it felt foreign to see him so… broken, compared to the confident god you first saw being escorted to his cage a couple of days ago—you could only imagine how bare he must be feeling without his powers.

You walked out of the jet and followed Tony inside the top floor of his tower, trying to ignore the weight of a certain stare on your back. Sometimes you forgot just how much money Tony had, being here was a good reminder. Floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked all of New York allowed the sunlight to shine on the plush, velvety burgundy couches, the marble walls, the exaggerated chandelier, and the fancy built-in bar. You certainly won't mind living here, it was quite a step up from your humble apartment.

"I'll arrange for someone to go pick up your stuff from your apartment," Tony spoke, glancing at you over his shoulder, "do you want to go with or wait here?"

"I can wait here," you shrugged, "As long as they bring all my clothes, my laptop, and my cat."

Tony stopped in his tracks and waited for you to reach his side. He narrowed his eyes, "So we're having an actual cat too?"

You opened and closed your mouth, "Uh- I can't leave her alone in my apartment for so long, Tony."

The billionaire hummed halfheartedly, resuming his path toward the elevator at the far end of the room. "No scratch marks on my furniture, please."

"Me and Thor will have to hang back for now," Fury called, walking up to the built-in bar and pouring himself a drink, "I assume you have it handled from here?" He raised an eyebrow at both you and Tony.

"Yes, darling," Tony answered with a smile and pressed the button for the elevator. He whistled and gestured with a hand for Loki, "Come on, reindeer games, you're with us."

Thor let go of where he had been holding Loki by the arm, "I'll see you later, brother." Not waiting for an answer, he threw a smile your way and joined Fury, already asking about the drink in the director's hand.

Loki approached you with staggered steps, huffing out a sigh when he stopped beside you. He still had those same traces of anger lingering on his features; lips drawn into a line, eyes just a tad narrowed, shoulders tense.

The elevator arrived with a ding and you, Tony, and Loki stepped in; with Loki in the middle.

Your hands were clammy, you brushed them on your black jeans to try and chase the feeling away. You didn't know why you were so nervous, this had been your idea, after all. Maybe it was because you could feel all that tension flowing off of Loki—with him standing so close to you, his shoulder mere inches away from touching yours.

The ride down a few floors was agonizingly slow, with only the low humming of the elevator as it moved.

You cleared your throat and broke the uncomfortable silence. "Tony," you called, leaning just a tad forward so you could see him past Loki. You showed him your wrist and wiggled it, raising your eyebrows pointedly.

A deep frown etched itself into Tony's features until his eyes lit up when he understood what you meant. "Oh, right." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a thin, black bracelet with an even thinner strip of soft green light around it. "Because we are civilized," he began, turning to Loki. "I took the liberty of making you this." He raised the bracelet in front of the god, who looked wholly unimpressed.

Unceremoniously, Tony reached for one of Loki's wrists and clasped the bracelet on him. It closed comfortably yet forcefully, it wasn't coming off anytime soon. Once it was secured, he finally removed the uncomfortable handcuffs Loki was still wearing.

A grimace appeared on Loki's face, he rubbed his wrists as soon as they were free. You winced as you caught sight of the reddish skin from where the cuffs had been pressuring. He then turned the single wrist that now styled the new device, observing it closely with a small frown.

Loki chuckled; "You can't expect this little thing to keep me here."

"I can, actually," Tony explained, gesturing to Loki's bracelet, "This little thing has a tracker and if you try to leave this tower when you're not supposed to, or try to take it off, we will know pretty much immediately." His smile was proud and just a tad mocking.

A scoff went past Loki's lips. "Lovely," he mumbled.

"I would really like it if you did try to escape, by the way," Tony suggested, rather animatedly, "Gives me an excuse to test my new security system." There was a sly smirk on his lips, he shrugged, "You'd probably survive."

"Tony! Come on," you groaned, shooting him a glare.

The billionaire rolled his eyes; "I'm kidding, relax."

The elevator finally arrived at what would be your new home. A whole floor exclusively for you and Loki—it had been your request, you figured it would be more peaceful this way and you knew Tony had the means and space to make it happen. As the doors slid open the first thing you noticed was the living room, it was big, spacious, and had a massive burgundy couch with a huge TV in front of it; on one side of the living room was your own set of floor-to-ceiling windows along with the double doors that led to the balcony, on the other side was the kitchen, an open concept adjacent to the living room; further into the room were two doors, one beside the other, which you assumed were the bedrooms. Everything had a beautiful modern look and exuded luxury, the least you'd expect from something Tony built.

"Right, I'm dropping you two off here and heading down to the lab," Tony clasped his hands together, then turned to you; "Your room is the one on the right, I'll ask them to drop your things there."

You opened your mouth to speak, but Tony beat you to it; "And the cat, yes."

You stepped out of the elevator and a moment later Loki begrudgingly followed. The god didn't wait for you or spared Tony another glance before walking into the living room, taking in the place, his fingers tracing the velvet of the couch as he looked around.

"Thank you, Tony." You watched Loki for a beat longer before turning back to your friend. "Truly." You smiled softly.

A sigh escaped Tony's lips, his eyes darting to Loki, "Hope he's worth all this drama." Settling his attention back on you, he raised a finger, taking on a serious tone, "If you need anything, if he does anything, you call me, understand?"

"Yes," you reassured him, burying your hands in the pockets of your cardigan. "I will, don't worry."

With that, Tony bid you goodbye for now, and you were left alone with Loki. A soft breeze came in through the open windows, sending a shiver down your spine. Everything had happened so fast, one moment Fury was dragging you out of your apartment to help stop a god who wanted to rule over your planet, and now here you were, being roommates with said god. A quiet chuckle fell past your lips. What are the odds?

"You have a strange kind of courage."

Loki's voice rang through the quiet room, capturing your attention and urging you to turn around and face him. Once you locked eyes, you raised an eyebrow at him, silently asking that he elaborate.

"Or should I say… stupidity," A devilish smirk came to Loki's features, and he took slow and calculated steps toward you. "Locking yourself here, alone, with me." His voice grew huskier, lower. His bright eyes roamed up and down your body, until he was close enough that you could nearly feel his breath on your lips. "Oh, the things I could do to you," he whispered, the daunting tilt of his lips ever-present.

You held the silence for a moment longer, doing your best not to avoid his gaze. You knew what he was trying to do; he wanted to intimidate you, make you feel vulnerable and small. Just as he was feeling right now.

"Aren't we past the bluffing already?" You mimicked his smirk. You could tell he was caught by surprise when his eyebrows knitted together in a confused frown. A quiet laugh escaped you and you rolled your eyes. "Come on, let's go see your room." You didn't wait for an answer before walking around him and towards the two doors at the back.

You turned the door handle that led to what would be Loki's bedroom. It was pretty simple and bare, still. There was a double bed against the wall, a dresser, a desk in front of huge double windows, two bedside tables on each side of the bed with a lamp on one of them, a bookcase without any books, and another door that you assumed led to a bathroom.

"It's cozy," you mused, "Give it a little personal touch it'll soon feel like home, right?" You turned to look at Loki, who had made his way to you and was analyzing the room with narrowed eyes.

Instead of entertaining your attempt at banter, he said instead; "you don't want to challenge me, mortal."

You threw your hands in the air, "Oh my god, when did I ever challenge you?" You asked exasperatedly, losing the remains of patience you had. "Is this all you know how to do? Threaten the people who want to help you?"

"Help me?" Loki all but growled, "Because of you I'm stranded on this pathetic planet, and my magic has been taken from me." He spat the words with clenched fists, towering over you, "Don't think for one minute that I've forgotten how you've messed with my mind, just wait until I've-"

"Because of me you are not rotting in a dungeon forever," you raised your voice to match his tone, shoving a finger at his chest, "Because of me you're free from the people who fucking tortured you."

Loki blinked multiple times as soon as the words left your mouth, almost as if you'd slapped him. His lips hovered open yet he didn't speak.

You softened when you caught the flash of hurt in his eyes as the memories undoubtedly came back to the surface. You closed your eyes, breathed in, and opened them again. "Believe it or not, I actually meant it when I said I only wanted to help you."

A half-hearted scoff went past his lips and he shook his head. "And why would you ever do that? Surely not from the goodness of your heart." For the first time, his voice held something other than anger, you just couldn't pinpoint what it was. "What is it that you're after?"

You shrugged as a melancholic smile graced your lips. It was rather sad that Loki couldn't fathom the thought of help coming without a price. "I don't know, maybe I'm just that stupid, right?" You stepped out of his bedroom, holding the door handle, "I'll be outside if you need me." With that you closed the door, leaving Loki alone in his room.

For several moments he simply stood there, eyes fixed on the plain wood of the door. Then a shaky breath went past his lips, and his shoulders sagged; all anger washed away, leaving room only for sorrow. Slowly, reality finally started to down on him. Loki turned around in the spot, gaze roaming over his new chambers. From out the window, he could see the never-sleeping city of New York, the world he once wished to take over; it felt like so long ago already, a far-fetched attempt at filling the gaping hole left in his chest from empty promises.

A sharp sting of pain suddenly pierced his back, going down his spine as he stretched. He winced, rubbing the sore spot. Telltales of his captor, the one you'd freed his mind from.

You. Why would you do what you did? What could you possibly gain by trying to help him?

You confused him, a mystery ever since Loki first laid eyes on you, one he was yet to uncover. The fact that you had been able to pry into his mind so easily, see glimpses of his misfortunes, made him feel uneasy. And from all the things he assumes you could've done, you chose to cut The Other's hold of him, and nothing more.

Loki would never admit to the relief it had been, almost as if plucking out an arrow that had been piercing his skin and making him bleed. He refrained from dwelling on the matter for now, especially if you'd insist that you wanted nothing from him—unlikely.

He took one step forward, and then another, and one more. And his vision grew blurry. He opened his mouth only for a choked sob to stumble out. He'd never felt this bare, this defenseless, this vulnerable.

Loki raised his hands, fingers trembling. He tried to bring all his energy to his fingertips, gritting his teeth as his tears fell past the bottom lid of his eyes and dropped to the floor beneath his feet. Nothing. Not even a single spark of green.

Loki's knees hit the floor. He brought his arms around himself. His whole life, living amongst kings and warriors, his seiðr was all he had. And now, he doesn't know who he is without it.

He wanted to blame you. He so desperately wanted to lay the blame on you for losing his powers, for his exile on earth. Alas, it was a weak attempt. A lie that would do him no good in the end.

Several minutes went by with Loki kneeling on the floor of his bedroom, fading into the background like many times before. And like many times before, he eventually picked himself back up, drying his own tears with the back of his sleeve, and taking deep breaths to calm his bruised heart.

Loki made a beeline for the bathroom, maybe a warm shower would do him some good.

─── ·❆· ───

You were sitting on the kitchen counter when Loki finally left his bedroom again. Tony had already gotten Happy to bring most of your things from your apartment, your cat included. The fluffy ball of grey fur lay beside you as your fingers mindlessly scratched behind her ears, making her purr contently.

The sound of a door closing made you look up from your cell phone. Loki approached you as if he were a stray cat seeing a human for the first time—you briefly wondered just how long it would take him to feel comfortable here. His hair was damp, falling just a little past his shoulders in shiny raven curls; he still wore the same clothes from before and you made a mental note to ask that Tony arrange more clothes for him.

"Hey," you greeted gently with a small smile, "Did you calm down?"

Loki gave you an unamused glare before averting his gaze to the windows on the other side. "No," he mumbled just for the sake of it.

"I'm ordering a bit of a late lunch," you wiggled your phone even though he wasn't looking at you, "Would you like something?"

Slowly, Loki's eyes trailed back to you. He said nothing as he momentarily held your gaze, before focusing on the cat laying beside you. A rather adorable frown came to his features then.

You noticed. "Loki, this is Rain," you introduced, gesturing to the cat. "Rain, that's Loki," then gestured to the god, "He's gonna be our new roomie."

"That's a strange name for a cat," Loki commented, taking half a step closer to you.

You simply shrugged, "It was raining pretty hard the day I found her on the street, it seemed fitting." A beat of silence passed. "You… can pet her if you want, she's friendly," you suggested timidly, pursing your lips as you looked at him.

Loki's eyes shot back to your face, his stern gaze returning. "No."

You sighed and pushed yourself off the counter, much to Rain's dismay, "Okay, listen, whether you like it or not, this is gonna be your life for the foreseeable future, yeah?" You kept your voice as gentle as you could, "So can we try not to make each day feel more miserable than the last? I mean, you have to admit that this is better than whatever dungeon they were going to throw you in." With a tentative smile, you gestured widely to the whole floor that now belonged to both of you.

Loki kept silent, his jaw set tightly in place.

At last, you admitted defeat and accepted the fact that chit-chat would not be a thing. You groaned; "Just- do you want lunch or not?"

"Of course I want lunch," Loki snapped, "I haven't eaten in nearly two days."

Immediately, your eyes went wide with shock, "You haven't-" You hesitated, "What do you mean you haven't eaten in two days? Didn't they feed you back at the Helicarrier?"

It was a fraction of a second, but you thought you saw Loki's gaze softening at your concern. "Why would they bother?" He simply asked.

You gulped, trying to conceal how this made you feel. "No wonder you're so grumpy," you mumbled in an attempt to lighten the mood. "What would you like, then?"

You quickly discovered that Loki was worse at deciding what to eat than you were. For today you settled for pizza, not exactly healthy, but simple and tasty enough. When it arrived, Loki took his slices and promptly locked himself back in his room. Living with him certainly would be an experience; taking him out to connect with your world, that would be a challenge.

─── ·❆· ───

It almost felt like floating. For a moment, he was almost at peace as he fell, and fell, and fell. And then he was alone, wandering through uncharted, hostile lands. Each day was a battle just to keep breathing, to keep walking. His body was weak and giving up on him when he was found, and then, his voice started fading with each of the screams that no one cared to listen to. His skin burned, ripped open, and healed. Only to go through it again, and again. Until all fight was snuffed out of him.

"You will long for something as sweet as pain."

Loki woke up with a start, sitting up on his bed so quickly that a thousand stars danced in his vision. His breathing came out in desperate huffs of air, making his lungs sting and not nearly enough to calm his thundering heart.

He looked around frantically, feeling his lower lip wobble and his cheeks dampening when he didn't recognize his surroundings immediately. Clutching the sheets to ground himself, Loki closed his eyes and did the breathing exercise he taught himself. Slowly, the fog cleared, yet only a little. And when he opened his eyes again, he remembered why he was in this bedroom.

With a long sigh going past his lips, Loki buried his head in his hands, nails clawing at the root of his hair. He could feel his clothes clinging to his body because of the cold sweat.

He couldn't stay here. He needed to get out.

The floor felt cold against his bare feet, it grounded him to reality. Gulping down a lump in his throat, Loki took staggered steps to his door, reaching the handle with an unsteady hand.

They couldn't keep him here forever, they couldn't expect a damn fancy bracelet to keep him from leaving. He'd break it, cut it off if he had to.

The walls around him were suffocating, closing in on him as he stumbled into the living room. It was so dark, nothing but a void of pitch black with even darker shadows shaping the outlines of the furniture around him. Who was to say no harm would reach him here?

A pathetic whimper fell past his lips, tears clouded his vision. He had to get out. He had to escape. He had to-

"Are you okay?"

Loki halted in his steps. His hand gripping tightly onto the back of the couch.

Quiet. The night suddenly became so quiet. The walls were far away now, he realized. There was a cold breeze coming in through the open doors of the balcony, and a single dim orange light coming from the kitchen beside him, chasing away the darkness. Loki could breathe again.

He took several deep breaths and felt the relief in his lungs. Slowly, he turned his gaze to the right, to where the soft light and the sweet voice came from.

You were standing in the middle of the kitchen, holding a steamy mug between both your hands and looking at him with eyes just a tad too wide. You were dressed in a purple hoodie with black sweatpants. This was the first time Loki had seen you wearing anything that wasn't black, he noted.

A small frown came to your features and you took a single step closer, "Is everything okay?" You repeated when he didn't answer you.

"Yes," Loki mumbled, pointedly avoiding your eyes. "Just needed a bit of air."

You nodded in understanding, taking a small sip of your tea. If you felt the troubles inside his mind, you didn't show it.

It was… strange, how your voice was able to pull him from the depths of his own mind. Loki forced himself not to dwell too much on it. You had successfully distracted him, that's all.

He straightened his posture, feeling a little self-conscious for being witnessed in such a state. "Don't you sleep?" He raised a brow at you, praying you wouldn't notice the rawness of his voice.

You tapped your mug. Your gaze on him was unwavering, almost as if you could see into his very soul. Loki shifted his stance; not for the first time, he felt way too bare before you.

"I could ask the same of you." You walked closer, and then past him, heading towards the balcony.

Loki followed. Thoughts of escaping long forgotten. You intrigued him.

The air outside was colder than the floor beneath his feet. From this high up in the tower, the wind was almost howling. New York looked like nothing but a sea of blinking lights.

You leaned on the railing, mug in hand as you looked down at the city. Loki approached slowly, warily, until he stood beside you.

"Sometimes, even if I don't want to, I can feel… whispers of people's feelings," you continued, voice quiet amidst the wind. "The nights are calmer," You closed your eyes, breathing in deeply, "Quieter. Sometimes I like to enjoy the silence."

For a long moment, Loki said nothing. He blinked lazily as he mulled over your words. He'd be lying if he said your abilities didn't fascinate him. And then, he remembered, and his breathing stumbled again.

He had to know.

"How-" Loki hesitated. He focused down on his hand, on the faint scars on the back of it. "How did you know?" It was nothing but a breath, as if he didn't have the guts to speak louder tonight.

You turned to him, cocking your head to the side.

Loki pursed his lips. "How did you know… My mind was…" He cursed under his breath when the words got stuck and tangled in his tongue.

"I felt it." You told him simply, your voice as soft as satin. "When they first brought you in, I- I felt this… heaviness, like something wasn't quite right…"

Loki chanced a single glance towards you, only to find your eyes already focused on him. They were shining under the moonlight, "Like it was hurting you."

You spoke as if it was a secret, one you weren't sure was yours to keep.

Loki sneered. He avoided your gaze promptly, knuckles turning white with the force he gripped onto the railings.

"You're ridiculous," the words fell past Loki's lips before he could stop them. They were all he had to protect himself. "Why would you ever go against your peers to help someone like me? When I've threatened your life and killed your kind?" Yet now, he didn't know if he was saying them to mock you, or to punish himself.

"I don't believe you're truly bad," You confessed without an ounce of doubt or anger, voice steady and gentle as the cold wind.

Loki's gaze found yours again, and he couldn't recall if anyone had ever looked at him the way that you do.

Your smile didn't hold happiness; "You have sad eyes."

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Ch 4 coming soon.

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment. <3

You do not have permission to repost, copy, or translate my works on any platforms (even with credit), please respect.

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[hp-hcs]

(he/him pronouns) would you be interested in writing a more dominant darling/a darling who's a top? i see so often where darlings are bottoms or submissive, but i think it be so interesting to see how delighted characters like enzo would be when his darling finally just responds to him and even takes the reigns. i think you write him as someone more subtle and less obvious in his use of force towards getting the darling to respond, so i think he'd be one of the most overjoyed if his darling was to react in a way he never expected (though it's very, very welcomed)

(i'm focusing more on enzo here since i find him most interesting, but if you'd like to include other characters, i wouldn't mind) nsfw or spicy-adjacent please! men who whimper are just exquisite and it is a need to spread this agenda. there's nothing to avoid here, throw in whatever you see fit: gore, alcohol, cursing, smoking, have your fun!

OHOHOHOOH HOLY SHIT YES

• smut • shut up — yandere! submissive! enzo berkshire x male! dominant! reader

he’s my little sweetie pie and/or bitch

warnings: dubcon—sexual acts performed under the influence of alcohol, amab anatomy for reader, oral sex (performed on reader), light/moderate yandere behaviors, dominant/submissive roles, pet names, degradation (not really) & praise

guess what! i actually wrote semi-okay (?) smut for once! and it’s actually kind of descriptive this time!

⛔️ smut ahead! MDNI! ⛔️

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Okay, it calls for…two sprigs of box elder next,” your project partner and general nuisance Enzo Berkshire read aloud from the Potions textbook. He dug through the sachet of ingredients and pulled out a cluster of leaves, holding them out to you and shooting you a winning smile. “I picked these for you, handsome.”

You looked up from where you were stirring the cauldron with a bored expression. “That’s poison ivy.”

Berkshire dropped the leaves with a startled sound, hastily wiping his fingers on his robes.

You just rolled your eyes and sighed. “Fucking dumbass.”

~~~

“Y/n!”

You turned around, startled. Enzo waved cheerily at you with that big dumb stupid grin on his big dumb stupid face.

“Berkshire, I mean this in the nicest way possible. How the fuck did you know where I was?”

“Oh, you always go to Hogsmeade at noon on Sundays!”

“Dude, why the fuck do you know that?”

~~~

“What the hell were you doing?”

You turned around at the demanding voice and insistent tugging on your sleeve.

Enzo Berkshire was glowering behind you, his arms crossed over his chest and a red solo cup in hand.

“Wh- oh, it’s you,” you rolled your eyes.

“Why are you talking to Nott?” The scent of alcohol was thick on his breath, although you weren’t really much better.

You scoffed. “Because I can?”

“Well, I don’t like it,” he sneered. “He’s a fuckboy. He’ll break your heart.”

“And? I can make my own decisions.”

“No you can’t!” He snapped, crowding further into your space. No one else at the crowded common room party even seemed to notice this mild squabble.

You opened your mouth to retort when he grabbed your sleeve again and stumbled down the hall to his dorm, dragging you along with him despite your halfhearted protests.

~~~

The door had barely clicked shut before you shoved him up against the wall.

He flinched back at the suddenness of your reaction, scrambling for anything to hold onto to regain his balance. “Wh-”

“Okay, I’m only going to say this once, so listen up,” your voice dropped to a deadly low tone and your grip on him tightened in warning. “Leave. Me. Alone.”

Enzo’s eyes widened and he whimpered.

You paused at the sound, an eyebrow quirking up.

“Did you seriously just fucking whimper?”

His cheeks turned bright red and he looked away.

You guided his gaze back toward yours with a firm hand on his jaw. “I asked you a question.”

Enzo swallowed nervously, his eyes darting around before he nodded slightly.

“Words.”

“Y-yes,” his voice cracked halfway through the word.

“Good boy,” you said sarcastically, releasing your grip on him and trying to ignore the way that your own cheeks flushed.

He whimpered again, his hands instinctively reaching out for you as you moved away. “No, wait-”

That did it for you. The combination of teenage stupidity, alcohol, and the little noises he made created a Molotov cocktail of lowered inhibitions.

Kaboom.

Without thinking, you cut him off with a searing kiss and shoved him back against the wall again.

He whined softly, his hands pawing frantically at your chest and trying to drag you closer by the tight grip he had on your shirt.

You smacked his hands away, pinning them up against the wall with a tight grip on his wrists.

You split apart, both breathing heavily. His cheeks were flushed a bright red and he looked quite startled—either by your reaction or his own, you couldn’t quite tell.

“Uh-” Enzo cleared his throat, trying desperately to regain control of the situation. “S-so you do like me! I knew it!”

You rolled your eyes, your hands releasing their grip on his wrists and wandering down to his hips. “Shut up.”

He grinned cheekily, his eyes narrowing in a (poor) attempt at seduction. “Oh yeah? Tell me, would I be coming off too strong if I asked you to get on your knees for me, darlin’?”

You snickered.

His over-confident smirk faltered at the sound.

“Oh no…darlin’.” you grinned shrewdly, drawing your hands back. “I don’t get on my knees for anyone.”

You punctuated your point with two heavy hands on his shoulders, firmly guiding him downwards.

Enzo made a startled noise and went down surprisingly easily. He kneeled down at your feet without a second thought and rested his hands on your thighs, looking up at you with blown wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

You petted the top of his head, running your fingers through his hair in a patronizing way—like he was nothing more than a dog.

“What, not much of a big-talker now?”

He gulped.

You caressed Enzo’s cheek, running your thumb along his cheekbone. “Go on, pup. Why don’t you make me feel good, hm?”

You could physically see his pupils dilate at the nickname. His hands scrambled to unfasten the button of your trousers, yanking them down mid-thigh.

You drew in a sharp breath, caught off guard by his enthusiasm.

Enzo wasted no time in wrapping his fingers around the base of your dick. He licked a long stripe up it, promptly wrapping his mouth around it and looking up at you with heavy-lidded eyes and fluttering lashes.

“Shit- fuck- so fuckin’ good, babe. S-so good for me,” you gasped, carding your fingers through his hair.

He moaned softly around you at the praise, the vibrations from which sent sparks dancing up your spine.

“Merlin- darlin’, y-you-” your free hand shot forward to grip onto the wall behind him, keeping you steady as your legs shook.

Invigorated by the obvious effect he was having on you, Enzo redoubled his efforts to bring you to your breaking point.

It didn’t take long.

With only your hand tightening in his hair as a warning, your orgasm hit you like a truck. You could’ve sworn your vision went white for a second.

As soon as you regained your bearings, you yanked him up by the front of his shirt and immediately kissed him with a “good boy” mumbled against his lips. His hips bucked frantically against your hip and he let out a pleading whine.

You shushed him softly with a kiss pressed against the base of his throat, your fingers fumbling with the buckle of his belt.

Your hand dove into his trousers the second you got the button undone, your fingers wrapping around his dick with no further preamble.

Enzo whined, tucking his face into the crook of your neck and holding onto your shoulders with trembling fingers.

“Oh? Is all this for me, pup?” You teased softly, your hand beginning to move in a fast but steady rhythm.

At his sweet and quiet moan, you kissed the spot where his jaw curved behind his ear.

He full on whimpered yet again.

Yeah, he wasn’t going to last long.

His fingers began to dig into your shoulders as he clung to you for support. “Y/- oh, Y/n- I’m gonna-”

“Go ahead, sweetheart.”

His body shook and quivered under your touch as he fell apart with a high pitched whine. He clung onto your shoulders as his legs threatened to give out from underneath him.

You quickly grabbed onto his waist to steady him, his breath coming out in short pants.

“You’re okay, you’re alright. Deep breath…that’s it, good boy,” you mumbled reassuringly, tracing a random pattern with your fingers into his hip.

He huffed out a laugh as his breathing slowly returned to normal. “Aww, look at you being all sweet and cute. Big tough guy with a heart of gold.”

“I see you’re still an ass, Berkshire.”

“I get the feeling you love my ass, L/n.”

“…shut up.”

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

smut tag list — join by request ONLY

@jaythes1mp @slytherinboysappreciation

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 35

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe : Military School

Words: 5k

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Sunday, January 10; 10:55 AM -  Lucy’s Room

I roll over in bed onto my stomach and groan in frustration as I realize I'm alone again in this big bed. The reason becomes clear when I see that it’s almost eleven on the clock. She must have been awake for at least two hours, if not more.  Lucy won’t be able to say I didn’t catch up on sleep—I haven’t slept past ten in a long time. I stretch out all my limbs on my back, then take a moment to look around this room, unsure if I’ll ever see it again. It’s the first time I’ve felt this comfortable in a place I’ve only just discovered. I take a deep breath before leaving the room and slowly heading to the living room. When I arrive,  Lucy is casually lying on the couch with a book in hand. I smile when I see she’s wearing the glasses I like so much. Not wanting to disturb her, I just sit beside her bent knees.

“Hey,” she says, looking up from her book.

“Hey… I didn’t want to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me,” she smiles. “Do you want something to eat?”

“No thanks… Considering the time, I think I’ll just wait until noon.”

“Whatever you like. You can still eat if you’re hungry. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah… Better once I fell back asleep.”

“No more nightmares?” she asks, and I shake my head in response. “Good… Think about what you want to do today. I’m going to shower in the meantime.”

“Did you wait until I got up to shower?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to wake you up by rummaging for my things in the bedroom.”

“You’re silly, you could have. I’m a heavy sleeper. Not much wakes me up.”

“I’ll remember that next time.”

She sets her book down on the small table before getting up. I can’t help but let my eyes follow her as she walks down the hallway. How could I not when she’s still in pajamas that show off her perfectly smooth, bare legs? That outfit proves she didn’t go for a run; otherwise, she’d be in joggers.

“Wait, Luce!”

“Yes?” she says, turning around.

“C-Can I use your phone? I’d like to call Mapi while you’re busy.”

“It’s right there, code 4086.”

“Thanks!”

I give her one of my brightest smiles, which she returns before disappearing into the bathroom. Once she’s out of sight, I grab her phone and enter the code, which works. She’d never told me before; she always entered it herself. I’m not about to betray her trust, so I just dial my best friend’s number, which I know by heart. She picks up after the fourth ring.

“Hey guapa, you finally found time to call me?”

“ Lucy’s in the shower, I’m taking advantage.”

“Of course, because otherwise, impossible! You’re calling from her phone, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, don’t you dare save her number.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she giggles. “So, how’s the weekend going?”

“Perfect, really.”

I give her a rundown of everything  Lucy has shown me. I leave out a few details, like how she let me drive or the secret spots she took me to. I also tell her about the evening we spent with her friends. She asks if Ingrid and Jenni were there, sounding a bit sad that she couldn’t join us. She was here just a few days ago, but I think she enjoyed her time in Manchester. She acts tough, but I know she has a big heart and gets attached quickly. Probably faster than I do, which says a lot. I used to get attached to people quickly before the incident I went through. I fall silent when I hear someone talking to her. I try to recognize the voice, but it’s too faint.

“It’s Ona, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

I hear her respond, but she’s moved the phone away from her ear. I try to listen more closely and finally recognize the voice— Lana. You’ve got to be kidding me!

“You’re at it again?” I scold.

“Ona—”

“No, no, no, don’t give me that! You’re giving her false hopes again when she’s just a hookup to you!” I snap.

“I can’t help it, OK?” she blurts out. “Ever since I came back to Barcelona, it’s been miserable,” she sighs. “And you not having a phone isn’t helping!”

“I’m sorry, Maps… I’ll ask Ale to let me borrow hers more often.”

“When are you getting your new phone?”

“I have no idea,” I sigh. “ Lucy destroyed my SIM card. I have to go through my mom to get a new one.”

“Great,” she says sarcastically. “I need a distraction! I’m going to explode otherwise.”

“I’m sorry I’m not there…”

“It’s not your fault, don’t worry about it. Anyway, let’s change the subject.”

“Do you want to come to Manchester next week?” I suggest.

“Very funny, and where would we stay?”

“I can ask Lucy if she knows of any good places. We can use taxis to get around.”

“That’s going to cost a fortune… I can’t afford it, and you know it.”

“My mom gives me money every month, Mapi. It’s one of the few things she does right.”

“There’s no way you’re paying for everything, don’t even think about it,” she grumbles.

“You can stay with me.”

I jump and turn to see Lucy. She’s leaning against the couch with a smile plastered on her face. I can’t find any words or react. I hate her. She has no right to show up in front of me in just a robe with her hair still dripping wet!

“Sorry, I heard my name so I figured I’d listen in. She wants to come to Manchester, right?” she asks.

“Uh… Yeah,” I reply, avoiding eye contact.

“You two can stay here if you want.”

“No way! I don’t want to bother you for another weekend.”

“It wouldn’t bother me if I’m the one offering.”

“Can we talk about this later?”

“Sure, I’m not done anyway. I’m going to get dressed and dry my hair.”

“Uh-huh…”

She runs her hand through my hair and heads back where she came from. I put the phone back to my ear as Mapi bombards me with questions. She asks why I turned down  Lucy’s offer and comments on how weird I was acting. How could I not be? I’m relieved to hear the hairdryer in the bathroom.

“Oh, shut up,” I groan. “Stay out of my love life, for God’s sake!”

“I never mentioned your love life,” she teases.

“I’m bringing it up because I ran into Alex last night.”

“Alex, the guy you met at the skating rink?”

“Yeah, that Alex.”

“Oooh! No, wait, that guy was so annoying! He kept asking me questions about you! I forbid you from going out with someone like him!”

“Girl I’m straight as a circle of course I m not going out with him ,” I roll my eyes.

“Can we go back to talking about Lucy? Seriously, you like her, admit it already!”

“Never, Leon.”

“Liar! She doesn’t leave you indifferent, I noticed it when I saw you two together.”

“Whatever. What are you getting at now?”

“It’s as clear as day. I haven’t seen you so much like yourself in a long time! She does more for you than I ever imagined.”

I sigh, massaging my temples. I wanted to talk to her about this, but not over the phone. Plus, I don’t like being pressured into saying things.

“Admit it, Batlle.”

“Fine, you win,” I groan. “I like her, okay?”

“Hallelujah! Oh my God, it’s about time! I knew it from the first time you talked about her,” she says excitedly. “You don’t even realize how attached you are to her!”

“I’m not attached,” I roll my eyes. “Anyway, nothing will ever happen between us.”

“Why not?”

“She’s my boss, remember? The girl completely obsessed with rules. She doesn’t even approve of Jenni and Ale’s relationship… She’s definitely not going to accept ours if anything were to happen…”

“I’m almost sure you don’t leave her indifferent either. But it’s obvious she doesn’t leave you indifferent.”

“You’re right, she doesn’t leave me indifferent, but I’m not in love. She’s just helping me feel better and get better. That’s all.”

“If you say so. Anyway, you two care a lot about each other.”

“Stop it, Mapi… You know I’m not ready for a new relationship anyway.”

“It would do you some good, you know.”

“And you’re the one telling me this?”

“Oh, come on! No need to compare us.”

“Anyway, I’ve got to go. Lucia is done and she’ll be back soon,” I say, hearing the hairdryer stop.

“Lucia, huh?” she teases.

“Maria Pilar Leon, enough already!” I groan.

“I couldn’t resist,” she laughs. “Try making her jealous. You’ll see if she wants more with you.”

“Okay, I’m hanging up.

"Yeah, go ahead and run," she laughs. "Say hi to her for me and have a good day with your girl!"

"Ugh... Thanks, you too. Bye."

Just as I hang up,  Lucy reappears. I notice she hasn't put on any makeup. She ignores me and heads to the kitchen. I get on my knees and rest my elbows on the back of the couch, watching her. It's hard when she's facing away from me.

"Thanks for the phone," I say, waving it in the air.

"You're welcome. Finished with Mapi already?" she asks, finally turning around.

"Yeah, that was enough for the week," I chuckle.

"I thought it would last longer. How is she?"

"Not too well," I sigh, resting my head between my arms. "That's why I suggested she come next week. Are you sure you don't know any cheap places we could stay?"

"I already offered here."

She turns to lean against the counter, crossing her arms. I smile when she tilts her head. I get the feeling she's trying to assess me curiously.

"I've already imposed on you long enough. Besides, you don't know what it's like having Mapi around for days."

"You're not going to pay for a hotel when I'm offering a free place, are you?"

"You're a pain... You have no idea what you're getting into."

"No, but I'm willing to take the risk," she laughs. "It only holds if you have permission, anyway."

"Hey, I've become responsible!"

"If you say so. Try to stay that way, then."

She turns back to continue what she was doing. I decide to join her to help out. I haven't done much since yesterday, and I'm eager to lend a hand now that I'm allowed to.

"Can I help?"

"I thought you didn't know how to cook?"

"It's never too late to learn, right?"

"That's true. How about some chicken stir-fry?"

"One of my favorite dishes," I admit.

"Perfect. You'll cut the chicken, then."

She looks for the meat in the fridge and then comes back to my side. I grimace at the sight of the fillets she places on a wooden board. She smiles, noticing my reaction. I've never cooked in my life, and she seems to have figured out my problem because she starts giving me instructions. I start by washing my hands while  Lucy looks for a knife. I grimace even more when I take the meat with my fingers.

"Ona, it's not going to bite," she laughs.

"This stuff is so slimy! It sticks to your fingers."

"You've never seen a chicken fillet before?"

"I've seen it... Touching it is a different story!"

She laughs even harder, which makes me pout. I put the chicken down when she hands me the knife.

"And you wonder why I think of you as a princess."

"Hey! I'm far from being one. It's not my fault I was never taught this stuff!"

"True. I'll get you used to it quickly, just wait."

She leans back against the counter, arms crossed, watching me cut the meat with a smile that doesn't leave her face. Her laughter tells me I'm doing it wrong.

"That's not how you do it, Ona. Watch."

She shows me there's a notch in the fillet. She opens it in half and asks me to cut down the middle. Once done, it's much easier to cut into small cubes.  Lucy still manages to critique me, saying I should make the pieces larger.

"And how do you plan to live later if you can't even cut a simple fillet?"

"I'll wait for you to give me lessons."

"Just that?"

"You're a whiz in the kitchen. I even prefer your dishes over Sam's, believe it or not!"

"How lucky. I haven't cooked anything special yet, just a pizza."

"That was enough to judge! I've got an idea! Can I hire you as my personal chef? But, like, for free, of course!"

"What next? If you want my services, you'll have to pay big."

She winks at me and moves to the other side of the kitchen. I watch her start the water for the pasta.

"Hey! Just because I'm not next to you doesn't mean you should stop," she scolds.

"Sorry," I giggle. "I was watching what you were doing."

I quickly finish cutting the two small fillets, which are more than enough for the two of us. She takes out a saucepan, places it on another burner, and asks me to bring the meat. She asks me to pour it all into the saucepan to cook, adding an onion and mushrooms. I watch as she stirs the meat occasionally and when she puts the pasta in the boiling water.

"Did you really learn all this by yourself?"

"Mostly, yes. Why?"

"I'll never be able to do this one day."

"Yes, you will. It comes naturally over time."

"It'll take a lot of practice before I get there."

"There's a first time for everything. Come here, you'll finish it."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..."

"It's not difficult, I promise."

I position myself in front of her as she directs. She explains what to do and especially stops me from overdoing the cream, salt, and spices. We let everything cook, making sure not to burn anything. She then lets me handle the pasta while she sets the table. When everything is ready, we bring the dishes over. I realize I'm not even dressed yet, but it doesn't seem to bother  Lucy. She would have said something if it did. I sit in the same spot as yesterday morning while she serves us both a plate.

"You're aware you're about to taste your first dish, right?" she smiles.

"Yeah, but you helped me a lot."

"But you did everything yourself," she replies, sitting across from me. "I should've started with this, it's basic."

"Ha ha ha! I still know to put pasta in water to cook, thank you!"

"With oil and salt."

"With oil and salt," I repeat as if it's obvious.

My credibility just crumbled. Of course, I didn't know that detail. I'm ashamed that I don't even know how to make pasta.

"Next time, you'll do it alone."

I smile shyly, thinking she wants me to come back someday. On top of that, she'll teach me how to cook. I'm not going to complain about learning something so simple. Now I'm eager to taste what I've made. We wish each other "bon appétit," and I quickly fill my mouth with a well-loaded fork. I let out an involuntary moan of satisfaction as I close my eyes. Damn, this is good!

"Alright, you're really a good teacher," I say with my mouth full. "If I make this at home, they won't believe it!"

"Oh, so you're planning to do it again? Please do it with someone else, okay?" she laughs.

"You're so mean!"

"I'm joking, Ona," she smiles.

"Mhm, I doubt it."

"Of course I am. So, have you thought about what you want to do today?"

"You don't have anything planned?"

"No, nothing at all."

"Then I don't want to do anything."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, just enjoy the calm, if that's okay with you. A movie, read a book, or maybe a board game if you're up for it... But I don't really feel like going out today."

"Alright, that works for me."

I really needed this moment of calm after the weekend. I don't get these moments at school, where we're constantly around others. We finish our meal talking about current movies and series that might interest us for the afternoon. We clear the table, then I head back to my room to get dressed. I take the opportunity to make my bed, which I didn't use much. I wanted to do hers too, but she had already made it when I went to her room.

"Is something wrong?" she asks when she sees me standing in the doorway.

"No, no," I quickly reply.

"Are you done?"

"Almost. I just need to brush my teeth and hair because this isn't working anymore," I say, pointing to my head.

"If you say so," she laughs. "I'll wait for you in the living room."

I let her go out first. I stop by the bathroom, where my things are still here from yesterday. I easily find her toothpaste because I, of course, forgot mine at school, and I brush my teeth. Thankfully, she doesn't mind me using her stuff. It still bothers me to have to rummage through her things, like last time when I couldn't find her cotton pads right away. They were right in front of me the whole time. I must have taken too long because a few minutes later,  Lucy comes back to ask if everything's okay. She comes in with my permission just as I'm wiping my face.

"You don't need to make yourself pretty, you know," she laughs.

"I'm not making myself pretty. I'm making myself presentable."

"You're very presentable," she giggles. "Even with messy hair."

"Sure, keep teasing me."

"I'm not lying."

"Mhm. Does it bother you if I take another shower here before leaving tonight?"

"Of course not. You don't have to ask for that."

"Thanks... Are we watching a movie now?"

She nods and steps aside to let me pass. I toss the cotton pad I just used before leaving. After a long debate, we decided to continue the Harry Potter series. I was fully into it until  Lucy got bored and decided to mess with me. If you had told me one day I'd find myself on a couch with her, and she'd be tickling me, I would have laughed at the absurdity. But that's exactly what's happening.

" Lucy Bronze!" I cry out between laughs. "You're such a child!"

"You're the younger one!" she retorts.

"Well, it doesn't seem like it! Stop it," I giggle under her attacks.

I have to twist and turn to escape her. Since I can't, I decide to climb on top of her to pin her down. It's only when she stops laughing that I realize the position I've put us in. She's sprawled out beneath me as I straddle her hips, holding her hands on either side of her head. She stops when she doesn't hear me laugh anymore. My hair falling over her face must be hiding my blushing cheeks. I try to get up, but my hand slips, and I collapse onto her like a ragdoll.  Lucy's laughter rings in my ears. I try again to get up, but this time an arm wraps around my shoulders, holding me in place.

"Lucia..."

"Shhh. Relax and lay down a bit »

I catch her eyes, which show no hint of humor. She slowly forces me to rest my head against her chest so I can keep watching the movie this way. The feeling of being held captive against her gives me butterflies in my stomach. I bite my lip as she starts to gently stroke my hair.

"Relax, Ona..."

"Sorry... I-I’m not used to this anymore."

My trembling voice betrays me. I’m enjoying the moment, but I know it's not right.

"So enjoy it."

That’s exactly the problem. Enjoy. She doesn’t realize in what way I’m enjoying it. I admit defeat when I realize she won’t let me go. I can’t keep watching the movie like I was just a few minutes ago. My thoughts are consumed by the person I’m lying on. She’s going to drive me crazy if she keeps this up. I don’t understand what’s happening to me in her presence. It wasn’t like this at the beginning. Everything just changed. Or have I only just realized it? I let my fingers slide down her sides, moving up and down repeatedly. I smile as I feel her shiver. She asks me to stop, but the urge to continue is stronger. I would love to thank her for everything, but I stay silent to avoid ruining the moment. My hand starts to ache from twisting my arm this way, so I slide between her body and the back of the couch. She grunts slightly as I crush her in the process. I rest my head on her shoulder and leave one of my legs on hers. This way, I can continue the same gentle touches she’s giving me on my head, now on her belly, without straining my arm. I enjoy this peaceful moment by closing my eyes for a moment.

Sunday, January 10; 6:00 PM - At  Lucy's place

I grumble when I'm shaken gently. I cling to the fabric beneath my hand. I open my eyes when I’m shaken harder the second time.

"Wake up, Ona."

"Hummmm... Did I fall asleep?" I ask in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah," she replies cheerfully.

I release what I’m holding when I realize it’s  Lucy’s sweater. I rub my eyes under her amused smile.

"Come on, get up, Princess. I need to cook if we don’t want to be late for school."

"Can’t we wait a little longer?"

"I’ve already waited to wake you up. I need to cook so we can eat, and we need to pack too."

"What time is it?"

"Six Ale’clock. At least let me get up, please."

I shift to free her side that I was holding. I lie back down the moment she gets up and moves out of my sight. I sigh in displeasure, feeling only the warmth she left behind. I clutch the pillow, hoping it can replace her presence.

"You’d better not fall back asleep."

"Or what?" I challenge.

"You don’t want to know."

I chuckle lightly. I focus on the screen where a series has replaced our movie, which must have ended a long time ago. I recognize Grey’s Anatomy. I used to love watching this series, but that was before I started studying in the field.

"What are we eating?" I ask.

"We have some pasta left. I was planning to make bolognese. Does that work for you?"

"Hmm..."

"And if you would bring your butt here to give me a hand?"

"You’re asking a lot."

I still get up to drag my feet to the kitchen under her laughter. I lean against the counter to watch her prepare. She smiles at me and gestures for me to come over.

"Here, turn the meat if needed."

She leaves me in front of a pot filled with meat and onions cooking. I look at it with a panicked expression when she takes out things to set the table.

"What do I need to do?"

"I just told you. Just turn the meat," she laughs. "I’ve already seasoned it. You should be able to handle this without me, right?"

"I’m not sure," I joke.

"Helpless."

"Only because of you."

"Oh yeah?" she raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You’re lucky, huh?"

"From what I see in front of me..." she says, looking me up and down. "Not really, no."

I part my lips in shock. It’s been a while since she’s scolded me like that, even if it’s in jest. She laughs while approaching me.

"Don’t forget to turn the meat."

I regain my composure while stirring the pot under her watchful eye. When it’s ready for her, she pours the tomato sauce and takes my place to mix everything together.

"A real princess," she teases with a shoulder bump.

"I’m more of a burden, really."

"What?" she giggles.

Her eyes settle on me when I stop answering. I meant what I just said. It’s how I feel. She doesn’t say anything and tastes her sauce with a spoon. Then she puts a lid on the pot and lowers the heat. I stay where I am while she throws the spoon she used into the sink. It’s at this moment that I feel her eyes on my back. I head towards the table to avoid her, but she blocks me against the counter before I can get there.

"I thought we had moved past this stage of feeling bad."

"Don’t think less of me."

"Hey, it was a joke. Look at me."

I turn to face her. She’s closer than I expected, but I don’t let myself be unsettled.

"It’s the truth! I’m just a simple burden you’re dragging behind you."

"No," she sighs. "You’re much more than that, Ona. Alright? Get that idea out of your head, okay? You might be a little princess, but I will always support you."

I lower my head, nodding slightly and biting my lip. Why does she always have the right words to reassure me? I let myself fall into her arms that she just opened for me.

"Come on, go sit down. I’ll handle the rest."

I do as she asks while keeping an eye on her. She heats the pasta and joins me shortly after with the dishes. I serve the drinks while she fills our plates. We enjoy our last moments together by chatting a bit. The conversation turns to what we might do with Mapi next week. It looks like she’s decided to host us. After dinner, I help her clear the table before we return to our rooms. I pack my suitcase with reluctance, making sure not to forget anything.

"It’s not the end of the world if you forget something, you know," she says, leaning against the door frame.

"That’s true, but it would bother me."

"We need to leave. Is everything okay for you?"

"Yep..."

"Don’t make that face, you’ll be back next week," she teases.

"Hmm... Let’s go before I hide under the bed."

I roll my suitcase to the living room where hers is already. I take one last look at the apartment before she turns off all the lights and locks the door. With a heavy heart, we take the elevator to her car. This weekend was amazing. Way too amazing. I don’t say anything during the drive back. She stops after a while, and I realize we’ve arrived at the place where I joined her on Friday night.

"You’ll need to walk the rest," she says softly.

"Yeah... Thanks for the weekend."

"It was a pleasure. Is everything okay...?" she asks uncertainly.

"Yeah," I repeat. "Good night,  Lucy."

"Good night to you."

She gives me a smile that I return weakly. I get out of the car and grab my suitcase before watching the car drive off into the night. I finish the walk to the reception where the old secretary is waiting for us. This very warm woman wishes me a good week. I continue to my room where Alexia greets me as soon as I drop my things. She bombards me with questions about my weekend. She’s so much like Mapi with that behavior. The only difference is that she doesn’t force me to talk about it. I pretend I need to take a shower to escape, as I didn’t have time to shower at  Lucy’s after my nap. I manage to get into bed just before curfew. That kept me from having to talk, as I know Ale wouldn’t want to deal with the supervisor on duty. I wouldn’t want to either, given the weekend I’ve had. I think  Lucy would have saved the day, but I can’t always rely on her. She already does so much for me, and I need to adhere to the rules. In complete silence, I search for sleep, which is elusive after my long nap.

Monday, January 11; 2:20 AM - Ona and Alexia’s room

I startle awake, the duvet thrown off me. I’m seized by a sudden suffocation. I blink several times to understand that the light is already on. Alexia gets up and comes to me. I can’t catch my breath and feel sticky with sweat again.

"Hey, it’s okay, it’s just a nightmare."

I start to tremble under Alexia's caresses. Please, anything but this... I place my head in my hands to prevent the panic attack from getting worse. I flinch when the bedroom door opens to reveal someone I don’t recognize. It must be the night instructor  Lucy told me about. It's the first time she’s intervened in our room, and she doesn’t look very pleased.

- What’s going on here? she asks sternly.

- She’s having nightmares; it’s not the first time, Alexia explains.

- Br... Bronze, I manage to say. Call...

- Do you want me to get Bronze?

I nod faintly as I struggle to breathe. It feels like my head is going to explode. All I hear are hissing noises making me whimper and close my eyes. I bury my head in my arms to lessen the violent dizziness that’s overtaking me, but it makes it worse. I’m forced to pull it out to try and get some air. When I open my eyes again, I see Alexia trying to talk to me, but I can’t make out anything. She looks very worried and desperate. The minutes drag on until Bronze arrives in the room. It’s as if time had paused. I must look terrible with my face soaked in uncontrollable tears. Alexia immediately gives way to my supervisor. Her first instinct is to grab my head in her hands so that I only look at her. Her lips move, but I still hear nothing but unpleasant hissing. I pray that she understands my state as I desperately cling to her shirt. She lets me cling to her when I pull her close. Her arms simply wrap around my neck as I whimper against her. Her reassuring scent quickly fills my lungs. I close my eyes to savor her caresses that I can finally feel. There, she’s all I needed to feel reassured and safe. She stays as long as needed for me to calm down and return to reality. I start to hear her soft whispers again, and it’s at this moment that I realize I’m completely sprawled on her. My grip on her shirt slowly loosens as I understand that I’m safe now.

- I’m here; I’m not letting go, she repeats.

I take in all her words until I’m overcome with a sense of guilt. I start crying again.

- I- I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I... I stammer.

- Hey, shhh. It’s okay, alright? Calm down. I’m here now.

I close my eyes and bury my face a little further into her neck. I take in all the security she offers. A terrible headache comes over me, forcing me to pull away slightly from  Lucy. She loosens her grip slightly, understanding my intention. I try to make sure she can’t see my awful face. She doesn’t take it well and grabs my face to examine it with a worried look. I break our eye contact to look at Alexia behind her, who seems terrified. I panic when I feel  Lucy trying to get up. She smiles gently.

- I’ll be right back, I promise.

I trust her and release her against my will. She comes back shortly with a glass of water and a pill. I take it without a word, reminded of my headache. She sits back on the edge of my bed and runs her thumbs over my cheeks.

- We need to find a solution. I’ll have to talk to Wiegman in the morning.

I give her a difficult nod of agreement. I know she would do things differently if she could. She sighs, running her hand through her hair and staring at the door. It’s closed, probably to keep the whole floor from being disturbed by my fault. I lower my eyes to the glass I’m holding, but I look up immediately when  Lucy stands. I hold her back with my eyes.

- Stay with me... Please.

- Ona... she sighs. I can’t do that.

- I won’t be able to fall back asleep without you, I whisper, lowering my head.

I know this in advance. I’ve gotten used to something I shouldn’t have. I look at her when I don’t get a response. Her eyes linger on Alexia before settling back on me. I bite my lip, dreading her response.

- Alright, she cracks with a sigh. I just need to talk to the other instructor first, but for that, you’ll have to let me go.

She looks at where I’m holding her, and I immediately release my grip.

- Go back to sleep, Alexia. And I want your silence about what’s going to happen tonight.

With those words, she exits, taking care to leave the door open. I don’t like that she’s threatening Ale, but she risks a lot by agreeing to my request. I collapse onto the bed and look at my roommate, who was already staring at me.

- You scared me to death! I really didn’t know what to do this time! Luckily, Bronze came. I really couldn’t have calmed you down like she did! she rushes out.

- I’m sorry you had to witness that.

- Blake, I told you to go back to sleep,  Lucy, who has just returned, says.

She closes the door behind her. Alexia is still very intimidated by her, which makes me smile a little.  Lucy is so cold with her at the same time. She approaches my bed and grimaces, probably noticing the size. She sighs and turns off the light.

- Alright, move over, she whispers.

I comply by shifting to the side of the bed. I feel her slide in behind me, covering us properly before placing her hand on my stomach.

- We seriously need to find a solution, she grumbles in a way that only I can hear.

Luckily, it’s dark, and she can’t see my smile. I snuggle a little closer into her arms, pulling the blanket up to my neck. As usual since this weekend, she caresses my stomach to calm me, which works perfectly. She whispers goodnight before I close my eyes and fall asleep again.

[pascalscoffin]

Muñequita pt. II

Idk idk why I made a part two okay? I’m invested leave me alone

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Warnings: Minirs Go Away I Will Kick You In The Forehead. Girl!dad Javi. Javi struggles with his Colombian past. Javi falling in love with his daughter and reader (all over again) VERY fast. The man’s a simp for his family and he don’t even know em. Javi cries and opens up to reader (he’s still very vague). Valeria loves him literally immediately. Javi is actually scared she won’t and she’s just like “mine.” No season three they’ve got other guys on that case (Steve and Javi refused they just wanna be small town cops now)

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Javier had never been too worried about his clothes before, he didn’t spend very long choosing his outfit and usually just wore what he was comfortable in, but getting up the next morning he was thrown in a spiral. It’s weird, a guy being so worried about what he’s gonna wear to go meet someone.

But this isn’t just someone.

This is daughter. He wants to make a good impression.

And then of course, there’s you. He’s spent the last five years thinking about the night you shared together, not even just the sex. Don’t get him wrong the sex was absolutely magnificent and would most definitely cross his mind more than once.

But, he found himself thinking about the way you made him feel as lot as well, how your laugh had echoed in his brain and then spread into his chest and throughout his entire body, keeping the two of you laughing until your cheeks hurt, which was an odd feeling for Javier, he hadn’t laughed like that since he was a kid.

He hadn’t been looking to meet someone that night at the bar, if he wanted to get laid he would go to Gabriella and get what he wanted from her, but after the day he’d had trying to run down Escobar, he was just too damn tired to talk to anyone.

But then he sat next to you, subconsciously drawn to the warmth he felt near you, not a physical warmth but something that swirled around and warmed up inside him and he wanted more more more.

Eventually he had Steve on the phone.

“Little girls like pink, right?” There was a short silence. “First of all, hello to you too. Second of all, what?”

“Estoy tan harto de ti, pendejo.” Javier rubbed his forehead before sighing heavily. I'm so sick of you, asshole. “Little girls. Do they fucking like pink or not.” “I- usually, yes. But not always. Why the fuck are you asking me if little girls like pink?”

“I’m meeting Valeria today. I want her to like me, pendejo.” “So you think… wearing pink is… is gonna make her like you?” “I don’t know! It couldn’t hurt!” “Look, Javi. Your shirt doesn’t fucking matter.” Steve sighed heavily on the other side. “Where’s Connie.” Javier asked, she was better at advice. “She took Olivia and Jack for ice cream.” Javier groaned loudly.

“Just- she’s five years old, Jav and she’s about to meet her dad for the first time, I don’t really think it matters what you wear, she’s gonna be obsessed with you as soon as she meets you.” Steve chuckled softly and sighed. “… alright. Alright.” Javier stared down at the button ups he’d been staring at for an embarrassing amount of time before putting the white away and deciding to wear the pink one. “Bye.” He hung up and went to shower before getting dressed, trying to scrub every inch of any cigarette he’d had in the last 24 hours off his skin.

He’d been trying to stop but on the way to Steve’s he’d stopped to buy a couple looseys from the one gas station that would sell them.

After that he waited, impatiently, for an appropriate time to call about coming over. Nine was way too early, noon felt… eager, and anything later than one or two felt too late. It resulted in him dialing your number, staring at the numbers before shaking his head and deciding it was too early about four times.

Eventually he decided 12:30 was pretty much the perfect time, so he dialed your number one last time before hitting the green button instead of the red one this time.

When you picked up he heard your voice fade in. “Valeria, don’t climb on the counter. Vas a romperte el brazo.” You’re going to break your arm. “Hello?” Javier didn’t realize he had a huge smile on his face until he looked in the mirror hanging up on his bedroom wall, tucked away from Chucho and his bat-like ears. “Hey- uh- it’s Javi.” “Oh. Hey. So… you heard she thinks my house is a jungle gym.” Javier chuckled softly.

“She seems like the type.” Javi scratched his chin lightly, silence settling over the phone for a moment before he spoke again. “So uh when… when do you want me to.. come over?”

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Valeria had been practically bouncing around the house all morning. When you’d gotten up you sat her down at breakfast and explained to her gently while she was eating that her daddy was home and wanted to meet her. Her eyes had gotten so wide and so bright, she’d practically inhaled the rest of her food before running off to her room, screaming that she had to find something to wear.

You had to follow her and help, of course, she was independent but the truth was if you let her dress herself she’d end up either not wearing anything or end up wearing two dresses, a skirt, and a pair of jeans with one flat and one sneaker. If that seems like an oddly specific example, it’s because you have in fact let her dress herself and she tried to go to school wearing that exact outfit.

“Querida?” Javi’s soft voice through the receiver brought you back as you watched Valeria carefully climbed down off the counter. “I’m here. Sorry. Sorry I was.. just thinking. Um. You can come whenever now. Honestly, the sooner the better because Valeria wants to look pristine when you get here but I can see her resolve cracking every time she looks out the window.” You laughed softly.

Javi laughed a little harder this time. You watched as Valeria ran away from the windows towards you, grabbing your leg and jumping. “¡¿Es él, mami?! Is that him?!”

On the other end of the line Javier could feel his heart squeezing in his chest and you could hear his breath hitch in his throat. “I-I’ll be there soon.” His voice was softer, you almost couldn’t hear him but you did and a slow smile spread across your face. “Okay.” You said softly. “See you soon.”

You hung up the phone and took just a brief second to smile and feel giddy before being sucked into Valeria’s world again. “Is he coming? Is he coming?!” She whined. You laughed softly and knelt down to pick her up. “Yes, mi muñequita, he’ll be here soon.”

Valeria nodded and laid her head on your shoulder and you could sense her nerves start to build up in her tiny little body. “What’s on your mind, muñequita?” You asked softly, rubbing her back gently.

“.. do you think he’ll like me?” You looked down at her quickly. “What? Of course he will. He’s going to love you, Val.” You whispered softly, kissing her cheek gently, feeling that guilt from last night start to settle in your stomach again. Fuck. Is this what the day had planned for you? Constant unimaginable guilt? “He- you’re so smart and funny and energetic. He’s going to fall in love with you the second he sees you. Just like I did.” You kissed her forehead.

She played with the collar of your shirt. Being a mom who literally refused to enjoy herself you didn’t have ‘dress up’ clothes, sure you had nice clothes, but nice clothes for you meant things like shirts that weren’t stained from play time with Valeria or days where she’d be sick and couldn’t stop herself in time to make it to a trashcan- lets just say there’s a trashcan almost everywhere in your house now, just in case she gets sick.

You were, however, wearing your nicest clothes, which was a beige colored v-neck with a little pocket on the front that adorned a heart, your jeans were light wash, a few bleach stains from laundry mishaps, a missing back pocket, the bottoms frayed from dragging the ground, but they fit you really well and you couldn’t bring yourself to throw them away.

“Can I watch Elmo?” Valeria looked up at you hopefully and you laughed softly, nodding. “Of course. Go pick.” You set her down and watched her run over to the VHS collection of Elmo tapes and watched her fondly.

You were shocked how easily she could move on from things, how she could go from nervous and scared to excited and asking to watch Elmo. Though, if you thought back to your night with Javi, he seemed to be the same way, like he was constantly flipping between emotions, urging off certain ones in favor of others.

You wondered briefly if Valeria did the same thing, wanting to watch Elmo to stave off the nervous feelings. When you saw her pick her desired tape, though, you shook the thoughts out and made your way over, putting the tape in and starting it for her, kissing the top of her head as she sat down, immediately entranced.

You went to the kitchen to prep something to eat when Javi got there, figuring you would have lunch together and, hopefully dinner but you didn’t want to get ahead of yourself. The occasional peek in on Valeria told you no matter how glued in on Elmo, if she heard a car she was running to the window, staring out of it in hopes that a car would stop.

Until you heard her let out a loud gasp and tiny scream. “¡Mami! ¡Mami! ¡Él está aquí! He’s here!” She ran into the kitchen and grabbed your hand to yank you to the door. “Come on!” You were glad she was at least following your rule about not opening the door, the yelling inside was going to take more time.

You picked up your feet to walk to the door, she was surprisingly strong for such a small girl but you were just going to blame that on the excitement. As you got closer to the door you felt nervous, the feeling spreading when you heard a door close in your driveway.

“Mommy open it!” Valeria was jumping up and down, standing slightly behind you. “I am, I am.” You laughed and shook your head, reaching out to pull the door open just as Javi was stepping onto the porch.

Javi froze for a second and got that puppy dog look on his face again as he looked at you before his eyes fell down to the tiny figure behind you and his breath caught in his throat.

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Javier looked down at the little girl, his own eyes staring back at him as he swallowed thickly, she’d had a big floppy hat on yesterday so it’d been hard to see her face but god she was beautiful. Fluffy brown curls that reached her shoulders, some pieces sticking out in a way that reminded him of his own hair.

He hesitated a little before slowly kneeling down, wanting to get at her level as you did the same, stepping over a bit so that they could get a better look at eachother.

“Muñequita… this is your daddy.” Javi looked at you when you called her muñequita and wanted to laugh at the irony but all of a sudden a tiny body was slamming into his chest and little arms were throwing themselves around his shoulders.

He blinked rapidly, eyes widening a bit as he looked at you and then down at Valeria, slowly wrapping his arms around her, letting his eyes close as he soaked in the feeling. “Hola, papá.” She said into his neck, the voice so soft and tiny he was ready to give both of you whatever the hell you wanted.

He took a deep breath to steady the shaking feeling in his chest. “Hola, mi Valeria.” He whispered softly. After a moment Valeria was sliding away just a little bit and her tiny little hands were settling on his cheeks and rubbed lightly, giggling happily and hugging his neck again before looking back at you

“Mommy mommy! It really is him! He looks just like me!” Valeria jumped up and down, absolutely overjoyed that she got to meet her dad.

You laughed softly and felt your cheeks warm up a little under the heat of Javi’s gaze. “Come on. I… I made lunch.” The two of you stood up and Valeria bolted inside yelling about Dino nuggets and tater tots, despite you trying very hard to get her to have something else. “It’s my favorite, mommy! He has to know!” She’d insisted.

You’d laughed and shook your head but ultimately agreed and made enough for the three of you because she demanded you all eat the same thing, insisting you’re a family and families eat the same meal.

“Dino nuggets..?” Javier looked at you curiously as he stepped into the house. You laughed softly. “They’re chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs.” You smiled and closed the door behind him. “Oh.” He nodded slowly. “Huh. Okay.” He pursed his lips, making a mental note of that.

“Sorry. Hi. You look great.” Javier turned to you better with a soft smile. You felt your cheeks warm up and laughed a little as you shook your head. “I look as great as the mother of a five year old can look.” “Which is fucking fantastic, Querida.” Javier shook his head. He wasn’t going to get into that, not yet anyway.

So maybe Javi had a thing for milfs, could you blame him? Especially when they looked like you. “Come on! I’m hungry!” Valeria shouted from the table, whining loudly. You blinked rapidly and looked towards the kitchen with a laugh. “We should probably go. The last time I missed lunch- by two minutes mind you, she tried to make her own milk and spilled it… all over the counter and floor.” You spread your hands out and shook your head. “The whole carton.”

Javier raised his eyebrows and looked towards the kitchen, snorting a little. “.. well we better go, then.” He motioned for you to go so he could follow you, his hands rubbing nervously on his thighs behind you, trying so very very hard not to stare at your ass, thanking god when you got to the table and the two of you sat down, Valeria practically bouncing in her seat as she asked Javier to sit next to her, brown eyes big and shining. How could he say no to that face?

He sat next to her with a smile, you dropping yourself down in front of them before starting to deal out the tater tots and Dino nuggets.

Javier listened as Valeria explained the delicacy of biting a nugget, eating a tater tot, and biting the nugget again, even going so far as to show Javier and tell him that was the best way to eat them, to which you’d laughed but ultimately agreed with her.

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After lunch Valeria was finally allowed outside, screaming in joy as she ran, jumping up and down by her swing set. “Will you push me? Will you push me?” She asked Javier, grabbing his arm when the two of you walked over. “Please, daddy?”

Please, daddy?

The words echoed in Javier’s head as he nodded his head slowly, looking down at Valeria with a star struck look on his face. “Of course I’ll push you, Valeria.” He stood behind her on the swing and looked at you nervously as you nodded your head. “Just no trips to the moon.” You teased.

Javier laughed and nodded. “Yes ma’am.” He pushed Valeria on the swing, not too high but high enough to keep her satisfied as she told Javier all about being in Kindergarten, kicking her little legs happily.

Javier felt his chest swell as he listened to her, his heart pounding in his chest as he started to think about everything he’d done, everything he’d caused in Colombia. How one night, in the midst of that terrible shit he met you and had the best fucking night of his adult life, and it produced this sweet, tiny, innocent little girl that was just too perfect for this world.

And she loved him with every atom in her tiny body.

It made him sick.

Not because he didn’t want her to, or because he didn’t love her. But because he didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve to have someone love him so wholeheartedly like that, not with the things he’s done. “Javi?” He snapped his eyes over to you and blinked rapidly as you frowned. “Are you okay?”

Javier nodded rapidly. “I’m fine.” He smiled lightly. “I’m fine.” He repeated before looking down at Valeria, who was looking back at him with a tiny frown. The frown melted into a smile though and then she telling Javier he could stop the swing before jumping off the swing and bouncing on her heels.

“Jump rope! Jump rope! Jump rope!” She shouted before running to the box of outside toys to grab her longest jump rope. “Here, daddy! You hold one end. Mommy, you hold this one.” She gave you each one end.

Javier’s cheeks were red and he had a smile on his face as he watched her, looking at you for help on what the hell he was supposed to do here. “Just.. swing your arm back and forth.” You told him, laughing softly. “You’ll get the hang of it.” You teased.

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The day went pretty much like that, Valeria found all kinds of things to play with Javier, introducing him to all her favorite games and toys until she was almost completely tuckered out, thumb stuck in her mouth a telltale sign she was getting sleepy. You never discouraged this, it made her comfortable and it was the only time she did it and it would normally only last until she was asleep, which didn’t take long once the thumb was in place.

“Alright, it’s time for muñequitas around the world to go to bed.” You said softly, your chest squeezing at how she was glued to Javier’s side as you watched a movie, little eyes drooping, one of his arms around her while the other gripped tightly at the cushions. There was something wrong, that much you could tell, you just didn’t know what it was.

Thankfully, Valeria didn’t fight and in her sleepy state reached for you to take her to bed, letting out a big yawn. You laughed softly and gently pulled her from Javier’s side. She reached out last second, though and clung to his neck before pressing a sleepy kiss to his cheek. “Buenas noches, papá” she whispered sleepily before letting you tug her away.

Javier took a deep breath and smiled softly. “Buenas noches, Valeria.” He rubbed his hands on his pants and when you turned around he hesitantly got up and followed you.

You didn’t really hear him behind you, changing Valeria into her nightgown before tucking her into bed, pushing her hair back. “Did you have a good day, Muñequita?” You whispered. Valeria smiled sleepily and looked at you with that same love-filled look, none diminished like you were afraid.

“He’s just like I thought he’d be, mommy.” She whispered happily, her eyes absolutely shining. “He’s so nice and he smells good and he’s super strong! And really fast! I told you he was a superhero, mommy.”

You laughed softly and kissed her forehead as Javier felt his earth shatter and then come back together and then explode again. Hearing you say it was different from hearing her say it and it had him stumbling back to the couch, completely losing his nerve to finish watching your nightly routine. Maybe another night.

He lowered himself onto your couch and pressed his hands to his mouth as he stared at a picture of you after you gave birth to Valeria, completely alone with that tiny baby in your arms, nothing but a nurse next to you for moral support, it made him want to throw up. You were giving birth to his daughter and he was probably fucking a god damn hooker in his sleazy ass apartment. Or watching a fucking child get shot in the forehead, or-

Jesus fucking Christ is he crying right now?

He looked down at his hand and sure enough there was a god damn tear right there on his hand, mocking him. “Javi?” He looked quickly, your sweet voice bringing him back again, slowly pulling him back down to earth. “What’s wrong? Was it too much today? I’m so sorry I didn’t know she was going to-“ “no.” Javier shook his head and wiped his eyes quickly as he stood up, going over to you.

“No it’s not that. I love her. God I love her so fucking much. She’s amazing. She’s so- fucking happy. She’s so happy. And so- full of love- and that’s the problem.” You blinked rapidly and frowned deeply. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t deserve it.” Javier shook his head. “That’s what’s wrong. I don’t.. deserve to be loved by her like that. By someone so innocent.” “Javi- what are you talking about.” “I’m not a superhero- god I’m not even a fucking hero- or a side kick.” He scoffed and walked away from you, hands on his hips as he looked at the ceiling.

“.. Javi-“ “don’t give me that ‘no one feels like one’ bullshit.” Javier scoffed and looked back at you. You furrowed your brows and hesitated a little before making your way over to him and then guiding him down onto the couch. “… you need to talk to someone about it, Javi.” You said softly.

Javier scoffed. “Like a shrink?” You rolled your eyes. “Or a friend.” You closed your hands around his lightly and pulled them closer. “I’m here to listen. You don’t have to tell me everything, or go into detail if you don’t want to.” You rubbed his hand with your thumb.

Javier looked at your hands for a while, silent. After what felt like five minutes he looked at your eyes and took a deep breath. “A lot of… the bad shit that happened.. over there. I was.. around, in the area, when it happened. I saw a lot of it… head on. Explosions, shootings… the shit with Los Pepes. It was my fault” His fist tightened under yours.

“… I watched the news.” You nodded. “I wouldn’t let her but I… wanted to try and keep track of you somehow.” You looked down and brought his hand up to press a kiss to his knuckles. “I’m sorry you had to see stuff like that.” You looked up at him.

“But… Javi whatever you did over there. Whatever happened… you thought you were doing the right thing. You had to catch Escobar.” Javier looked at you for a minute and shook his head as he looked away. “One of em was a fucking kid.” He mumbled, his jaw tightening.

“Teenager, almost a teenager…” you moved closer to him. “We rounded up his lookouts.. it was just a bunch of kids, all of em…” he took a deep breath. “Carrillo… I thought we just.. were gonna bring them in..” he shook his head. You blinked rapidly as you put the pieces together. “I just fucking stood there. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t do anything.” He swallowed thickly.

You shook your head slowly. “Oh Javi… oh god I’m so sorry.” You let go of his hand and hugged him tightly, wrapping one arm around his shoulders while your other hand settled on the back of his head, running your fingers through the hair as he pressed his face into your neck and wrapped his arms tightly around your waist, his shoulders shaking.

“I don’t deserve to have her in my life I’m just gonna fuck her up. I’ll fuck it all up. I fucked everything up in Colombia. They didn’t even fucking catch him until I was gone. I don’t wanna fuck her up.” You shook your head as he rambled. “Javi… you’re not going to fuck anything up.” You frowned and pulled back, cupping his cheeks.

“She loves you and that’s not gonna change and you’re not gonna fuck her up because she’s too stubborn to let anyone change who she is.” You told him sternly, rubbing your thumbs along his cheekbones. “You love her too, I know you do. You can’t be around her without loving her.” You laughed softly.

Javier chuckled and shook his head as he looked down, nodding this time. “Yeah I.. I do I just.. I don’t know how to be a dad.” You shrugged. “Were your parents always perfect at it?” You raised a brow. Javier furrowed his brows. “Life sucks. We know that. It’s up to us to make it suck less. We can either wallow in the shit that isn’t our fault-“ you poked his chest a couple times.

“… or we can make the best of the situation at hand.” You smiled softly and Javier felt his heart jump in his chest and before he could stop himself he was clashing his lips into yours.

You gasped and grabbed his shoulders but quickly eased into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulled him closer, letting your mouth fall open when he traced your lips with his tongue.

He tasted like you remembered, but less cigarette taste this time, the smokiness was still there but it was accompanied by a new minty sort of flavor.

The kiss didn’t go much further than this, one of his hands on your cheek while the other explored the expanse of your body, gripping lightly at your hips and breasts, moaning softly into eachother’s mouths.

Soon he had you laid back on the couch, his body lined along yours, draping over you and surrounding you in his wonderful scent and warm body. He made no movements to put his hands under your clothes, not wanting to push anything too far considering he hadn’t even thought this was going to happen. He’d planned to be a gentleman about the situation.

As it dawned on him he leaned back and panted softly. “Sorry.” He looked down at you, swallowing thickly as you shook your head quickly. “Don’t be sorry.” You shifted under him, your face and neck burning.

“I just- obviously I like you.” Javier chuckled and slowly moved off of you, taking your hand to sit you up. “I don’t wanna fuck it up, though and I was hoping… you would let me take you out?” He licked his lips.

“Just me and you- I mean I love Valeria but I… I wanna take you out, get to know you. I planned to in Colombia but… I never had any fucking time.” Javier took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “So… if I.. make us reservations.. would you wanna go to dinner with me?” He asked hopefully.

You looked at him quietly for a second before slowly starting to smile. “Javi… Javi I would love to go to dinner with you.” You reached out and grabbed his hand again, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “I’ll have to find a babysitter for Valeria. But I would love to.” Javier grinned and nodded. “Great.” He said softly.

As he looked at you he felt that bubbling in his stomach again, that urge to pull you in and wrap your bodies together for the rest of the night. “… I should probably go.” He said softly, squeezing your hand as you nodded. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Javier smiled and stood up with you, walking out to his truck and turning to you as he opened the door. “I had a great day. Thanks for letting me meet her.” “Of course, Javi.” You laughed softly and shook your head. “Except- you can’t get rid of us now. You’re stuck.”

Javier laughed and nodded. “Good.” He teased, chewing on his lip before gently pulling you close to give you one last long kiss, sighing happily against your lips as his arms wrapped around your waist. You smiled against his lips and cupped your cheeks gently before pulling away, feeling your cheeks warm up as you laughed softly. “Okay go. Get away.” You teased, pushing him into his truck as you stepped back. “I’m gonna savor my peace and quiet. Maybe I won’t wake up with feet in my face tomorrow but I doubt it.”

Javier chuckled and nodded. “Alright, alright. Bye.” He got in his truck and started it, pulling out of the driveway as you waved, making your way inside. As you turned you made eye contact with Mrs. Sanders next door, a friendly old woman whose husband died not long before you moved in. Suffering an empty nest she was always eager to have you and Valeria over for dinner. When you looked at her she smirked at you and waved. You felt your cheeks warm up as you shook your head and went inside your house.

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When you got up the next morning you decided you'd spend the day buying a new outfit and making yourself not look like a tired mother for your date with Javier. As you got Valeria and yourself ready you couldn't stop thinking about the kiss, how any kiss since that night with Javier had seemed lackluster and... boring, how no man could make you feel the way Javier had even when you'd just been talking. And then how everything you’d thought you weren’t going to feel again was flooding your system, swallowing your sound and smothering you. He'd consumed every waking thought since that night and it had drove you crazy until you got another taste.

Once you and Valeria were dressed, you made your way next door to Mrs. Sanders, you knew she'd have questions about what she saw and you knew as soon as she heard the full story, she'd be taking Valeria and rushing you off to get ready for your date.

When you got to her porch she yanked the door open before you were even full onto it, which made you laugh. "Waiting for me, were you?" "Of course not, I just have a keen sense for visitors." Mrs. Sanders teased as you set Valeria down to greet her. The two hugged and then Valeria was sprinting off when Mrs. Sanders told her she already had Elmo in her VCR, which you'd taught her how to use when you'd learned she bought one so Valeria could watch her cartoons at her house as well.

"Now that she's occupied..." she pulled you to the kitchen where she had tea and cookies waiting for you, a glance into the living room would tell you Valeria was enjoying her own milk and cookies. "Who on earth was that handsome cowboy you had at your house last night?" You laughed and shook your head. "How do you know he's a cowboy?" "The way he walks- and by golly the way he kissed you." She fanned herself with a napkin. "Reminded me of my Randy before he passed." You raised a brow. "How long before he passed." She smirked at you this time and shook her head. "Enough about me. Who was he? An old flame? A new flame? No, not new, not with the way you looked eachother, held eachother. Tell me." She grabbed your hand, not even letting you get a word in to tell her.

You felt your cheeks warm up as you shook your head, laughing shyly. "... that was Valeria's dad." She gasped loudly and grabbed your hands tighter. "What?!" She practically screeched. "Oh, dear, why is he here?" "Well- I don't.. really know. I guess he grew up here before the whole… Escobar thing." Mrs. Sanders knew you’d met him in Colombia, knew that he was a DEA agent, but you still hadn’t shared his name with her yet, you weren’t sure why, maybe you wanted to keep him to yourself for a bit. You could see the gears turning in her head, though, and then she gasped again. "Javier Peña? Is that who that was?"

You blinked rapidly, opening and closing your mouth. "... how do you know Javier?" "Oh, gosh, I grew up with his parents, dear, look at me! I'm an old lady. not very many people here I don't know something about. I forgot he's been in Colombia! Oh his poor father Chucho must be so happy to have him home again. Gosh I need to call Chucho its been weeks." "Mrs. Sanders-" "Didn't I tell you to call me Sandy?" Sandra Sanders, you'd laughed a little when she'd introduced herself, you were lucky enough that she had the same sense of humor about it.

".. Sandy." You laughed as she gave you a smile and a nod. "Um... part of the reason I came over here was... because Javi wants to take me out, he’s supposed to call me with the reservation and everything later but... I have nothing appropriate for date night, my nails look horrible, I need to get my hair done, and I can't do that and keep Valeria occupied so I just... I was hoping you could watch her for a few hours?"

Sandy smiled and nodded. "Of course i can, darling." Her smile got wide and it was obvious she was excited for you. "Oh I'm so happy for you, dear. From what I remember Javier is a wonderful boy, he was young when I saw him last but his parents did a god job raising him. You'll be good for eachother. It'll be good for you to get out of the house, too, have some adult fun." You felt your cheeks get hot rather than warm this time and started shaking your head as Sandy smirked and the two of you stood up.

"Sandy.." "Alright, go on, say goodbye to your amorcita and then go be a singulatory adult human for one afternoon." Sandy waved you to the living room and you shook your head as you went over to Valeria, kissing her cheek. "Have a good day, Muñequita, I'll see you in a few hours." "Bye, mommy, be safe." Valeria barely returned your kiss, eyes glued to the television.

You stood up and shook your head before looking at Sandy. "Try and take her outside a little bit? I hate when she tries to watch tv all day." "Of course, now go, go." Sandy ushered you out the door, laughing.

You said one last goodbye and watched the door close before going to your car and driving into town, deciding to stop and get your nails done first, after standing there for almost an hour you decided on round semi-long French tips, which got you some annoyed scoffs but you tried not to let it bother you too much as you sat down and watched the nail tech work.

After your nails you went to get a dress and new shoes, which wasn't too hard since your nails didn't have any colors you had to match, eventually going with a dress that was about mid-thigh, with a halter top neckline, and a color that make your eyes and skin practically shine, you decided on a pair of shoes in the exact same color, as you were paying you heard your phone start to go off in your purse. You smiled apologetically and pulled the little cord out, flipped it open, and put it to your ear. "Hello?"

"Querida." "Javi. Hi." You smiled widely, paying the cashier before taking your dress and shoes and leaving. "Hey. What are you up to? I don't hear Valeria." You laughed softly. "I stuck her with the neighbor so I could do some shopping without worrying about her slamming into any dangerous strangers." You teased as you walked out of the store.

"Are you saying I'm a dangerous stranger?" You could hear the grin growing on his face. "You're a dangerous half stranger." You teased as he laughed on the other end, then you heard some rustling, a curse, and wind. "What was that?" "Nothing. It's nothing." You heard him mumbling, though, and heard the name Steve before he was speaking to you again.

"So- I made the reservations- uh- I didn't know when was too soon but uh... I was thinking in a couple days? I'll have the day off so I won't have to rush off of work. Like... seven o'clock?" "Yeah that sounds great, Javi." "Great." You smiled. "Great." "... great." You laughed and chewed on your bottom lip lightly.

"So, uh.. what did you buy?" You looked down at the bags in your hand and laughed. "A new dress and a new pair of shoes." "Seriously? You didn't have to go out and get-" "Trust me, yes I did. I don't own clothes that are even remotely appropriate for a place where you have to make reservations, Javi." You snorted. "I liked what you wore yesterday."

"And I'm sure the host at whatever place you chose would feel the same." You shook your head a little. "Ah, whatever." Javier chuckled and you heard a few hushed angry whispers before he was sighing heavily. "I'm sorry, Querida. But I have to go commit a workplace homicide right now, so I'll see you later." You laughed and hummed. "Uh-huh. Go get 'em, killer." "Steve I swEAR TO G-" You heard right as Javier slammed his phone down and shok your head, laughing as you dialed your hair salon to make an appointment.

An actual date with Javi.

You had an actual date with Javier fucking Peña!

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Is this a series now?

[softichill]

The Sounds of Nightmares unofficial transcript

Chapter 1 - The Workers in the Walls

------------

[Click]

[Shifting, Otto clears his throat]

Otto: Yesterday evening marked my first true session with the girl. Signs of significant disorder are greater than I initially thought. Her imagination is… vast. But one phrase in particular has become an earworm of sorts. 

[Click, this time of a tape being inserted]

Recording of Noone: “He was right in front of me breathing hard… That’s what I remember most. The awful smell, like when sausage goes bad.”

[Click, the tape stops]

Otto: Scent while dreaming is a rarity. An indication of sensory transcendence. She may be a fine candidate for a neurological study… but her health must come first. [Sigh] There are undoubtedly other details I missed in her recount. 

Otto: [Deep breath] From the top, then. [The tape begins to rewind] Sleep be damned tonight. 

[Intro plays]

[Click]

Otto: This is the Counselor. Herein are my preliminary case notes for tape #54, session #1, patient #1220… [mumbling] referring to children by numbers… [deep breath, normal] Our relationship goes beyond mere ethics, so I can leave that practice to the heartless quacks on the upper floors. But to remain professional, I’ll use a moniker the girl has given herself… Noone. (A/N: pronounced like noon)

[quiet tapping as a drink is poured]

Otto: Noone has been in CPI care for a fortnight. Given her rather remarkable medical history, her mental state seems relatively unremarkable. [stirring his drink] She finds herself in my ward due to worsening, though not recurring, nightly afflictions. Parasomnia isn’t uncommon among patients; not to imply she’s unworthy of treatment, only that there are others worse off. 

[Otto shifts in his seat and sips his drink before setting it down]

Otto: Noone also displays signs of mild trauma. As such, Nightmare Disorder is possible. Given her diffidence, the focus for this session is to build rapport. I’m hopeful Noone will open up and we’ll learn what lies inside that little head. 

[Ceramic clicking, Otto says “Oh!” at the sound of papers being knocked over. More ceramic, the audio cuts]

[A door closes]

Otto: Take the big chair, Noone. Sit, lie, saddle it like a horse, whatever you please. 

[Otto pulls out paper as Noone sits down. The chair creaks]

[quiet jazz starts to play]

Otto: How’s that?

Noone: …fine I guess. 

Otto: [Walking to his chair] That look on your face says there’s more on your mind. 

Noone: It’s… it’s like the music I used to hear through the walls. In our old apartment. Before we moved into the fancy house. 

Otto: Would you like to talk about that? Your old apartment?

Noone: No, counselor. 

Otto: Alright. An easier question to start. How are you feeling today?

Noone: …Bit sad. 

Otto: For any reason in particular?

Noone: …Um… the red flower… mum and dad left. It went all wrinkled. I tried lifting a petal and… it broke off. But, then I saw why- little crawlies, everywhere underneath the dirt. 

Otto: Aphids? How unpleasant. [shift] Must be hard, here all alone. That wasn’t just a flower to you, was it?

Noone: No, counselor. 

Otto: Y-Your parents only want you to feel like you again. And we’ll see to that! One day at a time. 

[Otto writes something]

Otto: Have you been sleeping?

Noone: Yes, counselor. 

Otto: Call me Otto. Sleeping well?

Noone: …Yes. 

Otto: Noone? This is a place of honesty. The truth, please. 

Noone: …Fine. Middle of the night, I keep waking. 

Otto: And are you perspiring?

Noone: …um…

Otto: Sweating?

Noone: Oh. Uh, yes. And, my heart beats like there’s a- pecking bird in my chest. 

Otto: Did these nightmares coincide with the onset of your sickness?

Noone: No. O-only after. 

Otto: And, do you remember your nightmares or do they disappear come morning?

Noone: I remember. Everything. 

Otto: [pause, shifting] …Would you be alright to tell me about them? Now, or, later?

Noone: Yes. Um… The one I had last night, it’s still here. The feeling. But, may I have some juice? My head’s light, and mum says it helps. 

Otto: (amused) I’m not sure that’s true. Regardless, you may. 

[audio cuts]

[audio resumes. Noone is sipping a juice box.]

Otto: I see you eyeing my painting. I’ve had it since I was a boy. “The Zahir’s Gaze”, it’s titled. 

Noone: Why is it so- blurry?

Otto: It’s a hidden image. The trick is to unfocus your eyes. Try it!

[short pause]

Otto: There! Can you make it out now?

Noone: …no. 

Otto: I’ve got an idea. Keep your eyes on the painting- let your mind wander. Meanwhile, you can tell me your dream! If you’ve finished your juice. 

Noone: [sipping] I have. 

Otto: From the beginning, then. 

[pause]

Noone: …It started when I woke up. Somewhere I didn’t belong. 

Otto: Describe this place, please. 

Noone: Everything was white. Only slowly I realized snow was falling on a field. The view was peaceful looking out from so high up. Like I was… one. With the cold. 

Otto: You felt this cold?

Noone: Not like the counties in winter, but, more like watching someone who is chilled. Around me, but not… in me. 

[the music quietly stops. Ambience for the dream begins]

Noone: I turned away from the window, which was only a hole in the stone wall of the curved passageway, that stretched on a long ways. This- odd feeling, told me to get up. But I couldn’t stand because the ceiling was so low. I crawled ahead and… if not for the tiniest bit of light I would have fallen. Another passageway appeared on the floor. Its edges throbbing in the dark. Suddenly I- I heard a clinking from below. 

Noone: That same feeling told me I was lost inside a giant. A huge one made out of stone, and the only way out was to keep going through its veins. I climbed into the pitch dark,

[Dream!Noone gasps, the sound of sliding plays]

Noone: And immediately began sliding down the icy wetness, going and going, faster and faster. I thought the slide would never end and just- and-

[Dream!Noone grunts as she hits the ground. The sliding stops]

Noone: It shot me out. 

Otto: …Did it hurt?

Noone: …Not like when you fall for real. 

[footsteps]

Noone: I can see what it is now! The painting! A-a tiger, and two moons. 

Otto: That’s not quite right. 

[Noone walks back]

Noone: (with interest) I’ve never seen a tiger before. 

Otto: Keep trying! Remember to unfocus. Continue, as you wish. 

[pause]

Noone: An orange glowing came from a candle. But the light didn’t reach the room’s corners. A tiny hole had been cut out of the stone beside me. “The snow,” I thought. “How nice it would be to watch fall again.” I look through, but there was no snow. [ambience picks up] Only a room, brimming with glass jars. Light danced through them, coming from a doorway on the opposite side. Until… a figure stepped through it. 

Noone: This HUGE man. Wore a long coat and fishing hat. His face kind of… dripped as he watched me. Then he was gone. W- He was an.... I-I can’t remember. It’s the only thing I can’t remember. 

Otto: Could it have been someone you know, your father perhaps?

Noone: (immediately) No. This man doesn’t belong to our world. 

Otto: I don’t quite follow. 

Noone: That’s just the feeling he gave. 

Otto: You keep mentioning this “feeling”. Can you try to explain?

Noone: You can’t understand! Not unless you were there- you just can’t!

Otto: It’s alright, Noone. We don’t have to talk about him. Relax. Breathe. 

[Noone takes 3 exaggerated, slow breaths]

[ambience gets slightly louder. It’s faint, clicking machinery]

Noone: Turning from the hole, I spotted an exit on the far wall. That’s where the clinking was the loudest. I started towards it, when a shadow ran out from the corner, that of a child. I shouted “Hey!”

[Dream!Noone: Hey! Where are we?]

Noone: “Where are we?” But, quiet as a mouse, he climbed through the pulsing exit. And carelessly I followed. 

[Dream!Noone grunts as she hops through the exit]

[Machinery gets louder]

Noone: The room over was bigger. And the child was gone. All over the walls and floors, were more pulsing passages. Like living ant tunnels. All kinds of springs laid about, and little oil cans and strange tools. 

[Dream!Noone gasps]

Noone: Suddenly, footsteps. Approaching, matching the rhythm of the clinking. [sound of a wooden crate] Knowing I didn’t belong I hid behind a wooden box. 

[a hoard of small footsteps alongside the machinery]

Noone: Peeking up, I saw other small shadows entering the room. They step by each other silently. Most passed into different doors, but two stayed behind, searching for the springs. They were not children. Not at all. Even in dim light they remain shadows. Things not quite there, as if forgotten, not wanting to be seen. 

[Things clicking, cracking, and moving around]

Noone: They held nasty tools and… their empty faces showed they weren’t very bright. Both stood, looked down a passageway… and jumped. 

[Dream!Noone gets up and follows them]

Noone: With nowhere to go I did the same, climbing to the platform below. 

[Dream!Noone lands. The machinery is even louder now]

Noone: I finally saw what was making all that noise. Golden, spinning wheels. Fat ones, small ones, skinny ones, and they went down so deep I couldn’t see the end! I didn’t know what they were until that faraway feeling came back and told me. 

Noone: They were gears. With- teeth which locked perfectly into one another, clicking on and on in a song that never stopped. There were a hundred-hundred of the dull little shadows, working to keep the mechanisms going. Felt… without their doing, the gears would surely stop. And the giant would break apart stone-by-stone... But as I leaned over the edge, distracted, my foot must’ve knocked a wrench. 

[a quick clink. Dream!Noone gasps]

[the wrench falls a long way down]

Noone: All the shadows stared up. And a few begin climbing my way. They move separately, but… as one. [Dream!Noone breathing quickly] I panicked and tucked between a set of levers, in the tight space my dress got caught [Dream!Noone grunts] on the tooth of a massive gear, pulled me up and around until my dress tore [tearing fabric, Dream!Noone yelping] shooting me onto a pipe below, where I lost my grip only to hit another platform. 

[Dream!Noone lands, breathing heavily]

Noone: The shadows stopped chasing me, working again as… the yank* took the piece of my dress, now stuck between two gears, causing all the others to slow. 

Noone: While they were bothered, I took the chance to escape. 

[Dream!Noone running, machinery fades out]

Noone: The wall in front of me went… went down and around, f-forever and ever. Along with the mechanisms. I grabbed onto a rod, sliding on, when a big creak [metal groan] groaned above, and the gears went right back to singing their song. 

[machinery starts again]

Noone: The ripped fabric floated down before me, passing by a tiny crack in the stone. Painful cries came through it. [faint echoey scream] I shouldn’t have wanted to know what was on the other side, but… I did. 

[more screaming]

Noone: A small room with chains covering the floor. And 3 identical nun-like dresses, freshly pressed, hanging by a bed. Then, the chains jangled [Chains jingling, man gasping], and my heart stopped. [Man groans] A frail body slumped against the wall, a chain around his neck. He was right in front of me breathing hard… That’s what I remember most. The awful smell, like when sausage goes bad. 

Otto: Hold on a minute, Noone. [Noone gasps. Ambience suddenly stops] You distinctly smelt his breath?

Noone: Not his breath. Him. So rotten, it still stings my nose now. 

Otto: How certain are you?

Noone: You told me to tell the truth, no? I am. 

[Otto quickly writing]

Noone: Do you still want to hear the rest of my nightmare?

[Otto still writing]

Noone: Otto?

Otto: Hm? O-oh. Apologies. My mind was divided, and that’s not fair to you. 

Noone: [quiet sigh] Anyways. 

Noone: Looking through that crack, I realized something. (whisper) I was inside the walls. Like a rat. On the other side was an entire world. (normal) And everything got… w-worse from there. 

[very quiet ticking]

Noone: Lower and lower I climbed until I had gone- down so deep, that there was nothing but steam and darkness. And louder ticking, back, and forth. Back, and forth. Wanting to give up I sat listening. 

[ticking is more noticeable] 

Noone: I’d nearly fallen asleep, when suddenly a small shape crawled out from inside the wall below. “Another Worker came for me,” I thought. But… when they looked up… I saw their eyes. A child. For certain, this time. And… their hair was covered in goo, which made it hard to tell if they were a boy or a girl. Still, I climbed down, full of energy. 

[Dream!Noone climbing down]

Noone: Nearly the amount I used to have. 

Noone: We stood in silence, a moment. Stuck in their hair was… black liquid moving like smoke. 

Noone: “What’s in your-” [Dream!Noone at the same time] I started, [child shushing] but they put a hand over my mouth. Not until they pointed at the wall, did I understand why. Its another crack, led to yet another chamber. 

[Dream!Noone and child walking over. Metallic hammering starts up]

Noone: It was a hideous workshop. All around were… half-made… projects? Built from wood and metal, with all kinds of straps and cranks. Their shapes made my chest tighten. A collection of… masks was- on the shelves with screws and spikes on them, positioned to fit perfectly into a mouth! 

Noone: A tall woman bent over a new project, [faint humming] wearing a familiar dress. Long heavy chains coming out under its tail. [Chains scraping, more humming] She moaned, enjoying herself. I could feel she’d been at it for hours. Her presence alone told that she was the keeper of this stone giant. Of the world beyond the walls. 

Noone: Turning to a pile of scraps… I saw her face. Equally… old and young, and her s-skin stretched back so tight that… only her eyes seemed human. I wanted so badly to know what she was building, and to scream all the same…

Noone: But before I could do either my new friend pulled me away. They pointed up. 

Noone: From between the planks, a shadow studied us. The child pulled my arm but it was already too late. The Worker leapt down besides me, inspecting my body like a tool, reaching out with its wrench. The child pushed me away, [the sound of burning] letting a sliver of light shine out from the workshop to hit the shadow. Faster than fast, it tucked back into darkness, [sound stops] desperate to keep hidden. 

[pause]

Otto: Noone, why have you stopped?

Noone: I’m thinking. …The next bit is hard to describe. The nightmare- it shifted. 

[ambience picks up, earlier sound of machinery]

Noone: Steam reached around us. And we came to a place at the bottom of the gears. Between the walls. 

[whoosh, tick]

[whoosh, tock]

[whoosh, tick]

Noone: In front of us, a long pendulum whooshed back and forth. 

[whoosh, tick]

[whoosh, tock]

Noone: My friend grabbed hold as it swung by. I let it go past one, [tick], two, [tock], three times before finding the courage to do the same. We climbed as the pendulum rocked left and right, making my head dizzy. “Just a little more,” I repeated to myself, until my friend reached out a hand to pull me up. 

[Both Dream!Noone and child grunt as she’s pulled up]

Noone: We’d made it. Finally, the center of the clock. The room was round with a spiral staircase, and a machine made of little metallic fingers, tapping a violent rhythm. 

Noone: The ceiling was a white- clock face, but… all the numbers were wrong. 

Noone: We immediately ran up the stairs [footsteps] and at the top, we stepped out into a courtyard. 

[Dream!Noone and child breathing, stepping on grass. Machinery and ticking fades out]

Noone: My body began shaking as I heard them. [Faint screaming] Shouts and shrieks of pain. All I could do was stare up at the circular walls, which I had just been inside. This was the true building. There were a million rooms like the second one I peered into, all the way up, with- hands and limbs reaching out from between the bars that kept them locked in. My heart pounded like one of them. A Prisoner, trying to get free. 

[Screaming and shrieking continues]

Noone: I shouted “Wait, please!”

[Dream!Noone: Wait! Please!]

Noone: But my friend was across the courtyard. Then, a jingling. The tall woman jumped down from above [jingling, thump] and with thumping steps, she went after my friend. A chain leapt out beneath her dress, like a snake. It caught their leg and the woman dragged the child through the snow, kicking and yelling. 

[child struggling]

Noone: My friend scared to tears [child: Help!] yelled for help, and the woman spotted me. She began plodding my way and fear froze my feet. Getting closer and closer and all I could think was “Who brought me here, and why was I made to know these secrets?!” [chains jangling] 

Noone: With skin so tight her mouth opened only a sliver with blackened teeth inside, hungry for something! …Something that swelled inside me. 

[all ambience cuts off]

Noone: …Then I woke up. 

Otto: …That’s… awful, Noone. I’m sorry. The woman in particular sounds… disturbing. 

Noone: Yes. But, she didn’t scare me most. Not after I woke up. It was the Workers. 

Otto: Hm… because they were mindless?

Noone: No. Because they were hidden. Nobody knew they existed… that’s how I feel sometimes. Since getting the water sickness, (increasing distress) as if things are in my body but instead of making me tick they’re killing me, like the bugs in the flower pot- Ugh, I can feel them in my head!!!

Otto: Noone. Listen to me. I’ll do everything within the limits of my command to help you, but there’s nothing bad inside you. Nothing. 

Noone: …um…alright. 

Otto: [pause] I have… one more question, and I think it’s enough for your first day, okay?

Noone: Okay. 

Otto: Noone, have you ever heard of mutual dreaming?

Noone: Mutual dreaming?

Otto: Sharing the… experience with another person. 

Noone: How could what’s in my head be in someone else’s head? And who would I share it with?

Otto: Questions that have hounded my outer colleagues for years. Your perception of temperature and smell while dreaming is sometimes thought to be an indicator of this transpersonal phenomenon. While I’m not convinced of its ontological validity, I’ve longed to study a case like yours. Unfortunately- I’ve only known one other person to exhibit this faculty, years ago-

Noone: Who? Were they like me?

Otto: …My… (quietly) beloved Cici**... uh- not quite. In any case, my ambitions fell off, I… I lost sight, of… many things. But you’ve stimulated a part of me nearly forgotten. 

Noone: Oh. I think I see it now, Otto. 

Otto: Yes! That’s right! We’re in this together. 

Noone: No. The painting. 

Otto: Oh. 

Noone: It’s a map. Of stars and two circles around it. 

Otto: Yes! Good! An astrolabe, in fact. 

Noone: Astrolabe?

Otto: An ancient instrument, used to locate positions in time and space. Now, surely, you’re exhausted-

Noone: I don’t want to go to my room. To sleep. Will… will you walk me back?

Otto: Of course! And we can’t forget your nightly confectionary. [the sound of wrappers] Here now, take your pick. 

[Wrapper crinkling]

Otto: Sweets for my sweet. 

[ceramic clinking]

[click]

[Outro plays]

------------

*It's a little hard to tell what word she says here

**I have no idea if this is how it's spelled

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Hi! I'm glad your request are open again! I'm living for your work!

Can you do an enemies to lovers , where they can't be left alone without fighting, but uthred teamed them up to do scouting or something so they are forced to be together, and then they have some hate sex after arguing xD and he gets really cocky after

Full creative control I'll love it no matter what

Thank you ❤️❤️

Note: ahhh thank you so much for your kind words!! I enjoyed writing this one! hope you will enjoy reading it :)

Warnings: smut 18+! some insults, some dominance, a lot of bickering.

pairing: Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: see request!

Word count: 4,4k

Masterlist

'I want you to shut up too, so shut up, Sihtric!'

****************

'Can you stop that?'

'I'm not even doing anything.'

'I can hear you!' you snarled.

'Oh, am I not allowed to breathe anymore?' Sihtric snapped.

'Preferably not, no. But if you really have to, then do it quietly!'

'Of course, I am sorry, princess,' Sihtric mocked, 'my earnest apologies, my lady, if my presence is too loud for your liking because I have to fill my lungs with air.'

'Will you shut up? You're going to scare off the animals, and then we'll have no food tonight.'

'The only thing that will scare the animals off is the sight of you,' he huffed.

You glared at him, eyes full with rage and he returned the same look.

'Another word and I will throw you in the fire tonight!'

'Gladly! Then I will be released from you!' Sihtric spat and got up.

'Where are you going? We haven't caught anything yet!'

'I'd rather starve than spend another moment with you!'

'Yeah, well, me too!'

You and Sihtric never got along. It had been months and it only seemed to get worse. Everyone was sick and tired of it. And because of that, Uhtred was to send you and Sihtric away to scout the Northern border for any activity.

'What? Why?' Sihtric frowned.

'Absolutely not,' you said curtly, 'I will not spend another second by his side.'

'You will do as I say!' Uhtred snarled, 'you will leave at first light tomorrow.'

'Yes, lord.' Sihtric muttered.

'Yes, lord,' you mocked Sihtric, who gave you a threatening look.

***************

You watched the pain the arse, who others knew as Sihtric, saddling up his horse as you already sat mounted upon your own, ready to leave. It was an early morning in the middle of summer. Tiny droplets of sweat already trickled down your back in the morning sun as you studied the man who made your blood boil. His dark hair was braided on top as well as on the sides and, in the back, he had a nice collection of curls that anyone would be jealous of. Sihtric had bathed in the river shortly before he found you, but his impressive biceps were already glistening with sweat in the early rays of light. If you didn't hate him so much, you would think he was attractive.

'If you take much longer we will have to fetch new horses.'

'Why?' Sihtric reluctantly took the bait.

'Because these horses will have died of old age!'

'Can't you just die of old age?' he snapped.

'Oh, I'd rather be doing that right now, believe me.'

Sihtric finally climbed up on his horse and immediately stormed off in a gallop, leaving you behind. You rolled your eyes and followed, at your own pace.

************

'Was that really necessary?' you huffed, dismounting your horse after trying to catch up for hours.

Sihtric simply raised an eyebrow, looking back at you over his shoulder. He had stopped at a river to rest and was crouched down next to the flowing water. The horses needed a break and so did the two of you. It was noon and the sun was way too hot to continue the journey for now.

'We should stay here a little while,' Sihtric said after splashing the cool water in his face.

'We should.'

Sihtric frowned at you. 'Did the princess just agree with me?'

You replied by flaring your nostrils and clenched your jaw, to which Sihtric smirked. It rarely happened that you had no snappy remark to return to him.

Sihtric moved to sit under a tree, in the shade. To kill some time, he took out his knife and sharpened the blade with a whetstone, knowing the sound would eventually agitate you, because he knows you hate it when he sharpens a blade slowly, instead of fast, like you do. He kept an eye on you as you laid on your back in the same shade, a few paces away from him, with your eyes closed. After a short moment of dragging the stone slowly over the blade, he saw your left eye twitch slightly with each following stroke he made. And this amused him. With a proud smirk he continued, watching the anger build up in you slowly, but noticeable enough. Until you suddenly groaned and sat up.

'Can you stop that?'

'No.'

You tried to not explode and took a few deep breaths.

'Then do my blade as well, if you wish to be annoying!' you unsheathed your own dagger and threw it in front of his feet.

'Of course, princess. I am your loyal servant, I will do as you ask,' he said insincerely and watched you, still amused. You huffed and closed your eyes again to lay back down.

'Why do you always call me princess?' you asked after a while.

Sihtric looked up from his knife and scoffed at you. 

'Because you think you're better than everyone else.'

'I do not!'

'If you say so, princess,' Sihtric mumbled. 

He smirked when he saw he had angered you once again. If you weren't such a loudmouth, Sihtric would have been smitten by you. But he simply couldn't stand your attitude. Yet, he couldn't keep his eyes off you when he started to sharpen your dagger.

'Why are you always getting on my nerves?' you hissed. You could just not let things go and you knew Sihtric was deliberately dragging the whetstone at a slow pace.

'Why are you always rude to me?' Sihtric asked in return, his voice calm.

'Because you annoy me,' you tried to be calm too.

'And you annoy me.'

'Good!

'Great!' Sihtric snarled, 'here, sharpen your own blade!'

He got up, threw your dagger in front of your own feet and walked past you, to his horse. He decided it was time to continue the journey.

'I will sharpen it myself, because with your pace it will be done when I have already died of old age, along with the horses!' you spat as you grabbed your knife.

***************

'Witch,' Sihtric mumbled as he rode his horse next to you.

'Rat,' you muttered.

'Saxon.'

'Dane.'

'Turd.'

'Pagan!'

Sihtric looked you up and down, his eyebrow raised as he sniffed, 'you're also a pagan.'

'Yes,' you ignored his hard stare at you, 'but you are a filthy pagan.'

'And you are a clean pagan?' he frowned, a small smile curled on his lips.

'Princess pagan,' you said cockily, and you also couldn't hide the faintest hint of a smile when you looked at him. 

The rest of the journey continued in silence, until night fell.

************

You had found an abandoned church near the, quiet, border and without saying a word you both figured it was a good place to camp. The church was half burned down, with no roof, and used to be part of a small village, which had entirely burned down several summers ago.

You went to hunt for food while Sihtric made a fire. You quickly came back with two hares and Sihtric was surprised by how fast you had managed to catch those, and you told him it was because he wasn't there to scare the animals off with his insanely loud breathing.

'I assume they never saw your face,' Sihtric said, referring to his insult about the sight of you yesterday. You rolled your eyes. 

You prepared the meat and cooked it above the fire. A few hours later you were both well fed and started to set up your small camp to sleep. Sihtric was setting up his tent while he kept hearing you curse and sigh behind him. He watched as you looked through everything you had taken. You had walked back and forth to your horse several times before he finally asked what your problem was.

'I…it seems I forgot my tent.'

Sihtric frowned. His expression quickly made place for a chuckle, which grew into a wide grin, and soon he was shamelessly laughing at you.

'It's not funny!' you hissed, 'the mosquitoes will eat me alive!'

'That solves my problem,' Sihtric shrugged.

You huffed and sat down near the fire, arms crossed, while Sihtric got inside his tent and took off his armour and tunic, sleeping in only his breeches, warm and snug under his furs. A few hours passed and you started to shiver. Summer nights were always chilly up North, and you cursed yourself for forgetting to pack your tent. Sihtric already had a few hours of sleep until he was woken up by the sound of your violent sneeze, which he deemed ridiculously loud. He put his tunic back on and stepped out of his tent, walking past you, out into the darkness.

'Where are you going?'

'Piss,' he sniffed, annoyed he was awake again and that you were still there.

A short moment later he came back and noticed you were trembling. He couldn't stand you near him, but he also couldn't stand the sound of your chattering teeth. Sihtric exhaled loudly, making his annoyance clear to you before he spoke.

'We can share my tent, princess.'

'No.'

'Fine by me.'

'Good!' you said, too proud to share a tent with that bastard son. 

But soon you felt a raindrop. Which quickly turned into more raindrops. And before you knew it, it was pouring down from the sky. Sihtric had listened to the rain with a sly smile, knowing you'd come begging soon.

Drenched by rain, and with embarrassment, you stepped inside Sihtric's tent. He looked up at you with his sly smile, hands behind his head, his muscular torso exposed while a fur covered everything below his waist. For a moment you wondered if he was fully naked and you grimaced, wanting to turn around and step outside again, but then you remembered you'd be sick as a dog by morning if you would sleep in the rain.

'Can I help you, princess?' Sihtric said cheekily, his head tilted slightly to the side.

'Can I sleep here?' you mumbled.

'What's that, princess?' Sihtric had heard you loud and clear.

You clenched your jaw and fought an insult.

'Can I sleep here?' you tried to ask as nicely as you could, 'please?'

'I didn't quite catch that last word, my lady.'

You wanted to refuse his earlier offer again. You wanted to poke his mismatched eyes out of his skull and you wanted to cut out his tongue. But you also wanted to be warm.

'Please,' you feigned a smile. Sihtric smiled satisfied and moved slightly to the left, making space for you on his right.

'Thank you,' you murmured as you wanted to grab a fur.

'Surely you are not thinking of soaking my furs with your wet clothes,' he said sternly.

'I will not sleep naked.'

'You will not sleep in wet clothes. You will make us both sick!'

You knew he was right, and your clothes had to dry as well. You had no other choice than to take everything off and you quickly covered yourself with one of his warm furs.

'Don't even think about looking at me,' you hissed when you saw how Sihtric was watching you with dark eyes.

'I don't even want to look at you,' he lied.

'I don't want to look at you either,' you also lied.

'I want you to shut up and go to sleep.'

'I want you to shut up too, so shut up, Sihtric!' you said, heated, as you laid down next to him and pulled another fur over your bare body.

'And I want you to stop pulling furs away from me!' Sihtric snarled as he harshly pulled back the fur you had just pulled off him, which you quickly grabbed onto, staring into his eyes. You were both filled with rage.

'I want you to stop talking to me.'

'Will that be all, princess?' Sihtric taunted as you both refused to let go of that one fur. There were more than enough furs, but you both would simply not give up this one. May the gods know why.

'Any more demands or wishes, princess?' Sihtric continued to rile you up.

'Yes,' you nearly growled, 'if you could just fuck me now we can get it over with!'

'Yeah?' Sihtric smiled, furiously.

'Yeah!' 

'I will ravage you,' he said in a low voice.

'You couldn't possibly ravage me,' you dared him.

'I will fuck you till you cry.'

'Cry? Of what? Happiness when you're finally done?' you feigned a yawn.

'You will cry because you will beg me for mercy,' Sihtric said as he stared intensely into your eyes.

'I do not beg.'

'You will beg for me.'

'I. Do. Not. Beg.' you said again, but slower.

'You will get on your knees for me,' Sihtric said, his voice low and soft as he brought his face closer to yours while you both still held onto the same fur, neither refusing to let go. 

'Fine,' you snarled, 'if that will make you shut up!' 

You got up on your knees for him, and Sihtric quickly jerked all furs off you, licking his lips as his eyes had access to your entire naked body. You huffed at him and tugged the fur off him that had kept him covered, finding out that he was, indeed, fully naked. And your eyes darkened when you saw the size of his already hard cock.

'Turn around for me,' Sihtric breathed heavily, and you did as you were told.

'Hm,' he hummed with a smile as he watched you. 

You moaned softly at the touch of his warm, rough hands, massaging your cold, wet and naked ass. Sihtric explored you slowly with his touch. Until he suddenly spanked you, hard.

'Gods!' you screamed out and gasped.

'That is for your attitude,' Sihtric snapped, and then he smacked your ass again with his flat hand, making you cry out all the same.

'That is for the way you speak to me!'

And once more, Sihtric spanked you hard, making your skin burn up. 

'And that is for all the times you got on my nerves!' 

Before you could make a cheeky remark, or throw an insult, Sihtric shoved you down onto his warm furs. He moved his naked body on top of yours while you faced the floor.

'I want to cut out your tongue for talking so much,' you said with ragged breath.

'You don't like it when I talk, princess?' Sihtric asked, teasing your wet entrance with the tip of his hard cock.

'Hm,' you hummed and closed your eyes at the feeling, pushing your hips up against him, grinding your drenched slit over the length of his long cock.

'Hm,' Sihtric hummed too now, with a satisfied smile as he watched you. You were in desperate need of his cock, and he knew it.

'You like that, princess?' he asked darkly.

'Yes,' you sighed, rocking your hips against his.

'I should stuff your mouth with my cock,' Sihtric chuckled, 'that will teach you how to behave.'

'I will never behave for you!' you spat.

Sihtric grabbed your hips firmly, instantly bruising you with his strength. And after he teased you a little more, he pushed deep inside you with a low, soft moan.

'Nice and tight, princess,' Sihtric exhaled sharply through his teeth as he watched his length slide all the way inside you.

'Did you just compliment me?' you grinned, loving the way he was stretching you up right now. Sihtric answered you with another hard slap on your ass cheek.

You bit down on your fist and grabbed into the furs beneath you as he fucked you hard, deep, and fast. Tears rolled down your flustered, smiling cheeks before you knew it, enjoying the way he completely ravaged you right now, like no man had ever done before.

You moaned, hard and loud. And each thrust was heard by the sound of his skin snapping against yours. And he went on for a long while, enjoying the way he had finally made you shut up. But as you seemed to take him perfectly fine, he needed to find a way to get on your nerves again.

'Enjoying me, princess?' his breath was hard and heavy.

'Y-yeah,' you said, tired and nearly numb by now.

'Good,' Sihtric sighed, and he pulled out with a warning, causing you to moan at the loss.

'No, Sihtric! Please!' you nearly screamed, 'don't stop!'

'Are you begging?'

'Please, please,' you cried, 'don't stop.'

'More,' Sitric said sternly, 'beg for me, more.' And he again slapped your ass hard.

'I need to feel you inside me. Please,' you begged and got up on your knees, facing him, 'I need… I need to ride you. I want you ride you like a fucking animal,' you growled.

'Yeah?' Sihtric provoked as he went to lay down on his back, 'you think you can tame me, princess?'

'I will make you mine,' you hissed as you climbed on top of him, 'I will make you my pet.'

Sihtric's eyes darkened even more as he watched you sink down on his cock.

'Go ahead and try, princess,' he smirked. But Sihtric couldn't deny his half open eyes were caused by how good you felt, and how beautiful he thought you were, and how hard it made him that you wanted to take control.

You began to bounce up and down his cock, and you moaned as you threw your head back, and then you laughed.

'I fucking hate you,' you smiled before you locked eyes with him again.

'The feeling is mutual,' Sihtric grinned as he placed his hands on your hips again.

You both moaned in pleasure as you continued the heated intercourse inside his tent, while the rain outside struck down over the lands. Sihtric had a firm grip on your hips and, as he was stronger than you, brought you to a halt, and he was fast to buck his hips up into you while he pulled you down on him. You let out a scream when you felt him thrust hard, all the way inside you, and your eyes teared up again at the intense feeling. You moved your hands up in his hair and pulled hard, making him snap his hips against yours again with a violent force, causing tears of pleasure to roll down your face as your body trembled.

'What?' Sihtric chuckled mischievously, 'you can't tame me, princess?'

'Fuck you,' you murmured.

Sihtric flipped you on your back, threw your legs over his shoulder and fucked you with an insanely rough pace. All his hatred for you, he used it to make you his, as hard as he could right now.

'I hate you,' he hissed, furiously slamming into you as he held your hips in place.

'I hate you more,' you moaned, 'you Dane scum.'

'Saxon bitch,' he snarled, baring his teeth and sticking his tongue out slightly as he watched you squirm underneath him.

'Do you ever shut up?' you growled and pulled his hair hard again, making Sihtric moan and become even more relentless. You both quickly became a moaning, grunting, growling and screaming mess as you fucked each other like it would finally rid you of each other forever.

'Gods, I hate you,' Sihtric moaned. 

And he couldn't remember why or when it happened, but he found himself leaning into you, and he brought one hand up to your face, grabbing your chin firmly, forcing you to look at him.

'I hate you so much,' you moaned, looking into his half open eyes with your own heavy-lidded eyes. 

'Tell me how much you hate me, princess,' Sihtric's tone became less furious and his pace less violent.

'I hate you,' you moaned again. Your hands moved up into his hair again and you couldn't stop yourself from pulling his face closer, 'I fucking hate you… I hate you…' you almost cried out, 'I hate how you arouse me.'

'I hate how you make me so hard all the time,' Sihtric confessed, his parted lips brushing against yours with each thrust.

'I hate how… how good you feel,' you smiled and closed your eyes, enjoying all of him inside you, 'I hate how I…how I,-' your breath hitched when Sihtric leaned his forehead against yours and lowered his body further down onto you, slamming into you with an awfully pleasant, pace. 

'I…' you sighed, barely able to speak when your walls clenched his cock, and you felt his pace becoming sloppy.

'Say it! Spill it, princess,' Sihtric groaned in your ear as he came, 'spill it the way I spill myself inside you right now.'

'I … hate how I- I fuck,' you cried out and wrapped your arms around his neck, 'I hate that I fucking love how you feel, Sihtric!' you screamed as you came.

'Yes!' Sihtric growled and you heard him chuckle in your ear, 'I knew it,' he brought his face up to you as he laughed. He looked into your eyes and bit down on his lip, dragging his length out of you, so slowly, it was simply torture. 

'I knew you loved something about me,' he chuckled softly and slammed back into you, one last time, riding out his own high along with yours, which earned him one last moan and another tug at his hair, which made him hiss as he still smiled at you.

'I still hate you,' you said out of breath, cupping his cheeks for some reason you couldn't explain.

'Hm,' Sihtric smiled cheekily, not knowing why he nuzzled your nose, 'you do?'

'Yeah.' You chuckled and hated how you suddenly felt shy.

'Would you hate it if I kissed you?'

'More than anything.'

'Good,' Sihtric smirked, and captured you in a gentle, sweet and loving kiss; the complete opposite of the intense hatred you had taken out on each other just yet.

'I hate you because I love you,' you confessed after he pulled away.

'And I love you because you hate me,' Sihtric admitted, stealing your heart along with another kiss.

****************

You woke up in his tent the next morning, alone and sore, which you wouldn't tell him. You got dressed in your still damp clothes which, lucky for you, dried quickly once you were out in the sun. You found Sihtric outside, eating breakfast he had made and you didn't know how to compose yourself after last night. You sat down next to him without saying a word. Sihtric immediately put his empty bowl down, got up and walked to his tent, taking it down and pack everything after. Getting ready to travel back soon with the news that, well, there was no news, because you didn't see anyone during your journey who wasn't supposed to be near the border.

'Uhm,' you looked at his empty bowl, 'where is my breakfast?'

Sihtric frowned as he looked back at you.

'Did the princess expect me to bring a golden bowl for her?' he taunted, 'Do you expect me to feed you as well, my lady?'

'Shut up,' you huffed. You took whatever leftovers you found in the small pan above the smouldering fire, which was clearly not enough, but you'd steal a few apples somewhere later. You sat back in the shade, watching how Sihtric was packing everything up. It was early and once again incredibly warm due to summer heat. You quickly ate and packed up whatever was still laying around, and after that you found shelter in the shade again.

'Gods, you really have the worst pace with everything, don't you?' you mocked as Sihtric readied his horse slowly again, which you knew was because of the heat.

'You didn't complain about my pace last night!' Sihtric snarled as he saw you enjoying the shade, while droplets of sweat ran down his face.

'Oh, please,' you rolled your eyes.

'Yeah, that's what you said last night too.'

You decided to ignore him and mounted your horse, kicking your heels and wandering off, leaving Sihtric behind.

Soon enough he caught up with you and without another word you decided to rest at the same spot as yesterday, near the river, before continuing back home.

You sat under the same tree as the day before when Sihtric started taking off his clothes, right in front of you.

'What are you doing?!'

'I wish to bathe,' he scoffed and threw his tunic at you with a grin.

'Surely you can undress somewhere else,' you snapped as you flung the fabric back to him.

'You could also direct your eyes somewhere else if I arouse you too much.'

'Gods, I hate you!' you shouted as you jumped up and stormed past him.

'You do,' Sihtric took your hand in passing and pulled you towards him, 'but you also love me.'

'Last night was just a one time thing, Sihtric!' you said while your hands moved up his bare, toned chest.

'Was it?' he clicked his tongue, cupping your cheek.

'Yes!' you hissed as you looked up at him.

'Good!

'Fine!'

You snarled at each other before you both desperately crashed your lips together for a heated kiss. Later you would blame each other for ending up on the grass, and neither would take the blame, but regardless, it happened.

'I hate you,' Sihtric hummed in between kisses as you laid on top of him, his arms wrapped around you.

'I hate you more,' you murmured, kissing his neck.

'How much more?'

'Not enough,' you whispered as he took your face in his hands, 'because I hate the idea of not having you by my side. And you make me sick,' you chuckled lightly, pecking his lips as he looked up in your eyes.

'How sick?' Sihtric smiled softly.

'Not enough,' you repeat yourself, 'because I feel even sicker when I'm not with you.'

'I know,' Sihtric said cockily as he caressed your cheeks with his rough thumbs.

'Oh, please,' you sighed and got off him.

'Will you finally admit you want to be with me or are you going to continue to run away from me?'

'I will run!' you snarled and walked away from him.

'Sure, but don't come running to me again tonight!'

'I won't!' you lied.

'You will,' Sihtric mumbled with a smirk, watching you run away from your feelings once again. 

Sihtric had time, he would wait. He knew it wouldn't take long anymore before you finally stopped lying to yourself, and to him. But he also didn't know it would already happen later that night, back in Coccham, when you had knocked his door and said you came by just to rant about how you hated him. To which he had listened with a smile before he pulled you inside, where he made sweet love to you on his floor, and after that you just couldn't lie anymore.

****************

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