#;; anyways this is going to touch into some dark content (I'll try to tone it down a bit) so. uh.

[citrinitxs]

Update: finals killed me after the week passed and I now return with possibly the worst idea for an open starter

[syoounn]

~ Their Reactions not giving them physical affection.

~ Characters: Dazai, Chuuya, Fyodor, Nikolai, Sigma

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"Belllaaaa~"

He said, begging and pleading at you he was looking at you with those puppy eyes of his as you continue to ignore him.

Dazai whimpers as you’re starting to ignore him. At this point, he has no other choice than to pout and plead. He buries his head against the pillow and speaks with a pouty voice.

“Come onnnn…. You’re not gonna break and feel bad for me? Maybe even forgive me? I mean, I’m love of your life, right?"

You sigh.. "If you haven't touched that cake, you wouldn't be in this situation." you said.

“Please, please, please…. Just come cuddle with me… I can handle any punishment you give me, anything… but not denial of physical affection…”

"No means no." You said and got back the attention to the book.

Dazai’s frown deepens further when you continue to deny him. The words ‘no means no’ are the absolute worst thing you could’ve said to him right now.

His arms slowly let go of yours, and he folds his, folding his arms and turning in the opposite direction of you. His voice now has a more cold but also pouty tone to it as he mumbles.

“Fine… but you’ll come to regret denying me….”

As you felt your eyelids getting heavy.. you closed your eyes and slowly fell asleep, still holding the book. Dazai looks over towards you and notices that you look like you’re fast asleep, still trying to uphold the pouty behaviour. He lets out a soft sigh before he reaches to wrap his arms around you and pulls you closer. After this, he buries his face into your neck, enjoying the warmth of your skin.

A light chuckle then escapes his lips as he decides to be mischievous and kisses your neck softly.

Dazai decides to continue this behaviour, continuing to kiss and nibble your neck and hold you close as the silence fills the room. The only other sounds that accompany the moment are the light snores from you as well as the soft breathing coming from himself. He’s now content and no longer pouting.

You ended up having hickeys this morning.

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You were busy handling papers... as Chuuya looks at you as he's saying it's time for you two to cuddle.

"Can't cuddle right now, Chuu.. need to finish this... you can sleep first." You said as returning your attention back to the papers.

Chuuya looks slightly disappointed but accepts it. He sighs a little.

“Fine. I’ll just... lie here.”

He puts his arms over you anyway, not expecting much more than being allowed to hold you in his grasp.

He remains quiet, staring up at the ceiling. He glances at you for a moment before turning his gaze back towards the ceiling. You notice that his muscles are noticeably tensing, his jaw clenched. As if he’s trying to hold himself back from something.

“You know what, screw it. If you’re gonna stay up all goddamn night, I’ll stay up with you. There’s no way that I can sleep while you’re still up.”

He shifts toward your direction and pulls you to the bed so that he’s lying close beside you. One of his arms wraps around you as he turns the lights off. His voice is soft in the darkness, but you can sense that he must be in a bad mood. You don't need to see the frown on his face to know that.

"I was not done yet!" You said protesting.

"Too bad. You need to get some rest, and I'll see to it that you do." His tone of voice is sharp and short, but at the same time, you detect a touch of concern.

Chuuya gently pulls you closer and settles you onto his chest. The faint smell of his cologne, expensive wine, and sweat radiates off his skin. The rhythm of his heartbeat is steady and slow. He's clearly trying hard to be patient, but his agitation is barely contained. The tension is palpable.

"I'll make you tired whether you want it or not."

His embrace tightens as he begins to stroke your hair gently. His hand slides up and down your head, the friction of his fingers running through your hair being strangely soothing. Every time his hand goes across your hair, it's like another wave of tiredness washes over you, making it increasingly harder to keep your eyes open.

As you can't keep your eyes open , you eventually dozed off and ended up panicking about the papers the next day. However.. it was worth it.

•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°

You don't really see any reason for him to be getting declined for physical affection or.. until you ask him...

"Hmm.. how would you react having no cuddles and kisses?"

He raises an eyebrow, but a small smirk forms on his lips as he reaches for you and pulls you close, kissing your forehead and stroking your hair gently. "You do realise you could ask for affection like I am your lover, instead of asking an open-ended question with the intent to start a debate?"

Despite the words, Fyodor remains calm and collected as he runs his fingers through your soft hair. "I trust the absence of physical contact was what you were insinuating?"

"I-..I was just asking.." You said.

Again, he lets out a soft hum. Very well. I'll answer, even though I find the question in itself quite strange. "Would I be upset with no cuddles or kisses? Of course not. I don't require such acts to be satisfied."

Fyodor's voice now holds a certain tone of amusement. "Now, is your curiosity sated?" He pulls you close again, planting a gentle kiss on your forehead once more.

You nodded in response..

Fyodor chuckles softly. Then, I shall continue to be affectionate. "Now, let me ask you something, dear. Would you rather spend your nights without my warm embrace?" His voice holds a certain degree of teasing, but there's a note of seriousness to it, his deep eyes locking with yours.

"No..! Of course not..!"

His smile grows wider as he continues to stroke your hair. "Then you shall not be without it." He pulls you closer, planting another peck on your forehead and then on your lips. You melt on his little kiss as you glad to ask about that.

•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°

Both of you are just relaxing at the couch as Nikolai is always asking you these quizzes.. and of course.. you wanna make it a little hard for him.

“Alright~”

Nikolai grins as he adjusts himself to sit up properly, hands behind his back. He looks at you with curious intensity in his eyes.

“Okay…. First question!”

His grin widens even further as he waits for you to give him a nod to start.

"Oh.. if i got it right.. you won't get cuddles and kisses, " you said..

“And if you get it wrong?”

Nikolai asks, smirking as he waits for you to answer his question. He already knows what you’re gonna choose, but it’s just a matter of seeing if you’ll fall for one of his trap questions he’ll put in later.

"You'll get one.."

“Okay then, I’ll kiss and cuddle you if you get it wrong~”

He states."The question is ‘is the sky blue?’ What will you choose, yes or no~?"

"It's light blue." You said correctly.

“Oh~”

Nikolai says playfully, pretending to be surprised by your answer. He seems amused by the fact that you specified ‘light’ blue instead of saying just… blue.

“But that’s right, so you guessed correctly~"

He says, smiling at you flirtatiously as he wiggles closer to you. He grabs you by your waist and pulls you closer and closer to his lap.

“I guess I gotta kiss and cuddle you.”

Before you could even do that, you stopped him and smiled..

"I got it right.. so no kisses and cuddles.."

“But I said I’ll give those to you if you guessed correctly—

Nikolai grumbles, playing along with the charade while still smiling playfully at you. He lets out a few chuckles as he rests his hands on your hips and moves his head over yours. You can tell from his gaze just how much he enjoys playing with you instead of being serious.

“No fair~”

“Hm…" well then…”

Nikolai leans in closer so he’s right inches away from your face.

“I guess I’ll have to just…”

He says before suddenly he leans in a tiny bit more, almost as if he’s about to kiss you. He keeps getting closer and closer until his nose is almost touching your lips.

As Nikolai pulls his head away from yours, he laughs. He notices that his little joke worked and that you really did get flustered by his fake, almost kiss. He couldn’t help but feel pleased about your reaction.

He smiles mischievously and leans in to actually kiss you on the lips that time. Only this time, it’s a proper full-on smooch. His lips are soft and tender as they linger on yours.

Nikolai slowly pulls back once more, taking in the moment and your panting breaths while you’re left a flustered mess. He giggles at your reaction once more and snickers while watching you try to gather yourself back together. He can’t help himself but kiss you again, lingering his lips on yours for an extended period of time. Nikolai doesn’t want to end this, not yet. He enjoys seeing you so flustered and red.

And now.. you've ended up being overly showered with kisses.

•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°•○°

Sigma has been spending too much time at the Casino again. And now you’re being all pouty and refused to give him cuddles.

He then let out a deep breath, seeing you all pouty and refusing to give him cuddles. He couldn’t help but have his soft, loving eyes widen a bit, thinking how could you be so incredibly adorable. He then slowly walked over to you. “My love…?” He then reached out slowly to wrap his arms around you, hoping to get you to smile again.

As you still didn’t reply or smile back to him, he then started looking at you even more intently. He then started hugging you tightly, trying his best to make you feel comfortable.

He didn’t know what to do as he couldn’t remember what triggered your pouty look, and he couldn’t bear the thought of upsetting you.

He then started rubbing your back, trying to show his affection physically, and hoping this would ease the tension.

He then pulled away and started playing with your hair, looking into your eyes as he tilted his head out of curiosity to see if you were still going to remain stubborn enough to not smile at him. After playing with your hand for a few seconds, he then gave it a soft kiss, hoping this would break the tension.

And you couldn't pretend to be mad at him anymore... you were melting and blushing from his touch as you just gave him a hug.

"I miss you..."

As you suddenly hugged him, all his worries instantly melted away, and his arms wrapped around you, holding you tightly and not letting go. His mind then cleared itself of all thoughts, as he focused his attention on just feeling you in his arms.

He then started tracing circles on your back, while one hand remained holding on to yours. He then spoke softly as his other hand moved to the back of your head and started slowly stroking your hair. “I miss you too..”

You ended up clinging to him all night feeling guilty that you tried to ignore him and would never do that again, you mean.. how, can you ignore this adorable person?!

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[pricegouge]

cw: free use, dubcon touching (reader is into it but not in a position to give consent), abrupt ending cause I've been sitting on this forever and at this point I know I'll just never finish it. unedited

Reader is a free use cleaning maid for the 141

MDNI

You falter as you step through the door and find the assembled group of soldiers staring back at you. Blushing, you apologize profusely for the intrusion and stammer something about not realizing the room was in use. (That's because they forgot to mark it as such - again -, but it's no use mentioning that when you suspect they're doing it on purpose.)

"No trouble, pet." Captain Price's smile is warm, but his tone is far too dark to be strictly friendly. "We're nearly done now anyway. C'mon in." 

You bite back a frown, reminding yourself this job is not dissimilar to customer service insofar as your attitude can definitely affect your pay. So you thank him prettily and roll your cart in, hugging to the walls and trying to stay out of their line of sight. It's no use, of course, but worth a shot. 

It's not that you don't like your job, necessarily, and if anyone was going to be in here, you're almost glad it's them; but sometimes you just want to get your shift over with as few interactions as possible. 

Never possible with this lot, though. The sergeants are the worst, maybe. Or at least the most obnoxious. They're both too cocky, but you suppose you would be too if you looked like either of them - could fuck like either of them. MacTavish ('Call me Soap, hen') is the first to press his luck, no surprise. He keeps his eyes trained on the captain as if he's listening but his hand finds the buttons of your blouse, toys with the edge as if he has no ulterior motive. You don't correct him - can't -, but you keep on dusting as if you don't even notice. 

Unfortunately, Price pretends the same, carries on about exfil strategies you're pretty sure you could even puzzle out just having watched your share of action movies. Emboldened, MacTavish pops a button and you feel half the eyes in the room slide to you. It's not exactly a bad feeling, this, just one that's taken some getting used to. 

Garrick is the next to crack, predictable. He murmurs a quiet 'C'mere, lovie,' and hooks a finger into your belt loop, maneuvering you to stand between him and his fellow sergeant. You oblige, hold your dusting rag awkwardly until Ghost (just Ghost - you were too afraid to contradict him) leans across the table to tap at the area in front of you and you get to work. It's the wrong cleaning agent for the material, but you're not about to say anything about wood right now, thank you, not with MacTavish humming appreciatively at the view of your ass he gets when you bend to do your job. 

"Nice view, ey mate?" Garrick stage whispers. MacTavish hums, strokes the breadth of his palm up the back of your thigh as if he's calming livestock. 

"Could just pinch her, bet she squeaks so cute." 

You jump a foot when one of them tries it, despite the warning. 

"Boys," Price scolds, no heat. They content themselves with petting at you for a moment anyway, stifling their schoolboy giggles. 

Still, Price carries on about basic concepts you're sure they already know. You buff the same fifteen centimeters of table until you worry about the finish and wonder when they'll escalate, surprised when it's the lieutenant who gives.

You almost don't notice it at first, a subtle movement under the table which Ghost's eyes do nothing to betray. MacTavish, however, is pretty well keyed in to his superior officer. "Why don't you show Ghost your pretty tits, hen?" He pulls his chair in closer, gets his arms around you so he can undo the buttons of your blouse. 

If they mind your ugly sports bra, no one says a word. Though Garrick makes quick enough work of it that you wonder. The sargents spend some minutes groping you, leaning you back against them so that you can't even pretend to be cleaning anymore. Ghost allows your lax work ethic for maybe two full minutes before catching your eye and tapping the table again - much closer to himself this time. 

Garrick guides you into place, folding your torso over the table until your hands can reach the area right in front of Ghost. You balance yourself on your toes precariously and the sergeants take advantage of your raised hips by reaching down and undoing your buckle and fly. Garrick slides your pants down, lithe fingers cleverly stroking along the crease of your cheeks and thighs along the way. MacTavish mutters something about how bonnie you are again, but Price feigns annoyance at the distraction so he shuts back up, kneads at your ass instead to keep himself stimulated.

There are fingers probing at your entrance, probably Garrick's judging by how clever they are. You're not wet yet but he's undeterred, simply rests two fingers just there, at the rim of you, a vague threat, and curls them incrementally at some rhythm you can't quite keep. The movement itself is not overly sexy, but the confidence that this is enough, this is all you need, is. Especially when it turns out he's right.

It's not long before the grind of his calloused fingers glides, frictionless, and he dips himself fractionally deeper, leans forward to suppress a hum into your hip. Embarrassed and desperate for a distraction, your gaze drifts up - and up - until you meet Ghost's gaze. 

"Cap'n said be quiet, pet," he rumbles, and you nearly tell him you haven't made a sound, but Gaz chooses that very moment to sink two fingers knuckle deep into you and the soft clicking noise of your arousal makes your cheeks burn. 

It's hard to tell if Ghost smirks behind his mask, but MacTavish huffs a laugh loud enough for both of them when you mewl, palm slapping over your own mouth in embarrassment. 

MacTavish calms when Price sighs exasperatedly, a tense stillness settling over the sergeants even as their lieutenant continues to leer. 

"Ghost," the captain grumbles, tapping his pen off the desk in irrigation. "Shut her up, will you?"

[fancifulflora]

Hello again, can I request Xelef + 'that glance at (assertive mc) body with their eyes subtly widening, almost gulping as they take in Crown attire. fuck.' prompt? 👉👈 aight that's it, gotta prepare myself some fan before it gets too hot 😳

(anyway don't forget to drink your water)

aksjkj this is the second suggestive X ask I've gotten- I'll be sure to do my best and drink water- hopefully yall will be needing some too after this. Also, I took a couple creative liberties with the prompt, just a warning.

Xelef wouldn't trade their mercenary lifestyle for anything. Their days were filled with adventure and aiding the needy- the ones left behind, falling through the cracks of society. They got to see sights they'd otherwise never get a chance to see, meet all kinds of people from all walks of life, and experience the best and the worst that each region of Arsur had to offer.

The only downside was how long they'd be away from their beloved's side.

The distance certainly made his heart grow fonder, if increasingly frustrated on top of that.

Oh, how they craved the heat of their sun's touch, to be able to feel their soft lips once more. To hold them in bed, listen to the lull of their steady drumming heartbeat, hear how it'd pick up every time the two of you traded flirtations with one another.

Hear how it skipped a beat whenever they touched you.

Though patience wasn't really a virtue of theirs, the plush cushions of your bed were inviting enough that the mercenary found themselves content to wait and burn the time away with a bit of rest.

What were a few hours to the months he had spent away from you?

Lucky for the hero it didn't seem like he'd have to wait for too long, his magic detecting yours approaching from somewhere down the hall- it didn't appear like you were coming from the north though.

Were you coming from the baths?

Deciding it better to feign ignorance to your approach, the Pale Sword closed his eyes, cradling the back of his head with both his hands- fingers intertwined.

He could hear the slow creak of the door opening, a familiar gaze brushing over his frame- the scent of jasmine in the air.

"Oh? I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," A teasing voice called out, the mercenary opening his eyes to take in the sight of his love.

The Crown of Arsur shut the door behind them, their sheer gown fluttering with every turn, teasing, guiding those deep green eyes up the ruler's form.

Your form.

Xelef's widened gaze was addicting, the mercenary making no attempt to hide the hunger they had as their legs swung over the side of your bed- eagerly rising to greet you.

"You wound me, my dear," he sighs, quickly regaining his composure - a hand combed through his dark hair, the hero feigning exasperation with a free hand resting on their hip. "Do you mean to tell me that you dress this beautifully without sparing a thought for your poor mercenary?"

You bite your lip, trying your best to hide a smile as your eyes slid down Xelef, the mere sight of him igniting a flame deep inside you.

Spirits, you missed him.

Sensing your desire; your need, Xelef found no reason to play coy any longer- not after waiting so long for you. As if the two of you shared one mind, your steps matched his. Long strides bring you both together in the middle of the room in a tight embrace; your lips locked against one another.

"I may have heard a rumor or two about the Crescent Blades returning to the city," you admit, giving a breathless laugh once the two of you separated, Xelef keeping his arms still wound around your waist, unwilling to let go completely.

Not when he had just gotten you back.

Another kiss, rougher than the last- the Pale Sword clearly pleased with your admission, calloused hands traveling to your hips and giving them a tight squeeze.

You could feel the rumble of his groan against your lips- a thick swallow, the low tones of his voice tying up your stomach into knots.

"I need you."

Xelef's pull back after his words were cruel, a mischievous grin growing on his face when he noticed the way your body followed after his- a move you made without much thought.

Still, he refused to move any further, pressing his forehead against yours- his skin firey hot, the look he gave you killing you on the spot.

"As if I could ever deny you, beloved."

Before the mercenary could act, you pressed a hand flat against his chest. He paused for a moment, a small look of confusion flashing across his face before he read your body language- understanding your message.

Oh, so you were playing it like this, were you?

A playful smile returned to his face, the Pale Sword holding up his hands in mock surrender. The hero took one step back, then another, followed by another step, each allowing you to push him further back onto your bed.

What you weren't expecting was Xelef's hands flashing over to your waist, pulling you right along with him- your seat planted right above his hips.

The months spent apart were not kind to him, it seemed.

"Hands off," You order, putting more emphasis on your tone- the same way you might address your court officials or Mirs.

Obediently, your mercenary follows your instructions, pulling back his arms to his side with curiosity as to what you'd do next. Though the orders you gave didn't stop his gaze from wandering to the places where he would've loved touching. Your thighs, waist, neck- each longing look melting away at your resolve.

Still, you pressed on, dotting Xelef's neck with love bites, feeling the tension in his muscles as he did his best to heed your orders- keep himself from displeasing you.

And hopefully, earn himself a reward for his troubles.

His self-control was strong, you'd give him that, enduring under your torture as you slid the tips of your fingers up his hairy chest- teasing him mercilessly when you settled your hands on each of his shoulders.

A part of you wanted to see him unraveled before you- to bear witness to that self-control of his shattering under your touch.

Sliding your hands under his tunic, you spread out your arms to drag his sleeves down- further exposing his torso.

He was an alluring sight to behold.

Moving your hands down to his hips, you pressed your nails in to give yourself leverage- your hips rolling against his. The move itself was slow, deliberately so. Years of being together had given you an extensive amount of knowledge as to what your beloved liked.

But hearing that beautiful noise he made? Seeing the weakness in his eyes- the adoration and lust? No amount of experience with him could stop the sound of your heart pounding in your ears.

You take his rough hands into yours, lifting them to the collar of your robes- the open invitation a small mercy from you for the torture he was getting under your teasing.

An apology, for all the torture you were certain to put him through by the end of the night.

[casspurrjoybell-17]

Hart and Hunter - Chapter 31 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

Julian Hart

I stare into the darkness where Dane had vanished, warring emotions making my chest ache.

"What do we do now?" I ask, not trusting myself to make a rational decision.

At my side, Freya shrugs and sighs.

"Not much we can do, other than go home, like he said."

"No way. I'm not leaving him out here alone," I say.

"Wolf or not... I'm his mate. My place is with him."

Spurred into sudden, impulsive action by my own words, I start forward, intent on following Dane but Freya catches up to me in a few strides and grabs my arm, forcing me to stop.

"Whoa. Hold up, Jules. Mate or not, it's not safe out here. You do not want to run across a newly made Alpha, especially if the land-bond goes wrong."

"Dane would never hurt me."

I shake her off and keep walking but she catches and stops me again.

"The brace on your wrist says otherwise. Listen... I get it," she says, softening her tone.

"That's my big brother out there, and my little sister gone missing. But I know Dane, too, and when he's made up his mind on something, it's no good trying to stop him. I'm a woman of action, and being told to sit and wait don't sit well with me. But if he's determined to make a mistake, we gotta let him make it. Meanwhile, the best thing we can do is to leave him to it, and keep him from making any worse mistakes while he's at it."

I frown at her but she shakes her head and takes my shoulders in a firm grasp, as if worried I'll bolt away into the dark if she lets go.

"Julian, you're his heart and soul," she says.

"I know he'd never hurt you on purpose but he knocked you over like a cardboard cutout just now. After he takes the Alpha, he'll be more wolf than man, for a time. It's an accident waiting to happen. Trust me."

"What about the ritual? Doesn't he still need you as his witness?"

"Ritual's out the window, honey," she says softly.

"Dane's gone solo."

I shake my head.

"We can't just leave him out here. We're a half-hour outside of town. What if something happens to him?"

Freya sighs.

"He's a big wolf, Juju. He can take care of himself... if he can't then he doesn't deserve the Alpha. Besides, we're only about ten or twelve miles from your house, as the crow flies or as the wolf runs. He'll be fine."

Scowling, I weigh the options in my mind but at last I'm forced to admit that she's probably right.

Dane is long gone by now and I have little chance of finding him in the dark... not without Freya's help, anyway.

I hold still and listen, scanning the moonlit landscape with eyes adjusted to the dark well beyond human ability but everything is silent and still.

Wherever Dane went, he's long gone already... without me.

"Fine," I say, defeated at last.

"Let's go home."

********

As I had suspected it would, sleep eludes me.

I pass the night pacing restlessly from room to room, while Freya reads on her cell-phone or naps on the couch.

Dawn finds me, red-eyed and dazed, staring out the window as color gradually returns to the world.

"Julian?"

I startle at Freya's touch, not having heard her approach.

"Sorry."

She winces.

"I thought you were asleep on your feet or something. I made some coffee."

She holds out a mug.

I take it gratefully, though she hasn't added nearly enough cream for my taste.

"Thanks. How much longer do you think it will be?"

She runs a hand through her tumble of long, thick curls.

"Hard to say. Usually, not more than the span of the night but that's when everything goes to plan. I honestly don't know."

"Great," I sigh and take a gulp of coffee, then half choke on it as my phone vibrates in my back pocket.

Extracting it, I see Grace's number on the screen and tap to answer it.

"Gracie? What's up?"

"You, I hope. I didn't wake you, did I?"

I snort a laugh.

"Wake me from the sleep I didn't get? No, you didn't."

"Is everything okay?" her tone turns concerned and I bite back another sigh as I weigh what and how much to tell her.

For a long time, Grace was my primary confidant and she's still my go-to girlfriend.

The urge to spill all my drama to her sympathetic ear is hard to resist but she clearly called me for a reason.

On the other hand, she's a family friend and she cares about Dane and Ingrid, too.

She deserves the truth.

"Not really. Some shit went down last night," I say.

"Ingrid's been kidnapped."

"What?"

Briefly, I fill her in and she puts me on speaker-phone so Chloe can hear, too.

"How can we help?" she asks, when I conclude my tale.

I smile at her dauntlessness.

A year ago, Grace knew as much about the world of Wolves and Shifters as I did... which is to say nothing... and had gone through a rather traumatic education at my side.

That she still wants anything to do with me at all speaks of her character and courage.

"Nothing, at the moment," I say.

"But I'll let you know as soon as that changes. Anyway, why did you call?"

"Oh, right. I found something interesting but I don't know if it even matters, now."

"Tell me," I say and beckon Freya over so she can listen, too.

"Well, I was working on the database, looking for connections to the case but no luck. Then it occurred to me that we might not be looking in the wrong place so much as in the wrong time."

"You mean the past?" I ask.

"Exactly. I was thinking about the old buildings and the tunnels under the shops and the fact that whoever built them must have known about the cave. You don't build over a cave like that and not know it."

"You're right," I say, glancing up to meet Freya's eyes.

"You think it has something to do with the portal?"

"I do now," Grace says.

"And I think it has something to do with your family, too, Julian."

"The Fae?"

Grace hesitates.

"No. The Harts."

[mypoisonedvine]

Seeing Red | bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x actress!reader (part 5)

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4)

series summary: bucky used to brag that he didn’t have a celebrity crush, or really care about famous people at all, which is what made him the perfect person to start working for a celebrity like yourself.  except, of course, it’s just his luck that he’d fall for you.  

word count: 3.2k

warnings: more smut (we’re picking right up where we left off last chapter) including some shower shenanigans and lots of dirty talk, relationship conversations, mention of bucky’s military background, really that’s just it...

Maybe it had been hours in Bucky's arms, maybe it had been a lifetime.  You were floating on air, suspended in pleasure as he rocked your body against his, still fucking you even though he'd already come once and you'd come too many times to count.

"Bucky," you whined, back arching even though you figured you were too weak for that.  "Baby, please— s-so good, you're so good…"

Metal fingers pinching your nipple sent your body into overdrive, exhausted inner muscles clenching around him as you cried out.

When he leaned down and kissed you again, you were afraid that you'd be too out of it to kiss him back.  But thankfully you managed to reciprocate, grabbing the hair at the back of his neck to hold him close as you whimpered softly against his lips.

He pulled back just enough to look down at you with dark, half-lidded eyes.  "Fuck, I'm gonna come again," he moaned like he was just as shocked as you were.  

"Yes!" you encouraged feverishly.

"This perfect little pussy is gonna make me come again, baby, is that what you want?  Want me to put another load in this needy cunt?"

"God, yes," you sobbed, his words so perfectly balanced between sweet and filthy.

"Well, I'm gonna," he promised through his teeth.  "Fuck, I'm gonna give you everything, pretty girl, I'm so close."

You couldn't remember the exact words you used but you were definitely begging him for it, completely lost in your need and, apparently, totally lacking in shame.

That weak, broken, desperate moan as he came inside you for the second time in a night… you wanted to bottle it up and keep it for rainy days, and sunny days, and all the days you'd ever see because it was just absolutely fucking divine.

"Don't move," he demanded with a whisper, "fuck, don't move, please."

"Couldn't if I wanted to," you laughed quietly.  He started laughing too, but not so much a 'this is funny' laugh compared to a 'is this real?' laugh.

"Fuck," he breathed, "that was… I didn't know I could do that."

"We're all learning new things about ourselves and our body's capabilities tonight, trust me."

"I'm gonna attempt to pull out without my dick falling off, okay?"

You chuckled through your exhaustion.  "Fingers crossed!"

You couldn't decide which was more lewd: the way it felt, or the way it looked.  In credit to the first, you were confident that even through the numbness that had begun to spread through your body, you still managed to feel every detail of his cock against the spongy ridges of your channel as it slid out of you, followed (of course) by the warm, slow ooze of come dripping down onto your sheets.  As for the second, well, his cock looked pretty glorious as it bounced back up against his abs, incredibly still hard but certainly starting to soften, glistening with your slick and his come and looking so lovely that you were compelled to sit up and lick it clean.  You would've if you weren't (1) so exhausted that you were sure you'd never sit up ever again, and (2) confident that any more stimulation to Bucky's poor cock would just be painful for him.

"Jesus fuck," he sighed as he watched his come leak out of your abused, swollen hole, admiring his handiwork; you giggled from both the odd feeling of his gaze on you like this and the comical way his swearing had deteriorated over the course of the night into half-assed blasphemy.

He fell down beside you on the bed, looking up at the ceiling before glancing to you with a smirk that was clearly tired but still plenty smug.  “God, I haven’t come twice in a row like that since… I don’t know if I’ve ever done that before, actually,” he laughed.

“I know for a fact I’ve never come that many times in a row,” you giggled.

"I uh… I need a shower.  And a year-long nap," he announced with a deep sigh.

"Use mine," you offered.  "I'll join you in a minute if you can promise to keep your hands to yourself."

"I don't know about that," he chuckled, "but I can definitely promise to keep my dick to myself."

"That'll do," you smiled as you watched him stretch and get up, grabbing his discarded boxers before slipping into your bathroom.

You took another deep breath and fought against the giddy smile that refused to leave your face.  Though you knew you had no right to be so happy over something as silly and frivolous as a guy, you let yourself get excited about this guy.  This guy who had made you feel safe when you thought you never would again.  This guy who had been a friend to you when it seemed like everyone else just wanted to get close to an alleged celebrity.  This guy who had already given it to you better than anybody ever had only to do it again without even stopping.

As likely as it was that your infatuation with him was preventing you from seeing all the flaws that every person and relationship were bound to have, it was hard not to think that this guy was everything you’d been waiting for.  Now all you had to do was try not to fuck it up.

//

Bucky sighed as he stepped into the stream of hot water, careful not to slip as his tired legs begged for more rest.  It was a hell of a workout, but then again, he'd never felt quite this good after a real workout.

It was all a little too good to be true; he was sort of assuming that he would wake up any minute now, in his own bed downstairs and with a mess in his boxers to take care of.  And he wasn't even mad about it, because who could be mad about a dream this wonderful?

If he was going to wake up soon, he was going to take advantage of the time he had left in his dream.  After a few moments alone, you slipped into the bathroom and opened the glass shower door, looking like everything he'd ever wanted with your messy hair and post-sex glow.

"Don't hog the hot water," you groaned as you pushed him aside, but you were smiling a little and he was perfectly content to just watch you from the corner anyways.

Well, not just watching; of course he had to reach out and run his hands over your skin, feel the warmth of you pressed against his body as your eyes fluttered shut and your head fell back against his chest.  You hummed contentedly at his touch and the sound went straight to his cock, which swelled a bit where it was pressed against your hip.

You reached up and wrapped your hands around the back of his neck, his hands moving up to gently run over your breasts and stomach where the water was hitting.

He hesitantly ventured into kissing your neck before finally sliding his hand between your legs and grinning at the feeling of his own come leaking out of you.  You were so sensitive that you gasped and shivered just from that little touch, your little moans enough to drive him absolutely crazy (if he hadn't been already).

Two fingers slid into you easily; he decided to take credit for stretching you out so well, both of you sighing as he pushed in deeper.

"Bucky," you groaned, "can't… can't come again…"

"I'm just helping you wash all this come outta you, baby," he explained, though he was sure you heard the mischievousness in his tone.  "There's a lot… I filled you up real good, didn't I?"

You nodded and bit your lip, and he alternated between studying your face and looking down at his fingers slowly pulling out of you as the shower washed away his come and yours.

"I don't think this is all me," he whispered against your ear.  "I think you're getting wet again, princess…"

When you nodded again, your hips bucking slightly in his hand, he went ahead and brought his two slickened fingers to your swollen bud, drawing lazy circles around it as you moaned slowly.

"What're you getting wet for, huh?  Haven't you had enough?"

"Never get enough of you," you whimpered, as if you just magically knew the exact thing to say in that moment to make his cock twitch and his heart twist.  

"I'll be real gentle, honey, gonna take you there nice an' easy…" he trailed off, adding a bit more pressure but maintaining his relaxed pace.  You whimpered and writhed against him, your smooth skin sliding against his so easily with the water washing over both of you.  

He could feel your walls tightening around his fingers when he pushed inside again, smiling when you gasped and clutched his hair suddenly.  He figured you were sore, but he also figured you would stop him if he hurt you, so he just did his best to stay slow and sensitive as he found your swollen spot inside you and curled his fingers into it.  Your whispered curses were music to his ears; technically that would make your body his instrument, and that might be cliche but it wasn’t exactly untrue.

“Want a little more?” he asked below his breath, responding to your nod by rubbing your clit with his thumb.  Your back arched, and as beautiful as it was, it also caused your body to push away from his; he held you down with his free arm to avoid spending even a moment without you against him.

“C-close,” you stuttered, and he hoped the little chuckle he let out didn’t sound too condescending; just shocked, like he intended it,

“I thought you couldn’t come again,” he remembered, fighting his smirk to kiss your neck gently.

“I thought so too,” you sighed, your hips rocking against his hand as your breathing picked up.  “Fuck, don’t stop…”

It was subtle, but he felt you shudder and shake in his grasp, a new wave of warmth soaking his fingers.  He was careful not to let the water wash your come away as he brought the soaked fingers to his lips, eagerly tasting you as you watched him with heavy eyes.  “Want a taste?” he offered, but when you went for his fingers he kissed you instead, revelling in the little hum of satisfaction you released when you tasted yourself on his tongue.

It was you that pulled him closer and deepened the kiss further, weaving your fingers into his hair and moaning a little when he grabbed your waist.

“I should’ve known showering with you wasn’t going to actually be a productive bathing experience,” you laughed when you pulled back, noticeably staring at the way water droplets trickled down his chest.  

“Fine, I’ll let you actually do your whole shower thing,” he relented, “as long as I can borrow your shampoo.”

“Sure, but you’re gonna smell fruity and delicious afterwards,” you warned.

He chuckled a little as he leaned back into the stream of hot water to wet his hair.  “Don’t I already?”

//

You’d never had such an easy time falling asleep in someone’s arms, honestly.  It was so comfortable that you were actually a bit confused when you woke up alone, already pampered by the idea of spending the morning cuddled up with him.  Thankfully, with him living here most days, he was never too far off; you heard movement downstairs and realized he was probably making breakfast for himself since he was one of those natural early risers while you had dozed until— you glanced at the clock to check— 9:53, later than usual for a night you hadn’t been drinking.

Well, Bucky had taken the empty beer bottles from your nightstand for you, but you still remembered that you’d been drinking a little.  Yet certainly most of one beer couldn’t be to blame for you making a move on him; no, that was a purely sober idea, something you’d wanted to do for quite some time, in fact.

Perhaps it was a little misguided.  Maybe it was technically an inappropriate workplace relationship since you were, in a sense, his boss.  But, of every impulsive decision you’d ever made it was definitely your personal favorite.

Hopping up and slipping on a little flowy robe just to not be naked anymore, you rushed downstairs and found Bucky in the kitchen flipping a pancake in the pan.  He glanced back at you, looking a little conflicted, before you observed the plate of assorted fruit waiting for you on the bar.

“Wow, pancakes,” you nodded.

“And fruit,” he reminded you, like you weren’t already munching on a slice of a clementine.  “So it’s healthy.”

“Is this a taste of the ‘Bucky Barnes Boyfriend Experience’?” you chuckled, picking up a grape to eat next.  “Cause so far I’m a fan.”

Bucky’s head whipped around to look back at you, and your face got warm as you realized you'd been assuming that this was a 'getting together' sort of rendezvous and not just a one-night stand.  And maybe that wasn't a fair assumption, based on the way he was blinking back at you in shock.  “Orrrr maybe this is just the ‘Me Misinterpreting Things Experience’ and you just like to use some culinary comfort to soften the blow of the ‘about last night’ talk.”

"No, no," he shook his head, sighing a bit as his expression softened.  “I guess I kind of assumed you were going to regret it."

“Regret… last night?” you finished for him, thoroughly befuddled as you watched him flip the pancake onto a plate which he handed to you.

“Uh, yeah,” he scoffed, like it was obvious, before handing you the container of maple syrup.

“Why?”

“Well,” he shrugged, “‘cause it’s you, and it’s me.  You’re a movie star and I’m the guy who drives your car.  You were having a fun night, you got… caught up in the moment, and I was just in the right place at the right time.”

You took a moment to process that as you chewed your pancake, thankfully managing to swallow the bite before you burst out laughing.  “Oh my god, is that— is that really how you thought this was gonna go down?  After everything that happened last night?”

“Yeah, these aren’t morning-after pancakes, these are please-forgive-me pancakes,” he admitted as he poured another dollop of batter into the pan.  “Can’t you taste the difference?”

"Wait, wait,” you shook your head incredulously, “you thought I was gonna regret sleeping with you, and you still went through with it?"

He laughed a bit at that.  "You were grinding on me and sucking on my fingers.  You must think I'm a saint if you think I could resist that."

“And this was supposed to be your apology… for taking advantage of me…” you tried to reason aloud, still not totally understanding how he could ever question that you would want him.

He shrugged.  "I mean, I dunno… I was prepared to get fired today so you wouldn't have to see me around.  So I guess it was sort of a goodbye, too."

"Was it worth it?  I mean… was the sex worth losing your job?" you asked.  “Hypothetically.”

"Worth losing the paycheck?  Definitely,” he announced, quiet but confident.  “But worth not seeing you again?  No, I don't think so.  When you came down here I was just thinking about how I'd rather keep you as a friend than lose you as a lover."

"That's… poetic," you mumbled.  "Luckily, you don't have to choose.  I fully intend on keeping you around.  If you don't mind."

"Why would I possibly mind that?" he laughed.

“I guess I just feel guilty because if the press finds out you’re my boyfriend, they’ll be all over you.  Your past, your family, any ex-girlfriends…”

His lack of a response made you anxious again.

“Wait, I’m sorry, this conversation is sort of confusing: are you my boyfriend?” you asked nervously.  He laughed, flipping the pancake before looking back at you with a smirk.

“If you want me to be.”

“Yeah,” you answered, perhaps a bit too eagerly, “I do.  If you’re… into that.”

“I am,” he assured.  

“Think of it like a promotion!” you offered with a grin.

“Trust me, I do,” he nodded.  “Does this position come with a raise?”

“No, but a lot more benefits,” you winked.  “And, unfortunately, a lot more baggage.”

“Right, the press.  You really think they’re gonna care?” he raised an eyebrow.

You laughed sympathetically at his innocence.  “Oh my god, you have no idea.  From now on, when we leave the house it’s strictly business— anything else and they’ll be on you like white on rice.”

“Well then we’re not gonna be leaving the house much,” he snickered, “because now that I’ve got my hands on you once, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay away.”

You smiled as he started to lean over the bar to kiss you, but when he moved in just close enough you held up a piece of fruit in front of your mouth, which he took a bite out of instead.  “Slow your roll, Romeo, I’m trying to have an important conversation and you’re trying to distract me.”

“Was it that obvious?” he frowned, sliding another golden brown pancake onto a plate for himself and turning off the stove.

“What I’m trying to tell you is that this is serious stuff.  It’s not too hard to keep it a secret for a while but… it’s just a disclaimer before you agree to anything.”

“Do you give all your potential boyfriends this talk, then?” he asked coyly.

“Well, since I got big I’ve really only dated one guy and he was even more famous than me so... no,” you answered awkwardly.

“Oh, right,” he nodded, getting a little more serious.  “What was it you said they were going to investigate, again?  My past, my family, my ex-girlfriends,” he remembered.

“Yup,” you nodded.  “And any, you know, criminal convictions or whatever.”

“Well, none of those, not much family, barely any ex-girlfriends,” he enumerated, “but a lot of past.”

You solemnly contemplated eating another grape, hoping you had managed to maintain some nonchalance.  “How bad are we talking?”

“Not bad, necessarily,” he mitigated, stopping mid-sentence to grab the pancake with his hand and eat it straight, “but, you know… military.  So not exactly good.”

“Didn’t blow up any orphanages, right?”

“No, not quite,” he laughed, “but I wasn’t a conscientious objector, either.”

“Okay, just keep in mind they’re going to scrutinize everything you ever were before you were my boyfriend,” you informed him.

“‘Your boyfriend’ is the most important thing I’ve ever been.”

The comment took you aback— mostly in a good way, but you weren’t prepared for him to get sentimental like that.  You especially weren’t prepared for the effect it would have on you.  So you, being you, deflected it with a sudden topic change and a raunchy joke.

“Jeez, are you a sadist or something?  ‘Cause I can’t hardly sit in this chair properly, I’m so sore,” you winced.  

“That,” he announced with a grin, pointing at you with the half-eaten pancake in his hand for emphasis, “is the ‘Bucky Barnes Boyfriend Experience.’”

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch.4

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3

Summary: Daniela wingman Dimitrescu

---

Who knew that a door could look so intimidating. The dark wood decorated with golden floral patterns and the Dimitrescu crest in the middle wasn’t unlike most other doors in the castle. This door however had one big difference from the rest: it was the door to Cassandra’s bedroom.

Nicole had crossed paths with Daniela earlier, who wasted no time in placing the duty of fetching the middle sister for dinner upon her. Oh well. She was supposed to meet the brunette anyways. Tomorrow at sundown, Cassandra had said. And that was just after dinner. But the lingering feeling of their lips together, deep in a hidden nook in the garden, left Nicole unsure on what to expect from her.

With a final deep breath, she knocked on the door.

It was silent for a few long seconds. She was about to knock again, sure that Cassandra was still sleeping, but was stopped by a groggy reply that she took as her cue to enter.

“Lady Daniela sent me to let you know dinner will be ready soon.”

Nicole had a split second when she regretted each and every decision that led up to that very moment when she noticed the brunette stirring awake, naked body thankfully covered by soft blankets. Cassandra didn’t seem to mind though, as she yawned and stretched her arms like a lazy cat would.

“That’s a weird way to say Daniela is lazy and sent you to do her job.” She grabbed her watch from the nightstand. “Ugh, it’s early.” It’s 7 p.m.

From where she stood, looking anywhere but at the brunette, Nicole wasn’t sure how to respond. It’s not as if she could’ve said no to Daniela’s request. Or, to be more accurate, order. Apparently Cassandra didn’t wait for a reply, as she got out of bed and shuffled to her dresser, hopefully to put some clothes on. With one of her typical black dresses now on, she tiptoed to the other occupant in the room.

“Modest, are we,” she said, placing her hands on Nicole’s waist, not unlike she did many times before.

“Just trying not to get my eyes gouged out.” Hopefully Cassandra still appreciated her humor.

The brunette slowly spinned the other girl around so she could look in her eyes, as if she were a child inspecting a newly received christmas gift. “Mm...you can keep them. Now come on, spend some time with me since Dani insisted on you waking me up so early.”

Thanks Daniela.

Nicole felt herself get pulled further into the room, barely having time to take in all the trinkets and decor inside before she was tugged down to sit in Cassandra’s lap.

Well… best possible scenario.

This time there was no hesitation when their lips connected, one hand finding its place at the brunette's nape, pulling her close. Cassandra let out a small moan when she felt nails scratch lightly against her scalp, which Nicole took as an opportunity to slip her tongue past black painted lips. They kissed until Cassandra pulled back, opting instead to leave a trail of kisses and black lipstick on her jawline, down her throat, and finally her collarbone. The kisses were getting increasingly more aggressive, with nips at the skin and finally teeth dragging at the crook of Nicole's neck.

Cassandra inhaled deeply but pulled her mouth away from the skin, resting her forehead against that spot instead. When she spoke, her tone was dripping with barely held back desire.

"If you want me to stop, you should go."

Oh no, Nicole didn't just shove her tongue in her god damn mouth for them to stop. Whatever crumble of self preservation was left within her, it got booted out the metaphorical front door of her brain the moment she got pulled into the brunette's lap. The only thing that made her hesitate for a second was whether or not Cassandra could bite someone without actually killing them.

"Do not go near the jugular.”

And Cassandra listened. She dragged her teeth from the neck, down to the shoulder and, after an uncharacteristically gentle kiss to the spot, she sunk her now sharp fangs in the flesh.

Nicole couldn't stop a whimper from escaping past her lips at the sudden jolt of pain. But the sensation of soft lips on her skin and Cassandra's low moan at the taste of her blood made for the perfect mixture of pleasure and pain.

"Cassa- ah," she moaned her name, fingers tangled in black hair which only seemed to spur her on.

The pain steadily faded, leaving behind only a tingling sensation. It stopped her brain from putting together any coherent thought, almost as if being drunk without the actual alcohol. But blood loss instead. Nicole tugged lightly on Cassandra's hair when dizziness started to make itself present. When that did nothing, she pulled with slightly more force.

"Cassandra-" she let out a pained groan, mild panic slipping into her voice.

That made the brunette snap out of it, forcefully pulling herself back and eyeing the bloody mess on Nicole's shoulder. She caught the redhead by the arms for support when she slumped forward slightly, pinching the bridge of her nose with a soft ugh. How much blood can a human lose again? Fourteen percent? And Nicole was also quite small.

Cassandra stretched to grab a tissue from the nightstand and pressed it against the puncture wounds, frowning when Nicole flinched at the pain it caused.

"Uh...are you okay?"

Nicole took a deep breath before replying. "-m good. You should...uh go though. I'll go lay down and-...and meet you after dinner." Then she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to try to alleviate the dizziness and tried to stand up.

Cassandra grimaced at how wobbly Nicole's movement's were and guided her back down, on the soft mattress. The redhead didn't protest, not that she really could anyways.

"No. Stay here, you're no good if you just fall and crack your skull open against a stairwell."

"But-"

Cassandra ignored her, only pushing her down to rest against one of the many pillows littering the bed. "No buts, this is an order from your lady. Now take a nap or something and I'll fetch you after dinner."

Nicole saw her turn around and exit the room, door shutting with a heavy thump. She felt too dizzy to try and fight back. And after all, why would she? The bed was incredibly soft, almost as if it was cradling her small body, inviting her to fall asleep. She slowly pulled one of the blankets up to her waist and positioned herself in such a way that the tissue wouldn't fall from her shoulder. A short nap was all she needed, then she'd be up by the time dinner was done. It only took shutting her eyes for a few seconds to fall asleep, the haze in her mind receding into comforting nothingness.

---

Hot. She felt so incredibly hot. How could Cassandra sleep amongst all these pillows and blankets in the middle of August?

She groaned and stirred, tissue forgotten and covered in dry blood by now. She turned around, trying to find a colder spot and sighed contently upon finding a cool pillow to bury her face into.

Since when did pillows hum?

Nicole snapped her eyes open and jerked backwards, realizing that the "pillow" was Cassandra's side, who apparently had returned from dinner and was now laying in bed with a book.

"I- I'm sorry! I think I overslept and-"

She was interrupted by a slender finger on her lips.

"Get back here, you're so warm."

Too warm, Nicole almost replied but Cassandra's hand mowed from her lips to trace her jawline and neck. Then,when it got to her nape, she pulled the redhead back on her chest, cheek resting on the cool skin.

Nicole froze for a moment but soon melted into the touch. Presumably one of the perks of being an undead being was never getting too hot. At least temperature-wise. She tentatively snaked an arm around the brunette's waist and, when there was no protest, she shifted her body closer against hers.

Checking the time didn't even occur to Nicole until her eyes fell on one of the windows, noticing it was pitch black beyond the glass.

"Shouldn't we have…" she just vaguely gestured, not even sure what they were supposed to do that day in the dungeons.

"Here's one of the perks of working with me darling: if I don't feel like doing anything then congratulations, you've got yourself a day off. Now why don't you enjoy it hmm."

She emphasized her words by bringing her free hand to Nicole's head, nails lightly scratching the scalp. But Nicole was wide awake, despite the pleasant sensation that elicited a content hum from her.

There were so many things to take in that she hadn't noticed earlier. Just like her study, Cassandra's bedroom was like a collection of glimpses into her. The desk was littered with papers and oddly modern drawing supplies, the kind you would get by entering the art supply store down the road from her college dorm. A mannequin in the corner of the room was wearing a most likely tailor made dress, complete with what looked like a matching sword. The wall she could see was half covered in bookshelves, half in deer antlers or horns of different animals. Some had labels with dates underneath them that were too far to read, but Nicole managed to decipher one that said 08.06.1982.

She didn't want to risk losing her precious head scratches in order to explore the other half of the room, so her eyes settled on the one thing she could see without moving. The book in Cassandra's other hand.

"What're you reading?"

Cassandra sighed, realizing that she was still awake but answered anyway.

"Watership down."

She giggled, still a bit lightheaded. "Bunnies…"

Cassandra rolled her eyes, not quite in the mood to go on a lengthy discourse about the themes of said "bunnies". She opted to change the topic instead, voice oddly soft.

"How's your head?"

"Mmm...dizzy."

"Sleep then."

"My room is too far away."

"Sleep here you dumbass."

Nicole was silent for a few moments, putting together the few coherent thoughts still lingering in her brain. Then, trying not to slur her words due to dizziness and sleepiness alike:

"Isn't that against protocol? Do you even have a protocol?"

"The protocol is that our staff serves my family. Right now you're keeping me warm. There, congratulations on performing your duties. Now go to sleep."

The redhead gave in, too tired to keep on annoying Cassandra. She nuzzled her face closer to the brunette's neck leaving a small peck on her collarbone and closed her eyes. The nails still scratching at her scalp, occasionally moving to run through long auburn locks proved more than efficient at lulling her to sleep. She could swear she felt a soft, almost imperceptible kiss on the top of her head before consciousness fully slipped away from her

[ppnuggie]

hi hi congrats on 300 followers!!! (Imo you deserve a million but i mean everyone starts somewhere)

This ask is for the 300 follower special!!

personality :: for this part I'll put good and bad personality traits that I have

Good// I've been told that in general I'm a really nice person and that I care a lot for others,,which i do,, I'm very protective over people that I care about and love,, and will not hesitate to throw hands with somebody who disrespects them,, even if I clearly can't win in a fight,, I'm very open to people that I care about,, and I share a lot with them,, I always try to be there for people,, whether they're a good friend or not

Bad// I've also been told that I'm really gullible and will believe just about anything anyone says,, which is also true,, I tend to let myself be used as a doormat for other people,, I'm also a really needy / clingy person,, another thing is that I'm really touchy person,, not sure if that's a good or a bad thing but I put it here anyways,, especially to people I love I always feel the need to be around them and or touching them in some way,, not in the weird kind of way but touching them like holding their hand,having a hand on their shoulder, Etc,, one last thing is that im really quick to trust people,, it has faded over the years with lots of people coming and going,, but even so I am really quick to trust people

For likes and dislikes,, im not sure if you mean 'what i like in a person' or 'things you like in general', but im assuming you mean things in general

likes :: rainy days,, especially when its dark outside,, reading books about things that interest me,, binging movies/tv shows,, playing video games,, talking to my best friend for hours about literally nothing,,the smell of diesel fuel- (im not joking),,watching youtube,,drawing,,the smell of new alcohol markers,, reading tf x reader fics,,hugs,, and cuddles <3

dislikes :: when someone leaves the faucet water purifier on,, being disrupted when im focused on something,, people talking when im trying to focus,, losing my concentration,, when someone takes wayy to long to respond,, people judging me for how i look and the things I like,, not being able to be myself,,yelling,,and when someone is mean to me or my loved ones

fandom :: Transformers!! Either tfp or bayverse u can pick:)

any sort of gender preference :: male please!! Thank you:))

Also just some facts that might help: i wear glasses that always slide down my nose,, i almost never wear shoes in the house,, and i have a big bumblebee plush from g1 that i always carry with me :)

tysm !! 🥹🥹 im slowly gaining some <33 but hopefully ill reach my next goal ,, 500 followers 😎😎 also i wear glasses too but they slide down too 😭😭 i dont wear them unless im watching smt on tv tho 💀💀 i just cant see too far away ,, heres your matchup thoo !! tysm for being a follower of mine and supporting my content 🥹❤️🙏 i went with tfp with this as well :D also i do like the smell of gasoline too 💀💀 ion know why but i do ,, not that i actively participate in smelling it 💀😭

𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 :

- ratchet

- breakdown

𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐒 :

- ratchet

• whilst ratchet comes off as disinterested or grumpy most the times ,, he does have a slight interest towards you

• he does like that you care a lot for everyone at base ,, but he doesnt say anything about it

• occasionally he’ll spare you a genuine smile or two ,, not much for pda but in private moments he doesnt mind your hands all over him

• he’ll let you set on his shoulder or rest against his helm if it makes you feel better <3

• he doesnt play video games ,, but he can agree that he does love rainy days on earth ,, the soft raindrops bring him comfort and peace

• he can also relate to the losing concentration part 💀 he cant stand it

- breakdown

• hes more loud then ratchet is and more energetic then the old medic

• but it isnt much of a bad thing ,, he does tone it down when hes around you ,, taking notice of your dislike towards yelling

• he’ll definitely play games with you in his mass displaced form tho :D !!

• and for rainy days ,, he’ll take you on drives so you can experience it ,, he’ll drive slow and smooth ,, play soft music and just enjoy both of your guys’ comfort

• he will also binge movies with you ,, he is interested in what you humans come up with for entertainment anyways

• he doesnt mind touching either ,, he really loves it 🥹 he loves your affection a lot <33 so you dont gotta worry about that

𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎 :

soft rain pattered against the window ,, rolling down and away from your view. the sky was a dark grey ,, the sun nowhere to be seen. warm air blew through breakdown’s ventilation ,, keeping you cozy in his alt mode as he drove slowly down the empty road.

he found out that you had enjoyed the rain ,, and soon grew to understand why. he even had a special place in his spark for the weather on earth. even if he wasnt much a fan of the cold or super hot days ,, he didnt mind the rainy weather. not only didnit provide a nice free shower but also time with you.

soft melodies played out his radio ,, strolling down the black road and going who knows where. the scenery was calm and peaceful ,, the moment you two shared would definitely be cherished.

[rattyoakenbitch]

❝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠❞ ─ 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦

after all this time, i start asking why i'm staying

were you ever mine?

are we something that's worth saving?

❥ content ; gn reader, eventual fluff, angst, happy ending

❥ warnings ; cursing, themes of cheating

❥ synopsis ; you're will's s/o. when he comes home from work, you can tell he's off. what you didn't expect was him to kick you out.

❥ a/n ; none!

"Will?"

You call out after hearing the front door to your house open and shut. When you don't get a response, you get up from your laying position on the couch and approach the front door.

There, Will stood. His back was turned to you as he hung up his coat, and although you could not see his face, you could immediately tell he was off. Even the energy around him felt dark and tense.

"Oh, hey, hun.." You said anxiously, trying not to set him off in any way.

Will didn't react to your voice. Instead, he backed away from the clothing rack and walked past you, not even bothering to spare you a look. This wasn't the first time Will acted out like this, especially considering he was exhausted all the time from the work Crawford gave him. But he would at least greet you soon as he walked through the door, not flat out treat you as if you didn't exist.

"Will," you sighed dejectedly, more to yourself than to your boyfriend. You quietly followed him upstairs to the master bedroom, where he began to strip off his work clothes, changing into something more comfortable. Still, he ignored your presence. You had to make another move.

You slowly approached him from behind, placing your hands on his shoulders. You were immediately taken back when he forcefully removed himself from your touch and walked away to another corner of the room.

"Will, I just-"

"What?" he scoffed mockingly, "You just want to help?"

"You're my boyfriend, Will, of course I want to!"

He laughed.

"It certainly doesn't help when you breathe down my neck every fucking minute."

Tears pricked in your eyes, Will's vicious tone scaring you. You searched Will's own eyes, trying to find any trace of remorse or regret. He had none. You didn't even know who you were looking at.

"What are you talking about, Will? When you want space, I give you space. When you want love, I give you love! What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to leave."

And then it was quiet for a moment. You both stood there silently, feet away from each other, eyes burning holes into the others.

"..What?" You stared in disbelief. "Wh- What are you saying right now, Will?"

"I want you to leave. I want you gone, Y/N. I don't need you anymore."

"No," you bit your quivering lips, hot tears spilling down your cheeks. Will averted his stare from your crying form, the floor suddenly becoming more interesting.

"No, you're lying. You're just saying that. You can fool everyone else, but you can't fool me."

"I'm sorry, Y/N." Lies. "It's best if you just leave."

You choked on a sob. "What?! Where is this coming from all of a sudden? We were okay just the other day!"

Will remained silent, still not daring to make eye contact with you.

"Is there someone else?"

"I- No, Y/N. I don't owe you an explanation."

"So this is it, then? You're just gonna kick me out?"

"Please, Y/N. Don't make this harder than it already is."

"This is hard for you?! You're not the one getting kicked out!"

Will sighed, somehow managing to remain calm while you screamed at him.

"I'm sorry." And the conversation ended there.

You began to pack your bags. You also phoned a friend, asking them if you could crash for a bit until you had a stable job and a home. You were not about to sleep on the sofa tonight.

You opened and slammed drawers, taking your anger out on furniture as you took your belongings with you. You also did it to spite Will, who attempted to get some sleep. But he did not complain. He continued to act as if you didn't exist.

It made you wonder. Where did it all go wrong? How long has he thought about leaving you? Was there another person?

Will wouldn't answer your questions. At this point, you didn't wanna know.

You were able to finish packing up within an hour. Will was still wide awake during that time, listening closely to the angry banging of furniture, quiet sniffles and shaky inhales as you tried the best you could to keep your composure.

You loaded all your bags into your car, getting ready to head to your friend's place. You went back inside to get a couple more things and look around the house a final time. You stopped by the front door as you were about to leave, your eyes landing on a picture on the windowsill of you and Will. Your already tired, red eyes welled with tears again. You opened up the frame, sliding the picture out and folding it into your pocket. Not like Will would want it in his house anyway.

And so you left.

You didn't say your goodbyes. You just left.

A week had gone by. Will carried on with his job as usual, attended his therapy sessions, but he never once mentioned you. Not a lot of people knew about you and Will's relationship, or what was once a relationship. Since his coworkers already knew so much, or what Will deemed to be enough information about him, he wanted to keep your relationship secret. Not that you minded.

The only person who knew of your relationship was Alana Bloom and Jack Crawford, but even when it ended, he didn't tell them anything. He didn't tell them how guilty he felt the night he kicked you out. He didn't tell them he still had nightmares about you being harmed. He didn't tell them how he was the one harming you in his nightmares. He didn't tell them how empty he felt when you blocked his number and social medias (ok sorry but like little headcanon here?? will has an instagram and it's just pictures of him fishing / or of his dogs fnsmdnskdjsk).

He never told them how he tried not to stay in his house as often, because it reminded him of you.

He was definitely acting strange at work. It was easy to tell. Even Bev pulled him aside to inquire about his health. But he continued to keep his mouth shut, until he couldn't.

Will rushed to the front door when he heard little taps on the metal screen. Secretly, he hoped it would be you. But when he opened it, there stood Alana Bloom. Will always thought Alana was beautiful. But how could anyone disagree?

Her long, dark waves that framed her perfect, slim face were never unchecked and unkempt. Makeup or none, preppy work uniforms or pajamas, she always seemed to look her best.

You even found yourself feeling small and insecure when Will invited her over for you to meet. But he assured you that she could never even compare to you. You believed it.

Alana's thin lips curled up into a soft smile. "Will. Can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." He let her in and she walked through the front door for the first time in forever.

"Jeez," she chuckled. "How long as it been?"

"Maybe too long," Will simply replied.

Alana walked around the house, scanning every detail while Will patiently trailed behind her. The dogs were playing outside, so it was just the two of them.

"Why did you decide to come over today?"

"I've been worried about you." She turned around to face Will, who stopped a few feet in front of her. "But now that I'm here in your house, I can see why you've been acting off."

"What's your diagnosis, Doctor?" Will joked, an attempt at lightening the tense air.

"Y/N. They left, haven't they?"

There it is.

Technically, Alana wasn't wrong. You did leave, but Will never clarified in what circumstance.

Will looked at the ground.

"Yeah.. Took all the photos too."

"Hey," Alana began, her finger resting under Will's chin, prompting him to look up at her. "You don't have to hide from me."

A week had gone by. A long, lonely, miserable week. You crashed at your friend's for two nights before your parents invited you to live with them while you worked on getting back on your feet. They didn't live too far, so you thanked your friend for their hospitality and moved in with your parents.

As you finished unpacking your stuff, you realized you were missing some things. You cursed at the realization you would probably have to pick up some stuff from Will's.

You still had the key, so you would have no problem getting in, unless he had the lock changed of course. You were only worried about running into him.

What the hell?

You got dressed. You didn't wear anything fancy, but in case you ran into Will, you felt obligated to look presentable and show him that you could still make it without him. You decided on doing a bit of makeup. Again, nothing fancy. Just enough to conceal the dark circles under your eyes and make your features pop.

And then you headed on the dreadful drive to Will's place.

When you got there, you were too nervous and too focused on making the trip quick to even notice Alana's car in his driveway.

However, what did catch your attention, were the many dogs Will owned. They ran up to you as soon as they recognized you. They panted as they jumped and wagged their tails, expressing their happiness the most they could. You tried your best to pet them all, your mouth lifting up into a smile. You didn't realize it but you really missed the dogs.

You dug around for the key in your pocket and pulled it out, quietly unlocking the front door and letting yourself in.

"You don't have the hide from me.."

Your eyebrows furrowed together at the sound of a female voice.

When you walked into the living room, you were horrified to see Will with another woman. Alana.

Their lips were locked, engaging in a passionate kiss, not even noticing your presence. You felt sick as you put the pieces together.

"Now I know why you kicked me out," you whispered, half to yourself and half to Will, who almost about pushed Alana off him at the sound of your voice.

Both their cheeks heated up in embarrassment when their eyes fell on you.

"Y/N! I'm so sorry, I thought-"

"Look, I only came to pick up some stuff. Then I'll be out of your way." You didn't once look away from Will, deciding to totally disregard Alana's presence and apologetic mutters.

With that, you rushed out of the living room and into your bedroom, searching under the bed and in the closet for your missing items.

You heard faint talking from the living room but tuned out most of it, deciding it wasn't worth your time or even your business in the first place. Then you heard the front door shut and a car start from outside.

Before you could process what might've happened, you heard Will's footsteps stop outside the bedroom.

"Y/N, we should talk."

"No, we shouldn't."

"You blocked my number."

"What good would it do if I kept it?"

"Please, hear me out."

Disgruntled, you turned to face Will, sending a cold glare his way.

"Look, unless you found a way to make a time machine and give me back the time I wasted on you, I don't want to speak with you."

"Why won't you just listen to me?!" he snapped.

You scoffed, "Well surprise, douchebag, I have feelings and you hurt them!"

"Well, I'm sorry, alright?" he calmed down now.

"Are you? Really?" You shook your head. "A sorry won't fix this, Will. Not after what you did. Gods- I can't even look at you right now."

You laughed. "You know what fucking sucks? After all you did, after the cheating and the lies, I'm still in love with you."

Will teared up. "I was never with Alana, Y/N. It's always been you."

"Then, why, Will? Why did you throw me out so coldly like that?"

"I began to have dreams, Y/N. Nightmares," Will admitted, his voice beginning to break. "Nightmares about people hurting you. Criminals. It was too real. As much as I loved- As much as I love you, I never wanted you to choose me. I don't want people using you as a weapon against me. To hurt me."

You slowly walked towards Will, stopping a foot away from him. You looked up into his glossy bambi eyes as he spoke.

"It was when the nightmares got worse, when I was the one hurting you, that I realized you weren't safe with me."

You cried. "Oh, Will. I wish you had told me."

"I couldn't. I didn't want you to remember me that way."

You laughed. "Well, I ended up remembering you as the asshole who kicked me out, instead."

Will managed to give you a smile through his tears.

He brought his hand to your shoulder, and gently lead it up your neck to the side of your face, cupping it lightly and brushing his thumb across your cheek.

"I would never hurt you, Y/N."

"I know. I know, Will. You aren't a monster for having nightmares you can't control." You brought your own hand up and placed it against Will's, leaning into his warm touch. "I'm still here. I'm alive. In your hands. And I feel safe with you."

Almost hesitantly, Will leaned in, connecting his lips to yours. His body felt tense, but when you kissed him back, you felt his worries disappear into the air.

He pulled away, resting his forehead against yours.

"Stay with me tonight?"

[one-boring-person]

Can You Do Me A Favour?

Barney Ross (The Expendables) x reader

Warnings: injury, drinking, sexual content implied, mentions of violence, swearing

Context: the reader is a member of the Expendables and has a crush on Barney. After a job, the two have some time together.

A/N: as promised, here is some Expendables stuff! I hope anyone who reads this will enjoy it! (Just a heads up: I have more Rambo and Escape Plan stuff coming, and most likely some more TLB content, too.)

Masterlist

(I'm also going to tag @yuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh in this, because they expressed interest in Expendables stuff earlier😊💛)

The cold water is pleasant on my heated skin as I cup my hands under the steady stream flowing from the tap, splashing it into my face when a suitable pool has formed in the space. A gasp escapes me from the stark contrast in temperatures, using my fingers to rub slightly at my skin, trying to work out the headache that has set in, only to hiss when I accidentally press into one of the new scars on the side of my face. Pulling back, I repeat my action, doing my best to distract myself from the plaguing thoughts in my head, still disgusted at myself for having them.

But even now, as I massage the contours of my face, I can't get the images of my boss out of my head. Not the sight of him taking out a ring of attackers using his revolver and sharpshooting skills, not the way his exposed arm muscles flexed with each movement, not the determined look on his rugged face and certainly not the fierce eye contact he made with me when he turned around again. At the mere memory of this, a flush of heat goes through me, eyes squeezing shut to force myself to blank them out, not quite realising that his stare is branded into my subconscious. Biting my lip, I shake my head, forcing down the picture of his muscular body and large hands on my body as he dragged me from the collapsing building, not five hours ago.

Growling, I reach over and grab hold of the beer bottle nearby, glancing at my haggard features in the mirror before taking a deep drink, wincing at the stale flavour, having had the drink for far too long. I can see the tension in my body, each muscle tight and uncomfortable, my posture ramrod straight and clearly wrong, my eyes clouded with exhaustion and what I can only assume is loneliness. 

As soon as I'd gotten in from the last job, I'd headed straight into the bathroom, grabbing a beer from the fridge as I went, needing to clear my head. Nothing I did could help, my head always circling back to that one person. Frustrated, I slam the bottle on the counter top, wincing when it shatters from the force, a particularly sharp shard slicing into my palm.

Damn him. Damn Barney Ross for getting into my head.

I clean up my hand, just bandaging it up when my phone buzzes, the screen lighting up. Frowning, I look over at it, confused. Nobody calls me. Nobody, except my boss.

Picking up the phone, I groan to myself as I realise it is, in fact, Barney. For a second, I debate letting it go to voicemail, before I finally give in, accepting the call and placing the phone to my ear.

"Sir?" I greet him politely, wondering what he needs.

"How many times have I told you not to call me "sir"?" Barney's gravelly voice sounds through the phone, a low chuckle evident in his tone. I have to ignore the effect his voice has on me, the sound giving me butterflies in my stomach.

"Sorry, sir- ah, shit." I sigh at my own habit, "You alright?"

"Yeah, guess so. Just lonely. Figured you might be, too." He admits, tone going soft as he speaks.

"Bold of you to assume that." I tease, but continue, "Though you are, as always, right."

"Should tell Christmas that, might listen to you." The veteran laughs again, the joke drawing a similar reaction from me.

"We all know he listens to no one but himself." I quip back, still waiting for him to tell me why exactly he called.

"True, true." Barney's grin is almost audible, my mind instantly bringing up an image of that particular expression into my head, much to my chagrin, "You got any plans for tonight?"

Surprised, I take a second to reply, unsure of where this is going.

"No, it's too late. Ain't really got many friends outside work, anyway." I inform him, going out of the bathroom and into the lounge.

"Fancy coming over? I've got a couple of beers that need drinking, and the hangar is pretty lonely this time of night." 

His offer stumps me for a moment, though I am quick to recover, my mouth working before my mind can catch up.

"Yeah sure. I'll be over in twenty." 

"Great. See you then." He hangs up, leaving me wondering why the hell I accepted that, knowing how much I spend too much time thinking about him (in totally inappropriate ways considering he's my boss) anyway.

Annoyed at myself, I steel myself before going and grabbing a coat, pulling on that and my boots as I leave the flat, taking my motorcycle keys with me. I lock my door behind me, leaving the apartment block quickly, glad to have the fresh air on my face as I make my way over to my motorbike. Looking on it fondly, I climb on and kick out the stand, easily getting it revved up, the vibrating engine beneath me a pleasant feeling. 

Thankfully, the roads are mostly clear this time of night, cutting the twenty minute drive short by five minutes as I go at speed through the nearly deserted outer city. The hangar is usually a pain in the ass to get to, the traffic in the roads leading up to it almost always horrific, so I am only too happy to be able to go much faster now that there's not many other drivers around. With the wind rushing around me, I find that my head clears a little, my attention on navigating the roads rather than the thoughts of my boss doing things to me I'm sure he'd find grotesque in nature. 

I arrive quickly, pulling into the hangar slowly, knowing Barney is most likely in the plane, as he usually is. Stopping the bike, I put it in park before climbing off, hanging my helmet on the handlebars as I do so, taking the keys with me as I walk over to the old plane. Nearing the aircraft, I frown a little at the sight of the new bullet holes riddling the side of it, unaware that we'd taken so much damage earlier in the day. Sighing, I go inside, ducking in through the small door, only now hearing the music playing from the stereo in the cockpit.

"It's gonna need a new lick of paint." I call out to Barney, who I can see sat in his seat, the muscular man turning to look at me as he hears me.

"It's been a long time coming, so I'm not complaining." He replies, grinning at me as I walk into the cockpit, dropping into Christmas' usual seat, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach from his stare on me again. As I enter, he rakes his eyes over my body, subtly taking my every curve in from where he is.

"Fair enough." I shrug, leaning back slightly, having missed his look, "Got a beer?"

"Yeah, here." Barney hands me a bottle, opening it for me as he does so.

"Cheers." I thank him, taking a deep drink from it as he chuckles lowly, voice sending a bolt of heat through me.

"You're starting to sound like Lee." He remarks, sipping his own bottle with a smirk.

"Should I take that as a compliment? Or an insult?" 

"Up to you." He looks over at me.

"Eh, I'll take compliment. You two get along like an old married couple, after all. Must mean something if you're comparing me to him." I decide, teasing him.

Barney laughs at my comment, lifting his bottle.

"I can agree with that." He hums, staring out of the front window.

For a couple of moments, we sit in companionable silence, drinking our beers, Barney eventually lighting a cigar. Taking a deep inhale, he offers it to me, which I decline, choosing to finish my drink instead.

"What do you usually do after a job?" Barney suddenly asks, glancing back at me.

Surprised, I think over the question for a second.

"Nothing, really. I get myself cleaned up, have a drink, then get some sleep. I don't do much else with my life." I tell him, knowing how pathetic I sound.

"What, you haven't got anyone you can hang out with?" He questions, seemingly confused.

"No. As I said before, I don't really have any friends outside work."

"Really? No boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

I shake my head, grimacing at the turn in conversation, just missing the slight darkening in his eyes as he looks me over once more.

"Huh. That surprises me." 

Lifting an eyebrow, I look across at him.

"Why?"

He shrugs, making eye contact with me.

"Well, you seem like the person who wouldn't struggle to make friends. You're kind, funny, pretty. You know how to behave in the right situations, you're a good friend to have." He clarifies, seemingly unaware of the impact his words have on me, my heart throbbing as I listen to him, longing building up in me again.

"You think so?" I ask, not quite believing him.

"Yeah, I do." He frowns, looking over at me, "Why, don't you?"

I don't reply, knowing my answer well. He doesn't push it, observing me carefully, his gaze making me blush furiously.

"What'd you do to your hand?" The veteran suddenly asks, gesturing to my bandaged appendage.

"Hm? Oh, I just cut it on some glass back home." I inform him, flexing my hand a little, only to wince at the sharp spike of pain. 

Wordlessly, Barney reaches across and takes my hand in his, his touch setting off sparks through me despite the gentle nature of it. Pulling my arm closer to him, he runs his fingers lightly over my skin, the rough calluses rubbing over the palm of my hand, each stroke making it harder for me to fight off the rising need within me. Being this close to him, able to smell him in nearly every surface around me, feeling his hand on mine has sparked the feelings I've been suppressing as long as I've worked with him. 

Awkwardly, I pull away, swallowing tightly, trying to suppress the urges I'm suddenly feeling, needing to get myself together again. He doesn't stop me, his dark eyes regarding me quietly, observant as always as he seemingly considers something, his gaze sliding over me once more. After a moment, he puts out his cigar, leaning back in his seat.

"Mind doing me a favour?" The muscular man cocks his head at me, a small smirk playing at his lips.

"Er, sure? What do you need?" I agree hesitantly, knowing that expression means only one thing: he's got something up his sleeve.

"Check that control panel up there, would you? It's been giving me trouble for weeks." Barney's eyes are glittering now in the dim light, clearly up to something.

"What, now?" I frown, confused by the instruction.

"If you wouldn't mind." 

Lifting an eyebrow, I place my beer down and get to my feet, awkwardly reaching up to check the panel, which just so happens to be right above his head. I try to keep my body from leaning across him too much, but this is made difficult when I realise that the particular problem lies in the switches even further over. As I go to flick them, a pair of hands takes hold of my waist, suddenly yanking me down towards the chair.

Yelping in surprise, I feel my eyes widen as Barney pulls me down onto his lap, hands tight on my hips, pressing my back flush against his chest. His nose instantly finds my neck, the older man nudging at my skin until I tilt my head to give him access, goosebumps spreading across my skin as I try to process what the hell is happening, my brain short-circuiting with every one of his breaths. They fan out over the sensitive area, my own hitching in my throat as his scruff scratches over my skin, his lips not quite touching me yet, though I can feel their every movement. 

I try to get back up, unwillingly, only for him to loop one of his arms around my front and slip his hand under my shirt, flattening his palm on my stomach to hold me against him.

"I'm not blind, you know, (Y/n). I've seen the way you look at me, the way you behave differently when you're with me. You're not as subtle as you hope." Barney practically purrs into my skin, his smirk obvious against my neck, sending shivers down my spine as I try not to groan.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about, sir." I manage out, not quite catching the sound of anticipation that escapes me when he suddenly presses his lips against my ear, whispering into it.

"Really? I think you know very well what I'm talking about." He grins to himself, the hand on my stomach running down to ghost over the waistband of my jeans, my body tensing in his grip, "Want me to demonstrate for you?

[personasintro]

My Tiny Secret | 20; First Steps

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒊𝒏𝒚 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒍𝒆 | 20; First Steps 

⏤𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔; Pretty face doesn’t make it up for an ugly personality. And Kim Seokjin is the perfect proof of that.

⏤𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: seokjin x reader

⏤𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: angst, smut, fluff, mistress au, unexpected pregnancy au

⏤𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: strong language, mature content 

⏤> 𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒙

The birds' chirping creates a calm melody, outstanding the sounds of kids laughing and crying that reach your ears. Even the blanket underneath your legs feels soft, softer than usual and you wonder if it's made from one of those expensive materials. Surprisingly, Seokjin was the one who packed everything and you left him to it.

It's nice to see him doing such a normal stuff, especially if it's related to you and your son.

“It seems busier than last week.” His voice resounds, your eyes snapping to him as his legs are spread out with arms holding him in a relaxed position. Those black locks that got longer are thrown back, making his forehead on full display along with his thick brows.

He looks so relaxed, wearing a white casual shirt with jean shorts, something you should've got used to by now, but you still find yourself occasionally stare at him.

You're not even sure how, but your Saturdays have been spent in a park nearby your apartment building for the last couple of weeks. You often went alone, making sure you're not stuck in your apartment all day, sometimes Hoseok tagged along with you as well. Surprisingly, Seokjin comes every Saturday without even making any official plans with you, knowing he's about to spend the whole day with you. Well, with Yoojin.

It became a silent routine.

“It does,” you hum, eyes trailed on Yoojin who crawls up to the tree you're sitting underneath. It creates a perfect shadow in this warm weather. “He's so active these days.” you say as you already panic when he starts to standing up, holding the tree with his small hands.

He can stand for a long time now, but he's too careful to hold onto something and not let go. Yoojin's puckered lips stretch into a huge smile, proudly showing himself to his parents as you clap in praise, not holding a smile back. He grew up so fast, you can't believe how many things have changed since he was born.

Seokjin comes to visit more often, he even sleeps on the couch sometimes since the guest room is slowly renovating to Yoojin's new bedroom. You both went shopping together and bought him a new crib, along with a few different decorations and furniture. The memory of the two of you walking with Yoojin in his stroller seems weird, but nice and comfortable. For the first time, it felt like you're a real family, spending some time together.

He's an intelligent man managing a successful company on his own, with no help whatsoever, however building a crib isn't his strong suit. Stubbornly, he insisted on being the one who makes Yoojin's bedroom for him. You've never seen him being so passionate about something, so you let him. Even if it took him a month, but you silently enjoyed every day he came after work struggling in that room, ending sleeping on the couch.

It feels nice to have him there. He's more open, casually talking with you about your day, but mainly has his focus on Yoojin.

You've met his friend – Kim Namjoon. As you've learned, he accidentally found out about his best friend having a child, thinking it's all gossip. But when he burst into Seokjin's office with a single question if he has a kid and his friend didn't deny it, he knew those gossips were true.

According to Seokjin's words, he bugged him about wanting to meet Yoojin for a whole week, until he had no choice but to say 'yes'. Before Namjoon came to your apartment, Seokjin made sure you're okay with the visit of his friend, the same thing he did when his father came to visit for the first time.

You didn't have any reason to say no, Yoojin is his son as well. A part of you wanted to meet his friend anyway, which happened to be a very polite and kind man. It made you shocked that he has such a nice friend, you were expecting someone similar to his personality. The visit was far more enjoyable than that time when Mr. Kim visited. You even saw Seokjin to crack a few smiles and chuckles, not the dark ones you're used to, but honest and happy ones.

“He's Kim,” he points out proudly, smiling at Yoojin who grins back at his father, still holding to the tree. “He has your smile.” he comments, your head snapping to him before you look at Yoojin.

“Really?” you cock your head to the side, trying to find your similarity in your son.

He's a mixture of you both, although he definitely takes after Seokjin's side more. You're not mad at it, his father is handsome, there's no lie in that.

“Yeah,” he hums, his phone vibrating inside of his pocket as he pulls it out.

You see his wife's name on the display, but he just locks the phone and ignores the call.

“You can speak to her, y'know...” you mumble, watching your son instead as he squats down to admire dandelions.

“I know,” he assures you lightly, “I don't want to.” he admits and you don't let a surprise to be known on your face.

The conversation dies there, both of you watching your son as a way to distract yourselves, that's until Seokjin opens his mouth again.

“I'll divorce her,” he informs you, his tone firm as his hardening features. “For Yoojin.” he adds, glancing at your son that touches the top of dandelion and giggles when it bounces.

“That's nice of you,” you tell him softly, heart warming at the progress he's made. “But, are you sure? Is that what you want?”

You don't mean to doubt his decision, nor you feel some kind of triumph that he wants to divorce his wife. It was never a competition for you and you feel sorry for the woman, whether she's a bad person or not. You're not the one to talk, nor is Seokjin. All of you made mistakes along the way that got you where you are right now.

“I thought about what my father said,” he confesses, your mind drifting to that time he told you what he and his father talked about. It took his some time to open up, but when he finally did, you couldn't be more proud of him. “I think he's right. Besides, I don't see any future with her.”

“If that's what you really want, I'm on your side.”

Seokjin catches the smile you give him, eyes glinting with honesty and his heart does a weird twist at seeing you like that. You're wearing a yellow sundress, youth and happiness radiating from you and he wonders what's the reason behind your happiness. Is he a part of it too? Is someone else behind it?

“Thank you,” he says, tone sounding almost unsure of what to say, and you giggle when you see the puzzled look. “I don't know how she will take it, knowing her she'll throw a fuss. She seems to be furious whenever I come back to the house. I think I'll leave the house to her, maybe she'll be less furious when I break the news to her.”

It seems like he's thinking out loud more to himself, than telling you all this stuff, but you appreciate it nevertheless. It's weird hearing him saying house instead of home.

“I can still pay for the rent, I've got my maternity leave every month,” you suggest, ignoring the raise of his brow. “I don't need your money, Seokjin.”

“Debatable.” he mutters, causing your brows to twitch in irritation.

“No, I don't need it. I'm thankful for everything you're doing for us, but I don't need your money.”

Sighing, he scratches his chin as he looks at you. “I'm sorry,” he apologizes, your mouth falling open but you stay quiet. “Let me do this for you. And Yoojin.”

“I am, but I don't want you to think I need your money. Yes, you make our lives easier but I'm not your wife. I thought you knew that.” Your voice fades away, but the disappointment in it stays as Seokjin groans underneath his breath.

“Shit, I know that,” he curses, voice thick with regret. “I'm not good with words. I've never done this before and I've never met someone who didn't try to fuck me over. It's hard for me to trust someone and you're the first person-- I'm sorry. I know you don't need my money, you made that clear from the day one.”

Nibbling on your bottom lip, you let it go before you give him a soft smile. Confusion is clear on his face, probably thinking you were about to curse at him but he's just met with your smile.

“What?”

“Hm, nothing,” you hum, causing him to roll his eyes in annoyance. Well, some things haven't changed. “I just.. thank you for being so open, I think. It makes me understand you better.” you tell him honestly, seeing him look away as he plays with the grass next to him.

Is he blushing?

When he looks back at you, his eyes trail somewhere behind you before his eyes widen. You follow his vision, eyes mimicking Seokjin's expression as you see your son standing, without holding himself. He giggles and stumbles, but still doesn't reach for the tree next to him.

“Oh my god, he's standing!” you chant, clapping like a crazy woman which makes your son giggle.

“Where's my phone?” you hear Seokjin mutter, before he's snapping a few pictures of your son.

“Come here, pumpkin. You can do it, come here!” you call to him, arms outstretching as you silently call him to your embrace.

He frowns, complementing on what to do but when you clap again and call for him, he smiles. He takes a step forward, and you push the squeal that wants to rip out of your throat away, not wanting to scare him as he slowly starts walking towards you. He's wobbling, his chubby legs barely holding his balance, but he doesn't fall this time. From the corner of your eyes, you see Seokjin pointing his phone to Yoojin, recording this moment with a huge smile plastered on his lips.

“Come to mommy!” you call for him, giggling when he's almost in your embrace, loosing his balance but you're quick to catch him, causing him to giggle. “Good job!” you praise him, kissing his cheeks as you hug him closer to you.

You've never felt so proud, like this very moment. Seokjin's eyes are filled with a rare emotion, something you've never seen on his face and you wish you could snap a picture of him right now. He reaches towards you, caressing Yoojin's back as he gives him a set of praise words.

“Go to daddy,” you tell him, making sure your son is standing as he stares at his father.

He moves away, crossing his legs as he outstretches his arms the same way you did. He's smiling, eyes glistening as he wonders if his son will walk into his arms like he did to you.

“Yoojin-ah, come on. Come here.” he calls out to him, your eyes watering when he starts taking a few steps to his father, grinning at him as Seokjin starts to scream in encouragement causing you to laugh.

You've never heard him being so loud, full of joy and you pull out your phone, taking a lot of pictures as he picks up your son, bouncing him in his arms as he starts kissing his face repeatedly. It makes your son erupt into a fit of laughter, his bubbly laugh outstanding from other children's ones while you're wiping your tears, too stubborn to look away, savoring this moment.

[9:23pm] hobi: wait... he looks... happy???

The message makes you giggle, covering your mouth with the blanket before your fingers work their way onto the screen. You've sent him the video of Yoojin walking, along with the pictures you managed to snap of Seokjin kissing him.

[9:24pm] he does, i've never seen him look so happy

[9:24pm] hobi: that's good, right? is he treating you okay?

He never fails to ask the same question every time the two of you talk, but you know he's just looking out for you. And besides, today was nothing but great.

[9:25pm] yeah, he's really trying hobi

He sends you a couple of emojis of confetti, clapping hands and fireworks which makes you snort. Your giggling is interrupted with a soft knock on your bedroom door. Knowing it's Seokjin, you call out a gentle 'come in' before he opens the door. His head is the first thing that appears, as he cutely looks around noticing Yoojin's crib where he's sleeping.

He was supposed to sleep in his new crib, but he somehow didn't want to let go of you, even though he fell asleep almost immediately.

“Can I come in?” he asks you, cautiously staring at you and catching a glimpse of your exposed legs.

Slowly, you sit up and nod in response. He tries to be quiet, making his way towards the crib to check on Yoojin before he sits next to you. The fresh scent of his shower gel that he brought one day to your home lingers on his skin, his hair slightly dampened after he took a shower. He's wearing a loose shirt and some sweatpants, to stay decent. You know he likes to sleep naked most of the time, or at least that's what you always thought after he fell asleep a few times in your bed – back in the time when you messed around. He always made sure to leave after you both had sex, but there were times when he had a couple of drinks and stayed the night. But you never felt the warmth of him the next morning, no sight of him.

“He fell asleep right away. I think we tired him out.” you whisper, pointing at your son's crib as he chuckles.

“He had an eventful day.” he comments, his voice gentle and quiet not to wake him up.

He's right. After you both packed your stuff and put it into the truck of Seokjin's car, you went to eat ice cream and walked around for a few minutes, before it was time to go back home. Seokjin took a bath with Yoojin, playing with him in the water and you left them there, and cooked dinner.

“Can't sleep?” you ask quietly, making out his features thanks to the moon and opened blinds.

“Yeah,” he mutters. “Can you? I heard you giggling.”

“Oh, it was just something Hobi sent me,” you wave your hand, silently watching him in the darkness.

Luckily, Hoseok visited you more often, even when Seokjin was present and even though the atmosphere is awkward most of the time, at least they don't want to rip each other heads anymore.

“Thank you for taking us out today, Yoojin was so happy.” You feel the need to tell him that.

He's not a kid who needs to get praised at every single good thing he does, yet you want to show him your gratitude. He's been involved in Yoojin's and your life more with each passing month. Maybe it's weird but you feel like a family. You raise him together, even though Seokjin officially doesn't live with you, but he's spending most of his time with you. This actually works nicely, way better than you've ever imagined.

And the littlest smile that ghosts his lips whenever you show him your gratitude doesn't go unnoticed, even though he tries to hide it. It's the same one that's hidden by the darkness in your bedroom.

“Were you?” he asks, head tilting towards you, although you can't see his eyes clearly.

“Huh?

“Happy,” he whispers, “Were you happy?”

You're taken back by his question. Does he really care about your happiness? You can't believe your own ears. You knew he's not such a bad guy as he makes himself out to be – hence all the gestures he's done for you, like sending you money and making sure you live in a nice place. There are a lot of things he's done, nice things that made you even more confused by him. But he's never been so straight forward. Until these recent days.

“Yes,” you answer him, “Were you happy?” you ask him back, watching his broad shoulders as he stays quiet for a moment.

“Yes.” he whispers, turning to you and you automatically smile at him, not even sure if he can properly see you.

“I'm glad, I don't think I've ever seen you happy.” you admit, wondering if you're pushing his buttons too much.

“I don't really show emotions but I don't think I've ever been happy. I kind of just... lived.”

The lamp that slowly creates in your throat makes you painfully swallow, your heart shivering of sadness from hearing those words. He says it lightly, although the meaning behind it is sad. You put your hand on his back, caressing his tensed muscles as you scoot closer to him. He's warm, inviting almost and you hate yourself for craving his touch.

“Are you happy now?” you hesitate to ask, but relax when he doesn't seem too tensed from your question.

Slowly, he turns around, your hand falling off his back as he stares at you. It's hard to see his eyes, but you know he's looking at you. He reaches towards your face, caressing your soft skin as his thumb swipes across your lips. Your breath hitches but you don't dare to look away or flinch, it feels too good to do that.

“I'd like to think that I am.” he answers.

It's something about the tone and the way he says it, making it sound painful yet smooth and joyful. He's a one big mystery you were always trying to solve, but if he's not the one opening himself to you, it's pointless. But you see it now. So many things have changed and you get to know a new side of him, each layer he has, almost every day.

You don't know who moves the first, maybe the both of you at the same time, as your lips crashes together in a soft and slow manner. It's been so long since you've felt those lips against your own, enjoying how perfect they feel. As expected, he takes over the kiss, leading you the entire time as you adjust to his pace. It should be embarrassing how quick he has you squirming in your spot and groaning into the kiss, whenever he pulls onto your bottom lip. He cups your face for the better measure, while the other one holds your neck and fuck, how amazing it feels.

Even when your back meets the softness of your mattress, and your neck Seokjin's lips, you know you're utterly fucked. He hovers over you, kissing every sensitive spot which makes you giddy over the fact, he still remembers what makes you moan and clench around nothing.

His thigh is settled between your legs, and when he lightly nibbles onto your weak spot with his teeth, you automatically grind against him. He shushes your moans with his mouth, leaving your mouths connected before has to pull away after a couple of seconds.

“Jin,” you plead, arms hooked around his neck as you pull him closer.

The chuckle that leaves his mouth is shushed, but very audible to your ears as he nudges your nose with his own. “What do you want?”

Of course, he knows what you want from him. He just likes you to say it, even beg for it.

“You,” you whisper, arms traveling down his broad shoulders making its way to his defined chest and abs. “I want you.”

“Is that so?” he hums, nudging your cheekbone with his nose this time. “Are you sure?” he asks when he receives a few set of nods in response.

Your hand trails down, cupping him through his sweatpants, surprised when it's the only clothing separating his length and your hand. What shocks you the most, is the obvious erection poking underneath the thin material and how just the feel of it makes you aroused.

“Naughty,” he comments, pushing away the groan that wants to escape past his lips, clenching his jaw when you stroke him. He sits back on his knees, motioning for you to sit up and you obey, letting him taking off your loose shirt.

Now that you think about it, it seems like it's one of Seokjin's shirts he forgot here. If he noticed such a little detail, he doesn't comment it and softly lays you back down. You bite onto your lips, feeling his palm against your breast, groping the soft flesh.

“So big,” he hums, noticing how bigger they seem and feel ever since you got pregnant. Surprisingly, he leans against your chest, sucking on your nipple as he licks it a few times.

Your palm slaps against your mouth, silencing all those moans and soft groans. He does the same thing to the other breast, coating it with his saliva as he trails down onto your stomach, kissing and licking your skin.

You haven't thought about having sex for a long time, there was never a proper time to think about such thing. You've spent all your time taking care of Yoojin, that the thought of another man and your intimate life was the least of your worries. There were times your hormones would act up, and you craved for someone else's touch. Your mind often drifted to the man that's enveloping your body with his mouth, no matter how many times you've reminded yourself that he's not right for you.

You were so busy trying to be the best mother you could be, that you never really thought about having sex after nine months you gave birth. You got in shape, although your body is not what it used to be. Your breasts got bigger and you still got some fat on your stomach and thighs. And for this very time, you're lucky there's a darkness in the room and Seokjin can't tell all the stretchmarks that failed to disappear.

His hand disappears between your thighs, chuckling when he notes you've no underwear. “Naughty girl.” he chuckles, circling your opening teasingly as you bite onto your lower lip.

It hurts, but you've to keep your mouth shut if you don't want to wake up your son.

“Can you...” he trails off, your mind clouded with lust before you realize what he's asking.

“Yeah.” you answer, giving him the green light as he slowly pushes a one finger inside of you.

It feels weird, almost as if it's the first time you ever experienced this particular touch. Although, it doesn't take you too long to get used to it, hips bucking into his hand as you plead him for more. Surprisingly, he doesn't insist on begging, listening to you as he watches your body squirm in pleasure. He pumps his fingers inside and out, grazing your walls before he scissors them, penetrating you.

“Fuck, you got so tight.” he groans, pumping his fingers before he kisses you.

He barely used to do that. He barely kissed you during sex, and if he did, it was always harsh and rushed. This seems to be slow, but intense at the same time.

You've heard so much stuff of women getting even tighter after they gave birth. You weren't sure if that's true but if Seokjin can tell a difference and he's telling the truth, you guess all those articles were right. Woman's body is something amazing. It goes to its original state even after bringing a human into the world.

He adds another, silently shushing you when you whimper.

“I know, gotta stretch you out,” he whispers, pushing onto your clit with his thumb while his fingers continue to fill you up. “Have you had sex after you gave birth?”

There's a possibility he feels unsure, but he doesn't stop and continues with his movements as if he's not asking you such an intimate question.

Would he be angry if you said yes?

Would he become possessive all over again?

“No,” you whisper, clutching the sheets between your fingers. “You're my first.” you tell him, and you wish you could see his reaction more clearly. This way it seems he barely reacted, although he goes down to bite onto your collarbone which leaves you gasping.

You clutch his shoulders, frowning when he's still fully clothed. “And you?”

“You mean, if I had sex after giving birth?” he snorts, causing you to roll your eyes at him before you groan both in annoyance and pleasure.

“You know what I mean.”

“Then the answer is no,” he tells you, mouth pressed against your ear, so you can hear him clearly. “I haven't had sex with anyone else.”

“That's hard to believe.” you choke out, when he adds his fourth fingers making you breathe through it with a scrunched face.

He gives you the time to adjust, halting his movements. “I didn't. Believe it or not, I've found it hard to find someone else. Not that I was really looking for someone.”

It's the honesty that makes you pause, your heart hammering even faster and you wonder if he can feel it too with his chest pressed against your own. Before you can question him, your curiosity getting the best of you, he's already pumping his fingers again. Deciding you want to feel him, you hook your fingers underneath the hem of his sweatpants, hand disappearing into them as you finally grab him. He groans, surprised by your bolt move, as you slowly pump him.

You were right. He's not wearing any underwear, making it easier for you to access him. He feels just as thick as you remember him, the weight in your palm causing you to clench around his fingers.

“I need you.” you whisper, clearly enough for him to hear because you see him pulling away, staring at you.

“Don't you wanna cum? It'll be easier for me to--”

“I'm sure,” you interrupt him, pulling your hand out of his sweatpants. “Take your clothes off.” you tell him softly, surprised when he actually listens to you without any side remarks.

The loud thud of his clothes makes you both freeze, waiting for Yoojin to wake up but you barely hear the soft puffs leaving from the crib, before he goes back to you. You sit up, pushing him to lay down as he stares at you in confusion. There's not much place or time to actually speak, you're both aware you have to be quiet. Maybe you should just move it to the living room, but there's something thrilling about having sex knowing you've to keep your mouth shut.

“I wanna ride you.” you whisper, already sitting down onto his abdomen, his hardened length poking you into your ass.

“Holy fuck.” he grunts, hands gripping your hips before you lift yourself up, enough to grab his length and make yourself more comfortable.

His head pokes your entrance, your walls clenching just from the thought of feeling him stretching you, as you slide him up and down. Your other hand is outstretched onto his defined abs, feeling how tense they're. You know you're teasing him, but he doesn't say anything and simply lets you take the lead.

Maybe it's the understatement, knowing you're about to have sex for the first time since Yoojin was born. Or maybe he just got a lot more understanding, appreciating current situation. You'd never have thought it'd come to this again, even though your dreams have been wild these couple of months.

Slowly and cautiously, you slide down onto him, your mouth opening at the sudden stretch and burn that his fingers couldn't do. This way, he reaches you even deeper and he's not even halfway in. He's groaning, doing an awful job to contain the pleasure, while you whimper with each inch that you take him.

This has to be difficult for him too. If he's really telling the truth, which you believe him, he haven't had sex for a long time.

Oh, if you just knew he's minutes from spilling himself like some teenager.

Maybe it's just that exact reason, him not having sex for a long time. Or it's you and the way you feel around his length, making him throb inside of you as he twitches when you finally take all of him. A few seconds of adjusting yourself to his huge length, and you're already bouncing on him. Your arms failing you, your body falling onto Seokjin's chest as he holds your body even closer, meeting your thrusts with his hips. He's fucking into you, taking the control even though you're the one on top. He envelopes you in his arms, making you feel closer to him than ever.

You can't describe it, but this time it's different. It's not just sex full of lust and pleasure, there's something else there. You know you don't love each other, but there is a certain kind of chemistry going between you two. Instead of fucking you so hard trying to chase his own pleasure, his movements are quick but still soft. It might sound stupid or ridiculous, but it feels lot more closer. Like there's an actual connection between you two, and it's not just from the fact he's inside of you.

“Fuck, Jin, I can't--” you whimper into his neck, silencing your moans as he starts to fasten up.

“Come on, cum for me. Let me feel you.” he grunts into your hair, digging his fingers into your back and hips as he urges you to cum.

With a few more thrusts, you're cumming around him as your whole body shakes, but he's there to hold you through it.

”Shhh, you did so great. You were amazing.” he shushes you, his length twitching inside of you, reminding you of its presence and need.

You slide off him, settling yourself between his legs before you take him into your mouth, hand gripping the rest that you can't take. Bobbing your head and stroking him with your hand, you feel his fingers grabbing your hair. Swiping your tongue and repeating the same process couple of times, causes him to let out a low growl as he's spilling himself into your mouth. He twitches in your mouth, emptying himself and when he's done, he sighs.

You let him go with a pop sound, swallowing all of his cum as you sit down onto your knees, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.

“That was... fucking amazing.” he breathes out, his rigid breathing filling the bedroom.

The sex itself wasn't the longest you both had, but it was intense and probably the best one. Something's telling you he thinks the same thing as he seems to be far more affected than ever.

“Yeah,” you chuckle, agreeing with him as you stand up.

“Where are you going?” he asks immediately, already leaning against his elbows as he watches you in the darkness.

“To take a shower,” you answer, stating the obvious while a surprised 'oh' leaves his mouth. “Can you please watch Yoojin?”

He coughs, nodding his head remembering that you can't probably see him that well. “Sure.”

You go take a shower, smiling giddily for the whole time the water splashes onto your body, ignoring the little jumps your heart does every time you replay what has just happened. When you're done, Seokjin takes his turn to take a shower while you can't fall asleep. Staring at the ceiling, you're surprised when the bedroom door are pushed open. You don't move, nor close your eyes as you feel him getting into your bed. You don't comment it, nor does he. You're not even sure if he knows you're still awake and you wonder what's been going on in his head again.

What made him to come here and sleep next to you?

Nevertheless of your raging thoughts, you find yourself relaxing when you feel a warm body next to you. Small part of you wishes he'd pull you closer, letting you feel his warmth properly.

But even without that, you manage to fall asleep in a minute, enjoying his proximity and warmth while it lasts. And for the first time, you wake up next to him peacefully dreaming and sleeping in your bed.

[mimisempai]

I love the way you can speak to my heart

Summary:

Sam, tired from a day of work, is comforted by Bucky. A heart-to-heart moment for both of them.

Day 10 : Song Lyrics Prompt

Notes:

Not very inspired by Christmas songs, I've picked up another one that is made for SamBucky in my opinion. It’s one of my confort song. It feels like home - Chantal Kreviazuk Note that songfics are not my specialty so I hope you will enjoy reading it anyway.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/35627251

951 words - Rating G

Sam, frustrated, threw his pen on the desk. He wondered what had possessed him when he told Sarah he would take care of the week's receipts so she could have some time for herself and the kids as Christmas approached. He let out a long sigh.

"Damn it! This is a real headache! I wonder how Sarah deals with it like this."

He put his head back and ran his hand over his face, he felt the headache coming on. He couldn't get the accounts right no matter how much he calculated but he refused to bother Sarah.

"It seems that I arrived at the right time, didn't I?"

Recognizing his lover's voice, Sam straightened up and seeing that Bucky was coming with coffees, he said simply, "my savior."

Bucky placed the coffees on Sam's desk, before walking around him and leaning in to kiss him. Sam put his arms around his waist and laid his head on Bucky's stomach.

Bucky put his hands on Sam's head and began to gently massage his scalp.

Sam sighed with contentment and closed his eyes.

After a moment, he murmured, his mouth against Bucky, "It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart, without saying a word, you can light up the dark ."

Still with his head against Bucky, he felt his deep laughter shake him.

"You're exaggerating Sam, you're giving me more power than I have."

Sam raised his head to look at Bucky, still keeping his arms around his waist.

"Yes, I swear, I tried to understand.  But try as I may I can never explain what I hear when you don't say a thing . You're the only one who understands me when I don't say a thing and I don't need your words to know that. There are so many signs in you that speak to me."

Bucky pressed Sam's head against him and resumed his massage, asking, " Please elaborate on your idea, I really like it."

As Bucky's massage relaxed him and kept the headache away, Sam tried to explain what he meant, "First there's that smile you only have for me, the smile on your face which lets me know that you need me . Like a secret between you and me. And there's no need to deny it, I've watched you enough-"

"Hm you've been watching me, you little peeping Tom!"

"Hey, don't interrupt me! I was saying, I've watched you enough to know the difference between the smile you have for me and the smile you have for others."

Bucky's hands left his head for a moment and he felt his lips press against his head before Bucky whispered, "My doll that saw right through me."

He resumed his massage, pressing his thumbs against the back of Sam's neck, eliciting a shiver that ran down Sam's entire spine.

"Keep going Sam..."

"Hmmm... your eyes, tell me so much, there's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me , and that I read the first time in your eyes when you came to bring me the armor, when you helped us with the boat. When I asked you to stay, you had that special glint in your eye and that smile, that you have every time I doubt."

Bucky stopped his massage, and took Sam's face in his hands before kissing him. When he lifted his head he whispered against Sam's lips, "Of course I'll never leave you." then he kissed him again.

When they parted, Bucky added, "Let go of me and lean back in your chair." Then he walked behind Sam and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Anything else you want to say about my body language?" his slightly challenged tone belied by the softness of his hands.

Sam put his head forward and closed his eyes again.

"Well you're bringing up my next argument yourself, there's your hands, the touch of your hands say you'll catch me whenever I fall . When you came in earlier, all you had to do was put your hands on me and I was already better. And it's like that every time you touch me."

The hands massaging his shoulders suddenly stopped, slid forward and knotted on his chest as Bucky whispered in his ear, "You know Sam, when we first started dating I was afraid it wouldn't last, because I'm not always a very communicative person, probably a legacy of my years of loneliness as a Winter Soldier, so when it came to feelings, I had a hard time opening up, so I was afraid it would make you pull away. And now I realize that without saying anything, you-"

Sam placed his hands on Bucky's and said softly, "I told you, you say it best, when you say nothing at all .  You know better than anyone how long it took me to accept this new position and what it entails. You know that even now I still struggle and that sometimes I feel that all day long I can hear people talking out loud . But you just have to be there and touch me, look at me and my doubts disappear. When you hold me near, you drown out the crowd . It's just you and me and this secret language of ours. And I don't care about the others, nor their looks, because there is only you and me. And they can try to understand or guess, I don't care, try as they may they could never define what's been said between your heart and mine ."

Bucky said nothing more. What was there to say about the truth of what Sam was saying. He resumed his massage, communicating his love in the way he knew best. ________

As always, bear with me as it is not beta'd and english is not my native language. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless🥰

SamBucky Christmas series : here

[devinescribe]

[Ludus]

Niragi Suguru × Reader

So... here we go!!! I'm so exciteddd!! Because Y/N does get to slap him this time-

Warnings: swearing, mentions of past abuse/trauma. I think that's about it.

Eros, sexual or erotic love. Can be the love you share with a partner. Lust.

Philia, platonic love. The love you share with friends.

Storge, natural love. The love you share with your family.

Philautia, love of self.

Pragma, long standing love. The love of a married couple.

Agápe, unconditional or Devine love.

Ludus, childish or playful love/flirting.

You were the cupid of Ludus. Anytime a young person needed your help in finding a love that was playful, you helped. The person could be young, or just young at heart. Whatever it was, you helped fulfil their love lives.

"(Y/N)! Someone's saying something about love next to candy, it might be a job for you!" You heard Stroge's voice call for you. Your eyes lit up. You hadn't had a job in so long. You rushed over, holding the edges of your pink dress so you didn't trip over the wisps of clouds.

The clouds in front of all of you transformed into a screen. There was a boy with dark raven colored hair, glasses, and dark eyes. Blood covered his hands and face, as well as a few bruises. "Oh my! Why, this is new..." Philia exclaimed. ''This is probably... the w-weirdest thing I've done... but I r-really wish she loved me," you heard him say. "He's sad! I wanna go, please? I haven't had one in 2,000 years, pleaseeee?" You begged, clasping your hands together. They all looked at each other before looking back. "Lady Aphrodite, what do you think?" Eros asked with a smile. The woman in question smiled gracefully, before nodding her head. "Yes! I promise I'll do my best!" You giggled, before touching the scene in the cloud. Warmth spread throughout your body, the heat being pleasant as if you were walking under the sun, and then, you felt cold. The sudden difference made you shiver. Where was this kid anyways?

"W-what the hell!" The boy exclaimed, backing away. His back hit the wall, and you pouted. "Come on now! You summoned me," you said. "Y-youre... you... I did what?" He stuttered. "You said you wished she loved you back and there's candy somewhere, so I got sent down here,'' you chirped, lifting the edges of your white dress, getting close to him. "I died didn't I? They finally killed me?" He said, slapping the side of his face. He began to pinch at his skin, wincing when he pinched at one of the bruises. "Am I dreaming? I've got to be. They knocked me out, I'm dreaming. No way. There's no way this is real," he muttered to himself. Then you grabbed his hands to stop his actions. The way your hands felt, warm and soft, couldn't have been something out of a dream. This was real. "Oh my god oh no... what did grandma always say? Don't mess with the spirits and devines. Don't do it. And what did I do? I messed with the devines, and here I am," he whispered. His eyes were wide, looking you up and down quickly. "I'm not gonna hurt you, you know. I'm here here to help!" You said, placing a hand on his cheek. You used your magic to heal up the bruises, cuts, and other things. He felt a slight warming sensation spread lightly. "There. All fixed up," you said, patting his head.

"So... let's start over. Hiya, my names (Y/N), cupid of Ludus!" You introduced. It was about an hour later, and he had finally come to terms with it. "Niragi Suguru... um, explain what the cupid thing is?" He questioned. You nodded. "There's seven of us in total! Each represents one of the words the Greeks used for love. Ludus is childish or playful love and flirting," you explained. You looked towards his clothes, a school uniform covered in dust, blood and dirt, and back down to your clothes, a long, white, flowy dress with loose sleeves. It was the kind that reminded you of your home in your past life.. You frowned, snapping your fingers. "Much better," you sighed. You had changed into a pink hoodie with a white pleated skirt. A pair of white platform boots with silver buckles completed the outfit. You had also cleaned up his clothes, and he looked shocked yet again. "Oh, and my lucky charm! Niragi, meet Squishy! He's my bun bun!" You giggled, waving around the white stuffed bunny. He cracked a smile, and pet it. "So... how old are you?" He asked, quickly adding, "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

You thought for a moment on how you should answer. "Well... I look around your age. I can make myself look whatever age I want, but technically speaking... I'm as old as Aphrodite. About a 500 years younger then her... so... about 5,000 years old? Does that answer it?" You responded. He nodded. "So... you're immortal? What like lead... to you being created?" He asked. You snuggled into him, being cold. He jumped at the contact. "It's cold... and if you wanna know, I'm gonna stay here," you said, holding onto him even him more. "O-okay..." he stuttered. "All of us cupids were mortals once. All of us died in ways that were... horrific for some, and also trauma. The gods took pitty or interest in us, and decided to save us," you explained, playing with the buttons on his uniform, unbuttoning and buttoning them back up.

"What a-are you doing?" He asked, grabbing your hands. You smiled, "Need to fidget with something." He was confused, but let you be. "Alright. Can you tell me a bit more about the cupids? Or just... yourself?" He questioned.

"Well there's 7 of us. Each of us has a lucky item, a color and food that can be used to summon us, we work with the gods and goddesses of love from every religion... hmmm, what else? Oh, my past is kinda dark. I was a princess! So, with that, my parents wanted me to be perfect. But, I couldn't, so punishments were required if I messed up. The man I was betrothed to was disgusting... Oh, and if you're wondering, my parents killed me. You know how royal families are. Crazy. So, now I'm here. Does that answer your question?" You responded. He blinked while nodding. "That was a lot. I'm sorry you went through that," he said, sympathy evident in his tone. You frowned, your hands playing with his hair. He leaned into your touch, a content sigh leaving his lips. "Yay! I made you happy! Right? Did I?" You questioned, sitting on his lap. He nodded, looking up at you. "You're cute. I'm not sure why you need my help getting a girl," you pouted, fingers weaving into his dark hair. He blushed slightly at your words. Cute? No one called him cute. He never assumed he was cute. Why did you think that?

"I didn't know I summoned you, so... yeah," he answered. "Well, now I'm here until she falls in love with you, with my help of course," you said. He cracked a smile, nodding. "I have to get home, so... let's go," he said, trying to push you off him softly. You shook your head, nuzzling into his chest. 'I thought she was supposed to help her fall in love with me, not make me fall for her!' He was having an internal panic at the moment. You finally got off of him, and floated besides him. "Let's go then."

"So no one else can see or hear you?" He questioned. You two were currently in his room. You nodded, before looking out the window into the street below. "We're so high up! Wow!" You exclaimed. He laughed, "Don't you live in the sky?" You pouted at his laughter. "And? I think it looks pretty outside right now," you said. It was raining outside, the droplets hitting the glass with a satisfying sound. "I prefer rain to sun. I don't get rain or cloudy days up there," you said, floating over to his bed. He was laying back, looking up at the ceiling, so you decided to float right above him. "So, what's this girl's name?" You asked. He blushed. "Asami Anzu," he responded. "Pretty! I bet she's pretty too! Is she pretty? Tell me about her," you rambled, giggling in excitement. He had never had anyone to talk to about anything, and here you were. So, of course he spent the next few hours talking to you about her.

"Aww! I wish someone would talk about me like that!" You said. He was so obviously in love with this girl, and it made your heart melt. He was so pure with his feelings. "Other guys that I've helped usually only want the girl to be childish so they can take care of her. I'm so glad you have genuine affection towards her," you said, sitting on the edge of his bed. He blushed, looking away. "What? Is there something wrong?" You questioned. "U-um, your s-ski- your skirt," he stuttered. You were confused, looking down, seeing it had risen up, and you laughed, smoothing it down. "You're silly. It's just skin," you said, crawling up to him. "Well I- I just... I assumed it was... improper for me to see that," he said. "Oh, you wouldn't survive a day up there... you would constantly be apologizing," you giggled, patting his head. You could feel him relax, and smiled. "You remind me of a dog! You like head pats, and are easily excited," you teased. "A-am not!" He defended, grabbing your hands. You pushed against him, trying to get your hands away. You laughed as he pushed back. It turned into both of you trying to push each other over. The once quiet room was filled with laughter and random bouts of banter.

You finally pushed him over, pining his hands above him. "I win~!" You bragged with a smile. He laughed, letting you celebrate your small victory. You looked down at him. "Is this what Eros talked about?" You questioned out loud to yourself. You weren't completely innocent, and would use minor curse words, or understood certain things, but never really understood it. You knew what it was, it just didn't interest you, or you didn't care about it. "What did she talk about?" He questioned. You stayed the same, looking down at him, keeping his hands in yours. "Well... I think you look pretty where you are," you stated confused. He blushed at your words, finally taking notice of the not - so - innocent position you were in. "You mean like... under you?" He questioned, his wrists squirming to get away from your grip. You let him go, nodding. "That's um... that's nice," he said, looking away. Although you didn't understand his reaction, you blushed at how he phrased it. "See! You're blushing too!" He said. You wanted to tease him? He'd find something to tease you back.

"Suguru, why is there a cupid in your room?"

You turned slowly to the door, noticing an elderly woman standing at the door frame. He stuttered, sitting up. "And moreover, why were you to like... that," she said, gesturing to the two of you.

"He summoned me."

"He did what?!"

"I-i didn't do it on purpose! It was an accident I swear!"

"It was an accident. But I'm stuck here now."

The woman sighed. Then it hit you. "Wait, how can you see me?!" You shouted, floating behind Niragi and grabbing his shoulders. You hid behind him, peeking out slightly. ''I've been around for a while. And I've dealt with cupids before. Say, how's Pragma?" The lady questioned. Your eyes lit up. "You know Pragma?" You questioned. She nodded. "She's doing well," you answered. The lady stayed talking with both of you for a bit longer, before saying she was off.

"Who was that?" You asked. You hadn't asked her who she was, just enjoyed her stories. "My grandmother... I forgot she was going to come over and drop something off while mom was at work, " he answered. You hummed, floating around his room. You heard his bed shift, and the clicking of buttons. "What's that?" You asked, pointing at what he was holding in his hands. "It's a game system. Haven't you... oh. Sky, right," he responded. You sat besides him, watching him expertly click away at the buttons. "You're so good at that!" You complimented after he was done with the level. "Do you want to learn how?"

"Ah! Nonono!" You giggled, seeing as Niragi was passing you. He was still better than you, but you had learned a bit. "Ah, shit!" He cursed, clicking harder at buttons. Another thing you'd noticed about him was when he got  mad at the game, he'd curse a lot. Your character passed the finish line, finishing in first. "Yay! I finally beat you!" You cheered, jumping up and down. "I let you win anyways. I didn't want you to be sad," he joked. "Noooo, I beat you fair and square~!" You chirped, sitting back down. "Did I make you happy again?" "Yeah. You did, (Y/N). You did."

Over the course of the next few weeks, you helped him talk to the girl. Your magic was there to get her interested, and let her fall in love on her own. Not to make her fall in love. Of course, Niragi asked about it.

"Ok, listen here! You need to man up and go talk to her! I did my thing, worked my magic, now all you have to do is talk to her!" You repremanded. "Can't you just make her fall in love with your magic, I don't want to embarrass myself," he muttered. You shook your head. "No! If I do, it can become obsessive and I- I can't let that happen again..." you whispered. "Again?''

"Forget I said that! Go talk to her!"

Usually you floated around, watching her to see her interests and watching over Niragi, making sure to heal him after he mysteriously got hurt. He would never tell you how, and it made you mad, seeing it was the same excuse every time. "I tripped down the stairs, I'm fine," he said. "Mhm. I know your eyesight is bad, but not that bad. You can't expect me to believe all your bullshit can you?" You asked, wiping away the blood. His eyes widened, staring in shock. "What?" You questioned. "You just... you cursed. That's the first time I've heard you swear," he said. You smiled sheepishly. It was a learned behavior from him, hearing him swear at his games, or under his breath. "I-is it ok if I do?" You asked, suddenly worried you'd made him mad. He nodded, "Of course it's ok. I mean, I do it, it would be kinda rude of me to say you can't."

One day, while floating around, listening to the girl, you heard her say something about Niragi. "I mean, don't you think it's weird that he's always by himself? If no one ever talks to him, what's wrong with him?" She said. Her friends nodded. "And next, Sheji told me that all he does is stand as a target when they push him around. Who wants a guy that can't even defend himself?" She added. You huffed. How could she sound like an angel while acting like a devil? This wasn't fair to Niragi, she didn't even know him that well. You floated around her, watching to see if anything would happen. Nothing, as expected. Well, until you touched her. You knew her friends couldn't see you, but now she could. "You're kind of a bitch, you know. You're going to be one of the girls that regrets not dating him when he's older. Did you know Niragi is super smart? Like, top of his class smart. You should get to know people before going off what you think because honestly it's a shitty thing to do, and it doesn't make you pretty at all. I can't believe a guy as cute as him likes you," you spat, defending him. It didn't even cross your mind that calling him cute might be wrong, because in your eyes, it wasn't. Her eyes widened as she stared at you. You were floating, your legs crossed in midair as you held on to your bunny stuffie. "Y-youre floating," she stuttered. You smirked as her friends stared at her like she was crazy. No one else could see you. "Yeah, and? Stop acting so dumb," you insulted. Of course, you wanted Niragi to end up with the girl he liked, but she was too rude. "Anzu, what are you talking about?" One of her friends questioned. "Can't you see her? She's floating, right there!" She exclaimed. You got closer, your eyes gleaming with mischief. "Play nice Anzu. I'm always around to protect those I love," you said, smiling, before skipping away. You heard her talking rapidly about you to her friends, but it was no use because they couldn't see you.

"(Y/N), what happened with Anzu-San? Why did you say those things to her? I thought no one else could see you?" He questioned. "Well first, she's a bitch, and was being rude and talking about you. I said those things cause it was only fair. And It's my special item's magic. I told you Bun-Bun was necessary," you explained, holding onto Niragi's sleeve. He sighed, "Well, now you're stuck with me for a while aren't you?" "Yep. Until you find another person you love that will love you back," you stated. He nodded, not really being as hurt as he thought he would be. In fact, he was relieved. You sensed this, and smiled brightly towards him. "Before you ask, yes, this made me happy. Thank you for helping me, and making sure I'm happy (Y/N)."

That was basically how you got stuck on Earth with him for the next 9 years. He had never found anyone he liked, so you stayed.

"Do you have to work late every day?" You whined. He thought you looked like a kicked puppy all sad and mopey that he had to leave. "I'm sorry?" He questioned, grabbing his keys. "Can I go with you then?" You asked. He sighed, "Only if you promise to not get bored and start bothering me." You nodded excitedly, following him out.

His office was rather messy, not like his room. "Why is your office messy and your room isn't?" You questioned. "I spend countless hours in my office, and like...3-5 hours in my room?" He responded, signing into his computers, looking through a folder on his desk. You pouted, sitting in the corner. You did like the small space, however. You could curl up into a tiny ball, so you did, falling asleep rather quickly

"Niragi? Is it okay if I float around your office and stuff?" You asked a while later after you woke up, being a bit bored. "I told you like... forever ago that you can call me by my first name. You're stuck with me for a while," he said. You shook your head. "It's just... then I would... nevermind," you answered. He chuckled, watching you float around, picking up papers. "You don't have to clean my office for me, you know?" He stated. You nodded, still picking things up. "I'm aware. But, it's for me, not you. If your office is clean, then I don't have to deal with mess when I come with you," you said. "Ok, that's an insult," he joked. He stood up from his chair, walking to one of his shelves, pulling another file down. "It's what I like to call organized chaos. My files may not be in alphabetical order, but I do know where each one is. For example, the left shelf on that wall, second row, 3 files down is the file for a client's idea. The one next to it has to do with the business side of things of that same client," he said, pointing to the shelves while reading through another one. You floated over, going exactly where he said. He was right. "Wowww! You're so smart!" You giggled, putting the folders back exactly as they were. "I'm well aware sweetheart," he sighed.

He walked back to his desk, watching as you floated towards him. Your face was right in front of his, smiling. He really loved that. You'd been with him for the past nine years, of course he'd grown attached to you. There was never anyone he found as attractive as you, but he'd never said anything. One time, he had asked, and you told him that cupids weren't allowed to fall in love, or else they'd die a devine death. So, as selfish as it might have been, he told himself he'd never fall in love, and that he'd keep you with him. You never seemed to mind, seeing as you hadn't had a job in years before him. A small part of you had also grown attached to him. You didn't want to admit it either, but the feelings you got around him were different than the feelings you felt around the other cupids.

You two were broken from your staring contest by the sounds of fireworks outside the window. He was confused, going over to the window, raising the blind. "It's nighttime already? Niragi, is there a celebration today I didn't remember?" You asked holding onto his arm. "No... not that I know of. It was probably some idio-" he started, before the lights turned off. You shrieked, letting go of him, seeing as it was completely dark. Not even the lights from the city of Tokyo shined in through the window.

"Niragi? Where are you? I can't see a damn thing! Niragi?" You called out, your hands groping for something in the dark. "Niragi? Hey, this isn't funny! Niragi! Suguru, please answer I don't like the dark!" You cried, desperate to find him, even if it meant using his first name. Gods how you hated the dark. It reminded you of your past. Having to be locked up in the darkest part of the dungeons, no light as random noises echoed through the halls. The rats and bugs crawling on you. You hated it so much. "Suguru! W-where are you!" You called out once more. You heard the door open, and a light flash through.

"Hey, sorry, I left to go find a flashlight. I didn't see anyone in the building though. Whole city is blacked out though," he said. You rushed over to him, hugging him tightly. "D-dont leave me alone in the dark again! You stupid jerk!" You whimpered against him, your hand gripping onto his shirt tightly. He cursed himself, remembering you didn't like the dark. A fitting fear, considering what you were. "I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. Let's go see if we can find anyone, or any clues as to what's happening."

That turned into finding the beach. Of course, after multiple games, you were more than happy he was finally somewhere safe. After so much, you were happy he was ok.

You lay in his bed, waiting for him to come back. "I wonder... no one's ever... none of the cupids have tried falling in love... so... how do we know we can't do that?" You questioned out loud, holding the sleeves of his shirt. You liked wearing it, seeing as it had a pretty pattern. Most of the times you'd switch the color though. Instead, you'd always make the intersecting lines pink while the rest stayed black, or vice versa. That, or you'd make it black and red. It was fun.

"I'm back, and alive surprisingly," you heard a vouch snap you out of your thoughts. You sat up, tripping out of bed to say hello. "I'm so glad you're ok! I was worried you know," you said, checking him over for any wounds he might have recieved. There was none. "Diamonds game?" You questioned. He nodded, laying back on his bed. You crawled besides him, slapping the side of his face. "Ow! What the hell was that for!?" He yelled, looking at you like you just murdered his family. You smiled sweetly, "That was for what you said to that girl yesterday. We respect women you asshat." He rubbed his face, a red mark appearing where you hit him. He looked down, nodding. "That was a solid slap though," he whispered. "I'm not hugging you till you apologize to that girl," you said. He nodded, walking off. He didn't know why he listened to you. Frankly, he could do whatever he wanted to, but somehow the thought of you not holding him again mad him sick.

When he came back after a while, you smiled. "Good job!" You praised. He lay next to you, as you curled up besides him. "Hey... (Y/N)... have you ever wanted to date one of the people you've been helping?" He asked, looking away. You blushed, looking away. "Maybe... why?" You answered. "Because... isn't it dumb that the gods can date and fuck around with humans, but you can't?" He said. You thought for a second before nodding. "Then do you want to be the first to test out your mortality?" He questioned, turning to you. Your eyes widened with fear. This was something that you thought about, of course, but never had the guts to do. "B-but what if it's true? Then I die forever!" You exclaimed, hiding under the blankets.

"(Y/N), who in the heavens told you that?" A voice asked. You recognized that voice. It was the voice of Venus. You quickly took the blanket off your head, kneeling down to her on the bed. Niragi stared between the two of you, not sure what to do. You smiled at Venus quickly, before pushing him down besides you. "L-lady Venus. It's an honor to see you again," you said. "Silly girl. You don't have to bow to me. Now, back to what I was saying. Who told you ladies that?" She asked again, fixing her hair. "Z-zues did my lady," you answered. She tutted, "That Zues. Always messing with my cupids. It is allowed, but you have two options. Either you become a mortal being with him, or he become an immortal being with you. Your choice," she said, giving you a smile. You glanced over at Niragi. He still had these games to complete. You could have him forever. And you'd never have to worry about him finding someone and you having to leave. He leaned into you, whispering in your ear, "Do what makes you happy. Not me. You've always helped me, pick yourself for once."

It was so uncharacteristically sweet of him to say something like that. In the borderlands, at least. "Wanna have him forever and ever and ever!" You giggled childishly, throwing your arms around his neck. Venus laughed, "Oh my sweet child. I'll do so after you leave this place. My magic isn't working here, it was a struggle to see you. So live. Live for as long as you can," were her final words before leaving, rose petals left behind. You laughed, holding his face in your hands, your forehead resting on his.

"Did I make you happy?"

"You always do (Y/N), you always do."

Ok, that took a while. Especially when I wanted to get the Last Boss chapter done before Niragi's, but I finished this one first, so this one is getting published first. I was writing both at the same time, and this one just got done faster

And I forgot to this last night, I'm so sorry!

Tag list

@brainwashedkittenstuff

@celestiacq

Ok, we're good now

[fangirlings-things]

He's just too much — Part. 3

A/N: hey guuuys, thank you for all the positive feedback on the previous chapter and I'm sorry for the waiting, but here I am finally with chapter 3!!! I'm thinking about doing a final part 4 so, as usual, let me know what you think

Pairings: Michael Gray x reader

Warnings: a few curse words, mentions of smut

Summary: Michael Gray is just too much for (Y/N) to not fall in love with him

Word count: 1913

Part. 1 Part.2 Part. 4

"Here" Tommy poured a glass of whiskey and gave it to you, watching with his eyebrows raised while you drank all the liquid in a matter of seconds and returned the glass to him, to be filled again, not even flinching by the strong taste. "Wanna tell me what's going on, (Y/N)?" the dark haired then asked, turning around to refill your drink. 

"I'm fucking stupid, that's what's going on" you said with your eyes fixed on the floor, while passing your fingers on the arm of the chair you had seated on as soon as you both had walked into that room of his house and he closed the door behind you two. 

Tommy sighted, then turned around and gave you the glass of whiskey again. While he saw you take this time only a sip, he knealed in front of you so that your eyes were on the same height. He inspected your face little by little, searching for the answers he wanted there, because he most times sucessed using that strategy. He knew you extremely well; maybe more than anyone else. You realized what he was thinking by the narrowing of his eyes and sighting, you tried to force a smile for him. 

"Everything's fine, Tommy. No need to worry about" you said, trying to hide your lie by taking another sip from the whiskey that had been burning your throat. It still burned less than the words that left your mouth during your argument with Michael. Suddenly you wondered what he had done. Was he still in the corridor you and Tommy had left him? Did he got back to the party and to that blonde girl? It was better, if you didn't knew. 

"You were crying, (Y/N). You never cry in public. And I always worry about you" he stated, touching your face with his right hand softly and you couldn't help but lean in to that touch that was always so comfortable. "It's something about Michael, isn't it?" he asked, and you felt your heart skip a beat on your chest. He noticed the shocking in your expression, then got up and walked to the chair that was in front of yours. Sitting down, he gave you a little smirk. "By the way you were arguing, anyone could see that you two had unfinished business"

"Great, I ruined your event with my screaming" you said before finishing the content of your glass again. Embarrassment took a hold of you, as well as guilt. Tommy had worked so hard for making that happen and you threw his work in the trash. 

"You didn't, it's everything ok. Polly is hosting the whole thing while I'm with you" he said and you felt relief fill every inch of you. You had ruined your night while screaming like that, not Tommy's. "And I think that deep down, the guests were kinda expecting a scene like that. After all..." 

"We are the Peaky fucking Blinders" you completed his phrase and he gave you a nod in agreement. You both set in there quietly for a few minutes that seemed like hours and after giving it some thought you realized that after all Tommy, was your best friend. He was the one you always could talk to about anything and everything. You loved him and if you lost him someday, it would break you so hard that you doubted that you would ever be able to rebuild. Saying to yourself that you owned him some explanation, you decided to tell him the truth. "You're right. About Michael. He's the reason I was... crying"

"Did he hurt you?" Tommy's voice was low and controled, but the threat behind it could easily be noticed. 

"Yes" you said with a laugh empty of any humor, playing distractedly with the glass that was still in your hands. You saw the way Tommy's expression had gotten immediately dangerous and you took a deep breath. "I mean, he didn't. Not physically anyway" getting up, you walked to the wooden stable that was on the center of the room and put the glass upon it. You heard footsteps and when you turned around, you saw the black haired man staring at you completely serious. 

"(Y/N) you have five minutes to tell me exactly what happened before I go downstairs and beat the shit out of Michael" he stated firmly and as much as you were angry at Michael and wanted him to feel some of the pain he had caused you, you knew that it wouldn't be fair to do that. 

"I like him, okay?" you said hesitantly, staring at Tommy who didn't move or said anything. You frowered your forehead at him. "You're not surprised?" 

"Your not as difficult to read as you think, (Y/N). For quite some time I have been noticing the way you acted around him; how you fancied the guy" Tommy admitted, and you felt ridiculous. It must have looked like you were completely stupid for liking someone who didn't gave a shit about you. You wished that no one else had noticed. 

"Well, even if the whole fucking neighborhood knew about how I felt, Michael didn't. He never realized, I guess anyway. So when I went to talk to Polly the other day about some advice..."

"You asked the mother of the guy you like for advice?" Tommy raised his eyebrows, momentarily seeming to forget the seriousness of the conversation and looking confused. 

"Don't judge me, I was desperate!" you replied, feeling extremely uncomfortable in your dress, like it was suffocating you. Add this with your hurt and anger, you almost wanted to rip out your own skin. "This stupid shit!" you screamed losing control and started taking off the dress angrily. 

"Ahn... (Y/N)?" Tommy kept his eyebrows raised, watching as you got completely out of of your dress and threw it away with your left hand. 

"What?" you putted your hands on your hips, now wearing only a bra and panties along with your high heels. Out of that black piece of clothing, you already felt better. Your mental state must have scared Tommy, because he didn't say more. And the fact that your relationship was so strong and genuine, didn't even made you bother about being almost naked in front of him. "Look Tommy, not much happened. Polly wasn't there in that night. Michael was. He kissed me and then left. And today, he kissed a rich blonde girl and I got pissed so that's why I was crying"

"Have you tried to speak to him?" Tommy seemed less stressed now, that he knew that Michael's actions weren't perverted or evil towards you. 

"What you saw down there is our way of trying to speak" you said sadly, because you knew that Tommy was right. The attempts of talking to each other normally had gone extremely wrong and if you guys could get to an agreement, to an understatement about not interfering in each other's lives anymore, maybe you both could move on. Even if you secretly didn't want to. 

"It'll be ok, little one. I promise" Tommy's voice was gentle and you were able to smile after hearing those words. 

"You know you can't promise me that. But thanks anyway, Tommy" you saw him looking back at you with a smile too on his lips and when a cold breeze entered the room through the nearest open window, you shivered. "Give me your suit"

"I knew you would ask me that" he laughed and then took off his suit, putting it on your shoulders next. Instantly, you felt warmer and safer. "I'll tell the maids to arrange a room for you to spend the night, ok?" you nodded and then after hugging you tightly for a minute he left, closing the door behind him. 

Alone for the first time since your argument with Michael, you thought about your words. His words. The hurt in his face. The sadness you thought that took a hold of your own features. In a twisted way, you had liked the fact that you two actually talked. Or tried to before starting to yelling. If things were more simple, you maybe could have a chance. Maybe. 

You were practically asleep when you heard knocking on the front door of your apartment. Even though it could be a strange thing to someone to be at your door on the middle of the night, it had happened before. Maybe Arthur had gotten drunk and your place was the nearest he could get to before passing out or maybe, Jon had a fight with Esme and wanted to crash in your home for the night. 

Wondering what of those things would be the one, you got up from your bed and walked to the front door wearing only your nightshirt. You opened the door and your eyes instantly widened when you saw Michael Gray standing on the corridor of the building, his eyes immediately fixing on your eyes. 

It had been five days since the whole argument in Tommy's house and since then, you hadn't seen each other. You took those days to think, to set your head in place and try to assimilate the fact that you wouldn't have him because he didn't want you. Simple as that. But now he was at your door, and all the emotions came rushing back like a hurricane. 

"What do you want?" your voice got out harsh, and your hand was gripping at the door firmly. You felt tempted to just shut it right on his face. His stupid beautiful face. You held back that urge though, accepting the possibility that he could be there for bussiness. 

"We need to talk" he replied, jaw clenched. The shadow of frustration could be seen on his features and it got you intrigued. 

"About?" you questioned, raising your eyebrows at him with that same harsh tone on your voice. 

"Don't play dumb, (Y/N). We need to speak about... us" he hesitated but completed his statement, taking his eyes out of you for only a second before turning them back at you. 

You couldn't help. You laughed. A genuine loud laugh that made him blush from embarrassment and something else. As soon as you were able to stop laughing, you gave him a serious look. "There is no us, Michael. And it's fun that in less than a week I got from bitch to dumb. Think I'm making progress on your raking" and with that you tried to close the door, but he pushed it with his hand and gave you the most fierce look he ever did. 

"Don't you close this door. We need to speak" he held it open. There were so many emotions expressed on his face at the same time that you couldn't even identify them. 

"What do you wanna say? You're planning on telling me how you fucked that blonde after the event? How she's perfect for you?" the irony was clear in your words and that made him lost control. 

With a hard push he opened completely the door and then got in your apartment, shutting it with a kick of his right foot. The door bang and you took a deep breath as he walked in your direction and stopped millimeters away. His breath on your face was hot and his smell of cigarettes and cologne never seemed so dangerous and so good.

"Now, we are going to talk"

[jarienn972]

La Sirena -  Chapter Five

Captain Swan Supernatural Summer

Apologies for the delay in getting out the latest chapter of my @cssns​ story. With my kids back to school, I'm finding a bit less time to write so updates are running a little behind. I am still working diligently to keep the updates coming though!  Thank you @kmomof4​ for helping me fix a couple of minor roadblocks that I had with this chapter!  And thanks again to @courtorderedcake​ for her incredible artwork!

After leaving off with the major turning point of Killian learning the secret that Emma had been concealing, this chapter will pick up in the aftermath. Will cooler heads prevail once Killian awakens or will their budding relationship be tarnished? And of course, there's still no where else for him to go...

Read from the beginning:  One  Two  Three  Four  Also on AO3 and FF.net

Putting the Pieces Back Together

A faint tickle of a breeze caught the torch flame behind Emma's back casting uneven shadows across the cavern walls and sending delicate tendrils of smoke into the already heavy air. She was kneeling in the sand with Killian's head resting atop her thighs, not daring to stray from his side as her slender fingers combed idly through his tousled dark hair. She watched the rise and fall of his chest as she patiently awaited his awakening.

She'd frightened him. That hadn't been her intent but that damage was done and she was dealing with a relatively new emotion: guilt. Perhaps she truly was little more than a monster at her core. All of these decades of trying to suppress her innate urges and desires may have been for naught. All of her years of self-isolation hadn't changed who - or what - she was. She was still a siren. Still a threat to mankind.

Perhaps Regina was right. She'd never be able to change her nature.

But if she really was nothing more than a coquettish, evil siren, why did she have such a strong desire to protect this human? It went against every element of her being, every native instinct she'd trained and developed before turning her back on her kind. She scarcely comprehended these feelings.

Siren emotions were already complicated enough. She knew anger and indignation. She also knew emptiness. She'd been living here in solitude for nearly two centuries, give or take a decade, yet she'd never really experienced loneliness. She'd just felt that something was missing from her meager existence. She'd just never allowed herself time to think about what that void might entail.

All of that had changed the moment she confessed her true nature to Killian and he'd rejected her. Now she was overwhelmed with a barrage of new emotions - guilt, fear and something else that she couldn't yet name. For a nanosecond, she contemplated leaving him there in the subterranean cavern, doubting that he'd ever be able to accept what she was. But then she heard it again - the same tiny voice inside her head that had compelled her to save him from drowning now also compelled her to stay.

He was an intelligent being. Her revelation had been too much of a shock for someone recovering from the trauma he'd suffered. When he'd had time to process the news, he would hear her out, wouldn't he? She took a glance back over her bare shoulder at the beam of light streaming through the crack in the earth above the spring. The midday sun would soon be directly overhead and the ambient light would fade quickly within the lava tube once the sun's rays crested over the ridge.

Regina's arrival had backed her into a corner. She didn't feel as though she could adequately protect him if he wasn't aware of the scope of the threat, but now she worried he wouldn't trust her. In hindsight, she knew she hadn't handled her reveal well. Even though he didn't really have anywhere to go, she feared he'd run and the thought of that stung worse than even the most toxic jellyfish she'd ever encountered.

When at last he stirred, her siren heart nearly leapt with anticipation - another entirely new sensation for her. With a deep inhale, he raised his right hand to massage his aching skull, making incidental contact with her knee in the process. He yanked his hand away as if he'd touched a flame, his eyelids popping open in surprise as he struggled to regain coherency.

At first, he saw nothing more than darting shadows cast by the flickering torches but as his sight adjusted to the relative darkness, images gradually came into focus, becoming clearer and familiar. And then his peripheral vision captured the contour of a woman's soft, rounded ivory-skinned thigh and instantly, he was fully awake, recoiling in terror as he pushed away from the woman he no longer believed was real.

"What manner of demon are you?" he demanded, his voice pitching higher as he scrambled to take cover behind one of the aging sea chests, squeezing his eyes closed for a moment as he dared not stare at this unknown creature's naked, feminine form. "Are you some malevolent trick of my mind? Here to drag me to the depths of hell?" He couldn't fight this monster if he couldn't see her though so he reluctantly opened his eyes, focusing intently on her lovely beguiling face. Was this how a siren killed a man?

"Killian, please… Do not be afraid. I have no intent to harm you." She made an attempt to shift closer to him, to try to assure him that she wasn't a threat, but she feared she may have already done too much damage. The terror and betrayal she saw reflected in his eyes cut straight to whatever soul she had left as he continued to shy away from her.

"Don't come near me, demon!" he cried as he fumbled for the sword at his hip, sliding the blade free of the scabbard and brandishing it with an instinctive flick of his wrist. "Stay back… or I'll…" Both his voice and hand trembled at the same timbre while he held the weapon directed at her throat.

This scared human wasn't even the slightest threat to her. She could overpower him barely lifting a pinky finger, yet she was awash with that lonely emotion and it took control, leading to an unplanned action.

"Do it," she dared him, leaning into the blade. "I am a monster. End me!"

A glint of torchlight flashed off of the polished steel, illuminating her face which was etched with determination and his resolve began to waver.

"Wait… What…?" He shook his head in disbelief at her unexpected demand. His gaze locked with hers as she pleaded for death and his tenuous grip on the cutlass' pommel loosened. "No… no…" He may have been bewildered and perhaps a tad angered, but he couldn't take her life. She'd saved him.

"I am a siren, Killian. I have lured countless men like you to their demise, but while this is what I was created to be, it is not what I desire to be. I deserve to die for what I have done in my past…"

"But you saved me…," he stated as he allowed the sword to slip from his hand onto the dark, sandy cavern floor. His tone was softer as he relaxed and exhaled a deep sigh. "Whatever you are, I owe you my life…" He plopped his weary body down to the ground and drew his knees to his chest while lowering his chin in defeat. "I've no expectation of what will become of me, but I'll not harm you. If you intend to leave me here to perish, then that shall be my fate…"

"I don't wish for anyone to perish," she replied. "That is what brought me here all those ages ago. I had no desire to harm those seafarers any longer."

"But if you are a siren as you say, are the myths not true? Does your song not lure men like me to certain death? How did I arrive here still breathing?"

"At one time, I did use my voice in that way. I watched many a human plunge into the sea, transfixed and bewitched by the hypnotic spell of my siren song, at least until I could bear it no longer. Until you arrived, I'd not even used my voice in eons."

"So a siren can have a conscience?" he asked quizzically, raising one eyebrow as he awaited her answer.

"Apparently some can - at least this one, as I've been told," she said with a faint smile curling the corners of her lips, although it didn't last long as she switched the direction of their exchange. "But Killian, if we are to survive, there is much you need to know. You need to hear more of my story just as I must learn more of yours."

"How so?" His eyes narrowed as he sought to make sense of the statement. Part of his brain still questioned the veracity of any of this nonsense, but the adventurer within him remained intrigued.

"Do you recall, before you struck your head, how I had mentioned that my sister came here because I had used magic?" The memory was vague and somewhat clouded by his own skepticism but he nodded anyway and allowed her to continue. "In using my powers, I unwittingly drew the scrutiny of the council, the governing band of the most powerful sirens - of which I used to be a part. I hadn't used magic in quite a long time so I never imagined that something so innocent would have far-reaching consequences."

"What magic do you possess?"

"Aside from the ability to change form, I have other powers. Those chests you're sitting amongst, they didn't wash up on these shores as I told you. I conjured them and their contents so that you would have the objects you desired. I wanted to give you those things that the cove could not provide. I had seen many similar chests float in and out with the tides over the years, but I never kept them. I used magic to create them and I didn't think about the potential ramifications."

Killian's jaw fell agape as he listened to her confession. No one - not even Liam - had ever offered such a generous gesture meant for him alone and he was at a loss for how to respond.

"Emma… you didn't need to do such a thing…"

"I wanted to," she grinned. "I had been alone for so long and after these past few days with you, I found myself desiring to do something good with my magic. I wanted to provide for you and now, that act of goodness has put you in far greater danger…" He quickly averted his sight as she pushed herself back to stand up before starting to pace nervously along the precipice of the hot spring. "I must ask this - when I found you, you were clinging to a slab of splintered timber. Were you in a shipwreck?"

Still concentrating on focusing his gaze on the bounce of her golden locks rather than her feminine physique, Killian was taken aback. Of course, he'd been in a shipwreck…

"Aye," he replied. "Not my own ship though. I'd been taken prisoner aboard a pirated vessel that inexplicably ran aground. By the time I was able to crawl out of the flooding brig and reach the safety of the top deck, those rapscallions had all debarked, likely to an island off the distant horizon. No one was left in sight and I scarcely escaped with my life as the vessel broke apart and sank into the depths."

"You saw no one at all? Was the vessel sinking that slowly?" Emma asked curiously, pausing her pacing as she awaited his answer.

"It seemed to be taking on water quite rapidly to me so I assumed they'd taken off in the skiffs, but to answer your question - no. I saw no other men, not even my fellow crew who'd also been imprisoned, although if I'm to be honest with myself, they were likely already dead by the time the ship went down. I was the ranking officer, thereby the most valuable prisoner."

"So that's it…," she mumbled as she hovered to his right, fixated on the sparkling surface of the spring. "That's how Regina knew they may have left a survivor… Killian, don't you see? You didn't see any others aboard the ship because they'd already succumbed to the song of the sirens. The ship ran aground because no one was helming it."

"How is that possible?" he queried as he raised his head in renewed curiosity. "I heard no singing, only the cracking of aging wood and the slap of the waves on the hull."

"You heard nothing? No song?" She spun around to face him, bewildered by his statement. "If the sirens attacked the ship, you would have heard their song."

"I swear to you, I heard nothing out of the ordinary, at least not until the vessel struck the rocks and began her unraveling. Are you certain that your kind assailed that vessel? It's highly likely that the pirates merely strayed off-course."

"No," she insisted, shaking her head. "Regina specifically mentioned that a ship had sailed into siren waters… In the condition I found you in, you could not have traveled far from the wreck so it must be the same vessel she spoke of. None of the sirens would have waited around to watch the vessel disintegrate but some of our ne'er do well fellow sea-dwellers reported rumors of a survivor in the wreck and those rumors reached the council. That's the reason they became suspicious of me when I utilized my magic… You must be that survivor."

Killian's head was suddenly spinning again and this time, it wasn't from the concussion. Sirens were a part of maritime history and mythology that he'd been educated in. He'd entertained countless yarns about ships that strayed into uncharted waters, never to be seen again. All manner of sea monsters had been attributed to these vanishing vessels but tales of sirens had always been particularly beguiling. Demons taking the form of beautiful women were said to lure unsuspecting sailors into the sea where they'd devour their unfaithful hearts.

But they were all only mythical… Until now…

"According to the legends I grew up hearing, sirens preyed upon lonely sailors far from home and family. The siren song was said to enchant the unfaithful amongst them, luring them into the depths of the sea where they'd be devoured. Is that how it really happens?"

"That isn't entirely true, but it is very close," Emma explained. "The song does lure the unsuspecting sailors, but only those deemed unworthy of passage through our realm by the gods. The unworthy are not allowed to travel through our seas and the song puts them into a trance. The men will then leap from their ships into the sea and sink to Triton's lair. I honestly do not know what becomes of them after they drown, what Triton desires of them. It never mattered to me, not then and I certainly did not dwell upon it after I departed the council."

"Until you found me?" he offered, shivering at the fate he'd narrowly avoided. "This may be a pointless query, but has any man ever been found worthy?"

"Well, long before my creation, there was a single human whom Poseidon deemed to be worthy to pass. That man went on to become a great leader of his land and for a while, there was peace between the realm of man and that of the gods. Unfortunately, that man's successors were nothing like him and the years of peace ended. Triton ordered all of the creatures in his command to defend our realm from the evil of mankind. Poseidon unleashed innumerable monsters including dozens more sirens, including myself and for many years, I followed the orders of the gods…"

"I've heard many tales of these legendary gods of the sea. Never in all my dreams did I imagine they were real and that they alone determined the worth of a man."

"I broke away from the council when I began to suspect that the gods harbored more of a vindictive grudge against these men of the sea. I could no longer be convinced that there weren't good men among those we had deceived. Not every man could be so evil."

"Indeed, there are men with good hearts out there but I shan't deny that there is evil in the world. I've encountered those who might barely be described as human, yet most folk are just going about their lives and wish no harm. It would seem that the same might be said of the legendary siren as there is at least one who possesses a good heart… But if we are to circle back to the pirate ship I escaped from, how did I come to survive? Was it because I was secreted away in a cranny of the cargo hold? Was I too far below deck to hear the songs?"

"No, it doesn't work like that. The siren song resonates through every inch of a vessel and carries for several leagues out to sea. It is intended to be heard by every human ear that ventures into our realm."

"That makes little sense to me then," Killian countered. "Why didn't I hear the siren voices? I hear you speaking to me just fine as I am not deaf and despite my injury when you rescued me from the water, I had been fully conscious just prior to the ship's grounding."

"I… I do not know," she stammered. This was another first for her and she had no response. She honestly did not have any inkling as to how he'd resisted.

"Do you still possess the ability to sing?" he asked her bluntly and she found herself ill-prepared to answer.

"I am not entirely certain…," she told him, her voice trembling at the possible implications of the question. "It has been centuries… I believe I am still able to sing, but I cannot predict the outcome. There may be ramifications that you aren't ready for and it may hasten Regina and the council's return…"

He tried to avoid the darkening of her olivine eyes as she pleaded wordlessly for him to reconsider, but it was the only way he might discover how he'd managed to remain alive.

"Emma, you must," he pressed. "It's the only way I'll know… That we'll know. You would be able to tell right away if the song has the desired effect, correct?"

"Of course, I would know. I just cannot promise that I can stop it as I've never tried…"

"Then consider this your chance to find out," Killian stated bravely, although inside, his stomach was churning at the huge risk he was taking. "I must learn why I was spared, Love. Please, indulge my curiosity and desire to solve this one mystery…"

"Killian…" She didn't want to do this. She'd vowed to never sing again and she certainly didn't want to endanger this man she'd become so fond of. Could she deny him the answers he so desperately wanted? She'd know within a few notes but even if the song ended abruptly, would she be able to reverse its effects if he wasn't immune?

[lover-of-skellies]

Door 4

You swallowed back your feelings of uncertainty, carefully approaching the door that had gained your attention. You knocked, then waited for a response, only to receive none. As bad as you felt for invading the riders' privacy like this, your curiosity propelled you forward anyway, and soon enough, you found your hand grasping the knob. Giving a gentle twist and nudging the door open just enough to peek inside, you called out, announcing your presence and asking for permission to come in. Once again though, there was none.

Your shoulders sank a bit in defeat and you furrowed your brows; you'd come all this way, your curiosity and determination to get to know each of the riders driving you. Chewing on your bottom lip, you silently contemplated your options for a moment, deciding against simply walking away. You were going to enter anyway, and you were going to look around. As long as you weren't digging through the dresser or rifling through papers, you'd be forgiven... right?

[You selected: Door 4]

Now entering: Retribution's room

~~~

Stepping further into the room and nudging the door shut behind yourself, you glanced around, squinting to see in the darkness. The curtains had been drawn, as if this room's occupant were attempting to avoid the light. Sighing, you flicked the light switch, expecting light to flood the room. Unexpectedly, however, there was none. You furrowed your brows, flicking the switch a couple more times, as if testing it.

Giving up after a moment, you rolled your eyes, simply pulling your phone out of your pocket and turning on the flashlight, shining the beam around the room. Very cautiously beginning to make your way across the space, the first thing that caught your attention was a fireplace, seemingly out of place and added in at the last moment. There was a large rug on the floor before it, a rather plush looking chair situated just close enough to use the light from the fire to read.

Which, by the few books that were left neatly stacked on a small table beside the chair, you assumed was something this room's occupant enjoyed doing. Slowly lifting the beam of light until it was pointed above the fireplace, you made a face; hanging on the wall above the fireplace was what looked like some sort of flag. It was a surprisingly pleasant shade of yellow, with streaks of gold and silver along the fabric. In the very center was a picture of the sun. Or at least, a symbol that was supposed to resemble the sun.

Once again panning your flashlight around the room, a desk nestled neatly in the corner beside a tall bookshelf had now gained your interest. Silently approaching it, you tilted your head as you took in the sight of countless papers, strewn across its surface carelessly. What looked to be a journal sat atop the numerous papers and you slowly reached out, tracing your fingertips over a strange symbol that was etched into its cover.

You were careful as you picked up the journal, opening it to a random page that read, "2nd of March - I'm weakened again, courtesy of this damned curse. I was so careful this time, paying close attention to the amount of magic I spent and how much I fed, though I suppose I didn't do a good enough job. Oh well. I'll have to try harder then." Flipping to another random page, you leaned down to get a better look at the entry, "14th of June - Still weak, just as I was before. I've had to resort to feeding more heavily off of the others. As expected, Death knows when I feed from him. Famine and Pestilence are beginning to notice, but War remains clueless. I fed from her again yesterday; she's been bottling up many conflicting feelings again. Her love of that disgusting idiot Pestilence, her insecurity and self doubt, her occasional anger flare ups, and her interlocked anxiety and depression. Of all the emotions I've fed from, her guilt and resentment are my favourite, I think."

You made a face again; ok, so this weirdo feeds off other people's feelings. Well then.

Out of curiosity, you flipped to yet another random page, silently reading, "18th of November - I'll have to let out some excess magic again soon. The corruption will overtake me if I don't. I'll expend a large amount on adding more to the orb, and then whatever magic I still need to burn off... maybe I'll ask for Famine's assistance. He seems happy enough to kiss me when I ask, so he shouldn't have any problems with it if I... no, nevermind. I can't do that. Not yet, at least."

You snorted, shaking your head before setting the journal down. Stepping over to the bookshelf and shining your flashlight at the items on its shelves, you hummed lowly. There were a handful of old looking books, as expected, but then there was a skull, surrounded by a few candles. Some feathers sat on another shelf, all of which were black. Assuming the collection of books consisted of occult and ritual stuff, you opted to bypass them, instead shifting your attention to the wardrobe where you could see a faint purple glow coming from one of the slightly open doors.

Immediately intrigued, you slowly approached the wardrobe, momentarily faltering as your chest began to feel tight. The atmosphere was very gradually beginning to feel heavier and heavier, and it began to give off the very distinct feeling of someone's gaze fixed on you. Worried that someone might've caught you checking out their room without permission, you glanced back over your shoulder, panning your flashlight around the room again. Seeing nothing, you let out a deep breath, refocusing your attention on the wardrobe.

Very carefully tugging one of the doors open, you blinked in surprise, finding what appeared to be an orb of some kind. It cast a purple glow over the inside of the wardrobe, tiny sparks of cyan appearing every so often, and it looked as though a cloud of darkness was swirling within it. Inside was a crown - mostly golden with a few small details here and there. A crescent moon shape was cut out of the front, and through the hole it left, all you could see was more inky darkness.

Despite the sudden rush of negative emotions that washed over you, you couldn't help but find the orb beautiful. Something in your gut told you to leave, but as if moving against your will, your hand lifted and began to reach for it.

Just as your fingertips were about to make contact, an arm slipped around you from behind, a bony hand firmly gripping your wrist to stop you. As your heart began to race, you heard him murmur, his tone very clearly less than pleased with you, "I wouldn't advise doing that. Not unless you have a death wish."

Eyes widening at his words, you spun to face him, fumbling for both an apology and explanation as to why you'd chosen to enter his room. Retribution was patient, although you could tell he was agitated, and he waited for you to finish speaking. His eye lights cast a soft cyan glow, allowing you to very vaguely see his expression; just as you thought, he was scowling at you, his sockets narrowed in distrust.

After you'd spat out what you felt was an adequate explanation and a sincere enough apology, you bowed your head in shame. The rider let out a deep sigh, stepping closer to you, and catching you by surprise, he reached out, his fingers catching your bottom jaw and tipping your head up so you were looking at him again. He moved even closer and your breath hitched as he grumbled directly into your ear, "I don't appreciate this intrusion, human. Not in the slightest. If it means that you'll keep your mouth shut, however, I will grant you permission to finish your exploration of my quarters. You may look, but if you touch anything, I can promise you - you'll regret it."

He backed up a bit to take in the clearly uncomfortable, anxious look you were now wearing. Tilting his head, his eye lights were focused completely on you as he hummed, "Do we have an understanding?" You wordlessly nodded, unsure what to say, and he gestured to the rest of his room, candles on his beside table suddenly illuminating on their own, "Go then. Finish exploring, and then get out of my sight."

Slipping out from between Retribution and the wardrobe, you switched off the flashlight on your phone and stuffed the device back into your pocket. Following the light from the candles, you found yourself at his bedside, looking up and admiring the canopy above it, dark, silky curtains tied back to each of the bed posts. The blankets laid flat and smooth, and appeared to be the same fabric as the curtains. There were several pillows lining the wall, neatly placed, as though Retribution had taken the time to make his bed after he woke up this morning.

At the foot end of the bed, a neat, almost painfully expensive looking set of pajamas were laying out - to be worn later, you assumed. You glanced up at Retribution, seeing that he'd moved closer and was now on the other side of the bed, watching you with an almost unnerving intensity. Trying your best to stay calm despite the threatening aura he was giving off, you took a deep breath, shifting your focus to his bedside table in an effort to distract yourself from how closely you were being watched.

The candles that had illuminated on their own (though likely with the help of his magic), were held in a fancy looking candelabra, and an open locket setting on the tabletop below it caught your attention. Leaning down and squinting to get a better look, you peered at the contents of the locket, which happened to be a photo of a girl with curly black hair. Her skin was almost as light as fresh snow, and she smiled brightly at whoever was taking the photo, her cheeks slightly flushed and her emerald green eyes almost seeming to sparkle. Noticeable dark circles resided under her eyes, and you frowned; something about her gave you the impression that she was exhausted, and likely didn't practice much self care.

A scar, starting from somewhere under her jaw, ran up over part of one of her cheeks, and there was a small purple flower tucked behind one of her ears, its shade almost matching that of her shirt. Curiosity bubbling in your chest at who she was, you looked to Retribution again, softly asking about her. Regarding you with narrowed sockets and a look of clear annoyance, he nearly hissed, "I'm going to pretend you didn't just ask me that."

Taking that as your cue to leave, you forced an awkward, apologetic smile, thanking the rider for allowing you to continue your exploration of his room before turning and heading for the door. Just mere seconds before you were able to reach for the doorknob, a chain looped itself around your slightly extended arm, and you yelped as you were jerked backward and spun to face Retribution again. His eye lights began to shift from cyan to violet as he stalked toward you, caging you against the still closed door. With his eye lights now a vibrant purple as he stared at you, you felt your chest tighten as his aura seemed to grow heavier, anxiety causing your heart to race.

You asked what was wrong, frowning as you watched a small droplet of some dark, tar-like substance roll down his face from both his mouth and nasal cavity. He seemed to be trembling ever so slightly, and more fear shot through you, causing your eyes to water up and a soft whimper to slip past your lips. As a tear rolled down your cheek, Retribution tilted his head, shaking as he reached out to wipe it away, his voice quivering as he mumbled lowly, "Promise you won't speak of what you've seen here."

Immediately understanding that he meant that as an order and not a question, you nodded, weakly sobbing as you agreed to keep the things you'd seen a secret. Seeming pleased with your compliance, he backed away, clasping his hands behind his back as he made a sound of approval and leered at you, a deranged grin slowly stretching across his face. Gesturing to the door behind you, he purred, "Good human. The door is right behind you. You may excuse yourself now."

Chest heaving as you struggled to breathe through the aura induced anxiety attack you were having, you spun around, practically throwing open the door before bolting out, not once looking back.

Going into his room was a mistake, it seemed, and you were filled with regret at having done so. You weren't curious about Retribution anymore. As far as you were concerned, he was terrifying, and you wanted no part in whatever was going on with him. A small part of you was worried for him, hoping that whatever was happening to him would pass. You'd never seen him like this before, and you prayed you'd never have to see it again. After all, once was more than enough.