#@novamariestark

[dantakeyoman]

𝐉𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐘 | 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧𝐞

♡ 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦! 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

♡ * 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈, 𝒔𝒆𝒙𝒚, 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒛𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒆-𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏. 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔. *

♡ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐳𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 (𝐳𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬), 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐨𝐟 𝐳𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬), 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐬, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐱, 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐞𝐭𝐜.

♡ * 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒚: 𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍 *

𝐎𝐍𝐄

Amazing how quick things can go from bad to unfathomably fucking bad.

Waking up on that fateful day, you thought you'd go through your normal routine.

Eat your honey-bun breakfast, show up late to your brother's car shop, starting working, and then return to your shitty apartment for a horrible TV dinner and a movie.

Not once did you plan for him to try to bite your face off, and not once did you plan on chopping off your only brother's head because of it.

It didn't take long after that for the entire world to go to shit, which made you grateful that your father had the paranoia of a redneck.

After taking a quick stop home and packing a duffel full of goodies, you headed off in a stolen pickup truck as far as you could from Newark.

Which was now a zombie war-zone.

A couple months and various zombie scares later, and here you were, walking the interstate in the middle of Texas, your recent mode of transportation having broken down a couple miles back.

"Might as well take inventory," you grumbled to yourself, taking in a deep sigh as you plopped down on a barricade.

You found it comforting to talk every once in a while, even if it was to yourself.

Life in the apocalypse was lonely.

If you didn't, you'd probably forget how to talk all together.

Unzipping the duffel, you rummaged around, counting what you had.

2 grenades, a shotgun, a rifle, and a couple more magazines.

Not too shabby.

You suddenly heard a noise. A rumbling one.

It was a car engine.

Snapping your head over to its source, you could see a black Cadillac Escalade with a snow-plow attachment heading straight for you.

Fast.

Pro, driving means no zombie.

Con, sometimes humans are worse than the zombies.

Pro, they got a working car.

Con, might also have a working gun.

...

"I got guns, too," you smirked, pulling out your glock from your pants and staying seated, shifting so whoever couldn't see the weapon.

To your surprise, he pulled up right next to you, stepping out the car.

You held up your gun, pointing it between his eyes, and he cocked his lever action shotgun, pointing it at your chest.

Finally having the chance to get a good look at him, you took in his outfit.

He had on brown cowboy boots tucked under the hem of his blue jeans, a black v-neck, a leather jacket, tacky shades, and to top it all off, a brown, real deal Brazil hat.

He used his other hand to toss his shades, allowing you to see his blue eyes as the two of you stared each other down.

He was actually kind of handsome...in a rugged, apocalypse sort of way.

You raised a brow, removing the safety off your glock to show you were serious.

And he did the same thing, cocking his gun with a smug expression.

Still trying to hold out, you kept your position, but he raised a brow, making sure you really wanted to go there.

You caved.

With a sigh, you returned the safety, using your other hand to hold up a thumb.

He lowered his weapon, nodding toward his truck as he walked off to do something.

You threw your bag over your shoulder, trudging towards the passenger and opening the door.

Using your gun, you did a quick check of the car, making sure there wasn't anyone or anything present that could harm you.

"What're you lookin' for?" The man curtly asked with a country twang as he plopped down in the driver's.

It seems like he returned from kicking over a motorcycle.

"Danger," you answered, sitting down and shutting the door, turning to him with cold eyes.

"Nothin' back there but my duffel bag," he half-assured, something about the look in his eye letting you know he was telling the truth.

"Good," you nodded, turning to face the road.

He stared at you a moment, almost as if he was studying you, and what to do next.

"You say more than one word at a time?" He cocked a brow.

You turned to him seriously, "...Yes."

He sighed, accepting that that was probably the best he was gonna get, and turned the key to the ignition.

You tried to suppress the feelings of guilt, deciding to turn and look out the window.

But it kept clawing at you.

'This guy's doin' you a solid. Show at least a little gratitude, pig.'

"Thank you," you caved, keeping your eyes trained on the window.

Slightly taken aback, he turned to you, before snapping himself out of it.

"Don't mention it," he nodded, pulling off.

And as you started to find a steady speed, your eyes managed to catch a glance at the bottle of Jack Daniels that sat in the cup-holder.

God, you hadn't had a good drink since you raided that liquor store a couple weeks back.

"You mind?" You asked, cutting your eyes at the bottle as if you were a lion and it was a juicy gazelle.

He slightly smiled, "Knock yourself out."

You grabbed the bottle by its neck, taking a hard swig and relishing in the delicious burn with a sigh.

"You got a name?" You asked again, not letting the liquid courage go to waste.

"Stop," he quickly shut down, keeping his eyes on the road, "No names. Keeps us from gettin' too familiar."

Realizing he left his humongous knife on the armrest, he picked it up, tossing it in the back.

"Whatever you say, Crocodile Dundee," you shrugged, taking another swig.

He gave you a quick look, noting the comment before moving on.

You noticed this with a small smirk, but covered it by passing off the bottle.

"Where you headed?" He asked, taking it from you and knocking back his own swig.

"Jersey," you answered, scratching your head with the tip of your gun, "You?"

"Tallahassee," he replied.

A wonderfully terrible idea popped into your head.

"Y'know, Jersey and Tallahassee are both east..." you tried to lead.

"So?" He asked, turning to you.

You sighed, "So, Tallahassee, you wanna stick together? 'Til we reach a crossroads."

"Here's the deal, Jersey," he started, "I'm not easy to get along with...and I'm sensin' you're a bit of a bitch."

Your eyebrows furrowed at the last part, and you shot him a quick glare that told him to watch it.

"But...I'm willin' to take this relationship as far as Texarkana."

You shrugged, resting your cheek in your palm as you watched the window again, "Fine by me."

He scoffed with a smile, "You're a little ray of sunshine, aincha?"

"Like you're all peaches an' cream, Tex," you rolled your eyes, "Just drive."

"I can tell already you're gonna get on my nerves."

"Feeling's mutual."

𝒛 𝒐 𝒎 𝒃 𝒊 𝒆 𝒍 𝒂 𝒏 𝒅

After driving an hour or so, picking up some scrawny kid on his way to Ohio, the three of you got to know each other slightly better.

Which made you realize just how fucked you were traveling with these two idiots, and how stupid you looked right now.

"We look fucking stupid right now," you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

"What are we doing here?" Columbus, the scrawny kid, asked, turning to Tallahassee.

"Well, take a look," Tal scoffed, "It's a goddamn Hostess truck."

And he was right.

The three of you had pulled over on the side of the road, where a large Hostess truck had fallen into a ditch.

"So what?" Columbus raised a brow.

"I could use a Twinkie," Tal proudly nodded, stepping forward to go down the hill.

You rolled your eyes, but followed, holding your gun at the ready.

Until you realized you were missing someone.

"You comin'?" You asked, turning to Scrawny.

"Yes. Yeah. Just one second," he puttered, suddenly starting to do squats and lunges.

You and Tal turned to each other, sharing the same disbelieving look before turning back to the idiot.

"You fuckin' with me?" Tal asked.

"No, I'm not," Columbus grunted, doing some sort of marching, "You should actually limber up as well. Especially if we're going down that hill. It is very important."

"I don't believe it. You ever see a lion limber up before it takes down a gazelle?" Tal scoffed.

Columbus paused, "...Fair enough."

You rolled your eyes, starting your descent and reaching the truck already.

"With the time you ladies take, I'll be dead before we get back on the road. Could we hurry this up?" You sighed.

The two men quickly joined you, and once Columbus was at the ready, you opened the door.

Only for hundreds of packages of Sno Balls to come pouring out.

But not a single Twinkie in sight.

"Sno Balls? Sno Balls?!" Tal began to rage, frantically sifting through the pile, "Where's the fuckin' Twinkies?!"

"I like Sno Balls," Columbus smiled with a full mouth, already chowing down.

"I hate coconut," Tal scoffed.

You gasped, but he was quick to correct himself.

"Not the taste, the consistency."

"Nearly had me," you mumbled, taking a bite of your own Sno Ball.

'I don't think I could travel with someone who doesn't like coconut.'

"Oh, this Twinkie thing, it ain't over yet," he assured, turning around and storming back up the hill.

You sighed, shifting your gun over your shoulder by it's strap, following him.

"Hey, this may be bad time," Columbus started, trailing close behind, "but I gotta take the Browns to the Superbowl."

"Again?" You cocked a brow, turning to him, "Might as well take the shitter with us."

𝒛 𝒐 𝒎 𝒃 𝒊 𝒆 𝒍 𝒂 𝒏 𝒅

"I've heard there's a place that's untouched by all this crap," Columbus started, laying down in the backseat.

"Back east, yeah?" You chimed, looking up into the rear-view.

"Yeah. You heard the same thing?" He perked up.

"No. I came from the east. Shit over there's just as terrible as here," you scoffed.

"Out west, we hear it's back east. Back east, they hear it's out west. It's all just nonsense," Tal shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road, "You know, you're like a penguin on the North Pole who hears the South Pole is really nice this time of year."

"There are no penguins on the North Pole," Columbus corrected.

Tal turned, "You wanna feel how hard I can punch?"

You snickered, but hid it by turning to the window, deciding to zone out the conversation.

Until you missed a key shift.

"Wait, the last time I laid some pipe?" A sentence stuck out.

You were listening now.

"Last time you went twenty toes, put Percy in the playpen?" Tal tried to clarify.

"Who's Percy?" Columbus asked.

"Wallpapered the closet? Passed the gravy? Went heels to Jesus?"

"He can't understand you, hill-billy," you rolled your eyes.

"Oh, made love," the boy suddenly realized.

You and Tal winced at his...oddly intimate wording, "Well, just sex."

"It was three weeks ago. In the back of an abandoned FedEx truck," he caved.

"Shut up," Tal gasped in disbelief.

"I, uh, I was headed east. She was headed west. And we took shelter in the back of the truck. It was full of undelivered packages."

"What was her name?" You cocked a brow, skeptical.

"Uh...Beverly. Beverly Hills," he quickly scrambled.

"You dog," Tal nodded, proudly.

"Yeah, right," you shook your head.

"Why don't you tell us the last time you got fucked, Sunshine?" Tal asked, purposefully being blunt to embarrass you.

You glowed red, but quickly tried to play it off.

"I-." "Aye, aye, aye," he suddenly interrupted you, his attention turned to the she-zombie devouring the poor bastard in the middle of the road.

'Oh thankGod.'

It would've been embarrassing to admit you hadn't had sex since before the outbreak, especially after how much you were ragging on Columbus.

"Oh my God," Columbus grimaced, "You know, it makes you sad, it makes you...it makes you think if you can go back to the way things were right now...y'know you'd be out in the backyard, y'know, trying to catch fireflies. And instead...this."

"It makes you-." "Hungry," Tal admitted.

"Read my mind," you agreed, wishing you'd packed more Sno Balls.

"I'm worried about you two," Columbus sighed.

"Look, whatever you have waiting for you in Columbus, I promise you it ain't prettier than our friend here enjoying her Manwich," Tal explained, stepping on the gas.

Just as he drove past her, he kicked out his door, hitting her square in the head, knocking her over with a laugh.

"You're fucked," you chuckled, watching her roll like a tumbleweed in the rear-view.

"Hey, these fuckers destroyed the world. I'm allowed to have a lil' fun with 'em."

𝒛 𝒐 𝒎 𝒃 𝒊 𝒆 𝒍 𝒂 𝒏 𝒅

[bullet-prooflove]

Heyyy! Per your request, I am dropping this in your ask box! Could we please get an expansion on a quote from your latest story!

“It’s why he’s got those pink fern like scars creeping up his shoulder, why his heart stopped for almost two minutes.”



Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @cookiedoughmeagain @magic-multicolored-miracle @novamariestark

Companion piece to:

Lightshow - Dwight knows that something bad’s happened when the lights to flicker.

Sedated - Your Trouble causes issues when the doctors try to help with your injuries.

Your Trouble has been on the fritz since you left the hospital. The bursts of electricity more random, more sporadic. The first month home, you accidently explode the toaster, the sound system and a bedside lamp.

“It’s fine.” Dwight tells you, his hand rubbing soothing circles across your shoulders as you both stare at the smoking mess. “It’s just stuff.”

But it’s not fine, not really. You know it’s linked to your anxiety, your flashbacks. Wade might be gone but he still haunts your dreams, your thoughts.

It’s later that night that it happens. You fall asleep on the couch reading a book and then you’re back in that parking lot, your keys in your hand when Wade steps out in front of you. It plays out the same way it did before, the knife driving into you, that rush of air and then…

Then the surge of rage, of agony, of power.

You jolt awake, the book slipping from your hand and crashing to the floor and that’s when you see him. Dwight lying there on the laminate, his face tilted towards you, eyes closed and that’s when you realise…

The man you love, he’s not breathing.

In that moment your training kicks in, you’re off the couch, rolling him flat on his back, administering CPR. You feel his ribs break underneath the pressure of your pumps but you keep going because Dwight can’t die, he just can’t.

When he takes that breath you’ve never felt such a relief. His eyes flicker open, his gaze meeting yours.

“Stay still.” You whisper to him, your thumb tracing over his grizzled cheek. “You just need to stay still until help arrives.”

He’s barely conscious when the ambulance arrives, he mumbles your name as they close the doors and you watch as the paramedics drive away, leaving you standing there on the porch.

You don’t follow him to the hospital, instead you head inside, clear up the mess and you pack a bag because it’s not safe for Dwight anymore, you’re not safe.

Love Dwight? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[writeandsurvive]

Author's note: this is not proofread, there are probably typos. I hope my teasing didn't get you disappointed with the finale result! Tbh, I didn't know where I was going at first, but once I was in, I just kept adding. Maybe I'll write a little sequel to it, idk. Let me know what you think ❤️

Warnings: hospital, gun shot wound, surgery, complicated family, breakup, cold!Alden, evil!Vivian, secrets and reveals (I don't mean to make Alden's parents as bad people, just very concerned parents who can not not get involved in his life?)

Words count: 5.6k

@novamariestark @mandy426 @sarakafarrah

Never too late ~ Alden Parker

Alden felt stupid. He knew it was a trap but he still went in, head first. And now, he was in a hospital bed, waking up for surgery, his arm strapped and completely useless. He felt groggy and nauseous. He opened his eyes just slightly, seeing two people in the room. He recognized his father's white hair, as it almost blinded him. And a few feet to the left, he thought he saw you. But before he could tell himself it was the anesthesia and drugs that made him hallucinate, he fell back to sleep.

"He fell back asleep, it'll take hours before he actually wakes up. Are you sure you want to stay here, sir?" You asked Roman.

"I'd prefer to talk to him before going home and sleeping."

Not that you wanted to kick Alden's father out of the room, after all he was more legitimate to be here than you were, but it made you pretty uncomfortable. Roman Parker never liked you, or at least, he never accepted you as his son's girlfriend. Clearly, he wanted his son to get back with his ex wife, and no matter who Alden was dating, he wasn't going to accept her. So, he never gave you a chance to win him over, to show him how much you loved his son and how serious the relationship was. Unfortunately, the ending and the breakup was probably the proof he needed that he was right and you were fairly sure that he told Alden 'I told you so'. You doubted Roman knew the entire truth.

You never imagined you'd find yourself in this situation, back by his side, worrying about him, caring and feeling all those things you thought were gone. But when the hospital called to inform you about Alden being rushed into surgery, you didn't think twice before getting on the road. It was a good thing Philadelphia is only three hours away from DC.

And there you were, sitting by the bed, checking up on him just to make sure he was breathing. Roman didn't have much to say and neither did you so the room was silent except for the machines attached to Alden. His team - whom you had never met - stopped by several times, one of them gave you his number so you could call when Alden was awake. Their case wasn't over just yet, so they still had a lot to do. But you could tell they really care about him, and you were happy he had some nice people around.

His eyes finally opened again. He was grumbling, and whining, and it took several attempts for him to focus on where he was. He saw his dad again, asleep in a chair across the room. "Dad," he called out with a raspy voice but Roman didn't move.

"He fell asleep not long ago," you said, getting closer to the bed and putting your hand on Alden's. He turned his face to look at you, confusion written all over it. "Hey, are you feeling?" You asked softly.

He blinked a few times, looked around, to his dad, the machines, and back to you. "I'm dreaming," he whispered. "Dad!"

"You're very much awake, Den." You pushed some hair off his face. "I'm here."

"You left." He said. You tried to figure out the emotions in his voice, but it was like there was none. It was just a plain statement, and unfortunately, it was true.

"Let's not do this now, okay? Do you need anything? Water?"

He shook his head no, and tried to move but he instantly growled in pain. "Stop touching me." He told you and you pulled your hands away.

"Want me to go get a nurse?"

"If you're insisting on doing something for me, wake up my dad and drive him home." His tone was cold, but could you blame him?

"I offered him a ride several times, he didn't want--"

"Wake him up."

You moved to Roman to wake him up. After the Parker men talked for a moment, his father finally agreed to be driven home by you. The entire ride was silent, except for his directions to the new retirement home. You didn't try to make conversation, the old man was clearly exhausted from spending very long hours in the hospital, worrying about his son's life. Before he left the car, you gave him your number and told him he could call the next day if he needed a ride. You were relieved that he took it without any hesitation.

You drove back to the hospital, but stopped to get some comfort food for Alden. He'd probably not want it, or at least not yet, but you wanted to do this for him. When you got into his room, he was drinking some water and the TV was on. He looked at you like he was seeing a ghost. "Hey," you softly said, putting the food down, "I got you some of your fav snacks."

He looked at the bag and then back to you. "Why are you here?"

"Where else would I be?" You answered, getting closer to his bed.

"Literally anywhere else but here." He paused, taking a deep breath. "How did you even know? I highly doubt my dad called you."

"I'm still your emergency contact."

"Thanks for the heads up, I'll change that in the morning. Look, I'm alive okay? In a few weeks, my arm will be like new. So, you can leave now."

"Alden--" you tentatively tried to grab his free hand but stopped yourself when you heard him say, "No! You don't get to show up like this, after all this time, just because I got shot. You don't get to be nice to me, and try to take care of me. I'm a big boy. So you can do what you do, and leave. No need for a stupid note this time."

You stared at him for a short moment, tears threatening to fall. He was clearly avoiding your eyes, just looking at the ceiling. So, you simply grabbed your purse and started to walk towards the door. As your hand reached for the handle, you took a deep breath and turned around. "Believe it or not, but leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I didn't do it because I wanted to but because we were making each other miserable. All we did was fight, we couldn't agree on a single damn thing. Your parents--"

"Don't talk about my parents." He warned you.

"I'm sure they are nice people but they were mean to me, Alden. As much as you could argue with your father, you never had my back when it came to your mother."

"I said, don't." You saw the tears in his eyes at this moment.

"I'm sorry for your loss." You whispered softly, feeling for him and knowing just how much he loved his mother.

"Are you?" He finally snapped and looked directly at you. "Where the hell were you when she passed? Huh? You didn't call, you didn't send a single fucking text!"

"That's not true!" You defended yourself. "I sent you a care package and a long letter!"

"Oh, did you now? Must have gotten lost in the mail." He said, ironically. Clearly, he wasn't believing you. So you gently grabbed his chin and forced him to lock eyes with you again.

"I did." You assured him, knowing it was the damn truth. "I put some snacks in it, your fav bottle of wine, some flowers for your mom and a plant for you. I even put my Metallica hoodie that you always wanted to steal. Did you not get it?" It took him a moment to process before shaking his head no. "Well, have you moved since we--? Cause I sent it to the apartment on--"

"I didn't move."

"Then, I don't understand. I was informed it got delivered."

He stayed silent once more, and you knew he was trying to figure out what happened to that package. "There was no way I would learn about your mom and not do something, Alden. No matter how me and her didn't get along, I know she was the person you loved the most and I can't imagine how hard it must have been for you. I'm sorry you thought I didn't care or--"

"Not your fault for this one, I guess." He sighed. You noticed the tear that was rolling down his cheek and you couldn't help but to dry it with your thumb. Alden closed his eyes at the gesture, and you let your hand rest on his cheek for a moment. You leaned over and kissed his temple softly. "I never stopped caring," you whispered. "Your dad has my number if you want to reach out, otherwise I'll go back to Philly tomorrow night. Take care of yourself and please be careful next time."

You were hoping he would say something but he didn't. So you just left.

As you drove back to the motel, you wondered if you should've told him about everything that was in that care package and in your letter. You remembered every word that you wrote, how you explained why you didn't tell him about the pregnancy - cause he didn't want kids at his age and with his work, and that he was convinced you were having an affair, you were scared he'd think the baby wasn't his - but regretted it every day. Little Noah was still a tiny baby when you sent the package and the pictures, so told Alden he wouldn't remember not having his daddy the first three months of his life. Everything could be set on the right track. You'd come back to DC, do the co-parenting, or whatever. You poured your heart out in this letter, offered countless apologies, and solutions. Since you never got an answer, you figured Alden didn't want to know his son.

In the room, you found your two years old son sleeping on the big bed like a starfish, and your sister by his side, scrolling through her phone. When she saw you, she immediately got up and hugged you. "It didn't go well, did it?"

You told her everything since the last updates you gave her as she made some tea. Noah was deeply asleep, as you softly stroked his hair. "So, he still doesn't know about the little guy?"

You shook your head no, whipping your tears away. "All this time I thought he just didn't care."

"That's crazy. But what the fuck happened to the package?"

You shrugged. "Beats me." Noah moved in his sleep to get closer to you. "I guess I have to tell him again, now."

"Yeah. Face to face this time."

In the morning, Noah woke you up a little before 6am, which meant that you had barely slept for two hours. "It's too early baby, let's sleep a little more okay?"

"'Kay" he answered, but all he did was laying next to you, looking at you like you're the most wonderful thing in the world, and played with your face and hair. But eventually he asked for some milk, and neither of you went back to sleep. Around 9, you went to get breakfast to the diner with Noah and your sister. Your son was very curious about this new place, until he had some pancakes in front of him. Breakfast was going fine, until two people approached your table.

"Agent McGee, Agent Torres, hi!" You greeted them.

"Good morning, you can call us Tim and Nick."

"Alright, um this is my sister Jane, and um my--"

"Mommy! More syrup please?"

You couldn't lie, could you?

"My son, Noah." He barely said hi even after you asked him to, too focus on his food.

Tim started to tell you that they had just visited Alden and he was physically okay, while Nick added that for someone who can never shut up, he was extremely silent that morning. They also said that Jimmy Palmer went to pick up Alden's father to bring him to the hospital. You did your best to remain neutral to that information until they left with their order.

"What do you know about Nick?" Jane asked as soon as you sat back down. You laughed despite yourself, knowing that Nick Torres was exactly your sister's type.

You spent the morning walking around DC, or more specifically around the hospital where Alden was. You answered a phone call from your parents, let them talk with Noah for a bit, who was very happy about being with his mommy and his auntie and not at daycare. As you found a park for Noah to play, you and Jane sat on a bench. "They probably figured it out, you know." Jane said. "I mean, Noah is like Alden's clone. And what's the deal with the Parkers' hair anyways?"

You giggled softly, looking at your son from afar and yes, his head full of hair was all you could see.

"He's almost 3, J. They lost three damn years. Do you think Alden will forgive me? And--"

"Girl, that's not your fault that package didn't reach him! I bet some evil hands got on it!"

"What? Who? Who would do that?"

"His dad was pretty harsh with you--"

"No! I really don't think Roman would do something like this. The only way to know it was from me, was to read my letter. Roman wouldn't have opened the box in the first place."

"Fair enough. Then, was he dating someone back then?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

You looked at each other. You had to visit Alden again.

Your anxiety was so high as you reached for his room, you thought you may faint. Your heart was pounding so hard and fast, but there was no turning back now. You had to tell him, cause he never knew.

You walked into the room after Alden said to come in, breathing heavily. Alden had his bed on a sitting position, and he seemed more alert than the day before. Roman was in the chair next to the bed, and he did give you a slight nod, which you returned. You asked Alden how he was doing and he just mumbled that he was fine. You noticed some of the snacks you brought had been opened and it warmed your heart just a little.

"Why are you here again?" He asked.

You opened your mouth to answer but the door swung open - without a knock first - and the person you really didn't want to see was right there.

"Wow, I thought I was never going to make it!"

Completely ignoring you, Vivian circled the bed to give Roman a hug, before focusing on Alden. She leaned over to kiss his cheek, not earning any kind of reaction from him. You just stood there, staring until she finally looked up to you, “Oh, you.” she said. “What are you doing here?”

You tried to shut all of your thoughts and questions going through your mind and looked at Alden, “I need to talk to you,” you told him.

Before he could answer, Vivian spoke up, “Yeah well, it’s gonna have to wait. In case you didn’t notice, he got shot and–”

“Viv,” he exclaimed.

“What? She doesn’t have anything to do here, does she?”

You heard your name from Roman and looked at him, “I think you should leave.”

You looked at Alden again, hoping he’d say something, that he understood that you really needed to talk to him privately, but he just stayed silent. “Nothing changed.” you whispered before leaving.

You found the first restroom on your way and locked yourself in there to cry. Things were still as they were, he wouldn’t open his mouth to defend you, or at least ask his father to stand down and not get involved. And what the hell was Vivian doing there? Were they back together, or on their way to? You figured he’d eventually find someone, but if that someone was Vivian, that felt like a huge betrayal, as she was one of the reasons things didn’t work out between you and Alden. She was always there, his family never accepted the divorce and it always felt like she needed to have a hold on him. You remember one day when she cornered you and basically said the only reason Alden was dating you was because she let it happen, “If I ask him to get back together, trust me, he’ll leave on the spot.”

Once you had a hold on your emotions, you texted Jane to let her know you were on your way to them. Noah immediately rushed into your arms, asking if you could get some cupcakes, like his auntie promised.

“You have a serious problem with sugar, my love.”

“I love sugar!”

“Yeah, I got that.” you giggled.

It was late in the afternoon when you got a text from an unknown number. ‘You can come. -A’

You told Noah that you needed to visit your friend again, but this time, he was not having it. “Wanna come!” he kept saying, holding onto your neck with his tiny arms.

“You can’t, baby. But I won’t be long, okay?” he shook his head no in your neck. You still started to walk towards the hospital, trying to negotiate with your son.

“I got an idea,” Jane said, “What if you and I go to the shop and find a gift for mommy’s friend? And maybe you’ll find something for you too?”

Noah looked at his aunt and then you. He wasn’t very convinced about it but with one little push, he did agree to let go of you.

You were relieved to see Alden’s room empty except for him. He was standing with some casual clothes on him, a bag was at the end of the bed. “You’re being discharged already?”

“Yeah, I’ll not spend another night here.”

“Alden, are you sure it’s the right thing to do? What did your doctor say?”

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

You sighed and sat next to him.

“That package I sent you when your mom passed– there was a long letter with it.”

“Longer than your note?”

“Alden, please.” you looked up to him, with tears in your eyes.

“Sorry, but that–really hurt me. More than you know.”

“I can imagine,” you took a deep breath, “And I’m willing to hear all about it, even if you want to get angry at me and insult me, but right now, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“About that letter?”

“I told you a lot of things in this letter, including one very important thing.” You took your phone out of your pocket, unlocked it and went to the gallery. The last picture was one of Noah that you took a few hours early at the park. Eventually, you showed him the phone. He grabbed it with his free hand and stared at the picture of a moment. “Wh–who is that?”

“His name is Noah.” tears fell down your cheeks but you didn’t care. “He’s my son. And your son.” you said right above a whisper.

Alden’s head started to move left to right, tears were forming in his eyes but he didn’t take his eyes off the picture. He couldn’t believe it and you didn’t blame him. “Alden, I’m sorry.” you kissed his injured shoulder without thinking. “I was telling you in that letter about him, there was pictures too, and since I never heard from you, I thought you didn’t–”

“That I didn’t want to know my own child?” you could hear the hurt in his voice. “Did you seriously think that about me?”

“What else was I supposed to think?”

“My mom passed away a year after you left. Why wait that long? He was already born!”

“I know, I– I explained everything in the letter and–”

“Yeah well, I didn’t get that damn letter, okay? So why didn’t you tell me when you found out?” he stood up from the bed, and whined a bit as he uncontrollably tried to move his arm.

“You were so clear about not wanting kids and why, we couldn’t be around each other without fighting and I– I thought you were back with Vivian. Look, I made this decision out of heartbreak and I regretted it, okay? Which was why I reached out when your mom passed. I realized that anything could happen to you or to me, and Noah needed both his parents–”

Your phone, which was still in Alden’s hand, started to buzz. “Your sister,” he said, handing you the phone. As soon as you picked up, you could hear Noah crying, “SOS!” Jane said.

Alden was staring at you, and you knew he was able to hear. “I’m on my way, sis.” you hung up.

“They, um, they are down at the gift shop.”

“Your sister and–Noah?”

You nodded, standing up next to him. “Look, there’s no rush, we can–”

“Does he know? Who I am?”

You put your hand over his, the one stuck against his chest.

“He’s not asking deep questions yet, but he did ask about his daddy a few times and I couldn’t lie to him. He’s seen pictures of you, so he may recognize you.”

Alden took a few deep breaths, taking to stop himself from crying. “What did you say about me not–being there?”

“Daddy leaves away from us and can’t visit for now.”

“Better than ‘daddy doesn’t know you exist’.” he said, coldly.

“Alden,” you whispered.

“We have a lot to talk about, but– our son is crying.”

You couldn’t believe that you were on your way to your son with his father by your side. Noah was going to meet his daddy. Alden was going to meet his son. You didn’t think it would go this fast, even though you figured Alden would want to waste any more time. As you approached the gift shop, you uncontrollably grabbed his arm. “You should’ve let me hold your bag.” you said.

“My right arm is fine. Is that him?” You listened and heard little whimpers and a little kid’s voice.

“Yeah.” you breathed out.

As soon as Noah saw you, he ran. You picked him up, holding him tight in your arms. “What’s wrong, baby? What did auntie J do this time?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything!” your sister interjected. “Alden,” she greeted the man who was staying a couple of feet away. He briefly looked at her but immediately got his eyes focused on his son again. His eyes were full of tears, threatening to fall again.

“She said I could take just one teddy for your friend.”

“I said he didn’t need two of them. One was enough, wasn’t it, Alden?”

It was only then that Noah looked at his father. He stayed silent, just staring at him before looking at you and back at him. Then he approached his mouth to your ear, “He like daddy.”

“Cause it’s him, baby.”

Noah looked at Alden again. “You hurt, daddy?” he answered softly, like it was the most normal thing. Like it wasn’t the first time they were meeting each other.

It took a moment for Alden to answer. “I am, but it’ll be okay. Soon it’ll be like nothing happened.”

“What happen?”

“Huh, I fell and hurt my shoulder.”

“Need a hug?” He offered, since you strongly believed that hugs can solve a lot of things and it was something you were transferring to your son without doing it on purpose.

“I’d love a hug.”

Noah extended his arms, so you moved closer to Alden. “Careful with his shoulder, okay?” you warned him, but he was very thoughtful, only holding on his father’s neck. Then he kissed his cheek and rested his head on the right shoulder. You could see that Alden was fighting the urge to cry, just as you were. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there before, buddy. I’ll never leave you from now on.”

It was nearly impossible to take Noah off his dad after the initial meeting. Even in the car, he wanted to sit on his lap and only agreed to let go as long as daddy sat next to him. Your sister drove to your former apartment, but she needed to get back to Philly and work the following day. “Don’t worry, she’ll take my car if needed.” Alden told her when Jane asked how you’d get back home. You grabbed yours, Noah’s and Alden’s bags from the trunk before your sister said goodbye to the three of you before driving off.

Inside the apartment, Noah wanted to see every room. He asked a million questions to Alden about everything and nothing, and you had to translate a few times as daddy wasn’t familiar with Noah’s own language. His phone rang a few times but he completely ignored it, only focusing on his son and telling him everything he wanted to know. What you were feeling was indescribable.

When you told Noah that his dad needed to rest, he agreed to settle on the couch with him. “Is it okay if I make dinner now?” You asked Alden, “This little guy woke up at 6, and didn’t nap. Won’t take long until he gets grumpy.”

“Go ahead but I’m not sure my fridge has what you need. I can go get something?”

You looked inside the fridge as you heard your son asking his dad if they could watch Paw Patrol. You heard Alden’s confusion when he said sure, and giggled. “Where Netflix?”

“Oh, here.”

“Well, your fridge is indeed very sad. What do you want to eat, Nono?”

“Nuggies!”

“Why do I even ask?”

You grabbed your phone and settled next to Alden, placing the order while Noah explained Paw Patrol to his father.

A couple of hours later, both Noah and Alden were asleep on the couch. You obviously had to snap a few pictures, before picking up your son and bringing him to the bed in the guest room. “Put him on my bed, it’s comfier.” Alden said, half sleep.

“Okay, but I have to stay next to him, he could roll over.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

You placed Noah in the middle of the big bed, got rid of your jeans, socks and bra. Alden got in before you could get under the sheets, and clearly checked out your legs. “Could you be more subtle?”

“I know and remember your body like it was yesterday.”

You chose not to answer, “Do you need to keep the sling?”

“Yeah, for at least a week.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I took the entire week off work.”

“Doesn’t matter, since you’re gonna quit anyway. You’re not going back to Philadelphia.”

As Noah slept between the two of you, Alden asked many questions about your son; his birthday, favorite food, what he likes to do, if he has allergies or health issues, etc. You answered everything, gave him as much info as possible. “And um, does he have a father figure in his life?”

“Is this your way to ask me if I'm dating someone?”

“Maybe. Are you?”

“No. His only father figures are my dad and my uncle. Are you dating Vivian?”

Alden chuckled. “Are we doing this again?”

“Considering what I saw earlier–”

“I'm not dating her or anyone else. I'll admit I hooked up with her a few times over the last few years, but–”

“Great!” You sighed.

“You're gonna tell me that you haven't been with anyone since–?”

“The last time I had sex was probably the night we conceived this tiny human.” You looked down at Noah and played with his hair.

“Oh,”

It was silent for a moment. Alden wanted to get on his side, play with Noah's hair too, reach out for you, but with his arm, he could only lay down on his back and that frustrated him. “What was your breaking point?” He asked, eventually. “Why did you leave that day? And not talk to me?”

“I knew if I talked to you, I wouldn't go through with it. And it was something in particular that made me leave, I was–exhausted. Of the fights, the arguments, the jealousy, and suspicion. It was like we didn't trust each other anymore, for anything. And–” your voice broke. “Maybe it's stupid, but you didn't want to marry me, you didn't want to have kids with me so I just thought – I was temporary.”

“We lived together. That was a huge commitment for me.”

“Exactly. It was huge for you, while it was just natural for me.”

“Okay, I get that. And I'm sorry I made you feel this way.” He turned his face to look at you. He could only make out some of your features. “I was truly and madly in love with you. But I guess I only realized it once you were gone. And then I was so mad at you for leaving.” It was his voice that broke.

“I can't blame you for that part.” You cried. “Do you think it's too late?”

“Too late for what?”

“...Us?”

“It's never too late.”

Eventually you both fell asleep, exhausted physically and mentally.

Of course, you were both awakened by Noah. First, he cuddled and called out for you. “Hey, baby, good morning!” You said, eyes still closed, holding him against you.

“Daddy's snoring.” You listened closely and indeed Alden was snoring. Crazy as it was, you missed that sound very much. “Like pop.”

You giggled, “Not as loud as pop, though!”

“No! Wake him?”

“Hold on,” you grabbed your phone to check what time it was, 7:30am. Alden probably needed more sleep, so you convinced Noah to help you prepare breakfast for daddy and wake him up after. Luckily, there was some eggs and bacon, and pancake batter in the kitchen and in the end, you prepared breakfast while Noah logged on Netflix by himself. It was almost ready when there were some knocks at the door. You opened to find Roman and Vivian, holding what seemed to be breakfast.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, shocked.

“Making breakfast,” you gave her your best fake smile. “Good morning, Roman.”

“Is my son awake?”

“Not yet, I thought he needed–”

Vivian practically pushed you out of her way to get in. You obviously let Roman get inside too. “What is that?” She said, pointing at Noah.

“My son.” You all heard. Alden barely walked into the living area that Noah was running into his arms.

“Morning, daddy!”

“Good morning, buddy.”

“You snore!”

“I do not!” Alden laughed.

The boys didn't have more time as Vivian raised her voice, asking what was going on. You noticed Roman sitting at the kitchen counter, staring at your son, his grandson. “Go watch your show, baby, and we'll have breakfast, okay?”

Then he told everyone to follow him inside the greenhouse. “Don't act so shocked, Vivian.” Was the first thing Alden said. “You knew about Noah.”

“What? You're crazy, how would I–?”

“I remembered a few days after mom passed, you bringing me my favorite snacks, wine, a plant, and flowers.” The exact content of your package. “What did you do with the hoodie and the letter?”

“I don't– I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“The only reason I'm staying calm right now is because my son is in the next room, but look at me and listen to me. I never want to see you again, so you're gonna disappear from my life and my father's. Meaning that from the moment you walk out that door, you will not text or call him, or any other members of my family. And if I learn that you didn't respect that, I'll be far less gentle. Am I clear?”

“Alden, listen–”

“Get the fuck out of my house.”

She was crying and trying to get Alden to listen to her, but he only grabbed your waist and held you close to him. When she turned to Roman, hoping he'd listen and defend her, the older man simply told her to leave. Eventually, she did, using the greenhouse's door.

Alden held you tighter, kissing your temple softly. “Dad,”

“Can I meet him? What's his name?”

Noah was very happy to have another grandpa. And it was amazing to see how Roman was doing his best to give him a very good first impression. You all had breakfast together, and you mostly stayed silent, just being overwhelmed about the Parkers boys getting to know one another. After eating, Noah wanted to show Paw Patrol to his grandfather, and Alden took this opportunity to take you to the bedroom. He didn't waste any second before kissing you deeply and intensely. You returned it immediately, holding onto his hair. Feeling like you were breathing again, you only stopped kissing when you heard him making a sound of pain. “My shoulder,” he said.

“Oh god, I'm so sorry baby. I didn't–”

“It's okay,” he smiled. “It's worth it.”

He kissed you again, trapping you between the door and his body. “Fuck, I missed you.” He growled.

“Missed you more.”

“We can't do this right now, can we?” He chuckled, out of breath.

“Oh baby, it's gonna be tricky for us to have some privacy now.”

“It's fine. I'm taking all the pros and cons.” He kissed your forehead, “I'm taking you and our little boy. I'm taking it all.”

[mariechristine00]

Thanks to @novamariestark I present to you the Nathan Fillion butt appreciation post:

[novamariestark]

Hey,

I love your stories so much and I can't wait to read more. Especially you're Alden Parker fics.

I've been seeing a lot of posts about tumblr shutting down. I don't know if it's true or not, but if it is, do you post anywhere else? Just in case?

Hey xx thank you, glad you like them.

I have seen stuff about tumblr dying and all that but I don't think it will. At least I hope not but I am going to be uploading my stories elsewhere (Wattpad, A03, Fanfiction etc) as a precaution. [user - NovaMarieStark]

Also, if you like Alden fics, you should check out @writeandsurvive they're better than mine 😀

[emilyprentisswife]

Halstead Sister Reader Masterlist

Sister!Halstead

Birds and Bees by @poppadom0912

Changes by @jayhalsteadsimp2019

Have your back by @adri-2022

Rough Night by @i-spaced-sorry

Help us help you by @deanstead

When the fever breaks by @sheetsonfire

When the fever breaks Part 2 by @sheetsonfire

When the fever breaks Part 3 by @sheetsonfire

When the fever breaks Part 4 by @sheetsonfire

Ars Longa, Vita Brevis by @study-coffee-chicago

The Sister Halstead Part 1 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 2 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 3 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 4 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 5 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 6 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 7 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 8 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 9 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 10 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 11 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 12 by @citygirlcharlotte

The Sister Halstead Part 13 by @citygirlcharlotte

Take my Stress Away by @novamariestark

Stress Relief by @novamariestark

[bullet-prooflove]

Can I have Dwight Hendrickson x Fem reader with the prompt "You take a polaroid of me lying on your bed"?

Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @cookiedoughmeagain @magic-multicolored-miracle @novamariestark

Companion piece to:

Lightshow - Dwight knows that something bad's happened when the lights to flicker.

Sedated - Your Trouble causes issues when the doctors try to help with your injuries.

You’re straddling Dwight’s hips, his cock buried deep in that sweet pussy of yours as his hands grasp your waist, fingertips digging in. He’s on the edge, you can tell, it’s in the way his body stretches taut underneath you, his head tipping back into the pillow, jaw clenching.

“You’re so fucking beautiful like this Dwight.” You whisper as you pick up the polaroid camera lying next you on the bed. “The most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

You take the picture as he climaxes, his release spilling into you as he lets out that loud guttural sound. You fuck him through it, wringing the pleasure right out of him as you clasp the polaroid in your hand. He sags back into the cushions, his entire form relaxing into the mattress. His palms slid down to your thighs, squeezing lightly as you take another picture.

“No more.” He requests, his eyes meeting yours. “I want…”

You.

Close, pressed against him.  

You set the camera down, your mouth leaving a trail of kisses up his chest until you reach his lips.

“Thank you for doing that for me.” You whisper, your fingertips tracing over his grizzled jaw. “I just want something to remember you by.”

“Alex…” He whispers, his fingertips tucking your hair back behind your ear and the air around you begins to crackle.

“You should leave.” You say softly as you shift from on top of him and Dwight complies with an ache in his chest.

“It won’t be like this forever.” He says quietly as he sits on the edge of the bed, tying up the laces of his boots. Already he can taste the ozone in his mouth, your Trouble it’s amping up again, getting close to erupting.

It’s been out of control since Wade Crocker stabbed you, which is why you’re here in this secluded cottage away from everything and everyone that you can hurt, including him, especially him.

“I don’t think you should come here anymore.” You tell him, pulling on your robe and cinching it at the waist. “It’s just making everything harder.”

“Alex-” He begins but you shake your head gesturing towards the bedroom door.

“I need you to go Dwight.” You whisper and the hairs start to stand up on his skin from the static in the air. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

Sparks dance on your fingertips and he knows he’s cutting it close, too close. He ignored the warning signs the last time, it’s why he has those pink fern-like scars creeping up his left shoulder, why his heart stopped for almost two minutes.

It’s in that moment that he realises what this was. Not a romantic tryst between two people that love each other but a goodbye.

“You need to go.” You say once again, this time more forcefully and Dwight nods his head before his steps towards the bedroom door. He pauses as his hand comes to rest on the door handle.

“I love you.” He whispers fiercely and he hears your breath catch as the taste of metal floods his mouth. “No matter what happens I will always love you.”

Love Dwight? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

“i love that no one else has seen you like this, that no one else has felt you before, been inside you. they don't get to have you, but i do.”

I was hoping to get this for one of four people, Duke Crocker, Dwight Hendrickson, Dean Winchester or Nick Torres. I wasn’t sure which one you could envision best so I just decided that I would put in all of my favorites that you write for thank you so much for taking the time to write for me, I love your stories so so much! I think I’ve read your entire Dwight series like twice (probs more than that lol) 

Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @cookiedoughmeagain @magic-multicolored-miracle @novamariestark

You’re a virgin.

Dwight wishes that he was too so he that could experience this with you for the first time.

Anal sex had never been a big deal for him in the past. He could take it or leave it but it is for you and Dwight, he wants to make sure you have a good time with him, that you enjoy it just as much as he’s going to because the thought of being the only man who has ever fucked you like this, it gets him off in a way he can’t describe.

He takes his time prepping you, teasing you with his tongue, lapping over your precious little hole. He slips one finger in, feeling you clamp own around him and then a second. You get a little wild after that, hips canting as his thumb traces over your clit.

“More…” You whisper, your cheeks flushing as you fists grip the sheets. “Please Dwight, I need…”

He knows exactly what you need.

He’s liberal with the lube, on you, on him. He’s a lot to take at the best of times.

“We’ll take it slow.” He whispers against your lips as he leans over you, positioning himself against your entrance.

His mouth seals over yours as he enters, filling your ass inch by delicious inch. You feel like heaven, really you do, so tight, so perfect.

“I love that no one else has seen you like this, that no one else has felt you before, been inside you.” He mumbles into the curve of your throat. “They don't get to have you, but I do, I get to have all of you.”

That’s what this is all about, giving him a part of you that no one else has ever had.

He reaches down between the two of you, his fingertips tracing light circles over your clit. You start to tighten around him and Dwight’s mouth captures yours as you climax around his cock, gripping him so tightly he has no choice but to follow you over the edge. He spills his release inside of you, fucking it a little deeper and you keen at the sensation as he fills you once again.

“Was it as good for you as it was for me?” You murmur and his forehead comes to rest against yours.

“Oh Alex.” He mumbles against your mouth. “It was like my first time all over again.”

Love Dwight? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

Hello, hello my beautiful and talented writer friend! I was wondering, do you have any ideas for this prompt and Dwight Hendrickson?

“I couldn't fathom life without you”

Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @cookiedoughmeagain @magic-multicolored-miracle @novamariestark

Companion piece to:

On The Rocks - Dwight finds you on the beach after a fight about Wade Crocker.

Lightshow - Dwight knows that something bad's happened when the lights to flicker.

Sedated - Your Trouble causes issues when the doctors try to help with your injuries.

Power - Dwight ends up on the wrong side of your Trouble.

Goodbye - You realise it's time to say goodbye after your Trouble becomes untenable.

You don’t answer the door after that last time you were together. Dwight knocks for ten minutes before he sighs and he takes his notebook out from the glove compartment and writes you a letter.  

He knows you’re in there, at this point you’ve stopped leaving the house because you’re terrified of causing some sort of catastrophe. The problem is your Trouble, it reacts to fear and you, you’re scared all the time. You have been since Wade Crocker tried to kill you.

Don’t let him have this power over you Alex, he writes you. Don’t let him take away the good things in your life.

He signs it off with a kiss before slipping it under your door.

The next time he comes by there’s a letter already waiting on your porch along with an empty casserole dish he brought over a few days ago. He waits until he gets back into his car to read it.

You need to let me go. It says. You deserve someone who can love you, who won’t hurt you.

The problem is Dwight’s already found his person. There won’t be another after you, he knows that for sure and he tells you that, he tells you exactly how he’s feeling because he wants you to understand how important you are, how vital you are to his existence.

I can’t fathom my life without you, he writes back. There’s no colour in the world without you in it.

When he comes back a couple of days later, there’s no note waiting for him and his heart sinks because this is it, this is the day he’s been dreading. The day when everything becomes too much and you decide to just let go.

The porch creaks as he steps onto it, his breath constricting as he raises his fist to pound on the door. He’s prepared to break it down if you don’t answer, to kick the damn thing off it’s hinges.  He doesn’t even get to knock because the door swings open and there you are standing in front of him.

“I thought…” He doesn’t finish that sentence, he just gathers you up into his arms and holds you tight, so tight that he almost squeezes the air right out of your lungs. Your hands chase up his back, rubbing soothing circles as he buries his face into your hair, immersing himself in you.

“I would never do that to you.” You whisper, your lips brushing over his grizzled cheek. “No matter how bad things got.”

And Dwight doesn’t speak, he can’t because he’s crying and those tears they just won’t stop because he almost lost you once, and he can’t stand the idea of losing you again.

“We should talk.” You murmur and he nods his head, using the back of his hand to rub the tears from his cheeks.

“Yea.” He says, his voice raw with emotion as he clasps your hands in his. “We probably should.”

Love Dwight? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

Third times the charm? Let’s see if I can do this correctly. 😭😂

Do you see anything with “No one has to know what we do” from your Taylor swift mixtape prompt list and Dwight or Duke? (Yes, I’m obsessed. Lmao.) (I can’t remember the number of the prompt, I’m so sorry.) anyway, happy writing and you’re awesome!

Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @cookiedoughmeagain @magic-multicolored-miracle @novamariestark

Companion piece to:

Seen - Dwight's the first person that sees the real you.

Odd Socks - Dwight decides to try something new.

The Day We Met - Dwight reflects on the day you met.

Last Night - Dwight decides to clear the air about what happened last night.

The First Time (NSFW) - Dwight is different from any other man you've been with.

Love Note - You wake up to a note from Dwight the morning after.

Trouble - Your Trouble has an unexpected use in the bedroom.

Sunflowers (NSFW) - Dwight likes your underwear.

You don’t tell anyone that you’re in a relationship with Dwight, that you spend your nights being ruined in his sheets, your hands chasing down the tattoo on his back as he makes you climax like no other man has.

You can see that hurts him, especially when you pull away in public but you can’t help yourself because you know what it costs to be associated with you. That he’ll be subject to scorn and snide remarks because you’re the girl that almost killed her mother and there are people in this town that will never let you forget that.

“It doesn’t matter.” He tells you, his lips chasing over your jaw one night when you’re tangled up in bed together. “I just want to be with you. If we have to keep it quiet until you’re ready it’s ok.”

It’s not, not really because Dwight, he’s a wonderful, compassionate man and you’re causing him pain.

It’s the dream Trouble that changes things. Dwight falls asleep in his truck and wakes up covered in blood from a gunshot wound in his chest. They have to put him into a medically induced coma so that he can recover.

After the case is over you spend the night at the hospital, holding his hand. You ignore the surprised expression on the nurse’s face when she sees you, fingers entwined with his. You know by tomorrow morning it’ll be all over town and you don’t care because all that shit that’s been holding you back, it doesn’t matter anymore.

All that does is him.

Love Dwight? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

Sabatino: Vostanik Sabatino x Reader

Tagging: @words-and-seeds @novamariestark @whateversomethingbruh @trublu2u @stelacole

Companion piece to A Sight For Sore Eyes - You and Nik reunite on a dusty road in Iraq.

You’ve forgotten what it’s like to be around Sabatino. In L.A when you work cases together he’s still Nik, Sabatino takes a backseat but here in Iraq, there’s no space for the man you love, there’s just the diligent soldier. This is how he copes, you realise as you watch him hold court. He locks away all the things that make him Nik, he becomes another person. You understand now what he means when he says that he lost himself for a couple of years, he lost touch with Nik and became Sabatino.

You’ve forgotten how capable he is, how controlled he is. Sabatino’s contingency plans have continency plans which comes in extremely handy when the mobile command unit is attacked by ISIS insurgents. You’ve been in a lot of fire fights over the years but none with him, none like this. It’s in this instance you get a true sense of his Sabatino’s nature and it occurs to you that this is the reason The Agency can’t let him go, Sabatino is far too valuable to them because he adapts to every situation with a calmness that borders on pathological.

The odds aren’t in your favour, you know that, he knows that. It doesn’t matter how many contingencies he has, you’re at a precipice, every single one of you staring down the barrel of  a gun. You’re crouched beside him, taking cover and trying to reload your weapon when he reaches out and squeezes your hand. You tilt your head up to meet his gaze and you see a flash of Nik right there in front of you.

“I love you,” he says fiercely, his mouth covering yours and in that moment you feel the force of it. His love, his adoration, it intermingles with the violence in the air.

This could be the last time, the last kiss and Nik he’s making a promise, he’s going to fight for the two of you, he’s going to hold on as long as he can.

You feel the moment he slips back into Sabatino. He pulls away and his expression hardens. He checks the remaining bullets in the assault rifle before he takes up position, covering the door.

“When I give the signal.” He tells you as he looks down the scope of the weapon. “I want you to run.”

Love Nik? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

Love your works! Especially these Dwight fics! 🤍

Can I have Dwight Hendrickson x Fem reader with prompt 1) Your kisses are sweeter than honey from your radio host list?

Dwight spends hours kissing you, his lips brushing over yours as he grinds against your core making you moan into his mouth. You taste like honey, like the first burst of sunshine on a rainy day.

Your hands ghost under his shirt and the brush of your fingertips sets his nerve endings ablaze. Ecstasy surges through his body and he smiles against your lips as his thumb chases over the apple of your cheek.

“Is that...”

“My Trouble?” You ask as his nose trailing along the length of yours. “It has it’s perks, it can make things a little more interesting in the bedroom.”

“I don’t need that.” He murmurs, his lips tracing over yours. “All I need is you.”

Love Dwight? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @cookiedoughmeagain @magic-multicolored-miracle @aiko24k @keyweegirlie @novamariestark @angelny @caffeinatedwoman @@exactlyunabashedhideout @alexlynn16 @buckysteveloki-me

[bullet-prooflove]

3 Times Sabatino Thought About Proposing and the 1 Time He Did - Part Four: Cake - Vostanik Sabatino x Reader (feat: Nina Barnes)

Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @novamariestark @whateversomethingbruh @trublu2u @stelacole @@elixae

Part One: Adjustment Period - Nik decides it's time to propose.

Part Two: Sassy - Nik's plans to propose are thwarted by your sister Sassy.

Part Three: Love Language - Nik loses the ring during a footchase.

Sabatino decides to call it quits on the proposal. It’s clear to him at this point that it’s not the right time, that the universe keeps throwing up obstacles for a reason. All he wants is for it to be special for you, but he keeps just fucking it up. The pressure is stressing him out and it’s starting to affect the relationship. You can tell he’s hiding something from you and the fact he refuses to discuss it creates an issue. There’s always been things he hasn’t been able to tell you, you accept that, but this is different.

The pause will hopefully give him a little breathing room.

Things go back to normal; he lives in the present instead of being preoccupied with the future. He starts to have fun again, exist in the moment. The two of you spend the weekend taking some time to reacquaint with each other. His job’s been a little manic and you’ve been working a case with the FBI, you’ve barely existed in the same space over the past couple of weeks. He spends Saturday morning in bed with you, his hands chasing over your skin as he makes love to you in freshly laundered sheets. After dinner you go for a walk on the beach because you’re craving sweet and he’s thinking ice cream.

He lives for moments like this, strolling down the boardwalk, his fingers entwined with yours. There weren’t many of them when he was working for the CIA, now he treasures every single one.

The sun is setting when you come across Nina’s cupcake truck. Your eyes light up, and ice cream is completely forgotten because he knows how much you love her Red Velvet cupcakes and she only has one left. He leaves you sitting on a bench, watching the ocean roll up on the shore. He knows you find it soothing, the crash of the waves, the motion of the water.

“A little bird tells me you’re planning on locking that down.” Nina says, gesturing towards you when he orders the cupcakes.

“I was.” Sabatino tells her as he hands over the cash. “But the universe had other plans, so here we are.”

“You got in your own head.” Nina says knowingly as she opens up two individual cake boxes.

“There’s a lot of pressure to get it right you know?” He explains, his palm running over the nape of his neck. "It was causing a few issues between the two of us, so I shut it down."

Nina rests her elbows on the counter before leaning forward.

“Maybe it’s for the best.” She says with a shrug before picking up an icing bag and tilting the red velvet cupcake towards her. “I mean you’re already falling down at the first hurdle.”

“First hurdle?” He repeats with a bitter laugh. “Trust me, there have been plenty of hurdles and we’ve cleared every single one of them.”

“Uh huh.” She says as she surveys her work on the cupcake. “Then this little one should be no problem.”

She shows him the cupcake and his gaze flickers up to her in disbelief when he reads the words ‘Marry Me.”

“Are you serious?” He asks her, his hands on his hips.

“It’s cute right?” She says before putting it away into its own box. “And it’s perfect for her. She’s low maintenance and this is something a little bit special. Not too showy but personalised. Even you can’t fuck it up.”

He hates to say it but she’s right. He couldn’t have chosen a more perfect moment. The tide is coming in, the waves creeping up the shore and the light is just sublime, that cascade of colours illuminating the beach.

“What do I owe you?” He asks her, taking the box begrudgingly.

“I get to make the cake for your wedding.” She barters with him.

He gives her a look before he crosses his arms over his chest and sighs.

“Fine, if she says yes, then you get to make the cake.” He agrees before pointing his finger at her. “But if she says no, I get free cupcakes for life.”

“Yea that’s not happening.” She tells him, shaking her head. “If she says no, you get a pity cupcake, this one time and that’s it.”

“Deal.” He agrees before turning his back on Nina and focusing his attention on more important things.

You rise to your feet when he appears alongside of you, the individual cupcake box in his hand. You smile as you take it from him. That smile, it lights up his entire world and he knows that this is it, this is his moment.

He has the ring in his hand when you open the box, he watches as you study the writing before you tilt your head towards him.

“Nik…”

He doesn’t get down on one knee. It’s not your dynamic. Your partnership has always been based on mutual respect, meeting your challenges face to face and that’s how he intends to do this. He takes your hand in his, the ring clasped tightly between his fingers.

“Alana, I have loved you since that day you showed up in Afghanistan and every day, I loved you more. I want to grow old with you, start a family with you, I want…” He pauses for a moment, his voice rough as he struggles to find the words. “I want you to be my wife. So, I’m just a boy standing in front of a girl with a cupcake, asking her to marry me.”

You laugh and it’s such a rich, beautiful sound. He hopes he gets to spend the rest of his life hearing it.

“Yes Nik.” You say as he slips the ring onto your finger. “Of course, I’ll be your wife.”

Love Nik? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

3 Times Sabatino Thought About Proposing and the 1 Time He Did - Part Two: Sassy - Vostanik Sabatino x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @words-and-seeds @novamariestark @thiashazzywriting @whateversomethingbruh @trublu2u @stelacole

3 Times Sabatino Thought About Proposing and the 1 Time He Did:

Part One: Adjustment Period - Nik decides it's time to propose.

Sabatino’s going to propose tonight.

He’s ready, he thinks you’re ready.

You’ve been happier since he quit the CIA. He thought the transition period would be a little more awkward, that you’d fight over stuff like emptying the dishwasher, but you don’t. That’s all-petty shit compared to what the two of you have been through.

You’d been ecstatic when he suggested dinner at Elixir, it’s been on your radar since you saw the reviews in the LA Times a couple of months ago. It had been impossible to get a reservation, until Fatima had pulled some strings. She’d made arrangements with the manager for some private time on the rooftop terrace, they’re going to set up some champagne, add a few touches to make it special. Sabatino owes that woman big time.

It feels like the stars have aligned, because everything is going perfectly. The weather is balmy, the sky is clear. Somehow the two of you are both home at a reasonable hour which almost never happens in your line of work, giving you plenty of time to get ready.

He’s pulled out his best suit for the occasion, it’s blue with tailored fit, he wears a crisp white shirt underneath. He doesn’t get much opportunity to wear a suit anymore now that he’s with the US Marshalls, he’s missed it. He catches a glance of himself in the mirror in the living room, smoothing his palm over his hair once more. He’s feeling good about tonight, he looks good. His hand drifts to his left interior pocket, checking for the ring. It’s the millionth time he’s done this in the past hour, and it still resides in the same place.

When you step out of the bedroom, he thinks he could just marry you there and then. You’re wearing a black, off the shoulder dress that clings to your form like it was made for you. You’ve always been beautiful but this, this is next level.

“You’re stunning,” He tells you, the edges of his mouth twitching up into a smile. His hands come to rest on your hips, his thumbs chasing over the line of your panties through the fabric as his lips brush over the curve of your jaw. “So gorgeous, I’m not sure we’re gonna make it out of the house.”

You laugh as your fingers lace at the back of his neck. The scent of your perfume floods him, it’s new something a little darker, a little sexier. You really are pulling out all the stops tonight.

“Wait until you see what I’m wearing underneath.” You whisper, your breath ghosting in his ear. It sends a thrill chasing through his nerve endings. It’s an exhilarating feeling to be desired by you and he treasures that sensation.  

“How about a sneak peek?” He asks you, his voice husky before he holds up his fingers to indicate the measurement. “Just a little one.”

“Nik…”

He fucking loves the way you say his name, when you get back home, he’s going to spend the entire night making you say it.

When the doorbell rings he wants to ignore it but then there’s the knocking. The rapid, incessive raps that he knows can only belong to one person.

No, he pleads, not tonight.

Any other time, just not tonight.

As soon as you open the door, he knows his night is over.

Your younger sister Sassy stands on the doorstep with a Louis Vuitton overnight bag slung over her shoulder and mascara running down her cheeks. Your sister is an adult version of a Valley Girl, selfish and over the top. It’s going to be one of those nights he can tell.  

The thing about Sassy, she’s a hot mess. She hasn’t met a wellness craze or a man who earns more than six figures she doesn’t like. She switches careers more than she hops fiancés, which by his reckoning must be coming up to double figures soon. The other thing is she’s also the only family you have in this world so when she’s in ‘crisis’ you drop everything.

Sabatino sighs before stripping off his suit jacket and folding it over the back of the couch. He undoes the cuffs of his shirt before rolling his sleeves up towards his elbows. He knows you’re not making that reservation; he also knows you skipped lunch in anticipation of tonight, so he busies himself in the kitchen. He makes linguini alfredo while he listens with half an ear to Sassy as she tells a story he’s heard a thousand times before.

She was engaged to Anton, who caught her in an intimate embrace with Tobias, now he’s broken off the engagement and she’s realised he was the only man she ever loved. She’d said the exact same thing about David and Juan before him. He gives it a week until she finds some other rich, young thing to torture.

It’s when you disappear into the bedroom to get changed out of your dress that something in his chest just sinks. He glances at the clock and sighs because that special moment he’d planned, it’s passed. Dinner and a rooftop proposal at Elixir was a one-time thing and now it’s been wasted.

“You’re usually a lot more vocal.” Sassy says as she picks up the half empty bottle of red wine and tops up her glass.

It’s the good wine of course, the one you usually buy for special occasions. She’d taken it out of the wine rack the second she’d step foot in the kitchen, helping herself.

“You don’t want my input.” He warns her as he takes two plates out of the cupboard and sets them down on the counter.

“That’s never stopped you before.” She points out before gesturing at the space between his brows. “You’re in a mood, you have that little crease you always get when you’re trying to bite your tongue.”

Despite the fact Sassy is a complete disaster in every aspect of her life, she’s emotionally intelligent. She reads body language like a pro, it’s the reason she’s managed to ensnare so many affluent men.

“We had plans tonight.” He says, tilting his head up to meet her gaze. “And as usual you bulldoze your way in here with your melodrama and theatrics. You don’t care about this guy, just like the fact you won’t care about the next one. You just like being the centre of attention and when you’re not getting it from them, you come running back here to get it to your sister. It’s the same thing everytime.”

“Oh Vostanik.” She tuts, his full name rolling off her lips harshly. “You haven’t been around long enough to judge the relationship I have with my sister.”

“Almost five years.” He informs her, his mouth setting into a grim line. “That’s how long I’ve been with Alana.”

“You were barely in her life for four of them.” She reminds him, swilling the wine glass in her hand. “She’s the girl you fucked when you came to LA, I’m sure you had one in every port, you private security guys always do.”

Private security was the cover story you both used to explain his absence in your life. He was away in foreign countries ‘consulting’. Sassy thought he’d been living it up with sheiks in Dubai instead of evading capture in Iran. She’s accused him before of fucking his way through continents. He’s denied it of course, but when that woman gets something in her head there’s no telling her otherwise.

“You do know the only reason she’s with you is out of obligation.” She tells him as she takes a sip from the wine glass. “My sister is extremely loyal, and I think if you hadn’t taken that bullet for her in Afghanistan then we wouldn’t even be here. She’d be happily married to a man who deserves her, instead of stagnating in a relationship that’s going nowhere.”

It's a slap in the face, one that hits him hard because he’s always had this doubt, this tiny insecurity that the reason you’re with him is because you feel indebted to him on some level. Sassy’s picked up on that, he realises. That’s what your sister does. She finds the weak spot and she pushes it and pushes it until it gives.

Every single part of him wants to kick her out, to tell her he’s sick of all the drama, that she needs to grow the fuck up and take a long, hard look at her life choices. The only reason he doesn’t is because the only person it’ll be hurting is you and he would do anything to prevent that.

You step out of the bedroom just as he snatches up his jacket from the coat hooks. You’ve changed into one of his old band t-shirts and leggings, a pair of his socks are pulled up over the calves. His heart warms at the sight of you because no matter what Sassy says, it’s these moments that mean the world to him.

“I’ve made dinner.” He tells you, tipping your chin up so you can look into his eyes. He hopes you see the love there, that he’s not running from you right now but from the situation because he knows if he sticks around, he’s going to say something he regrets. “I’m gonna go out for a while, catch up with Deeks, give the two of you a little space.”

He sees the slight furrow in your brow, you know that something’s happened, but he can’t bring himself to explain it, not with Sassy still sitting there watching the exchange over the rim of her wine glass.

“I love you.” He says as his lips brushing over yours tenderly. He’s not ashamed to say it or to show it. He doesn’t give a shit if Sassy believes him or not, all that matters is that you do. You smile as he pulls away and he knows he has nothing to worry about, that Sassy’s just yanking his chain the same way as always. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Love Nik? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

StolenMoments!Series - Part One: First Date - Vostanik Sabatino x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @novamariestark @words-and-seeds

You try not to like Sabatino, you really do. He's a spook, a CIA Officer, a master of manipulation but there's just something about him that captures you. You know that the outcome of that last mission weighs on him, you can see the regret in his eyes when he talks about Brendan Broake’s death.

Murder is what you’d thought when you’d first encountered him under his alias.

Accident is what he had told you in the aftermath.

You believe him, despite yourself.

When he’s not wearing a persona, he’s captivating. He talks with his hands, the left side of his mouth quirks up into a smile, his accent is sharper, more defined. It’s a far cry from the alias he was using when you first met him, an insurance adjuster called Roger who simply spat out the word lawyer.

“I heard you had to cancel a date tonight for this?” He says as he sits beside you in an unmarked car, watching the building across the street.

You’ve been here for a couple of hours, keeping an eye on your target. He hasn’t done anything more interesting than pass by the window a couple of times with a glass of top shelf whisky in his hand. In comparison the two of you are now eating Chinese from white take-out boxes with chopsticks.

“Sam and Michelle are trying to set me up with a teacher friend of theirs.” You tell him, your eyes fixed on Sidorov’s window.

“I’m guessing you weren’t looking forward to it.” He says, digging through the noodles in his box in search of the chicken.

“Trust me I much prefer being here with you tonight.” You utter, grimacing as Sidorov lingers in front of the glass with his robe open. “I never know what to say when they ask what I do for work…”

“Because if you say law enforcement, they either lose interest or they get a little too interested.” He summarises, nodding knowingly.

He’s been there, he was DEA before he became an operative for the CIA, he’s met his fair share of badge bunnies. They’re good for a night but anything more than that and they start to get a little crazy.

“I had a guy take me home to show me his murder wall once.” You reveal and suddenly his interest is piqued. He tilts his head towards you.

“O.J, JonBenét Ramsey or Jonathan Luna?” He asks because he’s been on the receiving end of the first two before and the third is more of a personal favourite, he’s listened to it recently on a true crime podcast.

“Technically two of those are already solved.” You remind him and he almost spits out his food because there’s not a person in his very small circle who knows who Jonathan Luna is, despite how weird the case is. The fact you do…

It makes him like you just that little bit more.

“Jonathan Luna’s not solved.” He protests, pointing the chopsticks at you. “There’s not a chance in hell that was a suicide. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

The edges of your mouth twitch up into a smile and his gaze meets yours. A blush creeps up his cheeks because he’s just betrayed a part of himself, shown you something that he’s passionate about. You want to explore that a little, hear his thoughts, his theories. You want to hear all about those true crime podcasts you know he listens to.

“It was The Golden State Killer.” You respond to his earlier question “Before they caught him.”

Boring, he thinks. Every man and his dog had a theory on that one before Paul Holes had managed to track down the killer. He is curious though…

“Was he close?” Sabatino asks, picking up his soda from the cupholder and sipping through the paper straw.

“Not even a little.” You laugh and he shares a smile with you because he gets it entirely. He’s lost count of the number of parties he’d attended before he turned CIA, where people would literally assault him with their theories. It’s a hazard when you’re law enforcement.

“I can’t even keep a plant alive let alone a relationship.” He confides in you, before gesturing between the two of you. “This is probably the best date I’ve had in years.”

“It’s in my top three.” You say with a humorous lilt. “Stuck together in a car, eating Chinese food while we wait for Sidorov to finish fucking his mistress. It’s dinner and entertainment.”

He laughs then, it’s a rich, warm sound that resonated through his body. It catches him off guard because for the first time in a while it’s genuine. He’s used to pandering to other people, making them feel comfortable, it’s part of his job. However, sitting here with you tonight, it’s the most real he’s been with another person in a long time.

“I guess the second date will have to make up for it.” He says, setting the takeout container on the dashboard before he wipes at his mouth with a napkin.

“Oh, you think there’s going to be a second date, do you?” You tease before setting your own little white box onto the panel so you can hunt down the carrier bag. He pulls it out with a flourish before holding it open for you. A clean stakeout space is a happy stakeout space. He waits for you to deposit the trash before he fastens the bag, and he tosses it in the back seat before he turns his attention back to you.

You’re an attractive woman, he thought that the first time he met you but it’s more than that. There’s a connection between the two of you, an undertone of something. He finds himself slipping back to the person he used to be, the man beneath all the identities. He hasn’t been that person in a very long time.

“I’m kind of liking the vibe we have, aren’t you?” He says dipping his head so that he can meet your eyes. “And I can promise you that I don’t have a murder board at home, that’s strictly for office use only.”

“You’re serious?” You ask him and he smiles.

It’s his real smile, the one that no one else gets to see. You can tell because his eyes crinkle at the edges.

“Yea.” He says quietly as he leans in a little, his gaze lowering to your lips. “There’s an Italian place not far from the Boatshed. A little dinner, a little wine, we can get to know each other better.”

“You can tell me about your true crime podcasts.” You murmur as he reaches out, his thumb ghosting over the apple of your cheek. The scent of his aftershave floods your senses, something woody with a citrus undertone. His nose trails along the length of yours and you tilt your chin up so that your mouth brush over his.

You’re surprised by how soft his lips are, how tender he is with his kiss. His thumb chases along the line of your jaw and already you know you’re falling for him. And that’s ok, because he’s falling for you too.

“Sidorov’s on the move.” Sam’s voice comes across the radio. “Back exit.”

The two of you break apart reluctantly before pulling on your seatbelts.

“Tomorrow night.” He promises, his gaze focusing on the road ahead as he starts the engine of the car. “We’ll do it tomorrow night.”

***

The second date never happens.

Instead, the two of you end up sharing a cigarette outside of the Boatshed. He lost a friend today; a partner and you can see how much it devastates him. It’s in the way he pinches his brow when he strides outside to get some air, his hunched shoulders. He’s barely keeping his shit together.

“I have to go to Washington tonight.” He tells you wearily and you nod your understanding. You’d heard they were setting up a taskforce to bring down Sidorov, you know he has to be there. That even if it was a choice he’d still go. You didn’t like Synder, but he deserved better than being shot to death on a basketball court.

“Nik.” You say his name and his head inclines towards you.

Your fingertips brush over his cheek and he raises his hand, clasping your palm to his face. He closes his eyes for the briefest of moments, savouring your touch because he knows it’s the last time he’s going to feel it.

“I’m sorry we missed our moment.” He says, his lips brushing over the hollow of your wrist.

“Yea.” You whisper with a sad smile. “I am too.”

Love Nik? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[bullet-prooflove]

3500 Follower Celebration: A Little Too Late - Vostanik Sabatino x Reader

Tagging: @thiashazzywriting @words-and-seeds @novamariestark @whateversomethingbruh @a-noni-love @reneejett4 @trublu2u @stelacole

Nik doesn’t know about the letters from Kessler, not until he accidently opens one of them because he’s been up most of the night, chasing a fugitive up and down the country and he’s dog tired.

At first he thinks its from an old boyfriend.

My angel, it reads, you have no idea how much I think about you.

He rubs his palm across his mouth as he reads the words written in another man’s hand. It’s a love letter, he thinks, something twisting in his chest. He’s reading a fucking love letter.

You don’t understand how disappointed I am that you married him.

Vostanik Sabatino…

Do you say his full name when he makes you come or do you call him Nik?

It’s only as he continues that the tone shifts. He feels his jaw clenching, the paper crumpling between his fingers as the words sink into his brain.

I am going to fuck you Alana. I’m going to hunt you down and I’m going to make him watch every filthy thing I do to you before I kill him.

It gets worse from there, he goes into detail, so much detail that Nik can see it playing out in his head like he’s watching a video. It makes his stomach churn and bile climbs up the back of his throat as he forces himself to continue.

It’s when he makes reference to the other letters, that Nik realises that you’ve been keeping secrets. This isn’t the first one Kessler has sent you, it’s just the first one Nik knows about.

He’s waiting for you when you come home, the rest of those letters spread out across the kitchen table. He’d found them tucked away in a shoebox stashed at the bottom the closet, they were wrapped in an elastic band, sorted in date order. He’s spent hours reading them, going over each and every awful thing that Kessler has written and the only thing that’s stopping him from heading upstate and murdering the other man is knowing that his incarceration is about to become a lot more uncomfortable. Nik’s made sure of that.

“You should have told me what going on.” He says, his voice rough as he pushes the latest depiction of Kessler’s nauseating fantasies towards you. “I would have put a stop to it the second I heard about it."

“That’s why I didn’t.” You tell him, your gaze coming to rest upon the letter. “I don’t want you to stop it, you saw what he wrote at the end about the girls, he’s giving me another lead…”

“Alana, he is lying to you.” Nik snaps, jabbing his finger at the letters. “He’s been manipulating you since this whole thing started.”

“Nik, if there is a chance…”

He can hear the desperation in your voice and he knows that’s what this all stems from. Kessler had been trafficking minors for years before you’d caught him, selling them on the darknet. That last shipment, you’d missed it by barely a couple of hours. Three tender age girls sold to men who would brutalise them the same way that Kessler had. That’s what this psychopath is holding over your head, the possibility of finding them, of rescuing them from their misery.

“Alana.” Nik says, his tone softening as he meets your gaze. “Those girls are gone, they were gone the minute Kessler delivered them. All of this is just a way of torturing you and you’re letting him…”

Nik’s voice breaks because this, this has been going on for months. He suddenly understands what the nightmares are about, the restlessness. He thought it would settle now that Kessler was in prison but now he knows you’ve been trading little pieces of yourself to a monster, feeding him, sustaining him.

“You need to let this go.” He tells you, swallowing hard against the ache in his chest. “He’s killing you Alana and you don’t even see it.”

“You can’t tell me what to do Nik.” You say quietly, your eyes lowering to the letters laid out across the table before you use your fingertips to shift them back into order.

“No, but I can hope you make the right decision, that you chose yourself over him.” He says as he picks up his jacket from the back of the chair and pulls it on over his shoulders. “I’m going to give you some time, take a beat,  but those letters, they need to be gone by the time I get back or I swear to God I will burn them myself. I won’t have him in our home Alana, he doesn’t get to have that.”

***

It’s a couple of hours later that Nik returns, he lets himself in quietly, toeing off his boots by the door before he hangs his jacket up on the coatrack. He’d gone to the studio tonight, taken up one of the private booths. His throat is raw from the singing, his fingertips tender from playing guitar.

You’re standing in front of the sink when he steps into the kitchen, the scent of smoke fills his nostrils and he watches as you ignite the final letter with the lighter you use for candles before dropping it into the basin.

“You were right.” You tell him as you watch it burn amongst the ashes of all the others. “He got in my head, he’s been living there rent free ever since the first one came and I let him…”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Nik whispers as he comes to stand beside you. His lips brush over your temple as his palm comes to rest on the nape of your neck, his thumb rubbing soothing circles that tense spot. “He weaponised your guilt.”

“I failed them.” You say and he can hear the agony in your voice, the devastation.

You’re crying when he wraps his arms around you, tears leaking down your cheeks. They soak through his shirt as he cradles you close.

“No.” Nik says resolutely. “You didn’t fail them, you did everything you could. Sometimes, sometimes we just get there a little too late.”

Love Nik? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee