#˙ ˖ ✶ she walked with the universe on her shoulders | musings.

[cherubunie]

the lamb and the wolf ~ dom! vampire! jake x sub! reader ౨ৎ .⋆。⊹ ♡

Sim Jaehyun, the popular yet somehow nerdy 21 year old at your shared university. All the girls swooned over him, claiming that he's the most perfect human being to have ever walked this earth. You, on the contrary, felt something off about him, had your suspicions about the blonde haired boy that started to rule your every thought, and he could sense such. of course he did! He was the one crawling into your brain and picking apart your skull in order to rearrange the puzzle pieces to fit perfectly isync with his. He was absolutely crazy about how you didn't pay him any lustful eye or tried too hard to come onto him, that was until he started yearning for you, every part of you in so many more ways than one. You were just as mysterious to him as he was to you, and it drove both of you mad. And he just had to do something about it before his precious little muse genuinely did go insane.

Word count: 14,000

Vampire! Dom! Jake x Sub! Reader. Bondage, blood kink, overstimulation, biting, scratching, slight cnc (reader likes it dw), slight manhandling, praise, degradation, fingering, slight hunter/prey dynamic, slight breath play, slight corruption

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This is more of a short story than a one shot and the reader has similar characteristics to me so it's a little bit of an oc. sorry. it's kind of a slow burn but oh well. Reposts and comments are appreciated thank you! ♡ - phoebe

"Sim Jaehyun and f/n l/n" the professor calls out. you look over your shoulder the same time Jake looks down towards you from the top of the room, your eyes fixated on each others for just a split second before you break eye contact just as fast as it appeared, turning towards your best friend who sits directly next to you. The psychology professor was arranging groups of people for an upcoming project. you look at your best friend, your lips sucked between your teeth as she giggles.

"don't laugh please." you say to in a groan. she shakes her head, her giggling dying down as she speaks

"he's really not that bad, I hear he's actually decently nice and charming. all that talk about being a fuck boy are all rumors from what I hear" you cock an eyebrow up at her words, a look of 'oh really' written across your face

"and how would you know that" you say when you go to grab your book bag and sling it over your shoulder, not yet standing up to move

"one of my friends is a friend of his, so I've hung out with him from time to time and he doesn't at all act like what people talk about. I might just be talking out of my ass but you know" she shrugs her shoulders before continuing

"I guess it's just his looks that everybody fawns over. You can't even deny how attractive he is" she speaks and grabs her bag, standing up to move to her group, leaving you to follow her actions and face the blonde haired man. you look at him and you really can't deny it, he is unbelievably attractive. his face chiseled perfectly, his hair framing his face in a way that extenuates his features. he looks at you, a smile appearing on his lips this time, inviting you over.

You return his smile out of fondness. You're not really the type to fall for looks, you want something genuine. Real feelings and love, so you've never had the opportunity to actually fall in love because a lot of people in this generation tend to follow down the path of hook-up culture that really wasn't designed for your heart.

I guess you could say you want an old type love, one where men weren't ashamed to talk about their feelings for a woman.

You walk over to your group of four people, the empty seat with your name written all over it sat directly next to the blonde. you take your seat and get out your MacBook, opening up your notes before resting your elbows on the table below you, your chin in your palms as you look over your group, your eyes finding jakes figure once more as his do you.

"I'm y/n, by the way" you say to your group and begin talking about the subject of your shared presentation due in three months. its a really big project that consists of the need for various statistics involving a psychological study. When you begin suggesting topics, jakes eyes pour into your movements when you speak, finding it quite cute how much you enjoy talking about your major. he inturrupts you, his voice cherry sweet as his tone cuts into you, your eyes finding his

"you know an awful lot about psychological studies and tests ran in the past, how do you know so much?" he asks genuinely. you smile at him because he seems to take actual interest in your knowledge, you begin to ramble, talking his ear off about how much you enjoy learning how the human mind works and why it works the way it does. the other group members listen to you as well, but not as intentely as Jake does.

"psychology is my major, ever since I was little I was fascinated about the way people operate and the explanation as to why they do the things they do, I guess its kind of like an extreme interest of mine that I decided to make into my life goal to study" you end your ramble, a small tint of red coating your cheeks once you realize you've been talking for over fifteen minutes. Jake's smile never falters at your voice

"you just answered my second question. you're quite an interesting one, y/n" the way he worded his sentence sticks with you, he's talking as if he was born at a different time because you have never, ever heard anyone talk the way he does. you shake your head and the rest of the period goes by in a flash, your group figuring out what to make your presentation on, finishing up on it being the root of different phobias and how they affect different people. its quite simple, but there is a lot of different types that you would like to go over.

"hey guys, I think we should exchange numbers so we can all get together outside of class to do this project" one of your group members says, you nodding your head and getting your phone out of your bag. Jake takes your phone before anybody else could, handing you his in return.

"here, its easier like this than having everybody read out their numbers" Jake says to you, typing his number into your phone. you nod your head in agreement and add your contact information into his device before the two of you switch. you take note of what he named his contact as while he exchanges his phone with someone else.

everyones phone gets passed around and you notice that he named himself "Jake" in your phone while "sim jaehyun" was his name in everybody elses. you take note with a small smile before you wipe it off of your face.

"I'll see you later" he says to the group, but only looking at you as he speaks, exiting the room shortly after, leaving you to tilt your head in agreement. The rest of your group pools out of the room as do you not long after.

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A buzz on your phone causes you to stop doing what you're doing, setting down your lipgloss on your vanity before picking it up to check the message.

It's from Jake, and he's asking if you would like to come study with him at a nearby cafe.

You nearly fall out of your chair when you realize you weren't hallucinating, quickly messaging him back a "sure", trying not to get too excited when you get dressed after deciding on a cafe and heading out the door. its not a long walk from your apartment, giving your legs a good stretch after spending hours in your bed studying other subjects for classes your enrolled in. you enter the cafe, your eyes automatically finding Jakes lean figure. he lifts his head up from his computer, sensing your presence enter the building as he waves you over. he stands up so you could scoot into the booth next to him, deciding it was better to see each others screens than have to turn them around every five seconds.

his toothy grin makes you smile as he looks at you, recropricating his fondness. the two of you get to talking about the beginning of your lecture project, and the more that he talks, the more you begin to realize how much he knows about experiments conducted in the past, his knowledge crystal clear and unbelievably accurate. you look at him in wonder, not understanding how he knows so much about things that have happened so long ago.

"how do you know all this stuff?" you ask him, cutting his sentence short as you look up at him. his glasses frame his face so well, and you can see why every girl wont shut up about him. he really is breathtaking.

he brings his bottom lip inbetween his teeth to stop himself from laughing at your question, the most heartwarming smile on his face. he pushes his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and you take note of his eye color; dark brown.

"psychology is my major too, y/n. I also love learning about how the human brain works" the way he says 'human' makes your stomach churn, but you pay it no mind.

"you're really smart for someone who's only 21" you laugh at him. just as he's about to say something, a waiter with your drink comes over and goes to hand it to you. Without thinking, you lean over Jake, one of your breasts presses up against his arm gently and your hair gets in his face; he doesn't move. he doesn't want to move. you smell good.

so fucking good as you get closer to him. everything moves in slow motion in jakes mind as you're oblivious to the thoughts coursing through his skull. his eyes start to become heavy as time begins to catch up to speed. you thank the waiter and lean back on your seat, your body peeling away from his. a distasteful look clouds his face as he wants to grab you and pull you to press up against him again, but he controls himself.

you take a sip of your drink with a hum before looking at the man next to you, freezing at the look on his pale face.

"Jake, are you okay?" your voice rings through out his head and suddenly he's snapped out of his thoughts as he turns to you, his eyes still heavy.

"yes, yeah im okay" he says, trying to push a reassuring smile out to comfort you. you dont look away, concern laced in your tone

"are you sure? you dont look so good" you say, leaning closer to him. your hand raises before you can event think. the back of your hand comes in contact with his forehead and much to your surprise, he doesn't have a fever, its actually quite the opposite.

he's cold. almost freezing. you gasp and furrow your eyebrows. Jake takes note and quickly grabs your wrist in your hand, gently so he doesn't hurt you, and brings it down.

"I'm okay y/n, really" his smile is genuine this time. he's never had someone worry about him so easily before and he's never had someone talk to him about their interests, let alone his. ever.

your lips part as a small, shallow breath leaves your throat, your cheeks warming up. you take notice in the fact that his hand the same tempature as his forehead. you stare at each other before you feel jakes thumb gently caressing the skin on your wrist, breaking you out of your trance. you lift your wrist away from his hold, but not before your fingers lace around his in a small squeeze, deciding to do something slightly risky.

you pick up the glass and take another sip. you almost choke when you hear Jake laughing from above you, loud and clear. you set the glass down and look up at him, your lips in a full pout as you cross your arms.

"dont tell me you're one of those matcha haters." you tighten your lips and glare at his laughing. he shakes his head and begins to calm before speaking to you through giggles

"matcha tastes like grass y/n, how could you like that stuff" you huff at his sentence, kicking his foot under the table before turning away from him, his eyes being met with your back.

"oh y/n, dont ignore me, im only expressing my opinion. you can't be mad at meee" his hands move before he can process what he's doing, his fingers find your waist and tickle you.

your body spins around as a loud shriek forces its way out of your throat, a loud laugh following in pursuit. you shake in his hold, your palms desperately trying to smack his hands away as laughter fills the whole building.

"okay okay im not mad let me go" he stops tickling you, but his hands dont leave your waist, and you don't even realize it. he can feel your warmth under his fingertips and the blood coursing through your veins, your body and soul very much prominent and alive. it fills Jake with so many emotions.

"what do you like to drink then, mr. picky" he almost answers your question honestly, but he bites his tongue.

"something much sweeter than matcha" his tone darkens playfully and it makes you slightly lightheaded. You can now feel his hands on you, his fingers tightening around your figure, but you don't say anything about it, and you can't understand why.

Jake comes to his senses when you squirm under his hands ever so slightly. your body's pulse as well as your flowing blood being felt under his hands becomes quickly overstimulating, making him clench his jaw. he lets you go before muttering a quick

"I'll text you later" before speed walking out of the cafe, leaving you lightheaded and almost breathless. you walk home in confusion after spending the last few hours of your day with Jake studying and talking. you hear a distant scream a few blocks away, but that's normal in a city like this, so you push it to the back of your head once you enter your apartment for the night.

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"y/n..." a dark voice sings you name. you turn around in what appears to be an empty, dark space with no walls and the ground around you is filled with shallow water that leaves your bare feel cold.

"y/n" the voice echos, louder this time. your heart begins to pound in your chest, but you can't get your feet to move for the life of you. your breathing is heavy and it feels like you're about to be snatched up. you look around, no light, sound, or anything can be seen or heard in the weird universe you find yourself in.

That's until you turn your body around, finally getting your feet to move

That's when you see it: a figure with a blurred face stands a ways away from you, but you can almost see it clearly, carrying something

no, somebody.

Your freaked out breathing increases, but you stand your ground. you squint your eyes, making out the small drops of a red liquid stained the clothes its wearing, you can tell now its a man carrying a woman in a short white nightgown stained in the same red liquid that matches the color of his clothes, similar to your own night gown you sleep in every night. the mans face is blurry, but you can still see the red that stains his chin and neck, your eyes working their way down his figure to see his fingertips painted in the same, dark color. you can feel the grin on his face from where your standing. The woman doesn't move or make a sound. she's completely limp in his arms.

within the blink of an eye, he's standing in front of you, his face still blurry as the woman disappears from his hold

"be careful with who you trust" he whispers. the way he moved was so quick, it scared you into falling into the water below you, and suddenly you jump up out of your bed with a gasp. your hand clenches your chest as your heave for air. you shake your head and turn on the light on your bedside table.

You look around, scared out of your mind before getting the courage to get up and walk to the kitchen, getting a glass of water and chugging the entire thing before putting it down on the counter, leaning down to stretch your back.

"it was only a nightmare" you say to yourself, standing up straight and running your fingers through your hair. You walk into the living room to check the time. 5:30 am and your psychology class starts at 8:00 am. You decide to take a shower and make yourself breakfast instead of going back to sleep, you're too awake to do so anyways, the dream forcing you into being fully alert.

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Walking into class, now tired out of your mind from getting up so early, you set your bag down and sit next to Jake. you lean over the desk with your head in your hands, face buried in your arms as you let out a groan.

"are you okay" Jake puts a comforting hand on your back that eases you. you turn your head to look at him, your eyes tired while you nod your head. Jake doesn't believe you and cocks his head to the side, a questioning look sweeps over his face as he looks at you.

"I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep, I'm so tired." you say, not looking away from him, the cutest pout on your lips. Jake wants nothing more than to kiss you right then and there, but he holds himself.

"I know how that feels" he says, his face softening. class begins and you end up falling asleep for the entire two hours, Jake taking down notes for you. he watches your peaceful figure, your shoulders moving up and down gently as your breathing is calm.

You feel a hand rubbing up and down your back and the softest, sweetest voice lure you out of your sleepy state. you blink your eyes open as you realize Jake is the one coaxing you out of your little nap.

"hi sleepy girl" the nickname makes your heart swell in your ribcage as you look up at him with a smile

"how long was I asleep for?" you ask him, not moving. he chuckles before answering your question.

"the whole class" you sit up quicker than the speed of sound, looking around to notice the class packing up, the clock striking 10 am. you shake your head in disappointment

"you let me sleep through the lecture??" you ask him in a sassy tone without meaning to, but he doesn't take it to heart

"you needed the sleep, I didn't want to wake you. you looked so peaceful" he says, his hand on your back leaving. you look at your open MacBook, then back at him

"I took the notes for you, if that helps" he gestures at the screen and you look at the organized notes before your expression softens

"im sorry for having an attitude, I'm just kind of anal about taking notes, but you did them perfectly" you stand up and close your laptop, putting it in your bag before slinging it over your shoulder.

"y/n, do you wanna hang out? we can study too if you want"

I just want to spend time with you.

you're glad he asked before you could, because you're not too sure you would have due to the fact that you were just too shy. you nod your head and walk out of the classroom side by side.

"where do you want to go?" you ask him as you begin to walk off campus. He shrugs his shoulders as he thinks, not really knowing where to go. you also think for a moment before the two of you begin talking in unison

"do you wanna go get food and then go to a park?" you ask him as he cuts his sentence short to listen to you. he nods his head

"that's perfect" he says as the two of you make your way to a cafe not far from campus. the bell dings, signaling to the workers that the two of you entered the building. Both of you stand in the short line to order, but you suddenly have the urge to pee.

"Jake, can you hold my things, I have to use the bathroom" you say. without needing any words, he grabs your tote off your shoulder and slings it around his. he smiles at you as you grip his arm gently without realizing it, walking off after. your touch lingers on his arm, even as he's ordering he can still feel your warmth.

you walk out of the bathroom after washing your hands to be met with Jake talking to another girl. She's beautiful; long blonde hair and a button nose, she's skinny and her clothes bring out her curves. she's holding onto Jakes arm, and before you could feel any sort of jealousy, he shifts under her hold uncomfortably, peeling out of her grasp with the fakest smile you've ever seen. you pause in your tracks, picking up on the conversation.

"You're so handsome, it's incredible" she says, tilting her head and batting her eyelashes at him. he chuckles and shakes his head. How could she not see the obviously pink tote bag littered with keychains and plushies on it? He clenches his jaw and musters out a "thank you"

"do you want to, I dont know, hang out? we could go back to my place?" she asks, eyeing him up and down. he shakes his head instantly, denying her invitation

"no thanks, im good. I'm actually here with someone" he cocks his head in your direction and she spins around, glaring at you. surprise takes over your body as you question how the fuck he knew you were standing there in the hidden corner without him even glancing at you. Your jaw slacks open in a quiet gasp as his eyes shift over to yours, not even needing to move his body or head to look at you. his stare makes you feel things you shouldn't. his eyes are telling you to come to him, so you obey, the both of them staring at you

You go to stand next to him shyly and Jake can't help but admire how obedient you are. he's not meaning to have such perverted thoughts about you at a time like this, but he can't help himself you're just too fucking adorable.

good girl

he thinks to himself. the girl huffs and walks away without a single word. you turn to face him

"good riddance, these girls have no shame" he says, smiling down at you

"you don't like it when girls approach you?"

"correction, I don't like it when they throw themselves at me" he says and before the conversation can continue, he holds up an iced matcha for you. you smile and look at it, then at him again.

"you bought it for me?" you ask and cup the cold drink in your hands.

"don't even think of paying me back" he says, still holding your tote as his now empty hand finds its way to gently grasp the small of your back, ushering the two of you out of the building and towards a non-busy park. You walk side by side through the cool, crisp autumn breeze. the golden, red, and brown leaves falling and crunching under your feet and the smell of the earth is calming. you take a sip of your drink and hum. Jake looks at you, admiring the way you enjoy the small things around you.

the both of you silently approach the grassy park and sit down next to each other. you set your drink down as he mimics your actions with your bag, putting it down next to him.

you lay down, your hair sprawled out on the ground but you don't care, you have to shower today anyways.

"its so nice outside, Its finally sweater weather, I can use my hoodies now" you say out in the open, not directly to Jake but at the world

"are you cold?" he asks you, moving to take his hoodie off before you can reply.

"a little, but its nice" before you open your eyes, you feel Jakes arms around your shoulders, ushering you to sit up as he helps you put his hoodie on. you take his hoodie as a kind gesture and put it on. its comforting, but not quite warm. you would think that his body heat would make the jacket at least a little warm, but its not.

it smells like him and your body begins to relax into the material of the jacket, feeling comforted.

"thank you, but aren't you gonna be cold?" you ask

"I don't get cold" you look at him, confusion written all over your face, but you take his words as a joke.

"ha ha, I guess you're just built different" you fake a sarcastic laugh at him and lay down again, Jake following after, laying next to you.

"do you have a girlfriend" you don't mean to be so direct, but his earlier actions confuse you, making you wonder if he just isn't looking for anything, or he already has a girlfriend. he turns to look at you, a serious look on his face as he speaks

"no. I've never fallen in love before and I don't plan to." he says as you turn to face him now, a little sad, but you listen to him with undivided attention.

"why?"

"everybody wants to just use me for my body. I don't understand it. not to toot my own horn but I do know that I am attractive, but im so much more than a handsome face. I want somebody to love me for me." he says and you become breathless, feeling the exact same way. you nod before you speak, looking deeply into his now hazel eyes

"I feel the same way. ive never met anybody who thinks the same way as I do apart from my best friend. I want to love someone and I want someone to love me, I don't want just sex I want-

-passion" Jake says the same word as you do. your face turns a deep shade of red. no other words needing to be said. his eyes lure you in dangerously close and suddenly you're daydreaming of kissing him.

kissing him with so much force and emotion it makes heat rise to your core, spreading throughout your body like fireworks.

"they're wrong about you" you blurt out as you keep daydreaming.

"I know" he says sadly. you can feel his emotions, as he feels yours.

"you're so kind, I dont understand how everybody can say such things" you chew the skin on the bottom of your lip after the words leave your mouth, worried you've said too much.

"you're too sweet to me" he's being serious. he's done unspeakably bad things, and he's dangerous. He's been telling himself to stay away from you out of fear he might hurt you as well because you're different than all the rest, but that fact alone drives him in more. you're like his muse. you're all he's been thinking about as of late, but no matter how hard he's been trying, he just can't stay away from you. he thinks of how badly he wants to crawl over you and devour you, show you how badly you've begun to take over every thought in his mind and the reasoning as to every action he's started making.

you've begun to drive him mad, and he's never wanted to take, taste, keep something to himself so badly.

his eyes shift color ever so slightly and you can almost swear they darken, his eyes getting heavy. however, you're not the least bit scared. you're intrigued.

you want to know what makes him tick. you want to know what he's thinking and why. his eyes flood into you, making you feel like your drowning in his stare. a coil starts to form in your lower abdomen, and you wonder how in the hell that's happened when he hasn't even hinted towards touching you.

"Jake" his name rolls off your tongue in a breathless whisper, almost like a hushed moan and its music to his ears. he hums in response, urging you to continue.

"do you think you could eventually fall in love?" you ask him, wishing he would give you the answer you would like to hear.

"I will, I can feel it." he says answering your question. he doesn't want to, but he feels himself falling for you ever so slowly, a ticking time bomb he wish he could defuse. he doesn't want you to be a part of his life because that would put you in danger, making you one of the most beautiful walking targets, and he would hurt anybody who even thought of laying a finger on you because of him.

but he doesn't want to let you go. the internal battle he's having with himself only grows with every passing second he's with you, and he's falling into insanity. with his slow decent into madness, yours follows not far after.

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this universe is a deep shade of red, and its dark. the cool water floods around your feet, making them cramp with how cold the temperature is. you've finally worked up the courage to walk around, wondering why you always find yourself in this familiar place every single night.

the only sound that echoes in the never ending universe is water rustling around, and your shallow breathing. it feels as though you've been walking for hours, if not days trying to find the answer as to why you've been brought here so frequently.

a scream makes you jump, whipping your head around as your heart feels like its going to leap into your throat and out of your mouth. your nails dig into your palms, attempting to ground yourself. you can see the familiar figure, holding the same woman in the white night gown, still stained in red.

you dare walk closer, tired of being played with like a game in your own dream world. you clench your jaw and swallow, hard. you begin to walk over with confidence, but all of your thoughts are drained from your body once you realize what's happening.

He's holding her in his arms bridal style, his knees digging into the wet floor as his face is in her neck. she's facing away from you, so you can't see who it is, but you can hear the moans of... agony, pleasure? you can't tell as they roll off her tongue and into your ears.

the water begins to turn red underneath the two of them, and all you want to do is wake up

wake up

wake up

please

but your frozen as you attempt to piece together what's unfolding before you. your jaw slacks open when one of his free hands slides under the slip of her dress, touching her in ways that make you feel tingly, now realizing her moans are ones of pleasure.

you gasp when he lifts his head up, his hair covering his eyes as he chuckles darkly. his face isn't blurred anymore, and you can almost just make out his face-

your hands fly to your mouth, trying to stop yourself from gasping even louder as he looks up at you, his mouth stained a with deep crimson red liquid that drips down his chin and onto his suit. a smirk litters his face as you can see the undeniably prominent fangs that stand out like a rose in a field of weeds.

"Jake.."

you shoot up out of bed, trying to understand what's happening. a loud bang makes you just about jump out of your skin and your window flies open, your curtains dancing in the night wind. you get up quickly and slam it shut before running back into bed and under the covers. your hands rake through your hair, pulling on it out of stress.

you just had a dream about Jake and he was.. inhuman. its not possible, it can't be. your hands move down to cover your face as you whine, realizing he wasn't just inhuman, but he was fingering someone, touching them in all the ways you wished he would touch you, and suddenly you start to think the most disgusting, vile thoughts of the man you've befriended less than two months ago.

thoughts ranging from kissing each other deeply, his hands all over you, touching your every nook and cranny you possess as he sucks deep, purple marks into your skin, his hands traveling down to the hem of your panties as he slips them to the side, sliding his fingers in and out of you ever so gently as if you were the most fragile little doll ever made

to him fucking you deep into the mattress, biting and grabbing you everywhere he could reach, his cock breeding you and engraving his shape into your body for all of eternity, marking you his as he carves his name into his creation, his little doll.

you feel disgusting as your fingers slip inside your underwear, dragging against your clit as you make yourself wetter at the though of Jake using you in every way possible. you slip down into the mattress as you begin fingering yourself, wishing he would come and replace your dainty little fingers with his long ones, stretching you and abusing your hole as if it were his own, and honestly, you wish he would come claim you.

"y-yun,,," you moan quietly, but much to your obliviousness, he hears your call, watching you from the darkest corner of your room, watching you unravel yourself just for him,, all because of him.

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"okay only two weeks until the project is due and we have to present, we just need to do revisions" one of your group partners says to the group. your head is in your hands, shielding yourself from the sun coming in through the windows. Jake puts a comforting hand on your back, luring you out of your almost-sleepy daze.

"are you okay?" he asks gently, his tone sincere. you turn your head to look at him, nodding with a small smile on your face. he looks at you as if he doesn't believe you, but doesn't push the issue.

"Ive done all my revisions, so im pretty much all done unless any of you need my help with anything" he says. you shift under his hand still rubbing your back.

"I'm all done too, ive been staying up late at night to get this done because I have other classes I need to focus on" you lie through your teeth. The real reason you haven't been getting sleep is because you have the same exact dream every single night, and it wakes you up at exactly four in the morning on the dot. its been almost three months now and you're starting to feel restless, and now with the new information that the man in your dreams is indeed Jake, you don't know how to feel. One thing you do know for certain is that you've begun to grow feelings for the blonde haired boy. The way he looks at you is alluring, and it the fact that the two of you have been hanging out almost every other day isn't helping your case. Whether it be studying for an exam, or watching a movie at home, you always find yourself with Jake as of recently. His presence is comforting, and you're beginning to become attached.

You feel gross for thinking it, but you've also been feeling a sort of urge with him. Thinking about how well he would fit inside you and how good it would feel. What kind of sounds would he make when he's fucking you. Would he moan, or keep quiet? Little to your knowledge, he's been thinking the same thing about you.

Would you writhe underneath him, or take his cock like the good girl he's come to be obsessed with. Would you whimper or scream? He wants all of you, especially the part he's most scared of taking.

You just smell so good.

He can't help but want to taste you. not only is your pussy making him want to do unspeakable things, but so is your blood. pure, innocent, and so full of life. your heart is also calling out his name without you realizing it, and so is his.

Even though his isn't beating or pumping blood throughout is body, he wishes it would beat just for you, all because of you. He still feels that red hot firework throughout his stomach and mind whenever he's around you, and all he wants to do is hold you and tell you how badly he craves you, needs you, wants you.

Your mind, body, and soul he wants to take for himself.

"lets go back to your place so you can nap, okay?" he says into your ear and you nod quicker than you can even think. He packs up his back as well as yours and carries them out of the building the four of you decided to study in for the day and head over to your apartment.

"y/nnnn" Jake says, throwing his head back as you look up at him through your eyelashes, you don't say anything, but pout instead.

"y/n please" you shake your head no, the pout not faltering.

"if I watch this with you, can you at LEAST let me teach you how to play Fortnite. All my friends are ass at playing" you groan, throwing your head back now.

"please please please please please-"

"FINE oh my god I just wanted to watch twilight for fucks sake you can teach me" you throw a pillow at him from your position on the floor before turning around to plug the dvd into the dvd player. you hear Jake snicker from behind you. you whip your head around with a glare, your lips sucked between your teeth.

"why on earth are you using a dvd player" he laughs.

"i'm going to strangle you." you say seriously, but Jake takes it as a challenge.

"oh yeah?" he spreads his legs apart slightly, manspreading on the couch as his arms are folded behind is head, and the way he's looking at you makes you feel hot and heavy, quickly.

"I'd like to see you try" your cheeks heat up, but you decide to stand up and charge at him anyways with a laugh. you jump onto his lap and your hands find their way to his neck, attempting to choke him out, but he grabs both your wrists in his one arm and flips your back onto the couch below you, hovering over your body.

suddenly, this game isn't funny anymore, as your thighs clamp down together as his face is only a couple mere inches away from yours. your lips part as you let out a shaky breath. you clasp your thighs together and Jake can smell the arousal pooling in your panties.

"Jake" there you go again, saying his name in the most beautiful, breathless and airy way possible. he drops his head down and shakes it, trying so hard to control himself.

"fuck,,, y/n.." he says quietly and you hum. he's eyeballing your neck, his own arousal and lust just about clouding his mind before a harsh knock scares you, making you jump in his hold. your arousal is stripped away from you as you turn towards the door.

"pizzas here" is all Jake says before letting you out of his grasp and heading towards the door, pulling out his wallet and saying for your pizza. you lay there while he's paying, trying to figure out what the hell that was. you felt so extremely turned on and Jake looked at you like he wanted to either kill you, or fuck you until you were completely braindead. You sit up as he puts the pizza on the living room table and the movie starts playing when you hit play on the remote.

The two of you watch in comfortable silence as you munch on your second slice of pizza.

"That's not how vampires actually are" he blurts out randomly. you turn to him and tilt your head in confusion

"what?" you ask him, swallowing your bite and putting the crust back into the box.

"not all vampires have powers, only the strongest of the strong have powers. its actually rare for a vampire to actually get their own individual powers, they're just fast and strong" he says in a matter of fact tone and it makes you wonder. It's odd how much knowledge he has about this sort of thing and he's talked about it before in front of you whenever you talk about mythical creatures.

"how do you know that" you look at him, turning your body to look at him fully as the movie becomes background noise.

"the internet is free, silly girl" he covers up his knowledge and shifts his gaze towards you, the movie pushed to the back of both your minds.

"that could be true, but we dont know for certain because its not real" you say trying to comfort yourself. Jake rolls his eyes with a small "sure" before smirking at you, leaning in towards your frame.

"what..." you say, leaning in the opposite direction. his hands come to either side of your legs, trapping you. one of his hands places itself on your waist and in less than a fraction of a second, he's ticking the life out of you as you scream for mercy.

"Jake pleaseeee let me go- pl- Jake please" you scream at him while laughing, writing under his fingers.

"nuhuh, you asked for this" he laughs with you and your hands fling up and around his neck, shaking your head from side to side. he stops ticking you and looks down, a smile still on his face. he collapses to the side of you after a moment of staring, and pulls you into his body by your waist, your head on his chest. your body relaxes into his hold and you nuzzle your face into him. this is the closest the two of you have gotten, and now he's finally holding you in one of the ways he's craved for what feels like eternity, and you could basically say that.

He's waited for someone like you to come around for hundreds of years, never being able to fall in love in the centuries of being on this earth, and he can't repress his feelings anymore as you fall asleep in his hold. Your steady breathing and the beating of your heart bring him comfort that nobody, and nothing else ever could. he kisses your forehead gently before groaning to himself.

He is so fucked.

he thinks to himself as he closes his eyes as he breathes in your scent, his arms around you tightening as if that would help protect you from all the evil in this world, including him.

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"Guys we got an A...." one of your group members says with a huge smile. you squeal and jump, giving your group mates a high five before Jake is pulling you into him from behind, giving you a huge hug.

"I knew we could do it, we're all way too smart for this class anyways" Jake says to everyone

"it helps that we had the smartest girl in school on our team too" he whispers in your ear as a deep shade of blush coats your cheeks. you turn around and slap his chest with an eye roll.

"be quiet" you shake your head and wave off your other, now past group members as they walk out of the class for the end of the semester.

"lets celebrate, wanna go get something to drink and go to the beach?" Jake asks and you look at him like he's crazy.

"Jake it's almost winter, what on earth are we gonna do at the beach?" you ask him, not quite rejecting his idea. he grabs your tote bag and slings it over his shoulder.

"I just want to look at the ocean and walk around, you don't have to come if-"

"No I want to, lets go" you grab his wrist interrupting him, dragging him out of the classroom and towards the campus cafe. The wind is chilly a sit blows your white maxi skirt, the hoodie Jake let you borrow a couple months ago keeping you warm. you turn to look at the blonde behind you before looking at him in surprise

"how are you not cold" you motion to the thin black t-shirt he's wearing. he shrugs his shoulders and pulls you to walk next to him instead of in front.

"I don't get cold often, remember?" he says, making the memory of him telling you that before front in your mind.

"oh yes I remember now, are you sure you're not cold?' he nods his head and looks to you with a reassuring smile before opening the door to the cafe, holding it open for you as you trot inside. you order a hot chocolate, offering Jake something but he declines.

The cafe is pretty, the walls a nice pretty green color with fairy lights littering the walls around you. it's not super busy especially for it being the middle of the day. Your drinks are finished and the two of you walk to the beach, not too far from the college. you grab his cold hand and lace his fingers with yours and urge him onto the sand, the water crashing down and meeting with the small grains to make a beautiful sound.

"its been so long since ive been to the beach, ive been so busy" you say and breathe in the salty air, and finish your drink, throwing it away at a near trash can and you start walking along the beach, avoiding the ocean water to not get your shoes wet. Jake follows you, walking a couple feet behind you.

Once you realize he's behind you, you stop and turn around to face him, questioning why he's walking behind you and not next to you. He stops in his tracks too, watching your body. Suddenly, an idea hits him as a shit eating grin makes its way to his face and you get the urge to run, watching the gears in his head turn. You spin around without questioning it and run away from him, and he takes off after you. You laugh and turn your head noticing how close he's gotten in such a short amount of time. You scream and pick up pace, but much to your avail, his arms wrap around your smaller frame and pick you up in the air. you kick your feet trying to get out of his hold, but he's strong, keeping you in his arms. He spins you around and throws himself on the ground, your body falling on top of his with a squeal.

"oh my god Jake, didn't that hurt?" you laugh and he shakes his head. you rest your chin on his chest as he lays in the sand, admiring how perfect his facial structure is. the way his blue eyes

blue eyes?

glitter in tune with the crystal ocean water. he brings his hand up to you, pushing the stray hairs out of your face and behind your ear. you shift on top of him and he feels every inch of your body very quickly. the way you smell is overwhelming and the way your warm, beautiful body is pressed against him pushes his senses into overdrive. his eyes change from blue to a deep red and within the fraction of a second, he's pushing your back into the sand with a small yelp coming from you, his face is in your neck, inhaling your scent deeply through his nose and out of his mouth. you whine, shifting uncomfortably underneath him as you wrap your arms around his neck, your fingers finding his hair.

"Jake..?" you call out to him, but he doest hear you as he bites down on his bottom lip, hard as an attempt to control himself. he groans into your skin and it sends vibrations throughout your body. one of his hands is on your waist, his fingertips digging into your skin, but you can't feel it.

You pull his head up to look you in the eyes, but when you see him, your lips part and you become breathless.

Hes so incredibly handsome, but he looks like he's in pain. his nails dig into your skin and you yelp, tightening your grip in his hair without realizing, making him moan and fall into your neck again.

"j-jake?? are you okay?" your worry makes him want to split you open and fuck you right there in the sand, but he can't. he wont hurt you. He shakes his head and tightens his grip once more before letting you go gently, standing up and looking down at you, a harsh look in his eyes as he speaks.

"I can't y/n.. I can't- fuck..." he cocks his neck away from you and walks away, so quickly it's almost as if he disappeared. you lay in the sand, awe struck and trying to figure out what the hell just happened. you lay there for a few minutes, wishing he would come back, say something- anything to you. your suspicions grow with every passing second and before you could let your mind go into overdrive, you get up and brush the sand off. on your walk home, you try and think of something else, anything to take your mind off the raging, burning hot pit in the bottom of your abdomen. you bite your lip so hard, it starts bleeding when you approach the door of your apartment.

You slam the door behind you and lock it. you throw off your clothes, suddenly feeling hot despite the cold weather. you get in the shower, trying to wash yourself clean, but no matter how many pumps of body wash you use or how red you scrub your skin, you feel dirty.

Does Jake not want to be around you because he figured out you have a crush on him? or even worse... you want him to use you? fuck you? you groan and throw your loofa on the ground and turn off the water.

after getting dressed and drying off your hair, you think about what to eat for dinner, but instantly feel nauseous at the thought of eating, so you just turn on the tv to distract your brain, but the phone on the corner of the table is calling your name.

You stare at the device before scooping it up to see if Jake texted you.

Nothing.

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The red universe has now become your second home as you find yourself here once again. the water isn't as cold as it normally is, it's actually quite warm. you clench your jaw with an eye roll and begin to walk around, looking for the familiar blonde boy and the mysterious woman in white.

it feels as though you've been walking around for hours before your eyes land on the familiar scene, only this time, its clearer.

he's once again on his knees with her in his arms, his hand is slipped under her night gown, her moans echoing off the chambers of your skull, a pang of jealousy hits you straight in the heart as you scowl.

he lifts his head and turns to you, the blood of the woman staining his lip and clothes, the same black suit has undertones of red and you tense at the eye contact. his fingers work faster inside of her as she turns her head, looking dead at you as you gasp.

All these nights of waking up with your clit pulsating and your mind as tired as can be finally all make sense as you look at the woman

a perfect mirror

its you

"no,,," you whisper

"oh yes" he chuckles darkly, and you go to turn your head because when he spoke, the voice wasn't coming from Jake himself, but from behind you.

when you turn your head, your body freezes as you're now on the ground exactly where the mirrored version of you was and you moan loudly at the quick ripples of pleasure that flow throughout your body, caused by jakes fingers working inside you, pumping your walls as you become as wet as the ground beneath you.

you turn your head to look at the man above you. his eyes are a deep, vibrant red and even though its dark, his pale skin is shimmering as if you're in a room full of lights.

"Jake.." you whimper to him, his eyebrows pinch together and suddenly he looks like he's in pain, giving you the same exact look he had given earlier at the beach.

he lowers his head to your neck, and bites down.

Your moans pick up volume as they fill your dark room, the moonlight cascades in through your window as jakes silhoutte is illuminated perfectly, his shadow pours down onto the bed where you moan his name in your sleep so prettily.

You fling yourself out of sleep, sitting up with heavy panting, your chest heaving up and down. Jake looks at you as you awaken, his figure looming over you as he stands at the foot of the bed. you feel anothers presence and decide to look up and that's when you see him. his eyes are as red as they were in your dream, and there are prominent eye bags that soil his perfect skin. the spaghetti straps on your white nightgown fall off your shoulders and your hair is a mess. with parted lips, you breathy call his name, but he doesn't move, nor does he speak.

"Jake please..." you call again. he bites his lip and shakes his head.

"I can't.." his pained voice responds finally after your plea. you feel your eyes burning and your clit is throbbing more than it ever has in your life, your forehead is starting to get glossy as sweat begins to rise on your skin. you shake your head, not understanding the meaning of all of this, the dreams, him running away, why he's so cold all the time but can't feel it, his eye color changes, why you've never seen him eat, or drink.

Why can't you read him?

"I don't understand, Jake please" you whine at him and it drives him crazy, falling head over heels once more. his hands make their way up to his hair as he tugs on it out of frustration.

"I'm in love with you y/n." his words vibrate your body, your eyes widening when you understand them.

"but I can't be with you."

"why?" you cry out to him, begging him to do anything, touch you, hold you, feel you. you need something, you need him more than anything.

"I can't hurt you. I wont do it." he turns around looking out of the window, and for the first time in his pathetic life, he feels his eyes sting, his thirst increasing with every passing second.

"I want you, please. you could never hurt me, I don't want you to go, Jake I-" you cut yourself off as he turns towards you, his hands dropping out of his hair to dangle by his sides.

"I love you" he scoffs, not believing you.

"you love a person who kills people in order to survive." you shake your head in disbelief, knowing this would come sooner or later.

"you love a person who has been resisting the urge to take you since the first moment he's laid his eyes on you, y/n." his voice is dark but somehow sweet. you shake your head again, denying his words.

"you love a monster."

"you're wrong. I love you Jake, I love Sim Jaehyun, I need you please- please don't leave me" you squeak out the last bit of your sentence. your eyes pleading him to stay. the arousal only growing stronger the longer his around you and he can sense it.

"I don't care that you're a vampire, I don't care about any of it I just need you, im begging you Jaehyun. stay with me, please. I can't imagine myself without you I dont want that" you get up on your knees, crawling over to his body that stands near the edge of the bed. his lips are parted, giving you a full view of his fangs that you've never ever seen before.

if he had one, his heart would have been shattered in his chest with the way you're looking at him; worried and completely heartbroken. he would rip it out and gift it to you on a silver platter if it meant he could be with you with no risks. so the venom coursing through is veins at rapid speed replaces his heart. he's never felt hot in his life up until this moment, where the woman he's been waiting for for centuries is begging for him. his eyes hold pain as they meet yours.

His hand moves up to grip your chin softly, ghosting his fingers along your skin before cupping your cheek, caressing your face with his thumb.

"I won't hurt you y/n. I can't.. imagine having an existence without you in it, but I refuse to cause you any pain. I wont do it" his voice is stern, a single tear falling from his eye and down his cheek in frustration. you want him to understand how badly you need him.

"you could never do such a thing, please, im begging you please don't leave me.." your eyes reassure him. it takes a moment of silence and a lot of thinking before he speaks, finally giving you an ounce of hope.

"if I stay here with you, y/n, you'll never be able to leave. you're life will forever be different. if you want me to stay, you'll be marked as mine, permanently. do you understand love?" he gives you the final opportunity to back out, and some sick part of him hopes you will stay. you nod your head in his grasp, but that's not enough for him.

"words, sweetheart."

"I want you and only you in this lifetime, and all the ones after, I promise. I'm yours" you say in a whisper, and that's exactly what Jake wanted to hear. he bends down so his face is right in front of yours

"I love you" he says quickly under his breath before his lips capture yours in a deep, heated kiss. giving up on the last bit of restraint he had. this kiss was one filled with so much desire and longing that it makes you whine into his mouth, and he happily swallows it. his free hand moves to the outside of your thigh, and before you realize, a flip switches in Jakes mind as he's picking you up by the bottom of your thigh, his huge hand swallowing you as he pushes you up farther on the bed, pinning you down. his teeth scratch your bottom lip as your teeth crash against each other. your hands fly to his hair, gripping on his blonde locks to keep you from floating out of your body. his hand then moves towards your knee, spreading your legs apart.

His hand slips up the silk of your night gown, his fingers met with the flimsy lace fabric of your panties that are soaked through and through. he growls lowly before he speaks

"you drive me so. fucking. insane." is all he says before pulling the fabric to the side and dipping his freezing fingers in your wet folds. you break the kiss as your eyes fly closed, white hot pleasure coursing through your veins as he rubs concentrated figure eights on your slit. your mouth slacks open in a perfect 'o' shape. Jake takes this opportunity to dip his face in-between the skin of your neck and shoulder, sucking the prettiest shade of purple into your soft skin. he can now hear your blood flowing.

he licks a stripe up the junction of your neck and collarbones and towards your ear, biting down on the lobe which causes you to arch your back into him. Jake takes this opportunity to plunge two long fingers into your tight cunt, and he chuckles at how tight you squeeze his digits. you turn your head to face him and he detaches from your neck, looking down at you.

your face buries itself into his neck, finding comfort in his cool skin against your hot face. your moans muffle against him as you flutter around his fingers deep inside of you.

he curls his fingers up, grazing your sweetspot perfectly and you moan his name rather loudly.

"let me hear you my darling" you detach from his neck and open your eyes, looking into his red ones as your parted lips moan his name in the most sinful chant he's ever heard. his fingers twist and curl into you faster, making your hips buck up into his palm.

Jake sits up and uses his free hand to push your hips down into the mattress, keeping you from moving.

"stay still" he commands, and you obey. Jake slowly sinks down onto the bed as his fingers pull out of you. you whine in protest, but quickly hush your mouth when he pulls your red lace panties down your legs with his teeth, his fangs on full display. you clench down on nothing at the sight and he sees this, chuckling darkly.

he throws your legs over his shoulders as he pins your hips down with one of his hand, the other coming to trace the slit of your pussy, gently rubbing a circle around your clit every time he makes his way back up. you groan in frustration after a minute passes, but that's quickly cut short as he forces two of his digits inside your pussy, curling upwards instantly to scratch your g-spot. you attempt to thrust your hips forward, but are met with the rough forcefulness of jakes hand keeping you pinned to your silk sheets.

his teeth graze your clit, his hair in his face making you feel the coil in your stomach form. you yelp when he bites down, sucking afterwards to soothe the pain as he begins to eat you out. his tongue is fast against you, the sweat forming on your body creates a beautiful glow on your skin and Jake can almost swear that you walked straight out of a painting. the most beautiful painting ever created. the moonlight cascades down over his figure, his jawline sharp as it moves when he laps at your cunt like a starved animal-

-and that's exactly what he was. your legs wrapped around him in a desperate, failed attempt to suffocate him as you squirm underneath his tongue. fast, wet, and cool as he fucking you from the inside out. his fingers splitting you open as they work inside you. your walls squeeze him tight and he wonders how you'll ever be able to take his cock.

"y-yun,, m'- ffuck" you moan out to him as you grip the silk sheets on either side of you. Jake can't get enough of how sweet you taste. the perfect girl having the most perfect taste, what more could he ask for? He groans into your pussy, his fingers pulling out of you to wrap around your legs, the hand on your abdomen mimicking the others actions as he pulls you into his face. if he could breathe, he would be suffocated. a part of him wishes he could be suffocated because this right here is the closest he's going to be getting to heaven ever. especially with the sinful thoughts that have collected in his head since he met you. he's the devil himself when it comes to you.

You gasp at his actions, gripping his hair tightly between your fingers and grind onto his face. his long tongue fucks itself into you, pulling out to lick, suck, and bite your clit at a perfect rhythm that has your back arching and Jakes name dancing off your tongue creating the sweetest harmony that fills his ears. your juices spill out of his mouth, much to his dismay, and down his chin and onto the bed, soaking the sheets under your ass. your legs shake in his tight grip, your grinding onto his face becomes sloppy as your moans become whimpers. your pussy flutters, and Jake takes note of this. His eyes watch you as he tips you over the edge, spilling all over him as he brings you to your first orgasm. you cream around his tongue as you squirt liquids everywhere. your breathy whine of his name makes his eyes roll into the back of the head with a groan that sends vibrations throughout your body starting at your cunt. he helps you ride out your high, slowly licking and sucking your clit to comfort you on your way down.

you collapse onto the bed as he stands up at the foot of your bed and you hear a click. his belt coming undone as you sit up on your forearms, eyeing him. You're breathless as you stare at the man before you. his eyes glow a deep red and the moonlight hits him perfectly as he takes off his belt in one quick motion, holding it in his hands staring at you.

"so pretty..." you say under your breath towards the creature before you. he chuckles at your words and throws the belt above you on the bed. you go to turn and look at it, but the feeling of his hands wrapped around your ankles prevents you from doing so as he yanks you down to the foot of the bed where he stands. you yelp in surprise as you're face to face with his chest. he grips the base of your jaw in his huge hand, forcing you to look up at him.

"I wan'.. to... want.." your words trail off, not knowing how to word what you want. he tilts his head to the side and brings his hand to the side of your face, cupping your cheek

"tell me what you want baby" his thumb caresses the soft skin, comforting you.

"I wan' you to... taste me..." you whisper and his ears perk up. he sighs, shaking his head.

"oh honey, I wish I could. I really do... but I can't.. I'll hurt you.. I'll lose myself" his hand entangles in your hair, massaging your scalp softly. you whine, shaking your head and furrow your eyebrows. you look up at him and place your fingers in the loop bands of his pants.

"please, yun.. please please please I want you to, need... please plea-" he quickly forces your nightgown above your head and throws it in the corner of the room to be forgotten before his hands find your hair again, yanking it back as you interrupt yourself with a loud scream at the pain. he forces your back down onto the bed as he reaches above you to grab his belt. he ties your arms above your head and around the bed post quicker than you can contemplate. he stands back up at the foot of the bed, watching you squirm under his gaze. he laughs at your helpless figure, finding it way to amusing how easy it is to get you to submit to him.

"you look so cute when you squirm around, my dear" he says unbuttoning his suit jacket and sliding it off, revealing the silky dark brown collared button up. he tilts his head at your whine as he unbuttons the dress shirt painfully slow, sliding it off of his arms to reveal his pale skin and toned body and your mouth waters. he slides the silky material off of him and shoots you a toothy, shit eating grin. one full of lust that makes your thighs clamp together. he unbuttons his dress pants and unzips the zipper, so slowly as if to taunt and tease you.

he slides his pants down passed his ankles and kicks them away, his boxers shielding you from seeing what you want the most. you whine again, signaling him to hurry. he shushes you and pulls his boxers down. his cock springing up to slap against his abdomen, precum leaking from his pink tip. he's huge. long and girthy as you wonder how the fuck that was going to fit inside you. everything about him is perfect, and he just now proved that to you. he crawls over your small frame, his hands enveloping your waist as he caresses your bare skin. the cold air hits your nipples, making them perky and hard, goosebumps littering your skin.

Jake takes his fingernail and presses it against your upper hip on your stomach, his eyes never looking away from you. before you could realize what was happening, he scratches you, hard. you let out a soft yelp at the sudden pain, blood trickling out of the fresh wound and slowly down your hip bone, pooling on your skin. he does it again with his other hand, above the other hip. you yelp, arousal pooling in the pit of your stomach once more and Jake can smell it. his eyes widen as he continues to look at you.

"god, look at you. such a messy, disgusting girl. you're enjoying this hmm?" he says before he cuts you open again. you moan at his words and the pain. your face heating up in embarrassment because what he said was true. you feel hot tears in the back of your eyes you feel so embarrassed, but in a good way. he takes note of your glossy eyes and pouts at you.

"no need to cry sweet thing, ill take care of you." Jake leans over you and kisses your tears away. his kisses trail from your cheeks, down your collarbones and in-between your breasts and down your stomach. he smells your blood before he looks at it, so close that he can basically taste it. his hands find your waist as he holds you in place, his tongue darting out of his mouth to lick the smallest bit of blood off your stomach. His mind goes into overdrive as white hot pleasure rips through him. you're the sweetest thing he's ever tasted, and it makes him want to suck you dry as you struggle underneath him. his grip around you tightens as his long tongue licks up your blood from one of your wounds completely, his lips latching around the cut as he sucks. your walls clench around nothing as you pull at the restraints around your wrists.

he groans into your stomach, your sweet taste covering all his senses as he moves to lick another fresh cut. the way you taste, he will never ever need anything else ever again. nothing could amount to you. you grind your hips into his body as his mouth moves to the final wound, licking it clean and when you look down, surprise overwhelms you as the deep cuts he made are completely healed up scars.

as you look into his eyes, you see Jake for exactly what he is; a vampire. that doesn't scare you away, however it turns you on even further. he quickly pushes himself above you, his lips crashing against yours as he bucks his hips into you, his dick pressing against your heat but not quite going in. you whimper into his mouth, a plea for him to fuck you. you can taste blood on his tongue as you grind against his length, begging him, needing him to use your body.

so that's exactly what he does.

He grabs his cock in his hand and presses it against your entrance, pushing his tip inside of you. you hiss at the stretch, tugging at your restraints. you whine from underneath him. his face finds its way to kissing your neck, littering your skin with his lips. he pushes his dick inside you slowly before bottoming out, his balls slapping against skin.

"so tight, so good baby,, feels like fucking heaven" he says, taking his cock out before pushing it back inside you, his tip instantly kissing your cervix in the sweetest way possible. you scream in pain and pleasure, his dick filling you up perfectly. he lifts his head from your neck so his lips ghost over your skin, breathing hot air on you making you shiver, goosebumps rising to your skin. you squirm in his hold, his hand coming to your waist to hold you in place as the other comes to grip the headboard above you.

His thrusts start off slow and gently, making sure you keep up with his rhythm. your walls flutter around his cock, driving him up the wall before his pace increases, thrusting into you faster and faster, the breathing on your neck giving you chills now as he moans into your neck. your boobs jiggle up and down with every thrusts while your moans begin to sound broken as you choke them out.

Jake licks your neck, making you moan even louder than before and you finally feel scared for the first time, wondering how it's going to feel when he finally sinks his fangs into you. will it hurt? you don't know, but you can't wait to find out. your legs shake and thrash around, and your jaw slacks open in a perfect "o", inhumane sounds spill from your lips as you beg for something you're not even sure of.

Jake growls against your skin, the grip on your waist increasing until his fingernails break the skin of your hips. the smell of blood hits his overdriven senses and he finally bites.

as he sinks his teeth into you, a blood curtailing scream is ripped from your throat, white hot pain shoots down your body in ripples as he sucks the blood out of you through your neck. you kick your legs under him, not sure if you're trying to get away, or make him chase you.

your scream of pain is replaced by pleasure as his venom spreads through your veins, your entire body feels like its on fire and you've never felt so good in your entire life. you pull at the restraints as you shake in his hold. his hand on your waist wraps around your back, pulling you into his body as he thrusts up into you.

Everything becomes too much and you can feel every inch of your body. even with jakes arm wrapped around you, you arch your back somehow closer into him, trying to fuse your body into his, wanting nothing more than to feel complete. you press into him with all your strength, wishing hard enough that you could intertwine your body with his own in order to finally feel as if you were one. he wasn't close enough even though he was all over and in you, spreading through you like ice. you want nothing more than to be whole with him in every way possible.

your pussy flutters around him as the knots in your tummy begin to unravel. your moans change and Jake picks up on it, noting how your body starts going limp in his hold. With much force, and an internal battle, he detached from your neck, moving his face to look into your eyes.

He looks handsome, your blood dripping down his chin, his lips stained the most beautiful shade of red. you being painted all over him.

"Let go baby im right here, I got you" is all he says before you let go, Jake being the one to catch you when you fall. the way you clench around his cock milks him dry as he cums inside you. the both of you orgasm in unison, your mixed fluids coming to hit the bed beneath you. Jake fucks you through your orgasm, it's not enough. he's not close to being done with you.

you harshly tug at the belt, your wrists feeling raw. you need to touch him, bring your sweaty body closer to his. He takes notice of your begging face and the tugging at your bonds. you look at him with teary eyes as he gives you a genuine pout. his thrusts not faltering as you feel another coil in your stomach begin to form.

"please, please please please please" you beg him before his arm unwraps itself from your body, undoing the belt in one quick, swift motion. he throws it across the room as it lands on the ground with. a clank. your now free hands fly to his back, your fingers digging into his skin, pulling him closer.

He kisses you deeply, your blood smearing on your face now. he bites your lip with a groan before rolling his eyes. His hand grabs your hips and forces you off the bed, his dick slipping out of you. Jake flips you over on your stomach as he moves behind you on your knees.

One of his hands grips your throat and forces you to sit up, your back pressed against his front. he bends his head down to your ear and whispers sinisterly.

"who owns you, pretty girl?" he asks and you gulp.

"you do" you answer and he smiles.

"that's right darling, such a good girl hmm?" he says. his cold body feels good against your burning one. its like you were made for each other. the moon and the sun, water and fire, two halves of the same whole.

He likes your neck, the one that has yet to be bit. you shudder at the feeling of his tongue on his skin before he gently nips you, the smallest trail of blood rushes down your neck, collarbones and down your breast.

His free hand snakes around your body, pressing two fingers against your clit, rubbing circles on your bundle of muscle. you moan, pushing your back against him. Jake licks the blood on your neck before biting down harshly. Another scream exits your throat as you jump, trying to get away from him, but your attempt to run is unsuccessful as he presses your ass against his dick, his strength overpowering you. the hand on your throat squeezes tighter, making you light headed as that white hot pleasure goes off in your body, spreading quickly once again and you're a moaning mess as you fall apart in his hands.

your body starts feeling like jelly, so Jake unlatches his mouth from your neck and pushes you down on your stomach, your hips hitting the soaked bed beneath you. His body crawls over your limp one. his arm snakes under your body and around your breasts to grip your neck once more, his other hand forces your thighs apart before grabbing his hard cock in his hand and pushes it inside you.

Your quiet mewl fills jakes skull as he groans at your sounds spilling from your mouth. his dick pushes against your sweet spot that has you a moaning, pathetic mess underneath him. your fingers lace inbwetween the bedsheets as you fist them in your palm.

Jakes thrusts are relentless, fucking himself inside you at an animalistic pace. the two of you are so disgusting and messy, the smell of copper and sweat leaks through the walls. you can feel is breath against your ear again as he moans into you, his sounds have you clenching around him, fluttering like an innocent little butterfly as you begin to lose all train of thought, your eyes beginning to look dead as a trail of drool exits from the corner of your mouth.

"aww, my precious angel, you look so adorable when I'm fucking you dumb" he coos at you, his teeth nipping at the skin of your neck behind your ear. you take his words with a clench around his dick, making him moan loudly. his grip on your throat tightens as does the one on your hips.

"takin' my cock so well, its like you were made for me pretty" his teeth sink into you one last time as he drinks your sweet liquid, the overwhelming pleasure coursing through your veins once more as you become overstimulated with everything around you. your body attempts to crawl away from him, but he doesn't let that happen

"s' too much, can't, please I can't" you beg, hot tears spilling from your eyes as saliva drools out of your mouth. he chuckles at your attempt to run

"you can take it sweetheart, doin' so good for me baby, you can do it" he says, his venom causing you to spill over the edge as his hips snap against your ass ruthlessly, fucking you into the mattress that you wouldn't be surprised if there is an outline of your body engraved in the plush material. you're also pretty sure the skin is red where his hips meet the flesh of your ass. you mewl as broken sobs fill the room along with the sound of skin slapping. the knot in your stomach snaps as you're creaming all over his dick, milking him dry as he shoots ropes of cum deep inside of you. his head falls onto your shoulder as he preps your skin in kisses as you come down from your conjoined highs. your bodies interlaced for all of time with the way he's marked you in more ways than one.

you're his and he's yours.

your eyes close as sleep overwhelms your mind as your breathing steadies. Jakes venom starts to exit your blood stream, making you unbelievably tired. Jake kisses your shoulder blade once more before you fall asleep.

"goodnight, y/n" is all you hear before you pass out in his arms.

.¸¸.♡.¸¸.☆¸.♡.¸¸.☆.¸¸.♡.¸

When you wake up, it's still dark outside, meaning you've only been asleep for a little bit now. you sit up and look around. the bed is clean, there are no marks on you from what you can see, and you're dressed in your white nightgown. your mind instantly goes into panic mode, worried that everything that happened between you and Jake was a dream. Your head fills with anxious thoughts before you lift your eyes to the window across the room, seeing Jake's silhouette cascade through your room thanks to the moonlight. you sigh to yourself before standing up out of bed, but you almost collapse onto the floor with how week you are. Jake hears your struggle and turns around, noticing you awake, he walks over to you, embracing you in his arms gently.

You look up into his now dark brown eyes, admiring how handsome he looks in this exact moment, your pupils dilate and Jake swear he can feel a pang in his chest. you wrap your arms around his neck and bite your lip anxiously, not knowing what to say.

"what's the matter my love?" the nickname calms you slightly, putting your thoughts together before you speak.

"that wasn't a dream... right..?" you ask shyly and Jake smiles at you.

"it was very much real baby" his fingertips trace the beautiful purple and red marks on your neck, and the bite scars that follow along with it. you let out a deep breath you didn't know you were holding. his hand cups your cheek and you lean into his comforting touch, closing your eyes. your mind goes against you as begin to overthink again, worried that he would leave you now that you know everything. as if he read your mind, he speaks.

"I've waited centuries for you, y/n. I'm not letting you go." he says before kissing your forehead.

"you're mine" he kisses your nose

"and I'm yours" he brings your hand up to his mouth and kisses your palm

"forever"

[imagine-you]

won't somebody come take me home? [Logan/Reader]

Summary: You've been abandoned to the Void after experiencing heartbreak in your universe. Instead of becoming food for Alioth or one of Cassandra's underlings, you find a new family with the resistance seeking to bring her down. When Johnny doesn't come back to the hideout, you keep watch in the hopes of seeing his return. Instead, you find a Deadpool variant fighting someone who looks achingly familiar. Someone who reminds you of your old life and the person who broke your heart. When you finally come face to face with a Logan after being pruned from your universe, you're not expecting the longing you're met with or the fact that in his universe, you were his wife. Word Count: 7.7k Author's Note: I've wanted to write for X-Men for so long and then I saw Deadpool and Wolverine and fell in love with Logan all over again. If you like this, please let me know! I'm so nervous about writing for a new fandom. And if you want to see more X-Men stuff from me, please let me know that as well! Reader's song for this is definitely I'm With You by Avril Lavigne, but I kind of imagine Logan's ends up being Hanging By a Moment by Lifehouse.

closer to where I started // all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me

Read on AO3

Everyone in the Void had a tragic backstory that was befitting a hero or villain or anything in between. You were the ones who were lost, abandoned, or forgotten by your worlds and the people you cared about more than anyone else.

You didn't remember much about how you got to the Void, but you had a pretty good understanding of why you were dropped into the barren wasteland for the multiverse's landfill.

Like most people in the Void, you were here because of heartbreak. The one person you had loved with your entire being had loved someone else. You had given him your all, but he only gave you a piece of himself. And when he ripped that piece of himself away, leaving you aching and broken, you were swept out like unwanted trash and right into the Void.

"What's got you so down today, ma chérie?" Remy dropped down into the chair at your side.

You huffed out a laugh that was nowhere near amused. "Besides the fact that we're all stuck here and trying to avoid Cassandra and her wandering fingers?" You brought your hand up and wriggled them in Remy's face, reluctantly letting out a laugh when he snapped his teeth at them.

"Ah, there's that smile," he mused, bumping his shoulder into yours. "You thinkin' 'bout your old life?"

You rolled your eyes, inanely feeling your throat tighten as you fought the urge to cry. You kept your gaze on the bottle of whiskey on the table. Remy reached for it, but he met resistance and turned a glare on you.

You shrugged your shoulders before dropping the forcefield. "I had a dream about him last night," you admitted with a scowl. "About what happened and how no one on my team had my back. How they all thought it was inevitable." You snorted before you quickly grabbed the bottle and took a swig, relishing the burn that traveled down your throat and sent warmth pulsing through your chest. You handed it over to Remy, ignoring his obvious annoyance.

"Listen, you're a lot better off now than you were with those fuckers," he consoled as he finally wrapped his hand around the bottle. "But don't go gettin' between me and my drink, now," he warned, his eyes briefly flashing red before fading away. "I'm not like those assholes who abandoned you. You've got nothin' to hate me for."

"You're real shit at pep talks, you know that?" Johnny cut in, knocking into Remy as he walked by. "Leave Y/N alone. She doesn't want to put up with your bullshit right now."

"And you suppose she wants to put up with yours? All you've got is bullshit," Remy taunted, idly twirling a card between his fingers. It was half a threat, but Johnny would only fight fire with fire and Remy knew it. Elektra had forbidden both of them from using their powers in the hideout, since they had almost burned it down last time.

"Will you both just stop?" You groaned, letting your head hit the table. Someone reached out to pat you on the shoulder, but you didn't bother to look and see who did it. "I love and respect you both dearly, but if you leave another scorch mark in here, then we'll all be in trouble."

Remy obediently stowed the card back up his sleeve while Johnny rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever," he sighed before making for the door. “See you later.”

"Where are you going?" You called, watching him retreat.

"I'll be around," Johnny answered, shooting you a smirk over his shoulder. "I always come back, don't I?"

You didn't get a chance to respond before he was gone. You always worried about Johnny when he went on his little trips around the Void. He swore he would be careful not to run into any of Cassandra's goons, but you knew all of your days were limited. Whether it was Alioth or Cassandra or one of the many rogue Deadpools wandering around, it was only a matter of time before trouble found you.

Remy stood up and placed the half-empty bottle of whiskey in front of you. "Just this once," he allowed with a wink. "You appreciate that, though, you hear?"

"Thanks," you muttered before reaching for the bottle.

You spent the rest of the day trying to block out the dream while you trained with Laura.

You were so caught up in your own thoughts that you didn't realize you had company.

"Damn, what's got you so riled up?"

You turned to look at Eric, surprised to see him standing there. You then realized your knuckles had split open and you had trashed the makeshift punching bag you had made out of an old blanket and some sand.

"Nothing," you deflected, half-tempted to go invisible just so no one could see you. Even though he was wearing sunglasses, you knew you had his full attention and you didn't want another lecture on leaving your past behind.

No one on your team was good at that, but you were arguably the worst at letting your pain go.

You always hated when you dreamt about Logan. His last words to you echoing in your mind over and over. You hadn't been enough for him, but Jean? Jean was everything he wanted. You supposed your powers paled in comparison and you would never measure up when all you could do was conjure forcefields and become invisible. Logan had been in love with her from the first moment he laid eyes on her, but you had never seen that look on his face when he looked at you.

It was a pity that you had given Logan everything only to be cast aside for the one who truly held his heart.

If Johnny were there, he would have told Blade to mind his own business, but he still hadn't come back.

"Again," Laura prompted, drawing your attention towards the punching bag. It was half-demolished, but you figured you still had some fight in you.

You noticed her shake her head at Eric as you turned away and focused all your hurt into your fists, watching the bag fall apart.

Johnny hadn't returned by the next morning and you were starting to worry.

You considered everyone your family, but you had a special bond with Johnny. He had been the first person to welcome you to the resistance and you, specifically your powers, had reminded him of his sister. He opened up to you about how much he missed his team, his family, and you told him about the heartbreak you had endured in your universe.

"I'll tell you what, if I ever get my hands on your Logan, I'll light the fucker on fire."

You felt a laugh bubble out of you. It was the first time you had laughed in ages and it felt so good to know you could still find joy in things. "He'd just regenerate."

"Not when I'm done with him," Johnny promised. "I'll cook him 'til he's just a heap of ash and then you'll dance on his remains."

You shook your head, but let Johnny carry on with his elaborate plan for revenge on your behalf. Johnny would never meet your Logan and you knew you would never actually see him again. Everyone in the Void was forgotten and there was no escape.

"You worried about Johnny?" Elektra wondered, coming to stand at your side.

You were keeping an eye on the horizon, searching for any sign that Johnny was coming home.

"It's not like him to be gone this long without some kind of message he's okay.

"He's gotten this far, hasn't he?" Elektra pointed out, shooting you a reassuring look. "He'll be fine."

You nodded your head, but didn't budge from your spot.

"You plan on staying out here all night?" Elektra asked.

"If I have to," you admitted with a shrug of your shoulders. "What if he's in trouble?"

"Then you won't be any help to him sleep-deprived," she answered.

"I've had worse," you deflected with a forced grin.

Elektra sighed, but didn't try to dissuade you again.

You had a pair of binoculars Laura had scavenged and you were doing your best to keep an eye on your surroundings. You were surveying a forest when something caught your attention. You focused on the sight, wondering for a moment if Elektra had been right and sleep deprivation was messing with your mind.

You pulled the binoculars away and blinked a few times before looking through them again.

"Ah fuck," you groaned when you realized that what you were seeing was real.

"What's wrong?" Laura asked, startling you.

"Shit," you hissed, nearly dropping the binoculars. You handed them over and pointed towards what previously held your attention. "You see that?"

"Is that--?" Laura cut herself off before shooting you a disbelieving look. "It's him."

"With a Deadpool," you confirmed with a nod of your head.

"We should get them before someone else does," Laura suggested, handing the binoculars back to you.

You hesitated, knowing she was right, but hating the idea of seeing him again.

"I can go alone," Laura offered. You knew she also loved her Logan, but he had been like a father to her up until his final moments. Your Logan had managed to bring you nothing but pain and insecurity.

"No," you told her with a firm shake of your head. Johnny had gone off alone and now it had been almost two days since the last time you saw him. In the Void, that was as good as a death sentence. "I'll go with you."

You let the others know you were off to rescue two new recruits to the resistance and helpfully left out the fact that one of those people was a Logan variant.

Laura led the way and you followed in her tracks. You kept yourself invisible, knowing that if anyone came after Laura, then you could use your presence as a surprise. You had also learned to use your forcefields as a weapon as much as a defense and you were ready if anyone tried to attack.

Once you got to the station wagon, you let yourself become visible again. You slowly approached the car while Laura investigated the clearing for any signs that you might have been followed. You could see the Deadpool variant wrapped up in the seatbelts, but you couldn't help but let your focus stray to Logan.

He was different from your Logan, but seeing his face hurt all the same. Your Logan had taken everything from you and given nothing back except for pain. This Logan was a stranger, but he still brought up familiar feelings. Love and confusion and agony.

"Is he yours?" Laura wondered, finally joining you in your study of Logan.

"No," you assured her. "Mine would've never been caught dead in the yellow suit," you admitted with just the tiniest hint of relief. You never wanted to see your Logan again, but you couldn't help but admit to yourself that didn't mean you never wanted to see any other Logan. You were scared, terrified of the pain he might cause you, but you hadn't been able to let go of the love you held for him. You were sure, even in that moment, that you would love Logan in every universe. It was too bad he wouldn't love you just the same.

Although, you supposed you didn't really have a Logan. You never did, since the one from your universe was never yours in the first place.

Doubt and wariness began to creep in and you started to herd Laura towards the Honda you were half-sure belonged to the Nicepool variant. "You drive," you prompted, opening the passenger door seat and carefully sitting among the wreckage and blood that was practically painted on every surface of the car.

Laura started the car and you glanced over your shoulder, waiting for the two backseat occupants to stir, but they were both still knocked out.

"They really did a number on each other," you muttered, your gaze already back on Logan.

Laura was silent for long enough that you thought she was ignoring you. "It's not your Logan," she reminded you after a couple of minutes. You realized you were still watching him and finally forced yourself to turn around in your seat.

"It's not," you confirmed, studying your hands in your lap. You let them shift in and out of visibility, a nervous habit you had when you were torn between fight and flight.

"Then he's not the one who hurt you," she continued, keeping her focus on the path in front of you.

"He's not the one who saved you," you shot back. The way she looked at this Logan like she was seeing her savior miraculously alive all over again had felt like a punch in the gut. You were both mourning and the source of it had just dropped right back into your lives. "He might be worse," you pointed out.

"He might be better," she argued with a quick glance at you. "He might not even know us."

"Yeah," you sighed, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, silently apologizing for being so defensive. "Eric's right," you conceded with a grimace. "I need to let it go."

"Hard to let something like that go," she allowed with a soft smile at you. She was the only one who knew the full story. Johnny knew most of it and the others knew enough, but Laura had loved her own Logan like family. She knew what it was like to lose him, albeit in a very different way.

When you got back to the hideout, Laura helped free Deadpool while you formed a forcefield around Logan and used it to lift him out of the car. Charles had claimed it was a form of telekinesis, but you always told him you were just controlling the forcefield. Whatever was inside it just happened to move with it. If you dropped the forcefield, then whatever was inside it would fall.

Laura dragged Deadpool inside while you let Logan hover through the air and into the hideout. Laura left Deadpool on the floor, but you were careful with Logan and let him hover just over the bed you used before letting him go.

Laura shot you a bemused look before going to let the others know you had company.

You weren't really sure what to do with yourself, so you settled for pacing from one end of the room to the other. You were halfway across the room when you heard a rustling noise behind you. You half-hoped it was Deadpool waking up, but when you turned around, it was to see Logan squinting up at the ceiling.

You froze, not daring to move a muscle. Logan blinked a few times before he began to sit up. He stopped and then tilted his head up, sniffing the air. You had always found the way he used his enhanced sense of smell adorable, even if no one else did. He suddenly turned and buried his face in your pillow, pulling in deep breaths. He reached up to clutch the pillow in his hand as he sat up, keeping it pressed to his face.

You weren't even really sure what was going on, so by the time he finally lowered the pillow and met your gaze, you were staring at him completely dumbstruck.

Several emotions warred for control on Logan's face when he saw you. Grief, despair, heartbreak, hope, disbelief, and relief. Finally, he seemed to pull them all together into a neutral expression.

"Y/N," he started, taking a step towards you.

You instinctively took a step back. You knew that this Logan wasn't the one who hurt you, but it was hard to let all of that go when someone who looked exactly like your Logan was staring right at you.

"You're alive," he tried again, taking another step, as if he was drawn to you.

"I am," you answered, your hands clenched into fists at your side. You couldn't handle the way Logan was looking at you. He looked at you like you were his whole world. You would have killed to get your Logan to look at you like that. But having it now, from a different Logan, felt equal parts thrilling and unsettling. "Who am I to you?" You asked, needing to know what you were dealing with now. You had assumed maybe you were part of Logan's team in his universe, but he was hopelessly in love with Jean and didn't give a fuck about you. The way he was looking at you told an entirely different story.

"You're--," he started before he looked down at his left hand. You could see a wedding band around his ring finger. "You're my wife," he finally admitted as he balled his hand into a fist. "You were, at least," he added with a grimace. "And me? What am I to you in your universe?"

You didn't know whether to tell the truth or lie. But Logan had always known you way too well and any story you spun would unravel as you told it. "I loved you," you finally confessed. "But you left me for someone else," you continued, noting the way Logan's expression tightened, rage flashing in his eyes.

"Who?" He growled, advancing on you.

It was your biggest shame and worst heartbreak, so you faltered over the name for a moment. But you weren't even in the same universe as her or him anymore and it was time for you to stop running from your pain.

"Jean. He left me for Jean, alright? It didn't matter that I loved him and it didn't matter that we were together. Scott died and Jean needed someone and apparently that couldn't be anyone but him. He told me it was nothing, but I knew. He never looked at me the way you just did. He looked at her like she was the only person he cared about and when he left me for her, I ended up here," you hissed, finally walking towards Logan. "And I bet neither of them ever gave a fuck that I just up and disappeared. So, seeing you now has brought up all the shit he put me through," you snarled, reaching out to push at his shoulder.

"Y/N, I--," he started, reaching out for you. His expression was nearly reverent as he let his hand fall on your shoulder.

"Don't," you said, pushing away from him. "I'm not your wife," you snapped, hating the way his expression closed off and was replaced with that look he got when he was trying not to feel anything at all.

"And I'm not him," he shot back. His gaze drifted to the side and he reached out to grab a bottle of Remy's whiskey. He popped the top off the bottle and took a long swig.

You heard someone groan before you looked over at Deadpool. He brought a hand up to his head and Logan turned to watch him. He took another drink, keeping the bottle close to his chest, as he approached Wade.

"Ugh, what's with the angry bear staring me down?" Wade wondered, finally sitting up. "Also, where the hell are we? Are we about to be skinned and used as decoration for some post-apocalyptic lair?"

"Do you ever shut up?" Logan growled, taking another drink.

You knew it took a lot to get Logan drunk, but at the rate he was going, he would end up there by nightfall.

Deadpool finally scanned the room and noticed you. He got to his feet and pointed a finger at you. "Oh, holy shit. You're Y/N! You're a big part of this guy's tragic backstory, I can tell ya that, so what are you doing here?" Wade reached out to clap a hand to Logan's shoulder and got brushed off.

"That's enough!" Elektra called before walking into the room.

Wade looked shocked to see Elektra, but his eyes went wide at the sight of Blade striding into the room. Gambit then made his entrance before Laura took up the rear of the group.

Introductions went around, before Wade started in on Gambit and his accent. You could tell Remy was reluctantly amused, but he was distracted by something else.

Remy dismissed Wade and focused in on Logan. He shot you a quick, concerned look before he began flipping a card as he studied Logan. "Well, we've never had a Wolverine up in here before. Not sure we've ever wanted one here before," he said with another look at you. "I can tell you now it's just a common courtesy to at least ask before you go drinking up all my liquor."

"It's a good thing I don't give a fuck," Logan responded before taking another drink.

Remy's eyes burned red as he muttered an insult under his breath. He let the card in his hand go, letting it slice the bottle of liquor in half. Glass and whiskey rained down on Logan's boots, but he looked unbothered. He reached out to grab another bottle before pulling the top off and taking a drink.

"Oh, you sure are an asshole, aren't you? I'm starting to see why you hate this one," Remy continued, aiming the last sentence at you.

"You hate him?" Wade asked, whipping his head back and forth, from you to Logan and back again. Wade gasped and turned to point an accusing finger at Logan. "You and you," he pointed to you, "aren't a you in your universe?" He pressed his hands together, letting his fingers interlock. "What'd he do? Was he too busy practicing his brooding in the mirror? He try to slip you a little adamantium surprise in the bedroom? Did he--"

"Shut up," Logan snapped, tightening his grip on the bottle in his hand.

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about," you admonished Wade.

Wade held his hands up in surrender, but he reached out to put a hand on Logan's shoulder. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, my friend," he consoled before he approached you. He held his arms out as he walked towards you. "Come here, baby bird, and tell Papa Deadpool all about it," he said as he wrapped his arms around you.

"Get your hands off her," Logan growled, unsheathing his claws.

You brought a forcefield up between you and Wade. It was big enough to encompass his chest and abdomen and you used it to forcefully push him back. You slammed him into the wall, easing up, just to slam him into it again.

"Alright, alright," he coughed out, holding his hands up in surrender. "Don't piss off the Invisible Woman, got it," he conceded as you let your forcefield drop.

You rolled your eyes before crossing your arms over your chest. "That's not what they call me." The reminder of Johnny's sister brought up the worry you had for him. "Where the hell did you two come from?"

Wade did most of the talking and explained about the TVA, Cassandra, and their near-miss with Alioth.

"No one's ever made it out of Cassandra's clutches before," Elektra observed with something verging on respect in her tone.

"No one alive," Eric interjected with an unimpressed glare at Deadpool.

"Well, she is quite terrifying and a little grabby," Wade allowed with a nod of his head.

"One of ours has been missing for two days," you told Wade, carefully not looking at Logan. Logan had been watching you the whole time and you knew he was only mourning a ghost, but you hated how much you liked finally having Logan's undivided attention. "His name is Johnny. Did you see him?"

"The little flameball might've made an appearance, sure, but he's not with us," Wade explained with a flippant wave of his hand.

"Yeah, because you fucking got him killed with your big mouth," Logan snapped at Wade.

"Johnny's dead?" You asked, not wanting to believe it. You loved the others like family, but Johnny had practically been a brother to you. Sure, he let his mouth get him in trouble half the time, but he always managed to get himself out of it. "What the hell happened?"

"Cassandra decided she liked his insides on the outside," Wade answered, "because she's a megalomaniacal, psychotic asshole. Johnny’s words, not mine."

"Well, we've all been knowin' that," Remy said, idly shuffling a deck of cards in his hands. "But what're we gonna do about her, huh? She's got an army and we've just got us."

"Look, you've all been forgotten by your universes, but we can still take her if we team up. You got a Magneto here?" Wade questioned, hope in his voice that you knew was about to be crushed.

You moved to sit down at the table while you listened to the conversation carry on. There was a lot happening all at once and you didn’t know how to process any of it. Wade was desperate to get back to his own timeline, but Logan only seemed resigned. You didn't know how to accept the fact that Johnny was dead and you didn't know how to ignore the fact that Logan was still watching you.

When a plan was made to go after Cassandra and use Juggernaut's helmet to block her powers, you reluctantly agreed that it had some merit. If only because you wanted to get any type of revenge on Cassandra that you could to avenge Johnny.

The others were all on board and you knew most of them wanted nothing more than to bring Cassandra down as well. It was a suicide mission for most of you, but you figured if it meant stopping Cassandra and saving someone's universe, even if that someone was Wade Wilson, then it might be worth it.

"I'm in," you found yourself saying.

"Like hell you are," Logan cut in. "You'll just get yourself killed again and I can't--"

"I'm not dead," you pointed out, aware that the others were watching the pair of you. "I'm right here, because I'm not the one you lost."

"Well, I sure as hell don't want to go losing you again. You can't tell me you think this whackjob's plan is actually going to work out? He’s an idiot."

“Sticks and stones,” Wade muttered, rocking on his heels as he looked at Logan. “Sticks and stones.”

"You can do whatever you want," you told Logan, finally standing from your seat at the table. "But I'm going and if I die? Then at least I die doing something that's not just hiding and waiting for my inevitable end. At least I can help someone, even if it's a Deadpool," you said, gesturing towards Wade.

"Thanks?" Wade tried, sounding torn between flattered and insulted.

You didn't give Logan a chance to reply, because you left the room, opting to walk outside to get some distance from him.

Later, you heard from Remy that you were heading out first thing in the morning. You agreed to be ready by then and spent the rest of the evening invisible. You wanted to be alone, but you also hated the idea of losing one last opportunity to talk to Logan, even if he wasn't yours.

He was outside, staring into the fire he started, and steadily drinking Remy's liquor. You approached him as Laura was leaving his side. Even though you were still invisible, she seemed to know you were there, and walked around you.

You stayed a few feet behind him, watching him frown into the fire.

"I know you're there," Logan called out, turning to look over his shoulder. "You were never good at hiding from me."

You let yourself go visible before you continued to walk towards him. "My Logan didn't really give a shit about me, so I guess he knew where to find me, he just didn't care," you observed with a sigh. Having this Logan around was only showing you what you had missed out on in your universe with your Logan. You reached out to grab the bottle from Logan before taking a drink and handing it back. "You know, I wanted nothing more than for him to love me back. But I wasn't enough for him. And he knew, he knew everything I felt for him, but he never felt the same. I was just someone to warm his bed while his thoughts were with someone else."

Logan was quiet for a few moments before he held the bottle back out to you.

"You've made it clear you're not my wife," he started, keeping his gaze on the fire. "But I don't think you get that I'm not him. I see you and, God, I wish I could keep you safe. I wasn't able to save her. I wasn't able to save any of them and it's my fault my team, my family, my wife are all gone. I walked away and they died because of it," he admitted and you could see a tear begin to slip down his cheek. You had never seen your Logan so vulnerable and you didn't know what to do with this one. "I don't want to lose you again. I know you're not her, but I don't want to walk away and know that you died because of it."

"Then don't walk away," you whispered, moving until you were right beside him. You could feel the heat emanating off him and it sent a shiver down your spine. You had felt the chilling sense of isolation for so long that feeling Logan again felt like you were coming back to life.

"I know I wasn't happy to see you," you allowed with a grimace. "But since you got here, you've done nothing but remind me that I could have had what I wanted all along, but I was stuck in the wrong damn universe. And maybe it was possible for my Logan to love me all along and I just wasn't enough."

"Your Logan is a fucking idiot," he growled, finally looking at you. "You're here in this shithole because of him and you're ready to sacrifice yourself for someone you don't even know. He was the one who wasn't good enough. I guess I'm more like him than I would want to be."

You took a chance and reached out to grab Logan's hand. You were both grieving different people and you knew you weren't his wife, but you wanted to offer him comfort all the same. You also couldn't deny that the feeling of Logan's hand in yours felt like a balm for the pain you had been carrying around since falling into the Void.

His hand tightened around yours and you saw some of the tension leave his shoulders.

"You're enough, Logan," you assured him. "And I believe in you," you confessed. "You don't have to go tomorrow, but I'm going to be there. And if this is the last moment I ever get with you, then there's one thing I want to do."

Logan furrowed his brow in confusion before his expression smoothed out into surprise. You had leaned forward, just barely letting your lips brush his, waiting for him to either lean in or push you away.

You waited for a beat longer, sure you were making an idiot of yourself, before you felt Logan's hand at your hip. He pulled you closer, practically into his lap, as he returned the kiss. It was passionate and tender and in turns aggressive and searching. His tongue was twined around yours and his teeth were nipping at your lips and your head was beginning to spin from the rush. Logan let out a whimper and his hand clutched your hip tighter, and you knew you were going to have a bruise there by the next morning, but you didn’t mind that there would be a reminder of this moment.

You reluctantly pulled away, meeting his eyes and noticing how Logan looked like he was ready to drag you back into another kiss.

"Thank you," you whispered, reaching up a hand to brush your thumb over his bottom lip. You let it drag down briefly and leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to it. Your Logan had been rough and demanding and uncaring, but the love and want this Logan had poured into the kiss had shown you what it would have been like for the love of your life to love you back. Maybe, with that memory, your death the next day would be a little sweeter.

"Y/N," Logan started, but didn't continue.

You offered him a sad smile and started to stand. "I should try to sleep. I've got a big day tomorrow."

You moved to leave, but Logan reached out and grabbed your hand. He reeled you back towards him, causing you to drop down into his lap, but he caught you by the hips. He wrapped his arms around your waist and trailed his hand up your back before it was resting against the back of your neck. He pulled you down into another kiss, this one just as intense, but less frenzied. Logan kept you in place with just the slightest pressure of his hand on your neck and you let him pour everything he had into it.

By the time you pulled away, you were breathless and speechless, reluctant to leave now that you had another taste of him.

"I'll see you in the morning," Logan promised, finally releasing you from his hold.

It took you while to shake off your daze, but then you realized what he was telling you.

You felt a smile tug at your lips before you got off his lap.

"See you in the morning," you agreed before leaving Logan in search of your bed.

The drive in the Honda Odyssey was cramped, but Wade insisted if it could house an all-night brawl between a Deadpool and a Wolverine, then it would hold the rest of you just fine all the way to Cassandra's lair. And then he started spouting off something about safety features and cup holders and you started to wonder if following his plan had been the dumbest thing you had ever done.

You found yourself sneaking glances at Logan at the rear of the car. He was watching you the whole time and every time your eyes met, a little spark of heat shot through you. Maybe he wasn't your Logan, but he had helped you begin to heal all the same. And now you were starting to fall for an entirely different Logan who was likely leaving the Void while you stayed behind and died to get him out.

Life had never been fair to you, but you hated that it was downright cruel to you as well.

By the time you were arriving at Cassandra’s, you were starting to wonder if there had ever been a happy ending for you in store or if it was just supposed to be one tragedy after another.

You lined up with the others as you faced down Cassandra's henchmen. You could see Azazel popping in and out of view and Psylocke trailing through the crowd. Juggernaut was staring down the group while Toad perched high above, a smirk on his face. There were dozens of them and you had no idea how you were going to pull it off, but even if you did die, at least it was to save someone's universe, even if it wasn't your own.

"You know how long I've been waiting for this? Ooohuee, I'm about to make a name for myself here," Remy boasted, eagerly bouncing on his feet while he began to charge a card.

"I don't think any of you walk away from this," Logan pointed out, sending a quick glance your way.

"You just make sure they know what happened here today," Remy continued, not seeming to care that he was staring death right in the face.

"We'll watch your six," Blade told Logan and Wade. "You get up there and we'll get you that helmet."

Before he could follow Wade, Logan turned to you and pulled you close. He pressed a kiss to your lips, one full of longing and grief. "I don't want to leave you," he murmured into the kiss.

You pulled back to meet his eyes, ignoring the fact that you felt like you were losing him all over again. "What you're fighting for is more important," you told him. "Maybe we'll meet again in another universe."

"Maybe," he agreed before kissing you again.

This one was brief, but it left you wanting more.

You watched Logan follow Wade before you were caught up in the fight between your friends and Cassandra's lackies.

The fight was terrifying, because the stakes were so high. You flickered in and out of visibility as needed and used your forcefields to protect your friends or attack your enemies. You used a forcefield to gather rocks and then propelled it into someone just to turn invisible to avoid someone's knife.

You were exhausted as the battle waged on and you knew that circumstances were beginning to look dire for you and your friends. Most of you were hurt and bleeding, and the fight was beginning to drain out of you.

You got distracted by Laura taking Juggernaut out and managing to get his helmet up to where Logan and Wade were no doubt dealing with Cassandra despite Psylocke intervening. You moved towards them, but you felt a searing pain in your side and you looked down to see the end of Azazel’s tail sticking through your flesh.

He jerked you back towards him and a blade sliced through his tail, freeing you. You were quick to form a forcefield around Azazel before he could escape and you began to press in on the sides, shrinking it down so he had nowhere to go. You could see him trying to teleport out, but it wasn’t working, and a look of panic flashed across his face.

You kept pressing in until his skin started to split and blood began to pour. All at once, you swept the sides in, watching as Azazel was crushed. You let the forcefield go and watched as his remains fell to the ground with a splat.

“You squashed him like a bug,” Eric observed with a nod of his head, cleaning Azazel’s blood off his blade. “Impressive.”

“Thanks,” you smiled at Blade, glancing down at the gash in your side.

“Keep your head,” he warned you just as someone rushed at you. You went invisible and stepped to the side, letting them impale themselves on Eric’s sword.

The battle took twists and turns, but after getting stabbed in the shoulder and nearly losing consciousness when someone hit you on the back of the head, you realized that the bodies were starting to drop, but your friends were still standing.

You figured your victory would be short-lived when the skies began to darken and Alioth showed on the horizon.

“He’s looking for a meal,” Elektra grunted, avoiding a hit to the side before using one of her twin sais to bring someone to their knees. She finished them off with a strike to their neck before she turned to look at the rest of you. “We need to get the hell out of here.”

You were distracted by a portal opening up in the air above you and you looked up in time to see Logan and Wade jumping through it.

Someone grabbed your arm and you instinctively moved to hit them, but you realized it was Elektra.

"Come on!" She yelled over the roar of Alioth and pulled you to cover inside Cassandra's lair.

"That was a close one," Remy said as he helped Blade into the makeshift shelter.

"But they got away," Laura pointed out with a small, satisfied smile.

"And we got to kill the fuckers that've been making our lives hell," Remy added with a grin. "Any of you see that one trick I pulled? I got the cards charged up and then guy went boom."

He looked so pleased with himself that you couldn’t stop the helpless little laugh you let out. The past few days had felt absurd and surreal, and you couldn’t even tell if it was all some fever dream. Maybe Remy had spiked his liquor to keep unsuspecting people out of it and you were currently back in the hideout, riding out one terrifying trip.

But when you twisted to the side, you felt like your side was splitting open all over again and you let out a gasp. Elektra knelt at your side, studying your wound with a frown.

"So, what happens now? Are we just stuck here until we know it's clear? We go back to our hideout and wait forever? Half of us need some kind of medical attention,” she pointed out, searching around her until she found a discarded jacket. She pressed it against your side and you let out a hiss of pain.

"Well, we didn't die, so at least there’s that," you offered with a shrug of your shoulders. "I figure we've earned some retirement. Even if we're still stuck here," you allowed with a wince as you pressed a hand to your shoulder. The wound was deep and still bleeding, but you figured you had suffered worse before. You were going to need stitches and painkillers and some more of Remy’s liquor, but at least you were still breathing.

You weren't sure how long you waited for the storm to pass, but by the time you got back outside, it was already dark. Most of the bodies were gone, consumed by Alioth, and you leaned into Elektra’s side as she helped you navigate the various body parts left behind.

"Think the car will make it back?" Remy wondered, surveying the Odyssey with its crushed sides and flat tires. It was practically drenched in blood and viscera, nearly indistinguishable as a vehicle.

"Why don't you start it up and see?" Eric prompted, looking at Gambit like he thought he was a special kind of stupid. “Maybe we can ride one of your little cards back to the hideout. How far can you throw them?”

"That won't be necessary," a voice interrupted, startling you.

A portal had opened up to your left and a woman had walked through it. She had soldiers behind her who were wearing uniforms with a TVA logo stamped on the right arm.

"Wade Wilson struck a deal for all of you," the woman continued, surveying the group. "It's time for all of you to go home."

“Home?” Remy repeated with a skeptical look at the rest of you. “What if we don’t have a home?”

“Then wherever you’d like to be,” she amended. “With conditions, of course.”

It turned out that Wade and Logan not only saved Wade's universe, but every universe. Cassandra had wanted nothing to exist except for the Void where she reigned and both of them had managed to stop her.

You never considered that your fight with Cassandra’s minions wound end with anything except for your death. You certainly never thought you would have the option to leave the Void.

You definitely didn't want to return home, so you asked if you could stay in Wade's universe. Logan and Laura had opted to stay as well and since your variant had never been born in Wade’s universe, you were welcome to stay. It felt like you were getting the opportunity to carve out the kind of life you wanted all along. One where you knew you would be welcome and wanted without fearing that you would be abandoned for someone else.

Now, you were sitting around a table with Wade's family and the beginnings of a new one for you. Laura was sitting to your left and Logan to your right and you couldn't help but feel like this was where you had belonged all along.

Logan had admitted that he wasn't allowed to try to save the people in his universe, but he wanted to be whatever you needed or wanted him to be in your new one. You knew that was a daunting order for someone like Logan, so you settled for telling him that you wanted to start at the beginning.

You wanted to get to know this Logan, because even though you already loved him, you knew that you wanted a clean slate. One where you weren’t comparing him to your universe’s Logan and one where you gave him every opportunity to show you that he was better. You also didn’t want him to just see the ghost of his wife in you, so you wanted him to get to know you.

You soaked up the love and laughter that flowed through the room and met Logan's gaze. You weren't even surprised to see that he was already watching you. You reached out to grab his hand, delighting in the way he immediately welcomed your touch.

You no longer felt forgotten and hopeless. Everything you had yearned for, fought for, in your old life had quite literally dropped right into your new one and you couldn't have been more grateful for another shot at happiness.

From the way Logan smiled at you and brought your hand up to kiss the back of it, you knew he was just as appreciative at the opportunity to turn his life back around.

"Thank you," you whispered to him, leaning over to rest your head on his shoulder.

"Nothing to thank me for," he answered before dropping another kiss on the crowd of your head.

You wanted to argue with him and tell him that he had saved you, but you figured you would tell him later. For now, you were going to enjoy the feeling of belonging you felt and look forward to the fact that there would be a later with Logan.

Edited To Add: I am writing a sequel! It's going to involve Cable (even though he didn't test well) and Logan getting payback on reader's original Wolverine on her behalf and a whole bunch of other fun surprises!! If you want to be tagged, just let me know!

The sequel is HERE for anyone interested!

This is now a whole series! Main post for the series is HERE.

[imamotherfuckingstar-lord]

imagine logan seeing you again, pt.3

logan x reader

summary: In his universe, Logan and you were in love. Then you died. Now he’s in a different timeline and you are very much alive.

warning: some deadpool x wolverine spoilers. this takes place after the movie. under 1k words. THIS PART IS UNEDITED SORRY

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

The air smelled like cigarettes and regrets, the perfect kind of bar for Logan Howlett. He walked in, tugging at his dark jean jacket. The place was dark sans a few overhead lights here and there, but he spotted you instantly at the bar. With your back to him, he watched as you slapped the counter several times. At first he thought you were made but he noticed the way the bartender was laughing. He moved closer to see what was going on and walked into the tail end of a story. “...and then Wade shit his pants! It was amazing.”

“I did not!”

Logan hadn’t noticed Wade next to you but the merc grew louder in trying to defend himself. Slightly amused, Logan ordered a beer and watched the pair of you go back and forth until you finally noticed him. You smiled and a hand fell on his shoulder as you stood up from the stool. He recognized how wasted you actually were and without thinking, caught you by the waist. “So you’ve been here for a while, I take.”

“Only like thirty minutes,” you mused, plopping back down onto the stool. Logan smirked and chugged down the beer placed in front of him. He was a certified drinker and the beer was basically water for the man. It felt good. He hadn’t drank much since coming to this new world - he was trying to be better but tonight, as he watched you mercilessly mocked Wade he felt like indulging. 

One night, would it be so bad?

“Logan, let’s take some shots.” You pulled him down next to you and he adjusted himself onto his seat, ignoring the way your hand on him made him feel. He needed more to drink if he was going to survive the night, so he ordered a round for the three of you. Then another and another…

“...is he always like that?”

You gazed up from the shot glass in your hand and followed the direction Logan was facing. Wade was caressing the pool stick in his hand as a failed attempt to distract the poor fella who agreed to a round. Laughing, you said yes and shrugged. “Wade is anything but boring. I like that about him.”

“How did you two get mixed up together?”

Logan felt more relaxed than when he first arrived two hours ago, his jacket was hanging off his chair and the sleeves to his dark henley were pulled up to his forearms. You tried not to stare too hard but you were only a woman. He was gorgeous and rough around the edges, defeat in his eyes but there was something more to the man next to you. 

“A friend introduced us, well, more like a frenemy of Wade’s. We’ve worked off and on for the last few years. He’s honestly, don’t tell him this, not that bad. Kind of annoying…”

Logan laughed, which surprised him more than you. His smile faded when the expression on your face turned into her. He felt ashamed, bashful, and he quickly ordered two more rounds. Sensing a shift, you changed the subject and asked if he had talked to Laura lately.

“She called the other day. Not sure I can give her what she wants…”

“Laura just needs support. People she can count on, friends,” you assured him. The rounds of tequila were brought over and Logan slid two shot glasses to you. You took one and lifted it up to him. “To Laura.”

Logan looked at you, eyes softened as his old heart beated faster than he cared for. Your hair was out of your face, eyes a bit glazed from the alcohol but there was something so different about you. Something the version of you he had loved didn’t have - happiness. You were just happy and satisfied with your life, and he couldn’t fathom it. Logan couldn’t understand how you could be so different from, well, you. There had been something so sad about the woman he loved, so melancholy. Always living for others but you, you sat next to him happy as a clam to be in some shitty little bar. With Wade accosting other customers, sitting next to a man you hardly knew but was so kind to. Logan felt sick to his stomach, guilty as hell because he wouldn't admit it. Too scared to admit that he was enjoying this version of you. Lighthearted and fun. 

You piece of shit, after all she had done for everyone. This is how you repay her? By drooling over another version of her? She died in your arms, you prick!

“Logan.”

Your voice was quietly sweet and he realized he had dazed off, immediately he pushed away all thoughts and chuckled. “To Laura.”

You grinned and clicked your glass against his before downing it. Then you toasted to Wade and Logan begrudgingly joined in for the second shot. Too much alcohol had circulated in your body now, your head felt lightheaded and suddenly, you were braver than you had ever been. Recognizing the song playing over the speakers, you casually suggested Logan take you out to dance. Logan snorted at such a suggestion, thinking you were messing with him but you just stared at him.

“You can’t be fucking serious!”

“Don’t cuss at me, Logan.”

Your tone felt very final but the smile on your face was light and in that moment, Logan couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted to. He stood up from his stool, a cold stone expression on his face as he took your hand and cursed under his breath as he pulled you to the small dancing area across the room. He ignored the staring coming from Wade, who was still playing pool. Holding back a laugh, you allowed Logan to pull you to him, one arm around your waist, while the other held your hand. His body felt strong against yours yet his fingers were gentle, tender as they held you.  Your hand slipped up his back and Logan stilled for a single moment when your head rested against his shoulder before he relaxed. He led the dance, slow methodical steps but maybe it was the drinking that had you feeling dizzy and far too relaxed. Neither of you said a single word the entire song, Logan just held you in his arms and hated that he didn’t hate it. He could have gone all night on the dance floor with you against him, his hands on you. He didn’t mind it one bit and when the song ended, he felt disappointed in so many ways.

“Thanks for the dance, Logan,” you mused, patting him on the chest. His hands fell from your body and he couldn’t manage a smile. His eyes were glued to you as you mentioned you needed to use the restroom.His fingers slowly, painfully released you from his grip. You smiled at him and walked toward the bathrooms. Logan stood there as the next song played, something more upbeat and he could feel Wade’s annoying stare but he couldn’t take his eyes off where you stood. Back home, he never danced with you. You weren’t the dancing type, you had been far too busy to enjoy those sorts of things. This had been a first for him and tried so hard to picture the woman he loved in his arms but all he could see was you. 

“You’re so fucked.”

Logan snapped out of his thoughts and glared at Wade, who stood at his side. “Got the hots for the ghost of your girlfriend, huh?”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

Wade threw an arm around Logan’s shoulder and noted he knew more than he led on. “That cute little snapshot you have in your wallet? I gotta say, you have a type.”

“Don’t touch my shit again,” Logan warned him. He forgot about the photo in his wallet. Wade smirked and nodded to where you were coming from the bathrooms. 

“Your secret is safe with me…for now, asshole. Just letting you know, you break her heart and I break your small little dick, got it?”

Logan ignored the man and pushed him away as you walked up with a curious glance. Wade flipped him off and wandered back to the pool table. You asked what that was about and Logan said nothing. “Another round?”

“Hell no,” you laughed, bouncing on the heels of your feet. “I am hungry though…I know a really good burger place…”

Perfection. That’s what you were, that’s what this all felt like for Logan and he knew then, Wade was completely right - he was so fucked. Logan agreed, the two of you walked back to the counter for your things. He put on his jean jacket and you grabbed your bag, both of you agreeing to sneak out before Wade could follow. The night was cold but Logan felt nothing but a surge of warmth fall over his body as you walked alongside him. Talkative and a bit clumsy, so much so, he resigned his hand on the small of your back. You didn’t seem to mind and he didn’t either.

So the two of you walked on, disappearing into the night crowd of the city - Logan’s hand, warm on your back. 

...............

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@between-the-pages-ofa-book

[babydollmarauders]

SPARKS FLY — ETHAN EDWARDS

ethan edwards x fem!hughes!reader

part of the Speak Now Fic List

summary: in which Ethan spends 4th of July at the Hughes lake house and becomes enamored with y/n Hughes

specific lyrics: “you’re the kind of reckless that should send me runnin’ but i kinda know that i won’t get far.” and “you stood there in front of me, just close enough to touch. close enough to hope you couldn’t see what i was thinking of.” and “i see sparks fly whenever you smile.” and “get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down.” and “my mind forgets to remind me, you’re a bad idea.” and “lead me up the staircase, won’t you whisper soft and slow? ‘i’m captivated by you, baby; like a firework show.’”

notes: happy 21st birthday to my bestie, ethan!! i’m so sorry this is so late, i just wrote all of this in like 2 hours and it’s not proofread, so sorry if it sucks.

“Luke! put me down!” my screeches prove futile when my twin looks down at me with a wicked grin.

“down? okay!”

before i can argue that whatever he’s planning isn’t what i meant, i’m dropped from the dock and into the cold lake water. my body stiffens at the feeling and i gasp before my head is submerged under the water.

i kick my legs and rise to the surface, gulping in throat-fulls of air as i smooth my hair out of my face, glaring up at my brothers and their friends as they laugh.

“you’re gonna pay for that.” i tell Luke, holding my hand up in waiting for him to help me back onto the dock. Luke takes a step back, eyeing me with caution. “really? you won’t even help me up?”

“i’ll help you.” i look over just in time to see Ethan step over to the edge. slipping his hand in mine, he pulls me up, helping me onto the wooden dock. i can’t help but let my eyes wander as i rise to my feet, mere inches from him.

god, he looks good shirtless.

shit, y/n, stop thinking like that.

i avert my eyes, rather focusing on the shivering of my body from the summer breeze hitting my wet skin.

“i’m, uh— i’m gonna go see if mom needs any help.” i tell the guys, awkwardly turning away and jogging up the path to the back deck. my father man’s the grill, flipping hamburgers, while my mother sits at the patio table, cutting up a couple watermelons.

“what on earth happened to you?” my dad chuckles, flipping a burger. i scoff, rolling my eyes. “i thought you were just tanning?”

“i was. and then your son happened.” i tell him, flopping down into a chair across from my mother who finally looks up to see me in my dripping state.

“gotta be more specific than that, honey.” she laughs. “we do have three of them.”

“the one i’m cursed to share 50 percent of my genes with.” i huff.

“ahh, yes, that one.” she muses, chopping into the last piece of watermelon before handing me a triangle. “what did he do this time?”

“he dropped me in the lake.” i say through a mouthful of fruit.

“why?” my dad chimes in, finally shutting the grill and taking a seat next to his wife.

“cause he’s insufferable? i don’t know.” i raise an eyebrow. “does he need a reason?”

“guess not.” he shrugs. i take another bite of watermelon, juice dripping down my chin. “but here they all come.”

my dad raises his chin to motion behind me and i turn my head to glance back, making direct eye contact with Ethan, who walks between Luke and Dylan.

my head snaps forward and i wipe the back of my hand across my chin, cleaning the watermelon juice off my skin. looking over at my mother, a smirk and a raised brow adorn her face.

“you sure that’s a good idea, honey?” despite her cocky expression, her tone is soft and gentle, careful not to hurt my feelings with her words.

“i don’t know what you’re talking about.” i feign obliviousness, grabbing a beach towel off the stack on the table before the boys can take them all. i wrap the University of Michigan towel around my shoulders, using one end to scrunch the water out of my hair.

“i saw that look, and the way you reacted to it.” my mom reaches across the table, laying a gentle hand on my forearm. “just be careful. make sure you know what you’re doing, because if Luke finds out you like one of his friends…”

“yeah, i know.” i sigh. how could i ever forget Luke’s ‘friends are off limits’ rule?

before either of us can speak again, i feel a set of hands come down on my shoulders, making me jolt in surprise.

Jack’s laugh bellows in my ears, my eyes rolling in annoyance as he finds hilarity in my surprise.

i watch as the guys pile onto the porch deck, grabbing towels from the stack and drying off to prepare for dinner. my parents make themselves scarce, heading inside to collect dinner necessities.

i’m pulled out of my thoughts when Ethan drops into the chair across from me, stealing a piece of watermelon from the bowl.

“maize and blue looks good on you.” he whispers, sending a wink in my direction before he gets pulled back into a conversation with Dylan, who takes the spot beside him.

blood rushes to my cheeks as i glance down at the towel draped over my shoulders, the colors in perfect contrast to my skin.

“y/n, honey?” i look up at my mother who stands at the head of the table.

“hmm? yeah?”

“could you run in and grab the pasta salad out of the fridge?” she asks me, sharing a knowing smile.

“coming right up.” i rise from my seat, dropping the towel back onto the chair so that my brothers, or even trevor, don’t take my spot while i’m gone.

i make my way into the house, pushing open the sliding glass door and rounding the corner into the kitchen. opening the refrigerator, i retrieve the large mixing bowl of pasta as well as a bottle of water, before closing the door.

i jump in surprise, as Ethan now stands leaning against the counter behind the refrigerator door, almost dropping the bowl.

“sorry! i didn’t mean to scare you!” he chuckles, a twinge of red coating his cheeks as he rubs at the back of his neck.

the sunset washes in from the window behind him, radiating him with a golden glow and i can’t help but notice the golden flecks in his green eyes. he looks so ethereal that my knees nearly go weak when i see him at full. water drips from his hair, dropping onto his bare chest and down his abs, and i’m only so strong, my eyes follow the droplets on their path, my lips parted as i take a deep inhale.

“uh- no- you’re uh- you’re good.” i tell him, finally pulling my line of sight back up to his face, where a cocky smirk is now placed.

“Luke sent me in to get the fireworks from the closet? but i don’t know what closet they’re in.” he replies. “there’s like 3 of them down here.”

i laugh, using my water bottle to point towards the closet underneath the stairs.

“they’re in there.” i inform him. “are we doing them after dinner?”

“yeah. i think it was like an unspoken vote? dinner, then fireworks, then bonfire.” he says, heading over to the closet and pulling out the large rubbermaid tub of fireworks. “jesus, do we really need all these?”

“it’s fourth of july, go big or go home, right?” i shrug, finally stepping back toward the glass door. “you haven’t experienced beauty until you’ve seen a Hughes fourth of july firework show.”

i turn toward the open glass door, making my way back out, but not before i hear him mutter to himself-

“pretty sure i experienced beauty the moment i saw you.”

my cheeks burn and i wonder if he meant for me to hear that or if he thought i wouldn’t, but regardless, the words make my heart race.

**

i sit back in my chair, watching on as Jack, Luke, and their friends light the fireworks before sprinting away to watch them light up the sky.

Luke, Dylan, and Mark hype Ethan up as he sets fire to the end of the fuse and jumps over the firework; waiting until just before the firework is about to go off in order to come running back up to the grassy patch where everyone sits. i roll my eyes at his recklessness, wondering just how stupid guys can be.

the reckless abandon in which he does things should have me running for the hills. i’ve never before been so enamored with a guy who does stupid things like these. and yet, just by looking at him, i know that i’m too far in now. the crush i’ve held for him for the past two years has blossomed into something more.

he smiles at my twin and his friends as they shake him and shout, hyping his stupid actions, and it’s like sparks fly when i see the beaming look on his face. and coincidentally, in that moment, purple fireworks light up the sky, shooting in every direction.

“i know that look.” i look over at my eldest brother, furrowing my brows at his words.

“what?” he rolls his eyes at my response, giving me a soft smile.

“don’t ‘what?’ me, y/n. i know that look. it’s the same look you used to give Matthew when he would come pick Brady up from the lake house when you were like, eleven.”

i laugh at his comparison. no longer embarrassed of the past crush i held on the older Tkachuk.

“and how would that look?” i ask him.

“like this.” Quinn attempts a faraway look in his eyes, batting his lashes and holding his folded hands up to his cheek.

“you asshole!” i giggle, pushing at his shoulder. “i don’t look like that! i have never done that!”

“okay, maybe not like that.” he relents, chuckling. “but you have that look of admiration and love. and i know what Luke says but… i say go for it.”

“what?” i’m shocked by his words, not used to being told anything other than ‘be careful’ and ‘you know Luke’s rule’.

“if you really think there’s something there? go for it. Luke will get over it. i promise.” he assures me, a soft smile on his face as he reaches out to hold my hand.

“but, just in case, i’d say maybe don’t tell Luke right away.” he tells me, pressing a peck to the back of my hand before he drops it, rising from his seat. “and here comes lover boy now.”

Quinn wiggles his eyebrows as he walks away, one hand gripping his beer as the other waves over to Jack and company.

i look over just in time to see Ethan, coming to a stop in front of me.

“Luke wants his Team USA hoodie.” he tells me. “he says you have it in your room.”

“oh, yeah, i have that. i’ll get it.” i stand from my seat, walking towards the lake house with Ethan following behind me. once we reach the porch deck, he jogs in front of me, opening the sliding door and letting me walk through first before he closes it again and fast walks towards the stairs, leading me up to my room.

he glances behind him every few seconds, as though making sure i’m still behind him, and i blush under his gaze.

finally reaching my bedroom, i open the door, letting him follow me in as i retrieve the USA Hockey hoodie off of my desk chair.

“here you go.” i spin around, ready to hold it out to him, but he’s already right behind me, a mere foot away.

“i lied.” he confesses, pushing the hoodie away.

“oh-”

“i just really wanted to talk to you alone. and i saw you wearing the hoodie yesterday, so i knew you had it and-”

“you don’t have to explain yourself.” i cut off his ramble, butterflies erupting in my stomach at the thought of him wanting to be alone with me.

“i don’t?” he furrows his brows as i throw the no-longer-needed hoodie onto my bed. i shake my head in response.

“no. i wanted to be alone with you too.” i admit, taking a step closer.

“oh, good! so i wasn’t reading you wrong? ‘cause if i was, you can just tell me to fuck off, i promise i won’t be hurt. i mean, okay maybe a little, but-”

“Ethan?” i chime in, stopping him from his nervous ranting.

“yeah?” he takes a step forward, leaving us close enough to touch.

“just kiss me, please?” at my words, he lets out a relieved sigh, nodding his head.

his hands come up to cup my face, pulling my lips to his in a quick but steady motion. our lips connect, his soft and tasting of the watermelon we were all snacking on as the fireworks went off. my hands snake around his neck, raking through the hair at the nape of it. i can feel him shiver as my nails lightly scratch against his scalp, and i smile into the kiss at the effect i’ve proven to have on him.

he pulls away, both of us sucking in a lungful of fresh air before he speaks-

“i’m captivated by you, baby; like a firework show.”

[ewanmitchelll]

Imagine Taylor Swift’s songs (X): Long Live.

Imagine you are transported to the past… instants before the legendary battle between Aemond and his uncle Daemon Targaryen occurs. What will you do? Part I.

Warnings: drama, angst, smut—fluff; loosely based on “Outlander”.

Warnings 2: alternative universe concerning the end of “GOT”’s season 8 where Daenerys lives and Jon Snow never killed her, with a more modern take.

Warnings 3: long post.

***

• Current days.

With the war coming to an end and the recent coronation of Queen Daenerys, your life has finally returned to what it used to be… before the threat of the Others, when you were forced to flee from Winterfell to go down South and live with your uncle and aunt all the whilst the rest of your family decided to move to Sunspear, in Dorne.

You start a new life at King’s Landing, taking a course at the Westerosi University, making new friends and even finding a few dates for yourself.

“We should definitely head to Aegon’s Hill”, your friend Margaery says. “There’s a very mystical place, abandoned after the Usurper fell”, she adds in reference to Cersei Lannister’s death by treason.

You hesitate, but what’s there to lose? Security has been restored thanks to the joint efforts of Queen Daenerys and her King Consort, Jaehaerys II after years of civil war plus the madness coming from the north.

“We should celebrate there”, another friend named Lyna adds.

And that is how it all begins. But who could tell what was going to happen?

*

In the first hours of the morning next you, already dressed in red, black stripes pants and a white, winter like blouse, get your fundamental things in your backpack with an adventure feeling you cannot get rid off.

“And here we go”, you mumble to yourself after getting some coffee.

You hear the sound of a “beeeee”, and you know it’s Margery on the car. You wave a quick goodbye from your aunt and uncle before dropping into it.

“Don’t get yourself too late at home!”, you hear your aunt yelling over her shoulder.

You laugh quietly before yelling back:

“When have I ever failed you?”

And so you are driven all the way to Aegon’s hill, singing a random song seconded by your girl friends.

“I feel so excited about going there”, you, usually the quiet one, find yourself chatty this morning. Is the coffee the cause of it? Maybe. “I was reading about it and rumour has it there are a few enchantments surrounding the stone blocks that remain still.”

“You can’t honestly believe this shit”, Lyna reclines back the backseat and gives you a look. “It’s all mythical. Stories tell us that that hill received the Conqueror’s name because that was where he flew with the great Balerion.”

“But before his arrival there used to be the spot of ancient religions that turned such spot one very meaningful for their practices and all. Aegon himself kept it, aware of its importance”, you honestly don’t know what’s with you, but part of you likes the mysterious aura that place has.

“There is also a legend dated from the days of the Blackfyre rebellion that if you are not careful enough you can be tossed into the past”, says Margaery.

“How past that is, one wonders”, Lyna muses, eventually taking in the idea.

“That depends. The three eyed crow could tell… but it’s been said the man was killed by the Night King.”

You tilt your head as if pondering what the girls are talking about.

“I still can’t believe he died during the war”, you muse out loud.

“He sacrificed for the realm. Apparently he always knew that.”

No one dares to say anything. The Great War is still a sensitive topic to many and your group isn’t an exception to it. Eventually, however, you manage to get to the hill.

It’s large and surrounded by very ancient stones indeed. The beauty in its mysticism makes all the more alluring to you. Something so captivating calls you and, distracted, as if you have been hypnotized, you attend it.

In baby steps you walk, ignoring the bubbling of your friends. A soft hymn, as if played by a harp, is heard.

“Do you hear this, girls?”, you turn at them, missing the mist that rises from nowhere.

But they seem unable to hear you. You try to reach them, especially when the sound of an earthquake scares the hell out of you. You grip tightly the stone, or try to, but it’s when everything spins and you scream.

When your friends turn at you, you are no longer there.

***

• Days of War

I said remember this moment in the back of my mind. The time we stood with our shaking hands. The crowds in stands went wild…

A thunder scratches through the black clouds, roaring it violently. It only announces bad omens. Men paint the soil with their blood in red all the whilst dragons rip skies in cursed fighting.

As it starts to rain, Aemond Targaryen prepares to fight his bitter enemy, confident that he will bring victory to his side. Rhaenyra has been suffering with many losses, betrayals, no one believes her cause anymore.

Dressed in dark green leather, he doesn’t mind the rain that soaks his long silver hair. A twisted, evil smirk is seen as he rests his hand over his sword sheath.

“And here we go, Vhagar”, he mumbles when climbing Aegon’s hill where his dragon, the legendary beast that followed Balerion and Meraxes in the conquest of Westeros many moons ago, awaits.

But it’s precisely when seeing Vhagar agitated and spitting fire that has Aemond startled. What could be the cause of its state? He is ready to run to it when he sees… you.

A scared woman in what he judges to be in her mid 20’s has just tumbled before him. Dressing in strange clothes, your hair is soaked and you shake. You are bloody scared, he can tell, and in other circumstances he’d shoo you away.

However, you not only possess strange objects he’d never seen, but something else that captures his attention. And when you see who’s the man that stands right before you… you remember your history lessons.

And you scream.

Right before you pass out.

“What the fuck?”, Aemond breathes heavily, wide eyed gazing at you. Part of him tells to leave you there, but another cannot. Curiosity takes the best so he forgets the battle for now and carries you with him. “Vhagar, it appears we are delaying the freaking encounter this day. For now.”

Not in the best of the moods, he is, however, intrigued by you. As he flies with you to his secretive spot—away from Alys, he keeps it in mind—, he wonders about your whereabouts and why you dress such unusual clothing. And what’s this object you carry behind your back? A product of witchcraft perhaps?

He narrows his eyes, suspiciously so. But in the midst of this long term war, one thing is for sure: you have brought him back the inquisitiveness that he’s long lost…

***

When you open your eyes, it takes you a few minutes to realize where you are… and when realizing that your clothes are changed, you are forced to acknowledge that whatever happened the day before was not a dream.

You begin to panic when you see your surroundings. You are in a large, comfortable bed with lamb skin made blankets over your frame. The furniture is not as modern as the one your aunt has in her household.

You swallow hard, scanning still your eyes s modest desk, and a simple window. All of this makes you miss the discreet presence of Lord Aemond, who’d been watching you from the side of the chamber you haven’t noticed yet.

“I wonder the cause behind your astonishment”, his husky voice breaks the silence in such a powerful way that you nearly jump out of the bed, which makes the prince amused.

Never before had you stood a royal before, even if this man is not the kindest of his station. You force yourself to remember your history lessons and behave in the most natural way possible.

Therefore you stand and dip into what you judge a careful curtsy. Aemond’s eyebrows are raised, arms folded. But he is no fool.

“You are not from here”, he continues. “Who are you? A very weird spy sent by my dear sister to distract me?”

In other circumstances you’d have laughed out loud. But you are too frightened to do that. Aemond sees you are shaking, a clear sign of fear.

“Well? Has the cat eaten your tongue, my lady?”, he sighs heavily, not the most patient of men.

“I… No, lord. I am not”, never before you’ve been thankful for learning the ways of nobility, aware few of the etiquette has altered in the course of centuries. “I… I am not your sister’s partisan.”

Aemond can tell you speak the truth, but he approaches you, shortening the distance between you two. Then he shows you your backpack and all the things there are still inside.

“What are these then? Are you a witch, lady? Has my sister bought you so you could use such witchcraft against us, against me?”

Part of you finds ridiculous how this is going. Another is trying not to laugh at the face of danger. The reasonable self there is still in you prevails by masking your sentiments, reminding that you need to conquer this man’s trust if you want to go back home.

“If I tell you, lord, you will not believe me”, you opt for the truth. If the prince has long decided to burn you, then what does it matter?

Aemond is surprised by the moment you lift your eyes. Something about your gaze shakes his heart, as if bringing the tempest within. He ignores the shiver that now runs over his spine.

“Try me”, he commmands you to.

“I must have your word that you shall not burn me.”

The prince side smirks at you.

“Do I have the reputation of slaying ladies or sending them to death? Believe me, my lady, my mistress has been associated with dark magic and here I stand.”

Without thinking twice, though, the following words roll out of your tongue:

“But you are renowned as the kinslayer. That speaks for itself.” It’s only then you know you’ve angered the prince. Shit. “I’m sorry, lord.”

“You are my prisoner”, Aemond snaps back at you. “Bear in mind you need my favour if you have any love for your life.”

Your eyes are puddled with tears. Once too proud, you slide to your knees and beg him for your life.

“Lord, I’ve been a victim of witchcraft. I’ve been casted here, that is the truth and only truth. I come from the future and there is where I belong. I’ve never meant to stay in your way. I beg you to spare me, we have no cause for otherwise.”

Aemond’s good eye is slightly wide. He can tell, being a good observer, that you are not lying even if his reason cannot conceive it. On the other hand, what surprises him more is the way you are begging him. He’d taken you as a proud woman. The scene now disconcerts him.

“I must depart. I am needed and…”

You know you should not meddle in the past, aware of the consequences. This is a bad reputed prince, the chronicles helped making you dislike him greatly. However, you depend on him in going back to Aegon’s Hill. Therefore…

“Don’t go. You will die.”

Aemond’s eyebrows raise epically.

“What? Listen to me, young lady. Whomever you may be, sent by my sister or not, you shall better hold your tongue.”

Oh this couldn’t go any worse, could it? You sigh heavily.

“And then what? I need you, lord, to find my way back home. If you die today, I’ll be stuck in here for good.”

“Perhaps then I should have left you to Alys.”

“No!”, something about your cry scares the untamed prince. “Lord, please. I…”

A moment of silence. Neither could believe in what is going right before their eyes. You, stuck in the middle of another war; him, in the presence of what he judges to be a product of witchcraft.

“How should I address my lady?” Aemond opts to begin again.

And when you soften, so does he.

“Y/N, lord.”

“Y/N, I am Aemond Targaryen. Looks like there’s so much to catch on…”

To change the fate of Westeros, he stays.

***

The night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the same. You held your head like a hero on a history book page. It was the end of a decade, but the start of an age.

Aemond’s good eye studies you as you eat like you haven’t been fed for ages. Your hair is still hanging lose behind your back and you are still wearing a pair of delicate earrings he’d never seen before, but all else makes you look like a woman of his own times.

“So the enchantments of Aegon’s Hill are true”, he muses, breaking the silence as he takes a sip of his wine.

“They are, lord.”

“But never heard of a case where they had… succeeded, in fact.” He tilts his head. “What proof can you give me you are actually from there?”

“My objects aren’t proof enough?”

This silences the prince for now.

“I do not think wise to meddle in these events”, you say in turn. “Lord knows what that’d be like for my own days.”

Aemond is intrigued as he watches you pale. Then curiosity knocks his pride out.

“What’s like? The future?”

You wonder if you should tell him. As if he reads you, Aemond adds:

“Eventually I die. I am not asking you how. But your days, lady, I want to know. How better are they from mine?”

Sadness sparks behind your y/c eyes, a sight that inspires sympathy on him.

“Worse, I dare say. I was first raised in a long civil war. And then… another came, worse still. I really have no words to put it.”

“I cannot conceive a war worst than civil war”, says Aemond. “But another civil war bled Westeros?”

“Yes”, you try not to speak too much.

“Fuck”, Aemond grumbles under his breath. “All of this… for nothing?”

Not knowing what to say, you choose silence. And not knowing how to react, Aemond breathes in frustration. He decides to leave you.

And you end up that evening alone. But early next morning, Aemond, too intrigued with your presence to remember to fight his enemies, paces anxiously around the castle. He must know, he needs to know. And when waiting becomes unbearable, you show up.

Dressed in a blue velvet gown, you look properly like a lady of these times even though you cannot mask well your discomfort. Aemond’s own thoughts disappear before the sight of you, feeling so lost, so… out of place.

“My lady”, he doesn’t admit how taken aback he is by your beauty. “I pray you have slept better this night.”

“Not really, I’m afraid”, and your red eyes are a clear sign of how you actually spent your night. Aemond frowns at that, preoccupied. “I shall make my mission taking you home… after the battle that awaits me.”

You should not care, but you feel disconcerted by his presence. The way he looks at you says all.

“I cannot convince you otherwise”, you sigh. “Can you at least leave me at Aegon’s Hill, though?”

A request that defies your sanity, you know well. One that poses your boldly despair very clear. But you are now a survivor struggling to live in such a strange world.

However, Aemond is not willing to let go easily of you. Inspired by mixed feelings, he says:

“You are my prisoner now, remember? I shall keep your secret”, he approaches you slow, shortening the distance between the two of you. “Just tell me how to beat my uncle, how to win this war.”

“Oh Lords”, you find support in the wall. “What kind of question is that? In one moment you…”

“Just tell me!”, Aemond cuts you, rather impatiently.

“I cannot! Lord, if I do, the world I know my disappear.”

He realizes the dilemma you are. Confused by all of this mess, Aemond hesitates.

“Just stay here until I come back.”

Without waiting for any response, there he leaves you, but not to fight Daemon Targaryen. Not now. And you weep because this is all you can do for now.

***

You try to leave the castle, disguised as a peasant, but your plan comes to fail when Aemond comes back and from above, he spots a strange figure running through the woods.

Now here you are, a prisoner again. This time the prince is in a better mood.

“You are really trying to get away of me. In other circumstances, I’d be mad at you for this bluntness”, he muses, offering you wine as you sit in front of the fireplace.

You shoot him a glare, not saying anything.

“What am I to you but a toy so you can play?” Desperation hits a different tone and before you know you burst into tears, swiping away his mug smirk.

After a while, Aemond comes to his senses. He reluctantly takes your hand and when both of you see fingers intertwining, a different heat seems to rise.

“I lament profoundly to cause you pain, lady Y/N”, says he. “But this is who I am. Shouldn’t you know that?”

“I believed in other men’s judgement where you are concerned, but now…”

“Now what?”, he asks, somewhat anxious.

“Now I know in the hard way we should be better than be led by prejudices.”

Aemond leans back in his chair, thoughtful. You realize he doesn’t let go of your hand.

“Wise words, lady Y/N.” And then he muses. “I died, didn’t I? We lost this war, didn’t we?”

You avoid his gaze, opting for silence. But your silence screams unspoken words that reach the Prince’s heart. And he sighs, in between melancholy and resignation.

***

The following days you are not entitled as the lord Aemond’s prisoner any longer. Showing some colours in the horizon, hope stands as he presents you as the illegitimate daughter of some nobleman loyal to the green house who’d been deceased in the previous battles.

With a more convincing background, you are better instructed by maids of his trust in the manners of the times. Soon, you are offered a place to serve Queen Helaena.

It’s when you remember that droll tragedy.

“Oh no!”

Aemond raises his eye at you.

“What makes you deny this privilege any lady would kill to earn?”

You blush.

“I mean to say…”, you struggle with words, “I am unfit for such a position.”

“Allow me to disagree with you”, Aemond smiles and suddenly the view pleases your heart very much. “There shall be a ball on behalf of my sister’s birthday this weekend.”

“Will we dance?”, you blurt it out before you realize.

Aemond’s cheeks go pink at your spontaneity.

“Dance, you say”, he muses thoughtfully. “I am no dancer, my lady.”

“We are performers in life. Therefore anyone can be a dancer.”

“Quite a wit you possess”, says he in reluctant admittance. “Very well. If it pleases my lady…”

One smile is enough to turn tables.

“It does.”

And a new fate is sealed.

***

“It doesn’t feel like you are an outsider”, so mumbles Aemond to you alone as you two dance amidst courtiers.

It’s a sweet melody, cheerful somewhat in its beat, certainly bringing many presents a smile on their faces. The Dowager Queen looks pleased and delighted, entertained by her twins. One look at them and you are remembered by the upcoming events.

Oh, the burden of knowing too much. You swallow the bitter thought as you dance with the rogue prince. Earlier the Queen, who had welcomed you in the merriest of the moods, had said no one but a traveler could bring a man as her brother to dance. Her remark, not taken seriously by many, did manage to leave you uncomfortable. After all, you forgot that she had the Targaryen ability of possessing dreams.

“How come?”, you inquire, and it doesn’t take long before your gaze meets his.

He doesn’t strike you as the villain.

“You fit here just fine”, Aemond whispers in response.

As you twirl, hands barely touching his, you feel you are about to fall right into the trap.

“Do you think so?” And then you flash him a mischievous smirk. “Who’d ever thought we could get along?”

“Who, indeed?”

And then the dance comes to an end. Aemond takes your hand and bows, as you curtsy. But when he presses his lips against your skin, your heart races.

It appears you found your hero, after all.

***

Long live the walls we crashed through, how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you. I was screaming, "Long live all the magic we made” and bring on all the pretenders. One day we will be remembered…

It’s late night. Aemond’s thoughts are only on the strange woman who was tossed out of time and space to go straight to the core of the civil war that will be known in posterity as dance of dragons.

He’s been so captivated that he’s long forsaken Mistress Rivers and his obsession in defeating his sworn enemy, his own uncle Daemon Targaryen. Therefore he decides to go after you. Covered by the shadows of night with only the guidance of faint candlelights, he soon finds your bedchambers.

There is hesitation at first. His own thoughts are confused, his heart hammers in silent agony. There is half hope, half atonement in his heart beat.

Nevertheless, he came too far to stop now. So he knocks at long last.

There is no answer at first. And then…

“My lord Aemond”, you are surprised to find him on the other side of the door. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Despite the admonishment in your words, he can tell there is amusement in your eyes.

“Aye. But I couldn’t find myself able to sleep. And neither could you.”

A faint blush paints your cheeks, earning him his typical smirk.

“I wonder if the same thought has been the cause of our restless nights”, he begins, eyeing you up and down, much to your discomfort.

Dressed in your long white nightgown with your hair down in your back, you look as ethereal as your background. There is beauty, but there is also something unknown in your aura. There is a connection between you two.

And you, on the other hand, are more than familiar with the rules of those days you are now inserted. However, are you able to resist this man?

You wait, though. Maybe you’ve figured this out in the wrong way?

“Your silence mortifies me, lady”, Aemond sighs impatiently. “Is this not evidence enough of how I came to love you?”

Your eyes go wide and you almost drop the candle you’ve been holding.

“Aemond… I am hardly the most appropriate woman for you.”

“Titles and lands are nothing for me”, he responds anxiously.

It’s when he takes your free hand into his, locking fingers at last. To feel his warm skin against yours, colder by comparison, gives goosebumps and small shocks as a result. You fear that you are about to lose your control.

“Aemond…”

He steps forward, saying nothing until he closes the door behind him and puts the candle somewhere safe. Only then he holds you against him and finally kisses you like you’ve never been kissed.

And indeed you have never experienced the firm grasp of a man, the decisions of one confident who knows what he wants. You could have never imagined that one of the kind exists and could desire you this much.

Worse perhaps is to discover how long you’ve been dreaming about this. As his lips clash into yours, your morals die unheard. You let him reclaim you, shuddering under his intense grip, his burning touch.

Before you could do anything, though, Aemond lies you on your bed, lifting your skirts to your waist and then…

“Oh, Lord!”, you whimper out loud. “Aemond…!”

This is certainly the best experience you’ve had. And so easily your legs get heavy, that heat comes down your belly and you… burn.

You want to pull him over you, but the messy prince flashes you a side smirk, dropping by your side.

“Do you honestly believe I shall deflower my lady in a most ungallant manner?”, he chuckles as he watches you frown in frustration.

You raise your eyebrows. You hesitate in whether telling him about your previous experiences. Unwise it may be to be honest, but worse is to ignore your conscience’s voice.

“My prince, as much as I appreciate your kindness and respect to me…”

He furrows his eyebrows.

“In my days these matters have changed significantly”, and then you are quick to add. “It doesn’t mean I’ve had plenty of others, though.”

You give up justifying yourself when you watch Aemond struggle with comprehending your point. Eventually, however, he cedes the battle and says:

“I am not an example of morality, I suppose. Even so I stand what I said.”

Your face lightens up.

“You cannot honestly mean…”

“…that I intend to espouse you?”, Aemond scoffs. “Of course I do. It’s a better way to protect you, by the way. These are trying times, my lady.”

That being said, you cuddle onto him, forgetting completely there is a bloody civil war outside and that you are not studying the period anymore, but living it at its fullest.

***

It is often remarked how to achieve peace one must be prepared for war. And in war, few are familiar with good sense.

Whatever are your thoughts about it, your first taste of tragedy comes in the form of revenge. You are just going back from a stroll outdoors at the gardens when screams get at you.

As you rush to the indoors, you are prevented by Aemond.

“You should be better left out of this. Let me resolve it.”

“No”, you protest. “Aemond, I…”

But he isn’t listening. He leaves you there, as if you are a ghost haunting the castle. Your eyes start to get teary as you realize what part all of this is about.

You cover your ears as the screams continue endlessly, echoing in a kind of pain that you’ve been familiar once. The sounds awake old traumas, opening wounds long thought to be healed.

You can’t stay in there. Useless you feel, therefore you motion outdoors. All you do is walk. Perhaps this is the better time to go to Aegon’s Hill. You want to go home, you don’t want to spend any more time there…

However, once you do, you are prevented from doing so by Aemond. The rogue prince, paled with angst, is perplexed at the thought of you gone. Despaired, he comes after you, thankfully not needing to reach Vhagar for that purpose.

“I cannot stay here”, you tell him, body shaking in evident signs of trauma. “Please, take me home.”

“Y/N…”

“Please! I don’t belong here, Aemond!”

“Yes, you do. You belong with me”, he cups your cheeks and then reading your eyes, he denudes your soul, almost if by chance he has a glimpse of the future through you. “Whatever happened there… and whatever happened here are not who you are. Listen to me, Y/N. It’s you and I against the world. I am honestly sorry these are the circumstances we are now in, but we must be brave.”

There are so many words but none leaves your mouth. Aemond embraces you, rocking you in his arms.

“You already knew what was going to happen”, he is not asking a question. “But this is not the reaction one might’ve expected. You are also a survivor… of war. Bloody seven hells, Y/N. I’m very sorry, my lady.”

You melt in his embrace, sobbing as the nightmare of leaving everything behind in the midst of panic and fear strikes you again. You’ve never seen yourself as a survivor, until now.

“Come inside”, he asks you gently. “Don’t go now. Please.”

Never before he was seen vulnerable, but then again so are you. It had been a while since your wounds were so crudely open, left to bleed in such a painful manner. You’d think you overcame it, but not entirely as you’d like to believe.

Here you are, however, comforted by this character whom you were taught to hate all thanks to the chroniclers that registered his bad deeds. Although he may have done such, and you won’t find excuse for his bad reputation, he’s so much more than that, than words written by thirds.

He’s your prince. He’s your hero and you shall not think anymore of it.

***

After these dark days are gone, sun rises in paradise again. Aemond invites you to fly Vhagar with him.

The decision comes after Rhaenyra and her husband Daemon are put off the show for now. The greens hold victory for now, and even you forget the upcoming events.

“I cannot fly her!”, you shake at the thought. “Do you want to see me dead?”

Aemond laughs heartily and the sound of it melts your heart and soothes your mind. He twirls you around him before holding you against his chest.

“Do you trust in me so little that I’d let you slip so easily?”

You giggle.

“I am just not a brave woman you might expect me to be”, so you say, drowning in that good purple eye.

“Oh, dearest. You are a lot braver than you’d judge.”

Saying so, he kisses you on the lips, and you save his taste as you gladly return it.

I said remember this feeling. I passed the pictures around of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines wishing for right now. We are the kings and the queens. You traded your baseball cap for a crown

You cast him a long loving glance as the prince holds your hand, giving you side smirk before leading the way to Vhagar. This ancient beast, a companion to the Westerosi conquest two other Valyrian dragons, seems to read you the moment your gazes meet.

A sight too frightening to behold, one you’ve seen before the moment you were tossed in this time and space. You recollect the fear that shook your bones and froze your reason and this seems to happen again.

“Don’t be afraid. She knows you are with me”, says Aemond in a nonchalant manner.

You nod your head, but Aemond feels your body shaking. He gently pulls you against him and in a matter of seconds you are suddenly mounting that legendary creature.

“Holy cow!”, you scream.

The silver haired prince laughs quietly, before whispering the words in Valyrian to Vhagar start to fly.

“Calm down, love. Don’t be fearful, it’s worse if you do.”

“I am no dragon rider, Aemond”, you snap at him, eyes going wide as Vhagar begins to rise higher, flying in an incredible speed—fast enough according to your judgement and lack of experience where dragons are concerned, not entirely fast when comparing Vhagar to younger dragons like Caraxes, for example.

But all Aemond does is laugh away your fears. He takes your hands, holding them as he shows he’s commanding the situation. Despite your fears, the adrenaline comes at it and so suddenly you are flying higher than getting an airplane to Dorne.

“AEMOND!”

The silver haired finds adorable the way you trust him, holding onto him as if your life depends on him. But he knows you are overcoming a fear of heights and this only grows his admiration of you.

Eventually though, as if Vhagar is sensing your fear, she slows down and only then she settles in a pace that doesn’t fight you. It’s when you risk patting her back, stroking your delicate fingers over the asperity of the creature’s skin.

“Remember this feeling”, he whispers in your ear. “This is what freedom is like. This is what it means to never let anyone hold the reins of your life.”

“I see the lights of Westeros shining for us”, you don’t even know what you are thinking, but these words seem to make sense for you.

“They are”, Aemond spots the fire pits in towers where orange flames wipe away the fog that instaure that evening. “But you shine the brighter, my dear.”

You blush violently at his words. Never before you felt so loved and understood. Slightly turning your head, and locking gazes with him, you tell this silver haired prince open words regarding your heart.

“I love you, Aemond. Truthfully, I do. I only shine brighter because of you.”

His wide gaze shows no emotion, perhaps skeptical about the genuine feeling you put in them. But Aemond knows you are sincere and this moves him more than he admits.

Locking his arms around you, he kisses you before saying:

“I love you.”

And this is enough for you.

***

You are married in secrecy to a man whom history despises being the kinslayed. His vices are listed perpetually in dust parchments, used as propaganda to disperse any honesty there might’ve colored the shades of the green party that ruled Westeros for a short period of time.

But you see his virtues that no chronicler bothered to see and those overcome the former in a colorful prism of human being.

Daeron Targaryen, his younger brother, is the only witness of the ceremony.

“Welcome to the family, my lady Y/N. In other circumstances, this would be a merry and most favorable occasion.”

“My brother, this matters little. I appreciate the warm wishes, though, and I bet better days are about to come.”

Aemond is pleased to see how well you and his family get along. When one lives history, easily it is to forget it. And so it goes.

When you are taken to his privy chambers, who’d think this was when history is about to change?

“You look so beautiful. Astonishingly so.”

“You make sparks fly”, you smile at him, taken by handsomeness, hands stroking his long silver hair before holding his face. “I adore you, my prince.”

It starts slowly. Your tongue pairs perfectly with his, in one same passionate rhythm. Only then impatience rises when the heat begins to burn.

Your hands start to undress him, automatically moving down to his leather pants.

“Let me show you my devotion”, you break the kiss to whisper in his ear.

Aemond hisses under his breath, eyes closed as he already reacts to your caresses. Your lips leave traces of warm kisses from his neck to his shoulders, going down to his belly and then… you kneel to say your prayers.

*

But he is now devouring you like a hungry man, starving for your soul. His lips on your nipples do wonderfulness. You roll your eyes, moaning softly as your hands play with his hair.

When his skillful fingers find way to your core, you know you are lost. Aemond smirks at how loud you can be, this arousing him further.

“Hmm, my darling”, he raises to meet your mouth, clashing it in a fervent kiss, therefore muffling your lustful cries.

And right as you come undone, he doesn’t wait any longer. Sliding right inside you, you open your eyes, somewhat pleasantly surprised by his intensity.

“Aemond!”

He could not tell whether you are moaning or complaining.

“Yes?”, he groans as starts to move inside you.

“You… are… so… fucking good!”

The prince laughs at your cursing.

“My lady, watch your tongue”, says he in such a malicious way that you feel you could come undone right now.

“Aemond, you devil”, you whimper, legs locked as you begin to move as one.

He smiles down at you, holding your hands above your head. As you kiss, you meet a heavenly bliss.

***

War, however, comes back in unsafe and soundly steps. You, merged in domestic happiness, allowed yourself to forget that in great delights await greater sorrows.

Thirty days after your marriage, to your surprise you find yourself conceived. You want to tell him in the ways your prince likes: flying Vhagar. By now you and this ancient beast have somehow gotten used to each other’s presence.

“May we fly together this evening, husband?”, you ask him, trying not to sound too eager.

Aemond somehow senses you are different. But he cannot tell what exactly is.

“For someone who feared Vhagar, you’ve become quite a dragonrider.”

This day you are breaking fast with your husband’s family, now pleasantly aware of your secret matrimony, notwithstanding Ser Otto’s initial disapproval.

You giggle quietly.

“That is what marrying to you means, is it not?”

Aemond laughs quietly.

“Why, my darling, I could never refuse you anything.”

“Just be mindful you two”, muses the Dowager Queen Alicent, distracted. “It’s cloudy today.”

***

May these memories break our fall. Will you take a moment? Promise me this. That you'll stand by me forever. But if, God forbid, fate should step in and force us into a goodbye, if you have children someday when they point to the pictures. Please tell them my name. Tell them how the crowds went wild. Tell them how I hope they shine…

How could you know what was about to happen then? You are excited to share the news, believing this is the best scenario you could’ve pictured.

Dressed in proper robes, you follow Aemond excitedly and when greeting Aemond with your characteristically sweetness, he snorts and says:

“Who could’ve known we’d come to this? You turned my dragon war in domesticated dog, Y/N.”

You roll your eyes at his teasing.

“Don’t be silly, Aemond. She needs love and caring like every animal”, you smile. “As well as respect.”

“I wonder at times if you are real.”

You turn your head slightly at him as you two prepare to ride.

“Why wouldn’t I be, my love? You are my husband, or am I mistaken? Have you been with Mistress Rivers ag…”

He interrupts you by kissing you passionately. And right there Vhagar roars through the air. You feel as if you’ve been electrified. And the look in your face awakes the best of him.

“I love you, woman.”

But every happiness dies when skies grow darker and Vhagar’s roar sounds different. Aemond frowns his eyebrows.

“Shit. There’s something wrong”, he is quickly alert.

You, focused in telling him about your state, begin to grow afflicted when remembering that that battle between him and Daemon Targaryen didn’t happen the way it should.

You interfered.

Fuck.

“Aemond, honey…”

Wind blows colder, it announces storm. He begins to drive Vhagar lower, flying higher as darkness sweeps away the last rays of light. You try not to panic, but by the looks on your prince, you are promptly a victim to it.

“I’ve ruined everything. I shouldn’t be here. I messed all.”

“Don’t say that”, Aemond doesn’t have a clue of what you are trying to say, but he is already familiar with your background to prevent your insecurity to meddle in it. “You have been the best thing to happen to me…”

Before you have the time to answer him, a different roar echoes through the thundering clouds.

You know where it comes from. You know the one behind him.

And you are at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

“Aemond!”

“Nothing will happen to you, this I swear”, but then he adds, without looking at you. “If, however, something happens to me…”

“Don’t!”

He continues as if you hadn’t protested.

“…never forget how you turned me into a better man. I am unworthy of the Seven Heavens, but I tasted a bit of sacred forgiveness when you loved me. You redeemed me of my sins, my lady, even when I was a miserable. Move on as you should. But never forget me. Or us.”

“Aemond!”, you cry because you remember the result of this battle, and worse is now the effect of his words. “I love you!”

There is so much to be said, but you cannot. Time steals you from him. As Aemond and Daemon faces each other, the prince tries to find a way to save you.

However, no dragon flees from battle. But because Caraxes is faster, it soon attacks Vhagar. It’s right here that, above Aegon’s hill, every shadow eclipses the sun.

It’s right here that in midst of it all, you fall. It happens too fast. Aemond is trying to fly away, but Vhagar doesn’t obey him again. It soon responds Daemon’s Caraxes offense with another.

But when Vhagar gets bitten in the neck, the ancient dragon loses balance for a moment and right here a storm wind knocks you out.

Aemond screams, trying to save you, but you refuse to be saved. You are still in tears, judging to see him attacked by Daemon when the spells of time engulf you.

‘These violent delights have violent ends, And in their triumph die like fire and powder…’

To be continue…

[drones-of-innocence]

Traveled Half the World to Say, You Are My Muse...

What if in an alternate universe, Princess Peach was an exchange student studying art?

She might enjoy getting a daily coffee before classes, and particularly over the weekends where she planned to walk around the city in search of her muse.

Until, one day, she finds him.

Her muse appears to her in the form of a man at a coffee shop on a rainy day.

The dreary light from the windows catches the brightest blue eyes she's ever seen, and a frustrated hand combs back dark curls as he focuses on his laptop. A full cup of coffee sits, forgotten, by his elbow.

"Excuse me," she approached him before she can think twice, after blocking the doorway and apologizing to the incoming customers who stumbled into her. A childish sense of shame filled her, and she grasped at the straps of her messenger bag. He glanced up at her with those piercing eyes. Her throat went dry. "May—may I sketch you?"

She sees his eyes dart across her face, to the University's emblem on her shirt, to the messenger bag covered in bright patches. His mustache hides his mouth, so she can't tell what he's thinking behind that even stare.

The lack of a response compels nervous laughter. "I'm an art student. It'd just be really quick. I won't bother you; it's good practice, that's all." the explanation bubbled out of her through his silence. The other people sitting in the shop thankfully paid her no mind beyond a glance or two. She struggled not to force a harder smile.

His eyes narrowed for just a moment. She detected a touch of suspicion in his creased brow.

"Sure. Fine," he said, nodding to the seat in front of him before returning his attention to his laptop.

Relieved, Peach practically sank into the chair. "Oh, thank you. Don't mind me at all, it won't take long." she whipped out her sketchbook and pencil, trying to find a blank page to begin. He didn't answer, reviewing whatever was on his screen.

She started by mapping out the general form of his torso and face. He was quite a short man, much shorter than her, but he had an incredibly sturdy build. He wore a modest sweater, but she could see a hint of definition in his shoulders and chest even through the draping red cloth. She wondered if he was very active. Or perhaps his job demanded a certain degree of fitness.

He seemed older than her, but not by much at all. Maybe he was a recent graduate? She focused a little more on his face, trying not to get distracted by his eyes, to sketch out an accurate shape.

His sharp jawline contrasted with his round cheeks. "You have a very impressive mustache," she said, trying to capture the angles just right. She had never seen such a remarkable mustache. It suited the shape of his face so well that she had a hard time imagining his face without it. He didn't respond except to glance at her, expression still unreadable.

She grazed her pencil over the paper, a ghost of a line indicating a suspected dimple in his cheek. She wouldn't know for sure unless he smiled.

"Your nose is so unique," she murmured, careful to capture the precise form. Such a striking round shape. At this, she noticed him let out a sharp sigh and keep a stern focus on his computer. She was nearly done, though, so she had to persist. Had to get this specimen on paper.

Her education had created an efficient artist out of her. Her lines gained more focus, nearly portraying an accurate likeness.

It was those eyes that had captured her attention in the first place. She traced the shape of his thick brows, framing his face with a soft intensity. Nothing in the cafe could draw her away. Not the constant ringing of the doorbell as people came and went, not the steady noise level from the dozens of conversations around them. Not even the rich scent of the coffee that she so adored. Instead, her nose was more keen toward the fresh, clean scent that she assumed was the man's cologne. Her cheeks grew a little warm.

She just managed to trace the shape of his irises, though her linework could not capture the way the color almost glowed. She had never felt such a spark inside as she did looking upon this man. "Your eyes are so beautiful," she said, looking between him and the page. "I don't think I've ever seen such a bright blue before..." she looked up, only to trail off as she realized he was glaring at her.

"That's enough." The man stood from his stool in a flash, shoving his laptop in a bag. Peach jumped. Eyes wide.

He stopped only long enough to give her a hard look, before he turned and marched out of the cafe.

A few customers turned to look as Peach watched him go. Her heart skipped a beat, an alarmed sting of confusion going through her veins. He disappeared quickly down the street.

She didn't understand. Maybe he was busy and didn't want her to bother him? But if that were the case, he simply could have refused to allow her to draw him, right? Swallowing hard, she looked down at her quick little rendering of the man. His features all together created a soft image, with kind and earnest eyes. But suddenly, all she could see was that icy glare.

The rain picked up outside. Peach slowly put away her book and decided not to explore the city that day after all.

In her morose bewilderment, she could hardly take out her sketchbook over the next couple of days. A few of her classmates noticed and tried to engage her in idle gossip, but she didn't have the heart to pay any real attention.

Her work on the sketch had been solid. When she did take out her book, she would take some time to look at the man, even though the memory of that harsh look twisted the perception of her art.

Where the city had been so colorful and vibrant, it all suddenly seemed so dull and gray.

"Your muse?" her roommate caught her one day going over the lines, and pressed her until she'd explained the situation. "Are you sure he's your muse? Don't you think you might just have a crush on him?"

The suggestion haunted her like his face did in her dreams.

The sun warmed her back when she made her way down the street the next weekend. She caught sight of the cafe, and thought a coffee might do her some good before her excursions for the day. Classes had been long that week anyway; she deserved a little treat.

The bell rang on the door as soon as she walked in. Many people looked up at her on impulse before returning to their own drinks.

Except for him.

In the exact same place she had spotted him before. Those bright blue eyes fixed right on her. Like blue jewels in the sunlight.

Peach froze for a moment before abruptly averting her eyes. Should she leave? This was embarrassing. But an indignance rose up in her chest to fight off the shame. She had just as much of a right to be here as he did. She wasn't going to turn tail just because of some guy.

So she raised her chin, gripped the strap of her bag, and hurried to the complete opposite side of the room as him.

It was only after she had sat down and arranged her books and materials around for her homework that she realized she had forgotten to go to the counter to order herself a coffee.

Well. She had just as much of a right to be here, but she did not currently have the nerve to get back up and show herself and do something crazy like risk making eye contact again. With a deep breath, and heat rising to her cheeks, she got to work scanning over the latest assignment.

The low music playing harmonized with the low hum of conversation in the cafe. Peach tried to make sense of the description of the assignment, but she couldn't quite focus on any of the words.

A cup of coffee and a pastry appeared at her elbow.

Peach looked up. The man, the subject of her thoughts and dread the past week, took a careful step back to a respectful distance. Those pretty eyes focused on her with a hesitant guilt. He had his own coffee cup in his hand.

"I didn't know how you liked your coffee," he nodded to the cup on the table, where he had placed cream and sugar beside it. "But I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

Her throat went dry. Swallowing hard, Peach tried to figure out a normal way to sit without fidgeting. "E—excuse me?"

He nodded and took a deep breath. "I was rude to you last week. I believed you were, ah, trying to make fun of me. With all the things you said to me." He glanced at the floor before looking back at her again. "It was a mistake to assume the worst. You seem very kind. I am sorry for how I behaved to you." he tried to smile.

A new light dawned on Peach's understanding. "Oh. Oh, goodness, not at all!" She set her pencils and books aside. "I wasn't teasing you. I'm so sorry if I came across that way; I must have been distracted..."

The man waved her off. "No, please. It was nothing about you. I think you come across as very sweet, Miss. It was my fault."

Very sweet. He thought she was sweet. Peach tried to ignore the furious heat that rose up to her face. She pursed her lips and nodded her appreciation.

He gestured to the coffee and the pastry he had chosen for her. "Please," he said. "I will leave you now. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Miss—"

"Wait," Peach reached out. "Um, I just want you to know that I genuinely think that you are handsome. You have the prettiest eyes. And uh, I appreciate the apology. If you want, you could have the rest of your coffee with me?"

The man blinked at her when she moved to make a space for him to sit. She could have sworn she saw his cheeks flush with a little color. He didn't say anything.

She stuck out her hand. "I'm Peach. I'm an art student at the University. But you already knew that." she laughed nervously. "Um, what's your name?"

It occurred to her that he was just as flustered as she was. An excited, hopeful spark lit up her chest.

He reached out to shake her hand. "I'm Mario," he said, and moved to sit down.

O~o~O

[giuliettagaltieri]

Cherry Flavored Kisses

Pairing: Varsity Player!Eren Jaeger x College student!reader

Synopsis: The life as Eren Jaeger’s girl fascinated you, but it was nothing compared to the fascination you feel for the man, himself.  He could be nice if he wanted.  But nothing is as bittersweet as a love unrequited.

Warning: Innuendos, minor violence, unprotected sex, angst.

Word Count: 5862

This can be a stand alone, a part 2, or a part 1 of Number One Fan

Eren Jaeger warned you not to get close to him.

But being around him has had its benefits.

You got to hang out with the popular kids.

Got invited to those wild college parties.

And like them, you are cool, you are fucking game, you are the it girl.

“Hey, nice top!  Where’d you get it?”

You look up to see a senior, whose name you do not know, smiling at you.  

“Max Mara.  I like your top too!”  The smile you gave her was genuine, although it did feel required.

She flips her largely curled hair and gave you a look as if she is relieved that someone finally took notice.  “Duh!  It’s Dior!”

With just the right amount of practiced surprise, you manage to again stroke one’s ego.  “So that’s why.  It looks absolutely stunning on you.”  You add an angelic smile.

She playfully swats the air at you.  “I know!”  She then flips her curls once more.  “Anyway, I’ll be having a party this Saturday.  You’ll come, won’t you?”

You brighten your smile even more.  “Oh absolutely.”

The woman claps her hands in excitement. “Awesome!  I’ll just dm you the address to my place-” She rolls her eyes and slaps her cheek gently.  “What was I thinking.  Eren will drive you there.”

“I’ll be seeing you then.”

She wiggles her fingers with bright acrylics at you.  “See you.”

You watch her walk away and disappear in the hallway before you feel a light shove beside you.

“Oh my gosh!  I can’t believe Hitch Dreyse just talked to you.”  Louise gasps beside you.

“Who?”  You giggled while your nimble fingers unwrap the lollipop that you just fetched from your bag.

Louise starred at you with her mouth ajar.  “Are you being serious right about now?”

You reluctantly shake your head ‘no’ while popping the lollipop in your mouth.

Both her hands fly to your shoulders.  “That was Hitch, the head cheerleader of Paradis University!”

Of course.  That’s why she was so familiar.

“And I can’t believe you got invited to her party.” She sulks, her arms crossing after she throws you an accusing glare.

With a gentle smile you attempt to ease her irritation.  Although, it isn’t entirely your fault, to begin with.

“Maybe I can ask her if I can bring a friend?”

She throws her hands up in annoyance.  “As if I’d be able to enjoy that party.  It’s for cool kids like them, you’re probably the only one who’ll talk to me and Jaeger will surely hog you for the entire night.”

You look away to hide your flustered face.

“Anyway, I’m off now.  I’d look like a pitiable side character if I stay here longer.” She walks off before you could protest. “Enjoy your spotlight, miss manic pixie dream girl.”

The corners of your lips twitch to a frown but you can’t really appear to be mad at her.  At least not in a hallway full of onlookers.  But you did bite the lollipop stick harder than you should have.

Suddenly, a bunch of squeals grates your ears, they’re like tires burning on asphalt.  

“Hey.”

You look up to find Eren leaning on the column beside the bench you are occupying at the moment.  Immediately, you give him your brightest smile.

“Hey!”

Eren sits himself beside you and you fight off a sneeze, a thundercloud of axe body spray seems to be present everywhere he’s in. He picks up your pastel binder and tosses it back to its place on the bench, picks up your fluffy pen and does the same as he did with your notebook.

“You done throwing my stuff around?”  You glare playfully at him while starting to put your stuff back into your bag.

Eren hums and slumps into the bench as he manspreads.  “Didn’t see you in the practice match.”  He muses while eyeing the way the leggings hugged the posterior of the girl that passed by, all the while you were too busy trying not to notice.

A wave of muttering and mumbles fill the hallway. Right, Eren had his fan club following him there.  Can’t judge them though, you were just like them last year in your freshman year.

Until you became the lucky girl by becoming his favorite yet.  

You kept bringing him pastries, plus you’re cute. Of course, he’s gonna like you.

“Hardly seemed like I was needed there.”  You glance up to meet his bored stare.  “Besides, I had to finish an essay assignment.”

Then there’s your game of push and pull.

Eren scoffs and rises to his feet. “Alright.  I’ll be seeing you this Saturday night.”  You hold your breath when he suddenly bends down, his warm tic tac smelling breath fanning your face.  “I’ll pick you up by eight.”

He holds your gaze and doesn’t move until you finally nod at him frantically.

You swirl your moist tongue on the lollipop head before mumbling a choked up ‘okay’ as your answer.  You puff out the breath you’ve been holding when he straightens up and looks at you from above, making you crane your neck to actually see him.

And the bastard had a smug grin on his face, knowing exactly what he was doing to you.  And as if it wasn’t enough, he pulls out the bright red cherry lollipop from your cute mouth, making a moist popping sound as the candy slips from your plump lips.  To your horror, Eren flicks his tongue on the lollipop before sucking on it, the stick is wedged on the side of his lips.  It was difficult not to break away from his gaze as he did that.  But you were also not giving him the satisfaction by looking away.

“Wear something cute for me, baby, yeah?”

Your lips are still parted in surprise but you shut them quickly when Eren’s gaze fall to them.  

“Mhm!”

“Good girl.”  He pats your head and turns on his heel, heading to his next class, off to ruin professor Ackerman’s day.

His flock of fans follow him quickly, but not before throwing nasty envious glares and glances of pure curiosity.

Your back meets the bench and you try to ignore the looks thrown your way.

That was the closest thing you had to a kiss!

Oh My Gosh!

The attention that you get from people around the school almost fooled you into believing that there was something going on between you and Eren Jaeger.  And when he acts like that, you think that something just might be.  How else would you interpret his actions?  Eren must have liked you to some extent to do that.

A loud ringing of bell had you scrambling up and out of the bench and on to history class, at least professor Smith is going to help distract you for now, with his engaging lectures and equally engaging physique.

Saturday night rolls by fast.  

You had to end the mandatory calls with your mother when you hear the revving engine of Eren’s car outside your dorm.

Your chunky heels thuds on the stairs as you descend it.  Patience is not one of Eren’s strongest suit after all.  Your bangles jingle and clink together.  Your hair bouncing with your motion, along with some of your other assets, the bouncing was starting to hurt that you put an arm under them for support, while you try to navigate the steps.

The tinted windows of Eren’s car doesn’t hinder his view.  The pastel colors of your dress were dimmed just the tiniest bit but you practically hopping off the last step of the stairs allowed him to peek at the bows that sat on your thighs as your ruffled dress poofed up with the air.

You stood patiently by Eren’s door, your hands clasped together as you swayed like the adorable girl you are.

Eren opens the car door from the inside and you sit your bum before pulling your tightly pressed knees inside the car until the shoes that you probably got from the kiddy section land inside.

“Look who’s here.”  Eren drawls.  “You really gone and dolled yourself up for me.”

You smile at him meekly, your fingers crumpling the edge of your dress.

“You don’t think I overdid it?”  You bat your eyelashes at him.

Eren shifts his thighs to help with the sudden discomfort, a soft groan that is barely audible escapes his lips. “Nah.  ‘S perfect on you.”

You shrink under his intense gaze, all shy.  

The car suddenly feels warmer now.

“Y-you should probably start driving to the party now.”  You smile at him like a lovesick puppy.

Eren cocks a brow at you.  “Yeah?”  You nod at him to which he only replies with a sharp smile.  “Say please.”

It was almost funny for him to watch your eyes turn round like a baby doe, your delectable looking lips following the same shape, making him feel stuff he knows he shouldn’t.  Eren swore to never fool around with you.  He enjoys your company and admiration but it felt like pure carnality to even think about running the warmth of his hands on your skin. You are pure, an untainted flower, and he feels just a bit guilty about thinking of ruining you.

Nevermind him getting off in the thoughts of your pillowy thighs and feather soft touches when his bed gets a little too lonely at three in the morning.

“Please, Eren.”  You say with a giggle.

Eren checks if you buckled yourself in and steps on the gas hard, making you yelp.

“You finished your homework?”  Eren asks an uncharacteristic question, making you frown at him in confusion.

“Of course.”  A pause.  “Did you?”

Eren glimpses at you briefly.  “Armin’s already on it.”

You look at him in disappointment.  

“Shut up, he offered.”  He sighs.

“But I didn’t even say anything.”  You mumble under your breath.

Poor Armin.

“He offered to do it.  In exchange, I’ll get him Leonhart’s number.”

You tilt your head in confusion.

“Marley U varsity player.  Women’s volleyball.”

You nod in understanding.

One of the reasons why Eren likes you is because you are too simple.  Dealing with you doesn’t require him to sit and ponder.  You are easy to understand.  You are predictable.

What Eren doesn’t predict however, was the amount of attention you will be getting because of your all too adorable dress. His plan to have you dressed attractively for him to have a delectable arm candy backfired.

One more sticky gaze from those sleazy frat boys and he swears, his fist might find an unsuspecting jaw tonight.

Even women dressed in lowcut dresses has their hands lingering a little too long on your thighs.

A bright red cup is shoved in his face and he’s just about to yell his head off when he meets the unamused stare of Jean.

“Horseface.”  He greets while accepting the cup and taking a swig.

Jean grits his teeth.  He’s not about to take the bait.  Eren’s pissed and he’s just begging for a fight.

“Cut that out.”

Eren sends a glare up to Jean before his hawk like eyes wander to your direction as you play with his other teammates.  “Cut what out?”

Connie is warding off the guys, which helped him keep his cool, but that new recruit, Surma, is standing a little too close to you. He doesn’t care if the sophomore is on your team in the game.  And you’re oblivious to his stare as you enjoy your glass of boone’s farm.

“Brooding in a dark corner and looking like you’re about to shove your shoe in someone’s mouth the next second.”  Jean sighs as he watches you cheer with Connie when you get a point.

Eren downs the rest of the contents of the cup and crushes it in his grip.  “I think professor Ackerman taught us the wrong social sciences.”

“Agreed.”  Jean sighs. “Whatever man, just stop acting like a creep.”  He stalks away, making Eren roll his eyes.

What else was he supposed to do then?  He’s can’t drink since he has to drive you home, he’s not about to go play spin the bottle with Floch and the others.

The sofa he’s on dips.  And judging by the sickeningly sweet cologne, it’s a girl who’s sitting next to him.

He side-eyes her and catches a well-defined curve in her chest that is clad in a skin tight cheetah printed dress.

Correction, a woman.

“What are you doing alone here, big guy?”  He hears her nasally yet absurdly seductive voice.

“People watching.”  Eren tells her.

She smirks at him, her dark purple lipstick making it pop despite the dim room.  “Can I people watch with you?”

Eren shrugs.  “Why not.”

The woman laughs.  “Name’s Roxy by the way, Eren.”

“You know me.”  Eren smiles slyly at her.

“Hey, bud!  Watch over Y/N for a sec, gotta run to the bathroom.”  He hears Connie yell but Roxy runs the back of her fingers on Eren’s cheek before he could turn to look.

“Who doesn’t?”

Good point.

Eren rests back on the sofa, letting the woman feed his ego with her exaggerated and poorly constructed sentences.

She’s tacky.  Her dress, her lipstick, her scent.  Roxy is a cheap chick but Eren doesn’t turn away anybody who is willing to openly praise him.

She probably thought she could get some tonight, Eren chuckles under his breath.

He shouldn’t make fun of her, that’d be mean. Especially when it looks like she’s really impressed with herself.  He’ll let someone else burst her bubble.

The night is going really well, until it doesn’t.

Like a birthday candle blown by a toddler, all humor vanishes from Eren’s face.

His features turn rigid and he has never looked more menacing than the time he stood from the couch.  The woman he left behind couldn’t let a single word out as her throat went dry.  People didn’t see Eren as he moved like smoke around the drunk bodies dancing away on the dancefloor.

It was loud.

The smacking sound of his fist finally connecting with the sophomore kid’s face, knocking the glasses off his plain looking face.

“You better watch where those hands wander, kid.”  Eren sneers.

Immediately, he felt your soft figure collide with his.

“Eren, you shouldn’t cause trouble!”  You clutch his shirt to pull him down to your level. “You’re a varsity player!  You can’t get into stupid fights.”

You’re right.  What was he thinking?  Ruining his plans for a girl?  He better wish this won’t reach their coach.

He pulls away from you and his strong grip finds purchase on your dainty wrists.

“We’re leaving.  Now.”

You nod at him quickly, desperate to get him away from the malicious spectators.

Eren drags you away from the crowd and out of the party and you just let him.

Soon enough, the back of your thighs are pressed against the cool leather seats of Eren’s car as he is too busy speeding away. Your knuckles have turned white as you grip the edge of your seat, your other hand on Eren’s forearm, a nonverbal reminder for him to slow down as he’s not the only person in the car.

No words are spoken between the two of you and you choose to keep it that way, despite your desperate need to know what just happened.

But you’ve learned.  

Eren should not be pressured to do anything he doesn’t want, especially when he is mad.  Anything that poses as a threat towards his sense of control in the situation, he will crush.

He was just barely hovering below the speed limit, going beyond it where he is sure there was no speed gun aimed at him.

What should have been a thirty-minute drive was cut down to twelve.  And the familiar architecture of your school dormitory comes to view.  The tires screech as Eren drifted to a parking space and you could have sworn your heart is pumping two hundred beats per minute.

The entire car shakes when Eren gets out of the car and slams the door close.  You watch him circle to your side and he opens the door surprisingly gentle.

You meet his unreadable expression before you get out, taking measured steps and putting a considerable distance between you.

He’s pissed, you are not quite sure if it’s because of you.

“Uhm-”

“Go to your dorm room.  I’ll be there with you shortly.”

Your eyes widen.

And Eren waits for you to say something stupid.

“I’m not supposed to have boys in my room when it’s past nine.”  You rock on your heels back and forth, clearly nervous and unsure how to deal with the situation, unsure how to deal with him.

“That’s okay.”  Eren tucks your hair behind your ears.  “I won’t tell anyone.”  He can feel the heat of your face radiating to his fingers and he barely even touched you.

He watches you chew on your lip before nodding. “Okay.”  You then reluctantly enter the building and Eren watches you from where he stood.

As soon as you disappeared from his view, his murderous expression was back on his handsome face.  

He can’t understand just where the scum got the courage to hold your waist and elbow like that, while he had his hips pressed on the poof of your dress.

Eren could think of about fifty ways to kill that filth.  But that is frowned upon, isn’t it?  Eren will have to do it smarter.

Having him run extra laps sounds like a good way to start.  The bench also looked a bit to lonely during their games, he’ll have that kid warm it up.

The sole of Eren’s sneakers scrape the pavement as he finally follows you inside.  No lights were streaming under the doors of the rooms next to you.  They must have been in the party still.  

His knuckles rap at your door and he finds your scrambling footsteps amusing.

The door swings open harshly, sending some of his hair that escaped his manbun to fly to his sharp cheekbones.

“You’re here!  I thought you went home.”  You gasped.

“What are yo-”  He checks his watch and tried to clear his forehead from frown creases. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I was taking way too long.”

You smile at him and lean your hip against the door, Eren’s eyes followed the movement but he can’t see much with your poofy dress swallowing your form.

You’re relieved that he’s in a better mood now. “It’s okay.  Come on in.”

Eren follows you inside, making sure to lock your door.  He watches you pad around in your cotton slippers, tucking away a bra under a bunch of plushies that you have in your sofa.

“So sorry for the mess.  I didn’t think you were serious about…you…coming.”  You press your lips tightly, he looked uninterested just then.

Eren hums as he continues to walk over in your direction, with that same bored expression he had in his face, it was intimidating and attractive at the same time.

“I was hoping we could talk?”  Eren smiled at you but it wasn’t warm at all.

You look down to your feet and then at his chest, not brave enough to meet his gaze.  “About what?”

Asking such question was foolish yet necessary to buy yourself some time.  It didn’t buy you much though.  Eren’s patience was nonexistent.

Eren clicks his tongue, making you look up. “Stop playing dumb!  Why didn’t you push that guy away?”  He took another step closer.  “Were you trying to get a rise from me?”  He was dangerously close now.  His voice low and his eyes wide with barely hidden rage in them.

He didn’t have to talk to you in that tone.

Your eyes turn glossy, your nose sting.  The telltale signs of your tears.  You hated crying, it makes your nose feel stuffy, you stomp your foot in annoyance.

“That is so unfair!”  Eren had to take a step back to get a view of your adorable display of anger.  “I didn’t even do anything.  Surma was also just teaching me how to aim the ball better.  You were the one who was over reacting.  Throwing punches at people who were just trying to help and making your car fly after your dramatic exit at the party.”

You are heaving by the time you finish.  Your lashes are clumped with unshed tears filling your waterline.  Your cheeks have also gone bubbled.  It’s a shame you’ll never know how adorable you are when you lose your temper.

So adorable that Eren closed the distance between you two and you fall to your butt and land on your squishy plushies in surprise. But you don’t have that much time to complain when you feel his hand cup your cheek to have you tip your head at him and he leans down, with so much force and speed that you draw a sharp breath.

Fuck.

Eren meets your wide eyes and glances at your parted lips.  He never wanted to kiss someone’s lips so badly.  

But if he meets your lips with his, it’s all over. His vow to keep you chaste.  He’ll feel guilty of breaking that halo atop your head.

His jaw is clenched and he straightens up. “Sorry.”

A frown graces your features when he drops his hand and you quickly pull them flush to your chest.  “Don’t be.”  You look away from him and nibble on your lips.  “Kiss me.”  You meet his eyes again.  “Please.”

When you ask so nicely, he’ll just have to oblige.

Eren reaches and runs his thumb over your bottom lip, pulling it slightly and letting it go with a bounce.

“Pretty girl.”

Eren takes you by surprise as he rests his knee on the sofa next to your trembling thighs and captures your lips.  He groans at the sugary taste of your cherry lip balm.

It was everything you dreamt it would be. Eren’s lips were pillowy and they feel good as they wrap around your bottom lip, just before parting to let his teeth nibble on you.

“Eren.”  You whisper as he litters your jaw with kisses.  You are perfect and he wants nothing else but to have you right now.

His fingers brush on your clothed chest and reaches behind you to roughly tug at the zipper holding your dress together. Groaning when he finally felt your soft mounds even before he could see them.  A mewl escapes your lips and you cup his hands that are groping your soft bosom.

Eren often associated you with cuteness and youth but right now, you are a woman.  A woman with sultry eyes that are just inviting him in.

His hands press on the pudge of your stomach and you moan as he presses you harder against your plushies, closing your eyes when they go lower and lower until he caresses the petals of your flower behind your soft panties.

He pinches the oozing chub of your thigh above your thigh highs and traces his hand on your thighs up to your hips.  His long thick fingers hook on your panties and you could swear you heard a soft rip.

You cried when his knuckles brush along your puffed lips, collecting wetness as he did so just before slipping inside, the foreign intrusion having been too much that you push Eren’s shoulder slightly. Eren groans as he drags another knuckle just before stuffing you with it.

“Oh!”  You moan so obscenely and Eren was taking it all, his head fogging up with how much your virgin cunt was sucking on his fingers.

“You can take more, can’t you, baby?”  He grins against your jaw as he drags his fingers on your velvet walls.  “You can, yeah?”  Eren talks you through it until he’s slipped a third finger on you.  The stretch burns but you are far too needy to care.

“Ren.”  You whimper as your walls flutter around his fingers.  “Want you to f-…Want you to do it.”

He’s about to ruin you and you still can’t say the word.

He pulls them out, making your gasp.  Eren presses his forehead against yours and grips your thigh and his dripping fingers make you shiver.  “Yeah?  You think you can take it?”

You nod at him frantically.

“Alright.”  Eren snickers as he slips off his top along with the layer under it, his jeans come off next.  His movements are swift and you are struggling to keep up as you slide off your own dress.  

You shut your eyes when it springs free, slapping to his stomach.  

“What are you doing?  Look at me.”

Eren hooks his arms below your thigh high clad knees to drag you until you feel your back resting more against the plushies. “Come on, just a peak.”

You bite your cheek when you feel something stiff but squishy on your thighs and it drags to your folds.  Eren rocks his hips and you clutch to his enormous biceps when the thing slides on your lips and kisses your clit.

It feels soooo good.

But it wasn’t enough.  You want it inside.

“Fuck!  You’re leaking.”  

Your eyes flash open when you feel it caught on you entrance.

“There she is.”  Eren says almost condescendingly.  “Want you to look at it, baby.”

With much reluctance, you do.

And you wish you hadn’t.

“That’s too big for me.”  You whimper, your gentle fingers flying to his abdomen to try and push him away.  

“It’s alright, Y/N.  I’ll be gentle, yeah?”  Eren sinks deeper and the head disappears, making you tear up.

Eren does not ask for permission most of the time and is mostly just letting you know.

He scoops you up by your shoulder to have your chest pressed against him.  He’s mumbling on your shoulder, praising you, telling you how good you are making him feel. His hips haven’t stopped moving.

“Too full!”  You cry on his shoulder and Eren grits his teeth, sweat dripping down his temples as he tried to hold himself back.

“I’m almost all the way in.”  He glances between you and still half of him is yet to be put inside you.  “Just a little bit more, alright?”  He kisses your forehead and brings you close to him.  You cry on his shoulder as he shallowly thrusts.  “Just a little bit…”  and with one swift motion, he plunges all of him inside you.  “More.”

Your lips part to let out a voiceless scream.

Eren groans, the tightness was almost painful but he marvels at how good you’re making him feel.  You on the other hand has your eyes wide, the feeling of it is weird and incredibly excruciating.

“Get it out!”  You pounded on his back but Eren only groans even more, sucking on the tender flesh of your neck.  “You’re hurting me.”

He doesn’t stop your hands, ignores your whimpers, and the bright red lines you draw on the wide expanse of his well-toned back with your cherry colored nails.

A small rock with his hips has you mewling in pain.

“Come on, stop fighting it.”  He sighs, his rough fingers already tracing your clit, drawing circles and patterns and shapes that are yet to be discovered and named. “Relax for me.”

The natural response of your body doesn’t fail to impress him.  Eren takes pride when he manages to let your juices seep from your lips.  He got himself ingrained in every fiber of your being.

From the sweet noises and gasps spilling from your lips, it is not difficult to understand that you are feeling good at the moment.  A particular upward thrust had your foot kicking high up in the air, knocking one of your plushy to the floor.  Eren glances at the fallen innocent looking plush kitty and your debauched state and couldn’t resist stealing a kiss from you.

The heat pooling in your lower abdomen is spreading, making you impossibly more sensitive, feeling every drag of his heaviness on your walls.  Every bump and vein, all designed to make you feel euphoric.

Slowly, with every wave of pleasure, you feel your control of your body slipping.

It felt like falling.  An erotic scream bouncing on the walls.  The pleasure had your eyes rolling backwards as liquid fire courses through your veins.

“There you go.”  Eren laughs, only rocking his hips against you faster, his thumb tracing his name on your clit, dragging your release longer, as he was owning you.

A loud squelch of your own kitty being pounded by Eren had you all flushed and you pull your hands to cover your embarrassed state.  A futile attempt as Eren easily pulls your hands back to his shoulders.

“S alright, baby.  Sounds hot.”

You look up to Eren with love sick heart eyes, only pure admiration is what you feel towards the man who you gladly allowed to deflower you.  Even with sweat sliding down his chest, his brows twisted to a frown, his teeth gritted, everything about him is just so enticing.

You let your head rest on the softness of the plushies and you just watch Eren make you feel good.  

“What’s wrong, baby?”  His movements halted and he stiffens before moving his hips faster and more erratically.  “Tapping out?”

Gently, you hook your legs around his hips and you shake your head.  “Nope.” You giggle but it turns to a small hiccup when he lifts your legs and presses your knees to your shoulders. The soft thin fabric of the thigh highs rubbing on his heated bronzed skin.

What a scandalous way he has you right now. But Eren doesn’t care as he uses his weight to press your own legs on your torso and pounding into you with all he has, making his heavy balls slap the globes of your ass.

He has you folded so shamelessly and still has the cheekiness to grin at you.

“Look at you.”  

Broken mewls are all you can give him as he overwhelms you, overstimulating you in the best way he can.  A shiver runs through your body when you feel your juices seeping to your bum, definitely wetting the sofa.  You open your eyes and could see your feet rocking with Eren’s movements. Tiredness hit your hips first, crawling up your thighs.

“What’s wrong?”  Eren nips your nose when you scrunch it up.

You put a palm on his face to keep him away. “Hurts.  ‘M tired.”

He hums and you smile sleepily at him.  

But he isn’t letting up like how you expected him to.

“Ren.  Eren, please.”  You sob.

A snarl rips from Eren’s throat and you feel every rumble of his bulging pecs on your chest.  Your breath hitches when he buries himself inside you and stays there. Every twitch of him inside you, every ridge of his muscular thigh against your bum, and the warm spurt of his cum.

It was thick, goopy, and too much!  

Eren continues to fuck his cum deeper inside you, unfazed by the loud squelching your cunt makes.  Tears flow to your cheek as your body gives in to him for the second time that night.  Your walls pulse around him, milking his spent cock inside you.

“Whoa there.”  Eren coos as he kisses you shoulder, your body still twitching.  He holds your hip and slips out, his cum splashing on your swollen lips.

He straightens up, his chest rising and falling just like yours.  His hand reaches to cup your cheek and you share vulnerability with him.

But his walls return quickly.

With half lidded eyes, you watch Eren get up and pick up the shirt he tossed earlier.  You manage to lift yourself up to a sitting position to watch him open random drawers until he pulls out a small pink fabric.  Your head tilting to the side as he brings it to his nose and takes a deep whiff.

Too tired to fight back, you let him slip the fabric, which turned out to be your panty, up to your thighs until its snug on your cunt.  Immediately, you feel it turn sticky but you ignore it when Eren makes you raise your arms up as he helped you put on his shirt.

You pull the shirt slightly so you can read the print.  1.  

“It’s yours now.”  He tells you.

“But this is your jersey?”  You mumble while pulling a bunny plushy.

Eren buckles his belt and puts on his compression tank top.  “I got lots of it.”  He finally slips his shoes back on.  “Come on.”

You rise carefully, your bunny still squished in your arms.  “Where are we going?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, we didn’t use protection when we fucked.”  You flushed at his bluntness.  “We’ll go get you a pill.”

You grab your keys and you slip on the first footwear you see, your ballerina flats and you quickly run to Eren’s side after locking your door.  

You smile giddily when he didn’t say anything as you cling to his hand.

“I’m surprised to see your heels touching the ground.  I thought your feet are specially made for high heels only.”

You giggle like a school girl.  “Silly!”

The trip to the pharmacy was short and you are grateful the tired looking cashier didn’t ask anything else.  

You still haven’t let go of Eren’s hand when you are back in his car as he drives you back to the dorm.  A comfortable silence fills the car and you soon see the tall building of your university.

Eren reaches for your exposed knee when he brings the car to a halt as the traffic signal flashes red and you smile at him before popping a cherry flavored bubblegum in your mouth.  You grimace at the bitter aftertaste.  Eren chuckles at your expression making you erupt in giggles too.

You wish he’d say something, anything that would tell you that you’re not the only one exhilarated at what happened between you.

It was terrifying for you but you are glad you did it with him.

With your chest so full of warmth, you can’t help the words spilling from your lips.

“Eren, I know you feel what I feel.”

The traffic light flashes yellow and he remains silent, you can tell he’s having a battle in his head with the way he’s staring hard at the empty street in front of you, his jaw twitching with every passing second, his hold on your knee getting a tad tight.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to-”

“What are you talking about?”  He chuckled dryly as he pulls his hand from your knee to shift the gear stick.  “You know for a fucking fact that this doesn’t change anything between us.”

Your back hits the passenger seat with the speed of the car lurching forward.  Your chest tightens and the street lights bled together as tears fill your eyes. There was no commitment being made earlier as your bodies molded as one.  

He is not yours as you are not his.

“I did warn you not to get close to me.”

Sequel: Number One Fan

[silvervioletvalentine]

❣️!fight for her love!❣️

Pairing: Daniel ricciardo x femOC (Cherrie!)

Word count : 9k

Summary : in which he’s gonna fight for her love…literally . And drag max and lando into it too because why not?

A/N this is the funniest thing I have ever written. Not serious at all srry but this is what happens when I don’t sleep. I can’t even. This is my favourite oneshot ever lmfao

Daniel wrapped his arms around both max's and lando's shoulder with a loud announcement of his arrival , following their eyesight to see what they were having a nosey at.

His own brow raising at the sight of the love of his life , the same woman who was also very unaware that she was Daniels soulmate (in his words), walking hand in hand with a dark haired man down the paddock.

Feeling his stomach turn, he struggled to keep the same bright smile plastered on his face.

Trying to ignore the looks of pity that he was getting from his friends who knew every single little bit of his infatuation for Cherrie.

"So this is the new boyfriend then?" He mused,  tongue in cheek as they all squinted their eyes at the man by her side . Titling their heads to the side simultaneously as they all thought the same thing.

"Is he a model?" Daniel came right out with it and asked .

There was no way that he wasn't. With a muscular body and a face like a fucking Greek god, Daniel was certain that this was the very same man that was on the front package of the Calvin Klein boxers that he had bought last week.

Lando winced for him "I think so. He's very..." he hesitated.

Not knowing if he was supposed to be honest about how good looking her new boyfriend was or if he was supposed to lie to make Daniel feel better .

Max made the decision for him, blunt as ever. "Good looking. They look good together. It makes sense. Her looking like a goddess and him looking like that.." he mused unhelpfully.

Not one to ever make anyone feel better in their misery.

Lando shot him a look of disgrace .

“Max! That is not helping!" He told him shocked by his lack of sympathy for their friend.

Daniel just snorted as he crossed his arms over his cheek, shaking his head in denial.

“”Nah I don't see it. He's not that handsome. Not as handsome as I am. It's very obvious that I'm the better choice for Cherrie." He informed them confidently , not allowing this little bump in the road to get him down.

He was nothing if not stubborn and determined to make sure that he and Cherrie were going to be together forever.

Both of his friends couldn't help but laugh , shaking their heads at him in amusement . Mostly pity on their faces at his very clear lie about the other mans looks.

"Mate.. I hate to say it but she's dating a Adonis ." Lando said truthfully.

All of them still stood together like a group of mean girls as they eyed the gorgeous couple in front of them.

Daniel shot him an offended look. "Are you saying that He's better looking than me?" He then made a dramatic sweep of his hand over his body as though he was showing off something incredible.

“Me?! The most handsomest man in the entire universe?" He exclaimed , still grinning despite his impending heartbreak.

They both laughed at his antics. Lando giggling "you've got some serious competition mate." Then he added curiously "do you think his abs are real? I can see them through his tshirt." He mused in amazement as he looked at cherries new boyfriend in slight awe.

Daniel immediately shook his head, pulling a face as though he was repulsed by the sight of the man.

"Absolutely not. He's definitely a steroid maniac. A terrible match for the love of my life. She's needs someone to cuddle that doesn't feel like a brick wall." He stated to them.

Max grinned mischievously , nodding his head along to his bullshit.

“Yeah you're right Daniel . She needs me. I'm more than happy to offering my cuddling services to Cherrie-" he couldn't even finish his joke before Daniel had him in a headlock.

Shaking his head with his fist as max tried to get out of his hold while laughing hysterically.

"The only arms that shall hold her shall be mine!" He declared dramatically before finally letting him go .

Max huffing at him with a grin as he tried to straighten out his now fucked up hair again.

Lando snorted at him slyly "well I don't think it's your arms around her now is it? Maybe it's time for you to give up .." he said knowing fully well the reaction that he would get at his suggestion.

Daniel looked at him like he had just shot him up the ass. 

Mouth dropping open in disbelief "me? A quitter? I don't think so mate! This is just a mere .. test that I need to overcome." He told them casually before walking over to one of the flower bushes near where they were standing and plucking off a large daisy.

Max grinned "and how are you going to overcome this exactly? Because the last time she had a boyfriend that wasn't you , you didn't handle it very well." He reminded him. Lando giggling at the memory.

By not handling it very well they meant the way that Daniel had made the man join them for golfing only to run him over with the golf buggy and threaten to do it again if he didn't dump Cherrie.

The man obviously hadn't been there the next day and they had been left to console a upset Cherrie over her missing boyfriend who had dumped her without any explanation.

Daniel hugging her and patting her head as he told her that she didn't need that asshole anyways, ignoring his friends incredulous looks over the fact that it was his fault that he had hauled ass out of the country as soon as he could.

Daniel just shrugged casually , not in the slightest bit remorseful for running over her last boyfriend with a golf buggy.

He'd do it again if he had too.

"I'm going to kill him with kindness. Till he shows his true colours and snaps." He told them simply.

His friends looked skeptical, not believing that was his only plan.

Lando hesitated "well.. at least he's not going to actually kill him. That's a .. plus?" It came out more like a question.

Not trusting that Daniel wouldn't try running over her new boyfriend with a golf buggy as well.

Daniel smiled brightly , nodding his head.

“Yeah! That's plan B. I'll just do plan A first and see how that goes." He casually stated before patting them on their shoulders and sighing loudly.

"Well, I better go introduce myself to her soon to be ex boyfriend! Wish me luck amigos!" He happily exclaimed before hurrying over to the the couple before they could leave .

Leaving max and lando to exchange amused looks between them, also a little weary of their friends plans.

"Do you think it will work?" Lando asked him curiously . As they both watched Daniel throw himself at the couple, startling them.

Max just laughed "he's not going to stop until it works. I just feel sorry for the guy. He stands absolutely no chance against Daniel." He simply answered as they got ready to watch the shit show about to go down.

Cherrie almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a large body push through between her and her boyfriend Matt , two arms wrapping themselves around each of their shoulders as Daniels smiling face popped between them.

"Well hello guys! And hello man that was on the package of my boxers!" He almost sang as he grinned between the two of them, side eyeing her boyfriend a little meanly.

Definitely steroids. He thought to himself as he felt the bulging muscles of Matts shoulders and arms beneath him.

Not a fight I would win. He also thought.

Deciding to scrap the slightly terrible plan of fighting him on the spot in a spar for her love.

He didn't think that Cherrie would find it very hot if she had to watch him get his ass handed to him by an underwear model.

That was not the way to get her to give him a chance.

Cherrie eyed him in slight amusement , her smile growing as she wrapped her arm loosely around his waist and gave him a little squeeze.

Laughing when Daniel leaned down and bumped his nose against hers happily.

There was no way she couldn't smile around someone like him, he was like a personal ray of sunshine that followed her around and made her day brighter.

He was her favourite person in the entire world. No matter how annoying he could be sometimes, she knew that he meant well.

"Hey Danny! How was your break?" She asked him , ignoring her boyfriends look that he was giving her. Clearly not liking the way that Daniel had his arm thrown around him.

He grinned down at her, ignoring model man for a moment as he took in her sun kissed cheeks and pretty eyes. Fighting back a dreamy sigh.

"It was fun! I missed your gorgeous face though!" He told her honestly before hearing her boyfriend clear his throat .

Making him turn his head to look at the unimpressed man, Daniels smile turning a little forced at the sight of him.

"Seems that you've been a busy girl though. Where did you find this one?" He kept his tone light and playful as he dropped his arm from matts shoulder , patting his back instead .

So Did he hit his shoulder a little harder than he should have? It was purely an accident of course!

Cherrie flushed a little, looking between the two very different men that were staring at her.

"Erm-at a club?" Her answer came out more as a question from the pure nerves rushing through her from the way Daniel was gazing at her. His eyes never leaving her face , impatiently waiting for her answer.

It felt somehow wrong to be introducing another man to him like this.

The two of them were so close and affectionate with each other that at some point along their friendship Cherrie had genuinely thought that something would happen between the two of them.

I mean they already acted like a couple! They did everything together! Daniel even had a key to her apartment for when he wanted to let himself in and keep her company.

Where one was the other was never far behind, Daniel always making sure to keep his hands on her at some place or another .

Which was why she had been so hopeful that something would happen.

But it never did.

There had been plenty of times and opportunities where he could have made a move . But he didn't. And the closest he had come to kissing her was when he was drunk and he couldn't keep his hands to himself , kissing her all over her face and around her lips till she had to push him away .

It was why she had decided to herself over the break that she had to move on. She couldn't keep pining after a man that only saw her as a close friend.

Unaware that he was as in love with her as she was him. She had distanced herself from him over the holidays, telling herself that it was for the best when she had met matt at her club and went home with him.

Determine not to get her heartbroken , she just went with it instead .

Daniel rose a curious brow at her, surprised at her actually keeping a hookup around. Recalling the way she had once told him that she would never ever date someone that she met in a club for one thing.

What had changed?

"Ah a club.. the place where you will definitely meet the right person. I mean they might as well have a sign that says 'meet your perfect future husband who definitely wants a serious relationship right now!'" he sarcastically said before he could stop himself .

Matt frowned at him.

Cherrie nudged Daniel in the side with a nervous giggle . Shaking her head at him in amusement despite herself.

"Daniel! Behave! We've just been getting to know each other.." she smiled at Matt feeling a little bad for not warning him about how dramatic and obnoxious her friend could be sometimes.

In fact she hadn't told Matt about him at all. Because most of the time the guys she went out with couldn't understand the closeness they had and the tight bond they shared between them.

In fact, she had lost more than one boyfriend because of the way they had accidentally made them into a third wheel , even though they were just friends. They did act like they were together sometimes .

Which was mostly Daniels fault seeing as he couldn't keep his hands to himself and rarely ever left her side unless he had to.

Daniel just smiled before picking up the daisy that he had picked and sliding it behind her ear, gently pulling her hair toward so it framed her pretty face and the flower.

Cherries cheeks flushed, eyes nervously glancing between the two men with completely different expressions being presented to her.

Daniel was smiling at her while he pulled out his phone to take a picture of her , meanwhile her boyfriend looked nothing less than annoyed at Daniels behaviour.

"Do you know what her favourite flowers are?" Daniel directed his question over to Matt , keeping his voice friendly as he finished taking photos of Cherrie and put his phone back in his pocket .

Facing him fully again so he could look the man in the eye when he spoke.

He had read somewhere that eye contact was a great way to assert dominance in the wild.

Matt smiled a little at Cherrie "roses." He answered confidently. Saying the flowers that he had gotten her one their first date.

Daniel sucked in a dramatic breath through his teeth and pulled a faux look of pity towards him.

"Oooo wrong mate! She actually hates flowers. She feels bad when they die cause she always forgets to look after them." He told him as though it was something that he was supposed to know.

Shaking his head in disappointment at him, despite still keeping his usual smile on his face .

Finding it easier not to fake his grin when he noticed the way matts eye twitched at him, not happy with him at all.

Matt frowned at him "you've just given her a flower!"

Daniel laughed "yeah but that's different. That's just cause she looks cute with it in her hair like that. I wouldn't get her them for a first date. That's not very creative is it?" He teased although he was a hundred percent serious.

Cherrie cringed internally at the way her boyfriend was clearly squaring him up , easily falling for the way Daniel was winding him up.

She pinched Daniels hip and gave him a warning glance , he just laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Stop it." She muttered to him before smiling sheepishly over to Matt.

“Ignore him . I did like the roses.." she lied to make him feel better.

Daniel laughed even harder , wrapping his arm around her head and hugging her to his side as he swayed them from side to side . Happy to be able to have her within arms reach again.

He felt like he had gone through actual withdrawal symptoms without her over the holidays.

" I heard someone say once that as soon as the roses die then the relationship will too." He made up completely on the spot just to wind up

Matt even more.

Her boyfriend scoffed and rolled his eyes at him, Cherrie just glancing between them nervously.

"Then I'll just keep replacing the dead roses then. Then she'll never have to see them die." Matt countered back to him .

Daniel smirked at him, beyond amused at himself .

This is going to be a piece of fucking cake. He thought smugly to himself , seeing how easy it was to piss him off already.

He gave him another week till shit hit the fan. A fan that he would be holding up above them.

"Keep giving her flowers that she doesn't like? Ooo doesn't sound very thoughtful man.." he smirked, looking him up and down judgmentally.

At that Cherrie let out a nervous laugh and patted Daniel on the back before pulling away from him, taking ahold of her annoyed boyfriends hand instead.

She smiled at the two of them, wanting to get rid of the rapidly growing tension as quickly as possible.

And she had a feeling that if she just stood there and let Daniel wind Matt up some more, that it wouldn't end well for any of them.

"Okay! Well.. we better get going! It was nice seeing you again Danny!" She started to pull her boyfriend away from her friend as quickly as she could.

Daniel was still grinning as he called over to her "are you coming with us for drinks tomorrow?"

Cherrie gave him a guilty smile , hating breaking their weekly tradition of bar hopping with their friends. But she had no choice.

She couldn't just ditch her boyfriend to drink with the man that Matt definitely now hated.

No matter how much she wanted to.

"I can't! Matts taking me out to that new fancy restaurant tomorrow night at seven!" She told him with a little wince. Feeling bad.

Daniel hummed , titling his head mischievously.

"Heart and Soul?" He questioned , thinking of the new overpriced restaurant that had just not long ago opened up.

He had been planning to take Cherrie there himself, just the two of them. But he guessed he had to change his plans again.

But no worries. He was nothing if not Adaptable to new situations.

Cherrie just nodded her head with a smile, feeling Matt tug on her hand impatiently so they could leave .

If possible Daniels grin grew even bigger , a plan already forming in his head.

"Well have fun gorgeous! I'll see you soon!" He shouted to her, blowing her a kiss too. Giggling to himself at the glare Matt shot him over his shoulder.

He almost felt sorry for the sucker. He had no idea what was coming to him.

Serves him right for being anywhere near the love of my life. Daniel thought stubbornly to himself.

He had it coming to him.

Daniel could feel the wary looks of his friends on him as he dragged them out of the car excitedly , looking up at the brightly lit restaurant with a grin.

Even Max looked impressed as he glanced inside the five star restaurant, Daniel leading them straight over to the hostess booth.

"How did you get us a reservation here?" He asked him curiously .

Lando too busy gaping up at the several large chandeliers in amazement . "Wow so much light!"

Daniel just beamed at them as the hostess began leasing them to their table, shrugging his shoulders casually .

"I told them that I was planning to propose tonight. Fantastic publicity for them really!" He informed them casually.

Their heads snapped over to him simultaneously, sharing a worried look between them.

Daniel had simply told them that it was a small dinner between friends. That he was just curious to see what the new restaurant was like.

They felt a little stupid for believing that bullshit now as they watched Daniels head snap around in every direction of the dining hall as though he was looking for someone.

"Who the hell are you going to propose too?" Lando exclaimed , half in amusement and half in worry.

Max was squinting his eyes at Daniel suspiciously as he gave them his best innocent grin, ignoring the questions as they were seated around a red clothed table that was lit up with candles for them.

"Wow this place is fancyyyy! Look at all these couples on their cute little dates!" Daniel said, still searching for a familiar head of hair.

His heart jumping victoriously in his chest when he finally spotted the love of his life sat at a table a few spaces to their right.

Max and lando sat down in their seats, still looking at him in confusion.

"Is there a reason you wanted to come here so badly?" Max asked him, referring to the way he had desperately begged them to come with him. Claiming that he needed the support from his best friends.

Max wasn't sure how much support they could give him eating food.. though they hadn't said anything about his strange reasoning. Never ones to turn down free food that someone else was paying for.

Daniel crossed his fingers together as he smiled at them, glancing over at Cherrie every few seconds to make sure that she was still there and not going anywhere.

"Oh ya know.. just wanted to enjoy a special night with my amazing friends who would support me and always have my back no matter what.." he laid it on pretty thick.

They looked even more alarmed when he gave them a slightly guilty smile , shifting in his seat restlessly .

Lando winced "oh god what did you do now?-"

Max had already spotted the reason for their friends sheepishness a few tables down, groaning loudly in disbelief as he glared at Daniel in annoyance .

"You can't be serious mate! Did you know she was going to be here?!" He then answered his own question bedore Daniel could say a thing.

“Of course you knew she was here! Fucking hell danny!"

Lando followed his line of sight, eyes widening at the sight of Cherrie and Matt holding hands, clearly on a date.

Looking over at Daniel who was shamelessly grinning at them, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my god!" He giggled while max shook his head disapprovingly . Two different reactions to the situation.

"What are you going to do? They're on a date!"

Daniel just ran a hand through his hair and straightened out his smart white dress shirt with his hand the best that he could .

"I'm just gonna make sure that's she's having a good time." He casually answered them "something that she can't be having without me! I'm going to make her night even better!" He told them confidently .

Lando continued giggling at him, while max just shook his head at him in disapproval.

"Daniel.." he sighed putting his face in his hands knowing that they were about to get dragged into his idiotic plans too.

“Matt is not going to be happy if you crash their date. He already looked like he wanted to smack you yesterday." He stated matter of factly.

Daniel just nodded along uncaringly "that's why you guys are here. For backup." He casually informed them of their roles.

Which made lando promptly stop giggling, eyeing him with sudden worry.

"Mate I hope you aren't expecting me to fight him if it all kicks off! He's massive! He'd crush me!" He almost squeaked , eyes wide as he looked over at cherries new boyfriend worriedly .

Daniel just rolled his eyes as though he was the silly one .

"That's why I brought max as well. He doesn't stand a chance against all three of us against him . We're like the dream team!" He beamed at them.

Max deadpanned at him. Utterly fed up.

Ignoring their expressions , Daniel let his smile fade for a moment . Getting serious again.

"-and anyway I did some digging into this guy and he's not who he says he is." He whispered to them.

Lando , if possible, looked even more worried.

“He's secretly in the mafia and going to kill us?" He blurted out, scared.

Both Daniel and max gave him a weird look.

Daniel just snorted "no. It's even worse.. he's married! He's got a wife in Dubai!" He told them the shocking news that he had found out.

Both of his friends gaped at him in shock.

"Holy shit are you serious?" Max gasped alongside lando.

Daniel nodded his head , face set. "Serious as fuck guys. And judging by the love of my lifes gorgeous and innocent ... so fucking pure and easily tricked- god bless her- I mean look at how cute she looks with her perfect-" he started to get distracted as he gazed at her longingly.

Max clicked his fingers in front of his face impatiently, snapping him out of it.

"What is the plan then? She clearly doesn't know!" Max's own protectiveness for Cherrie shone through. The two having become good friends over the years of driving together.

The last thing he wanted was to see her get fucked over.

"This is terrible .." lando groaned , still worried about the possibility of having to fight a man twice his size in height and width .

Daniel sighed "I know. I was thinking we just go over there and act normal. And I'll just keep bringing up marriage and shit like that to make him squirm."

Max slowly nodded his head , frowning.

“So we're gonna trick him into admitting it?" He said.

Lando groaned again in misery .

Daniel smiled brightly , nodding his head in conformation.

"Yep! Now come on. Lers not waste any time!" He said Before springing to his feet and making his way over to their table confidentially.

Leaving max and lando to trail after him reluctantly , lando looking over at max worriedly.

"This ain't going to end well is it?" He guessed.

Max just pursed his lips and sighed "just remember to duck If you see a fist swinging your way." He muttered to him before plastering a smile on his face as they came to stop beside their table.

"Well howdy! What are the chances of bumping into you two here!" Daniel exclaimed loudly startling them as he grabbed a chair from an empty table and dragged it over to theirs , legs screeching against the marble floor noisily .

Cherrie gaped up at him in disbelief while matts face dropped at the sight of him .

"What the fuck?" She blurted out in shock as max and lando did the same thing, pulling up chairs to join their table casually .

Lando gave her a sheepish wave, too afraid to look her god like boyfriend in the eye.

"You've got to be joking.." Matt muttered, pissed off at the interruption .

Daniel ignored it. Instead he looked over at Cherrie in a glittering red dress and perfectly curled hair, letting out a amazed sigh.

"Wow. You look beautiful cher." He told her honestly before lifting up her hand from the table and admiring her pretty rings.

"Kind of looks like an engagement ring. Or a wedding ring.." he empathised as he side eyed Matt as he said it. Not being subtle at all.

Max and lando grimaced , sharing a look as they watched anger flash across both of the men's faces , though Daniel did a better job at concealing his rage than her boyfriend did.

Cherrie giggled obviously, cheeks flushing as Daniel lifted up her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles .

"What are you guys doing here? We're kind of on a date .." she pointedly reminded them, seeing Matt glaring at them from the corner of her eye and holding back a wince .

Daniel just shrugged "just thought we'd check out the food here! We might as well group together now though. Much funner!" He looked over to Matt challengingly.

"you don't mind us dining with you do you mate? We can all get to know you a little better then.." he eyed him, holding back the urge to scream cheating liar in his face like he wanted to.

Matt gritted his teeth, smiling forcefully back at him.

"Not at all. I'm an open book." He lied.

All of her friends rose their eyebrows at that.

"Is it a book of lies he's talking about?" Max muttered beneath his breath, unamused.

Lando grinned behind his hand , keeping his eyes on the menu in front of him.

Daniel exhaled loudly "fantastic!" He then proceeded to call over the waiter and ordered food for them, explaining that they were sharing a table now.

After they had all put their orders in, Daniel interlaced his fingers together and rested his chin ontop of them as he looked down the table at her boyfriend with a smile.

"So Matt...you like rings?" He blurted out.

Cherrie giving him a weird look while max and lando looked at him in disbelief at his lack of subtly .

"What are you going on about doofus?" Cherrie laughed, feeling Daniels foot knocking against her own underneath the table . Hooking their ankles together like he always did.

Daniel just shrugged , eye twitching . "I'm just saying.. you look like a fashionable guy yet I see no jewellery on your hands.." he pointed out, wondering where the asshole put his wedding ring when he was playing Cheater.

Matt paused and eyed him for a moment before answering tensely .

"Rings aren't my thing." He muttered .

Daniel snorted "oh really?"

Max nudged his shoulder warningly once he noticed Matt glaring at them suspiciously.

Cherrie awkwardly laughed when a tense silence settled over the table . Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and picking up the bottle of wine from the table and pouring herself a big glass.

"Daniel stop being weird. He doesn't have to wear rings if he doesn't want to. Not everyone can pull it off." She joked , smiling at her boyfriend apologetically .

He just rolled his eyes.

Daniel thought about hitting him with his car for disrespecting her like that.

"Speaking of rings .. I saw some realty nice wedding rings in a jewellers on our way here." He continued to put empathise on the word wedding.

"Some really nice ones for the wife and the husband .."

Cherrie tilted her head in confusion. "Why were you looking at wedding rings?" She asked him, hoping to hell and back that he didn't have another girl in mind to marry.

She didn't want to share him with anybody else . as soon as the thought passed her mind she felt guilty. Daniel wasn't hers to keep.

Plus , she had a boyfriend . She reminded herself , taking a large swing of her wine to soothe the ache.

Daniel just grinned over at her, admiring how pretty she looked under the chandelier light.

"For our future wedding obviously . Although I was thinking we could get mood rings.. so that every time I was unsure of how you felt I could just look at your finger and be like 'yep she's pissed!'" He laughed, although he was hundred percent serious.

Max placed his face in his hands , wincing at the look on matts face .

Because only Daniel would tell a woman that he was going to marry her right in front of her ripped boyfriend who could easily break them all in half.

Cherrie gasped , laughing at his idea.

“Oh my god that's actually a good idea!" She exclaimed bedore looking to her left and seeing her boyfriend glaring at her , unamused.

Her laughter quickly dying off as she cleared her throat and quickly added "I mean, for your future wife. Not me!" Draining the rest of her glass and quickly pouring herself another one.

Daniel smiled thankfully at the waiter as he put all their plates in front of them. Thanking him as he set down a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of him.

"You ever thought about getting married Matt?" He tested him again.

Twirling the spaghetti around his fork and shoving it into his mouth as he stared him down waiting for his answer.

Matt tensed up, clenching his jaw as he glared back at him .  His eyes flickering away from Cherrie's quickly when she looked over at him curiously.

"Not really." He muttered , getting more and more pissed off by the second.

Daniel hummed mockingly "that's a surprise .. you look like the kind of man that would have a wife already." He bluntly said.

Smirking smugly at the look of fury he shot him. Clearly clicking onto his accusing tone.

Cherrie frowned over at Daniel disapprovingly , completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Daniel! Leave him alone!" She scolded him before eyeing his plate hungrily . Regretting not getting the same thing.

Seeing her eyeing his food, he twirled a large piece of spaghetti and meatball around his fork before reaching over the table and placing the fork at her lips.

She parted them and let him feed her some of his food, humming happily at the taste . Swallowing it down bedore smiling at him gratefully .

"It's good. You wanna swap?" She questioned him

Hopefully .

Daniel just laughed and slid her plate of chicken pasta over to himself instead . Passing her his plate and grinning at the happy little dance she did im her seat as she dug straight into his food.

"I knew she'd want the spaghetti!" He chuckled , shaking his head at how predictable she was.

"You always want whatever I'm having!" He found it both amusing and endearing at the same time. Nine out of ten times they ended up switching plates when they were out to eat.

Cherrie just grinned cheekily back at him "you always get the best food it's not my fault!" She giggled.

Max eyed Matt uneasily , noticing the way he looked like he was going to pop a vein from how hard he was scowling at them.

He nudged lando to look as well, lando inhaling shakily at the sight .

"Shite.." he breathed out sending a quick prayer that they lived to see tomorrow after this.

"Are you two always like this?" Matt almost spat out angrily towards them.

Cherrie froze with her fork halfway to her mouth, blinking at him in confusion.

“Hungry?" She had no idea what he was on about. So used to their closeness that she didn't even notice it anymore.

Daniel answered for her "in tune with each other? It comes around years of love and bonding . We're soulmates." He told him without any shame.

Lando almost whimpered in fear at the balls he had to say that to her massive , muscle head boyfriend .

Matt glared at him angrily "don't you think that's crossing a line? She's with me." He snapped at him.

Daniel pulled a surprised face "is she? I hadn't noticed!" He grinned finding it hilarious .

Cherrie looked betweeen the two of them with wide wide eyes, still eating her food slowly as she wondered if she was missing something.

"He means it platonically." She finally spoke up to her boyfriend . Hoping to make him feel better.

Matt just looked back at her in disbelief .

Even lando and max were looking at her in amusement , wondering if she actually believed the bullshit that she was saying .

She didn’t .

Daniel snorted , shaking his head . "I mean it universally. She's the ying to my yang, the tongue to my mouth, the cheeks to my ass , the pepperoni to my pizza-" he could have went on and on.

Max quickly cut him off before he could , huffing out a amused laugh.

“Okay mate. I think we get it!" Side Eyeing Matt's reddening face cautiously.

Cherrie was giggling to herself as she downed yet another glass of wine, already on her way to being drunk. Having had the full bottle to herself .

She smiled over at Daniel, flattered. "That's so sweet! We should get matching tattoos like those bff necklaces that we used to have." She randomly blurted out.

Daniel grinned smugly "used to have?" Then he pulled down his shirt and pulled out the half heart necklaces that had 'best' engraved on it , waving it at her proudly .

“I never took it off baby!"

Cherrie gasped loudly , laughing in amazement as she got up from her seat and quickly jogged around the table to his side.

Bending down slightly so that she could take ahold of the silver pendant , eyes widening in amazement that he still had it.

"Dude!" She exclaimed grinning up at him happily "I can't believe you still wear it! I feel bad now!"

Daniel ruffled her hair and gently helped her to her feet, wrapping his arm loosely around her hips as she stood next to him while he was sat down.

Looking up at her fondly "of course I did! It's like a contract! A promise! Plus I knew that you would lose your half of the heart , you clumsily idiot!" He blew a raspberry on her side to make her laugh.

Cherrie's giggling was cut short as she felt another hand take ahold of the top of her dress and yank her away.

Head snapping down to look at Matt who was glaring at her , pulling her to his side roughly .

Max inhaled sharply "shit." He breathed out as he and lando watched the smile drop from Daniels face immediately at his actions.

Glaring over at Matt furiously "don't fucking pull her around like that!" He snapped at him, clenching his fist as he watched Cherrie wobble in her heels, clearly drunk.

"It's okay.." she mumbled trying to keep the peace, leaning over the table to pour herself another glass of wine casually .

Daniel scoffed angrily "no it isn't." He spat, leaning forward in his seat so he could see past her to glare at the lying , cheating bastard that dared to touch the love of his life like that.

Matt scowled at him hatefully "shut up man. She's my girlfriend! You have no place to be telling me what I can and can't do." He spat back at him.

Cherrie just stumbled her way back over to her seat , eyeing the leftover piece of Potato on lando's plate hungrily .

Nudging him with her foot she whispered loudly, ignoring the death stares that the two men were giving each other at the table.

"lando? Can I have that potato?" Not caring about the drama surrounding her.

Lando blinked at her in disbelief , wondering how she could be so calm and unbothered while her best friend and boyfriend were about to go at each others throats in a restaurant.

He silently passed her his plate, unable to help the little look of judgment he gave her , before sighing shakily as he looked back over to Daniel and Matt. Not wanting to miss a thing.

Daniel let out a cold laugh "oh really? Your girlfriend is she? How many of those do you have on the side huh? Or is she the only one?!" He gripped the table cloth between his fingertips so tightly that they went white.

Max shuffled his seat away from the table readily , tensing up as he watched them closely . Ready to intervene .

Matt glared at him , his eyes flickering over to Cherrie who was stuffing her face with potato's ,

Not even listening to them. Before he looked back at Daniel threatengily.

"You need to shut your mouth. You don't know what your talking about." He spat at him.

Daniel scoffed hatefully at him "would your wife know what I'm talking about then?" He shot back at him, abruptly getting to his feet.

"Christ." Lando whimpered sinking lower in his seat.

Side Eyeing Cherrie who was still stealing food off everyone's plates while they were preoccupied .

Matt shoved himself to his feet as well, puffing out his chest to make himself even bigger.

Gritting just teeth at him "shut the fuck up!"

Daniel laughed "no I don't think I will! You're not lying to my girl and getting away with it you steroid thumping- cheating bastard!" He snapped at him furiously bedore suddenly launching himself across the table at him.

Making the both of them crash against the next table as people screamed and gasped in shock as they started wrestling on the restaurant floor.

"I'm going to kill you!" Daniel shouted down at him , barely dodging a punch to his nose as Matt threw him off him easily , sending him crashing into another table before he jumped him. Fist swinging.

Max quickly ran over to them and threw himself ontop of matts back, wrapping his arms around his ridiculously large shoulders as he tried to yank him off Daniel. Barely moving him at all.

"Lando some help please!” He shouted over to him in annoyance , grunting as he narrowly avoided a elbow to his face.

Lando winced as he watched Matt manage to land  a nasty punch to Daniels cheek making him groan loudly before he bitch slapped him back the same way that he had watched Cherrie slap her girlfriend before when they got into a catty fight.

Cherrie finally looked up from her plate and frowned at the scene in front of her , eyes widening once she saw the blood on her best friends cheek.

"What the fuck!" She shot up out of her seat, stumbling for a moment , utterly drunk as she pulled off her heels and held one of them in her hand as she stumbled over to them quickly .

Lando hurriedly following her , half hiding behind her as he picked up a plate from the table on his way.

Sending a apologetic grimace to the guests at the table that Daniel and Matt had crashed into.

"Sorry about this guys. He's in love." Lando simply explained to them like that answered everything.

"You fucking dickhead! You think that because you look like a Greek god that you can just treat women like this?!" Daniel screamed at him as he finally managed to push him off him, sending max flying too as Matt toppled over to the side.

Daniel quickly got behind him and wrapped his arm around his head, getting him in a headlock , grunting when Matt knocked his head back and hit him in the chin with it.

"Fucking cunt!" He panted struggling to keep ahold of him.

Before his eyes widened as he glanced up to see Cherrie in front of them , holding her high heel above matts crotch with a pissed off glare on

Her pretty face.

Matt yelling and groaning in pain as she hit him in the dick with her high heel.

"How dare you punch Daniel! You wanker! If that leaves even the smallest of scars I will make sure that you never see the sun again you bastard!" She shouted at him furiously .

Stumbling backwards slightly when Matt somehow managed to launch himself back to his feet, Daniel quickly jumping up as well as he tried to get at him again.

"You're not worth all this shit! You stupid bitch-"

He didn't even get to take another threatening step towards her bedore lando let out a loud war cry and went flying towards him with a plate full of spaghetti held high in his hand.

Max , Daniel and Cherrie could only watch with gaping mouths as lando smacked him over the head with the plate of spaghetti furiously , Matt going down like a sack of potato's as he knocked him

Straight out.

"Don't call my friend a bitch! You-you bitch!" He panted , kicking him in the side as adrenaline coursed through his body.

Max looked around at the shocked restaurant guests , the manager quickly hurrying over to them angrily.

"You go before I call the police! You're banned for life !" He warned them angrily.

Max grimaced  apologetically at him as he took ahold of lando's arm who was still trying to kick Matt who was now out cold on the floor.

Dragging him towards the exit like he was an unruly child . "sorry! We'll pay for any damages!" He promised him.

Daniel quickly doing the same with Cherrie , only he picked her up bridal style and gave a casual nod to the traumatised guests before hurrying them out of the doors.

Lando was already in the car , laughing and crying "oh my god I thought I was going to die!" He dramatically shouted as max started up the car , wanting to get them the hell away before they all got arrested .

Daniel slid into the back of the car , Cherrie leaning against his side as he buckled the both of them in.

Wincing at the stinging on his cheek, laughing despite the pain as he looked over at lando proudly.

"That was amazing lando! Very heroic!" He praised him.

Cherrie dabbed a napkin  that she had took from the table against his cheek in concern , tilting his head towards her so she could see the start of a black eye already forming.

"Oh no. You're beautiful face.." she whined still drunk as she blinked up at him sadly.

More worried about his face than she was about her now unconscious ex boyfriend.

Daniel smiled at her the best he could, wrapping his arm around the back of her neck so that her head could rest in the crook of his elbow. Gently nudging their noses together like he always did.

"I'm okay. It's just gonna make me look even more badass than before." He reassured her casually as max sped down the streets.

Cherrie giggled a little , gazing into his pretty eyes in adoration .

“The way you jumped across that table was really hot." She blurted out honestly, biting down on her bottom lip as she thought about it.

Max grimaced deeply as he eyed them in his mirror, lando still rambling on about how cool he felt hitting Matt with a plate of spaghetti, re-enacting it like he hadn't been there to see it himself .

Daniel smirked down at her , heart racing in his chest at the way she was looking at him.

"Yeah? How hot?" He teased her , pulling her even closer.

She sighed dazedly "pantie dropping hot." She told him unashamedly .

Daniel chuckled as he looked down at her , smiling smugly.

“Hot enough for you to give me a chance now that idiot has been dealt with?" He threw all caution to the wind and went for it.

Pumped up with adrenaline from fighting a muscle head , underwear model. He felt pretty unbeatable then. Like he could do anything.

Cherrie hummed thoughtfully "a chance for what?" She still wasn't getting it.

Max groaned loudly and looked back at her in disbelief as they pulled up to a red light.

"Seriously? Even after that you still don't know?!" He exclaimed in shock wondering how oblivious she could be.

She just shook her head in confusion.

Max almost wanted to shake her.

Daniel was just giggling to himself , already used to her obliviousness to the obvious around her.

God, he loved her . He did. But the love of his life wasn’t the brightest spark.

It was a good job that she was pretty.

"He's wants to be your boyfriend!" Max almost shouted at her.

Wondering what more Daniel could have possibly done to show her how much he loved her.

He had flew across a table and tussled with a muscle man almost twice his size for her! While she just sat back and mugged their plates while they were busy fighting!

He couldn't believe it!

"Oh." Cherrie simply let out . Before smiling at Daniel happily .

“Why didn't you just say so?" She casually answered.

Daniel blinked at her in amazement. "You mean that i could have just asked you out years ago and you would have said yes?" The astonishment was clear in his voice.

Squeezing his eyes shut in misery at himself when she nodded her head yes, looking amused.

"Wow. I wish I knew that sooner .." he breathed out , chuckling despite himself as he reopened his eyes and looked down at her .

Squeezing her flushed cheeks gently between his fingers till her lips puckered , he tilted his chin down and kissed her instead of speaking anymore about his own personal stupidity .

They could laugh about that later .

Nestling his fingers into her hair as she hummed against his mouth, tilting her head to deepen the kiss as she hooked one of her legs over his hip as he twisted his body towards her the best that he could in the cramped space.

Moaning lowly in his chest as she sucked on his tongue , her hand slipping underneath his shirt , making his skin breakout in goosebumps from her soft touch.

"I love you. Fuck.." he murmured over and over again against her lips .

Grabbing her ass with his other hand and giving it a squeeze like he had wanted to for so long.

Cherrie smiled against his mouth as he started kissing down her neck, sucking at her soft skin and making her moan as she rocked against him, tangling her hands into his hair before pulling his mouth back up to her own as they made out like a couple of horny teenagers in the backseat of the car.

"I love you." Cherrie promised him as she pulled open his shirt with one tug, the buttons flying everywhere .

Daniel just groaned blissfully , wondering if he was in heaven as he snaked his tongue into her mouth and pulled her dress even further up

her thighs.

Max looked in the mirror and gasped in disgust and horror at the sight of them practically having sex in his car while he was driving too!

"Stop that!" He snapped at them . Eyeing the giggling lando beside him disapprovingly .

"None of that in my car! Daniel get your hands out of her panties!" He yelled at him frantically , quickly speeding down the highway to get them to Daniels house first. Not wanting to witness them two going at it.

He felt like he might be sick just at the thought!

Lando just grinned as he leaned his head through the seats to look back at them.

"Well done Daniel! I'm so proud of you!" He exclaimed happily.

Having spent years listening to Daniel go on and on about how she was the love of his life.

Daniel panted breathlessly as he forced his lips away from cherries, face dazed as he grinned lazily back at his friend.

Reaching his free hand out for him to high five while max just regretted his entire existence in the drivers seat.

"Thanks mate!" He grinned bedore leaning back in his seat and attacking her neck again. Not giving a single shit now that he had the love of his life in his lap.

Cherrie tilited her head as he kissed down her neck again, lazily grinning before reaching her arm forward and tapping Max's shoulder to get his attention.

"Do you have any condoms?" She asked him casually just as they pulled up outside Daniels place.

Max just deadpanned at her , unamused as Daniel opened the door and flung himself out of the car, giving Cherrie his hand as he told her to hurry up.

"No I don't. Get out. I have seen more of you than I have ever wanted to." He bluntly said, fed up with the both of them .

Lando pulled out a row of condoms from his wallet and handed it to her with a shit eating grin.

"Here ya go!"

Cherrie beamed "thanks Mate! I'll see you soon! This was fun! We should have dinner again sometime!" She chirped bedore clumsily ducking her head and crawling out from the backseat.

Max inhaled sharply as he reached out and yanked down the end of her dress that had ridden up to show them her ass on complete display.

"Nice thong Cherrie!" Lando giggled childishly as she stumbled out, Daniel immediately scooping her up like a fireman and running to his door with her.

Both of them laughing like naughty kids as they started making out again.

Leaving max to shake his head in disbelief. Making sure that they both got into the house safely before finally pulling away.

"They're unbelievable." He muttered grinning despite himself.

“Fuckin' made for each other.” He laughed.

He was never accepting a dinner invitation from Daniel again!

[hopefulromances]

Long Time Coming I Chapter Five I The Archer

Summary: Being hired as the first female assistant coach in the league was a challenge of it itself. Being a football protigy and University Football Legend was easy enough. Coaching Jamie Tartt was a challenge all on its own.

Word Count: 3k

Warning: Jamie's Dad :-(, I have literally no clue how football works.

A/N: I felt like posting again. Thanks for all the comments and reblogs and such! I literally read all of them, they make my day :-)

Prologue One Two Three Four

Something was wrong with Ted. After Jamie’s miraculous goal, he was pretty much marked up for the rest of the game. While we scrambled to figure out a solution, Ted walked off the pitch without a word. It was thanks to Nate’s quick thinking that we were able to pull off a win. The boys were ecstatic and rightly so. A quarter final win was something to celebrate. I entered the locker room, once I had changed, giving out my congratulations.

            “Nice assists out there tonight, Colin.” I gave him a fist bump. “You’re doing great work.”

Colin gave me a big smile. “Thanks, (Y/N)! We’re going out for drinks! You should come!”

The boys around us shouted out in agreement. Patting my on the shoulder and tugging on my arm, beginning for me to join them. Normally, it would be a quick yes. I loved going out with the lads. They were always guaranteed to give me a good time. But tonight, I was hesitant. Getting drunk when I had just discovered my feelings for Jamie seemed like a bad idea.

            “I don’t think I can tonight, lads.” I was met with cries out outrage. “I know! I know! But please, go out and have a drink for me tonight!”

They said their goodbyes and made their way out of the locker, leaving me by myself. I shot a quick text to Keely, telling her I needed some serious girl talk.

            “(Y/N),” Jamie’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up as he walked over to me, his ICON hat sitting loosely on his head. “It’s all in the dressing, yah? I mix a bit of apple cider vinegar with sugar water… but don’t tell Roy about the sugar water.”

            “Oh, I see! The sugar water is the special ingredient,” I mused, shoving my phone in my pocket.

He leaned against the doorframe, his hands lazily hanging off his fanny pack. He smiled down at me. “That’s the secret to my goals. Well, that and some great coaching.” He reached out and patted me on the shoulder. “That’s all you, love.” The nickname flowed off his tongue easily. I hoped he couldn’t see the way I was affected by it. I shoved my hands in my pockets, looking down to hide my blush. When I looked back up, his tongue was between his teeth as he laughed at me.

            “That was a great goal, Jamie,” I praised.

Surprisingly, he looked down, becoming bashful. “Yeah, well, I learned it from you.”

We smiled at each other for a few beats. I wondered if he was thinking about the way my eyes creased when I smiled the same way I was thinking about him. Or the way his eyes sparkled in amusement when he teased me. My phone dinged, breaking our silence.

As I looked down to see Keely’s response, Jamie pushed himself off the doorframe, clearing his throat. Keely was making her way to me as fast as she could!

            “Yeah, well, I should be leaving, the lad’s’ll be waitin’ for me.” He turned to leave but quickly turned back around. “You comin’?”

I shook my head. “Sorry, I’ve got to get some rest. But have a nice night.”

            “Alright, see you Monday?”

            “Yep, see you Monday!”

I was fucked.

…

The week leading up to the Man City game was almost unbearable. If I thought my nerves were bad before Tottenham. That was nothing in comparison to this. Between my discovery of my intense, distracting, horrible feelings for Jamie and my eternal fear of the press, I found myself unable to eat, sleep, or focus.

            “You just need to relax,” Keely emphasized, taking a drag from her cigarette as I paced back and forth. A while ago, Keely and Rebecca decided that smoking was okay if it was in the boot room. Since then, it had become our secret oasis for gossip and advice. “Whatever is going on in your head is going to kill you if you don’t.”

I wanted to tell Keely about my feelings for Jamie. I knew she didn’t care, and had even encouraged it, but for some reason something was holding me back.  “Keely, you don’t understand!”

            “Then help me to understand,” she insisted. She patted the space next to her, encouraging me to sit down. I slumped down and leaned my head back against the boots. I looked over at her and pursed my lips.

            “Okay… but you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

She squealed in excitement, shaking her hands. “Oh! Those are my favorite type of things!”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the smile on my face. “Okay, I maybe… kinda… sorta… have like… the tiniest of… seriousromanticfeelingsforJamie.”

Despite me mumbling my words I saw the look of pure elation.

            “Sorry, what?” She tapped her ear. “Can you say that again, didn’t quite hear you.”

            “You heard me and I will not repeat!”

I could tell she wanted to press but then the door behind us opened and Ted walked in.

            “Oh! It’s you two!” Ted smiled at us before pointing at Keely. “I thought you quit smoking?”

            “What?” She said in faux surprise. “Oh! I have. This is just covering up the smell of the boots.”

            “It’s very effective,” I concurred, giving him a smile back.  

            “Then why you in here?”

I looked over at Keely, begging her to not say anything. Even if it wasn’t Jamie, it was my intense anxiety that I was feeling about the match. The intense fear I felt leaving my house every day that I would be the reason we lost. I knew Ted would want to help, give me whatever advice he could but I truly didn’t want anyone else to know.

            “I just needed some space,” Keely saved, turning her attention to Ted.

Then the door was opening, and Rebecca and Leslie were walking in. It was truly a party.

            “I knew you’d be in here,” Rebecca came and sat on the other side of Keely, reaching for the cigarette. “This is the room where Keely and I deicded that smoking doesn’t count.”

Keely squeaked out a protest, but it was too late. She looked up at Ted, a guilty expression on her face. I was grateful to have the attention off me. I let myself tune out of the conversation, having heard Keely’s complaints about a million times now. I chewed on my thumb as I thought about my situation. Though if I chewed much longer there wouldn’t be much thumb left.

Then, as if the universe was laughing at me, in the door walks Jamie Tartt himself.

            “Oi, Will, do you think you could take me name off me shirt and then put it back on but bigger?”

He looked up and saw the room, now crowded with people. His eyes scanned the room then landed on me. I gave him a small smile.

            “They’re talking about Roy,” Will said, his face almost covered by boxes.

Keely and I both shot him a glare. Not cool. Jamie shook his hand and put his leg up next to wear I was sitting. Was it bad that I wanted to lean against it?

            “Grumpy, old, twat,” Jamie muttered, joining in on the conversation. I felt Keely’s eyes burning into the back of my skull, but I refused to look. I also refused to look at Jamie. Pretty much I just stared straight ahead, not looking at anyone or anything.  God, if one more person walked into the room, I was gonna lose it.

The door opened and I hopped up, needing to leave the room immediately. My sudden movement caused everyone to look at me. Then I realized they weren’t looking at me, they were looking at the person entering the room. Roy.

            “You talking about me?” He asked. I nodded, surrounded by agreements around me. He shrugged before addressing Keely. “Ready to go?”

And they were off. Somehow, I ended up being one of the last people in the room. Of course, it was just me and Jamie.

            “You look tired,” he commented, addressing me finally.

            “Gee thanks,” I sighed, starting out of the room. He followed closely behind me.

            “Just saying.” He shrugged. “Need you in tip top shape for the game on Sunday. Isaac told me he’s gonna sprain his ankle on Friday.” Normally I would jump at the chance for a good banter with Jamie, but he was right, I was tired, and I couldn’t keep up. I must have taken a beat too long to respond because Jamie rolled his eyes and let out a loud dramatic groan. “You are no fun when you’re tired.”

            “You’re right, Jamie. I am fucking tired. I’m tried because every time I leave my house there’s another reporter there waiting for me to comment on the fact that I am somehow either single handedly saving the team or ruining it. Or how I’m sleeping with all of you at once, or whatever other bullshit they want to know.” I spun on my heel and faced him. “I’m tired because if we lose on Sunday, it’ll be my fault. I’m tired because every single day, I wake up and I’m actually so scared all the time that today will be the day that you all realize I’m ruining this club and kick me to the curb.”

I didn’t mean for it to all come out like that. I covered my mouth with my hand, surprised at my own candor. Jamie’s eyes were wide, his surprise matching my own.

            “I’m so sorry, I don’t know where that came from,” I admitted.

            “That was a lot,” He agreed, nodding his head. “Me dad’s been texting me.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. Jamie had told me a bit about his parents. His dad was a piece of shit. His words not mine. I remembered at the end of last season, overhearing his father berate him in the training room. He hadn’t done good enough.

            “Wants tickets to the game on Sunday.”

I nodded, still not quite sure how to respond. “Are you gonna get them for him?”

Jamie shrugged, half-heartedly. “Gotta, don’t I? If I don’t, he’ll be right mad. So.”

In that moment I understood what he was saying. It was a tough week. For all of us. But for Jamie and I especially, and we understood each other.

            “We’ll get through it, yeah?” I said.

            “Yeah, we will,” he agreed.

I couldn’t be faking it. He had to be having these feelings as well. Our eyes were matching shades of wanting. But it wasn’t a sexual wanting it was an emotional want. We wanted to be understood and here we have it. We understood each other.

            “Anyways, well, I have to go, Sam’s getting his hair cut by Isaac, team needs to be there,” he told me.

            “Right!” I blinked, finally tearing my face away from him. “Well, good luck! I’ll see you at here for the bus to the match!”

Man City was awful. The game was awful. The crowd was awful. Everything about the game went poorly. We wanted to win so badly but City was just too good. You could hear a pin drop in the locker room as the boys cleaned up after the match. I stood with Colin, helping him with a stretched bicep. Our one of our physios was out for the match and I was filling in where I could. Still though, it was silent. It was like a cloud had landed on top of us and we were moving, lethargically through the fog.

            “Uh, Mr. Tartt?” The silence was broken by a security guard entering the room. “You have a visitor. Says he’s your father?”

I glanced over at Jamie. His already dark face dampened even further but he stood up, motioning the security guard to let him in. Jamie’s father’s face poked in through the doorway.

            “Are ya decent?” He laughed, though he didn’t really say anything funny. “I told ya, dick.” Glared at the security guard as he walked into the room. I patted Colin’s arm, quietly instructing him to sit down. “Gentlemen, gentlemen! It’s a tought one, lads. It’s tough one, but no shame to it, ‘cause you know, we only every beat, uh, everybody we play!” Again, he laughed at his own humor. I crossed my arms, standing in front of the lads defensively. “You pups never had a chance” His gazed landed on me and I felt myself tense. “Now hang on! It’s the wonder queen herself! The savior of the sport!”

He approached me lowly. I kept my gaze on him but was careful not to let my expression change, despite the fear that was bubbling up in my stomach. Behind me, I felt Colin stand, careful not to come across threatening but there if he needed to be.

Mr. Tartt looked me up and down before giving and impressed look. “I see why they hired, yah!” I didn’t reaction, much to his disappointment. “Oh, c’mon! I’m just having a laugh. Tell me, what’s it like having all the lads to yourself, huh? You got a favorite to seduce or is more of a group situation-“

            “Dad”

Jamie’s voice pulled him away from me. “And there he is! My own flesh and blood.”

The second his gaze wasn’t on me, I stepped back, standing next to Colin who rested a hand on my shoulder. I was shaking. I didn’t even notice that until he rested his hand on me. I shot him a quick look of thanks before returning my attention to Jamie.

He was awful. Belittling his son in front of his teammates, after using him to get what he wanted. I balled my hands into fists, wanting to step in and get this man away from Jamie. The despondent look on Jamie’s face was heartbreaking. He just stood there and took it, never saying a word. That was until he asked Jamie to take him on the field.

            “I’d rather you not.” Jamie was stone cold in his response. His dad glanced around at the team, trying to maintain his cool.

            “Yeah, they just want a look around,” His dad pressed, throwing some fake punches. “It’ll only take a second.”

            “I’d rather ‘em not,” Jamie repeated, unmoving.

His dad took a step back, shifting his weight. “What? You’re not gonna all go little moody bitch just ‘cause you got your arse served to you on a plate, are ya?”

            “Don’t speak to me like that.”

            “Huh?”

            “Don’t speak to me like that.”

            “Okay, well, let’s see if you can hear this, hmm?” His dad got in real close to his face, speaking directly into his ear. “You know that ickle TV show you made? You made it easier for Manchester City to kick you to the curb. And now look where you are.” This time his laugh was more sinister, condescending as he spoke down on his son. “Twaddling about with a bunch of amateurs and their social justice warrior!” He shot a glare over at me.

Jamie refused to be goaded though and began to turn away from his father. In an instant, two things happened. Mr. Tartt yanked Jamie towards him and pushed him then Jamie’s fist flew into his father’s face. I jumped to attention, beginning to move forward but Colin’s hand reached out to pull me back.

Jamie’s father let out a groan on the floor, trying to cover up his pain with a laugh. “Oh, yeah? Okay.” He stood up and began to move towards Jamie. “You can have that one for free.”

Jamie flinched backwards as his father began to rush him. Luckily, Beard stepped into wrap his arms around Mr. Tartt. He dragged him out, kicking and screaming insults and threats at Jamie until he was out of the room. Then silence returned. No one quite knew how to react. I looked down and realized my hands were shaking and my chest was heaving. Then I touched my cheek and realized tears had escaped my eyes and were now rushing down my cheeks.

What truly broke me was the fear on Jamie’s face. He was afraid of his father. I wanted to rush forward and take Jamie into my arms. Tell him it was going to be okay. But I was afraid that if I did, that I would collapse. Luckily, Roy, as usual, was there to assist. He marched forward and wrapped Jamie up in his arms. Jamie stood; shell shocked, unsure of how to react at first. Then he slung his arms around Roy and let out a sob.

…

Somehow, I ended up outside, watching the lads filter onto the bus. I was still feeling the aftereffects of my fear from the locker room and didn’t notice that Jamie had approached me.

            “You okay, (Y/N)?”

I dragged my eyes up to meet his. His eyes were full of concern for me. FOR ME? I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. And then I kept laughing and laughing. Jamie looked at me like I was crazy and honestly, I was. Eventually, I was able to calm myself down enough to speak again.

            “You’re asking me if I’m okay?”

Jamie shook his head. “Yah? What’s so funny about that? My dad got in your face.”

            “Oh, Jamie.” My laughter died out as I realized how serious he was. “I’m okay. Your dad doesn’t scare me.”

            “Well, he scares me,” He admitted, shoving his hands his pockets.

I could feel my heart aching. Like actually physical aching for him. Finally, I let myself reach forward and pull him towards me, wrapping him in a hug. He responded quickly, wrapping his arms tightly around my shoulders, keeping me tight against his body. I rested my cheek on his shoulder, letting him hold me as tight as he needed to for as long as needed to.

Tag List: @optimisticsandwichgladiator @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @ajax-petropolus-wife @higherthanheroes @heletsmelovehim

[andreafmn]

Bound | Chapter 7

Word Count: 4.3K

Summary: Rosalie always carried the resentment of not being able to fulfill the image of the perfect family she had in her head. But the universe had set out to grant her everything she could’ve hoped for in the most unconventional way and in the form of a witch. Can their love withstand the promise of forever or will Rosalie and (Y/N) succumb to the grapples of time?

A/N: all of the feels and sadness in this chapter for reader and Bea. But it's a step closer to the reader and Rosalie finally meeting. not gonna lie, this one hurt

<- Previous | Next ->

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” (Y/N) muttered as she examined her features in the mirror. “It’s been a couple of years, and my face has not changed at all. Not even a gray hair on my head. It doesn’t make any sense.” 

Bea chuckled as she walked over to the young witch. Her hands rested on her shoulders as she brushed away the strands of hair from her skin and left a soft kiss on it. “Maybe it’s genetics,” she mused. “Just be grateful you don’t have to deal with smile lines and crow’s feet at twenty-three. Now, that’s a travesty.” 

“How could your happiness ever be a bad thing?” (Y/N) smiled. “You’re as beautiful as ever, Bea.” 

“Oh, you only say that,” the girl chuckled. “I would gladly give you the three grays I found in my hair.” 

“My little salt and pepper beauty,” the other witch teased. “I know you’ll look marvelous with an all-white mane.”

“Oh, goddess, I just hope it’s at least twenty years down the line,” Bea whined. “Not anywhere near my twenties or thirties.”  

“Well, maybe you could give some to me,” she laughed. “I’m in serious need of some aging here.” 

“I wish those were my problems,” Bea sighed. “Anyways, as much as I would love to stay here and chat about how your skin and your hair are perfect, I do need to go to school if I ever plan to finish college. I think five years is enough time to have finished already.” 

“Everyone has their own pace, Bea.” 

“Yeah, says the girl who finished her degree in three and a half years and is already finishing her master’s.” 

“Well, not everyone can be me.” 

“Clearly,” she playfully scoffed. “Beautiful and unbelievably intelligent. Save some for the rest of us.” 

 “I’d give it all to you if I could,” (Y/N) smiled. “But for now, you’re going to have to apply yourself in school and embrace your changing body. I know I will.” 

With a hug and a kiss on Bea’s lips, the two young women left the small house and walked onto the village center to head to the coven’s entry point. They chatted amongst themselves, enjoying the cold air of October, when Margaret, a coven elder, stopped them in their tracks. 

“Good morning, girls,” the woman said. “Are you off to school?” 

“Beatrice is,” (Y/N) answered. “I’m simply escorting her.” 

“Well then, why don’t we leave that to Russell?” Margaret asked but both girls knew it was an instruction. “I fear I must steal you away, (Y/N). It’s a rather urgent matter.” 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Oh, nothing you have to worry about, Beatrice,” she smiled. “But I do need to speak with her.” 

“Russell will get you to school and back safe,” (Y/N) assured, smiling at the awaiting man. “I’ll be here when you get back.” 

“Alright,” Bea sighed. “I’ll see you then.” 

(Y/N) watched as Bea and Russell disappeared through the trees, one second there and the next gone. As much as she wanted to take off running after them, the last thing she would ever do was disobey an elder. If their instruction did not go against anything she believed, there was no chance she would ignore them. 

“Come on now, (Y/N),” Margaret called her attention. “Off to my cabin.” 

The girl followed the woman to her home, running a million scenarios in her head. She knew there were no rules she had broken, and she doubted it had anything to do with her human and witch studies. (Y/N) had always been on top of it all. She had even been assigned the role of mentor only two years before. Clearly, she had been doing something right. 

“Is something the matter, Margaret?” the girl asked as they finally reached the witch’s house, nerves building far too high for her. 

 “I was wondering the same thing, (Y/N),” the woman smiled brightly. “I just couldn’t help but notice that in the last–give or take–six years of your life, your face has remained as young as it was then. Not a single sign of aging.”

“Oh, that,” (Y/N) chuckled awkwardly as she looked down. She had been working tirelessly to find answers by herself, but no one seemed to be able to give her what she needed. Not even her magical books had given her what she had been looking for. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about that just yet. But I promise I have been looking everywhere for answers. ”

“Why don’t you have a seat, little one?” Margaret invited her to sit on the rocking chairs that lived on her wooden porch, grabbing a worn-out book from a shelf by the entrance of her home. “I think it is safe to assume your search for answers has been rendered fruitless. There’s no surprise there. Not much has been recorded about your particular situation.” 

“My situation? I can’t say I’m following what you’re saying, ma’am. What situation could I be in? ”

“Do you remember the teachings about soul pairings, my child?” (Y/N) nodded, unsure of where the conversation was leading. “I am sure you also remember the teachings of other supernatural beings that share our spaces. This journal right here belonged to my great-great-grandmother...” 

“Lady Esther?” the young witch interrupted. “Those are the personal writings of our first High Priestess?” 

The woman smiled at (Y/N)’s eagerness, but it pained her to know that excitement would soon die down. “Grandmother Esther made sure to record each and every situational encounter she had, preserving a possible solution to the most curious of cases. The books have been passed down from generation to generation to aid in scenarios such as yours, where not even supernatural logic makes too much sense,” she laughed. “As soon as I saw the signs, I remembered a story she had written in her personal journal–this book has been open only to our family’s eyes. When she was younger, she went through the same thing you are right now.”  

“Signs? What signs have there been?” 

“Well, the inability to age is one of them,” Margaret said. “There’s also the night of your alleged magical resurgence. And before you ask, yes, Beatrice spoke to me about it because she was worried that it could be something bad. There’s also your new ability to heal quicker than others. For example, the cut that you had two months ago that seemed to heal overnight.” 

“I just thought after that night, my magic was different,” (Y/N) mumbled. “So, you’re saying this has happened before? To High Priestess Esther?”  

“That is correct, my dear. And she was just as confused as you are,” she rocked. Margaret flipped through the pages until she landed on the specific date she was looking for, handing the open book to the expectant girl. “It was a hard time to be a witch back then–not that it’s any easier now–but somehow she had managed to skate by unnoticed. One day, she noticed her face had stopped aging, and so had her mother. Her face seemed to be frozen in time, but she didn’t know why. That was until she met the immortal Samuel.”  

“A vampire?”  Margaret nodded in confirmation. “But I’m not sure I understand. How did meeting Samuel affect her physical status?”  

“You’re rushing the story, my child,” Margaret chuckled. The girl was itching for answers, but patience was something the elder always taught. “There’s a reason I mentioned soul pairings earlier. When we are born and reborn, fragments of our soul enter the lives of others, tethering them to ours. Throughout your life, you might meet some of your soulmates, yet no connection will be as strong as the bound soul. Not many find them in their lifetime. The lucky few that do experience a love like no other. That’s what Samuel was to Esther—the love of a lifetime. Are you following?” 

“I believe so. They had a supernatural connection that tied their lives together. Mind, body, and soul.”  

“You’ve always been a smart one, (Y/N),” the woman chuckled joyfully before she continued. “As the years went on, Esther started to tie loose ends together. The reason she was never changing was because he was never changing. Bound souls are connected, body and soul. When Samuel had been turned into a vampire and, in turn, immortal, so did she. Esther wrote about how, after the first encounter, her magic was stronger, and her connection to the elements felt surreal. But the love she felt when she was with him was something unparalleled to anything she had experienced in this lifetime.” 

“But if she’s immortal, how come we’ve never met her? How are you here? Vampires can’t procreate.” 

“In those times, vampires were still heavily hunted. Samuel had gone into town one day and, unfortunately, never made it back home. They shared thirty beautiful years building a life together, isolated from society. Living in the shadows, doing their best to survive. Unfortunately, once Samuel’s life ended, so did Esther’s immortality. Her life cycle had regained its normalcy,” Margaret sighed. “She had been devastated for a long time. She describes how she felt her body was hollowed out and her magic began to falter. “Fortunately, she found love again in the man who was my great-great-grandfather, Abraham. They made a family together, creating our coven,” she smiled. “Esther never forgot Samuel, carrying his memory close to her heart every day that passed until her death after approximately 140 years of life. Her story now is not unlike yours. Though supernatural beings have now learned and adapted to the ever-changing society.”  

“But this means that as time goes by, everyone I love will pass, and I will continue on being as I am today,” (Y/N) stated, tears burning the corners of her eyes. “How do I cope with losing all the people closest to me whilst I have no foreseeable ending to this life?”  

“Death is something we all must endure, one day or another. Even immortal beings face mortality in many ways. How to handle the inevitability of death is a very personal thing. In time, you’ll learn the best way to accept it.”  

“But that means…” 

“Yes, (Y/N). You’ll one day go through the pain of seeing Beatrice pass,” the woman confirmed. “I know it will be hard, my child. But it is a moment you must endure. You have her entire lifetime to enjoy by her side. Don’t let the inevitability of her passing stop you from living.” 

The young witch remained silent as warm tears burned their way down her skin. She had grown accustomed to death from a young age. That wasn’t the problem. (Y/N) had lost her mother when she had been all but fifteen years of age, and her father had passed long before she could even remember his voice. It wasn’t death that scared her. It was living after Beatrice. What pained the girl beyond repair was that not only could she not give Bea the life she dreamed of, she couldn’t even give her the life they had planned. 

(Y/N) wouldn’t be able to grow old beside her, taunting each other about who had more white hair. She would never get to the point where they would both need canes to walk or salves and ointments for their aching joints. No. She would only be able to watch it happen to Bea while she remained the very image she saw staring back at her in the mirror. There would be no aging pains for her, no shriveling skin or weakening bones. All there would be was her and the passage of time. 

As the hours passed, it dawned on the young woman what she had to do. As much as it broke her heart, there was nothing else that would make sense for her future. If she had no chance at her happy ever after, she’d make sure that at least Beatrice would. 

She couldn’t have known how much time had passed, but when the sound of Bea’s laughter by the door rang through the house, the sun had already set. (Y/N) peeked her head out the bedroom door to find the girl saying her goodbyes to the lovestruck Russell, a bouquet of roses hanging from her right hand. 

The young witch saw possibility there. She saw right before her eyes everything she could never give her. She saw the life they had always dreamed of, the life only one of them would be able to live. 

“Sorry I’m late, darling,” Bea said as she hung her coat on the rack. “Russell invited me out to the movies. I forgot to call.”

“It’s okay,” (Y/N) responded, trying her best to conceal the sadness that had sunk its claws into her throat.  

But she couldn’t. At the tone of her voice, the raven-haired girl turned around and crossed the room in an instant. “What’s the matter?” she asked as she led them toward their couch, sitting beside (Y/N), her hands gripping hers comfortingly. “What did Margaret say?”

“I-I, uh,” (Y/N) stammered, unable to get the words out. 

And before she could say anything else, Bea noticed the tears that brimmed (Y/N)’s eyes. Her eyes were already red and puffy, a testament to the pain she was already feeling. “What’s wrong, Rubs?” she questioned worriedly. “Is it bad?”

“I don’t… I don’t know if it is or not,” she sighed. “But it’s gonna change everything, Bea. It’s already changed me.”

“Sweetheart, you’re scaring me,” Bea said. “What’s going on, (Y/N)? What changed since this morning?” 

(Y/N) could feel her breaths staggering, the nerves coursing through her veins making her tremble under the weight of the inevitable. This was it—the moment when she would lose it all. With a heavy heart, the witch set off to explain all that Margaret had told her. She told her about Samuel and Esther, about bound souls, and vampires and witches. Finally, she told her what it all meant to her. The very reason both their lives would never be the same. “She said the reason I haven’t shown any sign of aging and I had that odd attack that night was because my soul is most likely tethered to a vampire,” she explained, fighting the new tears that threatened to spill across her cheeks. “I’m never gonna age, Bea. Everyone around me will grow and die, and I will stay just as you see me right now before you. I don’t know how I could ever give you the life you’ve always wanted.” 

Bea rose from her seat as though it had burned her. Her thoughts spiraled and sparked inside her head before she could process anything that (Y/N) was saying. None of it made sense to her. She was a witch and knew of the existence of many other supernatural beings. But that? That she couldn’t get her mind around. 

The girl pressed her palms to her eyes, stopping the tears before they stained her face, but not before they pooled around her eyes and mixed with the black of her makeup. She was distraught, unwinding at the seams, unable to process her emotions properly. Bea couldn’t grasp that those would be their last moments together as they were.

“What does this mean for us, (Y/N)?” the girl asked. “What are you gonna do?” 

“I wish I could tell you I had it all figured out, Bea, but I don’t,” she cried. “I don’t want to lose you, that’s for sure. I just don’t know what I can offer you.” 

“What about school and all that? You just got accepted to Yale. How are you gonna be a lawyer like this?” 

“I don’t know, Bea!” (Y/N) exclaimed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about any of that just yet. I just found out that I’m immortal today. There’s nothing laid out just yet.” 

The younger witch knew what (Y/N) was saying without words, and she also knew she wouldn’t say the words even if they were the only ones that had to be said. Bea wanted to believe there was a way to fight the inevitable—find a sliver of hope in the midst of their dark reality. 

“You deserve everything you’ve ever wanted, Bea,” the older witch broke the silence softly. She took tentative steps towards the other, softly wrapping her arms around the unconsolable woman. Bea leaned into her touch, even though her body screamed to get away until it was all resolved. “You deserve a wedding, you deserve kids, you deserve the big house with the even bigger garden, you deserve someone to grow old with. And as much as I wish I could give you that and the entire universe, I can’t. I can only give myself, darling, and I promise I’ll try my hardest to make you the happiest you can be with whatever time we have.” 

“You can’t promise that, (Y/N),” Bea whimpered. “As much as we want to, neither of us can promise that.”

“Why not?” she cried. “I love you more than anything in this universe. That’s enough for me.” 

“It’s only gonna be enough for now,” the younger girl sighed defeatedly. “We can’t exist on love alone, sweetheart. I wish it were that easy.” 

“What are you saying, Bea?” 

“I think it’s best that you move to Connecticut, set yourself up over there while you’re going to school,” she said, swallowing the sadness that threatened to wreck her. She had to be strong for (Y/N). She had to be strong for them both. “After, you’re gonna have to move from place to place. Never stay too long in one city or state. Never go back there until anyone that could remember you is alive.” 

“I could just stay here,” (Y/N) offered, knowing it wasn’t going to be an option. “I don’t have to ever leave the village. We could have a life here.:  

“You know that’s not possible, sweetheart,” Bea sighed. “Maybe back in the days of Esther, but I know you’ll grow angsty. You have dreams, (Y/N). You have goals you want to accomplish. You can’t stay here and wait until I die for you to start living. I couldn’t live with myself if you did.” 

“What about what I want?” she said in a voice so broken that it almost shattered Bea’s resolution. It made her wonder if there truly was a way for them to work out. But she knew. “What if all I want is you, Bea?” 

“You’ll do great things, beautiful,” she said as she turned in (Y/N)’s arms and ran her fingers through her hair. “I know everything you do will be as amazing as you are. You will go on and do all these things and see the world, and I’ll always be here, cheering you on from the sidelines.” 

“What am I supposed to do without you, Bea? We were supposed to be forever.” 

“And you’ll have forever, (Y/N),” she smiled sadly. “I won’t. And I can’t steal away a part of your life because of it. Don’t ask me to do that.” 

(Y/N) gazed into Bea’s eyes as tears blurred her vision, trying her best to plead with just one look. “You wouldn’t be stealing any part of my life, Bea,” she trembled. “You’ve shown me a life I could have. A life with you would be a life fulfilled. Why can’t that be enough?” 

“Maybe in another life, it could be,” Bea whimpered. She placed her hands tenderly on the girl’s cheeks, softly wiping away the tears that didn’t seem to stop. “But it wasn’t meant to be in this one, my sweetheart. We had the years we did, and they will always be the best of my life. And what gives me a respite is that you will have so many great years after me because I just know your life will be glorious and that I’ll continue to love you every day until I take my last breath.  And I know you’ll be happy—even after me, you’ll be happy.” 

(Y/N) couldn’t find words as they knotted in her throat. Her eyes felt like an open faucet as tears fell faster than she could hold them back. All she could do was wrap her arms around Bea and hold her as tight as she could. Because for that moment, she was still there, they were still possible. For that moment, she could pretend they were forever.

And that’s what she did every day and every night for the coming three months. (Y/N) would hold Bea as though she’d turn to dust the second she let go. There was not a moment she didn’t spend with the younger witch. She even pretended to be excited about the cross-state move, showing the girl apartment listings and bringing her to buy whatever she’d need for it. Maybe if she acted like she was all for the move, there would come a day when she would be. 

There was one thing she was sure of, at the end of those three months, she’d be losing the greatest love of her life. And before she could truly prepare herself, the day had come. 

“Time flew too fast, didn’t it?” Bea whispered from the bed, watching through hazy eyes as the witch walked from side to side, gathering all she needed for the long trip to Connecticut. “Can’t believe the day is finally here.” 

“Yeah,” (Y/N) sighed quietly, whispering her next words. “Kind of wished today never came.” 

“Do you have everything you need? Remember, you’re supposed to meet up with Lance over there. He is part of our sister coven over there and knows everything about your situation.”

“Yes, Beatrice. I know what I have to do,” she spat unintentionally. “You’ve had this planned out for three months already. Almost feels like you can’t wait for me to go.” 

“You know that’s not true,” Bea bit back quickly. “The last thing I want is to lose you, (Y/N). But we both know that it simply wouldn’t work. Not in this lifetime.” 

“It could have worked,” (Y/N) cried. She didn’t care that she’d have to redo her makeup or that she’d have puffy red eyes during her train ride; she simply allowed the tears that had never seemed to stop to fall free. “If you would have given us a chance, it would have worked.” 

“For what, sweetheart?” the girl questioned softly, unable to meet the same bark that (Y/N) had. She was sad, she was weak, she was losing her everything. “You grow restless when we stay merely a day in this house. What makes you think you’d last sixty years?” 

“I could do it for you, Bea.” (Y/N) walked to their bed and sat by Bea, taking one of her hands in hers. “I would give my entire life to be with you.” 

“That’s a price I’m not willing to let you pay,” she whispered softly, using her free hand to caress (Y/N)’s wettened cheek. “You need to let me go, (Y/N). You need to let me let you go. It’s the only way either of us will be able to make the choices we need to make for our futures.” 

“I can’t.” 

“Yes, you can,” Bea smiled tenderly. “You could tell the sun to stop shining, and it would. You can do anything, (Y/N) Carmine.” 

“But I don’t want to.” 

“You have to,” she continued. “Go. See the world. Get your degrees. Open the law firm you’ve always dreamed of. Help supernatural folks like you’ve wanted. I’ll be here, always. Getting old and loving you. But don’t stay stuck. If you can’t do it for yourself, then do it for me.” 

Without another word, (Y/N) kissed Bea’s lips and gathered all she would need for the trip. The air inside the house was thick with pain and sadness, but neither girl made another mention of it. They simply let things be until it was time for her to go. 

Russell had come to help with her bags, putting them in one of the few cars the village owned. He knew all that had been happening under the girls’ roof, but he never judged, never put in his two cents, and never, ever, turned them away. Maybe because he was smitten with Bea or because he respected his friendship with (Y/N), but he’d never looked at them any differently than he did everyone else. 

“We’re just about ready to go,” he announced from the doorway. “Car is packed and running.” 

“Thank you, Russell,” (Y/N) smiled softly. “‘I’ll be out in a moment.” 

With a tip of his hat, he turned to leave the girls to say their goodbyes. It was the last moment they’d ever look as young as each other. Beauty stuck in time, and love perfectly conserved in the image of a memory. That’s how (Y/N) wanted to remember them: young, happy, and full of love. 

“I’ll come back every year,” she whispered to Bea as she cradled her cheeks. “Every single year, no matter what.” 

“And I’ll be waiting,” Bea smiled, tears falling down her cheeks. “I’ll always be waiting by Bound Soul’s Bank. Every year, to the day, I’ll be there. Even when I’m old and frail and can barely walk, I’ll be there.” 

“You are my sun,” (Y/N) cried shakily. 

“My moon,” Bea responded in tandem. 

“And all of my stars,” they said in teary unison before sharing a last passionate kiss and a tight hug. 

The last image (Y/N) had of Bea was as she ran through the village behind the running car, yelling words of love and encouragement until there was no trail left to follow and the trees engulfed her figure. 

And with a shattered heart, and the promise of a never-ending future, (Y/N) did the hardest thing she could imagine. (Y/N) (Y/L/N) started to live.

Next ->

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[rinsuniverse]

I recently saw that your reqs are open 👀 can we get woozi's s/o helping in writing or producing a song from the universe factory evn tho she isn't in the entertainment bizzz just like a pure inspiration for her to help write songs hihi

being woozi's muse! ✧˖°.

this is a cute idea! (sorry if this is short! i'm currently writing this on break <3)

i imagine three different types of scenarios where his s/o would help in writing or producing music

for the first, imagine you're lounging on his couch at the universe factory

he's been working on his music for hours on end now, and his brain is slowly malfunctioning

you can tell just by how he's sighing and tilting his head in frustration that he needs a break or some help

so you come over, running a hand down his shoulder and peering in at his monitor

"you okay?" you ask, leaning your head against his

he takes a minute to relax into your touch, but does so nonetheless

"nothing sounds right for this part of the song," he says, frustratingly

"do you want my help?"

"are you going to spoil the song?"

"why would i do that?"

"true. just take a look at it, i guess," he says as he backs his chair up from the desk

you sit there, asking him to hum the melody and match up the lyrics

you suggest switching the order of some lines for the lore and sound

and he nods with his eyes somewhat wide, surprised at your helpful feedback

"there! i think it sounds much better now," you say, turning to look at him

he nods, rolling his chair closer to the table. "thanks, y/n/n"

"mmm. if you need more inspiration or help, just call me over."

"god, i love you," he mutters, grabbing hold of your hand and squeezing it

"love you, too. don't overwork yourself!"

the second scenario would be when you're both out on a walk, just goofing around town after a planned date

"oh my god, jihoon! look at this kitty!" you say, pointing at the stray kitten on the side of the walkway

the sun is setting and he watches you as your eyes twinkle and the golden hour sun rays hit you just right

you smile at him so genuinely and he's looking at you like you're the most beautiful person in the world (he would never say that out loud to you, tho)

as you're talking quietly to the cat and approaching slowly, he can't help but pull out his phone and take a picture

he switches to the notes app, changing his attention from you to the phone, then back to you, then back to the phone as he writes lyrics about how your eyes have so many feelings behind them and how he can't find all the words he'd want to describe you with

you're his muse in that way

he feels inspired when he sees your genuine and pure self/the person he fell in love with

you won't know, but the next seventeen album is going to have a b-side by the vocal team that was completely inspired by that one day that he fell in love with you all over again 🫶

and the last scenario would be when he invites you to help him and the svt members record a new song

it's his turn to record, so he has you and soonyoung pressing the button for him

you're giggling at whatever soonyoung has to say and jihoon stands there awkwardly staring at you two, pursing his lips

"can i record now or what?" he asks, staring daggers at soonyoung

"yep! y/n, music please!" soonyoung says, causing you to giggle

jihoon finds himself clenching his jaw, but as soon as the music starts playing in his headphones, he tries his absolute hardest to impress you

he knows it works when he's done singing the part, and you're just looking at him with a cute grin on your face

"are we done with my part now?"

"yeah-"

"get out of my seat, soonyoung."

and for the rest of the recording, you sit next to jihoon

one of his hands is holding a pen and presses the buttons while the other is resting on your thigh

you give him and the members feedback about what you feel (as a carat) would sound the best and make the fanbase go literally insane

and jihoon is so grateful for all your help and everything

he knows you aren't really in the entertainment business and you're just giving your feedback as his s/o and a fan of the group

but guess what?

you find your name right next to his in the credits of some of the songs in the album anyway!

thank you so much for the request! i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i did writing it! feel free to request many, many more! ✧( ु•⌄• )◞◟( •⌄• ू )✧

(p.s. requests are still open! i specialize in woozi stuff, but i don't mind writing about other svt members! so request whatever and as much as you want! ς(>‿<.))

[kunikukitty]

☆ Always An Artist, Never The Muse

Scaramouche/Wanderer x Fem!reader

v. assitance

You paced through the hallway of the literature department, trying to catch a glimpse of a hair in the hue of cyan.

You feel impatient watching the students exit their classrooms, walking down the stairway, and talking to each other.

You feel someone accidentally bump in your shoulder but you pay no heed to their immediate apology since your focus is towards finding Faruzan.

You heaved an irritated sigh, it gets really crowded at the time of dismissal.

Well honestly, you wouldn't be in this spot if you were so patient to wait for her at the usual place where you two meet up after class ends. But almost half on an hour had passed and she still hasn't showed up, so you chose to look for her. You don't even know if you're in the right floor where classes under the same major as hers are located.

Another irritated sigh escaped your lips. Maybe she's on her way now to meet you on the usual spot or she's already there waiting for you— you opt to go back.

You took out your phone to check if she has any response to your messages, but there's nothing.

Is her phone out of battery or something?

You walked down the stairs and let out an exasperated sigh. You have a very, very poor sense of direction which is why you're depending on Faruzan to get to the dormitory building for the time being until you grow accustomed with the directions. Plus, you both shares the same room anyway.

As you descend downstairs, you see your phone lit up.

Oh well, what an inconvenience.

You're legs are now tired from the constant walking and use of stairs. The whole university is wide and your current location is far from the dormitory, and knowing you are likely to get lost on the way— you're aware that you would just get even more exhausted before you could even find it.

No matter, you need to get back on your independence anyway.

You finally exited the building and your focus is on Faruzan's guide. All you have to do is follow it, not hard, right?

Turn right... head straight then turn left...

At times like this, you overthink if right is indeed right and left is indeed left. You scratched your head when in Faruzan's message, you're supposed to be able to see the lawn from the distance after the third turn.

Well now, you're standing between two buildings.

No matter how you tried to keep your focus on directions, you find yourself zoning out. Have you pass through this building before? You're not sure.

You heaved an irritated sigh.

Okay, you're lost again and you don't know how to get back on the track Faruzan instructed. Time to use your intuition!

You turned left, more walking and then left again...

You checked your phone to type a message to Faruzan, but before you could hit the send button, you bumped into someone.

"Stupid."

It was a voice of a male that you recognized. It was said sardonically with an obvious hint of annoyance lacing his tone.

You looked up at him to give him a glare in which he responded with a snort.

"Do you have a habit on bumping into people?" He rolled his eyes in disdain. "As much as 'no phone while driving' is being advocate, you must know it should be also applied to walking."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." You said sarcastically, giving him a false apologetic look. "That was on purpose."

"Thanks, I greatly appreciate the gesture."

You sighed exasperatedly.

You have no energy to entertain another argument with him. It's obviously your fault, you're aware, since you were using your phone while walking. But that doesn't mean you'd apologize, not towards him as you held your pride high. He's also being rude about it anyway, you only say sorry to those deserving.

Well, since you're obviously tired, you decided to make use of him.

"Peasant," You called, and his brows immediately furrowed. He doesn't like the way you addressed him, but he didn't bother to react to it. "The dormitory."

"What?"

"Take me to the dormitory." You demanded, hiding the shame that surged within you.

You are naturally independent, yes. But when it comes to directions... you don't really know why your memory becomes similar to a gold fish when tracking down your destination.

You don't like asking for help especially by the likes of him; a man— but you desperately want to take a rest on your soft bed as soon as possible.

"Is that how you treat someone you bumped into? How amusing." He spoke in an unamused tone, eyeing you from head to toe as if disgusted.

"Yeah, yeah, it is how. Whatever." You rolled your eyes as you flipped your hair. "Just do as I say, will you?"

"Why, you want me to keep you company? What an obvious attempt."

You wanted to slap his face for his audacity, but you merely gave a huff. "I just need you to lead the way."

"Oh? Do you not know how to get there, even though it's been like what, two weeks?" His voice is filled with mockery that a chuckle even escaped his lips.

His eyes didn't fail to catch a glimpse of your reddening ears, the way a flicker of embarrassment passed through your eyes. He found it funny that you still remained with your act of indifference.

"Of course, I know! And it has been three weeks, I must correct you. I'm obviously just making you pay for the inconveniences you've caused me."

You reasoning made him let out another derisive chuckle, as if he find the situation entertaining in an insulting way.

It made you realize that him leading the way would be much more exhausting than you getting lost.

"Alright, sure. Since you so desperately need my assistance."

Oh, how you immensely regret your decision.

prev | masterlist | next

taglist. @veekoko @aeongiies @featuredtofu @kodzusmiles @magica-ren @feiherp @beriiov @hiraethhv @kleej

can't tag those in bold;(

[ventismacchiato]

13 just playing the part — i’m kinkshaming you !

scaramouche x g!n reader

You hurriedly threw open the cafe’s door, awkwardly making your way up to the counter and ringing the bell. The cafe seemed to be busy as usual, with students pretending to study in one corner and awkward first dates in the other.

“Oh, it’s you,” a familiar voice sighs.

You look up from where you were rustling around for your wallet when you see the very face of your demise.

“Since when did you work here,” you ask, eyeing him in his fitting apron and dress shirt, “We have to get to rehearsal soon.”

“Yeah, I was about to leave but then you rang the bell. Maybe I should just ignore you,” Scara scoffs, resting his hand on his palm and leaning forward on the counter, “Unless you’re still crying over getting a second lead?”

“I’m over it,” you huff, squinting at the menu behind him, the prices made your cheap college self internally wince. But you deserved it after procrastinating all weekend on annotating your script.

“Hurry up and order,” Scara sighs, spinning a pen between his fingers.

“What do you recommend?” you muse.

“Black coffee,” Scara deadpans.

You stare at him.

“This explains why you are the way you are,” you mutter, “Just give me today’s special.”

“Tch,” he sighs, signing a cup and ringing you up.

You slide to the other side of counter and watch as he makes you your drink. You eye him as he rolls up his sleeves, showcasing his arms, as he seamlessly pours your drink.

He slides it over to you, ignoring your hand with your outstretched card.

“I’m not in the mood to use the machine,” he grumbles, untying his apron.

You continue to wave your card, “I don’t want to be the reason you lose your job.”

“Take it, maybe you’ll stop complaining about getting a second lead,” he says, leaving the counter and grabbing his bag, throwing it over his shoulder and gesturing for you to move.

You awkwardly put the card back into your pocket and leave the cafe, taking a tentative sip of your drink. The hot liquid burning your tongue, causing you to hastily pull it away. Maybe the free drink was because he felt bad for you.

You turn the cup to see the doodle he did on it reading Idiot :) scrawled onto it, making you shake your head.

“Are you following me?” you question, turning around to see Scaramouche look up from his phone from behind you, pulling an airpod out of his ear to hear what you said.

“No, dumbass, we’re going to the same place,” he scoffs, catching up with you, “You’re so self centered if you think I’d follow behind you.”

“Oh,” you dumbly say, taking another sip from your latte and immediately wincing at the heat. You really were out of it.

He stays by your side for the rest of the walk, but he puts his headphones back in and doesn’t say anything. Which is fine, since you didn’t want to talk to him anyway. You wouldn’t know what to say.

He beats you to the front door of the auditorium and props it open, pushing you in first by your backpack and following you inside. You stumble a bit, making sure your latte doesn’t spill, before making your way in.

“So, I want you to practice your first few scenes together on your own,” Lisa explains, bringing you both into a private room, gesturing to the loveseat the university used for a past production.

You both get seated on it, as far as you can from each other, but Lisa shakes her head at you.

“Not close enough,” she muses, making a gesture with her hands, “Not for the exercise we’re going to do.”

You both share a look and reluctantly bring yourselves closer until your thighs are barely touching.

Lisa goes to the back of the room, flipping open a cardboard box and pulling out a pair of handcuffs. Seems you three were in the prop room.

“I’m going to lock your hands together for the rest of rehearsal, so if you both need to use the bathroom now would be the time,” she grins, dangling the handcuffs tauntingly.

“Excuse me?” Scaramouche states, “What’s the point of that if we’re already sitting together?”

“You’ll be in close proximity for most of your scenes, you need to at least learn to tolerate one another’s presence for quite some time. Actors in the real world have to adapt and work with people they don’t get along with,” Lisa explains, latching the handcuff onto your left wrist and his right.

You swallow at the closeness, this is the closest you’ve ever gotten to holding hands with another boy. Quite a pathetic love life.

“I have to tend to the other students, go over Act One together,” Lisa instructs, leaving the room and shutting the door, she gives you two a little wave through the window before leaving.

“What a lunatic,” Scaramouche sighs, flipping through the script with one hand.

You squirm around, doing the same, but your mind is elsewhere.

Scaramouche eyes you.

“Don’t tell me the latte finally caught up with you,” he says, “Don’t piss yourself.”

“I’m fine,” you wave off, you weren’t about to go to the restroom with him right outside the door. You still had a shred of dignity.

“Let’s just do the first scene,” he offers, clearing his throat.

“Alright then,” you comply, trying to get into character.

just playing the part !

masterlist — prev | next

thoma is scaramouche’s manager and he’s really laidback ^-^

scara has been working there for almost a year and he HATES IT customers always complain he glares at them too much but scara makes the best espressos so thoma can’t let him go

also because he attracts a lot of customers by being the campus heartthrob everyone is too nervous to pursue

kazuha, xiao, venti, and albedo are all at the first table reading which is why they mention how scara is getting away with it

ik all of you would jump at the chance to be handcuffed to scaramouche so you guys can’t relate to y/n when they say they don’t want to 😔

scara: *making eye contact with you as he chugs water* bet you really have to go rn huh

xiaoae are not official yet 🪦

synopsis: you and scaramouche are both drama majors and have been at each other’s throats vying for the same lead roles since high school. but when you’re both cast as each other’s love interest in your second year you’re forced to be civil with your academic rival and see him in a new light. are his feelings for you true or is he just playing the part?

taglist — CLOSED!!: @monochromaticelliot @kaedear @stxrgxzxr @shirmxie @elakari @lacy-lady @linn-a-a @one-offmind @kithewanderingme @quepasoash @leathernourishingshoepolish @mangobee @lxry-chxn @dameofthorns @scarasaver @kythe1a @elysiasbae @hikaru-exe @tokkishouse @raiihoshii @cherrybeomgyu @kunikuzushiit @thenightsflower @lilneps @goodthingimsam @lovelyiez @fxllennx @beriiov @abvolat @kittycasie @b0bafl0wer @bubblyclouds @atlatcaheart @artssleepy @baelloraa @tartagli-yuh @satowaluverr @hangesextra @scaranaris-lil-niko @caffinatedcoma @wheneverthesunrise @hajimeseyo @itsyourgirlria @hyunrei @redactedhimbo @caliginous-skies @vinskyspuff @miissfortune @criminalinthemaking @scaramouches-girlfriend

author’s note: just finished an exam 👍 i have another one coming up when will it end >_< pls lmk ur thoughts in the comments, rbs, or asks,, it give me motive to post more 🙏

[rippersz]

𝒯𝑜 𝒫𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒲𝒶𝓉𝒸𝒽 𝒪𝓃𝑒 𝒫𝑒𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓃:

(A Larissa Weems x fem!reader fanfic) (Part 7)

(Part 6) (Part 5) (Part 4) (Part 3) (Part 2) (Part 1)

★☆★﹒☆★☆﹒★☆★﹒☆★☆

Larissa.

Larissa.

Larissa…

It was Greek.

Larissa.

Originating from the nymph daughter of Pelasgus. Or the city in Greece - meaning ‘citadel’.

Larissa.

She was kind of like a citadel, wasn’t she?

Larissa…

As tall as a tower spire… unyielding and fierce… glowing in honorable brilliance. Noticeable from so far away - like a glimmering star caught in midnight’s grasp, suspended within the sky and beckoning attention like a moth to flame.

And since she was the flame, you were the moth. The mindless devoted little creature that sought her warmth for no more than a moment before falling prey to her heat. Finding yourself endlessly mesmerized by all things her- by all things Larissa.

—

And of course, right after getting the chance to properly meet her, the universe decided to punt you out of a window and stomp on your pathetic little broken body.

‘Hah! Suffer, bitch!’ The heavens cackled before keeping you away from your new muse and making life at work far busier than it usually was.

There were times in the past where that happened- when work became ‘too much’ and you’d return home with paint stains on your clothing and designer bags under your eyes. Unfortunately, being the assistant to a very important modern-day artist could do that to a person - but you didn’t expect everyone to know that. You certainly didn’t expect Larissa to know that - Which is one of the reasons why you were panicking. Did she visit the station while you were gone? Did she sit there and wait for you as you had done in the past and assumed that you were no longer interested? Did she think you were crazy and only watched her until she introduced herself and then decided to run off somewhere else? Did she hold a grudge? Was she waiting for you at that exact moment? When the train doors opened, would you see her there? Sitting on the bench and minding her own business until her own train arrived? Would she say hello to you? Would she glare, thinking you had started avoiding her? Oh god what if she started avoiding you? What if she decided that your hot and cold way of acting (even though your absence wasn’t planned) was just too annoying to interact with? What if she started sitting on the other side of the platform again? What if she didn’t want to talk to you anymore? What if she just wanted to return to being strangers?

That last thought weighed heavily on your shoulders as you felt the train slow down.

Only a week - a week! - without seeing her and you felt as though you were going mad. Yes, you had spent time apart in the past but when that happened, she was the one who had disappeared. And you had been left to look at the spot across from you, forlorn and silly and desperate for her return. Now, she was the one waiting - if she even bothered to do so at all. Hell, you wouldn't blame her if she had walked off and tried to erase you from her memory forever. After all, you had only one conversation, and she spoke 90% of the time, and the rest of the time you spent staring and trying to act normal, so really it wouldn’t be shocking if you never saw her again.

Ping!

Such thinking saw you leaving the train with a frown on your face and a slump to your shoulders. The more you thought about it, the more your heart ached; because technically you and Larissa were still strangers. Just because you knew her name didn’t mean anything. And just because you had never ever seen anyone so angelic- (and just because you didn’t think anyone more angelic than her even existed out there)- didn’t mean anything. Because at the end of the day, like every other day, she was still just Larissa and you were still just you. And that’s why she’d never wait for you on that bench, holding her purse, watching the crowd with searching eyes.

…

Or…

Or perhaps…

Maybe… she would?

Once you finally stepped onto the platform and chanced a glance up so you didn’t trip and fall over yourself like an idiot, a flash of white to your left caught your attention. It was so quick, so rapid, flitting in and out of the bustle of people, that you thought for a good moment that it wasn’t anything at all. But the second everything cleared and you walked closer to ‘your’ bench, intent on catching your breath and sitting for a moment, the sweetest of plot twists struck like lightning.

There was Larissa, your own darling stranger, scanning the crowd and sitting so politely with her purse in her lap and her legs crossed at the ankles. Never in your life had you reacted to seeing a person in the same way you did in that moment. It was like you were an empty bottle and that brilliant star of a woman came over and poured sunlight into your plastic emptiness and gave you a renewed sense of existence. It was like the world had finally turned around and gifted you something strong and hopeful and worth keeping. Like it was saying ‘Here. It’s tentative and strange and hesitant right now, but we both know you have nothing left to lose so just take the opportunity and go with it.’ And you, who couldn’t pass up a chance to finally feel a connection with someone again, picked up the pace and started waving to get Larissa’s attention. As you did, a small smile began to tug at your lips so suddenly- so unconsciously- that it took you a moment to register why your face felt so strange.

It was because you were smiling- no, grinning- at the mere sight of her.

And once she finally met your gaze and registered that your waving was for her, she grinned back in reply.

To anyone else, the exchange would seem quite heart-warming. ‘Awww old friends,’ they’d think, ‘Reuniting after some time apart.’ Or maybe they’d assume, ‘A family friend picking up a relative. How cute.’ Or- or- ‘Girlfriends. Definitely. Girlfriends that are clearly very excited to go home and live their combined romantic lives together.’ As you approached Larissa with a bounce in your step and flush to your cheeks, that last thought had your heart racing.

If only…

“Hi,” you breathed, a bit out of breath, as you came to a stop at her side.

Instantly, Larissa shuffled over for you to take a seat. The small action was full of such familiarity that it nearly overwhelmed you.

“Hello. Long time, no see,” she turned to you, raising an eyebrow.

Clearly she had questions- but you were much too focused on something greater, like seeing her again. Goodness it was like every time you had the immense earthly pleasure of setting your eyes on her once more, the life was knocked out of your body. How could someone be so glorious? How could the blue of her eyes be so deep? So never-ending? So lovely that all you wanted to do for the rest of your life was become lost in them? Had anyone ever even informed her of how enchanting her eyes were? Or how dangerous? Or how unspeakably beautiful? You felt compelled to do so in the moment- it was really balancing on the tip of your tongue, waiting to be blurted out and cause embarrassment- but Larissa beat you to the metaphorical punch.

“I figured it was my time to wait, since you did the same for me so patiently last time.” Ah. There was that teasing tone you had missed so desperately. It didn’t fail to bring a giggle to your throat that made you feel like a high schooler again as you nodded and shrugged sheepishly.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry. Work got super busy out of nowhere and I was coming home at crazy hours. It wasn’t intentional, I promise.” There was an urgency to your voice that you simply couldn’t get rid of; like you needed her to know as soon as possible that you would never not want to see her; that you would rather cut your own arm off than miss a day of getting to know her. After all, similar to fruit flies, once you got a taste you couldn’t stop.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Larissa soothed. “I understand the pressures of work quite well. I only hope you weren’t too stressed?”

Her worry was like a balm on your raw soul.

“Well… I mean it sucked but I think everything’s calmed down now. I’m sorry to leave you so long,” you gave her a small smile and tried desperately to hide the shine in your eyes.

“What have I said about apologizing? You have nothing to worry about- it’s only right that I return the favor of waiting,” she replied with a smirk painting her red lips.

The sight of it brought a strong flush to your cheeks.

The favor of waiting… of course. She knew you had been sitting there like an idiot for however long, watching her from across the way, yearning stupidly. Well the yearning part you had yet to confirm, but the glimmer in her eye whispered things she knew about you that even you didn’t know. It was exhilarating - it was terrifying.

“Right, well thank you. For- waiting. Very sweet of you,” you inclined your head in thanks and fiddled with the strap of your purse.

“Mmm, I only wish I knew who I was waiting for,” the lilt in her tone had you looking up.

She rose an eyebrow as a smile painted her fair skin; showing off the cutest bits of crows feet as she teased you.

Right. You never told her your name. Ugh. Stupid. You’d been rolling her beautiful name around in your head for days and she had absolutely no clue who you were. The thought of her sitting there, unsure of the person she was waiting for, made you frown. But of course, like many awkward encounters, it could be remedied. So you held out your hand, straightened in your spot, and smiled.

“My name is Y/N. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The humor in her expression made a fresh burst of smug excitement explode within you. You had a feeling she would like that little display. And when the slide of a leather glove kissed the soft skin of your paint-stained palm, you cheered internally. Such boldness wasn’t something you exuded very often- your racing heart could attest- but it felt worth it around Larissa. After all, your moments together were fleeting. You had to take whatever chance you could while you were still privy to her sweet existence.

“Likewise. Thank you for keeping me company, Y/N,” Larissa’s grip was perfect - not too tight and not too loose and just right in a way that made you want to hold her hand for forever.

“Of course.” It was the only thing you thought to say.

There was more on your mind, sure, but everything else was so hard to phrase. How could you tell the new strange object of your affections that, although you barely knew her, meeting her had changed your monotonous routine and thus, made you want to live again? How could you tell her that her existence had opened up a locked room in your heart and introduced you to the prospect of love once more? How could you say anything of substance, or admit anything at all, when the only thing you knew about her was her first name and what you saw on the outside? For gods’ sake, she could be a serial killer! A very well-dressed serial killer with amazing manners and lovely hair, but a serial killer nonetheless. Or, she could have intense anger issues - to the point where she was dangerous. There was nothing inherently wrong with that, as long as one recognized their behavior and worked to fix it, but still. More often than not, The Devil showed up draped in white silk. And you knew for a fact that Larissa totally wore pearl colored silk. Or eggshell colored silk. Or ivory colored silk. Or vanilla colored silk. Or even-

“Do you paint?”

Her lyrical accent blinked you out of your stupor. Glancing around, you saw instantly what had caught her attention. There were smears of pinks and greens along your knuckles and fingertips – creating a little landscape on your skin that you watched Larissa’s sapphire eyes trace with curiosity. It brought a bashful smile to your lips.

“Yes- well- no? Yes. It’s complicated,” you scoffed and rolled your eyes when Larissa let out a small twinkling giggle.

“Care to explain?”

You were sure the surprise in your gaze caught her off guard just as much as her interest did you.

See there was one thing that not many people mentioned when regarding loneliness. When your heart finally decided to leap back into humanity’s pool of fish, adjusting was terribly difficult. You floundered for a bit and lost your ability to swim and your gills had closed up and your webbed fingers were stiff. It was as though you had to never known how to speak in the first place, and interacting with others suddenly became the most challenging thing to do in the history of ever. So when someone came along and showed interest and asked you questions and looked at you as if you were truly noticed, the brain sort of… paused. Like the programming was so old and so covered in dust and isolation that you had to go through quite a bit of time searching for the file that said ‘Accepting Positive Interest’ before you could even hope to respond. And by that point, when you had finally caught up, the other person was worried that they had said something out of turn and honestly- really- it all became a big mess of bubbles and fish and grass and stumbling minds and outdated source codes.

And because you had spent so long by yourself, trying hard to ignore the fact that your heart was slowly cracking within your chest as you laid asleep alone at night, the same damned thing happened to you. Larissa’s eyes, flickering with light worry, looked between your own until you finally shook your head and cleared your throat.

“S-sorry, I just don’t- I don’t really get out much so um- anyway, yeah I used to paint but not anymore. I prefer drawing. This is just from my job, I’m an artist’s assistant so stuff like this happens all the time,” the words poured out of you like a backed up waterfall finally reaching full capacity - spilling out of your mouth and bringing an embarrassing hunch to your shoulders as you turned your left hand over and showed her the paint on your palm. You couldn’t meet her eyes.

It was silent for a moment before Larissa let out a thoughtful hum and reached forward, dragging the tip of her right index over a particular swirl of colors. Baby blue, forest green, and a white blotch. You tilted your head, curious as to why she pointed out that spot when there were so many more interesting ones - like the magenta on your ring finger, caked beneath your nail - and the black from a messy paint tube that you accidentally pressed the side of your hand against - and the twitch in your fingers as she drew a sweet little circle over and over in the same spot.

“This bit here looks like a flower,” she mused beneath her breath, making you instantly stomp down a shiver that tried to worm its way into your body.

You glanced at her for a moment, once again committing the shape of her face to memory, before looking back to where she was focusing and coming to the conclusion that she was right: it did look like a flower. A very strange abstract flower that could possibly make for a killer design if one used the right medium to portray it. You couldn’t help but nod and agree with a small hum.

“I get paint all over myself constantly - which is surprising because I’m not even that clumsy. It just happens,” you shrugged.

Larissa pulled back after a second and made eye contact with you. Goodness that glimmer in her eyes… it was dangerous to anyone who had a heart.

“Are you certain you’re not clumsy?” And she glanced down at your hand for a split second before looking up again.

And the sheer comedic timing of her expression, and the judging lilt in her voice, made you giggle quite loudly - to the point where you put a hand over your mouth and forced your laughter to die down. She had joined in too, chuckling softly beneath her breath. It was such a pretty noise… you wanted to bottle it and keep it with you forever. Like a siren’s call, hypnotizing and entrancing. You were sure that that very second marked the moment you’d forever try to make her burst out into cackles. Everyone had it in them, you knew she did too. And you were nothing if not determined to hear such unrestrained joy one day. But until then, you’d settle for a small shared chuckle and a bright white-toothed smile.

“Are you always this sassy to your train station companions?” You rose an eyebrow.

“Perhaps,” she shrugged, “though it’s not often I meet one so indiscreet.”

And cue the flush that was bound to return at some point. It flooded your skin, making your cheeks warm, and forcing your head into your palms.

“God I’m sorry for being a creep,” your voice was muffled, “You were just an interesting subject.”

“Were or are?”

You blinked, looking up through the cracks in your fingers to see her tilted head and relaxed humorous expression. Dragging your hands down your face, you sighed.

“Both, I guess.”

She hummed, looking thoughtful for a moment.

“Interesting… and it’s just like an artist to call someone a ‘subject’, isn’t it? I suppose you fit the bill quite well.”

“Oh did the paint not give it away?”

“No no, the paint said a lot - but it sounded more like a preschooler trying to hold a conversation rather than a seasoned artist engaging in their hobby.”

Her sass pulled a surprised guffaw from you.

“Jeez! Ripping me to shreds so quickly. I’m starting to think that’s the only reason you waited.” But that wasn’t true of course. You could see from her expression, and from the way she leaned into you naturally - like two close friends - that she was there for a reason. It was hard to believe said reason was you, but you were sure time would reveal all.

“I jest, I jest,” she sighed happily, holding up a hand like a white flag.

It was such a sweet little moment that you could barely believe it was happening. Only some weeks ago you weren’t aware that someone like Larissa ever existed – and then she popped up in your life like a plant blooming in Spring. Just trekking through the lavender fields of your mind before picking a spot to settle in and spread out her picnic blanket and have a cup of tea as she allowed herself to ruminate there. And in return, you were sure, you offered a break from her normal life as well. After all, it wasn’t every day that you willingly engaged in conversation with a stranger - and it had been a long time since you’d laughed like that. Safe to say, your heartbeat was off the charts and your mind was, for once, at ease; not as focused on the pressures of life. It was terribly interesting how someone you didn’t know could change you around like that.

But that was just it. You wanted to know her. You wanted to know her very badly. You had admitted that to yourself quite early on. You wanted to know her so desperately and so eagerly that before her train came and whisked her off into the ether once again, you knew you had to try and make headway. So you did. Straightening your shoulders and letting your eyes wander over the crowd, you tried hard to seem relaxed.

“So, you said you know about the pressures of work. May I ask what you do, Larissa?”

You turned your head to let her know she had your attention - but was instantly stopped by the look in her eyes. There was a quick flicker of hesitation on her face, showing in the brief crease of her eyebrows and frown of her lips, before she was nodding and answering your question.

“Yes; I’m a school principal.” She sounded quite serious, doing a complete 180 from her earlier demeanor as you sat at her side and let out an interested ‘hm’.

“Which school?” You smiled, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

She seemed quite serious about her career, and probably the privacy of her job, but you tried to seem warm and open. You were even going to say that she didn’t have to answer, but the words fell dead on your tongue as you watched a deep conflict played out behind the scenes of her mind; dancing like a candle within a jack-o-lantern, allowing bits of it to flit across her features before she schooled them once more and stared deep into your eyes. Keeping you there. Capturing you. Grasping all of your attention in her gloved hands and making you listen.

You held your breath.

“Nevermore Academy.”

★☆★﹒☆★☆﹒★☆★﹒☆★☆

The Ao3 link is in the title. Thank you for the continued support! It means the world. I hope you enjoyed this one - more to come at some point lol. - Ripley x

★☆★﹒☆★☆﹒★☆★﹒☆★☆

@machi-avelli @tanith-rhea @weemssapphic @rosieathena @jinxscatbomb @bapplenana @lvinhs @delusional-sapphic @slightlyfruity @snakeskin-world @poorwritingandstalecoffee @aphrcdtes @kimiinou @hiraethinheaven @readingtheentrails @lord6-6fandom @reariy @hidden-words-of-art @gwendolinechristieiscute

[drabbles-mc]

Crunch-Time

Angel Reyes & EZ Reyes & OC Evangeline Reyes

Warnings: 18+, language

Word Count: 3k

A/N: This exists in the same universe as Interruptions but can be read without having read that first. I have the next part of this universe written up already as well, so I'm hoping to post that over the next few days at some point. this piece and the next one are focused more on the three Reyes Siblings than Evangeline and Franky but i promise it is all gonna come back together haha. anyway! as always unedited and unbeta'd because the muse caught me by the jugular tonight lmao

The morning had been quiet so far. Mornings in the middle of the week didn’t tend to be busy times for most of the shops on the strip, and Evangeline’s was no exception. She took advantage of the lack of foot traffic, calling and emailing with the people on both sides of the border who sent her their clothes and jewelry to sell in her shop. She was far from a big name or a huge retailer, but she was good and fair to the artists and designers that she worked with. And for a lot of people who were just trying to make some extra money to get by, that was more than enough.

She was updating some of her order spreadsheets, getting to the bottom of her first coffee of the day, when the bells above her shop door chimed. Out of habit she smiled, turning her head slightly to the door even though her eyes were still on the computer screen in front of her as she spoke to the customer who had just come through the door.

“Bienvenidos! I’ll be with you in just one second.”

“Okay,” the woman responded, a twinge of uncertainty in her voice.

Her tone got Evangeline to look up and over at her, wondering what was going on that was making her sound like that. The woman was standing in the tiny little foyer area of the shop, right by the chair that her brothers usually occupied whenever they stopped by to bother her. She looked a little older, enough gray strands of hair mixed in with the brown to be prominent. She had dress bag draped over her arms. Despite the fact that the woman seemed to be trying to keep a neutral expression, Evangeline could see the worry in her eyes.

She got up and walked around the counter, stopping a few feet in front of her before asking, “How can I help you?”

The woman drew in a deep breath, and for a moment Evangeline wasn’t sure if she was trying to steady herself, or if she was about to let loose a tirade. She braced herself for both regardless. The woman locked eyes with her, lips curled into a small frown. “I’m so sorry,” she said, words tumbling out along with the deep breath she’d just taken, “just barging in like this. But I didn’t know…a friend of a friend recommended you and I just,” her shoulders slumped in defeat, “I’m in a bit of a tough spot.”

Evangeline nodded. “Okay. What kind of tough spot are we talking about?”

The woman gave a small lift of her arms, just enough to draw attention to the dress bag. “My son’s wedding is this weekend, and the dress that was supposed to be delivered a month ago isn’t going to be delivered until next week so I had to go out and buy another one but nothing fit off the rack and everywhere else is saying they can’t get it done in time,” she spoke like the sentence was never going to end, like she had been trying to pick certain bullet points to say and then just decided on all of them, “and I understand it’s short notice and it’s not their fault but I really need—”

Evangeline took a small step forward, just close enough so that she could rest her hand on the outside of the woman’s arm. “How about,” she spoke gently, “we get this on you and take a look. Let me know what you need done and I’ll see what I can do about having it ready for you before your son’s wedding.”

The woman’s eyes instantly glassed over with tears of relief as she nodded. “That would be great. Th-thank you.”

She nodded as she let her hand drop back to her side. She motioned for the woman to follow her towards the back of the store. “I’m Evangeline, by the way.”

The woman let out a shaky laugh. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even—” she shook her head, “April.”

“Nice to meet you, April.” She reached and opened up the door to the dressing room. “Let me know if you need help.”

It didn’t take long for the woman to re-emerge. Evangeline instantly smiled. The dress was beautiful—a deep purple floor length gown that was one-shoulder. From the first glance she could already tell that, unless April was planning on wearing heels high enough to snap her ankles walking down the aisle, the dress was at least going to be hemmed. If that’s all it was, she could get it done quickly, but she didn’t want to speak too soon.

“I know it’s not the dress you wanted,” she said as April stepped up onto the small platform in front of the trifold mirror, “but it looks amazing.”

She laughed and smiled. “Thank you.”

Evangeline was slipping on her wristlet that had a collection of pins and sewing needles jammed into it. “So, what are we looking to get done?”

She sighed. “I at least need it hemmed…”

Evangeline nodded as she looked at the flats the woman was wearing. “How short? Are you wearing heels or—”

She laughed and waved her off good-naturedly. “I’m too told to be worrying about heels and a dancefloor at this point. I’m just trying to make sure I don’t fall over and take my son down with me.”

Evangeline laughed. “I get it, I get it. Alright, so we’re hemming. What else?”

She motioned to the waistline. “If you could let this out a little bit maybe? Feels like I can barely breathe let alone eat.” She paused to laugh. “And I know they got a really good cake for the reception.”

Evangeline hummed in amusement. “Well, can’t have you missing out on that, can we?”

“I’d love not to.”

She nodded understandingly as they talked about a couple other small things that she was looking to have done to the dress. She made a quick lap around to get the full scope of it before giving her final verdict. “I should be able to have this ready for you by the time I close up shop on Friday.”

Shock completely absorbed her expression. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I got a couple jobs that can wait until next week. I can get this done for you as long as Friday isn’t too late.”

April’s laughter was coated in relief as she stepped down and wrapped Evangeline in a hug. “Thank you.”

She hugged her back, unable to stop herself from laughing as well. “Don’t thank me until it’s done,” she joked.

She had April step back up onto the platform so that she could start pinning her dress where it needed to be hemmed to. Now that the initial panic that caused her visit was mostly resolved, Evangeline noticed how much more relaxed they both were, but especially April. They made small talk as she walked around and placed her pins and marked where she needed to for later.

Getting the dress marked up was, surprisingly enough, the quickest part of their exchange. She understood why it was hard for April to find a place to take care of her last minute—it was prom season and the start of wedding season so most places were probably slammed. It wasn’t as though Evangeline’s schedule was painfully open, but she always tried to leave herself a little wiggle-room just in case.

The two of them were putting the dress back on the hanger after April had changed back into her regular clothes when Evangeline heard her brother’s bikes outside. Or rather, she assumed it was them—it wasn’t as though the other members of the club made a habit out of stopping by to visit her very often.

She was purposely ignoring it as she and April traded contact information. The roar of the engines stopped, moments later the door chimes rang, and Evangeline was still intent on ignoring it all. She noticed the way that April turned to look and see who had walked in, and she also noticed the momentary shift in her expression. It wasn’t a negative change, but she definitely hadn’t been expecting two men in club kuttes to walk through the door. Evangeline couldn’t blame her for the shock.

She walked with her back towards the front of the store, still not acknowledging her brothers. “I’ll give you a call first thing on Friday to let you know when you can come and pick it up.”

April had let out so many sighs of relief that she’d lost count, but she added another one to the tally. “Thank you so much. Really, I, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

“Of course. It was nice meeting you, April.”

She nodded. “You too.” She tucked the card that Evangeline had given her into her purse as she tried to slip past Angel and Ezekiel without getting in their way. She brushed by Angel, giving him a small nod and a kind, “Excuse me,” on the way.

There was a smirk on his face as he stepped out of her way. Hands tucked in his pockets he put on the most charming voice he had as he said, “You have a good day, Miss.”

Her smile stretched a little wider. “Thank you.”

Once the door shut behind her, Evangeline immediately rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I could kill you for how ridiculous you are. Sabes?” She gestured to EZ. “He wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

Angel laughed as he held his hands up in surrender. “What? I was just bein’ n—”

“You weren’t bein’ anything good. Poor woman just trying to come in here to get a dress hemmed and she’s gotta…” she trailed off as she shook her head.

EZ was trying and failing at his attempts to stifle his laughter. He looked at Angel. “Told you we should’ve come later.”

Angel waved him off without even looking at him. “Nah, nah. This is breaking news. Can’t wait.” He focused on Evangeline. “Think I might have a job for you.”

She was shaking her head as she turned around and started returning to the back of the store. “I told you guys—I only stitch fabric. I’m not sewing up anyone in the club who—”

Angel sucked his teeth in annoyance. “No, Eva. I meant,” he huffed, thrown off his game. “Will you fuckin’ listen?”

EZ wasn’t even trying to hide his laughter anymore. Evangeline turned around and faced Angel, one hand on her hip, the other gesturing vaguely in the air. “Alright, alright. I’m listening. Dime.”

“Like I was fuckin’ saying,” Angel started again, “I think I got a job for you.” He reached dramatically into the pocket of his kutte. “Think you got time to maybe, I dunno,” he pulled out a small slip of fabric that Evangeline almost didn’t recognize for a moment, “stitch on your little brother’s Secretario patch?”

Evangeline’s smile was warm as she laughed. “Got a promotion?”

“Hell yeah,” Angel agreed.

She nodded as she folded her arms across her chest. “Congratulations, Angel.”

He gave a dramatic bow. “Thank you, thank you. Please, don’t feel like you have to hold your fuckin’ applause.”

She laughed. “I think I still will.” She saw the way he was shaking his head at her and stepped in to hug him. “I’m happy for you, ‘manito.”

He kissed the side of her head. “Thanks.” Pulling back, he looked at the wristlet she was still wearing from her meeting with April. “Really, though. You think you could, uh, maybe stitch this—”

“Angel Ignacio. You’re not actually—”

“Just if you had some fuckin’ time, I don’t know!”

She shook her head. “I don’t. I don’t have time. Here,” she plucked a needle form her wristlet and quickly went back and grabbed a spool of thread that would be tough enough to stitch his patch on effectively and handed it to him, “This should do just fine. Won’t take you very long.” She heard and saw the way EZ was laughing and quickly turned her attention on him. “Don’t laugh too hard, Prospect. A title flash is easy—wait ‘til you need to stitch on your bottom rocker.”

It got EZ’s laughter to stop and Angel’s to pick up. He walked over, roughly shoving his shoulder against EZ’s. “Yeah, what she said. Shut the fuck—”

“That’s not what I said,” Evangeline cut him off with a laugh.

Angel waved her off. “Close enough.”

It took a few moments for all of them to stop laughing. Once they did, Evangeline asked, “You going next door to tell Pops now?”

Angel shook his head. “Nah.”

Evangeline sighed. “Angel—”

He knew where she was going next so he stopped her before she could start. Turning to look at EZ, he said, “We do gotta ask him about delivering to the clubhouse though. Cater the celebration.” He returned his attention back to his sister. “This one you actually gotta show up for. Since it’s for me.” He grinned.

EZ laughed. “It’s not just—”

Angel held his hand up. “Shut it, Prospect.” He raised his eyebrows. “You gonna come through?”

“I don’t—”

“It’s Friday! Not even a work night!”

She tilted her head in confusion. “That’s still a work night for me, you know.”

He let out the type of groan someone would expect from a petulant child not getting their way. “Come on, Eva. It’s gonna be a good time. Other charters coming through and shit.”

Normally she made it a habit not to hang around the clubhouse too often. She had no bad blood towards the club, not really. Everyone was just doing what they knew how to do in order to get from one day to the next. She was no different than them in that regard—her means were just different than theirs. She didn’t hold it against them but she also wasn’t going to let it upend the life she had been working very hard for years to create for herself.

Her guest appearances were rare. Every now and then if one of her brothers had needed something she would stop by. Sometimes she wouldn’t even go past the main office for the scrapyard, leaving whatever she’d brought with Chucky and a note. She could count on one hand the number of parties that she could say that she really went to. The look in Angel’s eyes had her thinking that that miniscule number was about to go up by one.

“I’m gonna be late,” she finally conceded after a few more seconds of silence, “’cause I’ve got some stuff I’ll need to catch up on but—”

Angel was already hugging her and laughing. “That’s what I thought!” He let her go and started to backpedal towards the door. “Alright, I’ll let you get back to work. Gonna go tell Pops we need him Friday too.” He looked at EZ and nodded towards the door. “C’mon, he ain’t gonna say yes unless you’re the one asking.”

EZ chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll catch up in a sec.”

Angel opened the door, calling back to his sister, “Love you!”

“You better!” Evangeline was still shaking her head at him even when he was out of sight. She walked the rest of the way back to take the purple dress off its hanger and put it on the dress form to start working. She was lowering herself down to the floor to get started when she said, “What’s on your mind, Ezekiel?”

He shrugged, hands holding the edges of his kutte as he walked back to her. “Nothin’. Now I’m just stressing about having to stitch on my rocker in a few months.”

Evangeline laughed. “If you’re really up a creek with it maybe I’ll help.” She paused, still not looking directly at him as she reiterated, “But really, what’s going on?”

He paused as he tried to figure out how to go about trying to start the conversation that he wanted to have. “If you don’t wanna go…”

She looked up at him for a moment. “Angel’s very excited. I don’t have a problem showing up for a little while for him. It’s fine—I don’t need you to give me a pass.”

“You’re not excited though.”

She allowed herself to fully plop down on the floor. She kept her legs bent so that she could drape her arms across her knees. “I…I’m glad that it’s going well for him. For both of you, actually. I know that this,” she made a vague gesture towards his kutte, “is what you’ve both chosen to do. And you’re apparently very good at it. I’m glad you found something together.”

“Yeah but you’d rather—”

“There’s no rather,” she cut him off but made sure to keep her tone calm. “We’re all grown, EZ. We’ve,” she chuckled, “we’ve been grown. You should know that better than…” she trailed off. “We’re all just doing what we have to do to be okay. I’m not going to start holding that against you or Angel now.”

“Really?”

Evangeline was too smart to take the bait that was packed into his tone. She gave a simple nod and a small smile. “Really.” Before he could try to push her farther, she gestured towards the door. “Angel was right—he’s gonna need your help getting Pop to agree to play caterer for you guys.”

He frowned for a moment, not expecting the dismissal. “Right.” He started to back up towards the door. “See you Friday then.”

She nodded, still offering a smile. “You will.” She watched as he turned and walked. “Ezekiel?”

He paused at the door, fingers wrapped around the handle but he didn’t push as he glanced back over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Love you.”

The frustration disappeared from his face, at least for the moment. “Love you.”

Mayans Taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added!):

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[timid-raccoon]

New Year's

Another New Year’s Eve had come and gone without you. I still remember our first one, just shortly after we had met. I remember you looking at me across the small crowd with that dazzling smile, cheeks rosy from the cold and the drink in your hand alike. Your warm eyes sparkled with the fairy lights that were wrapped around the pergola on our mutual friend’s patio. This was the night we shared our first kiss, under the flashing lights of the fireworks illuminating the night sky that mirrored the fireworks erupting in my chest.

A quiet walk home, memories of a lost loved one, and a snowflake.

Author's note: This is the first fic I’m releasing into the wild, so please be nice, but also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as this isn’t exactly beta read (other than me sending this to my sister and her saying she liked it). I recommend listening to the piano versions of the EP “One” by Sleep Token - especially “When The Bough Breaks” - while reading, which can be found here. 

Crossposted on AO3

Word count: 1.1k

I buried my head deeper in my scarf, pulling my shoulders up to shield myself against the cold gust of wind that tousled my hair. The fingers gripping my umbrella were starting to go numb despite the thick gloves I was wearing. The walk home was quiet, the fresh snow that was softly crunching under my feet laying a silent blanket over every sound, swallowing and muffling it. Hardly anyone was out on the streets – people were surely still sleeping or nursing their hangovers from partying until the early morning hours. It was only just after 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day, after all. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of the crisp winter air through my nose to help wake me up, having only gotten a few short hours of sleep myself. The smell of the softly falling snow filled my lungs and I opened my eyes again, blinking into the bright white morning light as I exhaled a cloud of condensation.

Another New Year’s Eve had come and gone without you. I still remember our first one, just shortly after we had met. I remember you looking at me across the small crowd with that dazzling smile, cheeks rosy from the cold and the drink in your hand alike. Your warm eyes sparkled with the fairy lights that were wrapped around the pergola on our mutual friend’s patio. This was the night we shared our first kiss, under the flashing lights of the fireworks illuminating the night sky that mirrored the fireworks erupting in my chest.

It was only a few months later that we decided to move in together. From the very beginning, everything with you had just felt right. When Steven had first introduced us, conversation was immediately flowing easily, skipping the superficial small-talk and cutting straight to the deeper questions that life and the universe held. I was captivated by your intellect and the way you expressed yourself, going from profound philosophical musings to sarcastic remarks without missing a beat.

With you I had felt like a queen. You were very attentive, always making a point to remember every detail about what I liked or disliked, knowing what I needed before I even said anything. Like how once we had settled in our cozy 2-bedroom apartment with a small balcony and a beautiful view of the sunrise from the kitchen window, it was only natural to you that we would adopt a cat, just because I had mentioned once that I was bummed I couldn’t get one because my own 3rd floor studio apartment was too small for an indoor cat. When we went to the shelter just to look, it was love at first sight. He came straight up to us, happily meowing and pushing his head into your hand as you squatted down to pet him. I thought I might dissolve into a puddle at the sight. The two most beautiful creatures I had ever laid eyes on right before me – one with long auburn hair held up by a claw clip, eyes shining in utter adoration, the other mostly grey with barely visible tabby markings on his back, a white moustache, and the biggest blue eyes, purring contentedly. We took him home the next day after getting all the essentials and named him Frodo.

Sometimes you almost felt too good to be true and I was honored you had chosen me out of all people to do life with. The most mundane things turned into cherishable memories just because I had you by my side. Even the one New Year’s Eve we spent at home just the two of us because you were sick, cuddling on the couch with Frodo and watching old movies, felt special.

On our last New Year’s together I didn’t know you would be ripped from me just shortly after, leaving your own dreams and aspirations unfulfilled, leaving me and your friends broken and empty.

On that final morning when I left for work, I didn’t know I would never again come back home to you greeting me with the lightest of kisses on the tip of my nose, like you always did, making me scrunch up my face with a smile. Frodo kept searching the apartment for you for weeks, meowing at the front door, like he would when you were gone on tour, but this time I couldn’t console him by assuring him you would be back soon. Your office chair became his favorite place to nap in.

Nicholas and I still hung out every now and then, even though I only knew him because of you, him being your long-time best friend. We didn’t see each other often these days with you gone, but when we did it was always like greeting an old friend, being connected by the grief and pain we felt and a mutual understanding for it that was always there, without having to say a word. Even two years later I still saw little glimpses of you in him, tiny mannerisms and phrases he had picked up from you and I was sure you had left the same imprint on me for Nicholas to see. He knew, New Year’s was still just as hard for me as it was for him, that day being the last time he had seen you, so when he had asked me to come over for a small party with his closest friends, a sense of gratitude had flooded me. I wouldn’t be alone, I would be with people who understand, celebrating life in all its beauty and all its darkness.

I had left Nicholas’ place before most of the others had woken up, after roughly cleaning away the worst of the mess in the living room quietly, carefully stepping over the sleeping bodies on mattrasses on the floor and giving the still sleepy host a quick but tight hug goodbye, putting all my appreciation for him in it and promising to text him when I got home okay. The night had been fun, but with my social battery drained and the weight of everything still heavy on my heart, I just wanted to get home, take a hot shower, and spend the day wrapped in a blanket, cuddling Frodo.

When I arrived at the door of my apartment building, the snowfall had subsided and even the sun tried breaking through the tiny patches of blue in the otherwise still overcast sky. As I fumbled for my keys in my deep coat pocket, a lone snowflake flurried its way under my umbrella and landed right on the tip of my nose. A warm shiver spread through my body and I closed my eyes, scrunching up my face.

“Hi Noah,” I breathed into the air with a soft smile on my lips.