#'the same toy she had problems with before almost slipped right in with little effort' it seems like it became someone's favourite toy

[therhythmafterthesummer]

Pairing: Non-Idol|Chris/Bang Chan x Cam-Girl(AFAB)|Reader (You, she, her)

Synopsis: Introduced to an adult content creator by his roommate, Chris falls for her allure. But soon, he realizes she may be closer than he imagined.

Genre: Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Non-Idol AU

Warnings: MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost to other sites. Mentions of sex work, mention of curves (reader is implied as curvy), breeding, use of pet names, unprotected sex [PIV] (please wrap it before you tap it), creampie, cum play, fingering, masturbation [both fem & male], spanking, use of adult toys, virtual sex, oral sex (fem receiving), slight degredation, choking, use of sir, talk of anal and anal play, talk of shokushu goukan, mentions of religion, (please let me know if I missed any)

Authors Note: Hi! So, let me start off by saying that I did little to no research for this project, so a lot of things may be incorrect in terms of virtual sex work or the camming world. This is technically four chapters, but I didn't feel like breaking them up into parts. But I hope you enjoy it either way.

Special thanks: to my friends Jay and @edanzgarden for reading over things for me. And extra special thanks to @therhythmafterthesummer for all the support and encouragement.

Word Count: 15,000+ {60+ min reading time}

Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

MINORS DNI

"I wanted to see how it'd look." He shyly answered. "Just how it'd look?" It was like you were purposely throwing matches at him when he was already doused in gasoline. He was seconds from being ablaze. You put the pillow aside and stood to your feet, making your way around to the back of his chair. You leaned in just to whisper, "Don't you want to know how it feels, Chris?"

Adulting should be made a crime. At least, that's how you felt at the moment. Why you decided to move into an apartment building with no elevator was beyond you. You clutched the box in your hands tightly as you peered over the top to navigate up the stairs to the fifth floor. It was moving day.

You had finally secured enough income to move out of the off-campus university housing you shared with a close friend and into your own space. Somewhere, you could finally let your hair down, a space to make and call your own.

You let out a sigh of relief as you arrived at your door, apartment 516, placing the box at your feet. The back and forth, up and down the stairs all day, had definitely puckered you out. Sweat pooled over your brows. You were drenched. Next time, you'd hire movers because there was no way you'd do this by yourself again. You grabbed the hem of your shirt and used it to dab away some of the sweat, exposing your midriff to the hallway air.

A throat cleared, startling you. "It's considered indecency when you're in the company of others." Your brows creased in confusion as you looked towards the opposite end of the hallway. An older woman clutched her bag closer to her body, and a dog's head popped out. It was uncanny, the resemblance between the two, both pomeranian and owner.

"I'm sorry -" she waved, dismissing anything you were about to say. "You have to realize that hallways are public spaces and -" a door opened, causing her to pause. Your gaze followed hers, and a lump immediately formed in your throat. Feet shuffled out of the apartment right across from yours. Your eyes shifted from the black socks and sandals, up the small sliver of leg, to the hem of the very worn basketball shorts. You quickly averted your eyes when they came in contact with what you assumed to be a semi.

"Good morning." The voice was groggy, but it finally drew your attention to the face of the new stranger, your neighbor. He had soft looking, plump lips, a large yet defined nose, and his curly hair covered his eyes. But even with all that, you could still tell he was attractive. "Christopher, it is well after three in the afternoon." You guessed the older woman had now found a new target to nag.

"I'm aware, Agnes. But it's still impolite not to greet someone when you first see them." He shot a smile your way as the old- well Agnes opened and closed her mouth like a fish. She glared at him, then you, before huffing and heading down the hall to the stairs, with her pomeranian in tow. The click-clack of her heels dissipated as she got further and further away. He sighed, "Sorry about her. She's been like that since her husband Stanley died a few years back. He was quite literally her better half," his lips curled, and that's when you noticed the dimples. Why was this man so handsome?

He extended a hand, "I'm Chris." It seemed like time and space had actually come to a halt, his hand still there between you. You could hear your heart beating in your ears, but honestly hoped you were the only one it was audible to. You took a moment to finish assessing the man in front of you. Your thoughts immediately took a turn as you stared at his extended hand. They would honestly look really nice as a necklace.

Your eyes traveled up his arms, his veins like a road map to heaven. He cleared his throat again. Trying your best to play it off, you took his hand and smiled. You totally weren’t obvious in checking him out. “Nice to meet you, Chris.” He bit back a smile as you stood there shaking his hand for much longer than you should have. “Ah- right, sorry- I’m Y/n. I’m just moving in.” You finally let go, letting your hand fall to your side. He looked past you at the box on the floor. “I noticed,” He straightened back up. “Need any help?”

Though the offer was kind, and you wished you could have the privilege of spending a little more time with him, that was the last box. “Last box.” You motioned towards it. “But thanks for the offer.” You flashed a reassuring smile, and he nodded. “Well, feel free to let me know if you need anything. I’m usually at home. And if I’m not, one of my roommates is, and I’m sure they would love to help as well.” He sunk his hands in his pockets. Clearly, not everyone in the building was as kind as he was, Agnes was proof enough. Either way, you appreciated the kind gesture.

“I’ll make sure to remember that… the same goes for you…” You had to look away. His gaze was too intense for the hallway first meeting. “I-uh, I should go,” you shyly tucked a few strands of hair behind your ear. “It was really nice to meet you, Chris.” He smiled again, and you swear your knees almost buckled. “You too, Y/n” Your name sounded like the sweetest symphony coming off his lips. No one had ever made your name sound so pretty.You hoped your ears had betrayed you and that you didn’t hear yourself whimper.

Your eyes went wide as you backed up a little too far, tripping over the box. You closed your eyes and hoped that the ground would open up and swallow you whole from embarrassment. But unfortunately, that did not happen. Instead, you were quickly grabbed up into strong arms before you could hit the ground. You peeked an eye open, only to be met with his beautiful face up close. You could finally see his eyes and just how much they sparkled. “Pretty….”

A faint blush dusted his cheeks, and he helped stand you upright. “You okay?” He checked to make sure you weren’t hurt, looking you over. “Physically, yes.” Emotionally? You were a total wreck. You swore you heard the famous G.T.A. ‘Wasted’, play in the background while you tripped. Your inner confidence had been absolutely decimated by the beautiful guy from next door.

The silence let the awkwardness set in. You nodded, “Well, thanks for saving my life twice.” He laughed, his little giggles sending heat right through your body. “Anytime.”A smile was still plastered to his face as he started walking backward. “I’ll see you around, Y/n.” And with that, he headed down the corridor to the stairs.

Once you had everything settled and your essentials out of the boxes, you ordered food and ate on your makeshift living chair. Milk crates really came in handy when you couldn’t afford furniture. Between gathering your first and last month's rent, plus the new streaming set-up you purchased from your friend, money was scarce. Really, if you called yourself broke, broke would laugh in your face right now. You were lucky to have a comfortable place to sleep and the internet to keep yourself entertained. All the other creature comforts could come later down the line when you’ve made a little more money.

You had to set your schedule accordingly around your move in date. But it didn’t occur to you just how much walking up and down five flights of steps would do you in. But you had business to take care of, despite just wanting to relax and watch back to back episodes of “Is it cake?” You sighed after checking the time. You had about an hour and a half to get yourself dressed and ready for work in your new space. “Let's make this money.”

After a shower and shuffling through a few boxes of clothes to get a matching outfit (and not some thrown together monstrosity), you settle down in front of your computer.You have been an onlyfans content streamer for a few years now. You initially started your page out of pure curiosity. A friend of yours had started one, and she ended up dropping out of school to pursue it full time. Though you were making a nice chunk of change, you never had the intention of dropping out to be a full-time sex worker. Even if the money made it super tempting.

It was just a nice side hustle that brought in enough cash for you to afford a slightly better life. University loans were not going to pay themselves, and the sooner you'd be able to pay them off, the better. Plus, it was nice having the extra money to do little things for yourself now and again, without having to send word home that you were in need. Call it stubbornness or whatever you'd like. You just didn't like feeling like you owed other people. So OnlyFans would do while you pursued a higher education.

XOAnime_babeXO

You loved to cosplay, but these days, it was rare for you to attend a con or even take pictures in your very intricately designed costumes. You loved the process. Finding a character you loved, buying the fabric, and whatever else you needed to execute the costume. Then, wear the costume and try your best to emulate the character. Acting was second nature to you, so that wasn't a problem. Once everything was put together, strangely, you felt like yourself. Pretending to be someone or something else for a few hours was somehow comforting to you. So your transition from cosplay streamer to OnlyFans content creator was less of a jump than it was originally thought it to be.

Your first few streams had less than five people in them, but the more you went live, the more attention you garnered. But it wasn’t until you did a collaboration with your friend who originally introduced you to the platform, that's when things started to take off. It wasn’t anything too risque. It was just the two of you sitting down to chat about your favorite anime character, dressed in your favorite cosplay. You did a tier list for FMK and had a very small make-out session before mutually masterbating with your vibrating wands. But with the number of followers she had, you couldn’t help but get eyes on you from there. And as some would say, the rest is history.

You had finally found your sweet spot. Streaming once a day, Tuesday through friday. The length usually varied but usually lasted between an hour and a half to two hours. But there was a rare exception where a chatter would ask for something that would last a bit longer. One time, a stream ended after four hours because of a request. But that was far and few in between. You were honestly just doing something that you liked all while making enough money to support yourself.

“Hey babes, I hope you didn’t miss me too much.” You started all your streams pretty much the same. Greet your chatter's before you’d go off into whatever scenario you had planned for the night. Tonight, you were dressed in black latex. To say it was form fitting would be an understatement. Dressed in your Reika from Gantz:0 cosplay, with your matching midnight black, waist length wig. A few in the chat knew immediately who you were, but for the most part, reactions were a little ambiguous.

But that part never really mattered. As long as you and your chatters had a good time on stream, it didn't matter if they liked the coplay or not. That part was for you. It was the little part of you that you got to share. "I have something special planned for you guys tonight." You were giddy, trying to contain your excitement. Your chatters didn't know that you lurked in the chat after almost every show. Unless, of course, you were too tired.

A few nights ago, a long-time chatter, Ji.oneHunnit, mentioned he was into tentacles. How he would love to see you with one in each of her holes.Though it would take some preparation, you figured you'd indulge him. Just like you made most of your outfits, you made all the accessory tentacles and even made the sound effects you'd play in the background. "I heard someone was into tentacle porn…"

You softly smiled, "Let's see what happens when my gun goes out, and I just can't seem to fight anymore." Role-playing was a favorite of yours. It didn't matter how ridiculous or overly dramatic it seemed. You'd give it your all no matter what. Even if it meant mounting and configuring random tentacles around your room on strings for you to fight.

The fight was honestly comical, but you put in your best effort. Your gun 'died', and you were left defenseless. With a large hole in the crotch of your suit form the fight, you fell to your back, still trying to fight off the tentacles, only for one, conveniently attached to a fucking machine, to slip into your cunt. While another slipped into your mouth. You left it up to the chat how fast the machine could go and hoped this fulfilled more than just one chatter's needs.

Chris came home from the studio to a lively house. "I can't believe she did that for me.. hyung, she just… she just knew my fantasy and fulfilled it." Jisung, his roommate, was talking a mile a minute to their other roommate who was trying to order dinner off some app. "I was in the chat room with you, Ji, I remember." He chuckled. 

"But - do you know how it feels? For her to fulfill a fantasy that you didn’t ask her to?" He sighed, flopping down onto the couch with a lovey-dovey expression on his face. "I think I love her." All his friend could do was chuckle while Chris looked more than confused.

He had kicked off his shoes and put them away before stepping into the living room. "What did I miss? Who is it you love?" Changbin, who had been vehemently searching for something to fill his stomach, widens his eyes in the direction of his friend and roommate. "Don't get him started." He mouthed, but it was far too late. 

"There is this cam-girl. She's sorta like my other half that doesn't know she's my other half -" Changbin cut his eyes in Jisungs direction. "What? She is!" He half pouted as he talked. "We are both subscribed to her. And we sometimes watch her together - not in the same room, but like- "y'know at the same time. I know she does this wish fulfillment thing every once in a while. But it had been a few weeks since she last did it. So it was unexpected. Today… She fulfilled a long-time fantasy of mine. It was mind-blowing.. and special, and I just…Hyung listen.." 

Jisung went off on an almost too descriptive recollection of events. Detailing even the smallest of things that happened, like how one of the tentacles swung in front of the camera while she was orgasming and nearly scared him to death. "..and I don't even know where the alien goo kept coming from, but that shit was fucking awesome!" Chris had never heard anything like that in his life. And though that wasn't necessarily his cup of tea, he wasn't going to yuck his friends yum. 

Changbin sat his phone down, deciding to look when everyone could get together and figure things out, "She fulfilled my wish a month ago." Chris looked over at him in anticipation. While Changbin and Jisung had similarities, they were also very, very different people. "Flexible play and double penetration." Chris's ear perked up, and he nodded for him to go on. "She came on stream, all oiled up and body stretched. She showed just how flexible she could be. She even fucked that amazing ass of hers for me." He smirked while Jisung nodded in agreement. "She seems like she cares about us. When I was sick a few months ago, she dm'd me to make sure I was okay. I'm telling you… I love her." Jisung went off on another tangent.

Chris sat for a minute and thought about it. His favorite streamer had started to taper off on her content. So, he definitely needed something else to focus on. Since flings and one night stands were off the table due to a scare. Watching porn and cams were the only things that filled his time, sexually. After a four year relationship, which ended very badly, and a string of flings with too many broken hearts attached. He just settled on being by himself for a while. What was the use of being unhappy both emotionally and physically? No one quite scratched the itch like he needed. He could do a better job with his own hand.

Chris sat in front of his computer, the cursor blinking at the top of his incognito page. He checked to make sure his vpn was on at least three times before proceeding. He looked down at the horribly scribbled url Jisung provided him. "The hell does this even say…" his door clicked open, "X-o Anime underscore babe x-o. It's all one word"

The door clicked closed again after Jisung loudly whispered to him. He was going to have to learn to lock his door if he wanted to prevent this from happening again. He sighed loudly, shaking his head before he typed her name in the search. She popped up immediately.

He could see her last stream was certified hot. The sticker was there to prove it. He clicked on her page, her banner that the top was pretty simple. It was just a photo of her lying on her side in a very sexy sailor moon costume. You just couldn't see her face. Her bio was also pretty straightforward.

Just her age and the country she was from. He continued to scroll down, looking through her recent videos to see if any tugged him in their direction. He perused for a bit before one short video caught his eye. It wasn't a stream. It was just a video she posted.

It seemed to be golden hour, and she was out on her balcony on a sun lounger. There was just something about the way the sun hit her skin, making her glow as if she was otherworldly, that reminded him of home. One thing he missed was beach days, how he could spend all day there without a care in the world. He quickly clicked.

The video started off with her adjusting the camera so all you could see was from her mouth down. She was simply dressed in a black tank and matching thong with a sheer panel right over her mound. You could see the wetness sticking to the fabric. Her balcony was lightly decorated with plants, a wind chime, and fairy lights that were already on, though the sun hadn't fully set.

"I have to be quiet… I think my neighbor is home." She put a finger to her lips before letting out a cute giggle. "Wouldn't want to get caught, now would we?" She pulled out a rose quartz dildo and slid it in her mouth to get it wet. She pulled it out with a pop. "I like to get off to the music he makes. Hopefully, we get to hear him sing today."

She put up a finger and like clockwork the neighbor started to play music. It seemed as if the window or door was cracked because you could hear it very faintly. She slid her panties to the side and spread her legs. She trailed the toy up and down her slit, catching some of her wetness on it. That's when the neighbor started singing.

It was almost like it was rehearsed. She pushed the toy in, leaning her head back, giving the camera a view of her neck and slack jaw. She moaned lightly, sounds mixing with the neighbors' eerily familiar voice. She moved faster as the song started to pick up rhythm.

Her brows were knit together as she bit down hard to stifle her moan so as not to get caught. Her black thong stained white with her cream as she continued to pound into herself. The lyrics started to sound a little bit clearer as if the neighbor was moving about the room, easing closer to their own balcony.

"Cause when you give me a glance, I'm sure that I see the universe in your eye…" Chris froze. There was no way. He went back to the beginning of the video where she was setting up and paused on the frame where you could see most of her outdoor space. He pushed his chair back and got up, walking right out his sliding door and looking at Y/n's neighboring balcony.

"Well fuck me…" It was her. She was the cam-girl that Jisung was obsessed with. The girl who he was just watching stuff herself with a rose colored, glass dildo. It seemed as if it was on cue that she walked out, mug of something in hand. She glanced over and gave him a smile that almost short circuited his brain.

"Hey Chris!" She waved. He stood there for a second, not being able to process the events that just unfolded before him. "O-oh.. Hey.. Y/n." He stuttered. "Ni-nice weather we are having, yeah?" She gave him an incredulous look before she chuckled it off. "Yeah, it's perfect." She walked out a little more, leaning against the railing. That's when he noticed her attire. It was damn near the same thing she had on in the video.

Only this time, her ass was on full display to him. He had to almost will himself to look away. "Yeah… Absolutely perfect." He cleared his throat. He could feel himself getting harder as the seconds passed by. As if he wasn't already hot from watching her masturbate. "I'll see you around, okay?" She tore her eyes away from looking out onto the lit up city nighttime skyline to him. "Have a good night, Christopher."

He nearly bolted back into his room, shutting the door, locking it, then closing the blinds as if she could see past the glass. As if she could see him. His heart felt as if it would beat out of his chest as he paced his room. The panic was setting in. She liked masturbating to his music? The fuck was that? He hadn't even realized she knew he did music, let alone, liked it enough to fuck herself to it.

The blood seemed to rush back and forth from his cock to his brain and back again. He needed to sit. He plopped on the edge of his bed, entirely too far gone to properly process this information overload. How often had she… played with herself to his voice? Something in his mind told him not to go down that rabbit hole, but he just could find it in him to help himself. He migrated back to his computer chair and started his search through her videos. It was going to be a long night.

Shame. That's what he thought he should have felt at that moment. But the emotion never washed over him. The second he found out the truth about her, it should have pushed his cape of truth and morals forward. It should have stopped him from going down this route. But again, it did not. He descended into the pits of hell, watching almost every single video from the start of her channel until the last few weeks, where he started to join her lives.

He was close to obsession at this point. Nearly memorizing all her moans and moves. The things he knew she'd do to herself to tip herself over the edge. The things he wanted to do to her to get the same reaction. He should have felt shame. He really should have. But he couldn't find it in him, not right now. Not on this Friday evening. Not when she would be live soon. No, instead, he found himself with his hand gripping his member through his shorts as he bit down roughly on his lip.

From the moment he first laid eyes on her, he knew he was in trouble. She was gorgeous. Curvy, beautiful eyes, and kissable lips. Soft skin. He couldn't be normal about her. There was no way he would be able to do anything platonically when it came to her. No. He was smitten at first sight. Then, to feel her in his arms, even if he was just catching her before she fell, he wanted to feel that again. To hold her again.

But now here he was, typing the oh so familiar name into the search bar on OnlyFans, anticipating the show she would give tonight. All week, it was all he could think about, even with her streaming almost every night. Every blink, every breath was filled with thoughts of her. His eyes widened when he realized she was already live. He quickly clicked on her room. His arousal heightened when he saw what she had on.

Her tiny, pleated, black leather skirt left little to the imagination. The black mock garter stockings that peaked from underneath seemed to dig into the flesh of her supple thighs. Her shirt was slightly unbuttoned to where you could get a glimpse of her lacy bra. Every time she shifted forward, the cross hanging from her neck would catch the light, only to disappear into her cleavage when she leaned back.

He moved his boxers and shorts down to free his hardened cock. His fingers circling the tip absentmindedly as he listened to her talk. "I promise I'm a good girl. I don't know why I find myself in trouble as often as I am. Look at what the nun did to me today." She turned around and with little to no effort she revealed her ass to the camera. It was red from what one would assume to be a flogging. She leaned forward, arching her back a little to show off not only the fact that she had no panties on, but also that she was soaked.

He groaned. She had absolutely no right to be this sexy. "It's so sore I can barely sit down. I wish you were here to rub it for me… help me ease the pain." She laid her torso on the floor and reached back to rub her reddened ass cheek, and he damn near lost it. Hell, he wished he was there to help her ease the pain as well. She at least deserved that. His mind drifted off to just how she got the marks in the first place. He knew she hadn't left the apartment in hours. He would have heard the front door shut. And no one had visited from what he could tell, either.

Did she really paddle herself before she went live? If so, she could have asked for help. He was always more than willing to lend her a helping hand. He told her that the first time they met, and he meant it. The same hands that would have helped her prep that tight little cunt and ass while he was at it. He groaned, loud. Almost forgetting he shared his space with three other people and a wall with the very streamer he was about to get off to. But that was something he could address later, that is, if he was heard. "I wish it was you who caught me and not that stupid, mean nun." She whined and it pulled him from his thoughts.

"Would you have been able to stop yourself when I started to whimper and beg? Or would that have turned you on?" She moved her body a little so you could see that part of her face that wasn't obstructed by her mask. "... it turned me on, imagining it was you…" She spread her arousal, soaked lips, "See how wet I am, just thinking about you making me your good girl.." The chat was going a mile a minute. He sat up and typed something in, free hand still languidly tugging his length.

WildWolf1003: You deserve to be rewarded after taking such a beating, baby girl. How are you going to reward yourself for being such a good girl?

She answered a few other questions before getting to him. "Thank you for thinking I'm a good girl, Wolfie…" She hummed and lightly wiggled her ass as she thought. "Maybe I should use that toy you sent me last month as a reward? Or is that too much?" His cock twitched at the thought. Yes, it was a bit of a self indulgent gift. But what man with the means wouldn't send a replica of their dick to a girl who definitely deserved it? A well crafted, hand painted replica, at that. Plus, who needed to know he lived right next door? She surely didn't. He made sure to send it from the town over and ship it with no return address.

She giggled as the chat roared with questions about what her affectionately named wolfie had gotten her. "Let me show you…" she moved out of the frame momentarily and returned with her full-length mirror and the life-like, suction cup dildo. Chris braced himself. He moved his hands to grip the armrest of his computer chair, letting his member rest as she set everything up. He didn't want to make the mistake of cumming before she even got started.

It took her a few minutes to get everything configured, coming back into frame fully. "Sorry for the wait. I hope you aren't too mad. I took so long." She pouted a bit, and he could have sworn his heart clenched. "I should spank myself because I took so long?" Her pout deepened as she read the chat, "But Wolfie said I was a good girl.. I- Fine, ButtHunter." She crossed her arms under her chest, pushing her cleavage up. "How many hits? Do you want me to use my hands or something else?"

Chris watched patiently as she fulfilled the others' requests. His eyes would shift from her to the gift he got her and down to his engorged member. He would wait as long as he needed to, just as long as she wanted. She bent back over, the marks on her ass from before were long gone. The chat requested that she spank herself 25 times for the five minutes they had to wait, plus the fact that they wanted her cheeks as red as they were before.

She truthfully took it like a champ. Each hit made her cheek a little redder than the previous one. She struggled towards the end but got through it nonetheless. "That wasn't very nice of you, ButtHunter." She pouted again, causing his dick to twitch yet again. It took everything in him not to touch his length in hopes she'd get to reward herself like he wanted. "Can I please have my reward now? I've been good all day.. I even gave myself twenty-five extra licks…" God that pout of hers would be the death of him one day. How could you not want to give her what she wanted?

Ji.oneHunnit: Let her have her reward. She's been punished enough…

JUT.dae: I don't think that ass of hers could take any more of a beating. Gosh, I wish I could kiss it better..

She perked up reading a few of the comments in her favor. "Thank you." She stifled a smile by biting her lip. She moved, grabbing something out of view of the camera. Returning with a bottle of lube. "I'm going to be honest. This is a little bigger than what I'm used to…" She poured the lube in a thick glob. "I hope it fits… Wolfie." He almost came untouched. He groaned again, hands reaching to tug on his curls.

"Fuck…" Just the thought of his cock stretching her tight heat, did things to him. Even if he wouldn't be able to feel it, that toy was an extension of him, his member. He couldn't wait to see how her tight cunt wrapped around it. This was for sure going to give him plenty of material for his spank bank. He hadn't even realized he had closed his eyes and started to touch himself again. When he opened them again she was stroking the toy, almost mirroring the way he was. His eyes rolled back at the sight.

"I can't just sit on you, you know that, right? I have to make sure we are both ready….." Her other hand was between her legs, doing only what he could assume was, touching herself. Getting her hole ready to be stretched. She stayed like that for a few minutes while interacting with the chat. "Okay… ass your tits.. which would you rather be in your face?" Of course ButtHunter was the first to answer with ass. There were a few who went for tits. But she wasn’t satisfied.

"What about you, Wolfie? It's your gift. How do you want me?" The way the sex oozed from her lips honestly made his mind a little hazy. Her tits were great. Beautiful, really. But the thought of her gripping his desk as he bounced her up and down his length right there in his computer chair just hit different.

WildWolf1003: Normally, I wouldn't care, but the way your ass looks in that skirt tonight…

She smirked. She knew what she was doing to the people in this room. She wore that skirt with intention. Planned that scenario with intention. Even flogged her own ass prior to streaming, with intention.

WildWolf1003: Ass, please, pretty girl.

She just nodded, turning around and situating herself above the toy. She teased herself at first, rubbing it between her pussy lips, smacking it against her clit. All while keeping an innocent smile on her lips. Every movement she made, Chris tried his best to duplicate. He immersed himself in the scene. Pretending that he in fact was the one who punished her. His hands were the ones that left all of those pretty red marks on her ass.

Only to find out that she was pantiless under that very, very short skirt. A flogging just wouldn't be enough, not for his pretty girl. No, she needed to be punished even more. She needed to be stretched and filled till she begged for him to stop. But he wouldn't stop. No. He'd keep going until his pretty girl was leaking with a mixture of their juices. All the remnants that he couldn't fuck deeper into her."It's… its so big…" she really was struggling to even get the tip in.

She received encouragement from the chat as she continued to try to slip the tip into her tight hole. She pulled away from it and pushed two lubed fingers in, scissoring them to loosen herself up. "I guess I needed to stretch myself a little more before I tried to take it…" she giggled and added a third, "Hopefully, this will help." Once satisfied, stretched, and significantly wetter, she tried it again. This time, it made a little more leeway. The tip finally pushed past her entrance, slowly being enveloped by her walls.

Her pussy squelched as she slowly slid down, letting the toy stretch her. "Fuck… it's so big.." she moaned. Chris's fingers were wrapped around his cock tightly, trying his best to mimic the look of her tight walls around his toy. He reached for the warming lube with his free hand and doused it on his cock to aid in the fantasy. He teased himself while she adjusted. Boosting his volume so he could tear every whine and whimper that fell past her beautiful lips.

It took quite a few pumps before she finally seemed to relax. The tension in her muscles started to visibly diminish. She slowly started to move. Her tight walls looked as if they were sucking the toy in with thrust. Her small moans of ecstasy progressively start to fill the cozy room. Chris tried his best to keep the pace she was going at, trying his best to keep himself afloat. He was drowning. Overwhelmed by the sights and sensations. He couldn't help but think about how this was the loudest he'd ever heard her moan. And that was all because of him. It was his cock- well a toy replica of his cock, that was filling her up.

It was his toy that had her creaming all over it, grinding down on it just to get closer to euphoria.

Him. This was because of him. "You feel so…. Good.." Her voice was airy and light, and if it wasn't for him having his volume at levels that were almost dangerous for his ears, he would have never heard her. The noises he was making started to grow as well. The sound of his fist, tight around his member, drenched in precum and lube. His soft pants and groans, the tiny wines he released every once in a while."Tell me I'm a good girl… make me cum for you…"

He groaned even harder, "You're such a good girl… so… fucking good." He felt as if he was losing his mind. As if with every stroke, a little bit more of his sanity was leaving him. How could he be this gone for someone when they had barely touched, had limited contact? He needed to get a grip on reality. But the grip he had on his cock was much firmer at the moment. She smacked her ass, making it jiggle even more than it already was. The sight, the combination of the tiny skirt bouncing, her still reddened ass cheeks, the vice grip her cunt had on his toy, they were all maddening. The culmination threatened to send him straight to hell.

"Can I cum for you?" She was practically pleading. Begging, "Please baby…can your good girl cum?" He couldn't even vocalize the word, he nodded profusely, as if she could see him. She bit down hard on her lip, raggedly breathing through her nose. Her eyes rolled back as her orgasm crashed over her, her whole body violently convulsing. Her mouth fell agape, her moans silenced momentarily before she loudly moaned. It was almost loud enough to hear past the wall and the blaring volume of his earphones.

His grip tightened further, almost to the point of pain. The sounds and images before him, sending his body catapulting into space. He arched up almost out of his seat, crying out as he came. Spurts of his seed covering his hand, torso, and some even hitting his keyboard. "FU..CK…" he body fell back into the chair, causing it to roll back a little. He could swear he'd never cum so hard in his entire life. How was it possible that a cam girl, who hadn't even touched him in that way, had made him feel like this?

He sat limply in his chair, his legs gapped open. Cum covering his hands and body. Too tired to even try and make a move. His eyes were still trained on the screen, despite them desperately wanting to close. She looked just as fucked out as he felt. She sucked in a shaky breath, "That.. was amazing…" she lightly giggled as she tried to gather herself. She slowly pulled the toy from the death grip her walls had on it. The sound itself was orgasmic, the squelch, the the sound of her wall closing the space the dildo had just made for itself.

Then seeing the cream that rushed out her cunt, slowly trickling down her slit just to perish on the fuzzy white carpet. "This was the best gift ever, Wolfie…" She sweetly smiled at the camera, her eyes half lidded from exhaustion. "Thank you all for tuning in… I'm too fucking tired to continue." She giggled again, "See you again soon, babes." She blew a kiss, but it was clear she could barely move her limbs, but she somehow managed to gather enough strength to end the stream.

Chris sat there, cum now tacky and nearly dry. The chat is still going crazy, even with her screen now black. The post nut clarity was beginning to sink in. All the shame he swore he should have felt earlier? All the handful of weeks that passed by with him, watching every bit of her content? It all came rushing to him now. This was wrong. Awfully wrong. He had sent his next door neighbor a clone-a-willy of his dick, to which she fucked herself on stream. To which he explosively masturbated to. Though she seemed to be thoroughly satisfied, it still felt… wrong. What had he done? Who had he become? How the fuck was he-

"Hyung, did you see the- Holy fuck!" His roommate almost jumped out of his skin, finding him like this. His curls slick with sweat and matted to his head. Cum dried on his stomach, hand, and member. Eyes half lidded and glossy from exhaustion. Lips swollen and red from the numerous times he had bitten down on them in the past hour. His penis, flaccid against his lower abdomen. Boxer briefs and short around his knees as he sat slumped in his chair, while his mood light illuminated everything. There was no way to explain this. No way at all.

Chris felt as if he was being intercepted for an intervention. Changbin and Jisung both sat at the kitchen table as he exited his bedroom. "Hyung, can we talk with you for a minute." The look of concern on Jisung's face only made him want to turn around and close the door behind him, never to exit the comfort of his bedroom again. It had been nearly two weeks since the incident with Jisung. He hadn’t mentioned it, and there was no way in hell Chris was bringing it up.

He resigned, sighing as he trudged over to take a seat. "What's up?" The two men looked at one another, Jisung nodded for Changbin to speak first. "Ji told me how he walked in on you a few weeks ago.." he put his hands up, "Trust me, he and I had a conversation about boundaries -" Jisung gasped, "You sleep on Hyunjin's bed when he isn't here!" Changbins eyes shifted from Chris to his younger friend, "He's never here! But this isn't about me." He whispered through gritted teeth.

They both went back and forth before Chris finally got fed up and intervened. "What is this about, really?" Once their attention was back on the older male, Changbin continued. "Hyung, we just want to make sure you are alright. You know that we, "he pointed out between him and Jisung, "are always here if you need someone to talk to…. Someone to vent to…" Jisung nodded and continued, "I thought you ascended. It didn't look like you were blinking or breathing…If your dick had’n-" Changbin slapped his hand over his mouth.

"We've never.. known you to be like this, and we are just concerned. It's normal for Ji to be like this… but you?..." Changbin trailed off. Chris understood. He had been acting strange since he found out the truth. He had truthfully become consumed by you. He tried to keep your online persona and your real life separate. Though you had this bubbly sparkling personality online. You kept to yourself for the most part offline. You dressed for comfort anytime he saw you out, and any glimpse of the made up, cosplay girl was nowhere in sight.

He had to snap out of it. Quickly before he really got in above his head.

He nodded in agreement, "I know I haven't been myself lately. But I promise I'm okay." He tried his best to put on a good face for his friends. "Good, because I've made every excuse in the book to throw a party, and none of them have worked. So we are officially throwing a 'Chris' is back, bash.' Tonight." Changbin nodded and stood to his feet as if his last-minute announcement made any sense. He disappeared towards his room, "Invite all your friends. The festivities kick off at 10."

What kind of debauchery was going to unfold tonight? Chris had no idea, but he knew he would never be prepared enough for it. He wanted to back out, but he knew his friends would remove the door off the hinges if he even attempted. He was currently sitting in his computer chair, incognito tab open, contemplating whether or not he should watch your last stream of the week before the festivities. He could quickly pump one out and take a shower like nothing happened.

He had your page bookmarked, so it was easy to navigate right to it. Normally, you would be ready to go live, but instead, there was a notice at the top of your page.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but there will be no live stream tonight 😔. I uploaded a video just for my babes. Hope you all enjoy it and I'll see you all next week. XoXo."

His disappointment was rather palpable. How could a prerecorded video ever make up for your lives? He sighed, leaning back in his seat. He begrudgingly clicked the video and full screened it. He slid his earphones on and immediately felt like electricity was jolting through him. The lightning was dark, and it took a while for the camera to adjust, but it did. "Hey baby…" she moaned. This felt oddly personal. Like it was meant for a significant other or something. It felt strangely like a video call.

"I miss you.. so much. It feels like forever since I've seen your face. Do you miss me too?" She must have been playing with herself. Her breathing alone gave it away. "Yeah? Well, why don't you play with me for a while? Hmm?" She pulled the thin tank she had on up over her breasts. The fingers of her free hand circled her nipple. "Are you touching yourself too?" Chris bit down on his bottom lip, trying to fight the urge to play along. "Please baby…. Play with me." She whimpered, and he broke.

He pumped some lube in his hand, and then he dipped his hand into his briefs, taking a hold of his length. Shuddering at the feeling of his own warm hand, wishing it was yours. She dipped her fingers in her mouth, sucking on them to get them nice and wet. "I wish it was you.. baby." She spoke once she pulled them out. He could only imagine she moved them to her pussy, fingers pushing through her folds to coat her clit with her spit. Her breath hitched, "I wish I could feel your touch instead of mine.." God how he wished that as well.

He wished he could fulfill all of your fantasies. All it would take was for you to tell him what you wanted, and he'd do it. ".. Your fingers are slipping inside of me to stretch me… just for you." She moaned, her mouth falling open. "You stretched me out so good last time, I doubt my pussy will be satisfied with anyone but you." The noises her fingers made as they entered and exited her wetness were starting to become the soundtrack to his life. He picked up the pace to match the speed.

"You felt so good inside me, baby. I've never been so full.." Her whimper was so loud it echoed off the wall, "I've never cum so quick…you ruined me that night.." she breathed out, fingers picking up the pace once again. "You ruined me for anyone else… I'm yours baby.."she whimpered again and he had to close his eyes. Just hearing all the noise was good enough for him. "All.. yours… only yours…" She was getting more frantic by the minute as was he. He tried his best not to think about the context of this video. That would send him off the ledge for multiple reasons.

He tried his damnedest to push all the thoughts out of his head, to focus solely on the sound of her fingers sliding in and out of her wetness."I'm so close…" He kept telling himself to focus. Not to let his mind wander to how realistic this seemed. Like how this could absolutely be a video she sent to her boyfriend. One that had been away for a while, unable to please her, to tell her how much she meant to him. "I wish you were here to fill me up…. And then fuck it deeper.." His eyes flew open. She had changed the angle of the camera, it was now fully focused on her wetness and how her now three fingers stretched her cunt.

".. Fuck it so deep so that will never come out. Tell me that'd be your gift to me, baby. Tell me you'd love to stuff me full.." It was his time to whimper. The mere thought of stuffing her full of his cum made him want to burst. "Is that what you want, baby? To fill me u-" She cried out, unable to finish her sentence. Her back arched. Legs shook. As she came around her fingers, thinking about someone breeding her. He followed soon after, he was in the same headspace. But instead of it being some random person, it was his next door neighbor. It was you. She was silent for a few minutes, taking in shaky breaths in an attempt to settle herself.

"I- can't keep cumming this hard." She chuckled, "but just the mere thought of you gets me hot, baby." She moved the camera so he could once again see her lips. "Please don't keep me waiting long. I hope to see you soon, babes." She blew a kiss and waved before the video ended. He once again was a disheveled mess, but at least this time he could move a little. He cleaned himself up with the napkins sitting at his desk, then tossed the used papers in the bin before tucking himself back into his boxers.

His phone chimed, a notification popping up letting him know he had a text.

Bin: You better not chicken out on us. This party is just as much for You as it is for me and Jisung.

Chris: Yeah, yeah. I'm getting ready. No worries.

Now, all he had to do was get up for that to be true.

By the time Chris made it out of his room, the party was already in full swing. The house lights were dimmed, but the mood lighting they had all around the living areas danced and changed color to the music. Changbin had somehow hired a DJ and a bartender to appease part goers. Chris recognized a few faces here and there, but a lot of these people were completely foreign to him.

But seeing how his roommates were mingling, he assumed they were all people they knew. He didn't mean to look like the biggest wallflower in the history of wallflowers, but he couldn't help it. His usual outgoing demeanor was replaced with that of a shy guy. He stood by the wall to the hallway that led to their rooms and bathrooms. He made sure to leave a sock on his door so no random couple would end up fucking in his bed. He bobbed his head to the music, just casually taking in the surroundings. That was until he saw you walk in. 

Stunning. Your hair was up, letting every inch of your face shine like it should. Your curves were on full display. Your outfit added to your mysterious allure. A black corset top to accentuate your beautiful breasts while tugging in your waist. Your black mini skirt was definitely short, but it still left something to the imagination. All while hugging your curves perfectly. He couldn't take his eyes off you, not that he would have anyway. You giggled at something the guy on your arm said - Chris's brows furrowed. 

Did you have a boyfriend? You smacked the guy's chest as you continued to laugh, and his heart sank. Though he had talked with you several times in the halls, there was never any segue into personal information like,  if you were dating or not. He felt stupid. It wasn't a hard question to ask, and asking it would have spared his feelings.. probably. He saw Jisung walk up to you both, giving each of you hugs. His confusion deepened. How did you know Jisung, and why had he never mentioned he knew you? Jisung motioned in Chris's direction, causing the man to freeze. What was he doing?

You, your guy friend, and Jisung pushed thro the crowd and over to him. "Hyung, have you met our neighbor?" From the time Jisung pointed Chris out, you hadn't looked away. Chris hadn't taken his eyes off you either. "I have." He couldn't help how taken by her he sounded, even if he tried to come off as nonchalant. "How are you, Y/n?" Your shy smile made his heart melt. "I've been alright. I've been a little busy this week, but I'm glad I get a few hours to unwind." It honestly felt like they were the only ones in the room, even with an apartment full of people.

Jisung cleared his throat, "Right… This is Felix. They are both friends from when I was in school. We are all in a gaming league together." Felix extended his hand, and Chris took it, shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Felix." The boy's eyes widened at the hint of an accent that Chris had, "Aussie?" Chris also had the same realization. "Yeah." It was like an immediate connection. They started to talk about where they were from exactly and the things they had in common started to pile up. He was so busy making a new friend he hadn't even noticed that both you and Jisung had walked away.

As it turned out, Felix was not your boyfriend. As a matter of fact, you were far from his type. Felix had a raging crush on Chris's roommate, Changbin. He couldn't lie and say he wasn't relieved. He most definitely was. "I'm going to go talk to him since he's free. This might be my only chance." Felix smoothed his hands over his pants before heading in the direction of his muscled friend. "Seems you two really hit it off." He didn't need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. "Bethany." He sighed. How did his ex manage to get invited? He could feel his blood start to boil just being in her presence.

"How are you, Chrissy?" She ran her hand up his arm, stopping only to wrap both hands around his biceps. "Miss me?" He closed his eyes, trying to maintain his composure. Bethany had almost caused him to spiral after their breakup. She gaslit him their whole relationship, playing mind games before, during, and after the whole ordeal. It was a miracle he made it out of the whole thing. He pried her hands off, "What do you want?" She pouted up at him, "Be nice, Chrissy. I just want to catch up." He grimaced, looking around for an out. That's when he spotted you. 

You were headed towards him with two drinks in hand. "Here, babe." You smiled at him, "I know you don't drink, so it's banana milk. Don't let Jisung know, tho -" You looked at Bethany and tilted your head to the side. "Oh- uh, Hi. You are?" Bethany looked between the two of you, then kissed her teeth. "I'm his ex, and we were in the middle of a conversation. Who are you?" She said in a snippy tone as if already annoyed by your presence. You just kept that pleasant smile on your face, "His current girlfriend." You made your way between them, effectively putting space between the two. "Sorry, dear, but the conversation is over. You can go now." You said rather matter-of-factly. Her mouth dropped as she stammered. 

She was so taken back by your boldness that she didn't even try to come back at you. She just simply huffed and walked away. You stayed in front of Chris until you made sure she was gone, then turned to face him. "Sorry for not warning you." You giggled, "Ji was filling me in about.. what I've been missing during the game meetings,at the cooler. I just glanced over here, and judging by your look of complete distress and discomfort, I decided to step in. He gave me the banana milk for you. I hope that's okay." 

God, he wanted to kiss you. You were absolutely perfect. "You are honestly a lifesaver...so, thanks. I honestly don't even know the reason she's here. I appreciate the well-timed save, though." Your smile widened. What the hell were you doing to his heart? It felt tight and like it would run off into the wild with the small but not forgotten statement of you being his girlfriend.

"I'm glad to help. I wish it could have looked a little more realistic. Because I don't think she bought it." Bethany was lingering nearby, talking to some other girl that he didn't know. "I'm going to kiss you, is that okay?" He could feel his cheeks and ears heat up. His heart was river dancing at four times speed at this point. This was not at all like the time he saved you from Agnes. You took both drinks and sat them down nearby, then pulled him in by his shirt. "Just.. act natural." Cupping his face in your hand, you leaned in and slowly started to kiss his plush lips. It was experimental at first, just seeing how to make it look real and not awkward. 

But if anyone were looking from the outside in and didn't know you weren't a couple, the kiss surely wasn't going to give it away. His hands made their way to your hips, pulling you flush to him. Causing you to gasp into the kiss. He smirked, feeling a lot less awkward with your body and lips pressed to his. He slid his hands from your hip to your ass, giving it a little squeeze, eliciting a moan from you. "Too much?" He nudged your nose with his. You just simply shook your head, diving right back in. This time, you added a little tongue to it. Both you and Chris had tuned the rest of the party out. Even Bethany's somewhat irritating presence had disappeared. 

Tunnel vision. That's what was taking place. It was you and him, in the quiet of the night, enjoying each other's company. With his hands still on your ass he pulled you even closer, even when it was barely any space left between you. You could feel his bulge against your upper thigh, and you had to stop yourself from moaning. "Get a room, hyung!" 

He wouldn't have heard Changbin if it wasn't for him being so damn loud and close. He finally pulled away, face flush, but it wasn’t from embarrassment. It was far from that. "You must be the next door neighbor, Jisung just told me about." It was miraculous how you'd been there over two months and was just now meeting the rest of Chris's roommates.

"And you must be Changbin." You smiled, causing the man's brow to twitch. "Have we met?" Panic set in, and Chris quickly tried to deflect. "Dude, she's been here for months, and you haven't met her?" He chuckled awkwardly. "I- I've been busy." Changbin whined at being called out, "It's okay, I've heard so much about you from Jisung that I feel like I know you." He frowned, "I hope it's only good things." 

You gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "It is. But he failed to describe just how fit you are. I need to get on your workout plan." He waved off your comment, blush tinting his cheeks. "Aw. You're so sweet -" He could feel the heat coming off Chris's stare. "Yeah, it was nice meeting you. Enjoy the party." He quickly slid his way through the crowd and away from his roommate.

You hadn't even noticed how he kept his arms around you, keeping you close. "He might be right.." Chris looked down at you, moving a few stray hairs from your face. "Right about what?" His eyes searched yours as if he'd find the answers to the universe there. "We may need to get a room." You chuckled as his eyes widened. "So we can talk, you perv." His face turned almost comically red. 

"I wasn't -" You shook your head, "I'm just joking. But it would be far better for you with the whole ex situation, if it looked like you fucked me." His mind was doing cartwheels, spinning in circles. Just the implications had him reeling."But, I really just want to talk. If that's okay." You said as if you could see the panic in his eyes. He really needed to get himself in check. "I'd love that." H3 leaned in and spoke into your ear. It wasn't a lie either, he really would. He was almost dying to get to know you better, and this was his chance. You pulled away and grabbed his hand, "Lead the way."

Chris was glad he kept his room somewhat clean because he definitely was not expecting company. Especially not you of all people. "So, tell me a little about yourself." You walked around his room, arms behind your back, just taking a look around. "I mean… what is there to know, really?" He chuckled nervously. You stopped near his closet, the door was slightly ajar, but all you could see was black with the occasional splash of color. "All black?" You raised an eyebrow, and he nodded. "It's my favorite color."

You smirked slightly, "Good to know." You brushed your fingers across a few of the garments before moving on. "I'm open for whatever you are comfortable sharing." You shrugged, "Just talk with me." He had no idea why he felt nervous, but he felt like a school kid talking to their crush. "I.." he looked around his room for anything that could spark a decent conversation. His eyes landed on his small workstation full of his production equipment.

"I don't know if Jisung has told you or not, but he, Changbin, and I are a team of producers." He nodded. He knew you knew he made music, but it'd be a dead giveaway if he told you that. "Yes, Jisung told me. But I just put two and two together when I noticed your equipment. He said he did it with his roommates. He just never specified which ones." You played a few keys on the keyboard he had near his balcony door with a small smirk plastered on your face. "It could've been the artsy looking pretty boy I've seen over here a few times." He chuckled, "Ah- you mean Hyunjin. He likes to join in from time to time, but he loves to put his art on canvas or film more so than music sheets."

You nodded, "So a house full of artists. Got it." You stopped at a bookshelf he had full of trophies, pictures, and other memorabilia. There was a picture with him and his roommates at a beach with a dog. "How cute. What's the dog's name?" He had turned away from you, pretending to be more interested in the lint on his pants, so he would look like he was staring. "Berry." He said the name with so much love. "I thought this building had a no pet policy?" Besides Agnes' dog, who had been grandfathered in after living in the building for so long, no one had pets. At least pets over a certain size.

"She's back in Australia with family." You turned to him, leaning against his desk. "You miss her?" He once again focused on this piece of lint on his pants. "Yeah. I call to talk to her every couple of days. I don't want her to forget me." You chuckled, "I'm sure she won't forget you. If you were good to her, it's possible she'll hold onto your memory forever. Even though they suffer from short-term memory loss, they do hold on to longer memories." He tilted his head, finally gazing up at you. "You just run off random bits of information like that all the time, yeah?" You both chuckled.

"No, of course not.” You laughed, "I'm writing my thesis on the correlation between pet ownership and early childhood development." He looked shocked, "You- what?" You laughed, "I don't have siblings, so I grew up with pets. I feel they help you learn good self-esteem, and they help combat loneliness. So.. yeah." You scratched your nape awkwardly. “I’m getting my masters in education.” To say he was shocked would be an understatement. But then again, you not showing your face in your videos made a lot more sense now.

“A teacher.” You nodded, “I taught for a year after graduating, but I wanted to further my education.. And as fulfilling as it is..” That's why you did it. It was all making sense to him now. “It doesn’t pay the bills.” He finished your sentence, and you nodded in agreement, “Exactly. So I do… odd jobs to keep me afloat while I get my masters.” Odd Jobs. That must be what they call onlyfans now. “So when Jisung says you met in school..” You clapped your hands together. “Not from any classes. He started an Otaku club, and I joined, thinking it’d be a great way to chat about my favs and not feel ashamed about it.” You chewed on your lip, expecting him to razz you a little, but he didn’t.

“It’s kind of amazing how all this time he talked about the one girl friend he had, and you turned out to be our neighbor. I was beginning to think he was making you up, to be completely honest.” You both laughed, “He made you sound way too good to be true.” You made a face, “How so?” He shrugged, “Pretty, smart, into all the things he was into. It’s actually shocking that he doesn’t have a crush on you.” He wanted to finish and say he was glad he didn’t, but he thought that would be a little much.

“He did. But he says he found a girl online that he had fallen for, and she was the only one for him. So, I didn’t take it to heart.” Chris choked on air, little did Jisung know, they were one in the same. “Are you okay?” You went to push yourself off the desk to check on him and accidentally hit the spacebar, waking his computer up. His eyes widened. He hadn’t closed out of his incognito tab. He had seemingly calmed all his thoughts down, but now they were running wild again. Your eyes followed him, taking a step back to look at the computer screen. The video had ended, but you could still see the last frame. It was the bottom part of your face.

But you couldn’t let the panic set in. You didn’t want your secret to be revealed. Not like this, at least. “Oh. It seems someone is into cam girls, huh?” You clicked the back button, “Anime Babe?” You looked back at him with an eyebrow raised. “I can see why you and Jisung are friends now, besides your love of music and producing.” You took a seat in his computer chair. The very one he had imagined fucking in you countless times. “I-it’s not what it looks like..Jisung suggested her to me, a-and” You giggled, “It’s fine, Chris. We all watch porn. It's healthy.” You scrolled around the page as if you hadn’t posted all of the content there.

You were an amazing actor. He knew that for sure now. You didn’t seem embarrassed or alarmed that he had been watching your stuff. You played it off as if this was really your first time seeing all this, like it wasn’t you at all. It almost made him believe he was mistaken, that maybe some other girl had a balcony with the same decorations. That someone lived right next door to her that sounded just like him and wrote the same songs. But he knew all that wasn’t true. You had a secret to keep, and he couldn’t blame you for trying so hard to keep it.

“What’s your favorite?” You could hear him shifting in the background, just for him to end up right next to you. “Let me.” You nodded and gave up control of his mouse. He scrolled and clicked as if he had done this thousands of times. “I like this one the most.” It was about a week ago, from the Wednesday before last. “What is it about this particular one that sticks with you?” He stood up from where he was hovering over your shoulder to stretch. “Are you sure you want to know? You might end up subscribing to her.” He joked, “I'm just curious.” You looked up at him, a small smirk on your lips.

“I was serious when I said I wanted to get to know you better. What’s better than getting to know what a person gets off to?” You pushed the chair back and turned towards him. “I think it says a lot about a person. You know, what they are into and all.” He raked his fingers through his hair. Why did he suddenly feel so nervous? It wasn’t like you didn’t know what you would see when you played the video. But it still made the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “Well-” You stopped him by standing on your feet. “Here. You sit. Maybe you’d be more comfortable if you go about it like you normally do.” You motioned towards the chair after taking a step away from it.

He apprehensively took a seat. “May I?” You pointed to his bed, asking to sit. He just nodded in response, leaning back in his own chair to get comfortable. Once you were seated, he started. “I enjoy her content overall. She has a little something for everyone…” You nodded, motioning for him to go on. “But this particular night, she decided to explore more of the bdsm side of things. So, the way the streams work, you have to purchase tokens if you want to ask for anything specific. Like for her to spank herself, or for her to speed up her fucking machine…” You leaned back on your hands, still listening intently.

“She came in with a black, strappy, heart cutout set. The way it hugged her curves was absolutely delectable. ” Chris groaned, closing his eyes. “She said that she had been bad that day and had touched herself without Sir's permission. That she needed to be punished. So she pulled out this g-spot vibrator, which the chat was able to control. If you give tokens, you get a hundred seconds to control the device. Some people did it fast. But I wanted to prolong the feeling, I'd build her up just to slow it back down." He kept his eyes closed, just recolleting and recounting the events in the video.

"Did she get to cum?" You asked softly, hanging off every word. "She did. She squirted. Said she had never done that before. And judging from how her mouth dropped when it happened, I believe it." He shifted in his seat, spreading his legs a bit wider. "She said it wasn't enough though. That she needed to be punished more, so she wouldn’t be a disappointment to her lovely Sir. So, she bent over, tugging her soaked panties between her lips. She grabbed a paddle and let the chat decide how many hits, how fast or slow she needed to do it. Her ass was red on both cheeks by the time she finished." He was gripping onto his arm rests, trying to keep his composure.

Trying to stop from touching himself. "But that was far from the end. She needed to have her pussy handled. Needed to be fucked into submission…" He bit his lip, holding back a groan. You crossed your legs to quell the need to touch yourself. "I don't know when, but the dildo she was given, she had it mounted to her machine. She said that only Sir could get her to act like a good girl. She slipped her panties to the side and oiled her ass before lubing up the toy. Just the simple sight had a few people claiming that they came."

You cleared your voice before speaking, afraid the words wouldn't come out. "Did you?" He chuckled lowly, "No. I wouldn't waste my cum like that, she deserves better." You grabbed a pillow from the bed, gripping it tight. It smelled heavily of him and was not helping your predicament at all. "It seems she prepared herself before the stream. That she really had played with herself, because the same toy she had problems with before almost slipped right in with little effort." His voice had gotten deeper as he talked, adding to the tension in the air.

"God, the way her pussy stretched around that toy should be taken down as one of the sexiest things in history." You had placed the pillow over your lap, a fist full of the pillowcase. "Why? Because it's your cock?" It took him a few seconds for your words to settle. "It's just a toy.. how could it be my cock?" You poked your lip out and hummed. "Is it just a toy, Chris?" You lean forward, closer to him. "Next time send it as a gift. Your name was all over the packing slip." It felt like the world shattered around him. What was all of this about, if you knew?

"You… knew it was from me?" You nodded, leaning back on your hands. "Of course, Wolfie." The smile on your face might very well be his undoing. You were toying with him. "And since there is a lack of surprise about me being your beloved Anime babe, I take it you knew. Did you send me your cock with ulterior motives, Christopher?" He was hot and bothered near minutes ago, then you threw ice on him. Now it seemed like you were toying with him once again. Riling him up. You were giving him whiplash.

"I-" He couldn't truthfully answer that, now could he? He didn't want to come off as a complete pervert but he also didn’t want it to seem like he wasn't into you either. "I wanted to see how it'd look." He shyly answered. "Just how it'd look?" It was like you were purposely throwing matches at him when he was already doused in gasoline. He was seconds from being ablaze. You put the pillow aside and stood to your feet, making your way around to the back of his chair. You leaned in just to whisper, "Don't you want to know how it feels, Chris?"

You still don't know how he did it, but within a millisecond, he was up out of the chair with his lips attached to yours. It was as if the kiss from earlier never stopped. The intensity seemed to pick up right where it left off. Hands grabbing and groping as if neither could get enough of the other. But he pulled away, his hands moving to cup your face, "Let me know right now before we go any further. Do you want this?" You took in a shaky breath, "Yes." Your breathy reply was all it took. He lifted you, grabbed the back of your thighs, and carried you to the bed. He laid you down there and settled between your legs.

"Look at you, you're so damn beautiful." He really took you in. It was almost like you weren't real. Like you'd been a dream this whole time. Just like you were a hologram that appeared in his wildest dreams. "You're just saying that because I'm lying in your bed." You quipped. He only shook his head. "No, from the moment I first laid eyes on you, I've thought this. I just didn't want to come on too strong and ask you out right then and there." There was sincerity in his eyes as he spoke.

"Chris, you saved me from severe embarrassment and an old lady's tongue lashing. The least I could have done is say yes to a date." He chuckled, hiding his face in the curve of your neck and shoulder. "Plus, don't know if you've noticed, but I'm very attracted to you." You grabbed his face to make him look at you. "Dude you're fine as fuck. Like, they had to have run out of marble after making you." He laughed, but stillness soon took over the room. As if you were magnets, your lips collided again, feverishly.

Your hands were in his hair, tugging on his beautiful curls. His hand traveled from your hip up to your breast, where he lightly squeezed. His other hand was next to your head, holding him up. You slowly undressed one another, as if taking the time to relish in each piece of newly exposed skin. Once there was nothing between you, Chris sat back on his legs and admired every inch of you. He grabbed your foot and kissed your ankle. Kissing every few inches until he got to your thighs. "You know, there is something I've been curious about this whole time.." You raised a brow, "And what is that?" He nipped at your thigh, then placed a kiss right over it. "Just how you taste."

He didn't waste another second. He licked a stripe from your wet hole to your clit, sucking the bud into his mouth. Your eyes rolled back, hands once again reaching for his locks, fingers tangling with a few curls. Smacks, slurps, and grunts was all you could hear coming from between your legs. He was eating you out as if he hadn't had a good meal in his entire life. Flicks to swirls, then him flattening his entire tongue over your clit had your eyes taking up permanent residence in the back of your head.

"Oh God…" your legs began to shake as you felt his fingers prodding at your entrance but never dipping in far enough to release any tension. It was his turn to toy with you. "Chris please…" you begged, but he didn’t budge. He moved his fingers and his mouth away from your heat. "If you want something from me, you better ask properly. Just a please isn't going to cut it. Vocalize what you want, sweetheart." You were used to hearing sweetness laced in his voice, but you could get used to whatever this was. His words caused you to clench the nothingness, wetness seeping out of your wonton hole.

"Please fuck me, Chris." It almost came out as a whisper. He smirked, "We'll get to that, pretty girl. For right now, I'm going to eat your pussy until I get my fill." You whimpered, hand flying to your mouth to cover it. He shook his head, pulling your hand away. "Let me hear it. Let me know how I'm making you feel." You pretty much were rendered choiceless as he dove back in. The first moan that spilled past your lips filled the room. Even the blaring music from the living room was drowned out by it.

Chris was an expert with his tongue, making you cum just minutes after threatening you with a good time. Once he added his thick, knobby fingers to the mix, you were pretty much a blob of lust lying in the middle of his bed. Granted, it had been a while since you'd last had human contact. But you could honestly say that his tongue game was absolutely bar none. By your third orgasm you just couldn't take it anymore. You pushed at his head, trying your best to slither away from him. But the way he had his arms locked around your thighs prevented even the slightest of movements. "What did I tell you?" He asked, mouth still on your clit.

"A-ask properly." He nodded, but it only added to the overstimulation you were alre feeling. "P-please s…stop." You bit down on your bottom lip to try and focus your attention elsewhere. It didn't help. He gave you a few more kitten licks before he pulled away. Moving up your body, pressing tender kisses to your sweat slick skin, he paused at your jaw. He rubbed his nose against your ear before he spoke, "Absolutely delectable." You whimpered again, your body still dealing with the aftershocks of multiple orgasms.

"Turn around for me, baby." Though your eyes were threatening to close, you mustered up the strength to do as told. He gave you his pillow to rest your head on, then pressed a kiss to your shoulder. He moved away momentarily, retrieving something from his bedside table. "I'm going to help you relax a little, okay?" You nodded. He smacked your ass, eliciting a loud groan and sharp jolt from you. "Words, baby girl." He soothed the spot he hit. "Ye-yes." He let out a proud chuckle before popping the cap to something you couldn't see. But you soon felt it. He had slicked his hands with oil and began to massage your tense back and shoulders.

Your eyes closed, letting his hands work their magic on your rigid muscles. Your body began to relax as he went on. His hands slowly started to dip further and further south till they landed on your ass. "I've been waiting to do this since I saw you in the miniskirt in your stream. He kneaded and pulled your cheeks apart, just to let them smack back together. "My gosh.." All you could do is giggle. "Are you having fun back there?" He didn't answer at first, too mesmerized by the sight. "I thought after all that you would fuck me, but I guess not-" he reached a hand around and grabbed your jaw, pulling you up a little.

"Here I was trying to be nice, after you begged me to stop." He ground his hips against your ass so you could feel just how hard he was. "But maybe nice isn't what you need." He sat up on the backs of your thighs, then tapped his hardened member against your ass. "Condom?" You released your lip from between your teeth, "I'm on birth control and I'm up to date on tests… if you want to…" He wasted no time. Slipping in cock between your slightly parted legs, he hoped he had stretched you enough to where it wouldn't hurt.

"Same." Both his hands ended up on either side of your shoulders as he slowly pushed into your cunt. Once the tip was in, the rest was just a matter of patience. You bit his pillow, his toy was huge, but somehow he felt bigger. "Fuck you're so fucking tight. Tighter than I ever imagined." He waited after bottoming out, not wanting to move too fast and hurt you. He pulled out almost to the tip before pushing back in. Your body responded, your back arching, pushing your ass towards him. He reached and wrapped his fingers around your neck. "Okay?" He asked, not wanting to make you uncomfortable, even if he was fucking you raw.

You nodded, and he squeezed your neck. "So-sorry. Yes, sir." That was all he needed. He let go of your neck, letting your face fall back to the pillow. He started off slow, the delicious slide of his cock against your walls had you moaning with each thrust. Your hands dug into his sheets, while your teeth sank into his pillow. He gripped one of your hips with one hand while the other was splayed on your lower back to keep you arched and in place. One particular deep thrust had you creaming all over his cock. That broke him.

It was as if the kind hearted next door neighbor you knew had vanished completely. His fingertips dug even deeper into your skin as he started to pound into you, "Look at how good your pussy takes my dick." He growled. He actually growled. You couldn't make a sound. Your mouth had fallen slack ages ago, your brain rendered useless under his unrelenting pounding. That hand on your hip moves around to your mouth, three fingers sinking into it, his thumb and pinky taking a hold of your jaw. He used that as leverage to pull you into him.

"Nothing smart to say?" His breathing was erratic, but he tried his best to sound calm and collected. "Have I fucked you dumb already?" If you said something it'd be like letting him win. But your brain wasn't working at full capacity at the moment. "N-no." You spoke around his fingers. It wasn't convincing, in all honesty it had the exact opposite of the desired effect. "No?" You could hear the smirk in his voice. "Good." This man's speed and strength was something that definitely needed to be studied. He had somehow flipped you over and had your legs pressed to your chest with his face between your legs within a blink of an eye.

"Fuck… Chris.." You screamed, legs starting to shake once again with his mouth on your pussy and fingers one again buried deep within your heat. Your toes curled. Your hand flailed, looking for something, anything to grab ahold of. Ungodly noises slipped from your lips as you neared your fourth orgasm of the night. His fingers found that fleshy spot inside of you and with a couple of caresses, you came undone. But this pressure you felt, felt different than any other time you'd come tonight. He yanked his fingers from your cunt and you squirt all over him and his sheets.

Your whole body was shaking, and tears were threatening to spill from your eyes. But he wasn't done. He ascended from your pussy, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "All I need is one more, baby. Just one more, okay?" He rubbed the tip of his length between your folds. "Think you can do that for me, pretty girl?" You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. But he understood, he wasn't going to hold it against you this time. He slid back in with one of your legs on his shoulder and the other pinned to the mattress.

The angle he was rolling his hips in seemed to tickle something in the depths of your brain. Your voice seemed to find you again. Your moans and chants of his name filled the space and spilled out the window. He placed kisses on your neck, then little bites here and there. "This pussy is so fucking good, pretty girl. Can I call it mine?" You nodded fervently. "Yes." Your walls clenched around him making him groan.

"Mine." He repeated the word with every thrust. Picking up the pace, he'd pull halfway out just to slam back in while still giving you toe curling strokes. His fingers dipped into your mouth again. "Get them nice and wet for me, please, baby." You obliged, soaking his fingers with spit. His hand then disappeared between the two of you, with what little space you had. He rubbed your clit in slow circles, then pinched the swollen bud. That sent you right over the edge.

You sang his name like a lead in a church choir on sunday. Your eyes rolled back in your head. He didn't stop, too preoccupied with chasing his own high. And with the way your walls were squeezing him, he'd get there sooner than later. "Please Chris… cum for me." His brows were furrowed in concentration, "Where do you want me to cum, baby, hm?" You locked eyes with him, purposely clenching around his cock. "Inside." That did it for him. He snapped. He sped up and with one last harsh thrust, he came, as deep as he could. He leaned down, teeth sinking into the flesh above your breast, careful not to leave too bad of a mark. His seed coated your walls in hot streams, causing you to clench even more, milking him dry.

You both sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, trying your damnedest to catch your breath. After what seemed like an eternity, he eventually gathered the strength to pull out. He leaned back on his legs to see if it trickled out. He had fucked it so deep not even a drop tried to escape. He tapped your clit before rubbing it,trying to get your walls to clench, so you could push it out. He slid two fingers in, once again stimulating that spongy spot inside your cunt.

"Oh fuck…" You groaned loudly, too tired to even fight. Your walls did as he asked, pushing his seed out. More of it seeping out with each thrust of his fingers. "Good girl." He smirked at a job well done. Taking in the sight of your messy pussy. "Let me get you cleaned up." You couldn’t respond, you couldn’t even move. He came back with a warm rag to clean you up. He gently took care of you, then dressed you in one of his shirts as a change of clothes.

He assessed the damage your squirting had done and decided that a towel would have to suffice with covering it for now. He pulled his boxers back on and laid next to you, pulling your back flush to his chest. You sat there silently in his arms for a while, listening to the party that was still raging outside. "How did you find me out?" You asked out of the blue, voice a little croaky from your little escapade. He snuggled into your neck, hand absentmindedly rubbing up and down on your stomach.

"The video where you admitted to getting off to the sound of my singing." Heat immediately rushed to your face. "Next time, be a little more discreet. Being my neighbor was written all over that little video." He made a call back to her earlier statement. You both chuckled, "Duly noted." He kissed your cheek. Even though you were almost too tired to function, your brain got the better of you, and you couldn't help but ask, "So, about that date…"

Fin

A.N: Please leave a like or comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.

[navegandoaciegas]

Cloud nine

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

Warnings: 18+, smut, pwp, watersports, dom/sub undertones, dom!bucky, sub!reader, reader calls bucky daddy, creampie.

Summary: You’ve never had an orgasm during sex, and Bucky is determined to make you come, no matter how unusual your request may be.

A/N: I have no words lmfao just- don’t read if pee bothers you please.

Frustration pooled in your stomach, festering on your negative emotions.

Bucky slumped beside you, cheeks flushed, drool and sweat all over his face as he clinged to your chest, catching his breath.

You’d been going at it for hours, and he’d fucked you in all the positions on the book, changing pace and angles to hit every spot inside you until he’d come in your aching cunt more times than humanly possible and you’d run yourself dry.

He’d praised you, degraded you, slapped you, kissed your tears, made soft love to you and fucked you like a rag doll, fingered you until his fingers cramped and wrinkled, and you hadn’t come.

You always treaded the edge, so close yet so far from reaching the crest of your high, only to fall back down without ever being able to let yourself crash.

“Sorry,” he panted softly in the crook of your neck, right hand tracing soothing circles on your hip.

“‘S not your fault.”

“I know, I just-”

He interrupted himself with a huff, drowning his unspoken words in your skin.

You’d had this conversation numerous times before.

It wasn’t him, as no other partner had ever been able to make you cum either. They hadn’t even cared enough to worry about it.

It wasn’t you either, nothing in your anatomy, at least.

You liked Bucky, you desired him. Just looking at him too long made the walls of your cunt throb uncontrollably. And you had no trouble making yourself cum on your fingers, even without any toy or porn involved, just the thought of him and his fat cock inside you.

You’d been dating for months now, and he hadn’t given you a single orgasm yet.

You could see it begin to tear down his confidence, flooding his mind with insecurities he’d confided you with, how he feared you’d leave him for someone better, or you’d tire of him and move on.

With a bitter smile you’d replied that he’d be the one to leave for a better partner he could pleasure, and from then on Bucky hadn’t mentioned it anymore, but you could see the doubts plaguing his mind, twisting and turning his thoughts in grey clouds, draining him everytime he came and you didn’t.

You felt broken, and he felt guilty.

You needed to find a solution, and you needed to do it fast.

-

Your therapist was a nice woman, stern when needed and caring at times, and yet you couldn’t fucking stand her whenever she repeated the same sentence that your gynecologist had told you already.

The more you worried about your orgasm, the harder it would be to cum.

An easy concept to grasp if you weren’t the one struggling, if orgasms came as easy as eating and breathing.

You huffed in frustration, one hand in your sweatpants as you lazily fondled with your clit, the other scrolling through a porn website, looking for a video that would get the job done for you, eager to release the stress of your day at work.

You scrolled through staged videos that would only aggravate you, women who squealed loud enough to hurt your eardrums and men too rough for your liking. Pov’s, plumbers and housewives, gangbangs, vintage and fake taxis.

You could feel the irritation build up inside you when, reached the 23rd page, you hadn’t found a video that would satisfy you yet.

Famous pornstars, amateurs, thousands of bytes of porn that made your thumb scrolling on your phone cramp, until you stumbled upon a video with a title so debauched that you felt compelled to click on it.

And so, an idea, admittedly not your best one, began to form in your head as your fingers worked your clit furiously to bring you over the edge.

Bucky had been surprisingly eager to try it out when you’d mentioned it whilst you brushed your teeth on a random morning, excited even, almost as if he’d meant to ask all along and never built the courage to.

You’d tried a lot of things, and you had nothing to lose at this point. So, you’d lined your mattress with plastic sheets, and hoped for the best.

-

Soft lips nipped your neck, peppering the column of your throat with wet kisses.

You registered the sheets rustling beneath you and Bucky’s silky hair tickling you.

You blinked your bleary eyes, adjusting yourself to the gentle morning light seeping through the blinds, painting your room in intricate shadows.

“Mornin’,” you croaked, a small smile tugging at your lips.

Like every time that Bucky spent the night at your place, you’d wake up to his lips and hands all over you.

“G’mornin’, princess,” he mumbled, hands getting bolder, hiking up your thighs.

It didn’t take long for Bucky’s touch to ignite the fire in your core, warmth pooling in your lower belly as he cupped your cunt over your shorts.

He pulled away from your neck to look at you in the eyes, pupils dilated by desire.

Bucky was always so eager, pouncing on you at any chance he got. He was especially needy on weekend mornings, where he could take his time with you and make love to you until he’d be exhausted and you’d be, well, happy to participate.

His hand slipped under your shorts, lazily stroking your clit, still swollen from the night before.

“Already so wet for me?” he noted, gathering your wetness on his fingertips and smearing it over your sensitive bud.

A breathy gasp escaped your parted lips, followed by many others as he continued to work your cunt. Your walls throbbed in anticipation, and you bit your lips, eager for his cock to fill you to the brim.

Bucky continued peppering your neck, clavicles, chest with kisses, hiking your t-shirt over your tits before he attacked your nipples with his mouth.

It felt like being on cloud nine, having him take care of you so good, brain turned to mush as you let him do anything he wanted to you.

The same negative thoughts that swirled in your mind everytime you had sex with Bucky flashed behind your eyes for a fleeting moment, reminding you of how you wouldn’t come even this time, despite your efforts. You willed yourself to focus on the moment, on the small jolts on electricity in your cunt, on your hardening nipples, and heaving chest.

His warm mouth latched on your nipples, suckling them between his teeth, tongue swirling on them.

“Bucky please,” you whined, growing impatient with his teasing, “Fuck me already, please.”

He chuckled, head buried between your tits.

“Careful when you talk to me, little girl.”

“Or what?”

A mischievous grin spread on his face as he descended down, tongue tracing your stomach, belly, hip bones, peppering kisses and bruises until he reached your silk shorts.

He threw one more look at you before biting the fabric and slowly tugging it down your legs.

You kicked the shorts away and spread your legs, revealing your glistening cunt to Bucky’s hungry eyes.

“Fuck,” he groaned, resuming back to sucking bruises on the soft skin of your inner thighs, “Such a pretty pussy, princess.”

Fire spread through your body when his warm breath hit your lips, and the anticipation before he closed his mouth on your clit sent shivers down your spine.

“Fuck yourself on my mouth, baby girl. Show daddy how good you are to him, how much you want his cock, hm?”

You didn’t need to be told twice, and started grinding your hips on his face while he lapped at your folds, drinking up your arousal.

A soft sigh, followed by a hiss and a high pitched moan were ripped out of you when Bucky pushed two fingers past your entrance, curling them inside you.

You continued the steady rhythm, fucking yourself on his face until the familiar tension began building in your cunt.

“Just like that daddy,” you shrieked, “Make me cum, please, please.”

You kept going, speeding your movements, chasing your release, thighs quivering around his head, reaching higher, and higher, and-

And then it was gone, snuffed like a weak flame in the wind.

You tugged on Bucky’s hair, and brought his face to yours in a desperate kiss, slanting your mouth against his. You tasted yourself on his tongue, tangy and musky.

He ground his hips on you, growing more and more desperate by the second.

He never lasted long in the morning.

“Fuck me, daddy, please, wanna feel your cock inside me,” you whined, wiggling your hips.

“Can’t say no to you, princess.”

He had such a pretty cock, not too big, veiny and flushed. You wanted him in your mouth, in your pussy, between your tits. You wanted him whole, and it frustrated you so much that despite your wants you couldn’t satiate your needs.

He lined himself up with your dripping cunt, and pushed his cock inside you with one swift motion, until you were full to the brim and his balls slapped against your ass.

He hauled your thighs over his shoulders, folding you under his weight.

“So tight,” he spat through gritted teeth, fighting against the urge to burst as you snapped your hips up.

One of his forearms rested laid your head while the other hand came to rest on your neck, not cutting off your air but as a clear warning to stop moving around.

“Move, please” you begged, mind hazy with pleasure.

It always felt so good when his cock stretched you out, when it rubbed on your gummy walls, a ring of white cream pooling just above his balls.

It always felt good, and that’s why you hated it. It always gave you the illusion that this time you’d come, just this once you’d overcome your problem and have an earth shattering orgasm like you deserved.

His cock kept hitting all the spots inside you, your walls pulsating around him, suffocating him in a tight grip.

“Daddy? Can we- can we try that thing?” you moaned, sneaking a hand between your bodies to furiously rub your swollen clit.

“Yes, fuck, that’s so hot, God, I’m gonna do it, okay?” he grunted, picking up the pace of his pace, harder, faster, spurred on by your high pitched shrills, until his movements grew sloppier.

“Ask me nicely,” he snarled, furrowing his brows and gritting his teeth.

“Piss inside me, daddy. Use me like the fuckin’ dirty whore I am.”

The room was filled with the squelching sounds of his balls hitting your ass and your drooling pussy. His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he came gripping your thighs so hard it would surely leave a mark.

His cum spilled inside you while your walls milked every last drop.

You closed your eyes, willing your body to relax as he rested his head on your chest. His hand shoed yours away, roughly rubbing your clit.

You could feel his cock go soft inside you, his warm cum spilling out of your pussy.

It was building up inside you, the tension from before. You hiked high, and higher, and your legs were shaking, body shook by jolts of electricity.

“Fuck,” he hissed, grinding his teeth.

You moaned, his name on your tongue like a chant.

And then, Bucky sighed, eyes shutting in bliss as he released inside you.

Never in your life has you felt quite as warm, or full, as his searing hot piss filled you in from the inside, invading your cunt and overflowing out of you.

So hot, so full, so high that you couldn’t smell the pungent scent of his piss or hear anything other than your frenzied heartbeat in your ears.

“Daddy, daddy, I’m coming, I’m coming.”

And then you were cumming around his soft cock so hard that your eyes rolled to the back of your skull. Your body twitched and spasmed as a long awaited orgasm wrecked through you, wiping your mind blank for several seconds.

When you opened your eyes again, Bucky’s soft smile greeted you. Everything felt hazy, like having your head underwater and cotton in your mouth.

He nuzzled your nose, picking your limp body from the bed and carrying you to the bathroom.

“Daddy is so proud of you, princess.”

-

Not proofread sorry 😬

Please reblog and leave a comment if you can! 🥰

[fandomsonrequests]

christmas with ateez (maknae line)

reader: gn!, m!, f!

notes: some cussing. read the hyung line >> here  happy holidays everyone!

san

It was Christmas morning and everyone knew what that meant— gift opening time. Well, it wasn’t actually morning, it was more like early afternoon. But you and San didn’t care, you weren’t going to be late for anything so why not sleep in for a while? Anyways, you both deserved it.

San was practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of being able to give you your gift. Yours on the other hand was wrapped up neatly and tucked away in your jeans pocket. You smile to yourself, trying not to give away your own excitement. 

You were pulled away from your own thoughts when you felt something large but light plop onto your lap, making Byeol (who was on your lap) scamper away by your feet instead. You gawk at the size of the gift, it was almost as big as your whole body. You stared up in pleasant surprise at San who only beamed at you, his cheeks flushed and dimpled. 

“Merry Christmas _____!” He greets you, and leans in to kiss you. It was full of teeth and smiled but neither of you minded. “Go on, open it.” 

You put the gift in between your legs and opened the wrapper carefully, letting out a gasp. A little backstory— you and San met at a plushie store, aiming for the same one before letting him take it in exchange for a coffee date the next week. You were both stuffed doll enthusiasts; so you were filled with joy and gratitude when you pulled out a rather large unicorn stuffed toy.

It was one you wanted when you passed by a plushie store but couldn’t get due to the lack of time. It was soft to the touch and silky, making you squeal in delight. “Oh my God, San— I love it!” You lunge at him, pressing kisses all over his face. 

He wraps an arm around your waist, laughing along with you. “I’m glad you like it, baby.” He muses. 

Now it was your turn to bring out your gifts. You pick up a small package from under the tree and call for Byeol. San raised a curious brow at you but said nothing, watching as the cat jumped onto your lap and purred when you started scratching behind her ear.

“How come she listens to you more than me?” He pouts when his cat basically bathes in your affection, making you giggle. 

You shrug, unsure of why she prefers to listen to you. “This is for the little cutie. I’ll give you yours after you open up hers.” You tell him, the grin never leaving your face.

Once again, your boyfriend gives you a curious look before opening the gift to see a cat-sized sweater perfect for Byeol. “Oh it’s so cute! Byeol look what they got you.” He cooed to the feline who pawed at the sweater curiously. You two struggled a little to put it onto her but manage to do so. The both of you give a successful cheer when she makes no move to remove it from her body. 

While San was distracted with taking photos of the cat, you stood up, pulling out a small box from your pocket. You knelt down in front of San and curled your throat, managing to get his attention. He turned to you with a puzzled look before it melted into one of shock after seeing the position you were in and the velvet box in your hand.

“_____,” He gasps, wide eyes glazing over with tears that were threatening to spill. 

“San,” You breathe out. 

“Yes, yes, yes, yes _______ I’ll marry you—“ He says, unable to hold back the tears while you laugh gently. 

“I haven’t even said anything yet..!” You protest playfully but move to slip the ring onto his finger. 

“Well either way I’d still say yes..!”

San takes a moment to admire the engagement ring, seeing the simple jewel on top of it glint from the afternoon sun. He practically throws himself onto you, crying happily into your shoulder before pulling away to give you a deep kiss. It was wet and salty— but you could feel the way he poured all his gratitude and love and passion into it. 

You reach up to brush away his tears, leaning your forehead against his. “I love you so much San.” 

“I love you more, _____.”

mingi

“Chunghee, Mingi— look at the camera!” You call over to your fiancé and your brother. 

The two boys turn their attention from their snowboards and sleds and towards the camera you had pointed at them. They strike a silly but cute pose, waiting for you to take the photo before asking you to take another one. You indulge in their request, snapping a few more photos before letting them do their thing. 

You, Mingi, and your younger brother decided to enjoy the snow for a bit. And what better way to do that than going to a ski resort? It was only for a few days but still- you were surprised, to say the least, when Mingi presented you with the confirmation email of your stay from the ski resort. 

“Alright bud, just don’t hesitate. It’s a lot like skateboarding— only on the snow.” You hear your fiancé tell Chunghee as he prepares to snowboard down a small hill. 

You beam at your brother and give him a good luck pat to his shoulder. “You got this. We believe in you.”

“Okay, yeah I got this. Easy peasy— no big deal.” 

Your brother inhales and takes a deep breath before pushing off and going down the hill. You and Mingi cheer excitedly when he manages to slide down without toppling over, the both of you jumping up and down. Your brother beamed up at the both of you, giving you two a thumbs up. 

“HELL YEAH CHUNGHEE!!” Mingi hollers, his grin so wide that his eyes turn into small crescents. He turns to you this time, his smile shifting into something more mischievous. 

You know what the smile means and you shake your head, backing up from the man. “Mingi, no—“

“I haven’t even said anything..!” He protests as he advances towards you. 

But before you could run, he lunges at you and pulls you right into his arms. He kisses your cheek before blowing a raspberry onto your skin, making you laugh. You try to wriggle out of his arms, arguing that Chunghee was waiting for him at the foot of the incline. But that doesn’t work because he was tugging you towards a rather large circular sled.

“Just this once, I’ll be behind you. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Mingi says, brushing away a bit of snow that fell to your hair. “Promise.” 

You glanced over to the sled with cheesy Christmas patterns painted onto the side. You hear Chunghee calling out for the both of you, particularly the way he was cheering you on. “C’mon, _____! If I can do it so can you!” 

“See? It’s no big deal.” Mingi adds as he was already settling into the back of the sled.

He pats the space in front of him, the dorky smile never leaving his face. You chew the inside of your cheek before relenting, releasing a defeated sigh. “Fine,” You whine as you settle into the spot in front of your fiancé. 

You immediately feel his arms wrap around your waist, tugging you closer to him. You settle your hand over one of his much larger ones, and squeeze them in gratitude. He starts to push the sled forward with his other hand before calling out to the teenage boy waiting for you. “Get ready to film their reaction!” He tells them. 

“Mingi wh-aAAAHHHH” Your sentence is interrupted as he launches off, the both of you sledding down the hill.

The wind rushes through your ears and you could feel the icy air brush past your face. You hear Mingi’s excited whoops and cheers as you descend. You on the other hand were yelling out of surprise and adrenaline. Sooner or later you reach the bottom of the hill where Chunghee was rushing to you, phone in hand. You couldn’t process what he was saying, the feeling of your heart beating out of your chest and the blood pumping filling your senses.

Your fiancé gently shook your shoulders, looking over at you. “You okay baby?” He asks you with a giggle. 

“Y-Yeah,” You reply as you stand on shaky legs. Your brother hugs you tight, telling you how he was proud of you for braving that hill. Mingi joined in a couple of moments later. 

“See? That wasn’t so bad.” The older male says as he pecks your cheek. “We’re so proud of you.”

“You wanna go again?” Chunghee asks. 

You look up at the top of the hill where you came from, seeing that the drop wasn’t as big as you thought it was. Your lips slowly form into a determined grin. “Alright, lets do this again.”

wooyoung

“Honey, no offense but what the fuckis that?” Wooyoung asks in slight horror when he sees your runny icing batter. 

You sigh in slight frustration and drop the large spoon into the bowl, wiping your hands on the apron around your waist. “I knew it, I knew something went wrong.”

Your boyfriend only chuckled, shaking his head. You see, the two of you thought it would be a great idea to bake a gingerbread house from scratch. Granted, you two got a fairly popular recipe from the internet but it’s the effort that counts. And for a while, things were going great. The gingerbread pieces came out alright and we’re cooling down on the trays.

It was the icing that was supposed to hold them that was the problem. Wooyoung was tasked with the cookie people and house pieces, as well as some other parts to add to it, while you were tasked with the icing. Unlike your boyfriend, you weren’t blessed with much skills in the kitchen. Which is why you left the cooking to him and you were stuck on cleanup duty.

“Okay baby boy don’t panic,” he tells you as he grabs some of the powdered sugar to add to the icing in order to thicken it. 

He looks up to see you by the side with a small pout on your lips, causing him to laugh and hug you. He nuzzled into your cheek when one of your arms came up to wrap around his waist, pressing a kiss to your jaw before leaning in to give you a proper one. “Don’t be sad, you actually did well for a first try.” He mumbles against your lips, pecking them one last time before pulling away completely to continue mixing the icing. 

“That’s a biased answer,” You argue as you clean up the kitchen counter, curiously poking at the gingerbread pieces. “You’re only saying that ‘cos you’re dating me.”

“What? No, no, no, I’m being genuine.” He refutes as he sets down the spoon once he was done mixing the icing. “Now help me dye this icing.”

You waddled over to him and nuzzled into his neck, hugging him from behind and placing a sweet kiss to his cheek. “What would I do without you..?”

“Burn this whole kitchen down probably,” He teases as he basks in your affection. He pulls you back towards him with his adorable high-pitched laugh when you throw him an unamused glare and detach yourself from him. “I’m kidding, don’t give me that look.”

He turns around and wraps his arms around your neck, your own going around his waist. He leaned his forehead against yours and nuzzled your nose with his. “I’m proud of you _____. Thank you for doing this with me.”

You couldn’t help but crack a small smile at that, closing the gap between you two for a short but sweet kiss. You grin into it, him doing the same, bursting into another bout of giggles when your fingers tickle his sides. He begs you to stop, saying that one of you could knock over the food, and successfully pries your wriggling digits away from him. 

“Come on, this gingerbread family needs a house built for them.”

jongho

“Areum, can you open the door please?” You call out to your teenage sister who was brooding on the couch, phone in hand.** **

She sighs heavily, irritation clear in her tone. You couldn’t really blame her- she did go through an ugly breakup this season. One that was done over the phone when she caught her boyfriend cheating on her with a good friend of yours. You tried your best as an older sister to get her cheered up. One of these attempts was calling your boyfriend Jongho over. The two practically adored each other, so hopefully being around each other would lift her spirits. 

Areum’s gloomy face brightened significantly when she saw her future brother-in-law(strike that) your boyfriend behind the door. “Hey,” She greeted him with a hug who reciprocated it. 

He ruffled her hair and stepped in when she allowed him in. “Why the long face, kiddo?” He asks. 

“Its Jack; he cheated on me with Winny _and _dumped me over the phone.” Areum sighs as she sits down on the couch beside him. 

You soon join the two on the couch as she pours her heart away to him. You’d occasionally provide some information, supporting your sister’s story. By the end of her story, tears were slowly trickling down her cheeks. Jongho reached up to gently brush them away, hand traveling down to her shoulder and offering a supportive squeeze. 

“What do you say that we put into the snow and get your mind off of it?” He suggested and looked over to you, eyes silently asking if it was okay. 

“That sounds like a good idea,” You add and nudge your sister with your elbow. “Wanna have a snowball fight? Us against Jongho?” 

The said man gave a whine of protest, successfully eliciting a soft chuckle from Areum. She sniffles and brushes away the rest of her tears. “Alright- get ready to lose big guy.” 

You told the pair to go on ahead, tossing Areum her gloves, coat, and scarf. Jongho makes small talk with her when he notices her suddenly stop mid-sentence and freeze. He saw that her haze was elsewhere and followed it all the way to a teenage boy with a girl on his arms. It didn’t take long for him to realize that the guy must’ve been her boyfriend. He looked back to Areum who had fresh tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.

His heart clenched at the sight and a quiet rage was lit inside of him. Jongho leaned down to grab a fistful of snow, compacting it into a tight ball before catching your sister’s attention. “Hey Areum, watch this.” He smiles, a bit devilishly, before chucking the snowball towards the boy.

Splat. 

The snowball hits the poor kid straight in the face. This causes Areum to snort out in laughter. She decided to partake in the fun, allowing Jack and Winny’s momentary confusion to give her a chance to make a couple of snowballs, throwing it at the two of them. Sooner or later, you and Jongho were tossing a merciless volley of snowballs at the two, making them whine in protest. 

“C’mon man what the fuck???” Jack yelled in annoyance. 

“You’re lucky that’s all you get for messing with my baby sister!” Jongho yelled back and stepped aside to allow Areum to throw another ball at him.

You rush outside to see the commotion. The sight was funny, seeing the younger couple be hit relentlessly, but the pacifist in you told you that it was too much. “Okay, okay- you two they got the message.” You laugh as you stop them, looking back to the others to see them dusting the snow off their clothes. “God, you guys really let them have it.” 

You manage to calm the two down, steering them away from the cheaters when Jack called out. “Yeah that’s right- get your bitch ass sister to protect you..!” 

The insult makes you stop in your tracks, the cheery disposition dissipating. Without another word, Areum grins and hands you a snowball which you gladly took. And before Jack knew what had happened, you threw the ball right at him, hitting him directly in the face and causing him to fall back into the snow. Areum and Jongho let out an excited whoop. 

“You wanna say that again?!” You ask, moving to gather more balls.

Winny, being sensible enough, tugged Jack away before the three of you could chase them away. You three share a laugh, watching as the pair run away like cowards. Serves them right. 

“You ladies are deadly,” Jongho muses. 

Areum couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s why you’re so into my sister. That’s your type.” She chuckles. But before Jongho could quip back, she had already tossed a ball at him, followed by you throwing another one. 

He laughs, baring his cute gummy smile. “Alright- you two asked for it.” 

You and Areum squeal in delight as he chases the two of you around, volleys of snowballs being exchanged. Sure the day started off glum, but at least now it could end with joy paired with the warmth of hot chocolate that was soon to come.

[theseshipsshallsail]

Oliver has developed a particular fondness for dinner drudgery over the past decade. At thirty-four, he felt a greater appreciation for the twinkle in Samuel’s eyes as he lured some unsuspecting academic into a debate he was destined to lose. The all-too-familiar smirk hidden behind a wine glass as Annella caught his gaze mid-rebuttal, the same mischief written over her features as that of her son’s. He even welcomed Mafalda’s regular fretting about his diminuito waistline as she cleared away what little remained of a feast fit for a king.

And then there was the man to his right. The man who held a cigarette in one hand, and his heart in the other. The man who slanted his head on Oliver’s shoulder as the evening wore on, allowing him to drop a kiss to the riotous curls that drew his fingers like a siren’s call. There were no more secrets between the four of them - though according to Annella there had never been any to begin with - and when Elio yawned twice in as many minutes Oliver found his own jaw cracking in sympathy. 

International flights never got any easier, and although they’d managed a short nap on the train in from Milan, they were both flagging fast.

The after-dinner conversation had revolved around his latest manuscript for the past half an hour, and slipping an arm around Elio’s side, Oliver tapped his ankle beneath the table. “You still with me?” he murmured softly, and Elio scoffed as he nestled closer.

“Seulement. One more limoncello and you’ll have to carry me to bed.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Or the last,” Elio said, as Samuel raised a toast in their direction.

“Happiness resides not in possessions or gold, but in the soul. Wouldn’t you agree, our wayward Americano?” he asked, prompting Oliver to back up his argument as he stole the last arancini from Elio’s plate. 

“Big results require big ambitions, Sami.”

“And nothing endures but change.”

“Always with the Heraclitus...” Elio grumbled good-naturedly, leaning over to kiss Annella on the cheek. “Bonne nuit, maman. Remind me to show you that biography in the morning.” 

“The Piaf?” she asked, and Elio nodded as he rose to his feet. 

“There’s a new bookstore just opened in the Village.”

“Che magnifico!” Annella said, stubbing out her cigarette. “Tell me all about it when you’re not falling asleep in your tortelli.” Smiling, she took Elio’s face between her palms. “Dormi bene, piccino. Et toi, Cauboi.”

Oliver laughed as he finished shaking hands with the other two guests - stalwarts of the Bocconi Languages department he vaguely remembered from his brief stint at the university. “I doubt that’ll be a problem. The moment my head hits the pillow I’ll be dead to the world.” 

Elio raised an eyebrow. “The dead don’t snore like Anchise’s old generator,” he said with a wink as Samuel rounded the table to join them. “Papà, siamo stanchi. It’s been a long day.”

“It certainly has,” Samuel said, hugging him tightly. “Go! Go! Don’t make me sprain anything by rolling you out of here.” Stepping back, he clasped Elio by the forearms. “I’ll ask Mafalda to save you something if you sleep through breakfast.”

“Molte grazie.”

“Anytime, figli miei,” Samuel said, embracing Oliver in turn. “Goodnight, the pair of you.” 

“Thanks, Pro.”

Enfolding Elio’s hand in his, Oliver led him towards the villa, taking the time to appreciate the sounds of nature after six months of city living. One day, he’d love to move here permanently - spend his golden years in the country that spurred his reinvention - but there was no rush. Not when the best part of Italy was a permanent fixture in his life, already.

The house was in shadows when they stepped over the threshold, but they each navigated the lofty hallways with ease as they headed upstairs. It was a journey they could do with their eyes closed, and avoiding the creaky top step out of habit they shut the door to Elio’s room behind them with a quiet click. Their room, technically, but in Oliver’s mind it would always be his. He may have usurped it for six weeks in the summer of ‘83, but the overstuffed bookcase and outdated cassette tapes were like a portal to the past, and it never failed to make him feel twenty-four again. 

Conflicting though those feelings might be.

The only obvious difference was the double bed now taking up space along the back wall - though Oliver quite missed the creaky single frames of yesteryear. The shutters were latched apart, letting out the stifling afternoon air, and the bathroom doors were pinned open, turning the space into the large suite that originally befitted Elio’s grandfather.

Toeing off his espadrilles, Oliver watched as Elio fell face first onto the bed. Dramatic as always, he groaned into the crisp, blue sheets, so Oliver hung his shirt up in the wardrobe then walked over to tug off his sneakers, placing them beneath the writing desk where he was unlikely to trip over them come morning. 

“I haven’t been this exhausted since I finished that three week stretch with the Philharmonic,” Elio said, words muffled, and Oliver chuckled as he sat down beside him.

“Fifteen hours by plane, and a ninety minute schlep on the Regionale? I think that’s to be expected.” Reaching over, he stroked a palm up Elio’s spine, bunching his t-shirt in its wake. “You can’t stay young and restless forever.”

“Speak for yourself, old man.” Elio shot him a sideways glance. “Why are you all the way over there?”

Over there, meaning beyond kissing range.

“I thought you were too tired?” Oliver asked, and Elio rolled his eyes like the precocious teenager he’d fallen so hopelessly in love with.

“Too tired for Democritus and his atomic theory,” he said, shifting onto his side. “Never too tired for you, tesoro.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Cradling Elio’s cheek in one hand, Oliver felt a hot lick of satisfaction as he brushed his thumb over the smooth skin, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth, then nibbling gently. A soft whine fell between them, and Elio slung his arms around Oliver’s shoulders, legs banding around his waist like a tether.

“That’s better,” he said, half-hard in his jeans. “Just like old times.”

Oliver sniggered. “Someone better warn the peaches.”

“Connard.”

“And a fine one it is, too,” he teased, swatting Elio’s ass through the stiff denim. 

The resultant yelp was a thing of beauty as Oliver ran his nose along Elio’s collarbone, savouring his scent. Beneath the sour musk of travel were the sweet notes of juniper and cherry laurel, and sucking briefly at his pulse point, Oliver actually felt the yawn building before Elio was forced to pull away, sighing in frustration.

“This isn’t happening, is it?”

“Define this,” Oliver said, licking away his pout. 

They might not be about to set any records for horizontal gymnastics, but the needy whimper Elio pressed to Oliver’s throat was enough to spur him onwards as they quickly rid each other of their clothing. Silver light streamed in through the windows, casting shadows over their naked bodies, and finesse fell by the wayside when Oliver brought their erections together, stroking them both in tandem. Transfixed, he watched the pleasure flick across Elio’s features, treasuring the way his lashes fluttered if he twisted just so - the glazed expression as he kissed him like they had all the time in the world. Leisurely and indulgent.

“I’m going to come,” Elio whispered scant minutes later.

Like it was a secret. 

Like it was something precious. 

And it was, Oliver knew, as the other man rutted into his palm, shuddering against him. It was there in every touch. Every tender endearment. Elio might wear his heart on his sleeve, but none of his previous lovers had been privy to the true depths of his emotions, and as he threw his head back in release Oliver couldn’t help but chase him over the edge, inarticulate and inelegant in his abandon.

Pearly white covered his fist as liquid fire rushed through his veins, each movement growing slower and slower until they eventually ground to a stop, swallowing each other’s gasps between needy pulls of their mouths. Groggy with sensation, his lungs felt constricted by the memory of how to breathe, yet sweaty, sated - and in dire need of a shower - they lay there in the aftermath, neither of them willing to give in as their eyelids started to droop. 

He loved Elio like this. Loved him always of course, but especially like this. With his hair mussed - his face relaxed - his lips swollen as a result of his kisses, and Oliver sighed fondly as he brushed the curls from his forehead, only to receive an incoherent grumble for his efforts. It was his mind he’d fallen in love with first, though. The way he challenged him constantly. Pushed his boundaries day-by-day. Always striving for more. 

He’d been a fool to consider walking away. To give Elio up, however begrudgingly. He was a part of him - perfect in his imperfections - and as Elio drifted off between one blink and the next, Oliver banished such dismal thoughts to the shadows of the past, refusing to give them life when his future lay literally in his arms.

“Goodnight, amore mio,” he whispered, and grinning, hooked his toes in the underwear hanging from the bedpost - his, Elio’s, he couldn’t quite tell - wiped the worst of the mess from their painted stomachs, then followed him into a dreamless stupor.

 Something was tickling Oliver’s nose as he floated in the trance-like state between sleep and reality. It was a familiar experience, and forcing one eye open he smiled down at Elio’s crown where it rested upon his chest. Their legs were entangled beneath the sheets, the toes of Elio’s left foot twitching beside his calf, and Oliver tapped an idle rhythm along his spine as he squinted at the blessedly silent alarm clock. 

It was almost seven a.m, and with zero intentions of moving anytime soon, Oliver watched the dust motes dance in the pink strokes of dawn. He was still foggy, but with his recent promotion and the increased demands of Elio’s tour schedule, moments like these were few and far between in New York, so Oliver indulged himself by listening to Elio’s steady breaths, unwilling to disturb him prematurely. 

The villa was quiet and still as the sun climbed higher in the sky, and when Elio burrowed into his neck, Oliver felt the same dizzy thrill he always had, thanking his lucky stars for the man who’d turned his life upside down in the very best of ways. 

Sappho once wrote what cannot be said will be wept, and this room had seen it’s fair share of tears at the start of their relationship. Even now, it was hard to believe how close he’d come to losing it all. But like Odysseus, Oliver had returned to his love, and he had every intention of seeing this journey through to completion.

“In the crooks of your body, I find my religion,” he whispered, continuing to smooth random patterns over Elio’s trapezius, and it was all he could do not to moan in response as an arm wrapped around his waist, skimming his burgeoning erection.

“Mere air, these words, but delicious to hear...”

Verbal and cognizant was more than Oliver would usually expect before Elio’s first cup of coffee, but taking a chance, he tilted his face up to see him properly. “Morning, sunshine. I thought you were asleep.” 

Elio yawned into the hand at his jaw. “Not with you scribbling Ancient Greek on my ribcage.”

“You caught that?”

“Ovviamente.” Humming, he dug his chin into Oliver’s sternum. “It felt like you were writing your name at first, but then you drew the symbol for pi, and I figured you were just hungry.”

Oliver snickered. “Did you not notice Mafalda’s continued attempts to fatten me up? Maybe I should tell her it’s your hip bones that leave bruises, instead.”

“You love it.”

“More than she’ll ever know,” he conceded, mourning the loss of skin on skin as he eased out from underneath him. “Alright, genius. Since you’re so good at this...” Pushing the covers out of the way, Oliver traced a treble clef from the middle of Elio’s back to his sacrum, finishing it off with a flourish. “What was that?”

Elio smacked his lips. “Too easy,” he murmured into his folded arms. “And a bit crooked. My old music tutor would plotz.”

“Brat.” Oliver smirked as he knelt between his thighs. “Are you challenging my artistry?”

“Might be.”

“Might be, he says.” Chuckling, he ran his thumb up from Elio’s tailbone, sure and certain. “How about my penmanship, then? What letter?”

A pink flush spread over Elio’s cheek. “D,” he decided, squirming slightly as Oliver’s huff stirred the loose curls beside his ear.

“How on earth do you confuse a P with a D?”

“Have you seen the state of your handwriting?” Elio protested, constantly offended by his messy scrawl. “Aren’t you professor types meant to set an example?” 

Oliver scoffed. ”Perish the thought,” he said, dropping a lingering kiss to his nape. Elio’s cock lay flushed with need, and though he had no intention of bringing him off quite yet, Oliver couldn’t resist brushing his palm over the underside. “Indulge me,” he continued, stroking from root to tip. “Let’s play a game.”

“What sort of game?”

“An easy one, apparently.” Fighting his own arousal, Oliver followed the thick vein up then back, tugging gently on Elio’s balls. “But guess right, and I promise I’ll take care of this for you when I’m done. How’s that for an example?”

“Your generosity knows no bounds...”

“Ready?”

“Che diavolo!” Elio turned towards him, and Oliver felt breathless as he looked him square in the eye. “Tell me you’re joking?”

“Just a little longer,” he promised, propping himself on one arm to walk his fingers over Elio’s scapula, leaving a thin trail of slickness when he curved it round to his lower back. “Letter?”

Elio settled down with a put-upon sigh. “An S?” 

“Correct.” Oliver pressed a fingertip to the freckle on his hip. “Next one,” he said, drawing a diagonal line up to his top vertebrae, then sweeping down to its twin. 

“A?” Elio asked, then went rigid as Oliver poked him between his ribs. “Smetilla! That tickles!”

“It’s supposed to.”

“Why?” Laughing, he batted him away. “Did I get it wrong?”

“Not at all,” Oliver said, splaying a proprietary hand over his right buttock. “But next time, let me finish first, yeah?”

“Never heard you say that before.”

“Don’t be jealous of my stamina, Perlman.”

“Stronzo.” Elio arched into his touch. “Another.”

“Eager, are we?”

Elio snorted into his forearm. “Eager. Horny. Non vedo differenza.”

“Fair enough.” Oliver angled his thumb and forefinger towards Elio’s spine, fluid and precise. “This one’s harder,” he said, pinching them together.

“V?” Elio asked before he could go any further, and Oliver tutted as he began a downwards line towards his tailbone.

“Au contraire, mon chéri,” he said with a playful growl. “Not till I’m finished, remember?”

It was the work of a moment to complete the action, and Elio shivered as he glanced back at him through heavy lashes. “Y,” he muttered, shoulders hitching with a snigger. “A few inches can make all the difference, sì?”

Oliver smiled. “So I’ve been told,” he said, the slight breeze from the window lifting the hair from his forehead. “And what can we derive from that?” 

Elio had a specific weakness for his public speaking voice. One which Oliver wasn’t above exploiting at every opportunity. 

“Fuck…”

“Nope.”

Slender fingers circled his wrist as Elio cursed him out in several languages. 

“Spell it for me,” Oliver encouraged, turning his lips to the salt-gleam dimple above his ass, before remembering to narrow it down. “In English, per favore.”

“S-A-Y,” Elio answered obediently, already sounding flustered. “Say.”

“And you thought you’d never complete your Masters…”

“Attaccati a sto cazzo.”

“Rude.” Oliver licked a stripe across his earlobe. “Be a good boy, and I’ll cling to yours, though.”

“Santo Cielo…” Elio huffed in annoyance. “I really hate you right now.”

“No you don’t.” Oliver snuck an apologetic kiss to his temple. “Not even a little bit,” he told him, copying the exact same pattern from earlier. “Second word, if you please.”

“Another Y?”

“Another Y,” he confirmed, watching as Elio clutched the pillow in a white-knuckled grip. 

He remained perfectly still, however, so Oliver drew a deliberate line along his left flank before placing the pad of his thumb back at the beginning, then dragging it to the right. Once more, from the middle, then again from the bottom, and Elio was almost panting when he finally stopped.

“E,” he whispered, causing Oliver’s heart to skip a beat.

Because this was it. 

No turning back.

There was an urgent pressure in his throat, and when he tried to swallow it down, the emotions damn near choked him. “Last one,” he muttered, snaking his index finger in another winding curve, and Elio waited until he lifted it away completely before answering.

“That’s an S,” he said, then paused to string all three letters together. “Yes?” Freeing his wrist, Elio rolled over to face him. “Say yes?” he asked, sleep-rumpled and adorably confused, so Oliver hummed something vaguely agreeable as he mouthed at his jawline, needing the rough scratch of stubble to ground him. “I don’t understand.” Brows knit, Elio pushed up on his elbows. “Say yes to what? What is it that you want?”

Oliver had spent weeks trying to find the right words, but ultimately, only three would suffice. 

“To marry you,” he said, light-headed - and slightly concerned he was about to vomit. He hadn’t felt this terrified since he’d knocked on the adjoining door nine years ago, nothing but a broken heart and the vain hope of forgiveness to his name. “A piece of paper won’t change anything. I know that. But I told you once - out on that very balcony - that I loved you. All of you. Body, mind, and everything in between. You make me happier than I ever thought possible, Elio. This… you… you’re it for me.”

“Cuore mio…” Elio released a plaintive sigh. “I love you, too,” he whispered, taking Oliver’s cheeks in his hands as he sat up against the headboard. “But the courts... you know they won’t recognise -”

“Legally, no,” Oliver agreed, shifting to his knees. “Not yet. But we can do this our own way. Have a ceremony for us alone.”

“Not alone,” Elio corrected absently, hooking his heels behind him. “Together.” His lips pressed into a firm line, and the seconds in which he blinked back at him were the longest of Oliver’s existence. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” he asked, and instead of answering, Oliver reached for the small box he’d hidden in the bedside cabinet upon their arrival. 

“Open it?” he asked nervously, and Elio made a sound that was almost a laugh, high-pitched and fluttering.

“Only you...” he said, and if it weren’t for the tell-tale crack in his voice, Oliver might be worried. “Only you would wait until I’m jet-lagged and sporting a semi to ask me the second most important question of my life.”

“Just a semi?” Oliver slid a palm to the crease of his thigh. “Hang on. Second? What was the first?” he asked, and Elio smiled as he gently butted against him. 

“Does this make you happy?”

“Oh...” 

Elio held his gaze. “So important you asked me twice, in fact.”

“I did, didn’t I?” No doubt there would be a third time, too. He’d always admired the sight of Elio in a tux - slightly more so than the sight of him out of one - and Oliver resolved there and then to fit it into his vows. “Still, that was before your rejection of all things cliché. How’s a man supposed to plan a proposal around that?”

“Quelle question!”

“Such high maintenance,” Oliver murmured, tipping his chin. “But I wouldn’t change you for the world.”

It was a struggle to kiss whilst grinning inanely, but they gave it a good try nonetheless.

“Are you going to open this or what?” Oliver asked, bracing himself as Elio cracked upon the box to reveal the antique gold and onyx band.

“That’s my grandfather’s ring,” he whispered softly.

“It is.” Giddy, Oliver watched the sunlight glint off the heirloom’s polished surface. “Sami wanted you to have it. He’s had it cleaned and resized for the occasion.”

“My father?” Elio raised an eyebrow. “Plotting again, were you?”

“Not as such,” Oliver said, remembering the two word inscription on the inside. “I couldn’t care less about government approval, but I needed to know we have it from those whose opinion I actually value.” His heart tripped over itself as he chuckled apprehensively. “I think your mother’s already chosen a hat,” he confessed, and Elio groaned. 

“She’s going to invite everyone we’ve ever met.”

“She’ll not be inviting anyone if you don’t say yes,” Oliver teased, and the look he received could cut glass. 

“Idiota.” 

“Charming.”

“In what possible scenario would I ever say no to you?” Elio asked, reeling him in by the Star of David around his neck. “You’re a part of me. You are me.” Leaning in, he nuzzled into his hairline. “Oliver… you’re the best person I’ve ever met. Credimi. You’ve always been my forever.”

“Cor cordium.”

“Yes.”

“I can’t even -” Oliver froze. “Wait. Did you just -”

“Yes,” Elio repeated, eyes bright. “Yes, Oliver!”

It didn’t matter that his own vision was blurred. That the full extent of his vulnerabilities were on display. That Elio saw just how lost in him he truly was. Relief purged his body, sparks detonated across his skin, and Oliver made a chorus of his name as he freed the ring from its velvet cushion. It was cool to the touch when he picked it up - the weight of it heavy with promise - yet with unsteady fingers he slid it onto Elio’s left hand, sealing his declaration with a heartfelt kiss to his knuckles. 

“Please tell me these are happy tears,” Oliver whispered, pulling him into his arms.

“Why? Afraid I’ll get a nosebleed?” 

“Way to spoil the mood, Casanova…”

“The sweetest pleasures are those which are hardest to be won,” Elio quoted, studying the black inlay almost reverentially. 

Oliver studied him instead. “You like it?”

“È perfetto.” Elio sniffed as he ducked his head. “I want to get you one, too. If you’ll wear it.”

“Wear it?” Oliver’s lungs were far too tight, but at least that meant he wasn’t dreaming. “Why would I ever take it off?”

“And change my name. Officially, this time.”

His smile was so wide it hurt his cheeks. “Anything you want, sweetheart,” Oliver said, clutching Elio close, pressing his face into the hollow of his shoulder. This was their life, chosen and built together. Theirs to have, now and for always. “As long as I can call you mine… anything at all.” 

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Ao3

In My Way

Au: Spy Au

Words: 1931

Rating: Teen

Characters: Hatake Kakashi and Sasori

Warnings: murder, Blood, excessive amounts of Sass. Graphic depictions of violence.

Summary: Kakashi has a job to do, but there’s a familiar face in the crowd that tells him it won’t be as easy as he originally thought.

Get into the party, take out the target, get out without being caught.

The mission was simple. Something that he could do with his eyes closed, except for one small detail.

Sasori.

The deadliest Toxicologist known among every intelligence agency around the world. His work with poisons was revered by every toxicologist, including Anko. Even if she refused to admit it.

His presence at the party, while a welcome sight to Kakashi’s eyes thanks to that beautiful black and the red suit he had chosen to wear, was a hindrance to his mission. Not because Sasori was doing anything to stop him from completing the job.

It was quite the opposite judging by the fact that he had just seen Sasori drop something into his target's glass mere seconds ago.

Their goals were the same, and he’d rather die than allow Sasori to get the pleasure of saying he killed the target.

Making his way through the small crowd, he set his eyes on the phone in his hand. A convenient distraction to use, typing away furiously to an imaginary friend as he collided head-on with the target.

Red wine spilled all down his front, staining the white shirt he had chosen to wear to the party and earning him the ire of his target.

“Would you watch where you’re-” Taking one look at Kakashi, the man cut himself off and immediately changed his demeanour. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize that you were there.”

If Kakashi was a weak-willed man he would find himself easily fooled by the soft tone of voice and the gentle touch of his arm. Thankfully he was trained for this exact situation.

“Sorry,” he laughed awkwardly, wanting his target to lower his guard. “I should have been paying attention. I was just…” His eyes darted down to his phone, a sad look crossing over his face for just a second before he plastered a smile on his face. “Never mind. Are you alright?”

“I’m not the one with red wine spilled down my front,” the target chuckled. “Your shirt is ruined.”

Feeling an arm coming down around his shoulder, Kakashi allowed the other man to turn him around and lead him towards a private table while chatting his ear off about the party and how much effort he had put into making it perfect. Something Kakashi forced himself to smile along with and listen to, even as he kept his eye out for Sasori.

This wasn’t going to be his only attempt, and Kakashi still had information that he needed to get before he could finally take care of the job himself. He just had to keep the man alive long enough to get that information, which meant keeping Sasori from slipping him any poison.

A task that was easier said than done given Sasori’s history.

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

Getting the target to trust him hadn’t taken long at all. For someone good at manipulating others, the man was just as susceptible to his tactics. Or he was just a sucker for a pretty face, and Kakashi didn’t have a pretty face.

Now he just had to get the man to spill the beans about some of the people he worked with.

“It sounds like a lonely job,” toying with the little umbrella in the drink he had been offered, Kakashi kept an eye out for any sign of Sasori. “Do you at least have any friends to keep you company? Or are you one of those people who thinks he doesn’t need friends?”

His target laughed, one arm resting on the seat behind Kakashi. “Friends are a hindrance in my line of work. I prefer to keep people at a length. Emotions are just another factor in the equation of life that I don’t want to have to deal with.”

A line he had heard far too many times over the years, from enemies and allies alike.

“Well, that just sounds like a lonely life to me,” Leaning forward on the table he forced himself not to cringe or lash out when he felt the man’s fingers playing with the edges of his hair. “No one to keep you company.”

“You could keep me company.” The offer is real, though Kakashi knows it would be only for a night if he were to take him up on it. Not that he needs to. He’s so close to getting what he wants.

Which makes it all the more annoying when he sees a familiar head of blazing red hair walking past acting like nothing is going on as he tips something into their target's drink.

Stubborn shit.

Leaning in a little closer to his target, Kakashi notched the charm up by fifty percent and gave him his best smile. “And what would that involve, hmm?” poking the man in the chest playfully, he chuckled when he was rewarded with a soft grunt. “Come on now. I can’t just jump in without knowing what I’m getting myself into.”

With little distance left between them, Kakashi used the distraction to push his target's glass back just a bit. Not knocking it off of the table, but shoving it right to the edge. Hopefully, his target wouldn’t realize and would take care of the rest for him.

“There’s a lot of things that it involves,” the target's smile sent shivers down Kakashi’s spine, though he kept a neutral expression on his face. “It could involve getting to know each other a bit better, some fun activities in private...” he brought a hand up to cup Kakashi’s cheek, cursing when his elbow collided with the glass of whiskey and sent it toppling over onto the ground.

“Oh,” tilting his head, he smiled when the target looked back at him. “I guess I’m not the only clumsy one tonight.”

Somewhere far away he could just imagine Sasori screaming into a napkin and cursing his name, and just that image gave him the strength he needed to keep flirting with the man in front of him.

He was going to get what he wanted no matter how damn hard Sasori tried to stop him.

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

Once he had finally gotten the target to start talking it was smooth sailing ahead. It had only taken a couple of drinks until he was just drunk enough to start talking. Three of which had been poisoned at some point by a very determined Sasori, but Kakashi had found a way to get rid of those ones without being too obvious about what he was trying to do,

It was honestly a little tiring. Trying to save his target’s life when he knew that at the end of the night the man would be dead anyway, regardless of if it was Kakashi or Sasori who killed him.

Just a bit more and he’d have everything that he needed.

“It sounds to me like you don’t get along with this guy too much. Why do you keep working with him if he’s causing you so many problems?” he asked innocently as he stirred his drink with the little umbrella.

“Best dealer in the business,” his target laughed bitterly. “Couldn’t find someone better no matter how hard I tried. And trust me, I’ve tried.”

So close. He could almost taste the successful mission.

Which of course was exactly when an interruption arrived in the form of a hand being slammed down on the table between them and furious brown eyes burrowing holes into his very soul.

“Can I help you?” tilting his head he met Sasori’s gaze head-on. This was not a mission he was willing to fail just because the redhead couldn’t take a hint and leave his target alive for five more minutes.

“You have been hogging the cutest guy in this whole party for the past two hours,’ that was not a response he had been expecting. “I get it, you’re adorable. You have a great smile, but you could at least share his attention.”

A great smile?

Folding his hands together Kakashi rested his chin on top of them and gave Sasori that ‘great smile’ that he had mentioned. “Isn’t there someone else you could bother for the attention your daddy never gave you?”

If looks were as deadly as Sasori’s poisons, he would certainly be dead right now. A well-deserved death of course, since the jab was a lot more personal coming from the son of Konoha Intelligence Division’s White fang. After all, anyone who knew Sasori was more than aware of his father’s death.

A death he had met during a mission gone wrong against the White fang.

“You think you’re all that, don’t you?” Sasori looked like he was ready to pounce, and Kakashi didn’t doubt that if he did there would be a poisoned Kunai in his hand. “You’re not even that good looking. I think he could do better.”

Lies.

He was drop-dead gorgeous.

“It sounds to me like someone’s just jealous he couldn’t catch the cute Guy’s attention. You really should lower your standards a little to match up with what’s achievable for you.”

He’s certain Sasori’s actually about to jump over the table and attack him after that one, but their target places a hand on each of their chests to hold them back. A precautionary measure that wouldn’t stop them if they decided to fight.

“Come on you two, there’s no reason to get nasty,” His words are slurred a little from all of the alcohol he has consumed, and the smile on his face is creepy and almost predatory. Just looking at it makes Kakashi shiver. “You don’t have to fight over me. We could always just share. You’re both very…”

No amount of information was worth hearing that sentence finished. Not that he would get the last bit of information that he wanted thanks to Sasori’s little interruption.

And since there was nothing else to be gained, Kakashi didn’t feel bad about unsheathing his hidden knife and plunging it into the man’s neck at the same time as Sasori.

It was messy, disgusting, definitely drew more attention than he would have liked, and yet oh so satisfying to finally put an end to that aggravating nails on a chalkboard voice.

“You ruined my mission,” He narrowed his eyes towards Sasori, sour that he hadn’t gotten all of the information that he had wanted. “You couldn’t have just waited another five minutes, could you?”

“And let you get a perfect mission while I've been cursing your name for the past two hours every time you managed to dump his drink or get rid of the poisoned donut even though I know you didn’t see me put it there? Not a chance.”

Donut? He hadn’t realized that the donut he had handed off to one of the man’s bodyguards to distract them was poisoned. It was a good thing the man had wrapped it up in a napkin and tucked it away in his pocket for later.

“Well, you got what you wanted,” scanning the area, he growled when he saw that everyone in the room had turned to look at them. “Anyways, congratulations on the kill. Hope your bosses are happy, don’t call me and I won’t call you.”

Planting his hands on the table, Kakashi heaved himself over it and made a run for the nearest window, praying that Rin had been paying attention the whole time and was on her way in to pick him up.

The quicker he got out of here, the less likely he was to have to deal with Sasori’s bruised ego.

[mollymauk-teafleak]

and I’m building it with you

This is an addition to my toymaker Percy fic, done as a Christmas present for my wonderful friend @minky-for-short who is just fantastic and wonderful and deserves the best <3

Please consider leaving a comment on Ao3!

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Percy finds himself on babysitting duty, something he should be far better prepared for than he is...

--------

Having a child in his toy store shouldn’t have made Percy as nervous as it did. He saw so many of them every single day.

On one level he knew that, of course he did. But it didn’t help that this was the child of the woman who he...well.

A woman he was growing rather fond of.

It had been a slow morning when Vex had burst through the doors of his store in the early hours of the morning. Percy had been sitting behind the counter without so much as some sanding to do, scribbling some new concepts in his notebook, when the door had opened so quickly he’d worried the bell would fly off its hook.

Seeing Vex standing there had made his chest feel a little tight but in that good way he was starting to get used to. She did come by most mornings now, midway through after her early shift at the bakery to bring him some pastries that hadn’t sold from the bakery and a coffee. At first it had been to talk about how Raven enjoyed his Winter’s Crest gift, giving feedback on how the little wooden bear moved and functioned. Now it was weeks past Winter’s Crest and Vex was still coming nearly every morning if she worked the right hours. And now they talked about everything and anything that came into their heads, minutes running past nearly completely unnoticed.

Percy wasn’t sure how Vex saw him now, as a friend or as the man behind the counter in a strange little store or anything else. He just knew she brightened his days.

He’d been about to smile and say how lovely it was to see her earlier than usual when he’d noticed just how harried she’d looked, how she’d clearly been going at a frantic pace, the panic and guilt in her eyes. Of course there was always guilt settled in the back of her eyes, like clouds stirring in a slate grey sky, but this morning it had been at the forefront as the story came pouring out.

Being called into work last minute on a day off, Vax and Shaun having left the city to spend a week in Marquet for Shaun’s birthday, no one else available to watch Raven, could Percy maybe, could he possibly, only if it wasn’t too much trouble but she didn’t know where else to go.

Percy had agreed immediately of course, accepting the warm weight of the little boy into his arms. He didn’t need her to say it in so many ways but he understood how important her job was to her, how much she needed the money it brought in. There had been a time in his life when every minute had been counted in coppers too.

And the look of relief on her face when he’d agreed, when he’d promised it was all okay and he’d take care of Raven until her shift ended in a few hours, was worth so much.

But now the door had closed and he was left alone, holding a seven month old boy and, if he was being absolutely honest, no clue at all how to look after one at all.

But how hard could looking after a kid in a toyshop be?

Percy had broken his third pencil in twenty minutes, cracked to splinters in his grip like the first two. He slumped until his forehead hit the counter with a painful thunk.

And still Raven kept wailing at the top of his lungs.

Percy made himself jerk up, pushing back his chair and sinking back down beside Raven’s stroller. The little toddler, this tiny little thing that could make so much gods damn noise, with Vex’s soft, sweet eyes and her dark hair and those enormous ears, thrashed in his puffy winter coat, face red with the effort of his crying.

He’d been like that ever since Vex had left, after one last kiss to his chubby cheeks. He’d watched her round the corner with his enormous dark eyes, and no sooner had the last edge of her scarf disappeared from view than his lower lip began to tremble, his eyes filled and his lungs burst.

An hour later and he still hadn’t stopped. Percy had dangled shiny things in front of him, he’d offered him the bottle Vex had left in his backpack, he’d turned the radio in to try and give him something to listen to but none of it had worked.

“Look,” Percy hissed through a very tense jaw, firmly reminding himself that he could not lose his patience with a baby, “I know this isn’t where you want to be. I know I am no one’s first choice for a babysitter. But I’m what you have, okay?”

Raven just wailed harder, clutching his little wooden bear that Vex had passed on was named Trinket. He held it tight in his pudgy little fists, pulling it close as if in comfort.

Percy exhaled, shoulders slumping, any frustration that had been building draining out of him. He could remember when a little boy with dark hair had clung onto a cloth bird just like that when he’d wanted someone to come and stroke his hair and keep him safe.

“You just miss her, don’t you?” he murmured.

Raven burbled miserably, eyes huge and streaming. Percy shook his head at himself, genly picking him up out of his stroller, settling him on one hip as he walked to the door, turning the sign to closed. They’d barely had a handful of people in the shop all day anyway and clearly this young man required his full attention. And deserved it.

“You seem a curious little chap,” Percy hummed, bouncing him gently to chase away the last of his sniffling, which had petered off as soon as he’d been picked up, “Maybe you’d like to see my workshop?”

Not many people would find the little room he kept at the back of his shop as a comfort. But with no room with his little apartment for the bigger tools he needed for his work, that space had become his little piece of calm. Everything was ordered there, everything in its proper place. He could put his hand on whatever he needed, make beautiful things and solve any problem. Things made sense as long as he had that heavy door closed behind him.

Which was why he’d never invited anyone else in here. But he could make an exception for Raven.

Almost immediately, the little boy seemed entranced. Percy didn’t know if it was the shine of the tools lined up on the wall pegs in their neat marker outlines or the warmth of the old furnace combined with it’s gentle crackling but his hitching shoulders stopped almost immediately. He made a kind of soft humming instead, not unlike the purring of a cat.

Percy smiled, “See? I thought you’d like it in here. You look like a young man who appreciates quiet.”

He took a seat at the workbench, making sure to sweep away any wood shavings with his free hand. He’d been painting the last time he’d sat there just before opening, his case of paint pots was by his elbow, a neat rainbow of colours in their little leather pockets. The carved animals he’d been bringing to life were half done; he’d always intended to come back to them at the end of the day. There was a dragon crouched before them, coiled as if ready to spring, top half in a pale pine and back half in glittering green scales.

Raven’s huge eyes fixed on it immediately, mouth dropping open in awe.

Percy chuckled, “Would you like to watch me finish him off? He looks rather odd like that.”

Raven made a burble that seemed very much in the affirmative so Percy set him in his lap, with Trinket in his little one, and let him lean against the edge of the bench as he selected a brush. He found the pearlescent green he’d been using, back in its proper pocket of course, making sure Raven could see it catch the light as it dripped from the brush.

It really did seem that as long as he had something to look at and someone holding him, the little half elf was perfectly content. He only made the slightest of happy, contented noises as he watched Percy fill in each tiny scale, slowly bringing the dragon from dull pine to colourful life. Before long, he found himself smiling fondly, an emotion he welcomed but couldn’t quite name roiling in his chest at the fact that Raven trusted him so much.

Percy had very clever eyes to go along with his clever hands. Just like he didn’t need to be told that Vex needed to take every shift she was given, he didn’t need to be told that their situation before she’d moved in with her brother and his husband had been less than ideal. It was in the way her eyes darted quickly around the room each time she entered, like she was dramatically mapping it to see how to respond. It was in how tightly she clung to everything that mattered to her, it had been a good handful of visits before she’d let Percy hold Raven. It was in those clouds of guilt and sadness moving behind her beautiful grey eyes, like everything she did, some buried part of her mind questioned. Someone who spoke with another’s voice.

He would recognise those signs a mile off. He saw them in the mirror everyday.

And it leaked onto Raven as well, the same ink stained the both of them. There was a bond between them that was in addition to the one between a mother and a child, something sadder and stranger.

So he was more than touched that Raven settled into his company so easily. He understood what it took.

And Vex’ahlia…

He would take his time. He would do nothing until he was completely and totally sure it was what she wanted. And if that never happened, well, he was happy just to be her friend.

Together, he and Raven painted all of the animals he had left, the dragon got his shining green scales, the lion got his rich honey gold coat, the giraffe got his blotches, the parrot got his rainbow brilliance. Hours must have slipped by in drops of shining colour, with Percy humming to himself and Raven eventually dozing in perfect contentment, neither of them paying the slightest bit of attention.

Because when Vex pushed back the door to the shop, face set in a confused frown as to why the store would be closed in the afternoon, knowing to go straight to the workshop when she didn’t see either of them behind the counter, she came in to find them both asleep. Percy, nodding in his work chair, chin tucked to his chest and Raven curled up tightly in his arms, settled happily and safely.

Vex felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight. Even Vax and Shaun struggled to get Raven to go over, he’d usually refuse for anyone but her. To see his face, soft and gentle in untroubled sleep, held so safe and protected in Percy’s arms brought tears to her eyes before she could stop them.

But maybe that was okay.

She didn’t wake them up right away, enjoying the little scene too much to ruin it. As she leaned in the doorway of the workshop and the gentle smile crossed her face, she felt the same want ache in her chest, the one she’d been feeling for some time now. And she told herself the same thing she had again and again.

Take your time.

[spicykoreantatertots]

With love, from J

Pairing: Jungkook x Female Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Rating: G

Genres: College AU, Roommates to Lovers, Fluffy Fluffy Fluff

Summary:  A beautiful bouquet of peonies are left on your doorstep, the only problem is, you don’t know who they’re from.

Warnings: none! this is just sweet fluff. 

A/N: It’s finally here! This piece is a gift for Ashley aka: @taehyungforreal​! I was honestly stunned when I found out that you were my Secret Admiree! I’ve been such a huge fan of your work for a while now and it’s such an honor to write for you. This is currently a very G rated, but I am toying with the idea of doing a smutty one shot down the line. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who helped me with this fic and encouraged me along the way: @ho-baebae​ @lovely-literati​.

~~~~~~~

Trudging up the stairs to your third floor apartment, you can't help but wonder if the $50 a month discount is worth all the extra effort. Especially when your backpack is full of Thicc text books. But at least tonight you don't have to leave again. It's Roomie Night.

Roomie Night is a tradition started way back when you and Jungkook first started living together. The two of you had been in the same group of friends since Freshman year, but weren't very close. But when it was time to leave the dorm, and both of you needed a place, you ended up together. In an effort to get to know him better, you proposed Roomie Night. Once a week the two of you set aside time to eat dinner and hang out with each other.

The idea worked, because now Jungkook is one of your closest, if not best friend. Tonight, Jungkook is bringing home takeout from the Chinese place you love and you've rented some action thriller that he's been dying to see. Should be a really fun night if you can make it up these stairs.

When you do reach the landing, you spot something outside your front door. Peonies? A whole bouquet of them in a beautiful purple vase. They must be from your mom, it is almost Valentine's day after all.

You unlock the door and pick up the vase to bring inside. Peonies have been your favorite flower since you were a child. You had spent many afternoons with your Grandmother as she tended to her flower garden. She often told you what each flower represented and Peonies represent good fortune and a happy marriage. Two things your Grandmother had, and two things you desperately wanted.

After losing the heavy backpack, you pull the card out of the Peonies. It simply says, "With love, from J.”

"From J?" you muse out loud to yourself. Could it be... Could they be from Jungkook? You had never seriously entertained the idea of dating your roommate. Not because he isn't gorgeous. He is. Not because he isn't sweet and caring. He is. Not because he doesn't have a great sense of humor. He does. Wait a second, so why haven't you considered him an option??

But wait, these just say, "from J." Maybe it isn't Jungkook. You don't call him J, nobody does. So maybe it's from someone else? You snap a picture and send it to another friend of yours, Seokjin. 

You: any idea who these could be from??

Seokjin: are they from Jungkook?? how many times do i have to tell you to get on the Jungkook train Y/N???

Seokjin: theoretically they could be from Jimin, but i'm pretty sure he's got a thing for Taehyung...

Seokjin: wait what's that guy you were flirting with at work??

You: Jackson!! Omg... maybe it was him... he did ask if i had a valentine this year, but i thought he was just making small talk

Seokjin: only one way to find out

You: wait until someone comes forward so i don't have to awkwardly put myself out there :|

Seokjin: right...

~~~~~~~

Jungkook drags himself up the stairs, legs weak from his intense workout. His long dark hair is damp with sweat. Chinese food in hand, he walks through the door to see you texting away at the kitchen counter.

"Hey how's it going?" The soft smile blush on your face confuses him slightly, he wonders who you're texting.

"Oh it's going." Jungkook walks toward you, setting your dinner down on the counter. "Are you going to shower before we eat, I can smell you over the take out." You laugh and he knows you're kidding. He loves the sound of your laugh...

"I'll shower, you can go ahead and eat, I won't be long." Jungkook goes to the bathroom to start the shower before he walks off toward his bedroom down the hall. He's still thinking about who you're texting, who is making you smile like that. It should be him.

As he picks out some clean clothes he can't help but think about how badly he wants to be with you, but he can't bring himself to cross the boundary from friends and roommates to something more.

In the bathroom, the steam is rising from the shower and Jungkook is so ready to get into the hot shower. He opens the cabinet for a towel, but doesn't find any.

"Y/N! Where are all the towels?" Jungkook calls from the bathroom.

"In a basket in my room, I was gonna put them up later!" You call back to him, mouth full of noodles.

Jungkook slips out of the bathroom and moves quickly to your bedroom to grab a towel. He finds the full basket near your desk where he also notices a large bouquet of pink flowers. His heart stops for a second when he reads the card placed next to them.

From J? Who got you those flowers? Valentine's Day is around the corner and Jungkook realizes he might be too late. He may have already missed his chance to be with you.

~~~~~~~

Empty take out cartons litter the coffee table, the credits from the movie are rolling, but you can't move. You're afraid to move even an inch because Jungkook's head is in your lap. He fell asleep before the first explosion even happened. At first he was just resting his head on your shoulder, but in his sleepy state he eventually made it down to your lap.

You gently brush his hair out of his face and you can admire his beauty. God is he beautiful. The way his nose curves, the sharp edge of his jaw line, each of his cute little moles - all handcrafted by God himself.

Your fingers are still absentmindedly stroking through his locks. The motion of it slowly wakes him.

"Hello sleepy head." You smiled down at him. He quickly sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

"So how did it end?" He looks back at you. God how did things change so quickly? Because all you want to do right now is kiss him on his perfect mouth. "The movie? Did they vanquish the evil doers?"

"Oh! Yeah yeah, they all exploded and the hero got back in time for his wedding."

"So all was well." He hums to himself. He'll probably watch the movie again later. He can never stay awake when he eats that much food. "So listen... next week Roomie Night is on Valentine's Day..."

Your stomach twists. Is this it, is he about to ask you out? He looks around the room before looking back at you. All you can do is hope that the blush on your face isn't too obvious in the dim lighting.

"Are you planning to..." He starts, shakes his head, tries again. "Are you gonna have a Valentine this year?" Why would he ask that now if he already bought you flowers, they must not be from him.

~~~~~~~

He reads your face carefully for a reaction. He's put it all on the line, he's got to know who the flowers are from. He waits for you to answer, but the longer you wait the more he realizes you must be trying to find a way to break the news to him.

You must be seeing someone.

"I'm not... expecting anything. If that's what you mean." What do you mean by that? Where did the flowers come from? God he should just ask you. But he can't bring himself to do it.

"Okay, so Roomie Night is on just like always?" He grins, starting to clean up the mess from dinner.

"Just like always." You return his smile, but it doesn't quite meet your eyes. Jungkook is still so unsure about what's going on inside that beautiful mind of yours.

~~~~~~~

Both you and Jungkook have full time course loads and part time jobs, so you don't see each other everyday. You don't really get to see him again until four days after Roomie Night. The two of you are going to be meeting up with your friends for dinner and game night at Namjoon's apartment.

You're waiting, sitting on the couch while Jungkook is getting ready. You're scrolling through your twitter feed when you hear the door open.

Jungkook walks out, shirtless. H-has he always had abs like that? He's towel drying his hair as he walks down the hall to his bedroom. The lean muscles on his back lead down to his slim waist. You hope he didn't notice you staring.

~~~~~~~

Once he's fully dressed and his hair is mostly dry, Jungkook joins you in the living room. He's wearing black jeans and his favorite Nirvana shirt covered by his denim jacket.

"It's pretty nice out for February, wanna just walk?" Jungkook shows you the temperature from his weather app, clear skies and it's almost 60 degrees.

"Sounds good. Got the keys." You respond, getting up from the couch. He watches you grab your coat and open the door, turning the lock from the inside. 

"Let's go!"

The walk to Namjoon's apartment flies by. It's about five blocks away, but the time he spends with you always seems to move too quickly. He could honestly listen to you complain about customers from work all day long. And you listen intently as he talks about the latest album he's listening to. The way you giggle when he tells a dumb joke makes his heart soar.

Your cheeks are rosy from the cool wintery breeze that blows the hair out of your face. Jungkook is pretty sure God is playing a cruel joke on him, or maybe it's just a sign. A sign that you are meant to be his.

~~~~~~~

When you arrive at Namjoon's place, Seokjin is in the kitchen finishing up dinner with the help of Jimin. Taehyung is setting the table and Namjoon is in the living area looking through his extensive collection of board games.

Before too long, the six of you are around the dinner table, Jungkook by your side as always. His energy does feel a little bit different tonight though. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but it does feel like he's looking over at you a lot. And he's laughing at everything you say. And maybe he's sitting a little closer to you than he has to.

After dinner, you help Seokjin wash the dishes while the other boys set up Clue. A classic.

"Okay listen he's totally into you. The flowers have to be from him." Seokjin whispers so that no one can hear him over the sound of the faucet.

"Jin! You can't just say things like that!" You whisper back at him.

"I'm not just saying it! God Y/N! How did you not see the way he was looking at you during dinner?" You look over your shoulder and see Jungkook play fighting with Taehyung. He's smiling, he's happy, and suddenly he's looking back at you.

~~~~~~~

Were you just looking at him? Jungkook lets Taehyung out of his grasp and stares back at you until you turn back to the sink. Taehyung punches Jungkook's arm, regaining his attention.

"What was that all about?" Taehyung glances over at you.

"Nothing." Jungkook tries to shut down his friend's snooping. "I don't know what you're talking about.

"Okay so we're just gonna pretend like you weren't in your own little Y/N-loving world during dinner then?"

"He's right." Jimin chimes in from his seat at the table and that's when Jungkook notices Namjoon is listening too. "You two would be great together, you should just go for it." Jimin continues. Jungkook looks to Namjoon for his thoughts.

"Based on both of your body language, I think there might be something there." Namjoon states matter-of-factly. Jungkook gives one last longing look in your direction before he put Taehyung back in a chokehold.

~~~~~~~

"Alright the game is Clue and to make it a little more interesting we are going to be playing in teams. Me and Jimin, Taehyung and Jin, and Jungkook and Y/N." You look over at Namjoon, but he is busying himself with shuffling the cards.

Throughout the rest of the night, Jin kicks you under the table anytime Jungkook does something that could be even slightly flirtatious. Every laugh, every smile, every secretive whisper in your ear that sends a chill down your spine.

When the two of you decide it's time to Make the Accusation, Jungkook stands dramatically. He looks around the room before proclaiming that it was, in fact, Professor Plum with the Dagger in the Library.

After checking the envelope and announcing your team's victory, you jump up and wrap your arms around Jungkook. He doesn't hesitate to return the hug and judging by the smug look on Seokjin's face, the hug lasted a little too long.

"Good game everyone!" You shout, suddenly embarrassed. "I guess it's getting kind of late, we should get going since we walked." You're now speaking to just Jungkook and he nods in response.

~~~~~~~

The walk back to your shared apartment is a little bit more awkward than Jungkook would have hoped. The temperature has dropped significantly and he can hear your teeth chattering. But your hands are hanging by your side rather than in your pockets. Maybe you want him to grab your hand.

"Do you have work tomorrow night?" He asks you, thinking maybe he'll finally have the courage to ask you out.

"Nope I'm free!" You turn and look up at him slightly, your pace slowing down. Jungkook takes a deep breath.

"Do you maybe wanna..." He starts, but he second guesses himself. Why would a girl like you wanna go out with him when you've clearly already got an admirer. He lets out a frustrated sigh. "Maybe we could study together then?"

"Yeah sure sounds great."

~~~~~~~

You thought that was it, you thought he was going to ask you out, especially after the fun night the two of you had with your friends. The chill of the night is starting to really set in as the two of you approach your apartment. Trying your best to not sound out of breath, you wait for Jungkook to unlock the door.

"What are you waiting for?" Jungkook motions toward the door.

"Well you're the one with the keys." You retort, ready to be inside.

"No! When we left you said you had the keys." You look up at him, confused.

"No... I was asking if you got the keys! So neither of us have keys?" You groan, slapping the palm of your hand against your face. "It's COLD!"

~~~~~~~

Jungkook calls the emergency maintenance line for the apartment complex to have them bring a spare key.

"It'll be about fifteen minutes." He puts his phone back in his pocket. He can see you shivering in the dim lighting of the walkway. After some silence he adds, "I'm sorry."

"It's not totally your fault... I guess." You exhale with a chuckle, music to his ears. You close the distance between the two of you and Jungkook almost gasps when you nuzzle your nose in his jacket.

"It's so cold." Your voice is muffled and he almost can't make out what you said. He wraps his arms around you to try and help warm you up. And this feels so right. You belong in his arms, he's sure of it.

The two of you stand like this for a few minutes, really he wasn't counting, but he does feel you pull away after a while. Before he can be too disappointed, he hears people climbing up the stairs. Your neighbors, Yoongi and Hoseok are coming home from what looks like a shopping trip.

~~~~~~~

"Hey guys." You stuttered behind your chattering teeth. You're feeling the cold all over again after you peeled yourself off of Jungkook.

"What's up?" Yoongi asks, probably wondering what the two of you are doing standing outside in the cold. "Locked out?"

Both you and Jungkook nod in response. Hoseok offers to let the two of you in while you wait for the maintenance man, but you turn him down, he should be here any minute now. Before going into the apartment, Hoseok turns back.

"Have either of you seen a bouquet of Peonies anywhere?" Your stomach turns upside down. "I ordered some for Yoongi, they're his favorite. They were supposedly delivered, but they weren't here when we got home."

"Oh yeah, they were delivered to our door by mistake." You've never been so mortified, especially considering Jungkook is here watching this unfold. "They're my favorite flowers too, so I thought they must be from..." You pause, not wanting to keep that train of thought going.

"See Yoongi! I told you I ordered you flowers!" Hoseok calls into the apartment. Yoongi pokes his head back out.

"I'll bring them over when we get in. Oh but, the card said that they were "from J?" Hoseok blushes in response to your question.

"That's one of my nicknames for him..." Yoongi winks at you before they both retreat to the warmth of their apartment.

~~~~~~~

"So who did you think the flowers were from?" Jungkook teased. He was beyond relieved to know that the flowers weren't actually for you. Relieved that maybe he still had a chance with you. You roll your eyes at him, but Jungkook notices some sadness in them.

Before he gets the chance to say anything else, the maintenance worker comes to let the two of you in. Jungkook watches as you head straight to your room. He lingers in the kitchen, waiting for you to come out with the peonies. 

“So are peonies really your favorite?” Jungkook asks.

“Not another word Jeon.” You announce as you leave the apartment with the bouquet. The flowers are just beginning to wilt, hopefully Yoongi will still like them. In the silence of the apartment, Jungkook decides it’s time you get some peonies that are actually meant for you. 

~~~~~~~

When you come home from class the next day, your ascent to your apartment brings back all the embarrassment from the night before. At least this time you have your keys. 

You are surprised to see that Jungkook beat you home, he’s rummaging around in the pantry for something to eat. Usually he stays late to work out at the rec center after class. Jungkook stops when he hears you enter. 

“Hi.” He says shortly, wearing a big contagious grin. 

“Hi?” You repeat back to him, hanging up your coat and bag near the door. 

“Wait here.” Jungkook saunters off down the hall.

“Okay?” You reply, slightly confused. What is he up to?

From his bedroom, Jungkook emerges with a large bouquet of pale pink peonies. You cover your face with your hands and laugh to yourself. There is no way he went out and bought peonies for you. 

“These are for you.” You uncover your eyes and look up at Jungkook’s radiant smile one more time before looking at the flowers. The petals look so soft and you reach out to touch them. Then you notice a card sticking out. The card says, “With love, from J(ungkook).”

“They’re beautiful.” You try to speak through your laughter. Feeling emboldened by his gesture, you tilt your head up to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Listen... I was thinking. Maybe we should cancel Roomie Night.” Jungkook is blushing, his hand resting back behind his head. “We could call it Date Night instead?”

“Date night?” You smile. “I like the sound of that.”

~~~~~~~

Happy Bouquet Day sweetie! Sorry I posted a bit late in the day, but I hope you enjoyed it! @taehyungforreal​

[ohlawsons]

i played the fool (you played the martyr)

summary: As with everything else between her and Theron, there’s always been a back-and-forth, a push-and-pull, a predictable wobble in their unsteady orbit around each other.  or; Nathema throws some things into question and throws others into sharp focus. Maybe this is a conversation that's long overdue. pairing: Rei/Theron word count: 4659 notes: back on my bullshit with 4k words of chaotic bisexuals

***

Countless things flash through Rei’s mind as Theron falls, but her foremost thought is that she’s glad he’ll be too focused on the pain — if he’s even still conscious — to pay attention to her, because she really doesn’t think he’ll appreciate the things she has planned for Vinn Atrius.

(She recognizes his voice, now, from that first transmission they’d caught back on Odessen, months ago when this had all begun. She’d crushed the holocomm as the message replayed, using the Force to reduce it to mangled metal and a shower of sparks. They were going to find him — the Zakuulan, not Theron; she hadn’t yet acknowledged out loud that Theron was no longer on Odessen — and she’d announced to the war room that she was going to end him in a variety of painful ways.

Lana had been the only one present who hadn’t flinched.)

It’s been nearly six months since Umbara, six months since she’d held back Lana and watched Theron and Zaara walk away. Six months of galaxy-wide broadcasts and half-hearted warnings that she would be bringing him back to Odessen — alive —  and six months of carefully nurtured rage and grief and confusion held tight in her chest, growing and festering until a moment like this, a moment where she has somewhere to focus all of this pain and uncertainty.

But she forces that from her mind, for now. T’sereen kneels beside Theron, and Rei knows the former Jedi will do everything in her power to keep him alive; even as Rei stalks towards Atrius, even as she rips the saber from his hands and reaches out to force him to his knees, she can sense as T’sereen begins healing Theron. It’s enough — just as it will need to be enough when she clinches her hands tight, grasping onto Atrius with the Force and gripping, pulling, tugging.

She wants to take her time. She’s Sith, after all, and she’s furious — hands shaking, eyes alight with a ocher burn, the darker edges of the Force wrenched and shaped through her will alone — and she’s spent so long planning this moment, waiting and wishing and wanting, debating the very best way to express all these months of equal parts bitterness and despair.

But Theron would protest, if he were in any shape to protest rather than out cold on the ground behind her, so instead Rei continues to pull, and with one last effort to expend all her pent up energy there’s release and the sundered halves of Atrius’ armor-clad body clatter to the ground.

She suspects Theron would still protest.

But it doesn’t matter. Lana and Zaara are already rushing past her to the console, but Rei almost can’t find it within herself to care; the grief she’s so studiously built up over the months is gone, and its sudden loss leaves her exhausted and swaying on her feet. She joins T’sereen, stands just behind her and watches as the Jedi works, cursing beneath her breath as her hands move over the wound on Theron’s chest.

“He’ll live,” is all she says at first, before standing without warning and hoisting Theron up with her, beginning to carry him back out of the ruins. “I need to get him back to the med bay on the ship. Go save the galaxy,” she adds, jerking her head towards the console.

Rei watches as they leave, eyes trailing them a moment longer than she knows is necessary; letting out a slow breath, she turns back to where Lana and Zaara are now focused on tearing the systems apart, and Rei lets electricity begin to spark and crackle along her fingertips.

 ***

 She doesn’t leave him alone once they’re back on the ship, maintaining a stubborn watch over him in the medbay even as Lana needles her about putting together an official statement for Odessen and T’sereen shoos her away, fussing over Theron with a combination of kolto and her own Force healing abilities. Andronikos joins her, too, letting Zaara take the helm so he can sit with Rei instead of sleeping.

“For what it’s worth,” he says after T’sereen leaves to get some sleep of her own, “this isn’t as bad as you were after Thanaton. That was…” he pauses, and there’s a ragged edge to the words even after all these years. “You looked a lot worse than this. And you still pulled through, even with those ghosts toying with you.”

Rei doesn’t bother turning from Theron. “The ghosts kept me alive,” she reminds Andronikos, aware her tone has slipped into something akin to a pout; she figures she’s entitled to a bit of pouting, really, given the way things have gone recently.

“Sort of.” Another pause. “We didn’t have a Jedi, either.”

The way he shrugs as he says it — as nonchalant as anything — is enough to pull a tired grin from Rei. She rests her head on his shoulder and stays there, content with just his presence, until he leaves to take the helm again and Lana’s back, asking about statements and the Alliance’s official stance on the incident; she’ll humor Lana, Rei decides, and makes an honest effort to type something up but she can’t focus, not really, not with Theron lying so still before her.

They arrive on Odessen long before Rei can muster up anything substantial, so she passes off the datapad to Lana and follows as Theron is taken to the base’s clinic to be looked over by Yvara and the other doctors. It takes more than one pointed threat to keep them from throwing Rei out of the clinic entirely; she gives them space, at least, and paces at the far end of the room while T’sereen relays details of the injury and the treatment she’d already given.

When Yvara finally gives the all-clear — “He’s stable, but he needs time. Do not let him leave this room when he wakes,” is all she says before leaving — Rei takes up the same post as in the ship; she pulls up a chair and settles in, scrolling aimlessly through a datapad despite her attention remaining fully on Theron.

She hasn’t worked out how to feel, not yet; she’d never fully accepted that Theron was even gone, to begin with — as she’d pointed out in the first broadcast after Umbara, everyone who has ever betrayed her is dead — and a hollow ache settles in her chest whenever she allows herself to consider any similar course of action for dealing with Theron.

It couldn’t be betrayal, then, as she’d told Lana for all those months, even as her remaining spymaster repeatedly showed that all evidence pointed to the contrary — until things had begun to unravel, and hints and messages and breadcrumbs began to reveal themselves.

(Lana had refused to see it, all the way up until Copero, and that’s when Rei realized just how hard Lana was taking the betrayal, as well. There was a bond between her and Theron and Zaara, one that went back to Manaan all those years ago, and Rei knew it wasn’t easy to have that bond broken by them both at once.

But then Raina came waltzing onto Odessen with decrypted messages from Zaara that used a code their team had only used when deep undercover, one that only Raina and Lokin could decrypt and, well, Raina was the only one left living. She knew her wife, Raina insisted with more fire and certainty than Odessen had seen since Umbara, and she knew the messages were deliberate. Zaara and Theron weren’t traitors, not really. Not in the truest since of the word.

But Rei thinks it’s that revelation that hurt Lana the most, learning that she had somehow lost the trust of her two closest friends.)

It doesn’t feel good, being right.

Hope and grief and anger have left a hollowed out pit in her stomach, it seems, from holding on to them so tightly for so long, but it doesn’t matter because it’s over. He’s back. He’s back, and yet something dark still roils within her mind, because once again this careful back-and-forth dance between them has a looming obstacle — like on Rishi, on Yavin, on Ziost — that she’d made the mistake of assuming was over once they’d reunited on Odessen.

It isn’t opposite sides of the war, this time, not really. She would tear down the galaxy for him, collapse the stars and ignite the planets; it’s her way, it’s in her nature, because all she’s ever known is to fight.

But Theron — he would save the galaxy for her, fight until his last breath to hold it together with his own bare hands, if need be; that’s his nature, isn’t it, to stand in the way of a blaster or a saber — or a god — because while he isn’t a Jedi he shares too many of their damnable values, Rei thinks, and hasn’t that always been the problem standing between them?

Maybe they could both learn to be a little less reckless, but that hasn’t ever been in either of their natures.

She watches the steady, shallow rise and fall of his chest, the raw bruising around his implant, the dark circles beneath his eyes; for a moment, equal parts rage and satisfaction bubble up within her at the memory of, quite literally, tearing apart the man responsible, but it’s quickly replaced by guilt that churns uncomfortably within her mind — because while this isn’t her fault, it easily could’ve been. As with everything else between her and Theron, there’s always been a back-and-forth, a push-and-pull, a predictable wobble in their unsteady orbit around each other.

They both act without thinking, they rush forward, spurred on by gut feeling and base emotion. She leave destruction in her wake, and he follows behind to clean up the mess and protect her from the fallout of her own actions. Maybe he would disagree — she knows he would disagree — but Rei can’t help but wonder if this would’ve still happened if she were a little more cautious, a little less brash, someone that Theron could’ve trusted this sort of delicate mission to.

But then, she thinks, quiet fondness causing her lips to curl into a soft grin, he was hardly delicate about the mission, either, given the way he leapt into the heart of the cult.

He’d never asked her to be anything but who she already was — and she could be so much, at times, she knew — and Rei doesn’t think she could ask Theron to change, either.

She knows what she signed up for.

 ***

 He stirs later that night, and Rei immediately has to reach over to keep him from trying to sit up; she suspects that he would’ve given up rather quickly even without her intervention, if the grimace of pain is anything to go by. She sets her datapad aside, one hand reaching for his before she withdraws; unease and uncertainly settles over her and she hesitates, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.

“Ow.” He doesn’t try sitting again, but does turn his head just enough to look in Rei’s direction.

“We’re going to have matching scars now,” she informs him, matter-of-fact, brow raising as she glances over him again; the twisted, gnarled scar tissue that crosses her own torso — a gift from her first fight with Thanaton — is a bit messier than Theron’s will be, she suspects, once it heals enough to be a scar. “Though I think yours will heal better.”

He starts to laugh, but the sound quickly gives way to a sharp intake of breath as his grimace returns. “Glad to hear it. Are we back on Odessen?”

“We are. Are you here to stay?” The question comes out more quickly than Rei had wanted, more callous and point-blank than she’d planned, but she doesn’t take it back; she’s been in the dark for too long, spent too many nights alone with nothing but her uncertainty for company. He owes her this one thing, she thinks, just one answered question to atone for six months of lies and reckless deception.

Theron looks away, just for a moment, a few seconds of silence before he reaches for her; it’s nothing but a hint of motion, just one hand creeping to the edge of the medical bed he’s on, but Rei understands and gingerly takes his hand in one of her own. “Yes,” he says, slowly, just as delicately as the way they cling to each other, “if you’ll have me. All I want is to come back to the Alliance. Here.” A beat of silence. “With you.”

He’s watching her with a careful, reserved gaze, as if he doesn’t expect her to say yes, and somehow that cuts Rei as deeply as when he’d left in the first place. She wonders if it’s the pain or the meds, or if he really believes that she cares so little for him that she would toss him aside.

As if she could.

“Yes, of course,” she says, swallowing back the way his doubt stings and making a show of rolling her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, if you’re not. And if you are—“ she pauses and leans forward, giving his hand the slightest squeeze, “—then take me with you next time.” He starts to argue but she shakes her head; they aren’t ready for this sort of conversation, not now, not when he’s still too weak to even sit up on his own. “Focus on healing, and we can have this fight later. But I want you to know, Theron, that I love you. So completely and deeply that I… I don’t even know how to make sense of it.” She pauses, places a second hand over his; her voice stays steady, but her chest burns with the intensity of the words, the staggering depth of the way she feels about it. About him. With a slow exhale, she forces a carefully measured grin. “Really, it’s cute that you think a little betrayal is enough to get rid of me.”

He says nothing, at first, but his cautious grip on Rei’s hand tightens and she wonders if she didn’t say the wrong thing, opting for a bit of levity to break up the heavy moment. But then he smiles — it’s slow, and hesitant, and almost bitter — and when he speaks his tone is tired. “The last thing I wanted was to push you away. If there had been some other way…” He lets out a slow breath, releases her hand. “I didn’t have a choice. For the Alliance, for you…”

The words trail off again and Rei can tell Theron’s fighting exhaustion — or the meds, or both — so she slides her hand back and stands, grabbing her discarded datapad and clutching it in a grip so tight she worries it’ll crack. “Rest,” she chides, taking a step back; if she doesn’t leave now, she doesn’t know that she’ll be able to leave his side at all. “I’ll get Yvara. And I’ll be waiting — after she clears you and you’re released. No sneaking out of here early.”

That, at least, earns her a tired smile, and she pauses in the doorway and watches as Theron’s eyes flutter shut; all the months of bitterness and uncertainty seem so trivial, now that he’s back, and something like resolve — like certainty — settles warm within her bones and she’s happy, she thinks, for the first time in what feels like years.

 ***

 She doesn’t avoid him, not necessarily, but the next several days pass in a flurry of frantic activity that leave little time for her to visit.

Rei, Lana, and Beywan work to put together an official statement, first in a quiet memo circulated through the Alliance, then to lengthy reports passed to their Imperial and Republic ambassadors; Arcann takes the liberty of smoothing things over with the rest of Zakuul, but when Rei tries to thank him he waves off the attention — something about knowing Theron and Zaara need people on their side.

Zaara, for her part, seems in a better mood than Rei has ever seen her, walking hand in hand with Raina throughout the base. Theron’s recovery has gone well, to the point where Rei knows Yvara has had to threaten — more than once — to cuff Theron to the bed if he continues to try and bargain his way out of the clinic. She wishes she could visit, more than the handful of times she’s dropped by since their return, but she’s hardly had time to even sleep with as busy as she’s been.

After working to convince the rest of the galaxy that Theron and Zaara had been working under Odessen’s orders — something made infinitely easier by the fact that Rei left them alive, in stark contrast to the long list of others who had betrayed her and faced swift retribution — there were the continued attempts from both Empress Acina and Chancellor Rans to sway the Alliance in their favor, as well as the increasingly worrisome rumors that renewed war looms on the horizon, all punctuated by the stream of reports highlighting the galaxy’s worsening resource shortage. Rei doesn’t mind politics, far from it, but even the verbal sparring with Acina and blunt threats towards Rans grow tiresome, these days.

She misses Theron’s official discharge from the clinic, and only learns about it after an impossibly long day spent in meetings and on calls and trying to wrap her mind around the logistics of working enough farmland to feed the entirety of the Alliance; on a different day, she might have stormed through the base to demand answers, to demand the reason that she wasn’t alerted as soon as he was released. But tonight, she’s not in the mood to fight with anyone, so instead she drags her tired feet through the base towards her quarters — their quarters — only to find them empty.

It doesn’t take her long to find him; it’s late enough that Odessen is growing quiet, and by now Rei knows Theron well enough to have a good idea of the handful of places he’ll sneak off to when he needs a moment to himself. She finds him at the back of the base, leaning against the railing of one of the walkways that leads down to the shallow valley where she and Zaara both tend to land their ships. It’s peaceful, down here, tucked away just out of sight of the hanger bay where the Gravestone used to sit.

Rei doesn’t bother to announce her presence. She stands beside him, hands clasped behind her back as she joins him in surveying the valley that sprawls out before them; Theron acknowledges her with a quick glance, but even just that is enough for Rei to see that his movements are still stiff. “Out early on good behavior?” she asks lightly, brow raising as she suppresses a grin.

“Something like that.” His white-knuckled grip on the railing loosens, but the rest of his posture remains rigid, tense. “Guess I just needed some time to get my thoughts together.”

There’s a comfortable silence, then — at least, it’s comfortable enough for Rei, but beside her Theron is still impossibly still; she reaches for one of his hands, steps closer until she’s pressed against his side, warm and solid and real. She isn’t very good at providing comfort, but she can be here, and that’s something. “How did this all even happen?” she asks after a moment, the words more curious than accusatory, eyes locked on their joined hands as her fingers intertwine with his. “How long before Iokath were you scheming?” She tilts her head up, brow raised and lips curled into a mischievous smirk.

“In my defense, things got a little out of hand.”

“Mhmm.”

“An old contact of mine got me some leads,” he says, finally beginning to relax beside her; Rei wonders if it’s her presence or the chance to finally speak freely about it all. “I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but next thing I knew I was staring at a way in with the Order.”

“The mysterious Iokath intel,” she guesses.

He nods. “I knew I could convince you to send a team to investigate, and had to hope the Empire and Republic would do the same.” He pauses, frowning, and when he speaks again he sounds a bit sheepish for the first time. “That’s… when Zaara found out. She’s still got friends in Sith Intelligence, and apparently I didn’t cover my tracks as well as I’d thought. But I wanted to make sure I had something substantial before I turned it over to the rest of the Alliance.” Another pause, this time to glance back out over the valley, and when he speaks again his voice is rough. “There was just too much going on to waste time and people on a dead end, but… guess I didn’t really help with the personnel issues.”

Rei shifts her weight, gives a noncommittal wave of her free hand. “There’s always personnel issues. I’ve been dealing with them since long before Odessen. What about the trap on Iokath?” She doesn’t think she really wants to know, but she needs to, doesn’t she? Maybe it doesn’t matter, but she’s tired of not knowing.

“Zaara’s idea.” The simple statement comes out on a rough sigh, slow but not quite hesitant. “Atrius’ plan — I didn’t know it was him, at the time — was for you to get caught in the crossfire. Zaara pointed out it might look… suspicious, if the Alliance came out so far ahead, and I had just enough time to…” He doesn’t say it, doesn’t admit that he was the one to rig the trap that knocked Rei out cold, but the words still hang between them, unsaid. “Atrius assumed you’d make a run for the weapon and try to secure it for the Alliance, but none of us expected you to get so creative about it. Or lucky.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone at that point?” Again, she’s careful to keep her voice even, not too sharp. Not too frustrated.

Theron’s frustration, however, is plain in his tone. “We didn’t even get to meet Atrius in person until after Iokath, which is when we realized that Gemini droid was in our systems. I couldn’t report it at that point. Not without tipping off the Order.” He pauses, jaw working, eyes focused on something off in the distance. “So we met with him, and he told us about the Adegan crystals and Umbara, and… there was no going back.”

She doesn’t ask for details about Umbara.

“So…” He lets out a long, slow breath, turning back to Rei. “Where do we go from here?”

She tilts her head, considers; it’s been a long day, and a longer evening, but she certainly feels as if she’s gotten the answers she’d needed. “To bed, I’d hope,” she decides, giving the slightest tug on their still-joined hands. “It’s been a very long day and I’m very tired of sleeping alone.”

“Just like that?” His brow furrows and his expression shifts to one that’s not quite suspicious.

Rei frowns, fighting back a yawn. “Would you rather we have a big fight about this?” she deadpans. “What you did was stupid and reckless, but you and I both know I’m the last person who should be criticizing rash decisions.” Exhaustion finally gets the better of her and she yawns before continuing, “I’m tired and I miss you, and I honestly do not care about anything else. I just want to move past it.”

“Just like that.” There’s fondness in his voice, now, and even as Rei tries to lead them back to their quarters, Theron pulls her back towards him into an embrace, but even as he wraps his arms around her he’s gentle, hesitant — and she can’t tell if it’s his injury or his guilt that makes him so cautious, even now. “I’m sorry. For all of this. I’ve missed you, too, and I love you, so much, and…” A catch of his breath, a quiet, shaky laugh. “And I really don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t let me back in.”

She doesn’t respond, not right away, simply content to be held. But then she pulls away, just enough to look up at Theron — at the way he stares at her like she’s the best damn thing to ever happen to him, which isn’t fair, not really, not with the way it makes her heart thrum erratic in her chest even after all this time — and the glib remark she’d had prepared falls unspoken from her lips. “You’re stuck with me,” she says instead, beaming up at him, because it feels right — him, and this moment, and Odessen, all of it.

She would tear the galaxy apart for him, and he would piece it back together for her. And maybe that’s enough, for now.

[kenzieam]

Beauty and the Blackheart - Chapter Three

@jewels2876​​​​  @moonbeambucky​​​  @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​​​​  @iammarylastar​​​​@captstefanbrandt​​​​  @badassbaker​​​​  @pinknerdpanda​​​​  

I know I’m forgetting people, sorry. If you want in, hit me.

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Rating: M

Warnings: Language, general nuttiness, smut

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FEEDBACK IS LIFE, Y’ALL, LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE POSTING OR NOT

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It was too much; his proximity, his scent, the heat he generated and most importantly, the feelings they all sparked in Lev. Ducking and spinning away at the same time, Lev all but launched herself away, her ass smacking against the far counter of the elevated desk.  She gripped the edge behind her and fought to control her breathing, staring at Bucky with a mix of fear and confusion.

What was it about Bucky that twisted her up in knots like this?

Bucky straightened, leaning against the opposite counter with much less urgency. Crossing his feet at the ankles, chains clinking, he folded his arms and regarded her.

“What is your problem?” She stuttered, still not even sure if her heart was racing because she was scared or because she was aroused.

Bucky tilted his head, staring at her with an intensity that made her skin burn. His eyes raked up from her feet to her face and he swallowed.

Although still dressed conservatively compared to her sister-in-law and the women who frequented Blackheart, Lev had made attempts to branch out her wardrobe since she’d started helping out at the shop. She hadn’t worn khakis or a pencil skirt in weeks and while the jeans Nat had urged her to buy when they’d gone shopping a few days before she’d had to leave felt painted on, Nat had only laughed at her and said they were ‘fitted’, cut to show off Lev’s curves, not hide them. Paired with Nat’s knee-high boots and one of Blackheart’s logoed tank-tops, Lev was dressed far more scantily than she ever had before and right now, she felt naked under Bucky’s scrutiny.

Her bare shoulders hadn’t seen the light of day in years, for Christ’s sake and you could even see the swell of the tops of her breasts.

She never showed cleavage. Never. Even her graduation dress had covered up to her neck. Lev wished she had her Blackheart’s hoody to throw on, but it was draped over the chair, at least five feet away.

Bucky licked his lips, then wiped at his mouth with a decadent slowness, as if savouring something. He opened his mouth to speak and Lev felt her control begin to snap.

With a musical tingle, the door to the shop opened and Steve stepped inside, breaking the thick tension in the air. Lev whirled towards him almost dementedly, ridiculously grateful for his distraction.

“Steve! Hey.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Bucky turn to face Steve as well, albeit much more calmly.

“Hi…. Everything alright?” Steve replied, eyes flicking between Bucky and Lev, brow raising in question.

“Never better, brother.” Bucky grunted then, before anyone could speak further, turned and disappeared into his room, the familiar thrash metal filling the air after a moment.

Steve stared after his friend for a beat before returning his focus to Lev. Silently he moved to stand behind the counter and put his hands on his hips.

“Was he bothering you?” There was a faint sadness in his voice, as if he was disappointed and Lev shook her head, deciding a half-truth was better than a full lie.

“No, he just did the most amazing tattoo on this woman, these incredible violets that looked so realistic, and her story…. It was so beautiful and sad. It was a memorial tattoo for her late husband and it just kind of hit me, you know?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah, some of them do…. And Bucky’s really damned talented. It looked like a picture, right? Like you could just reach out and touch them?

Lev nodded back, almost giddy with relief that Steve seemed to have accepted her excuse. The last thing she wanted was to make trouble between lifelong friends. “Uh…” she clamoured for a change of topic. “You’re early but your 3 o’clock appointment mentioned that if you were able to start earlier to give him a call-”

“Sure,” Steve agreed, gifting her with a gentle smile. “I’ll give him a call.” He paused, scratching at his neck. “It’s looking like it’s going to be a slower day, so if you had anything you needed to do, or wanted to get out of here early-”

Lev almost felt guilty at how fast she agreed, but she was so goddamn twisted up inside right now, so fucking confused that she needed space and time to think, to try and sort through her head. “Yeah, sure. That’d be great. I was going to… yeah.”

Snatching her backpack and hoodie, Lev forced herself not to run out the door.

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The music pounded, throbbing through the floor and Lev glanced around, so thoroughly out of her element that it was surreal, like a dream around her.

In the few days since Lev’s strange encounter with Bucky, she’d gone back to invisible with him. Whether Steve said anything she didn’t know, and didn’t have the balls to ask, but Bucky had returned to all but ignoring her. She couldn’t say whether she liked it anymore or not. There had been something, a warmth almost, while under his hypnotizing gaze that was gone again, and Lev was surprised to realize she missed it.

Now, she was wedged into a booth beside her brother, with Steve and Bucky across the table, a steady stream of girls parading by for the two of them to feast their eyes on. Bucky seemed to be dividing his time between paying attention to the girls and glowering at Lev, still not able to believe what for him seemed an outlandish claim, one Lev had let slip at the shop earlier when Clint was still trying to convince her to go with them.

“I’ve never been to a bar before.” Lev confessed, when Clint had commented on her obvious nerves.

“Wait, what?” Apparently, her complete lack of coolness was enough to break Bucky’s indifference to her, and he’d almost dropped the set of clamps he was setting in the autoclave.

Steve stepped closer, peering at her. “Really, Lev? Not once?”

Lev shook her head, regretting saying anything. Bucky’s glare burned like acid at the side of her face.

“I know I could never get you to come with me,” Clint replied. “But you never went once in university?”

Biting her lip, feeling like a thousand different kinds of fool, Lev shook her head again. “I was too busy studying.”

“Jesus,” Bucky grumbled, shutting and securing the autoclave. “Have you ever had any fun?”

Although this was as foreign an experience as Lev had ever had, even more so than her first cadaver class, she made a conscious effort to relax and pay attention to her surroundings. The white wine spritzer she’d ordered sweated in her hand and she’d barely made a dent in it, even though all three men were working their way through their second beer each.

When one of the girls, a willowy brunette, took the opportunity to perch in Bucky’s lap, throwing a covert catty glance at Lev as she did, Lev decided she needed a break.

“Gotta use the bathroom.” She elbowed her twin to move, scooting awkwardly along the seat, feeling like a warthog next to the potential model across from her. Of course, Bucky had to wrap his arm around the bimbo, his fingers toying idly with the bare skin of the woman’s back, and Lev felt an unexpected surge of… jealousy as she gained her feet and moved past the booth.

What the everlasting fuck?

Well, her language had certainly transformed in her time here, she thought bitterly, slamming her hand into the bathroom door a little harder than necessary to make it open, still reeling from the unexpected emotion.

Jealousy, what the hell? Why the hell would she be jealous of one of Bucky’s sluts?

She wasn’t, she decided, jealous that is. She was just sick of Bucky parading his manwhore ways in front of her. She’d treated plenty of gonorrhea and chlamydia in her ER rotation, she knew what Bucky was really flirting with, and when his cock suddenly sprouted oozing blisters, she would do her best not to laugh in his face.

Her business done; Lev studied her reflection in the cracked mirror. She’d never been unhappy with her appearance before, but then again, she’d never really paid attention to it before either. Her hair was a unique auburn shade, that one of her roommates had spent a whole semester trying to match as she moonlighted at a beauty salon, and she’d never encountered anyone else with eyes the same shade as hers, the same electric violet, like trapped galaxies but she didn’t have the confidence or presence of these women, the lady-balls to wear practically nothing and strut around, sure in the knowledge that all eyes were on them.

The tank top she wore now was the most revealing and risqué thing she’d ever worn and it still made her look like a nun compared to some of these girls, Bucky would never look her way with those other options, not that Lev wanted him to, right?

Goddammit, she was no closer to figuring out her feelings towards that man than she had been a week ago; and not being able to think her way through something both pissed her off and terrified her.

Whatever. Sometimes things just needed to sit, the diagnosis would come when it wanted to, not when you wanted it, that much she’d learned as a resident.

As she made her way back towards the table, praying that the girl was gone, Lev’s ears caught her name and she froze. She was close to them, able to see them but was not yet in the boy’s line of sight and they had apparently decided to discuss her in her absence.

“Lev’s cool, she’s trying.” Clint was saying.

“Yeah,” Steve added. “I mean you can tell she’s nervous, but she’s got courage, I’m proud of her; she’s always making herself face new things, ever since she got here-”

“She’s a princess.” Bucky’s voice was flat. “It’s hard to believe you’re even related. Wouldn’t know a good time if it bit her in the ass.”

Clint and Steve’s strident disagreement were lost in the rush of blood through Lev’s ears, the instant heat to her face. Shame boiled hot in her throat and something low in her chest snapped.

I’ll show you. I do too know how to have a good time.

Changing direction, Lev headed straight for the bar and claimed a stool. Glancing to her right, she saw a woman hold up a few bills and order a number of shots and she followed suit, barking out a brusque ‘tequila, shots’ when the bartender looked her way.

As a row of six was placed in front of her, the stool beside her was suddenly occupied and Lev glanced over, seeing an unfamiliar man smiling shyly at her.

You’ll do.

“Tequila?” She offered, gesturing to the line.

His tentative grin widened, and he turned, searching down the bar for something before facing her again, holding a saltshaker and plate of sliced lemons.

“Tequila.” He agreed.

Lev shivered, which was apparently the point, as the man licked a stripe up the side of her throat. Shaking salt at the wet patch, he licked her again then grabbed a shot glass and winked at her, slamming it in one go. The lemon wedge he’d pushed into her mouth bit her tongue with its acid and then he was kissing her, tonguing the wedge and making her head swim. She swayed slightly as he pulled back, proudly displaying the citrus chunk he’d take from her before pulling it out and setting it on the plate.

The first two shots each they’d taken normally, but for the last one, her new drinking buddy had suggested trying using the salt and lemon, and the smirk on his face as he’d described the procedure should have clued Lev into what was coming next.

“Okay,” he grinned widely at her, taking a fresh wedge. “Your turn.” His last words were slightly muffled around the lemon, but the sight made her giggle and, taking a deep breath, she reached for the shaker.

Hesitating only a moment, Lev leaned forwards and the guy obliged, tipping closer and offering his throat. She closed her eyes and ran her tongue along the cord in his neck, tasting hot skin then pulled back, hand shaking only slightly as she dusted him with salt, then licked again.

The tequila burned and she started coughing, but then the guy was grabbing her by the back of her head and yanking her close, capturing her mouth and forcing both his tongue and the lemon wedge into hers. She struggled, overwhelmed and suddenly dizzy as the three rapid shots of tequila hit her virgin body. Sure, she’d drank before, but only small amounts and never Patron.

The guy’s other hand was suddenly climbing her thigh and Lev squirmed, realizing she’d walked into a potentially dangerous situation and was going to have to figure some way out.

Dammit, she wished instantly that she hadn’t left the safety of the table, because while Bucky was an absolute prick to her, at the very least Steve and Clint would have looked out for her. Now, she was trapped and alone, with no idea if her brother was even looking for her yet.

Unexpectedly, her shot-mate was yanked roughly away, crashing against the counter with a garbled squawk.

“What the fuck are you doing?” A deep voice all but roared and Lev wasn’t sure if the question was aimed at her or the guy still flailing against the bar. She peered blearily upwards, heart sinking when she recognized her nemesis himself towering over her, glowering impressively even for him.

Bucky reached for her, face still twisted with fury and Lev flung her arms out, her tequila-soaked brain slow on the uptake and in no control whatsoever over her limbs. Whether she was trying to ward Bucky away or keep from losing her balance and tumbling over was impossible to say but her hand suddenly connected with his cheek in a sharp backhand.

Bucky’s head snapped to the side, the sound of striking flesh loud in Lev’s buzzing ears. He staggered slightly, either in surprise or from the force of Lev’s hit then turned storm-cloud eyes her way, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth were in danger of shattering.

“Hey- wha da fuck?” The guy he’d pushed away had found his voice, stumbling to his feet, reaching to pull Lev away from Bucky like some favored toy and Bucky exploded at him with an inhuman snarl, fist connecting with the man’s face, throwing him back again. Dimly Lev registered blood flying in a rather interesting arc as the man flew and then her arm was on fire as Bucky dragged her away, literally dragged her, towards the door.

Lev struggled and fought, fists striking Bucky’s torso and arms and maybe even his head as they hit the sidewalk, finally gaining her feet, fury beginning to roar in her veins. She wrenched herself out of his grip a few dozen feet down the sidewalk then whirled to really let Bucky have it when a sudden wave hit her, and she staggered, reaching blindly for support. The railing of a wheelchair ramp hit her hard in the belly and she folded over it as she opened her mouth, letting the tsunami of vomit boiling up her throat escape, flinching as it splashed wetly in the dark. Another wave hit her and she wretched again, gagging and then a hand touched her, soft and gentle, gathering up her hair at the nape of her neck to pull it away from her mess.

Clint, her heart sighed with relief. Her brother was here at last, saving her.

She groaned as the fierce pangs ceased, leaning heavily over the railing, all her strength gone. An arm snaked between her body and the metal, carefully pulling her back upright and Lev swayed, staggering a step to collapse against her brother and tuck into his chest, clawing at his shirt to draw closer with relief, tears threatening then lifted her head to focus on Clint, wiping at her mouth before she thanked him.

Bucky gazed down at her, brow drawn. Faint red showed on his cheek where she’d hit him, but he didn’t look mad anymore, he looked…. concerned.

“Are you alright, doll?” He rumbled. “Did that fuck hurt you?”

A riot of emotions crashed through Lev and, even sober, she wouldn’t have been able to make sense of them and react appropriately.

“Did he hurt me?” She sputtered, absolutely gobsmacked. She slammed her hands against Bucky’s chest and staggered away; pushing away his arms as they reached for her again, to either pull her back to him or at least steady her. “He didn’t hurt me at all, it was you!!”

Had this man not just been a raging beast, punching a man in the face and dragging her away from the bar like some sort of caveman? Where was this sudden gentle concern coming from? Why the hell had he risked touching her while she was sick, gathering her hair back like he had? It was a strangely considerate, intimate thing to do, especially when you despised the person.

Bucky flinched, as if she’d physically hit him and her mind noted hazily how he’d reacted more to her words than either of her strikes. He stepped closer, still reaching for her and Lev smacked his hands away furiously, throwing up a finger accusingly. Her mind was a chaotic, screaming mess; adrenaline coursing painfully through her veins and a detached, clinical part of her mind noted how much she probably resembled the patients she usually treated on wild Friday nights.

“It’s you!” Her voice was almost a shriek now, tears falling freely down her blotchy cheeks. “You’re the one that grabbed me! You’re the one who’s treated me like shit right from the first time I met you! What did I ever do to you? You look at me like I’m dogshit, you IGNORE me! I’m not a princess, I DO know how to have a good time!!”

Bucky’s face went instantly pale and he froze, eyes full of regret. She’d heard him, he realized, that’s why she’d ran to the bar, put herself in danger the way she had, she’d heard him say those hateful things.

Lev stumbled, ankle bending sharply, and fell to one knee with a cry, hands slamming onto the sidewalk. A pained groan spilled from her lips and she collapsed to sit on the curb, burying her face in her hands, rapidly sinking into misery.

A deep, unsteady sigh hit her ears as she registered a heavy form drop beside her, one of Bucky’s wide shoulders bumping against hers as he did. Lev scooted away, glaring briefly at him before dropping her gaze again, struggling to rein in her tears. The only thing that would make this night worse would be if she continued to cry with Bucky seated so close to her.

She tensed to stand, not sure if she was going to try and stumble through the parking lot, searching for Clint’s truck, start just walking, or turn and storm back into the bar and drag her brother out.

“Wait,” Bucky choked, reaching for her but not touching. Something in his voice made her pause and she glanced cautiously back towards him, sniffling, her bottom lip trembling. He sighed unsteadily and dared a glance up at Lev’s face, wincing at the pain and mistrust there.

Lev waited, in truth too dizzy to leap to her feet like she wanted to but also curious as to just what this man could possibly have to say, what was making him look like he himself might start crying.

“I’m sorry.” He finally whispered; eyes lowered. “You’re right, I’ve hurt you and I’m-” he swallowed and, when he spoke again, his voice was lower still and resigned. “I wish to God I’d done different.”

“Like how?”

His eyes flicked to hers, a tiny spark of hope there. He drew in a breath, seeming to search for the right words but then a bellow broke between them.

“Where the hell have you been?!” Clint yelled, storming towards them. He looked genuinely angry, almost violently crossing his arms over his chest and planting his feet, glaring between Lev and Bucky. Steve was right behind him, frowning and his glare seemed to darken as he took in the scene, eyes flicking from Bucky to Lev and back.

Lev stumbled for an explanation and Clint lost patience, reaching for her arm with a huff, but pulling her gently to her feet when she squeaked.

He peered at her, pushing her hair off her forehead and winced. “You puked.”

Lev nodded tiredly. “I just want to go.”

“’Kay.” Clint muttered, glaring momentarily at Bucky again before turning his back to him and ignoring him fully. “Come on, little sister. Steve?”

“Yeah, I’ll take him.” Steve answered, slapping a hand on Bucky’s shoulder when he moved to follow Lev, fixing him with a glare, silently telling him to back the fuck off then pulled his cell phone out to call an Uber.

Lev stayed quiet on the ride home, mind whirling and twisting around itself. She’d finally burst, finally let out the hurt and frustration Bucky’s treatment of her had fostered and, rather than reacting with his usual scorn or indifference, he’d looked chagrined and…. sorrowful, like this was one of his great shames.

Now she was hella confused.

This would have been the perfect opportunity for him to lay it all out, shut her down completely with only a few well-chosen words and instead…. he’d looked like he was about to cry himself. And he’d said he was sorry. For what? His treatment of her just now in the bar, or ever since they’d met?

Clint turned into his driveway and put the truck into park, turning it off but not exiting. The silence built between them, squeezing Lev’s chest.

She caught Clint glancing worriedly at her, hands clenching and unclenching on the steering wheel as he fought with himself, obviously wanting to ask but hesitating and Lev felt a rush of sympathy.

She’d messed everything up, her coming here had triggered something in Bucky and now her brother felt like he had to choose between her and one of his best friends.

She needed to leave. Nat wasn’t back yet, and they would now be short a runner at the shop, but they’d manage.

“Did he-” Clint sounded so torn that Lev almost started crying again.

“No,” she rushed to reassure him. “I was stupid, started doing shots at the bar with some random guy and he got handsy. Bucky stopped him and then I got sick and started puking.” Again, a half-truth rather than a whole lie.

Clint studied her. He was no dummy, for all his wild ways he was a smart guy and he was as capable of connecting the dots as anyone else. “You heard him, at the table, didn’t you?”

Lev shrugged, fighting fresh tears. “It’s true-”

“Lev-”

“I don’t know how to have a good time; I’ve wasted so much time.”

“Hey.” Clint’s voice was sharp, pulling her attention to him. He glanced outside before glaring back at her. “You have not wasted time; you have been working your ass off and making something of yourself. You’re a doctor, Lev. Do you have any idea how proud I am of you? I’m the one who’s wasting my life-”

“No!” Lev sobbed, reaching over and grabbing at Clint’s arm. “You have your own business. You’re a fucking talented artist, don’t you dare say you’ve wasted anything!”

Their mutual outbursts seemed to have cut the tension and, despite the tears still running down her face, Lev felt like she could breathe again.

Clint swiped at his cheek, then chuckled wetly, glancing at Lev. “Did you really just say ‘fuck’?”

“You’re a bad influence.” Lev mumbled, forcing a smile, eyes boring into her brother’s, desperate to convey her sincerity. For all his free-spiritedness, Clint was Lev’s rock and to hear him doubt himself was one of the scariest things she’d ever heard. “But seriously…. You have not wasted your life. Clint, you are amazing, alright? You are a master tattooist with your own business and people love you. I… just wish I knew how to… go with it like you do.”

Clint snorted quietly. “And sometimes I wish I could buckle down like you.” His hand reached to her, the back of his fingers brushing her tears away. “Seriously, little sis; I brag about you all the time, I am so fucking proud of you and the way Bucky is acting-”

“That’s my fault.” Lev broke in. “And the best thing I can do is go home and let everything calm back down.”

Clint looked at her, sorrow bright in his eyes. He hated to hear it, hated the fact that two of the most important people in his life couldn’t seem to co-exist peacefully, but Lev was right.

Still, that didn’t mean he had to like it, or needed to speak more about it tonight.

“C’mon. Let’s go in the house, get some sleep; we’ll talk more in the morning.”

[selfships-in-spanish]

That spy post gave me WAY too many ideas: I can picture either a scenario in which Connor is a government agent who's chasing superspy/master thief Ona around the world a lá Carmen Sandiego, where she's constantly evading his grasp, or that Connor and Ona are rival spies for different governments who keep meeting and flirting with each other on-mission before being separated yet again - Simon-Data Anon

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH 

SIMON-DATA NON I MISSED YOU MY DARLING ❤❤❤ So glad to have you back in my inbox!!! Fgjdldfgkd I love your ideas so much omg. 

The first scenario is just so *chef kiss*

Just imagine Connor chasing after her, this woman who is one of the most famous thieves alive, who always escapes his grasp and even toys with him, but in a way he sees what she is doing, stealing from Cyberlife (and Connor was not stupid himself, he knew Cyberlife had powerful items and did shady things) but not for own gain or profit, but to return items to their rightful owners. She’s some kind of modern Robin Hood.

They found themselves trapped in one of Cyberlife facilities one time, having to work together in order to make it out alive and unscratched. Connor had various cases going on at the same time, and the Cyberlife one had a new lead he got to follow. Needless to say it got dangerous, but working with her came surprisingly easy, even enjoyed it and had fun despite of almost dying. He felt alive.

“It was fun playing with you today, agent Stern. We should stop meeting each other like this, don’t you agree?”

Connor sometimes finds himself daydreaming about fluffy white hair and a playful smile disappearing into the night as beautiful olive-green eyes wink at him.

BUT DUDE THE IDEA OF BOTH BEING SPIES??? YES????? 

All the rivalry between them, who’s the better spy, the better agent... (please something along The Man From Uncle with Napoleon and Illya, just roasting the other but not being able to leave the other to their fortune when they get in a situation).

Please we need a scene of Connor and Ona having to work together towards a same goal, infiltrating a high end party or something and Ona has to seduce a target in order to get intel, all while Connor slips into private aisles of the mansion where the party is held to gather evidence and intel of his own... but he didn’t count on Ona looking absolutely amazing in that beautiful and jaw-dropping dress. He needs a moment. Several, in fact, as well as a double bourbon shot because his throat is suddenly too dry and parched at the sight of her entering the room, her honey skin and freckles showing in what the slit of the dress allows Connor to see and–

“You may want to close your mouth before you ruin your beautiful suit with drool, cariño.”

Connor instantly closed his mouth, clearing his throat as if he hadn’t been absolutely bewitched by the sight. He ventured a quick look down as Ona sat next to him on the barstool, her movements oozing elegance and finesse as if she had been born with a silver spoon. That peek of her leg made Connor seriously consider to loosen his tie and pop open the first button of his shirt.

Ona ordered a Gin and Tonic, delighted to see they put her favourite pink tonic. Connor didn’t want to admit he shoot daggers to the barman winking at her as he delivered her drink. Connor decided he should keep his eyes up and not let himself venture down at all costs. He looked down again. Damn it. Her giggle made him look directly into her eyes, finding them full of mirth and mischief.

“It never gets old.” Ona took a sip of her drink, humming delighted at it. “So, any visual on the target?” She looked around discreetly while leaning in a little bit as she took another sip of her drink, Connor mimicking her.

“Behind us, the table on the left. It seems you may have some competition, honey.” Their target was occupied by already two beautiful women fanning over her. Ona arched her brow, licking her lips in anticipation. She enjoyed a challenge. Connor followed the movements of her tongue.

“That won’t be a problem. In fact, you’re gonna be part of the plan, so play along, darling.”

“Play along–?”

Ona grabbed Connor’s hand, putting it on her thigh. Connor’s hand instinctively twitched, the realisation of what her plan was dawning on him.

“Oh.”

Connor had to admit she was an impressive actress. Their target looked over the commotion, over Ona’s loud gasp and slap across his face. The sting made him think it was payback for that time in Rome when–

Oh, she was good. She stormed off with a “you men are disgusting”, grabbing her drink and purse and walking away from him to another seat, making sure the target was aware of the show and followed Ona with her eyes. Connor rubbed his cheek, the sting clearing his head. The barman from before came over him, handing another bourbon.

“She looks feisty huh. Better luck next time, man.”

Connor frowned, not liking the thought of this man being one of those who overstepped boundaries, but thanked him for the drink, agreeing as he had to maintain his role of “male with wounded pride”. He turned around just in time to see the target walking over where Ona was another cocktail in hand, crossing her long legs clad in an expensive looking suit and perfectly polished shoes.

Ona’s comm came alive in Connor’s ear.

“Are you alright? I couldn’t help but notice what happened before. Here, on the house.” 

“Oh! How thoughtful of you. But yes, I am thank you. Men, right?” Ona played perfectly her role. She made sure their target had her attention solely on Ona, letting the mob boss get cosy with her.

“Oh darling, I know. Men are the worst.” The mob boss put an arm behind the couch they were in, getting closer to Ona. She played coy, letting herself be seduced, not knowing in the slightest she was the one being seduced.

Connor stood up when a certain piece of information was brought up, smirking as Ona pulled it out of the woman’s lips without effort. He knew where he had to go, and new Ona would entertain the target long enough for him to slip through security, find their prize and get out without anyone noticing anything.

He froze mid step when he heard the mob boss suggest her and Ona going somewhere more privately, specifically her rooms Where Connor was. He was going to murder her after they got out of that place.

(Needless to say the image of Ona’s lipstick smeared would be in his dreams for quite a little bit of time)

[dragonstoravens]

Babylon Vol. 1: Freeze Frame, Little Victories, Handled

[ID: a blue patterned banner with text reading “BABYLON.” End ID.]

(Ok this one’s a LONG one, I’ll admit it! But these three chapters-- one Big Boy and two much shorter epilogues-- really go together very well, I didn’t want to separate them. This is one of my favorite parts of book one honestly, so I hope you guys enjoy it too.)

CW: Panic attack

8. Freeze Frame

    There wasn’t really any reason for it, it had just been a very long day. A very long day punctuated, of course, by yet another endless fancy dress event, one Trinity needed out of right now. The problem being that he wasn’t alone at this event. He was used to being the brooding wallflower, the kind of man who was noticed when he needed to be, but who no one would notice if he slipped away. Having Azzy there, even though they’d been to several events together by this point, was a very slight change to his usual strategy that made everything just a touch more difficult. Which meant that, right now, it made everything seem pretty much impossible. Trinity wondered if Azzy had noticed how long it had been since he moved his eyes. Or took a breath. He wasn’t sure himself, and if that awareness was slipping it was really time to go. He couldn’t do this in front of her. 

    “I’ll be right back, dear. Restroom,” he murmured to her, hoping those were the actual words that came out of his mouth. He felt a bit like he was staring at the back of his own head, or watching a vaguely interesting silent film from the back of a drive in theater. He walked away without waiting for a response-- it wasn’t as if he’d hear it, anyway-- making a conscious effort to swing his arms in opposition to his legs as he walked. In his head, he slowly began listing prime numbers, with just enough forethought to pull away from the comm link beforehand. 1. 2. 3. 5. 7. 11. 13? 13. A bead of sweat formed on his temple and rolled slowly down his face. He knew a spot that would be deserted at this time. 17. 19. 23. He turned the corner, and disappeared out of sight from the main ballroom.

    Trinity had left all too quickly. Azure wasn’t used to the crowds quite yet, but something in the urgency with which he left concerned her. The comm had been giving her something like static before it turned off entirely, and he almost never turned that off unless he had to. He liked to know when she was getting nervous. Was the link malfunctioning? She was here, alone, and she didn’t even know where he went. Before she could begin mentally mapping the ballroom out to figure out where the bathrooms even were around here, someone in an all-too-boring suit and his date in a tacky, glittery number walked up. She blinked, plastering a smile on her face. 

    “And to what do I owe the pleasure, Mister…?”

    “Please, just call me James. Where is Trinity? I just saw him around here a minute ago, then he disappeared!” Whoever he was, he seemed friendly. Even if his date was sizing her up something fierce. She ran through her last few events, looking for a James in there somewhere to remember. Maybe she should start sticking around for the tax talk. Oh! This was the one from the security agency. She could field that without fucking it up, he’d mentioned it before. She just had to be really noncommittal. Pretend like she knew anything. That’s how Trinity said he used to do it as a teenager.

    “Trinity’s currently takin’ care of something elsewhere, I’m sure you understand.” She picked her words carefully. “He should be back in a moment, but these things are always so busy, hardly any time to actually get from A to B without some stops in between.” She tried to remember the way Trinity danced his way through small talk to get to the heart of these issues faster. She’d never understood how he did it, but she’d have to try. She tested the comm and got nothing back. “Honestly, I’m sure the borin’ work things can wait until you see him next time. Please, go enjoy yourselves! I’ll gladly let him know y’all came to see him, he’ll be sorry he missed ya.”

    That evasion seemed polite enough for the two of them, as they gave their sincere apologies for not getting to him before he left and went on their merry way. She gave a big exhale, some small sparks shaking off her hands. She shouldn’t stay in one spot or it’d happen again, and this brand of over-polite and accommodating was not her base setting. If she was too formal for too long, she was almost certain she’d begin to chafe. She began a beeline for the refreshments table, eyes always looking out for her date, the stubborn line of her jaw covering for an increasing amount of concern for him. 

    Her shoulder brushed against someone, jostling her from her thoughts slightly. She really only saw a pristine suit and a hand covered in rings. No, that wasn’t something she could handle right now. Too rich for her blood, and literally.

    “Excuse me, my apologies-” was all she offered, continuing on her way. By the time she reached the table, full of wine glasses, she realized too late she’d been followed. But not by the person she’d bumped into. She plastered another smile to her face, picking up a glass and masking her urge to wrinkle her nose at the smell of the wine. She recognized this one: Usually she was with her boy-toy of the week, but today she was alone.

    “Denicia, to what do I owe the pleasure? Where’s that darlin’ blond of yours, or have you broken another young man’s heart within the last week?” She punctuated the sentence with a laugh, making sure it was clear she was telling a joke. Internally, she cringed. She wished Trinity was with her, this was where he’d let out a big breath and quietly note some disheveled detail to pick on to make her leave. She didn’t have the eye for it, nor the vocabulary to really properly pull off that particular exit. That was really more Crim’s thing. Which meant she was stuck.

    “I was about to ask you the same thing, I’ve looked for him everywhere and I simply can’t imagine you’d cut him loose as quickly as I cut mine, Camilla.” The woman gave a smile full of teeth and Azzy wondered if they were fake or if she just had that big of a mouth. No soft chuckle and joke in return. The silence in the comm made her lonely, but she pushed it aside.

    “Oh he’s around. Probably drawin’ up a contract somewhere, you know how he is, always work, no play.” She affected her best pout. This was her least favorite face to put on, the spoiled and slighted lover. If anyone looked at her hands, calloused and scarred, they’d know she was bullshitting, without a doubt, but these people simply weren’t observant or ballsy enough to try and call her on it, and somehow that was worse. 

    “You poor dear, he’ll come around soon I’m sure. Inboxes don’t stay full forever when that’s the pace you work at.” Denicia patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. “I suppose I won’t bother you with my business then, you’ve got a man to locate before he forgets you’re here. Good luck dear!” and with that she whirled around to disappear into the crowd again, leaving behind a thick floral perfume that made Azure gag. She shook out more sparks and gave a long sigh. She had no idea how Trinity had done this on his own for so long. She looked around to see if anyone was watching too closely, and finished her drink in a single gulp. Then she turned, bumping into another someone with way too many rings.

“Oop, my bad, excuse me!”, she offered a small curtsy and continued on her way, beginning her hunt for Trinity anew, wherever he was. A piercing gaze followed her, but with so many sets of eyes on her already, what was one more? She was so, so close to the bathrooms when a man exited. He recognized her, and plodded in her direction. She wanted to groan.

    She knew this one too.

    “Camilla! Powdering your nose I assume? The lady always looks ravishing, I can assure you that from where I’m standing you don’t need to.”

    “Great to see you, Mister Phineas.” She gave a coy smile, keeping an eye on the doors behind him, mentally cataloguing anyone entering and exiting. She prayed Trinity would save her from this one. “Has your evenin’ been kind to you? You seemed to be spinnin’ one helluva yarn when I passed by earlier.”

    Mister Phineas gave a deep belly laugh, and she narrowly kept her smile on well enough to avoid wincing. God, he was so loud. Trinity hadn’t left the bathroom yet, and she wasn’t sure he���d leave her hanging out here if he knew it was Phineas she’d been cornered by.

    “Ah Camilla, that’s more a story for your lad Trinity! Something for us men to share.” He patted her shoulder, and she threw up in her mouth a little. “Where is the boy anyway? I haven’t seen him since the two of you entered.”

    She wanted desperately to just leave. Tell him to fuck off, turn heel and go. He was useless to Trinity by the man’s own admission anyway so a tiny little shock really wouldn’t hurt him too much, with all the insulation he had. Instead of any of that though, she tittered. No point in being violent because someone’s annoying, that would be unladylike at best and evil at worst; her whole reason to be here was making things easier for Trinity. “He’s indisposed, handlin’ some affairs he said just couldn’t wait a minute longer. Shall I pass somethin’ along? I’ve got no idea when he’ll be back around.” She tapped at the comm one more time. Nothing. Ugh.

    “Oh, poor form, leaving a pretty thing like you to wander a wolf’s den like this.” For once she thought maybe Phineas had a point, but she’d never admit that. “I’ll handle my business with him myself, would hate to make you work harder than you need to.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it and she smiled, while internally screaming. He waved and off he went, and she fought the urge to wipe the slime his mouth left on her hand off onto her dress. She looked around.

    Trinity still hadn’t returned. She couldn’t reach him in the comm, and in the minute or so she’d kept an eye on the men’s room, he hadn’t entered or exited. At least out in this hall, she could get a feel for the size of the building. It wasn’t huge, just fancy with a lot of gardens. Trinity wouldn’t leave the building she didn’t think, not if she was going to be stuck here. That left a few stairwell corners and some alcoves she already knew were full of the sort of illicit rendezvous Trinity wasn’t really inclined to. She exited the hall with the bathrooms, knowing full well that’s where the alcoves were and not the stairwells. She took a deep breath and entered the throng, smiling and waving where her attention was drawn but not stopping to converse. Crimson’s voice rang in her head: “If you look purposeful enough, anyone with sense will get out of your way, and anyone without sense should follow suit.”

    So through the crowd she strode, head high, step as sure as she could fake it, a wake of static left behind her every step as she tried to quell her rising concern for Trinity’s well being. Her face was set as neutrally as she could manage, knowing her default was an expression of stubborn irritation. To others, she was a woman on a mission. To herself, she was mentally planning every step she took, desperately praying she’d see him pop up in the corners of her vision.

    She was almost to the set of hallways on the other side of the room when, in her desperate focus to Get To The Other Side Of The Room, she barely registered the bejeweled hand on her shoulder. Internally, she sighed. Externally, she carefully took the hand off her shoulder, barely sparing a long enough glance to be heard. “I’m very sorry sir, I’ve got somethin’ urgent to attend to.”

    “Urgent?” The man lifted a perfect dark eyebrow in a bone-pale and starkly handsome face, and pulled his hand back slowly from where it had been draped in the air after she’d removed it from her person. The nails were painted blood red, and gold and silver rings glinted in the light. His voice was far more polite than any of the others she’d talked to, soft and smooth as silk, but she still really didn’t have time for that. 

    Did I fuckin’ stutter, sir?   

    A slight static from the comm answered her unspoken question, then nothing. 

    “I’m afraid so. I assure you,” she tossed over her shoulder and began walking away, more static in her wake. “I’m a horrible liar.”

    He only blinked. “I believe you.” The words were quiet, but followed her down the hall anyhow. He turned with a flash of purple-- was that a purple velvet suit, really?-- and was out of sight, finally. She fought the urge to stick her tongue out or give a loud sigh or do something, anything to vent the frustration she felt at being stopped again, but she managed to keep it together. She wandered the thinning crowds in the hallway, ascending a set of stairs with purpose to a floor that seemed almost deserted.

    “Trinity?” She called softly, not wanting to alert anyone to his disappearance. If he wasn’t here, she’d look like a crazy person, and she already had enough of that. She stayed quiet and listened over the din of the event downstairs. She didn’t hear anything, but there was a slight shadow down one of the empty hallways, unmoving, but vaguely human shaped. She strode towards the shape, slowing as she went. 

    “Trinity?” she called softly from a few feet away.

    It was him, she could see as she approached. He stood, leaning against the wall in the deserted hallway, perfectly still and unmoving. He didn’t even seem to be breathing. His face was expressionless, gaze vaguely fixed at a point across the hall where the wall met the floor, eyes frozen in place. He hadn’t blinked since she’d been watching him, and her eyes started to water in sympathy. He didn’t react to her presence. After a long moment, he blinked. The movement began and ended in only his eyelids.

    She stopped only a few feet from him, just outside his periphery. She reached a hand out, hesitant. She had no idea what was going on, he’d completely shut her out this whole time. No warning, just silence. If she was honest, she’d been pushing the thought that maybe she’d messed up somehow away all night. But she couldn’t find what she’d done, and it wasn’t like Trinity to give a punishment like the silent treatment. He’d call in a drone strike, or something. Ruin her credit score. Tease her mercilessly until she apologized. She turned off the cybernetics in her arm, reaching for his shoulder.  

    “Terra to Trinity, pagin’ Hotshot. We need you back here on the ground, buddy.” Her voice came out softer than she’d known it could ever be. He was so still. She frowned, glancing around them. No one. He was certainly good at finding hiding spots. She moved into his line of sight. “Trinity, what’s goin’ on?”

    As she got close to him, she could see why it looked like he wasn’t breathing. He was taking incredibly shallow breaths, so much so that his chest and mouth didn’t move at all, and the breaths were coming far faster than was healthy. He didn’t respond to her voice or even to her touch except to blink again— the only hint that any stimulus was reaching him. She’d never seen him do anything even close to this before, he was always so well put together she’d begun to think he was a robot designed exclusively to chat easily with the rich and powerful. She couldn’t piece together what the hell was going on. Was he having a seizure? It didn’t look quite like the ones she’d seen Cadet have, but maybe there were more kinds. Or maybe it was something else. Had something happened to him? She wouldn’t know until either he could talk or passed out, and who knew when that would be. If he was having a seizure she’d know soon enough, and then maybe she’d be able to help. But in the meantime?

    She plopped onto the ground, back resting against the wall as she stretched out to lounge right there on the floor. Her arm was pressed lightly but firmly against his leg. Something to anchor himself to, if he needed to for some reason. She gave an exaggerated yawn. 

    “Yeah I don’t blame you for bein’ quiet, this is stressful. I was downstairs on my own for a fraction of what you usually deal with and I’m already done with it.” She spoke as though he was going to respond, giving his silence some time to fill the air in response. “I ran into Phineas and he left some of his mouth slime on my hand. I think he got….rounder.” She puffed her cheeks out and made a noise one would attribute to a Large Formless Blob. “I think it’s all the shit he talks, he’s swallowing some. The methane’s inflating him AND his ego.”

    She chanced a look up at him before she continued. “I think that probably he’s the worst. He’s just so damn loud. It’s nicer up here. Quiet and you can actually breathe a little without catching someone’s four thousand credit perfume in your mouth. Have you noticed how overdone the smells are? I was thinking about makin’ a little particle-incineratin’ barrier for my nose just to come to these things without havin’ to leave with a headache.”

     A slightly louder inhale and exhale this time. Maybe something… or maybe not. Still, his chest moved a little with the breath, just the slightest twitch. He blinked. She grinned and continued in her lounging, gesturing dramatically. “I mean, how many innocent flowers died in the making of that migraine? How much you wanna bet they don’t even like the smell themselves? It’s the luxury of it all. Poor posies never imagined it would end like that, slathered on a high-falutin’ neck for the drama.” She was trying to be funny, in the hopes he’d maybe smile. She also tried to keep her voice low enough that only he could hear her, even from her ridiculous position splayed out on the floor. She made an attempt at keeping a cadence to her inflection as well. Something easy to follow, soothing.

    His head made a robotic movement, up and down almost imperceptibly as if mimicking the idea of a nod. It seemed like more of an automatic response, something cultivated to try and convince people there was nothing wrong, rather than an indication he understood or processed what she was saying. Not that it would convince anyone, it was the least natural motion she’d ever seen from him, but at least it meant he could hear her. 

    She took a deep breath and moved a little, stretching out in front of him now, right at his feet, still making sure some part of her touched him. She looked around. Still no one, not that it mattered much. This was the most comfort and fun she’d had all night, which really said something about the company they kept at these events. She smiled up at him. “And some of these people are tacky as hell. I have no idea who let them out of the house lookin’ like that. Though I guess honestly I’m not sure who let them out in general, they don’t know how to act right.” She rested her head on a gloved hand, stabilized by her elbow on the floor. She hummed a little in thought. “I wonder what the market would be like for a little robot that tells you when you’ve got a few too many rings on. Absolutely ridiculous, you jack off with that hand?” She lifted her head and counted on her fingers. “I think more than like three per hand is pushin’ it. How do you even lug your own limbs around? Do something useful that’s not stoppin’ me when I’m busy.”

    He actually stopped breathing for a moment at something she’d said in there. Hard to say which part, she’d said a lot of shit. She could ask later. If she remembered. For now she was just looking for something, anything to talk about. “...Yeah, you’re right, it is a little rude not to even try to act like I care.” She continued as if he’d responded to her. “Like I said, I got no idea how you did this on your own for so long. It’s awful. I can only imagine how much more you’d rather be home, curled under a blanket or something. Some hot cocoa instead of this weird champagne with alien fruit in it. I’m not even sure what it is. Do you know of any green fruits with a rind like an orange and the texture of an apple? Tasted awful, and I even double checked, you are supposed to eat it.”

    She was about to barrel on, but some instinct told her to wait. After a moment, Trinity twitched at her side, seeming to struggle for a big enough breath to speak. “Zmenclok.” His voice was empty of all emotion, a blank monotone without inflection. “Antrian fruit.”

    She nodded thoughtfully, a wave of relief crashing over her to hear him speak at all. “The Antrians are a strong people then, because that was the worst fruit I’ve ever put in my mouth by a long shot.” She examined her nails, as though she really cared much. “Left a smell on my hands, I’ve washed them twice already.” She’d also tried to burn the smell off with electricity, but that also hadn’t worked. “I wonder if instead of water soluble sugars, it’s made of something else? That would explain why I hated it, humans might not actually be compatible with the chemical makeup. We’ll know when the bathroom lines reach out to the cars, I suppose.”

    “Uh… huh.” It was almost a sound of agreement, or at least meant to sound like one, with about twelve of those fast, shallow breaths between the syllables. When she glanced up at him, his eyes had gone unfocused and cloudy.

    He could kind of talk, which was good. She didn’t want to push her luck by drawing attention to the state he was pulling himself out of. So she just kept going, starting with a very long, deep inhale and sigh. Maybe he’d get the hint. She usually did when Crim did it, but everyone’s different. “Y’know, I talk a lot of shit, but I do have fun at these sometimes. It’s not the worst thing to look nice and eat weird food. Can’t say I’d recommend the “whole spoonful of just Gensoran caviar” thing but it’s a great story since I’m at these things all the time lately anyway.” She thought for a moment. “The dancin’s pretty alright too. I get some of my best thinkin’ done when I’m not hangin’ upside down, it turns out. I sent off a blueprint to my shop back home, they’re doin’ the rough fabrication for me so I can get the fine tunin’ out of the way on my own. I used to drive ‘em all nuts, gettin’ way too precise.” She had a faraway look in her eyes. She really didn’t think he’d notice. “I kinda miss my mechanics. With just Kelly to watch all of ‘em, I’d hope they can focus hard enough to get anythin’ done.” 

    He might have attempted to follow her example of a deep breath, but he didn’t make it far. His breathing got harsher as she spoke, but no slower or deeper. “A-Az—ure.” He could barely get the word out through his tight, shallow, breaths. His hand closest to her flexed, opening like he was searching for something to grab onto, and she could feel his leg start to tremble against her. He swayed on his feet, unsteady. He was moving now, but it seemed like his frozen state had been compensating for the lack of oxygen he was getting. Any clarity he’d been grasping for answering her questions was fading, and as it did that odd static fuzz picked up through the com again. Somehow, the sound was almost frantic, making her tense up as it invaded her mind.

    She shoved the static away. She could have a secondhand panic at home, with Crim or Perry or something. Priority one: Trinity Jericho does not pass out on the floor of the balcony level stairwell in a ritzy ballroom. Priority two: Trinity Jericho does not get his panic revealed to the general public. In one fluid motion, she got to her feet. Somewhere, a violin bow began a slow trek along its strings. She caught the hand that had been flexing in her own, her other wrapping around his waist as she stepped in close. The same way he’d kept her upright countless times while she was still stumbling around in heels like a newborn giraffe. She was a lot shorter, but her cybernetics kicked in a little to help. Someone walked up the stairs and she gave them a shy smile, brain endlessly working. They passed by with little thought given to the couple dancing in the empty hallway. She thought into the comm, as soothingly as she could.

    Lean in. I’ll lead this time. I promise you’re not heavy. Breathe, Trinity.

    She wasn’t completely sure she was reaching him, but once he had something supporting him at least he could stop fighting so hard to hold himself upright under his own power. Almost his full weight dropped into her, and his head fell to her shoulder. She could feel tiny, hot puffs of air against her neck, as he fought to slow his breathing. His face was still blank of all emotion or expression, but the comm registered his terror— he couldn’t stop, couldn’t control it. His hands twitched, tightening around hers. She gave him a gentle squeeze back.

    Breathe with the music. In-two-three-four, out-two-three-four.

    She continued counting for him, keeping time with the lazy tune playing on the floor below as it floated up to them. She took no real steps, but kept a slow, steady, easy sway. She did the breathing herself, trying to drown his static with her own soothing patterns. Eventually, the rhythm of the swaying and the music started to break through the static— he managed a deep breath in, struggling to release it again as it caught in his chest, until he finally let it all out with a choking exhale. The next time he tried, it was slightly smoother, and he staggered in place. He would have fallen if it weren’t for her arms holding him up. His chest heaved in and out a few more times, and his legs trembled slightly. 

    “I’m. Fine. O—ok.” The words were robotic and clipped.

    “That’s a lie, but you can talk now so I’ll take it.” She continued their swaying, keeping her breathing deep and slow. Her head turned to hide her mouth in his shoulder, away from anyone nearby who might be able to read lips and was piecing it all together. There was no one, realistically, but at this point she also just enjoyed the warmth. “I think I got cornered by every friend you’ve got at these damn things while tryin’ to find you. We can probably dip as soon as you’re ready. They can wait. You can go home, Hotshot. You don’t have to stay on this time.” 

    “Yes. I want to go… soon.” It was like he was reading a teleprompter. They swayed for a bit longer, as his breathing evened out, and after a moment, he tapped her on the shoulder, like he was trying to get her attention. “Can… we sit.” 

    " 'Course we can sit." She slowed them to a stop and let him onto his own two feet as gently as she could, easing him to the ground after that. She flopped down beside him with much less care and ceremony. She nestled herself into his shoulder, just in front of him enough to suggest she was ready to support his weight sitting, if he needed it. "Better?"

    He braced himself against the wall as he slid to the floor. In the back of her mind, through the comm, she could hear what sounded vaguely like numbers, prime numbers, she realized after a moment. Soon enough, they stopped, and he took in another trembling breath. “Yes. Better.” He still didn’t sound like Trinity. It was hard to hear him sound so... absent. “I’m. Coming back.” He paused. “Know where I am. Sorry I… left.”

    She leaned into him gently, lounging as casually as you can in a floor length gown. If he'd been mentally present, she'd have looked like a really old Terran lounge singer. All she was missing was a piano. Her mouth curved into its standard lopsided smile. "If you were just dealin' with what I think you were, I can't say I blame ya for dippin' out. Not exactly fun, Crim's told me." She rolled her shoulder a little. "I wasn't kiddin', you know. I managed to excuse you from the clutches of three of our favorites for the night. We really can just go home once you're back to basics."

    He nodded stiffly, before letting his head loll back against the wall, as if he couldn’t quite hold it up on his own. “Panic attack. No reason. Just too much.” He pressed his hands to the cold tile of the floor, seeking something to feel. “In… a minute. I want to leave. Soon, I can… fake it. Enough to get out.”

    She nodded back, eyeing another set of people making their way up the stairs. She sat up straight, shielding him from view, leaning in a little farther than she might normally, even for what she was here to pretend to be. "Take your time, Trinity." She whispered quietly. He couldn't really keep up an act right now, so she was going to have to put up twice as much. Sorry about this. I'm going to touch you, I'll try to make it as little as I can. She settled her arms around him, head on his shoulder. Her face said adoration while her eyes betrayed the thought involved as she tried to keep the touch as minimal as she could.

    A shudder ran through him as the sounds of the other couple reached them, and his green eyes stared through Azzy instead of at her even as she leaned in close to shield him from their view. His breathing had begun to speed up just slightly, but he managed to at least keep it steady and deep with the help of a quiet chant of prime numbers that slipped into the back of her mind from his, clearly a strategy he had to keep focus and not fall back into whatever empty place he’d been before. 

    The passersby soon left their immediate vicinity, and Azzy pulled away from him slowly. With Crim, there was a 50/50 chance she'd be forbidden from moving and letting him go after a panic attack, so she wanted to give Trinity the option, if he could tell that's what was being offered. She searched his body language for what he needed, other than an opportunity to leave. She briefly wondered if just breaking down a wall and making their own door was that bad of a plan. 

    Trinity made no move to keep her in place, and his body language, like his face, was so still and blank that she couldn’t glean much of anything from it. She wondered what in his life had taught him to panic like this— silent and so absolutely contained that he nearly ceased to exist entirely. She took a deep breath, letting herself also slump against the wall and, for the first time since she found him like this, she looked away. Her eyes remained fixed on the stairwell, quietly willing the partygoers below to stay away as she continued to count the beat of the current song. She took herself away from being pressed to him entirely, giving him some few inches of space. Her part in this was done. All that was left was to wait it out. He’d pulled away from the comm again, closing his thoughts off, but she could hear him breathing steadily behind her as he pulled a bit more fully back to himself. 

    It took a few minutes, but eventually she heard movement behind her as Trinity shifted, clearing his throat. “Alright. I think I should be ready to go now, as long as we don’t have to stop and talk to anyone.” His voice moved up and down in a manner very similar to its usual inflection, but somehow after witnessing what she just had she could tell that it was all very intentional. It wasn’t his real voice, just a very clever approximation that would probably fool anyone who didn’t know him very well. With luck, it would be enough for them to make it out of the building. She got the feeling that it wasn’t going to get any better than this as long as they were still in the place where it had happened.

    She stood and brushed herself off, rolling her shoulder and setting her jaw in its usual stubborn position. She offered him her hands to pull him to standing. “I’ve got it on the way out. Smile and nod like I’m sure you were plannin’ on anyway.”

    In response, he simply smiled. Very convincing, except his eyes were still faraway and empty. “Of course. I’ve had to do this a couple of times before.” He didn’t say ‘alone,’ but she knew what he meant. It was maybe as close to a thank you as he could manage to get out right now. She gave a slightly sadder smile in response. She’d always been easy to read. It made her easy to talk to. Eyes becoming steely, she pulled him up. 

    “Okay, let’s go back to hell.”

    “Already there.” He gave that same empty smile and followed.

    She took his hand in hers and led him down the stairs. The difference from the lazing, relaxed person who’d just sat with him and held him literally upright, to the person leading him through the throng of the rich and forgettable was astounding. She’d never walked this tall at an event before, each step falling exactly where she’d intended it to. In her head, she tracked where she’d entered from, where there were the fewest people they knew and where there were the fewest people in general. She kept an eye out for people who’d been looking for him, breezing past Phineas without him sparing either of them so much as a glance. The usual easy gracefulness she was trying for was replaced with a purposeful stride, static in the air where she stepped.

    She really just wanted to leave as soon as possible. Her brother’s voice rang in her head once more: “People with sense will get out of your way”. She hoped he was right, Trinity needed some fresh air at least. She wove through the crowds, exchanging passing pleasantries through kilowatt smiles and an ever so slightly played up drawl. Trinity barely had to look at who she was speaking to. 

    Somewhere along their way, so close to the exit, she turned a bit quickly, bumping into someone in a purple suit with an overabundance of jewelry. She heard the tinkle of breaking glass and the splash of liquid scattering from the broken cup. The man she’d just spilled wine on looked up from the tablet he’d been occupied with, his face, which might have been familiar had she bothered to think about it, written over with genuine surprise. Trinity’s hand tightened on hers, and she could feel his pulse pounding where his wrist pressed close to hers. She gave a quiet noise of surprise before collecting herself and trying to mind her manners without getting trapped by conversation. “My bad, s’cuse me sir-” She quipped out as she pushed past, pulling Trinity with her without a second thought, stride still sure. Was his breathing starting to speed up again? All the more reason to get out as fast as possible.

    When they finally made it through the doors with no further issues and reached the empty stretch of driveway the car had been called to, Trinity dropped her hand and took a few more breaths to calm himself down again. He didn’t always trust what he saw in this state, but…

    “Oh God,” He muttered, his voice dropping back into its low monotone. “Tell me he’s not following. I can’t…” words failed him, and he rubbed his hands together, trying to generate some feeling. He prayed the car would arrive soon. She looked behind them. No one.

    “No one followed us, Hotshot. What’s got you bent outta shape again? I said excuse me.” Her words were callous, but she sounded genuinely concerned. She thought she’d done well, and he certainly seemed like he had more important things to worry about than her being a little rude on accident.

    “I know.” He took in a breath too fast, and forced it to exit more slowly. “But he’s too observant. I can’t let him see… this. You-- you know how he is, don’t you.” It should have been a question, but the phrase didn’t go up at the end to indicate it.

    She raised a brow, moving to touch his shoulder lightly, hoping to steady him on his feet a little better and give him something to ground with. “Tacky?” She, again, sounded genuine, making a little joke to lighten this bizarre mood they’d cooked up.

    He turned to face her, and somehow her response shocked an actual expression out of him, his eyes slightly widened. “Azure. That man was…” a very slight twitch of the corner of his mouth, like this was something he really didn’t want to address. “My employer.”

    Her mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ the moment the final syllable was out. It closed a moment later, and her brow furrowed, guilt all over her features. “That really is a problem then, ain’t it? Shit Trinity, I’m sorry. I was just tryin’ to get us both outta there. It’s not like its exactly my forte, bein’ in crowds.” She ran her hand through her curls, bunching them up at the base of her neck. Her hands sparked some but she didn’t shake them out. “Still I’m...shit, I’m sorry.”

    He took a few calming breaths, trying to look reassuring, but he was clearly still struggling to be expressive. “It’s alright. He… didn’t notice anything. Won’t bother with it… once it’s not interesting anymore.”

    Azzy bit back her Sounds like a real peach to know comment, only to realize a moment later she still had her comm in, and the sardonic tone was not subtle. She cleared her throat. “As long as you’re fine. I don’t exactly have a lot to fear from ‘im, so if you think you’re fine then you probably are.”

    “I’m not afraid of him.” He sighed slightly and glanced down the road impatiently, waiting for the car to arrive. “But showing weakness is dangerous.”

    Somehow, Azure managed to say nothing for long enough to choose her next words carefully. “Guess it’s good I didn’t see anythin’ then.” Her mouth molded the words in such a way that when they left her mouth, they carried the clear reminder she was technically a vigilante by trade as well as a cybernetic engineer: She was offering him the option to ask her to forget. To ignore the whole night, act like it had never happened. Nothing gained, nothing lost. Just a black box of a night she’d never bring up again.

    He looked at her, putting together her meaning. After a moment, he gave a slow nod of his head. His eyes held hard steel that said he understood, and a flash of gratitude that she assumed was the last indication she’d get that anything happened, before he turned away again. 

    “I appreciate your company at these events, Azure. It certainly serves its purpose.”

    She simply nodded in understanding as the car finally pulled up the drive, jewelry glinting in the moonlight and features placid. Face blank. Like nothing had happened. She glanced around to make sure there wasn’t anyone outside, before opening the door for him. A friendly gesture. 

    He smirked at her, this one closer to genuine than she’d seen all night, as he got into the car. “What a gentleman. Come on, you have to get back to the ship.”

    She rolled her eyes and got in the car herself. “The lady’s in a rush to be rid of me. Forsooth, my heart. It breaks.” His smirk reflected back at him. He smacked her shoulder lightly as she got in, and the car finally pulled away from the event, headed for home.

9. Little Victories

    Azzy’s feet hit the cold metal of the ship over and over, shoes in one hand and excessive skirt bunched high in the other as she ran clear across the entire crew quarters level from the entrance, leaving a trail of static in her wake. She’d long since abandoned any idea of propriety now that she was back on her own home turf. Her run stopped at the end of the hall, where hers, her brother’s, Periwinkle’s, Indigo’s, and Smalls’ cabins were clustered. Breathless and eyes alight with excitement, she knocked on Perry’s door, finally doubling over to pant and wait for them to answer.

    The door opened on Perry’s confused face. “Azure, what—?”

    Azzy stood up straight once the door opened, beaming if a little embarrassed by her own energy. “I want you to guess what I did today, you’ll think it’s hilarious.”

    “Ok, well…” they blinked at her, clearly baffled. “You were off the ship today. With a ‘friend,’ wasn’t it?” It was an affectation— many of the people on the ship had figured out at this point where Azzy went when she was planetside and who she was with, and Perry specifically had probably known since date number two, but it was an unspoken rule to pretend they didn’t. 

    Azzy rolled her eyes at the implication. Trinity was a friend, and a good one. Even if he was, by every account, very shady. So were all of them, so who were they to talk? She pushed the retort back in favor of continuing to beam. “I ran into Fate. Quite literally, I might add. Spilled wine on him, heard the “oh!”, all of it. Ruined his shirt, I guarantee you, maybe that awful purple suit too. Not sure he knew it was me, because I sure as hell had to be told who he was. Why didn’t you tell me he was so tacky?”

    Perry blinked, expression caught somewhere between abject terror and the sort of expression one might make after being smacked upside the head with a brick— and then he laughed out loud, the sound ringing down the halls of the ship. “I’m sure I’ve mentioned all those goddamn rings at least once.” She grinned, sharklike. “Bumping into him, spilling on his shirt, and worst of all, not knowing who he was? That sounds like his worst nightmare.”

    Azure loved seeing her friend smile. Made her all fuzzy inside. She grinned back. “I think I might have blown him off a few more times before that too. I was tryin’ to find my date and he just kept puttin’ himself in my path. Like I didn’t have better things to do. I’m a livin’ taser, he’s lucky he wasn’t fried. I was already anxious as hell, it was more than possible.” She gave a little yawn. “Anyway, I’m beat. Have fun eatin’ puddin’ with my brother.”

    Perry’s soft chuckle followed her down the hall as she left.

10. Handled

    It didn’t hit Trinity until much later that night what exactly Azure had done while he’d been… incapacitated. He knew he was still far too anxious to sleep, no matter how exhausted he was, so he’d taken the advice he vaguely remembered from while Azzy’d been chattering to him earlier that evening and wrapped himself in a blanket on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate. There was no need to wake up his sister this late-- he’d just sleep tomorrow. 

    He’d already had the cocoa made when he remembered that it was Azure who’d mentioned it in the first place, and as he’d sat and slowly unraveled his tangled, panic laden memories of the night, he’d begun to piece together everything else she’d said and done. The first thing was how she’d handled finding him in that state. Others who’d stumbled upon him in the past had done everything from trying to shake him out of it to calling an ambulance, and not one had actually been helpful. He knew his attacks were strange and unfamiliar even to people who had ones of their own, but she’d simply waited, using sound and touch to bring him back until she could see what he needed. In some ways, he barely knew her, and yet she’d helped him out of it more quickly and painlessly than anyone except perhaps his sister ever had. How had she known, and honestly, why had she bothered? He’d almost believed she would just leave once he disappeared for long enough.

    The next fact that rose to his mind as he considered everything else she’d said was the reason they’d been able to leave so quickly in the first place. Not only had she expertly hidden his compromised state from passerby while he recovered, but she’d been on her own in the crowds the whole time he’d been gone. He had no real concept of how long that had been, but it was impressive at any amount. Not only had she been able to wade through the masses of humanity successfully, she’d apparently expertly handled each business partner or contact he’d been meant to speak with tonight, to the point that not a single person had accosted them or vied for Trinity’s attention on the way out. Even the run-in with Fate, as stressful as it had been at the time, he was sure had been purely accidental. This one night alone had given Trinity more confidence in Azzy’s ability to conduct herself well at these events, more than any dancing improvement or small talk or perfect dinner etiquette. More than that, it was yet another example of something she absolutely didn’t have to do, but did anyway, for a reason he couldn’t puzzle out.

    The final piece to the puzzle was her very last gift to him as they waited for a car-- an unspoken promise to forget this moment of weakness, never to bring it up again. It was easy to forget the real business she was in sometimes, that she traveled with a ship of vigilantes with checkered and secretive pasts and plenty of issues of their own. It was unlike him, but somehow he felt he could trust her with that weakness. Not only did he believe her when she said she would treat it as though it never happened, but he wasn’t afraid of it coloring her interactions with him. Even subconsciously. His memories of the night were still hazy and sorting through them was exhausting and painful work, but if he knew one thing, it was that he could trust Azure. If he’d thought it before, now he was sure. 

    Trinity pulled his blanket tighter around himself and took a sip of cocoa. She was right, this was much better than being in a crowded ballroom. He should do this more often.

Taglist (ask to be added or removed!): @glitterandstarshine @rainbowcoloreddays @the-starlight-chills @erased-in-stone @charlottedotexe

General: @elywritesbydarkness @residentofthedisc @humour-and-hyperfocus @skyfirewrites

[athingthatwantsvirginia]

Really, Marcia?

PART THRTY-FIVE OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: mentions of parent death, mentions of anxiety, plentiful pop culture references, lack of dialogue because this is exposition and foreshadowing for the next chapter just hang in there with me friends

Word Count: 4.6K

Summary: Jess and Ella return to Stars Hollow once again during graduation season.

Dropping the bags again in the apartment above Luke’s almost made Ella want to laugh out loud. Maybe she shouldn’t have made such a big deal of leaving the diner to move to Philadelphia; she felt like she almost couldn’t escape Connecticut. The trip, this time, was planned in advance, however. Both Adam and Rory were graduating, and Jess’s new sister had been born only a week earlier. Much was to be done, many people to visit. It made Ella feel slightly overwhelmed, the prescribed familial nonsense. Going back to Stars Hollow was easier when she could just casually pop into Luke’s or her home, and then drive away in the Station Wagon with Jess in the passenger seat and Liz Phair on the radio whenever she felt compelled. But the graduation had a scheduled time, Rory’s graduation party had a scheduled time. There was no getting out of it.

For a moment, she had thought about staying back in her old room in the little blue house. She felt as though they were taking advantage of Luke staying over at his place as often as they did. But then it occurred to her that she had no real idea what her room looked like anymore. The few times she’d been over in recent years, she hadn’t even ventured past the threshold of the small hallway, her door the second on the right. She felt maybe it was better to leave the room the way it had been in her memory. She was not in the business of reopening old wounds for no reason other than curiosity.

There was also the issue of her father. Fiona had been cagey at best about Jake on the phone. Would he even show up to the graduation? Surely he would. Even Noah had traveled back home, for the first time in years, though without his fiancé. She was a nurse, and hadn’t been able to get away from the midnight shifts. He was a paralegal, though, and had been able to swing a Saturday afternoon graduation. But, still, there was a gnawing feeling in her stomach. A fear he would simply not show. He had been at her high school graduation, with his robotic hugs and teary eyes and the usual detached way about him. It hadn’t been warm and fuzzy, but he had been there for her. He had clapped as she crossed the stage. And, as far as Ella was concerned, Adam deserved more than she ever got from Jake. Adam called often, and seemed to get along rather well with Fiona, but remained flighty about their father. She could count on him changing the subject every time Jake was brought up.

“Hey! Eleanor,” Jess said, breaking her from her reverie.

She blinked harshly and jumped at the sound of his voice. Slowly, she turned her gaze away from the view of the window above Luke’s kitchen sink. Town square was decorated with florals, and the troubadour stood playing an upbeat, folksy tune on one of the corners. And, as she thought about her family, it had all struck her as a bit plastic. It seemed impossible for so much heartache to happen to her while living in a place like Stars Hollow, but it had. In spite of the sunshiney smiles and the constant offerings for help. Probably why she got along with Jess so well, who understood more than anyone she had ever met what it was to feel a pain she could truly recognize. Luke, too. She wondered at how many people milling down on the sidewalk were concealing all of their hurt for the sake of maintaining a positive, cheerful facade. The farther away the years took her from her upbringing, the more reasons she felt she was better off somewhere other than her hometown. She had never quite been able to polish her outward mold, could never keep it all under wraps. Instead, she ended up cursing out kids who tried to steal random shit from the diner or punishing herself through constant schoolwork and lack of sleep, all to keep her problems from making it from her mind to her mouth. And, most of the time, she had slipped up eventually. Once more, her father came to her mind. He hadn’t been able to wear a convincing mask, either.

“...yeah?” she asked, then looked down to realize the glass she had been filling with cold water from the tap was overflowing onto her hand.

Quickly, she shut off the sink and sipped carefully at the drink, until it was back down to a manageable level. She switched it to the other hand and shook off the wetness, though it hadn’t felt unwelcome after having just come in from the May heat. Jess smirked quizzically at her, from where he stood at the fridge. They were meant to have a late lunch and then go over to Liz’s house and meet the baby, Doula. Despite how much Luke was making fun of it, Ella couldn’t say she hated the name.

“Jeez, Stevens. Where’d you go?” Jess’s voice was lilted and smug as he pulled some leftover sandwiches from the fridge. Luke had instructed them to finish off whatever diner cast-offs they could find. It reminded Jess of his teen years, tense dinners with Luke at the small kitchen table, eating stale food which had been prepped but never actually ordered. And he felt an odd, surprising jolt of nostalgia. But his face didn’t show it.

She shook her head at herself, placing her glass down on the table and grabbing the cutlery as Jess put the leftovers out on the table buffet-style. It reminded her of the way he arranged a meal on her kitchen table the night they’d watched the prom scene of Carrie together, when he’d brought her a care package because she had a migraine and then refused to admit to it later. And, for the most fleeting of moments, she was in the past and they were the people they had once been. A fond smirk tugged at her lips as she sat down, plates and forks in hand.

“Nowhere,” she replied finally, her voice a sigh. Before Jess could ask anything further, she gave him a pointed glance as she piled some cold mashed potatoes onto her plate and continued. “You sure you’re okay going to Liz’s house today? We could always wait until tomorrow morning, then we could have an excuse to leave and go get ready for the graduation.”

He seemed to consider the idea of a moment as he took his first bite of meatloaf, then shook his head. “No. Let’s just rip the bandaid off.”

“That’s the spirit when you’re going to see a new baby,” she quipped.

“I can guarantee the baby will be easier to handle than Liz and TJ, no matter how much she cries,” Jess grumbled, looking down at his food.

Ella bit the inside of her cheek and leveled him with her eyes. Each time they returned to Stars Hollow, he seemed to get more anxious about it. At first, it was because the entire town had hated him as a teen. But it got much worse when Liz moved there. She thought it strange how much everyone seemed to discount how Jess felt about this, how much Luke complained about her. How much they expected Jess to get over what he was feeling and play dutiful son. It reminded her of the way she felt she needed to treat her own father after her mother died. Though the sexist bullshit about her being the ‘woman of the house’ had also played a part. She knew how Luke felt about family, how he would always show up for family regardless of circumstance. Maybe Jess was the same way, loyal to a fault. But maybe it was only for his chosen family. Maybe the rest of it was more because of all the outward pressure he faced.

She reached over and ran a hand through his hand, smoothing it out. For a moment, she thought of saying something, but decided it wasn’t the right time to start a conversation about Jess’s childhood, or the lingering effects he still wouldn’t acknowledge. Not right before seeing his mother. She was trying hard lately to be patient, despite the way his eyes became guarded at the mention of his new sister or his mother, or the increased frequency of his nightmares. It was getting worse before her eyes and she didn’t know why. But Jess was Jess. And he wasn’t going to see it until he was ready to. It almost physically pained her, the effort of swallowing down the words, but she bit her tongue nonetheless.

He offered her a lazy, lopsided smile in return.

.   .   .

His grip on her hand was tight as they made their way into Liz and TJ’s house, just as gaudy and eclectic as Ella remembered from the baby shower. She might’ve even found it charming if it weren’t for the screaming color of the decor. The place smelled of burnt toast and sour milk, and Ella was instantly glad she and Jess had chosen to eat beforehand, just in case Liz asked them to stay for dinner. The scent was overpowered only by the strong perfume Liz was wearing, which Ella couldn’t ignore as Liz pulled her in for a big hug of greeting.

“Come in, come in,” Liz said in her high, sing-song voice as she led them down the front hall and into the living room. “She’s just waking up from nap!”

The room was littered with toys, empty bottles, blankets, story books Doula wouldn’t be able to read for years. But it was sweet. Ella could see how much they’d been preparing, planning. For a second, she was relieved about it, but then the feeling mixed with a distasteful sadness. Jess had never specifically addressed his bedtime routine as a child, but Ella was fairly positive Liz had never read him Goodnight Moon. She gave his hand a final squeeze before disentangling their fingers and sitting down on the paisley patterned couch. Liz lifted Doula up from the bassinet in the corner by the rocking chair. Ella could barely see the baby beneath the patchwork quilt she was swaddled in. Doula fussed for a moment, and Liz smiled at the two of them apologetically.

“She needs a change. I’ll be right back!” she said, retreating back into the bedroom. “Make yourselves comfortable!”

“Okay. Thanks,” Ella replied cordially. She looked back at Jess as his mother exited the room. “You okay?”

He shrugged, his eyes surveying the clutter. “I guess so. It’s just weird still. All of this.”

Ella hummed, nodding.

“And I’m not really used to the whole baby thing yet. I’ve never even held one before,” Jess said, slightly sheepish and slightly curious. He crossed his arms over the Metallica logo on his worn t-shirt. He’d taken a half day working at Truncheon before they left for Connecticut, and was always happy to change into less professional attire after his shifts.

“I know, but it’ll be easy. Unless TJ pops out and sings that song the frog does in Looney Tunes. Then is the only instance when you’d be even slightly at risk of dropping her,” Ella assured him, leaning back into the overstuffed couch.

She’d gleaned from their conversation the night before that his inexperience with children was also not helping his nerves. The only time she’d ever recalled Jess interacting with kids for any real length of time was the one Thanksgiving she’d brought him to meet her family. But even then, she’d been surprised how easily he’d wowed Erin with his card tricks, and played along with her jokes. Not something she’d exactly expected from the boy who wore a battered leather jacket and a constant scowl and a scarred heart on his sleeve.

“Why do you always worry he’s gonna do that?” Jess asked, cracking a smile for the first time since they’d walked in.

“I told you! He sang it to me one time when I was working and he was hanging out at the diner. He was trying to figure out what song to serenade your mom with,” she explained, eyes wide and utterly serious. “I was just wiping down the counter, minding my own business, and he just appeared, like, right over my shoulder.”

Jess rolled his eyes at the story, remembering when Ella had first told him about it over one of their phone calls, back when they were hundreds of miles apart. “Well, it doesn’t seem like he’s here right now.”

“I didn’t think he was in the diner when it happened,” Ella countered, her voice jokingly grave.

Jess chuckled but didn’t have a chance to respond as Liz reentered the room. A large smile stood out on her face, the baby dressed in a soft punk onesie in her arms. Doula squirmed around a little and cooed, but didn’t seem altogether unhappy.

“Ready to meet your little sister, Jess?” Liz asked, coming over and preparing to put Doula in Jess’s arms before he even had a chance to answer.

“Guess so,” he muttered hastily, eyes widening.

“Just be careful with her head,” Ella offered, watching as Liz hovered over her son, placing her daughter’s head in the crook of his arm.

Jess was surprised at how naturally his other arm moved to cradle her. She felt so light, it was as though he was holding nothing at all. Her skin was slightly flushed from the warmth of the quilt she’d been napping in, and he could feel the heat against his arms and his chest, through his t-shirt. His heart fluttered around anxiously in his chest, and he couldn’t help the slight trembling in his hands, but he was pretty sure he had a good grip on her. Liz straightened up again, looking down at the two of them. Jess almost couldn’t take his eyes off the baby, embarrassed at how awestruck he was. Ella’s nieces were the youngest kids he had ever been in contact with. He had never met someone when they were only a week old before.

“Isn’t she something?” Liz said, hands on her hips. “She looked a lot like Danny Devito when she first came out, but I think she’s finally getting past that early ugly baby phase.”

Jess hummed in absent acknowledgement, but said nothing. Doula had thin wisps of blonde hair, and pudgy, rosy cheeks. Her fingers were curled into small fists, her legs scrunched up. He wondered vaguely if she was going to fall back asleep, since it seemed she couldn’t keep her eyes open for very long. She smelled like rash cream, but he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed at it.

“Yeah, she’s beautiful, Liz,” Ella answered, though her gaze went back and forth between the baby and Jess. She couldn’t think of a time when she’d seen his eyes so clear and full of wonder before. She’d been too young to hold a newborn when Adam arrived, but she remembered the feeling of holding Erin as a baby, in the hospital just hours after Julie had given birth to her. It was certainly a unique feeling, and she felt her heart swell at the thought of Jess getting to experience it.

Glancing back at the kitchen for a moment, Liz once again gained a frantic tone in her voice. But, after having known her for so long, Ella knew it wasn’t unusual. Liz was the kind of person who put her coffee cup on the top of her car while unlocking the door, and then drove away without remembering it, the mug shattering and coffee splattering on the road behind her.

“Damn, I was just makin’ a bottle when you guys got here. TJ usually does that stuff, but dinner got a little burned. He had to go get some Plan B takeout. Let me finish with the formula,” Liz said, making her way back towards the opening into the kitchen. “You guys okay with her for a second?”

“Yeah. Fine,” Jess answered, surprising Ella.

Just as Liz left again, Doula opened her eyes once more. But instead of letting them shut, she kept them open. She stared up at Jess, her large brown eyes meeting his and doing their best to focus on his face.

“She’s got a withering stare,” he murmured.

“Isn’t so hard, is it?” Ella shifted a little closer to him, leaning over his shoulder to see Doula. “You didn’t have to be nervous.”

“Yeah, maybe not,” Jess said quietly, a small smile on his face as he glanced over at Ella.

.   .   .

Back when she graduated high school, there had been rain. The day before, they’d had to move the ceremony preparation into the small auditorium. People were squished inside, standing up in the aisles once the seats ran out. Ella’s valedictorian speech had been a bit more than daunting with a bunch of irritated family and friends facing her, those who had traveled miles to Stars Hollow only to be packed into the smelly room like sardines. She supposed having graduation outside in the gazebo was better. The class size was small at Stars Hollow High, but it was best when everyone still had personal space. The one downside was the heat. Connecticut was not usually up near ninety degrees in late May, but a pocket of dry air was currently sitting atop the state, moving at a glacial pace.

Ella and Jess had sat sweating on some lawn chairs. While Julie and her husband Michael, who still lived in the same small house in New Britain, were on Ella’s other side, trying to get their girls to sit through the ceremony to moderate success. Annie’s wild curls were blowing in the scorching wind as she sat on her father’s lap, reading the small storybook she’d brought with her. Erin, on the other hand, just about to cross over into adolescence and middle school, had folded her arms sullenly over her chest and rolled her eyes at nearly every name called up to receive a diploma. Ella didn’t imagine she would’ve reacted much better at that age, being forced to sit out in the heat for hours only to watch Adam be handed a piece of paper. Noah had been on the far side of their row of seats, in his plain clothes, looking stoic as usual. He would be leaving just after the fanfare ended. He’d stayed at a motel the night before, with perhaps even less desire to stay in the little blue house than Ella had.

The valedictorian speeches were actually pretty good, but long. Adam would’ve been giving one if he hadn’t stopped trying in every one of his classes except for those involving science during his senior year. Ella respected the decision though. She had never found any application for calculus in adult life, no matter how hard she had worked at it in high school.

Fiona and Jake had shown up, together for some reason, ten minutes late. No seats were left near Ella, or anyone else in the family. Instead, they were relegated to the far back row. Her brows furrowed at their entrance, but they didn’t get close enough to Ella for her to say anything. Jess had brought her arm around her shoulder as she watched them pass her without so much as a look, and took to whispering jokes about their old principal in her ear. It didn’t work as well to distract her as he had hoped, but it had still earned him a laugh or two, which was far from nothing.

As they all stood around afterwards, under the shade of some trees behind the old gazebo, congratulating Adam, Ella couldn’t shake the thoughts of her parents from her mind. She wondered how different the day would be if her mother had lived. Would her parents still be together? Probably. Despite the problems they hid, the ones Ella had become more aware of the older she got, they did love each other. No matter how much her mother laid down and took Jake’s outbursts and his alcoholism, and no matter how much her father ignored Sophia’s distracted nature and inability to decide on anything in life, they loved each other. And, the thought struck her suddenly, that maybe everything would have been easier to swallow if they hadn’t loved each other so much. It would have been easier to accept how quickly everything fell apart, and how quickly her father had found someone new to fill the hole in his heart.

“You okay?” Jess asked, close to her ear as they lingered amongst the group, pictures having been taken and pleasantries having been exchanged.

“Just peachy,” she replied, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice.

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said, pressing a kiss to the crown on her head and giving her hand another squeeze. It hadn’t taken him long to gather how angry seeing her father again had made Ella. He wondered when the last time had been.

“I could do without the Brady Bunch performance,” she whispered back to him, gesturing to the members of her family as they continued with fabricated niceties.

“Really, Marcia? But you’re the oldest sister! That means you would’ve been prom queen!” Jess teased.

She rolled her eyes and snorted a laugh. “Whatever, Wally Logan.”

Approaching the two of them with narrowed eyes, Erin still had her arms crossed over her frilly dress. She had more than one bandaid on each knee, and she had already pulled the french braid out of her red hair. Speaking mostly to Ella, she sized Jess up.

“I remember him,” Erin said suspiciously.

A confused, bemused grin crossed Ella’s face. “Yeah. At Thanksgiving. You were like five. You remember that?”

“I have a really good memory,” Erin said, shrugging, confident and casual.

Ella chuckled at the flippant ten-year-old.

“Photographic, huh?” Jess asked, eyebrows raised.

“Pretty close,” Erin replied, then focused her eyes back on Ella. “Did you ever figure out his middle name?”

“Sure did,” Ella answered, smirk growing. “You wanna hear it?”

“Of course,” Erin said. “I know for a fact it’s not Santa Claus.”

Jess rolled his eyes.

Ella leaned down and whispered in Erin’s ear. Straightening up again, Ella watched Erin’s gaze roam over to Jess doubtfully.

“What kind of a name is Cosmo?” Erin asked.

“Listen, my mom’s into crystals and-” Jess began, but Michael called Erin over for something.

“Gotta go,” Erin said, and skipped off towards her father without another word.

“C’mon, Elle,” Jess groaned, a blush creeping up his neck and warming the tips of his ears.

She chuckled, nudging him with her shoulder. “Sorry, Cosmo.”

Before Jess was able to retort, Fiona and Jake approached them. Considering they were split up, the peculiarity of the two of them arriving together wasn’t lost on anyone, not that it would ever be mentioned. At a closer proximity, Ella was surprised to see how different Jake looked. His hair was greyer, he was skinnier, there were dark circles under his eyes. Whatever has been going on in Maryland didn’t seem to be conducive to health. She had to bite back her sigh at the sight of him. Fiona was more or less the same, though Ella had visited her more or less recently. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laid eyes on her father. The shadow of the man he had been when she was a child was almost completely gone. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest.

“Hey, kids,” Fiona said, giving Ella a quick hug.

“Oh, hi,” Ella chirped, surprised at her instant warmth.

She also hugged Jess, shocking everyone involved.

“So good to see you guys! How are things in Philly? Adam tells me you just got a new apartment?” Fiona asked, buzzing and bubbly. Her black hair was cropped close to her head. Ella remembered how she used to let apprentices at the beauty salon experiment on her locks during breaks.

“Yeah, we’ve been there about a month,” Ella said. “It’s only a few blocks over from school. I can walk there.”

“How nice,” Fiona smiled.

“It is,” Jess agreed.

Shifting uncomfortably from foot-to-foot, Jake finally interjected. “Hi, Ellie.”

“Hey, dad,” she said, biting the inside of her cheek.

“Young man,” Jake greeted Jess coldly, nodding.

Jess gave a curt nod and a thin-lipped smile in response.

There was a long pause before anyone spoke again, filled with distant, amiable chatter of other families and shrieks of congratulations. Out of the corner of her eye, Ella could see Adam was already off with his friends. Soon, they would be headed to dinner and Project Graduation. Part of Ella was glad Adam didn’t want a big day of family celebration. No one would’ve survived any extended period of false positivity.

“I see you’ve got tattoos now, Ellie,” Jake said, looking down at the tulip on her arm, exposed in her spaghetti strap dress. “Your mother would’ve called that sinful, you know.”

The corners of Ella’s lips tugged up into a resentful smile, the words dripping with venom as they left her mouth before she could stop them. “Well, it’s a good thing she’s dead then, isn’t it?”

Both Fiona and Jake’s jaws dropped and it seemed all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air around them. Ella’s stomach dropped and she brought her hand over her mouth just after she said it. Her hazel eyes grew to the size of saucers. Immediately, Jess took her by the shoulders and began leading her in the direction of the diner, blurting out excuses.

“Hey, nice to see you folks, but we have to get to Rory’s graduation party tonight and it’d be pretty rude if we were late so…” he trailed off, stopping once they were far enough away, leaving Fiona and Jake flabbergasted and speechless.

“Oh my god,” Ella muttered, chewing at her thumbnail for the first time in what felt like forever. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I was gonna try to be nice if he came, because...at least he showed up, right? Fuck. Oh my god. Jess. Oh my god.”

“It’s okay, Daria. Just try to relax,” Jess breathed, steering her towards the diner as she instantly began melting down.

“I can’t relax, Jess! Don’t fucking tell me to relax! Did you hear that?! Did you hear what I just said?!” she muttered hastily. “Fuck me! Fuck! Every time I see him, my fucking mouth-”

“Hey, language!” Luke scolded her as they entered the diner, the bell jingling jovially above the door. There were only a few customers scattered around, the mid-afternoon lull.

“God, Luke, I thought age was supposed to negatively affect your hearing!” Ella snapped as Jess directed her to a stool and sat her down, hopping up on the seat next to her.

“Joe Pesci here is having a bad day,” Jess explained shortly as Luke shot Ella a bewildered stare.

“What happened?” Luke asked, arching a brow.

Ella heaved a great sigh and placed her head in her hands, elbows on the counter. “Bigmouth has struck again. And apparently she has even less of a filter now than she did in high school!”

“Right,” Luke said, increasingly confused.

Running a hand up and down over Ella’s back as she continued fuming, Jess gave Luke a dejected glance. “Green tea?”

A shadow of realization passed over Luke’s face. “Comin’ right up.”

[btsqualityy]

BTS Kink Series: Digital

Kim Seokjin

“Could you just pick one already?” You groaned from your place between Jin’s legs. The two of you were sat on the bed with you in between Jin’s open legs and your back pressed to his chest as you leaned against him.

“Y/N, picking the right video takes time,” Jin murmured back as he scrolled through Pornhub on his phone with one hand, the other rubbing light circles onto the skin on your hip.

“Jin, it really doesn’t matter that much. Besides if it does what we want it to, we won’t even finish the video,” you cooed, using your fingernail to trace shapes onto his thigh. 

“Fine,” he muttered as he finally clicked on a video and held his phone up so that the both of you could see it. The video started off pretty tamely, with the man and woman kissing and feeling each other up. Pretty soon though, the man had the woman on her back as he ate her out. Your breath hitched as you watched her arch her back and pull hard at the man’s hair.

“Doesn’t she look so pretty Y/N-ah?” Jin purred into your ear and you immediately nodded your head. Jin chuckled and moved his free hand so that it was on your thigh, stroking it softly. The man in the video stopped eating her out and immediately pushed his length inside of her, wasting no time in giving her what she had been begging for ever since he was eating her out.

“Fuck, you can just look and tell how tight her pussy is,” Jin pointed out as his free hand moved inwards and toyed with the lining of your panties that you still had on. “I bet you wish you were getting fucked like that too huh?”

“Please Jin,” you pleaded and Jin wordless pulled the crotch of your panties to the side, pushing his middle finger inside of you. 

“Damn Y/N, you’re soaked,” Jin whispered in awe. He handed you the phone in his other hand before bringing that one down as well and using it to hold your thighs apart. “Keep your eyes on that screen or I’ll stop, got it?” He said sternly and you quickly nodded. 

Min Yoongi

You stood in front of the floor length mirror that sat on one of the walls in your and Yoongi’s bedroom, going to your camera app and snapping a few photos of your outfit. You had gone to the mall today and picked up a few...interesting things and you wanted to show them off to Yoongi. Smirking to yourself, you then went to his text thread and proceeded to send him the three photos that you had taken. You didn’t even get the opportunity to lock your phone before it buzzed in your hand from his reply.

Yoongi: Are you trying to be funny right now? You know I can’t come home early today...

You: What are you talking about? 

You: I just bought some stuff at the mall and I wanted to show you, that’s all

Yoongi: You’re not slick baby girl

Yoongi: But since you wanted to show me so badly, why don’t you send me some more?

You smiled and went back to the camera, holding your phone up as you turned around so that your back was facing the mirror. You pulled your panties up so that more of your ass was exposed and you snapped two quick pictures. You then sent them off to Yoongi and waited patiently for his response.

Yoongi: Holy fuck baby girl, you’re so good for me

Yoongi: You may want to take a nap now because when I get home, I’m fucking you so hard that you’ll feel it for days

You: Looking forward to it Daddy

Kim Namjoon

You groaned loudly, feeling frustrated that the orgasm you had been chasing for the past 20 minutes just kept slipping away. Every since you and Namjoon had started dating, any efforts to get yourself off without him only proved futile.

An idea popped into your head as you thought of your boyfriend and you reached your to the nightstand, grabbing your phone and clicking on the camera. You switched to video mode and clicked record, angling the phone so that it could catch the sight of you rubbing your clit a few times. You stopped recording and went to your text messages, clicking on the thread you had with Namjoon and you sent the video to him. Sure enough, only a few minutes had passed before Namjoon was calling you.

“Hello?” You answered.

“Seems like someone’s having a little trouble huh?” Namjoon murmured huskily and you felt your walls clench.

“Yeah,” you pouted. “You know it’s hard for me to get off without you.”

“Well, I have a few minutes alone. Want some help baby?”

“Please,” you smiled, already sliding your free hand that wasn’t holding your phone down and settling your fingers on your clit.

“Good girl,” Namjoon whispered. “I want you to put your pointer and middle finger inside of your tight little pussy, ok?”

“Fuck,” you moaned as you followed his instructions.

“Now, I want you to fuck yourself the same way that you know I would,” he said. “Nice and deep, and no stopping until you come for me.” You began to thrust your fingers in and out of yourself, the familiar feeling of the orgasm that had been teasing you appearing again almost instantly. “Don’t stop baby, come all over your fingers for me.” Hearing Namjoon’s voice pushed you over the edge and you came, your body shuddering as the pleasure coursed throughout you.

“All good?” Namjoon chuckled and you blushed.

“All good. Thank you Joon.”

“No problem baby.”

Jung Hoseok

“Oh, and to what do I owe this pleasure?” You teased as you answered Hobi’s facetime call, only to be greeted with the sight of his shirtless chest.

“Clam down, I just got out of the shower,” Hobi laughed as he moved the camera so that his face was in frame.

“Hey, I don’t have any problem with it,” you shrugged. “I actually miss it. It’s been a long three weeks that you and the boys have been gone.”

“I know baby and I miss you too but we’ll be home in a week.”

“What if I don’t wanna wait that long?” You wondered and Hobi raised an eyebrow at you.

“What, you want me to make you come right now?” Hobi smirked.

“Hobi,” you whined. “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.”

“Hmm,” he hummed thoughtfully as he stared at you through the camera. “I guess I wouldn’t be either.” You couldn’t help both the smile and the blush that crept onto your face and Hobi chuckled at seeing your reaction. “Why don’t you start my showing me those perfect breasts of yours, hm?”

Park Jimin

Jiminie: I’m in this meeting and I’m bored as hell. Distract me?

You looked down at your phone and you couldn’t help the smile that appeared on your face as you read the text message from Jimin.

You: I’m at work and you are too, pay attention!

Jiminie: I could think of much better uses of my time than sitting in these boring meetings lol

You: Like what?

Jiminie: Like bending you over my lap and spanking you. After that, I’d probably fuck your face, the way that you like me to, before fucking you nice and hard.

You let out a soft rush of air as you read over that last text at least five times. You felt yourself involuntarily clench around nothing and you rolled your eyes at how he was able to turn you on without even being around you. You jumped lightly in surprise as your phone vibrated again.

Jiminie: Oh, my little slut likes that huh?

You: Yes....

Jiminie: Yes what?

You:...Yes Sir

Jiminie: That’s my good little slut

Kim Taehyung

You bit your lip nervously as you watched the Skype call connect, your laptop sitting on the bed in between your legs.

“Y/N-ah?” You heard Taehyung’s voice as the video connected and then you saw his boxy smile appear on your screen.

“Hi Tae,” you smiled shyly as you pulled the robe that you had on further around your body.

“Hi baby girl,” he said and you could see his eyes looking you up and down. “Are you nervous?”

“Kind of,” you admitted and Tae smiled. 

“We don’t have to do this, you know.”

“I want to,” you interjected. “Just, scared I guess.”

“There’s no need to be scared jagi,” Tae replied. “This is no different than anything else that we’ve ever done together. The only difference is that I’m not there with you.”

“Ok,” you nodded as you took a deep breath in and out. “I’m ready.”

“Why don’t you start by showing me what you have underneath that robe?” Tae suggested and you nodded again, unraveling the knot that held the robe on your body before slowly peeling it off. “Wow.”

“Do you like it?” You asked as you looked down at the forest green colored lingerie that covered your body.

“I love it baby,” Tae nodded, making you smile. “Is that new?”

“Yeah, bought it for tonight,” you confirmed. 

“You look beautiful. Now, why don’t you work on taking it off for me?” 

Jeon Jungkook 

“Here,” Jungkook said as he handed you his camera and you accepted it with eager hands. “Hey, be careful with it because if you drop my camera, I’m gonna drop you.”

“You know, for us to be making a sex tape, you’re not doing a very good job of getting me in the mood,” you teased, watching him as he laid down on his stomach in between your legs. You checked and made sure that the camera was recording before pointing the viewfinder at the apex of your thighs, where Jungkook was leaving light kisses on your thighs.

‘I’m just telling you because if you break my camera, there will be no mood to get into because you’ll be dead,” he laughed and you rolled your eyes at him.

“Can you just eat me out? Or are you camera shy baby?” You taunted and he looked up at you with a hard glare. Wordlessly, he dived straight into your folds, using his tongue to trace your outer lips and the outline of your clit.

“Holy shit Kook,” you murmured as you watched him through the camera lens. He moaned into you, the vibrations sending a pleasurable jolt throughout your lower half and you almost dropped the camera on your stomach.

“Oh, oh please,” you moaned and Jungkook removed his mouth from you, moving one his hands from your thigh and pressing two fingers into you. 

“Getting a little shaky Y/N-ah?” Jungkook joked but you were too focused on his fingers fucking you to reply to his slick comment. “You’re gonna make this unwatchable for later if you can’t hold the camera steady.”

“Fuck it,” you grumbled as you set the camera on the nightstand that was next to the bed. “Just fuck me, please.”

“My pleasure baby,” Jungkook smirked before leaning up and kissing you roughly.

[fortheloveoffanfic]

The One That Stays

Keanu Reeves x Reader (This was gonna be a oneshot, but it turned into a chapter for this. Also, I don’t like Valentine’s Day, but if you do, hope you had a great one! A/n2- I know a couple chapters ago, the reader and Keanu talked about something her company was launching for Christmas, in favor of propelling this plot forward, that doesn’t mean that they’re in December, it means they’re prepping for the coming December. Also, realistically, things like that would be months in the making and I don’t why I’m still talking but yeah. Also, I had a very specific idea in mind for the dress, so here it is, if you feel like looking at it-> dress)

Chapter1   Chapter2  Chapter3  Chapter4  Chapter5  Chapter6  

Chapter 7- Surprises

“I’ve dreamed of this a thousand times before but in my dreams I couldn’t love you more.” Martina Mcbride, My Valentine.

“Hey!” Y/n beamed, putting her cell to her ear as she leaned back into the chair in her office, “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon.”

“What?” Keanu teased on the other end, wherever he was; Y/n could hear a machine in the distance and she automatically assumed that he was at Arch, “I missed my girlfriend and wanted to hear her voice,” Keanu laughed lightly.

On her end, Y/n playfully rolled her eyes; ever since Julie had called them a couple about two weeks ago, Keanu had not missed an opportunity to call her his ‘girlfriend’. “Okay boyfriend. But you did drive me to work this morning,” to be fair, Y/n hadn’t ever missed a chance to call him her ‘boyfriend’ either. Glancing at her watch, she added, “And that was two hours ago.”

“Okay, you got me,” she could still hear Keanu’s smile in his words and as he sat in his office at the shop, he toyed with a pen, pushing the little plastic button over and over as he absently stared at the screen of his laptop, where he had a list of the best restaurants listed out with contacts. “I’ll admit, my call is not spontaneous.”

“So you didn’t miss my soothing, melodious voice? I’ll try not to be offended,” Y/n teased.

Keanu chuckled, “I never said that!” He defended, “I....your voice was very missed.”

“Okay,” Y/n pulled on the edge of her desk, bring herself closer to the white varnished oak table, barely looking at the work laid out on her computer as she continued talking to Keanu, “So what’s up?”

“I was just wondering....” Keanu trailed off, not really understanding why he was so nervous. That was the kind of thing you did with a girlfriend right? Take her out for Valentine’s Day? Keanu always liked the idea of the unofficial holiday; spoiling the person you loved, just because, and that year, for the first time in a while, he’d have someone to spend it with. Though, ever since he had started looking into things they could do together, there was a lingering uncertainty that gnawed at him; telling him that it was too soon to expect that much. Still, he had somehow mustered up the courage to ask her, or rather, muster up the courage to decide that he’d ask her eventually, “Maybe we should talk about this in person?”

“Why?” Y/n scrunched up her nose, standing abruptly to walk over to the window behind her desk, heels clicking softly on the tiles. The view of the city from her office never proved to be disappointing; working in the heart of the city meant that something was always happening on the street nearly fifteen stories below; entertainers putting on gleeful performances, random filming for movies or television shows and on a rare occasion, a fight spilling out from a bar in the middle of the day. On that day, there were costumed dancers on the pavement and a crowd had gathered around them, though Y/n could barely pay them any attention, too caught up in trying to siphon Keanu’s words out of him, “You called to tell me something, so just tell me.”

“Yeah, but, wouldn’t you prefer to talk in person?” He paused and Y/n could almost imagine him sitting across from her, biting his lip in hesitation, “It’s about Friday.”

“Friday? What’s Friday?” Suddenly, she was racking her brain, trying to remember was significance the coming Friday could possibly hold. His birthday was in September, so  wasn’t that it. It definitely wasn’t hers. As far as Y/n was concerned, Friday was just a regular, run-of-the-mill start of the much anticipated weekend.

Again, Keanu hesitated before speaking, “The 14th. Valentine’s day. You didn’t remember,” he huffed quietly, sounding defeated.

“I.....no....I just....” Despite her efforts, Y/n couldn't find a viable excuse, because really, she had forgotten, “I didn’t. I’m sorry,” she sighed, shaking her head. Usually on Valentine's day, it would just be her and Julie watching implausible rom-coms over chocolate and wine, but just a couple weeks prior, Julie had thrown herself into helping an author turn his book into a script and Y/n had been so busy, juggling different projects; most of her down time had been spent with Keanu and he hadn’t even mentioned Valentine’s until then. Besides, it had never been her favorite day either; overpriced flowers, dinner packages that cost triple the amount of the meal. To Y/n it was all just a marketing scheme to get people to spend more money than they needed to and people acting all mushy and overly-sentimental in a way that typically made her cringe was just an unfortunate bonus. It was safe to say that she wasn’t a romantic at heart. “That’s what you wanted to talk about?” Y/n finally continued casually, filling the silence.

“It is,” Keanu determined, “I was thinking; we could go out. We could go to a nice place, have dinner, dance if you’re up to it,” he paused for a minute and when Y/n didn’t anything, he continued, “There are some great places that should be fun. Most of them offer the same things, it’s just up to preference, you know? French food versus sushi, that kind of thing. I’d have to make a reservation today though”

Which meant she didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. 

“Oh!” Y/n chuckled nervously, how was she supposed to tell Keanu, who had already started to plan a romantic evening, that she thought Valentine’s day was just an over-commercialized non-sensical day abused by industries across the board. “I don’t know Ke, Valentine’s day isn’t really my thing. Maybe we could just hang out? Watch a movie over take-out?” Even as the words left her mouth, Y/n cringed, there she was, stomping all over his romantic evening so she could sit at home in her pajamas.

Keanu took a while before answering that time, though even when he did, he sounded deflated and disappointed. If there was a way to tell your extremely sweet, romantic-at-heart boyfriend that you didn’t do hearts and flower on a day specifically meant for just that; it certainly wasn’t the way Y/n had just done it. “Yeah, okay. I gotta go Y/n. I’ll pick you up later.” And just like that, without even a hurried good bye, Keanu was gone and Y/n felt like more of a jerk than she ever had.

With a huff and a sigh, she flopped back into her white leather chair, tossing her head back, “Way to be an asshole Y/n,” she mumbled. 

The day had gone by quickly and eventually, Y/n was slipping her laptop back into it’s bag. Keanu had informed her, via text, that he was just about ten minutes away. Of course, after their awkward interaction, she had texted him and told him that she was fine taking a cab or Uber-ing home, but like the perfect gentleman, he had brushed her off, assuring her that he wasn’t upset and that he would still pick her up. Though, when she asked him on a spontaneous lunch date just after that, he had politely declined and Y/n had ultimately gathered that he was in fact, at the very least, disappointed.

So, instead, she had spent lunch on the phone with Julie, trying to find ways to fix things. They had eventually worked one out, and as Y/n spent the rest of her afternoon going through the motions of putting things in place, for the coming Friday, she put her actual work aside. By the time she had chosen a dress online, that would, hopefully, be delivered on Thursday night, and made other necessary preparations, it was just about time to leave.

On the elevator ride down, Y/n sucked in a breath; she had never been good at apologizing, but was willing to do it so she could mend things with Keanu, she hated the idea that he might be upset with her more than she cared about maintaining her pride.

By the time the reflective metal doors slid open, she had already worked out a vague idea of what she was going to say when she saw him. To her surprise though, Y/n found that it would be sooner rather than later, considering he was standing in the downstairs lobby, leaning against the vacant receptionists’ desk. He was dressed in the same thing he had worn that morning; a leather jacket with a plain grey t-shirt underneath along with a dark pair of jeans and his favorite pair of brown, boots. She had learnt that Keanu was very attached to them.

“Hi,” she tried to smile, approaching him slowly, and to her surprise, he pecked her on the lips, offering to take her laptop bag, “Thanks,” she breathed.

“No problem,” he nodded, already starting to walk towards the automatic doors at the entrance. He seemed quieter than usual, no asking about her day or if she wanted to stop for dinner on the way back to her place, nothing. He did however, still open the passenger door of his sleek black Porsche for her.

She slid in, buckling her seatbelt as he made his way over to the driver’s side. Wordlessly, Keanu peeled away from the curb, easily melding into L.A’s evening traffic, “Are you still staying over tonight?”

“I don’t think so,” Keanu kept his eyes on the road, “I’ll just drop you off and head home.”

“Oh,” she frowned. Y/n’s mind pushed her to speak, and as she battled with her conscience, briefly looking out the window, not in the slightest comforted by the Valentine's day merchandise dominating the storefronts. Everyone seemed to be going all out in anticipation of the day, even at work, a group had organized a gift exchange, something she had made sure to stay clear of, and their marketing department had devised an entire promotion around perfumes as presents for the day. “I’m sorry,” she finally croaked, turning in her seat to face him, “I don’t anything for Valentine’s day and I automatically assumed that we’d just do nothing together. I didn’t realize how important this was to you-”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Keanu shook his head, for the first time since their too short kiss, he glanced at her, his tone soft, “I should be the one apologizing . I sprang that on you, and we haven’t even been together for that long. I didn’t even ask if you wanted to do something, I just thought you would and ran with the idea.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Y/n smiled faintly, putting a hand on his knee, “Keanu, you have every right to want to do something romantic on Valentine’s day; it’s our first one together, I should have been more open to the idea instead of shutting you down. And if we’re a couple, then we need to compromise, like a couple,” taking a deep breath, Y/n smiled giddily, asking, “So, Keanu, will you be my Valentine?”

Chuckling despite himself, Keanu looked at her through the corner of his eye, “You’re serious?”

“Yes, now answer me before I start feeling stupid,” Y/n giggled.

Playfully, he scoffed, “Well I can’t say yes until I know what being your Valentine entails. Or is it top secret?”

Squinting her eyes in indecision, she hummed, “Nah. If you must know, it includes dinner in Beverly Hills, we’ll dress up nice, have some champagne and maybe do some dancing. French food, not sushi, I’ll never eat raw fish.”

“Not a compromise you’re willing to make?” He teased.

“Nope,” she sung, “What do you think, be my Valentine baby?”

Chuckling louder, Keanu nodded, “I’d like that. But I hope you’re not doing this because you think we need to. I’ve been thinking, if what you want is take out and a movie, I can do that; as long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter  what we do.” As they stopped for a red light, Keanu leaned over to kiss her, that time, their lips locking for a bit longer.

“Yeah, no, that’s not gonna work. I spent an hour on hold trying to get that reservation, we eat there, or die trying,” Y/n joked.

“Okay,” he chortled.

“Okay. Oh, but I have one condition, well technically two,” Y/n waited for Keanu to offer her a curious glance before continuing, “No flowers; never buy me flowers. And no expensive gifts.”

“So you’re taking me to dinner at a French restaurant and I can’t buy you something nice?” Keanu huffed, “That doesn’t seem fair,” he pouted.

“It doesn’t have to be expensive to be nice,” Y/n mused, just as they were nearing her building, “I’m sure you'll figure it out.” As Keanu turned into the underground garage, Y/n’s brows furrowed, “You changed your mind about staying over?”

Effortlessly, he pulled into the empty spot next to her car, shutting of the engine, “Yeah, since we’re not doing it on Friday, maybe we can do it tonight, if the offer still stands.”

“It does,” she grinned, letting Keanu take her bags as they got out of his car, “And, coincidentally an offer for dessert just opened up.”

Friday night had come sooner than Y/n had expected and as planned, she was getting ready for her date with Keanu. Unlike the night Y/n had gotten ready for their first date, she was a alone; Julie had informed her that she’d be our with her author friend that night, which was odd, but Y/n didn’t want to pry, yet. 

Finishing up with her make-up, Y/n was about to get into her dress when she received a text from Keanu informing her that he was just getting out of the elevator. Hurriedly, she shrugged on her robe and hurried to the door, “Hi!” She greeted with a kiss, his hands gripping her waist.

“Hey,” Keanu beamed against her lips, “You smell good.”

Y/n giggled, “So do you. And you look amazing,” she mused as they broke. Keanu had switched out jeans for a pair of well-fitting slacks and his black t-shirt looked exceptionally stylish under his deep navy blazer.

“Thanks,” he kissed her again, letting Y/n lead him towards her bedroom so she could finish getting dressed. When she undid the knot in front of her robe, the material fell off her shoulders and he sucked in a breath as she was left standing in nothing but a white lacy bra and matching panties. Next to him, on the bed, was a pink floral dress that he assumed was the new one she had told him about the night before. “Are you sure we have to go?” He watched as she disappeared into the closet briefly, returning with a strappy pair of nude heels.

Y/n chuckled quietly, “We do. I bought that dress specifically for tonight.” Keanu made a humorous noise of mock defeat and Y/n just laughed as she slipped into the dress. “Zip me?” She asked, going to stand in front of Keanu. Wordlessly, he stood, pressing a hand low on the small of her back as he dragged the zipper up.

“I like this,” he smiled behind her, kissing the top of her head.

“The dress?” She inquired quietly, turning to face him, his hands still on her.

“No,” he shook his head, furrowing his brows, “I mean yes, it looks great on you,” Keanu smiled, taking her in; the silky material went down to her ankles, with loose ruffles at the neckline and hem and a stylish knot at the waist. “ You look amazing, but I meant that I like watching you get ready; it’s....nice.”

Y/n’s smile faltered and for a second, their new relationship felt all to real. Watching a significant other get ready, that was something so....invested. She couldn’t really pin point how, but somehow, it suddenly dawned on her that their relationship was getting very serious very quickly. Though the thought frightened her, it was gone almost as quickly as it came and all Y/n could do was smile and move on to getting into her shoes.

“Ready?” Keanu asked when he thought she was finished.

“Ready,” Y/n confirmed, taking his arm as they left her apartment. 

The restaurant was marvelous; the elegant décor contained within stylish stone walls lined with decorative bottles of wine. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, emitting a light dim enough to perfectly compliment the romantic ambiance created by the soft violin music. Y/n and Keanu’s table was on the back patio, where a manmade pond ran under a wooden bridge, colorful fishes swimming the length. 

The menu was prefixed, accompanied by complementary champagne and wine. They sat close together, their chairs pulled close so Keanu’s arm could drape around Y/n’s shoulders as they spoke softly. They were halfway through their dessert when Keanu shifted to get something out of his pocket, “I got you something,” he smiled.

“So you mastered the art of nice but not expensive?” She raised her eyebrows, anxious to see what he had gotten her.

“Sort of,” Keanu’s hand lingered in his breast pocket on the inside of his jacket, “I figured expensiveness is subjective.”

“Oh?” Y/n scrunched her face, amused, “I’m not following.”

Without another word, Keanu produced a rectangular velvet box held closed by a red silk ribbon, “Before you say anything, open it. Please?”

Against a dark cushion, sat one of the most beautiful necklaces that Y/n had ever seen. A simple, heart shaped diamond, probably just a little bigger than her thumb nail, hung from a thing white gold chain, glittering in the mood lighting. Y/n smiled despite herself, “Ke,” she breathed, “This is beautiful.”

“You like it?” He inquired; hopeful.

“Of course,” she sighed breathily, meeting his eyes, “But I can’t accept this. We agreed on nothing expensive and this must have cost a fortune.”

Reaching over to lift it out of the box, Keanu spoke as he undid the back clasp, “I told you, expensiveness is subjective. Besides, it could be worth a million dollars and it wouldn’t be enough to show you how I feel. You like it, and that’s what matters.”

“Thank you,” Y/n submitted, blushing as Keanu’s hands brushed the back of her neck, “It’s perfect,” she kissed him, her fingers going to the gorgeous diamond that now sat comfortably under the hollow of her throat.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, and for a minute, his lips quivered as if he wanted to say more, though, in the distance a scuffle broke out; two hulking security guards arguing with a couple men. Neither of them could hear what they were saying, but it didn’t matter because not long after, they hoisted up by the back of their collars and dragged away.

“What the hell was that?” Y/n sat up straighter, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on, but still not able to understand the cause of the commotion was all about.

Immediately, Keanu had his suspicions, though, he didn’t want to worry Y/n without being sure, so instead, he just brushed it off, “It’s probably nothing, why don’t we just finish up here?”

Already dismissing the issue, her sweet smile reemerging, “Okay, sure,” she pecked his cheeks, his scuffle tickling her lips, “Thank you again for the beautiful necklace.”

When the valet brought his car around, Keanu held the door open for Y/n, his hand on the small of her back as she got in. Just as Y/n was about to duck into the vehicle though, a sudden flash from across the street distracted , but by the time she was looking up again, it was gone, “Come on babe, it’s late.”

Giggling, Y/n rolled her eyes, especially when Keanu bent in to help her get strapped into her seat belt faster, “Someone’s in a hurry,” she teased lightly.

“Yeah, well its Valentine’s day; I want to be alone with my lady,” with one final kiss, Keanu shut the passenger door, jogging to his side of the car after tipping the valet. Without a second to spare after getting in, Keanu was pulling off, navigating traffic with a bit more haste that usual. “I was thinking,” he began when the restaurant was far out of sight, “We could go back to my place instead, if you want,” after all, it was closer, and with all the security that his neighbors had, it was less likely that some would try something there.

“Sure,” Y/n nodded. It was Friday, and she didn’t have to work the next day, so it would be a welcome change of pace.

“Great,” he smiled, though something in the gesture seemed less genuine, like he was faking it. Keanu put a hand on Y/n’s thigh, gently squeezing as his other remained on the wheel.

“Everything okay?” Y/n asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he offered her another tight smile, “You?”

“I’m good, Keanu,” Y/n chortled, “Tonight was nice, I’m glad we did this.”

Nodding absently, Keanu barely glanced Y/n’s way; instead, his gaze occasionally shifted from the road to the rearview mirror, “It was. We’re almost there, okay?” He assured, though, it really sounded like he was trying to reassure himself.

“Okay, no rush,” Y/n put her hand over Keanu’s.

With the speed he was going at, the ride to Keanu’s house in Hollywood Hills was nearly cut in half and in what felt like no time, they were secured in his garage; the heavy steel door shutting out the outside. It was only then that Keanu seemed to relax again and Y/n had wanted to ask what had gotten him so flustered back at the restaurant, but something in the back of her mind kept saying that he wouldn’t tell her. 

They entered his place through the side door and Keanu immediately hit a switch on the grey painted wall, illuminating the long hallway. Y/n had only been to Keanu’s place once before, just to spend the night, so she stood there awkwardly waiting on his cue before moving again. “Wine?” He suggested.

“I’d love some,” Y/n obliged, letting him take her hand and lead her towards the kitchen. Keanu’s house was far bigger than her apartment and Y/n thought that if she were to explore it on her own, she might get lost. While when Y/n had first met him, she had taken him for a minimalist, his home easily reflected that Keanu’s tastes favored bold structures while provocative art that stood out against the black and grey décor.

He left her in the living room, returning minutes later with an open bottle of red and two glasses. “Happy Valentine’s day,” he smiled softly.

“Happy Valentine’s day,” Y/n mirrored, clicking her class to his, humming after her first sip. 

Comfortable silence hung between the two for a while, though, eventually, Keanu started fidgeting nervously, toying with the stem of his glass. Discarding her glass on the coffee table, Y/n scooted closer, placing her hand on his thigh, “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah,” Keanu took a large sip from his wine, hesitating again before he spoke. Though, before he did, he took a deep shaking breath and as he shifted to meet her eyes, Y/n felt the air around them change, just like it had the first time they spent the night together. Except that time, her heart started beating erratically and something told her that what they had was about to change, though, she couldn’t decide if it was for the better. Clearing his throat, Keanu set his glass down next to hers, taking her hands, “Y/n,” he began, his breathing a bit heavy, “Back at the restaurant, I...uh..there’s was something I wanted to tell you.”

“Okay,” she nodded, and already, she knew where he was going with that, and she really couldn’t let him. What would she say if he said what he was about to? Y/n didn’t know, but she knew that she couldn’t trust herself to say it back, even if she returned his feelings, it would be reckless to lay their hearts down that soon; they’d just be setting themselves up for heartache. Her nerves bubbled  and Y/n started working out ways to stall, searching for a way to change where things were going. Then it came to her and just like that, before he could say the words, Y/n pounced, crashing her lips to his, definitely catching him off guard. In an instant, she was in his lap, straddling Keanu; one hand pressed to his chest, the other tangled in his hair, “Why don’t we talk tomorrow?” She offered between hot, heavy kisses.

“I really wanted to-”

“Shh,” she said, her lips travelling downwards, her fingers moving to undo his pants as she ground on his lap. She had certainly taken him by surprise, but it didn’t take long before Keanu was responding to her body on his; his arousal pressing into her thigh.

“Are you sure?” He swallowed tightly as Y/n slid off of him, her knees hitting the floor with a soft thud as she urged his pants and underwear to his knees.

“Of course,” she grinned mischievously, “I want to thank you for my beautiful gift,” Y/n winked.

Keanu was about to say something, though he wasn’t sure what, because, before he knew it, Y/n’s lips were around him and the only thing that left his lips after that, wasn’t really the profession he had in mind.

******

Tagging- @harrisongslimited  @baphometwofl666  @kindainlovewithkeanu  @a-really-bi-girl @soarocks

[citrine-elephant]

The Anointed

The Vault Hunters are split up. Zane runs into a little trouble.

“Shite!” Zane hissed, rolling on the cement and pouncing to his feet, quickly raising his SMG towards his attacker. 

The operative reached for his remote digistructor, slamming his thumb on the button and ducking yet another fist coming for his face. Within a moment, his digi-clone sparked alive, equipping himself with a copy of the man’s SMG and firing at the assailant. 

“There ya are, ye handsome bastard!” Zane quipped, smirking as he dodged another fist yet again.

An Anointed Goliath. Troy had sent them, a bunch of them, splitting up the group. But Zane had never had a problem alone. He had his digi-clone and his other gadgets. It was just easier with a team.

“Why won’t you die now?” the goliath hissed, throwing a punch that made a hit, knocking Zane to the ground.

The operative tumbled, before rolling to his feet again, “Not today, boomer!”

“You are old man?” the purple hunk of meat’s skull tilted on it’s stem as he took a step back, momentarily stunned by Zane’s words.

“I’m an old man with spice! I’m a spicy old man! Zesty Zane boy…” the operative trailed off and chuckled, quickly raising his gun again and firing off into the goliath’s stomach.

The goliath hissed, stumbling back further, hitting the wall behind him. He huffed and shook the skull that lurched from his body, soon turning his attention back on the white haired man.

“Oof, are ye angry now?” Zane smiled, firing more shots into the big guy’s belly, then turning up the gun towards the head. His clone followed suit. 

The Anointed paused, then let out a laugh. Zane halted his firing for a moment, enough to cock his head in confusion. 

Before the operative knew it, he was knocked flat on the ground. His body hit the cement with a loud thump, his head cracking against the ground. It wasn’t enough to knock Zane unconscious, but was enough to daze him something awful… And give him quite the nasty headache. The man looked up through blurred and double vision, groaning as he grabbed his head. Above him were two goliaths, not one. The man blinked a few times to check his eyes, but no, it seemed like there were two Anointed goliaths standing above him. How had he missed the second one?

“You die now!” the first goliath spoke, grabbing Zane by the throat and lifting him off the ground.

The man gasped as the purple fist clenched around his neck, but he was too out of it to do anything. Zane reached weakly to pry the fingers off of him, but his body wouldn’t respond like he wanted it to. He let out a grunt as he hung there in the goliath’s grasp.

“No, you idiots!” Another voice spoke. A familiar voice.

The goliath turned and Zane got to see the fresh new blur. Two blurs, actually. Blurs with glowing red and blue… The pieces were starting to fall in place in his dazed and confused mind…

“We’re not killing him,” Troy Calypso. It was Troy Calypso, “We need him alive.”

Zane grimaced. His vision was starting to return to normal and he could start to see that rat boy’s face and his twin sister. Two leeches. 

“No kill? Aw!” the Anointed goliath whined, dropping Zane to the ground. 

The operative lay there on the ground, struggling to even get to his hands and knees. Before he knew it, he was lifted from the ground once again, this time, encased in some sort of energy… Maya’s powers… Troy had phaselocked him. 

“Aw, what’s wrong, Vault Thief? Having a little trouble?” The red tattooed Siren laughed.

“See, our followers needed something more, so we decided to do something big! Real big, right Troy?” Tyreen, the Siren with the blue tattoos, smiled. 

“Right, sis!” Troy looked towards his sister and beamed, “How’s about a little team switch?” 

Zane rolled his head as much as he could to look at the twins. He hissed through his teeth.

“We’re going to recruit you, Vault Thief!” The blue tattooed Siren smiled, “Well, we were going to try and recruit that Siren friend of yours. What is her name? Amara…? But you just fell right into our hands so easily!”

“You’d have to…” Zane struggled, “...kill me first…”

“Kill you?” Tyreen laughed, “Maybe later, but we need you, Vault Thief! Come on, this will be fun!”

Zane grunted, trying to summon his SNTNL, but he couldn’t release it on account of not being able to move much. On top of still trying to shake himself out of it, the energy orb he was trapped in weighed down on him as well. Soon, Troy walked up to his captive. The Siren leech watched the operative struggle to find his energy before deciding to pull out a small device of sorts.

“You know, ECHO technology is kinda flawed…” The red tattooed Siren began, “It’s just so easy to manipulate and mess with…”

“Yeah, and your ECHO encryption is wack!” Tyreen chipped in.

“It’s just that, there was this guy once who had an ECHO port in the side of his head…” 

Troy smiled, “Someone popped one of these babies right in there and boom!”

“His head blew up!” The other Siren exclaimed, “Not really, he totally got brainwashed,

haha!” 

“Tyreen, I got this…” Troy turned towards his sister, then back at Zane, “Yeah… Brainwashed... Something like that. I noticed, you’re equipped with all sorts of ECHO gear… I wonder if you’d happen to have something worth our time…?”

“Feck you...” Zane spat.

Troy simply smiled and pulled the energy orb holding the operative closer to him. With excitement in his eyes, he watched the man struggle and fight… as much as he could.

“Now where is that ECHO port…?” the red tattooed Siren walked around the orb, observing the man closely.

Troy looked like Zane like a predator would it’s prey. Like a hunter admiring his trophy. The Siren looked proud to have this Vault Hunter in his grasp… And hungry for something sinister.

“Ah ha! There it is… Smart placement, Vault Thief. The beard almost hides it!” the Siren smiled.

Zane could only watch as the Siren grabbed him and rammed the device into the port on the side of his neck. Troy released the man from the phaselock and took a step back, watching him collapse on the ground.

“Oh, ye bastard...!” the operative hissed through his teeth as he struggled to wrap his hands around the device, “I’ll… kill ya!” 

Zane made for a lunge, abandoning his effort to pull out the device in his neck, but his body would not cooperate. He fell short as a new feeling surged through him. Electricity. It doubled him over, completely incapacitating him. 

“What... the feck…?!” the operative croaked, falling on his stomach, hands unsure where to try to comfort.

The twins stood above him and laughed, watching him suffer in agony. Watching him as he made a new attempt to crawl away. A pressure landed hard on his back, knocking him on his belly. Troy Calypso’s foot...

“Oh no, Vault Thief, you’re staying right here,” Troy chuckled.

The operative yelped as a kick to the side forced him on his back. He groaned aloud as he felt the electricity in his body grow somehow worse than it already was. The worst parts were his stomach and his head. God his head, though. His thoughts became scrambled, unorganized, a complete and utter mess. He couldn’t think one way or the other.

Then, through the nonsense in Zane’s head came sparks of thought. His own voice coming through, telling him things.

“Worship the Twin Gods,” the operative’s mind told him, “Follow the God Queen!”

Soon, Zane’s mind was overwhelmed with all kinds of thoughts, thoughts in his own voice, telling him all sorts of things. Join the Children of the Vault, kill the Vault Thiefs, the Vaults belong to the Twin Gods and the COV… 

“Get out of me feckin’ head!” the operative yelled, pounding his fist weakly against the ground.

“You like that? Programmed that myself. Y’know, sitting in a room full of psychos for four hours is kinda the worst…” Troy’s beam turned towards a frown.

“But when they’re worshipping you… Hah!” Tyreen laughed, “Anyway, Vault Thief, what is your name? Sand or something, right? Who cares, you’re ours now. Our followers are gonna love this!” 

Zane tried to get up, but he just couldn’t. Whatever had been inserted into his ECHO port was corrupting his mind and incapacitating him more than being knocked flat on his ass by the Anointed. The electricity was too strong, even if he had his strength back… He felt himself losing the battle. He felt himself slipping.

“Aw, look at him!” Tyreen teased, “He’s struggling. What a battle! Are you getting this, Troy?”

They had been filming this the whole time. Zane would have felt angry at both the twins and himself if it weren’t for whatever Troy uploaded into his ECHO port. He felt more exhausted than anything. 

“Get a close up of his face!” Tyreen commanded.

Troy obliged and the camera drone flew closer. The operative was looking worse for wear. He soon gave up his struggle and just layed there, drooling on the cement. 

“The operative got operated!” Troy exclaimed.

“Oh, I like that one, Troy. Haha, ‘the operative got operated’. So good,” Tyreen joined in her brother’s joy.

Zane looked through exhausted eyes up at the twins, feeling himself slip into the darkness. Everything began to slip away as he blacked out.

…

“Good morning, sleepy head!” Tyreen was standing in front of Zane’s vision, smiling as wide as she could, “How ya feeling, my favourite superfan?” 

The operative groaned, but as soon as his mind adjusted to what he was seeing, he felt a pang of… excitement.

“God Queen…” The words left his lips before he had time to process them. Wait, what the fuck was he thinking?

The Siren gasped, “Troy! Troy, I think your little toy worked!”

“Did it?” Troy called, before walking into view, “Let’s wait to untie him before we’re sure.”

That’s when Zane realized he was tied down to a chair. His wrists were bound tight to the armrests and rope wrapped snugly around his chest and belly. His ankles received the same treatment: all nice and snug. Part of his mind was screaming in panic, while the other was screaming in joy. The Twin Gods were standing right before him… 

No, don’t feel joy, Zane struggled, don’t feel…

“The Twin Gods… right in front of me!” the operative smiled and let out a chuckle, before showing a clear struggle with his mind as he scoffed, “If only I could just… kill…”

“Wait, he’s struggling. Troy, I don’t know if it’s working now,” Tyreen turned towards her brother and frowned.

Zane felt a pang of anxiety seeing that frown. No, be happy, God Queen! Be… fuckin’ miserable!

“Maybe he needs a little extra… push?” Troy suggested, “Ty, pull up the TV and put some COV broadcasts on, maybe that’ll help him!”

Tyreen glared at Troy, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Or I could do it…” the red tattooed Siren rolled his eyes before disappearing from sight.

Soon, Troy returned, pushing a box with a television on top of it. He stopped in front of Zane and pressed the power button. A blast of light flooded the operative’s vision, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to what he was seeing. The operative knew it for what it was; propaganda. But he just couldn’t take his eyes off of it…

…

The twins left Zane strapped down in front of the TV, forced to watch broadcast after broadcast after broadcast. Even with the excitement deep down in his gut, he screamed, hoping his fellow Vault Hunters would somehow hear him and rescue him… But soon enough, his screams died down...

“How ya feeling now, superfan?” Tyreen Calypso appeared in front of him again. Zane didn’t even realize the television was off until a smack to his face brought him to attention.

“G-God… Queen…” the operative muttered. He was exhausted… Broken. 

“Oh, would you look at that!” the blue tattooed Siren smiled, placing a hand under Zane’s chin and lifting his head, “I think your propaganda idea worked. Finally brought him around! Don’t worry, Vault Thief, we’ll build you back up again…”

“Shame that we couldn’t just fry his brain in one go, but I guess this was faster,” Troy huffed, walking into view.

“I think we can let him go now,” Tyreen stated, “We gotta get going on the next part of this… Troy, will you do the honors?” 

Troy smirked, casting the phaselock on the already tied up Zane, “Welcome to the family.”

With that, a haze of purple surrounded the operative. Energy raced through him like a train, devouring every inch of him. It was over in seconds. Before Zane knew it, he had become one of the Anointed.

[softboywriting]

Dad | Finding Home Series Finale

Summary: Lily gets a dad for her birthday. [dad shawn] [non au]

Word Count: 2k

|Masterlist In Bio|

One month later

“Momma?” Lily's tiny voice calls through the half open door and you lift your head from your pillow. The room is dark and you have to squint to see her tiny figure in the doorway. You assume she's had another bad dream. She's been having them since Shawn left for London at the beginning of the week.

“Yes baby?”

“Can I sleep in here?”

“What's wrong with your bed?”

Lily is quiet.

“Lily?”

“I had a bad dream.”

“Again?” You sit up and turn on the bedside lamp, flooding the room with a soft yellow glow. Lily walks in and crawls up onto your bed with much effort. Her little hands slipping in the comforter. She manages and gets up onto your lap. “Tell me about it.”

She sniffs. “There was a dinosaur and it ate Shawn.”

“Why did it do that?”

“I don't know. But I was all alone and I was very scared. I wanted to make that dinosaur puke him out.” Lily makes a blech noise. “But he ran away and Shawn was gone forever!”

“Oh baby. It's okay, Shawn is okay, he's in London, remember?”

Lily leans her head into your chest and you run your hand over her hair. It's so wavy and unruly just like Shawn's. “Can we call and make sure?”

“Call Shawn?”

“Yeah.”

You reach over and grab your phone off the nightstand. It's almost one in the morning. You're not sure what time it is in London. “It's pretty late. I think Shawn's in bed still maybe.”

“But...what if the dinosaur got him?”

“I promise dinosaurs are all gone bud.”

“Even in London? What if it was an alley gator. They look like dinosaurs. There could be alley gators in London!”

You sigh and give in. As soon as you hit dial you press the video call button and give the phone to Lily. A few rings later and Shawn's face appears on screen lit by what looks to be early morning sun.

“Hello? Lily?”

“You're alive!”

“Yeah?” He chuckles and smiles sleepily. “What's up pumpkin?”

Lily tells him her dream, this time in much more detail as Shawn listens with his eyes closed. He hums now and again and lets out breathy little laughs. “...so I had to call you and make sure you didn't get eaten.”

“Nope. I'm all good. I think you can go back to bed now. You wouldn't want to be tired for school tomorrow and sleep through music day would you?”

“No!” Lily looks panicked. “I'll go to sleep! Good night Shawn!” She kisses the phone screen and gives it to you before hurrying off to her bedroom.

“Did she call me or did you?”

You lay down and turn off the light, laying the phone upright against the pillow next to you. “I called. She had to make sure you were okay. I didn't know if you'd be awake because of the time difference.”

“Mmm. It's almost seven in the morning so no worries. Are you sure you didn't just wanna call and hear my sleepy voice?”

“Oh please.”

“I know how much you love it.” He purrs, voice low and sleep rough. You roll your eyes, he says your name and that gets your attention. Too much attention. “There it is.”

“There what is?”

“That look. The one you save just for me.” He grins and presses his cheek into his pillow. “I love it.”

“Yeah well...shut up.”

“I wish I could be in bed with you right now.”

“But you’re halfway across the world.”

“And I miss my girls.” He sighs sleepily. “I should probably get up soon, the sun is blinding me. Go back to sleep darling.”

“Don't you darling me, I hate that word.”

“Sweetheart.”

“I'm going to hang up.”

He pauses a moment before grinning. “Honey.”

“Shawn.”

“I love you.”

The phone screen goes dark and you just lay there. How dare he get the last word in. God he infuriated you in the best way and he knew that half way across the world, there was nothing you could do about it. You love him even if he was a little shit. ____________________

Friday, the twenty fifth, Lily's birthday and you get a call that she is sick at school. There is no way you can leave work without your boss flipping out. You feel sick. Lily needs you and you have to risk your job to get her. You fucking hate this place.

Initially you want to call Olivia and see if she can pick her up, but she isn't in town this week. So you check your messages to see if Shawn has landed yet. Sure enough Shawn has just texted you a few minutes ago that he's landed and will be at the house when you get home with Lily.

You hit dial and put the phone up to your ear. “Shawn?”

“Yeah? What's up?”

“Are you still at the airport?”

“Just getting my bags now. What's wrong?”

“Can you pick up Lily? She's sick and if I leave right now I will lose my job.”

“Of course. I'll be there as soon as I can.”

Unexpectedly, your meeting ends shortly after you return from your phone call with Shawn. As soon as you are able to, you head out of work to hopefully meet him at the house. The second you get home you find Lily on the couch. She's covered with a blanket and watching TV with tired eyes, barely awake it seems. Shawn is nowhere in sight but you assume he's probably just in the bathroom.

“Hey baby,” you coo softly, petting her hair back off her sweaty forehead. “How's it going?”

“My tummy hurts and I'm tired.”

“Do you need some water?”

Lily shakes her head. “Shawn got it.”

“Oh.”

“I'm sleepy Momma.” She rubs her eyes and turns into the couch cushions. You rub her back and she falls asleep immediately.

You find Shawn in the kitchen, filling up a bottle of water. “Hey, thank you.”

Shawn turns and smiles softly. “Of course. I'm glad I was able to get her. How was work? I thought you couldn't leave?”

“The meeting ended quicker than I thought. Did you have any trouble picking her up? I texted the teacher that you were her dad and that you're allowed to take her home.”

“No problem at all.” He looks into the living room and shakes his head. “The poor kid. Sick on her birthday.”

“I know. She just needs to rest. How was Europe?”

“Same shit as always. I couldn't wait to get home. It's funny, I've never been so eager to just relax.” He chuckles and shakes his head. “The whole time I was thinking about what I wanted to do for Lily's birthday and here we are.” “There's still tomorrow.”

“You're right.”

“I'm going to get changed, do you mind watching her for a little bit longer? I know you must be exhausted.”

Shawn shakes his head. “No, go ahead. I'll sit with her until you're cleaned up.”

Half an hour later and you're showered, changed and ready to see how Lily is doing. The moment you walk into the living room your heart just melts. On the couch is Shawn, sprawled out with his feet hanging over the end and Lily curled up on his chest with her blanket on top of her. You decide to go to the kitchen to make Lily's birthday cake instead. The two of them could sleep a while.

That night you find yourself in the living room picking up a mess of toys, sippy cups and blankets strewn about from the week. Shawn had just woken up and carried Lily's still sleeping form to bed moments ago and you decided to clean up a bit, changing the tv to a music channel while you did so.

As you stuff Lily's dolls into her little toy box and set aside her blanket and a couch pillow to be washed, you hear something move behind you. It's Shawn. He's pushing the coffee table toward the wall under the TV. “What're you doing?” You ask and he holds his hand out for you.

“Dance with me?”

A slow song starts on the music channel, one of his from a few years ago and you just shake your head at him. “Really? To your own song?”

“Yeah. It's about you so I think it's a pretty good choice.”

“No...it is not.”

“Yes. I swear.” he chuckles and shakes his hand for you to take.

You grab his hand and he puts an arm around your waist and slow dances you side to side singing along to the song. “Be mine yeah, any time any time.”

“I love this one.” You lay your head against his chest and he keeps singing softly. The two of you sway together while he sings quietly through two more songs.

“Thank you.” he whispers lowly against your hair.

“For what?”

“For everything. If I hadn't come to see you when I did, I don't know where I'd be right now. I never would have met Lily or decided that I am officially ready to slow down. I wouldn't be dancing in your living room and feeling so in love my heart is about to burst.” He pulls back and looks down at you. “So thank you, for letting me in that night it was raining. You really saved me.”

“You saved yourself Shawn.”

“But you helped.” He kisses you softly. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

____________________

Lily wakes up bright and early the next morning. You can hear her little feet running down the hall before she bursts into your bedroom and flings herself up onto the bed between you and Shawn. You've been awake for a few minutes, just thinking about everything that's happened in the last month or so.

“Momma! Shawn! Wake up!”

You roll over and face the dark haired little girl beside you. Five years old now. Oh how time flies. “Yes bud?”

“My birthday is over! I didn't get any presents!”

Shawn rolls over and loops his arm around Lily. “Who says your birthday is over?”

“But...it was yesterday.”

“Yeah but it's not over until we celebrate. So it's still your birthday.”

You boop her nose and she giggles. “Let's have breakfast and then we can open presents.”

“Okay!”

Lily practically inhales her breakfast so she can open presents faster. You worry about her stomach being sensitive but she seems to be alright. Shawn brings in a stack of boxes from the laundry room where you had hidden them and the three of you sit down in the middle of the living room.

“What's the green box?” You ask Shawn as Lily tears into a gift wrapped in pink and blue paper.

“A surprise.”

“A surprise huh?”

Shawn grins and you eye him suspiciously.

Lily opens everything, squealing and thanking the two of you until she gets to the last box, Shawn's. It's a small green box, no bigger than a deck of cards. “Momma, this is for you too.”

“For me? But it's your birthday bud.”

Lily hands you the box and sure enough on the top is your name and Lily’s. “What is it?” You ask Shawn and he just smiles innocently.

You lift the lid and inside is two matching rings with feathers that wrap around them lying side by side. Lily's eyes light up and she realizes what it is before you do.

“Matching rings! Momma! Is Shawn going to be my Dad?!”

Shawn raises his eyebrows as you pick up the smaller of the two rings. You slide it over your ring finger and look to Lily. “Yes he is baby. Yes he is.”

Lily shrieks and throws herself at Shawn, wrapping her little arms around him.

“I figured maybe we could get married before we go public with our relationship and Lily. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant, just friends and family.”

“That sounds perfect.” You take the other ring from the box and slide it over Shawn's finger. He rests his hand on Lily's back and she just snuggles against him, sighing softly as you lean against his shoulder.

“I love you Dad,” Lily says softly and you close your eyes.

“I love you too Lily. I love you too.”

The end.