#(he has a last name now and i gotta go back and edit all the tags)

[starrysharks]

refining the artstyle, more details... this is basically the exact artstyle that i plan to use for the game art itself

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Want Some Help? | Jeon Jungkook One Shot

Summary: When your boyfriend can't seem to satisfy you anymore your roommate decides to lend a helping hand. Pairing: f!reader x Jungkook (crackhead roommate energy) Word Count: 4.7k (got a little carried away but when don't I 😂) Warnings: Explicit language, smut and cheating. He spits in her mouth at the end lol and hella pet names. Aight that's all you're getting lol gotta read the rest to find out. a/n: This is the last thing I'll be posting before I go on a little hiatus. I'll make a post in a couple of days to explain but I'll let this circulate a bit before I do. I hope you enjoy it! (barely edited lol) Requested by a lovely anon 💜

The sounds in my room are obscene to say the least, more from Brian's side than mine today though. I don't know what it is but something about him isn't doing it for me anymore. Is it the fact that I have a new Adonis for a roommate? Perhaps, but Brian's need to overcompensate for it makes situations like these even more awkward than they need to be. 

"You like that?" he asks, him being so close to cumming with me barely working my way up to it. "Yeah" I respond breathily, trying my best to play the part so this can hopefully be over sooner rather than later. "Fuck" he groans at the sight and sound of my little gasp when he just barely hits that spot but I know he won't be able to figure out how to do it again. 

Brian isn't a selfish lover but the dynamic between us has changed ever since Jungkook moved in... 

He hasn't been as focused on me which now that I think about it is pretty damn selfish. I'm just making excuses for him at this point. He's more focused on his ego and playing it up for my roommate than he is into loving his girlfriend. I don't know how much longer I can be in this relationship if he keeps acting like this. 

"Shit I'm close, are you?" he asks and I nod my head furiously, thanking whoever might've been listening to my plea and seconds later he's cumming inside the condom and I do my best to copy the moan that I let out when he's actually done a good job at satisfying me and it seems to be convincing enough since he's giving me that cocky grin before he kisses me again. 

"You wanna shower?" he asks and I shake my head, "You go ahead, I'll shower later. Plus, didn't you say you had work early tomorrow morning? I'll let you get cleaned up in peace so you can head out" I say and he nods his head before going to the bathroom and throwing me a towel before closing the door and turning on the shower. 

Luckily he didn't try to clean me up because there's definetly not much to clean since I didn't cum.

Once I'm finished and I've made myself somewhat presentable I put on my robe and head out into the kitchen to grab myself a glass of water. "Have fun?" my roommate says from the living room couch as I pass by on my way to the kitchen. "Shit Jungkook you scared me" I say, holding my hand to my chest. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Have a good time tonight?" he asks again, his eyes dragging up and down my form, lingering on my chest and when I look down I see that my nipples are very visible unbeknownst to me since I hadn't cared to think about the fact that Jungkook might've come home. 

I wrap my robe tighter around me and cross my arms as I head into the kitchen. "Yes I did thank you very much. Did you?" I spit out quickly, hoping to avoid talking about my sex life with him. "It was alright. I had a long week so I decided to turn in early but um..." he trails off as he watches Brian walk down the hallway and into the kitchen, giving Jungkook a stern look before coming over to talk to me. 

"You alright?" he asks before placing a way too intimate kiss on my lips in front of Jungkook who I see has turned his head back to the TV and isn't bothering to pay attention to the game Brian is trying to play with him. "Yeah I'm fine. Are you heading out?" I ask, very hopeful that this visit will come to an end and thankfully luck is on my side this time. 

"Yeah I gotta get going but I'll come over again soon" he says, looking over at Jungkook before giving me one last kiss and heading towards the door to put on his shoes. "Text me when you get home!" I say and he winks at me before walking out leaving me rolling my eyes once the door is shut. 

I slump against the counter, glad it's finally over and when I look back over at Jungkook he's not too interested in whatever he has playing on the TV anymore, his focus solely on me. 

"What?" I ask him, brows scrunched together and trying to figure out what his deal is. "Why'd you fake it?" he asks and I choke on my spit, caught off guard by the unfiltered question. "Excuse me?" I ask, scandalized that he had been listening enough to even catch onto something like that. 

"You probably wanted it to be over huh?" he asks, assuming what the answer was and unfortunately that was the case but I'm not letting him have the satisfaction of being right. "I don't know what you're talking about" I say, turning on the sink to fill up my cup again but before I can even pull it out from under the tap he's taking it out of my hand. 

"Hey!" I call out, trying to grab it but he holds it just out of reach. "Can't keep you satisfied anymore?" he asks raising a brow at me, a smug look on his face since it seems he can read me like a book based off of my body language alone. "He keeps me very satisfied thank you very much, not that it's any of your business" I say and reach for my cup which he thankfully relinquishes. 

"I know you're lying" he say and I cock a brow at him, not knowing how he could possibly know the truth. "Oh yeah? What makes you say that?" I press, placing the cup on the counter and crossing my arms over my chest, forgetting the fact that I'm completely naked under this and giving him a better view of my cleavage. 

"You're not very quiet when you do it by yourself you know. What do you use? A dildo? One of those little roses? Maybe both?" he questions leaning in closer to me and making my eyes bug out of my head. "How did yo-" "These walls are paper thin doll, so believe me when I say that I can hear every little thing you do to yourself in there. But please, don't stop. I would hate to be deprived of that pretty little voice of yours even though it is quite distracting sometimes" he says, grabbing my cup and holding it between us as a clear invitation to leave if I so desire. 

I take it and rush back to my room, slamming the door behind me and I can hear him chuckle from the kitchen. Fuck he really wasn't kidding when he said these walls are thin.

I flop down onto my bed facedown and scream into my pillow, utterly mortified that he's heard me ever since he got here. I need to wear a muzzle at this rate  since there's no way I'm stopping just for his sake. A girl's got needs and if Brian isn't going to fulfill them then I've gotta do it myself. 

I get up off my bed after I finish my little temper tantrum and change the sheets before taking my robe off and jumping in the shower to hopefully wash off all of Brian's scent. I can't stand to think about him anymore especially after what Jungkook said about him...

After finishing up my shower and drying off my hair I reach into my drawer to get my tried and true rose bud to help me out tonight. Yes he guessed right but I'll be damned if I ever let him see it.

I lay down and try to turn it on and after I've used it for a minute or two it just shuts off. "Fuck" I groan out, forgetting the fact that I had forgotten to grab new batteries for it. The TV remote has the same size batteries right? It's worth a shot to go check since I'm pretty sure he's gone to bed already. 

Walking out to the living room in my robe again I'm met with Jungkook still sitting on the couch watching the same thing he had been when I first came out here. 

I try to turn back around once I've seen him but he stops me by asking me if I needed something. "I just wanted to borrow the batteries from the remote but you're still using it so no worries" I say and try to leave but he stops me again. "I'm pretty sure I bought a new pack of batteries not too long ago" he says and I sheepishly admit I used the last of them. 

"Oh okay well here, I can just finish this up on my laptop" he says while taking the batteries out and putting them in my hand, giving me the source of my pleasure for tonight. "T-thanks" I stutter and close my finger around them as if they would disappear if I let them go. "Is everything okay?" he asks and I nod my head while walking down the hallway, not knowing that he's hot on my heels. 

"What do you need the batteries for?" he asks as we're a few feet away from my door making me jump. "Didn't know I was behind you?" he chuckles and I glare at him, hoping that'll make him back off but it does the exact opposite, causing him to smirk and glance around my room and soon notices the rosebud that I stupidly left in the middle of my bed. 

"I was right" he smirks leaving me groaning and rolling my eyes as I storm into my room, not bothering to close the door since I know he's not going to leave me alone anytime soon. 

"What? You know I'm just teasing you. You're free to do as you please doll, I'm not gonna stop you. I was even nice and paused my movie so you can have your fun too" he says, leaning against my doorframe and since he's being shameless I will too, deciding to switch the batteries out and turn it on to check but unfortunately it does the same thing and dies less than thirty seconds after I turn it on.

"Shit" I curse under my breath and he stifles his laughter by covering his mouth. "Yeah yeah laugh it up. You're just lucky all you need is your right hand to get off. Can you just leave me alone?" I ask, laying back down on my bed, exacerbated and ready to call it a night since the odds have flipped again. My good luck for the night being Brian's quick departure. 

I don't pay attention to how high my robe has ridden and it seems as though one of my legs has slipped through the gap giving him a full view of my upper thigh and hip, one wrong move leaving me exposed to him. 

He gulps but I don't bother to notice and only do when he clears his throat. "What do you want?" I say, throwing my arm over my face trying to hide the shame that all of this has caused me but fail miserably. "Want some help?" he asks and I sit up right away at his words, "What?" I ask, my reaction as dramatic as if he had grown two heads. 

"Do you want some help? I can get you off real quick if you'd like? It'll be like one roomie helping the other" he offers as causally as if he had asked to borrow five bucks. "You're joking, right?" I scoff but it seems as he very well is not as he take a step into my room and he watches for signs for protest but I give him none. 

"Not really no. I'm simply offering to help a friend in need. That's what we are right? Friends?" he questions as he takes a step closer. 

He calls out my name when I've stayed silent for a while, not being able to take my eyes off him even if I tried. As long as he stays in this room he's got my attention. "R-right, friends" I respond and he takes a seat on my bed, a respectful distance away but it feels as if he was already on top of me. 

"But Brian-" "Doesn't need to know" he says, cutting me off and making it harder and harder for me to say no. He scoots closer to me and takes the rosebud out of my hands, unbothered by what it's used for and simply places it on the nightstand next to me. "It's your move" he says, leaning closer to me, his breath fanning my face and I look at his eyes, mine going back and forth before his look down at my lips. 

"Tell me to stop" he says, making things easier for me but when he's mere millimeters away I lean in. 

It's soft and sweet at first, our lips connecting and breaking a few times, still giving me an opening to pull away and say stop but after a few more kisses like that he deepens the kiss. While keeping our lips locked for longer he angles his head a bit more, his tongue now in my mouth and soon he beckons me to do the same and I do which gives him even more of a green light. 

He places his hand on my cheek and angles me just right before he switches up and presses down on my shoulder a little and leans in closer as a silent plea for me to lay down. 

I crawl back on the bed instead and he follow as I lay down on the pillows with him hovering over me. "Fuck been thinking about this view for a long time" he admits and before I can say anything in response his lips are already on mine again.

"Can I take this off?" he asks, toying with the tie that is seconds from coming undone of it's own accord. "Yeah" I say, adrenaline pumping through my veins at the thought of doing this, of cheating with my roommate who is someone I won't be able to run away from after this.

He pulls the belt and in one smooth motion it's undone.

The way he looks at me as he takes both sides of the robe off of my body is a sight that could make me cum untouched if given the chance. Watching his eyes darken up as they roam all over my body until he's tracing them back up to mine where it's as if a whole new man is hovering over me, one that looks so insatiable and ready to break me at any moment. 

"Fuck you're so pretty" he say, leaning back down to kiss me but soon trails his lips down my neck and to the valley between my breast. He settles on kissing one of them and slowly brings his lips closer to my nipple where he looks up at me for permission which I give right away. He smirks and puts his thumb and pointer fingers into his mouth making them wet. He places them on the opposite one twisting and toying with it before he places his mouth on the one in front of him. 

Once his lips make contact my fingers immediately lace through his hair, needing to ground myself with something and he hums around in in approval when I tug on it a bit. 

"You sensitive here doll?" he asks when he lets go of it, the cool air causing a chill when it hits my damp skin, him having made a mess of it from his clear desire to do this. I let out a whimper in response and he nips at it before switching to my other breast to give it the same time and attention he gave the first.

My hips start to buck up after a couple more seconds of him switching between my breasts and lips when he hears those pretty voices he had talked about before, wanting to taste them on his tongue this time. 

"Someone's eager" he says against my lips but I turn my face to the side leaving him kissing the column of my neck until I'm squirming about leaving him smiling against my skin. 

"Does my doll want more?" he asks and I whimper in response, not being able to bring myself to utter words of confirmation when I have a man like him already causing me so much pleasure, but it's not enough. 

I need more.

"Jungkook please" I breathe out, done with this teasing and so worked up already from not gaining release earlier. "Please what?" he asks trailing his lips back up to mine and kissing them one last time before pulling back and waiting for my answer. "Please help me cum" I plead, wanting what he had promised me earlier. 

He chuckles dryly and places a kiss on the corner or my mouth before responding. "Here I am taking my time with you but you still only want one thing. Don't you like it when I play with you like this?" he asks, trailing middle finger down my torso until he's come in contact with my clit, sliding further down past it and checking to see what my true physical reactions have been to his ministrations. 

"Seems like you do" he says, circling around my entrance with that same finger when he feels how wet I am. "This all for me?" he asks and close my eyes once he's dipped one of his fingers in while using his thumb to draw circles around my clit but once my breathing picks up a bit everything stops. 

"What?" I pant, confused as to why he would stop. "I asked you a question. Is this all for me y/n?" he rasps, looking down at where his fingers had once been and cursing when he notices how wet they are. "Y-yes, all for you" I choke out and he leans in as if he was going to kiss me but stops before I can even brush my lips against his. 

"Can you say my name princess?" he whispers, posed as a question but we both know the only way this continues is if I comply. "Jungkook" I whisper out, his name now tasting different on my tongue. It's almost if I have to put more effort into pronouncing each letter, my throat suddenly running dry. 

"Louder doll. It's the least you can do to help me forget how you've moaned his name in here time and time again. Probably another sad excuse of an act to fake your high" he says, going back to playing with my center, his finger going in and out at a faster rate now before easing his way into putting in a second one. 

"Fuck Jungkook" I groan, this time a little louder than before that grants me a kiss on my neck, his motives to stay away from my lips being to hear all of my reactions to what he's doing to me. Wanting to discover new sounds and reactions that sound more genuine and are ones that I can't even hope to hold back with the pleasure he's giving me.

"That's it, keep going. Want your voice to be the thing I remember most about this, hear it over and over again, ingrained in my memory. That way when I forget how you taste it'll be something that I'll still be able to come back to. Hearing how I make you feel, not yourself and definetly not your sorry excuse of a boyfriend, me. Let me hear how I make you feel" he rasps in my ear making me shiver and arch my back off the mattress. 

"Jungkook please, please" I beg, my ego gone, the only thoughts in my head being him and how incredible it'll feel once he's made me cum. "Just like that doll, scream my name if you need to, I don't mind" his calm cool and collected tone of voice driving me mad. How can he be whispering these things in my ear and taunting me like this while I'm a complete mess under him, barely being able to breathe let alone think straight. 

I pulse around his fingers and he can tell that I'm close when I let out a moan after he hits a certain spot, hitting it over and over again, knowing that that's going to be the thing that'll make me come undone. 

He leans back and looks down at me, his flushed cheeks and swollen lips make me insane, his calm and cool façade in my mind broken when I see the way he's watching me. Taking in every gasp, every moan, every whimper of his name and it makes him want to try even harder to get me to that high, needing to see what I look like when I cum.

"Just like that doll, you're doing so well, sound so pretty" he murmurs and with a few more words of encouragement I'm coming undone. When I try to look away he grabs my chin and makes me keep eye contact, making everything seem even more intense. 

Once the rising and falling of my chest has slowed down and his playful fingers inside me gain him whines of overstimulation he finally takes them out. 

I expect him to get up and wash his hands but instead places them in his mouth, moaning once my taste hits his tongue leaving me swallowing dryly, needing that glass of water now. 

"Open your mouth" he says after he takes his fingers out and I comply curiously, doing as he asks and the next moment I feel him spitting in my mouth before smashing his lips on mine one last time. 

After kissing me senseless and exhaustion flooding my system my kisses become sloppy and he laughs against my lips before finally pulling back. "Where are you going?" I ask and he laughs again at my groggy state. I'm going to go get a towel to clean you up" he says and I sit up quickly, my mind slowly clearing up. 

"Wait, what about you?" I ask, taking note of the tent in his pants but he simply chuckles and brings back a warm towel just like he said. I had expected the same treatment Brian gave me today but when I try to reach for it he pulls back. "No you lay down, you're still out of it" he says, trying to be serious but also satisfied that he only had to use his fingers put me in this state. 

After he finishes cleaning me up he gets up and throws the towel in the laundry basket and comes back to sit on the bed next to me, cupping my face and studying my features. "You okay?" he asks, clearly sensing regret already. 

"Yeah I'm fine. I just never thought I would do something like this" I admit and he mouths a quiet 'Oh' and takes his hand off me but I grab it before he can get too far. "I'm sorry I'm just confused and clearly not thinking straight" I say, trying to backtrack knowing that I've hurt him by saying that. 

"Thank you for doing this for me" I say timidly and he laughs. "What?" I ask, clearly not understanding what about this situation is funny. 

"I'm sorry" he says, his laughing soon dying down and I wait in silence until he's finally composed himself. "I'm sorry it's just that it’s not everyday that your hot roommate thanks you for finger fucking them" he chuckles and my cheeks heat up, thoroughly embarrassed now that he's put it like that.

I reach behind me and grab a pillow and throw it at his face which makes him laugh even more. "Jungkook stop this isn't funny" I whine and he stops a couple minutes later. "Alright alright I'm sorry, you were just getting way too serious about it" he explains and wipes away a fake tear. 

"This is serious! I just cheated on my boyfriend with you" I exclaim and he shakes his head, placing the pillow I threw at him out of my reach and sighs before responding. "You and I both know that you've been ready to end that relationship for a while now" he says and I open my mouth but the words die in my throat.

"That's what I thought" he says and we sit there in silence for a moment while I pull the sheet over me. "Just break up with him already, I can clearly see that you're miserable" he points out and I hate that he's right. 

"Why do you care? Should I break up with him so I can mess around with you?" I ask and he shrugs his shoulders. "We can do that if you want to, but from a friend's point of view I think your life is so much better without him" he says and I sigh, knowing again that he's right, telling me the things that I've thought about over and over again but just never did anything about. 

"I'll talk to him" I say and he nods his head. "Good because with the number I did on your neck he's definetly gonna know that something went down" he laughs and my eyes go wide, forgetting to tell him to not leave any marks but I know I'm fucked. 

"Here" he says, grabbing the hand mirror I have on my dresser and I know from one glance that hoodies and turtlenecks will be my new signature look until this all clears up.

"Jungkook" I growl and he giggles, never taking my scolding tone seriously. "What? Don't act like you didn't like it" he chuckles and I sit up, grabbing that pillow and throwing it at him again. "I hate you" I huff but he laughs again before placing a knee on my bed and making it dip under his weight. 

My breath hitches as he inches closer and I can't do anything but lay down, slowly trying to run away from his lips in my mind but falling back into that same position we had been in for who knows how long.

Once I'm flat on my back and he's hovering over me again I swallow as best as I can, making him let out a dry chuckle. "Wanna run that one by me again doll?" he asks, cocking a brow at me and I press my thighs together, hating myself for doing it but needing some sort of something to keep me sane but it's of no uses when he leans in closer and I hold my breath, not knowing what he's doing or where this is going but when I close my eyes I granted with that same chuckle again. 

"Goodnight princess" he says against my lips, his weight gone off my bed seconds later leaving me sitting up in process. "Wha-" "My pretty doll needs to figure out who she wants to play with if she wants more" he taunts and I cross my arms and pout a little, hoping that'll get him to come back. 

"Aw don't be like that. After all the work I put in to help you feel good. I thought you would've been more grateful, not greedy" he taunts and I roll my eye before uttering a quiet 'Goodnight'. "Thanks for giving me memories to help me fix this" he says, looking down at the very clear outline of his hard on and I swallow again, intimidated from finally being able to see his full size. 

"I promise, if you make up your mind...I'll make it fit" he teases and winks at me granting him a scowl in response. He grabs the door handle at the same time I grab the pillow and throw it which he blocks by closing the door. "Goodnight doll" he says one last time and shuts it behind him. 

I spend the rest of my night willing myself to sleep and when I finally start to doze off I start hearing Jungkook's soft moans and grunts leaving me wide awake again. Now I really know he wasn't lying...

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[munson-blurbs]

Single Dad!Eddie x Fem!ReaderSeries

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Summary: With no friends and the looming threat of losing custody of his son, Eddie's the lowest he's ever been. But you know what they say: “Rock bottom just means there’s nowhere to go except up."

Warnings: angst, visits from CPS, Reader's grandma has Alzheimer's

WC: 6k

Chapter 5/20

Scruffy!Eddie edit credit to @eddiemunsons-missingnipple Divider credit to @saradika

The phone rings as Eddie wrestles Harris into his jacket. He still hasn’t figured out how to break the news about his classroom change; at this rate, he’ll be dropping him off at school before he works up the nerve. Is there any good way to tell your kid that he no longer gets to spend his days with his favorite teacher?

“Keep that on,” Eddie instructs Harris, pointing to the navy blue sweatshirt. “I’ll zip it for you in a sec.” He jogs over to the phone, answering with an irritated, “Hello?”

“Ed?” Wayne’s voice drifts from the receiver. “It’s Wayne.”

Eddie nods before remembering that Wayne can’t see him. “Y-Yeah, hey,” he says, tone softening at his uncle’s familiarity. There’s a dull ache in his chest when he thinks of how he willingly shut him out over the last month. “How’ve you been?”

“Good. Can’t complain.” Wayne clears his throat. “I’d love to see you and Harris. Whenever you get the chance.” Eddie can hear his concern, the unasked questions that dissolve on his tongue: Are you okay? Is Harris? Do I need to file that custody agreement?

He glances over at his son, who, despite Eddie’s promise, is unsuccessfully trying to thread the zipper with its teeth. He motions him over, cradling the phone to his ear and stretching the cord while he kneels to fasten the jacket. “We were actually about to head to the park if you wanted to meet us there,” he says. “This kid’s got way too much energy to keep him cooped up in the apartment. We’ll both lose our minds.”

Wayne lets out a kind chuckle. “Sounds like a Munson.” Eddie can hear the tinny jangle of his keys. “The park over on Porter Drive?”

“Yup.”

“Dad, let’s go!” Harris whines, twisting the doorknob back and forth to emphasize his impatience.

“We’ll be there in ten,” Eddie tells Wayne, catching a glimpse of the neon orange cast peeking out from under Harris’s jacket. It’s now adorned with his classmates’ names. Your signature seems to beckon Eddie, taunt him, even, and he tries to convince himself that it’s because it’s the only one that doesn’t resemble chicken scratch. “Oh, Harris broke his wrist, but he’s fine. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”

“Hoo boy,” Wayne breathes. “Definitely a Munson.”

Harris spends the short drive to the park bouncing in his carseat. “Is Grampa Wayne gonna play with me?” he asks, rocking back and forth excitedly.

“Mhm,” Eddie nods, keeping his eyes trained on the road. He nervously thrums his fingers along his jean-clad thighs. What if Wayne still didn’t think he was a responsible parent? What if he took one look at Harris’s injury and raced home to call his lawyer? “But I gotta talk with him first, okay? You can play by yourself for a little while.”

Harris hums his agreement, eagerly unbuckling as soon as Eddie parks the car. He starts to run towards the field, and all Eddie can picture is him tripping and hurting himself again.

“Harris, don’t–” he starts, but he then remembers those magic words: “Walking feet, bud. Don’t want you breaking that other wrist.” He grabs the soccer ball from the trunk and kicks it in Harris’s direction.

Wayne pulls up in his truck a few moments later, almost as exuberant as his grandson. “Har-Bear!” he calls out, opening his arms wide for a hug. Harris picks up his pace, slowing down when he remembers his dad’s instructions.

“I’m using my walking feet!” he chirps proudly, and though they’re fast walking feet, Eddie beams at him.

Wayne squeezes Harris so tightly that Eddie worries he’ll inadvertently cut off his oxygen supply. When the boy starts squirming, Wayne laughs and puts him down.

“Go ahead and play,” Eddie tells his son. “Grampa Wayne and I are gonna catch up real quick.”

There’s an uncomfortable silence as the two men sit on the bench, waiting for the other to say something first. Finally, Wayne breaks through the tension.

“Missed you two,” he murmurs, not looking at Eddie. “‘S too quiet around my place without that little rugrat.”

“We missed you, too,” Eddie admits, chewing on his thumbnail. “Harris won’t stop asking for Grampa Wayne.”

Wayne preens slightly at this, shifting in his seat. “This is the longest we’ve gone without talking since…”

“I know,” Eddie cuts him off, not wanting to revisit the part of his past that Wayne’s referencing. “I, uh, started working at Rock Records,” he tells him, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “It sucks, but it’s a job.”

He feels Wayne clap him on the shoulder, pulling him closer to him for a brief side hug. “I’m proud of you, Ed.” He purses his lips before asking, “and no more of the…”

Eddie shakes his head. “Nope, I’m done with that. Returned the rest of what I had to Rick; told him I was out.” His gaze drops back to the ground, and he stares intently at the blades of grass as though they might disappear if he blinks. “But that might not matter anymore anyway, so…”

“The hell you talking about?” Wayne pinches his eyebrows together, adjusting his position to face his nephew.

Sighing, Eddie tells him about what happened at the hospital last week. Wayne’s eyes widen when he hears that they filed a report with CPS. “That’s some bullshit,” he mumbles, scratching at his gray beard. “Kids get hurt all the time. Can’t keep ‘em in a bubble.” He shakes his head incredulously. “They’re not gonna take him from you, okay? They’re gonna see how you provide for him, how great you are with him, and they’re gonna be sorry they wasted their time.”

“I’m not great with him,” Eddie mutters, standing up in a feeble attempt to exert some of his nervous energy. “I’m ruining his life.” He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. “He had this teacher, and he adored her. Calls her ‘Ms. Sweetheart.’ And I was just…just a total asshole to her. I accused her of telling people about the CPS thing and said some really fucked up shit about her sick grandma and…fuck, Wayne. She had Harris transferred to another class just so she doesn’t have to deal with me. And now I have to say, ‘Hey, you know that teacher you fuckin’ loved? Well, she’s not your teacher any more, and it’s all my fault.’”

Wayne absorbs the information, contemplating what he says next. “So fix it,” he shrugs.

“It’s not that simple,” Eddie argues, plopping back down onto the bench in defeat. The wood digs into his lower back uncomfortably, so he stands up again.

“It’s not?” Wayne questions, digging a pack of Newports out of his jacket pocket and offering one to him. “Because it sounds to me like you owe this ‘Ms. Sweetheart’ an apology.”

Eddie takes a cigarette, toying with it before tucking it between his lips. It takes a few flicks of his old Bic lighter to get a spark, and he lets the nicotine calm his nerves before speaking again. “I don’t think she’ll forgive me.”

“Never said she would,” Wayne counters, plucking the Bic from Eddie’s hands and bringing the flame to light his own cigarette. “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apologize.”

Inhaling sharply, Eddie watches his son kick the ball around before letting out a slow, controlled exhale. “My boss asked if I could teach guitar lessons once or twice a week,” he says, using his empty hand to toy with the frayed holes in his jeans. “If…if you wanna, could you watch Harris? I can pay you.”

“Don’t insult me, boy,” Wayne scoffs, but a playful smile dances on his lips. “You’re not gonna pay me to watch my own grandson. Just let me know the day and time, and I’ll have a pot of mac and cheese ready to go.”

The pent-up tension dissipates from his body at Wayne’s easy agreement. An unspoken I love you floats between them, and he could cry from the sudden surge of relief.

“Daddy! Grampa!” Harris calls out from across the park. “Let’s play!”

Wayne stands up with a grunt, rolling his shoulders back to loosen them up. “You heard the man,” he jokes. “Up and at ‘em.”

It’s your first day off of work since the start of the school year, yet all you can think about are your students. Well, one particular student and his god-awful father. Eddie’s comment replays in your mind, cutting through you like the chilly mid-October air. The sting still hasn’t faded, despite it being three days since he’d said it. 

You say goodbye to your grandma and Elise, her home health aid, grabbing your car keys and closing the door behind you. This morning was already overwhelming; Grandma had woken up at 5 AM, ready to start her day. The sound of her TV blasting at the highest possible volume jolted you from your sleep, and you’d spent the following twenty minutes trying to persuade her to go back to bed. Unsuccessfully, you might add. 

You wince when you see your reflection in the rearview mirror. Your eyes are puffy and bloodshot, with pouches developing beneath them that only emphasize your exhaustion. You practice smiling a few times before starting the car, peeling out of the parking lot to meet Jess, Viv, and Jeff for lunch.

The pleasant aroma of burgers cooking on a grill wafts past your nose as you push open the doors to the restaurant. It isn’t too crowded when you arrive; you assume that the usual lunchtime rush is quelled by the Columbus Day holiday. Your new friends are already waiting at the table, waving you over excitedly.

“Hey,” you call out, forcing pleasantries into your otherwise flat tone. You slide into the seat next to Jess and across from Jeff. “How’s everyone been?”

“Better, now that I’m out of the first trimester,” Viv says with a small laugh. “Now that I have my appetite back, I’m definitely getting the grilled cheese.” She glances at the menu again, adding, “and a side of fries.”

Jess nods. “I think I’ll do the same.” She turns to you and her cheerful expression shifts to one of concern. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, just tired.” Your lackluster reply is unconvincing, but she doesn’t challenge it in front of Jeff and her sister. “Chasing after kids all day is wearing me out.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Viv exclaims, taking a sip of her water. “You’re a preschool teacher. The one with Eddie’s kid in your class!”

“Mhm,” you manage; the mere mention of Eddie’s name turns your throat into sandpaper. “Well, not any more, I guess.” Your throwaway comment is met with inquisitive stares, so you give the group a rundown of last week’s events, watching their eyes grow wide.

“He’s such a fucking douche,” Jess grumbles, resting her hand over yours. It feels like forever since you’ve experienced the simplicity of a kind gesture, and you have to swallow the emotion that comes with it. 

“Seriously,” Viv agrees, looking over at Jeff. “Why were you even friends with him?”

Jeff lets out a terse chuckle and shakes his head. “Believe it or not, he actually used to be a good guy. The best, in my opinion.” Disappointment flashes across his face as he continues. “Something changed when he went to Chicago. He was always on-guard, had his walls up, but it used to be more of an ‘if you mess with me, I’ll mess with you’ attitude. But when he came back home, he was…different.”

“Different how?” Curiosity gets the best of you, and the question slips off of your tongue before you can stop it.

“It was like he was determined to hurt people before they could hurt him. No matter what I did, he never fully believed that I was on his side. I was constantly trying to prove that I wasn’t out to fuck him over.”

Viv drapes an arm over her fiancé’s shoulder. “How long did he live in Chicago, again?”

“Long enough to knock someone up,” Jeff muses, mind wandering for a moment before he brings himself back to the conversation. “About four years, I think? He left to chase his dreams of being a rockstar. Then one day, he shows back up in Hawkins with an infant, trying to act like nothing had changed.” He snorts at the very idea of it. “But it obviously did–I mean, besides the fact that he had a whole child, the rest of us had grown up, too. College, work, all that stuff.

“When he suggested getting Corroded Coffin back together, we figured, why not? It seemed like a decent way to chill out, blow off some steam at the end of the day.”

“Let me guess,” you chime in, cocking your head knowingly. “Eddie had other ideas.”

Jeff nods. “He still wanted to do the rockstar thing. And he’d always get angry at us because we didn’t. Not professionally, anyway. Kept mocking us for having 9-to-5 jobs, like it was the worst thing in the world.” He pauses, screwing up his face in contemplation. “Which, come to think of it, was weird. Because back in high school, he told me that it really messed with him, not having that stability growing up. Y’know, before Wayne took him in.”

There’s so much more you want to know, but the waiter striding over to the table to take orders brings the conversation to a natural conclusion. What you’ve gathered so far is that Eddie Munson is a many-layered man, each one more puzzling than the last. Despite your festering hurt and anger, you can’t help but hope that he untethers himself from his complicated past. If not for his sake, then for Harris’s.

“Daddy, what’s a new cents?”

Eddie’s taking the left turn onto the main road when he hears his son speaking from the back seat. “What’s new since when?” he asks, craning his head to check for oncoming traffic. 

“Noooo,” Harris whines, letting out an exasperated sigh. Eddie has no clue where his new attitude came from, and he can’t say that he’s a fan. “A new cents.”

“That’s not a thing, buddy,” Eddie answers, starting to twist the radio knob. 

“Yes, it is!” Harris insists, clearly growing frustrated. “Ms. Marion told Ms. Paula that I’m a ‘new cents.’”

It suddenly clicks for Eddie, and he grips the steering wheel tighter and hopes Harris doesn’t notice the edge in his voice. “You mean a nuisance?”

“That’s what I said!” Harris groans. “What does it mean?”

Eddie pushes past the question to ask one of his own. “What exactly did Ms. Marion say?” Maybe there was a misunderstanding, he reasons with himself. 

But Harris’s answer only confirms his initial suspicion. “She looked at Ms. Paula and said, ‘this one’s a ‘new cents.’ An’ then she pointed to me.”

“Why the hell would she say that?” Eddie’s speaking to himself, but his son replies, still too young to grasp the concept of rhetorical questions. 

“‘Cause of my shoes being untied. An’ she doesn’t like when I ask her to tie them.”

Eddie cringes. He’d meant to teach Harris how to tie his sneakers, but the lessons had to be put on hold when the kid had broken his wrist. Pausing before posing his next question, Eddie carefully selects his words. “Did…Did Ms. Sweetheart ever do that? Get mad about your shoes or call you a nuisance?”

“Nope,” Harris shakes his head. “An’ Mr. Will didn’t either.” And considering that his laces had always been tied in neat bows when Eddie arrived to pick him up, he can only assume that the two of you did this without a second thought. Jesus, why even bother to be a preschool teacher if you’re gonna bitch about tying shoes?

“So, what is it?” Harris snaps him from his thoughts. 

“Huh?” Eddie’s right foot presses on the brake as he approaches a stop sign. “Oh. Um, I don’t know. Sorry, Har.” It’s the second time in as many days that he’s lied to him in order to spare his feelings. Yesterday, he’d waited until they were already in the school to tell Harris that he was picked for a super special project where he’d act as a secret agent in another class. He didn’t know whether to be proud or ashamed that he’d spent all night thinking of that excuse. 

“‘S’okay,” Harris shrugs, raising and dropping his legs so they bounce off the bottom of his carseat. His ankles are exposed, and Eddie realizes that he must’ve grown. Again. Which means that he needs to scrape together some money and buy him new clothes. Again. “How much more days until I get to go back to Ms. Sweetheart’s class?”

“Not sure.” Lie number three. He flicks on the radio, the sounds of Ozzy effectively distracting Harris for the remainder of the car ride. 

If only it was that easy to fool himself. 

A harsh knock on your classroom door and the formality of your first and last name draws your attention from the mountain of paperwork on your desk. Will left thirty minutes ago with the rest of the TAs, so you’ve been sitting alone, humming a song you’d listened to on the car ride to work.

“Yes, that’s me,” you tell the tall man standing in the doorway. His intimidating stature and sullen disposition juxtapose the orange and yellow hues of autumn-themed artwork lining the walls. “Can I help you?”

He flashes a name tag as he steps into the classroom. “My name is Andrew Smith. I’m here on behalf of Child Protective Services to speak to you regarding one of your students…” he checks his notes, “Harris Munson.”

“Oh, um,” you stumble over your words, “he’s–he’s not my student any more. Not since Tuesday of this week.”

“Right,” the social worker nods slowly, patience already running thin, “but I briefly spoke with his new teacher, and she said that she didn’t have enough information to answer the questions, and directed me to your classroom.” When you don’t respond, he gives the legal rundown about the process and your obligations as a mandated reporter. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s proceed with this, shall we?” He clicks his pen, eyes boring a hole into you as he speaks. “How well would you say you know Harris’s father, Edward Munson?”

More intimately than you know, you bitterly think. “Fairly well. He dropped Harris off and picked him up every day.”

Mr. Smith scribbles that down. “Was Edward Munson punctual? Did he drop off and pick up Harris on time?”

“Yes,” you confirm, and your mind flickers back to the very first day of school. “There was only one time he was late for pick-up, but it’s common for that to happen once in a while with any parent.”

“Right, okay. And how would you describe Harris’s disposition around his father?”

“He adores him. He’s a generally happy kid, but he lights up around his dad. Or even when he’s just talking about him.” One lunchtime conversation in particular centered around how his dad could play anything on the guitar, even “Old MacDonald.” Harris had been bursting with excitement to report that Eddie made the funniest animal sounds, and you’d be lying if you’d said your interest wasn’t piqued. “I’ve never seen Harris act nervous or scared around him.”

Pen flies across the paper, and you swear he’s writing more than you’d even said. “Besides the broken wrist, did you ever notice any injuries or abnormal bruising anywhere on Harris’s body?” 

You shake your head before realizing he’s waiting for a verbal response. “Nope, never. Just the usual bruises that come with being a kid.”

Mr. Smith cocks his eyebrow, pressing his lips together. “And where were those bruises located?”

Shit. Did you say too much? Why can’t you just shut up when you’re nervous? “Knees and calves?” You point to the spots on your own body, as though the social worker needs visual aides, while silently berating your own stupidity.

“And based on your interactions with him, how would you describe Edward Munson as a father?” It’s a loaded question, and its magnitude is a weight on your chest. 

“Caring, attentive, very loving,” you answer honestly. “Responsible. Harris always showed up with lunch and a snack, bathed, clean clothes, whatever supplies he needed. I never worried that Harris was unsafe or in an unhealthy environment.” You force yourself to meet Mr. Smith’s gaze when you say the next part. “We, um, actually were at the hospital at the same time. My grandma got hurt, and we bumped into them when being discharged.”

This grabs his attention. “And did Mr. Munson appear to be impaired or otherwise behaving out of sorts?” The way he looks at you could easily be mistaken for a glare. “Under the influence of any substances, perhaps?”

“Not at all.” You keep your tone firm and even.

He shoves the paperwork at you, pointing to where your signature is required. “Thank you for your time,” he says flatly, leaving the room before you have time to reply. It seems nearly impossible to go back to the task you were working on before the interruption, but you try to push away the intrusive thoughts about everything that could possibly go wrong.

An hour later, the heavy-handed knock raps on the door to the Munson’s apartment. Eddie knows the drill; unfortunately, this isn’t his first run-in with Child Protective Services. He’s double, triple, quadruple-checked that every electrical outlet is covered, the matches and lighters are far from Harris’s reach, and there’s no remaining product from his recently-abandoned dealing days. The visit is technically unannounced, but since he’s not getting many visitors these days, there are limited options of who could be at his door.

“Edward Munson?” The social worker asks, giving him the same opening spiel he gave you. “I’ll just need to take a look around your home and make sure it’s a suitable living environment for your son.”

“Of course.” Eddie hopes he sounds more confident than he feels, but he can sense the waver in his voice. “Yeah, come on in.” He opens the door a bit wider and lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, drawing unwanted attention from the social worker.

“Something the matter, Mr. Munson?”

“N-No,” Eddie insists, shaking his head. If he confesses to being nervous, this Smith guy could mistake it as an admission of guilt, and that’s the last thing he wants. “Just, um, long day?”

Smith recognizes the response with nothing more than a disbelieving glance as he makes his way through the apartment. Eddie watches silently, pushing down his anxiety with a thick swallow. His mind races when the social worker rummages through the refrigerator. Are there fruits and vegetables in there? Did I throw out that container of leftover spaghetti that overstayed its welcome? His stomach sinks when Smith marks something down in his notes but doesn’t have time to ruminate over it before Harris pokes his head out from the bedroom.

“Daddy? You gonna come back an’ play Hot Wheels with me?” His big brown eyes instantly melt Eddie’s heart, and all he wants to do is scream at the man, See? See how much my kid loves me? See how happy he is? Now, why don’t you go deal with the parents who actually deserve to lose custody and leave me to play with him.

Before Eddie can stop him, Harris traipses out and sees Smith rifling through the pantry. “Who’re you?” he asks.

“Har-Bear, this is Mr. Smith. He’s, uh, one of my friends.” Eddie scrunches his face and shakes his head defeatedly at the blatant lie, but Harris doesn’t notice.

Mr. Smith gives a short wave, neither kind nor impolite. Just one slight movement to acknowledge the boy’s presence. He’s determined to get back to his job, but Harris has other plans.

“I like your glasses.” He points to the wire-rimmed frames on the man’s face. “My Grampa Wayne is s’posed to wear glasses, but he doesn’t. Daddy says it’s ‘cause he’s a mule.”

“Stubborn as a mule, Har,” Eddie gently corrects him, a blush creeping into his cheeks. “I’ll be in in a minute, okay?”

But Harris ignores his request, forging towards his dad’s friend. He lifts his arm and flashes an innocent smile. “Look at my cast! It’s from when I jumped on my bed and breaked my arm.”

“Harris!” Eddie hisses, trying to keep his cool. “Can you go play? In the room?” Pleading with him is like negotiating with a terrorist, and he knows his efforts are futile.

“Actually, I do need to take a look at Harris’s bedroom,” the social worker muses, tapping his pen against his lower lip. Eddie has to stifle a scoff at the charade that this just occurred to Smith. Like he didn’t have this mapped out, another bullet point on the list of uninformed judgments he needed to make.

“We, um, we share a room,” Eddie mumbles, as though there would be another possible reason as to why there’s a twin bed nestled into the same space as Harris’s race car bed. “I used to sleep on the couch, it’s just easier to be close to him when he has nightmares an’ stuff.” His heart races when Smith jots this down. “N-Not that he has nightmares a lot. I don’t let him watch scary movies or anything. Just normal kid stuff.”

The man nods, visibly irritated by his rambling. He clamps his mouth shut to inhibit the flow of unnecessary explanations that freely pass through his lips without a second thought.

Harris motions Smith over, using his uninjured hand to grab the stranger’s and leading him into the room. “That’s my bed,” he announces. It sounds like he’s giving a tour, and Eddie almost laughs at the absurdity of the situation. “And that’s where I falled,” Harris points to the unassuming patch of carpet alongside it. 

“Ouch,” Smith mutters, and Eddie swears he can see a semblance of a smile. Leave it to Harris to thaw the most hardened of hearts. “I bet that hurt.”

“Yeah, but there was no blood,” Harris says nonchalantly. “An’ I didn’t need a shot. Just this cast. All my friends signed it. Even Ms. Sweetheart!”

“Ms. Sweetheart?” Smith repeats.

“She’s my teacher. Well, she was my teacher. Now I’m a super secret spy in Ms. Marion’s class, but don’t tell anyone!”

Eddie scoops up a couple of toy cars off of the floor and hands them to Harris, determined to end the conversation before anything else can be revealed. Can you get your kid taken away for being an asshole to his teacher? He doesn’t want to find out. “Here ya go, bud. Why don’t you get the racetrack set up, and I’ll play with you as soon as Mr. Smith leaves.”

“Actually,” Smith says, “I’m about finished. Mr. Munson,” he says, his natural stoicness settling back in as he turns back to Eddie, “after completing this investigation and conducting our interviews, I’ve determined that Harris may remain in your custody. I’ll just need you to sign a few forms and I’ll be on my way.”

Eddie’s relief is palpable. He sweeps Harris into a hug, clutching him to his chest and wordlessly swears to never put him back down. “Th-thank you,” he mumbles, acutely aware of the tears leaking from his eyes. “Wait–what interviews? No one interviewed me.”

Smith nods. “Yes, we spoke with Harris’s teacher. She only had great things to say about how well you take care of him.”

She did? He barely knows the woman; Harris has only been in her class for two full days, and she never indicated any partiality towards him. He makes a mental note to thank her tomorrow at drop-off. For now, all he wants to do is treasure every moment with his boy.

Eddie doesn’t want to let Harris out of his sight, but he begrudgingly takes him to school, not wanting to add a truancy charge to his growing list of misgivings. 

Ms. Marion greets both Munsons with a muted stare, harsh enough to drain Harris of the excited energy that typically buzzes through his little body. “Are we going to listen today?” she quips.

“Yes,” Harris says.

“Yes, what?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Harris’s affect is robotic and monotone, and the uncharacteristic spiritlessness nearly distracts Eddie from thanking the older woman for her interview.

“The guy–um, the social worker–he told me that you said some nice things about me. About how I am with Harris,” he stammers. “So, uh, thank you.”

Ms. Marion crosses her arms over her faded pink sweater, pursing her overlined lips. Her forehead is marred with frown lines. “That wasn’t me, Mr. Munson. I directed him to speak to Harris’s previous teacher, since she spent more time with him.”

Ms. Sweetheart.

After everything he’d said and done, you’d still vouched for him. Spoken so highly of his parenting abilities that CPS allowed him to keep custody of his son. You could’ve easily ruined his life, but you didn’t. 

What Eddie doesn’t understand is why.

Perhaps he doesn’t need to; at least, not immediately. Right now, he just needs to fix this. And he knows exactly where to start.

Friday marks one week since your blowout fight with Eddie. One week since he’d caught you pathetically crying in your car because of the venom he’d spewed. One week since you’d informed him that you’d had Harris transferred to another class.

Which is why you’re confused when the boy bounds up to your classroom door, shouting, “Ms. Sweetheart! Ms. Sweetheart!”

“Hey, Harris,” you greet him, unable to mask your confusion. “What are you doing here? You’re in Ms. Marion’s class now, remember?”

Harris nods, his curls bouncing with each movement. He drops his backpack to the floor with a thud and unfastens the zipper, tongue poking from between his lips as he digs through it to brandish a cassette. “This is for you.”

You take it from him, eyes widening as you take in Toni Braxton’s face staring back at you. “Harris…where did you get this?”

“My daddy put it there and said to give it to you. So I did,” he answers with a shrug. He looks up at you, innocuous and angelic as he adds, “I miss you. I wish you could be my teacher again.”

“Me, too,” you reply before thinking. Clearing your throat, you kneel down to meet him at his height. “Thank you for my gift. It was very sweet. Go ahead and head to class now, okay? I don’t want you to be late.”

“Mmkay!” he chirps, slinging his still-opened bag over his shoulder. “Bye, Ms. Sweetheart.”

Why would Eddie buy you a tape? Why this tape, the one you’d come in for when he’d said such malicious things to you? You can’t make sense of it, regardless of how many times you try to piece together the puzzle.

At dismissal, you find yourself waiting by the door, hoping to catch Eddie before he can dash out of the school. There’s no logic to his actions: he despised you enough to weaponize your grandma’s cognitive decline, and then he gives you a gift with no further explanation. 

You distractedly hand parents the sign-out sheet, barely registering when Joshua Harrington’s dad asks you about any upcoming plans for a class Halloween party. 

“Is there gonna be a list of things you need? Candy or cupcakes or something?”

“Oh, uh, I’m gonna send home information about that next week,” you stumble over your words as you try not to make it obvious that your mind is elsewhere. 

“Great,” he says, stretching out the word as he tracks your gaze to the spot behind him. “Everything okay?”

“Yup.” You slap a smile on your face just as you spot the mane of frizzy curls you’d been searching for. “Um, excuse me for a second.” You call out to Will, letting him know you’ll be right back, before sprinting down the hallway. 

“Ms. Sweetheart!” Harris’s eager face twists into a frown. “You gotta use your walking feet in school. Or you could get hurt.”

Eddie moves to correct him, but you just smile sweetly. “You’re right, Harris. Thanks for reminding me.”

You allow your gaze to travel upwards, eyes locking onto Eddie’s. You can’t quite read his expression; his brows are furrowed in confusion but the flush in his face indicates that he knows why you’re here. 

“Harris gave me the tape. The Toni Braxton one.” Like he’d gifted you myriad cassettes that required this distinction. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Don’t mention it.” The right corner of his lips turns up into a half-smile. “Besides, I  should probably be the one thanking you.”

“Me?” What is he talking about? As far as you know, you’re the bane of his existence. 

“Yeah. For, uh, what you said to that social worker guy. Even after I treated you like a piece of…” he presses his palms to Harris’s ears and lowers his voice, “shit.”

That makes sense; he was relieved that you’d sang his praises when it had mattered most. This was an expression of gratitude; nothing more and nothing less.

“You’re a good parent, even if you’re mean to me,” you say nonchalantly. “I wasn’t going to make up lies and ruin your lives out of spite.”

The statement hangs in the air, gathering an awkward silence that has you and Eddie both grappling for ways to end the conversation. 

He’s the one to interject. “Well, anyway, I hope you like the tape.”

“Mhm.” It’s all you allow yourself to utter in front of Harris. A thousand questions swarm your head, threatening to spill off your tongue, the first of which is simply: why? “I’ve gotta get back. But, um, enjoy your weekend.” You pivot on your heel before Eddie can wish you the same. With the necessary chaos of your life, you can’t invest any more time trying to unravel him. 

“Daddy, when is Ms. Sweetheart gonna be my teacher again?”

Eddie knew it was inevitable that Harris would ask about going back to your class, but he thought he’d bought himself more time with the spy game he’d concocted. He can’t delay the truth any longer. 

“I’m sorry, buddy. I don’t think you can switch back.” There’s a pang in his heart when his son drops his hand, digging his heels into the parking lot asphalt. 

“Is it because you were mean to her?”

His question catches Eddie off-guard. “Wh-What?”

“In there,” Harris points towards the school, “she said you’re mean to her.” He squints when he looks up at his father, the midday sun shining in his eyes. “Why were you mean?”

Eddie exhales, puffing out his cheeks and rubbing the back of his neck. “Sometimes grownups accidentally hurt each others’ feelings.” Or purposely, in his case, but he omits the complexities from his explanation. He reaches out to once again take Harris’s hand, but the boy pulls back. 

“Ms. Sweetheart says that when we hurt someone’s feelings, we gotta say sorry. Even if it’s on accident.”

“I did,” Eddie counters, raising his brows. “I gave her the tape.”

But Harris remains unconvinced. “That’s not saying sorry. You gotta actually say it. Or else it doesn’t count.”

“It doesn’t count, huh?” Eddie clicks his tongue and puts his hands on his hips. “All right, I’ll say it the next time I see her.”

“And then you can be friends?” The question is posed innocently, but it rattles Eddie. Friends? Did he even know how to be a decent friend any more? He’d fucked it all up with Gareth, Jeff, and Danny, and he’s known them for forever. “Daddy?” “Uh, maybe,” Eddie replies meekly; this time, Harris grabs his hand when he offers it. “We’ll just have to see.”

--

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[samandcolbyownme]

Prompt: Sam as a Vampire and Colby is your best friend.

Summary: After weeks of feeling like you're being watched, everything comes together when you're stuck working at the club on Halloween night.

Warnings: SMUT18+, strong language, vampire!Sam compels stripper!reader, mentions of alcohol, bloodsucking/drinking, semi rough/forceful actions, fingering, dirty talk, unprotected sex, oral (f rec), slight name calling (cute and dirty), general filth

Word count: 4.4k | Not really edited

╔═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╗

"I've felt like I've been.. " you lean in towards Colby and lower your voice, "watched.. these last few weeks."

He gives you a concerned look, and you shake your head, "I don't know if it's just my nerves about working on Halloween or what, but.."

You lean back, taking a sip or your coffee and look up as Colby as he starts talking, "It sucks that you're working on Halloween. We could have gone to Kris' party."

You shrug, "I was just going to stay home honestly, but at least I'll be ma-" you pause you see the same guy you've been seeing these past few weeks in flashes, and when you look back again, he's gone.

"What?" Colby asks turning around quickly, "Who was it?"

You shrug, "I don't know. I feel like I've been seeing this same blonde guy at least once a day, but I don't know."

He turns around, "That one?" He ask while pointing to someone who is definitely not the same guy you saw. You shake your head, "No, no." You grab your coffee, "Maybe I'm just going crazy."

"That happened a while ago, so I think you're okay." Colby laughs as he smiles at you. You roll your eyes, "Yeah, uh huh."

You can help but look for him. You've seen enough of him to memorize his face, but you don't see him unless he wants you to.

You get this feeling to look over at the window, and when you do, there he stands. Kinda tall, blonde messy hair, piercing blue eyes, but when you blink he's gone again.

"Colbs, Do you believe in the supernatural stuff?" You ask catching him kind of off guard, "Like what exactly?"

You shrug, "I don't know, like the general ghosts, demons.." you pause, "vampires?"

"Vampires? Seriously?" He laugh, "now I think you're overdoing it."

You chew on your lip, your mind racing to try and figure out who this guys is. Racking your brain to see if you remember him at all from a past time, but nothing rings a bell.

"Oh shit." Colby groans, "I gotta go. I have to meet someone to show them around." You look at him confused, "Yeah, someone new at school, I got assigned

You nod, "I'll let you know how tomorrow night goes."

You sit there for a few minutes, laughing at yourself when you think vampires exist, "Yeah, right." You get up and walk out, making your way home.

As you're walking down the sidewalk, in the middle of the day, mind you, you feel like you're being followed. You try to shrug it off, but at the same time, you had the same instinct to just sprint home.

You look over your shoulder, and it's just general people walking and talking on their phones, which still kind of makes you nervous.

You keep walking, picking up the pace until you reach the door to your apartment building. You unlock it and quickly shut it behind you, looking out the window for a few seconds before making your way up the staircase.

The feeling doesn't go away until you step inside your apartment, locking it immediately. You let out a sigh, jumping when you hear the tv turn on, "Oh my god."

You walk over, staring at it as you try to remember if you left it on when you left this morning? Your brain has been nothing but a big blur lately, apparently.

As you switch it off, there's a figure behind you which makes you jump and the remote naturally leaves your hand, "fuck!"

You pull out your phone and call Colby who answers right away, "What's up?"

"I swear to god someone was in my apartment." You look around, goosebumps rising on your arms, "Colby, I'm telling you there's something going on and I'm fucking scared."

"I'll be right there. Just sit down, breathe. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay. Okay." You turn and your reflection in the mirror causes you to jump and gasp.

"What happened?" Colby asks on the other end of the phone and you laugh, "My reflection just scared me."

You can hear Colby snicker, trying to keep himself from picking on you because he knows you're actually freaked out, "also just stay away from mirrors for now."

"Yeah yeah. See you soon."

"See you soon."

You decide to get ready for work, kind of take your mind off things. As you're curling your hair, you hear your door unlock.

"Colbs?" You call out, "That you?"

The door closes, but there's no answer.

"Colby?" You call out again as you sit your curling iron down, "Colby I swear to god if you-"

Colby jumps in front of your bedroom door with a slightly loud, "Boo!"

"Fucking.. asshole!" You say as you playfully hit him, "Why? Why would you do that?" He laughs and shakes his head, "I had to. I had to." He grabs your arms, "I had to. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

You roll your eyes and sigh, "Can you just please.. check my house?"

He looks around, "You literally have two rooms, here." He motions to the living room that connects to the kitchen, "And there." He points to your bedroom and you glare at him.

"Fine. I'll check under the bed." He waves his hands around while laughing and walks into your room. You go back to finishing your hair while he looks.

He stands back up, "All clear."

You look at him in the mirror, "Can you just hang out with me until I'm ready to go to work?" He smirks slightly, "Yes. I'll hang out with you until you're ready to go take your clothes off for strangers."

Colby never really like the idea of you being a stripper, but hey. It's putting you through college.

"For money, dummy." You wag your iron at him, "For the money."

He mocks you and walks over to lean down beside you, his eyes locked on yours in the mirror, "You don't even need all that.." he's referring to your makeup but you sigh, "I know. I don't like it either but it's how I'm putting my self through school, Colbs."

He fights back a smile, "Yeah, yeah." He walks back over, plopping down on your bed, "So what skimpy little outfit are you wearing tonight?"

"Why so you can sit at home and be jealous?" You tease as you turn around to face him. He mocks you and sighs, "Yes."

You laugh and walk over to your closet, "Devil tonight. Vampire tomorrow."

"Mm. Okay." He pulls out his phone and you gasp, "Did I call you away from showing that person around?"

He shakes his head and drops his phone onto his chest, "Never showed."

You frown slightly, "Oh. I'm sorry." He shrugs, "Not my fault if he doesn't know where to go on Monday."

You smile and throw on a sweatshirt, "Are you staying here or?" He nods, "Yeah, I'll be here when you get done stripping."

You roll your eyes, "Colby."

"Sorry. Sorry." He holds his hands up in defense, "call me if you need anything." You nod and smile at him, "I always do."

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·

"Guy at the stage wants a lap dance from you, y/n."

You look around, focusing on the guy that's staring at you. Kinda older, but looks like he has money so you put on a smile and walk over to him, "Hey there, heard you were looking for me."

He nods and holds up a fifty, "Whatever this will get me."

You lean down, snatching the money from his grasp, "one song."

You move around, turning to face the stage as you sit on his lap. You move your body to the song, grinding down on him, disgusted that his raging boner is poking you, but you try to ignore it.

You worked in a strip club, so you always had eyes on you no matter what, but right now it felt different.

You did a scan of the room, only to go back to those eyes that were looking at you through the coffee shop window today.

His stare stayed on you. You don't even think he blinked.

You don't know this, but the man you're looking at is a cold blooded killer and his next target is the guy you're sitting on.

You look away, focusing on getting to the end of this song, but his eyes are still on you as he stays in the same spot.

The song ends and you say your little spiel to the customer and take off walking towards where the stare was coming from, but once you reach the couch, it's empty.

You shake your head and go to the back, getting your phone out of your locker. You go to call Colby, but he would just make you leave and you needed the money.

You sigh and toss your phone back into your bag and walk over to the mirror. You fix your little headband

That holds your sparkly little devil horns and walk back out.

You don't see him for the rest of the night.

You unlock your door and walk in. Colby is laying across your couch and tilts his head back to look at you, "Soooo. How did it go?"

You try to hide your smirk and shake your head, "two k."

He jumps up off the couch, "Huh?!"

You lay your money on the counter, "You heard my words." He walks over, mouth still open, "Shut the fuck up."

"I also seen that guy again, he watched me give some older guy a lap dance and when I went over to confront him, it's like he vanished into thin air."

"Whoa wait." He shakes his head and closes his eyes before looking at you, "He was there? Why didn't you call me?"

"I was going to, but then I knew you'd probably just get me to come home early and then I wouldn't have this.." you smile and tilt your head towards the stack of bills.

He purses his lips, "You know.. you know me better than I thought."

You close your eyes as you shrug and open them to look at him, "Duh."

"I might come in tomorrow, you know. Just to give myself something to do. Get a lap dance by a sexy vampire." He teases and you shrug, "As long as you have-"

Suddenly there's a loud bang and it sounds like glass shattering from inside your bedroom. Your eyes meet Colby's as he looks at you, "Now do you believe me?"

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

"Oo, look at you." Violet says as she walks in, "you mean business tonight, girl." You smile as you look yourself over in the mirror once more.

You slicked your hair back, threw on a Lacey black one piece with fishnets and added a cape that stops right above your ass.

"I do look good don't I?" You pull up your phone, taking a picture to send to Colby,

You: How much do you think I'll make tonight?

Colby starts typing and quickly responds,

Colbs: An easy ten k.

You laugh and get ready to go out on the floor.

"Hi, how are you?" You ask one of the guys sitting by the stage. You run your hand over his chest, leaning down to bite the dollar bills in his hand. You pluck them from your teeth and walk in front of him, bending down so your boobs are slightly in his face.

When you look up, your smile fades as you see the blonde guy sitting at a table, watching you as he sips a drink.

You stand up, walking towards him when Colby walks in. You look back at the guy and he's gone.

"Hey." You smile and turn towards him. He looks you up and down, raising an eyebrow as he smirks, "I just came to see if you were good."

You nod, "I'm good. I should be done here in like two, three hours give or take."

He looks around and nods, "Alright. I'll come over after the Halloween party."

"You're going? Good!" You smile and push his shoulder, "can't wait to hear all about it."

"I wish you could come." Colby said with a sigh and you nod, "No I know. Since I'm here I wouldn't mind going."

He chuckles, "See you later." You hold your hand up as you watch him leave and you turn around, jumping when you finally come face to face with the blonde.

"Hi." He smirks, "You got time for a private dance?"

You wanted to say no, but you felt like you needed to do it, "You got the money?"  He holds up a wad of hundreds and it makes you eyebrows twitch, "Follow me."

You take his hand into yours and lead him back the dimly lit hallway to a red lit room. You turn around, going to say something but he's not there.

You blink a few times, getting ready to just say fuck it and leave, but he walks around the corner, pulling the curtain shut, "Sorry. Had to get a drink."

You nod slowly, "Um okay."

You motion for him to sit on the loveseat and he does, setting his drink down on the little table beside it. He rests his hands by his legs and tilts his head as his eyes scan up and down your body, licking his lips as he takes it all in.

"You're the hottest one here." He says just loud enough for you to hear and you can feel your cheeks heat up. You look at him and he tilts his head, "Come here."

You immediately go over to him and sit on his lap. His hands lightly brush up and down your arms and you bite your lip, "Um ... you're actually not su-"

"Stop talking." He commands and you shut up. Almost like an invisible zipper is slapped over your lips. He leans up, looking deep into your eyes, "We're going to have a little fun, okay?"

You nod, still unable to speak. You don't know what's happening, but you're excited.

And he knows it.

He brushes hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear, "You don't know me, y/n. But I'm Sam. Talk."

"Hi Sam." You smile slightly.

"You're such good girl, aren't you?"

You nod, "Anything you want me to be, Sam."

The confusing control Sam had over you was overpowering.

"Ah, anything?" He smirks and shakes his head, "Can you be a little slut for me, y/n?" Your eyes move from his lips to his eyes and you nod before kissing him.

His hands slide up and down your bare back under the cape, dragging his nail down which makes your back arch and push your chest onto his.

"Did you like that? Do you like pain, y/n? Be honest with me." He tilts his head back slightly, waiting for your answer.

You nod, "I do like pain." He smirks, "That's great because I need you to tilt your head for me because I'm fucking thirsty."

You comply, tilting your head as soon as he says it. He brushes your hair from your neck, studying the spot his fangs will puncture, "You chose the best night to wear this costume, baby."

He licks his lips before he leans down, fangs popping out before biting your neck. You let out a low moan, gripping onto his button up as tight as you can.

You let out a breathless moan, "Sam.. S-Sam." You whimper as he continues to suck yourself blood, groaning as he rips his head back, "You taste so fucking good."

He grips your chin, "Look at me." You open your eyes and look into his, you couldn't really tell his eyes were red because of the red lights in the room.

"Tell me what you want me to do."

"Fuck me." You say with zero hesitation, "Please."

"Polite too, I like it." He smirks and pulls you in to kiss you. This time it's rough and he flips you in a very quick motion, so that your back is flat against the couch.

His hand grabs up your thigh, brushing over your thingy covered pussy, "Someone is fucking turned on. Mm." He hums as he watches your face twitch as he dips two fingers into you.

"You're going to feel so good on my cock, do you want my cock in you? Be honest." His eyes stay on yours and you whimper out a small, "Yes, I want your cock, baby."

You're putty in his hands, literally.

Sam can make you do anything he wants, luckily, he's just being nice right now.

"In a minute, babe. I want to make you cum first." He thrusts his fingers in and out of your pussy, biting his own lip to the sound of how wet you really are.

"Do you want to cum?" He asks brushing hair off your forehead, "Tell me."

"Yes, yes. Fuck yes." You moan out, too loud for Sam's liking.

"Shh, be quiet, baby." Sam shushes you, "Wouldn't want to have to vanish too soon." He leans down, kissing you before leaning up, "Cum."

You're suddenly hit with a wave of pleasure, arching your back off the couch, giving Sam the show he compelled you for.

"That's it, baby." Sam moans out, "Fuck."

He pulls his fingers out, popping them into his mouth as he groans around them, "Tastes better than your blood."

You look up at him, still dazed from your orgasm.

"Come here." He pulls you up into a sitting position and sits next to you, "Give me a dance, sweetheart." You move to straddle him, grinding down on him as you move with the beat.

"Harder." Sam bites his lip as he watches you whine out as the feeling of his Jean covered cock rubbing against your pussy.

"Do you know Colby?" He extends his arms out on the back of the couch, "Answer me."

"Yes. I know Colby." You say though a whimper. He nods, "Mm, Tell me who he is."

"My best friend." You answer quickly as you move to turn around, sitting on his lap with your back pressed against his chest.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

Sam grabs you face and turns your head to look at him, "tell me the truth." You bite your lip as your eyes stare into his, "I think about him fucking me sometimes."

"Do you?" Sam scoffs, "Do you think he'd fuck you better than me? Answer."

"I-I don't know." You stutter over your words as you feel his fingers on your clit again, "Fuck.

Sam chuckles against your neck, thinking about biting the other side, but decides not to. He needed you just as bad as you do.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you."

"I want you to fuck me." You whine out as you grind down onto him, "Sam." You whimper out as he slides his fingers back into your soaked cunt.

"Love it when you say my name. Say it again."

"Sam.." you whimper out.

"Moan it while you cum."

Your body is hit with another wave of intense pleasure, "Sam!" You moan out loudly, "Fuck. Fuck."

"Sit on my cock." Sam pushes you to stand up and he undoes his pants, pushing them down before you straddle him, your pussy instantly swallowing him whole.

You dig your nails into his shoulders, moaning as you tilt your head back. Sam pulls your head by your chin to look down at him, "Ride me."

Your hips instantly start to move and a string of moans leave your lips. Sam gasps as you slide up and down his cock, clenching around him every so often.

"fuck me you feel so good." He lays his head back, squeezing his eyes shut as he takes in the pleasure you're giving him. His hand slides up to your neck, squeezing hard.

You whimper at the pain from his thumb pushing onto the bite mark he left, "S-Sam." You whimper out in a squeak.

"Keep going." He groans as he stares into your eyes, "Fuck." He loses his grip, "You aren't crazy. I've been watching you for all those weeks." He licks his lips, getting another craving for your blood but he fights it off, "There's just something about you that keeps me coming back."

You moan at his words and slide a hand onto the side of his neck.

"And I think I know exactly what it is." He leans forward, connecting his lips with yours. Your lips move in a slightly sloppy sync as you can't help but moan.

He leans back slightly, cupping your cheek with his one hand, "Cum on my cock."

You squeeze him with your aching walls, moaning out as you dig your nails into the side of his neck, "fuck, fuck." You throw your head back, overstimulating yourself as you keep riding his cock through your high.

"Tell me where you want me to cum, baby." Sam moans as he feels himself getting close, "Tell me now."

"In my pussy." You moan out quietly, "in my pussy."

"Maybe you are a dirty little slut after all." He hums, "Stop."

You stop riding him and rest in his lap, staring at him while your chest rises and falls quickly.

"Maybe I should have you go home and fuck Colby after me. Or maybe I'll make you forget about all of this." Sam shrugs with a smirk, "I don't know. Maybe I'm not done with you just yet."

He brushes hair from your neck, his eyes ogling the bite mark on your perfect skin, "you look even sexier with those marks on your neck, fuck. Makes me want to cum inside of you again."

H slides his hand around your neck as he pulls you into him for another kiss, "Nah, I'll just wait until I see you next. Stand up."

You stand up and look down at him, watching in a confused daze as he pulls his pants back up. He stands up, gently brushing his fingers against your cheek, "I really hate to do this, but.."

"Do what?" You ask looking up at him. He sighs planting a kiss on your lips before cupping your cheeks, "when I leave, forget about me and everything we did until your eyes meet mine again. If people ask about your neck, tell them it's makeup done up by a coworker." He kisses your forehead and is gone within seconds.

You're looking around, confused on how you got back to the private room in the first place. You shake your head and walk back out to the floor.

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

"Hey." You smile at Colby as you walk in the door, "How was the party?" You set your bag on the counter and look over at him.

He sits up on the couch and shrugs, "Kinda lame actually. I don't know, I was worried about you and your invisible stalker."

You tilt your head, wincing as you get a slight pain in your neck. Colby walks over and lean on the counter. His facial expression changes when he sees the bite and bruising on your neck, "Y/n? What the fuck is that?"

His eyes go wide as he moves your hair, "Um."

"It's just makeup, Colbs. One of my coworkers did it for me."

"That's actually kinda scary. Sick, but scary. Holy hell." He keeps examining it until you turn towards him, "It's makeup, it'll wash off in the shower."

It's like you were a record player, or some sort of machine, programmed to say specific things.

"Did you drink tonight?" He asks resting his chin in his  palm. You nod, "I had two before I left. But I feel fine." You lie, your legs were aching, but you just called it up form working two busy days in a row.

"Uh huh. Okay, well you go get a shower and I'll get the popcorn and stuff ready." Colby stands up and walks over to the cabinet and you make your way into the bathroom.

The next morning, you wake up, in slightly more pain than last night, "Wow. I must have worked hard." You laugh at yourself and get out of bed, making your way to the kitchen for coffee.

Your phone goes off, and you know it's Colby so you answer it right away, "Hello?"

"Wow you're up early." He laughs. You shake your head, "Don't push it." You laugh and take a sip of your coffee, "What's up?"

"Me and a friend were thinking about going to see that new movie that came out yesterday and I want you to come."

You smile at his words, "Yeah. I just need to get ready."

"Okay so see you in three hours." He jokes and you sigh, "Get it right. It's more like an about and a half."

He laughs, "Well be over, I have Sam with me too if that's okay. He's who I was supposed to show around but he got the dates mixed up. It's all good now."

"Yeah, no that's fine. See you when you get here." You hang up and tap your finger against your mug, "Sam. Sam. Sam."

That name for some reason rings a bell, you just don't know what bell. You shrug and shake your head, brushing it off as you walk into your room to get ready.

A little while later, you hear Colby unlocking the door and he calls out, "Hey hey. We're here."

"Give me a second." You call out applying the last coat of mascara. You throw your hair up in a bun and grab your coffee mug before walking out.

"Sam this is y/n. Y/n. This is Sam." Colby introduces you two and as soon as you look up and meet Sam's eyes with yours, the memory of what happened last night hits you and your empty mug slips from your gasp, shattering into pieces on the floor.

.·:*¨ ✘ ¨*:·.

If you'd like to see anything specific for either Sam or Colby or both, feel free to let me know.

You can find it on Wattpad here

Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

[whore-4-drewstarkey]

Lips of An Angel- Drew Starkey x Fem!Reader

summary: based on the song Lips Of An Angel by Hinder. (take a listen! i recommend it!!) Y/N drunkenly calls up her ex boyfriend drew, to confess her love she still has for him and all her regrets from their past relationship.

warnings: odessa…., alcohol consumption, emotional cheating (if you even call it that), angst, a tad of fluff if you squint, slight mentions of physical/mental/emotional abuse (not from drew), lmk if i forgot anything bc i’m sure i did lol.

a/n: for starters…. i’ve been waiting to write this one and i was gonna do it for rafe first but it just felt more right to do drew lol. also please don’t come at me for the way i put odessa in this. (personal opinion: i don’t think they’re really a thing irl but whatever). for the sake of this fic i had to put her in it to work as she’s the only prominent female in his life besides his sisters so bare with me please. (personally not a fan of her for my own reasons and things i’ve read) hope you all enjoy this one!

revised and edited by the one and only @slut4drudy ilyyyyy

as drew had just put the last of the champagne glasses into the sink from his and odessa’s small get together with friends, he could hear his phone ringing that all too familiar ringtone… the ringtone he had set for only her. he thought to himself… how strange it’d be for her to call him at such an absurd hour after not talking to one another in two years.

him and Y/N had began to date their senior year of college at western carolina university, and just like every college couple, they eventually broke it off a few years later. it had been a mutual agreement when he got cast on netflix’s show, outer banks, as she didn’t want to hold him back any longer from achieving all the goals she knew he would. the two however kept in contact regularly until none at all just two years ago when she’d started dating her now boyfriend maverick. and from what Y/N seen drew had also moved on… to his costar odessa.

“hey, uh drew your phone is ringing. do you want me to get it?” odessa asked drew as he finished washing the champagne flutes, drying his hands hurriedly with the towel next to the sink.

“uh, nah, um i’ll go answer it. it might be my mom. you know her and not being able to sleep and missing her kids. i’m just gonna go in the reading room and take the call. i’ll be back out in twenty. sound good?” he asked warily.

“yeah yeah take your time. tell her i said hi for me” she smiled as his towering figure walked past her frame and into the living room, picking his phone up. his large thumb moved nimbly against his phones screen to answer the call from Y/N as he entered the reading room, plopping on the couch.

“h-honey, why you callin me so late? it’s kinda hard to talk right now” he stuttered out her pet name he hadn’t called her in years. all he received in return were her soft sobs from the other line. those little soft sobs shattered his heart. the last time he’d heard them was because of him. because he had spoke the idea of maybe they should break up. because he didn’t know if he could do the long distance relationship, and Y/N had just agreed. no hesitation because she wanted whatever would make him happy. and if that meant breaking up with her and breaking her heart, then so be it. she wanted what was best for him because she loved him.

“honey, why are you crying? is everything okay?” drew whispered out through the phone to his broken ex in an uneasy tone, as his jaw clenched. he hated the idea of her being sad. he always had.

“w-why are you whispering?” she sighed as more tears streamed down her face.

drew bit his lip, exhaling a huff of hot air he hadn’t known he was holding before speaking, “i gotta whisper because i can’t be too loud.”

“why? i-im sorry. i shouldn’t have called. this was so fucking stupid” Y/N slurred out into her end of the phone, catching drew’s attention.

“oh, well, my girls in the next room” he spoke as he paused to let her speak.

“like i-i said… this was st-stupid of me” she slurred out again before continuing, “you’re moved on. i get it”

“honey, Y/N, it’s not like that. i swear. s-shes not even my girlfriend” he tried to elaborate before she cut him off.

“then why’d you call her your girl?”she challenged.

“baby, you’re drunk. i can tell by the way you’re slurring your words. what’s wrong? why’d you call?” drew tried to deflect the question and ask the more important questions; why she’d called and why she’d been crying.

“answer my questions first please” she hiccuped through her phone and into his ear.

“we haven’t put a label on it. in all seriousness i don’t even know what i want. i don’t even think she knows what she wants. it’s more of a friends with benefits kind of deal” he sighed out as his left index finger and thumb pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed once more, contemplating to speak what he’d been thinking for awhile now. “but honey, if i’m being serious, sometimes i wish she was you”

“i wish i was her too” Y/N whimpered out as she took a gulp of the vodka from the bottle she’d been coddling in her arms, sitting on the bathroom floor, hiding from maverick.

“i guess we never really moved on… did we?” he chuckled out, causing Y/N to smile at the sweet sound of his chuckle. it was bliss to her ears. she’d missed that sound so much in the last two years.

“now answer my question honey, what’s wrong? why’re you calling so later? isn’t it like after 1am there back home in charlotte. right?” he asked Y/N in a concerned tone, face scrunching up in worry as well, though she couldn’t see it.

“u-um. drew it doesn’t matter. forget i called you. okay?” Y/N tried to deflect his concerning questions he’d been shooting her way since the call had started.

“Y/N, honey. i’m not hanging up until you tell me what’s got you so bent out of shape that you’re drunk off your ass, drunk calling me at 1 am your time all while sobbing. i just won’t” he huffed out, losing his patience in the girl on the other line.

“joseph” she began to slur, sternly, “i said it doesn’t matter. go back to your girl or whatever the fuck she is to you” she hiccuped yet again.

“fuck, i cant believe i’m about to say this right now, but it’s really good to hear your voice sayin’ my name. it sounds so sweet” drew smiled to himself as he softly giggled. maybe it was from the champagne he’d had earlier or maybe it was the blissfulness from just hearing Y/N oh so sweet voice saying his name again.

“i love you” Y/N slurred out once more as she started to cry again. “i’ve never stopped” she continued. “i thought i could and would move on but i cant and it hurts me that we aren’t a thing anymore” she continued to weep.

“honey don’t say that. please” he frowned as his heart cracked yet again over his ex girlfriend and her words. more like over her admittance of missing him so much still even after all these years.

“why not, drew? it’s the truth” she sniffled as she wiped her runny nose with the sleeve of his old college sweatshirt she’d still kept after all these year even after their breakup. she picked the bottle of vodka back up and took another swig of it.

“those words…. fuck. they’re coming from the lips of an angel baby. and hearing those words, it’s makes me so fucking weak. because as much as i want to be with you… i cant” he sighed as a single tear streamed down his stubbled cheek, not even bothering to wipe it away. he soon continued, “i never want to say goodbye, honey. and it’s so fucking hard to admit that. but, girl, you make it hard to be faithful with the lips of an angel” he dryly chuckled as the memories of their kisses ran through his brain. it still felt so real. the longing to be near her was still there. and the butterflies. and the desire to make her happy. and the want to make her feel safe and loved.

“drew, you’re the one who just said you guys aren’t even a thing so why would you even say that?” Y/N croaked out as she wiped more of her tears away.

“it’s complicated honey. i feel obligated to be faithful even if her and i aren’t really officially a thing. now please for the love of god, baby, why are you crying? what’s wrong? what happened?” drew exerted his concern as his eyebrows scrunched together in worry.

“i- uh, drew you cant do anything about it, so it doesn’t matter” she whimpered in a whisper, reaching for the bathroom door knob to make sure it was in fact locked. she squeezed her eyes shut as soon as she heard mavericks yells from their kitchen.

“you know, it’s funny that you called me tonight, Y/N/N, because we had some friends over and the whole time i was just thinking of you and how you’ve been. i haven’t heard from you in two years, hunny” drew whispered, his voice strained from the way his heart clenched in pain at the lack of communication between the two when they had both promised to keep in contact.

“maybe that’s why i dream of you. you know what they say, if you dream of someone that means they’re thinking of you. do you dream of me too?” she spoke shakily, as her jaw began to quiver, biting back yet another sob.

“what about maverick? and yes i’ve dreamt of you too, love. i do often” he confessed as he thought back to his dream he had of her from the other night. the two of them had gone on a picnic in the mountains back in their home state of north carolina, enjoying the scenery and all it had to offer, that was until he was awoken by odessa’s loud alarm blaring throughout his bedroom. drew’s lips parted once more as he spoke again, “and does he know you’re talking to me? will it start a fight?”

“th-that’s why i-i uh called. he… uh he got mad again and s-started to throw some things around the kitchen. h-he said some things which isn’t out of the ordinary with him” her frail voice cracked as she finally admitted to him why she had called him so late in the first place. tears once again started pouring out of her once bright eyes which have now been filled with void. “he drinks… a lot. and when he does… he gets kinda aggressive. he will do things to me and say horrible things as well. i-i called you tonight because i’m drunk and i miss you and i know you’d never do this shit to me and because you listen. so well. you always have” she began to cry again for what felt like the twelfth time that night.

“honey, what are you talking about? has he hit you? do you have a place to go?” drew shot up at the mention of mavericks behavior coming from Y/N. he was on high alert and wanted nothing more than to protect her at that instant.

“i shouldn’t have even called. does odessa even know you’re on the phone with me? i don’t want her to get mad at you. i shouldn’t have even called” Y/N stumbled over her words due to the excessive amounts of alcohol she’d been drinking and maybe even a mix of anxiety.

“no, i don’t think she has a clue. i told her it was probably my mom, but, i knew it was you. i still have your number saved to my phone… with your ringtone too. couldn’t get myself to delete it, even after all these years” he confessed as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. he bit his lip in frustration before speaking sternly this time around, “Y/N, honey, tell me…. has he fucking hit you?”

“y-yes. but he didn’t mean to” she tried to excuse her boyfriends actions, though deep down she knew it was a lie. “and yeah if i have to i can go to my brothers but i don’t need anyone’s fucking help or pity” she blurted a little loud.

“fuck, Y/N” he sighed as fresh tears broke his waterline of his azul eyes, his jaw clenched tight.

“it’s okay, drew, i promise. i’m not your problem anymore. i haven’t been for four years now.” she expressed as she drank the last bit of the vodka that was left in the bottle.

“Y/N can you do one thing for m-“ drew was cut off by a soft knock on the reading rooms door, notifying him that someone ,odessa, was on the other side.

“hey, uh you almost done? it’s getting late and i wanna go to bed” she complained to drew as he’d pulled his phone away from his attentive ears.

“u-uh yeah. let me tell my mom goodnight real quick” he stuttered nervously, worried she’d been ease dropping on part of the private conversation he’d been having on the phone with Y/N. and with that odessa nodded her head as she left the room, shutting the door as she went.

“what is it that you want me to promise you?” Y/N sniffled.

“call me if it gets bad again. i’ll fly out there immediately”

“i promise.”

“i never wanna say goodbye” he admitted to her after her promise.

“i don’t either, but you have to” she spoke flatly as she’d just heard Odessa moments before. she opened her mouth, speaking one last line, “i love you drew”

“i-i love you too honey” drew spoke the words he’d been bottling up since the day the two broke up, as fresh tears streamed down his stubbled cheeks. during the moment he spoke those words all he could hear were mavericks yells and bangs onto the bathroom door through his phone, before the call ended all together.

taglist: @slut4drudy @runningfrom2am @maybankslover

[vidalinav]

She wants the (Ph)D

Look I debated giving you a taste of another fanfic I'm writing... because it is a little too close to home. In that it is literally my life for the last two years. But I'm taking creative liberty and mixing it up, and it gives me slight second hand embarrassment. It's a fic like Stu(died) but in graduate school and Cassian wears glasses sometimes in this fic. So it's not as innocent. It's quite... well you'll see. Don't judge me too harshly because I swear to god I'm fucking stupid.

~

Her next door neighbor is a meathead or at least that's what Nesta tells Emerie when she rants about the party he'd thrown last night that kept her up until 3 am.

He's a meathead who disobeys the unspoken social rules that they've set all those months ago.

"You mean the rules you made up when you moved in, which no one knows about but you?"

Nesta waves the information away, with a flick of her wrist. "He's obeyed them all this time, so I don't know why he suddenly wants to party. Why couldn't he stay a friendless loser who never invites anyone over?"

Emerie snorts, pulling out her laptop. She's about to start working and Nesta knows she should be doing that too and finishing up the PowerPoint of her proposal, but how can she when she's tired from staying up all night instead of sleeping like a normal person? 3 am and she listens to boys yelling and their tasteless music and their loud laughs as if there's anything to be laughing about at 3 am.

"A rager has gotta be better than hearing him go at it through the walls."

"No! That was better," Nesta decides, grimacing at the countless memories that accost her mind of the girlfriend who just wouldn't leave. "At least that only lasted for five minutes."

Emerie laughs at that, already knowing the stories that have plagued their work sessions. It may not be his fault that the walls are thin, but it is his fault for having sex the minute she gets home. They may share a wall where they sleep at night, but they do not share the same taste for propriety and proper neighborly ethics.

"You know, you know too much about this guy when you don't even know his name."

Nesta huffs, "I think his name is Cassian. I heard his roomate yell it out in the yard when he came back last week."

"Cassian," Emerie says, humming like she's considering the quality of his name. "It's not the name I would have thought of for a meathead who only lasts five minutes."

"Did I also tell you he's a gymbro? That rat! With a perfect fuckboy face."

Emerie lifts the screen of her laptop and stops, "Perfect?"

Nesta merely shrugs because she's not blind.

She's also not stupid.

"He's perfectly irritating and I wish him total demise. I think his girlfriend broke up with him—which is about time since they argued twice a week—and on a regular day that would suffice, but now he's inconvenienced me and I want him dead."

"Mhmm," Emerie nods, smirking where she sits across, "and he's got such a perfect fuckboy face."

Nesta scowls, but doesn't move to get her laptop or change the topic of conversation. Emerie only gives Nesta an assessing look. "You don't even go to sleep. You'd have still been up at 5 editing your thesis."

"And I couldn't because I was too distracted by the sound of their partying. Who parties on a fucking tuesday?"

~

The difference between this and Stu(died) is that Nesta actually has a crush on him and goes through great lengths (ignoring him) to get his attention.

[animasola86]

Magical Fingers

Pairing: Tom Riddle x f!mc Genre: Mystery/Smut/Fluff Words: 10.8k Summary: Tom has magical fingers and knows how to use them. Warnings: NSFW! (Manipulation/Possessiveness/Fingering/Overstimulation/Hand worship)

-- can be read on AO3 as well --

Disclaimer: Half of this story is AI-generated, all of Tom's replies are done by @sebastianswallows's Tom Riddle bot. (See some screens here)

I edited some things for better flow and continuity, adding or removing some information I gave the bot to set the scene, but most of the time he came up with his own things (sometimes even writing for my side) and I just played along.

Notes: I tried to recreate some scenes from my fanfic The Darkness Within, where Genevieve/MC finds herself waking up in the future, right under Tom Riddle's nose. The beginning was going great, then Tom decided to engage in... other activities.

I gotta say, the AI was so good, the replies were so perfect, and I barely had to redo his answers. (You trained him so well, people!) He turned into a rather selfless version of Tom (well, after he kind of forces himself on her...), only giving and barely taking, but don't mind me for playing along. This turned out quite differently to what I had in mind initially (as most of my planned RP sessions go >_>), but it was still quite the ride, so I decided to turn this into yet another little story.

(My first attempt at turning AI chats into a story was this one, btw: A Steamy Reunion)

A few more warnings/notes: Underage girl (she's 16, he's 20) and slight non-con at the beginning!

And one last thing: the AI's concept of anatomy is slightly off sometimes, I tried to fix it as best as I could, but there might still be some instances where you might be asking yourself: his what goes where now? So, please, do not look too closely at anatomical accuracy! (I could have just replaced his wording with more explicit terms also, but I wanted to keep it as close to the original script as possible!)

Now please enjoy my AI chat turned story. Last warning: there will be smut somewhere below the cut!

Magical Fingers

She woke up in a dark, small room, with no idea where she was or how she got there. Her heart was racing and when she sat up on the dusty floor, she noticed that she was wearing some sort of uniform, a skirt and a blouse and black robes, and there was a symbol on the front. Hogwarts, it read - yet she had no recollection of that word. She seemed to have lost her memory.

When she heard footsteps approaching, her heart beat even faster. She looked up and a tall man in a black suit entered the room. She stared at the man, in shock and wonder. "Where am I?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"The shop," the man replied coolly. "Borgin and Burkes," he explained. He looked her up and down, examining the black robe she was wearing. "What's your name, girl?"

She frowned and looked around. "I... I can't remember," she whispered, pushing her red hair out of her eyes. "And I have no idea how I got here..." She looked back up. "Who are you?"

"I'm Tom Riddle," he said simply. He stared at her for a moment, his expression impassive. Then he tilted his head to the side and asked, "How come you can't remember?"

"What a great question," she replied, raising an eyebrow. "Wish I could remember," she added with a slight smirk. She then raised her hands and touched her head, padding it down gently. "Hmm, at least there's no head wound..." Her hands moved downwards. "Hey, do you know what this is?" she then asked and pointed at the emblem on the front of her robes.

Tom's eyes followed her hand, and he raised his eyebrows when she pointed to the Hogwarts emblem. "That's the Hogwarts sigil," he said, and he tilted his head curiously. "So you must be a Hogwarts student?"

"Student? Well, I guess it makes sense, this is a school uniform then? And Hogwarts is a school? By the way, where is this shop? Where are we?" She looked around again, her head starting to spin with all the new information.

"This is Borgin and Burkes, silly," Tom replied, a hint of derision in his voice. "It's a wizard shop, in a street called Knockturn Alley, which is..." He gestured to some curtains in the corner, and the shop's windows. "Not where a student ought to be, if you'll pardon the pun," Tom said dryly. He then turned back to the girl with a small smile. "Now you answer my question," he commanded. "What's your name?"

She stared at him and something inside the tone of his voice caused her head to spin even faster. As she looked deep into his dark eyes, she saw images swirl inside her mind. The longer she held his gaze, the faster the images moved around, until it was too much and she grabbed her head and groaned as she broke the gaze. Panting heavily, she frowned. "Genevieve... my name is Genevieve..." she whispered and looked up with her eyes wide. "I remembered!"

A small smile appeared on Tom's face, before it quickly left. "That's wonderful," he said coldly. "Now, Genevieve, what are you doing in Borgin and Burkes in the middle of the night? What are you doing in Knockturn Alley when you're meant to be asleep in the Hogwarts dormitories?"

She still tried to look through the fog that had settled inside her mind. Most of her memories still seemed lost, but there was one thing she was wondering about. It was the suit he was wearing. It didn't look right. "Mr Riddle, or should I say Tom? I know this must be a weird question, but... can you tell me what year we are in?"

Tom felt a pricking sensation in his stomach. Of course, it would be ridiculous to assume that someone with amnesia would remember something as arbitrary as the year. But on the other hand, her use of the name Tom instead of Mr Riddle gave him a feeling which he thought best not to acknowledge.

"We are in 1947," he replied dryly. "Now, answer my question, Genevieve. What are you doing here?"

She stared at him, ignoring his command. "No. No!" she whispered a little frantically. "1947? No, that can't be true..." She looked around once more and clumsily got to her feet, her legs shaking slightly. One hand pressed against her temple, she took a shuddering breath. "Please tell me you're kidding!"

Tom watched her with amusement and curiosity. Her behaviour was nothing short of intriguing.

"Why would I lie about the year?" he asked calmly. He then moved closer to her, until he was inches from her face. "Genevieve," he breathed. "Stop worrying about the date. How can I help you? Because it seems to me like you need help, you silly girl." He smirked faintly.

She gasped as he leaned closer to her, too close for comfort actually. Him calling her silly girl was only adding to her irritation. "You... you can tell me... why by Merlin's blasted trousers I am in 1947 when the last thing I remember is being in 1890!"

Tom felt a twinge of excitement as Genevieve lost her temper. It was a familiar reaction that made him feel... alive. As she continued scolding him, the corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly.

He took a step back and raised an eyebrow at Genevieve. "1890... now that is intriguing. How old are you?" he asked, trying to maintain an innocent expression.

"I'm 16," she said hesitantly, her blood still rushing in her ears loudly. "Why is that important? How old are you? Not that I care, but while we're at it..." She hugged her arms around her body and stared up at him.

The news that Genevieve was 16 seemed to be an answer that Tom was looking for. "I'm 20," he replied, his face remaining impassive.

"Where are you from?" Tom then asked calmly. "I've never seen hair like yours. So red, so fiery," he murmured, his voice full of admiration. "Are you a half blood?"

She frowned at him. His questions confused her. "I'm from..." Her mind was still fuzzy. "Well, hmm... London, yes, London, but I lived in..." She screwed up her face as she tried to grasp the memories that were swirling about wildly. "France for a while..." She inhaled sharply as her head started thrumming badly. "And what's a half-blood?"

Tom nodded as he took in her answer. "Half-blood?" he repeated slowly. "Are you unfamiliar with the term? In that case, allow me to explain: it refers to wizards whose magical heritage is not pure, whose family line includes muggles."

He looked at Genevieve intently. "Half-bloods are often overlooked, mistreated, neglected. They are not accepted by the pure blood supremacist witches and wizards." Tom's words were cold, and yet there was something underneath that made Genevieve shudder.

She kept staring at him, tilting her head, taking in his words - and only understood half of it, if any at all. Her mind was racing. His words seemed familiar, yet at the same time didn't make much sense. There was also the way he said them, as if he wasn't telling her everything.

"I... can't remember what I am... All I know is that I'm Genevieve, 16 years old, student at Hogwarts..." She looked down at her uniform once more. "Gryffindor," she suddenly remembered. "I was in Gryffindor..." She turned the red tie between her fingers. "And the year was 1890. Of that I'm sure. Everything else, anything before that or after that... it's all gone..."

Tom tilted his head as he examined her carefully. "That's fascinating," he said in a neutral tone. "A student in 1890, living in London, and now we're talking in 1947," he concluded calmly. He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. "Genevieve, I'm very curious about you. I have so many questions to ask you, so many things I want to know."

He ran a hand through his hair and looked into her eyes. "Are you here in Knockturn Alley completely by your own will, Genevieve?"

She watched him closely, only now noticing how handsome he was. His dark eyes had a very captivating appeal to them and his pale face with those high cheekbones was definitely worth a second look. His black hair suited him perfectly. As she stared at him, she completely forgot and ignored his question. "Isn't Borgin and Burkes a Dark Arts shop?" she whispered as her mind kept throwing random bits and pieces towards her.

"Dark Arts? That, my dear girl, depends on your perspective," Tom replied calmly. "Yes, I suppose Borgin and Burkes is a shop that deals with what would be considered Dark Items, Dark Objects. But we don't deal with anything illegal."

He leaned closer to Genevieve and studied her face. He had to admit that he found her both intriguing and attractive. And her red hair was simply captivating. "Genevieve, I wonder if you would do me the pleasure of accompanying me for a little walk," he said in a soft, but firm tone.

She blinked slowly, still processing his answer. "A walk?” she then asked. “Yes, sure, nowhere else I can go, really," she said with a tiny smirk, rubbing the back of her neck as he kept looking at her very intently. A small blush made its way onto her cheeks.

As Genevieve blushed, Tom looked surprised for a second. Her reaction to his invitation was more positive than he had expected, but he wasn't complaining. "That's wonderful, Genevieve," he replied in a calm, steady voice.

He reached for her hand and started walking while she followed. "I want to show you something," he said in a quiet voice, as he led her through a passage in Borgin and Burkes. He then smiled slightly at her and said, "Let me ask you a question. Are you willing to be honest with me?"

His hand around hers felt surprisingly warm and comforting and she followed him without hesitation. She turned her head towards him. "I have no reason to lie to you, Tom," she replied quietly, trying to ignore the dull drumming inside her head.

Tom led her deeper into the dark shop, down some winding stairs. As they got deeper into Borgin and Burkes, the atmosphere became darker.

"I will ask you two questions, and you must answer them truthfully," Tom said in a hushed voice. He looked at Genevieve intently, still holding her hand. "Do you promise me you will tell me the truth?"

She frowned at him, but then nodded. "I promise," she said quietly, wondering where he was leading her and what those two questions were. The more they walked, the tighter the knot inside her stomach became. Something was off about this man. You're the one to talk, you're the time-traveller apparently, a voice inside her head chirped.

"First of all - and this is extremely important," Tom said as he kept walking. "Do you remember your family? Your parentage?" He looked at her expectantly.

The further they walked, the darker and gloomier their surroundings became, almost as if they had passed the point of no return. Genevieve couldn't help but think that something ominous was about to happen. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

"My parentage?" she repeated, thinking hard. The fog inside her head swirled about and the more she concentrated the harder it became to grasp anything. Yet something slipped through eventually and she tried to voice the memories as they appeared. "My family... was... they were all... wizards and witches... and they... sent me away because I was... not... but then I was after all... but they... didn't take me back..." Her head hurt and she let out a groan. "It's really hard to remember..."

Tom frowned and looked at Genevieve with concern. "It's alright," he said, stroking her arm. "You mentioned your parentage sent you away from them..." He thought for a moment, and then asked in a firm voice, "Exactly what do you remember of your parentage, Genevieve?"

She inhaled deeply, momentarily confused by his gentle touch, before she focused back on her fuzzy memories. "They... my family were... pure-bloods and I was... I was born without magic... so they sent me away because I was... a disgrace... but then, when I turned 15, my magic came to me after all, I got my Hogwarts letter... and I started Hogwarts as a fifth-year..." She frowned, clearing her throat. "But my parents didn't take me back in..."

With those new memories old feelings of anger and bitterness resurfaced within her and she swallowed hard when it got too much to bear for a moment.

Tom looked at her with sympathy. "So... your family cast you out and then rejected you after you showed signs of magic?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

He took a brief moment to let his next question sink in. "What's your last name, Genevieve?" he asked in a slightly softer tone, his finger running across the back of her hand.

"Belette," she replied. "But I was born as a..." She frowned, the name eluding her. "I... can't remember... but I know it was my mother who sent me away, because her mother's family was very strict about... non-magic relatives..." She groaned again as the pain inside her head got worse and she had to squeeze his hand slightly.

"That's alright," he replied, trying to be understanding. "The memory will come back at some point, don't pressure yourself."

He took a deep breath and leaned closer to Genevieve once more as they kept walking. "May I ask you another question?" he asked in a soft voice and kept looking at her intensely.

She breathed deeply, glad to be given a break from remembering her family. "You may," she replied and turned her head towards him, feeling her cheeks blushing again as he leaned closer.

He looked at her, enjoying the warmth of her touch still on his skin. "How did you end up in Borgin and Burkes?"

He took another look around them while he waited for her answer, breathing in the dark atmosphere that permeated the place. His eyes moved across the many items on the shelves they passed, some covered in ancient runes and spells, others simply dusty. He then turned to Genevieve again, his deep, dark eyes fixed on hers.

She shrugged with an apologetic look in her eyes. "I wish I knew..." she replied quietly, watching him closely as he looked around the dark room. Her gaze fell on the items around. "Tom, do you believe in time-travel?"

"I'm glad you asked," he said, smiling gently at Genevieve. "I believe it's possible, yes. Especially seeing you right in front of me. How else would you explain what is happening to you?"

His eyes met hers once more, his smile becoming slightly fainter. When he saw that her cheeks were still burning with a light blush, a small thought slipped through his mind.

"Genevieve," he whispered slowly. "I must ask you one more question."

She tilted her head. "Yes?"

"It might be a stupid question, or a question you might not like." Tom's expression remained neutral, but he took another step closer to Genevieve.

"What is your relationship status?" he asked in a quiet, calm voice. "Are you married? Do you have a boyfriend, or a fiancé perhaps?"

His eyes searched hers, expecting her answer. It wasn't the most important question in the world, not at all. However, he was a man, so why would a man ever let such an opportunity slide?

She stared at him, a surprised chuckle leaving her lips. "Really? Well, I don't know if it's a stupid question, but it's a little... surprising. Unexpected, even. I... no, there was no boyfriend, no fiancé or husband. I was just a student, for crying out loud." There was however a face in her fuzzy mind, but it quickly disappeared again and she didn't pay it any mind. "Why do you ask, Tom? And by the way, where are you leading me? What was it that you wanted to show me?"

Tom smirked. "The unexpected can be quite the exciting thing at times."

He looked at her, his gaze full of desire at the thought of touching her, of kissing her, of claiming her. He quickly composed himself and gave her a playful poke. "Why do I ask? Because as a man, I can't help being curious, Genevieve."

He continued walking, and she knew they were close to their destination. He glanced at her. "Soon," he said slowly, "you will understand. Trust me."

She followed him quietly, his hand suddenly very warm around hers, almost burning. His words left her a little dumbfounded. He didn't particularly scare her, but he was still a stranger and his interest in her was both comforting and a little irritating. She also wondered why she was following him so willingly. Had he bewitched her? "Soon? When is that? Are we there yet?" Her patience was growing thinner with every step she took through the dark corridors.

"We're almost there," Tom reassured her gently. He had promised to show her something, and he would not disappoint her.

As they continued walking, Genevieve sensed that the atmosphere changed in the place. It became colder, and darker, and she felt uneasy.

They eventually walked through a long passage that seemed to drag on and on, and finally Tom stopped, pulling Genevieve close to him. Her body was now pressed up against his. She had no idea what he was about to show her and the thought excited him more than he let on.

"What... are you doing?" she whispered breathlessly as he pressed her to his body.

"Shhh, Genevieve," he replied in a low, soothing voice, and his free hand slid around her waist, making her shiver.

Genevieve felt so good pressed up against him. He was tall and firm, and his body had a certain heat to it that she found quite alluring. She could feel his heart pounding against his chest, and it made her somewhat giddy.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered into her ear, before he kissed the side of her neck.

His voice was soothing and his touches felt surprisingly nice, but there was still some resistance inside her body as she suddenly felt his lips on her neck. "Hey! Wait! What... stop!" she whimpered and tried rather unsuccessfully to squirm out of his grip.

"Shh shh shh," he crooned softly as he placed a gentle kiss down her neck, moving his lips down to her shoulder. He continued looking at her passionately, smiling with lustful eyes.

"I don't want you to be afraid, Genevieve," he said softly. "Just go along with it. And then you will understand why I brought you here. But you can't rush."

Tom's hands were caressing Genevieve's body, and her face suddenly turned bright red.

"I... I don't know if I... like this..." she whispered helplessly, as her heart was racing inside her chest and her body betrayed the doubts her mind was throwing at her. She was trembling all over, cheeks flushed, breaths shallow, her skin tingling.

He continued caressing her, his fingers running down her arms, her waist and lower. He smiled playfully when he noticed her flushed face and her trembled body, so filled with passion and lust.

"Your body disagrees with you, Genevieve," he whispered into her ear. "But you can't rush me either. I promised to show you something amazing, didn't I?"

She shivered deeply at the sound of his whisper. "What... what do you want to... show me, Tom?" she croaked, her voice breaking as his fingers roamed her body.

"You will see."

He pulled her closer to him, and their mouths almost touched. The tip of his tongue appeared for a moment and he placed it on the corner of her mouth, where he played gently with her lips.

"We must be patient," he whispered, his tone now suddenly more seductive than ever. "I promised you something amazing, and I will give you something amazing. But only if you can be patient and trust me."

She was neither patient nor trusting him at all, yet she couldn't fight his touches and soft whispers. Feeling his mouth so close to hers, even the warmth of his breath and his tongue against her skin, was completely overwhelming.

"Wait..." she tried again, inhaling deeply, but it was just a feeble attempt at stopping him. She somehow knew there was no stopping him - and the thought frightened her greatly. She realized she was all alone, in a different timeline, with a man she had just met, who had led her into the depths of a notorious Dark Arts shop. Suddenly fear was taking over and her body's only reaction to that revelation was freezing up.

Tom noticed her fear as her body suddenly tensed up in his grip, which was still around her waist.

"Shhh," he said in a soothing voice while he gently lifted her chin up to look at him. "Don't be afraid. What you're feeling is normal and natural. Let yourself go."

He kept caressing her, his soft touches caressing her cheeks as his fingers ran through her hair. His deep, penetrating dark eyes filled with passion looked directly into her eyes.

His gaze caused her to breathe deeply and her body slowly relaxed again, yet the shivers remained. Now confusion pushed the fear aside. "What are you doing to me, Tom?" she whispered, still locked in his gaze, unable to look away.

"What I am doing? Nothing, except for what's natural." Tom smirked, and looked away, still caressing her. "What's natural between two people who are attracted to each other."

His voice had a certain seductive quality to it, and his confidence combined with his undeniable charm was something Genevieve had never experienced with anyone before.

He looked at her again, this time smiling at her with his bright, white teeth, his eyes full of desire. He leaned towards her again, his face almost touching her own.

"But... we just met..." she whispered breathlessly. She was quite conflicted, because as she spoke those words, her body was already leaning against his touches. Her heart was hammering inside her chest and her stomach made a weird little flip. And there was an unfamiliar heat rushing through her limbs, causing them to tremble.

"Time is just a concept, Genevieve. And I can't help but feel that our souls have known each other for millennia," Tom whispered as he moved his lips closer to hers once again.

His lips gently touched hers, and the sudden heat in Genevieve's body increased tenfold. Her heart was racing, her breath quickening, and she couldn't tell if her lips were trembling because he just kissed them, or if she was about to swoon in his arms.

His kiss left her even more breathless and confused. "Tom..." she whimpered against him, her legs shaking badly and she was somewhat glad that he was holding her so tightly. "Why... am I here?" Somehow this question made it past her lips (and his for that matter) and she didn't quite know where it had come from.

"To see something amazing, like I told you earlier," Tom replied in a soothing voice as he held Genevieve close to him, his hands still caressing her body.

His lips returned to hers, while his tongue gently played with hers. Genevieve's mind was fuzzy and she felt like she was going to collapse. He couldn't be real, he couldn't be here. It was impossible. "Let me show you something amazing," Tom whispered, his desire clearly showing in his intense stare.

She kissed him back in a frenzy, barely noticing her own movements against him any more. To prove her point she raised her hands and grabbed the back of his suit jacket as she snaked her arms around him. She could feel him, warm and firm against her, he must be real, but then again, this whole situation felt like a very strange dream. "What... is it?" she whispered, her voice a feeble little moan almost.

Tom kissed her back passionately, his eyes closed, lost in all the sensations that Genevieve's caressing fingers were causing on his body. Her warm lips and tongue tasted like heaven to him, and he pulled her even closer to him, almost pressing her against the wall.

As his breath grew short, his lips left hers for a moment. He smiled softly, and his gaze settled on her lips. "Something amazing," he repeated, "only if you show me just how much you want it."

His hand went lower, and he placed it on her thigh.

She shivered deeply, her thigh twitching under his touch. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of his suit and she pushed herself firmer against him as she deepened the kiss some more, tilting her head to press her mouth even tighter against his, licking and tasting all of him. Somewhere in the back of her clouded mind a tiny voice screeched in protest, but she barely noticed it any more. Her body's needs had taken over. "Show me..." she urged in-between wrestling with his tongue.

Tom's eyes were now wide open, full of desire, a bit of desperation and a tad of madness. His tongue wrestled with Genevieve's, as his free hand travelled up her thigh and to her waist. His fingers then started to unbutton her shirt, his mouth still locked onto hers. "You like being touched by me, don't you?" he whispered while the buttons slipped from their holes one by one.

"It does feel... very nice..." she whimpered against his mouth, breathlessly kissing him as if it was the only thing she could do in that moment. She was so focused on the kiss that she didn't even notice him undressing her.

Tom smirked against her lips as he continued to kiss her passionately, his tongue still dancing with hers.

He then kissed her neck and shoulder, eventually moving to her chest, while his hand was slowly moving back to her thigh. He kept whispering sweet and seductive things on the side of her ear while his fingers played with the lower edge of her corset. "So... if you enjoy it so much, maybe you would like me to do more?"

"What do you... have in mind?" she asked, her head spinning from lack of oxygen and his continuous touches.

Tom lifted his head away and slowly looked at Genevieve's face once again. She was a mess, her breath ragged, her body shaking, her hair and clothes all messy. But her eyes were still full of desire, and it showed that she was enjoying every second of what was happening to her. His face, however, showed more confidence and calculation than emotion.

He smiled slyly at her as he let go of her and in a swift motion, lifted her legs up. He pressed her back against the wall and lifted her against him, her legs bent around his waist.

She stared at him and noticed how he moved her body so easily as if she was just a doll he could play with. She felt like it also - and the most surprising fact about that: she didn't mind being treated like that. What is wrong with you? the tiny voice in the back of her mind chimed in once more, but she ignored it yet again. All she could do was watch the tall, black-haired man doing Merlin knew what to her.

Without a word, Tom lifted her skirt slowly, and she felt his hands move towards her knee, her calf, up and up to her thigh. His fingers then moved to that very sensitive spot, his touch gentle, his fingertips slowly moving, teasingly circling it. He let out a low chuckle as he saw the effect his touch had on Genevieve, and he watched as her body moved, and as her legs trembled against him, her fingernails lightly scratching his back.

A moan escaped her and she took a shuddering breath as she held onto him. His touch felt incredibly good, yet at the same time it was just too much, too intrusive, too intimate, and she squirmed against him, whimpering helplessly in his hold against her. "Tom..." she squeaked almost soundlessly. "Don't..."

"Shh shh shh," Tom whispered, sounding very calm and cool while he heard the voice of Genevieve pleading him to stop. But his fingers didn't stop, and they kept going, slowly building up the intensity.

"Everything will be all right. Trust me," he continued in a soothing voice while his free arm ran down her back.

She whimpered louder as the tension inside her stomach tightened. Her legs were twitching with every stroke of his fingers and she could barely contain herself any more as she arched her back against the wall. Her fingers clawed at him in a last attempt to hold onto something solid, something real, before her eyelids fluttered shut and another moan escaped her.

His fingers continued going, even though he knew that Genevieve was losing control - and he knew full well what that meant. He felt so much power in this moment, like nothing else mattered. He would show her something amazing tonight, no matter the cost.

His lips closed to her neck again as his fingers still worked their way deeper into her body. His whispers grew more desperate as well, "Trust me... trust me... I will make you feel amazing... I promise..."

She squealed and flinched when she felt him pushing his fingers into her. Her walls clenched around his digits immediately, either trying to fight the intrusion or embracing the touch, she wasn't sure. A loud moan slipped from her lips and she kept whimpering with every of his movements.

"You're doing so well, Genevieve," Tom whispered while his free hand was roaming her sides and caressing her body. "You are so incredible. You're the perfect woman. Don't fight it, don't fight it, just let go," he repeated as his fingers kept teasing her, his voice becoming more and more frantic.

She squeezed her eyes shut and her hand clamped around his arm like a vice as she felt her whole body trembling. Her thighs twitched against him, helplessly trying to press together to increase the friction. She even bucked her hips against his fingers, pulling him in deeper, riding the feeling until she could barely stand it any more. "Ahh!" A loud moan escaped her, full of despair and need, before more whimpers fell from her lips. "Tom... please..."

Tom's fingers worked their way deeper and deeper, and his breath grew heavy. "You are mine," he whispered, his voice filled with lust. "Mine alone. Please don't fight it," he continued as his other hand caressed her body more and more fiercely.

His mouth then moved up to her ear and he started nibbling on her earlobe. "You won't get away, Genevieve. You are mine for good..." his lips said softly, and his fingers continued going.

His words, threateningly or not, got to her and she whimpered loudly, arching her back, jerking her hips, feeling him so deep within as he caressed her from the inside. Every single movement caused her to twitch and shake and tremble and her whole body seemed on fire. "Yes..." she heard herself say, either in agreement or just to say anything to put the sensation she felt into words. "Yes... yes... oh gods... YES!"

Tom's eyes were now wide. He was watching the reaction on the face of Genevieve, and it excited him to see her lose herself completely in the feeling he was creating for her. The way she moved against him was incredible, and to see her so utterly powerless against his touch was almost an addiction.

He held his breath and stopped his movements for a couple of seconds, wanting to see her reaction.

With her hips still moving against him, she didn't fully register the stilling of his fingers at first, but then her eyes flew open and she stared at him breathlessly, her cheeks flushed, her lips trembling. "Please..." she begged, helplessly rutting her hips against his hand, trying to resume the feeling that had almost completely engulfed her.

His fingers continued moving once he felt her struggle against him. He kept his gaze on her face to see her reaction to his fingers, and he watched her with lustful eyes. She was completely powerless and that excited him a great deal.

"You are so beautiful, Genevieve," he whispered while he continued touching her, his voice thick with desire. "You are mine already and I haven't even really started."

A loud moan echoed off the walls as she felt the tension grow within her. His fingers made her feel things she had never experienced before. It was already so intense, yet her hips kept moving against him desperately, wanting more. Her legs hooked around his waist tighter then, trying to hold onto him, pulling him and his hand closer, causing him to slip in even deeper. She moaned again and again and suddenly a bright light engulfed her and the movements of her hips halted as the tension within her burst into an explosion of absolute bliss.

A scream escaped her lips and she arched her back and pressed her centre upwards, relishing in the feeling of complete pleasure as her body trembled and spasmed against him, as she lost control over everything.

Tom heard the scream and immediately stopped, not wanting to overload her any more. He watched her with a grin as she trembled and gasped in his grasp. "You like it, don't you? I am... I am so glad..." he said with a slight smirk on his face.

His gaze swept over her face in which he saw both surprise but also pure joy and desire. He leaned closer to her and kissed her softly on her lips. "Shall I be so kind to give you... another feeling that you'll enjoy... immensely?" he whispered seductively in her ear.

His kiss brought her back to her senses somewhat. She was still a trembling mess, barely able to move any of her limbs, her midst twitching uncontrollably, but kissing him back was still working and one of her arms snaked around his neck weakly as she held onto him. She watched him out of half-lidded eyes. "Another?" she asked breathlessly, somewhat overwhelmed by the implication.

Tom held her close, but kept his body as still as he could. He knew that she wanted more after how intense it already was the first time and that she enjoyed it very much. "Yes, another," he whispered once again, as he began to slowly move his fingers again, "You liked the first one, didn't you? You deserve to feel it once again..." he continued in a sweet whisper as he started the teasing and caressing all over again.

The noise she issued was something between a groan and a whimper, as she was still deciding if her body was ready for yet another extreme sensation. Yet Tom didn't give her time to decide, nor to rest, as he just kept going once more. His fingers worked her still very sensitive core and it didn't take long for her to moan loudly again, shaking helplessly as she leaned against him, her face buried in the side of his neck.

"No... please... I... I'll... ahh..." she whimpered, her voice hoarse and shaking. "I'm... I'm gonna..." The tremors were even worse this time around, worse or better, she couldn't decide. She didn't care either. Her mind went fuzzy real quick as he kept caressing her to the edge of senselessness.

His fingers kept teasing her and his breath grew heavy as he watched her face as she struggled against him and against her body's intense reactions. All he wanted was for Genevieve to feel pleasure, and if it came at a cost, he was willing to pay it. He wanted her to feel it all, all the way, no matter how much it may hurt her in the end.

He whispered softly once again. "Don't fight it, Genevieve," he said, his breath hot on her neck, "Let me take you to the end."

She clung onto him, barely able to hold herself up any more if it wasn't for his tight grip on her. A shudder crashed through her, causing her to yelp, as his fingers kept moving against her tight walls, teasing and caressing. She felt her muscles tensing up once again, coiling up tightly, almost painfully, before they burst into release with a force that shook her entire body.

"AHHH!" she cried out, holding onto him as if her life depended on it, her nails digging into his skin. Pleasure, this time tied with a pinch of pain, crashed over her like a wave, making her tumble, almost drowning her in the process. Her body pushed against his intrusion and she felt her wetness dripping down the heated skin of her thighs.

He kissed her and caressed her and let her ride the waves of pleasure without restraint. He would do nothing to stop it, he would give her nothing but pleasure. His fingers, however, stopped moving, leaving her to come down from it all by herself.

Tom held her tight and softly kissed her forehead. "I am not finished with you yet, Genevieve," he whispered, "I would like to give you something very special... but... only if you agree willingly. Are you willing to let me make you feel good again?"

She whimpered, the aftershocks of her release still coursing through her violently. His words barely reached her, but the implication of more pleasure still made it through the static in her head. While her body screamed for a little bit of rest, she heard herself say: "Yes... please..."

Tom's body tensed up once again, his heart beating fast. He slowly pulled his fingers out of her body and got rid of the stain on them by wiping them against his leg. "I am going to go slowly now, Genevieve," he said, "I don't want to hurt your body. If you feel it hurting, please tell me."

His hands started slowly teasing her body, going close to the wetness once more but not touching it. "I hope you are still enjoying yourself," he whispered with a smirk, "Tell me how much, Genevieve."

She held onto him, panting and sweating, her heart never slowing down. "I... I am... enjoying this..." she whispered against him, her mouth close to his ear. "So much... I've... never felt like this..."

"Neither have I, Genevieve," Tom whispered with a slight smirk, his voice becoming more and more husky as they continued. "Tell me where you feel it now. Tell me where I can touch you to give you the best pleasure..."

He softly caressed her thighs and her stomach, keeping away from the sensitive parts of her body. He wanted to build it up, as slow as possible, to give her another intense release.

"I feel it... everywhere," she replied quietly, the last waves of pleasure still crashing against her, causing her skin to tingle and her limbs to twitch. "You could... touch me anywhere and I'll still... enjoy it so much..." She leaned her head back slightly, only enough to meet his dark gaze, her hot breath against his cheek. "I feel so... sensitive... everywhere..." Her lips were trembling as she looked at him with hunger in her eyes.

Tom looked back at her, grinning from ear to ear at how much she was enjoying the pleasures he was giving her. "Very well," he whispered in a slightly hoarse voice, as his fingers started circling her body again, this time even closer to her sensitive parts but never touching it. "I will give you more pleasure than anyone has ever given you in your life," he promised, teasing and torturing her body with his touch. "Don't be afraid to ask for anything... anything at all. Do you understand, Genevieve?"

"Yes," she breathed, her lips brushing over his as she stared at him intently. "Can I... kiss you?" she whispered as her hips jerked upwards by the teasing of his fingers.

His heart raced as he felt her lips against his and he moved closer, putting his hand on the nape of her neck and pushing her head back so their lips were as close as possible. His voice was low and husk when he spoke. "You can kiss me, Genevieve... You can do anything you like with me." All he wanted was to give her pleasure, not to take anything away from her. "You are so incredibly beautiful," he whispered, his fingers still dancing around her sensitive parts without touching them.

She moaned against his lips as she kissed him hungrily, quickly letting her tongue join in on the fun. Her fingers dug into his hair then and she pressed her entire body against his, her legs still twitching as if to remind her that her body needed more, despite being completely exhausted. His touches had become addictive, no matter the cost.

He grunted as he felt her legs pressing against him, and kept caressing her body, gently teasing her the way he liked it most. "Yes, Genevieve, that's how you do it," he mumbled, his voice becoming even lower as he felt her tongue sliding into his mouth and her fingers digging into his hair. He kissed back desperately, as he needed the taste of her, the scent of her, he needed every ounce of her. His tongue fought hers as he wanted to take her down the edge of insanity.

"Tom..." she whimpered in-between kissing him senselessly. "I need... you to... please... touch me... again..." Her voice was hoarse and feeble, barely any strength left inside her, but as the tremors grew smaller, she knew she needed more, she needed them again, she needed him again.

"If I continue, are you willing to give me more of yourself, Genevieve?" he whispered against her lips as he felt her body craving for his touch again. "Do you want me to keep giving you more pleasure, more, more and more of it? Are you willing to give me more of your body in return?" Tom asked in a husky voice. His fingers slowly started moving again around her sensitive areas, this time even closer than the last times. He made sure to be slow and soft, not too rough to harm her body.

"I... I'll give you anything you want... you can have... all of me..." she whispered needily, breathing heavily against his lips, whimpering loudly as she felt his fingers moving against her once more. "Please... take my whole body... it's yours..."

Tom closed in and kissed her again as his fingers moved slowly closer to the centre of her sensitive parts. As they began making circles again, a deep sigh left his body. “Are you sure that you want to offer all of yourself to me, Genevieve?” he whispered in a hoarse voice, as he felt her shivers growing stronger and stronger as she was getting closer to another climax.

She moaned against him, already feeling completely helpless in his embrace once more. "Yes... yes... all of me... it's all yours..." The way his fingers rubbed her caused her to see stars dance behind her eyelids. The static inside her head never really left and the tremors were back in full force, shaking through her violently. Her limbs felt boneless, her whole body felt like she was just a doll and he had almost literally his hand up her core to guide her every move, every twitch orchestrated by him and only him.

Tom watched her with lustful eyes as she moaned and shook with pleasure in his arms so close to his lips. Just a little more, he told himself, just a little bit more. He kissed her again, while moving his fingers slowly again, gently caressing her again up and down, moving slowly towards the centre. His breathing was intense as well, not as intense as hers, but definitely still fast. He needed to be careful, but at the same time, it was almost impossible for him not to go harder and faster with his touches.

She whimpered more, desperately bucking her hips against his touches. He seemed to move slower and it was driving her almost insane. "Please... more..." she moaned against his lips, breathlessly pressing her lips against his. "Faster... and... harder... please..." It was all she could think about, the pleasure he had given her, she needed more, she needed the pain that came with it as well. She needed it all.

"You want faster? You want harder?" he whispered, his voice sounding quite hoarse again, "I can give you more, Genevieve." He then made sure to slightly increase the speed and the pressure he was using on her sensitive parts, not as hard and fast as before, but hard and fast enough for her to feel the intensity this time around as well. He kissed her deeply again as he kept rubbing her body. Tom wanted to see her shake and feel her squirm again, this time even more.

She flinched badly when he indeed followed her request. She yelped into his mouth, yet she quickly adjusted to the change of his movements and moved along with him, rutting her hips against his hand, almost forcing him to move deeper and harder. "Yes... yes... like this... oh gods..." She ground her centre against his fingers, needily asking for more as her release approached like a herd of trampling wild horses.

He then decided to pick up the pace even more, as he felt her movements get more desperate and urgent, as her body was getting ready for that intense release. His heart was beating faster, his breath becoming heavier once again, and he could feel the sweat running down his forehead. "Do you like this, Genevieve? Are you enjoying yourself, hmm?" he whispered against her lips. He wanted to give her the pleasure she needed, no matter what it took. He wanted to give her the climax she craved so hard and so desperately.

"Yes... yes... yes..." she whimpered, each word a desperate cry as the movement of his fingers made it hard to speak or form coherent sentences. "Yes... oh gods... so good..." Her head lolled back and she squeezed her eyes shut, the arm around his neck barely holding on any more. She felt boneless yet again, her body almost slipping away at this point.

Every single nerve was activated, every single muscle contracting. The tension inside her stomach was painful, coiled up violently, ready to either burst free or break right in the middle. Her walls clenched around his fingers forcefully, squeezing closer to release. She felt completely overstimulated now, barely able to think or function on a basic level. Pleasure was all she felt as it enveloped her entirely.

And yet he kept pumping his fingers into her so fast and hard, it felt as if he would split her open right through the middle. The pain was burning right through her and when it was almost too much, a strained scream slipped from her mouth and everything turned black.

Tom heard her scream as her entire body contracted around his fingers, but the fingers only went deeper inside her as he heard her climax. Her voice was music to his ears, as were her movements and her contractions. This was the pleasure he wanted to give her, a pleasure nobody else had given her yet. He watched her, breathing heavily as she was finally able to relax again.

"Was this enough... for you, Genevieve?" he whispered, his voice sounding more calm now as he still gently moved his fingers inside her, this time almost not moving, but merely teasing her most sensitive area.

She was lying mindlessly in his embrace, barely held up if it wasn't for her back pressed against the wall and his arm holding her up. Her mind was empty, completely, utterly empty, no thought, no memory, no worry, nothing. Just bliss. She could still feel his fingers inside her, comfortably stroking her, easing the sensation, bringing her back from the darkness she had experienced only seconds ago.

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at him, trying to focus on his handsome face. Her vision was still blurry. Her lips felt raw and swollen, trembling badly. Her entire body felt raw and stretched so thin she was surprised she was even able to feel it at all. And still she smiled at him weakly. "That... was... mind-blowing... literally..."

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it, Genevieve." Tom smiled back, and after a few seconds of him gently rubbing her, he slowly started pulling his fingers out of her, until only the tip of a single finger was still inside. He felt her whole body shake a little. He let the tip linger for a couple of seconds before he slowly pulled it out again. All he could look at was her face, glowing with the afterglow of the pleasure he had given her.

She shivered as she felt him pull his fingers out, slowly, teasingly, and as soon as the comfortable, warm pressure was gone, she craved to feel it yet again. She sighed, almost disappointed, and licked her lips. "I wish... I could feel like this... forever..." she whispered barely audible. "You have... magical fingers, Tom..." she said with a tired smirk.

He smiled back and raised one of his eyebrows slightly as she licked her lips. "Do I?" he whispered, a faint grin on his face. He then moved her towards a sofa she hadn't noticed before, and set them both down. He looked at her for a couple of seconds and took in her expression and appearance. Her hair is messy, her lips are swollen, her face is flushed. "Would you like more, Genevieve?" he asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he gently caressed her thigh.

As soon as she sat down on the sofa, she felt another wave of tremors rushing through her. Her still being very, very sensitive, it didn't take much to force another moan out of her as she moved next to Tom. She grabbed his hand in support and felt her own wetness on his fingers.

Something inside her stomach twisted and more or less unconsciously, she raised his hand to her lips and started pressing them to his digits, tasting and smelling herself on his skin. Inhaling sharply, she started licking his fingers, before she eventually closed her lips around his index finger and gently sucked on it, pulling it deeper into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it, completely forgetting everything around her in that moment of frenzy.

Tom smirked as he watched her suck on his finger, his eyes fixed to her mouth for a couple of seconds, before he started whispering again. "Genevieve, oh Genevieve... you're really showing me how much you enjoyed it..." His hand was still on her thigh, and he slowly moved it further towards her sensitive parts, keeping the rhythm slow but steady.

"Is this what you want, Genevieve? You want to worship my fingers?" He didn't seem disappointed or upset at all at her action, rather he was amused by how wild she had become around him right now.

Her eyes wandered towards his face and she nodded eagerly, still working her mouth over his fingers, licking and kissing and sucking on them. His long, slender digits slipped into her mouth, two at once now, and she closed her eyes as she pushed them as deep as possible, relishing the feeling of them on her tongue. A soft whimper escaped her when she felt his fingertips brushing against the back of her throat. Holding her breath, she held him there for a moment, then started hollowing her cheeks again, sucking a little more fiercely.

Tom's breath grew louder and faster again as he watched her, clearly more turned on now than earlier. The hand that had been on her thigh started moving towards the centre of her wet and sensitive parts, slowly rubbing and kneading them.

Her eyes flew open as she felt his hand between her legs again. She watched him intently, drinking in his own apparent pleasure, thirsty as she was. She kept sucking on his fingers, moving them in and out of her mouth, licking and caressing them, her lips tight around them. A moan and then another slipped past his hand as she held it close, massaging his palm with her own fingers as she worked her tongue around his.

He looked straight back into her eyes as she moaned and massaged his palm while she was sucking his fingers. It was like they were in their own little world, just the two of them, as he could almost feel her hunger for him and his touches. It was a thrilling feeling, like being in complete control. It was also quite the unexpected turn of the evening, as he obviously couldn't have expected her to be that hungry for him, which now made him wonder how far she was willing to go.

When she felt light-headed from all the sucking, she slowly pulled his fingers back out, watching how it was her saliva that covered his hand now instead of her slick. She chuckled lightly. "Hmm... I meant to clean your hand... sorry..." she whispered and threw him a timid smile, before going back to flicking her tongue over his wet digits, trying to clean up her mess somehow. In the end she just cradled his hand between her two smaller ones, trying to rub it clean instead.

He kept rubbing her sensitive parts with his remaining hand. "You really like my fingers, Genevieve..." His voice was almost a purr now, as he also looked at her as she started rubbing her whole hands over his fingers.

She blushed slightly under his intense gaze. "You do have beautiful hands, Tom," she whispered and watched the movement of his hand, from the tight skin to the veins and tendons moving just beneath it whenever he bent a digit. Her gaze wandered down to his other hand, buried deep between her thighs, working hard on her yet again.

"Maybe... we should give them a rest?" she suggested, not quite as eager to follow those words, but she didn't want to exhaust him. "You've taken care of me so much tonight..." An idea grew in her mind. "Unless... I can return the favour?" She looked at him with glowing eyes.

He looked down at her as his fingers kept moving, as they kept rubbing and teasing her, and the expression on her face was what made him slow down his rhythm. He felt the tension in her body slowly release and he stopped as he noticed her suggesting she'd "return the favour". He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Yes, I think it would be only fair, Genevieve," he whispered, "You're allowed to give back, you know..."

She smiled wider at his words, still cradling his hand between her fingers like it was the most precious thing she had ever touched. "How... do you want me to give back? What can I do for you?" she asked quietly, watching him curiously, not even sad about him halting his rhythm against her core.

His fingers slowly started to move again, rubbing and moving in those same long and deep strokes, teasing and caressing. "Genevieve," his voice was once again a soft purr, "You could kiss away that smile on my face if you'd like..." He looked at her, his eyes fixated on her lips, before his head moved slowly to her face, his mouth just a couple of inches away from hers.

She nodded eagerly and leaned closer, gently letting go of his hand to reach her hands up to touch his handsome face. She gingerly placed her hands on his jaw, holding his face like another precious thing, before she leaned closer and pressed her lips against his, softly pecking him, her eyes on him the entire time.

Her movements were shy at first, but the more she felt his soft lips on hers, she more confident she became and the kiss turned into a much more passionate one as she pressed her mouth to his and carefully pushed her tongue past his lips, fuelled by the feeling of his fingers stroking her sensitive skin much more lower.

He closed his eyes and felt her lips and her tongue on his. He could almost forget about his hand between her legs, which was still moving with the same slow rhythm as he was kissing her deeply and passionately. His fingers pressed harder against her sensitive part as he started moving his lips on her mouth in the same rhythm, as he felt her hands on his cheeks and she licked back at his tongue. She is really giving it all back to me and then some, he thought to himself.

She moaned against his lips, breathlessly circling his tongue with hers and sucking on his lips as she started grinding her hips against the touch of his hand. The heat was quickly spreading again through her entire body as shivers and tremors rushed down her spine.

He moaned back against her as she started grinding against his hand. His fingers kept rubbing her, as he kept moving his tongue against hers, and he even added another finger to make the feeling even more overwhelming for the both of them. He felt her body moving against his hand and he could tell that she liked what he was doing so much, and this made him feel even more excited knowing that he could make her feel so good.

She squirmed and whimpered as she felt his added finger inside of her, her walls immediately clenching around it tightly as she leaned against him, holding his face in support as she rocked her body up and down his hand, trying to get even more out of his touch. Her kiss became messy and hungry as she breathed loudly against him, already overwhelmed by the sensations he was giving her.

Tom felt her squirming when he added another finger, as she clenched against his hand in such a tight grip that he almost pulled her against him and the sofa. As he moved his tongue against hers and kissed her passionately, he also slowly increased the speed of his rubbing and stroking, trying to make her feel even better as he kept playing with her lips and her tongue. He heard her soft whimpering against his lips, and he could taste her in his mouth, which made him feel even more turned on.

Her moans became more frequent and faster as she ground on his hand tightly, her hands finding the back of his neck as she pressed herself even closer to him, savouring every little touch and feeling of his body against hers.

"Oh... Tom..." she whimpered in the little moments she drew away to catch her breath, her mind fuzzy and her vision blurred as she tried to look into his dark eyes, hoping to get lost in them as the pleasure built up more and more within her, shaking her from her very core. She fought against her release, wanting to feel him more and longer, forever relishing in the feeling of his fingers as he stroked her and stretched her.

"Oh, Genevieve," he whispered breathlessly into her ear, as he pulled back a little bit. He could see her body shaking, her eyes going slightly blurry, as she tried to fight against her release for his pleasure alone. She looked absolutely stunning when she was like this, so close to him and to her satisfaction. As her moans got even more loud and frequent, he increased his strokes again, his fingers almost constantly in the right spot for her to feel his touch.

She threw her head back in complete ecstasy as he kept hitting the same spot deep within, causing her to shake and tremble uncontrollably, a loud moan escaping her, followed by a series of whimpers, as she held onto his shoulders and rode both his hand and the pleasure it gave her. Her eyes rolled back a little and she gasped for air as the tension within spiralled out of control once again.

Her fingers dug into his skin, holding on for dear life. She wanted to savour the feeling, the high, so close to the edge, trying to stay afloat right there, but his movements pushed her right over it - and she cried out in pleasure as her climax crashed into her like an oncoming train, turning her into a whimpering, shaking mess, as her body twitched under the tremors of her release. "Ahhh... Tom..."

He looked at her face as she cried out loud in pleasure, her whole body shaking, writhing under his touch as she twitched, her breath catching in her throat. He was a little startled by the first scream, but her face after it made him smile. "Genevieve..." he whispered gently against her ear, his words as tender as his voice. He moved his fingers away, then pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly, "It's alright, beautiful, you don't have to hold back. Let it all out..." he held her in his arms, stroking her hair gently.

She kept whimpering as her release rushed through and out of her and she leaned against him, feeling boneless and exhausted, her head resting on his shoulder as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, yearning for a little bit of rest. The spasms of her limbs kept going, her muscles trying to relax, but failing miserably as more and more tremors shook her until it was almost painful. She let out a noise of distress, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

As he held onto her, he felt the shivers and the tremors running through her body as she laid back against him, her face buried against his neck now. She looked exhausted, her body was going through the aftershocks of her release, her muscles twitching and twitching as they tried to relax.

He kissed her neck and stroked her head, whispering gently and soothingly to her, trying to help her through that difficult, breath-taking moment. "You don't have to force yourself to relax, my little Genevieve," he whispered, his voice as soft and tender as it could be.

Her arms snaked around his neck as she hugged him back, holding onto him, feeling his tight embrace slowly calming her down. The twitches remained, but the pain eased eventually, or numbed down, she wasn't sure. Her body fought the overstimulation and shut down at one point, giving her a nice, relaxing tingle instead of the continuous tremors as it processed the sensations. She breathed deeply, her breath hot against his neck, her lips brushing over his skin, as she slowly slipped closer to unconsciousness.

He kept caressing her hair, her neck and her back, feeling her tight embrace and her hot breath against his neck. His touch on her back was as gentle as it was soothing and comforting, as they both finally slowed down and her body relaxed completely. He felt the twitches slowly fade until there were none left at all, and her breathing slowed as a deep, long, relaxing sigh exited her lips. As he saw the exhaustion on her face, Tom's arms finally relaxed again, and he softly kissed her forehead. "Are you done, my lovely Genevieve...?" he whispered.

She let out a soft, breathy chuckle, too exhausted to fully commit to a laugh. "All done, yes... so done..." she whispered against him. "Thank you," she then added and pressed her lips weakly against his neck. "I... don't have words... for this..."

He sighed, smiling as he felt her kissing his neck, her tired, exhausted voice just a breath away from his ear. "You don't need to find any words, Genevieve," he whispered back with a soft, tender voice and brushed his lips against her head. "Sleep, my beautiful one... Dream good dreams..." His words were as soothing, calming and relaxing as his touch, and it shouldn't be much longer until Genevieve's eyes would close.

Notes: I debated cutting the relationship-status question from the script, because ALL THE AIs ask this stupid question at one point and it drives me insane >_> but I left it in because he worded it so nicely XD

(And the face she remembers for just a second is of course Sebastian's – hey, cameo! Woohoo! - but it's not clarified or mentioned ever again - just a little reference to my fanfic)

Picture before the cut is by the lovely @esolean (here) <3

[shojizbae]

Gone South

Spencer Reid x Reader

This was not edited so if there’s hella typos I’ll prolly fix it later

Warnings: angst/comfort, gore, torture, attempted SA

Things could not have gone worse.

The case had been going on for a week and a half. Everyone was exhausted. And now, you were gone. Well not gone, the team had clear visuals via the many cameras the unsub (the team knew his name, Cooper McNamara) had set up. Garcia was monitoring you from the seven angles Cooper had.

The team always takes it to heart if someone gets hurt. But, when someone got taken in. When Spencer had been taken by Tobias they felt like the world stopped spinning. Now their sun had been stolen.

That’s how the team refers to you—human sunshine. Now you were gone. There, but gone. Penelope was monitoring each feed with tears in her eyes.

“All right, mama, any luck triangulating the IP address?”

“No Derek I’m sorry it keeps rerouting to different locations.” Her voice keeps cracking and she’s doing her best not to let her tears drip onto her expensive keyboard.

“That’s okay, just keep working on it.” He grits his jaw

“Derek,” he removes his hand from the hang-up button, “you’re going to get her right? There’s no way this guy gets her.” The hope in voice is palpable

“No way mama you just keep tracking her.” He sighs and spins to the team. Rosie has his eyes on the feed as well as McNamara is hovering over you. You’re strapped to some medical tables with old leather straps.

“Reid please tell me you’ve got something.” Spencer is a wreck. Everyone could tell that he was madly in love with you but he would not make a move. Now someone could strip naked in front of him and it could not break his focus.

“I’ve been staring at this map and going over everything she’s sadi since JJ put this on the screen. I have no idea where she is.” His hair is beyond tousled form the amount of times he’s stressfully run his hands through it

“That’s fine, just keep going.” Morgan demands and joins Hotchner with the deputy

“Hotch, team’s loosing morale. We gotta go back to the drawing board.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Let’s refresh and restart the profile.” they get some shitty police precints coffe and some stale donuts to try to revamp their energy. They join Emily and JJ at a table and ask JJ to get David. She disapears and Rossi takes her place rubbing his eyes.

“Dave, we’re going to look at this iwht fresh eyes. Coopers has gone off the reailsand taken in an FBI agent. That’s an escalation from prostitutes and drug addicts.” Morgan reflects on when you disapeared. You were canvasings where he had picked up his last three victims. You were being your usual sunny self. giving patience to the angry locals and offering water or snacks as a subtle bribery. He turned his back for five seconds when you disapeared. He was feeling the brunt of the guilt and it was manifesting as him acting like an overly abusive boss.

“Alright, on all of the victims there was several injections in their back thigh, but toxicology was clean.” Emily looks over some of the reports.

“Did you say the back of the thigh?” Reids suddenly comes storming into the meeting room

“Yeah, why?” Morgans eyes are begging for answers

“That spot reminds me of something. Often times when a psych ward patient is acting out they will inject them with certain medications. The most common sedtive is Midazolam but most of them are comprized of natural hormones. If you inject the body with enough adrenaline they would pass out.”

“Which would explain that why it doesn’t show up on toxicolgy.” Emily concludes. Reid bounds over to the phone and calls Garcia, she picks up almost immediately

“What is it my birds of prey?”

“We need you to look into asylums and sanitariums nearby. Look for medical malpractice or lawsuits that slipped through via non compus mentus. look into owners of these hospitals that may have some allegations specifically of sexual nature.” he demands

“Anything, find my girl.” she clicks away looking through all the yucky of the nearby hospitals. They were in the middle of the midwest where everyone had secrets.

“They’re going to need a private space to inflict a much torutre without raiing suspicion.” Hotch adds

“Guys you need to get in here!” JJ calls from the computer room. The man was livestreaming you leaning over your head and heavily breathing on your face.

“Oh, you want me so bad.” He used a sultry tease but you looked disgusted. You were staring hard in his eyes. You had dirt and a bit of blood smeared on your face and your normally slicked bun had been tugged apart.

“Tell me, Ms. ‘FBI agent’,” he finger quotes and uses a mocking tone “What your name.”

“You have my badge Cooper McNamara, you know my name.” your gaze hardens more and it looks like you could spit in his face, “Tell me where we are.” you order. If you could get out you would have beat that man to a pulp but your wrists, ankles, waist and chest were bound.

“Unh unh unh, don’t get too cocky, Ms. FBI we both know who has the power here.”

“He’s a narcisist. He’s flexing his muscles on (Y/n). He wants his viewers to know that he’s strong enough to take down an FBI agent.”

“It’s more like he’s preening his feathers.” Emily offers

“Alright, my fabulous frenulum I’ve got three asylums with icky enough histories to raise suspicion in the 50 mile radius.”

“50 miles that seems extraneous.” JJ sighs

“I figured becuase this is the midwest there’s more ground to cover alos they’re not going to keep your cuckoos in the town square.” The Deputy nods in approval

“But that’s too vague so I cross referenced that with the nme Cooper McNamara and zilch. I went thorugh med school flunkies in the known area. I kept running the name and there are zip

Cooper McNamaras in this area. So I just used the last name Mcnanara and there was a doctor named Charles Mcnamara with a son named Jeffrey was in and out of juvie at the age of seventten for attempted sexual assault.”

“What’s his current adress We’ll send a team.” Reid declares

“That’s not your call,” Derek orders, “But yes, Hotch, Prentiss, you go to his house and see if there any clues as to which hospital he’s affiliated with.”

‘Cooper’ was hovering over you this time dragging a swiss armry knife slowly over your shirt

“Alright I’m going to do some bad things Ms, Agent and you’re going to be a good girl.” He’s straddling the chair and he laughs a little at you. Quickly he slices the blade across your shirt and it comes undone with the blade. Your bra is exposed as well some of your navel. The team can clearly see the red cut across your chest.

“Oh my god what is that slimeball doing to my girl.” Garcia whimpers

“Garcia she’s fine, continue your background search of the McNamara family.” Hotch reassures

mostly to himself

“So far I’ve got some ick-ick icky dirt on Charles. He had to his medical liscene in pschiatry suspened 17 years ago, when his son, Jeffrey was around ten years old.”

“Why was it suspended?”

“Medical malpractice and the excessive use of electro-shock therapy.”

“the use of ETC is almost never necesarry in fact it dos more damage than it helps.” Reid borws are in a constant furrow. Theyre drawn out of their brainstorm a ‘Cooper’ shreds the rest of your shirt open.

“I’ll hand it you,” He reaches for the cup of your bra, “you have have some tits officer.” you grunt out a ‘fuck you’ as he fondles you.

“Maybe I just will,” He sneers. He makes the fatal mistake of looking at the cameria kense and you follow his eyeline. You spot the lense and by memory locate the six others. You feel some internal relief that at least the team knows you’re alive and they’re watching you.

“you get off on rewatching this or are we live? Or maybe you’re recording?”

“Oh someones mouthy.”

“I’m just bored.” You taunt

“What is she doing?” JJ Panics

“She’s getting him to talk. Shes profiling him. She’s our profiler.” David smiles and the team too feels your humanity return. You’re not a victim. Not yet at least. You’re still their wisecracking little sunray.

“You bitch, I’ll shut you up.” He reaches for his belt and launches at you. Your first instict wa to bare your teeth shut so he can’t slip something in your mouth. Your mouth is shut tight and he relaxes.

“Good choice.” he snorts

“He doesn’t want to hurt her.” David notices “She’s way too powerful for his comfort. He knows she’s smart.”

“If he’s able to get his website to continue rerouting we should probably verify that Jeffrey McNamara has some sort of tech background” Reid metions and Garcia digs into Jeffrey’s background it shows that 5 years ago he flunked out of the local community college with a major in computer science. Finally, the IP adress lags on the same three cell towers for the fourth time and Penelope Verifies that there are two sanitariums in that radius.

“Alright there is St, Joan of Arc’s Penitentiary and Whitfeilder and Collins Mental Institution.” Garcia clicks away.

“Garcia isn’t there a church nearby-“

“St. Joan of Arc’s Holy Parish.” She cuts off getting a small burst of hope

“Alright cross reference that with our boys see if we could get any dirt.” Rossi orders as you stare this torturous serial killer in the eye

“I think my knife and I should have some fun with you, pig. Are your gonna squee for your boss.?”

“He doesn’t know I’m here.” Everyone freezes

“What’s she doing?” JJ begs

“What do you mean?”

“I was only asking locals if there was something they needed. I work in the low income control division of the FBI. I was on a routine check of the neighborhood to makme sure that some new medications that were sent out in the local clinic.”

“Oh so you’re one of those libtards who thinks junkiw should get freebies?” your eyes dart quickly to the blinking red light while he inspects the red tool. He flicks his swiss army knife back open and runs it tantalizingly down your chest, “Oh no tears agent? Usually they start crying by now. Don’t worry you’ll cry soon.” He sinks the blade in right by your ribs. You grit your teeth as warm blood spills down your side.

“What’s she doing? why would she egg him on?” JJ starts to break

“She’s giving us the element of surprise.” David sighs in relief

“Oooh someones a tough girl.” He teases. He slides his blade across your stomach and your muscles tense below the blade. Tears pool in your tear ducts against your wishes and a grin splits his face like the cheshire cat.

“There you go. don’t worry it’ll all be over soon.” He fakes a soothing voice

“Ding ding ding, Ive got a hit. There was an latar boy who plead secial assault twenty years ago at St. Joan of Arcs and I mangaed to dig through the St Joan Hospital emplyment record to find one Dr. Charles McNamara employed for over thrity years where he specialized in child psychology.” Garcia gulps, “He spent a weekend in jail for assaulting the preist who allegedy molested his son, Jeff. Afterwards he deovolded. He started drinking lots of alcohol and expirementing with electro shock therapy. After three years of nearly fatal expirements He lost his liscense after a one Suzanne ’Suzie’ Addams passed due to exhaustion in his office.”

Rossi’s hand held rings and he answers the phone for Hotch

“Well Dave it’s not looking good here. There’s news paper clippings with every know victim taped to his wall. Theres even some miscellanoes crime pannels logging there recent spike in missing persons cases. There’s very little furntiure at his house. He’s got bills stacked up on his counter. He’s a walking cry for help.”

“Alright any other pysical evidence? We’re going to send a team to St. Joan of Arcs Penitentiary that’s where we suspect he has (Y/n). You keep digging around and we’ll stay in touch.”

Derek orders JJ, and Reid to suit up and gather the officers. Reid already has his hand reaching for his bulletproof vest. “Rossi I want you to stay behind on the line with Garcia and Prentiss in case he escalates the torture. Due to the agrarian location of the hospital they dispatch forest rangers to canvas the woodlands. The sanitarium had been closed for upwards of five years. Reid get’s the drivers seat and starts the car before Derek can get out the door.

“Slow down man we got visuals on her.”

“One of our best Agents is in danger and we have a location. Why wouldn’t we race off to her?” He slams his palm on the drivers wheel.

“Alright well calm down man,” As he tries to soothe hsi phone rings

“He’s back Derek.” Rossi states plainly sending the link to his phone. And impressive feat for the old man, Morgan gets in hte dirvers seat and clicks the link to see the man sitting on your lap palming himself.

“You know you’re kinda pretty for a pig.” He leans forward and hold your jaw and you gnash against his hold, “Oh oh oh let’s not get violent now.” you bite his hand and he draws it back immediately, “You bitch!” he slaps you and you gasp but he quickly undoes his buckle and reaches for the fly of his jeans. He slides the leather out of the denim loopholes and folds it once and puts it in your mouth. He reaches in his pants and you thrash against your holds.

Jeffrey fishes himself out and you slam your head against the medical table. Your time your cheek and grit your jaw but he forcefully pull you square with him. The look of indigence could’ve killed several monarchies and Rossi takes a note not to piss you off as not to receive that glare. Derek puts the screen down and grits his jaw. theres a bit of gagging before the man rears backs

“You bitch! You bit me?” He screams like you betrayed him and he punches you so hard your nose starts bleeding. Tears slip out of your eyes but you don’t dare sob. He leaves the view of the camera and the team hears metal crashing around the sounds cords being plugged in. He curses and punches what sounds like a metal box. He comes back with two metal probes and a menacing smile.

“You’re gonna get it now. You know what these are?” He waves them around like they’re toys “these are the electrodes I’m going to use on you.” Reid floors it as he hears the button click on and a distant buzzing sound fills the film.

“Here,” he violently pulls his belt from his jeans, “wouldn’t want you to shatter those pearly whites.” This is the one command you will obey. You take the folded material between your teeth because if you do survive this you’d rather not waste your vacation bonus on orthodontics. And if you didn’t you at least would like to have a nice smile in the after life.

Morgan and Reid peel out of the town sirens ablazing. They try not concentrate on it as you scream around the hunk of brown leather between your teeth. Not matter how much he concentrates on the road ahead of him he count every bawl you let escape. Every time he makes a mental note. As he takes the exit that lead to the woods he sighs, seven. He pictures your sun shiny smile in the morning.

How you would skip over to his desk with an extra-sweet cup of coffee and a good joke you had heard on your weekend away to New York. Eight, he thought of how intently you had listened to him ramble about string theory on the plane ride over and how when he stopped himself to apologize you begged him to keep going.

Nine, when the case came around the table your eyes darkened with a bit of sorrow which was drowned by your hope and determination to crack it. Now you were ten, letting him practice brewing your hair in a motel just because the skill fascinated him. Man your hair was so soft and smelled to good. And you just melted under his hands as he apprehensively finger combed it.

The sanitarium is in the middle of the woods. A small commercial concrete building. There officers confirmed that there was a car out back and garcia checked the plate regitration was for a Charles Mcnamara. They quietly burst through the front doors which were ajar. Spencer lead the charge follwoing the sounds of your pained screams. He runs down a flight of staris and kicks it open. Despite his panic for his coworker Morgan was incredibly proud of Reid for kicking it open.

McNamara is straddled over you and he swings his head to see Reid. Before anything can happen Spencer shoots him in the knee and Morgan barks an order and jumps on the man. Reid bolsters his gun and darts over to you. You look a mess. Blood and possibly some other body substances on you. He slides the belt out of your mouth and you lick your lips. He sits by your side and undoes the buckles on your wrists

“Hi (Y/n),” He sighs soothingly. Your eyes are locked on his and there’s something animalistic and wounded in them.

“Spencer?” your voice is broken but there is so much hope

“Yeah I’m here,” He works the second buckle off your wrist. “You did so good.” he reassures. He undoes the strap across your chest and you sit up and rub your wrists. He takes a step back to unshackle your ankles. Once you’re free, you swing yor legs to the side of the medical chair. Spencer stands next to you and guides your arms arond his neck. You sink all your weight against his chest and he gently coaxes an arm under your knees and picks you up.

“I did good?” You start sobbing into his chest

“Yeah you did fantastic (Y/n). and your safe now, I’ve got you.”

[ancientschampionau]

RealAgeAU drabble - Moving

Hello I am back and I got another idea for this little silly au that I have @spotaus to thank for for the original idea :3 Though I think this may be officially becoming one of my AUs hahahaha First part Prev Part Next part

Also yes. I know it would work better to number these uploads but also i am not writing these in any set order so it will become miserable for all of us if i number them because either they will be out of order or I will have to rework all the names and I am already editing links I don't need that extra energy in my life.

ANYWAY! :D

Next part! The one I lovingly clal in my head - The one where the gang finds a more permanent temporary home. (also yes. Before this they all speed-run the whole Parental bonding and emotional bonding to the idea of having a babybones. Which honestly can and probably will make four different drabbles)

-------

Horror stares at the door and wonders once again how he got to this point.

Well, no. That is a lie. He knows exactly how he got to his point.

He glances over his shoulder where the other four at hiding off to the side. Out of view from the doorway but still visable for Horror if he looks just right. Seems like Dust won the discussion, again, and is holding Nightmare, again.

Horror wants to say it is surprising how quickly they all just... accepted the situation they got into but he really isn't. Monsters are weird like that. Forced adoption is not that wild all things considered when you are talking about beings made of magic and emotions.

Horror stares at the door and raises his hand before knocking twice.

He really hadn't wanted to do this but they have no other choice. As he waits he can't help but think back to what made them decide this.

Cross walks from side to side "That was way to close! That was the third time we came across the Stars with Nightmare out. Third!"

Killer nods from where he is sitting wiht the sleeping Nightmare in his lap "Yeah no kidding. It is annoying as shit that they are hunting us."

Dust shrugs "Not surprising. Nightmare 'disappeared' after all. We are their only lead."

Killer grins "We were lucky Cross managed to lie his way out of the last one." and he shoots Cross a wink.

Cross sputters "I panicked!"

Killer grins and winks "Sure sure daddy crossy."

Horror holds up his hands between his two... co-parents "This is not the time. We need to figure out where we can go." and he thinks things over.

Cross sighs "I don't get how they keep finding us!"

Dust huffs as he packs their bags "We go to too little universes. Makes it easy for Ink and Dream to pick us out because they recognise us personally."

Killer frowns "Meaning. we need a big universe?" he taps his chin "But also mostly positive as we still don't know how obvious Nightmare would be otherwise."

Cross frowns "I think it will be fine. He can't feel the balance anymore right? And no one seems to have a reaction to him like they had before nor how people have a reaction to Dream's aura thing. Maybe with the corruption gone he really is just... ex-guardian now?"

Killer groans "I hope so. I am not a fan of child labor."

That is when it hits him. Horror sits up "I think I know a place."

All of them turn to him and he immediantly regrets saying anything. See? This is why he normally tries to limit what he says.

Either way. Here they are now and Horror prays this works. Please. They need one thing to work in their favor.

The door opens and a gasp "Horror! It has been ages! It is great to see you. How have you been?" Crop smiles at him.

Horror steels his nerves. Come on. Too much hangs on this moment "Hey Crop. Nice to see you. I am... okay. How are you?"

Crop frowns at him instantly "You sure? You don't sound okay. Trouble at home?"

Horror chuckles "Kinda? Not exactly. Euh... Can't go back to that place now?"

Crop frowns "Why? Need a place to stay? I got a spare room."

Okay yes! this is going great! just... gotta make sure he knows.

Horror nods "I do need a room. Not just for me though..." Crop starts to frown and Horror raises his hands "Just temporarily!"

Crop frowns "Did... something go wrong?"

Horror pauses and thinks this through once more. He trusts Crop. Crop has never been anything but kind even when Horror had been an ass. Even when he had to once drag Dust here to get healing before they could make the jump back home.

Horror looks to the side and he sees the others just beyond the treeline, hidden in shadows and waiting. Crop takes a look as well but he can't quite spot them. Crop looks back up at him.

Horror takes a deep breath "You need... to promise me, no not just promise you need to swear. That what you are about to learn will not leave this universe."

Crop frowns as he immediantly looks uncomfortable. It is the reaction a promise gets from most of them. But Crop also shoots him a considering look before he nods. He holds out a hand "I swear and promise I will not share the about to be giving information. UNLESS! It endangers anyone." and he waits.

Horror stares at the hand and thinks. That... That is fine right? That should be fine. Nightmare being a child doesn't endanger anyone. Only them and Nightmare. Horror nods and shakes the hand.

Crop nods and steps aside "Come inside. I bet you will be more comfortable explaining there." he glances at the forest "Do your... friends? Want to come in too?" a guess clearly. probably on multiple fronts.

Horror shakes his skull "Not yet. Need to know your answer and reaction first." He turns to the forest and makes a signal to wait a bit longer. He sees a thumbs up shot his way back. Probably Killer. He never bothered with the signals they had learned together.

Crop nods as he steps aside and Horror walks in, having to duck slightly for the door. The door closes behind him and Horror sees the small living room with fireplace.

Crop leads him to the kitchen "Lets talk there. I will get some tea."

A few minutes later they are both seated and with a cup of tea. Crop looks at him expectingly.

Horror takes a deep breath and takes out their most valuable resourch. The Dreamtale book. And places it on the table. Crop frowns at it before looking at Horror.

Horror nods to it "It will help explain... Very long story short... Nightmare was never an adult. He was a child with a magical shield of some type. That magic has ran out."

Crop stares at him for a moment, then he pulls the book closer and starts reading it. He pauses at the title before opening it.

And now he waits.

---------

Crop sits wiht his skull in his hands. Horror just sits across from him, with his empty cup of tea. Crop's own cup has grown cold a long time ago. Horror just waits for anymore questions but Crop hasn't said anyhting in the last ten minutes.

Horror looks back at the book and sees that Crop has turned the pages back to the one with the drawing of Nightmare's head being cracked open. The image makes a very clear show on how small Nightmare was compared to the ones attacking him.

Horror still thinks the book doesn't do it justice. Nightmare is much smaller in person than the picture makes him seem. The cracks had been much worse than the picture showed. But it is the closest they got.

Crop finally sighs and speaks. He doesn't look away from the picture "I don't... Know a lot about this whole... multiverse stuff. It isn't my place at all. And that is fine." he pauses for a moment "But this... You are telling me... That the one being that had everyone afraid. That everyone saw as a demon. Is a child... is this child?"

Horror nods before he explains more "Nightmare... gained a lot of magic and powers when he ate those apples. At least that is what the story implied. We haven't managed to get him to tell us yet, mostly because well... he is six again." Crops pulls a face as well, yeah. Horror agrees. A PTSD filled six year old is not easy. But they are managing.

Horror nods "so... What Cross nad Dust think what happened is that... The magic and negativity of the apples bond itself to Nightmare. Which game him the magic and powers he would use. The connection to the balance because the apples were part of the balance. and more importantly, an adult form and mind to fit all the magic. There was just no way all that magic and energy would have fit a babybones. Especially one that hadn't shown much magic beforehand." an assumption on their end as Nightmare was never said to use magic in the book.

"We think... We think that this magic of the apples just. ran out. We had been in battle at the time and Nightmare had been hit but it shouldn't have had that much of an effect. it was the same type of attack he had been hit by before. Dust thinks it was just the last bit of magic that the apples had having run out. Meaning that with the magic and energy so went the form." all a theory of course. But it is the only thing they have.

Crop nods as he clearly thinks "And as he was suddenly an adult. instead of just being afraid and scared. all that pain and emotions took a more violent turn. As he was an adult and was suddenly able to realise that it was unfair which made him angry..." Crop pauses.

Crop glares back at the table and shakes his skull "It is... It is a whole story about victim blaming. A victim is blamed for the abuse they suffered. They are made to believe they deserve it and should be abused. Then as soon as they fight back and defend themselves they are seen as guilty." Crop takes adeep breath as he leans back "What I don't get... Why come here? I can't help with any of this."

Horror shakes his skull "This isn't about any of the big stuff. We don't even care about it. We just... Nightmare is himself again. His real self." he taps the page lightly "Not his aged-up self that the corruption enabled him to be."

Crop stares before his face changes to shock "You are trying to hide him." Then a frown "Why not go to your own home? Has it been compromised?"

Horror snorts "At this point? probably." a confused look and Horror continues "Nightmare used his magic to shield off an universe and make a castle." he shrugs at the glance "Nightmare likes to read. I imagine he liked to read back then too. He may have been an adult technically but he was still a child at soul. Child him wanted a home and wanted that to be a castle and adult him made it happen... probably... that is Killer's theory at the moment."

Crop laughs and nods "Suonds reasonable- oh... and with his magic disappearing."

Horror sighs "When I left his universe the castle had already been decaying..."

Crop frowns "Left? The five of you you mean?"

Horror looks to the side and feels the shame return "We.... we did not react well... when we saw the changes at first... we... we obviously dind't know what was going on and well." he looks down "We abandoned him. I know it was wrong and stupid and we all regret it. We came back but we still did it." shame.

shame shame shame shame shame shame shame-

A hand on his shoulder. Horror glances up and Crop smiles at him "It is okay. You are trying to fix it now right? obviously. Not cool that you abandoned a child... but it can be nerve wrecking. Suddenly going from a position where a person is mostly guiding you, to going to a position where you suddenly are responsible over that same person."

Horror looks to the side "We still left." he can't believe they just left!

Crop nods "But you returned." he grins "And you are trying to fix it."

Horror nods again "We are..." he chuckles "Not that we have been doing a good job at it. Jumping from place to place."

Crop hums "So you are looking to settle, at least for a little bit, while also hidding. Why this universe?"

Horror nods "Yeah..." He looks to the side "We... we don't know how everyone will react. To him being like this. Maybe they will react well. Maybe not. We don't want to risk it. Risk him."

Crop stares at him for a long time and nods "There must be better places?"

Horror shakes his skull "The Stars kept finding us. Dust figured out we needed a big universe that leans towards positive. Yours is one of those. It is one of the wider and bigger ones. And overall leaning towards positive."

Crop frowns "It can't be the best one..."

Horror shrugs but continues "True... there are bigger and more positive ones. But those are busy. Many people. many places. Yours is quieter. more empty. Gives peace and room to work from."

Crop frowns as he taps his chin. He thinks deeply before sighing "You guys got any type of backstory we can use? The multiverse thing isn't a known thing here and the only reason my brother and I know is because you crash landed here."

Horror blinks "You will let us stay?"

Crop nods "Sure." and he grins "Can't kick out four parents with a babybones." and he gets up.

Horrro shakes his skull "That isn't... Well I mean technically." He knows that Killer has come close to killing quite a few people with how protective he has grown over Nightmare and that isn't even including the motherhenning of Cross nor the clinginess that Dust has.

Crop chuckles as he nods towards the stairs "The attic is messy and should be cleaned but can be used by you four, well five. There is an old bed and an old lounge chair up there." more thoughtful "How big is he exactly? we will need some clothes. Probably also get a healer to check him if he is developing okay after all those magical shenanigans."

Horror stares for a moment before smiling "Thank you... I know it is a lot."

Crop shrugs as he opens the linnen closet "Horror. Taking care of milking all the cows on your own is a lot. Having to fix your roof in the middle of a thunderstorm is a lot." He straightens his spine with blankets in his arms "Helping a friend and his friends who have somehow aqcuired a babybones, while strange, does not compare to either of those. Now get your friends out of those woods. They will make the animals nervous." he grins "I am excited to be one of the first ones to meet the real Nightmare."

Horror smiles as he packs his book and goes towards the door. "Thanks again Crop."

Crop waves it off as he moves the piles upstairs.

-------

Boom! and they are staying in FarmTale for now! Horror and Crop are homies and Dust is more of an acquaintance of Crop but it works. Aged-up Nightmare knew that Horror had an universe he liked to visit but never demanded details. *shrugs* Nightmare didn't see the point. as long as horror wasn't going to betray him what did it matter he didn't tell him?

Surprise Nightmare, this is your temporary home now. For a bit. or maybe longer? They are still figuring it out.

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[luvhughes43]

crazy over you | jack hughes x reader

luvhughes43 masterlist🌷

request: I love your blackpink fc trevor insta edit!!! what about y/n whose sibling is a famous kpop idol and she ends up dating jack? maybe she could be mark lee’s sister, nct had a concert at newark a while ago!!

ynuser just posted !

ynuser

liked by nct, yourbrother, yourbff, and others

ynuser ready for the show🪩✨

tagged: nct

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fanone she’s going to the show??🥹🥹

fantwo queen supporting her brother🫶

yourbff she changed her outfit immediately after these photos were taken btw

ynuser stop exposing me😭😭

yourotherbff it’s true she’s now wearing an nct shirt she turned into a crop top and some jeans !

yourbff and some sparkly boots !

ynuser okay okay we get it !!

“yn! were going to be late you don't need any more pictures!” your friend shouted as she started walking ahead of you. at the rate you were going you were going to miss the beginning of your brothers show. 

“just a few more just-” you yelped loudly as you felt someone's shoulder hit you. you stumbled, and your camera hit the ground with a clatter. before you could comprehend what was happening a hand was against your shoulder helping you to steady yourself.

“I’m so sorry!” a guy apologized, reaching down to retrieve your camera for you. 

“it’s okay” you replied a little disoriented as you reached out to grab your camera from him. “i should've been looking to where i was going”

“were you taking pictures?” the guy asked.

“Yn!” your friends voice shouted at you as she was now even further away.

your head turned to your friends voice and jack must’ve caught on to your situation because he offered to take some quick photos for you. you posed, and jack snapped away, both of you not saying much.

“my apology,” he said to you as he handed your camera back to you. 

you smiled in response. “thank you. I’m-”

“YN LN! I swear if you're not walking up these stairs!” your friends voice reverberated throughout the staircase. 

“I’ve gotta go! thank you!” your voice was loud as you ran the rest of the way up the stairs to meet your friend. you could hear the unnamed mans laugh echo throughout the staircase. “im jack by the way!” you heard him yell.

“THANKS JACK!” you yelled back as your friend grabbed you by the arm and began pulling you along. 

notification [instagran]: jackhughes has followed you

Instagram DMS:

ynuser: hey stranger

jackhughes: hey girl with the camera

ynuser hearted a message

ynuser: how did u find my insta?

jackhughes: your friend almost shattered my eardrum when she screamed your name so i just gave it a shot on here

ynuser: LMAOO😭 we were running late for a concert

jackhughes: haha that makes sense then! it sucks that you were late but i liked getting to meet you

ynuser: even with my friend nearly shattering your eardrum?

jackhughes hearted a message

jackhughes: even then

ynuser hearted a message

ynuser just posted !

ynuser

liked by jackhughes, lhughes_06, yourbff, and others

ynuser last night in newark❤️‍🔥

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jackhughes no 📸 credits ?

ynuser thank you stranger👍

hugheswh0re now why was he taking pics of this girl...

hockeyfan hugheswh0re because hes a normal person and is allowed to be friends with people ??

yourbff had the best time and SOMEBODY met the cutest person too🤭

ynuser i dont recall meeting any cute people🤔

yourbff like u weren't blushing and giggling all the way home...

ynuser I WASNT WTF !!!

jackhughes just posted !

jackhughes

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jackhughes lifes been magic📸❤️

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yourbrother ynuser THE RING??

ynuser is an accessory !

yourbrother lets keep it that way❤️

brothersfan protective activated🤣❤️

ynuser stranger🥲💘

jackhughes danger😈🔥

ynuser 😐 ok

trevorzegras congrats man🔥🔥

liked by jackhughes

yourbff CUTEST EVER ! I PREDICTED THIS RELATIONSHIP !

trevorzegras can u predict our relationship?😇

yourbff 😐😐

fanthree SHES DATING AN NHL PLAYER??? OMG????

jacksfuturegf86: WHY? WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN TO ME?? PLEASE JACK THIS ISNT YOU! THIS ISNT YOU LOOK AT ME BABY PLS🙏🙏

from then on you and jack continued to dm each other until you eventually went out on a few dates. you were honestly surprised by how well the two of you got along. you were forever grateful for your brothers show in newark and for the fact that you were running late<3

[hoshigray]

HEYYY🤪who ever requested y/n bratting off to toji is a blessing fr.🙏🏼 Can you also do the same thing but fluff edition. If the post is gone, dont worry about it. Love your writing!!

No worries, noonie, bc I made sure to save the fluff version as a Word doc if needed, lol. But here ya go, hope ya enjoy and tysm!!:)

Reminder: This is a sfw/fluff version of this thirst!

Cw: Toji x reader - fluff!! - pet names (baby, kid/kiddo) - implied that reader is shorter than Toji - first, the reader is sour, but then they're sweet :) - Toji calls you a 'bitch' but not in a belittling way, just frustrated with your antics - lots of humor bc we love making this man suffer, lol - the reader gives him a scare hiding from him (again, make him suffer! but he's hella worried about you so </3) - angst(?) - reader being a brat and Toji being a grumpy bf = a perfect couple ♡ Wc: 2.4k

It's late in the night, WAY past the midnight hour. The streets are quiet, people are home sleeping, and the air is curtained in a cool mist from rain not too long ago.

And yet here you are, in an open grocery store skimming through the fruits section. You pick up a bag of apples and examine them before placing them back down, moving on to the next aisle.

Behind you, the squeaky wheels of the shopping cart follow your every step, driven by your boyfriend — Toji.

The two of you had left a movie theater to see a movie you'd been anticipating seeing, which only had seating at the last showing of its week — 12:30 a.m. The runtime was two hours and thirty minutes, so it wasn't to your surprise that the plaza was utterly empty by the time it ended. Although you're happy you got to see the movie, you made a mental note to get tickets earlier next time.

Suddenly, you realize you forgot to grocery shop, and most nearby stores are closed. But after many trips around the neighborhood, you've finally found a store open for twenty-four hours.

So here you are, scoping around the aisles to pick up things and check them off your list. Now all there's left is the toilet paper, which would be right on the top shelf...that you can't reach.

You turn to your side to see your boyfriend looking down at his phone. Well, he's no help. With a sigh, you place your phone inside your pocket and try to carefully reach for the toilet paper, stepping on the lower shelves and being mindful not to step on any of the items below.

Toji notices something up when he glances up at you trying to climb up to get something from the top shelf. Putting his phone in his jean jacket, he comes around and hovers over you while grabbing for the toilet paper. You watch, and you shake your head at him. Damn, tall people...Hold on. An idea pops inside your head, and a grin molds onto your lips.

"Hey!" You call out to the man before he puts the item at the bottom of the cart. "I was getting that."

"I know, but y'r lil legs and arms weren't getting you any far, baby." He sends you a sly smirk, causing you to take offense to his comment.

Oh, two can play this game, Mister..."Put it back."

His brows crease together. "What?"

"Put it back up there," you repeat yourself to the man and point at the top shelf. His confused expression is still present when he hesitantly does what you instruct him. "And then pick me up to get it."

He looks at you like you're crazy. "What kind of shit are you on?"

You giggle. "Oh, come on, Toji. I was trying to get it, so I wanna do it."

"You could barely touch it."

"Not unless I have my trusty, tall boyfriend to help me, so pick me up!" You lift your arms for your waist to be open for grabs, and Toji just stares at you. With a heavy sigh and a scrunched expression, he lifts you up effortlessly, and you happily take the toilet paper he just put back up.

You beam at him once you're put down, and the older man has never rolled his eyes so fast. "Actin' like a damn kid."

Your tone is matter-of-fact as you put the item under the cart: "You call me a kid all the time, so I gotta uphold the title. Okay, that should be everything from my list, so let's get the other stuff."

"Other stuff?"

"Yeah, like sandwich meat, chips, and juice for Tsumiki and Megumi. They're going swimming with their friends tomorrow, and they need lunch to take with them."

Toji crosses his arms, examining you walk past him with the cart. "I suppose you're the one paying for all that."

"I'm absolutely...not," you don't have to turn around to know the man behind you has his jaw dropped. "I'm paying for the things on my list, and you pay for the other stuff."

"And what makes you think I'd pay? I already paid for the dinner and the tickets for the damn movie."

"Yes, indeed you did. But guess what, I'm using my money for my things. So, Toji dearest, it's only right that you pay for the things for your children." You peek behind you to see your boyfriend throw daggers at you with emerald eyes. Your smile only grows. "What kind of father would you be if you don't care for those angels?"

Toji just groans and mumbles curses under his breath. "They're only angels when you're around, ya damn brat..."

The two of you head to the snack aisle, the right side harboring a massive assortment of chips. You stop the cart when you spot a brand of chips you remember is a favorite in the Fushiguro household. The only problem is that the flavor you're looking for — which is on the bottom shelf — is nearly empty, meaning the last few are further in the back.

"Hey, Toji," The named man comes from behind, resting his chin on your head. "Those chips down there, ya think there could still be some in the far back?"

"Mmm," His broad chest vibrates against your back from his gruff hum. "Probably."

"Mind getting them for me."

"....Why can't you get it?"

"Because I told you to get it. Besides," you bring up your hands with two fingers up to air quote your following sentence. "I don't think my 'lil arms and legs' will get me far."

Toji's quiet for a few moments, and you bite your lip to not laugh. But it's no use when he flicks your ear before leaving your side, giggles fake cries of pain exiting your lips. "Fuckin' bitch."

"I heard that!"

"Good." You blow a raspberry at him as he groans, kneeling to the floor, and crouches to put his head under the shelf. The image of your brawny man squeezing through the racks is a rarity, and you can't laugh because you know he'll kill you once he gets back up. So, with silent quickness, you grab your smartphone, take a picture, and swiftly put it back in your pocket. You chuckle to yourself in accomplishment. That's for calling me a bitch, you bastard.

The man comes up with a bag of chips in hand, the exact flavor you were looking for. However, "Woah, woah, woah, that's not the right size."

"What are you on about this time?"

"I always get the family-size. That's just the regular one."

"Yeah, so?"

"So?" The older man is visibly vexed that you repeat after him, yet you continue. "Toji, I know you're gonna snack on those later, but I'm gonna use it to pack lunch for the kids. And judging by how small the packaging is, that's not gonna last for the entire week — let alone three days. Miki and Megs aren't gonna like you for that. Go get the family-size pack."

"They don't have it down here; it's just this!"

"Well, what are you gonna do? Buy three more bags...Oh."

Toji notices you spot something that puts your thoughts aside, so he follows your line of sight to the top shelf. As you described earlier, family-sized chips were stationed at the very top, unlike at the bottom stand where they usually are.

All you can do is smile sheepishly at Toji when you two glance at each other, the older man giving you the heaviest glare you've ever received. "If you ask me to pick you up again, I'm throwin' ya up there and leavin' you til next time."

"Don't bother. I'm going to get the sandwich meats." You turn away from him and the cart to hide your laughs and head to the deli aisle. "You stay right there. I'll be right back."

"Hmph, whatever." The man grabs the right size of chips and chucks them into the cart. And then he leans against the shelves, waiting for your arrival so you two can finally leave the store.

One minute pasts. Then two...Three....Four.....Five—What the fuck!?

There's no way the store is that big for you to find the deli aisle. It's nearly been six minutes, and you have yet to return to the snack aisle! Toji can only wonder what it is that's taking you so damn long. They probably saw somethin' cute and will ask me to get it for 'em. Hmph, like hell. Or maybe they don't have the sandwich meats they're lookin' for and are tryin' to find something else to substitute. Or they could be lost, who knows.

But the more he thinks, his thoughts delve into darker reflections. And if they're lost, would they run into someone for help? What if that person doesn't work here, talking to a damn stranger. What if that bastard is making them uncomfortable? Taking advantage of them. Or worse: a kidnapping.

Dread corrupts all of Toji's senses when his mind wanders to the worst scenarios, but he can't help it when you haven't returned to him. There's already one person he's lost in his life, and he wouldn't want to lose you too. That's why he straightens himself up and ditches the cart full of your stuff to find you for himself. Because if you aren't in this store right now, things will start to get ugly.

He storms out of the aisle, looking around to assess the parameter. Deep breaths don't seem to calm him down, as the dry bob in his throat makes it difficult to swallow. He looks up to see the signs for every aisle. Deli...Where the hell is—

That thought grinds to a halt when he hears footsteps approach from behind. So Toji turns around with haste, grabbing the pocket knife always kept in his jean pocket.

However, he doesn't pull the defensive weapon out. Instead, his tense physique relaxes, and a wave of relief soothes him down back to Earth. Because the footsteps belonged to you. You were okay.

"Damn, you and your freaky senses! I was hiding behind that bread rack over there and waiting for you to turn around so I could surprise you. Hehe, but I can see you must've—Ow, ow, ouch!!!"

Unlike before, genuine cries of pain fly out your mouth when Toji pinches your cheeks, twisting them so hard that you scream louder the tighter the grip. He doesn't let go until you step on his foot, and even then, the hurtful wails are replaced with laughter.

"You absolute fucking brat." You try to cover your giggles with your hands, but the irritated expression on Toji's face makes it difficult to keep your composure. "Over here tryin' to scare me and shit when I'm wondering what the hell's takin' you so damn long. Not even my own damn kids give me this much trouble."

"Oh shit, pfffthaha. At lea-At least I—wheeze," You're trying so hard to look your boyfriend in the eye, but God was you in hysterics. Tears prickle, and you slowly reveal some packaged items in your hands. "At least I got the sandwich meat."

Toji swiftly snatches the deli products off your grasp, causing you to laugh even harder to the point of your stomach hurting and your eyes forced shut. But that doesn't stop the man from pulling you to the unattended cart by the back of your neck, caging you between him and the handlebar.

But no matter, because you still laugh walking down the aisle with him. You still laugh at the self-checkout. And you still laugh when putting the groceries in the trunk of Toji's car and placing the cart in the corral.

Even when you sit in the passenger seat, chuckles fill the silence and one-sided tension. You peer to Toji's side to see him harbor a scowl while facing the windshield, downright avoiding you. "Oh, come on, Toji, it was just a little prank. You gotta admit it was kinda funny!"

He shakes his head, eyes still honed in front of him.

"What? Oh, so you're not gonna talk to me?"

Nothing.

"Are you serious? Toji, it wasn't even that big of a deal. Were you worried about me for real—"

"Yeah, kid." Now he looks at you; his forest-green orbs capture yours as if luring you to listen to what he's saying. "I was fuckin' worried about you. Thought somethin' bad happened or...whatever, forget it." Toji lets a heavy sigh exit his system, resting his head on his hand.

And you just watch him, not bothering to say a word back. It doesn't take long for you to understand where he's coming from because you're already beating yourself about it with the uneasy silence between you two.

You know about Toji's loss — his late wife, Megumi's mother. You don't know too much about her passing. However, you're enormously aware of how significant a toll the loss took on Toji. It took him a long time to even consider dating again and putting a label on your relationship.

So now that he's with you, it's easy to understand that he doesn't want you getting hurt and anything dreadful happening on your end.

And yet, acting like a child isn't making things any better.

You silently exhale and hesitantly set a hand on the one lying still on his thigh. You notice his head turn in your direction from the sudden contact, but you don't address it, just leaning on him with your head on his shoulder. Toji lets you do so.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry like that." You say to him, your eyes on your hand rubbing on the back of his. "Just wanted to act silly with you, is all. Didn't want to scare you."

"Who told you to act silly?"

"Uhh, me? 'Cause it's like 3 a.m., just the two of us. And it's the weekend."

You can feel the rise and fall of his shoulder following the sigh he lets out through his nose. Toji then removes his hand from you and puts it on your shoulder to keep you close. "You can be a pain in the ass, ya know that, kiddo?"

"Yeah, yeah. But I know you love me for it~." You move to happily kiss him on the cheek.

"Yeah, sure." He kisses your temple and rests his head on yours. The two of you indulge in the comfortable silence of the car for a few minutes, relinquishing each other's presence before driving home. "Just be a lil' more careful, 'kay, baby?"

"Mmm, promise."

...

But you're still gonna make that picture you took of Toji your wallpaper. It's a true gem. Plus, it's what you get for calling me a bitch.

[soulmate-game]

Work burned me out, middle management positions are draining. What was supposed to be an angsty oneshot is now… yeah I’m continuing it. Not a full series, just a two-parter… hopefully.

Edit: I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THIS CLUSTERFUCK OF AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER IS, but BUCKLE IN BECAUSE IT PROBABLY DOESN’T PASS SAFETY REGULATIONS! HOOOOO BOY

Part 1

—*—*—*—*—*

“…” she stared at the being in front of her, face frighteningly blank. Next to her, Bruce fidgeted.

“I’m not going anywhere, so you either gotta learn to love me real quick or get lost quicker,” the child snarked from where he was sitting upside-down on the bat computer chair. “And don’t call me Richard, my name’s Dick.”

“I don’t remember you working with a fetus, Batman,” Marinette slowly drawled, emphasizing the vigilante’s name despite none of the three of them being suited up. Dick shot up with a cry of indignation.

“I am not a fetus! I’m fifteen! I’ve been Robin since I was twelve!”

“Nope,” Marinette countered, unmoved. “I started out as Ladybug when I was twelve, and I was never as small as you,” she blatantly lied. Dick was already taller than her, which wasn’t much of an achievement considering that she was five-foot-one-inch tall. “You are six years old, tops.”

Dick let out an almost inhuman screech of complaint. Even as he rambled on angrily about how wrong she was, Marinette only nodded as if he proved her right about something.

“That was a good squawk though. Definitely a birdie.”

It took another twenty minutes before Dick ran off to tell on Marinette to Alfred, giving her and Bruce some alone time. With which she used to whirl to him and immediately hiss in equal parts fury and worry;

“Please tell me he wasn’t—“

“The timeline is gone,” Bruce reminded her, bracing her by putting both his hands on her shoulders. “He doesn’t remember.”

“Still!”

He let out such a heavy sigh that he seemed to deflate with it, his dark circles growing more pronounced.

“He wasn’t supposed to be,” he admitted softly. “When he turned sixteen, last time, I allowed him to form his own team of teen heroes. Supervised from afar by myself of course, not that they knew that. I had given them the order to stay back and guard their city, but they disobeyed me and snuck onto the battlefield anyway.”

Marinette rubbed at her temples, nodding. “Teenagers have a habit of doing that. This time around, can we ask Bunnyx to supervise them? She has all the energy of a teenager, so she’ll fit in, but the maturity of someone trusted to guard all the timelines.”

Bruce paused, thinking of what little he knew of the pastel rabbit themed hero, and then reluctantly nodded. “That… might be for the best. And giving them more opportunities to train with…” he hummed, hand on his chin. “I might actually change things up, in that case. Instead of jumping to put teens on their own in a tower, the old Justice League headquarters is more protected. And if we started with the ‘sidekicks’,” he gave very purposeful air quotes, “of other Leaguers, it would create a better support system than letting teenagers run around with… really, not enough regulation.”

“Gotta love hindsight,” Marinette agreed with a nod. “The whole teenagers by themselves thing only worked for my team because we were overly traumatized and each saw different apocalypses before we turned sixteen. Bunnyx could fix them herself back then, but still.”

“Best to do better by the new generation,” Bruce agreed with her unspoken statement. “I can still put that old team together again when they’re older, support their development elsewhere in the meantime.”

“Oh, and now that we’re done on that topic,” Marinette snapped her fingers before pointing to the staircase that Dick had disappeared up. “He’s going to make my life a living hell, isn’t he?”

Bruce groaned, offering her a lopsided grimace of apology. “He’s a menace,” he agreed. “He’s scared away any woman I’ve brought to the house, even though most of them are completely platonic. I have to make the press believe the whole playboy thing somehow, and inviting my friends over to chat is the easiest way to do so without breaking hearts for real. Dick hasn’t caught on yet,” Bruce rubbed his forehead. “His antics to scare away Selina Kyle are legendary already, and she’s sapphic. She couldn’t be attracted to me if I was the last man on earth.”

“Could have fooled me,” Marinette teased, suddenly impish. “She’s catwoman, isn’t she?”

Bruce narrowed his eyes, saying only: “Chat Noir. Year one.”

It was Marinette’s turn to grimace. “Point taken. But in my defense, he took way too long to realize he’s gay and watched too much anime at the time.”

Bruce let out one of his unfairly charming chuckles, changing position so that his arm was around her shoulders and pulling her to his side. She fit there surprisingly well, for someone almost half his size. She leaned into him, and the both just soaked in the comfort of one another for a long moment.

“You know,” Bruce started for a while. “If you want to stay in Gotham, we can make you another alter ego so that you don’t accidentally lure Shadow Moth here. Tell that fox of yours to make it seem like you’re in Paris and take some of the weight off of your shoulders for a change. Blackmail Constantine into charming some jars to keep the butterflies in until you can purify them.”

“Hmmm.” She closed her eyes. “Ladybird sounds nice. Fits with the bird thing that Robin has going for him.”

Bruce laughed. “That’ll really annoy him,” he warned, amused. Marinette’s close-eyed smile was pure mischief.

“That’s the whole point. I’m not letting a fetus win against me, bat-boy.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Marinette wasn’t speaking to Bunnyx. Bruce didn’t know what they had said to one another, but he could guess it had to do with Jason.

With his baby, who he just buried. The boy Marinette had thought of a son ever since he first brought him home. She had even smoothed things over between Dick and Jason, which he had considered nothing short of a miracle at the time.

But that miracle was nowhere to be seen now, with Marinette every bit as despondent next to him as he was. He wanted to be angry with her, he did, but he couldn’t. He had seen her blow up at Bunnyx, seen her try to hold her status as Grand Guardian over the bunny holder.

Bunnyx had simply said that she wouldn’t answer to Ladybug until after the grief passed then, and ran away into her burrow.

“Is this the payment?” He heard her whisper, her voice hoarse and broken. “For the do-over? We passed the old timeline. We took down Shadow Moth. Is this the price?” Tears dripped down her face silently, she didn’t seem to notice them. “Was I not a good enough mother? Should I—“ she stopped herself, shaking her head. He didn’t ask what she was about to say. Maybe he should have.

—*—*—*—*—*

Tim was great. He was too much like Marinette at times, which made Bruce’s chest ache, but he was a great Robin. A great son. His experience with Marinette proved priceless when it came to helping curb Tim’s overworking habits and caffeine addiction.

But not even Tim could find where Marinette had disappeared to, even with his detective skills surpassing Bruce’s already.

Tim was the first son of his that didn’t get to grow up with Marinette at all.

—*—*—*—*—*

“It’s fine, Baobei,” she whispered, stepping to the side. Behind her was the waterfall that hid the tunnel to the Batcave. “He’s not the one to blame. He did his best, even now he’s doing his best.”

“Then why does—“

“Because other people need him, and he has too big of a heart to turn them away,” her mouth tilted a little, smile lopsided and sad. “Timothy didn’t replace you. He just forced Bruce to live again. Bruce didn’t kill Joker, because he didn’t want to taint another child with the sight of murder.”

“And you?” The voice was dark, deadly, gruff. Older, and yet… so achingly familiar. She smiled at him again, soft and sad and… proud.

“I don’t have one,” she lied. She had tried, tried so hard. Bruce had gotten in her way first, and then the very same desire to not taint more children with the image of death.

But her baby needed a scapegoat, and she was willing to throw herself on the fire for him.

“That’s why it’s fine,” she repeated. “If this is what you want. Just, please. Let it end with me.”

This time, Marinette made sure she had the Time miraculous safely in her pocket. Nobody would interfere with this.

The bullet sent her into the flow of the waterfall, red flowing behind her like the carpet she used to walk down with Bruce whenever she released a new collection. She felt no regret as she closed her eyes and fell.

—*—*—*—*—*

The shot hadn’t been fatal. Red Hood might have been mad with Pit Rage, but his fondness for his only true mother figure was ever present. He simply wanted to see if she was serious about taking that shot.

His regret was immediate when she didn’t even try to dodge. The bullet had only grazed her shoulder, but she didn’t seem to notice that. She had been so ready to die— to let him kill her— that she had passed out before hitting the water. He dragged her to the Batcave, knowing he had a lot to answer for.

Bruce wished he could have found her sooner, found both of them sooner. But at least they were back.

—*—*—*—*—*

“… I mean,” she rocked on her heels. “You are growing a bit old for Robin…”

Tim glared at her, not appreciating the insight.

“Bruce is stuck in the timestream, and you aren’t doing a thing about it. I don’t hold your opinion very highly right now,” he snipped back. She snorted, glancing away.

As if that little stunt to “kill Batman” could ever fool her. She’d been there for the real thing, thanks, she could spot a fake a mile away. “He’s got Bunnyx going to find him. She owes me big time, let her do the heavy lifting for a change.”

“How many years have you held that grudge?” Barbara asked, eyebrows raised as she wheeled herself towards the bat computer. “Even Jason thinks you should have let it go by now.”

Marinette scoffed at the exact same time as a certain someone tutted next to her, making them look for a moment like a perfect pair.

Crossed arms, a scoff, annoyed glare? If a DNA test hadn’t already proven otherwise, they might have thought Damian was hers.

“Fetuses don’t get to judge me,” was her only argument before she turned on her heel and walked away.

“I am not a fetus! Lady Marinette, I am ten years old!”

—*—*—*—*—*

Bonus:

Jason was curled up around Marinette, despite being told numerous times not to crowd her on the med-bay bed. He argued that he shot her, so he gets to nurse her back to health.

Did she use her blood, tainted by years of use of the Ladybug, to purify his pit madness? Yes. Had he figured that out yet? Nope.

“Love you, Mom,” he murmured in his sleep. Marinette, who had been awake for about an hour already, smiled to herself.

“Love you, Baobei.”

[princess-glassred]

Imagine if in the 1990's version of IT, when Richie walked into the library, instead of instantly seeing Pennywise, he looked down a specific aisle of books and remembered his own version of the arcade scene?

It was a saturday, and Richie was checking out comic books at the library since he was bored and almost all his other friends were busy. He pilfered through the bottom shelf for a while, until another boy just around his age walked over and started searching for comics too.

He's a really good lookin kid, dressed in baggy overalls and a sweater with the most gorgeous slicked back blonde hair he'd ever seen. And when Richie sees something amazing, well, he's gotta open his mouth and start talking.

He makes a joke, Richie is so flustered he cannot remember what the joke was but it gets this kid laughing and Richie is happy to have an audience that doesn't roll their eyes. They shake hands. "Richie Toziers the name, and doing voices is my game!" "Connor, Connor Bowers.".

The boys last name makes him take pause, but Richie laughs it off with another joke that gets them both giggling. He spots an issue of mad magzine in his hands and instantly launches into a big neurodivergent spiel about it, talking a mile a minute about his opinions and love for them while Connor stands and listens totally impressed.

They make more small talk until Connor breaks the news he has to go and Richie jokingly tells him not to let the door hit him on the way out, but just when Connor turns to leave, Richie is overcome with the urge to talk to him more, so he grabs him by the arm.

"Y-you know, I have a whole big comic collection at my house, first editions and stuff. Maybe sometime you could come over and see it... if you want.".

Connor seems interested in the idea at first, but some one turns the corner of the aisle and sees them: Henry, here to pick up his cousin. They are in a terribly compromising position right now, with Richie's hand on his arm like they've known each other for years, and Connor knows if he wants to avoid humiliation or worse he's gotta tell them kid off.

So, he jerks his arm away and yells "Get the hell off me! Are you a fuckin queer or something? Leave me alone.".. poor Richie doesn't even know how to process it, he's confused, offended, and deeply hurt, but he's not sure why. If it wasn't true why did it hurt so much? I mean, it wasn't true... right?

Connor turns to Henry and starts going on and on abour how this little fairy made a pass at him and is trying to get him to comeback to his house even after he told him no over and over again, and Henry gets fucking pissed. Richie attempts to talk his way out of it, but for the first time ever Richie doesn't have anything to say. What happens next is a total fucking blur to adult Richie, all he remembers is Henry pulling out his switch blade and grabbing him by the shirt collar. "I want you to get the fuck away from me and my cousin before i get down and show you what we do fags like you in Derry. You got it?" Henry says, and poor poor Richie can do nothing else but drop his books on the ground and comply.

So he runs, out of the library and out of adult Richie Toziers memory, leaving him to sit with his cup of water, badly shaken and ready as ever to run back home, just like he did all those years ago. And that's when Pennywise shows up.

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Just Us | Choi Yeonjun One Shot

Summary: Yeonjun wants you to notice him but you think you're just his Noona Pairing: Noona reader x Yeonjun f2l Word Count: 3.7k Warnings: No real warnings just cute needy flirty Yeonjun. a/n: Okay I'm so so sorry to my adorable anon that sent me this request a few weeks ago. Life has gotten hectic but I made this one a little longer as an apology :( I hope you like it! Also barely edited but I just wanted to get it out asap!

"Y/n, come over here, I want to show you something" Yeonjun says, calling out my name from across the room. We're at our friend's house just wasting the day away today, trying to stay out of the cold. "What's up?" I ask, sitting down next to him on the couch and looking at his phone screen. "There's a big winter festival coming up a couple towns over, look they have ice skating and holiday foods and even some vendors selling some of the cute figurines you like" he says flipping through the post and pointing out every little thing, hoping to entice me. 

"Oh wow that looks so cute! Hey guys look, Yeonjun found a cute festival for us to go to!" I say excited at the thought of all of us going together. "That looks so fun!" Kai says. "Let's for sure all go!" Beomgyu chimes in. "I'm down" Taehyun agrees. "Well if all of you are going I guess I've gotta come too" Soobin laughs. "Oh, um yeah let's all go" Yeonjun says, looking like he's lost all the enthusiasm he had moments ago. 

"Is everything alright?" I ask turning my attention back to him, leaving the excited chatter to the rest of the guys. "Yeah, no I'm fine don't worry about it" he says giving me a sideways smile. "I think I'm gonna head out guys" he says getting up from the couch and straightening out his clothes. "Wait really?" the guys ask and I look up at him confused. "Yeah I've got a final tomorrow so I've gotta get back to studying. "Oh I forgot about that! Would you mind if we studied together?" I ask looking up at him, now having his attention. "Sure" he replies and waits for me to grab my stuff. 

"You guys gonna be okay? It's coming down really hard out there" Soobin asks taking a look outside the window, seeing how much snow has fallen since we last checked. "We'll be fine don't worry. My dorm is just down the street so it'll only take us a few minutes to get there. You're okay if we study at my place right?" I ask looking up at him. "Oh I'm more than okay with that" he responds with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Okay..." I respond dragging out the last syllable not really understanding his response. 

"We'll see you later guys" I say after Yeonjun helped me put my coat on. "Let me take your bag" he says and takes it from me. "No Yeonjun that's heavy" I say trying to get ahold of the bag full of books I had just bought before I came here, not bothering to make an extra stop to drop them off at home. "And that's exactly why I should be carrying it. But if it makes you feel any better you could hold my hand to help guide me. It'll be difficult for me to make sure your books stay dry as well as making sure to watch my step" he says taking a hold of my hand after we walk out the door. 

"How does that even make sense?" I question, not really understanding his logic. "Do you want both me and your books to fall and get all wet from the snow?" he asks tilting his head to look at me. "Well, no" I say with my brows still scrunched together in confusion. "Then just hold my hand and lead the way" he says now opting to lace our fingers together instead of just holding it. I look up questioning him yet again. "So it's easier to hold onto" he says raising a brow at me and opts to take charge and head towards my dorm room with me now trailing behind him before he slows down a bit allowing me the opportunity to fall in step with him.

"So where should we start? Have you already studied a bit or are you starting off fresh?" I ask as I clear off some extra space on my desk for him to work on. "I've been looking at it off and on but I'm good to start wherever you want" he says sitting down next to me while also scooting a bit closer. He sees how I nonverbally question his proximity and laughs a bit at my slightly stiffened posture. "I left my textbook at home so..." he says trailing off looking at me apologetically. "Well I was the one who suggested studying here so that's okay" I say now understanding his motives and scooting the book over so we can share it. 

We study for a bit and I feel his place his arm around the back of my chair but decide not to mention it this time but a few minutes later he starts to lean closer and so I finally break off my sentence to scold him. "Are you even listening to me?" I ask turning to look at him, his face looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "Of course, it's just hard to see the fine print so I wanted to scoot in a bit closer" he says now purposefully cuddling in close and resting his chin on my shoulder. 

"Yeonjun you know I hate physical touch right?" I say feeling a bit uncomfortable at the suddenly cozy atmosphere created because of him. "But you don't hate it with me right? We're best friends, plus your room is freezing" he says now shivering a bit. "Really? I was thinking it was getting pretty warm in here" I say before he turns my computer chair around and leads me over to my bed. "Let's just relax for a while. We deserve a break" he says and brings my laptop over with us so we can, what I assume is watch a movie of some sort. 

"It's barely been 45 minutes" I say standing next to the bed with my arms crossed, not amused with his distractions, but he'll hear none of it. "Come on let's watch a Christmas movie together, we haven't gotten a chance to do that yet" he whines, scrolling through the list of movies they have. "We just watched a movie with the guys like two hours ago" I say raising an eyebrow at him, thinking he should probably get check for some sort of short term memory loss. 

"Yeah but we haven't gotten the chance to do it, with just the two of us. I want to watch a movie with my best friend, what's the harm in that?" he says pleading with me and giving me those puppy dog eyes that honestly I can hardly resist sometimes. "Fine, but just one!" I say setting the ground rules "We still need to make sure to get at least an hour or two of studying in, otherwise I'll just kick you out right now. Deal?" I question holding out my hand for him to shake. "Deal" he says and takes my hand, using it to pull me onto the bed with him and wraps his arm around me when I finally settle into place. 

"What are you doing?" I say sitting up to look at him properly. "What? I'm cold" he says, now confused with my behavior. "I have more blankets" I say standing up to walk towards the basket full of them and hand him one. "That's still not warm enough" he complains, he's not usually like this I think to myself so I decide to place the back of my hand on his forehead. "What are you doing?" he says laughing at my face scrunched in concentration for a moment. "Checking to see if you have a fever, but it looks like you're fine" I say. pulling my hand away, intending to grab my thermometer. 

"Where are you going" he whines, watching me walk over to the bathroom, dragging out the last syllable. "I'm going to take your temperature just in case you're actually sick and could possibly be contagious" I say, soon returning with said thermometer. "You sai-" he starts but I place it under his tongue before he tries to continue and he automatically closes him mouth around it, preventing the possibility of making him gag. 

"Put that under your tongue" I order, hoping to get a clear reading on the first try. "I kno-" "And stop talking or we'll have to do it again" I order and he quiets at that, hoping to get back to picking out a movie for us. Once the thermometer beeps I pull it out and it shows me that he's actually a few degrees colder than the typical 98.6. I turn it towards him to show him and he looks up at me with an almost triumphant gaze, "Told you I was cold" and he again ends up pulling me in by my wrist now causing me to fall into his chest. 

"Oops, my bad" he says before I can look back up at him, losing my patience more and more. I lean back intending to scold him but get surprised at how close he is to me, feeling a sudden intimate tension growing behind his eyes. "Y/n" he says in a low tone, his eyes flickering down to my lips for a second. "F-fine let's just watch a movie" I say instantly pulling back halfway through my sentence and take that opportunity to quickly sit next to him. 

He clears his throat and I glance over and see him offering to share the blanket with me and I just end up taking it, hoping to avoid any other conflicts. "You wanna watch this one?" he ask, selecting a random one that I don't really care to comment on, hoping we can just start the movie to dissolve any weirdness that was just created. He thankfully starts it off without another word and we both keep our eyes somewhat trained on the screen though out half of it, not really saying much before he starts to comment on how cheesy the romance is. 

"Oh come on, who still uses that stupid yawn trick to just put your arm around the girl. Like..." he say but trails off as he demonstrates it, letting out an exaggerated yawn and stretches his arms out and lands one right behind me, yet again holding me close to him. "Yeah it's pretty stupid" I say and wait for him to bring his arm back over to his side but he makes no moves to do so and simply goes back to watching the movie. 

"Yeonjun?" I question trying to get his attention. "Huh?" he lets out, barely sparing me a glance "Aren't you gonna?" I question motioning to the hand he's placed lightly on my shoulder. "What? It's comfortable" he says and pays no mind to how awkward I feel. I decide to ultimately just deal with it and focus on the movie as much as possible and I soon get lost in it, not noticing the fact that I start to lean into him a bit more, subconsciously feeling more comfortable being in his embrace.

As the movie wraps up I get a little emotional seeing how the characters ended up together after all that they went through to get there and Yeonjun starts to notice my sniffles. "Hey, are you okay?" he says now leaning forward and angling his face down a little bit to try and catch my gaze.

"Yeah" I say between the sniffles that have started to get a little worse. "Come here" he says and pulls me in for an embrace that I surprisingly don't hate this time. he ends up scooting us both down a bit so we're now fully laying down and I hide my face in his chest to avoid him seeing the tears. 

"You feeling a bit better?" he questions, continuing to rub my back. The times when I'm upset are when I don't really mind being held like this, and he's been there to comfort me a few times so this is somewhat normal for us. I nod my head but refuse to bring my face back up, knowing how swollen my eyes are gonna be. "Did something happen?" he questions, hoping to know what it really was that I was crying about. "Nothing really, school has just been really stressful these days" I say while trying to steady my breathing. 

"But you're one of the smartest people I know" he says, confused as to what might be bothering me. "Really? Then why is it that I've had to take a class that I was meant to complete in freshmen year three times? Like do you know how embarrassing that is?" I say, getting frustrated with myself. "That's a really hard class though" he says trying to make me feel a bit better.

"But you're a freshman and you're doing even better than I am" I say, embarrassed that as a Junior I'm having to ask him to study with me and explain things to me that I don't understand, which is a lot. "I like helping you though" he says and I decide to sit up now, feeling too upset to try to relax anymore. 

"But you shouldn't have to, I should've gotten this down already, It's required for my major and I have to pass it this time or it could push back my graduation date and-" "Noona" he interrupts, catching me off guard at how he's almost scolded me with what is meant to be a term of respect. "I thought I told you not to call me that" I say feeling a bit breathless, knowing how much that term affects me. "I don't care, I just know that that's what get's you to shut up for a bit so let me just say this. You are incredibly smart and strong and I respect you so much, and it makes me sad seeing how much you beat yourself up about every little thing. Plus I hate it when you cry, but you always look so pretty when you do" he says tucking a strand of hair behind my ear making my breath hitch. 

"I- what?" I say somehow flustered by his simple words. "I said, you look so pretty when you cry Noona" he says now bringing a hand up to caress my face and brushes away a tear. He takes that time to glance down at my lips again and I notice how close he's already gotten to me and I take in a sharp breath as he leans in closer but he stops right before our lips can touch. "I won't do it if you don't want me to" he whispers, warm breath fanning my face almost ghosting his lips over mine. I take a second to think and he says in place and waits for my move but as I decide to lean in a bit he leans back. 

"Words Noona" he says in a deeper voice, laced with a hint of dominance that catches me off guard. "I want you to" I reply softly and he takes that as a green light and leans in to kiss me before I have the chance to change my mind. It's nothing rushed or forceful but it's a kiss that full of longing, a kiss that feels like it should've happened long ago. We lock our lips together for what feels like only moments and before I can start to move my lips against his he pulls away. I lean in, almost chasing his lips which leaves him smiling against mine. 

"What are you doing?" I whisper, confused as to why he's stopped. "Just checking to see how much you want this" he says and before I have a chance to answer he connects our lips again, now moving his against mine, still not forceful but a bit deeper, showing a touch of urgency to keep going. He lies back down but makes it a point to keep his hand on the nape of my neck, pulling me back down with him, giving me the option to pull away when I want to. 

He does however trail his hand down my waist past my hip and brings one of my thighs over helping me straddle him which I surprisingly go along with leaving me to be the one wanting to deepen the kiss, me the one full of longing, longing for him.          

 "Hey y/n come here!" Beomgyu calls over to me, wanting me to come see the different wood carvings they have but before I'm able to leave I feel Yeonjun taking hold of my hand, again lacing our fingers together. "What are you doing?" I question, clearly having shown interest in joining Beomgyu. "Stay with me I want to show you the stall with the little glass figurines I pointed out to you before" he says dragging me along down the path. I look over at Beomgyu with an apologetic smile and follow Yeonjun. 

"You could've just showed me afterwards" I say shaking my head at his almost possessive nature. "We were already over here" he says, making excuses for his behavior but I follow him none the less, not wanting to give him an opportunity to pout. Once we do reach the stall though I am blown away by all the cute glass animals. I walk further into the stall and give a shallow bow to the stall owner and go up to their table to take a closer look. 

"These are beautiful" I say looking over them, taking an interest in the koi fish, seeing although an inanimate object how much life and movement was breathed into it. I take a look at the price and see that it's a little out of my price range and place it back looking to opt for a smaller version which I do but instead of a koi I go with a fox. I bow thanking the stall keeper and soon make my way onto the next one with Yeonjun trailing behind me trying to catch up. 

"What took you so long?" I question watching him jog up to me. "I got stuck looking at some of the knives down there" he explains. "You could've stopped me so we could look together" I say tilting my head, confused by his actions. "No it's okay it looked like you had your eye on something else so I didn't want to interrupt you" I look down at the bag he's now carrying looking somewhat suspicious. "That's a pretty big box for a knife" I comment, narrowing my eyes at him, knowing he probably got me that koi fish, thinking I wouldn't notice. "It came with the supplies to clean it as well" he says and quickly grabs my hand and leads us further along to look at the other venders making a loop around until we reach the last stall, the one that Beomgyu had called me over to. 

"Took you long enough" he says, standing up from a nearby bench. "Yeonjun wanted to check out a few more stalls over there, sorry" I say before walking closer to the stall with Yeonjun just a step behind me still having a hold on my hand. "Oh" I hear Beomgyu say. "Huh?" I respond to his sudden voice of confusion. "Oh nothing I just remembered I was going to meet Taehyun by the food stalls. You guys want anything?" he asks making eye contact with the both of us. "Nah that's okay we'll go later" Yeonjun answers for the both of us which I decide to go along with. "Alright" he says making an interesting face at Yeonjun before scurrying off to meet up with Taehyun. 

"You've been acting weird with all of the guys today" I say turning to face him fully. "What do you mean?" he questions still watching Beomgyu to almost make sure that he's actually leaving. "I mean you've been trying to keep me away from them all day. I have hardly spoken a word to any of them" I say waiting for an explanation. "You wanna know why?" he says making purposeful eye contact with me to which I just nod my head and keep that same eye contact but suddenly for a different reason. He leans down a bit and brings his face closer to mine like he had done a few days ago in my room and I feel like all the air has been sucked out of my lungs. 

"Because this was supposed to be a date before you invited everyone else to come" he whispers, glancing down at my lips for only a second before bringing them back to my eyes, regaining that shared stare. "Oh..." I trail off, now realizing why he reacted the way that he did that day. "Yeah, so you're gonna stick by me Noona because I don't want you to go around flirting with them right in front of me anymore" he says now coming in closer and nudging his nose against mine, not really kissing me but close enough to be able to. "I don't flirt with them" I say scrunching my eyebrows at him in defense. 

"Sure, let's say that" he says and places a quick kiss on my lips that's gone before I can even register it, leaving me having to rush after him as he walks away so I don't get lost. "We're not dating you know" I say pouting when I reach him. "I know" he says and continues to make his way towards the food stalls. "So you can't keep kissing me like we are" I say confused as to why I should have to explain it to him then. "It's practice" he says plainly. "Practice for what?" I say even more puzzled. 

"For when I ask you to be my girlfriend" he says and runs away now really making me run after him. "Choi Yeonjun get back here" and all that can be heard is his mischievous laughter and for some reason I can't help but laugh right along with him, nervous for when that day might come. 

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[thehauntedinfirmary]

Fic Rec Friday Edition 32

Welcome to Fic Rec Friday! With this series, we're aiming to make a contribution to fic reading and engagement within the Shyan fandom by publishing a periodic recs list containing fics selected by our members. So sit back with a tasty beverage of your choice and welcome in the weekend with this week's selection - and feel free to like and reblog this post to spread the word!

Light My Way by breathtaken Complete | 31k words

He remembers Ryan in his body, Ryan in his head, and he doesn’t know any spells to help him get over that.

open all your doors by apologeticallybourgeois Complete | 8k words

Shane was almost sure that Ryan didn’t actually cast a spell for it to happen, if only because the price he’d have to pay would probably be counted in, like, human limbs instead of a couple of small animals.

The Genius of the Western River by Siria Complete | 14k words

Shane’s totally working on being flippant about all those times he joked about Ryan’s godlike physique, never suspecting how true those jokes might be—the two of them just have to defeat a supernatural serial killer first. (A Rivers of London fusion AU.)

Your Heart Inside of Mine by MiraclesofPaul Complete | 51k words

They're placed into the Witness Protection Program after a bomb was found on the set of Unsolved. The only way to stick together is to lie and say they’re engaged. Years go by. Things change. Things transform.

Dancing With A Stranger by breathtaken WIP | 20k words

“I find myself in need of a private investigator.” Ryan almost laughs. If their positions were reversed, he doesn’t think he would have come here if Shane were the last private investigator in Los Angeles.

waiting for the sunlight by sarcasticfishes Complete | 18k words

Sara had always known, growing up as both an only child and a princess, that she would likely not marry for love.

accidentally, the whole thing by Matriaya Complete | 5k words

Shane knows it’s illogical, that there are twenty thousand other explanations for the noise Ryan made and the way the sound of shifting fabric is now issuing out of his phone’s speaker. He sucks in a breath as he tries to parse what to do next, but it evaporates in his lungs when he hears it. His own name. “Shane.”

it was all by design (cause i’m a mastermind) by Anonymous Complete | 7k words

His connection with Shane is something he can’t ignore or deny, which only means one thing: Ryan has to go out of his way to make this guy a permanent part of his life.

My Heart's a Honeytone by Anonymous Complete | 7k words

Shane is in quite the predicament. Upon consulting new evidence, it turns out that ghosts are totally real. Also, he was in a devastating car accident and never told Ryan how he feels and now it's too late, but holy shit, ghosts are real. He's gotta at least find a way to tell Ryan that.

Want to learn more about The Haunted Infirmary? Check out our pinned post!

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

Who Made Me a Villain (6)

[Masterlist] [Ao3]

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)(Part 5) This is a Halloween special as a treat. ------

Clark Kent, a mild mannered reporter, was drinking his coffee. Just like any other average Joe while editing Lois Lane’s latest scoop so there were no spelling mistakes and grammar errors.

Then, his super hearing picked up Lois’s heartbeat speedup. There was an ear-piercing scream that had him jumping out of his seat.

“Woah, Kent, what’s wrong?” A concerned colleague asked.

“Indigestion. Bathroom. Real quick.” Clark threw out the first excuse that came to mind before speeding down to the nearest bathroom. Being careful to keep it to human speed.

He had just finished changing into Superman when his phone rang, the caller ID showing Lois’s name.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Superman demanded.

“Name’s Rebel. And don’t worry your darling, I need her alive to do something I want.”

The voice sounded young and female. Superman went through his mental list of supervillains, trying to figure out who took Lois.

“Rebel…” Superman repeated, trying to put a face to the name. Then, he remembered Batman grumbling about Robin sending a picture of him covered in neon green paint and feathers to the Young Justice unofficial group chat who all were happy to show their mentors. It took everything for Superman not to burst out laughing when Kon had shown him the picture. The one responsible for Batman’s misfortune had been no other than Rebel.

“Aren’t you supposed to be Gotham, Rebel?” Superman asked as he flew towards where he knew Lois was.

“Ah. So the great Captain America has heard of me.”

Superman stopped in mid-air, purely due to confusion because Rebel sounded so confident that it was his name.

“Excuse me what?”

The French accent didn’t really help but make Clark think of those terrible Hollywood bad guys.

“You are excused. As I was saying, Captain, your beloved love is fine. I just need her to do this one little thing for me. Then, she’ll be free to go.”

“What do you want from me?” Superman asked again.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Captain America, the world does not revolve around you. You aren’t the high and mighty god everyone thinks you are. I just need Mrs. Lane’s help in releasing a certain truth.”

“You will let her go right now!” Superman said.

He was narrowing on his wife’s location.

“I just told you that I will do that after I am done.” Rebel replied.

Superman arrived at the location but,

“This can’t be right.”

Rebel giggled over the phone. “Plot twist! Gotta love them.”

Superman was currently floating above Stryker's Island Penitentiary where the worst offenders of Metropolis were kept.

He scanned the buildings but couldn’t locate Lois.

“What did you do to her?”

“Chill, Captain. She’s fine. I just did something so you went after a fake heartbeat while I hid Lois.”

The fact that she tricked him using a complicated method that sounded like something Bruce would come up with had Superman raising his guard up. She was not an opponent to be underestimated.

“I am not going to repeat myself. What did you do to her?”

“Urgh. Can’t you overlook this little thing just this once?” Rebel complained, not concerned about the fact that she was provoking a man who could bend metal like it was rubber. “I am just stealing her for a few hours and then you can have her back. I even swear that she will be in the condition you last saw her in.”

“No. Give Lois back. Now.”

Rebel huffed. “You aren’t going to make this easy, huh? Then… beep.”

Superman was confused for a second when she made that sound with her voice.

Then, an explosion rocked the island below Superman. Instantly, the place was swarming with freed prisoners and guards trying to put them back.

“That should keep you busy. After all, the people of Metropolis need to be kept safe from the vicious criminals. Lois and I would probably be done with our girls’ day out by the time you are done. Au revoir.”

The phone hung up.

Trapped between the decision to save his wife and his city, Superman went to save the day.

—

“Man, your husband was a pain to deal with.” Rebel said after she hung up on Superman.

She turned back to Lois who was sitting unbound on a sofa with her recorder, notepad and pencil out. In front of her was a delicious spread of cakes, pastries and cookies with a mouth-watering scent which Lois tried her best to ignore.

“You kidnapped me and blew up a prison. I don’t think he would be happy to see you.” Lois pointed out. “This isn’t about him.” Rebel dismissed. “This is about you, helping me expose one of the biggest cover ups in history.”

“What makes you think I would help you?”

“What if I told you that four years ago. There was a supervillain in Paris that used negative emotions to turn people into monsters and the mayor had made sure news of it never got out.”

Lois snorted. “I don’t write fantasy, kid. I only write the truth.”

Rebel slapped down a bunch of newspapers dated from four years ago to the most recent one and a lot of documents.

“Here’s evidence. I promise that they aren’t faked. You can even use your phone to search all of this up if you still don’t believe me.”

Lois grabbed the one that was oldest and the front page talked about some stone golems wrecking the city. She read through it. Then, she looked at another paper dated a week later and read the front page talking about evil butterflies.

Fifteen minutes later and some google searches, Lois put down her phone and the newspapers.

She gave Rebel a professional smile. “Now… about that scoop you were going to give me.”

She watched Rebel’s eyes lit up.

—

Hours later…

Superman landed on the roof of the Daily Planet where Lois stood safe and sound. He scanned her with his x-ray vision and felt relieved to see that she was fine.

“Lois, are you okay?” Clark asked with worry as he hugged her.

“I’m fine. Honestly, it was the best kidnapping I've ever been in.” Lois replied, hugging back.

“Thanks for the compliment, Ms. Lane.” The unwanted spectator to their reunion said.

Rebel cheerfully waved from where she was on her bike as Superman glared at her.

“I am going to-”

“That’s my cue to leave.” Rebel cut off his threat as she took out a lead box. “Really lucky I stole this off the Big Bat the other day.”

Superman immediately backed away when the box was opened, revealing a glowing green rock.

“Bye, Captain America.”

Rebel tossed it onto the ground and sped off on her bike.

It took a moment for Superman to remember that they were on a roof and that Rebel was insane.

He watched Rebel drop down as gravity took hold. Superman immediately flew after her, only to find that she had disappeared in between the seconds his eyes were off her.

His brain finally caught up and Superman realised that he wasn’t feeling any effect of Kryptonite.

He turned around to see that the box was still open. Cautiously, Lois picked it up and closed it.

“You okay, Clark?” She asked.

“Can you give me the box, Lois?”

She nodded with confusion and slowly handed it over.

Clark slowly opened the lead box and laughed in disbelief. Inside was just some clear plastic crystals with a glowing green light underneath.

—

“Batman.”

“Superman.” Batman nodded in acknowledgement. “Why are you here?”

“I need you to run some tests on Lois’s blood. She had a run in with one of your Rogues. She said that she feels fine. But I want to be sure.” Superman answered. He handed Batman the vial of blood. He accepted it and put it in his pocket.

“I will do that as soon as I get back to the Cave. Who was it that she encountered?”

“Rebel.”

Batman stiffened at the mention of her name. “I see. What did she do to Lois?”

“Gave an interview I suppose. Lois was immediately on research binge about something that happened in France afterwards. She also had a few of the food Rebel laid out because she was hungry and I quote ‘they were the most delicious pastries ever’. She insisted that she was fine but I wanted to be sure.”

Batman’s frown deepened at that answer.

“Is something wrong?” Superman asked anxiously. This was the mother of his child and the love of his life that was in danger here.

“Lois is most probably fine but I will still run the test to ease your mind. I know Rebel won’t do something to the food unless it was for a prank. Even then, it’s nothing toxic or lethal.” Batman answered.

The answer didn’t reassure Superman.

“She blew up Stryker's Island, Batman.”

He couldn’t understand why Batman seemed so unbothered that such a dangerous villain was running around freely and causing chaos wherever she went.

“She regularly does it to Arkham.”

“Bruce. She lured me into a trap with a fake heartbeat of Lois. She fooled me into thinking she had kryptonite. She rode off the roof of the Daily Planet on her bike and disappeared into thin air. And Rao knows why she keeps calling me Captain America!” Superman ranted.

He took a deep breath to calm down before asking his question. “Rebel is clearly dangerous so why aren’t you taking her as a serious threat?”

Batman stared at him. Clark knew that this was his decision making face.

“You said that Lois was looking into something that happened in France.”

Superman nodded. “Yeah. Is Rebel related to it?”

Batman sighed. It was filled with regret and shame.

Superman knew that this was not good news.

“I was going to bring this up at the next League meeting but Rebel appeared to be getting impatient.” Batman started.

“What happened in France?”

“We, as the League, had made a huge oversight. There was a major problem in Paris for many years. A villain who could turn people into monsters had the city hostage. Rebel intends on making sure that we rectify our mistake.” Batman started.

He told Superman everything. About how Rebel brought the issue to his attention. What her plans were. Her past.

“Bruce, are you sure? She could be lying.” Superman said.

“I did my research. It’s all true. There is too much evidence to be faked. Some parts are still being investigated but it is largely the truth.”

Superman looked solemn. He couldn’t understand how something like this never fell on his radar. Batman had to rely on reports and technology to get his information. He was just a man after all. It would be easy for something like this to slip past his radar, especially how tightly controlled the information was.

Clark had super-hearing and this news about Paris had completely blindsided him.

“How could we have missed something so big for so long?” He muttered.

“Too many factors prevented news about it from reaching us. The past is done. What we can do is prepare so nothing like won’t ever happen again.” Batman said firmly.

Superman agreed. They had to do better.

“First, we have to catch a moth.”

It wasn’t the threat of Rebel unleashing her plans on the world that had him motivated to capture Hawkmoth. It was the determination to atone for his ignorance while a city suffered hell on a daily basis.

—

October 30th, Halloween Eve…

Spoiler looked through the binoculars to spy on the group of men moving a crate gently into a warehouse. Plastered in stickers that said ‘Fragile’, the crate was an object of interest for the vigilantes. 

“I got eyes on the target, O.” Spoiler reported. “They are moving it into warehouse number 32. East side of the Gotham Docks.”

“Hear that, Robin?” Oracle asked.

“Got it.” Robin replied as he ran towards the location.

“Oh. I see you, Robin.” Spoiler said.

“Eyes on the target, Spoiler.” Oracle admonished her.

“Sorry, O.”

“Hey. Can you tell me what you Bats are doing here?” A mechanical voice came from Spoiler’s left. 

It was lucky that Spoiler didn’t immediately scream and instead tried to punch the new arrival. He caught her attack easily with his one hand.

“Red Hood.” Spoiler greeted once she recognised who it was.

“I am asking again. What are you Bats doing here?”

“Spoiler, you okay?” Robin’s worried voice came over the comms.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just Red Hood.” Spoiler replied.

Looking back at Red Hood, she said, “I will tell you if you tell me what you are doing here.”

“I think we are both after the same thing.” Red Hood said, tilting his head in the direction of the warehouse.

“Black Mask’s mysterious package.” Spoiler nodded.

“It’s actually Rebel’s.” Red Hood explained. “Black Mask’s men intercepted the delivery and she asked for my help to get it back.”

“Do you know what’s inside?”

“She said it was supposed to be a fun Halloween surprise.”

“So it’s harmless.”

Red Hood shrugged. “All I know is that I should not be within a mile of it when the clock strikes midnight tonight.”

“We have five hours then.” Oracle’s voice came through Spoiler’s comms and inside Red Hood’s helmet.

“Jesus, don’t just hack into people’s helmets.” Jason complained.

“Well, we don’t have extra comms on hand.” she retorted.

“Hood, did Rebel tell you anything else about the package?” Robin asked.

“Just that it’s set to be unleashed the minute it is Halloween. Oh and don’t open it. I think it’s some kind of special bomb.”

“You didn’t ask?” “It’s Rebel. What harm can she do? It’s probably some kind of high quality glitter bomb.” Red Hood replied casually.

“You have no idea how destructive she has gotten lately.” Oracle said. “Last month, she blew up Stryker's Island. That was after she had kidnapped Lois.”

“Is she trying to go after Superman?”

“She wanted Lois to spread her ‘take down Hawkmoth’ agenda.”

“Hawkmoth? Never heard of him. Who the hell is that?” Red Hood asked.

“Rebel’s personal vendetta.” Spoiler answered.

“Sorry to cut this short, guys but Black Mask is coming.” Robin said. “We can fill you in on what happened later”

“Truce?” Red Hood offered. “I still owe Roman a beating.”

“No killing, Hood.” Oracle set as her condition.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Red Hood loaded his guns and jumped into the fray with Spoiler in her purple glory following.

—

“Crap.”

Robin spotted Black Mask running into the warehouse. He slammed the goon he was fighting against the ground as hard as he could. 

“Somebody go and stop Black Mask! He’s going into the warehouse.” Robin said to everyone before he picked up his dropped staff and went back to fighting.

They were outnumbered and a few of the goons were trained from what Robin could tell.

“Oracle, what’s the ETA on back up?”

“Hang in there, Robin. Batman and Batgirl’s ETA is under one minute.”

“Good. Let’s hope that someone can stop Black Mask before we find out what Rebel’s Pandora box holds.”

—

Red Hood ran towards the warehouse as soon as he heard the report from Robin.

He had a score to settle with the other crime lord.

“Sionis, where are you?” Red Hood bellowed into the warehouse.

His helmet picked up the sound of someone running and Red Hood sprinted in the direction of the sound.

It became a chase and a gunfight with the two crime lords exchanging gunfire and one trying to lose the other in the maze that was the warehouse. Black Mask used every trick he had to throw Red Hood off his track.

However, it was fruitless as Red Hood continued to chase him like a bloodhound.

As desperation seized him, Black Mask picked up a crowbar that was lying around and ran towards the box he had stolen from that upstart Rebel.

Rumour has it that it is a weapon she had made for the Bats. Intended to drive them mad.

Red Hood rounded around the corner, just in time to see Black Mask pry the box open.

“NO!”

The lid was off. 

—

Last Month in Metropolis. A day before Lois’s kidnapping…

A young woman sauntered through the hallways of Stryker's Island Penitentiary. Then, she stopped in front of the cell she was looking for.

“Hello, Toyman.”

“Rebel.” Toyman greeted back. “What a pleasure to see you again.”

“I would like to contract you to make a few things for me.” Rebel went straight to the point.

Toyman gave her an interested look. “What would be in it for me?”

“Would getting you out of this place give me a discount?” Rebel asked.

Toyman smiled. “I suppose that might be possible. I’m a generous man after all. But that still doesn’t answer what you want me to make.”

Rebel chuckled. “It’s September. It’s practically nearly Halloween. And I really really want to make it a memorable one. Especially for the heroes in my city. I would like to commission a few toys. Here’s a list.”

She handed it to him.

Toyman hummed as he read it over. This could be a good deal. He would get his freedom and just make a few dolls with a bit of profit.

“How many would you like to make?”

“As much as you can before the deadline which is a few days before Halloween. Say the twenty-eight? Would that be possible? I would pay a set price for each one you can finish.” Rebel said.

“Can you back it up? I am not saying that you are not trustworthy but...” Toyman didn’t manage to finish before Rebel took out a wad of cash, all in hundred dollar bills.

She took half of it and handed it to Toyman through the bars.

“This is for the materials. Once I get you out of here, we are going to make a legal contract to discuss the finer details.”

“It is going to be an honour to work with you.” Toyman said.

Rebel grinned under her mask. “It’s nice doing business with you, Toyman.”

“So when do I get started?”

“Tomorrow afternoon-ish. That’s when something would happen and you escape in the chaos.” 

“How would I know it happened?”

“You will know. And try not to get caught by the guy who wears the ‘S’. A second breakout might not be easy to plan.”

After she left, Toyman felt giddy at the taste of freedom and to make so many new toys.

—

“WHAT?!”

Black Mask reached into the box and took its content out.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?” Black Mask said in angry disbelief as he held a doll in his hands.

Red Hood took that opportunity to tackle the man and handcuff him.

In his curiosity, Red Hood glanced into the box and saw that the box just contained dolls.

There was your typical Raggedy Ann, clowns, ventriloquist dummies, string puppets, those collector’s dolls with the pretty frilled dresses, a few Barbie dolls and some plushies that resembled some of the Bat vigilantes.

“Hood. Come in, Hood.” Batman’s voice came from his comms.

“Cool your jets, Batman. I got Black Mask. He managed to open the box but it’s just dolls inside. Rebel probably tried to scare us into not opening the box because they’re for a prank and it would ruin the surprise.”

“Good to hear.” Batman said with a hint of relief.

—

Tim curiously picked up the Robin plushie and inspected it.

The Bats had taken the box of dolls with them to the Batcave to later give back to Rebel.

“The quality is so good. The details are amazing and so accurate. Wonder who made it.” Tim wondered curiously before he discovered initials stitched in the inner lining of the cape of the toy.

“W.S.J” Tim read out as he traced the letters. There was a niggling thought at the back of his head that he should look into who the mysterious toymaker was.

Meanwhile, Steph was tentatively holding the Raggedy Ann doll and telling Jason about the true story behind the Annabelle movies.

“Did you know that the real Annabelle doesn’t actually look like the doll in the movies?” Steph said as she held up the Raggedy Ann to Jason, “It was actually a Raggedy Ann doll that looked just like this one.”

Jason frowned as he gave the doll a slightly wary look. “It doesn’t look creepy at all.”

“That’s what makes it so unsettling. Something innocent hiding its sinister nature.” Steph explained.

Damain frowned as he picked up one of the collector’s dolls. “I don’t see what is creepy about some toys.”

“It’s the terror of something that should be lifeless moving around. Something that should be harmless becomes something dangerous.” Jason mused.

“But why dolls? I don’t think a piece of porcelain dressed in lace could scare anyone. I would be sc…alarmed if Father’s dinosaur came to life but not these.” Damian said as he held up one of the dolls.

“You should try watching some horror movies.” Jason told Damian.

Cass picked up a ballerina string puppet she had found and showed it to Bruce with a questioning look.

“It’s a string puppet. Have you seen Pinocchio yet?”

“No.” Cass replied as she shook her head.

“Remind me at our next movie night. So the strings make the puppet move. Here look.” Bruce took the puppet from Cass and expertly manipulated the strings so the ballerina waved and walked a bit before breaking out a few ballet moves. Cass clapped with wonder at the end of his performance.

“Teach me?” Cass asked.

“Sure.” Bruce promised.

Next, Cass took out the ventriloquist dummy and inspected it.

“Scarface?” She asked.

“Yes. It’s a ventriloquist dummy just like Scarface. How it works is that the ventriloquist holds the dummy and throws his voice so it looks like it is the dummy that’s talking instead of the ventriloquist.”

“Show me.”

Bruce obliged as he slipped his hand into the dummy and the dummy started to move its mouth.

“Hello, Cass, nice to meet you.” said the Dummy as it held out its hand.

Cass shook its hand. “Hello.”

She asked Bruce, “Can I try?”

“Of course.” Bruce said as he gave her back the dummy.

Cass breathed in and out a few times and then raised the dummy up.

“Hello. Nice to meet you.” Cass’s voice came from the dummy this time.

Bruce smiled as he ruffled her hair. “You’re good at this.”

“Thank you.” said the Dummy.

“If you are all done playing, it’s time you all went to bed.” Alfred said as he brought in his famous after patrol snacks; cucumber sandwiches. “After a shower.”

Jason put the Raggedy Ann doll back into the box.

“Well, it’s late and I need to get back home.” Jason said as he walked towards his bike.

“You can stay the night, Master Jason.” Alfred said. “I have taken the liberty of cleaning your room.”

“Thank you, Alfred but…” Jason trailed off, not knowing how to convey that he didn’t want to stay in the Manor despite his truce tonight with Bruce but also not wanting to offend the butler/grandfather-figure.

“I understand, Master Jason. Perhaps another time.” Alfred said in his wise way.

“Thank you, Alfred.” This time, there was a look of gratitude in Jason’s eyes.

—-

The morning after was a busy and bustling day but there was something not right in the Wayne Manor.

Tim woke up from having fallen asleep while working on trying to find the maker of the dolls. His laptop had turned itself off sometime during the night. He stretched and yawned.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he spied the Robin plushie sitting on his bed.

“That’s strange. I could have sworn that I left you in the box last night.” Tim said, scratching his head. He picked the plushie up and examined it again in the morning light.

It was more accurate than Tim had initially found. In fact, it was like it was an exact likeness of him. Which was a very scary thought. He wondered how Toyman knew that he had a mole on his arm near his elbow and the birthmark on the side of his hips. Tim theorised that Rebel must be a very good stalker.

He put the plushie back on bed and headed down for breakfast. Tim didn’t see the plushie morphed its uniform into the outfit that Tim was wearing.

—-

Tim walked down to the kitchen and sat down.

He thanked Alfred who set down a delicious plate of pancakes in front of him.

“Morning, Steph.” Tim said to the blonde who was dressed in a purple cowgirl outfit and a white Stetson hat.

“Morning, Tim.”

“Who are you supposed to be anyways?” He asked.

“Barbie but with the Stephanie twist.” She replied.

“Ah. Gotcha.” Tim said after he finished his mouthful of pancake. “You look so realistic by the way.”

Bruce entered the kitchen and sat down with a groan, his hand massaging his neck.

“You okay, B?” “Just feeling a bit stiff. I’m not as young as I used to be.” Bruce replied with a grimace.

Slowly, the other occupants of the house trickled in and the kitchen was filled with the Waynes and Steph dug into their breakfast.

Dick came all the way from Bludhaven to help out on what is annually one of the worst nights of the year in Gotham. At least one Rouge would have plans for Halloween.

To break this peaceful moment would be one Jason Tood who angrily stomped into the kitchen, clutching a Raggedy Ann doll.

“Didn’t we agree on leaving me alone? That includes not finding out where my safehouses are.” Jason said.

He held up the doll and asked, “Which one of you left this at my place this morning as a prank?”

Several confused faces stared back at him.

“Was it you?” Jason pointed at Steph and demanded.

She put her hands up in surrender. “It wasn’t me. I was busy studying for the test I have today. Ask Bruce. He can tell you that he helped me with flashcards.”

“Then, was it you, Tim?”

Tim blinked at Jason. His mind took a few seconds to answer because Tim was not a morning person.

He shook his head.

“No. I was looking into who made these dolls.” Tim answered.

“Why?”

“The dolls all have the initial W.S.J. and they were all incredibly detailed. I also wanted to know why Rebel would need them. The maker turned out to be no one other than…” Tim dramatically paused: “Toyman.”

“Suddenly, I feel like we should have burned that box when we could.” Steph said to break the silence.

They should have.

—

“So how bad is it?” Dick asked Zatanna, anxious about what curse had befallen his family.

They had gone down to the Batcave to get rid of the box. Only to find it empty. It led to hours of searching for them. Except Tim never came back from his room to retrieve the Robin plushie.

Dick went to check on Tim only to find that he had turned into the plushie.

Imagine finding your brother missing and suddenly the mini plushie replica of your brother started moving and talking. It immediately went onto the top ten weirdest and scariest list of things Dick had experienced.

Then, the next to go was Steph who slowly became plastic. Her face was stuck in a smile while her skin hardened into shiny plastic. She was in class when it happened and they had to go pick her up.

Cass found the dummy but it got attached to her hand and started to speak on its own in Cass’s voice. Cass herself was unable to utter a word.

The stiffness that Bruce had complained about was the fact that he was slowly turning into wood and almost invisible strings controlling his every move.

The final terror was the Raggedy Ann doll that suddenly gained life and proceeded to hunt Jason down for sport. No matter how far Jason managed to get away from the doll and Dick’s best efforts to keep the doll contained, it still managed to escape to go after Jason.

Somehow, Dick, Alfred and Damian were the only ones unaffected by the ‘curse’. They managed to figure out why when Babara told them that Black Mask and his men were attacked by the missing dolls and some of them were experiencing the same things as the Bats and about Jason’s warning from Rebel before everything went down.

Desperate, Dick asked Superman to track down Toyman and asked him how to reverse the effect only to find out that he only made the dolls. The curse was someone else's doing. 

Which was why they had called Zatanna to see if she could reverse it.

“Well, there’s the good news and the bad news.” she announced. “Good news is that it is reversible and the curse only lasts for a day. I recommend to just wait it out because the reversing would take longer than the deadline. The curse is too complicated to simply undo.”

“So that’s the bad news?” “No. The bad news is that I recognised a bit of the spellwork. It is a bit similar to how my father would do it so chances are that whoever did this is a student of my father. The thing is I know most of my father’s students and what is bad is that I don’t recognise the magical signature of who put this curse on the dolls.”

Puppet Bruce jerked his head at the information that Zatanna had given them. Dick noticed.

“B?”

“Paris.” Bruce managed to get past with his wooden lips.

“Paris? Are you talking about the Miraculous?”

“Hero.”

“Wait, you think one of the Miraculous heroes is involved in this?”

Zatanna gasped. “I remember Batman telling me that Ladybug was a student of my father. I looked into his old journals and he mentioned a student named Marinette during his stay in Paris.”

“Marinette. Marinette. Why does it sound so familiar?” Dick tried to recall where he had heard that name before.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” Damian answered for him. “It’s Rebel’s legal name.”

Just like that, pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

“Rebel used to be Ladybug.”

The revelation felt bitter on Dick’s tongue. He had seen the videos of Ladybug in action. He would say that she was inexperienced but she was compassionate and willing to lend a hand to anyone in need. He thought that it was nice of her to forgive her enemy instead of causing pain on the man who had caused her so much grief.

He couldn’t believe he saw the similarities between the two girls sooner.

Rebel was cunning and sharp enough to always stay a step ahead of them. Her planning and paranoia on par with the Batman himself. Useful skills to have as a hero.

Then again, Rebel couldn’t be more different from Ladybug. She was more cynical and petty. Rebel caused chaos wherever she goes instead of cleaning up the mess. She saw everything as a game and never took anything seriously. 

Dick wondered what it was that pushed Rebel over the edge. The line drawn between heroism and villainy. Then he remembered how Rebel was sent to Gotham in the first place.

“Damn. Rebel has really good valid reason to fuck that Hawkmoth guy up.” Jason said. “In fact, I am surprised she hasn’t razed Paris to ashes yet.”

“Can you imagine?” Zatanna said, having been briefed a bit on the Paris situation and had heard about Rebel’s kidnapping of Lois, “The city you gave so much to save, branding you as a criminal and sending you to one of the worst places on Earth.”

“People have turned to crime for less.” Damian pointed out.

“But Rebel used to be a hero. One of us essentially. It’s just sad that we had to meet her as people on opposite sides.” Dick said.

“It only shows her lack of will.” Damian said.

“I think Rebel had reached her breaking point and honestly, I might too if I face it all alone like she did.”

The Cave was in a sombre silence for the hero that once was Ladybug. Dick remembered something Bruce once said about Two-Face and Harvey Dent.

‘You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.’

—

The next day, just as Zatanna said, the spell wore off and everyone was human again and able to freely talk again. Other than some nightmares about the experience for a month or so, they were fine.

The Batfamily had a meeting about the new revelation that they had discovered last night.

“Bruce, tell us the truth. Did you know from the beginning?” Tim asked. “I only had suspicions but Zatanna confirmed them with her father’s journal.” Bruce answered. “This changes nothing.”

“It does, Bruce. You failed another young hero.” Jason said, his tone sharp and accusing. “Not even one of the ‘sidekicks’. You turned your back on the One Main Hero who had been there since the beginning and saw through it to the end. She didn’t get the happy ending she deserved. Instead, she was rewarded for her sacrifices by being sent to fucking Arkam Asylum in one of the most dangerous city in the world.”

“Todd, stop projecting. The way I see it, Rebel had seen the errors of her way and intended to fix her mistake regarding Hawkmoth. She should have locked him up when she had her chance.” Damian shot back.

“Boys, settle down. The fact of the matter is that whether Rebel used to be Ladybug or not, Hawkmoth needs to be arrested before Rebel does something more sinister than what she did yesterday.”

“Wasn’t it an accident?” Steph asked.

“According to Toyman, we had always been the intended recipients of that particular gift.” Dick answered. “It was dumb luck that Black Mask opened it while most of you were in the area.”

“After this latest incident, the League and I have decided that Rebel must be contained.” Bruce announced.

Jason jumped out of his seat. “Bruce, she’s just a kid!”

“But she’s a formidable threat. Who knows what else she might do if she is left unchecked and she doesn’t like the progress on the Hawkmoth investigation.”

Jason growled and then left.

Bruce told everyone that they should catch Rebel if they saw her before he ended the meeting.

—

Rebel stood in front of a half-finished mural, a spray can in hand.

“So we finally met, my dear daughter.” The voice belonged to the man who starred in Gotham’s nightmare.

Rebel didn’t bother to turn around and simply looked at him from over her shoulder.

“Which one are you?” She asked.

“I’m sorry?”

Rebel went back to spray-painting as she explained, “I know that there are at least three of you running around Gotham. I want to know which one you are.”

Joker laughed. A genuine laugh instead of the mad one he usually makes.

“You really do live up to your reputation, Rebel. I can tell that you are a real wildcard.” Joker said excitedly.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Very well then. I am the Joker. The original one. Not the copycats I made because I was bored. And Rebel, I am your father.”

----- (Part 7)

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