#A dozen roses (twist scenario)

[universaln0b0dy]

A dozen Roses. (Some Twist housewardens) x reader)

《Characters》 Riddle, Vil, Azul, Leona and Malleus

《Summary》: You and him had a fight. For whatever reason and the other would only be forgiven if they would be brought a dozen Roses, handpicked. Though it was only said out of anger the next week they hold said roses.

《Note》: established relationship. Also some parts will be cringe and sappy!

Riddle Rosehearts:

Riddle and you had fought about something stupid and he felt horrible. He was annoyed at the fact that you had again broken rule and even came late to the five last dates. You slightly snarky: "Well calm down it's not that bad." You had muttered had thrown him over the edge. The fight became even bigger ending with you yelling:

"MAYBE IF YOU GOT THAT STICK OUT OF YOU A-- YOU WOULD BE A GOOD PERSON!" Before you had slapped your hand over your mouth. He could see it in your eyes, you were so terribly sorry, but he was so angry at you.

"GET OUT AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT COMING BACK WITHOUT A PROPER APOLOGY WITH A DOZEN HAND PICKED ROSES!" He had yelled the out watching your face go from shocked to... sad. Tears were in your eyes and you had run out of the room, leaving Riddle with an incredible guilt.

He was feeling incredibly horrible for the whole week, collaring students left and right while nervously fidgeting. He was scared of the fact he might had lost you forever, simply because he wasn't able to control his anger.

You had also felt terrible. Crowley had been giving you more work than usual, causing you to neglect your boyfriend and on top of that you even managed to dump all of your anger on him. You felt so bad and the fact you saw collared Heartslabyul students everywhere made it seem like Riddle was still incredibly angry.

You think about what to do for 5 days, before you remember what he had said right before you left and an idea forms in your head...

Riddle sighs, it's been a whole week since you talked to him and he was truly anxious. His anger and snapping on the other students being the only thing keeping him from going insane.

Until you hold a bouquet of exactly a dozen roses in front of him, your hands covered in small cuts from the thorns. You head hung to the side.

You bite your lip slowly chewing on it before you look at Riddle. "I apologise for letting my anger out on you. I was really behaving like a prick that day..." before you can say anything else Riddle does something very out of character for himself. He hugs you, starting to sob slightly.

You were really taken aback by this. You thought he would slap the roses out of your hand out of anger but maybe he was just as scared of having ruined the relationship as you were....

Leona Kingscholar:

Leona felt like the shittiest person alive and that was rare, like really rare. But your tear stained face after he and you had a fight about his lazy behaviour something moved in him. You said that you didn't want to see him again unless he would be willing to bring you a dozen handpicked roses.

He sighed, it had already been almost a week and you hadn't talked to him and for the first time in his life, he actually took his time to reflect on his actions, unlike his usual demeanor of just sleeping his problems and insecurities away.

He sighs sitting up, realising he wasn't able to sleep. He walked around, before noticing a rose bush with the most prettiest red roses in the world. He remembered that you only wanted to see him again if he brought you a dozen of them. How hard could that be? It's just a few Roses!

You on the other hand were the spending the whole week thinking about how you might have managed to break whatever relationship you had with Leona, spending your time chewing on your nails.

Were you to harsh on the lion? You didn't know. Maybe you shouldn't have said all those things, what if he decided your relationship wasn't worth it and would break up with you if you tried talking to him?

You drowned in guilt in doubt, nothing not even the help of your friends being able to cheer you up.

This goes that way for the whole week, until Leona stands in front of you holding a bouquet of exactly a dozen roses in his hands, wich look slightly pricked. You look at the bouquet in confusion.

"Leona? Why-" He shushes you with a slight smile. "You said I shouldn't show my face unless I would be willing to also do stuff for you, like picking a dozen roses." He looks at you sighing.

"I am really sorry herbivore, your right i should maybe show a bit more care for our relationship." This time you shush him by giving him a quick kiss on the lips and softly prying the flowers from his grip, careful not to prick your hand on the thorns before you look at him.

"We can work together to make sure that you get more active!" You giggle slightly and Leona softly wraps his tail around your waist. "And we work on your confidence, don't think I didn't notice!" He says nuzzling his cheek on yours.

Azul Ashengrotto:

Azul feared he scared you away. You had been trying to get his attention of as late and he was nothing but cold to you. Maybe this was the reason you snapped and he had the nerve to snap back at you. Maybe that caused you to finally yell what you had thought of him this whole time. "WELL YOU ARE JUST AN INSECURE OCTOPUS!" And he was so hurt he yelled that you should get out.

Anxiously walking around Azul looked around fumbling with his hat. He hadn't seen you for a week and he wanted nothing more to than to crawl into his octo pot and cry. But he had a facade to keep up, at least for now.

Maybe you had told him the truth about what you thought about him, that you only thought ov him as a insecure person. He didn't like that, it was like an arrow pierced right through his heart, the worst kind of betrayal always came from those close to you.

You on the other hand really hated yourself over this, you were just so angry at the fact he had refused to spend time with you for the last three weeks, cancelling dates last minute or just ignoring you when you asked why he didn't tell you earlier.

But what you said that day was really unacceptable. Even if you were just trying to let the anger gloss over the fact that you were scared that he maybe had gotten bored of you and didn't want to tell you.

You sigh letting your head hang low, you were really an asshole. Maybe you complaining was justified but picking on his insecurities was a no go and a good enough reason to break up with someone.

You pass a pretty rose Bush with nasty lot of thorns, but the Rose's were such a pretty shade you just needed to try something......

"I am really sorry Azul. I was very frustrated that day and let my anger out on you, that was wrong and unacceptable. I apologise for the things I have said, because they're not true! You aren't just an insecure octopus. You are a wonderful person, with a pretty smile, beautiful eyes and a personality that makes it impossible to resist you!"

Azul looks at you his glasses slightly crooked and foggy, almost as if he didn't want anyone to see just how moved he was by what you said. He spent all of his time thinking of if he had been to harsh and if he should make the first step, but it looks like you beat him to it.

"Its alright I forgive you. I should have also thought about about what you needed instead of simply neglecting you. I am sorry, how about we go on a date this week and I promise I won cancel it, I'll even sign it on a contract!

Vil Schoenheit:

Who would have thought that Vil would ever get so riled up about a fight! The way you had looked at him in sheer disappointment as he had pointed out that your clothes didn't look good, or your hair was messy. You had tried to give thought into your appearance just for Vil, but what had he done for you?

Vil sighed remembering just how often hs had turned out dates simply because he wanted to keep your relationship a secret for the sake of his reputation. You had understood and after you made it official together you accepted to look more up to what Vil said you should.

Rook comes back holding the flowers he had been told to deliver and Vil perks up. "Monsior/Mademoiselle trickster has said that they will only accept a dozen of hand picked roses, handpicked by you as an apology." Vil scoffed but at the same time he understood.

Vil decides that if a dozen of handpicked roses is what you wanted, you would get them. He walks outside of this dorm, with a strange determination on his face, that caused Epel to hide away in fear.

You on the over hand try your best to not run over to Vil and ask how he was doing. Rook should of course have delivered the massage to Vil already. You have the feeling you should talk to him, but you are tired of doing everything in this relationship.

After a week you think that he has officially given up on you and you feel like crying. Did Vil really didn't care? You scream into your pillow until you hear a loud knock. Wiping her puffy eyes you walk down the stairs and open the door, only to be greeted by a bouquet of a dozen roses.

"Hey my love..." he mutters holding the roses out to you and you feel incredibly touched. "I know I haven't been the best boyfriend I could have been and I feel incredibly sorry about that. I do love you and I am sorry I haven't been able to show you that probably, please let me make it up to you!" He asks and you swear you see a small tear in his eyes.

"Of course Vil!" You yell loudly hugging him. Vil sighed relieved burying his head in the crock of your neck and you can't help but giggle.

Malleus Draconia:

Oh dear, what had you done! You had forgotten to invite him to a small party, it was no big deal but the dragon fae was incredibly angry at you and told you that you shouldn't talk to him unless you bring him a proper apology.

You sighed asking Lilia what would be a proper apology and surprised he lifts both of his eyebrows. He didn't expect you to actually want to apologise, not like many people did that, but it warmed his heart to see you try. Enough to make sure you would stay hidden from Sebek.

Now with a new mission you decide that it's time for you to apologise properly though it would take some time to pick all the roses you needed.

A whole week passes and Malleus mood drops lower each day. It has no probably landed at the earth's core. Maybe it was because his significant other had forgotten to invite him to a party, or that they took this long to apologise, but the most significant reason might be that he felt like you would leave him.

You decide that you have now picked enough roses, exactly a dozen beautiful grand roses all hand picked just for him. Your hands had small bruises all over them but you really didn't care, you really wanted to apologise.

You enter the Diasomnia dorm, wich is surrounded by a green thunder storm. Carefully you walk after Lillia, who leads you to Malleus.

Malleus sees you entering with the roses and his mood immediately lifts up. You hold the roses up to him with a grand smile before you hand him an invitation.

"I really wanted to apologise for not having invited to the party, so I thought it was only appropriate for me to celebrate a party with you!" You exclaim holding the Rose's towards Malleus.

The dragon stands up and carefully takes the roses before taking the invitation with a grand smile.

"I accept child of man."

(Here take the fluff! Also request are open^^)

[pillow-anime-talk]

I meant nsfw 41 and hades with fem plz

Sry about that

# tags: scenario; current marriage relationship; romance; smut; goddess!reader; a bit of ooc!hades; nsfw

warnings: mention of sex, vanilla sex, sex on deck, in clothes, praise kink, body worship, wet kisses, pet names

includes: female reader ft. hades {ror}

author’s note: hades, my beloved

41. “Of course. I am yours. Only yours.”

You were in the middle of reading the fifth volume of novels written by Erato – the Greek Muse who specialized in romantic poetry. Her books were some of the best you’ve ever read; they always had the same strong effect on your mind, soul and body, causing tons of blushes, smiles, and sometimes tears of various emotions. But after a few more minutes, you put the tome down on the table next to your huge chair covered with sheepskin, then stretched your muscles with a quiet grunt. You decided to leave the enormous bedroom smelling of roses and silk, and then walked a dozen more steps to finally find yourself in your husband’s office.

The room was dim, and the only light that fell on the wall was there thanks to several candles placed on special, high metal stands. The room smelled of clean paper, pen ink and perfume your partner had used for hundreds of years. With a smile and love in your eyes, you looked at the tall god sitting in the middle of the room by the desk and then said ‘Hello’ to him. Hades just nodded with a soft smirk, and after a short second he invited you closer. You took pride of place on his massive thighs.

“What’s wrong, my Queen? Are you feeling unwell or hungry?” He asked, bringing his face closer to you, then leaned against your shoulder, inhaling the pleasant scent of floral perfume. Your presence gave the Underworld many colors, sounds and smells.

“I just missed you.” You answered honestly, pushing your back tighter into the man’s warm chest. “Is it wrong or indecent? My Lord?” You asked, turning slightly to face him. Your cheeks were rosy and your voice sounded like birds singing in the morning. There was an amused glint in your eyes, and your hands were warm and smooth. The pen that had been in the dominant hand of the King of Death hit the oak wood, and its owner brought your body much closer to his; this time Hades’s hands didn’t touch the papers but your hips. “Oh?”

You were the Goddess of Lust, Fertility and Family Harmony. So it was obvious that your dear husband always warmly received your not so obvious gestures or requests. You were extremely beautiful and incredibly intelligent; your person could easily compete in beauty with Aphrodite, Apollo or Eros.

“You always show up when I miss you the most and want you the most...” He whispered again, gently kissing your earlobe. “Are you doing this on purpose, my dearest?” He asked lightly amused, and you merely twisted your body so that you could look at the face of the God of the Netherworld in his full glory.

“I just feel your thoughts, Hades.” You replied, allowing the two of you to kiss after a short while. The touch of his hands was gentle, peaceful. Yours, on the other hand, is a bit more greedy and self-confident, so you decided to undo the buttons on his maroon shirt. Visible abdominal muscles caused another pretty blush on your nose, and you only brought your hips closer to the massive crotch. “Can we do it here?” You asked, looking out of the corner of your eye at the dark desk.

Hades would never refuse his Queen. He quickly pushed aside the documents that are worth nothing to him at the moment, and then tenderly placed your body in the middle. He pushed your legs apart in one move, placing himself between your soft thighs. Another kiss – a little harder and longer – led to your underwear being pushed to the side. After a short second, between the next dozen of kisses, your husband lowered his pants and underwear, and his wet cock touched your pussy.

“You’re mine, aren’t you?” He asked softly, touching his forehead to yours. You nodded confidently.

“Of course. I am yours. Only yours.” You replied, sighing a bit as you felt a pleasant warmth between your legs. “H-Hades.” A meek moan escaped your lips as his hips moved for the first time. Soft, yet strong and deep.

“You are perfect.” He said, catching your hips in a tight grasp one more time. “The most beautiful, the sweetest. I love your body and lips. My precious Queen.”

A lovely smile appeared on your face as Hades sped up and you wrapped your legs tighter around his waist. Light bites, firm grips on your body, deep breaths.

This moment could last forever for the two of you.

[farm-witches-fic-recs]

Farm witch friends, you have done the coven proud.

We've got so many good recs it's going to take a few weeks to share them all!

Starting with these that were recommended more than once, if you haven't spend some time with these fan favorites, you should check them out now! And leave the authors some love, of course.

========

Everyday Magic (houdini74/@mostlyinthemorning)

Each magic story is so unique, so sweet, so... D&P! 

I couldn’t pick just one of these wonderfully variable scenarios that all include just a little (or maybe a lot of) magic added to the perfect scene setting and banter. 

Favored Nations (@blueink3)

ALL OF IT! It’s my go-to when I’m feeling down, when I need to revise our boys. The characters, writing, and plot are all amazing. 

Amazing world building, very in character slow burn.

The ultimate slow burn, the perfect love story set amongst the wonders of Broadway and NYC.

It’s just so, so good!  I am a sucker for secret romance fics, and this one has that and so much more.  Add in some Shakespearean theater with a twist and just the right amount of angst and sexiness, it’s just perfect! I love it so much.  

This author knows David, Patrick, and the NY theater world inside and out. The volume and level of specificity, volume, tenderness, anxiety, and love of these characters and worlds is astounding. The characterization is so vivid, it's the easiest fic to forget isn't canon.

Fifteen hundred miles (morehuman)

I go back to this fic a lot! I just love the idea of them both challenging themselves and finding out what they are capable of.

The most incredible journey, a gift to go along with them in it.

I carry these heart-shapes only for you (@ladyflowdi and @ships-to-sail)

I love this transportative, visual feast of historic fiction. Luscious WW2 Paris is so vividly portayed and David’s wild, wealthy, LGBTIQ+out flamboyance juxtaposed to the farm-boy turned military-man Patrick is sexy and sweet. It undoes me every time. I actually first came to the piece via FairManor’s outstanding podfic. Both the text and the podfic are high art. It’s not just one of my favorite fan-fics. It’s one of my favorite stories of ALL time in any genre. I read/listen and I am at the Gaston, riding on the back of Patrick’s motorcycle, kissing in windmills, eating crepes, touring junk shops & dancing naked to 40’s blues. I’d give anything to see this as a film with Dan & Noah & cast. I want a leather bound print copy of it. Also - The epilogue is progressive, heartbreaking thoughtful genius. I’ve just finished rereading & listening to it again. Each time there are new Easter eggs to be found. Joyous. 

It's just the most beautiful piece of writing ever written. Descriptive, lyrical, hot, stunning, heartbreaking. It has everything. 

I’d swing with you for the fences (@nontoxic-writes)

Achingly sweet and fluffy all set in the perfect baseball/famous AU with secret relationship AND musician Patrick. I come back to reread this one a lot!

What isn't there to love?  Baseball, long distance relationship, sex, songs, coming out to the parents, coming out to the team, coming out to the world, excellent use of side characters....I could go on and on.  There are so many amazing fics out there, but I've read this one at least a dozen times! 

Incorrect (@lisamc-21)

You can hear David saying it, but now picture the Maldives.

A beautifully written story of our boys meeting on vacation. Their trip is so sweet and so hot, and when they say goodbye, it's heartbreaking. The twist- they are both famous in their own worlds but don’t recognize each other so don’t realize who the other has hooked up with. When their week ends, they try to maintain a long-distance friendship as they learn who the other is. What was a hot hookup becomes a slow burn, and it’s amazing!!

The Last Rose Video (@distractivate)

Gorgeous writing, the perfect mix of canon and AU, clever plot, great dialogue.  The fic I read over and over.  It’s as comforting as a warm blanket. 

Swoon. SWOON.

Strike Anywhere (@madlori)

Hot firefighters. Hot sex. Hot romance. But like in a Sandra loves Keanu sliding out of a speeding bus kind of way.

Hot hot hot!  That’s the first work. Then- the author developed a prequel that is also hot but is also funny, loving, sweet. Love fireman Patrick!

This enemies-to-lovers-to-secret-husbands story featuring Patrick Brewer as a firefighter, is deliciously tropey and blazing hot, but also it’s written with such authentic emotion and perfect banter that it keeps me coming back to read it whenever I need a mood lift. 

Such great heights (@likerealpeopledo-on-ao3)

Great story, the very best jokes, and the wedding date chapter is so good it would work as a stand alone fic. 

It's got the mother of all fake dating scenarios, and Stevie in this in among the best I've ever read her. It's also very very funny. All the times when they say Feel The Air crack me up every time!

Sustineo (@rockinhamburger)

This is a perfectly paced one-shot AU that builds a world in which David is a brilliant, stormy, reclusive artist whose whose treatment by the press (and one Sebastien Raine) has made him unwilling to engage with the world…. Until he meets an intuitive and kind art writer who sees him for everything that he is (and can be). All of characters here are perfect and I love the descriptions of David’s art. 

Incredibly hot art fic.

You can fall (sweetsirius/@wordthieve)

It takes the David and Patrick rescue each other theme of the show and makes the stakes even higher. Plus it's just a genuinely beautiful piece of writing.

The story arc and pacing are fantastic. I love how David and Patrick's relationship develops and how Patrick learns to open himself up again after grief. It's incredibly well written. I've read it so many times, from full read thrus to dipping in and out of my favorite moments and chapters.

Patrick is so heartbroken, but then he meets David. So romantic, and feels lived in.

[chaoticcat32]

different vamp!Eddie scenario when he first come back, does not know many things…

Eddie Munson woke up. But Eddie Munson was supposed to be dead. Eddie Munson remembered dying. Right?

He was supposed to be dead, wasn’t he? He thought he was dead… unless, he wasn’t dead? Did he die? The last thing he remembered was that kid, right? What was his name… he didn’t know. He did remember the child was upset about something. He didn’t like that. He didn’t want him to be upset. But why?

Eddie got up, looking around at the barren red wasteland covered in thick, black, writhing vines. The sky was cloudy and dark. Red flashes of lightning occasionally pierced the darkness, lighting up his view.

He looked down at himself, inspecting his new features. Wait… were they new? He didn’t think he remembered having wings and claws and these huge ears and dagger-like fangs. But then again, his memories were far and few between. And the ones he did have were fuzzy at best. Maybe he’s just always been this way.

He did one last sweep of the area, and began walking somewhere. He didn’t exactly know where he was going, but muscle memory was taking him in a certain direction. In the forefront of his mind, he was trying to figure out just what happened, who he was, why he can’t remember things. In the back of his mind, he wanted to find that kid. The one with curly hair and a goofy smile. He wanted to see that smile again.

He walked through the vines and the dead and twisted trees that rose up from the ground. He was careful not to step on the vines, but he didn’t know why.

Walking was taking too long, and it was hard to not step on the vines, there were just so many of them. So, gave his wings a try and leapt off of the ground. The wings must be new, he decided, because he definitely did not remember the feeling of flying. He would’ve remembered something so freeing.

As he flew, his eyes scanned the ground. For what? He didn’t know, but he felt like he’d know when he saw it. Eventually, he spotted it. An old, run-down trailer in the middle of dozens of others. Why this specific one?

He landed, making his way into the trailer, looking around at it. It seemed vaguely familiar. He looked up at the ceiling, if you could even call it that, anyways. It was a huge tear, filmy membrane stretched across it, and he could see light coming through from the other side.

This light was different from what little light there was here. It looked brighter, more natural. He stuck his clawed hand through the sticky membrane of the crack, feeling the warm air on the other side. It was so much warmer than down here.

His hand searched around for purchase, feeling around the outside. He felt cool metal beneath his skin, and put his other hand through as well, feeling the same cold surface. Using his hands as leverage, he hoisted himself up and through the hole, landing on the other side with a screech as gravity shifted, seemingly opposite to what it was before.

He quickly righted himself, jumping off of his back and onto his feet. He felt the damp carpet underneath him, looking around at his surroundings. It looked the same as on the other side, but brighter. There were no creepy vines infecting everything and he could see the front door slightly ajar.

He crept over to it, putting his hand on it and pushing it open. He looked outside and immediately squinted his eyes, it was too bright and too hot, and it irritated him. He slunk back inside, hissing and closing the door. He drew the curtains and looked around, spotting what was sort-of a dining room.

He hid under the table, barely fitting. He was hungry and exhausted, so he might as well take a nap, he thought. The search for his memories and that sad curly-haired child could wait until later.

It wasn’t long, definitely not long enough, in his opinion, before he woke up again. He wanted to sleep forever but he knew he couldn’t do that. At least he was less tired than he was before. He definitely wasn’t less hungry though. In fact, his hunger seemed to have grown ten-fold.

His stomach growled, and he grimaced. He knew he’d have to find something to eat before he could look for the child.

He opened the front door once again, expecting the blinding light and the heat, so he was pleasantly surprised when it was dark. It was still a bit warm for his tastes, but not as sweltering as before. He looked up into the night sky, eyes wide at the dazzling stars and bright white circle that accompanied them.

His eyes snapped down when he heard a rustling in the leaves, a small animal running across the forest floor. Let the hunt begin.

After a minute or two, he had a small creature caught in his sharp claws. The rabbit struggled, squealing and squeaking as it desperately tried to escape his grasp. He quickly sank his fangs into the creature, a warm, red, delicious liquid filling his mouth. He bit down harder, causing the animal to go limp and silent, sucking until there was no blood left inside.

It was good, sure. But he felt like something was missing. And he was still hungry.

It took a while, but two more rabbits, a squirrel, and about an hour later, he felt like he was full enough to look for the kid. He was still hungry, but it wasn’t the only thing in his mind anymore. Maybe the kid could help him find the rest of his memories too!

He walked through the woods, sniffing the air, hoping to catch a familiar scent. He wandered and wandered for hours, switching from flying and running, and leaping through the trees.

All of a sudden, he heard shouting from below him, and he froze, peering down through the branches. There were a few teens wandering the forest, all three donned with green letterman jackets. They were whooping and yelling at each other, their words slurred and nearly unintelligible.

Eddie recognized the bottles in their hands, as well as the jackets they wore. He snarled, not knowing why, but he somehow knew those green jackets meant trouble.

The teens stopped, hearing the growling from above them and slowly looked up, confused expressions on their faces.

“Uhh, wolves can’t climb trees, right?”

The one who spoke was slapped.

“No, you idiot. It might be a bear.”

They both looked up with nervous expressions, scared of the aspect of a bear. If only they knew.

“Well whatever it is,” said the third boy, seemingly more bold than the others, “we’ll be ready for it.”

“Yeah!”

The other two cheered as the boy broke the bottle in his hand against a tree, making an impromptu weapon.

“Ow, shit!”

Eddie’s pupils dilated into slits, his nose picking up the scent of blood. The boy who’d broken the bottle had cut himself on the hand, red seeping out of the wound. Eddie growled louder, this time for a different reason.

He hopped down from the tree he was hiding in, directly in front of the boys. The first two looked on in horror at him, taking in his monstrous form.

The third, however, the one with the broken bottle, stepped forward, making the scent of blood grow even stronger.

“Is that Eddie the freak Munson? Wooow, you really fit the bill now, don’t you?” He laughed, raising the bottle.

Eddie snarled, looking from the boy’s face, to the bottle, to the blood on his hand. All he wanted to do was bite down where the wound was and suck that delicious red liquid out until there was no more left.

It smelled way better than the rabbits and the squirrel.

The boy snapped his fingers, demanding Eddie’s attention.

“Hey, my face is up here, asshole.”

Eddie snarled at him, exposing his sharp fangs. The other two stepped backwards, but the third didn’t care. He raised his bottle, ready to bring it down onto Eddie’s head, but said vampire was not having it.

He raised his clawed hand and smacked the bottle out of the teen’s hand, scratching it in the process. This only let out more blood, the red liquid coating the boy’s fingers as well as Eddie’s claws.

The vampire drew his claws back, eyes wide as he looked at them, more specifically what was on them. The smell permeated his nostrils, and boy, did it smell delicious. He stuck his tongue out and dragged the wet muscle across his fingers, lapping up all that he could.

The taste that hit his tongue was better than anything he’d ever had before. Much better than those animals from before and much better than anything he could remember.

When all of the blood was gone from his claws, his eyes snapped up to the teen, following the smell to his now empty hand. He was beginning to show a bit of fear now, looking at Eddie in horror.

All that was going on in Eddie’s mind were thoughts of the blood he’d just tasted. His brain was yelling at him, screaming to eat, bite, drink, feed, feed, feed, feed, FEED!

Next thing he knew, the other boy’s hand was almost completely in his mouth, sharp fangs cutting deep into his flesh and he was sucking all the blood he could out of it.

The boy was screaming, screaming at the top of his lungs and it was so loud. He wanted it to stop.

Eddie released his mouth’s grip on the hand, almost whining as he did so, then lunged at the boy, knocking him to the ground. He pulled his head back and dove forward, plunging his razor-like teeth into the boy’s neck, almost ripping out the side of his throat. He was still screaming, but not as much. Instead, he was choking on his own blood, the dark red liquid filling his mouth and leaking out when he tried to breathe. It sounded less like screaming and more like a desperate gurgle.

Eddie didn’t care, though. All he cared about was the sweet, hot, red liquid flowing out of the boy and down Eddie’s throat. It was so sweet, yet also savory. It was the perfect meal.

As the boy was drained more and more, he stopped moving as much, no longer gurgling on his blood. As he grew colder and colder, Eddie grew warmer. Soon enough, Eddie was sucking but no more was coming out. His drink was gone.

Eddie looked up in bliss, searching for the other two, but they were long gone. It didn’t really matter to him, though. He was full now, and he felt unbelievably warm and happy. He looked down at the corpse, frowning a bit, but this guy was wearing that jacket. One that was now soaked in red, no longer its once dark green color. That meant he was bad, so it was fine.

He quickly recalibrated himself, looking around and not spotting anyone else, so he continued his search.

——————————————-

Two days later

——————————————-

The TV was on in the background, something about one of those asshole guys from the basketball team getting mauled by some wild animal. Good riddance.

Steve knew it probably wasn’t just some animal, but he couldn’t bring himself to care right now. Right now, he was making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids sitting in his living room. The kids who were pretty shaken up about the recent events that just took place.

Dustin in particular was especially shaken up about Eddie. The man had died in his arms, after all. He finished spreading the last bit of jelly on the final slice of bread and brought the sandwiches into his living room, taking one for himself.

“Hey Steve, look at the TV.” Mike pointed at the screen.

“Yeah, I know, I know, it probably wasn’t just some random animal but-“

There were two kids on the screen, two kids wearing green letterman jackets and terrified expressions on their faces.

“It wasn’t an animal, man, I’m telling you! It was that freak, Munson!”

“Eddie Muson?” Asked the reporter.

“Yeah, it was him, but he was all messed up, man! He had, like, claws and fangs and shit. Like he was some vampire or something. He killed Andy, man! Besides, what kind of animal drains their victim of blood…”

“And you’re sure it was Eddie Munson, infamous town legend who was reported dead?”

“Look, I know what I saw.”

“And you were completely sober last night?“

“W-well I-“

“There you have it folks, it was probably a wildcat or a bear standing on its hind legs that these boys mistook as Eddie.” Said the officer standing beside them.

Steve reached for the remote control and shut the TV off.

“Steve, you don’t think-“ Dustin started.

“No, I don’t think. It was probably a bear. Maybe even a demogorgon or something. The kids were drunk.”

“Right…”

“Look Henderson, I know you’re grieving, we all are. But it’s better not to keep false hope…”

Hell, he wanted it to be true as well. He missed that metal head so damn much. Him and his stupid, wild hair, his deep brown eyes and white hellfire shirt.

“I know.”

The rest of the time was spent sitting in silence, the group eating their sandwiches, not bothering to talk to one another, there was nothing to say.

————————————

Eddie was growing restless. Why couldn’t he find that damn kid? He wanted to keep him safe and make sure he was never sad like that again. He wanted that goofy grin.

He was starting to get hungry again, but nothing he couldn’t bear. He didn’t dare pause his search. Not only did he want to make the kid happy, but he knew he’d also help with his memories.

He was trudging through the forest when he suddenly picked up an all-too-familiar scent. His ears perked up, nose sniffing the air, trying to locate where it was coming from. He could also smell blood. Blood with the same familiar smell attached to it.

It didn’t take him long to pinpoint where it was coming from and he started beelining it to the location, going faster and faster as he neared it. It was him! He knew it was him, and he was hurt!

Eddie soon came to a clearing in the woods, this was where the smell was coming from. He didn’t see anything at first. It probably didn’t help that the all-too-bright sun was nearly blinding him without the cover of the trees.

Then he heard a rustle, and looked down at a particularly out-of-place patch of leaves on the ground. He slowly approached the haphazard pile and sniffed at it eagerly yet worriedly, the smell coming directly from it.

Was this just his blood? He must’ve been bleeding a lot if it was! Oh, god was he attacked? Did he shuffle off somewhere else with wounds as terrible as he probably had? Or was he carried off!?

Eddie began hyperventilating at the terrible thoughts. All he wanted to do was find him, but the smell wasn’t coming from anywhere else. It was like he just disappeared.

Another rustle came from the pile and Eddie jumped back, watching carefully as the leaves began to rise, a figure standing up out of them. Eddie growled at it. This must’ve caused the injury to his kid! Oh, he would teach it such a lesson, he was going to kill it. Then all his thoughts came to a close as one, tiny word came out of the figure’s mouth in a squeaky, high pitched voice.

“E-Eddie?”

Eddie tackled him to the ground, sniffing and licking at his body, looking desperately for the injury. It was him! It was the child! The one he’d been looking so long for!

“Eddie!? Eddie, stop!” The child was giggling though, so he knew he wasn’t causing any harm.

Eddie stopped sniffing when he met the child’s wrist, a small gash on it, leaking the red fluid he smelled. Eddie whined, looking at the wound and back up at Dustin.

“Oh, that? It’s okay, buddy! It’s okay, see?” He pulled a knife out of his pocket, showing it to the vampire.

“See? I saw what you did to that kid on the TV, he didn’t have any blood left and I figured you would smell the blood and… god Steve’s gonna be so mad at me.” He looked at the ground.

“B-but! You’re okay! You’re alive! I knew it was you, Steve didn’t think it was and-“

There was that smile.

Eddie grabbed the wounded arm and began inspecting the cut. He sniffed at it and began licking the wound, trying to clean it up.

“Whoa, whoa um… are you hungry?”

Eddie continued licking until the wound was sufficiently cleaned of blood and looked up at Dustin, tilting his head at the curly-haired teen.

“Uhm… do you want more…?” Dustin began to raise the life to his arm again and Eddie panicked, grabbing the arm holding the knife and tearing it away from Dustin’s wrist, making high pitched whines of protest.

“Okay! Okay! I won’t, Jeez.”

Dustin put the knife away and looked at Eddie, scanning his worried-looking face.

“So,” he said. “Can you talk or…?”

Eddie just tilted his head at him, making little warbling sounds. He had no idea what the kid was saying, but he was happy to have found him.

“I’ll uh, take that as a no.”

Eddie crept closer to him, his face directly in front of Dustin’s.

“What’re you doing, buddy?”

Eddie stuck out his tongue and took a big, long, wet lick at his face, causing Dustin to giggle and push him away.

“Hey! Stop that!” He said, laughing. He liked it when his kid laughed. It was far better than seeing him sad.

“Hey! We should show the others! Follow me!”

Dustin began to walk away and Eddie hurriedly followed, making sure he’d never lose his kid again. As they walked, Dustin rambled on and on, of course Eddie couldn’t understand him, but he listened anyway. He liked hearing the excited voice.

“And here we are! I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they see you!”

Eddie looked up at the house in front of them. It was vaguely familiar but he couldn’t understand why. That trailer was familiar because he knew he spent a lot of time in it, but he couldn’t remember ever spending much time in here. He did, however, smell lots of familiar scents. Yeah, that must be why it seems familiar. He shook his head and followed Dustin inside.

“Okay, wait here. I’m gonna blow their minds.” Dustin said with a grin, holding out a hand to stop Eddie.

Eddie obliged, and waited while Dustin went into the next room. It was just one room over. He’d be fine, right?

“Hey guys!”

“Dustin!” Shouted a voice. “Where the hell have you been!?” It sounded familiar.

“Don’t worry about it, guys, I’m fine!”

“Yeah, and what’s with that cut on your wrist, huh Henderson?”

“Nothing…”

Oh, that voice he certainly recognized. And, from the sound of it, he’d just scolded his kid!

Eddie made his way out of the entrance room, a low growl in his throat.

“Dude! You were supposed to wait!”

“What the hell is that!?”

Eddie's eyes locked onto the man who spoke, the rest of the kids cowering behind him. He slowly approached him, leaning forward and growling in his face, teeth exposed. He remembered this guy. He was an asshole. He remembered all the shitty things he used to do when he and Eddie were younger. But he couldn’t hurt him. He didn’t know why. But he did, however, have to get him away from his kids.

Steve backed up, eyes widening at the scene in front of him.

“E-Eddie?”

Eddie growled in response, inching closer.

Steve took another step back, swallowing thickly.

“Hey! Eddie, what's wrong? It’s just Steve!” The curly haired child spoke, sounding worried.

Why was he worried? Eddie was just getting rid of the threat.

Dustin put his hand on Eddie and he looked back at his child, head tilting in confusion. He looked around, looking at each kid’s expression and seeing that they were utterly terrified. He walked over to them, completely ignoring Steve as he passed him, and pressed his head into one of them, the one he recognized with mid-length black hair and dark, almost charcoal eyes.

Mike put his hand on Eddie’s head, patting it gently.

“Hey big guy, is that really you, Eddie?”

Eddie looked up at him, giving his face a gentle lick.

“See guys? It’s Eddie! He’s totally chill, see? He probably just got spooked or something.”

“You’re really alive, Munson?” Steve asked, placing his hand on Eddie’s back.

Wrong move.

Eddie whipped around, nose crinkled and mouth open in a snarl, snapping at the hand Steve used to touch him.

“Wh- I, I don’t understand…”

Eddie continued to growl, spreading out his wings, blocking his view of the kids.

“I- Eddie?”

Steve took a step back, slowly backing up towards the doorway. As soon as he stepped into the other room, Eddie relaxed, sitting down and looking at the kids with a pleased expression on his face. He gathered them all up in his arms and pressed his faces to them, giving them all soft licks and making them laugh.

Steve looked on with hurt, and Dustin gave him a pained expression.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t like you, he seems fine with all of us…”

“It’s fine, okay? I get it. I’ll just give him what he wants.”

Steve turned and walked out the door, heading away from the house and getting into his car to leave.

Dustin broke away from Eddie and looked at him.

“What the hell, dude? What was all that for?”

Eddie tilted his head at the kid, confused.

“Maybe he just gets defensive around adults?” Lucas proposed.

“Maybe…”

Eddie didn’t know why the curly haired child was upset with him, but he wanted to make it better. He walked over to him and licked his face, pressing his head into the other male. Dustin pushed him away.

“No, I’m not gonna stop being mad at you until you get along with Steve.”

Eddie whined. It worked before, why was he still mad?

Dustin sighed, placing his hand on Eddie’s head and giving him a few pats.

“I know bud, but we gotta figure out why you hate Steve all of a sudden.”

The others circled around him, looking at his new features and feeling his wings and ears. Eddie was loving the attention.

“So, like, what’s wrong with him?” Asked Mike.

“What do you mean?” Dustin replied, stroking his wings.

“He’s like a dog, Dustin. You know he’s supposed to be a person, right?”

“I don’t know, maybe whatever happened to bring him back scrambled his mind or something?”

At the end of the day, all the others went home and he was alone with Dustin. Eddie looked at him and he gathered his things and got ready to leave.

“I gotta go home, bud. You gotta go, uh, back to where you were staying?”

Eddie just stared at him.

“Well, uh, bye?”

Dustin walked out the door, Eddie following directly behind him. He started walking through the woods, his house not too far from Steve’s. Eddie followed.

“Uh, so our places are in the same direction, huh?”

Eddie just kept following him.

“Weird coincidence.”

Dustin walked and walked, Eddie staying right there with him the entire time. Eventually, Dustin made it to his house and Eddie was still there.

“So you wanted to walk me home, huh? That’s okay. My moms probably asleep.”

A loud bang sounded from the trash can near Dustin’s garage, and both of them jumped.

“Shit, not again!”

The can fell over, and a fat raccoon climbed his way out of it, hissing at them and running into the woods.

“Oh thank god, it was just a-“

Dustin was cut off by Eddie’s maw engulfing his entire head, the metalhead’s lips closing around his shoulders.

“Uh, Eddie, what are you doing!?”

Eddie ignored him and continued to stuff Dustin into his mouth, head moving down closer to the ground and pulling him farther inside.

“Eddie! Eddie, no! Bad vampire!”

Eddie tried his best to ignore Dustin’s scared and pleading voice as he lifted his head, letting gravity pull him the rest of the way into his mouth. He had to protect his kid from the evil trash monster! Eddie took his first heavy gulp, sending Dustin’s head and shoulders into his throat.

Dustin was thoroughly freaked out at this point. The wet, heavy muscles pressing into him and pulling him farther into the throat. He struggled wildly, but it was hard because of how strong and tight the throat was.

Eddie took another swallow, sending Dustin up to his waist into the throat.

All that was left in Eddie’s mouth at this point was Dustin’s legs, and with a few quick gulps, he slurped them into his throat, sending his kid sliding into his stomach.

Dustin’s head pops into a larger space, the rest of his body quickly following behind him. This must be Eddie’s stomach. As soon as his whole body is in Eddie’s stomach, Dustin sits up and looks around wildly. He pounds on the stomach walls, begging to be let out.

Eddie whines and presses his hand softly onto his belly, rubbing it slowly and trying to comfort its occupant.

Dustin pauses for a second, feeling the comforting gesture Eddie was trying to give him. He looked down and realized there weren’t any acids in the stomach, which there probably would have been if Eddie had really been planning to eat him for good.

“You- you were just trying to protect me, right?”

Eddie rumbled, continuing to pat his stomach.

“I- don’t need protection from a raccoon, you know.”

Eddie grumbled, seemingly disagreeing.

He quietly creeps around Dustin’s house before finding the window of his bedroom. He opens it and gently squeezes inside, looking around. He spots Dustin’s head and creeps over to it, hopping on top of it and curling up. He put his head down on the pillow and drifts off to sleep.

—————————————-

That situation was the first of many. In the next few days, Eddie sticks to his side like glue. Which was particularly annoying when he was trying to hide the giant vampire from his mom.

“Eddie, come on, man, get outta here.”

Eddie grumbled and slunk his way out Dustin’s window, but stayed right outside.

The eating didn’t stop either. Every single bump or loud noise, or ‘scary’ creature they encountered, Eddie was scooping him up in his mouth and swallowing him whole. Dustin knew Eddie just wanted to protect him, but it was getting exhausting and wholly unnecessary.

He did it to the other kids too, swallowing them while saving them from ‘danger’, but not nearly as much as he did it to Dustin. This also happened to be when Steve was in too close of a vicinity, sometimes.

And it wasn’t adults he was weary of either. He got along perfectly with Robin and Nancy, and he loved Joyce. So maybe it was just adult males? Nope. He was also perfectly fine with Johnathan as well. But as soon as Steve came into the room, Eddie was a growling and snarling mess, trying to intimidate him away from the rest of them. He never actually hurt Steve, but he definitely didn’t like him near the kids.

Steve was beginning to grow distant and jealous, upset that he was no longer allowed near the kids he cared so much about. He was sometimes able to hang out with the other kids, namely Mike, El, Lucas, Will, and Max, but he was never allowed to get near Dustin.

Steve knew he needed to get away for a bit, so he packed his car and got ready to leave for a few days. He knew Eddie would like it, he’d finally get his kids all to himself like he wanted. He thought, bitterly.

Steve drove off, not bothering to tell anyone where he was going. They had Eddie, after all, didn’t they?

————————————-

Dustin was growing restless. Steve had been gone for two days now, and no one knew where he was.

“This is all your fault, you know!” He yelled at Eddie.

“He’s not going to hurt us! You know that!”

Eddie lowered his head and his ears fell against it. He was only trying to protect them.

Eddie knew what’d fix it, though. So he reluctantly scooped Dustin into his maw and got ready to leave.

“No, no, no, no, not again!“

Eddie swallowed Dustin in a few quick gulps, sending him once again into his stomach. He then set off to Steve’s house, spreading his wings and taking off.

It didn’t take him too long to get there, and when he did, he landed softly. He gently opened the back door and made his way inside. He stalked through the house, peeking his head into every single door he found, trying to look for the man he didn’t like.

Eventually, the only room left was Steve’s bedroom, and he reluctantly looked inside. Nothing.

Eddie went inside and over to Steve’s closet. He took one of his shirts off the hangers and sniffed it, wrinkling his nose as he did so.

“Eddie? What’re you doing out there?”

Eddie opened Steve’s window and flew out of it, softly landing on the ground. He sniffed the shirt in his clawed hands once again, then looked up and sniffed the air, trying to find the same scent.

It took a fair bit of sniffing and wandering around, but eventually he picked up an old scent in Steve’s driveway, following it into the street. Along with Steve’s scent, he also smelled oil and gasoline, which he came to associate with a machine the kids called a ‘car’.

He groaned, knowing these things were fast, so Steve could be anywhere by now if he was inside one.

He reluctantly spread his wings and took off into the sky, flying over all the trees and following the smell of Steve along the road.

Every so often, he’d check to make sure Dustin was okay inside of him, and kept on flying through the cool night air.

Thankfully, it didn’t take too long until the smell began to grow stronger. It seemed Steve didn’t go too far, just far enough away to catch a break and be away from Eddie for a bit. This made Eddie a bit upset for whatever reason, though he couldn’t quite place it.

Eddie had been flying for about an hour and a half before he spotted the familiar car on a path off the road and in the woods. He landed next to it, sniffing it. Yep, definitely Steve’s car. It absolutely reeked of the man.

Eddie followed the scent the rest of the way on foot, coming up on a tent in the middle of the woods. He sniffed at the tent. Steve was definitely in there. He could hear him breathing softly, seemingly asleep.

He let out a soft growl, poking the outside of the tent, trying to get the man’s attention. He heard the man inside stir, seemingly waking up. Eddie continued to scratch at the tent and make a chorus of soft, bat-like noises.

Steve tensed inside, and Eddie could hear him let out a small yelp.

The man slowly, shakily started to unzip the tent, before bursting out of it, wooden baseball bat in hand with rusty-looking nails poking out of it.

Eddie growled, looking from Steve to the weapon. Steve, seeing who it was, immediately dropped his bat and sighed, seemingly annoyed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked angrily at the vampire.

“What the hell do you want? You know I’m out here to get away from you.”

Eddie slowly approached him, sniffing the air as he did so. Steve backed up as Eddie approached, until his back was pressed against a tree. With nowhere else to go, he looked on in horror as Eddie came closer and closer, his teeth bared in a snarl.

Steve really wished he hadn’t dropped his bat now.

Eddie was right in front of Steve, now, staring into his eyes before yawning wide. At least that’s what Steve thought he was doing. Instead of shutting his mouth afterwards, he leapt forward and engulfed the entirety of Steve’s head in his maw. Avoiding the sharp teeth, he pushed forwards with his head and shoved Steve into his esophagus. The tight, wet muscles welcomed the man with the first deep swallow Eddie took.

The vampire grimaced as he reluctantly swallowed the man down, he was about as happy as Steve was throughout the whole ordeal. Meanwhile, Steve was absolutely losing his mind. He was screaming and kicking and squirming around like crazy, but the strong throat muscles kept him rigidly in place.

This is it, Steve thought, he finally came all the way out here to finish me off, without the kids around.

Eddie took more and more gulps in quick succession, trying to get Steve into his stomach as fast as possible. The muscles in his throat were certainly making quick work of him, squeezing and pulling him inside.

Soon enough, Steve’s head popped through the ring of flesh separating the throat from the stomach, and to his surprise, he saw a familiar face.

“Henderson?!”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Eddie finished swallowing the rest of Steve down, one last push on his feet with his tongue sealing him entirely inside. He growled. He didn’t necessarily like the idea of Steve in there with his kid, but if he did try anything, the man would be entirely at his mercy.

“But- but I thought- I thought he was going to kill me!”

“He’s not. Trust me, he does this all the time with us.”

“I know, but- man, I thought I was done for. But he wouldn’t finish me off with you in here too, right ?”

“Nah, and I still don’t understand why he hates you so much.”

At this Steve was silent, feeling Eddie take off and fly back to Hawkins.

“No, no, no my car!”

“We can come back and get it.”

Steve groaned, slipping down the slimy walls and sighing, trying his best to get comfortable.

“How long did it take to get here?”

“About an hour and a half, but now that he knows where he’s going it shouldn’t take as long.”

The two waited in silence, until they felt Eddie land and start to hack them up.

Steve tumbled out of the mouth first, and Eddie took extra care with getting Dustin out.

“Asshole.” Steve said, brushing himself off.

He looked over in surprise to see that Eddie did in fact bring his car with him. He must’ve carried it the whole way.

“Thanks bud, for bringing Steve back.”

Eddie huffed and rolled his eyes, refusing to look at Steve.

“Hey, you be nice to him. I still don’t know why you hate him so much.”

Dustin started to head off and Eddie followed him, growling at Steve as he passed him.

“No,” said Dustin, holding his hand out to stop him, “you’re staying here.”

“What?!” Asked Steve incredulously.

Eddie looked at him with wide eyes, betrayal clear on his face as he looked on in disbelief.

“You make up with Steve. You’re not allowed back until you do.”

At that, Dustin walked the rest of the way into the woods, heading in the direction of his home.

Eddie begrudgingly stayed put, listening to Dustin’s instructions. He looked over at Steve with an annoyed look on his face, and the man just gulped.

“So, uh, I’m going inside.”

Steve headed inside, motioning Eddie to follow. He knew it was supposed to storm tonight. As much as he was upset with him, as much as he hated the metalhead right now for keeping him away from his kids, he still cared about him. Cared about the person he used to be.

Eddie followed nervously, slowly making his way in the house, scared that it was just him and Steve now.

“I don’t know why you came for me. I gave you what you wanted.”

Eddie ignored him and kept following Steve into the kitchen. It was then that Steve turned on him.

“No, you know what? I don’t know why you hate me so much! I know I used to be a prick in the past but I’m better now! You know that! Does all that time we spent fighting together, me bringing you food and shit not matter to you!?”

Steve had pinpricks of tears forming in his eyes, threatening to spill out.

Eddie backed up away from Steve, his wings flapping nervously. This caused them to bang into pots and pans on the stove and countertop, sending them crashing to the floor, making loud noises that freaked the vampire out.

“And now you’re afraid of me!?”

The tears were flowing freely now, cascading down his face like a waterfall.

All the commotion just caused Eddie to become more scared, causing him to knock more and more things off of shelves and counters. Metal utensils crashed to the ground and onto the pots and the tiled floors, making awful, loud banging noises.

Eddie screeched, hating the sounds that were being made and ran farther into the house, away from the noise and away from Steve.

He desperately ran until he found a small, dark room with no windows he could curl up inside of. He slammed the door shut behind him and shoved himself into the corner, whimpering softly.

Outside, Steve was absolutely dumbfounded. That asshole had been scaring and threatening him ever since he got back, and now he has the audacity to pretend like he was afraid of Steve?

The man needed a minute to calm down, and he too curled up into a ball on the kitchen floor and sobbed into his hands.

He wanted Eddie so badly. He wanted to be friends with him again, like they were before. Whatever upside down bullshit did this to him, Steve hated it. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were. He wanted him and Eddie to be able to take care of the kids together. God, did he want to be able to see Henderson again.

Steve eventually got all the crying out of his system, and he got up and made his way into the laundry room where he knew Eddie would be waiting.

He slid into the tiny room with a soft click of the door, closing it shut behind him. He left the lights off and put his back to the door, sliding down until he was sitting against it. He knew he had to make up with Eddie. God he wanted so badly to. If nothing else, he’d do it for Dustin.

“Hey, Edds.”

He got a soft growl in response, but he could tell there was no real bite to it. He could hear Eddie shuffle a bit closer to him, peering out at him through his mess of curls. Those beautiful, gorgeous curls he loved so much, even though he knew he didn’t even take care of them.

“Listen, I know that I’ve been a real douche to you in the past, and that’s probably all you remember of me, but I want you, I need for you to remember the good times we had together. They were recent, but they were good.”

Steve thinks back, remembering how brief of a time they got to share together, in comparison to all the shitty things he used to do to Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson. How he and his buddies snuck into his band room and cut the strings of his guitar that one time. How they’d always tease him and make fun of him for being a freak. They drew little horns on him in his own yearbook after stealing it sophomore year, and he didn’t even want to think about the things they would write about him on the bathroom stalls. All because he was an easy target.

Fresh tears began to spill out of Steve’s eyes, he really had been pretty shitty, hadn’t he?

“Wow,” he said, “No wonder you hate me so much. No wonder you don’t want me near those kids. You’re right, a guy like me should even be allowed to care about them.”

Eddie inched closer, seeing the tears on Steve’s face, worry filling his eyes. He wanted to make them stop.

“I was such a goddamn asshole and I have the audacity to yell at you for doing something that was completely justified? I really am just a piece of shit human being, aren’t I?”

At this point, Eddie was inches away from Steve, and he quickly closed the gap, placing his giant head onto Steve’s lap.

Steve placed his hand on it, grabbing a fist full of curls and burying his head inside of them, sobbing. Eddie just closed his eyes and pressed into Steve, placing his own clawed hand gently onto the hand that wasn’t buried in his curls.

Steve could feel hot wet tears spilling from Eddie’s eyes onto his legs, thoroughly soaking his jeans.

Both men sat together and cried, each onto each other’s bodies. They sat like that for hours, just silently crying until they both became exhausted and fell asleep on the ground.

It wasn’t enough to totally mend the broken relationship this sudden event caused, but it was, at the very least, a start.

[fickleminder]

soul on paper: forever valentine

Spin-off from this scenario (spoiler alert!) with a Valentine’s Day twist. Features Satan x GN!MC 💚

The bouquet in Satan’s hands isn’t overly extravagant, but you can tell it’s definitely pricey. He enters the café exactly one minute into your break and presents you with a dozen dark crimson roses wrapped neatly in pink craft paper and furnished with a light green bow.

“Good morning to you too.” You greet him smoothly despite your burning cheeks, accepting the flowers with only the slightest bit of hesitation. The sweet scent of the roses is a refreshing contrast to the smell of coffee permeating the air, and you can hear the hushed whispers of your coworkers fawning over the romantic display of affection. “A little much for our first Valentine’s together, don’t you think?”

The florist’s is only two shops down, but Satan looks as though he ran multiple blocks just to catch you before the lunch rush. “Oh! I just thought — I mean —”

“I’m kidding, these are great! Thank you.” You tug at his sleeve for him to sit down next to you in the booth, and press a kiss to his flushed jaw. “There’s only one thing that can beat this.”

“What’s that?”

You hug the bouquet to your chest and grin at him. “Going out to dinner with you tonight.”

If Satan didn’t seem breathless before, he certainly does now.

.

.

.

Thin oval petals in pink, peach, and creamy white, and a handsome face framed with blond hair greet you at the start of your shift. “Good morning. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” A bashful smile crosses your face as you take in the flowers. “Uh, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit I don’t know what these are.”

“These are called honeysuckles,” Satan explains patiently, handing you the beautifully crafted bouquet. “They represent happiness, affection, and everlasting bonds.”

“They’re gorgeous, thank you.”

A lady behind Satan clears her throat, reminding you that you’re technically on the clock. Satan’s eyebrow twitches at the interruption, but rules are rules. “I should let you get back to it. See you tonight?”

“Looking forward to it.” You send him off with a wink, switching places with another barista for a quick second to stash the flowers safely in the backroom.

.

.

.

“Camellias,” is the first thing Satan says to you. “Like roses, the different colors have different meanings.”

“Oh? Do tell.” Bouquet in hand, you let Satan lead you to an unused table, ignoring the excited giggles from your coworkers as they watch him pull out a chair for you. They’re supposed to be covering you while you’re on break, not spying, the nosy bastards.

“The pink ones represent longing.” Satan gives you a soft look that makes your heart do just that, long to close the distance between the two of you even if it’s only the width of a small table. “The red ones say: you’re a flame in my heart.”

You have to resist the urge to fan yourself from how warm your face is. “And the white ones?”

“They mean you’re adorable.” He reaches over and boops your nose playfully, pulling away with a laugh when you make a show of biting it. “Happy Valentine’s Day, love.”

.

.

.

A herbal bouquet isn’t the most conventional, but Satan gets points for creativity: rosemary for remembrance, sage for longevity, thyme for courage, and parsley for gratitude.

“Plus you can cook with them too.” Satan waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

You’re already thinking of recipes for the next time he comes over for dinner.

.

.

.

“Oh,” your eyes grow wide in recognition, “tulips!”

“Very good.” Satan awards the bouquet to you as a prize. “For perfect and deep love. Speaking of, if I had a garden…”

Grinning widely, you meet him halfway and peck him on the lips, mindful of the delicate flowers between your chests.

.

.

.

Red salvias, forever mine.

.

.

.

Forget-me-nots —

“Aw, Satan…” You cradle his face in one hand, rubbing his cheek with a thumb as he angles his head to press a warm, reverent kiss into your palm. “I won’t ever forget you, I promise.”

For some reason, Satan’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes.

.

.

.

Heliotropes, eternal love and devotion.

.

.

.

You’ve had your fair share of shady customers, but these two are just… weird.

The man with white hair looks like he could be a model. Designer shades, aviator jacket, expensive-looking boots — you can totally picture him on the cover of some fashion magazine.

His companion, on the other hand, is dressed in a black uniform decorated with an emblem you don’t recognize. One thing’s for sure, it’s definitely not from any school or institution in the area.

Mr Model hadn’t been able to look you in the eye, choking up when he tried to place an order. Anxiety issues, perhaps? Not that you’re in any position to judge. Mx Student had to nudge him aside and take over.

“MC,” they said when you asked for a name.

“You’ve been spending too much time with Levi,” Mr Model muttered under his breath as he left to find seats. “Do you think you’re in a video game or something?”

Even after serving them their drinks, they continue to not-so-discreetly check you out from their table. Not for lack of trying, but those two clearly aren’t accustomed to using their indoor voices.

“We are so dead,” you hear Mr Model groan, all the way from where you’re wiping down the counter.

“Dude, just chill —”

“Satan’s going to kill us. I told you not to go into his room this time of year!”

“We’re here now, and we need his help to get out anyway. Instead of wandering around town aimlessly, we might as well wait where he’s bound to show up, right?”

Your ears perk up at the mention of Satan’s name. Does he know these people? It sounds like they’re in trouble, and you debate sending him a heads up via text.

As though summoned by your thoughts, Satan chooses that moment to walk through the door with a bouquet of pink carnations in hand.

His eyes land on you first, brightening at the sight of his favorite barista hard at work. Then they swivel towards where you’re nervously looking, and his gaze immediately hardens as his entire posture goes rigid.

“What the fuck are you two doing here?!” He growls, marching over to them.

Mr Model quickly stands and puts himself in front of Mx Student, hands raised slightly in surrender as he attempts to talk Satan down. Their subsequent conversation is lost in a mixture of whispers and hisses; Mx Student catches your worried stare and waves sheepishly in apology.

You resolve to stay out of it, deciding to intervene only if things seem like they’re about to escalate. Besides, you trust Satan to explain after he’s finished settling whatever this is.

After a minute of tense discussion, the group appears to reach a consensus. Mr Model and Mx Student grab their cups and leave, but not before the former sends you a final, wistful look.

“Sorry about that. I — shit.” Satan returns to you, only to realize that he’d crushed the stalks of the poor flowers in his death grip. “Fuck, I didn’t mean to —”

“Hey, it’s okay.” You gently pry the mangled bouquet from his trembling fists, setting it aside to hold his hands in comfort. “It’s alright, I’m not mad or anything.”

“But —”

“Trust me, I’ve had worse first Valentines. Did I ever tell you about the time my ex tried to rope me into a flash mob — wait, no, that’s too embarrassing —”

Satan’s shoulders shake with silent laughter, and you smile in relief.

“Listen, if you have an emergency to attend to, I completely understand.” You say, nodding toward the street where his acquaintances were headed. “We can always get dinner another day —”

“No, they can wait. I’ll handle them after our date tonight.” Satan presses a lingering kiss to your knuckles. His expression is tender as he gazes into your eyes. “Pick you up at seven?”

You blush and nod. Satan lets you go almost reluctantly, his steps hesitant as he walks away. You’re struck with a sudden pang of yearning, despite knowing that you’ll see him again tonight.

The flowers do little to soothe the ache in your chest, and several petals fall to the ground as you carry the bouquet to the backroom for safekeeping.

[sergiusreports]

Prompt #5: Cutting Corners

The aetheric firebomb exploded far too close for comfort, blowing mud and magitek shrapnel into the trench. Those that were new to this experience tried to scuttled further down the trench line, others stayed put with a grim acceptance, turtling up under the flare of my shield as mud rained down. These were the smart ones. The trench took a sudden bend ahead and moving along it meant exposing themselves to enemy fire. 

“Order an air strike down on these fuckers and be done with it.” Someone yelled over the chaos. 

“The objective is to secure the bunker and those inside, giving clearance for the second line.” I repeated. For the fifth time. Spoken often needed these kinds of reminders. Emotions or some animal instinct takes over and all they want is to make the shitstorm stop. ASAP. In short, they lose their minds. Cut corners and forget mission protocol.

“Have I mentioned I really hate whoever brought the bot.” Felix said in some feeble attempt at humor as he lay plastered against the muddy bank. 

I let it slide. Because they were all exhausted. Because we had been pinned down in this trench for an unacceptable amount of time. Werlyt was making an unreasonable, ultimately futile stand by digging its heels in. All it was doing was pissing the Empire off. I’d seen how this scenario went. Over two dozen different ways. The ending never changed. 

The only variable right now was whether my squadron was going to live to see the end. If they didn’t, it’d really fuck with my five star rating. 

“Squadron units V and VII are in position.” I reported, relaying the chatter over my network. 

“Took them long enough. We’ve just been twiddling our thumbs.” the Squadron leader remarked with a black humor that they all tended to pick up if they survived long enough. Not just them. My personality had taken on a certain cynical bent. Because. Well, look around. “Sergius. How do we get the hell out of here alive?” 

My data told me that was irrelevant. Percentage wise not all of them would. That was secondary to reaching the objective. But fuck that. They were my spoken. I called up and rejected half a dozen victory scenarios from the network, much to the irritation of the other units now in position. 

By now we had been here long enough that night had fallen. In the cover of darkness, my drones could rise above the ceiling of 75 fulms with acceptable levels of risk of being shot down. Too much higher and the wind would become an issue. I patched through a visual of the field to the Squad leader’s omniscope. Loup’s scope soon showed the image, brightened by the green glow of night vision. A pattern soon emerged from the digital snow. The far side of the valley was populated with evenly spaced scrap metal posts, even with the bowl shaped slope. Not the work of scavengers but an outpost that defended the bunker from above. 

“The mages are camped up there.”

“No shit. How did you find them?” Loup asked as he studied the screen.

“Audio triangulation. I listened to the incoming attacks and backward-traced the sound.” Not really important right now. Even when their lives were on the line they were easily distracted. “I’ll take Tacita and we’ll move to nullify the snipers. Squad units V and VII will distract the bunker with superficial bombardment to the north and south. Once the outpost is clear, move in with your men. Circle around in the dark and approach the entrance to the east. Fire off the bullpup shell and the electro pulse should subdue most of the targets in the bunker. Stragglers can be dealt with on approach.” 

Tacita barked out a laugh into the sudden silence. “Who’s pissed we brought the bot now?”

“Coordinating with Squad’s V and VII. Move out. We’ll await the all clear.” Loup nodded. 

I rose into a silent crouch and backtracked along the trench wall until I found a place to climb out behind the cover of debris and twisted metal. Tacita was a shadow behind me. I had left my main drones with the Squadron but had just released an attachment of the micro drones from my frame as we approached the slope when my visual inputs went kaleidoscopic.  

“I can’t see.” I reported and came to a grinding halt. A perfect fucking silhouette in the light of some burning wreckage. A crack sounded through the air. Another projectile. This one slammed into my chest plate and knocked me backward, spraying stones into the air like hail.

“Sergius!” Tacita shouted as she scrambled her way to some rocks, keeping her head down. Her little helmet wouldn’t stop a mage’s bolt. 

“Two hundred yalms to the west.” I dialed down my receptors and hauled ass to Tacita’s position as my visuals came back online. Static interference from the aetheric discharge. I hate that. 

“Can you see?” 

“I’ve lost peripheral optics. Direct systems work.” Meaning my micro drones had been fried.

“Now you’re just like the rest of us.” 

“It’s sub-optimal.” I ran a quick self-diagnostic. Sealant had already dealt with the fluid leak in my organic shell. The blast hadn’t been enough to kill the neuromorphics outright but I had to shutdown relay from the affected area. The chassis beneath hadn’t been breached. No one cared if pieces of me fell off. They did care if I went non-mission capable.

“Yeah, we’re not getting out of this without help.” Tacita hit the pearl in her ear. “We’re pinned. Tell units V and VII to start the light show.” 

It wasn’t long before the answer came in a whistling noise that sailed overhead as mortar fell close enough to the bunker to rattle the targets’ cage. And draw the attention of the outpost. 

“Go. Now.” I ordered.

We navigated the remaining distance to the outpost, snaking our way between piles of rubble and fallen warmachina. We were on them in minutes. Racing ahead of me in a move against protocol we had all agreed to beforehand, Tacita sighted her firearm in on one target running straight toward her. Two shots, center mass and the body jerked up and tumbled backward. Sure, it was a nice opening shot. And she had failed to see the combatant immediately to the right. I reached out and yanked her back behind one of the scrap metal posts, taking a shot in the shoulder for my trouble. Yes, I was pissed. They never fucking listen to me. 

Turning, I hit the combatant with an energy pulse from my right hand, sending him tumbling down the side of the slope. Tacita swung to the left, taking out a further target and pivoting to smash the butt of her weapon into the kneecap of the last. As he crumpled, she followed it up with an entirely unnecessary breaking blow to the collarbone before terminating him. She was annoyed. Probably because I saved her from getting blasted. You’re welcome. 

Out of breath, she surveyed the area. I swept the outcropping, my visuals returning no further heat signals. “Outpost clear.” I reported. 

“Understood.” Loup’s voice crackled over the feed. 

Our part done, Tacita settled in to hold the position. I, however, kept tabs on the mission below through the feeds. 

“It would have been easier to blow it skyhigh.” She said, nudging a slumped over body off a rickety wooden table covered with maps. Makeshift mission control. The body fell with a wet sound as she took a seat on the table’s edge, resting her firearm across her legs.  

“Not the mission plan we were assigned.” That was the sixth time. 

“Fucking A.I. There’s no cutting corners with you.” 

[foreficfandom]

Mystic Messenger - First Time With MC (Lemon)

(Author’s notes: These scenarios do NOT assume a gender for MC, but do write the boys penetrating the reader.)

– Zen –

This isn’t his first rodeo, but he’s not exactly experienced; he’s had, like, one-and-a-half relationships before you. It’s been years since he’s had partnered sex.

And he’s never had sex-ed, either, so his knowledge of the Nasty is kinda lacking. He thinks he can re-use condoms as long as he keeps it on, he believes coconut oil can be used with latex, he thinks birth control pills act as a spermicide, and so on.

You and him initiate sex pretty early on in the relationship, perhaps merely a few days after the RFA party. He’s very romantic about it, too, planning a whole day in advance with rose petals on the bed and scented candles dotting his room. But in the middle of making out, you ask if he’s clean, and he pulls back, confused. “... I think? I mean, I haven’t been with anybody in years, so ...”

Turns out he’s never been tested for STDs. He’s almost offended when you bring it up, like you’re insinuating he’s been cheating on you. You have to explain that getting tested is just what everyone does before having sex with someone for the first time. 

So ... he’s not tested. “Can we ... still do it?” He’s blushing like crazy now, embarrassed he’s so behind on the know-how when he’s the one who wanted this in the first place. 

Partnered sex can still be relatively safe even when an individual’s not been tested, so long as you use lots of protection. But depending on who you are, you might say no, just to be 100% safe. Either way, Zen’s disappointed - not in you, no way, but in himself. God, he’s been looking forward to this night for so long, and he fucked it up by being stupid. He stews in his thoughts silently for a while, and you can tell he’s feeling down so you cuddle him close to have a good long chat about sex, relationships, and communication. Afterwards, he feels much less insecure. The two of you take the rose petals and candles to the bathroom to enjoy your first romantic bath together, instead.

Two days later, he bounces back from the clinic with a negative on every test imaginable. It’s finally time to dig in, and go ham he does, passionately wrapping you into his arms while thrusting deep and slow, trying to have as much skin contact at all times. Oh, god, he loves you, and he’ll spend the whole night proving it.

(Except he definitely couldn’t last the whole night. Your first time having sex was a mere two turns before he clonked out. He’s still embarrassed about that.)

– Yoosung –

It’s his first time having sex, and he’s really nervous. He wants it, wants you badly, but oh my god what if he messes up? What if he farts? Or scratches you in the face? Or he thrusts weird and hurts you and you start bleeding or something?? Dear lord help him

He considers proposing sex like, eight different times. He’s always chickened out, just kissing you on the doorstep before saying goodbye, or letting you leave his dorm without offering to stay the night. It doesn’t help that his dorm is tiny, he’s got a twin bed barely big enough for him. And anybody passing by the door would hear what’s going on inside clear as day. Take his word on that.

He had spent several hours worth on his laptop, doing research on ‘how to have sex for the first time’. He’s got his list of positions to try, how to minimize pain and discomfort, etc, all memorized.. He eventually goes out to get condoms and lube, making sure to use the self-checkout. 

You and him are hanging out in his dorm after a date, and he wasn’t even planning to suck it up and ask you, but you saw the condoms in the shopping bag he forgot to stow away, and you asked him gently, “do you want to be intimate with me, Yoosung?”

He blushes like crazy, you could swear you saw steam lines radiating from his face. But you take his hand in encouragement and he nods eagerly, looking anywhere else but your eyes. “I - I really want this, MC. I’ve been thinking about this for so long ...”

You can tell he’s nervous. The two of you sit on his bed and talk explicitly about what he wants, how you should proceed, what lines to avoid, and lots of other important details. A safeword is confirmed; ‘server maintenance’. He feels much more confident. 

The two of you begin by just kissing on his bed, he slowly dares to feel up your shirt and eventually the clothes come off bit by bit. His body is lean and soft, and he’s loud, too. Just nipping at his pillowy tummy makes him cry out. 

You give him oral, and he’s twisting around, grabbing at pillows and sheets like he’s tumbling down a cliff. He comes without warning and collapses, wrung out and overwhelmed with pleasure. 

Some cuddling afterwards, and then he’s hard again and kissing at your neck. He asks you to ride him, and when you do, he’s sobbing without shame and grabbing hard at your hips.

Some time afterwards, when you and Yoosung are trying to cuddle on his bed without either of you toppling off, he remembers just how loud he’s been and dreads facing anybody in the building tomorrow. You just laugh and tuck him into the bedsheets.

– Jaehee –

She shyly shows off a beautiful new set of lingerie as her way of asking to ‘take the relationship to the next level’. And she’s a real bombshell in it. It’s sometimes easy to forget that Jaehee’s got a bod underneath her suit/cafe uniform.

Unlike certain younger boys, Jaehee didn’t feel the need to agonize over this night over a period of several months. This is a natural progression for her. Once things feel ready between the two of you, it’s natural that the question eventually comes up.

She first shows you her new lingerie in its original packaging, and waits to hear your ‘yes’. Then, it’s time to hop into the bathtub for a long soak and thorough wash before putting it on.

She also gets new toys. Entire shopping bags and shipping boxes filled with insertables, vibrators, pumps, impacts, (and also the supplies needed to maintain them). She didn’t come out and show you these all at once, she’d probably die of embarrassment if she did. But she had them all unwrapped, clean, tested, and ready to use in a discreet box.

You and she actually end up making out on the couch rather than the bedroom. She’s sitting in your lap dressed in her lingerie, you’re fully clothed, and things get so heated the two of you decide to go at it right there.

She’s surprisingly wild. She keeps as much of her lingerie on as possible, even while you’re knuckle deep or pelvis-to-pelvis. The floor is eventually lined with toys as one is used after the other. And she loves taking the initiative with a gentle but firm hand, directing the positions one after the other, or deciding what toy to be used where, and for how long.

A round on the couch, and Jaehee cools down long enough to freak out about staining the upholstery, so she ushers you into the bedroom while she busts out the Lysol. 

After she cleans up, she joins you on the bed for some belated cuddling, and perhaps a second round. Or three.

And it’s actually in the middle of the day, not during the night, so the two of you are completely worn out by dinnertime. Food is takeout, and there’s a lot of it because you need to replenish all that energy.  

Jaehee doesn’t get blushy until you feed her a bite of dessert. It’s cute how confident she is when it comes to sex, but shy about small acts of intimacy. 

– Jumin –

He’s not a virgin, (not that it’s any of your business, Luciel), he had sex with a random girl back in college just to see what the fuss was about, and nothing else since then.

Jumin’s a conservative guy. “Liberalism can only flourish with a good foundation of conservatism.” He believes unmarried couples shouldn’t live together. Of course he’s not gonna be fond of having sex before tying the knot.

It’s not like he rushed the engagement for that reason, but if he was perfectly honest, he did wake up in a cold sweat at 3am when he remembered that this meant the two of you would be intimate very soon. 

Jumin’s got that reputation for being some d/s sex-mad sadist daddy, but that’s not the full picture. You might be able to get him into that specific mood after the two of you establish your relationship more. But for the first few times, it’s all vanilla.

It takes a long while before the wedding actually happens. And, no, Jumin’s not gonna really want to have sex for that entire period. Sure, he’s excited about it, but it’s not a driving, burning need. You, on the other hand, might say differently. 

So if you don’t want to wait four to five months, you’re gonna have to breach the topic yourself. And he’ll be torn - on one hand, he rationally realizes that it’s completely harmless to have consensual sex without martial ties. But he also believes in that supposed virtue of being abstinent until marriage. He also liked the romance of waiting. It’d make the moment more special for him.

Either way, he’s excited. The bed’s furnished with fresh sheets, the lights are dimmed, and there’s five dozen roses in crystal vases throughout the bedroom. 

It’ll start with wine while sitting on the bed - if you don’t drink, you have a glass of something you prefer while he’s sipping on some $12,000 vintage - and he drills a hole in your face with his loving gaze while singing your virtues. He wants you naked before he is, so after some kissing you’ll be nude on the sheets while he finally takes his clothes off.

Jumin has no idea what sex is ‘supposed’ to look like, which is both good and bad - you can tell him to do anything, and he’s not gonna worry about feeling awkward or stupid. But he also needs to be told to do anything. 

If you want him to go faster, or use more tongue, you have to tell him. He’s not gonna take the initiative. If you want him to switch positions, you need to describe exactly how you want to position yourselves. It’s a mixed blessing.

The first round goes quite a while because Jumin was taking it slow. There’s a second round where he gets more adventurous, and maybe a third round depending on how you feel. 

The next morning, the chef’s been hired to prepare a special breakfast, and you can tell that they know. Jumin doesn’t care. He just smiles all day.

– Saeyoung –

He actually was a virgin, which was kinda a surprise. His agent job never require any sort of sex-related work, thank god, and it’s not like he ever earned the attention of anybody else before this point. 

If an agency job had enough time to have sex while in the field, then that meant the job was going down the dumps fast. And whenever Agent 707 was involved, a job never nosedived that far.

It’s (semi) canon that Saeyoung asked to be intimate during the after-ending, while on the search for his brother. It was the night before all your plans would come to fruition, and he didn’t know he would come back alive. “I want to leave evidence on you that I existed.”

But it’s ALSO canon that in Saeyoung’s ‘dark chocolate’ Valentine’s Day ending, he asks to ‘take the relationship to the next level’. Which implies that the two of you haven’t had sex yet. 

So what’s the dealio? Basically, Saeyoung wanted to have sex with you that night in the cabin, and after some kissing, you realized that you (1) didn’t have protection, (2) neither of you have been tested recently, and (3) your current emotional states weren’t ideal for sex, especially since Saeyoung was a virgin. He left a lot of hickies on your neck instead, and the two of you held each other close the whole night. 

By the time Valentine’s Day rolled around, it had been two months since Saeran was rescued and Saeyoung was feeling a lot happier. You made it to the end of the scavenger hunt to find an amorous redhead that was ~prepared~ this time. An entire shopping bag full of prophylactics, lube, band-aids, water bottles, and everything. 

He managed to fake a confident persona up until he undressed you fully, then he found himself blushing like crazy when you undressed him in turn. Damn, he really was hiding muscles underneath that hoodie. His arms were woven cable, and underneath his pudge you could feel shapely abs. 

He asked to be on top, you complied, rolling over and allowing him to explore your body with his hands and mouth. It took three tries to enter you, because without his glasses, you were a bit of a blurry blob. But once he was in, he went at it. Maybe even a bit too enthusiastic for the first few thrusts, he was just running on some animalistic instinct he didn’t know he had. 

Two minutes later, he was blindsided by a surprise orgasm. Embarrassed, he rolled off of you and buried his face into the sheets. You had to stroke his hair soothingly for ten minutes before he would look you in the face. 

Saeyoung’s first evening of sex had one ‘disastrous’ first try, then a much better second run, and then after dinner there was a third ... and also .5 a prance while in the shower.  

– Saeran –

You’re his first sexual partner, but more than that, today also marks a big step in his self-confidence. He’s cashing in his newfound tolerance for his body and constitution. Saeran spent most of his life hating his ‘weak’ health and thinking anybody’d be repulsed by him. He wouldn’t have sex if he didn’t believe differently. 

So it’s probably several months - perhaps years - into your relationship that he even brings up having sex. Even though he may be ready, he’s still nervous and shy and unsure about how to proceed. 

Before the big night, he spends several minutes in front of the mirror, looking at his body. He’s gained weight and a new color to his skin thanks to his healthier lifestyle, and there’s this confidence to his posture that wasn’t there before. A sparkle in his eye. It’s incredible how far he’s come from hating every inch of himself. He smiles.

He prepares one of his Patented Saeran’s Romantic Dinners, complete with candlelight and ambient music. The two of you have done this several times before, but this time there’s an electricity in the air ‘cause of what’s to come. You notice that the food has no garlic, or other strong smells. Saeran’s more cunning than he looks. 

As dessert finishes up, he gets more quiet, until the conversation dies down and there’s nothing for it; he takes a deep breath and says, “....Sh-shall we go to bed?” Like this hasn’t been planned weeks in advance. The two of you walk hand-in-hand to the bedroom, where there’s even more candles and another stereo playing soft music, and you picture Saeran putting together a ‘having sex for the first time’ playlist.

You begin by kissing Saeran lying beneath you, but he stops you with a hand on your shoulder and asks to switch positions, because he doesn’t like the feeling of you hovering over him. It’s another mark of his progress that he asks for adjustments. 

Things progress slowly. Saeran feels out what makes him feel anxious, and what makes him feel good. The two of you end up side-by-side as he takes you, facing each other with your legs wrapped around his waist. Very intimate. Very sweet. He loves threading his fingers through your hair, and he mewls every time you fondle his ears. 

His health is still shaky, so he only has the stamina for one round before he needs to rest. He all but demands you inch as close as possible so he falls asleep holding you tight. When he wakes up the next morning, he’s got a 1000-watt smile. 

– Jihyun –

Out of the entire wacky cast of Mystic Messenger boys, Jihyun’s the only actual experienced one. You don’t have to tell him that a single pack of five condoms is waaayy too little, you don’t have to explain what dental dams are, or worry about him using oil-based lube on accident, and he’s the only one who actually showers thoroughly beforehand. 

It begins with your typical night of cuddling-and-kissing, then Jihyun says he’s clean and he’s got a bedside cabinet full of supplies. He gently holds your hand and asks, ‘”if you’d like …? We could … if you’re comfortable. If you’d have me.” He’s blushing, but he’s confident. 

Of course, even if you’re experienced, the first time with anybody is gonna be awkward. And Jihyun’s a surprisingly big guy to maneuver. There’s a lot of accidental elbowing, bonking of the heads, kneeling on sensitive bits, and little scrapes. His long limbs seemingly end up everywhere on the bed, and it’s like you’re playing twister. 

Mistakes just make him laugh. You trip over his outstretched forearm and face plant into his shoulder, and he just chuckles and pulls you into another kiss. 

He’s just so soft and loving. ‘Cause to Jihyun, it’s about ~making love~. He wants to go slow, looking into your eyes, cradling your head and burying his face into the crook of your neck. 

Tries to get you off first, either through oral or otherwise. He’s not a big fan of any positions that turn you away from him, it’s just too rough and aggressive. He’d rather carry you on his shoulders before he prefers doggy style. 

Checks in with you constantly, asks what you like and where you like to be touched. Tries to get you to literally guide his hands. In turn, he asks you to please, touch his legs, his thighs ... yes, kiss me there - 

For your first time, he’d rather have a one-two long sessions than multiple quick ones. He believes sex is one of the most intimate methods of non-verbal communication, and the longer you go in one sitting, the more is passed between the two of you. 

He’s never used toys in his life. If you decide to pull one out for your first time, he’s gonna blush like crazy and actually decline. He wants the first night to be 'organic’. And he’s so driven towards that romantic face-to-face lovemaking, he won’t go too hard or fast, even if you’re begging him. 

After the sex, he wraps you up in a cozy blanket before fetching some hot tea and fresh fruit. Then there’s several minutes spent reviewing how things went, what things worked well, or how they can improved. He catalogues it all for later. 

He rarely wants to fall asleep right after sex, so you might pass out peacefully, but he’s gonna stay awake, just gazing at you for a while. 

[retrievablememories]

moonlight | jaehyun (m)

title: moonlight pairing: jaehyun x reader genre: smut request: “Hi 😘 Nct members going to a strip club and jaehyun getting a private dance that turns into fucking scenario please? Can be smutty” word count: 3.2k warnings: sex work, oral sex (male receiving), dirty talk, riding a/n: I admittedly don’t know much about strip clubs at my big age of 23 💀 I researched what I could but took some creative liberties. I only included a handful of nct members here since that is a looot of men lol 

“Don’t look now, but your pretty boy and his group of friends are back. Diane says their car is outside,” Anya says, walking into the dressing room where the rest of the girls are. Your interest is piqued at this, though you pretend not to hear her as you finish applying your makeup. Serena isn’t so quick to let you off the hook.

“Isn’t that your boyfriend? Your little boy toy?” Serena asks, leaning closer and batting her eyelashes at you.

You pause with the mascara wand in your hand. “What boyfriend?” you scoff, though you already know exactly what she’s talking about.

“Girl, stop pretending like you’re not into him or some shit. You look at him almost as much as he stares at you!” Anya rolls her eyes and puts her hand on her hip, looking every bit of an Amazon in her 6-inch heels.

“He’s yet to request a private dance, so…I’m not sweatin’ over him. And anyway, he’s no boyfriend of mine if he ain’t paying the bills.”

“Okay, I heard that one!” Both Serena and Anya laugh at your comment. But now that you know he’s here, you are suddenly a little more motivated to dance well tonight. Not that you don’t already, but a little extra never hurt anyone.

Him and his idol friends come around to Moonlight every so often, one weekend or so a month, to get their rocks off. They’re from that kpop group NCT, and you’ve figured out the one who stares is Jaehyun. But you don’t know a ton about them other than those bare facts.

With Moonlight being one of a few ultra-diverse strip clubs in Seoul, it rose to popularity fairly quickly after its establishment. And to no one’s surprise — no one who truly knows the game, anyway — there are always a lot of kpop idols who come to watch the dancers. Their fans would undoubtedly be scandalized if they knew, but hey, that ain’t your problem. You’re here to make money, have fun, and seduce starry-eyed, lonely men. If they’re attractive, that’s only a bonus.

The House Mother, Daya, comes to stand in the doorway and calls your name. “You’re up next girl, so move that ass!”

“I’m coming,” you sigh dramatically, but there are no hard feelings at all. She’s one of the nicer club owners in this part of the city, one who treats all the girls like equals no matter what their skin color or creed is. And when you work in a club as popular and as multicultural as Moonlight, you need someone there to keep the drama to a minimum.

--

The club is as dim as ever, but the stage lights remain at a low shine, ready to come on full blast once the next dancer appears. The music thumps so heavily that the bass seems to become one with the building, making every part of the club feel alive with energy. A group of 5 men enter, weaving their way through the seats to make it to their usual spot next to the stage.

“Wow, can’t believe we’re actually in a strip club right now, haha…” Mark tries to play it cool, but he’s not very good at hiding his nervousness. This is only his first strip club outing with the other boys, after all. He taps his fingers on his legs like he’s playing the drums.

“Yeah, could’ve sworn we were on Mars instead,” Doyoung says, and the others laugh while Mark rolls his eyes.

Mark isn’t the only one whose nerves are getting to him, though. Johnny notices Jaehyun’s restless demeanor as the rest of them settle in, and he muffles a laugh, nudging the younger man. “God, I hope that one dancer you like is here tonight, you look like you’re about to come out of your clothes.”

“She’s way out of your league,” Ten snickers.

“Stop acting like I’m ugly. I could get her any time,” Jaehyun argues, glaring at the other man.

“She’s a woman of her own, not something you can take as you please, Jaehyun!” Johnny says, and both Ten and Jaehyun laugh.

“Johnny, you should keep an eye out for your own crush.” Doyoung gives him a knowing look, and he only laughs sheepishly in response.

It isn’t long before you appear on the stage, the club bursting with cheers and claps and the dual spotlights flickering to full illumination. The spotlights glisten on your skin and reflect off the light pink lingerie set you’re wearing, making you look akin to a goddess—at least in Jaehyun’s eyes. You step out from behind the velvety curtains, letting the fabric caress your body before making your way towards the pole in the middle of the stage.

Your signature song plays as you twist yourself around the pole and perform your favorite tricks, letting yourself be hyped up and carried away by the people around you calling your stage name and throwing bills at your feet. The world spins as you do, revolving around the pole with your legs touching the sky. You grin at the upside-down faces staring back at you, leaving your charm to do all the talking.

You finish your pole routine by slowly sliding down to the base of it and landing carefully in a split. Your back is facing the NCT boys, though you look over your shoulder to flash a sultry look at the audience. This one is always a crowd-pleaser—though you also use this move as an excuse to catch a glimpse of Jaehyun’s expression. You aren’t disappointed by the hunger written across his gaze.

You gracefully turn your body to them, getting on your hands and knees so they have a full view of your chest. As you crawl closer to the end of the stage, Jaheyun’s figure grows clearer underneath the club’s simultaneously dark and light atmosphere. He’s close enough to reach out and touch. 

So you do—bringing your legs out in front of you and spreading them in an appealing stretch before resting them on his shoulders, one after the other. Other men in the club seethe with envy. Jaehyun himself is stuck like a fish out of water, blushing madly but also completely into your display.

Beside him, Doyoung whoops and Johnny whistles. You lift your legs off of Jaehyun gracefully and follow the move by letting your silk robe slip off your shoulders, fully exposing the bare skin of your shoulders and back. Even this is enough to get the men riled up again, and you revel in their cheers.

Jaehyun knows enough strip club etiquette than to try to touch you, and you take advantage of this by gliding off the stage and circling him like he’s your prey. You purposely brush your silk robe over his body, letting it cocoon him in your scent. His fingers drift across it, and he wonders if it could possibly be as soft as your skin looks—or maybe you’re even softer.

Before he can truly get into it, you’ve flitted off to another nearby table of men, taking your silk with you.

“Holy fuck,” Mark looks like a deer in the headlights, and his legs are crossed uncomfortably to hide his obvious boner. 

“The baby’s gonna implode!” Ten laughs.

“Well hold it, because the night is just beginning!” Doyoung shouts.

Jaehyun’s eyes keep coming over to you even as you rotate to one of the other, smaller platforms in the club, another girl taking your spot on the main stage.

--

“You really put it on him tonight, huh?” Serena says, putting her arm around your shoulders. “He’s totally in love. Watch him come to the next show with an engagement ring.” You chuckle at that idea. You find it strangely endearing. You wouldn’t marry him without knowing him, of course, but the idea of having him that tightly wrapped around your finger makes you grin.

You don’t have long to think about it before Daya is coming to break up your kiking fest.

“You’ve got a request for a private dance from one Jaehyun. Sound familiar?” Daya announces. Serena nudges you, and you nod. Daya raises her eyebrows. “You up for it?”

The corners of your lips curl up in a smile. “Give me 5 to freshen up.”

--

Moonlight holds a dozen or so rooms within its second story, all solely reserved for private dances. You climb the stairs slowly in your heels, partly because you don’t want to trip and partly because you’re slightly nervous about what to expect. There’s an abundance of security guards stationed on this level—and each room has an emergency button—so you’re not worried about safety, per se. Whoever this Jaehyun guy really is, you hope he can meet a few of your expectations, at least. Maybe it’s a little embarrassing, but you’ve built him up in your mind more than you’ve allowed yourself with other club-goers.

The room number is 202. You stand in front of the door for a few moments to take several deep breaths. Then you relax your body, talking yourself back into your Performance mode, and open the door.

“Who’s this handsome man?” Jaehyun looks up to see you standing in the doorway, still wearing your outfit from the stage. He sits up on the plush black couch that stands out from the blazing purple hue of the rest of the room. A row of mirrors frames the wall behind the couch, reflecting your own figure back to you. He looks a bit disheveled, with his shirt unbuttoned and his slacks crooked, but it’s a good look for him.

He leans forward to drink in your body, his eyes drifting up from the garters resting against your thighs to the lacy bra covering your breasts, and you smile underneath his gaze. “Jaehyun. And you’re ______...right?”

“Of course. You should know me by now, special boy,” you tease, sauntering over to him to sit on the couch beside him, instead of his lap like he expected. Still, you hover incredibly close to him, your hand sliding against his lapels and stroking the fabric of his button-up right where it unfolds against his skin. “After all, you’ve stared enough.”

“It’s hard not to.” Jaehyun rakes his eyes across your body as if he’s dying to touch it. You smirk and stand up again, sliding off your silk robe and throwing it to him as you wind your body to the music coming from the room’s speakers.

“What would your girlfriend say?” you tease.

His eyes widen at that. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Don’t act so scandalized about it...men with girlfriends and wives come here all the time. It’s shitty...but it’s life.” You say this while twisting your hips in his face, and he initially seems a little too distracted to realize you’ve said anything. Then it registers.

“That’s....do you like this j-job, at least?” Jaehyun’s breath hitches at the end of his sentence when you drape yourself across his body, your head resting back on his shoulder and your ass pressing against the undeniable bulge in his pants. Still, he doesn’t touch you, which you are grateful for—many other men haven’t been so tactful during private dances—so you continue servicing him without a care in the world.

“It’s fun, and I get to meet handsome men like you.” Your fingers ghost across his jawline, drifting only inches away but not making contact. “There’s a lot to like about it.”

You move away and he thinks you mean to get up, but you only turn to face him. “You can touch me now, if you’d like. I think you’ve been a good boy…”

You grind in Jaehyun’s lap and are delighted when he responds in kind, pushing his hips up to meet yours. Your faces are inches apart. You are practically breathing in sync, smiling like there’s a secret only the two of you know.

You make the first move by kissing him, and he slants his mouth against yours as if your lips have always belonged together.

You grasp Jaehyun’s hand and lead it to your hip, and he takes the cue to rest both of his hands on your waist, simply following your directions.

He does take the lead with the kiss, though, biting your lip as you gently pull away, and tugging you back in. He tastes like alcohol, and as cliché as it is, it makes you feel a bit drunk—but that might also be due to his demeanor itself.

“How long have you wanted this?” you ask, sliding your hand into his black shirt and drawing your nails across his skin—not painfully hard, but enough to make him throb under you.

“Maybe too long,” he says. “You’re very beautiful.”

You smile. “Aren’t we a perfect match, then?” Your hand slides lower, to his abdomen and the muscles you can feel even under his dress shirt, and then to his belt. “Would you like to continue?” you ask. 

“Yes.”

You unbuckle his belt, sliding the leather through his belt loops and dropping it off to the side somewhere. You slide yourself off his lap to kneel in front of him as you caress his lower half, rubbing your hands up his thighs and across his bulge, underneath his clothing to feel his abs, and then back again. 

Unzipping his dress pants is equally fun. You watch him sweat and feel him shudder as you drag the zipper down with your teeth. You pull his underwear down after, slowly drawing the material over his skin on purpose. His cock springs out, hard and thick and flushed with need, and you lean forward to drag your mouth over it, base to tip.

Jaehyun is heavy and warm against your lips and he smells good, like male musk, like pheromones and desire. You hold the base as you slap his dick on your tongue and he rolls his head back, making a sound between a groan and a laugh as if he can’t believe this is happening.

He doesn’t want to rush or hurt you, so he lets you do the work of sliding him into your mouth as far as you can take, drooling over his dick and sucking him so messily that it makes his knees quiver. The groans and grunts you pull out of him are lovely to hear—you feel good to know that you can bring him this much pleasure so easily. His precum drips into your mouth, salty on your tastebuds.

Jaehyun is pliable in your hands as you stroke his shaft, focusing your tongue on his leaking tip. You feel his thumb brushing the back of your neck, his hand settling on your nape as he watches you suck his dick. He curses under his breath when you scrape your teeth against him very gently, giving just enough pressure to make it feel good.

Soon, you feel Jaehyun nearing in your mouth, his cock throbbing harder and his thighs trembling around you.

“I-I want to fuck you,” Jaehyun says abruptly. You pull back to look at him through your eyelashes. You leave a trail of spit lingering between your lips and his dick, and he looks like he might come right then.

“Such a greedy boy.” You lift yourself to be level with his eyes, tilting his chin with your fingertips. “What’s the magic word?”

“Please?” He looks like he isn’t totally certain that’s the right answer, and it makes you laugh. In response to his request, you turn to face the door, bending over and making a show of unclipping your garters and sliding your thong down before straightening to remove them completely. Jaehyun moans at that.

You turn back to see that he’s already taken care of the condom. He groans beautifully for you again when you crawl back onto his lap and slide him inside of you, clenching around his hard length.

You start with a slow and winding rhythm at first, not entirely hellbent on teasing him but not willing to let him blow his load too soon, either. His hands are all over your body at this point, gripping your ass and your breasts and whatever else he can get his hands on. He pulls your bra down and tugs your nipples into his mouth like a man starved. 

You laugh at his eagerness, riding him harder.

Jaehyun plants his feet straight on the ground and starts thrusting up into you and you cry out at the added sensation, his tip hitting against your g spot and making you sweat and tremble.

“Fuck, you’re good,” you sigh, digging your nails into his shoulder as you fuck each other at the perfect pace.

“This is the best pussy I’ve ever had,” he says in between sucking your nipples. “I’ve gotta taste it.”

“N-next time.” Your body squeezes around him again as he brings one of his hands to the front to rub your clit. You’re glad the music is loud, otherwise there’d be no hiding your noises or the sound of your skin slapping together.

You feel wild and free in a way you haven’t in a long time, and you let yourself scrape your nails across his skin and bite at his neck as you fuck yourself harder on his dick.

You and Jaehyun kiss and thrust against each other like you’ll never get to do it again, with all the delicious hurriedness that a quick and tension-filled type of fuck can offer.

“I’m c-close.” Jaehyun groans this into your hair as you’ve gone back to biting his neck again. He grips your ass and holds you tighter against him, if at all possible, and pushes himself into your spot with renewed energy. His hand still works your clit, just shy of being firm enough to hurt—but practiced enough to provide pleasure.

“Not without me,” you say, licking the shell of his ear. “What would your friends say?”

“They wouldn’t know, because right now, you’re mine alone.” He slaps your ass and that’s enough to get you spilling onto him, crying his name right into his eardrum as you shudder and tighten around him.

Jaehyun comes soon after, thrusting a few more times and settling himself deep inside you as he fills the condom. He leans his head against the couch and you watch as he vocalizes his pleasure, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he arches into you.

You feel sated and a bit sleepy now, but your shift isn’t over yet and there are still more shows to be done. You lay a kiss on Jaehyun’s throat before gingerly untangling yourself from him and redressing, making sure everything is in place.

Jaehyun throws away the condom and does the same for himself, though there won’t be any hiding the bruises you’ve left on his neck. He looks in the mirrors behind him and blushes at the sight of them, brushing his fingers over them.

“Sorry honey. Hope your friends don’t tease you too much over it.” You smile sympathetically, though you aren’t terribly sorry. You move to open the door but Jaehyun calls out wait, and you pause.

He slides a piece of paper with his number on it into your hand and gives you a smirk. “Don’t forget our promise. ���Next time,’ remember?”

You tuck the paper into your bra and make a note to put it somewhere safer once you get to the dressing room. “Of course, baby.” With that, you are gone, and Jaehyun is left with the memories—and the marks—to remind him of you until you meet again.

[yandere-daydreams]

Woo requests are open!!! This might be controversial but I'm here to request for more of dicku...you write him so well this is entirely on you. For scenario something similar to the recent BOE ask thank you!!!

This post, right? I do love a thoroughly delusional Yandere falling for a cam-person, if only because they’d be so committed to all that manufactured intimacy... it’s a match made in heaven, isn’t it?

Title: I’m A Whore, You Idiot.

TW: Nonconsensual Touching and Delusional Mindsets.

~

In your defense, this hadn’t been in the contract.

It might’ve been, actually, if you were being honest with yourself. You’d gone through so many clients since the start of your ‘side job’, and every single one came with some kind of baggage, some kind of trauma or anxiety or issue that rendered them without the time or means to establish a normal relationship as unconditional as they’d like. The service you provided was a needed one, whether you were soothing Shoto as he cried his eyes out or telling Red Riot he was your hero until your voice went hoarse, usually while clad in little more than an outfit that’d be considered scandalous in the worst of neighborhoods. Izuku wasn’t supposed to be any different. He wasn’t different, really. Just stressed and lonely and so, so clingy. They all were.

And yet, he was the only one who couldn’t seem to stay on his side of the screen.

He was the only one who wouldn’t let go.

You nearly sighed when you saw him, standing outside of your apartment door, one hand fidgeting nervously at his side and the other clutching a dozen or so roses, the bouquet half-heartedly hidden behind his back. He must’ve been on his way home, still wearing in the familiar grey track-suit he was always appeared in, during your nightly sessions. For a moment, you wondered if he’d been planning this, and if so, for how long. You dreaded the possibility that he’d put any kind of weight on this interaction, but a spontaneous visit might’ve been worse. It meant he didn’t have an objective you could fill before sending him on his way.

It meant he’d come to see you.

You didn’t bother forcing a smile. If a bad attitude was enough to keep him at bay, you’d be more relieved than disappointed. “Again?”

Another nervous smile, as shaky as it was panicked. He bit the inside of his cheek as he held out the bouquet, and reluctantly, you accepted it, keeping the array at arm’s length and barely giving it a second glance. It’d join his other ‘gifts’ on your kitchen counter in a few minutes, left to rot until you found the motivation to sort through the growing pile properly. This would be the first one he delivered by hand, though, rather than leaving you to collect them from the flustered clerk attending your building’s lobby. “It’s romantic, right?” He asked, his grin broadening, as if he had a reason to be proud of himself. “You’re always so shy, I knew you’d never give me an address, but then I realized my agency had your emergency contact information for evacuations, and--” He cut himself off, his ramble trailing off into a stuttered laugh. “I thought it’d be sweet if I stopped by.”

“That’s not… No, Midoriya.” It might’ve been the shock, or the exhaustion of a day that just couldn’t seem to end, but the strongest reaction you were able to summon was a small frown and a shake of your head, both barely noticeable. Izuku deflated, ever so slightly, but made no move to take his leave. “You can’t keep… You’re trying to turn our relationship into something it’s not, and I’m not going to indulge you. I’m your employee, I work for you. You can’t just show up and try to change that.”

He opened his mouth, his smile wavering slightly, but you were already closing the door, not wanting to hear whatever excuse was playing on his tongue. But, Izuku didn’t like that plan as much as you did, catching the door, holding it in place as you attempted to counteract his weight. “I have to,” He explained, speaking a little louder than he had been, a little hastier. “You never want to talk about us. When I call, you hang up, and you say you don’t want to waste time during our…” He grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes, continuing more aggressively. “It’s unfair. I’m trying my hardest, but you’re--”

“You’re paying me. There’s nothing to talk about!” With a grunt, you made a final effort to shove him out of your apartment, but Izuku only glowered, refusing to budge and stepping over the threshold. You relented, dropping your door as a defined, deepened crack formed under Izuku’s palm, his anger betraying him, only making itself more evident in the stern scowl etched into his lips, something in your stomach beginning to twist and deform in a primal, instinctive warning. Still, you clenched your fists at your sides, attempting to steel yourself. You’d been working with Izuku for months now. You knew him well enough to be sure he wouldn’t hurt you. “Get out. We can discuss this when you’re feeling rational, or else…” You paused, running a hand through your hair, letting out a deep, ragged breath. “I like our arrangement. I don’t mind it when you ask me to act like someone else, or do all the weird shit you’re into, but I can’t pretend you’re my boyfriend. I’ll call your manager tomorrow, this isn’t working. You need help, real help--”

Something must’ve set him off. You couldn’t be sure if it was your pity or your tone or anything outside of that fucked-up head of his, but in the blink of an eye, he had your collar in a vice grip, closing the distance between you and pinning you under his glare, your empathy quickly turning to anger. “I am your boyfriend. You wouldn’t be so affectionate, if I wasn’t. You wouldn’t say you love me. You’re the only one not thinking straight.”

You stiffened, crossing your arms. Trying to regain as much dignity as you could. “You pay me to fuck myself and let you watch,” You said, dryly. “That’s not something a boyfriend should have to do.”

You almost expected him to be louder. There was a low growl, a hollow thud as he kicked your door closed, and in a moment, your back was pressed against his chest, a hand clasped over the lower half of your face and his free arm wrapped around your torso, restricting your movements to pathetic squirms, your attempts to get away as limited as they were pathetic. You writhed, attempting to call and scream and struggle, but Izuku only tightened his hold, pushing the air from your lungs, leaving you breathless, something in your chest beginning to ache under the pressure.

“You’re confused,” He mumbled, his forehead coming to rest against the nape of your neck. “Poor baby, I should’ve been more clear about our relationship. I don’t know why I expected you to understand. It’s alright, though.”

Again, you fought, and again, Izuku pulled you closer, lifting you off your feet entirely a second later. You expected him to drag you out into the hall, to hurt you or make threats or take you somewhere else, but instead, Izuku ventured further into your home, moving slowly, searching for something and locking onto once his target had been found. Numbly, you acknowledged that he was starting towards your bedroom, his stride suddenly confident, righteous, but you couldn’t seem to focus on his goal.

Not when his smile, wide and toothy, was back in full force.

“You just need to see how close we’re meant to be.”

[undertheoaktree-novel]

-Chapter 4/5-

"I won't pounce on you again, so no need to tremble like that. Hell, I never even planned to jump on you here."

She dared not raise her head. Instead, she stared at her clasped hands as if she were trying to bore a hole through them.

Riftan rose from the sofa and straightened out his disheveled clothes.

"You heard him, didn't you? A carriage is waiting. It's leaving soon."

"B-But..."

In her panic, she desperately clutched at his tunic without noticing the state of her own rumpled clothes.

"C-could w-we t-t-talk for a m-moment..."

"There's no time to lose. Get the servant to pack your things. We'll talk in the carriage."

Maxi had been shaking with fear, but now a puzzled expression dawned on her face. She repeated his words hesitantly. "M-My th-things?"

"Yes. Your things. Do you not have things to bring with you?"

She blinked, still not understanding. A great sigh escaped Riftan, who deftly adjusted her clothes into some semblance of propriety. He hoisted her up, then called to the maidservant waiting just outside the door to pack her bags.

"What are you waiting for? Get in the carriage."

"B-But... Fa-Fa-Father is w-waiting f-for me. I-I n-need his p-p-permission..."

Riftan's face hardened at the mention of the duke. Tightening his grip on her arm, he dragged her toward the carriage.

"You are my wife. Why should I seek permission to take you with me? Your father has no right to interfere."

With that, he lifted her up and placed her in the carriage, where she sat in mute astonishment.

"Go!" Riftan shouted out of the window, seating himself across from Maxi.

The carriage rattled to a start. Still in disbelief, Maxi watched as Croyso Castle shrunk into the distance. She had run through dozens of scenarios in her head as she pictured their reunion, but none of them had prepared her for this.

She stared dumbfoundedly at her husband, who was taking in the passing scenery with one arm draped over the windowsill. He looked calm and composed. Could this be the same man who had rained blistering remarks and kisses on her before bounding out of the castle.

Maxi stole a glance at Riftan's finely sculpted features. His tousled hair sat splendidly atop his chiseled forehead, rippling in the gentle breeze blowing in through the window. His lustrous, golden-brown skin gave him an exotic appearance. The arduous campaign had put a sharp edge on his naturally stony face, giving him a forbidding air.

As if he sensed her misgivings, Riftan whipped his head around to look at her. Shriveling before his piercing look, Maxi averted her eyes. She must have done something to displease him, for he began to curse.

"Do you find me so unbearably repulsive? At least try to hide it! I don't have the slightest intention of jumping out of the carriage to spare you the trouble of my company!"

"Y-Y-You aren't r-repulsive. I-I n-never s-said..."

"Then do something about that dreadful look on your face!"

Maxi's hands flew up to cover her face. It was true that she felt uncomfortable and afraid in his presence, but she had not realized that her expression so clearly betrayed her feelings.

"You married me, yet you've disregarded my existence all this time. Do not expect that I will tolerate any more of it!"

Dismayed, Maxi could only stare at him. How could he accuse her of such a thing?

"What were you going to do if you were pregnant?"

"P-P-Pregnant?"

Hearing the unexpected word, Maxi looked up with a start. The corners of Riftan's mouth twisted."

It was possible that you were. I performed my duties to the fullest that night, did I not?"

Riftan's face contorted into a scowl, and he slammed his fist into the wall of the carriage.

"Don't make that face! As if the thought of having my child sickens you!"

But his fierce growl was cut short as he leaped out of the carriage, one hand on the hilt of his sword.

[universaln0b0dy]

HEYaaaaa , may I request a dozen roses for the third years please ?????? cute serie

A dozen roses. (Twisted wonderland third years (-housewardens)x reader)

《Characters》: Trey, Carter, Rook, Lillia

《Summary》: You and him had a fight. For whatever reason and the other would only be forgiven if they would be brought a dozen Roses, handpicked/self made or at least that's what they think. Though it was only said out of anger the next week they hold said roses.

《Note》: established relationship. Also fluff, simply fluff

Trey Clover:

Okay, how did that happen. You and Trey having a fight? That was considered impossible. Both of you were the most understanding people in the world wich means a fight shouldn't even have broken out?

Well it did. Though neither you nor Trey can remember what it was about. Something about you having scared Trey to death with fighting all of these Overblots.

You wanted to be the bigger person in this case, planning on apologising for letting the fight get out of control when the only thing Trey did was watch out for you.

Well what might suprise a lot of people is that Trey holds grudges. And you get to experience that rare sight of Trey ignoring you out of anger. And you feel horrible about that.

Wanting to apologise, you crack your head with thinking about what to do as an apology. You get the idea for the roses, by looking out of your window.

"Trey? The prefect is here to see you." Trey perks up, sighing with a slight frown. He really didn't want to see you at the moment, but he had been ignoring you for exactly one week now and maybe he should talk to you.

You step towards Trey, holding the self picked flowers out to him, trying your best to hide the small scratches that littered over your arm.

"I am really sorry. Your right, I shouldn't be so reckless and I shouldn't have said all of that, you were just looking out for me." You exclaim looking at Trey.

The green haired male sighs, but takes the flowers. He looks at them and than smiles at you. "You are forgiven my sweetheart. After all what you are doing helps a lot of people, just promise me that you'll tell me about it, so I can help you."

Carter Diamond:

Carter was known for his cheery and social media based personality, hiding that he had a hard time getting close to people or showing others his none perfect side.

Exept you. You were willing to wait for him, allowing him to take his own time with communicating his feeling. And he probably ruined that.

It was a simple prank he posted without your consent, that made you walk out of the door angrily and avoid him even after he took down the video.

He really doesn't know what to do and it shows, the whole week he seems kinda anxious fidgeting with his fingers pacing around the dorm, or letting his smile falter for just a few seconds.

Trey is the first one to give him an idea on just how to apologise, wich he follows, hoping that you would accept his apology.

You open the door to Ramshackle, flowers greeting your face. They are hand picked, you can tell by the small scratches that cover Carters hands.

"My love, I am very sorry. I shouldn't have posted that video without your consent and- and maybe I should really not post everything on social media I-I..." His voice breaks and you take the flowers giving him a kiss on his forehead.

"I forgive you, but never do that again okay?"

Rook Hunt:

Well no one would believe that you and Rook could fight. Rook was down bad for you in a way that no one else was and you loved Rook even with his little quirks and habits.

But even you could get irritated by his constant stalking. Wich you tell him after a long and exhausting day working for Crowley, in a not a polite way, leaving Rook speeches.

You feel horrible. Rook had stood up and left without saying another word, but by the fact that Vil came knocking on your door later on, asking you just what the hell happened.

You tell Vil what happened, along with asking if he knew just how to apologise to Rook. Luckily Vil sighs realising that it's nothing serious and he won't have to expect Rook being quiet forever. It was spooky.

You on the other hand try your best to catch Rook somewhere in order to properly apologise, but when a hunter doesn't want to be found he won't be found.

By the end of the week you are completely devastated,running into the Pomefiore dorm, asking everyone about Rook. The students told you that he might be in his room and you run towards the direction that was pointed to you.

Before you can knock on the dorms door, Rook opens it. He looks at you, looking gloomy in some way. You hand him the roses with tears in your eyes.

"I am really sorry Rook! I shouldn't have said all that! I don't think it's annoying that you follow me around, I feel safe. And I know that I sometimes might get angry but I want you to know that I didn't mean anything I said that day!" You exclaim, before you suddenly get pulled to the floor by a hug. Rook had tackled you.

"You are forgiven monsior/mademoiselle trickster!"

Lilia Vanrouge:

Oh dear, Lillia and you that was a story. You were an immortal that was recently thrown into this world and Lilia was well Lilia, a veteran fae in the schools textbooks.

It was love on first prank how people might say. Well the relationship was so good that no one expected you two to fight. But well you and Lilia did and you really had a bad fight.

Silver didn't understand what had happened, you just stormed out of the dorm without saying another word, leaving behind a very angry but at the same time really sad Lilia.

The fight was about you returning to your world, with Lilia voicing clear displeasure at the fact you might leave again, but you understood. He was your boyfriend after all.

But something irked you on the way he said it, sounding like he was trying to accuse you of abandoning him and Silver, who you have become a parental figure for.

You simply need time for yourself for now, ignoring the faes advances of talking with you, until Malleus shows up at Ramshackles doormat looking like a lost puppy.

You of course let him in, brewing the dragon fae some tea and Malleus asks you about your fight with Lilia, telling you about how weird Lilia has been behaving.

When he asks you about what apology you would accept, you tell him that a dozen roses would be perfect. Malleus smiles. The dragon fae had really taken a liking to you, seeing you like a parental figure, just like Silver did.

It's now been a week since your fight and you were about to walk over to Diasomnia, until you hear a knock on the door. You open it, seeing Lilia stand in front of you, with exactly a dozen Rose's.

"I am sorry my dear, I shouldn't have gotten so worked up about the fact you might return to your world one day, after all it's your choice! But I was scared that you would just leave..." The fae mutters. You smile pulling Lilia into a hug.

"I would never leave you, Malleus or Silver. I am not going anywhere!"

[msrosey]

shadamy: Easy Chill

Summary: Amy canonically hates the cold. Shadow canonically runs hot. You can see where this is going.

Links: AO3

Comic panel that inspired this. Tumblr ( @lonelysadblob​) that inspired me. 

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Amy Rose prided herself on her adaptability, on being prepared for any scenario with the brightest of smiles, the most positive of attitudes, and, when all else wasn't enough, a quick hammer to the kneecaps.

There was, however, one blind spot in her nigh impenetrable shield of optimism, one Achilles heel to her adonis of good cheer. And she was currently hip deep and freezing in it.

“Stupid forest. Stupid snow,” Amy muttered, using her hammer to whack at the section before her. The snow was sent soaring to rather impressive heights only to be quickly replaced by a fresh wave from nearby drifts. Amy narrowed her eyes at the offending substance, pointing with a gloved finger. “I will destroy you.”

Omega chimed in from ahead, “I APPROVE OF THE FLUFFY PINK ONE’S NEW APPROACH. QUERY: MISSION CHANGE TO ELIMINATING GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE?”

“Not unless you wanna start an avalanche with us in it,” Rogue said, contently flapping in the air far above the perilous drifts. Amy shot her a look of pure envy. Wings were the biggest cheat. As if reading her mind, the bat smirked and added, “Plus, I’m pretty sure the fluffy pink one would demolish you if you added any more ice to this bunch.”

“Darn straight,” Amy grumbled, whacking away more snow off the path. Which had the unintended consequence of hitting the nearby tree and dumping a fresh pile. Right on top of her. Her headband was knocked off. Trickles of now melting slush were sliding to slide down the back of her dress. She couldn't feel her nose.

Above her, Rogue giggled with a pink gloved hand covering her mouth. “Aww, trouble, fluffy?”

That was it. Amy let out a cry and swung her her hammer in a flurry of movements that cleared several feet of snow around her, lobbed several patches of ice towards Rogue and Omega (the former ducking behind the latter with an agility that proved she’d not been completely ignorant of the effects of her teasing), and last, but not least, uprooted the offending tree and several of its brethren and sent them flying off until they were small, dark specks in the sky.

Amy panted with exertion as she looked over the results. A nearly clear patch of forest, with only the lightest trace of offending snow. Her feet on solid ground, er, permafrost. Finally. She let out a deep, long breath.

“You have this one handled, or do you think you might need some backup?” Rogue called out, a sly smile on her face as she rested on Omega’s shoulders, who looked almost impressed at the carnage.

His robotic features were certainly doing something. “IMPRESSIVE DESTRUCTIVE POWER. CASE FILE UPDATED TO REFLECT SO.”

“Well, of course,” Amy said, casually brushing the remaining ice from the spines in her hair. “I mean, a lady like me always has things handled.” She leaned on her hammer as she fixed the last few spines, hip cocked to the side. “And a couple flakes can’t bring down A—“

The only warning was the sound of several dozen trees swaying in a sudden heavy breeze. It was only her innate superb hedgehog tracking skills that had Amy turning, only in time to be hit in the face by several tons of snow.

Courtesy of her destined hero’s rather bumpy stop.

“You guys all right? Shadow spotted some trouble by here just now, do you need...“ Sonic's eyes went wide as he spotted the hedgehog shaped snow drift at his side. “Hey, is that—“

“AMY ROSE WITH THE SHORT TEMPER AND HIGH PROCLIVITY TO VIOLENCE?” Omega responded, something almost gleeful in his robotic tone. Atop his shoulder, Rogue was staring, slack jawed. “AFFIRMATIVE."

“Ooh,” Sonic winced. “Heh, heh, oops?” A low growl started to build from the pile and Sonic wisely took several steps back, looking towards Omega and Rogue for backup. The former of which looked to be eagerly awaiting the results of the interaction and the latter already flying ahead.

“We can…talk this out, right, Amy?” Sonic asked sheepishly, “It was an accident. I know you hate the cold but you hate Eggman more, right? Attack him first.”

His answer came in the form of a the sudden poof of the piko piko hammer, poking out from the side of the Amy-shaped snowman.

“Not a good sign,” the blue hedgehog muttered, “Might be time to—“

In a blur of black and red, Shadow slid to a stop across from him and coincidentally beside the snowhog of murderous intent. The rockets on his hover shoes flared at the sudden change in speed, causing the snow immediately around him to rapidly melt. The hedgehog shaped snow mound quickly became a dripping mess of pink spines and wet clothes.

Shadow opened his mouth to speak only to shut it at the look of genuine fear on his blue counterpart’s face. A note of true concern leaked into his voice as he said, “Was there an attack?”

“ABOUT TO BE,” Omega chimed in, robotic voice high with excitement.

Shadow turned in time to catch the determined look on Amy Rose’s face and the current soaked state of her clothes and froze. Her spines dripped steadily onto the surrounding permafrost earth, breath coming out heavy and cloudy in the cold air.

There was a moment where Sonic looked about to laugh...but then the single hedgehog army better known as Amy Rose moved.

Then Sonic actually did laugh, although less due to the situation and more due to the absolutely stricken look on the Ultimate Lifeform’s face as he was embraced by the smaller pink berserker.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck and looked to be supporting herself up, knees bent and boots high off the wet ground. Her head was tucked somewhere between the tuft of white fur on his chest and his neck, and she looked to be…nuzzling closer? Shadow’s eyes went between the top of her head to Sonic’s form, hunched over and cackling, then to Omega, who looked confused as to whether this was some new offensive strategy, and looped back around to the hedgehog currently holding onto him for dear life.

“I-Uh-“ stammering in a completely out of character way for an ultimate lifeform, Shadow held his hands in tense positions on either side of her, not entirely knowing what to do. “What?"

A small, muffled sound came from her. “—mfph-ded the snow.” A shift in position, one that sent a surprise shudder through the dark hedgehog, and the words became clear. “You can melt snow.”

Amy Rose looked up at her current savior with eyes full of hero worship. Her voice was syrupy with awe, “You. You can melt snow.” Her arms showed no sign of tiring as she tucked herself closer to the living weapon’s chest, sighing. “And you’re warm.”

“ANALYSIS COMPLETE: SUBJECT KNOWN AS ROSE HAS SUFFERED A COMPLETE MENTAL BREAK.  RECOMMENDATION: TERMINATE IMMEDIATELY,” Omega offered to the side, perking up at this new potential of violence.

“Nah, nah,” Sonic cut in, still chuckling, “This is classic Amy. She hates the cold. Usually trades off with Tails on these kinds of missions, but he was busy with the Rogues. Must be your lucky day, huh, Shadow?”

Shadow looked less prone to chaos controlling himself back onto the ARK where things made sense, robotic lizard monster and all, but still had every spine on edge. His eyes flickered down to the still happily sighing hedgehog attached to his form. In a still not completely level tone, he told her curtly, “Off. Now.”

Amy ignored him in favor of tucking herself more securely over his shoulder, improbable muscles barely straining to carry her own weight even with his own arms still hanging loosely at his sides. It was obvious she do this for hours. Something in Shadow’s stomach twisted at the thought. Whether it was the fact the pang wasn’t quite unpleasant or his own dislike of Sonic’s increasing likelihood to pitch into another spurt of laughter, he found himself tugging at the hands around his neck. “You’ve faced down dimensional calamities. The cold is hardly a threat to you. Now, let go."

“No use,” Sonic said, grin now a thing that stretched so far across his face it was a wonder it didn’t reach his ears. “Last time it was Big, and she didn’t get off for hours. Or was it days?” A mischievous light was in his eyes as he pretended to think on it. “But it’s not like the Ultimate Weapon can’t handle one delicate lady, right?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the taunt, preparing to chaos control away just to spite the blue hedgehog of a target. The figure pressed against him made a sound of dislike at the first feeling of chaos energy being collected, turning her face upward to face his.

The full might of Amy Rose’s bright, pleading eyes were unleashed upon Shadow, a sight made particularly pitiful by the way her wet quills laid stuck against her still flushed cheeks. His resolve began to falter. No. No, he wasn’t going to give— Amy’s eyes went impossibly bigger, looking to reflect the whole of his being. Shadow’s thoughts spun. He was the Ultimate Lifeform, a Living Weapon—

Amy Rose stuck her her bottom lip, trembling.  

—A glorified pack mule. Swearing to find some way to patch up his weak spot towards innocent looking girls in apparent distress, Shadow slumped his shoulders and moved to support the pink hedgehog fully. He pretended not to notice the pleased sound she let out or the way her tail was currently wagging at speeds closer Sonic’s own when chili dogs were involved.

A few feet away, Omega sulked. “ANOTHER SITUATION SOLVED BLOODLESSLY. I AM QUICKLY TIRING OF THIS PATTERN.”

“Don’t worry, big guy, I’m sure Eggman has something special for you,” Sonic said, still smiling. He looked over at Shadow. “That is, if someone isn’t too busy playing knight in shining armor. Or should we leave you two alone for a bit?”

Shadow humphed. He’d quickly moved through the stages of acclimatization and was now compartmentalizing the sensation of being in such extended close quarters. Even if the errant hum or brush of shoulders from Amy seemed to scramble those thoughts, he was still perfectly capable of dealing with the current issue.

Which was shutting Sonic up.

“What shining armor? I’m just taking a handicap,” Shadow scoffed, activating his hover boots. “We both know I’ll reach Eggman’s fortress easily in this terrain. I thought I’d at least give you a fighting chance.”

The words hit their mark and Sonic bristled. “Oh, yea? Well, eat powder!”

He launched off towards the coordinates Tails had sent them, with Shadow hot on his heels. He thought of overtaking the blue hedgehog then but passed on it. Plenty of chances in the future and he might as well give the faker a shot. Plus, the potential of harm to Amy in this current wooded area was too high.

But mostly the part about chances.

Blocking out the rest of the snowy world around her, Amy nestled closer to the radiator of warmth that was a certain soft-hearted Ultimate Lifeform. Sometimes the best ways of adapting was leaning on others. Literally.

Now to break it him this was gonna be a repeat thing…

[talkfastromance4]

Take All of Me-- Luke&Lily

It’s finally here! I’m sorry it took so long, but between the schedule change because of covid-19, writing funks and my laptop crashing, it’s here! There are links that will go along with the fic and they will be bolded so you can click on them.

Songs that inspired this:

Lover of Mine by 5sos (name of title)

Stuck in Gravity by Of Monsters & Men

Word Count: 9.7K words! 

Warnings: two brief smut scenarios, pregnancy, water birth, and I think that’s it

Masterlist

Luke&Lily Masterlist

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it! Thank you all for loving these characters as much as I do! Feedback is always welcome!💕💕

• • • •

Cory and his new girlfriend, Ella, wanted to take Lily to a Disney on Ice: Frozen one Sunday night and you were more than okay with Lily to go along. Cory has been dating Ella for the last seven months. They met through a mutual friend that he plays poker with on Monday nights and they really hit it off. 

He gave you the same amount of courtesy as you did with Luke about informing you of Ella before he had her meet Lily. You were happy for him that he’s found someone to care for again and when you met her for the first-time dropping Lily off for the weekend, you liked her immediately. 

She had a kind smile and a gentle heart, and she was very patient with Lily at that first meeting. Lily was originally in Luke’s arms when they walked up but as soon as she saw the new stranger, she reached for you. 

Cory stepped forward taking Lily’s small hand in his. “Lils, this is a special friend of daddy’s, her name’s Ella. Can you say hi?”

You kissed Lily’s head three times in assurance, and she said a small ‘hello.’

“Hi Lily,” Ella smiled kindly leaning down, so she was at eye level with her. “Your daddy has told me all about you and how you like Frozen. It’s one of my favorites, too.”

Lily blinked at her then looked up at you and you nodded excitedly.

“She loves Anna and Elsa too!”

“Olaf!” Lily smiled. 

“Olaf too! What does Olaf like to do?” Ella asked and you’re impressed with her inclination to talk to Lily. 

“Warm hugs!”

You liked Ella, you really did, but it also panged you a little to see how excited Lily got when you and Luke dropped her off at Cory’s on the weekends now. It’s something you wrestled with for a long time, would Ella be like her other mother? Lily calls Luke ‘dada’ and it will absolutely crush you if she starts to call Ella that. 

“No one could ever replace you, lovie,” Luke said one Friday while you dropped her off in the morning. 

“Hmm, what?” you ask, and his hand reached over to still your twisting fingers, a habit you have when you’re anxious. 

“I know you’re worried Ella is going to be taking your place, but nothing will come between the bond you have with Lily.”

“She gets so excited to see her . . .” you mumbled looking down at your joined fingers with Luke. “I’m glad she likes her, and they get along but I’m . . . I’m a little jealous.”

Luke sighs heavily as he pulls into the garage, he cuts the ignition and turns to you. He pulls on your hand until you look over at him, eyes sad. 

“I know you are, lovie,” he said gently, stroking your cheek, “but no one will replace you. Your Lily’s mama and no one will take that place. Besides, Cory’s told me she calls her Ella and always says ‘mama this’ or ‘mama that.’”

“Really?” your body relaxed.

“Mhm,” he nodded and pressed his lips to yours, “you’re her one and only mama.”

That night, you and Luke shared a romantic evening with homemade pasta and an early night in between the sheets. Any moment you had alone you never took it for granted.

***

Lily hands you the last little sticker decal on the changeable letter board just as you come back from that special moment three months ago. You’ve been planning this little arts and crafts for about two weeks now and you are finally putting it into motion. 

It’s a warm day in the middle of September, and you have gathered in yours and Luke’s kitchen a bunch of mixing bowls and ingredients to make cupcakes. Lily is standing on a chair next to you, her little baby blue apron tied securely on her. 

You glance at your daughter, pure love and pride swelling up inside. 

About a month ago, while Luke was at the studio you took Lily to the craft store so you could buy the supplies you needed. You explained to her that there was a little baby growing inside of you and you used one of her baby dolls she had to help her understand. 

“We’re going to surprise dada though, okay? So, you must keep it a super, super secret!” you told her while you were at the store. You pressed your finger to your lips and Lily did the same, understanding your motion. 

Now here you are, setting up your surprise to tell Luke that you’re pregnant. You hadn’t been trying but you hadn’t been not trying either. 

You knew before you even bought a pregnancy test because you had migraines like crazy and everything you ate made you nauseous which is exactly what happened when you were pregnant with Lily. 

Petunia sat up as fast as she could near your feet, she’s been by your side constantly, which means Luke is home. You have a slight moment of panic and set the board up on the little easel and place the vase of lilies in front of it so it’s in perfect display for Luke. 

Lily remembers to stay quiet but stands proudly with a smile on her face waiting for Luke to enter the room. 

“There’s my girls,” Luke smiles, tossing his keys in the bowl. His eyes scan between you and Lily and the dozen cupcakes cooling on the racks next to you, but his pretty blue eyes fall on the board. You see his mouth form the words:

Recipe for 1 baby sister

2 cups hugs

3 cups kisses

4 cups love

Baby Hemmings expected May 2021

Then his eyes scan to the small black and white sonogram showing your baby. He walks slowly to you; mouth open in shock while his eyes continue to dart between you and the board. 

“Are you . . .?” his question is left hanging and you nod your head smiling happily. 

“Look dada! It’s a baby there!” Lily exclaims pointing her finger at the photo. 

At the word ‘baby’ he looks down to your stomach and he bites his lip. You take his hand in yours then tilt his chin up so he’s looking at you. His eyes are even brighter from the tears that have pooled in the corners.

“We’re going to have a baby,” you tell him, your own voice thick with emotion. 

Luke lets out a choked laugh, his arms wrap around you and he hugs you tightly with his face in your neck. You hug him back with the same amount of pressure, your fingers playing with his curls at the nape of his neck as he sways from side to side. 

“We’re going to have a baby,” he mumbles and sniffs before pulling away. He gives you a soft kiss that turns into multiple until he knocks his forehead against yours. “You just made me the happiest man in the world, lovie.”

“Look dada! It’s a baby!” Lily exclaims again, pulling on his arm. 

Luke sniffs once more and you wipe the tears away from his cheeks and he picks Lily up in his arms. 

“Did you help mama with all this, sweets?” he asks, giving her a kiss as he reads over the board again. “You already know it’s a girl?”

“Not yet, but I feel like she’s a girl,” you smile, “I’m going through exactly what I did with Lily. The migraines, getting sick at everything.”

“You were getting sick? When?!”

“You were sleeping after late sessions with the guys,” you shrug, “it’s okay.”

“I would have helped you, lovie.”

“You can help with the rest, like when I can’t get my shoes on,” you smile. 

“And you kept this secret from me, little girl? Huh?” Luke turns his attention to Lily and tickles her belly until she’s giggling uncontrollably. Luke’s smile fades a little as he takes you in, he can already see a glow in you and wants to turn that glow into a sparkle. “Wait here, Lily and I have to do something quick.”

You give him a confused look which he returns with a wink and disappears down the hall with Lily in his arms. You glance down at Petunia who shifts on her bottom and looks back with her brown eyes. 

“Are you in on this secret?” you ask her. 

In the time it would take for her to respond (as if she could) Luke and Lily were already walking back into the kitchen. Luke crouches and sets Lily down on the ground, he spins her around and pushes her forward and you gasp. 

On her shirt are the words “mama will you marry dada?” and Luke is on his knee behind her with a ring box. Lily is swinging from side to side sticking her chest out proudly as you move closer and Luke takes your hand in his. 

“I wanted to do this in the morning in bed. I’d carry Lily in wearing this and it’d be perfect, but no moment is more perfect than this. I already made the mistake of giving you away those three months so long ago and I’ll never do that again. Out of all the things in my life and all of my crimes you’re the only thing I got right; will you marry me?”

He pops open the ring box, but you can’t even see what the ring looks like because your vision is blurred from your tears.

“Yes,” you whisper, pulling on the collar of his shirt so you can kiss him. He rises from the floor and his arms snake around your waist so he can kiss you more easily.

“I wanna see! I wanna see!” Lily pulls on both of your legs causing you and Luke to chuckle.

“Let’s have mama see the ring first, my sweet,” Luke smiles then slides the diamond on your finger. 

Your mouth drops open when you see it, a dazzling oval diamond sparkles up at you atop a rose gold band glittered with interwoven diamonds. 

“Luke, this is--” you sigh and are at a loss for words. 

“I had some help picking it out.”

You glance up at him and then down at Lily who is giving you her signature sweet smile. You bend down and touch her cheek. 

“Did you help pick this out for me?” you ask holding up your hand so she can see the jewelry and she nods. “I love it, you and dada did such a good job.”

“Daddy liked it too!” 

“He did?” your brows furrowed, and Luke is kneeling along with you now. 

“I asked him and Lily if I could marry you.”

***

You’d been working late all week and getting up super early because there was a special case that needed everyone’s attention. So, Luke would be taking Lily over to Cory’s house at about ten o���clock after he made Lily and himself some breakfast. 

Luke has been stressing out for about a month and even more stressed out that whole week because he wanted, no, needed to talk to Cory. He’s grateful you had to go to work early, but not so thankful that it’s been leaving you exhausted. 

He gathered Lily and her things, zipped up her purple raincoat and carried her to the car through the slight drizzle that was falling from the sky. They listened to his playlist of Disney songs he’s made on his Spotify that Lily likes on the drive to Cory’s house and Luke became more nervous as each mile came closer. 

Luke is proud to say that Cory has become a close friend of his over the last three years. From seeing him every weekend to drop off and pick Lily up to inviting him out to the bar with the guys. They’ve spent holidays and Lily’s birthdays together. 

He’s also thankful that Cory came and talked to Luke when you broke up and gave him the nudge, he needed to get you back. 

The rain is coming down a bit harder now and Luke makes sure to pull Lily’s hood up over her head as he carries her to the door which is already opened by Cory. 

“Hey guys,” Cory smiled stepping aside. 

“Hey man,” Luke greeted, and he could hear his voice shake. He hoped Cory doesn’t notice as he handed Lily off who is excited to see her dad. 

“Y/N’s still having to go in early, huh? Hi Lils, how are you doing sweetheart?” Cory asked and kissed Lily’s nose before setting her on the ground to take off her rain jacket. 

“Good. Dada made pancakes!”

“He did? Wow, I hope there were blueberries,” Cory kissed Lily’s forehead.

“She won’t eat them otherwise,” Luke laughed then ran his fingers through his curls. “Hey, can I um . . . talk to you about something, Cory?”

“Yeah, come on in. Ella will be here in an hour anyway,” he nodded moving into the kitchen where there’s a mug of coffee on the table. He pulled another mug from the cupboard. “Want a cup?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Cream or sugar?”

“Neither, thanks,” Luke sighed, taking a seat in the chair opposite Cory's mug. 

Cory eyed him carefully when he brought over his mug and sat down across from him. Lily came running back to them with her snuffy and bunny wanting to crawl up onto Cory’s lap. He pulled her up happily then looked at Luke.

“So, what’s up?” Cory asked. 

“Uh, right,” Luke cleared his throat, his finger tracing the ring of the cup then he stopped suddenly. “I don’t really know how to start so bear with me.”

“You’re good man,” Cory nodded, brushing Lily’s hair behind her back. 

“You and Lily are the most important people in Y/N’s life and she’s the most important person in my life, along with your little girl right there,” Luke smiled pointing to Lily. “And I can’t thank you enough for being so welcoming to me and I love Y/N so much and I . . . I want to ask how you’d feel if I were to . . . to ask her to marry me.” Luke’s eyes slid up on the last sentence to finally look at Cory. 

“You’re an important person in her life, too Luke, don’t downplay yourself like that. I think it’s a great idea to ask her to marry you. What do you think, Lils? You want mama to marry Luke?”

“What’s that?” she asked. 

“There’d be a big party and you’d be in a pretty dress and Luke and mama will be together forever,” Cory explained, and Lily listened carefully to his words. Her little fingers play with her bunny’s ears. 

“Like Cinderella?” 

“Yeah, sweetheart, just like Cinderella.”

“Yeah!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Luke and Cory laughed.

“You’re all right with it?” Luke asked again. 

“I appreciate you asking, but you don’t need to run your relationship by me, man. You both deserve to be happy.”

“You’re Lily’s dad, I want to make sure you’re happy too.”

“I am, man,” Cory smiled, rubbing Lily’s back. “I’ve got this little girl right here and Ella. Y/N’s still in my life too, and now you are as well. We’re a bit messed up for a family but it’s still family. Ask her to marry you.”

●●●●●

October 6, Lily’s fourth birthday, came a month after the double surprise of the pregnancy and baby announcement which would also be the time, you’d tell everyone about the pregnancy and figured her birthday was a good time to tell.

Surprisingly, you thought your morning sickness was over but after you told Luke you were throwing up at odd hours of the day for the following two weeks. Luke was by your side the whole time, rubbing your back and wiping your brow of sweat that formed.

The plan to tell everyone about the pregnancy was to put Lily in a pink t-shirt that said, ‘Best Big Sister’ and she loved to wear it.

While you and Luke were finishing up last minute decorating Lily was watching for her uncles and Cory by the front door with Petunia sitting next to her.

“Do you think they’ll even read her shirt?” you ask nervously, your hands placed across your belly.

“Of course, they will,” Luke smiles placing the last of the plates on the table.

“And we’re not taking away from her birthday, right?”

“Lovie,” Luke smiles and moves in front of you taking your hands away from your belly. He presses his lips to your hands, eyes on you. “Lily’s just as excited to tell them as we are. We aren’t taking anything away from her, okay?”

“Okay, yeah,” you nod, “you’re right. I’m sorry I’m being so paranoid.”

“Not paranoid, just a concerned mama,” he smiles. “I kind of like it though.”

“Why?” you giggle.

“Because, it’s my turn to calm you down. Usually you’re the one making sure I keep my head down on earth but now that you’re pregnant, I get to do it for you.”

He gives you a sweet kiss just as Lily squeals in delight that her uncles are here. The three of you meet everybody outside and Lily first runs to Cory and Ella who scoops her up.

“There’s my birthday girl!” Cory smiles throwing her up in the air.

You take Luke’s hand when everyone else says hello to her as well and then their eyes move as one to her shirt then to you and back again to her shirt.

“No way!”

“You’re pregnant?!”

“Is this real?”

“It’s real,” you sigh happily with a shrug, “I’m pregnant!”

They all cheer and shower you in hugs and kisses with congratulations going all around. Lily is happy as well pointing to your belly.

“My sister’s in there,” she states proudly to Cory.

“It’s a girl?” Cory asks, his eyebrows raised.

“Well, we won’t know officially until the end of November,” Luke smiles squeezing your shoulder and kisses your cheek, “but we think it’s a girl.”

“How exciting!” Crystal exclaims and gives you another hug. “How are you feeling? Do you need to sit down?”

“I’m fine,” you laugh. “I’m not due until May. But I don’t want to take away from Lily’s day, so let’s go inside.”

●●●●●

Luke couldn’t stop smiling after leaving the doctor’s office. Lily was already at Cory and Ella’s for the weekend, so it was just you and Luke at the office to find out the sex of the baby. He held your hand tightly as the nurse squeezed the gel onto your belly and the familiar echoed ga-lump of the ultrasound filled the room.

You were transported back to when this was just you and little Lily perched inside your womb. You were alone back then because Cory was away and while it filled you with sadness you made sure not to let it affect your pregnancy.

Luke’s squeeze to your hand brought you back to the present and you knew this time would be different. Luke is present and he is so excited to experience this with you and you felt the exact same. The nurse smiled when she told you it was indeed a girl and Luke started crying and he kissed your temple before peering closer at the monitor.

“That’s her?” he pointed to a small blob.

“That’s your daughter,” the nurse smiled.

As soon as you got home, he let Petunia out then just stared at you with a glazed look in his eye.

“What?” you chuckle setting your things down on the counter.

“I just love you,” he says simply stepping closer to you, his arms wrapping around your waist. You rest your palms on his chest and you don’t miss the long glance at the ring on your finger from him before he looks in your eyes. “And I love Lily and this little rosebud growing inside you.”

“I love you too, honey,” you smile then make an amused face, “rosebud, huh? I’ve never heard that one.”

“She looked like a little rosebud on the screen,” he smiles knocking his head to your forehead. “I was thinking . . .”

“Uh oh,” you giggle sliding your hands over his shoulders and into his hair.

“Shut up,” he chuckles, his hands rub up and down your back. “I was thinking of when this little rosebud was conceived.”

“You think you know when that was?”

“Well, ten weeks ago Lily was at that Frozen show with Cory and Ella . . . and we didn’t get out of bed until we had to go pick her up . . .” his voice drifts off as he takes your top lip between his own.

You sigh into his kiss, relishing in his soft lips as his tongue slips into your mouth. Your stomach tightens and your thighs clench together from the heat behind his kiss.

“Take me to bed,” you sigh.

Luke hums in approval and lifts you into his arms effortlessly. You remove each other’s clothes slowly, eyes taking each other in as you do. It’s been so long since you’ve last admired each other completely, loved one another fully.

“You’re so gorgeous, lovie,” he whispers, his fingers tracing the outline of your breasts before cascading over your belly. He flattens his hand over the small bump that has started to form, his bright blue eyes flicker up to yours. “So sexy, mama.”

You whine and pull his mouth to yours falling onto the bed, you both struggle to keep your lips locked as you crawl up the bed. Luke’s fingers part your legs open, dipping his finger in between your folds. Your body jerks at his touch, you bite on his lip just as his finger enters you.

“Nice and wet for me,” he hums cocking his head so he can kiss your throat and your breast as he pumps his finger in and out of you slowly.

He works you over leisurely before slipping himself inside you. You both groan at the feeling, he fills you completely and you’re such a warm, snug fit around him. It reminds you of the first time you and Luke had sex, the way your bodies moved in tandem.

You were always in perfect sync from the beginning and you moaned his name and your love for him as he rocked your world. Your fingers locked together, lips bumping together as you both moan and groan from heightened senses of tantric pleasure.

“I love you,” you both sigh as you reach your climax.

Hours, and many rounds later, you’re both sat up in bed eating some strawberries while a movie is playing quietly on the tv. Luke is staring at you as you eat your strawberry, you give him a narrow look.

“What? You’re thinking again, aren’t you?” you smile slyly and discard the end into the bowl.

“Marry me,” he states simply. He’s leaning his head on his hand, bed sheet strung across his hips. He reaches over with his other hand to rub your bare knee.

“You asked me that already, honey,” you snicker and pick up another strawberry.

“Marry me before the baby comes,” he says in an even softer voice.

“What?”

“I don’t want to wait until after she comes. I want to be married to you as soon as possible.”

You stare at him, concentrating on the gentle circles he’s drawing on your knee with his fingers. His eyes are full of certainty and it honestly makes your heart race that he wants to marry you so quickly.

Then panic sets in because of all the planning that comes with it, so you act elusive when you ask,

“And when would you want to get married?”

“Well, it’s almost December so . . . how about in three months?”

“You want to get married in three months?” you can’t help the smile growing on your lips as you begin to imagine a wedding in February. “I’ll be six months pregnant by then.”

“I know,” Luke leans up so he’s in a sitting position, the sheet falls a bit past his hips, and you can’t resist to peek at what’s underneath. He kisses your shoulder. “If you want to wait, we’ll wait. I’m just saying I’d marry you yesterday.”

You pull Luke’s face to yours, kissing him in excitement. Luke doesn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss, his fingers locking into your hair, his lips tasting like strawberries.

“Let’s do it,” you whisper stroking his cheek. “Let’s get married in February.”

●●●●●

The holidays came and went, and in that time, you and Luke were planning your wedding. It’d be simple with only your closest friends and family and as much as you were excited to marry Luke, your pregnancy has been entirely different from Lily.

Your belly has grown, and your little girl is healthy, but it’s taken a toll on your body. For the first two and a half months you had morning sickness all throughout the day and on top of that, random hot flashes. Luke helped as much as he could, and even Lily gave you her bunny to try and make you feel better.

You used sick days from work because your morning sickness was so bad and one night after Christmas you woke up and pulled the standing fan from your closet and blasted it on high while you slept.

The cool, hard blast of air finally aided you to rest and then all too soon, it went away. You woke up confused and felt Luke try to pull the blankets up as the fan whirred to silence.

“What are you doing?! I need that, I’m so hot,” you whined and pushed the fan back on while kicking the sheets from your legs. Your sleep shirt had ridden up and your grown belly was feeling the cool air now and it felt glorious.

“How are you hot? It’s wintertime, lovie, I’m freezing,” he huffed pulling the comforter up to his chin.

“The baby you put in me is making me hot, I can’t help it,” you snapped and then instantly begin to cry. Along with hot flashes, your emotions are haywire.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Luke threw the blanket off and grabs onto you gently, checking if you’re all right.

“I didn’t mean to snap at you,” you cried touching his cheek. “I love this baby you put in me and I love you. But I’m so hot I can’t sleep!”

“It’s all right lovie, we can leave the fan on,” he hushed and kissed your temple. “I’ll put on warmer clothes and get some more blankets.”

You laughed at the memory of how upset you had gotten as you stand in front of the mirror as the seamstress pins and tacks your wedding dress. It’s lace with bell sleeves and lightweight so it won’t pinch any part of you. Lily is getting her dress altered as well, she’s standing very still as her seamstress ruffles her light pink skirt.

You’re reminded of another memory not too long ago as you were lying on the couch watching a movie and Luke was talking quietly to you while rubbing your belly. He gasped suddenly and you knew exactly why. The baby kicked.

“What was that?” he asked in shock and you just smiled at him, Lily turned her attention to you from the screen.

“Our little rosebud kicked, she must like your voice,” you brushed his curls from his face.

“Really? Hi, my little love, do you know who I am?” Luke asked and rubbed your belly where he felt the kick. He pressed a kiss to your belly and Lily crawled over, so she was sitting next to you.

“What’s dada doing?” she asked watching him.

“Talking to your sister, she can hear you too, do you want to say hi?” you asked.

“Hi baby, I’m Lily,” she said in her soft voice and patted your belly lightly.

Since then, Luke woke up every morning loving on your belly and Lily did as well. Randomly throughout the day she would come up to you, give you a hug and kiss your belly before running back to play in her room or with Petunia.

When the guys would be over Luke told them the baby was kicking, and they’d ask if they could feel. Lily would come running up telling them to be gentle, her brows furrowed in determination.

After the dress fitting you and Lily went back home where Luke was finishing up phone calls for more wedding plans. You watched him silently as he sat at the kitchen table finishing up whatever call he was on while looking at his laptop and pulled Lily effortlessly onto his lap.

In just a few short weeks you’ll be calling him your husband and in just a few more months you’ll be having his baby. You’re overcome with emotion while he finishes his call then sets his phone down and starts talking with Lily. He’s asking her questions about her dress and how excited he is to see her in it.

Luke glances over to you then stands up immediately when he sees you’re crying.

“What’s the matter? Do your feet hurt?” he asks situating Lily on his hip, his other hand reaching out to swipe away your tears.

“No,” you shake your head, “I’m just so happy that I’m marrying you.”

●●●●●

Your alarm goes off at 7:00 a.m. and you silence it quickly, already wide awake. Today is your wedding day.

“I’m marrying your daddy today my little rosebud,” you tell your bump rubbing it softly, she kicks lightly in response. “You’re excited too, huh?”

Luke had spent the night at Ashton’s, wanting to keep the tradition of not seeing each other until the moment you meet at the end of aisle. You crept into Lily’s room and wake her gently, her hair is all over the place but when she wakes up a bit more, she scrambles into your arms.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” you kiss her head, “are you ready for breakfast and get ready for our big day today? You know what today is, right?”

“What mama?” she yawns leaning heavily onto your shoulder.

“I’m marrying dada today and you get to wear your pretty dress,” you remind her.

After eating a quick breakfast of cereal and blueberries, you’re in the car heading to the salon where you’ll both be getting your hair done. The ceremony is at 11:00 in Ashton’s backyard where all your friends and family will be gathered. Luke’s family had arrived two days prior and Lily loves having her nana Liz.

After your hair appointment, Luke had set up that you and Lily would get a mani-pedi as well and it felt like heaven when the lady rubbed your feet. And of course, the color you chose was a pretty pink for your fingers and toes.

When you arrived at Ashton’s house there were cars already scattered about and Ella and Liz snuck you inside the house so Luke wouldn’t be able to see you. He’s getting ready downstairs while a bunch of other people in the house were still bringing in decorations and chairs and flowers. Crystal is delegating it all.

“You both look so lovely, and you are absolutely glowing, Y/N,” Liz compliments while she lifts Lily into her arms.

“Thank you,” you smile squeezing her hand.

They help you into your dress making sure it’s not tight and feels comfortable then a make-up team comes in to do your make-up. Andy is taking photos of the whole process and when Crystal comes in, she has a gift for you and Lily from Luke.

You pull Lily onto your lap letting her open the small box to reveal a pretty bracelet that can be cinched to whatever size and in the center is a pretty little lily charm that has a pink diamond inside.

“Ooh pretty,” Lily touches the silver flower carefully. You help her put it on her wrist and she lifts her hand up to see it dangle and she giggles at her gift.

“That’s from dada,” you tell her.

“Pretty,” she says again, and you kiss her head while you open your gift from Luke.

It’s also a silver bracelet with a bar in the center that’s engraved ‘My lovie’ and the date of your wedding day, 2/08/21. Liz places your flower crown on top of your head, the final touch of your wedding look.

Liz helps you put on your bracelet and Andy captures photos of it all, and of yours and Lily’s wrists together with the bracelets. There’s a knock on the door and Cory enters wearing a nice button up purple shirt and dark dress pants.

“Daddy!” Lily squeals running off your lap to greet him by the door.

“You look like a princess, Lils!” Cory smiles picking her up and gives her a kiss.

You haul yourself up from the chair, Ella helping you with a smile which you return graciously and turn to Cory. His eyes soften when he looks at you, both of you having the same thought that this could have been you and him all those years ago if his accident didn’t happen.

“We’ll be downstairs, you both look beautiful,” Crystal says giving you a quick kiss to your cheek. She pinches Lily’s cheek on the way out and Ella gives you a quick hug before leaving too. She rubs Cory’s arm on her way out.

“I’m so happy you’ll be part of the family,” Liz dabs at her eyes and hugs you gently so she doesn’t mess up your make up or dress. “Luke is going to love how beautiful you look.”

“Thank you, Liz,” you smile giving her an extra squeeze. She gives you a quick wink then kisses Lily’s cheek multiple times before leaving the room.

It’s just the three of you now waiting for the time to head downstairs. You move around the chair to stand in front of Cory, a layer of tears fill his eyes and your own prick with tears as well. He takes your hand and kisses your knuckles.

“You look gorgeous, Y/N,” his voice is raw with emotion.

“Thank you,” you whisper, you swipe your thumb under your eye to catch a tear that escapes, and Cory pulls you against his chest. He hugs you and Lily tightly; you feel his lips kiss your forehead.

“I’m so happy for you, this is harder than I thought it’d be, but I really am happy for you. I’ll always love you,” he confesses, and you squeeze your eyes closed so tears don’t fall.

You pull away to look up at him and dry his own tears. Lily does as well and pats his cheek.

“Don’t cry daddy,” she says sadly.

“I’m okay, sweetheart, they’re happy tears,” he assures her and kisses her nose.

“I love you, too Cory,” you sniff. His brown eyes slide to yours and he nods.

“Are you ready to get married?” he asks, and you nod.

“Is my make-up ruined?”

“You’re perfect,” he shakes his head and bounces Lily in his arms, “you both are.”

He helps guide you down the stairs, you are six months pregnant after all, and out into the backyard where all the guests are. Crystal is at the end of the aisle with Petunia who has a flower crown on her head as well. The aisle is opened between two large white backdrops, so Luke wouldn’t be able to see you until it was time for you to walk.

“Okay sweetheart, you’re going to walk with Petunia to Luke, okay?” Cory tells Lily setting her down in the grass. Crystal hands her the little basket of flower petals. “Put the flowers down for mama, all right?”

“Okay daddy,” she nods then looks up to you.

You bend down, pinching her chin affectionately. You know she’s nervous.

“You’ll be okay, baby. Piggy’s with you and you just go straight to Lu, he’s waiting for you. I’ll be there soon, okay? I love you.” You kiss her forehead.

“Love you mama,” and she wraps her arms around you in the tightest hug she can muster.

The music starts and Crystal points Lily down the aisle. You watch as much as you can from the corner and as soon as she sees Luke, she tosses the basket into the grass and runs into his open arms. Luke and the guests laugh as well as you and Cory. 

The music changes to a pretty piano instrumental of Lover of Mine that Luke transposed just for this moment. You begin to cry again as Cory takes your arm in his and leads you in the opening of the aisle.  

The guests rise, turning their attention to you but your focus is on Luke and Lily at the end of the aisle. They’re both standing under a white canopy that is overflowing with different shades of pinks, oranges and white flowers.

Luke’s eyes are glued to yours as he hands Lily off to Calum’s awaiting arms. You see Luke’s shoulders rise and fall as he takes a deep breath and you smile, feeling just as nervous and excited as he does.

He looks exceptionally handsome in a white button up shirt with pink suspenders and navy-blue dress pants. His hair is curled just the way you like. Your bare feet are tickled by the grass and flower petals, you’re glad you opted to go shoeless.

Cory hands you off then go to sit down next to Ella, Luke’s hand is firm in yours and you feel like you can finally breathe.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he murmurs, thumb rubbing circles on the back of your hand. He sniffs quickly and you wipe a stray tear.

“You’re so handsome,” you whisper.

The ceremony is short, and you and Luke decided to do your own vows, but both wanted them to be short and simple. His hands squeeze yours before he speaks his vows.

“We’ve seen the highs and the lows of each other, and we’ve been through so many memories together. I can’t believe I’m not only marrying my best friend, but that we’re having a baby together and the love I have for you and Lily will go on forever. All my wrongs has lead me right to you, lovie, and I’ll always be here to rub your back, endure the fan being on high blast when we sleep and to write endless songs for you because there isn’t music without you.” His voice is soft as he speaks only to you and you’re struggling to keep your breathing even, but his words have pierced your heart.

You struggle to catch your breath and find your voice.

“You should have gone first,” you tease, and everyone laughs which eases your nerves slightly. “It’s hard to believe this all started because we went to the same coffee shop every Friday and Saturday. You caught my eye and I haven’t looked at anyone else since then. You fit perfectly into mine and Lily’s life and to be standing here with you now and with Lily and this little rosebud inside me… I’ve never felt a love like this before. I promise to always be your biggest fan and encourage you when you need it. You’re my love forever.”

You’re both crying and when rings are exchanged and the officiant is saying the last of his bit, Luke tucks your hair behind your ear moving closer.

“You may kiss your bride.”

Luke cups your cheek and you’re bursting with love and happiness at this first kiss you’re sharing with your husband. Claps and cheers echo around but you throw your arm around Luke’s shoulders so you can kiss him with more fervor. Your bouquet bounces off his back and you feel a few petals cascade down his shirt.

He chuckles against your mouth, his arms tight around your waist as he rests his forehead on yours. You’re staring into his pretty baby blues. The sound of cheering breaks your gaze and he takes your hand turning you to the crowd before exiting the aisle back into the house.

You and Luke had decided on spending some time alone after the ceremony before pictures and the reception started. So, you both crept downstairs into Ashton’s music room which was soundproof so you wouldn’t be distracted with the guests up above.

You toss your bouquet on the desk linking your arms behind his neck, smiling widely at him.

“Hi Mrs. Hemmings,” he greets with a chuckle.

“Hi Mr. Hemmings,” you giggle and press your lips to his.

The rest of your time alone is spent with tender kisses and soft conversation about the little things that lead up to this day and this moment.

After photos are taken its time for the party to begin. Everyone is dancing and having a great time. Lily is dancing with everyone and loves to spin as much as she can in her dress. She slow dances with Luke and Cory to a special song they both picked and then it’s time for you and Luke to dance to your song together, Stuck in Gravity by Of Monsters and Men.

He sings it lowly to you as you sway on the dancefloor, flashes from people’s cameras are almost like stars as you dance with your husband. When the song ends, Lily runs to you both and the three of you share a dance and get your photo taken from Andy.

The later it becomes, you notice Lily falling asleep in Calum’s arms and she’s wrapped up in his jacket. She’ll be spending the night at his place so you and Luke can have some alone time on your wedding night. You both kiss her goodnight when Calum decides to take her to his house.

When the last of the guests left, you and Luke were quick to head home. Even as you protested, he still carried you across the threshold and all the way up to your bedroom. He helps you remove your flower crown from your hair, plucking out stray petals with a soft smile.

He kisses your shoulder as he unzips your dress helping you step out of it. You undress him as well and then you’re both quick to get into bed. Luke’s kisses trail all along your body with his knee in between your legs.

“You’ve got to be quiet, lovie,” he sighs rubbing himself against your core. You moan feeling his hard on press against you. “Can’t wake our little rosebud.”

“She’s fast asleep,” you sigh, and he pushes inside you. You gasp, fingers flying to his shoulders and you squeeze as he stretches you open. “Oh Luke,” you moan as he fills you completely.

He braces himself so he’s not leaning on your belly and he begins a steady pace thrusting in you. Your nails scratch up and down his back and he slips his tongue in your mouth. You’re loving each other the only way you know how, wholeheartedly and with everything you’ve got.

You join your hips to his, he whimpers your name and you sigh his name in his ear, fingers tangled in his curls. Even though you’re both breathless, he kisses you until you’re both coming.

The wedding bands on your fingers clink together signifying your newfound bond.

●●●●●

The next few months of your pregnancy have gone by swimmingly. Your feet are still swollen but you aren’t that uncomfortable in the last trimester as the first two. Which is odd because with Lily your back ached up until you gave birth.

Luke has been doting on you with the help from Lily. Everyday she asks how ‘her baby’ is and talks to her sister all the time. It’s just the two of you home for the day and you’ve been feeling a little off since Luke left early to head to the studio for a recording session. You kept feeling a sharp pain in your lower back and when it shot to the front of your lower belly, you knew it was a contraction.

You noticed the time in between the pain you felt, and it was only forty-five minutes. Luke would be home soon so you busied yourself by gathering your things and you called up Cory letting him know you might be dropping Lily off soon.

The contractions became closer just as Luke got home, Lily running to meet him and you’re standing in the foyer with all your things ready to go.

“Are we going somewhere?” Luke smiles setting Lily down.

“Yeah, it’s time to go to the center,” you smile pointing to your stomach.

His eyes widen and he lifts Lily back up quickly in his arms.

“Luke—”

“But you aren’t due for another three weeks! Is something wrong? Are you in pain? Of course, you’re in pain, you’re in labor. Oh my God, we need to drop Lily off. Is Cory home? Does the center know we’re coming?”

“Luke!” you laugh now standing in front of him. You press your finger to his lips so he stops rambling. “I texted Cory, I’m okay and I called the birthing center. They’re waiting for us, it’s okay.”

“Okay, let’s go,” he nods.

He grabbed your things quickly and helped you waddle to the car. He made sure you were fastened before getting in on his own side of the car. Cory and Ella met you as soon as you pulled into the driveway taking Lily and her things, so you didn’t have to get out of the car.

They wished you luck and you had to reach over and take Luke’s hands so he wouldn’t drive too fast. You press your lips to the back of his knuckles calming him down and then laughing because he should be the one consoling you. But this is his first time experiencing this, so you let him channel through the emotions.

“You all right, lovie?” he asks glancing over at you as you run your lips over his middle knuckle.

“I’m good, how are you doing?” you smile.

“Nervous as hell,” he chuckles and pulls into the parking lot of the birthing center.

Much like when you were pregnant with Lily, you wanted to give birth at a birthing center and do a natural water birth. Your experience with Lily was amazing, the warm water aided in your pain from the contractions and in two pushes, your sweet little Lily was born into the world.

A nurse meets you at the door with a wheelchair all ready and Luke has the bags slung over both his shoulders. His face is a little pale so you twist your arm behind the chair so you can grab hold of his hand. As soon as he feels your touch, he looks down at you and he visibly relaxes.

He helps you change into a sports bra and some loose shorts, you left underwear off, so it’d be an easy transition into the whirlpool that’s in the room. The nurse asks you the usual questions of how far apart your contractions have been and then checks your cervix. You’re at five centimeters already.

“Seems like your little one wants to meet you very quickly,” the nurse, who’s name is Tilly. “I’ll go get some supplies and at the rate you’re going, I’ll start the water as well.”

“Thank you,” you smile watching her leave the room. You turn to Luke who sits next to you on the large bed, he gives you a small smile wrapping his arm around your shoulders. “How are you doing, daddy?”

“I should be asking you that.”

“You’re the one who’s shaking,” you whisper and clasp his hands in your own to steady them.

He lets out a shaky breath. “This is just happening so fast. I’m so excited but I’m so nervous, what if she doesn’t like me?”

“She already adores you; she kicks whenever you sing or talk to her.”

“We haven’t even picked a name yet! What if we look at her and have no idea?” he rests his forehead against your temple, kissing you gently but his worry rolls off in waves.

“We’ll know when we see her. When I was pregnant with Lily, I was dead set on naming her Charlotte. But when I looked at her, Lily just came about, and it was perfect. You can—” you gasp suddenly as another contraction hits and Luke sits up straighter.

“Breathe, lovie, breathe,” he soothes, and you exhale in a gasp. You feel the blood rush from your head from holding your breath for just that short amount of time. You focus on Luke’s hand on your back and the way his thumb is gliding over the back of your hand until the contraction passes.

After that last one the time between contractions were becoming shorter and shorter and Tilly started the water right away. Laying down didn’t help the constant ache that wrapped around from your lower back to the front of your belly, so you held Luke’s hand as you walked a little around the room.

He made sure to brace your back, his words soft and encouraging in your ear as you groaned out in pain.

“Y/N, let’s get you in the water so it will help with the pain and it seems like she’ll be coming very shortly,” Tilly says just as two more nurses come in and you kick off your shorts.

All three of them and Luke help lower you into the warm water, it envelops you like a hug and it dulls the sharp pain to something tolerable. Luke rubs your lower back and you’re so thankful he’s there with you. He’s peppering kisses against your sweaty temple and you feel another contraction coming but it also feels like you should push.

“Can I push? Is it too early to push?” you beg breathlessly wanting to expel the pressure you’re feeling.

“If you feel like you need to push, you push honey,” Tilly says leaning over the lip of the tub to examine your cervix. “She’s crowning so push away.”

“Shit, okay lovie, you can do this,” Luke is an instant cheerleader in your ear. Your hand is wet holding onto his while his other is on your shoulder. “She’s almost here, you’re so amazing. I love you so much.”

He continues to kiss your temple in between his encouraging words, and you push as hard as you can then fall back against him.

“Okay, she just moved a little bit out, one more big push!”

You suck in a deep breath and push with all your might until you feel a big sweep between your legs and then there’s a splash as Tilly lifts your baby girl from the water. You open your eyes and instantly start crying at the sight of her tiny limbs. Tilly places her on your chest and she’s so warm but shaking a little.

“Oh my God, she’s here,” Luke breathes.

Another nurse suctions out her nose and her mouth and then she starts to cry in that high-pitched way infants do. She’s already got a good amount of hair on her head and you give her multiple kisses, getting lost in her already.

“The placenta still has to come, but Suzie will clean her up and we’ll get you out, okay? Luke, you can cut the umbilical cord,” Tilly says.

The next moments happen in a blur because you just want to see your baby, and Luke is constantly shifting his focus on you and your new daughter before you’re back in the bed. Towels and blankets cover your lower half and then Suzie hands you your baby girl.

“Congratulations,” she smiles.

She’s swaddled in a lavender blanket with a little pink hat, her lips are pursed slightly, and you can already see a dimple in her cheek just like Luke’s. You look up at him and he’s staring at her in awe.

“Here, you hold her,” you tell him gently and he holds his arms out. He takes her carefully in his arms, he lets out a sigh of disbelief then smiles. “What do you think daddy?”

“She’s incredible,” he shakes his head and traces her nose with his pinky. “We made her, she’s so amazing.”

“What name does it look like she should have?” you rub his elbow affectionately and he sits next to you so you can admire her as well.

“I’ve got one. . . but what do you want?”

“I want whatever you want, you name her, Luke.”

“Posy. Posy Mae is her name,” he states and you’re instantly in love with it.

“Hello, my little Posy,” you coo stroking her cheek and she squirms in her blanket, a very small but very real smile appears. “I think she likes it.”

Cory and Ella bring Lily over a few hours later so she can meet her baby sister and she has a tiny purple elephant plush in her hands as a gift. Posy is swaddled and sound asleep in her bassinet and Luke holds Lily in his arms so she can look down at her.

“That’s your sister, my sweet. Her name’s Posy, can you say hi to her?” Luke asks as Lily peers over his arms to gaze down at Posy.

“Hi Posy. I’m Lily, you’re my baby sissy,” Lily tells her sweetly then she gasps when Posy wiggles. “She knows me, mama!”

“Of course, she does, baby! But we need to be quiet around her, okay?” you rest against the pillows happy to see your two girls together but exhausted from the whole ordeal.

“How’re you feeling?” Cory asks as Ella moves around the bed to gaze down at Posy. She talks quietly with Luke and Lily.

“Good. Tired. Happy,” you smile tiredly.

“We won’t stay long, but I knew you’d want Lily to meet her right away.”

“Thank you,” you smile.

Cory, Ella and Lily leave shortly after promising to be back tomorrow later in the morning. Lily gives you and Luke a big hug and kiss goodnight and Cory holds her tightly in his arms above the bassinet so she can give a soft kiss to Posy’s forehead.

“Bye baby,” she whispers and then they’re gone.

You catch Luke standing near her little crib a lot throughout the night just gazing down at her with the softest smile. Thankfully you’re inconspicuous and snap a photo of the precious moment and Luke takes many photos to send to the guys in their group chat.

The next day they’re all over when Cory, Ella and Lily are so they can all properly meet little Posy.

“That’s my sissy,” Lily tells her uncles proudly. Calum holds her in his arms as he looks down at Posy.

“She’s perfect, don’t you think, Lils?” Calum asks her and she nods, eyes fixed on Posy.

Michael and Ashton just stare at her which makes you laugh.

“She’s so small,” Michael whispers, “how is she so small?”

“I love her name,” Ashton smiles, “how’d you come up with it, Y/N?”

“It was all Luke,” you say proudly staring up at him. He bends down and gives you a kiss.

“I just looked at her and the name just came to me,” he shrugs lifting Posy from the crib. He begins to sway. “And her cheeks are rosy, so ‘rosy posy’ is what I thought of. But Posy is cuter than Rose, don’t you think?”

“It’s perfect, she’s definitely a Posy,” Ashton smiles down at her lovingly.

“Hey, why don’t you guys all sit on the bed and we’ll take your first family photo,” Calum says already pulling out his phone and sets Lily on the bed.

She crawls up into your lap and you wrap your arms around her little body just as Luke sits next to you. When you’re all situated, you look to Calum and smile and you feel like your heart will burst from how happy you are.

●●●●●

The first month with Posy took a while to get used to. It’s been so long since you had a newborn that you had to set up her schedule immediately. Luke is very good at waking up as soon as he hears her faint cries. He takes plenty of photos while they’re doing skin to skin bonding on the couch and he sings to her all the time.

Lily is the perfect little helper and she loves to give her kisses and talk to her while you’re sitting on the couch with her. One day when Posy was crying while you were getting her bottle ready, Lily tried shushing her by singing a song she made up and it actually soothed Posy’s cry.

“Look mama! I made Po not sad!” she told you excitedly and thus her nickname was formed.

When both girls were put to bed, Luke helped rub coconut lotion on your belly, giving you multiple kisses each night on your stretch marks. He’d yawn as he got into bed next to you, snuggling against your chest and you combed your fingers through his hair.

“How many times do you think she’ll wake up tonight?” Luke asks tiredly.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and it will only be three,” you laugh lightly and kiss his head. Posy has been waking up at least four times a night, it’s hard getting her to sleep at night.

“I hope so, she needs her sleep just as much as we do. Thank you,” he kisses your neck.

“For what?” you caress your lips on his forehead, but Luke shifts slightly so he can look into your eyes.

“For loving me, for being my wife, and for making me a dad. I’ve got all my little flowers because of you, lovie,” he smiles warmly and stretches his lips to yours.

• • • •

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[high-justiciar]

Repentance

Darkshore. July, 628 K.C

After a setback in Lor’danel, Siphiah’s forces were bottlenecked to the south, caught between two renegade groups of sentinels and Black Moon soldiers. It was a ragtag bunch of any fighters the Kaldorei could spare, no doubt — but at the moment their efforts proved formidable enough to leave her outnumbered.

The situation warranted an outside perspective, one she regretted to employ; the Banshee’s High Ranger was here to ensure that everything moved along as planned. The two of them stood in a tent that served as a makeshift strategy room, pondering over a map of the area. Sif had scrounged up a few chess pieces to set the scene. She stared down a black rook on the table, wishing that the power of her gaze alone would be enough to knock it down. It wasn’t.

“Dawnbane.” The Ranger’s voice was hollow and metallic, an unmistakable marker of undeath. It was enough to make Siphiah’s jaw clench and ears twitch. “I suppose you have some sort of plan? I would love to hear it.”

“I do, Ma’am.” Sif rises to her full height and posture, while a heavy breath was exhaled. “My men can do little to combat them in the trees. They are in their element there, able to blend in and ambush.” She reaches a hand down to reposition the pieces, showing the worst case scenario: the white pawns picked off and knocked down one by one.

“...But if we remove their camouflage, force them to fight in the open, we will have the advantage. Their men are tired and weak. They cannot fend off a direct charge, whether they outnumber us or not.”

The Ranger’s sanguine gaze peers over the map, her lips twisted in consideration. “A brilliant plan in theory. Though, how do you expect to clear the forests? We have been unable to ship machinery this far.”

Siphiah hums her acknowledgement. “I am not proposing that we use machinery. This is a task I can handle alone.” From the table she lifts a globe, small enough to fit in her hand, filled with a thick liquid that hardly moved as she sloshed it about. She watched the Ranger’s eyes light with curiosity.

“Apothecary Black was able to source the materials for a dozen of these. Oil, pitch, resin from their pines. Lit by my flame, they will burn until there is nothing left but ash, Ranger. The Kaldorei will have nowhere to hide.”

The High Ranger cants her head, considering the proposition for long moment. Her gaze returns back to the map as she ponders. “...And you are sure that they will have no way to escape? To combat the flames?”

Siphiah does not answer verbally. Instead she gestures for the Ranger to follow her outside. Anticipating this query, she had already tested a patch of land just beyond the walls of camp. The flames had stretched nearly as far as the eye could see in either direction, leaving nothing standing except the charred remains of ancient tree trunks. Even the ground was scorched to dust.

The Justiciar nods then, answering finally, “...I am positive.”

They attacked at the first light of dawn, depriving the enemy forces of any advantage in the darkness. With the globes set in place, a single charge from Siphiah’s hand lit them in a chain reaction. Holy flames rippled across the trees, taking to canopies and lighting the bush ablaze. The armored Horde soldiers were now able to see and navigate through the forest, sabatons stomping down any fiery debris left in their path. Siphiah stood in wait.

Like rabbits driven from their burrows, the surviving Kaldorei fled the woods, playing right into the Justiciar’s hands. She and her officers were already in position to cut them down — offering no choice except to die by the blade, or the roaring flames. 

A flash of green suddenly streaked across Siphiah’s peripheral. She honed in on one of the Kaldorei soldiers leading a group away from the flames, using some sort of magical shield to keep them at bay. Her grasp tightened around the axe held over her shoulder: Inopia, a titanforged blade that glowed with molten heat. Sending a wicked swing downward, the axe drove a crack into the ground that widened into a maw, trapping the would-be escapees where they stood.

She rose her hand then, urging the flames forward. They surrounded the group in a sudden inferno. She watched as the spellblade was able to pull a single comrade from the fire, holding them close while she struggled to climb from the maw and charge out of the flames. Siphiah’s lip curled as the pair seemed to disappear from sight soon after.

Two survivors was a small price to pay for victory, she supposed.

Elwynn. December, 630 K.C

She had gotten too comfortable.

These days Siphiah walked to her camp outside the city with her hood left down, drinking in the scents of the wintery forest. Few tread this way this time of year, giving her time to reflect in silence. She appreciated the solitude, the privacy offered by the mountains to the west, the way the cold nipped her bare face. It was the last place she expected to stumble upon a ghost from her past. 

The crunch of snow alerted her. She turned to view the path marked by her footprints, but upon seeing nothing there, thinned her lips and continued on. A few paces were taken forward before the crunch sounded again. This time she was able to place it, and sent her power out to sense the hidden body.

An orb of Light flared to life in her hand. She whirled around to strike the assailant, though to her surprise, her spell was caught and held suspended in mid-air. Behind it stood a Kaldorei woman of impressive stature, snow piled upon her pauldrons and caught in the creases of her verdant plate armor. She had clearly been waiting out here for some time. 

The woman said nothing. With a flick of her fingers, the spell was reversed and slammed back into Siphiah with amplified force. It sent the Justiciar flying off her feet, tossed more than a dozen yards before she impacted a tree. It knocked the air straight from her lungs, leaving her crumpled and gasping on the ground.

Forcing her vision to focus, she looked up to watch the Kaldorei make her slow approach. Siphiah sent out her Light once more, though it fizzled upon making contact with the spellblade’s armor, harmlessly rippling off the plate. An enchantment more powerful than any she had seen. She was in the process of struggling to her feet when the woman grabbed her by the collar, lifting her from the snow with a strength that came from pure and utter adrenaline-fueled rage.

“Your flames will not save you now, Justiciar.” She spat the words in Siphiah’s face before throwing her to the side. Yet another tree was there to catch her, though the bark was not particularly forgiving. It bruised and bloodied her cheek, impacting her head with enough force to leave her disoriented.

Combat instincts kicked in. She reached back to draw her blade and swing it for the Kaldorei in a single motion, through it was instantly parried by her own. Both women held their ground, leaving them in a brief stalemate.

“Who are you.” Siphiah demanded, her sneer red with blood. The Kaldorei responded by breaking their guard, slamming her shoulder into Sif’s sternum to demobilize her once more. She bought herself enough time to sheathe her sword and attempt to restrain Sif’s arms. The Justiciar realized, with a start, that this was not an attempt to kill; it was an attempt to overpower and capture.

Lurching forward, she drove the spellblade backwards with her full force, sending them both tumbling out of the trees and down the hill that flanked the path. They rolled together in a mess of plate and flailing limbs, weapons lost along the way, and landed with Sif’s advantage. Planting herself atop the spellblade’s chest, she rained a series of vicious blows down upon her face, halted only when a blast of arcane knocked her off and into the snow.

The Kaldorei rose, growling her frustration while she dove to tackle Sif on the ground. She soon discovered that the Justiciar had an upper hand when it came to brute strength, no matter their height difference; Siphiah more or less threw the woman off, letting her reel while she got to her own feet.

“ENOUGH!” Siphiah’s voice boomed multi-layered, her eyes flaring bright gold. Wings burst from her back in a brilliant display of Light, leaving the spellblade blinded over the course of a full minute. When she was finally able to see through the colors burned into her vision, the Justiciar was long gone, escaped into the cover of the trees.

She snarled aloud, averting her gaze to the blood left in the snow. Galestrike reached out to wet her fingertips with it, muttering a spell under her breath. A red mist lifted from her hand, leaving behind an ethereal trail as it followed the source.

“...This is the last time you evade me, Justiciar.” She promises under her breath, clenching her fist and closing her eyes to face the image left behind.

[theunholygrails]

Very Differently

Summary: This isn’t really new, just something I never got around to posting here. Basically my take on Budapest with an OC added to the mix for fun. 

Masterlist

Zdravstvuyte

The shadows cast from the wastefully clad guests in the soft angles and indecipherable masses were notably more elegant than the calculating frowns of their creators. A gloved hand traced along a freshly polished curling oak banister as Sonja made her was to join the babbling benefactors. Leaflets of conversations rustled not long enough to take root but simply flew past on the careful air of disinterest her fellow hosts held about them. With a sharp nod of her head and a demure curve of her lips, she joined the nearest transaction.

Arms dealing can be tricky business when neither party particularly trusted the other.

Jewels painted the necklines of her most generous buyer and in their pristine surfaces, she could make out the warning flash of the smallest red dot. Sonja shifted with a subtle flip of her hair to block the shot and simultaneously tapped her earpiece.

“Ma’am, I do believe my husband is coming down with something fatal.” she said.

Even if she did not have a husband to speak of, the message was abundantly clear—the event was compromised because Black Widow herself was present.

“Take care of it, Chief. I need this night to be spotless.”

“Got it.”

Security hustled onto the floor at Sonja’s signal to escort each of the dozen or so guests back to their armored vehicles.

With the prompting of her boss in her ear, Sonja slipped out the back door to attempt to uncover any tracks the Widow might have left behind.

The wet asphalt did little to help her heels find traction as she scanned the nearest buildings for the optimal vantage point the spy must have taken to train a snipper on people under her protection. With the rest of her security team busy locking down the premises, she was left to the goose chase even though looking for tracks from this particular prey was about as promising as searching for footprints after a storm.

She tensed when something popped right beside her ear and the sharp slap of metal hit her cheek. She scolded her hammering heart and forced a calm gaze to the arrow that kissed her skin and was now imbedded in the wall. Her hand went to the dual blades tucked against her thighs knowing full well that any assassin after her would not be foolish enough to miss twice.

A test of her ear piece told her its signal had been knocked out somehow. A heavy pair of boots splashed down beside her and she whipped into a defensive pose before the archer could cut her mission short.

The man kneeling across from her had his bow pressed to the ground and his black stealth suit clinging to him like any woman in her proper mind would in a scenario a little less lethal than this. Given a situation where she were allowed to use her real name and wash the blonde dye from her hair, she might have done just that because his looks were wasted on the dark, filthy streets of Samara, Russia.

“Hello, easy, Chief. I’m not here for you. Sonic took out your communications, also I was listening in a little bit, Ma’am is a weird name. Is that like the birth one or did she rename herself that? I’m looking for the Widow. You know anything?”

“Does anyone?” she flicked her blades so they would glint in warning beneath the lazy stars.

“They sent one person out to challenge her? Seems a little under kill. Unless you’re just the bait.”

She advanced a step to show just how much of a danger she truly was. His mouth curved up in amusement when he rose from his crouch. “You’re not going to let me leave,” he said.

“I fear my boss will want to speak with anyone chasing her.”

“Knew better,” he sighed. “Alright, let’s do this before I have to check out of my hotel.”

Her first swipe cut only into nothing as he swiveled around to her back. She feigned left, sweeping her right foot back to catch his ankles.

“Woah, who taught you that?” he demanded, dancing over the attack.

While she paused to process his stunned remark his completely unstunned body cracked his bow against her forehead. She grabbed at his forearm, twisting until it clattered free of his grip. “Quiet, American.”

“Was it Hill?” he carried on. “You with S.H.I.E.L.D?”

Now she faltered and he did not take the opportunity to jam any of his color coordinated arrows into her temple.

“I wasn’t told of another operative here,” he babbled.

She slammed her shoulder into his chest and landed him flat on his ass where she could properly threaten him.

“I’m handling it.”

“This is about as under control as a mouse wrestling a snake.”

“You realize I’m pinning you right,” she demanded, dropping her knees to either side of his hips and pressing the flats of her blades against either of his wrists.

“That means nothing. I’m letting you. Just so you know, they asked me to do your job first. Also, the first and last fight I had with the Widow ended with my jaw dislocated. That was back when I cornered her in Milan. That makes me a mouse too.”

“Sadly, I think that just makes more dinner for the snake instead of an overwhelming force.”

He shrugged his eyebrows and glanced down pointedly. With a sigh she crawled to sit beside him as he grunted and rolled onto his stomach. Hands propped under his head as princess worthy blue eyes fluttered up at her. “Feel better? I think you missed bruising one of my ribs if you wanted a clean sweep.”

“I was going to ask why Fury didn’t tell me you were coming, but pretending you don’t exist does seem to be the only way to deal with your bullshit.”

“Supposed to be super top fucking secret but since you kind of outed me, not cool by the way, want to work together to charm a snake?”

“Is she a spider or a snake, man? Make up your damn mind.”

He rocked back, clutching his knees as a laugh barreled through him. “Oh, I like you. You don’t get a say now. We’re working together. Got something more stealthy than that yellow dress?”

***

She did not give one rat’s ass how he got into her apartment only that he could have possibly blown her cover.

“Brought flowers. Told the doorman I wanted to surprise you.”

“Was the surprise that I had a boyfriend?” she deadpanned as she shrugged off her bulky overcoat.

“Fiancé, when he asks but that’s not why I’m here. I need your help bringing her in. She vanished, shook all my tracking abilities. From what I hear, you’re pretty handy with the underworld system.”

“If you hear anything then I’m doing my job wrong. Why would you want her brought in anyway? Isn’t protocol to take out someone that rouge and dangerous?”  

He gave his knees a firm pat before pushing off them to match their heights. “I think she could prove an asset. I made this call. If it goes south, it’s on me. I know I’m asking you to compromise yourself but from what I can tell, the Widow is more involved in mafia’s inner working than the little crew you head. We find her, we get you your hot target too.”

“Ma’am is a pretty cold-hearted bitch from ghost chatter I’ve picked up.”

A tug of his grey hoodie secured it around his face for a safety net just in case anyone was spying in from the dirt smeared window to their right. Sonja was afforded no such luxury because her face was always bared to the world. She was buried way too deep in her world of shit to risk disguises. “Funny. We should work well together.”

“What’s your clearance?” She demanded.

The space of her apartment was deemed worthy of her retailer to host grand parties of up to a dozen people but she already felt stuffy with his confident presence entirely too close to her though he remained clear across the green wallpapered room with his feet twisting into her recently purchased, hand woven rug. It was probably worth three times his ratty boots with its intricate depiction of a fanfare of angels descending the heavens; this man was no angel.

“Alpha.”

“That doesn’t exist. Ten is the highest. I would know, I was the reason they created it.”

A tilt of his head told her he was only amused with her declaration and not in awe like all other inferiors she came across. “Welcome to Alpha then. I’ll fill you in on the plane.”

“I thought you didn’t know where she was.”

“I said she shook me. That doesn’t mean I don’t know her well enough to predict where she would go. Pack light, Budapest can be unforgiving this time of year.”

“Got a name?”

“Got a code, Hawkeye. Yours?”

“Zero.”

***

Being nearly run over three time while crossing a single street was a personal record for Sonja. Hawkeye was weighed down beneath a tan backpack filled with waters, old and clunky laptops, maps, granola bars (as if she could live off of those along), and a very distinct lack of weapons. Hawkeye had insisted on leaving them behind because airport security did not make exceptions for undercover agents and using a private jet would raise too many eyebrows. He had extracted her daggers from her and then held his hand out expectantly for the spares he could not have known she kept tucked neatly between her planner and wallet in her purse. She felt slightly less naked when he tossed his bow as well but still would rather not relying on their combined wit and charm since her partner appeared to be painfully lacking in both and making up for it with 100 proof sarcasm.

The wind buckled with the weight of the dry air it carried and tugged at the ends of Sonja’s hastily dyed and chopped off brunette locks. A sunhat kept the loose waves mashed against her face and even bigger sunglasses kept the prying sun at bay along with Hawkeye’s dancing glances back to make sure she was keeping up with his soundless steps.

“Come on,” he called even though the only closer she could have been to him would be to just piggyback it.

“Where is the safe house again?” she called over the roar of traffic.

He pause while a couple bustled between them, their heads bent in deep conversation then nodded politely to a minister though she doubted his devilish grin could even point out a church. “Next block. You wanna take over bag duty? I’ve got this crick in my neck I haven’t been able to shake since the plane.”

“That’s because you were stupid enough to sleep on the plane. On my shoulder no less. There’s a drool stain.”

The bag was tossed at her chest where her hands caught it without the aid of her gaze leaving his. “If your posture was more slumped we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Excuse me for remaining vigilant.”

“Trust me, your people don’t know you’re missing yet. You’ve probably got until noon.” His eyes skipped between his blank wrist and the sun overhead to judge the time. “And once we get set up with internet, I will clear the airways of anything we might have left behind. Say, do you think you could give me some sort of reaction? The constant dead expression is a bit intimidating.”

“I can see why the Widow dislocated your jaw, you talk too much.”

She spotted the covert insignia for S.H.I.E.L.D. and pushed past him to key in the day’s number sequence for entrance. There was distinct absence of air conditioning when they entered the stale room sitting on the basement level of what appeared to be the back of a tourist ice cream shop. Hawkeye’s bulky jacket hit the floor then his paisley shirt was tossed over the back of a chair that used to be sand colored but appeared to have been recently stained with globs of red. His back hit the ground as he fiddled with the window unit and Sonja set to toeing along the perimeter of their quarters.

She came across the outlet first sitting adjacent to the Ethernet cable in the far right corner. After depositing the backpack for him to fiddle with later on, she peeled off her overcoat and tank top while she stuck her head into the bathroom to check on the water situation. What trickled from the sink was lukewarm at coldest and the pressure in the shower was laughable but at least the toilet flushed and air freshener hung from the doorknob. Its orange tree shape was swinging in the next moment as blessed air filled the cramped space.

Sonja emerged from the bathroom with her sports bra held away from her damp skin. “Guess you are useful.”

“Do me a favor and check the freezer.” He toed off his boots as he walked, adding more of his shit to the mess that made her fingers twitch to clean only slightly.

“Think they left us frozen dinners? Because you’re health nut bars are not going to cut it Hawk.”

“I’ll order pizza for us,” he called with a wink as he tapped away on the booting up monster of a laptop.

She grumbled her response and pried open the rusted closed freezer doors that concealed an inside that somehow felt hotter than the oven of a city. Two metal cases rested inside, one smaller and snugly sitting atop

“You know how to defuse bombs right?” she called, eyes tracing the otherwise empty white cubicle for any wire or trigger.

“That’s a no. They’re presents from Fury.”

She did not move to take his word for it but instead carefully shifted the boxes sideways while sliding her hand where they sat in case it was weight sensitive. When she felt only the sleek, flat bottom, she cautiously picked up the bottom box from either edge with just the tips of her fingers and walked it as far away from Hawkeye as she could manage.

“For Christ’s sake, Z. I special requested those. Look, the code is 1971 on the bigger one and all zeroes on the other because I’m brilliant. If those don’t work then you can pull out your bomb squad suit.” He strode over, task forgotten, and squatted beside her kneeling form. “I’m not sure whether I’m offended you don’t trust me or flattered you’re trying to keep my out of harm's way.”

She flinched when he keyed in the numbers and passed her the first case carelessly before punching in his own and flipping the lid up to reveal and brand-spanking-new carbon fiber and purple streaked bow.

“Stealthy.” Sonja pulled out her own sleek new dagger set. Four blades so sharp just the skimming of her fingers drew their first blood. “Gorgeous.”

“I’m going to assume both of those were for me. Look, since I slept earlier, you take this round and I’ll wake you when night says it's time to move.”

When she made no move to do as such, he groaned and jutted out his hand. “Clint,” he said.

“What,” she snapped.

“That’s my name. Clint Barton. 1971 is the year I was born.”

“Is this supposed to make me trust you?”

“What? You want my social security number? Passport? Birth certificate? To be honest, I have so many of those I probably couldn’t pinpoint the original for you.”

She glanced down to hide the smiled curving up her lips and tucked a single dagger into her calf high sock. After refolding the hem of her khaki shorts, she felt composed enough to meet his impatient blue eyes. His smile was quick and brilliant and caught her so off guard she returned it, still vulnerable from the previous moments.

“There she is. Listen miss bomb technician, that why they call you zero? Because of the countdown? Anyway, if you don’t sleep you risk both our asses tonight and I happen to have a fine ass. As a gentleman I have not checked yours out but I am willing to bet that it’s at least half as good as mine.”

“If I go to sleep will you shut up?”

He touched his scarred knuckles against her cheek and lugged his new toys over to the ancient ones where he set up shop for the next few hours. The flimsy mattress with springs poking out every few inches was tucked away between the window and the front door and Sonja barely got her coat down on it before her head crashed against her arm for her pillow and her eyes tapped out.

***

do svidaniya

Clint’s version of a gentle awakening was a kick to her foot as he passed by. Of course, her leg swept out in defense and he landed face first on the mattress beside her. Her groggy eyes blinked open at him and promptly scowled at the dumbfounded expressions holding even his usual smart ass comment at bay.

“We better be under attack,” she grumbled, failing when she attempted to remove her already asleep arm from beneath his heavy torso.

It took him an alarming number of seconds to compose an answer and she squinted through sleep crust to glare at him. His lips parted then apparently he discovered them too dry to speak because his tongue swept out and at this proximity, so close she would not even have to reach to strangle him, the smell of his lingering bubblegum toothpaste pulled her fully into reality.

The same abrupt force that stilled him froze her from shoving him off the bed. She blamed the dreams still singing to her but the more likely cause was his hand which had by the damnation of some god landed on the dip of her waist, not her ass or her breast, which would be far simpler to explain the skip in her chest.

His recovery was like watching a runner recover from a particularly nasty hurdle “Afraid your mafia is running a little behind schedule, so we have to go out and meet them. Gear up.”

He grunted when her knee sent him rolling to the floor next.

“What time is it, Hawk?”

“2100. Think you bruised my bladder.”

Her change of clothes were swept up and the bathroom door slammed between them and the meager form of water she coaxed from the sink drowned out the breath she heaved from her lungs. The woman staring back at her was faded and spotted where the mirror was tarnished from the years without maintenance.

There was scarcely enough time to worry about saving her own skin let alone playing guess that hormone with an archer she met two days ago. A quick coaching session of her emotions and the addition of a black beanie, matching under armor shirt, and a lightweight bullet proof vest she emerged, undoing the button to her shorts after regretfully noticing the absence of the last bit of her uniform.

Clint lounged in front of the air unit in identical gear, hands folded across his pulled in knees so that the muscles fought against the fabric of his shirt. “Didn’t know pants were optional,” he called as she neatly folded her shorts beside their supply bag and produced the cargo pants that would be hiding her weapons for the evening. “I did appreciate that silky number you wore for me on our first mission,” he continued.

A belt secured the bottoms and after shoving her feet into the boots she stomped one down dangerously close to his most vulnerable bits and offered a sweet smile down at him.

“Think the world has one too many eunuchs as it is. Next time you want me to tie your laces try a nice ‘Clinton, would you be a dear and tie my fucking shoes?’”

“Don’t I feel like Cinderella?”

Deft fingers made quick work of her laces and she was still admiring the knots she could not even begin worrying about how to undo when he stood and shouldered his bow.

“Let’s go catch a spider, Z.”

“Let’s take down the Samarian crew as well while we’re at it.”

The night was their friend, lending its heaviest cloud cover from the stars that dared shine from the moonless sky as they jogged through the still bustling city’s alleys.

They passed a meat truck making a last minute delivery and Clint offered the driver the nod of his head before prodding Sonja’s body to pick up the speed as if they were out for a jog instead of on the tracks of the most dangerous woman on any side of the world. She shifted out of his reach, none too content on having her mind replay its earlier clash with emotions for the rest of the mission.

The building where Clint’s found surveillance footage last picked up her image was tucked between the river and the last wall of structures. A fishing shack where Sonja doubted the lights from the horn riddled bridge now stretching over their heads could penetrate if a paid professional like herself were taking shelter there.

Rounding the last bend on the downward slanting street, Clint caught her belt loop and pulled her against the crumbling brick building that smelled like moss and moldy bread. She bent her knees to keep from slipping down the slope on the loose cobblestones beneath their feet and still managed to subtly maneuver further from him because his aftershave was making repeating the plan like a mantra in her head a thing for the birds.

“Hey, you with me, Zero? You remember what we talked about?”

“Not dying or the not fucking up part?”

“See, I knew you weren’t listening to me.”

“Relax, Hawk. I’ve been doing this since I was toddling.”

“Really? Diapers for me.”

She swatted his arm when his blue eyes danced with humor and closed her own to reel herself back in.

“Seriously, though, you up for this? Because I can go in alone…”

“Like, hell, Hawk. You’re long range, I distract. Stick to it.”

He held out his knuckles wrapped in fingerless gloves that would help his aim. With a laugh disguised as a groan, she knocked hers against his and watched as he began scaling the fire escape to the tops of the connected houses leading to the perfect vantage point.

It took the coaxing of the restless waves to remind her that she too did not have the fortune of sitting still and allowing her already spiraling life to make Budapest its final resting place.

The traps took precious time to pick out--a motion detector from the front porch, a snoring dog with paws running in the air when she slipped around to the side, an electrical ward along the single sealed window, and finally a good old fashioned set of cans on the roof she managed to climb on. Sonja crouched on the narrow ledge of the none-too-secure roofing tiles, still off balance from her misjudged landing.

The cans, a mix of unopened green peas for which Sonja could not blame her and chili whose lids appeared to have been ripped off by bare hands, were stacks to at least twice her height and made a perfect circle around what she had to assume was another vulnerable entrance. From her original distance of spotting from the bridge with Clint, it had appeared merely another level of the shack which she could scale but now was proving to be just a pain in her ass. She circled on feet quieter than death to the side where Clint could see her and held out her hands helplessly.

“No in?” He said over the ear piece.

A shake of her head was the answer she knew his strapped on night goggles could pick up.

“Alright, hold on.”

“Clint!” she hissed out as an idea struck.

“Hell of a time to break out the Christian name.”

“Knock out the electricity on window.”

“I know you remember how these sonic arrows work. Our communication will be cut off and I know you’ll miss this sweet watchful voice, Z.”

“Sonja,” she whispered, hunching down on her knees and throwing a finger down as if he did not know the window she intended.

“No, sonic.”

“That’s my name you moron. You’ve got to trust me. Just shoot it.”

There was that hesitation from him again, she was beginning to understand how his head worked. The job was simple, something he was trained beyond reason for, but she was a variable he had to carefully calculate into the equation.

“Alright. I’m right behind you.”

“I know. Just don’t miss.”

She heard the smile in his response, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

“Are we really resorting to quoting Star Wars right now?”

“Fire in the hole, Sonja.”

The arrow struck home with a muted thwack and Sonja slid down onto the windowsill throwing a thumbs up into the now unresponsive night as she jimmied her dagger around to unlock the window. A second blade joined her free hand when she ducked inside.

The first thing she noticed was the complete lack of interior decoration just like their own safe house and the second unfortunately was that the insides were also void of any inhabitants. Why so much security without anything to protect?

There was a knock at the front door and a moment later Sonja remembered the power surge would also have affected the motion detector. She wearily trudged over before sliding into a defensive position when she flung the door back.

She saw the Black Widow first and her arrogant smirk followed by the prompting of an arrow to her skull.

“Plan B then?” Sonja called as Clint jostled their target into the room.

“I thought we agreed this was the more likely alternative,” he said. “Making it plan A.”

Sonja shrugged and pulled the handcuffs from her calf pocket before moving to snap them securely around the Widow’s ankles. The woman grunted as a green glow filled the room and a shift of her hips proved her unable of even lifting her feet.

When Sonja straightened and reached to tuck a stray strand of hair back into her braid, the woman finally spoke. “Props.” she said.

“Thanks, we’ve been practicing that last bit for hours now. I was really worried about the execution.” Clint strolled around to the front of their captive, pockets bulging with confiscated weapons.

“Not you, Barton. I knew you were on my ass for months. Her I wasn’t even looking for.”

Sonja crossed her arms. “Case. Point. What’s your real name?”

“Natasha Romanov.”

The plain reply jarred both her and her partner equally and Clint took her arm, walking her as far back into the room as he could manage before inclining his forehead to make the whisper easier hear. “She’s going to try to play a game with us. Anyone around her is instantly compromised. I need you to stay with me.”

A sharp nod answered him and his grin danced with mischief as he swung back around to stroll over to Natasha with his bow forgotten and swinging in his left hand. Sonja did not even feign relaxation but rubbed her thumbs over the sweating hilts of her daggers.

“This about the Avengers initiative? I read all about it last week,” Natasha said.

“You know it is. That’s why you let us capture you.”

“Let?” Sonja’s arms slipped from their protective frame.

Clint pushed on, feigning deafness when Sonja knew good and well his hearing aids were in. “You’ve got a nasty ledger and S.H.I.E.L.D. only wants to help you rectify it through the Avengers.”

“Avengers?” Sonja questioned.

“I’m fine where I am,” Natasha retorted giving the glowing shackles weighing down her feet a good tug and only ending up on her knees which, despite the powerless position, she somehow conveyed was right where she wanted to be.

Clint sighed and dropped as well. “You’re fine painting every city you go to with blood for people you don’t even know? The Avengers are going to protect the world and we want you to be a part of that.”

“Cute speech. Did Sonja feed it to you? You’re not bright enough to try the emotion ploy.”

Sonja was too busy puzzling how she knew her name to reply. That’s when the first bullet cut through the air and buried itself clean in Clint’s left calf. When he keeled forward in pain, Natasha swiped the gun tucked into the back of his belt and began firing to cover all their asses.

Lurching forward, Sonja kicked the door shut and pried her pistol from her belt as her back smacked against the wall. “Clint!” she called when he finally lifted himself from the ground.

“You led the Samarians here!” Natasha shouted as bullets pelted the door and walls relentlessly.

“Whoops,” Clint managed.

“Damn right you’re gonna need my help with the Avengers if you can’t even manage to stay off their radar. I assume you at least had an escape route in place.”

Clint wiped his bloody hand off on his shirt and primed an arrow for release should their defenses be breached by the crew. “Boat out back.”

“You’re gonna have to uncuff me.” Natasha called, firing precisely through an already fragile portion of the wall to produce a thunk of dead weight only a few yard away.

The deadly accuracy made Clint hesitate as he added in yet another variable, but Sonja just tossed the keys without a word and returned to keeping her gun aimed at the door.

“Barton go first and we’ll cover you,” Natasha called as she dodged a bullet cutting entirely too close to her brain. When she sat up straight again a line of red across her forehead added to her already flaming hair and scarlet pjs look.

Clint’s gaze snapped to Sonja unwavering in its unspoken question: would she be ok alone?

“Get out of here, Hawkeye,” she added the last bit to help him depersonalize, to remind him this was just a mission and all lives involved were expendable. “I’m right behind you,” she continued when he did not move.

His mouth curved up as he heaved himself onto mostly steady feet and sprinted to the backdoor while Sonja and Natasha laid down cover fire until both were down a clip. “Together?” Natasha called.

“Hell, why not?”

Sonja leapt up first, followed shortly by the much faster woman. The night air was thick with humidity that only pooled more sweat on their skin. On the free side of the house, a man screamed as the now awakened guard dog set to work. The other side was occluded by the closely stacks buildings and on the water just ahead, Clint revved the waiting engine of the speed boat.

Natasha waded into the water and slung her leg over the side, hauling herself on board in one fluid motion. Sonja had time to see her eyes go wide before she heard the other female voice cut through the night, “Chief!”

A sword was leveled at her instead of a gun and Sonja had the absolute pleasure of facing her old boss when she turned around. “Ma’am,” she replied without a trace of emotion.

She heard the cock of Natasha’s gun along with the wiry draw of Clint’s bow and briefly wondered if he could even keep his hands steady at the moment due to the blood loss.

“Or is it Agent Zero now?”

“Whatever you prefer, Ma’am.”

“Shall we settle this like the duals of old or has all your honor gone through the window with the american?”

Sonja heard Natasha grumble about being ignored as she tucked her gun into her pocket and produced a dagger. The other hand reached for her back pocket slower all the while keeping her opponent's gaze fixed on her words. Ma’am’s bulky henchmen fanned out behind her patiently waiting to be allowed to have some fun with the traitor and spy.

“What can I say? He brought presents.”

She waited the appropriate ten seconds for the meaning behind her words to smash into Clint before she pulled the pin. The homemade grenade sailed from her hand while her body was flung in the other direction. Her side slammed into the boat and Natasha just managed to get a drip on her belt before Clint slammed the throttle into its highest gear. He was ducked on the floor by the steering console for safety just as Natasha had thrown herself beneath the low walls at Clint’s advisement.

“When did you even have time to make that?” he demanded, driving blindly down the wide river.

“You’re the one who apparently knows everything,” she snapped.

“Christ, I’m sorry, alright. You weren’t cleared to know.” He paused then turned to her while Natasha huffed and took over driving. “Zero failed missions?”

“Guess again.”

“Zero like you were the original?”

“You’re not cleared, asshole.”

***

Natasha made airports her bitch with the new fresh faced S.H.I.E.L.D recruits scurrying behind her toting her luggage and a flight attendant rushing to retrieve her properly iced water. She shot Sonja a lazy wink but the other woman was too busy scowling away any potential disturbances to do anything other than reshoulder her backpack.

Clint took the lead, his reputation sending the herd of freshmen scattering in his wake of glory. Sonja quickened her steps, determined to talk to him now that the paramedics aboard their evac copter were no longer shooting him full of drugs.

“You’re not careless,” she said once she matched long legs to his abrupt stride.

“Think Nat will make them carry her?” he mused, wincing when he stopped focusing on his uneven gait.

Sonja caught under his arm and he glanced over through sleep deprived blue eyes and the tangles his cropped hair had somehow managed to tie itself into. “You gonna make me carry you?” she countered.

“I’ve got it.”

The usual airport crowd of proud mothers, blubbering fathers, and excitable kids ready to go off and make lives for themselves meandered past them. Sonja wondered what life awaited her back at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters.

“I was born there, you know. S.H.I.E.L.D that is. Born and raised. I don’t exist to our government because S.H.I.E.L.D doesn’t. I’m nothing, I’m just zero.”

“I let the Samarians follow us,” he admitted in the breath after she finished her confession.

“I know. You’re not careless. You needed a common enemy for us to get Romanov on our side.”

“I was going to apologize for ruining your original mission, but I think all of earth takes precedence. We wouldn’t have made it out of there if not for you.”

“Taking out Ma’am was my mission Clint. Yesterday was the first time I saw her in person. I spent years working my way up through the ranks only to figure out I would only ever be important to her when I betrayed her.”

“You’re welcome, then.” He leaned in when he sang it and she gave his face a shove away as they exited the building through sliding glass doors and reached a junction in the sidewalk where she would climb into the car that would carry her home and he would get in his rental and drive out to his next mission.

“How long has it been since you’ve been stateside?”

“Just four years. I haven’t been home since I was a teenager, though when I completed my training.”

“You don’t have to face those bastards, you know. I’ve got something involving lightning and a hammer waiting for me. Could use some backup I trust.”

“Sounds alpha level. I’ll leave you to it.”

He nodded, shifting his weight off his bad leg and closing the humming space between their bodies just enough for her to notice it was deliberate. Her hand shifted under the strap of her bag while she toed at some bits of loose gravel beneath her sneakers.

“Guess this is goodbye, then. Keep an eye on Nat for me, will you? She respects you.”

“Only because she was comparing me to you.”

His mouth pulled up in a smile she had grown all too accustomed to seeing regularly and had truthfully taken for granted now that he was leaving. The civil term of closer inspection crossed her mind as she leaned in further still followed by the embarrassing real word she had been searching for--a kiss.

She could not even recall the last time she had kissed someone without an ulterior motive. She expected him to politely return it or to laugh and tell her to collect herself, not for him to bite her lip and slide his lips between hers like the whole damn earth might spin off course if he did not. His hands were soft in her hair and his hand slid down tracing over her cheek so that his fingers replaced his lips when he reluctantly pulled away.

“Put a pin in that, Sonja?”

“You mean like when I pinned you? Or what I pulled the pin on the grenade?”

“No explosions and no more beating me up.” He punctuated his sentence with a rushed kiss to her forehead. “Unless we can twist those into kinky things.”

“Oh, it’s possible,” Natasha called as she strolled past and climbed into the waiting black SUV.

Sonja gave his chest a push and took two controlled steps backwards simply because if she didn’t there was no guarantee either of them would be setting out on their respective journeys today.

“Goodbye,” Sonja said.

With a wink that sent her spiraling higher than the pyres of Moscow’s finest cathedrals Clint Barton was gone.

[slapshot-to-the-heart]

part vii

part i part ii part iii part iv part v part vi

Welcome back, friends! I know it’s been a long time since I updated, and I’m sorry for that - I just finished up my junior year of college, and combined with all of the protesting an unrest going on in the US (where I’m from) it’s been hard to write on schedule. On that note, I want to say that as a person and a writer I unequivocally stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and those protesting for an end to police brutality, the demilitarization and downsizing of the police, and equal rights for all - noting especially that these issues particularly affect LGBTQ+ people of color, particularly Black trans women. I am always striving to keep myself as educated and informed on how to be an antiracist, and encourage everyone to take a look at https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ for resources to educate yourself, donation links if you’re able, and petitions to sign. Breonna Taylor’s murderers still have not been arrested. I love writing, and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. Please reblog as always, and pop into my inbox and let me know what you think!

part vii

February 14

Dress like I’m going to a diner? Cass was more than a little confused as she pulled one leg through the pair of her good jeans (the ones without ripped knees, she wore them out with Mat and to less-important meetings and even to church once or twice when she was feeling particularly daring) as she slipped into her pea coat, toying with the button by her wrist as she opened the door to the crisp February air. It wasn’t snowing, but it was cold enough that her hands were still jammed firmly in her coat pockets. She could see her breath when she breathed out. Matt pulled up a few minutes, an apologetic look on his face as he slammed his hazards on and scrambled over the chair to push her door open. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Mat said breathlessly. “Parkway was backed up.”

Cass waved him off. “It’s not a big deal, just crank the heat up.”

“I know you said you didn’t want anything too fancy, so I hope you like it,” he added hesitantly, looking in between her and the road as he turned a corner. 

Cass squeezed his hand that was hovering just above the gear shift. “I’m sure I’ll love it, Mat.”

It really had been hard for Mat to figure out what to do for Valentine’s. He was leaving the next day for a weeklong road trip, but it was still, you know, Valentine’s, and he wanted so badly to get it right. So he tapped Jordan, called Tito, even somehow got ahold of her roommates to ask them what they thought she might be interested in. He wouldn’t admit it, but there also might have been a text or two back home to his sister for a second (third? fourth?) opinion. He wanted it to be perfect, but even more than that, he wanted it to be her. Dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant and a Tiffany’s necklace might be all well and good, but it didn’t really matter if the proverbial shoe didn’t fit. The handful of Valentine’s dates he’d gone on in the past had mostly been the standard roses-and-chocolates type, and while Cass did love chocolate, this evening meant so much more to him than any previous attempt. 

He didn’t want to do anything to mess it up, anything to jeopardize what was hands-down the most meaningful and serious relationship he’d ever been in. He’d dated girls for longer, sure, but there was something about what he had with Cass that made him feel like she had been in his life forever, like she was already a permanent fixture who made everything else make sense. They drove down the island of Manhattan, his thumb running back and forth over the palm of her hand until he pulled into a hotel parking lot. Cass looked at him quizzically. “Easiest place to park,” Mat said by way of an answer. 

He parked, opening Cass’s door and helping her out. “Where are you taking me?” Cass said with a small laugh, looking across the street at the dozens of couples taking an early dinner. 

Mat held up a finger. “It should be...right up here,” he said, double-checking his phone. “Ah-ha!”

A dusty green awning and flyer-covered window greeted the couple. It was a pizzeria, and it was perfect. It wasn’t just the fact that, like any sane person, Cass loved pizza, but the fact he knew what she wanted and prioritized that over any expectation or preconception about what the “right” way to celebrate was. And she could really go for a dollar slice. 

They squeezed into a two-top table in the corner. Cass hung her bag on the back of her chair, scooping back to go order at the counter. When it came to food, Mat was a simple man with simple tastes. He liked pepperoni. “I got us garlic knots because it’s Valentine’s day and I love you,” she said, setting down the trays, “and also because I’d willingly murder a man for garlic.”

Mat picked one up, biting in and nearly moaning. God, these are good. “Babe, you’re going to be a lawyer. You can’t just go around getting yourself arrested for murder. I don’t think your garlic defense would go over well with the judge.”

Cass shrugged. “I can get myself off.” Mat raised an eyebrow. “Ew!” She threw a packet of red pepper at Mat, promptly hitting him square in the chest. “Get your mind out of the gutter. There are children present.” To be fair, aside from them the restaurant was filled mostly with high school students, nervously holding hands and sipping each others’ Cokes while they tried desperately to make small talk. And to be fair, she could get herself off. 

“Are you finally going to tell me what we’re doing?” Cass asked, biting into the last bit of her crust. 

“In a minute,” Mat said, twisting around to rustle through the pocket of his leather jacket. He pulled out a small, flat square box, sliding it over the table to her. Cass traced the edges delicately with a finger. 

Mat smiled softly at her. “Open it.” 

Cass tapped the box against her palm until the bottom fell softly into her hand. Inside, nestled in a cloud of cotton, was a beautiful silver bar necklace. It was simple, elegant, not too flashy. But it was her, and it was hers. 

“I know you don’t like me spending money on you,” Mat shrugged, “but you deserve nice things. You deserve to be treated well.” He reached over the table to tuck a curl behind her ear. 

She picked it up, touching the chain, clasp, pendant. “Turn it over,” Mat said pointedly, with a smile on his face. Cass flipped it. There was an engraving on the back — well, two, really. 10-28-20. That one she knew. That one was their anniversary. WWRD. That one she didn’t know. Glancing back up towards Mat with a confused look on her face, she raised an eyebrow. “What would Ruth do,” Mat supplied. It took Cass a moment, and once she realized, she almost fell over, dissolving into peals of laughter. What would Ruth do? “I know I’m nothing but a filthy Canadian,” Mat started, “but I also know you love her and look up to her. You don’t just have a mug with someone’s face on it for no reason.” That was true. For Secret Santa last Christmas, Ryanne had 100% gotten Cass a mug with Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s face on it. And she 100% used it every day for her morning tea. 

“Plus, I read on Wikipedia that before she was a judge, she was a lawyer and did a lot for women’s rights and stuff. Which is really cool.” Cass nodded. That’s sweet, she thought, he actually did his homework. 

It was Cass’s turn to turn to Mat, leaning forward and cupping his cheek gently. He leaned into her touch. “It’s beautiful, Mat. I love it.”

“Let me put it on for you?” Mat asked. Cass nodded, he stood up and shuffled behind her, delicately grabbing the necklace and brushing her hair to one side. Cass shivered at the touch of his fingertips. After a few seconds, he managed to clasp it, leaning down and brushing a kiss on her shoulder before walking back to his side and grabbing his jacket. “You ready to take off?” His eyes flickered down towards his watch. It was nearing 7:30. “We’ve got to be somewhere by 8, but they said to get there early.”

“Who’s ‘they’?” Cass asked curiously.

Mat cracked a grin, sliding her hand into his as they walked out of the restaurant. “You’ll see.”

Two minutes of walking later and Cass was staring into the lights of Broadway. Even living only a few hours away, she had only been once before. The Lion King, in 5th grade. Her little sister Eliana was more of a theatre kid than Cass; field hockey and lacrosse kept her too busy in high school, any spare time she had between sports and work study was spent spending time with friends or reading old books. Eliana was four years younger than her, and when she got the lead in Heathers, Cass had never been happier to live only twenty minutes away from home. El killed it, she got to have a night at home, and was able to make pancakes with her mom in the morning. It was a win-win-win scenario. But Cass still loved musicals, listened to soundtracks while she studied, tried to make the drive once a year to Boston  — Eliana was at BU — to see a winter or spring show.

So when she was suddenly looking up at the ten-foot-tall poster for Waitress, her mouth kept opening and closing like a fish. “Do you like it?” Mat asked hesitantly. “We can find something else to do if you’re not into it, I know —”

Cass cut him off, squeezing his hand tightly and standing on her tippy toes to press a kiss to his jaw. “It’s amazing, Mat. I just didn’t know what to say. I still don’t, really. This is such an...unexpected gift. But I love it.” Mat relaxed. He genuinely was nervous about the choice; her roommates had told him that she liked the soundtrack and she had recommended that Sara Bareilles album to him way back in October, but he didn’t want to assume that meant she’d want to see it live. Mat was glad that he was wrong. 

Mat gently pulled the tickets out of his coat pocket, flashing them to the usher and handing Cass’s to her. “You ready for a show?”

---

“So, what did you think?” Cass asked as they walked out of the theater. 

“I liked it!” Mat said. And he really had liked it. Some of the music definitely confused him, and he didn’t understand how quick changes were physically possible, but it was good. “Earl’s a class-A dick, though. Jenna’s much better off without him.”

Cass nodded. “Correct.”

 March 4 (thurs)

 Cass glanced down at her watch, making sure it was a good time to call. It was just after 6 in New York, which would mean it was...5 in Winnipeg? Was that right? Mat probably hadn’t gotten to the arena yet, or if he did, it was more likely dinner than training or warmups. Clicking on his contact, it rang for less than ten seconds before Mat picked up. 

“Hey babe! You good?” It wasn't per se unusual for them to call each other — especially during road trips, they tried to talk or FaceTime every day — but it was usually Mat who called first, and usually just after games. So it was understandable that he was a little confused. 

Cass giggled. “I’m good, really good. Got some good news, just wanted to hear your voice.” 

“Awww,” Mat teased, “you loooove me.”

Cass didn’t really blush, but if she did, her cheeks would be scarlet. “Yes. I do. Shut up.”

Mat let out a laugh. “Just teasing you, babe. Good news, eh? What kind? Did you hear back from any of the places you applied yet?”

“No,” Cass huffed. “Not that.” She had sent out her résumé to somewhere around ten different firms and nonprofits, mostly in New York, but some as far south as D.C. and as far north as Boston. She had also sent in an application for a clerkship at the Supreme Court months back as some sort of pipe dream, but hadn’t heard anything back and had long since abandoned it as a lost cause. “I’ve done a few interviews, but nothing permanent. It’s still pretty early, though.” And that part was true  —  out of everyone in her circles back at school, there were maybe a handful who already had jobs lined up after graduation, most of them having evolved from summer associate positions they’d taken with some highbrow firm in Manhattan. Or D.C. One was even going to London to do something very intellectual-sounding with trade negotiations. 

“I know you’re probably a little nervous, and I totally get that. But don’t worry, Cass. You’re incredible and so smart and so qualified and someone’s going to see that, even if it takes a little longer than expected.” 

“Thanks,” Cass said, breathing out deeply and smiling softly. Mat was getting good at reading her, so good that he could tell when something was bothering her even without being face-to-face. And he gave damn fine pep talks. 

Mat cleared his throat. “So. Good news?”

Cass screwed up her face. “Good news. Right. I just got out of the office, and you know how I said I was almost done with my hours?” It had taken Cass longer than usual to finish her experiential requirement, since nearly all of her peers got it knocked out in a summer and she, obviously, was a little more busy when it actually came to term time. “Mhm,” Mat responded. “I just got done with the last of them today!”

Mat was confused. “So...your good news is that you’re finished? I thought you liked working with Chris?”

“Right, yeah, I do.” Cass tried to backtrack. I should have explained. “Chris told me I’m welcome to stay on, and I’m going to. I genuinely like what I’m doing. Since I’m not doing it for school anymore, he put in a request for a status change with HR, and it just got approved. So,” she paused for dramatic effect, “the good news is that now I’m getting PAID.” 

“Awesome!” Mat said. “You’re going to be the one making the big bucks now.”

“I’m making 16 dollars an hour. It’s barely above minimum wage, but it’s nice to finally get something back.” 

Ten minutes later, after they had hung up, Mat leaned back in his hotel bed. He really was proud of Cass, unbelievably so, but hadn’t yet admitted to himself just how nervous he was. Not about their relationship, really, but about where things were headed. He absolutely saw them together as a long-term thing and at least from what Cass made it seem like, so did she. But they hadn’t really spoken about where they saw this whole thing going, or what it would look like, or really anything beyond vaguely discussed plans for the summer after her graduation. The uncertainty wasn’t really concerning him. Mat’s new contract locked him in through 2026, so he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. And he wouldn’t want to, he loved hockey and loved New York and loved his team. 

Cass was a whole different story. She was probably the smartest person he’d ever met, and Mat knew that she could and would be able to go just about anywhere for a position. She didn’t have to stay in New York if she didn’t want to. And sure, New York was a pretty good place to be a lawyer — it didn’t take a genius to know that — but the worry kept popping up in the back of his mind that she’d get an incredible offer somewhere like California or Chicago or even somewhere international and would leave the city. Leave him. Mat would never dream of holding Cass back from her dreams. It would be a dick move and she’d worked way too hard to let everything go to waste. But the idea of doing something long distance, like true long distance, scared the shit out of him. It wasn’t just that he’d miss the sex or seeing her in the stands at games or early morning coffee dates, but Mat thrived on closeness, he thrived on intimacy of all kinds. It would terrify him to have to be away from someone who meant so much to him for so long. But this was Cass, his Cass, and if he’d go through it for anyone, it would be for her. 

I’m overthinking this, Mat thought, as he flipped his phone over and over in his hands. Don’t make up problems where there are none. 

 March 13 (sat)

Cass tapped her fingers nervously as she walked through the doors of the Islander’s practice rink. It was family skate, and Cass couldn’t help but feel like she didn’t quite belong. 

“There you are!” Mat said, his bag slung over one shoulder as he greeted her with a kiss. “You ready? I know Tito and Paige are already down there and they’re starting to get on the ice.”

“Yep!” Cass said brightly, forcing a smile and grabbing his hand a little too quickly. 

Mat raised one eyebrow. “Alright, what is it?”

Cass dropped the face. “It’s just...this seems different than all of the other things I’ve gone to. It’s not like when I’m in the box at games or we go out with the team or I hang out with the girls when you guys are on a road trip. It’s like,” she let out a huff, “this is small. This is close. This is meant for family, wives and kids, and I’m not...I’m not family. I’m your girlfriend, sure, but…” She trailed off. 

Mat squeezed her hand. “I plan on keeping you around for a long time, Cass. You’d better get used to it. And besides,” he said, looking at her softly, “wives have to start somewhere.”

Luckily, Cass didn’t have time to get too into her head, because she was suddenly engulfed in a bear hug from Paige. “I know we got coffee on Monday, but it’s been too long, Cass. I swear, you’re working too hard.”

Mat chimed in. “Tell me about it.” Cass swatted at him. “She’s been studying and editing and sending in her résumé to every office she can get her hands on.” He sat his chin on top of her head, arms crossing in front of her chest to hold her hands. 

“Alright, Mr. Clingy,” Cass giggled, twisting her head to look up at Mat. 

“But you looove your clingy boyfriend,” Mat whined, leaning down and softly kissing Cass. 

She scrunched her nose. “Regrettably so.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “You ready to go out on the ice?”

“Yeah.” Cass nodded, taking a pair of skates from the rack. By the time she had unlaced her boots and set them to the side, Mat had already tied his hockey skates, an extra pair he kept in his practice bag. 

“Let me,” Mat said, gently taking the skates and kneeling down in front of her. 

Cass rolled her eyes, but her cheeks heated all the same. “If you insist,” she said, holding her left leg out. 

“Okay, Cinderella,” Mat chuckled, holding her ankle for support as he wiggled her foot in, pulling the laces tight and tying them. “Double knots are more secure,” he said, blushing, as he finished the second skate. 

“You’re cute when you blush,” Cass said, pinching Mat’s cheeks, which only made him go more scarlet. 

He straightened out the knot, reaching out a hand so Cass could stand up. She steadied herself on the skates. “How much skating have you done?” Mat asked as he led her to the door. 

Cass shrugged. “A little? I went a few times as a kid and the girls and I go to Rockefeller Center around Christmas every year, but not a ton. Skating’s an expensive enough sport as it is, and my parents were already having to deal with coming up with the fees for Noah before he started working.”

Mat grimaced. “Yeah, I get that. I hate it, how cost prohibitive the sport is, and I try to help out back home when I can, but knowing that there’s so many kids who love the sport and could be so good,” he took a tense breath, “but aren’t able to because their families don’t have the means. It’s really shi—” He cut himself off, noticing his teammates’ children skating around. “It sucks.”

“It does.” Cass nodded. “But I know you have a good heart, and I know you’re helping where you can.” She gave a half-smile as they stepped onto the ice, her hand gripping his forearm as she tried to find her balance on the slick surface, which had been passed over by a zamboni right before the group’s arrival. “Wipe that smile off of your face,” she said, sticking her tongue out. 

“Yes ma’am,” Mat said with a grin, pulling her along. 

---

After an hour or so of skating, Cass had gotten the hang of it enough to where Mat was good to step off the ice for a few minutes and talk to some of the boys. “They have goldfish,” he had mentioned. “I think the snack table’s supposed to be for the kids, but I’m not above theft in situations like these.” So Cass skated around with Paige, Lauren, and some of the other WAGs, nearly all of whom were much, much better skaters than herself. 

“For someone who grew up on hockey, you’d think this would be way easier for me than it is,” Cass grumbled, tentatively pushing off from the sideboards. 

“You’ll get it eventually. I believe in you,” Paige said, poking her cheek. 

She grimaced. “Hopefully. I can see the Athletic’s morning headline now: ‘Cassidy Cabrera Shaw, Girlfriend of 2018 Calder Trophy Winner Mat Barzal, Falls on Face While Attempting to Skate.” 

“Sue them,” Paige suggested.

Cass laughed. “That’d be nice, wouldn’t it? Wish I could.” She stuck her hands in her jacket pockets. “No grounds for defamation if it’s true.”

“Laws are dumb.” 

“They can be,” Cass admitted, looking over to the bleachers. “You want to go get drinks? I think I saw Whiteclaws in the adult’s cooler, and I know how you feel about those.”

Paige was already halfway across the rink. “Only if all the limes haven’t been taken!”

Cass shook her head, turning like Mat had taught her and skating over to the benches. Paige had gone over to sit with Anthony, a lime Whiteclaw successfully in her hand, and it took Cass no time to find Mat. He was sitting in the second row next to some of the other guys, and he was holding a baby. A very cute, very small baby. She gingerly made her way over to the group, catching Mat’s eye. He beamed at her as she took a seat next to him. 

“And who’s this little cutie?” She asked, smiling at him. 

“This is Milo,”  Mat said softly, turning him slightly so she could wave at him.

Cass absentmindedly remembered asking whose son it was — an offseason trade from Colorado, she vaguely recalled processing the contract at work — but she really couldn’t say which one. But she stroked Milo’s face with one finger, puffed out her cheeks at him, and suddenly he was in her arms and everything else fell away. She bounced him for a few minutes, easily falling back into her old routine — she was an older sister, after all — before handing him back to Mat, who was clearly having some separation anxiety. 

Lauren sat on the edge of the bench, gently touching Cass’ shoulder with Collins on her hip. “He looks really good like that, doesn’t he?” She asked. Cass’ cheeks burned. She didn’t know anyone had seen her looking over at Mat and Milo. “Yeah, he does,” she said, a soft smile crossing over her face.

 March 26 (fri)

 A steaming cup of tea in her hands, Cass threw her head back against the couch, knocking her reading glasses askew. She straightened them with a huff. There were two days until the deadline for the law review, and she still had two articles to get through for last-minute edits and spelling checks. It was just past 11, which normally wouldn’t have been all that late for her, but she had been staring at her computer for hours and it was beginning to take a toll. She had been at the library until 8 or so, making more than one trip to the coffee cart in the lobby before she realized that she wasn’t going to get anywhere sequestered away in a cubicle on the fourth floor. The Islanders were playing that night, so Cass shot Mat a text that she was headed over, packed up her bags, and headed over. 

He had just given her a key the week prior, and it was her first time using it. Even though he constantly told her she was welcome to go over, whether he was there or not, she had more than her fair share of nerves as she jingled her keychain, thumbing over her apartment key and mail key and car key and key to the house back in Connecticut before she opened the door. She set the kettle to boil and grabbed the little-used box of English Breakfast from the cabinet before crashing on the couch, where she had been pretty much ever since, save for a bathroom break after a thrilling review of a paper on recent intellectual property rulings of the 2nd Circuit Court. 

The doorknob turned and Mat walked in, shower-damp hair, still clad in his gameday suit with his duffel slung over his left shoulder. “Hey, babe,” he said, dropping the bag and walking over to the couch to plant a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “Still at it?”

She nodded ruefully, rubbing her eyes. “Yeah. I ordered takeout earlier in case you’re hungry, there’s an extra gyro in the kitchen,” she pointed to a bag on the counter, “and they threw in free baklava if you’re still hungry.”

His eyebrows perked. “Baklava?” Cass had discovered early on in their relationship that hidden beneath his curated meal plans from the team nutritionist and smoothie kits was a surprisingly committed sweet tooth. She was a stress-baker, and Mat had been more than willing over the past few months to serve as her taste tester for cookies, pies, and anything in between. 

Cass giggled. “Yeah. Better get it before I steal the last piece, though.” 

Mat returned later with the pastry on a napkin, shrugging off his suit jacket and collapsing onto the cushion beside her. “Anything else interesting happen today?”

Cass shrugged her shoulders. “I had yoga in the morning like usual, which was fun. I tried a hot yoga class today, though, and you would not believe how much I sweat. It hurt my soul.”

“No pain no gain, baby,” Mat chimed in. Cass rolled her eyes at him. 

“But then I had law review and my Entertainment Law seminar before I headed over to the office. Pretty normal, they had me looking over some leasing agreements for the next season. Called my grandma, she’s shipping my serape stole over next week and needed my address,” Cass added.

“Serape stole?”

Cass adjusted her position on the couch so she was facing Mat. “It’s a Mexican thing. You know how graduation gowns usually have stoles for the school or whatever?” Mat nodded. “It’s pretty common to have cultural ones too, Black students will often wear what’s called a kente cloth stole and Mexican and some other Latinx students have serape stoles. Give me a sec,” she said, grabbing her phone and scrolling through her photos. “Here’s a graduation photo of me and the girls from UConn, Ryanne’s in her kente stole and I have mine.”

Mat looked bewildered. “Why are you wearing so many of them?”

Cass laughed, realizing which photo she pulled up. “Okay, fair enough. So there’s the normal school one on the bottom, then I had one for the honors program, then on top of that is the one from my sorority, then on top of that is the serape. Most of the other photos it’s just one or two, like in the ones when I’m with the sorority or the Mexican Student Association or whoever. We thought it would be fun to take one where we’re just drowning in stoles and leis. Made us feel fancy.”

“You do look very fancy,” Mat said, leaning his head on her shoulder. “You also look very tired, Cass. You need to go to sleep.”

Cass scrunched up her nose. “I’ve only got the two papers left to look over, and I’d really like to get them done before I head back. Get them all knocked out, y’know?”

“Stay here,” Mat said easily, as if it wasn’t even a question. “Stay here, you can finish reviewing them in the morning. Plus, I’d feel a lot better if you weren’t taking the subway alone at half past 11.”

Cass sighed. He had a point. “Fine,” she said slowly, “but you have to promise to wake me up if I don’t get out of bed by 8. Okay?”

Mat gently took her laptop, setting it on the coffee table. “Okay. Now go take a shower and hop into bed, pretty girl. You’ve had a long day.”

“Thanks,” Cass said, smiling gratefully and padding down the hall to the bathroom. Shedding her clothes, Cass stepped into the shower, expecting to use Mat’s Old Spice shampoo — which, to be fair, didn’t smell half bad — when a white floral bottle caught her eye. She had mentioned offhand once that she was picking up a new bottle of shampoo, and Mat must have been listening more than she gave him credit for. Because, without asking, he had gotten one too.