#All My Fault Chapter 29 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jiminjamms · 1 year

Text

sex therapy :: 16. liar, liar

chapter tags/warnings: infidelity/adultery...lots of it. multiple partners mean many fluids in the action. mentions of rough sex. mentions of breeding. guilt-driven sex. nonconsensual acts. manipulative undertones. humiliation. strong language. classism.

word count: 4.0k

notes: thank you for the comments i've received about my graduation and for your patience in this update! likes, comments, and reblogs are much appreciated. xoxo

fic masterlist | 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

Eleven missed calls.

All of which came from your husband.

With your phone placed away, you had not realized this deluge of notifications until Choso dropped you off at your apartment lobby.

“Bastard still thinks you’re his good lil’ wife,” Choso snickered when he peered over your shoulder, scanning the messages as well.

Driven by post-coital bliss, his mood had improved dramatically on the drive back, and he grinned stupidly beside you. At some point, you had to push his smug face away so that he would stop gloating over the words on your screen.

Where the fuck did you go? I’m still at the restaurant looking for you, one of Naoya’s bitter texts read followed by another sent twenty minutes later: I’m already home now, goddamnit.

Oh, the dread.

The raw dread that filled you, knowing that you had a husband waiting for you at home. A dream for many, yet a curse for you...which was why once Choso bid you goodbye, this awful trepidation only intensified now that you were once again nothing but alone.

The long elevator ride up to the penthouse didn't help either, your anxiety consuming you as the numbers on the floor display ticked higher. Sometime before the elevator reached the twentieth story, you caught sight of your reflection in the mirrored walls.

Wow, with this new wild hairdo, you looked like a tornado survivor.

Oh, but before Naoya saw you, there was something else you should be more concerned about.

You stumbled towards your closest reflection, your breaths coming to a stop as you slowly—very slowly—peeled up your dress.

“Please...no,” you silently prayed but nothing could stop the gasp at your lips once the hem was pulled past your hipbone, revealing the purple bruises on your outer thighs and the prominent swelling at your ass.

“Oh my,” you winced when you ran a finger over one particular welt.

Naoya must never get a glimpse of this.

Shame burned at your face, which had marks of their own.

To justify this most recent escapade, you convinced yourself that this was what Naoya deserved after his hurtful words during dinner. Furthermore, if what the therapists said was true—if Naoya was truly cheating on you—you definitely merited rights to your own (reverse) harem, right? An eye for an eye.

Okay, there were faults in this logic, but you must suspend beliefs if you hoped to feel better about yourself.

When a telling ding signaled your arrival at the sixtieth-second floor, you scrambled, pulling your dress over the blemishes and patting down some stubborn baby hairs. Once the elevator doors parted, you paced briskly to the penthouse entrance, the unit’s usual jasmine scent greeting you followed by the overhead lights that flickered on.

You thought that you were the only one in the apartment until you spotted Naoya in the living room. He had a long day, but he was awake rather than asleep, sunken into the sofa. From the back, he appeared bored, shuffling idly through different channels on TV.

“I’ve returned,” you announced unceremoniously, slipping off your heels.

When your husband turned to look over his shoulder, you half-expected him to erupt in fury—to degrade you, to command you, to do everything to emotionally hurt you until he pleased himself using you. After all, that was the typical response that you had grown accustomed to.

In fact, Naoya almost seemed to have ignored you had it not been for how he stood up from his seat, revealing the tall silhouette that blended with the cityscape background behind him. Hands tucked into his pockets, he strode languidly toward you on long legs and silent steps until he stopped a mere foot away.

“What’s that?” he inquired about the shopping bag you just placed down. He peered inside and surely recognized the dress that Choso had so graciously returned. “Had you gone somewhere?”

“Picked this up from the dry cleaner,” you babbled only to immediately wish that you hadn’t. This was an awful fabrication that was formulated from impulsivity rather than wit, confirmed by how Naoya narrowed his eyes.

“I see,” Naoya hummed in acceptance, likely trying to understand why you decided to make a spontaneous nighttime trip to the dry cleaner when you were supposed to be on a dinner date with him. Then, he added very casually, “You didn’t respond to my texts, by the way.”

Neither did you, you wanted to retort. When he had vanished into thin air these past few days, did he bother to look at the many messages that you sent him? Of course not. Rather than stir a commotion, you merely uttered, “Sorry.”

“Just don’t do that again,” he advised. For a moment, he glanced to the side—almost like he was about to burst from frustration—before he calmly said, “I was worried about you.”

Now this you were not expecting.

Your chest even fluttered given that your husband rarely voiced his concern for you. Had you responded to his texts, would he ever tell you something like that?

His mood was pleasant—far too pleasant because this was Naoya Zenin in the question, a self-absorbed husband whose indecent wife missed each of his eleven calls because she was too busy getting her pussy stretched (but he didn’t need to know that last point, right?).

On that note, guilt tugged hard at your stomach.

While you had planned to confront Naoya about his potential infidelity, the idea suddenly seemed too out of place, and you were ashamed that you doubted faithfulness at all.

That was when you reminded yourself: Naoya would always be the endgame. The fuck session earlier tonight was only to get your mind off the husband that you were hung up on. Naoya was who you truly wanted in the end. The fresh change with Choso—you justified—was to lift your mood, so you could forgive Naoya for his earlier insults.

Nonetheless, this guilt was much too heavy to swallow.

This wretched feeling only intensified as Naoya closed the distance, gently leaning over to seal your lips closed. I’ve missed you, his kiss seemed to say.

Earlier tonight, he might have confessed how his intention with you was purely sexual, a statement that trampled on your already aching heart. But, in the end, Naoya was whom you were expected to spend the rest of your days with.

You gripped onto his shirt as his lips traveled to your jaw, the quiet smacks ringing softly in your ears before you felt him kiss the side of your neck, and his warm exhale excited a slight shudder down your spine.

Whether his actions were driven by emotion or duty, you didn’t know. But what you did know was how much you wanted to give yourself in to him, to sink into the arms that encircled your waist, to let him caress and then use you—all in an attempt to relieve you from your sins.

If only life was that simple.

“This smell,” Naoya murmured, lips vibrating against your collarbone as he spoke, “comes from another man.”

Your blood turned cold.

“...What?”

Caught completely off-guard, you could feel your sympathetic nervous system kicking in, your cold fingertips and widened eyes telltale signs of your fright. Before Naoya could look downward, you pulled at your dress to hide the bruises by your thighs, which would be a surefire giveaway to the dirty deed you had done earlier. However, you were not thinking, perhaps downright possessed even, when you tried to save yourself by adding, “That isn’t what you think it is.”

Although Naoya was still by your neck, even you could see how he cocked a brow at the comment.

“’That?’” he repeated, then pausing briefly. As his confusion waned into dubiety, he straightened up slowly and loomed over you. “That what?”

Oh, no—

“That what?” Naoya said again, except his tone this time around could cut like a sharpened blade. His face deepened and darkened for every second that passed, his expression souring into a frown with furrowed brows. Even his lips tugged between a smile and a jeer as if he seemed tied between derision and disbelief. He certainly made his mind, though, when he caught your hand shielding a certain bruise. “What...are you hiding?”

That was when panic swallowed you whole.

“Nothing. It’s just...I didn’t mean to—” Terror locked words in your throat, but you certainly made the wrong move when you blurted, “I had told him not to—“

“Him?”

Oh, now you really aroused Naoya’s curiosity, not to mention that he looked furious because why should he ever love a wife unfaithful to him?

“No!” you shouted when Naoya tore your arm towards him. Efforts to free yourself quickly proved futile given his firm clasp. Rather, Naoya first stared at your hand, studying the cuts across your palm before his gaze trailed down to the much more obvious marks on your thighs and knees.

For several silent moments, he appeared deep in thought...pondering and pondering...his flat expression too difficult to read. Only when the seconds turned into a full minute did Naoya cautiously loosen his grasp around your wrist, releasing you from captivity.

Relief swelled over your system because you assumed you were safe, that Naoya was actually a more forgiving husband than you had originally given him credit for. You even backed away from him knowing that you were now liberated from his scrutiny.

Until your husband very calmly added, “Seems like I’ve missed out on something exciting.”

You froze.

For a man red hot with anger mere minutes ago, Naoya was now so amused that you found his change in tone too eerie, his expression so stern that you must promptly avert your gaze to the hardwood floor.

“I...don’t know what you’re talking about.” Vainly, you tried to play down the weight of the matter. “Just headed out for a bit. Nothing for you to be concerned with.”

“Oh really?” The inflection in Naoya’s pitch was incredibly insulting and incredulous. “To the dry cleaners? Or don’t tell me that my beloved wifey lied to me because she had actually gone somewhere else? Because you sure were desperate to cover up for something that ‘wasn’t anything important.’”

Fuck.

“I—” A gulp.

Naoya did not need long to notice the backward shuffles in your steps. He followed you, stalking forward like a mountain lion closing in his pathetic prey. Ideally, you would like to tell him to stop, that you could barely think with him at such proximity, but the potential consequences of telling him off seemed too dangerous.

“Well, tell me,” he urged. With one last step, he cornered you such that your back pressed against the wall, his hands planted on either side of your head. He exhaled deeply, and remnants of his tequila whirled in the little space between you two. “Did my dear Mrs. Zenin have a lot of fun?”

Your mouth grew dry at the question, and you remained keen to drill your eyes into the ground.

“I...” You bit your inner cheek, remembering the tears that had rolled off embarrassingly from your face. “I...wouldn’t exactly call that fun.”

“Aw, not fun?” Naoya cooed and curled one finger around a loose lock of your hair. “Why not, darling? All because my baby’s got some booboos? What do you want me to do, hm? Want me to crawl onto my knees to kiss the bruises that another man gave?”

“N-No.”

He contemplated the answer, looking lost in thought as he twirled your tresses. “Then how far did you get with this lucky guy?”

At the confrontation, it took all your willpower to not crumble like potted soil turned dry. Wracked with humiliation, you decided to ignore the question, thinking that that was the safer option until your husband tugged your strands gently.

"Hey.” There was a spark of a raspy growl in his voice. Understandably, he was irritated, and you didn’t blame him for being impatient when he warned lowly, "Don't make me repeat myself."

You swallowed one hard lump.

“We didn’t go far at all.” A lie through your goddamn teeth. Yet, you had to say something if you ever hoped for him to let you off the hook, especially when—

“Ow!” you groaned at the forceful yank at your hair. Instinctively, your hands flew to your scalp and rubbed at where the sting burned the most. “The hell was that for?!”

“I just want you to tell me the truth,” Naoya advised coolly, which implied that he already had some idea what this ‘truth’ was. Whether or not he did, you could feel how he was dangerously toying with your strands again, ready to teach you another lesson if you disobeyed. “C’mon,” he challenged. “Test me. Who would have thought that my wife would have this much trouble being honest with—"

“We fucked over his car...”

The room went instantly silent as your words sunk in, the only sounds being your uneven breaths that were a by-product of your horror.

Did you really just say that?

Though you have yet to meet his gaze, you hated how your stomach churned with uneasiness, only exacerbated by Naoya’s overbearing presence beside you.

“Over his car?” Naoya quoted, his interest piqued. “As in, the car hood?”

For a long moment, you considered how to answer in the most diplomatic manner until your eyes slipped closed and you finally said, “...Yes.”

“And did you like it?”

“N-No.”

A gentle tug. “I can tell when you lie,” and by now, you could tell that he truly meant it. “Try me again, and I’ll—"

“I...loved it.”

You thought that Naoya Zenin finally derived the satisfaction that he wanted when his fingers ultimately loosened from your locks, only for these hopes to prove naïve when his dark chuckles rumbled from above. What started as a small snicker soon unraveled into a taunting laugh—an impassionate uproar—as your husband threw his head back, cackling wickedly into the air.

You were too absorbed in disgrace that you didn’t even notice Naoya approach you again, his right hand moving to grab your face. And when he finally forced you to turn to him, you see that his hazel eyes are ablaze with an unscrupulous sort of entertainment, tears from laughter pricking at his outer corners.

“Oh, ho ho!” he mused. His strong clutch on your jaw allowed him to revel in your distress, squandering your opportunities to look at anything else but him. “This is fucking hilarious! To think that everyone thought that Miss Prim-and-Proper over here is a good sweet girl when she’s been a slut all along.”

Naoya chuckled as his eyes crinkled with mirth, and you squirmed uncomfortably in his hold.

Rather than humiliation, your heart began to fill with chagrin.

Why was your very husband the only person who would intentionally work up so much frustration in you?

Ironically, the timing in this realization could not be more perfect as Naoya brought his face all up in yours.

“This wasn’t the first time, wasn’t it?”

Obviously, your first inclination is to lie, but you second guess yourself when you think back to his previous warning: I can tell when you lie.

“Not the first time,” you breathed slowly, and the rumbles in his laughter were wholly off-putting.

“So, did you spit or swallow tonight, you little whore? Well, you seem more like a spitter, you quitter. Unless...” He then covered his mouth for theatric effect. “Don’t tell me he came inside of you?!” he crowed and reveled in the glare you sent. “Bingo! He did, didn’t he? He came deep inside my wife, and I’m sure you loved that too!” At this point, Naoya was guffawing like a maniac on the ground, bent over to hug at his stomach. “I’m guessing you creamed all over his cock too! Boy, oh boy. What would your daddy say when he learns that his little girl’s been frisky? Oh, oh! Even better! What would the papers say when a little birdie informs them about your tiny secret?”

“Or about yours.”

Naoya’s laughter, which had bellowed through the penthouse just moments ago, immediately dissipated at the comment.

Your husband crawled up from the floor. He half-stumbled on his way up and met your deterministic gaze.

This, so far, was the bravest you have ever been. Never have you dared to even think about confronting Naoya. Yet here you were now. Even if you trembled with nervousness—his frame towering many centimeters above yours—you did your best to be the one staring him down instead.

While you expected repulsion, Naoya just stared pointedly at you.

“How did you know?”

Strangely enough, his unflappable composure was what upset you the most. He was calm and collected, so unperturbed such that he didn’t even bother to deny the accusation. Because compared to you, Naoya probably did not feel guilty in the slightest, instead viewing your awareness as nothing more than an inconvenience.

“So, the cheating rumors are true then,” you breathed, and when your husband nodded so nonchalantly, there should be no reason for you to experience a heartache that you knew wasn’t worth the pain.

Besides, you should have been prepared for this. The signs were so blatant and obvious: his ridicule, his actions, and his contempt all presages that pointed towards an underlying reason behind his behavior. For crying out loud, even your therapists, who probably never witnessed a second of interaction between you and your husband, were the first to suggest the idea of Naoya’s infidelity.

And like a fool, you had rushed to defend your husband.

But why were you so obsessed with upholding a failed marriage when your husband could barely care to do the same? Why were you so desperate to salvage any possibility of amending the bond between husband and wife when your other half could not care for the same? The entire reason you sought sex therapy was that you valued this marriage more than anything else, hoping to forge a physical connection with your husband that lied beyond obligation.

But were you really that disillusioned?

The shame that had churned within your chest had given way to pain as you eked out, “How long has this been going on?”

“Almost a year.”

In other words, well before he tied the knot with you.

You appreciated his honesty, but the truth did not stab any less into your heaving chest.

No wonder Naoya had always been callous, ruthless even. From day one, he never belonged to you. In this marriage, his heart, his soul, and his every waking second had always been dedicated to someone else while you foolishly clung on to hope that he would one day warm up.

“Then...why didn’t you just marry her?”

“Look,” Naoya started, only to pause as a thousand emotions flashed across his face, reaching to massage his temples before he lost total control of his temper. “Things are complicated, okay? Listing all the reasons would take an entire damn day because there’s a fucking million of them.”

“Just tell me what they are.”

“Goddamnit, woman!” Naoya shouted, thrusting his arm down in exasperation and startling you. “Since when can you order me around?! Can’t your tiny ass idiot brain tell that I’m not in the fucking mood right now to talk about this shit?”

“But you’re going to keep seeing her?”

“Yes!” and his response was so curt that there was undoubtedly no regard for your feelings in his reply. There was so much more to know, but negotiating with him for details was fruitless given his current mood.

“You’re not worried that I’ll tell someone about this?”

“Well, you won’t,” Naoya accosted with crossed arms and the most unbothered shrug. “Because you know what’s going to happen if you tattle tale, right?”

You sucked in a deep breath.

I would just tattle tale too, the glint in his eyes answered, and nothing could stop him then. The knowledge of your affair had emboldened him and provided him with justification to do the same, especially since he could now laud all this over your head like some twisted trophy.

“Look, it’s fair and square,” he justified. “We’re even now. Frankly, I don’t care and won’t care to know about your business so long as you don’t mess with mine. Do us both a favor, alright? Keep that loudmouth of yours shut, and I might just do the same. Our families spent much effort to secure this ‘picture-perfect’ relationship in Japan, so we wouldn’t them finding out about our part-time flings, now would we?”

The worst bit was how Naoya was correct.

Because you thought about your father-in-law, who would harbor no qualms about cutting you from Japan’s most affluent family for good. You also thought about Mai and Maki, the Zenin twins who would be heartbroken to learn how Naoya had been mistreating you all along when you had previously told the girls that he wasn’t. And most importantly, you thought about your father, who would resign from his position to support your decisions, no matter how grave.

If disclosed, news regarding the scandals—both yours and your husband’s—would bear headlines for weeks, and the two households would certainly then fall out from bad publicity.

As a result, there was only one answer.

“No, we wouldn’t them to know.”

“Then, you’re not going to snitch?”

“No, I won’t...” you trailed off, and—from the corner of your eye—you could see Naoya grin with victory.

The differences between you and Naoya may be irreconcilable, yet there still existed a silent but mutual goal to not disappoint each other’s families. While the thought of being second place in Naoya’s heart could tear through your own, you staved this emptiness away by justifying this as a small price to pay, given that thousands could at most dream about being in your place.

“So, you’re a well-behaved woman after all,” Naoya hummed happily, resting one arm suggestively on your hip. “What a good wife.”

A good wife—the main reason Naobito Zenin wanted his son to marry you to begin with. As a ‘good wife,’ you were expected to love your husband, respect him, and provide for him. Real love may not ever exist in your marriage, but you were still obliged to fulfill your duties as his lawful spouse.

So, when your husband carried you into the bedroom and brought you to bed, when he stripped you carefully from your clothes and squeezed at your breasts, you willingly let him turn you into his filthy fuck toy.

“On your back,” Naoya whispered at some point, pushing your shoulders back such that you landed on the mattress with a soft thud.

His gaze darkened salaciously upon inspecting all the crescents and markings on your ass, right before he pressed his lips onto your skin just to confess how he might actually like sloppy seconds like you.

He wished to take you in missionary as usual. What surprised you, however, was how he encouraged you to keep your legs closed this time, an idea he never proposed before. With an order that resembled more like a purr, he urged you to cross your ankles, explaining that this would allow you to squeeze his cock with both your vaginal and pelvic floor muscles, which would make him come faster. And when he started working into your insides—fucking used cum back into your tight little hole—his hand grazed along your bruises, causing you to hiss and squirm.

For a guy who pounded into your skull that he had no interest in you beyond sexual, Naoya sure knew how to make you feel every bit like the stupid breeding cumslut you wanted to be. That was perfect since you believed that the only way to be useful was to let him use you as he wanted, without thought for your own satisfaction.

As long as this marriage prevailed, he was yours, and you were his.

From here, there was no way out.

Or so you thought.

last chapter || next chapter

end notes: This chapter is a rollercoaster and has been incredibly difficult for me to write, largely due to the various emotions I had to convey from both Y/N and Naoya. Pissed-off Naoya is one of my favorite dialogues to write, but I also enjoyed propelling Y/N's emerging confidence in confronting her husband.

taglist: @dissociatingdiva @httpsplanetmarsdotcom @pulchritxde-blog @huangfairy @shadowarchon @203steph @agentdedf1sh @cloudybabes @hinativity @lynn-writes-things @illicitwriter @7oji @kikuchimi @piqer @nobody289x @chaoticjojofan @musicisme333 @vvestwoodrose @kumocchin @s-guru @mwahilovemylife @hey-gurls69 @cloudsinthecosmos @moon-mumu-moon @kazscara @obitohno @skilerfrostfairy @funicidals @nico707 @proteovaldez @nemoyr @tsukiyohanayome @marimoares @tokyometronetwork @downtown-roponggi @the-cosmos-network

507 notes · View notes

canirove · 4 days

Text

Rice, Rice, baby | Chapter 29

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Masterlist

“Thank you very much for this trip, Declan.”

“You're welcome” he smiles.

We've been on the road for a while now, and things haven't been awkward between us after what happened the night before. And with that, I mean the best make out session ever, and we've shared a few.

Once we managed to break apart we just went to our rooms, both of us smiling like idiots. And in the morning while having breakfast, we still were like that. Smiling and feeling in cloud nine, enjoying our last moments together before having to go back to the real world and talk about what all those kisses meant and whatever he also wanted to tell me last night.

“Also, the playlist you made is so good. Banger after banger, no skips. Well, maybe just… Careful!” I scream when a car suddenly invades our side of the road.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Olivia!” my mum says, storming into the room. “Oh, Olivia.”

“Hello, mum” I reply while she hugs me as if her life depended on it.

“How are you? Are you alright? And the baby? When the hospital called us and told us that you had been in a car accident I feared the worst.”

“We are fine, mum. Don't worry.”

“Then why are you keeping you here?” she asks.

“They want to make sure I don't go into early labour. It apparently can happen after big moments of stress.”

“And what is he doing here?”

“Oh, dad. I hadn't seen you there with mum squeezing me” I say with a nervous laugh.

“I'll ask again, darling. What is Declan Rice doing here?”

“What?” my mum says, finally letting go of me and looking around the room. “Olivia, what…”

“I… He… I…” I mumble, trying to look for an excuse. Can the bed open and swallow me? Please? Or maybe the baby could choose to come now. Anything to avoid giving them an answer.

“I was the one driving” Declan says, the tone of his voice making me look at him and stop freaking out. I think I had only heard him talk like that in interviews after big defeats, when he's on captain mode.

“You were doing what?” my dad says.

“Driving the car, sir.”

“So the accident was your fault?”

“What? No!” I say. “Declan actually acted super fast and thanks to him nothing serious happened to any of us, the other driver included.”

“You still hit a tree, tho” my dad says, his eyes fixed on Declan.

“Better that than the other car” I reply.

“But why was he driving, Olivia?” my mum asks. “Weren't you going away with Kennedy?”

“I… I… I lied” I say, that last word almost a whisper.

“You lied? Why?”

“Because… Because I…”

“Olivia, were you away with him?” my dad asks. He's used my name, he hasn't called me darling. And he only does that when he is angry with me. Shit.

“I… yes?”

“Are you dating him?” he asks again. He still hasn't looked at me, he only has eyes for Declan.

“No.”

“Then why were you away with him?”

“Because… Because I… We…”

“Olivia, stop rambling and answer me” he says, finally looking at me. Though I wish he hadn't, because I had never seen him this mad and it is scary as hell. “Why were you away with Declan Rice?”

“Because… Because he's the baby's father.”

“Olivia!” my mum gasps.

“Is that true, boy? Are you the father?”

“Yes, sir” Declan says, taking my hand on his and giving it an encouraging squeeze, the confidence on his voice making me once again look at him. He is standing like he always does before a game, all serious and focused. I usually find that super attractive, and despite the circumstances, the feeling hasn't changed. It probably is stronger than ever. Because there also is some… protectiveness in him. Something that tells me that everything will be ok and that nothing will happen to me or the baby as long as he is there.

“Let's go” my dad says, turning his back to us.

“What? Where?”my mum asks with a confused look.

“Home.”

“We can't go home, Louis. What if Olivia goes into labour?”

“I don't care.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I don't care” he repeats. “She's betrayed me. Us.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She got pregnant from an Arsenal player!” my dad says, looking at us again. “That baby has blood from the enemy!”

“Oh, c'mon, dad! Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously! And as if that wasn't enough already, you've been lying to us for months, Olivia. Making us believe that Alex was the father, making us imagine a future where both our families finally become one as we've always dreamed of, playing with our feelings. You lied to us all, and that's something unforgivable.”

“All that is Alex's fault! I was planning on explaining everything, but he told you I was pregnant before I was ready and then lied about being the father because I hurt him when I said no to being his girlfriend. He was bitter and jealous of Declan and did it all for revenge!”

“Alex would never do something like that” he says.

“Oh, so you now believe him over your own daughter?”

“He hasn't hidden from her parents that she was dating a fucking gooner and that she was stupid enough to let herself get knocked up!”

“There is no need to yell or insult her, sir” Declan says.

“Oh, you shut the fuck up, you bastard!”

“Louis! He is the father of your grandson, show some respect!” my mum says.

“He is nothing to me. None of them are anymore. So when they let you go…” he says, looking at me. “Don't come to us. You are not welcomed in our house.”

“You can't be serious, dad” I say, tears starting to roll down my cheeks.

“You are not welcomed, Olivia. Neither of you are” he says, looking at Declan before walking away and leaving the room.

“Dad… Dad!” I cry.

“Don't listen to him, Olivia… Liv” my mum says, cupping my face and making me look at her. “Don't listen to him. He is saying that because he's angry and hurt, but he loves you more than anything. You and the baby. He just needs time to process it all. We all do” she says, looking at Declan.

“Rose!” I hear my dad call for her from outside.

“I better go. But Olivia… We love you. Both of us. Never forget that.”

“Ok” I sob.

“Will you take care of her?”

“Of both of them, ma'am” Declan says.

“Thank you. I know you are a good boy, and Louis knows it too, but… Football” she sighs. “You know how intense it can get.”

“I know, ma'am.”

“Call me when they send you home, Olivia. And please take care of her, Declan. She'll need you.”

“I will, ma'am. You have my word.”

“Please call me Rose. We are family now, aren't we?” she smiles. “And I better go. I love you, Olivia.”

“I love you too, mum.”

“Ok…” she says, kissing my head and then caressing my bump before leaving.

“Declan…” I whisper when the door closes behind her.

“It's ok, Liv” he says, sitting on the bed and hugging me, the feeling of his arms around me being what finally breaks me and makes me start crying like a baby. “I promise you I'm not going anywhere, that I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm with you, Liv. I'm with you now and always, you hear me? Now and always.”

#declan rice #posting a dramatic chapter the day he's finally given us model Declan feels weird 😂#declan rice fanfic #declan rice x reader #declan rice imagine #football fanfic #football imagine

22 notes · View notes

fanficshiddles · 1 month

Text

Eternally Mine, Chapter 29

Chris had arranged to meet with Louise in the park just after lunch time, it had quickly become one of their favourite places to go.

This time though, Chris was a nervous wreck, he knew he had to tell her about what he did, but he was terrified this was going to be the end. That she would never want to see him again. He had arrived far too early for the time they were meeting, he sat on the bench and kept nervously running a hand through his hair and wringing his hands together.

When he caught a whiff of her scent, he leapt up to his feet just as she came into view. God, she was so beautiful, she always made his heart skip a beat. The smile that spread across her face when she saw him, the way her eyes lit up… He felt awful for what he was about to tell her… for the monster he was.

‘Hey!’ She smiled widely as she rushed straight to him and embraced him, he tightened his arms around her as she buried her face against his chest.

Chris pressed his face into the top of her head, inhaling deeply. This was possibly the last time he’d be able to hold her like this…

‘I need to tell you something.’ Chris and Louise both said at the same time when she pulled her face away from him.

Chris raised an eyebrow in surprise, and she looked surprised, too.

‘What is it?’ They then both said together, making them both laugh lightly.

‘You first?’ Louise asked.

Chris sighed and ran a hand down his face, making her worry a bit. She realised he was a little uptight and didn’t seem quite right.

They sat down on the bench, Chris could barely look at her as he took her hands.

‘I… I really fucked up last night. I said I won’t lie to you, and I meant it. Which is why I need to tell you… I’ll understand if you never want to see me again.’ He swallowed hard as he felt a lump in his throat.

‘I went into a bit of a frenzy yesterday, I tried to control it… but I hurt… killed… seven humans.’ He managed to get out, still unable to look at her. ‘I didn’t even go to Toshi to help find humans that deserved a death. I just… went for the first ones I could find. I know I fucked up so badly, and it’s unforgivable. I can’t apologise enough.’

He was met with silence, Chris took a moment before he dared to look at her face.

Though she didn't move or try to take her hands away from his, he did notice shock flash over her face and her heartbeat spiked for a moment as she processed it, the realisation sinking in more just how dangerous vampires could really be. What was just a mere minute or two, felt like hours for Chris.

Louise felt his grip on her hands tighten a little, like he was worried about her letting go. She could see how beat up he was about it. It just took time for her brain to process everything, for her to also try and rationalise the situation.

He was a vampire at the end of the day. One of the originals, too. With much stronger feral instincts. Then she remembered their conversation the other week and she calmed a little more.

‘Chris…' She sighed a little. 'You told me before that you wouldn’t lie to me, and you told me that you couldn’t promise you’d never hunt innocents again… While it’s not great, morally. You are a vampire, it’s in your instincts, and I understand that. I really do. I know that it’s not easy either being around your soulmate and not able to carry out your urges…’

Chris just stared at her in disbelief for a moment, then he blinked and cupped her face, pressing his forehead against hers. ‘You don’t hate me? You don’t want to run away from me forever?’ He asked, his voice shaky.

‘No, not at all. Did you think I would?’ Louise asked, eyebrows up.

‘I did. I know it’s not good what I did.’ Chris leaned back a bit.

‘No, not really… Though you tell me not to apologise for something that’s not my fault. You need to take that advice too… It’s not your fault that your vampire urges and instincts needed to do that. I guess us sleeping together probably didn’t help?’ She asked quietly.

‘Not exactly… At the time, I felt so at peace and calm with you. Though it started to kick in afterwards, the strong feelings… The urges. I needed an outlet, I was scared I was going to do something bad or wrong towards you. That I’d take things too far… I had to make sure that wouldn’t happen, so I took it out on the first humans I could find.’ He said honestly.

‘Well, I won’t act like everything is absolutely peachy because I know it’s not ideal from a human point of view… I know that you are trying though, that this is a different situation for us. I know I’m not helping matters by holding off.’

‘No, no. It’s not your fault at all. This is my issue, even if you were to never want to get intimate that is your choice, not for you to worry about.’ Chris said firmly as he gently cupped her cheek.

‘Never get intimate? That won’t be the case… Have you not seen yourself?’ She blushed hard as she smiled.

Chris laughed. ‘Well, even if it’s years down the line, we will only do it when you are one hundred percent ready.’

‘I know… Though I know it’s not helping your situation out, we can’t deny that. I want to… I just… With him as soon as we got intimate in the bedroom that’s when things went to shit. And I absolutely know and trust you, I know that won’t happen with you. There is just this small niggling bit in my brain that just won’t let me yet. Like I’m scared this happiness will suddenly vanish, which I know is so stupid… I will get over it, I just… don’t know when.’ She said sadly and looked down.

‘You don’t need to explain to me, pumpkin. I understand completely, and like I said I will wait for an eternity if that’s how long you need.’

‘See, this is you… Yesterday was just a little slip up. Please, don’t beat yourself up over it.’ Louise pleaded.

Chris smiled and brushed his thumb against her lower lip. ‘What on earth did I do to deserve you as my soulmate, hmm? The most beautiful being and soul.’ He said softly as he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, making her heart flutter.

‘I’m guessing you’ve not told Loki?’ She asked.

‘No… Toshi and Severus said I probably shouldn’t.’ Chris said sheepishly.

‘No, definitely not. Let’s not tell Claire, either. I mean, I think she’d understand too, but she might slip around Loki. I wouldn’t want her to have to keep something like that from him.’ Louise said determinedly.

‘Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to be put into a position where you have to lie to your sister.’ Chris frowned.

Louise shrugged. ‘I just won’t mention it. If she asks me outright if you did it... Then I’d maybe struggle, but I doubt she will. I guess people will just think it’s rogue vampires again?’

‘That’s what I’m hoping for. Are you sure about this?’ Chris asked.

‘Absolutely.’ Louise nodded. ‘I also… I don’t think it will happen again, well, not as bad maybe anyway.’

‘What makes you say that?’ Chris frowned.

‘Well… I’ve been thinking... and I spoke to Claire a little bit about it, too. I want you to bite me, to feed from me.’ Louise blurted out excitedly, though she tried to keep calm.

Chris’ eyes widened like saucers. ‘You… what?!’

‘I want you to bite me.’ She repeated, a bit more shyly this time.

Chris’ heart started racing and his mouth began watering at the mere thought, though he mentally slapped himself and kept calm. ‘What… Are… I… You…’

He coughed to clear his throat and try again, Louise giggled at his flustered-ness.

‘I hope you’re not just saying this after what I did?’ He asked.

‘Not at all, I have texts to prove I was speaking to Claire about it this morning if you want.’ Louise said honestly.

Chris chuckled lightly and shook his head. ‘I believe you, pumpkin… I just… It’s not something to be taken lightly, it’s probably more intimate than sex is, to be honest. For me, anyway.’ He rubbed the back of his head.

‘I thought it would be… I do really want to let you, though. I’m ready. Plus, if it does help to calm things down with you, then, why not?’ Louise asked.

Chris tapped his knee in thought for a moment. ‘You’re sure you’ve thought this through thoroughly?’

Louise nodded. ‘I’ve been thinking about it since I came back after Christmas, non-stop thinking about it.’

He knew she was being truthful, he could tell by her heartbeat. While it was a little faster because he could tell she was a bit excited talking about it with him. He knew she wasn’t lying.

‘I won’t lie, I’ve thought about sinking my fangs into you from the moment I first laid eyes on you.’ He purred, making her stomach jolt. ‘I know you’re going to be irresistible, so you will be unleashing the monster. I won’t be able to get enough of you.’ He said in a playful tone, though with warning too.

‘Claire has told me a little about it, I'll be prepared.’ Louise blushed.

Chris went silent again, pondering. ‘Ok, one condition though. We wait and do it Friday night? I want to make sure you’re ok after it, so at least we’d have the whole weekend for you to recover and I can look after you.’

Louise’s heart melted completely. Though then she worried a little. ‘Would it really take the whole weekend to recover?’

‘Not entirely. It depends on multiple things. How much I take from you, if you’ve eaten and hydrated well or not. Usually recovery is just a few hours, if that. If done right. Though I just want to be extra careful, you are so precious to me, I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you.’ Chris said as he picked up her hands to kiss.

‘Well… Friday it is then.’ Louise smiled widely. ‘Your place or mine?’

Claire let out a squeal of excitement as she read a text from Louise, causing Loki to jump out of his skin and drop the book he’d been reading, it fell down the side of the bed onto the floor.

‘What? What’s happened?’ He asked, alarmed.

‘Chris is going to bite Claire on Friday!’ Claire said excitedly.

‘Oh Jesus.’ Loki groaned and ran a hand down his face as he sank back down to the pillow.

‘What? It’s a good thing, isn’t it? They’re taking another step in their relationship, plus it might help calm Chris down.'

‘Yes… Though Chris is going to be a bloody nightmare to deal with for the whole week.’

#tom hiddleston #loki #loki x ofc #loki fic #vampire loki #Chris Motionless #Chris Motionless x ofc #vampire Chris Motionless #the redbridge hunts #eternally mine

29 notes · View notes

dilemmaontwolegs · 1 year

Text

Running from the Flames {29}

Pairing: Pierre Gasly x OFC Warnings: 18+ only, smut, labour

F1 Masterlist || Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

I woke to soft kisses on my shoulder and Pierre’s hand catching the foot that kicked wildly. Dawn had already broken and he should have been getting ready for race day but I was thankful to have him all to myself for a few minutes before I had to share him with the world.

“I was having a good dream,” I murmured as I snuggled back against his chest and the warmth his bare skin offered.

“Yeah? What made it good?” he asked between the kisses that inched their way up my neck.

He gently sucked the sweet spot below my ear and my breath left my lungs with a soft moan. “You.”

“What was I doing?” he whispered in my ear, his fingertips travelling slowly down my waist and over my hip leaving goosebumps in their wake.

I rolled over to face him and he pulled my leg over his hip, the thin material between us needing only a small adjustment to make my dream spill into the real world. Unfortunately one of us had to be responsible and it fell on me as I brushed his wild hair back from his face. “Things you're not allowed to do on race day.”

A low growl rumbled in his throat at the reminder and he pulled me closer, grinding his hard length over my soaked panties. “If I have to be horny all day, so can you.”

All thoughts of being responsible were erased when he rolled his hips again to tease me. It wasn’t really my fault with how erratic these hormones made me, one moment I could be crying because I couldn’t find a matching sock in the washing pile and the next I was climbing on Pierre’s lap with a burning need to be filled.

“You vowed to satisfy me every day for the rest of our lives,” I said as I hooked my leg around him to stop him from rolling away to get out of bed.

“Cherish, love and obey,” he chuckled. “I’m not sure the priest would’ve let me say satisfy.”

“Then obey your wife, and make love to me,” I muttered against his lips before I captured them and felt his hand reach between us, pulling my panties aside.

“You are a terrible influence,” he smirked, his fingers dragging slowly through my folds and feeling just how wet I was for him.

“The worst,” I sighed softly as he prepared my body for him, but I was more than ready to take him. “Please, Pierre, I need you. You can take your time with me tomorrow.”

The sun was out, the Suzuka circuit was in its optimal condition and Pierre was having an amazing race. It couldn’t have been more exciting with big challenges going on with every lap as I sat on the wall beside Otmar, my headset connected to the team comms.

“Go baby, go,” I whispered to the muted microphone as he hit the DRS zone fractions behind Fernando. Pierre swung out of the slipstream and with the drag reduction open he was flying past the Aston Martin. I leapt from the chair with a scream as he pulled into fourth position and turned into the speed trap corner perfectly while Otmar punched the air with a grin.

“Great work, Pierre, keep that up, you’ve got your wife jumping out her seat,” Otmar praised before he turned to me but I was busy staring at my dress, or more importantly, the small puddle of water dripping at my feet. “Oh, shit.”

“What? What is it?” Pierre asked in a hurry.

“Don’t!” I hissed at my godfather when he opened his mouth. “There’s only 4 laps left. Please, don’t tell him.”

“Nothing, just spilled my drink in the excitement,” Otmar answered and I could see he wasn’t happy with the lie before he muted his microphone. “We need to get you off the wall now and to the hospital.”

“It’s too early…what do I do?” My voice broke as his arm hooked into mine and he looked down the pits to see if any teams were preparing a stop.

“Don’t think about that right now, you’ll be in good hands.” After he was satisfied it was clear, he walked me across the asphalt and caught the eyes of the paramedics who usually checked the crew if someone got injured.

“Get her in an ambulance now,” Otmar ordered them as he grabbed my bag from the pile of belongings on Pierre’s shelf. “I’ll call Damien so he can bring Addie and Pierre.”

A huge cheer filled the garage and I spun around to see the screens replaying another overtake. Pierre was in third place with two laps to go, just ahead of Charles, but he was still too far from the Red Bull cars to catch unless there was a flag. There was no way I could stop him now, not when he was going to find himself on a podium.

The tight sensations I had felt on and off since arriving at the paddock were no longer just uncomfortable but becoming painful. These were not harmless braxton hicks contractions anymore and more water was running down my legs with each one. That was when the panic set in.

“Talk me through what’s happening, Bri.” Amber said as she opened her medical kit and pulled out the blood pressure cuffs. Ever since my pregnancy was announced they had been kept up to date with my progress for this very situation and I had thought it was silly at the time, now I would have to thank Otmar for indulging Pierre’s request.

“My waters have broken and I’m guessing that the back ache I’ve had all day isn’t actually a back ache.” I hunched over as another wave of pain clenched the entire span of my stomach and a low groan escaped my gritted teeth. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“BP is a little high but that’s expected when in pain. Sounds like baby is definitely coming a little early so I’m going to call one of the standby ambulances to come and get us alright.”

My hands trembled as I held my stomach protectively and watched her make the call through her walkie talkie. “I’m only 34 weeks.”

“Japan has some of the best medical care in the world, they are equipped to handle this,” she assured me as she received a reply that the ambulance was coming down the pitlane.

Pierre’s POV

“Tires struggled on this lap,” I commented to my engineer as I checked my mirrors to see Charles’ red car falling further behind. “Hello?”

I had pushed the medium tires more than I should have but I had the pace to get ahead of Charles so I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity while it was in my grasp. Instead I would just have to be more conscious on the corners with the grip getting worse.

I rounded the last corner before hitting the home straight and spared a glance to the pit wall in case the comms had gone down and the team put a sign out. What I saw instead made my heart skip a beat.

“Why is there an ambulance? Hello? Can you hear me?” Each second of silence that passed left my palms sweaty and my attention torn between where I was and where I wanted to be.

The comms crackled to life in my ear and my engineer finally answered. “Just manage the tires the best you can for the final lap.”

“The ambulance,” I repeated as my eyes darted around the track searching for any flags being waved but the stewards held nothing. “Why is it in the pit lane?”

“Focus on the race, babe.” The relief my wife’s voice brought was fleeting as it didn’t hold the same warmth and the tone was clipped like when she was distracted, or in pain.

“Box, box, I’m coming in,” I rushed as I hit the button on my console to confirm I was returning to the pits at the end of the lap.

“You can’t finish in the pit!” Bri argued before she groaned in pain and my mind was set as I pushed the limits of the tires to get back to her even sooner.

“Try stop me,” I muttered.

Determination set in as clusters of marbles were thrown from my tires on every corner, blue flags waving as I passed Logan's car and then Oscar’s next. There was no elation when Karel let me know I set a new sector record or that I was closing in on Danny. There was nothing but the need to get to my family.

I could see the chequered flag waving, the finish line up ahead and the crowd on their feet. I hated to disappoint the fans, but my family would always come first. It was them who would still be standing by my side when I no longer raced, not the fans, of that I had no illusion.

I pulled into the pits, ignoring the speed limit, and found the teams had created a path that usually would have been swamped by the media. A path that led all the way to the ambulance waiting outside my garage.

The wheels locked with how hard I came to a stop and I barely registered cutting the power before I was tearing the console from the steering column and jumping to the asphalt.

I was no stranger to adrenaline but the fear that cut through me was unlike anything I had ever experienced when I saw Bri on the stretcher, her brows pinched in pain and her hands cradling her stomach. The thought of something bad happening to either of them caused a chill to creep into my body.

They had to be alright, or I would never be able to alright again.

“Give me your helmet and go,” Otmar ordered as stood at the door to the ambulance.

“Adelaide?”

“Damien’s with her and they’ll find you at the hospital.” Otmar frowned and pressed the headset closer to his ear before looking down the pit to the entrance where Charles was pulling in. “What? All of them?”

I didn’t wait to find out what was happening as I climbed the steps into the ambulance and grabbed my wife’s hand. “Le bébé?” My throat seemed to close at the question and I tried to keep my mind busy as I waited for an answer but then I saw the skirt of those floral sundresses she loved so much. The bright material was dark with the liquid soaking it.

“I don’t know.” Tears welled in her eyes at the whispered admission and I took the seat beside her, pressing my lips to her forehead so she didn’t see the ones that filled mine too.

“It’s okay, shh, it’s alright, amore,” I murmured weakly as I looked at the team medic and prayed I wasn’t lying.

“BP is still rising but the baby's heartbeat is steady so they are stable for transport,” Amber said as she watched the readings on the monitor. “Shiroko Women’s are preparing a theatre for our arrival. They’re in good hands, Pierre.”

Her words gave me a glimmer of hope that I clung to. I needed that to be true for my own sanity.

Amber got up to close the back of the van after relaying the information to a translator who passed it onto the hospital and the air left my lungs as I saw the line of cars down the pit lane, the Williams and McLaren I had overtaken on the last lap just pulling in at the very back.

“FIA can’t DNF 18 drivers,” Bri said as she saw the same thing and squeezed my hand tightly. “They’ll be forced to use the pit entry as the final positions. They’re making sure you get your podium.”

“I don’t need it,” I said as I leaned back in the seat to see the driver putting the van in gear. “I need you and our baby safe.”

A loud bang sounded on the back door just as we started to roll forward and I shouted to the driver to stop at the familiar voice calling out.

“Let him in,” Bri begged Amber, though the space was already limited.

Amber opened the door quickly and Yuki stood panting from the full out sprint he had made along the pit lane to reach us. “I thought you might need a translator,” he said as he scratched his head and looked me dead in the eye. “Your japanese is fucking shit.”

The small chuff of laughter from Bri lightened the burden in my chest and I glanced at our entwined fingers resting on her stomach before looking back at my friend. “I could use all the help I can get.”

Click here for chapter thirty.

Tagging: @my-only-way-tocooperatewithlife @prrttysposts @alwaysclassyeagle @dr3lover @adalynneva

#pierre gasly #pierre gasly x poc!oc #pierre gasly smut #pierre gasly fanfic #pierre gasly x oc #f1 imagine #f1 smut #f1 fanfic #f1 rpf #running from the flames

267 notes · View notes

just-my-latest-hyperfixation · 4 months

Text

WIP Weekend

Weekly WIP upate:

Currently working on ch 4 of The King's Gift. This is where the plot will slowly start to pick up, and I'm looking forward to getting some action and drama in.

@cuips-not-cute has already gotten started on some first sketches for Updraft, and let me tell you, I am in LOVE! Planning on getting chapter 4 done by the end of this month.

18 out of 29 celebration requests are done, with more coming early next week, once I finish my ficlet for this month's pop-up round of the @steddieholidaydrabbles

Send me an emoji and I'll write and share three sentences from that project.

🏰The King's Gift

⚙️Updraft (my @steddiebang2024 fic with art by @cuips-not-cute)

🥳Celebration ficlets/holiday drabble

Snippet from 🏰

Speaking of Max, she’s already in the yard when he arrives. She's holding two horses by the bridles - a large and imposing-looking black one and a slightly smaller one with a beautiful, light tan coat - and deep in conversation with a scowling Eddie.

“I don’t care about your excuses,” he hears her say as he approaches. Since she has her hands full with the horses, she can’t poke a finger at Eddie’s chest, but Steve has an inkling that she absolutely would if she could. “I want you to return them in top condition. Not a hair out of place, you hear me?”

“You wound me, Red,” Eddie slaps a hand to his chest, all dramatic affront. “When have I ever handled your precious animals with anything but the utmost care?”

She measures him with a withering look, jerking her head at the black horse, which moves its ears nervously, almost like it’s sensing they’re talking about it.

“Yeah? Was or wasn’t he practically caked in mud the last time you brought him back?”

Eddie scowls, suddenly very interested in the tips of his boots.

“‘s not my fault he likes rolling in it.”

“Oh, so it’s mine? Is that what you’re saying?”

“What? No,” Eddie groans, raking a frustrated hand through his mop of curls - sloppily tied back with a string of leather today. “C’mon, Max, you know that’s not what-”

She talks over him.

“You know what, I don’t care. But if you bring him back looking like a pig, you can clean him up yourself. No running off on important king business, no urgent matters suddenly demanding your attention. You take care of your own messes, do you-”

“Steve,” blurts Eddie, who has finally spotted him standing a few feet off, following the argument with wide eyes. “You made it! Robin found you then!”

He flounces over, leaving Max to glare daggers into his back, smile wide and overjoyed as every time they see each other.

“Yeah, obviously,” Steve retorts. He shakes his head exasperatedly, but can’t quite help the fond little smile that tugs on his lips. When Eddie entwintes their fingers to pull him over to where Max is still waiting with the horses, he doesn’t flinch or pull back his hand. He’s slowly starting to get used to Eddie’s very physical ways of showing affection. “What is this about? She said you had some sort of surprise for me?”

“Couldn’t keep her mouth shut if she tried, that one, huh?” Eddie huffs good-naturedly, and Steve resists the urge to point out that he can’t talk, exactly - not with the way his own mouth tends to go a mile a minute when he gets into a topic he’s really excited about. “As a matter of fact, I do. C’mon, let me introduce you.”

“Can I go then?” Max asks as they approach. Her face is set into her usual, annoyed frown, but when Steve smiles at her in greeting, she cracks a toothy grin in reply. “I have better things to do than watching you two being all lovey dovey.”

“Hey, we’re not-” Steve starts to say, but Eddie pushes past him, taking the bridles out of her hands and shooing her off.

“You go ahead, I’ve got it.”

Max flashes Steve an obnoxiously smug grin as she skips off into the stable buildings.

“Have fun,” she says. “Don’t let him roll in the mud.”

“For fuck’s sake, that was one time,” Eddie groans.

“I was talking to Steve,” Max calls over her shoulder, and then she’s gone, the stable door slamming behind her.

#steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #steddie fanfic #steddie brainrot #fanfiction writer #fanfiction #fanfic #my writing #wip ask game #wip weekend

27 notes · View notes

kalmiaphlox · 6 months

Text

I'm Better Now, I Know My Faults Masterlist

Summary: Tav didn't leave Astarion with much, save for a shattered heart and one very special gift: Their daughter, precious and sweet, all the things he isn't.

He's still picking up the pieces almost three years later but a new face threatens to shake up their routine, for better or worse.

And what about the return of older, familiar faces that just aren't welcome anymore?

Astarion just wants to leave the past in the past.

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Spawn Astarion / Original Female Character

Chapter 1: Bad Omens

Chapter 2: Easy Eats

Chapter 3: Playing With Fire

Chapter 4: Feathers and Scales

Chapter 5: Bleeding Dragons

Chapter 6: A Meal Fit For A King

Chapter 7: Hateful Words

Chapter 8: Unknown Intentions

Chapter 9: Friends For Thee

Chapter 10: Bejeweled

Chapter 11: Mirror To The Soul - Kalmia POV

Chapter 12: Crush, Crush, Crush - Astarion POV

Chapter 13: Death Becomes Him

Chapter 14: A Simple Plan... Or Not

Chapter 15: Curses, Curses

Chapter 16: How Far? - Kalmia POV

Chapter 17: Heavy Coercion - Astarion POV

Chapter 18: Only The Best

Chapter 19: Disagreements

Chapter 20: Chasing The Sun - Kalmia POV

Chapter 21: Sweater Weather

Chapter 22: Give and Take - Astarion POV

Chapter 23: Inner Beauty

Chapter 24: Playing House

Chapter 25: Truths - Kalmia POV

Chapter 26: Space For Two - Astarion POV

Chapter 27: Just A Taste - Kalmia POV - Explicit

Chapter 28: The Cycle Repeats

Chapter 29: Give Me Your Blood - Astarion POV

Chapter 30: Give Me Your Love

Chapter 31: I Want It All - Kalmia POV - Explicit

Chapter 32: Our Secrets

Chapter 33: Family Matters - Astarion POV

Chapter 34: Respect Thy Father - Kalmia/Astarion Pov

Chapter 35: Still Feel Alive - Kalmia POV

Chapter 36: New Beginnings

Chapter 37: Under The Skin

Chapter 38: The Body Remembers - Astarion POV

Chapter 39: Blood In The Water

Chapter 40: All That Glitters

Chapter 41: Dancing With Dragons

Chapter 42: Stripped

Chapter 43: A Hobby Well Kept - Tav POV

Chapter 44: What Lurks Beneath - Astarion POV

Chapter 45: Burn the Heretic - Kalmia POV

Chapter 46: Thank You - Astarion POV

Chapter 47: What Doesn't Kill Us

Chapter 48: Epilogue: The Way You Give and Take

Shortfics:

Crash Landing - Batstarion Content

Practice Makes Perfect - Hair Braiding

If You Give A Vampire A Polymorph Scroll - Part 1, Part 2

Your Body Is My Canvas - Swimming Lessons and Playing in the mud - Explicit

Art:

Kalmia and Astarion and his big lapdragon - @radsity

Astarion meeting his Mother-in-law and Astarion tired of the rowdy dragon - @a-spawn-on-my-lawn

Kalmia Bust - @adharaphoenix

Astarion and Kalmia Bloody Cleanup - @infestedstar

Kalmia in Armor - @sniickerdoodlies

#astarion #bg3 #astarion ancunin #dadstarion #astarion fic #astarion fanfic #wip: im better now #masterlist

41 notes · View notes

catierambles · 2 months

Text

Alternate Instincts Ch.29

sorry for the delays between chapters. I usually have a good buffer of ones written vs what I have posted, but y'all are current with what I have done.

Geralt eased the door closed, sighing and running his fingers through his hair still damp from a shower he shared with her. Stephanie had been tired and went right to bed afterwards, not even bothering to get changed into pajamas and sliding between the sheets naked, the towel left on the floor by the bed.

"She okay?" Sy asked and he turned, seeing August and Mike there too. "They showed up while you were with Steph."

"She will be." Geralt said, "She has demons in her head that she deals with. Recent events haven't helped matters."

"I fuckin' bet." Sy said.

"But we're--she's not breaking things off, right?" Mike asked and Geralt shook his head, making him give a sigh in relief. "Okay, good."

"She asked me to infect her." Geralt said and the statement hung in the air for a moment before Sy moved to get up from his seat. "Sit down. I didn't."

"Why not?" August asked as Sy sank back down again.

"Not the right time." He said, shrugging one shoulder. "She's emotionally stripped right now and I want her to be of stable mind when we talk about it."

"Definitely ain't somethin' you go into half-cocked." Sy said.

"And I want to be sure it's because it's what she wants and not because she thinks it's what we want." Geralt said.

"She knows we'll love her either way." Walter said.

"I don't think she does." Geralt said, "At least, not right now."

"What kicked this whole thing off, anyway?" Sy asked. "Walt?"

"We were spending time together and her mood flipped like a switch." He said, "It was like someone dumped ice water on us. I have a feeling it's because..." He sighed, "We overheard a couple women from the pack talking about her. Their words were not kind. They basically implied that we were only with her for sex. That that's the only reason we keep her around. To get our jollies."

"Are you fuckin' serious?" Sy asked, an unnatural growl to his voice. "Who said that?"

"I only vaguely recognized them, and I didn't ask their names." Walter admitted, "It may have affected her more than she let on."

"I don't blame her." Geralt said and they looked at him. "What's the main thing we do with her? More than anything else."

"Fuck." Sy said in exasperation and Geralt shrugged.

"Yes."

"I wasn't--"

"I know." Geralt said, "She's our Mate, so we want to be with her and be with her often, but it might be making her start to feel like something we use to get off and that's it."

"That's not--" Mike started, "I love her."

"So do I." Geralt said, "But she's been hurt and used by people who claimed to love her, and hurt badly."

"Lewis." August growled out.

"Not just him." Geralt said, "Her mother..." He gave a sigh, "Stephanie told me she wasn't...ideal. Blamed Stephanie for a lot that happened, for her father leaving, saying it was her fault and that things would have been better if she hadn't been born. She was supposed to fix their marriage, but, as her mother told her, she just destroyed it."

"Goddamnit." Sy sighed, rubbing at an eye.

"It's why she took up rugby and martial arts. If she could make herself physically strong then maybe--"

"Maybe she'd be strong mentally, too." Walter finished and Geralt nodded. August got up without a word, pushing past Geralt and heading into the bedroom. He watched her sleep for a long moment before pulling off his clothes, getting into bed and taking her in his arms, their skin pressed together.

"I'm not in the mood, August." She said as he pressed his lips to her shoulder.

"Relax, Princess, I just want to hold you." He said and she sighed, relaxing against him. "After all the things I've done, you are the one good thing in my life. You feel like you don't deserve us, I know. Well, Princess, I wish I deserved you. I know I can count on you to keep me in check, call me out when I'm being a horses’ ass. We may butt heads, but at the end of the day, yours is the strength that keeps me going." She turned in his arms, looking up at him and he saw the tears shining in her eyes. "I love you, Stephanie." She reached up, holding the side of his jaw and he sighed, his eyes closing. His arms tightened around her when he felt her lips press against his own. Although he thought about it, he didn’t take it any further than that, holding her to his chest with a hand at the back of her head, feeling her arm come around his waist, her hand at his low back with her thumb moving over his skin. "Human or wolf. I love you."

He heard the door open but didn't bother to see who it was and the bed dipped behind her as Sy got in just as nude as they were.

"Hey, baby." He whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist, and she hummed in response, Augusts' hand moving to her shoulder. "We definitely need to get a bigger bed."

"Was already thinking about it." Stephanie said.

"California King?" August suggested and she snorted.

"Would not fit in this room. A regular King would be pushing it." She said, "I'll take measurements and see what we can do."

"How about--the fuck is it called? Alaska King?" Sy asked.

"An Alaska King is bigger than a California and would fit all five of us easily." She said, "We'd have to knock the wall down between the bedroom and the living room, turn it into one big area. Then maybe it would fit, but only along the long wall and we'd have no living room."

"You feelin' better?" Sy asked.

"Not one hundred percent." She admitted and he cuddled into her further, his arm tightening briefly. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Don't be." August said.

"It's just-- August is right. I don't believe I deserve any of you."

"Baby, we don't deserve you." Sy said, "You take care of us. I know things seemed fine when you came into the house, but shit was gettin' tense. Four Alphas under one roof don't happen for a reason, at least not for very long. Then you came into our lives and straightened us out. You gave us somethin’ to focus on. Protectin’ you, bein’ the best Mate we possibly could."

“Stephanie, the night I realized you were my Mate, I was angry.” August said, “But not at you, or that it was you. I was pissed that it took that long for me to find you. I had accepted the fact that I didn’t have a Mate, but then you came into my life. This pain-in-my-ass human who flipped me off and called me an asshole. Who stared down a wolf and told it to fuck off.” Sy snorted softly behind her. “I didn’t deserve you. I didn’t deserve to have a Mate, but here you are.”

"Well, you were being an asshole, and you shifted to try to scare and intimidate me so absolutely fuck off." She said and Sy shook behind her in silent laughter, his arm tightening around her waist. August just rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"What I'm saying is, I love you." He said, "And I'm so lucky to have found a Mate that can and will give as good as she gets."

"I love you too." Stephanie said, "Even when you're being a donkey." Sy couldn't stop himself and laughed full out, pressing his lips to the back of her neck.

"Woman, you test me." August said and she moved up slightly, pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss. She went to pull back, but he leaned into her, taking her lips in a kiss of his own as his fingers wove into her hair. A groan shook his chest when she opened her mouth for him and he felt her shudder as Sy's hand flattened against her stomach.

"Baby?" He whispered in her ear and her reaching back for him was the answer he was looking for, sliding his hand between her legs and starting to stroke gently. She broke the kiss, panting against August's lips as Sy explored her with his fingertips. "She's gettin' so wet, Walker."

"That's my good girl." August whispered against her lips. "That's my perfect Mate. Love you so fucking much." Wrapping his fingers around her thigh, he draped her leg over his hip, reaching between them and taking himself in his hand. With Sy's fingers keeping her spread, August eased into her, her breath catching in her throat and exhaling in a whimper as he stretched her open. He couldn't go deep at this angle, but with his hand cupping her ass, he started to move, rocking into her in shallow strokes. "Sy. Move." His hand left her as he moved backwards so August could roll her onto her back, her eyes closing as he pushed into her fully. Going to his knees, his hand wrapped around her throat. Not tight enough to constrict her airway, but just so she knew it was there. He continued moving at a smooth, languid pace, pulling from her almost completely before joining them again fully. "So beautiful." He whispered as he looked at her beneath him.

She reached for him and his hand left her throat as she pulled him into a kiss, his forehead pressed to hers as they broke away.

"Oh, fuck." She whispered, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"You gonna come, babe?" Sy asked, pressing his lips to her shoulder and she nodded. She searched for him, wrapping her hand around him and starting to stroke in time with August's hips between her legs. "Ah fuck you don't gotta--" Her thumb circling the head made the words die in his throat and his hips started moving into her hand. "So fuckin' perfect." Augusts' grunts into her neck as he moved made her eyes roll back and she clung to him with her free hand, her nails digging into his back as his movements became heavier, driving sounds from her lips with every forward thrust of his hips.

"Yes yes yes..." She chanted and the coil that had been tightening in her lower stomach broke, her orgasm washing over her and forcing a cry from her lips. "Fuck!"

"That's my good girl." August breathed, still moving against her but the feel of her clenching around him was making him lose rhythm. He came suddenly with a snarl, his lips pulling back from sharp teeth, and he took her mouth in a hard kiss as he emptied himself into her. Sy immediately pulled her against him as August rolled to the side, taking her mouth as he lay on his back and she straddled his hips.

She was slick with August's release but he didn't care, especially as she sat up on him, guiding him to her and easing down. Her nails dug into his chest as she rolled her hips against him even as he rocked up into her. Stephanie felt Augusts’ lips at her jaw, his fingers gentle as he turned her face towards him, kissing her deeply.

“There is no greater joy for a wolf than to take care of their Mate.” He said, “To meet all their needs. We don’t use you to get off, Princess, we take care of you because that’s what we do. We love taking care of you, love being with you. We satisfy you, and satisfying you satisfies us. Understand?” She nodded and he pulled her into another kiss, guiding her back so was leaning against his shoulder as he slid his hand between her legs, circling her clit with rough fingertips while Sy continued to rock up into her.

“Fuck.” She breathed, her eyes rolling back. Her back arched, and their names left her lips in turn as she came, rolling her hips against him. A shouted expletive left Sy and she felt him twitch inside her, warmth spreading through her lower belly. They stayed like that for a long moment, August pressing slow, gentle kisses to her face and neck as she and Sy fought to catch their breath. “I need another shower.” That made them chuckle, August getting off the bed, and she let out a squeak as he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into the bathroom, Sy not far behind.

#henry cavill #captain syverson #walter marshall #august walker #hellraiser mike #geralt of rivia #alternate instincts

19 notes · View notes

unabashegirl · 1 year

Text

Enticing 29 (HS)

Summary: Harry is a young billionaire and CEO of his own company. He mostly keeps to himself, he is stern and very meticulous when it comes to business. He also likes to keep his personal life very private for the sake of his newly born son Oliver Styles. It isn't until he meets Y/N Y/L/N that everything changes. She becomes his new nanny after his previous one quits due to personal reasons. She is young, caring, and sweet. Will they ignore their feelings? Will Harry's girlfriend accept their love and leave them? Will she be able to cope with his busy agenda? What about Oliver's mother? Where is she? Who is she?

Author's note: Hello everyone, sorry this chapter is a bit late! I got caught up with a few things at home. As promised here is a new chapter of enticing. Happy reading.

word count: 1.6K

— all chapters of enticing —

Y/N stood in Gran station with a heavy heart as she waited for her mother to arrive from Philadelphia and to say that she was nervous was an understatement. She hadn’t seen her in so long. Y/N also needed to apologize for cutting her off her life so abruptly, and she was planning on it. She just didn’t know where to start.

Y/N smiled at her from warm away and waved. It was easy to spot her. Elizabeth and Y/N had the same color hair, same doe eyes, and same nose. It was as if Elizabeth had procreated with herself and not with her father. She was terribly similar to her mom as opposed to her little sister.

“Hey, you,” Elizabeth said as she dropped her bag and pulled her into a tight hug. Y/N hugged her back immediately and felt profound peace. She had missed her mother too much. She just wanted to make amends with her and wanted to share with her the news. Y/N was anxious. She was scared that her mother would turn her back on her especially now that she was pregnant and when she needed her the most.

“Hey Mom” She sniffed as they pulled away from each other.

“You look beautiful.” Elizabeth held her hands, “I’ve missed you” She admitted. Elizabeth knew that what had happened that night had been partially her fault. She knew that she never again should choose sides. She regretted it, especially after seeing the type of girl that her youngest daughter had developed into. She was very spoiled and felt very entitled just like Y/N had said that night.

“So do you! Come on let’s get something to eat.” Y/N hooked her arm with hers as they exited the train station.

It was a very sunny, autumn day in Manhattan, and even though the sun shone brightly, it was pretty cool due to the cold wind. Y/N decided to take Elizabeth to a small Italian restaurant by the apartment. She had been there before with Patrick, long before she was hired in the Styles’ household. Her mouth watered when thinking about their bruschetta and chicken Alfredo pasta.

“Are you finally going to tell me what’s going on with you?” Elizabeth asked after they had ordered their drinks and food.

“Yes” Y/N cleared her throat, “I just think we should first talk about what happened that night. I think it would be good for us to dissect it a bit, so we can move on”. She explained her reasoning just as the waiter came back with their drinks and a basket of complimentary bread.

“That’s very mature of you. Let’s talk about it.”

“I’ll like to start with apologizing. It wasn’t my place to judge you or your way of parenting. I know that you are doing your best Violet, especially after Dad passed away and I moved away. I-I’m also sorry for cutting you out of my life, so abruptly and not writing or calling. I can only imagine how hard it must have all been for you.” Elizabeth’s eyes watered as she remembered the night after the flight that she spent crying. The remorse of kicking her daughter out of the house on Christmas night, ate her away every night. “Please don’t cry because I will cry too”.

“I want to apologize for kicking you out that night and for siding with your sister. I’m your mother I should have known better, and I should have handled the situation better. I certainly shouldn’t have sided with your sister. I also understand now what you were trying to say that night. Most importantly, I accept your apology. I just want us to move forward and not look back.” Y/N agreed with Elizabeth as she dried her tears with a napkin. “I am happy you called and reached out. I didn’t do it sooner not because I didn’t miss you. I missed you terribly. I just didn’t call you because I was too proud. I’m sorry”.

Y/N reached out and held her hand over and across the table. She could tell that it had hurt her even more than it had hurt her. She wanted to take the pain all away. Elizabeth was everything that Y/N had. The only family that she had left after her father had passed away. She was her pillar, which she desperately needed now.

“I love you.”

“I love you more princess” Elizabeth smiled through her tears. She inhaled and exhaled loudly, feeling an immense weight off her shoulders. “I feel good”. She giggled and Y/N wished that it stayed that way and that she began feeling better after she told her. “Now. Tell me! I am dying here”.

“Mom —” Y/N’s eyes filled with tears, and she choked up. She couldn’t believe the words that were about to leave her lips. “I am pregnant” she revealed.

Elizabeth wasn’t a woman that masked her emotions. She was a very blunt woman and preferred to apologize for saying aloud her thoughts and bottling them in and lying to the people she loved. She wasn’t surprised. From the tone that Y/N had called her that morning, she had supposed news just as big as this one. Elizabeth was her mother. She could easily read her. For a second Elizabeth thought that Y/N was incredibly sick and that’s why she was calling to make amends. The last time that she had received the news in the same matter had been when Y/N’s father found out that he had cancer. After someone in the family dies from cancer. Every other piece of news becomes a walk in the park. She was relieved.

“Alright,” She nodded and took a sip out of her red wine. “How far along are you?”

“3 weeks? I am not that sure. I took one of those pregnancy tests at home” Y/N explained as she studied her face carefully, still scared that she would flip.

“First thing first we need to find an obstetrician and make you an appointment with them.” She reached out to her pursed and pulled out the red leather journal that she always carried with herself ever since Y/N was a little girl. She wrote important things on it and her thoughts which explained why she had hundredths at home. “Do you or the father have someone, particularly in mind?”

Y/N frantically shook her head at her mother.

“We also need to get your prenatal vitamins, but I am sure the doctor will prescribe you specific ones,” She wrote in her journal. “I guess we could see if my obstetrician can fit you in.” Elizabeth sighed as she thought of all the different things that her daughter would have to do to get prepared. “Is there something else that I should know? Who and where is the father?”

“I lost my job, and the father doesn’t know, and I don’t plan on telling him.”

“Why?” Elizabeth quickly asked, surprised by the choice that she had already taken. “Is he a married man? Is he an abuser? Why?”

“He already has a baby. He won’t want this one” Y/N frowned, “I don’t want him to reject the baby”.

“And this is just an assumption, honey?”

“I know him, Mom. He is just going to turn us away.”

“You are making a big mistake, Y/N. You are possibly depriving him of getting to know his child and raising him. I support you either way, but as a mother, it is my job to tell you that you could live with the consequences for the rest of your life, and they will only get worse” Elizabeth warned her, she didn’t know the mystery man, but he deserved to know. She knew that what his daughter was doing was wrong.

Y/N nodded and wiped her tears.

“I understand, and I’ll think about it” She nodded trying to compromise. “Anyway, enough about me! How is violet? A senior now, right?” Y/N asked just as their food was being served.

“She is fine. She has proven to be exceedingly difficult. She says she doesn’t want to go to college. I’ve had to stop her from dropping out before graduation.” Y/N couldn’t believe what her mother was telling her about her youngest sister, but just as she was about to say something her phone interrupted them.

“Hello?” It was an incoming call, with no caller ID.

“Y/N. William here. I am finally able to get a hold of you. How are you?”

“Hey, William. Fine. You?” She had thought that it was an automated message and not one of Harry’s close friends. If she had known that it was William, then she wouldn’t have answered the call. She just hoped that he wasn’t calling to let her know something about Harry. She didn’t want to know anything.

“Pretty good” He shared, and it was quiet for a few seconds, “I am calling in regard to your job.”

“What about it? Is this about Harry? Because —”

“This call has nothing to do with Harry” William abruptly interrupted her “I am calling about the contract that you signed to work with us Y/N. I am calling to let you know that your job is still waiting for you and just to get an estimate as to when you can come in to start.” Click below and join our community on Patreon if you wish to continue reading Enticing and get access to 10 more chapters.

TAGLIST: @0oolookitsme, @happycupcakeenthusiast, @kennedywxlsh, @hsfics, @stylesbrock, @cuddlingwithharry, @sucker4angtt, @bluemoonedwings, @cherriesrae, @vornilla, @mellamolayla, @harryscurls21, @stilesissaved, @be-with-me-so-happily, @harryssattelitestomper, @jerseygirlinca, @tenaciousperfectionunknown, @lomlolivia, @stylesfever, @daphnesutton

93 notes · View notes

l00na24 · 6 months

Text

I Got Your Six - Chapter 6

Warnings: From this chapter onwards, there will only be a general warning to avoid spoilers! The story contains mature content and if you keep reading, you agree that you can handle it!

Word Count: 11.5k

A/N: We're back :D This time with a huuge one thanks to me not being able to keep the intro as short as I wanted and just couldn't cut the entire thing for reasons... you will probably see why 😅

Enjoy reading! 😋

29 Minutes later, 7:01 PM, Brazil

After I don’t know how many miles because I eventually stopped counting, we finally reached the place we agreed to meet. It seemed an eternity away with how long the drive still was until we were there, not helping my thinning patience at all.

I couldn’t remember the last time when I was so on edge than right now and I hadn’t even met them yet. Every nerve in my body was literally on fire and my stress level past every limit already, like we were on a mission completely gone out of control. For those who knew me absolutely no good conditions for a confrontation like this, especially with my past. But I covered it with the masquerade I had improved to perfection, to hide my rapidly diminishing confidence and all my previous accumulated anger turning into an even faster rising anxiety with each passing second. I wouldn’t let anyone see my weakness.

When our vehicle came to a slow stop, I wished we would have had at least still hours to drive instead of being here. Not making an effort to move when the three boys exited, I drew in shorter breaths and flinched slightly when I heard the car doors closing. My head coming up with something I thought I had buried a long time ago only to surface in the worst possible moment.

Loud shouts, motor sounds, car doors opening and closing with a bang from the force, the movements of a car…

Shit. I couldn’t get a panic attack right now. I’d get through this, whatever it took. It’s just a job like any other.

Lying to yourself won’t help you.

It was far from it.

Willing my breathing to even out a bit and shaking my head to get rid of these unnecessities, I opened my door and got out after I had unbuckled my seatbelt. The men of our team were patiently leaning against one side and the hood of the car, giving me the needed time until I was ready to make the first step.

As soon as they heard me leaving the last temporary safe space I’d get for tonight and shutting my only opportunity to escape, their eyes shifted to me. Ignoring the discomfort it caused, I tried to act totally unfazed by the very situation I had tried to run from for all these past years because I knew I couldn’t face it.

The truth was: I was scared shitless. How they would react, how they would look at me, what they would say, if they would do anything at all…

With an unusual hesitation I forced my feet step for step forward, fighting with all the strength I had left against the impulse to run away yet again, but with the significant difference it was amplified at least ten times more now than before. An unmistakable red flag of my body I was about to cross a line I shouldn’t, under no circumstances.

You can’t always run away. No one will come to help you, this is alone YOUR own fault.

It was an open secret that my boys could see right through the false facade I had put up and the smallest movements I made, from the uneven rise and fall of my chest to my fingers starting to nervously twitch and shake.

Sensing the waging battle the girl of their group was fighting with herself internally when she followed soundless behind them, Alex wanted nothing more than to put her out of this agony she carried with her for far too long. Hating to see the various indicators written all over her and being forced to helplessly watch how it continued to destroy what was left of her, if there even was still something. He had enough about pretending that everything was ‘okay’ when they could see it clearly wasn’t. Not this time and not now in this absurd situation they had been thrown in.

Normally he was the person instilling fear on his enemies but right now he felt it creeping up his spine and every thought went in circles around the most important question: What if this broke her for good? If she wouldn’t recover from this?

There was no way in hell he would let that happen, Alex owed it to his best friend he had known since childhood to protect his girl and be there for her. Maybe he wasn’t doing it entirely for him if he was honest but a little for himself too… but this wasn’t important right now.

The top priority was to shield her from the possible damage these five people could cause. And he’d do everything in his power to make sure of it. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her even more than she already had been.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to…” Our group halted when Alex turned around to me, gaining the attention of his brothers beside him and mine. The care on honest display, unfortunately for him, hit a nerve because I couldn’t stand it in my current state, not able to accept it.

“You can’t protect me from everything!” I blew up at him with a hateful glare before he had fully ended, the pressure I was under mixed with my anxiety getting the best of me and announcing itself in an uncontrolled outburst. Immediately regretting my reaction, I cast my sight downwards to avoid the result edged on his face. I didn’t intend to strike right the point I knew would hurt him the most but it was my natural defense mechanism kicking in.

“Sorry.”

They shouldn’t care about me at all and they shouldn’t hold onto me so much like they did, trying with everything they had to keep me off the ledge I was continuously seeking. They deserved everything but me. If I wasn’t here, they would probably live a happy life and their best friend would be still alive. I never wanted to drag them down with me in this hellhole but fate obviously had a different opinion, wanting to punish them for not giving me up and yet none of the boys did even consider it in the slightest. How could they be so foolish?

Sometimes these three were too smart for their own good, the cracks in my defense visible to them as if a light would make me stand out to call out my false play.

It took not more than a short exchange of their sights to have the same thought.

“Come ‘ere.” Mick spoke up and beckoned me with a hand gesture over to him, spreading his arms to the sides in the process.

Not sure what he aimed to accomplish with this, I stood there a little baffled while I contemplated what I should do and trying to gauge his intentions behind it. I was in no mood for any kind of empathy.

“You really wanna leave me hanging here?” He asked when I still hadn’t made a move, pulling up his best sad look and tilted his head with raised eyebrows in hopes it would convince me. He knew exactly what he did. Little shit.

There was nothing I hated more than to see them sad or hurt, especially if it was because of me and if he had gambled on that, his plan was working.

Reject him. Don’t. Give. In.

Letting out a huff, I came to him and put my arms hesitantly around his body. Laying the right side of my face carefully on his chest, assuming he offered himself for a hug.

“See? Isn’t that bad, is it?” Putting one hand on the back of my head to stroke it slowly and the other respectfully on the side of my waist with the utmost care to not place it too far backwards to keep the lines in which I allowed them to touch me.

I couldn’t deny his simple gesture was actually relaxing my nerves a little bit.

“So… we all know I’m not good with this emotional stuff but…-” Mick began after a moment, only to be cut off by Luc.

“Horrible is more accurate.” He corrected him with a smile directed toward me, making a little wink at the end.

“I’m trying to cheer her up, dude! Can you not butt in?” The man currently holding me to his large body retorted in a fake offended tone before he continued, focusing back on me.

“Where was I? Ah! Right, as I was saying… regardless what they say or do, it will not change anything between the four of us. You have my word, okay? Forever and always. Like we promised, little wolf.”

At the mention of the nickname my gaze shot up in lightning speed till it met his, my face blank. I could feel him tensing up a bit, probably because he wasn’t sure how I would take what he said and if he was overstepping a forbidden boundary.

I hadn’t been called this term in literal ages, but it was engraved in my brain for eternity. The very name he had used to tease and mock me in the beginning or when he made fun of me or… to express his affection between the lines.

Mick felt my hold tighten slightly and took it as a good sign, also since I hadn’t pushed him away from me yet, which was very likely to happen at any given moment depending on what he would do. The odds for it happening were even increased given the situation, so he had to navigate his every move very carefully if he wanted to avoid this scenario and ruin everything.

“Remember what he used to say? ‘The strength of the wolf is the pack.’ And we’ve been one ever since you came to us. That’s exactly what we gonna show them. We are all standing behind you on this and won’t leave your side.” It wasn’t a common occurrence of somebody making me speechless but right now Mick had managed to do exactly that. I had forgotten how good with words he actually could be if he wanted, reminding me not to underestimate his diplomacy skills similar to Luc’s.

But what was a pack without its true leader?

The ‘goofball’ out of the four, as she had so fittingly named him after his best and also worst trait, couldn’t watch her struggle any longer. If he could take the smallest amount of weight off her she carried, he would do it without a second thought and give her some air to breathe to keep her from drowning.

He had made it his personal mission straight from the start, but even more so after the tragic loss they had suffered - especially her, to preserve and keep that spark inside they had seen in her. Even if it was through the faintest hint of a smile, real or not, all effort put in was worth it regardless. And whatever he or his brothers had to do to stoke those flames their former leader had ignited in her, they would be there to keep them alive, 100%. They would keep her alive.

That’s why he was the self-proclaimed backbone of the team, with his ever positive and lively personality but also blunt directness. Always a cheeky comment on his lips to lift the mood of the situation and his teammates. He was the unmatched motivator out of them, despite his comical and non-serious, or what some people called annoying, appearance. The lightness he carried with himself a huge benefit for everyone when they needed it, as well as his seemingly unlimited energy that had been equal with their captain’s, after their girl had enhanced it in Vic.

“You know, you could at least pretend I’m doing a good job here.” Mick whispered lowly to me, attempting to convey his message inconspicuously, so nobody would notice but being caught red handed the second he opened his mouth, not acting suspicious at all of course.

“Feel the fear, let it be your friend and it will guide you. Don’t be afraid of it.”

It didn’t take long till I couldn’t tolerate his hug any longer, retreating myself from his embrace without a word when he got the hint and reluctantly withdrew his arms to give me space. The second person close to me I disappointed in a matter of seconds. I could make a world record with this.

“You’re right. Let’s show them that no one fucks with us.” I said when I had brought some distance between us and walked past him down the way leading to the bar. Letting them know I was done talking.

Mick blinked a few times in her direction, not quite sure if it was the reaction he had been aiming for. He had believed he had done everything right, had been careful enough, well, maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned the last part, but how fast the situation had taken a complete turn and his well-meant support ricochet back left him dumbfounded. He should have been used to it by now since it wasn’t the first occasion this happened, but none of them probably would ever get used to her unpredictable, fast-switching duality from one moment to the other.

“You only wanted to help, she knows that. It’s not on you.” Luc followed his friends’ gaze to the back of their girl with concern in his narrowed eyes. His sneaking suspicion, he had hoped would prove itself wrong, turning out to be true more and more. There would be nothing they could do to prevent the inevitable if it was what he thought, from his knowledge all the signs she had shown pointed to it so far. Her more frequent, sudden mood changes out of the blue, the tension and nervousness in her body language, her touchiness in general, as well as most importantly, she shared way more physical contact with them than she would under normal circumstances. And this fact alone was more than worrying.

“Let it fulfill you.”

It had been the most terrifying lesson a certain person taught me, but it gave me the needed courage to fight back my anxiety as best as I could for now. To use it as a weapon instead of being used by my fear.

I hadn’t been on an endless amount of battlefields, ran too many times into hails of bullets, put my life on the line for enough people that weren’t even worth it, had made friends with death more times than I could count, ended lives without giving a shit about them and the amount of blood I had on my hands and hadn’t done unspeakable things, only to be brought to my knees now by the very men of my old team.

Nobody in the entire world would ever get me to break the one holy oath I’d die for before desecrating it: I wouldn’t kneel for anyone. Only my enemies will.

Entering the area of what I presumed was an outside bar, the first thing I did was carefully assessing the place. Spotting not much besides a lit-up area on the right looking like a combination of a bar and a market stall with two people sitting at the back of the bar and the barkeeper standing behind the counter. Regals full of various bottles lining the wall behind him just as a multitude of vegetables and fruits on the ground on the opposite side. Whoever would buy these things in the middle of literal nowhere.

To my left the actual bar, built on a wooden construct and a stairway on the right with some fairy lights hanging from the edge of the roof to give this shady appearing place a more trustworthy look. Its height and a fence made of thin planks of wood allowing to overlook the whole area from each table.

And then a car parked in between. The same car we had seen not too long ago.

Its sight alone making my stomach churn and heighten my senses to full alert. Not wanting to give it any more attention than I had, I kept moving forward while making sure to stay close to the bar to avoid getting noticed just yet from above.

As if on queue when I had crossed over half of the way, loud laugher from multiple people suddenly filled the air that instantly stopped me when I jerked away from the sound of the familiar voices and stripped me of every false confidence I had managed to gather up. Feeling the anxiety skyrocketing but also shifting into a mix of fierce anger and hatred directed at myself because I couldn’t even do the simplest thing. I was so pathetic.

“Is this all you got? Do you give up that easily?”

“Stop being so mean to her, Vic. Can’t you see she’s trying her best?”

“Trying is not enough, we’re not in kindergarten here. Do it better!”

My nails dug themselves into my palms at the memory.

Movement in my periphery snapped me back into the present, registering Luc, Alex and Mick who had walked past and blocked my way with their bodies. It was so unnatural to see them this tense, especially about the awaiting situation, both their posture and faces didn’t have the usual relaxedness I was used to and it stressed me out even more.

They were ready for battle and wanted to make sure I was too with this silent conversation between us before they would allow me to continue. My very last chance to back out of all this.

As always, the first nod came from Mick, shortly followed by Alex and then Luc, giving me their affirmation that they were only waiting for my “Go”. It was like they had known I had exactly needed this to give me the drive to move on and spur the wolf to get ready to pounce.

With the encouragement through my team, I took the time to take in a long, deep breath to gather myself before I gave them my confirmation with a firm nod of my head and sharing a last sight with each other for assurance about our next step.

Our engineer decided to take the lead as ‘the first line of defense’, Luc taking the second position after checking me up and down with his scrutinizing gaze before he left Alex with me who was waiting until I got going too before he went ahead last.

I couldn’t thank them enough for not forcing me into another verbal conversation and instead choosing the option that conveyed so much more than any word ever could and taking a bit of the pressure from me to have to express myself.

Just when we had reached the stairway, I came to a halt and looked upwards.

You finally get what you wanted…

Please be with me. I need you, I can’t do this without you.

Accepting I couldn’t delay the confrontation I had wanted to avoid ever since any longer, I forced myself to tear my sight away even if every fiber in my body resisted doing it. The emptiness I continuously felt came crashing down like a tidal wave above me without mercy, pushing me back under far out of anyone’s reach to the place I just couldn’t get out of no matter what I did. The very place I had never wanted to be in again after I was shown how it was to touch the sky on the other side. Until I got pulled back under and buried at the bottom with no life left to fight for.

Three sympathetic smiles were directed at me when I looked to the stairs in front, noticing a hand stretching out to me in the same moment. First I wanted to refuse Alex’ gesture but thinking for a second about it, what a bitch I was earlier and what it meant that he was still showing how much he cared about me when he offered to be the anker I could ground myself on – knowing what it took for me to even make this step – I didn’t have it in me to deny him.

Without much protest I reciprocated his gesture, feeling the warmth of his skin seep into mine and giving me some safety. The smile on his face stretched a tad wider when he had my physical assurance I wouldn’t shut him out again and let him help, returning it with his own and brushing a few times over my hand. We are here. You are not going through this alone.

“Don’t jump at each other’s throats.” With a quiet but steady voice I gave them my permission to engage, steeling myself and shoving all emotions in the dark corner where they belonged.

A quiet snort escaped Mick’s lips, conjuring a grin about the irony of my words. There were only two ways this was gonna go, either war or peace. There was no in between.

And knowing my boys, they wouldn’t even let them anywhere near me - not that I wanted it anyway.

I could only hope for the best and that they could control their temper because I would fight tooth and nail for those three and protect them with my life no matter who I was up against.

If any of my ex-mates dared to pick a fight with them, they had to survive the feared wolf first and then things would get ugly very fast – for them.

Let’s not get started if they found any of my triggers…

Before my thoughts could come up with every possible scenario, I chose to distract myself with something way more important, to check I had everything covered I didn’t want them to see while we were slowly ascending the stairs step by agonizing step. Making sure my braided ponytail was hiding most of the unmistakable, angry red scar on the right side of my throat before everyone’s eyes and my two necklaces were concealed under my black shirt. Going lower till the waistband of my jeans in the same color to find my gun and knife in the places where I had put them, ready to use in case anything should happen.

The grip on each other’s hand hardened when we reached the end and entered the bar, sharing a tight squeeze while we walked one after another in a row. All my senses automatically zeroed in on this very moment, making it almost impossible to keep up the mantra I was telling myself over and over.

I can do this. I can do this… I can… do this… I-

I stayed as close to Alex as I physically could to hide myself behind him in hopes it would give me more time until they realized who I was.

The paralyzing fear I had tried to fight in vain before came stabbing me in the back harder than ever and turned my body against me. Feeling like someone was squeezing my throat so tight I could barely breathe. Every step forward being at least a hundred backwards for my strength and self-confidence which had been so laboriously built up. My muscles moving on their own despite the weight manifesting on my feet.

“FIGHT! FIGHT BACK!!”

“Vic, it’s ENOUGH!”

“You’re so pathetically weak…”

Not daring to take a look from behind his back, I kept facing away from the scene to not cave in now and show everyone present how weak I indeed really was.

The atmosphere shifted as soon as we had stepped foot into the place, the one before a storm was about to break lose any minute with us in the epicenter. The hot and cold signals my body was sending me together with the humid climate didn’t do me a favor at all, the sweat clinging to me grossing me out and I wondered why Alex hadn’t let go yet and didn’t seem to care about the stickiness of my hand.

Was he regretting being here? Was he rethinking his choice of agreeing to this? Was he already hating me for dragging them into things they didn’t have to do anything at all with? Would they leave me as soon as we were done here to deal with my past alone? Were they only still with me because they thought they owed it to their dead friend?

What was I doing here? I should have never suggested this mission. What did I thought it would do? I should have ignored this god damn letter. I wasn’t supposed to even be here. Why couldn’t I just go back??

“Y/N?”

The moment my very name shot through the silence like a bullet, the chaotic whirlwind of thoughts was gone and I instantly froze into place. Not making any movement and praying I was mostly hidden for them, so they would hopefully ignore me thinking they had mistaken me.

But luck – fate – wasn’t on my side as always.

Of course they wouldn’t give me more time.

I couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer. It was over.

As slowly as I could I moved around, the hold on me tightening while I revealed myself and shared a fleeting glance with Alex who had his eyes already on me from over his shoulder.

I had to do this now. I wouldn’t cave.

I couldn’t run away anymore.

My pulse accelerated with every passing second and the only thing I wanted was to disappear, desperately clinging to my anker.

It was never meant to happen like this. In fact, it was never meant to happen at all if I could have helped it.

Forced to face the five men from my past after so many years spent to run from them, I hesitantly looked in their direction and deeply regretted it when five sets of eyes found mine. Bringing back up everything again, first and foremost the day I had left them.

Ben, Will, Santiago, Frankie and Tom were also brought back to the fateful events leading to the loss of the most important part of their team at the sight of the person they had never expected to see ever again before their very eyes…

8 years ago…

5:09 AM, Central America, Nicaragua

Moving uncomfortably around on the chair he was sitting in, Ben woke slowly from his sleep, stretching his limbs and blinking a few times with his eyes. It wasn’t definitely the best idea to try to sleep on the piece of furniture that was too small for his large body.

Noticing the room was still dark, he guessed it was still night, maybe close to early morning.

Trying not to be too loud and wake the other person in the room with him, he tried to shift into a more comfortable position and ease his muscles up he could feel hurting already from laying in this awkward position for probably a few hours.

Ben’s eyes automatically went straight ahead to the bed in front of him, checking if their girl was sleeping soundly under the covers he draped over her before he took the first shift of watching her. That in case something happened or she had a nightmare, one of them was there to help. Just in case. They would make sure they would be there this time.

Still mostly asleep and wanting to close his eyes and turn around again to get a bit more sleep, he listened for anything that would indicate a nightmare or that she wasn’t okay but the room was silent and he also couldn’t make out any violent movement on the bed through his half closed eyes. He was nearly off to sleep again as a thought hit him like a lightning strike.

The bed was empty.

His blue eyes shot open wide and his body followed, nearly tumbling to the floor in the process from jumping abruptly out of his seat in his sleeping but now wide awake state.

The dirty blonde’s gaze shot to the bathroom next, spotting the door wide open and no light shining. Looking back at the bed and trying to figure out if he was dreaming or not.

“Honey?” he asked in his rough and raspy morning voice, waiting for any form of response that never came.

Faster than light he ran over to the switch next to the door and flipped it on. The whole room illuminating and confirming his fear that felt like someone had just poured a bucket of ice water over him. There was no way she was gone.

Frantically he searched the room for anything that belonged to her, like her baggage she brought with her the first day but came up emptyhanded. Nothing. Not a single thing.

Ben had never felt anything like he was feeling now. First the whole thing hours ago and now this? It couldn’t get any more worse, right?

His heart was pounding hard against his chest as he ripped open the door, not caring about anything but her right now and bounding out to the one next to it.

“Guys! Open the fucking door! Wake up!” He screamed loudly, waking the whole hotel in the process.

His knocking only stopped when the door opened and his brother Will was standing before him, not knowing what happened to have Ben this wound up in the early morning hours but already on high alert.

“What the fuck, dude? What’s going on?” Blue eyes already searching each other.

“She’s fucking gone, man!” His little brother was not even waiting a moment to respond.

The opening of another door not far away could be heard and another voice joined them.

“Can you tell me, what you think you’re doing? You’re waking the entire complex, Ben!” Tom’s annoyed voice sounded from the other side of them.

“I just woke up and wanted to check she was okay but she wasn’t there!” Ben explained, making wild gestures with his hands and arms.

“Let’s not discuss this out here, come in.” Will said quietly and gestured with his head to Tom and Frankie to come over in his and Santiago’s room, who followed his request and walked over.

“You better have a good reason for this, hermano.” Santiago warned, sitting on the front of the bed he was previously sleeping till he got so rudely awakened by the young man’s screaming voice.

“We need to go look for her. Something could have happened or what if someone-?” Ben started again but was halted by his brother.

“Calm down, okay? Maybe she has taken a walk or just needed some fresh air.” He suggested, going already over all possible options in his head.

“What is even happening?” Frankie, the only one of the group that still hadn’t really caught on at was happening asked, leaning against the table on the wall and folding his arms.

“Y/N’s gone! That’s what’s happening and all her stuff too!” Benny shouted back, nervously running a hand through his strands.

Frankie’s eyes grew wide at the reply.

“Her stuff too?” He asked, not believing what he was hearing.

“Yes! Like she was never there in the first place!” The dirty blonde said, shifting constantly around on his feet.

Well, a walk was off the table with that. Will grinded his teeth together hard. This was not good, it was far from good actually. The way things had developed in the past hours only increased the boiling inside him further. Not knowing what was going on, being kept in the dark and things happening that were so out of character for the girl they were serving with for years now. Nothing of all this was making sense.

“Okay, we get it. Let’s all not make any hasty assumptions here.” Will tried to reason and keep everyone from panicking.

Santiago shook his head and angrily spoke something while standing up and shuffling around, probably some curse in Spanish.

“What are you doing?” Frankie eyed his brother.

“Getting ready to look for her, pendejo. What else?” He replied back and unzipped his bag on the ground in the corner to get some clothes.

“Fucking finally!” Ben breathed out and was ready to go, not wanting to waste any more time than they already had. Too much in his opinion.

“You can’t just walk out there like this. We’re still on a fucking mission!” Their captain decided to join in on the conversation to remind them that their reason for being here was not a vacation but way more serious and they still needed to be careful even if they were leaving today, or so it was planned.

“He’s right. We don’t know where she is right now and we can’t just aimlessly walk around here. And we also have a flight to catch.” Will backed up Tom’s opinion on their plan, looking around the group.

“What do we do then? I ain’t fucking sitting around waiting if she comes back or not and I don’t give a shit about that flight, I’m not leaving without her!” His little brother was clearly done with talking, his decision what he’d do already written on his face.

“If she left, someone must have seen her. Let’s try asking around first and see if we can find out anything that will help, okay? She couldn’t have used the car because I still have the keys, so she could’ve only left by foot or a cab.” The other Spanish man in the room voiced his thoughts to the group, trying to intervene before it escalated into a more heated argument.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, exchanging looks before Tom nodded and straightened his position.

“Alright. Let’s get ready and meet downstairs in 10 minutes.” He confirmed with one more look around them before starting to move toward the door with Frankie and Ben in tow.

Not needing the full 10 minutes to get ready, the group met 5 minutes later in the lobby of the hotel.

“So what’s the plan now?” The younger Miller wanted to know, already scanning the environment around them in search of their missing girl.

“We split up and try to ask around. Stay in the building, we’ll meet back here in 20.” Tom explained and everyone nodded as confirmation before they began to split, each one taking a different direction to begin their search.

The Minutes passing by and still no success for each of them, Ben stormed annoyed past the lobby a second time. Huffing from the frustration that grew bigger by the second. They needed to find her. Right fucking now.

“Excuse me? Are you looking for something?” He heard a voice from behind.

Halting his steps, he turned around.

“Yes! Have you seen the girl that was with us when we checked in?” He immediately answered. Registering the female receptionist not far from him now, that was also there when they checked in the first day.

“Yes, of course I did. She paid and checked out already 4 hours ago. Said that someone would still be in her room that was supposed to check out today.” The young brown-haired woman answered politely, offering him a slight smile.

“She- What?!” Ben felt like his legs would give out underneath him at the revelation he just heard and all color left his face.

“Do- do you know where she went?” He choked out, trying to get as much information as he possibly could.

“She took one of the cabs outside but I don’t know where she wanted to go. Probably the airport with the baggage she had with her if you ask me. But that’s all I can give you, I’m sorry.” She elaborated and gave him an apologetic look. Sensing that there was probably a not so nice reason for her leave alone but not wanting to interfere with their privacy.

“That’s enough already, thank you so much!” He thanked the receptionist, turning around and walking a few steps back, tapping his feet impatiently while waiting for the boys.

A few minutes later, the rest of the group turned up at the lobby again where Benny was already burning holes in the floor with his shoes, finally stopping when his brothers came into view.

“She checked out 4 hours ago!” He told them before any of them could ask something.

Not expecting something like this all of them needed a second to process what they just heard. They felt like someone had punched them in the gut.

“Checked out?” Frankie repeated in complete disbelieve.

“Yeah, the receptionist there told me that she paid for the room already too and that she took a cab. Probably to the airport or somethin’.”

“She’d never go alone on a fuckin’ plane, man.” Santiago joined their conversation. Not believing their female teammate would go voluntarily near anything like that because of her anxiety.

“Where else would she go with all her stuff? Another hotel?” The younger Miller shot back.

“You said she took a cab, let’s go and ask the drivers then. I saw some standing outside.” Will said, already turning around to go outside and ask there.

Without protest the others followed hot on his heels, marching out with quick steps and looking for the cabs that waited outside the entrance of the building.

Starting with the first to their left, they moved down the line as a group, asking each driver if they had driven a woman from the hotel somewhere in the last few hours.

Ready to nearly give up, they came to the last one in line. Stopping and repeating their questions for the fifth time now in a matter of minutes, not really believing this one would turn out any different than the others.

“Let me think… hm, yes. I did, actually.” The driver, an older man answered, leaned next to his car.

“Where did you drive her?” Ben wasn’t sure if he should be happy or not, that they at least had a lead where she was now.

“She’s your girl?” The man eyed him questioningly, not sure if he could trust the men in front of him, considering the woman they were looking for seemed to have left them without their knowledge. Normally a clear sign to what this could be leading to.

“Yes, she is.” He answered without hesitation, not needing to think over what he was saying. For him she was and always would be his. No question. She always had been and he wouldn’t let anything change that. Even if he’d never admit it.

Catching the other guys a little bit by surprise upon his answer, they tried to compose their faces, so the man couldn’t see their reactions. All of them knew how Ben was feeling about the only girl in their team, there was enough history between them to tell what was going on. But hearing him saying it out loud, even in a different context, still caught them a little off guard.

“I really hope for you, that you and your friends didn’t do something to her. Otherwise I have to call the police.” The driver threatened them, narrowing his eyes at the group.

“We’d never, I swear! She’s important to all of us and we just wanna know where she went, so we can go and look for her.” Ben answered honestly and looked the man in the eyes with a seriousness you only see when he was in mission mode.

“You’d better. I took her to the airport, looked a bit off and wasn’t really paying much attention, being quiet the whole drive.” He finally told them, adding the little details he had noticed.

The boys exchanged worried and confused looks at that, giving them pause for a moment.

“Thank you, sir. You really helped us a lot!” The younger Miller thanked him and walked back in the hotel followed by the others, making a straight beeline to the elevator.

“Any ideas?” Santiago asked while pressing the button of their floor.

“Our flight’s supposed to be in 5 hours.” Will informed, always the one in the group to rely on when it came to numbers. Her time missing making his stomach turn more with each second he counted passing by.

“Fuck that, we’re going to the airport now!” Ben huffed, slamming his fist against the wall of the elevator in frustration.

“She’ll be alright, okay? It won’t help if we’re loosing it.” Frankie jumped in, patting his friends’ back reassuringly a few times.

“Fish’s right. We’ll get our things packed up and go to the airport. But there won’t be a guarantee that we’ll get another flight.” The older Miller brother confirmed while stepping out and walking to their rooms.

“We meet at the car in 10.” They heard Tom’s voice in the distance while everyone spread out to their respective rooms, packing up everything in record time.

Before Benny could enter the empty room he carelessly left behind an hour ago, he was stopped by his brother.

“Y/N’s gonna be alright. Whatever is going on with her, we’ll find it out, okay? Everything’s gonna be fine, Ben. There will be an explanation to all of this.” Will came closer and brought him in a tight brotherly hug, holding his little brother to him. Trying to sooth his strained nerves and allowing him to finally break down and let out everything he desperately tried to hold back.

Feeling Benny slowly pulling back, he looked at him intently, not once breaking eye contact.

“Can you help Fish load the car while I get everything sorted with our checkout?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll see you downstairs in a few.” Will gave him a slight smile and a last pat on the back before walking off to his room.

After everything was taken care of and their luggage packed in the car in an amount of mere minutes, they were off to the airport.

Under normal circumstances Frankie would drive safely, but their situation was far from anything close to it and he drove a bit faster than he should and “missed” a few stop signs along the way till they stopped after a 10 minute drive in the large parking lot of their destination.

Each of the Delta soldiers was practically jumping out of the car when they were parked, grabbing their things and speeding off, minus Tom, who’s mood had soured over the course of their not planned way back to base.

“She’ll better have a very damn good excuse for this.” He grumbled annoyed while they were on the way through the building, but the rest decided to ignore his comment. There were more important things to be concerned of right now than his pissed-off mood.

“I’m gonna go over to the counter and see if I can rebook our flight to an earlier one. Maybe someone has seen her too.” Will announced shortly after they stopped in front of a few seats.

“I’ll come with you.” His little brother said and was right beside him in an instant, needing some closeness to him right now to keep him grounded.

Already knowing what was going on, the older blonde accepted his silent request without any protest and gave him a quick nod before walking off together to the ticket counter.

“Hello, how can I help you?” A red-haired woman in probably her 30’s greeted them with a smile.

“Hello, excuse me but we’re looking for a woman that probably booked a flight here to North Carolina a few hours ago. Have you seen anyone maybe?” Will greeted her.

“Wait, I have a photo of her.” Benny added and took it out of the pocket of his blue shirt, showing it to her.

It was a group photo, made when they were back at base after their first mission together, all of them exhausted but happy and smiling. The boys were standing in a line, arms over each other’s shoulders with their girl in front of them, having the brightest smile on her face they’d ever seen toward the camera. The colonel had taken it for them, being very proud of his best team he had in Delta Force. He had given all of them a copy of it after. Everyone knew from that moment on that they would be a team forever. Ben would never forget that day, would never forget that smile she had back then. The need he felt there to always make her smile like that again.

The woman behind the counter looked at it for a few seconds until she gave it back to him.

“Yes, she wanted the earliest flight when she arrived here.” She answered, remembering her from before.

The Miller brothers shared an alarmed look. She really must have taken a plane on her own, besides her really bad fear of heights.

“Thank you really much for the information ma’am.” Benny thanked her after breaking eye contact and looking back at her with a slight smile.

“No problem. Is there something else I can help you with?” The woman wanted to know and looked at them questioningly.

“Yes, we have a flight that was booked for later. Would it be possible to rebook it to an earlier one?” Will asked and handed her the tickets and his passport to confirm his identity.

“Let me see… yes, the last free possible flight will be in an hour. Will that be okay with you?” The woman said while looking at her computer, typing away and back up when she found something.

“That would be nice, we take it.” Will answered, letting out a breath of relief. Thank god, they didn’t have to wait for hours here or otherwise we wasn’t sure if he could stay calm any longer. He was close to the line he not wanted to cross and didn’t want to risk overstepping it. He needed to stay strong for Benny and the rest of his brothers, be the rock they needed right now, even if it wasn’t easy despite his own worries for their girl and the anger against himself for letting something happen like that. He’d make sure they got on that plane and do everything he needed till they knew she was okay and she was safe. Till he could hold her in his arms again and apologize for what they had done.

“Here you go, just look out for the announcement. The gate is down the hallway and then to your left. Have a safe flight and a good day.” She smiled and handed him the new tickets and the passport.

“Thank you for everything. Have a good day too.” He said goodbye, giving her a fake smile.

“Do you really think she would go on a plane without us?” Ben asked unsure out of nowhere, looking at Will with stormy blue eyes, that grew darker by the second like his brother’s.

The older man wished he would know the answer himself but every information they had gathered so far was pointing toward it. There was no other possible option in this moment. Why did she come here asking for the earliest flight she could get then? It wouldn’t make sense if she went somewhere else and the woman on the counter would have probably told them if she left without taking her new-booked flight. But she’d never go on a plane without at least one of them, hell it was even a thing on its own to even get her to go into it. And now she should have done that alone all of a sudden? Out of nowhere, like it wasn’t bothering her in the slightest and her anxiety didn’t exist? Will’s head started to hurt from all the overthinking he wasn’t able to stop.

“I don’t know, bro. The only thing I can say is, that everything looks like it.” He answered his brother’s question after a short silence with a sigh.

“How did it go?” Frankie greeted them and searched both of their faces for answers.

“Our flight’s in an hour.” Will answered and handed out the tickets.

“Anyone seen her?” Santiago followed with his question, hoping they’d get more information.

“The woman on the counter said Y/N wanted the earliest flight when she arrived here.” Ben explained trying to temper his mood, lifting his backwards cap to run a hand through his hair and putting it down again.

All of their movements halted and their eyebrows rose comically high on their foreheads.

“Imposible. (Impossible.)” Frankie grunted out in Spanish, not able to hold in his disbelieve any longer at the thought. Turning around with a shaking head while walking a few steps and crossing his arms over his chest.

What made her do that? What was going on with her that she would do something like that? It was so unlike her and in this moment, they felt like they didn’t even know her.

“So, what you wanna tell us is, that she went on a plane all by herself with her anxiety? The same girl that needs at least an hour till we can convince her to get into a fucking thing like that? That would rather walk by foot instead of flying?” The other Spanish man in the group spoke up to voice his thoughts about their newly found out information. Sharing the same feeling with the pilot.

“Look man, I don’t know what the fuck is going on but that is the only thing we’ve got right now and you’re not the only one who thinks how fucked up all this is. All of us know she’d rather die than go near anything that can fly but what if she really did it? There’s no other option what she could have done, otherwise that woman would have told us if she didn’t take her flight.” Will countered with slight agitation in his voice.

“All we can do now is wait anyway.” The captain of the group added and leaned back in his seat.

Not wanting to fuel the tension, the rest of the boys decided to follow Tom’s example and take a seat and wait till their flight would be announced. They’d have 6 long hours ahead of them where they could do nothing but wait and maybe try to get some more sleep.

8 PM, North Carolina, Fort Bragg

When they arrived back at the familiar soil of the Delta Force base 6 hours later, they didn’t know what bomb would be waiting there for them, ready to leave a devastation in its wake none of them could have been prepared for.

“Look who finally decided to join us!” Deryll piped up smiling upon seeing the missing Delta soldiers returning, still on the security shift with his best friend Marc.

“Did they jail your asses in that airport?” Marc joined his friend, greeting the boys laughing and giving them a wave with his hand.

Quick hugs among the men were exchanged, giving each other a pat on the back.

“The fuck are you talking about?” Ben asked afterwards, not knowing what they meant.

“We were worried we had to take care of your girl now.” Mark continued with a wide grin on his face.

The group of five exchanged confused looks for a moment. Knowing they were clearly missing something here.

“You better watch your mouth, hermano.” Santiago threatened him with a serious gaze.

“So you’re letting her fly on her own now, hm?” Deryll threw in while also grinning at his friend across.

“What is this all about?” Tom asked, having enough of being kept out of whatever this was.

“You’re joking right?” Marc said, still amused over the reaction of the men in front of them, not believing their seriousness.

Another round of looks among the boys was exchanged.

“No, we’re not. So would you mind telling us what’s going on here?” Ben spoke up, making his point clear that he wasn’t joking.

That took the two security men by surprise. Sharing a weird look with each other.

“Y/N said there was an issue with your flight, so she took the earlier one when she turned up alone here a few hours ago and we asked her about you.” Deryll explained, his smile slowly fading.

“An issue with our flight?!” Will repeated, making sure he heard correctly.

“Yeah, why?” Marc confirmed it almost in an instant, getting serious now too upon their reactions.

“Where is she?” The younger Miller brother butted in, his voice growing more desperate and serious.

“Calm down man, she’s somewhere in there.” Deryll told him, making a motion with his head toward the entrance of the base.

“Was talking and joking around with us when she arrived here, so no need to worry, dude.” Marc added to his friend’s comment, hoping it would ease up the sudden tension.

“This just gets better and better.” Tom commented sarcastically, shaking his head heavily and running a hand over his face.

“I don’t know what you’re on about but get your asses in there and look for yourself if you don’t believe us. We’ll see you later.” Marc said, crossing his arms now and opening the door for them.

“Yeah, shouldn’t keep your girl waiting!” Deryll shouted after them as loud as possible with a laugh after they walked through the entrance.

“The fuck was that?” Frankie asked confused as they walked through the base toward their bunks.

“Don’t have a fucking clue.” Will replied, shaking his head at him and shouldering his luggage a bit higher on his shoulder.

“Whatever it was, I don’t like it.” Benny commented quietly and mostly more to himself, clenching his jaw.

“We should probably teach them a lesson next time if we get a chance.” Santiago added, letting his sight wander around the base.

“There’s time for that after we reported back to the colonel. Drop off your stuff and meet at the colonel’s office.” Tom ordered and broke off to his bunk when they reached them.

“Yes, sir.” All of them said in unison before splitting and going to their own.

A few minutes later, the boys met in front of the building the colonel was in.

“Let’s get this over with.” Tom sighed and walked in first, followed by Will, Santiago, Ben and Frankie.

The group stopped again at his office, waiting patiently while Tom knocked a few times at the door.

Being beckoned in with a “Come in!”, they all entered and shut the door behind them.

“They finally let you go, hm?” They got greeted by Colonel Sanders, standing up from his chair and nodding at them. Motioning for them to take a seat if someone wanted but all declined his offer, making themselves comfortable while standing next to each other.

“I’m sorry?” Tom asked, surprised by his greeting.

“I heard about your ‘flight issues’.” The colonel elaborated, closely observing his boys.

Their once blank faces changed slightly at that and of course Sanders noticed it right away. There was something wrong, just like he had supposed before.

Standing there in silence for a very long moment, he decided to continue.

“I guess by your reactions that there weren’t any, right?”

The Delta soldiers didn’t quite know how to respond, not knowing themselves what this was all about.

“No, sir?” Ben decided to speak up but actually cringing at how it sounded.

“I thought so. You’re here to report back then?” The colonel answered, walking away a few steps from his desk, his gaze still fixated on them.

“Yes, sir.” Will confirmed, giving him a nod.

“Is there anything you wanna tell me first?” Sanders carefully asked, straightening his position and eyeing them more intently than before.

The boys’ faces immediately fell when they thought back to what they had witnessed in the smuggler’s hideout.

“There was a little ‘incident’ when we cleared the hideout of the smugglers.” Tom answered, trying to not make a big deal out of it.

“A ‘little incident’?!” Ben shouted out angrily and glared at their captain, not believing how he could downplay so easily what they actually had seen.

Colonel Sanders heard enough to know it must have been something really serious, for Ben and the others to act like this.

“Y/N didn’t tell me anything when I asked her. So I wanna know from you what’s going on.”

“Where is she?” The younger Miller asked with worry in his voice, ignoring the comment from the colonel and only thinking about their girl in this moment.

“None of you is leaving this office before someone has told me what the fuck happened on your mission!” Sander’s voice grew louder, making it clear how serious this conversation was and catching the guys off guard by the tone of his voice.

“We… don’t really know.” Frankie answered after a moment, looking to the ground with a guilty expression on his face.

“You don’t know?!” The colonel repeated, not knowing what he should think about it.

“We had cleared the building up to the 6th floor and were checking the 7th. Everything looked clear, we even checked it twice each but then she told us to hold our position because she thought it was not clear. We were convinced that the floor was safe too after checking it multiple times and decided to move on despite her warning and not responding through her com anymore. We got to the last floor without any problems or encounters on the way. There were just a few more guys and our target on the last one that we took care of. After making sure we were done, we headed back down where we were coming from and then… we found her on the floor below.” Will explained cautiously, fully knowing what the colonel’s reaction would be.

“Found her?” Sanders calmly asked, hating where this was going.

“She… was just laying there… with all those bodies and the blood around the floor.” Ben tried to get out, the same feeling he had back there, creeping up his body and making him sick to his stomach again.

The older gray-haired man in the room tried to keep his composure upon hearing the revelation, going back to his chair and needing to sit down for a moment.

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He trusted his boys with his life, they were his best team for a reason. How could they let something like this happen?

“When we got to her, we immediately checked if she was alive and if she had any serious injuries but we found nothing. She only had an anxiety attack and a complete breakdown right after but besides that, she physically was fine somehow. Only a slight scratch on her throat. She slept through the whole drive back to the hotel, where we took care of her gear and cleaned her up a bit since she and her clothes were completely soaked in blood. After, we decided that each of us would take turns to watch her till the next morning to make sure she was okay. Ben woke us a few hours later in the middle of the night, saying that she was gone. That’s all we knew until we tried to find her. We decided to ask around for her in the hotel first and the receptionist informed us that she had paid and checked out already hours ago and took a cab. So we asked some of the drivers outside if they had seen her and one of them said that he took her to the airport, so we went there next after we got everything sorted. My brother and I went to the ticket counter to try and ask for her, which turned out positive. The woman explained that she had been there, wanting the earliest flight when she arrived. That’s everything until we landed and went straight back here.” The older Miller continued his report, making sure to tell everything he knew and lowering his head with an almost pained look.

Now her behavior made at least a little bit more sense but still didn’t explain why she not wanted to be with them anymore.

Colonel Sanders let out a heavy sigh, folding his hands in front of him, trying to think about the best way to tell his boys what their girl had requested from him.

A deathly silence settled over the office until he decided to speak.

“I… have to tell you something.” His gruff voice already a bad omen, sounding like he was about to tell them about her death.

The rest of the men in the room all immediately picked up on the sudden change in his voice, not being used to that kind of tone but already feeling fear creeping up their spines. Not able to say something.

Sanders looked around at each of them before continuing. Making himself ready to drop the already ticking bomb over their heads to explode.

“She requested… to be moved to another team. Immediately.”

Right as the last word had left him, Benny nearly lost it completely. Clearly not expecting anything like this.

“What?!” It was the only word he was able to choke out before he felt his legs nearly giving out under him. He felt like someone had forcefully ripped his heart right out of his chest and left him to die.

His brothers didn’t take it in any different, the ground having been pulled away from right under their feet quite literally. Each of them taking in a sharp breath and needing some support from the wall behind them to keep them upright on their feet. Frankie and Santiago grabbing their caps and lowering them slowly from their heads in front of their bodies.

“This… is all just a bad joke from you and her to get back at us for what happened, right?” Ben tried to convince himself, denying this could be actually true. There was no way in hell that she actually had meant what she said.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” The colonel asked him, his expression unchanged and the same seriousness in his voice than before.

“No…. no, no, no, no, no! That’s- that can’t be…” The devastation was crystal clear in Benny’s voice. His mind completely blanked. He didn’t know what to do with what he had been told a few seconds ago.

All of their faces had turned deathly pale, completely drained from their color in a matter of a second. None of them knew what to say, what to do with that information. They just felt like someone had shot them straight in the head. Never once had any of them even thought about the one impossible thing happening.

“Why?!” The younger Miller screamed and sank on his knees to the floor with tears in his once bright blue eyes that were now swallowed whole by the same darkness that crept up inside of him in that very moment.

“Did… she say anything?” Will didn’t know how he managed to get any words out right now but somehow, they left his mouth without fully registering it.

Colonel Sanders left another heavy sigh and hung his head, knowing full well how his Delta boys must be feeling right now.

“I can’t tell you anything more than this. I’m sorry.” He apologized, hating to have to keep the promise he had given their girl.

“This must all be a mistake! This can’t… be…!” Ben continued sobbing, not being able to hold in his emotions any longer and starting to hit the ground with his right fist he had curled so tight, he could feel the nails digging in his palm and drawing blood.

“I’m so sorry. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this.” Sanders apologized again, not knowing himself what he could do to be there for them.

“Where…? Where… is she?” Having released some of his anger, Ben looked up at the colonel, tears still running down his cheeks.

“I don’t think this is a good idea right now.” The colonel sighed, knowing they probably all wanted to see her but it wouldn’t lead to something good until they at least had cooled off.

“I don’t fucking care! I wanna see her right fucking now!” Benny screamed again, raising suddenly with lightspeed to his full height with his completely shaking body.

Before he did anything he’d regret later, Will was by his side and tried to hold him back and appease him.

“Ben. You need to calm down.”

“No! How can you even stay so fucking calm after this?! Do you even fuckin’ care at all about her?!” His little brother knew fully well that he was crossing a line with this that he shouldn’t but his emotions were all over the place and he couldn’t think straight.

It was the last thread that Will had been hanging on the entire trip back. He couldn’t restrain himself any longer and finally snapped too thanks to his little brother accusing him of not caring for their girl, that was way too precious to him as well.

“You really think, I don’t fucking care about her too?!” He wasn’t able to control his rage anymore, that had been building up gradually more and more inside of him in the last minutes.

Santiago, Frankie and Tom snapped out of their paralyzed state when both of the Miller brothers were about to charge at each other. The look in their eyes one, that promised nothing but death and destruction. But before anything could happen, they intervened. Frankie grabbing and holding back Ben with all his strength and Santiago did his best together with Tom to keep Will separated from his brother.

“You gotta stop, hermano. It’ll be okay. It’ll be fine.” The pilot reasoned with him, looking him dead in the eyes.

“Stop! It won’t help if you jump at each other’s throats! You know that!” Santiago on the other side tried to get through to his friend, knowing he was the more reasonable one of the two right now.

“Enough!” Before anything more could happen, the colonel raised his voice loudly enough to get the attention of all.

“You can be thankful that this has no consequences because of her! Y/N defended all of your stubborn asses with her life when I asked her about what had happened! She even said that it wasn’t your fault!”

His statement felt like another heavy punch in the gut for the boys. Coming back to their senses again, Ben and Will looked guilty to the ground and stopped fighting against the hold of their friends that loosened their grip on them when they felt them relaxing.

None of them dared to say another word, feeling like absolute shit. So the older gray-haired man took it upon himself to continue and try to soothe them at least a little with his words, even if it wouldn’t help the deep gaping wound each of them now had inside.

“Do you think it was an easy decision for me? You think I don’t know how you feel right now too? I tried to convince Y/N to think about her decision at least for a day but she insisted and I can’t deny her that. But we all know that this girl would go through hell and back for you. She’d do anything for her possible to save your asses from whatever mess you drag yourself into. So please try to accept her decision and give her some space and time to think about it. I know it’s a lot right now but you can’t change anything about it in this moment. Go to your bunks and get some rest after all you’ve been through in the last hours. Give yourself some time to process everything and try to stay away from her for the time being. I will keep an eye on Y/N until she decides that she wants you back, you have my promise.”

The boys knew he was right, rationally. But emotionally this whole ordeal was a completely different thing. Especially for Ben, not being able to be with her, hear her voice he loved so much and could listen to from day to night and her laugh that would make his entire day when he heard it, feel and touch her soft skin on his and assured him that she was there with him, to see her smile and knowing it was because of him. All of it had been violently ripped away in a matter of seconds. He never wanted to be a second without her, always wanted to have her by his side and being reminded that someone cared about him, that she was happy and safe. Ben didn’t know if he was able to live without her, how he was supposed to continue from this.

The colonel stood up from his seat and rounded the table to give each of them a long hug, letting them know they weren’t alone in this.

“I’ll see you back here in the morning.” He said and walked back behind his table, watching them as they slowly made their way out with hanging and defeated postures. None of them capable of more than a nod as goodbye.

They went back to their bunks and waited…

…for 8 long years.

A/N: The flashback part had been sitting in my drafts for ages ever since I wrote it along the first chapter of this fic because I wasn't sure when it would fit nicely into the story or if I even wanted to incorporate it at all. But I'm excited to share it with you now and hope it was a good choice to place it here and shed some light to what actually happened from the boys' side of things! 🥰

Buckle up because we are about to go down the rabbit hole! 😎

If you enjoyed feel free to reblog, like and comment! 🥰

Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

#benny miller #benny miller x reader #will miller #william miller x reader #santiago garcia #santiago garcia x reader #francisco morales #frankie morales x reader #triple frontier x reader #triple frontier #triple frontier fanfiction #garrett hedlund #charlie hunnam #oscar isaac #pedro pascal #IGotYourSix

23 notes · View notes

abibliophobiaa · 1 year

Text

Chapter Five Preview: One Bed

Coming 8/29 @ 7pm EST

——

“Are you —”

“Can we go somewhere, Eddie?”

You’d both spoken at the same time, laughing awkwardly as you’d done so. Rushed utterances of the first things that stumbled into your minds. Eddie’s ringed fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter, shifting onto the side of the road with his right blinker.

Once settling the car into park, he turned in the seat your way, worried lines marking his forehead. “Is everything okay?”

“I just…” What did you want, though, really? “I’ve been having a hard time sleeping.” Not quite a lie, and yet not also the full truth as to your whirring thoughts.

“Do you want to go for a walk around our neighborhood?” he suggested, turning the car back on when you’d nodded. “I know you mentioned you were having a hard time a little while back, but I didn’t realize how bad. How long has this been going on?”

“Couple of weeks,” you grumbled out, leaning your head against the window. “Doctor said insomnia is another thrilling side effect of all of this.”

“I’m sorry,” he huffed out, though it was hardly his fault at all and you both knew that, drumming his thumb along the steering wheel. “You could have told me, though. I’d have tried to help you.”

You shrugged, shifting on the seat a bit so you were facing him. Noted the determined line of his lips, his bare arms moving as he steered. “Where are you going? This isn’t the way home.”

“I’m thinking we need dessert for our walk,” he said, the turn signal clicking as you waited to make a left turn into the parking lot. “Chocolate?”

“Mmm Oreo sounds really good right about now.”

“So I have something to ask you and I know it’s kind of out of the blue and last minute and I meant to ask you beforehand but we had Steve’s today and it kind of got pushed to the side.” He said it in a rush, face darkening before your eyes.

“Is this why you’re buttering me up with a milkshake?”

“Maybe.” He said, a little teasing glint in his eyes, the red stop light bathing his skin in the bright glow. “Okay, so, Wayne’s place is getting work done. Something with a burst pipe and he can’t stay there for a couple of days.”

“So you want me to stay with Robin or something —”

“No, no,” he urged with a hand on your forearm. “I just need the guest room for a couple days.”

“Oh, okay.” You nodded, considering. “I can sleep on the couch for a few days.”

“What? Sweetheart, no. I’m not — I’m not making my pregnant —” He paused, catching himself, swallowing thickly. “I’m not making you sleep on the couch.”

“Yeah, but I’m not taking your bed,” you argued, “so I guess we’ll have to share.”

The words spilled out in a rushed breath. You’d not even really thought about what you said until the words were already there, out in the open, exposed for the taking.

“I mean, we’re adults,” you continued, shrugging. “We can sleep in the same bed without it being weird.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding evenly, mulling over your words, “that was easy then. You’ll sleep in my bed. With me.”

——

tag list:

@aurora-austen @lottie-90 @rustboxstarr @daisyridleyyyy @eggo-segual @corrodedseraphine @kjcmama @trixyvixx @lezzy-bennet @aysheashea @siriuslysmoking @micheledawn1975 @ali-r3n @ilovetaquitosmmmm @vintagehellfire @hideoutside @pbs-theundeadmaggot @smells-like-teenwolf @squidscottjeans @royale1803 @marcysbear @josephquinnsfreckles @definitionwanderlust

#luna’s loves #daylight!eddie #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson x pregnant!reader

73 notes · View notes

imagine-a-life-like-this · 1 year

Text

Always Him : Chapter 29

Word Count : 1.2k

Warnings : swearing, fighting, hospital, death mention, police station

Class had just started but both Kayla and Mae ran out of their respective classes, running as fast as they could to the hospital, nothing caring how crazy they looked. Their baby was awake and they were going to see her as soon as they could.

If it was up to them, they never would have left her side. But Jongho promised to take care of her, practically pushing both of them out the door. And when they got to her room, they could see that Jongho lived up to the promise he made them days ago.

Holding the straw up to her mouth so she could take a drink, feeding her slowly, brushing her hair out of her face. He looked at her with a softness in his eyes that neither of them have seen before. It was as if Jongho and Y/n were in their own world, as if nothing else existed to them. Kayla and Mae gave them a couple more minutes to themselves.

“You going to come in or are you just going to stare as us some more?” Jongho teased making Y/n laugh. God did he love her laugh. It was his favourite sound. Something he wishes he could have on repeat.

“Sorry, you two just looked cute.” Kayla said as the two stepped inside the room. “You scared the fuck out of us, Y/n.”

“I know.” Her voice was quiet, but everyone heard her. The three of them were too entuned to her to not hear her. “Can I have my hugs now?” Both Mae and Kayla practically threw themselves on top of her, both trying to hold their tears back. She was alive and that’s all the matters. The what ifs don’t matter anymore, not when she’s awake.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Mae said causing Kayla to look over at her. Kayla could tell by the look on her face that red was the only thing Mae could see.

“It’s a good thing you showed up when you did. Any later and she would have died.” The doctor’s mouth kept moving but Mae heard nothing. She turned around, storming out of the hospital. Kayla called after her to no avail.

“I’m sorry. She’s protective.” Kayla told the doctor before telling him to continue, listening to every word, taking mental notes of everything. She peered into the room every so often, seeing her and Jongho smiling at each other. Jongho was holding her hand, his thumb running over her knuckles. Y/n looked so genuinely happy, her wide smile being something Kayla hadn’t seen in a long time. And she hopes it’s here to stay.

People moved out of Mae’s way as she stormed through the hallways of the school. She saw no one, heard nothing. She was on a mission, red clouding her vision. Class was in session but she didn’t care; she slammed the door open and stormed right up to Hongjoong, punching him in the face with no hesitation. “She was minutes away from dying, you cunt muffin.”

She wanted to yell at him, scream at him, but her voice was wavering as the reality slammed down on her. Hongjoong just stared up at her, holding his face where she punched him. The rest of the class was silent and unmoving, not wanting to get in the way of Mae in this moment.

Reality hit her again and anger filled her veins once more. “I almost lost my fucking best friend because of you!” Hongjoong stood from his desk, trying to stop the attacks coming his way. The other students rushed out the door as the professor called the police, knowing better than to get in the middle.

“Stop hitting me!” Hongjoong yelled, throwing a punch himself. It turned into a full fledged fight between the two. Mae was clearly winning, but that didn’t stop Hongjoong from trying his best.

When the police showed up, handcuffing them both to take them into custody, the tears starting flowing down her face. “She almost died.” She whispered too quietly for anyone to hear. But Hongjoong knew. He knew it was his fault. That if Y/n didn’t wake up he would have been the one everyone blamed. He blamed himself. Why couldn’t he just love her the way she deserved? Why did he have to keep pretending that she was just a friend to him when she meant the world?

“Mae? What the fuck is going on?” Wooyoung asked as she was escorted passed him towards the police car. When Hongjoong was escorted passed him, his face bloodied, Wooyoung knew exactly what happened. And he couldn’t help but be a little turned on seeing her in handcuffs.

Kayla wasn’t surprised when she got the call to go to the police station, knowing exactly what was about to happen when Mae stormed out of the hospital. “She fought him, didn’t she?’ Y/n asked when she saw the look on Kayla’s face. Everyone else in the room looked towards Kayla, not a single person surprised by the news. It was expected, common knowledge. Mae was protective and she hated Hongjoong almost as much as she hated Jeongin.

“Yeah. Hwa could you come to the police station with me?” Seonghwa nodded. “Wooyoung is already there working on getting Mae bailed out. You guys take care of my wife okay?” Kayla said to the others standing around the room.

“I know you’re not going to want to, but please bail Hongjoong out.” Y/n said as Kayla and Hwa walked towards the door. The stopped in the doorway for a second, looking at Y/n who looked at them with tears in her eyes. Kayla nodded.

“Anything for you.” She said before they left. Even after everything he did, Y/n still loved him. The love she had was unwavering, unconditional, and Hongjoong would never know. He’s too blind to realize that Y/n is the only one who would ever love him like this, flaws, and all.

“Leave him to fucking learn his lesson.” Mae said when she realized what Kayla and Seonghwa were doing. Wooyoung had his arms wrapped around her, pressing soft kisses to her skin here and there. He wanted to remind her he was there, that he loved her.

“We have a special request from Y/n to bail him out even though we don’t want to.” Kayla said. Seonghwa glared over to Hongjoong, silently asking him if he heard what Kayla said. Hongjoong was prepared to stay until they released him the next day, but of course Y/n would be the one to save him, even if indirectly.

Part of him wishes she wouldn’t love him this much. He’s done nothing but hurt her, selfishly keeping her when he knew she deserved more than he could give her. Yet the other part of him couldn’t help but feel happy. His heart swelled and his eyes filled with tears. Even after everything is said and done, she still loves him.

back to masterlist

@mxnsxngie @maeleelee @lethallyprotected @choisoorin @berryblog @anyamaris @nebulousbookshelf @junebug032 @jaydebow @halesandy @okkkcausewhet @dandycharmer @aestheticsluut @the-anarchist-public @kpoprhia @hanschimpmunk @itsmeeekai @grayscorner @weird-bookworm @minhoino @ibedreaminghighupinthesky @kpop-in-new-albion @felixmainacc @yunstarz @writersun @thatfavouritesong @hegdus @alyszaen @smally97 @chanscase143 @lookitsjess

107 notes · View notes

rickmymanrick · 1 year

Text

one rule | chapter one |

[rick grimes x original female character slowburn]

summary: unbeknownst to them, best friends glenn rhee and daphne ayala spend the last 48 hours of normalcy they’ll ever have before their lives are changed forever.

note: this story will include a Shane Walsh romance BUT it will be unrequited. Do not worry. This is VERY unedited but I wanted to get at least one chapter out. We'll get into the events of the show by the next chapter. also, acab. the plot calls for this small bit but acab forever.

Tap, tap, tap-tap-tap!

The light pattern on my door stole my attention from the array of papers scattered across the coffee table.

I tried to scan the last sentence of the page quickly.

Suddenly, a loud TAP!

"Delivery!" A high-pitched tone squeaked from the other side of the door. I grinned down at the document and rushed to open the door. I heard someone clear their throat and opt for a more caveman-like growl. "DELIVERY—"

I laughed, swinging the door open and narrowly avoiding my best friend's fist. If I'd taken any longer, he would've banged the door down with his knocks alone.

I went for the box of pizza in his grasp and placed a fleeting kiss on his cheek before rushing over to the kitchen island.

"Wow, no 'hi? How are you? How was work?' Is this what society has come to?" I heard the door shut and a flurry of movements. I didn't bother to look up from my current task.

"Glenn Rhee," I began in the sweetest voice I could muster. "Hi. How are you? How was work?"

"Great! Got cursed out by some asshole for doing my job today," said Glenn pleasantly, accepting the beer I held out for him.

I smiled at him through my mouthful of pizza. "That's fun. What was it today?"

"Got to this dude's house 29 minutes after he ordered," he chewed on his slice aggressively. You'd think he would hate pizza from the amount of shit he has to go through at work.

"You're an expert at what you do, Rhee."

"That free pizza comes out of my paycheck," Glenn scoffed. He clearly took the 30-minute rule very seriously.

"Did he leave a tip?"

"No."

"What an asshole."

Glenn nodded at the mess on our coffee table. "Looks like you've had a busy day."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatic cringe. "'Member the car chase that was all over the news last week?"

Glenn nodded.

"Got assigned to the case. The cop that got shot, he's not doing too hot right now," I told him, grabbing my second slice. I picked off a pepperoni and shoved it in my mouth.

I resisted the strong urge to eat the rest of the pepperoni on my half of the pizza. I eyed Glenn's half distastefully—I would never, ever appreciate pineapple on pizza. I'll die on that hill.

He took a large swig of his beer. "That's a pretty big upgrade from petty theft, Daph."

"Yeah, I guess it is." I tried not to focus on the subject of my investigation, gulping down a large amount of beer.

"Have you made any progress?" I appreciated Glenn's interest.

"Well, it's definitely not the officer's fault. They had every reason to believe that there was only two people in that overturned car." I eagerly crossed the living room and snatched up my half-written report. "The KCPD failed to inform the responding officers so I mean, technically Grimes can sue."

"Grimes?" Glenn raised his eyebrows in recognition. "You mean super hot hip-swaying cop?"

My ears felt hot. "That's the one."

My heart pummeled to my chest the more I thought about it. Out of all the people that could've been wounded on the field, it had to be Officer Rick Grimes, a coworker of mine that I saw pretty often around the precinct. I was fully convinced he had fully forgotten about my existence seeing as our respective lines of work didn't cross paths too often. We'd only interacted a handful of times in the last three years I'd been working at King County PD, but that didn't stop me from noticing him as soon as I got hired.

It's unfortunate he's married-- Rick Grimes was the most attractive man I've ever met and of course, Glenn was the first to know about it. I wouldn't deny that he was, without a doubt, my work crush. I mentally cringed at the thought. I felt like a teenage girl again.

The sudden sound of the news filtered in from Glenn's bedroom.

There was a split second of pure fear that flashed in Glenn's eyes and I gave him an amused smile. "We gotta change that tv one of these days."

He quickly snatched up another slice and shoved it in his mouth. "I'm busy, Daph. Can you please go turn it off?"

I poked his side before moving around him to enter his room. His tv had started turning on by itself almost every day since he bought it in July.

"Your 30-day warranty is almost up, Glenn!" I pointed out loudly, reaching for the remote that was thrown on his bed. "Where did you buy this haunted shit from aga--?"

"Several cases have been reported across the continental US, leading us to believe that this new virus may be more serious than we thought. Joining us here from Atlanta is CDC virologist Dr. Edwin Jenner, giving us the latest updates—"

Glenn strolled into the room just as I finished raising the volume. "Your beer is getting hot—what's going on?"

"Thanks, Anne. As of today, August 26th, the President of the United States has declared a national emergency due to the spread of the Wildfire-10 virus. The CDC has been in constant communication with the White House and we expect President Milton to announce a mandatory evacuation this afternoon in his address."

Glenn and I eyed each other in confusion.

"Evacuation?" The New York reporter responded in equal confusion. I faintly heard someone behind the camera that the mic must've picked up – "How is a whole country going to evacuate?" – and I would've laughed if I wasn't so damn confused right now.

"It's hard to say, Anne, we're not entirely certain which states will receive this order but what we do know is that it's imperative that we do our best to avoid leaving our homes for anything other than work and necessities. Practice social distancing and listen to the advice the CDC has been giving you for the past week.

"And for those viewers who might've missed it, do you mind recapping the earlier update given to us by CDC director Holt?"

"Sure," Jenner smiled. It made me feel uneasy. "This is an extremely life-threatening virus that could very well spread more rapidly than other illnesses we've seen before. The CDC has been working diligently with other health organizations across the globe, primarily The Primrose Team in France, and we can confidently say we're working on an effective vaccine."

"Thank you, Dr. Jenner. To all those watching from home, this isn't a cause for mass panic. Soon, the world will resume just as we know it..."

But something told me it wouldn't ever be the same.

"Ayala! How's my favorite girl doing?"

Ah, the oh so pleasant voice of my favorite coworker greeted me the second I walked through the doors of the precinct.

"Doing just fine, Walsh. How about you?" I forced a smile on my face. I didn't hate Shane Walsh... he was just... too chirpy for this bright hour. In fact, he was too witty for any hour. My natural reaction to his presence was usually automatic irritation.

"Just fine myself, pretty lady." There it was. The relentless flirting. I had gotten a break when his partner first ended up in the hospital -- my heart sunk at the reminder -- but now that it had been a month or so since, he's slowly started to resume his regularly scheduled programming. Partner or not, shooting or not, Shane Walsh would forever be a manwhore.

I entertained him sometimes. It was just a bit of harmless flirting for the most part. He knew where the line was, which is more than I can say for a lot of other men.

I dropped my briefcase on my desk and Shane crossed the space to hover right over my work area. I threw myself down onto my seat with a small groan.

My head was pounding. I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck tenderly. A shuffle of movement caused me to end my massage much faster than I wanted to.

I opened an eye, swearing to the heavens above that if Shane was still hovering with that stupid grin on his face, today would be the day I finally resort to violence.

The shit-eating grin was surprisingly not looking back at me. Instead, it was a sympathetic smile with a steaming coffee in his outstretched hand.

I snatched the damn thing before he could change his mind.

"You're a lifesaver," I moaned. "Seriously Shane, you might just be the best cop in Georgia. Have I ever told you that?"

"No, but I've heard it once or twice," boasted Shane. I rolled my eyes. It certainly wasn't from the chief.

"You're unbelievable, Walsh," I shook my head with a laugh. I eagerly sipped from the coffee and then wanted to kiss the everloving shit out of this man.

I scorched my throat but I didn't care. "How do you know the way I like my coffee?" I gaped.

Shane shrugged. "I'm observant."

"Clearly," I said. "Thank you. I needed this."

"That's one mean hangover," said Shane with a smirk.

I tried not to spill my coffee as I leaned forward to look at my reflection in the little desktop mirror I had. My hair turned out pretty nice today, it wasn't very frizzy or anything and sure the darkness under my eyes was a bit more prominent but nothing too out of the ordinary. I leaned back when I was satisfied with my look.

"Vanity doesn't suit you, sweetheart," Shane said lightly. "I was only teasing. You look as beautiful as you did yesterday, and the day before that, and the week before that."

"Do you not have anything else to do other than flirt with me?" I joked. Secretly, I didn't mind it all too much. Shane wasn't a bad looking guy, especially with the grown-out hairstyle he was currently sporting. I'm a sucker for long hair.

"As it turns out, I actually don't--" I rolled my eyes again and logged into my computer. "--partner."

I slowly shifted my gaze from the computer screen to Shane.

"Talked to the chief today. She didn't mind switching it up for this week. I was getting sick of Stone over there--" we both looked over at the grumpy guy who acted like happiness was a first degree crime. "-- and besides, you're prettier to look at--" I shoved him off the edge of my desk. He stumbled a bit and corrected himself quickly. "-- you're easier to work with, Jesus."

"What do we have for today then?"

Shane grinned.

For the next eight hours, I'd spend most of it in the car with Shane. I wanted to say it was a miserable time but it wasn't. Shane wasn't too bad once he stopped purposely being obnoxious. We mostly talked about the most interesting King County cases over the years, bonded over subs from some gas station just outside of our area of jurisdiction, and after the first five hours, Shane had started to talk about his personal life.

"I told Lori-- maybe it's time she starts preparing Carl for the worst. You know, just in case. Man, Rick - he's my best friend, my brother - you know - but it's been a while. I'm tryin' to avoid Carl some pain."

"I understand," what else was I supposed to say? "It isn't an easy situation."

"No," Shane agreed. "And let me tell you something, it's only gonna get worse. This whole virus thing going around - if it turns out we gotta evacuate soon, who knows how far Rick will be transferred?"

I felt bad for the way my heart sank at the prospect. Rick has a wife and a child. Where he gets relocated and the progress of his recovery shouldn't matter this much to me. Maybe I wouldn't feel as bad if I wasn't harboring this silly little crush.

It was nearing 4 o'clock when Shane and I finally clocked out, walking side-by-side towards the parking lot. I noticed his car was parked on the far opposite end and began to say my goodbyes--

"Hey, you don't happen to have any plans tomorrow, would you?"

"I don't think so. They didn't put me on the schedule last minute, did they?" I asked, somehow missing the growing redness on Shane's cheeks.

"No," he said quickly. "I - well, uh - I was wondering if you - "

I froze, clutching the satchel that was thrown over my shoulder and suddenly feeling just a bit uncomfortable. I could tell this wasn't work related.

"Uh, I don't normally get nervous like this," he chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "You and me, dinner tomorrow? We can go to that Italian place you said you really like - "

"Ilio's," we chorused. It was the bare minimum, but I couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was actually listening earlier.

Oh why the fuck not? Shane wasn't a bad looking guy, and with the imminent threat of quarantine around the corner, I could use a night out before we were forced to stay away from society for God knows how long.

The longer I thought it through, the more nervous Shane became. It was honestly quite entertaining and I reserved my response for just a bit longer just so I could watch him fidget in his spot.

I finally spoke. "Pick me up at 7, then."

A look of surprise flashed across his face. I couldn't blame him - I had been rejecting every single one of his advances for the past three years we'd known each other. He was a dedicated guy, I'll give him that.

Laughing at his expression, I began to walk away before I could regret it.

"I'll call you!" He finally said. I could hear the smile on his face.

I threw him a thumbs up without looking back. I was a few steps away from my car when I suddenly recalled him mentioning something about visiting Rick tomorrow afternoon. "Let me know how Rick is doing!" I glanced back to make sure he heard me.

Redness spread across my cheeks when I saw him still standing in the same spot, staring at me with a dazed look.

I pushed a curl behind my ear, the wind wasn't on my side today. I waited for a response and it seemed he hadn't processed what I said. "Will you?" I pressed.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah, I will!"

"Okay," I smiled. "Bye!"

Before he could respond, my phone began to ring in my back pocket. I fished it out and pressed it against my ear, holding it against my shoulder as I searched for my keys.

"Hey," I greeted, unlocking the car and shifting into drive as soon as the engine turned on.

"Daph, you on your way home?"

The call connected to my car and I saw Shane finally getting into his car as I drove out onto the small street. "Yeah, I am. Why?"

"We gotta start packing."

"Um, why?"

"Turns out, we're in the evacuation zone."

I caught my last glimpse of Shane, realizing our date would likely be rescheduled.

Glenn continued. "It's more serious than we thought."

Great.

next chapter...

#rick grimes x original female character #rick grimes x daphne ayala #rick grimes x reader #rick grimes x oc #rick grimes #the walking dead #the walking dead fanfic #twd #twd fanfic #glenn rhee #shane walsh #shane walsh x reader #shane walsh x original female character #shane walsh fanfic

48 notes · View notes

ofsappho · 1 year

Text

treehouse chapter 29 (tumblr version)

🔞 Dream of the Endless I Lord Morpheus x reader 🔞

Unplanned pregnancy, SMUT. 8.5k words of sin.

crossposted to AO3 (want to read the whole story? click here)

You run and Morpheus goes after you. Tags under read more. posted here for the folks who want the smut without wading through a ton of plot.

SMUT TAGS:

primal kink, hide and seek/running and hunting, CNC, consent check ins, aftercare, tentacles if you squint, one sided hate sex (she hates him, he loves her)

Reader POV:

You stop screaming about halfway down once you realize that you’re not falling - you’re floating. Like a fucking flower petal.

You land feet-first on the soft, green grass outside the castle and promptly ruin everything by stumbling to your knees, scraping your skin raw and red against the dirt. It’s not your fault. Flying wasn’t on the fucking agenda.

The storm above roils with flashes of sickly yellow lightning and sullen, moody clouds.

Anger bleeds from you like the slit throat of the man you murdered. The feeling clings to your skin, warming you against the tempest’s chill.

It’s been a very long time since you’ve punished someone other than yourself, and you lust half-starved for Morpheus’s misery, for the chance to try your freshly-blooded canines.

As you get to your feet, the fog surrounding you lifts just enough to show flashes of a thick, thorny wood up ahead. A forest fashioned from charcoal shadows and long, spindly branches with no leaves. Not trees, only their skeletons.

It will do. Does the dried blood on your shirt make you some kind of morbid Little Red Riding Hood? If that’s the case, the Big Bad Wolf always dies in the end. Perfect.

Without looking back, you sprint for it.

Lucienne POV

While Lucienne’s life has become more exciting since Lord Morpheus decided to make you his business, it certainly hasn’t gotten easier.

After all, what is his business is her business. Therefore, you and your relationship are her business.

She was doing a perfectly acceptable job managing everything, she thinks to herself somewhat crossly, until the two of you decided to make her life worse.

But while she doesn’t understand why you are trying to escape when you will never, ever make it out of this realm without the Lord’s permission, she accepts that it is not her place to question such… obscure, esoteric decisions and seeks to assist you as requested. To an extent.

Why, is Lord Morpheus’s coat on fire? Lucienne hasn’t seen him so worked up since Rose Walker. Not even then. “Where is she?” He demands, using the rolling thunder and howling wind as his voice.

Play dumb. “…Who is ‘she,’ my lord?” Lucienne winces. Perhaps not that dumb.

Though none of the books can catch fire, as they are not written upon flammable, single-use Waking-world paper, Lucienne resists the urge to beat the hem of his flaming robe away from the stacks of parchment and dream-paper. Call it a librarian’s force of habit.

“My- my intended.” The king’s glare would put the fear of the Endless in any lesser being.

But Lucienne is no lesser being. In fact, she’s rather put out at the complete absence of decorum Lord Morpheus has seen fit to show… this entire debacle.

Sneaking around like a common thief? Lying to you, keeping you completely unaware of the station that he has elevated you to? Casting disgrace and disrepute on the Dreaming and its people by terrifying you of it so?

Lord Morpheus practically dragged you here stark naked and screaming, for all intents and purposes.

And to add insult to injury, he dares to act as though she should be thrilled to debase herself before him.

“I don’t recall ever meeting your intended, my king. You must forgive me,” Lucienne snaps, peering at the figure on fire over the tops of her spectacles.

She is not so decrepit as to misremember when Lord Morpheus formally put forth his suit for the Lady Calliope.

Every realm and kingdom rang with it. Lord Morpheus brought the Lady Calliope in full honor through the Gates of Horn and Ivory, in a gleaming chariot of gold drawn by Helios’s horses covered in rose garlands.

In Lucienne’s unasked opinion, it is the height of disrespect on her Lord’s part to deprive you of such honors. She’s not surprised you’ve rejected him, and neither should he.

His flaming cloak flares blue, leaving holes in the carpet. Repairing them will significantly inconvenience Merv. They may need to replace the whole floor at the rate their king is going. What a pointless waste of a good carpet.

“You are my Vizier. You are my right hand. If you cannot tell me where that woman is, I will throw you out that window myself. And then I shall strip you of your position and seal, and set the hounds of Hell on what remains of you.”

Lucienne doesn’t think it’s nearly that serious. But then again, she has never been in love like Lord Morpheus loves, nor has she misstepped the way Lord Morpheus perennially steps on cracks in concrete.

In her mind, Lucienne apologizes to you. She hoped to grant you a little more time. “She went that way,” Lucienne says, gesturing to the Great Beyond on the outskirts of the kingdom. Hopefully, you’ve made it far enough to enact whatever chaotic scheme you’re brewing.

“Good luck, Lord Morpheus!” He’ll need it.

Lucienne watches the king disappear without a word of thanks. Once she’s sure that he’s gone, she goes to inspect the damage to the library.

Her earlier fears were warranted; the carpet is done for, along with a few floorboards. They’re singed to a crisp, filling the air with an acrid, burnt stink. With a long, suffering, frustrated sigh, Lucienne summons the pumpkin-headed caretaker.

Reader POV

Your shoes-

They’re getting in the way. The laces have come undone, and you trip over them, then over a series of tree roots rippling above the ground.

When you kick them off in an impulsive, frustrated fit, you expect the ground to be full of sharp things, thorns, jagged pebbles, and maybe even a few bones.

Your feet instead sink into pillowy-soft dirt. As soon as your toes go near a twig, the hard edges around it blunt until it metamorphoses into a blade of tender young grass. The pebbles turn into balls of fuzzy moss, and upon closer inspection, the bones are oddly shaped mushrooms.

So Lucienne was telling the truth when she said nothing in this place could hurt you.

The wind picks up, blowing your hair around your face in a halo and rustling through the leaves in a high, wailing sound, screeching like a pulled fire alarm left too long.

The hairs on your arms stand, and goosebumps trail down your spine.

As you start to run again, you wonder if you’re not only hearing the wind but also some wounded creature crooning and crying out for help.

It’s coming from behind you, from the castle.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

You feel a cramp open up in your side from running so hard, from panting and clawing for oxygen to keep you upright and moving.

The forest goes on and on, a never-ending series of towering, menacing dead trees with gaping shadows and a horizon that grows increasingly distant no matter how far you go.

Fragments of dried bark dig into your palm as you brave yourself on a withered tree trunk.

Run.

You lurch a few feet forward.

The shadows grow maws. They grow fangs. They nip at the backs of your heels.

Morpheus is coming for you.

Everything aches, but you keep going. Your stomach grows nauseous, but you keep going.

The sky above you turns a sickly shade of blue-gray, a horrible warning sign for the torrent of freezing rain about to accompany your desperate, hunted flight.

He will catch you, stick his claws in your back, and parade you through that grand palace in chains.

Or not.

Morpheus says he loves you. Look at what you’ve done with your love for him. No chains are needed for the dead.

But who knows?

You don’t. You do know better than to hope.

That thought carries you just a little further. No matter how weary or wounded you become, you’ll never stop fighting for yourself or your baby bird.

Your heart pounds in your chest like a war drum, and your blood sings in your veins.

You flee past two trees, then three, then four. Their long arms beckon you to turn down one of their dark, haunted paths, to put your back to the horizon and lose yourself in the underbrush like a rabbit running straight into a trap.

You cling to slivers of gold and orange sunbeams peeking through the branches with all the dying hope you can dredge up. The edge of the forest isn’t that far away. You’ll feel the sun on your face and outrun the storm in a moment.

A twig snaps.

Something takes a step. It breathes.

At the corner of your eyes, the shadows pulse and twist.

So he’s found you. You never truly thought you’d make it out of here, but disappointment weighs on your chest like a brick pulling you into the depths of a cold, unforgiving lake. The forest may have had no end, and you were only deluding yourself that it did.

The scent of salt and ice is so heavy in the air that you can taste frozen crystals forming on the roof of your mouth, briny with a tinge of iron.

A dark, endless void of shadows blocks your path, reaching the top of the stormy sky. “Boo.” Morpheus wears a disgusting smile filled with sharp white teeth. It makes you feel things. Abject terror. The impulse to drop to your knees and beg for mercy. And a sick, sadistic heat under your skin.

He came hunting.

You love it.

He wears a red flush on his stark white cheeks as if chasing you took effort. “Dream.” The show is appreciated, even though you both know his godly biology doesn’t work like that. A+ for effort.

It enhances the glowing blue of his irises, like twin stars shining bright in his face against the rich obsidian cloak with a smoking hem flaring around his shoulders. He is a stained glass painting of an archangel, and you are the creature of clay and Adam’s blood barred from Heaven.

You watch the razor edge of his teeth sink into his bottom lip with a feeling reminiscent of envy rotting in the pit of your stomach.

His voice has the sensuality of freshly carded silk brushing over bare skin. “How on earth did you find yourself out here, beloved? These woods are dangerous. They say there is a monster here that eats pretty girls.” Morpheus tilts his head slightly, and his smirk widens.

Your rust-colored nails flex and dig into the hem of your sweater. “Do you get many of those passing through?” You snark back. If I’m so special, prove it. Do what you wouldn’t do for a goddess, or a queen, or a star.

Unfortunately, the blow doesn’t land. He acts like you’re the only person he’d come for. “None as pretty as you. So what are you doing alone? My lady, I’d be delighted to lead you back to the castle. You’re shivering.” There is a grating, patronizing indulgence in his tone. He’s fucking humoring you. He knows you’re full of shit and that no matter how hard you deny it, his feelings are a truth you can’t sully.

That doesn’t mean you’ll give up. “I’m not going back.” How far can you go before Morpheus turns away? How terrible and cruel and horrible can you be before he decides you’re not worth the trouble?

You want- no, need to find out.

It’s only fair. You have suffered, and you never stopped loving him. Let Dream suffer and see if his love endures, if he’s even half the person you are.

In the blink of an eye, the shadows disappear as if they were never there. “Anything could happen to you. Some fiend could carry you off-“ Morpheus says evenly as his cloak shifts into the elegant coat you adore.

Now, he is but a beautiful stranger in the woods. Your clothes are a weak, flimsy barrier to his searching, heated gaze, trailing intimately over the full curves of your body and your rounded belly.

Has Morpheus read your mind and revealed your own brutal desire concealed in your skull like a minefield waiting to explode? “You’ve already done that.” Maybe he didn’t need to. You’ve given yourself away in your dilated pupils, and how you gave up on running as soon as you got what you wanted.

“Hurt you-“ Dream ignores your provocation as he spreads his long-fingered hands, showing he holds no weapon or trick.

For every step he takes towards you, you take one back. “You also already did that,” You frostily remind him.

Morpheus’s coat would irritate you less if it were cast off on the ground and crushed into the dirt along with the rest of his clothes. His hair would be prettier fucked up and tugged between your fingers. You might be able to stand the sight of his mouth better if it were bleeding and bruised from your teeth.

The corner of his mouth ticks up as his eyes gleam with mischief. “Or dishonor you, right here. Who would hear you scream?” He backs you against a tree, and the bark snags your sweater. “Nobody,” Morpheus leans in to whisper. His collarbones peek out of the neckline of his shirt, as delicately articulated as the hollow bones of a bird.

Heat stirs in your blood at the sight.

You felt good watching that man die for Morpheus. And then empty, dreadfully empty. “Don’t touch me,” You hiss, more of a challenge than a deterrent. You want to feel good again.

Morpheus could make you feel good again.

A black shade knocks on your skull at the edges of your vision and politely asks to be let in. Your eyes roll back as it walks through the door you’ve opened inside of yourself and sees what you define as ‘good.’

“…Is that what you really want, darling?” Dream asks, both mocking your resistance and subtlety, softly acknowledging what he found behind your eyes.

Bile builds in your mouth. No. No softness. He has no right. “Why would I ever let you near me again? You are a liar and a fucking dick,” You hiss venomously before gathering saliva and spitting straight into his face.

Morpheus blinks a few times, his eyes round and blameless. “I love you.” For a single breathless second, you don’t hate him, and he never hurt you. You’re two children playing tag in the grass or tackling each other into the dirt.

You snap out of it. “Fuck off.” You feel a thousand degrees hotter. Sticky sweat gathers under your clothes along the heavy curve of your breasts and clings to the small of your back.

He braces one muscled arm on the tree above you and leans in to take in the scent of your hair, so close that his lips almost skim the shell of your ear. “I adore you like this. Fighting me, fighting yourself. It’s charming.” You shiver, unable to stop yourself from reacting.

He’s not touching you. When he exhales, you feel his breath pass over your cheek. He takes a step closer, looming tall and majestic over you. Morpheus delicately pins his arm on your other side, effectively boxing you in.

But he’s still not touching you.

You swallow quickly.

“I’m not fucking doing it for your benefit. Can’t you take a hint? I said no. You have shown me amply this past month how little of a fuck you give. So why don’t you keep doing that and go the fuck away?”

Despite his best efforts at seeming harmless, you can’t shake the impression of his wild, almost-inhumanly blue eyes and too-gaunt cheekbones, like a wraith wearing an angel’s wings.

His eyes trail over your flushed cheeks and the pink of your tongue as you lick your lips.

He reaches out to cradle your face before pulling his hand back when he sees you lean in. “Ah, so this is a test. You want to see how far I’m willing to go. You want to see what I’ll do for you, how long I’ll wait, and how much patience I have,” Morpheus murmurs in a voice as soft as fog.

You should-

You should tell him that he’s got it all wrong. You should tell him that you’ll never forgive him and there’s nothing he can do. You’ve made up your mind and hardened your heart.

“And if it is?”

He kisses you.

The worst part is that you let him.

Morpheus’s hands clutch you against him, your belly brushes his coat, his lips are warm and inviting, and he kisses you like he’s waited his whole long immortal life to do it. His tongue brushes yours, drawing a quiet moan from you. He tastes like salt and musk, and your arms circle his neck, pulling him further into your kiss.

“Then I look forward to passing it,” Morpheus says breathlessly as he breaks away, pressing his forehead to your temple as if nothing is wrong.

With strength you didn’t know you had, you take him by the lapels of his coat and shove him back. Fuck him. Fuck this.

You turn and run before he realizes what’s happening. Panic isn’t egging you on anymore - it’s your fury, smothered slightly but not anywhere near finished. Oh no, you’re not fucking done with Morpheus. You want to see him draped in your agony, you want the light in his eyes extinguished.

You don’t make it two feet. Darkness wraps you up in a warm, gentle embrace, blocking out the whole world other than Dream, watching you struggle with his arms crossed over his chest.

Shadows thread around your wrists, pinning them behind your back. “Running away again? I’ll always catch you, and you’ll never escape.” Morpheus runs a finger along your jawline. His skin feels cool, and the touch is far too tender.

“You don’t know half of what I’m capable of.” Your glare would singe his stupidly immaculate hair off if it could.

His finger trails down your throat and hooks in the neckline of your bloody sweater, pulling it slightly away from your body. “I think I do. I think I know you better than anyone else, dead or alive.” For every ounce of your poison, Dream gives you back steady, unwavering adoration, tugging on the sweater without shying from the stains.

When the damned thing gives, you’re not even that upset. It falls to the ground in two pieces, leaving you in your tank top and pants.

“What the fuck?” You squirm in your makeshift binds, trying and failing to find a sharp edge you could use to convince him to release you.

“That divine mouth of yours may lie, but this,” Morpheus hisses as he rests his palm at the base of your throat to feel your blood rush crazed and wild at his touch. “This doesn’t.” The corner of his mouth turns up as you moan, reluctantly eager for him to tighten his grasp just a little more.

Morpheus tuts before releasing your throat.

Before your feelings smart from the loss, his shadows pluck at the straps of your tank top. “How fucking dare you? Get off of me.”

“But I don’t want to,” Morpheus parries in a high-pitched, playfully mocking tone.

Oh, he has a goddamn death wish. “Do you think I care?” When one of the shadowy tendrils tries to sweep lovingly across your cheek, you bite it. Hard. It tastes like fresh snow. You far prefer it to Desire’s sickly-sweet flesh.

With a single flick of his hand, he makes a deep crimson mark appear on his throat, a perfect image of the imprint of your teeth. Morpheus tilts his face as proudly as if he were wearing a crown.

“I’ve thought about having you like this, bare in our home, ever since I left you.” He rids you of your pants with surgical precision, casting the shreds of rust-speckled fabric somewhere, never to be found again. As Morpheus turns to your tank top, his shadows tighten their grip on your hands, pushing your chest forward.

You watch the intelligence and rational thought die in his eyes when he sees your breasts free of clothing, hanging round and heavy in the cool air.

“What? You’ve never seen my boobs before?” You snarl after growing tired of a full minute of speechlessness.

Your dark binds tug you back and back until you find yourself held upright by a tree trunk.

Dream delicately sweeps strands of your hair away from your throat so he can see without obstruction. “They’re… they’re bigger,” He whispers hoarsely. His fingers pause in their exploration of your sternum long enough to feel your pulse thudding under your skin.

Then he covers one of your breasts with his palm. You hear him groan under his breath when he realizes there’s far too much you for one of his hands. “I distinctly, intimately, precisely remember the shape and size of yours, and they’ve grown…” His fingers knead your soft breasts slowly, relieving a tenderness you didn’t even know you had.

There’s absolutely nothing sacred or respectful in his eyes glittering like sapphires. He only has a wolf’s hunger for a rabbit for you.

And then his face is pressed to the crook of your neck, his lips moving on the column of your throat as he runs a thumb over your nipple once, twice.

His touch feels different. Maybe he’s fucking with your head, or maybe being pregnant has done something to your nerves. Every little movement feels like too much pleasure and not enough of it at the same time.

Heat washes through you, blooming from his mouth and his hands to pour into your belly. “Fuck, you’re so fucking creepy, oh-“ You gasp, hating how much your body craves him.

Your underwear sticks to your thighs as you shift in search of a position that lessens the ache in your core.

Your head falls against the tree as you writhe in his hold. He runs his nails along the curve of your breast, greedily soaking in your every whimper and how you jolt, unconsciously arching closer.

You feel Morpheus lick a hot line along your throat. “Sensitive.” His other hand clutches your waist, your round hips, then palms your ass. A contented groan rumbles deep in his chest.

In revenge, you tug fervently at his coat, getting it about halfway down his strong shoulders before you start clawing at his shirt. The fabric disappears beneath your fingers, leaving him as bare-chested as you.

Instead of avoiding your nails, Morpheus encourages you to carve gilded furrows into his back. “I’m sorry, I cannot- I can’t help myself,” He says, far too pleased with himself to mean that stupid apology.

You look down to see what’s captured his attention now, only to find your tits littered with fingerprint bruises.

That sudden movement displeases him, and he pins you against the tree with a hand on your throat. “Beautiful. And when I…” When he leans down to take one of your nipples into his hot mouth and sucks, bolts of lightning dance and fizz under your skin, electrifying every nerve.

Your hips tremble and push towards him as your dripping cunt pulses and flexes around nothing. “Stop it,” You moan, trying to shove him away yet only managing to tangle your fingers in his hair. Then he switched to your other breast, kissing and lapping at the hypersensitive skin. “Oh God.” You give up fighting for a moment, too caught up in the sensations to care about your pride.

Morpheus barely has to apply the slightest pressure with his knee for your legs to part.

His fingers drag along your inner thighs to capture the arousal leaking through your panties. Before you get the chance to feel ashamed, Dream sucks his shiny fingers into his mouth, savoring your taste with an almost-blissful glaze across his eyes.

With his lips still coated in you, Morpheus looks like the very picture of sin.

After he’s cleaned his fingers, he runs them along the soaked cloth covering your cunt, pressing down just enough to tease. “You’re so needy, my love. I’m horribly cruel, aren’t I, letting you suffer in this state without my assistance.” You grind your hips against his hand, trying to get him to do something about your needy, swollen clit, desperate for relief.

He tastes like salt and sex when he kisses you. “I’m here now. I’ll take care of you.” Morpheus tears through your underwear like ripping paper. He works your clit with his thumb until you’ve soaked his palm and then slides a single finger into your pussy. Without waiting for you to adjust, he sinks in a second finger knuckle-deep.

You cry out, shaking like a leaf, as your core spasms and milks his digits. You thought that could satisfy the ache but it barely scratches the surface. You need more-

You take his chiseled face between your hands and drag him down for another kiss. “I literally despise you.” To spite him further, you mulishly keep your mouth shut as he starts fucking you with his long fingers.

It turns out that your stifled whines aren’t needed. Your wet cunt more than makes up for it. Loud, soaked squelches echo, and your legs shut to hide the sounds. That only forces Dream’s fingers deeper into your pussy and grinds your throbbing clit into his palm.

You can’t stay quiet a second longer, not as your stomach tightens and tears gather in your eyes from the rush. Those breathless, pathetic noises are all yours, and Morpheus answers them with a breathless laugh.

He keeps up a steady rhythm, carefully and precisely aiming for that sensitive spot deep inside that drives you fucking insane. “You want me to be the villain? Is that it?”

You sink your teeth into his shoulder as deep as they’ll go as your thighs shake, ecstasy rushing painfully through your muscles.

His eyes burn a brighter shade of sapphire when you bite him again. “You wish for me to be cruel? To torment you?” Morpheus wraps his other arm around your hips to help you fuck yourself on his digits. “No, beloved. I won’t,” He purrs in your ear and then kisses away the sweat from your brow.

“Go fuck yourself, Morpheus. I hate you. I hate you,” You chant in a trembling, weak voice. He doesn’t need to help you anymore, you’re shamelessly riding his hand and dripping slick to the ground.

“And I love you.”

You cry out at his words. They fucking- they do something that makes you feel hotter, more sensitive, drives you closer to the edge.

“I want- that’s it, my darling. You’re close. I can feel it.” Your pussy quivers repeatedly as the tension in your belly grows unbearable. He quirks his fingers, hitting that sensitive place as he rocks your puffy clit into his palm.

Your body is betraying you, and you’re just fucking letting him ruin you. “No. No. No, fuck- no, I’m not,” You try, blubbering denials through cries of pleasure.

Morpheus fucks into you faster, harder, matching the pace your hips set. “Tell me what you need. Use me for your pleasure, beloved.” Fuck. Fuck. You’re going to-

Your knee slides up a little, giving him more room to stretch your tight cunt further. “Come for me. I know you want to.” His tone is soft and affectionate, calling to you sweeter than a siren’s song. It tells you to give in and promises unimaginable bliss if you do.

You come with your eyes rolled back and your mouth open, shuddering, your hips jerking on his fingers, and waves of hot flame pouring down your spine.

Your orgasm fucking drenches his fingers and your muscles clamp down tighter, each vicious pulse so strong that you taste iron in the back of your mouth. All you can hear is your heartbeat, loud and insistent, and the low sound of Morpheus’s approval. You’re wracked with pleasure, wholly gone to anything else.

Just before the feeling dwindles, Dream slides his fingers out of your swollen folds, forcing you to finish coming on nothing. “That’s it. There you go. Good girl,” He says with a smile. Your frustrated wail fills the air, and you clutch at his wrist, wordlessly begging for more. “I’m not so loathsome now, hm?” Morpheus showers your face with delicate kisses, pausing only to clean a tear from your cheek with light kitten-licks.

The two of you rest there for a moment. You’re slumped between him and the tree, panting and spent and warm, while he gently rubs your back, waiting for you to catch your breath.

Once Morpheus deems you suitably recovered, he traces the marks he scattered on your chest. He smears the slick gathered on his hand across your nipples, then bends down to lick your juices from your skin. The feeling of him mouthing your tits, the sharp edge of his teeth scraping and biting, overwhelms you, and your knees buckle.

Morpheus catches you and lowers you to the ground. Dried leaves find their way into your hair and crunch under your back as you stretch out like a lazy cat.

“I have a feeling that I’d be able to make you come simply from playing with your breasts,” He murmurs as he kneels between your open legs before laying another series of kisses over the bite marks. “My lady, you are truly the most sublime creature I’ve ever touched.”

You roll your eyes and half-heartedly push his head away. “Yeah, well, you’ll be lucky if I let you near them again.” His hair feels soft and downy under your fingers like the underbelly of a bird. That’s another thing to resent him for. Why can’t he be ugly with bad hair?

Dream’s canines leave imprints in your hand when he bites, clearly communicating how he feels about being denied access to you. “We’re just getting started, darling. Your game isn’t over.”

You look up at his fair, radiant face, shining brighter than a full moon, and his mouthful of nightmarish, fanged teeth, and wonder for the first time if this was a mistake.

That’s how you find yourself riding his face while being forced toward your third orgasm of the night.

The second orgasm passed by in a shimmering haze of heat and lust.

Morpheus pulled you astride his shoulders without fanfare, clamped his hands around your plump thighs, and dragged your sensitive cunt onto his open, wet, and waiting mouth. You hit and kicked, you even tried forcing his head back with a fist in his dark hair, but he gave you the most glorious and beguiling grin at the sudden violence. You couldn’t give him any more satisfaction, so you had to let go and let him do… what he wanted.

Hands made of antimatter gripped your hips and held you upright by your hair. He thumbed your swollen folds, carefully tracing around your clit but never touching it. You weren’t able to look into his eyes from this position - your belly was just large enough to hide most of his face when you were on top. But you had a pretty good guess about how he felt about your wet cunt dangling before his lips, like fruit to be easily plucked, split open, and devoured. You heard him fucking whimper, a stupidly arousing, frustrated sound, and then his arms forced you down.

It took Dream no time to make you crumble like a deck of cards. He lapped his tongue through your folds, smearing your arousal over his lips, before working carefully on your reddened clit. Morpheus’s strong hands endured your desperate attempt to escape him by clutching you tighter.

He sucked on your bundle of nerves once, then twice. You tried to tell yourself mind over matter, that if you focused hard enough, you could ignore the pleasure rippling through you.

Of course, that meant you came so suddenly that your stomach tied itself into knots, and your spasming, throbbing cunt soaked his face. The waves snatched every scrap of air out of your lungs, so you couldn’t even plead for mercy or cry out. You gasped, hunched over with hair in your face, silently screaming and shivering, as your brain turned to slush and your eyes glazed over.

Now, Dream takes sadistic pleasure in teasing that third orgasm out and denying it to you every single fucking time.

There’s an obscene squelch when he thrusts two fingers into your cunt, finally filling the awful, hollow ache. “Fuck, fuck, oh my God, Morpheus… please…” You babble, mindlessly grinding down on his tongue.

He takes his mouth off you and slowly strokes his digits inside you, far too gentle to get you off. “Please what? Please what?” Morpheus mocks as you almost collapse into the shadows, letting them take your full weight.

You try to hide your mewls by biting on your lips and end up cutting yourself, fresh blood joining the fine layer of sweat covering your face and body. “Stop, I’m- it’s too much. You have to stop.” You have no fucking clue what you’re begging for anymore. You’re dumb to it all, helpless and panting and begging for the fever that rises every time he drags the tips of his fingers over your g-spot.

A shadowy tendril wipes the blood from your chin before crawling into your mouth, gagging you so you can’t bite yourself anymore.

More tendrils curl around your breasts and pluck at your hardened, swollen nipples. “You need more? Is that what I’m hearing? Does my lady want more?” Now he matches the rhythm of his fingers with kisses along your shuddering thighs, occasionally pausing to suck and lap at the juices covering your skin.

The tendril in your mouth dissipates into smoke so you can answer. “No, shit, aaah-“ Strands of your hair stick to your cheeks as you writhe and gasp for air.

Morpheus tries to withdraw his fingers to deny you again, tease you again, punish you again, but you’re having none of it. You blindly reach down, grab his slick hand, and urge it back towards your greedy pussy.

He laughs roughly, then kisses your hip with petal-soft lips as he obeys. “That’s it, darling. Does it feel good yet?” Fuck. Fuck. It does. You’re so full, your core flutters and milks his digits, but it’s not right or enough to satisfy the burning wildfire of desire that’s driving you mad.

You shake your head to try and get some control back, to clear your head. All you want is to just- just to give in, let him have you, let him replace every thought and word and will with himself. “No,” You stutter through slightly numb lips, your eyelashes trembling.

Your nails find his wrist and dig in as deep as they can go. Shimmering gold blood coats your thighs, and the mess gets worse and worse when Morpheus starts to bounce you on his face, eagerly drinking from your creamy folds.

“Go on. You can tell me. I know you fucking love this. Just like you love me.” As Dream is far too busy eating you out like he’s starving to lift his mouth, his voice is muffled by the slick, disgusting sounds of his tongue, his fingers, your cunt.

“I… I…” You scrabble for purchase in the dark, searching for something to hold onto, anything that can stabilize you. The hands that intertwine with yours aren’t the ones kneading your ass or fucking you into oblivion, but they’re just as reassuring as Morpheus’s real hands.

His mouth works your clit, getting rougher, messier, sucking harder. “Sweet girl, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed your noises and, fuck, the taste of you. And this pretty, pretty cunt. So sensitive. Delicious.” Dream braces one hand on your lower belly, just above your core, applying faint pressure to heighten the sensations.

“But I need you to come. Please, my darling. Please,” He moans against your puffy folds, forcing in a third finger as you wail and thrash.

Just like that, you’re shoved off the cliff, screaming and sobbing. Tears cover your cheeks as your hips move on their own, wrenching out every last bit of pleasure you can. It hurts so fucking much yet feels so fucking good. Static electricity arcs through your limbs, and even the faintest breeze whispering across your bare back makes your overstimulated core flicker and squeeze his fingers harder.

His shadows lovingly lower you to the ground, helping you curl on your side around your rounded tummy. Exhaustion filters in slowly, wrapping you in a gossamer blanket of numbness and calming your frazzled nerve endings.

Dream is there. Dream is curling protectively around your shaking form, he slides an arm under your neck to support your head, and his other hand squeezes the back of your neck. You bury yourself in his embrace and let him rock you like a child.

Here, stitched as close to him as you can be, the horrible past forty-eight hours starts to be less horrible and more foggy, like looking at something in the rear-view mirror as you drive away.

You can let yourself love him in this moment. You can be weak for a little while longer.

When you lay your palm against his heart, you feel it thudding as furiously as your own.

Morpheus exhales slowly as the feeling of you in his arms leeches the tension from his muscles. Even if you wanted to push him away, which you don’t, you wouldn’t have the strength to do it. So, for now, you’ll let him keep you here.

He kisses you as many times as he can, everywhere he can reach. Your baby hairs, your smile lines, the corners of your eyes.

Before Morpheus wipes your cheeks clean of tears, he cleans his fingers off with his tongue. Then he’s stroking away the stinging salt water dotting your skin. A furrow grows on his smooth, unwrinkled brow out of concentration.

When you start crying again out of relief, hiccuping ungracefully and snot going everywhere, his large hand tucks you into the crook of his neck. “I’m so sorry. I know, I know,” Morpheus soothes. “Do you want us to be done now? Are you finished?” He’s warmer than a furnace, and you instinctively wrap an arm around his waist and shove your feet between his calves, seeking that comfort with single-minded determination.

His small chuckle is as sweet and fragile as spun sugar.

You absentmindedly trace the veins crawling up the back of his hand as you think.

Then your anger begins to grow back, rotting through your lungs and making each breath taste like death, and you have your answer. “I want… don’t make me say it, Morpheus,” You mutter into his skin and follow it with a tiny, tiny bite, more of a nip than anything else.

This time, when Morpheus unfurls the petals of your mind, you anticipate it eagerly.

You want him, and you loathe it, and it’s choking you. “I should. I ought to make you beg on your knees,” He tells you.

You need him to cut the strife and self-loathing from your chest and smooth out your riled, tangled heartstrings, and then put you back together again. He has to pluck the violence out of your hand as if it were a knife and point it somewhere it can’t hurt you, ideally towards himself.

Dream goes quiet. He pets your hair and rests his cheek against your forehead. You’re beginning to think the softness isn’t just for your benefit; he’s drinking his fill to tide him over until the next time you let Dream touch you like this.

And there will be a next time, a gentle, honey-sweet next time. That promise runs true in your mind, buried deep beneath the layers of poison and resentment like a vein of untouched gold.

His star-filled eyes flutter shut. “Fine. Fine. I can’t deny you anything. Just a little further, and then you can rest.” When they open, his pupils twist and stretch into a monstrous, serpentine gash of black against his brilliant blue irises.

“N- no more?” You hear yourself ask for mercy, easily slipping into the role of the maiden to his beast.

Morpheus rises on his knees and hovers over your vulnerable form. “No more, my love. Can you be brave like I know you are? Can you take it for me?” He asks as the fingers stroking your cheek turn into obsidian claws for a moment.

You are not supposed to find this attractive. You’re meant to be terrified right now, unwilling, pushing him away with conviction of any kind.

“…Yes.” Yes. Take me. A warm, needy craving makes you draw up your knees to conceal your filthy, ruined cunt, glistening with fresh arousal.

The claws metamorphize into fingers before the sharp edges can slice your skin. Morpheus is no less intimidating without them, looking down at you like you’re a pretty toy in his palm. You’ll miss them, though, and you swallow your disappointment before he notices.

He lifts you from the ground before gently turning you until you face away, unable to see him while he can control all of you. “That’s it, beloved. On your knees, arch your back.” The stoic, hardened mask cracks slightly as he runs an open palm up and down your body, inevitably running into the baby in your belly. You’re surprised he lasted so long without asking about it.

Maybe Morpheus didn’t think he had the right to until now.

Your back presses into his broad, muscled chest. “May I?” He asks before slowly kissing your neck. His hair tickles your earlobe, and you feel a soft puff of air ghost over your skin when he exhales.

“Our baby.” You even surprise yourself by resting his hand over the swell of your soft, squishy tummy.

Dream strokes the rounded skin with hardly any force, suddenly treating you as delicately as he’d handle a fragile eggshell. His breathing hitches, and tension strings his tendons as tight as they can go.

If only you could capture this in a painting or trap it in a snow globe so you could relive the feeling of trusting him again over and over.

It’s too much. It’s far too much. Your heartbeat echoes in your ears as you shove his hand away from your skin. He’s too close, too soft, and too kind.

You’re not sure if you deserve it, and you sure as shit don’t want it.

As fast as a viper striking a hapless mouse, Morpheus grabs the back of your neck and traps you in place. His long fingers wrap around your throat, and his nails prick your skin. “You’re insatiable,” He tells you, then forces you down until the side of your face meets the forest floor.

He leaves your arms where they cushion you on the ground, correctly judging that bringing them behind your back will hurt in an unpleasant way, and instead keeps his dominance with a fist in your tangled hair. Dried leaves crush under your cheek as you try to prop yourself up and rest his strength. Dream doesn’t give an inch, and eventually, your body grows pliant and submissive beneath him.

His fingers dance up and down your spine in a soothing pattern. “Good girl. That’s it, sweetheart.” You grit your teeth and buck again, trying to express your displeasure, but Morpheus merely laughs and kisses the base of your spine.

“No need for all of that. I’ll give you what you want.”

When his fingers dip between your parted thighs, you push back, fucking begging him to touch your swollen folds and ease the building ache.

Your moan is exhausted and sweet as he thumbs your clit before playing with the fresh slick on your skin. “Fuck, you’re still so wet. Is that for me, darling?” Dream groans, his breath hitching as you arch a little further, presenting your dripping pussy to him.

The desperation in how hard he tries to make you cry out tells you everything about how tightly wound he is, how close he is to snapping. “Come on. You can admit it.” You keep your mouth stubbornly closed even as the pressure on your clit increases. It’s bad enough that he knows you as well as he does and can play your body like a virtuoso on a violin.

His breaths come in short, almost feral pants. “Silence? We’ll see how long that lasts.” And then- and then- Morpheus pushes the fat head of his cock inside you, going slow enough for your muscles to adjust.

But he’s so fucking big, and it’s been so long since he last fucked you, and your eyes roll back, sweat drips down your neck, and your knees dig into the ground, trying to keep you upright. “Shhhhh. Gods, you’re so fucking tight. Fuck. It’s okay. You’re okay. Feels good, hm?” Inch by inch, he stretches your spasming cunt, and you whine, your hips tilt back, and his thick cock slips against that spot deep inside that makes you sob.

“That’s it, my love,” Morpheus reassures through gritted teeth. “Can you take me a little further?”

You feel your muscles constrict around him like a vice when he grinds himself deeper. “H-how much?” You moan as your juices run down your thighs and coat his cock to the base.

Dream releases your hair before sliding an arm under your breasts to hold you upright without hurting the baby. It takes you a second to trust him and give him the whole of your weight. He balances you between his hips and arms like you’re lighter than air.

He kisses your damp hair and nibbles on your ear. “That much,” He says, showing you another inch or so with his fingers.

Your hand covers his resting above your belly, and your fingers intertwine with his. “…Yeah,” You nod as tears prickle in your eyes. Morpheus is everywhere, inside you, holding you. You’ve missed him. You’ve missed him so fucking much.

With a deep breath, you relax and let him carry you. The feeling of his heartbeat thudding through his chest and his hand cupping your breast is a sweet, easy soporific, soothing the sharp, anxiety-ridden knots in your head into something mindless and loving.

He rocks into you slowly until his hips are flush against your ass. “Relax, my love. You’re okay. Gods- you feel- so good, you’re perfect, that’s it, good girl. Perfect girl,” He chants, over and over, as the stretch and the push and pull have you shaking and pleading for more.

“Oh- oh god. Morpheus. Ahhh- I can’t, I’m so full.” Your breathy cries echo over his deep, gravelly moans.

“You’re still so tight even when full of my cock. And my child in your belly? Gods, I love you. I adore you.” Every time he tells you that, your cunt grows wetter.

Morpheus lays into you, fucking you like a man possessed, pressing in as deep as your body will let him. All you can do is rest there in his arms and take it. “I- I’m not going to last. I need you- I need you to come for me. One last time.” You’re not listening when he speaks, too busy bouncing your hips in time with his thrusts and screaming your pleasure out as loud as you can. “Please, darling?” He begs. His free hand returns to your pussy, and his fingers stroke your clit softly.

Your knuckles go white from the force you use to grip his wrist. “Hngh- shit, shit, shit, yes.” The feeling of Dream kissing your cheek sends you over the edge.

Your eyes go wide as the moon, and you hiccup as the force of his cock bullying into your shivering, clenching cunt wipes your mind blank of coherent thoughts. Your spine straightens and your limbs tense. You’re delirious, babbling nonsense, and he keeps working your swollen, hypersensitive clit, now chasing his own release.

Morpheus sinks his teeth into your shoulder as he comes, painting your inner walls white. The warmth relieves some of your soreness from all the orgasms he forced from your tired body. You can feel your combined cum coat your thighs, sticky and viscous.

When you collapse, you don’t hit the forest floor like expected. Instead, you end up in a large, impossibly soft bed, bundled in plush blankets and your head cushioned on fluffy pillows.

Everything hits you at once - the running, the fear, the man dead in your living room.

As you weep into the soft linen under your cheek, Dream curls around you until you don’t know where you end, and he begins. “I’m here. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.” His fingers shake as they wipe away your tears and tuck the blankets tighter around your shoulders.

The bedchamber is cool and dark with no shards of light that could irritate your eyes or worsen your building headache from crying so goddamn much.

You cling to him and smush your face into his chest. “Morpheus…’M sorry.” In this strange, fairytale land, the strange god embracing you feels like home.

Something damp trickles down your forehead. “Shhh. Did you think killing that man scared me off?” When you look up, you see tears glimmering on Morpheus’s face like sapphire beads.

“It should have.” You’ve always had darkness in your heart. You might have been born with it, a seed planted by your mother’s hatred and watered by your pain.

But if Desire was telling the truth, Morpheus is as flawed as he is beautiful. That’s oddly comforting.

His mouth tastes like you when he kisses you. “Listen to me, beloved. I have been captured like that once before. I languished in a prison for almost a century. I was forgotten. Abandoned. Starved. All of this around you that I built crumbled into dust. At long last, it was the pity of an old man and my rage that freed me. But you… No one has ever protected me like you did,” He whispers.

Your arms tighten around his waist. You love him, you hate him. Most of all, your heart breaks for the decades he spent alone.

He swallows thickly. “That’s all I ever wanted. For my whole existence. Someone to fight for me.” You wanted that, too.

“And if you had chosen to leave me there, to keep you and our child safe, I would’ve let you. I would have forgiven you. That is how much I love you.” His hand sketched slow, circular patterns across your stomach, never shying from the rolls.

Your lips ghost over his shoulder, sending a shiver through him. You don’t kiss him with forgiveness, not yet. Even though you can’t say it aloud, you want him to know you’re here. He’ll always catch you, no matter where you run, so he won’t ever be alone again.

“Maybe you’ll regret it. That it was me.” You can be just as cruel and monstrous as him; there are other kinder, prettier, gentler, sweeter people. He could be anywhere else right now other than tethered to a canvas of scars with her teeth bared.

He kisses your forehead with his hands, cradling your cheeks like a dragon cradling its hoard. “Do your worst.”

this is the smuttiest thing ive written for this fic yet. hope you guys like this!

#treehouse #the sandman #sandman #the sandman comics #sandman comics #the sandman dc #sandman dc #sandman netflix #the sandman netflix #dream of the endless x you #dream of the endless x reader #dream of the endless #morpheus x reader #morpheus x you #morpheus #lord morpheus x you #lord morpheus #lord morpheus x reader

50 notes · View notes