#Assessment 3 Publication | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

almostempty · 3 months ago

Text

Kick and Scream

Self Esteem Part 3

Pairing: fuckboy!Joel x f!reader

Summary: Joel catches you on a date and communicates how he feels about it (the only way he knows how).

Warnings: fuckboy!Joel, dub con, smut, pwp, unprotected piv sex, fingering, creampie, dirty talk, public sex, blow job, reader is still sippin' on some dumb bitch juice for Joel (me), jealous!joel, possessive!joel, emotionally manipulative but sexually proficient Joel, toxic breadcrumbing Joel fucks, smash and dash, no use of y/n, AU no outbreak, special guest appearance by date night dave, OOC Dave bc I don’t know that man so I made him single, rich, hot, and pervy idc idc idc, more i might be forgetting rn,

Notes: please leave feedback! open to constructive criticism or delusional inspiration

Thanks: to EVERYONE who read part 1 and 2, but ESPECIALLY @auteurdelabre for inspiring, I hope you enjoy it bb. I'll try to tag those who specifically asked for more brb, and @strangergraphics

WC: 9.3K (idk it got long and horny heheh)

AO3: HERE | Masterlist: Here

Part 1: Self Esteem

Part 2: Want You Bad

Part 4: The more you suffer

You stare down at the hand that just landed on your thigh, cocking your head in assessment. You can feel the scowl tugging at the corners of your mouth. As you work out what expression you should paste onto your face instead, the man sitting next to you seems unbothered. Maybe even encouraged? He continues his lecture about the benefits of indoor rock climbing. You sigh, staring across the park as he continues without pausing to breathe.

You watch the couples milling around the park, wondering if that’s what you look like with this guy's hand on your leg. You stare back down at it, his long fingers shifting slightly as he continues his animated speech. Sweat beads at the back of your neck, and you feel fidgety. Trapped under the weight of his limp hand. He doesn’t seem to notice when you squirm and readjust. He’s circled back to his earlier lecture about how you just have to learn to play an instrument. If he’d let you get a word in, you could verify that you already do, but he seems to prefer the sound of his own voice.

This guy should get a podcast. The kind where a guy with a microphone talks to himself for three hours about whatever he wants. He’d crush it. You laugh to yourself, unintentionally encouraging him with your smile. He’s not not good-looking. But you’d prefer someone interested in asking you at least one question.

You stifle a laugh at the intrusive thought of taking him home and stripping his clothes off while he prattles on about amateur bird-watching, sorry–birding, or unicycling.

Eventually, you extricate yourself from the disappointing date, accept an awkward hug, and turn down dinner. You haven’t left the parking lot yet when your phone buzzes.

Unsaved number: had a great time with u

Unsaved number: would love to see u again :)

It’s not that your skin crawls, but it is a full-body no.

You: thanks, I’m glad I got to know you more

It’s not technically a lie. You’re glad you learned he’s not a fit for you. You feel okay about leaving it at that for now. You watch the sunset from your parking spot. The park is filled with couples laying on blankets being romantic. You roll your eyes at them and then at yourself for being bitter. Your phone buzzes again, and you wince, hoping it’s not your long-winded date again. It’s not.

Joel: what you doing?

Fucking Miller. You scoff aloud in the private space of your front seat. By now, he should be on your blocked list, but the quick hit of euphoria that floods through your bloodstream, warming your cheeks, keeps you hooked. He’s a filthy drug that blinds you from logic or survival instincts. Your eyes dart to the pedestrians in the parking lot. Worried. As if the milling strangers know what you’re up to and are about to shame you. A little voice reminds you that if you feel guilty about something, you shouldn’t be doing it. You ignore that voice. Nobody in the parking lot catches on, coast clear, and you let yourself grin wide as a fool when you type your response.

Later that night, you’re grinning again. Sprawled across your couch, sweaty skin plastered to the faux leather cushions. Sated. Bought and sold on your own lie, you tell the little voice that you didn’t want Joel to stay anyway. You convince yourself some form of compromise is happening, however twisted, when he shows up and leaves you wrecked. He comes to you. You don’t have to get to know each other to make each other feel good. Whatever puts you at ease.

Sometimes it works. Some days, you feel hollow and anxious. Obsessively tapping your phone to see if he’s responded when you reach out first. Pacing around your home, stressing over whether you should stay up just in case and even in bed, you can’t help but stay alert for a knock at the door.

The cycle leaves you with dark circles under your eyes most days. But, on the mornings after Joel shows up, you have a bright twinkle in your eyes and a knowing smirk that greets you in the bathroom mirror. Katie noticed the smirk one day and called you out. She demanded an explanation for the mystery dick fairy.

You wouldn’t admit his identity to her, afraid of getting too involved with someone in her boyfriend's network. But you did admit to the toxic cycle, and your friend was not as amused as you when you tried to pass it off as a joke. She tried to convince you to look for someone to date, but you argued that wasn’t what you wanted anyway. She suggested at least someone who could commit to a plan or send a text back. You knew it didn’t sound great out loud.

As the days of summer crawl along, you wonder if she’s right. At least, it was worth considering. It’s a feeble attempt to smother your spiraling thoughts about Joel. Still, when you start getting messages from the dating app Katie chose for you, it gives you something to interrupt your racing thoughts. At first. Somehow, it starts to feel even worse. Ignoring the sinking feeling you get when it isn’t Joel’s name in your notifications gets more challenging.

You had accepted that it was a lost cause to plan anything with him, but you still can’t find the self-respect to turn him away when he shows up at your door. Sometimes, he sends you a grammatically inconsiderate text. You wonder if he somehow has a cell phone plan that still charges him by the message with the way he uses as few words as possible.

He never stays. Never invites you to his. He evades any predictable behavior. Maybe he’s worried someone ordered a hit on him. Maybe that’s all it is, you muse. Not a contracted kill. The unpredictability. Chaos. That’s what makes him addictive. The brightness of the highs makes you temporarily forget the darkest lows exist. That, and the dirty little thoughts that pour from his mouth and drip into your psyche. That stupid, sexy voice burning into your memory, yeah, that’s definitely addictive. You snort at that. I am unwell, you think. As you pick up your phone again, you see a message from someone new.

\\\///

Heat radiates off your face as you fling another shirt across the room. You’ve tried on the same three outfits over and over again. Ripping them over your head and tossing them into the pile of laundry purgatory. Maybe sweating and mouth-breathing is a turn-on for your date; if so, you’re gonna nail the first impression. You sigh and commit to option two: the little black dress. A classic, right?

“Shit,” you curse at yourself when you stumble while attempting to pull your shoes on as you walk down the hall. This is what you get for agreeing to a late evening date on a weeknight; you feel like a mess. Scrambling to play it cool and classy, you pause to recalibrate before opening the door. What was his name? You can’t remember. He didn’t look like your usual type, but Katie had convinced you to branch out a little. More specifically, she told you it was a green flag already if he wasn’t your type.

You swing the door open, hoping he introduces himself first. He looks expensive. The dark-washed denim, the boots, the jacket, and the watch. Like he walked out of an ad campaign for a brand out of your budget. Dave. He does introduce himself, thankfully. He’s more clean-cut than your usual type, but he speaks confidently and gives off an air of put-togetherness that intrigues you. His voice definitely stirs the butterflies in your stomach.

Oh. You realize you’ve definitely been busy staring at him and have no idea what he actually said with his sultry bedroom voice. Your eyes widen a little. You don’t wanna fuck this up and embarrass yourself. Luckily, he seems unbothered. He tilts his head with a seductive half-smile. He’s enjoying the way you assess him. That definitely does it for you. Stupid, smug men making you weak in the knees.

“You ready?” he asks, voice all smoky for no good reason.

“Yeah,” you manage to say as you recall how to speak and act human. Until you see his luxury car waiting for you. He clocks your beat of hesitance.

“Good.”

His authoritative voice flips the right switch in you, and you let him lead. When he opens the door for you, it’s like the final component of his spell. You are bewitched. Under a thick veil, you didn’t even notice the truck that rolled by as you sank into the leather seat. You didn’t notice when the truck pulled over up the block, idling noisily on the quiet street. No, you were busy, focused on manually breathing and taking in what you’d describe as the interior of a spaceship.

The good news is that Dave is charming. He is easy to talk to as he drives. Flirty and quick-witted. He asks you questions and pauses to consider your responses. You aren’t sure you have much in common, but you like his self-assured demeanor.

When you walk into the club he’s brought you to, you hesitate once again, feeling underdressed. The club is split with a lounge on one side of the bar–full of intimate booths and plush chairs surrounding tiny tables and trendy mood lighting. Kind of like a swanky hotel lobby, you decide. On the other side of the bar is a dance floor, dimly lit with loud music blasting. Women in bodycon dresses and heels fill the room. You feel plain in comparison.

“I didn’t know there was a dress code,” you mutter.

“There isn’t,” Dave asserts, “besides, you look good in this.” He accentuates his statement by running his hand down your spine. It settles some of your nerves and lights up others. He ushers you, hand on your lower back, towards a small booth. And as you settle in, he’s undeniably charismatic. Dave doesn’t reveal much about himself but keeps you laughing and seems genuinely interested in you.

Despite the loud music and people noise, it’s easy to feel like the room is only for you and him. You sip your drink and warm up to his affection. You’re quick to smile, and despite how serious he seems, he has a playful edge that has you on your toes.

You can taste the chemistry between you, bright and sparkling. He spurs your confidence with his dark eyes when he not so subtly lets his gaze linger on your body. You stop shying away from attention and try to bask in it instead. It boosts your ego and stirs up your desire.

When you let yourself look, really look, you decide Dave is handsome. His strong features, broad shoulders, and impeccable grooming work for him. He seems meticulous but not too uptight to have fun. A dark sense of humor flirts behind his twinkling dark eyes. You decide to let him know that you’ve determined he is a handsome man. He gives you a look. Like he already knew you thought that. Your cheeks warm slightly at that. Were you obvious?

It’s not until he peels away from you to refill your drinks that you notice how close you have been sitting. You mourn the loss of his body heat as he walks away. You had low expectations after your last few dates, but tonight, this feels different. Your eyes trail along his path to the bar, and you lazily rest your chin in your palm before your breath hitches, and you freeze.

You feel like you’ve swallowed a bowling ball. It’s lodged in your throat first, then constricting your chest, until finally, it sinks. A heavy, solid weight flipping your stomach. You’re locked on a different set of dark eyes. They’re glowering at you through lowered brows from across the room. Seated at the same bar where Dave ordered your drinks.

Joel stares at you over his drink. He downs the glass without taking his eyes off of you. One quirked brow, asking really?

Really what? Is he judging you? For what, being on a date?

Another glass replaces his empty tumbler, but he doesn’t acknowledge the bartender or the rest of the world.

This fucking guy.

The bowling ball in your gut mutates into something fiery. But, you have nothing to be guilty about. It’s not your fault he’s alone, bitter, and drinking at a bar full of people having more fun than him. In fact, you could say it’s his fault that you’re both here.

A scowl forms on Joel’s face when Dave slides back into the booth beside you. Good. You hope he suffers. You hope he sees how easy it is for someone to treat you well. And how happy you look.

You don’t hesitate to lean your body against Dave, giving in to your urges. You squeeze his arm when he makes you laugh, and your touch lingers. He preens under your admiration when you comment on his firm biceps. He is quick to match your advances. Finding excuses to brush your hair behind your ear and settling a heavy palm on your knee. His hand creeps a little higher up your thigh but doesn’t graze the hem of your dress. Respectful. That’s different.

You don’t need to look again to feel Joel’s eyes burning into you. It incites you that he has the audacity. The gall to make faces at you for showing up on a date. You decide you’ll give Joel something to scowl about, feeling emboldened by your date’s touch.

You slide Dave’s hand further up your leg, letting go when he gets the idea. You reach for your drink, feigning nonchalance, but your breath catches, and your hand trembles when he traces his fingertips around the crease of your thigh. He skirts beneath the hem of your underwear, drawing lines over your hip and back towards your center.

The soft touch tickles deliciously, and you feel the anticipation building in your core. He watches your expression, hawklike, noting the tiniest details in the features of your face. He notes when your breath stutters or your eyelids flutter softly.

“This what you wanted?” he husks, still watching intently. Yes, yes, yes!

“Almost,” you toy. Something about having both men’s eyes on you has your skin itching with desire and your blood running hot.

Dave scoffs softly, repeating your word choice and shaking his head. Almost.

“You looking for more?” he taunts as he wedges his large hand fully between your legs to cup and tease your cunt.

You can’t help the breathlessness of the yes that slips out of you. You roll into his palm, and your mouth parts at the friction and his boldness. He smiles wolfishly, flashing his teeth, when he feels you twist and rock against him. His look encourages you. And you tilt your hips and shift your legs to give him better access.

“Dirty little thing, aren’t you?” he asks, still locked on your face. You swell at this. His eyes lower to your glossy lips before he sips casually from his drink, so composed.

Your cheeks warm at his words, but he has his answer when he slips a finger beneath the damp lace between your legs and drags it through the pool of arousal gathering at your entrance. Your lips part at the contact, chest heaving, and you give him a nod and coy smile in response to his question. You’ll be his dirty little thing tonight.

“That’s good,” he declares, pressing a kiss just below your ear before adding, “I’d like to do dirty things to you.”

His husky voice and declaration stir an urgent need to be touched within you. He continues to agitate your nerves as his hand massages over your swollen sex. Your skin feels tight and prickly, tensing, ready to feel more. You’re unconcerned with the debased nature of being fingered in public.

When your eyes are instinctually drawn back towards Joel, you shudder. You can feel the twitching of your clit as your cunt floods over Dave’s fingers. The depravity that another man’s glare eases the slip of your date’s teasing touch is not lost on you. Instead, it turns you on even more. Joel’s homicidal stare has you squirming. You’ve seen darkness in his eyes before, but not like this. There’s no twinkle of mocking, and it’s not cruel in a hot way. If looks could kill, then this room would look like the club scene from Blade.

Dave murmurs something filthy in your ear that makes you gasp. Your hand flies to his thigh, gripping tightly to keep you from melting onto the floor.

“Don’t be shy, dirty girl,” he croons darkly, “you can touch.”

“Fuck,” you groan under your breath when you move your hand to find his hard cock straining against his well-fitted jeans.

He chuckles lowly at the way your eyes widen in response before he plunges two fingers inside of you, and you stifle a throaty sound. Your mind still wanders to Joel, and you wonder if he can see your perverse display below the table. Judging by his clenched fists on the bar, you’d say whatever he can see is enough to fill in the blanks. The sick part of you that feels more turned on by his agony expands within you.

“Oh god,” you whisper as you suck in air.

Dave works his fingers lazily into you. You feel intoxicated by the attention of both men. A concern flashes through you that someone else in the club could catch on or see more than you’d like to show. But a feeling in your gut tells you that it doesn’t matter. Dave seems strikingly confident with a lethal attention to detail. And the ferocity on Joel’s face only eggs you on.

When you think of humbling Joel, a sinister smile pulls at the corners of your mouth. He’s the one that unleashed the horny, risk-taking monster within you and then disappeared. Fuck moping about him. You’re getting yours, you decide.

You shoot Joel a wink. Pouring gasoline on the fire, hoping it pisses him off.

You lean into the salaciously tempting energy radiating off of Dave. Reaching to hold his jaw as your lips lock and you let him control your mouth. Kissing him riles you up more. You palm at his erection over his jeans, delighting in the noises that roil deep in his chest. You hold back whimpers as the pressure of his fingers curling inside of you finds the perfect spot.

He pulls back from your kiss and looks down to watch your hand groping at him. You like watching him watch you.

“You gonna take it out?” Oh. Fuck, you want to. It feels like more of a risk than you’ve taken so far.

“Here?” you ask him softly.

A wrinkle appears between your brows. Dave watches your swollen lips again just as your pink tongue darts out to wet them. He raises a brow at you, eyes dropping to where his arm disappears under your dress.

“Oh, are you feeling bashful now?” he goads. His fingers curl against that sensitive spot inside of you as his palm presses firmly into your swollen clit. He makes it hard for you to answer. You try to pout at him, but the reflexive rise in your brows at the pleasure betrays you. He chuckles again. “No? Just distracted, hm?”

“Fuck,” is all you can mouth. It is distracting. Not the fingers inside you, well, not completely, but the urge. The craving to leverage your lewd new lover’s lack of regard for appropriate behavior into emotional revenge. The thought of Joel growing mad with jealousy as he watches you come overtakes your critical thinking.

Eat your heart out, Joel Miller! You dare him across the room, letting your jaw fall slack and your brows knit in obvious pleasure.

“Are you going to come for me?” Dave asks, “Here in this booth? Where anyone could see?” he tuts like he’s disappointed, and it works. The danger of it all does something to heighten your senses. It’s blinding. The bass from the music blaring from the dance floor rattling in your ribs, Dave’s designer cologne filling your nose, the sheen of sweat collecting on your chest, and the daggers in Joel’s eyes when you glance to confirm he’s still watching. All the sensations clash and shove you towards your release.

“Yes,” you hiss quietly, “yes.” Your eyes slam shut as you try to remain composed while riding his fingers under the table. You flicker in and out of reality as your climax rolls through you. You’re drunk on the reversal of power when your eyes peel open, and you see the hardened expression on Joel’s face glowering at you. You wonder if his dick is just as hard in his pants, and the thought has you contracting again around Dave’s fingers.

“That’s a good girl.” Dave’s voice is somehow even deeper. It sends another ripple of pleasure to swirl low in your abdomen. You’d like to hear that again.

With a touch more clarity after the violent edge of your arousal is dulled, your hand works at his belt, desperate to feel the heat of his cock in your palm. He assists, lifting his hips when you unbuckle his belt and pop the button on his pants so you can slide your hand beneath his underwear. His tension and urgency further stoke your power trip, and you feel overcome with the need to know how badly he wants you. When you wrap your fingers around him, hear the groan he makes, and feel the mindless buck of his hips, you have a more than good enough answer. He’s yours.

Dave watches the way your eyes glaze over when your thumb smears the precome dripping from his head down his length. His hand stills distractedly between your legs, and his chin drops as he watches where your hand disappears under his dark boxer briefs. You’re constricted by the elastic waistband, but your grip is tight. Almost as tight as when he fucks his own fist. He’s mesmerized by the way you jerk his cock just right.

You feel yourself salivating with the need to taste him. You’re getting frustrated with the limited space and want to see him in your hand. You sigh, wishing you could, until you realize you can, and grin.

You pull your hand back out of his pants, and he snaps out of his stupor. Before he can comment, you cut him off.

“Keep your pants on and take me to the bathroom so I can suck your cock right.”

Your voice comes out lower than you thought it would. His eyes flare before he matches your devious look and obeys, spewing filthy thoughts you can’t make out under his breath as he does. He’s ushering you down the hall in seconds, and then you’re locking the door and dropping to your knees. Dave doesn’t wait a second longer, wrenching his belt open and dropping his jeans just enough for his cock to spring free.

You don’t tease or start slow. He admires how you waste no time like you’re desperate to taste him. And you are. Only pausing for a moment to admire the way he looks, stiff and leaking for you, before you eagerly wrap your lips around him. You slide your tongue everywhere and bob up and down with vigor. Salty and vaguely sweet, precome teases your palette. You want more. The best you can do to express that is swallow around him and suck until he’s moaning and cursing above you.

You let your saliva pool and spill from your lips so you can slide your hand down the rest of his length while you revel at the weight of him on your tongue. You find the moves that have his fists clenching and thighs straining and repeat them. You hum around him as pride blooms in your chest over how his composure cracks.

You wonder if Joel has smashed through the bar with his fists yet. At least he didn’t break down the bathroom door before you could get on your knees. Would he strangle Dave first if he saw the two of you? Or would he drag you home and gag you on his angry cock instead? You moan obscenely as your imagination runs wild. You look up at Dave. He watches you with fierce eyes. You wouldn’t mind if they shared you, you consider, but that would take a miracle.

You continue messily and enthusiastically until your knees ache, and you decide he has to come for you. You try to beg for it while he’s still in your mouth before you have the brains to pull off of him and tell him what you want. He’s endeared by your unrefined hedonism.

He grips your jaw in his palm when you get the words out.

“You want to swallow my come?” he asks.

“Yes,” you plead impatiently on your knees with a hoarse voice. You’re a pornographic sight on the tile floor with your wet lashes, swollen lips, and saliva glistening on your chin. You open your mouth for him and hold out your tongue.

“Oh,” he strokes his thumb along your cheek, smiling down at you, “that’s a good girl.”

Your eyes close at that, feeling the praise warm your skin before he slides back into your wet mouth.

Guiding you faster and a little rougher, Dave doesn’t take long to come. Spilling onto your tongue as you groan around him until he stops pulsing in your mouth. You swallow, glowing for him with glassy eyes. He helps you to stand before tucking his softening cock back into his jeans and fastening his belt. You’re adjusting your dress and reaching for your bag on the counter.

“What do you need?” He asks a little softer than you expected, causing you to pause.

“Take me home,” you smile at him dopily before pausing and wincing at yourself in the mirror. You look like a freshly face-fucked mess.

“Uh, actually, give me a few minutes to freshen up first, and I’ll meet you out front?”

He nods, “I’ll pull the car up.”

“I’d like that.” You reply and lock the door behind him after he slips out.

Once you feel more presentable, you pull your phone from your bag and tap the screen to check the time before opening the door.

Seeing Joel’s name makes your stomach flip. You open the text.

Joel: Miss me?

It snaps something in you. Something that enrages you. He has to be certifiably insane, you think. It came through a little while ago, but you aren’t sure how long you’ve been in the bathroom. You begin to spiral, debating if you should march to the bar and throw a drink in his face or pretend like he doesn’t even exist. You feel your face burning hot, and the bathroom is suddenly suffocating. You need some air before you get into the car with Dave. Just long enough to breathe normally and look less like you want to break something.

Leaving the bathroom you find an employee exit further down the hall. A faded sign on the door warns that an alarm will sound, but the rock wedged in the door jam holding it open a crack begs to differ, and you slip into the dark.

A lanky, pale kid in a black apron sits atop a picnic table in the alley.

“Oh, sorry,” you feel a little guilty interrupting his break, “just wanted some air.”

“All good,” he responds before sliding off the makeshift seating. “Last call for the kitchen anyway. Have my seat,” he waves at the table like he’s offering a throne. You accept. Exceedingly grateful to have the air and the privacy to regulate. Just some slow, deep breaths. Then, you can walk out the front door and let Dave take you home.

The door swings open again, and you tense, ready to hop off the table and find another space.

“Sorry,” you start your apology, but it’s cut off.

“You should be,” Joel accuses harshly. He’s in your space with two of his long strides. Rushing at you like you’re caught in a snare trap, and he’s starving. You briefly look the part with your eyes wide in the moonlight, shocked by his sudden appearance, until your barely dampened rage rips from your throat.

“Joel, what the fuck?” you spit out in disbelief, but he interrupts you–

“I thought I already told you what happens if you’re gonna be a filthy tease?” his voice lowers as he ignores your question and paces in front of you with a dark, wicked stare.

“What are you doing here?” you press, ignoring his threat.

“What are you doing here?” he demands. Like he has some certificate of entitlement to your whereabouts. He towers over you. Your eyes narrow to slits. If you could shoot lasers out of them, you’d do it now.

You laugh. Loudly. You’re still laughing when he grabs you and pivots your frame so your legs dangle off of the end of the table towards him. Closer. He gets even closer, standing between your knees. You tilt your face to look up at him.

“You on a date?” it’s a growl carved from stone. You choose to remain ignorant to the shiver it sends through you that has nothing to do with the temperature. How dare he charge up on you like a territorial werewolf in the night? And how dare he look so fucking good with that snarly expression? No. You laugh again. Wild-eyed. Words start coming up before you even hear yourself.

“What is wrong with you, Joel? Why were you watching me? You looking for a show?” you jab. Gnashing at him with your words. He snorts dismissively at you, and a barbaric smile creeps onto his face. Like he’s in on some joke you don’t know about. He irks you so bad your skin crawls.

“S’that what you call it?” he asks, “A show?” Continuing to ignore your other questions. He is so close to you that it burns your skin.

“No, Joel. You were right the first time. I am on a date. A real date. You know what that is, right? Like, he asked me out, picked me up on time, bought me a drink,” you’re tallying on your fingers, “answered my–”

“And then what, you fuck him in the bathroom and hide out here? Alone in the alley?”

It clicks. He knows exactly why you’re flustered. The asshole must’ve sent his text for his own slimy experiment. Trying to rattle you. What fucking game is he playing? Is he trying to win you? Like you’re Dave’s possession to lose?

You scoff at his interjection, “No, Joel, I’m not alone. You followed me out here to make sure of it, right?”

“Right,” he rumbles. His dark eyes glint even in the shadows of the alley. He leans lower and closer to you until you tip back, palms on the table behind you, then elbows. Exposing your cleavage to the moonlight. He pauses, eyes raking down your face, neck, and chest. How does he make you feel raw and vulnerable even when fully dressed?

“You haven’t answered me,” you huff. Irritated and arched beneath him.

“I asked you first,” he argues. A childish rebuttal for a grown man. You’re pretty sure you’ve asked why he’s here a hundred times, but of course, that doesn’t matter. He’s insufferable with his attitude and inability to communicate. Everything about you is taut, and you feel frayed.

Joel dips his head and his lips brush your ear, tickling you, before he rasps, “I asked if you miss me, baby, and you haven’t answered.”

A tremor runs through your body.

It’s criminal. Your mind converts his voice directly into a hot coil of arousal. The throbbing between your legs causes you to wriggle beneath him.

“I need to know,” he croons, begging you to give in.

His arm slides under your back, lowering you onto the table. Your restraint collapses terribly quickly for him. His voice. His touch. He knows all of your buttons.

Laid on your back, your legs instinctively wrap around him as he bends to meet you.

Soft puffs of air shakily flow between your lips as you struggle to concentrate. On what? You aren’t sure. Not good. You squeeze your eyes shut like maybe he’ll disappear.

“I mean it, baby,” he continues purring with a sharp edge, “you tell me when you miss me.”

You know it wouldn’t matter even if you did. If you texted him. If you called. It wouldn’t matter. It would probably make you feel worse. But when he says it, you feel your heart doing flips anyway.

He slides his hands over your body, and you feel the last of your logic escaping as you tug him towards you. You’re grinding against him stupidly without a single thought. Just having him this close to you had you feeling desperate and needy. You could come again right now just by dry-humping like horny teenagers.

The craving for him is so intense that you’ll surely die if he doesn’t keep moving. You lose any shred of composure that you were still clinging to and let out a needy whine for him. And when your fingers twist and tug at his shirt, it’s like a green light to Joel.

He closes any and all gaps between you. His hand skates roughly under your dress, bunching up the fabric. He presses open-mouthed kisses against your neck and grazes his teeth enticingly along your jaw.

Groping, grinding, grunting. All his movements dance a line between deliberate and frantic.

You have tunnel vision, lost from time and space. When his low moan vibrates through you, your hand shoots to his belt. He rasps into your ear again, “That’s it, baby, I’m right here if you miss me, don’t need some jerkoff tryin’ to waste your time.” Your fingers fumble. What– “Oh, shit!” a voice yells. You freeze. “Don’t mind me!” The drunk guy slurs as he stumbles out the backdoor and sways down the alley towards the street.

Your situation hits you like a bucket of cold water. Joel seems unfazed, still curled over you. You push at him and sit up.

“What did you just say, Joel?”

“Hmm?” he murmurs at you.

“Joel, I’m serious. What the fuck?”

He’s not listening. His hands are still searching your body. The scent of his faded deodorant is so familiar in your nose. The words are coming up again. Before he casts his trance on you.

“No. I said I’m serious,” you repeat, “I’m not playing your games. Done with your weird shit.” Your body feels rigid, and your mind is clearing through the fog of lust. “Just because I have no self-esteem and I fuck you anytime you show up on my doorstep doesn’t mean you have any claim to me.”

He blinks at you, finally registering your tone, expression shifting. “I actually tried, you know? I wanted to get to know you. You just bail. I keep suffering for it. Like an idiot. I keep thinking it would show I care.”

“Baby–”

“And now what? You see me on a date and decide it would be fun to ruin it? Ruin a chance at something better than waiting around wondering if you’ll show up looking to score?” You’re on your feet now. Livid. Ablaze in the dark. “No, you don’t even care enough to think about that,” you realize aloud.

His features harden. Your head shakes slowly, exasperated with your burgeoning understanding. All you can hear is the white noise buzzing in your skull. Your next words are quieter and lower, forcing him to pay close attention.

“You just wanted to prove something, right? Thought you’d fuck me on this table and run like you always do? For what, to prove you could?”

His nostrils flare, and you don’t miss how he grits his teeth.

You don’t falter; he doesn’t scare you. You press on with your accusations prickly on your tongue. You back him against the wall next to the door as you continue.

“You don’t like hearing it?” you cock your head at him, amused with his discomfort. “Were you going to leave me here in the alley full of your come like I’m some pathetic whore for you? Would you walk me back to my date after that? Was that your plan?”

Joel snaps, manhandling you in a split second. Pinned against the brick wall, you can hear your heart pounding. It’s a paper-thin line between anger and lust, and you can’t tell which has your blood pumping. You can’t tell if he’s about to yell at you or fuck you. You hate that you can’t tell which you’d prefer.

His eyes are locked onto yours. Not revealing anything. You shift, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. He doesn’t keep you waiting. Joel shoves his hand into your panties, fingers slipping immediately into the fresh pool of arousal between your thighs. A shaky exhale comes out of you, but he doesn’t seem to need to blink or breathe anymore.

He brings his glossy fingers to your mouth. Silent. He taps at your lip until you open and suck, tasting yourself. His mask slips a little. One brow twitches as he studies the scene of your lips wrapped around both of his fingers. But his eyes flick to yours when he pulls them out of your mouth and drags them down your bottom lip, smearing spit against your chin.

“Tell me,” he says in a whisper that scrapes across your skin, “does it taste like you miss me?”

You swallow tightly. A lump forms in your throat now, about as large as a civilization-ending asteroid.

You can hear your phone buzzing. Forgotten on the table. Panic streaks over your eyes as you wonder how long you’ve been out here. You duck under his arm, dashing for your phone. You don’t look at him. You can’t. As you sprint down the hallway, you swing the door open, kicking the rock in the door jam, hopefully locking Joel outside. Cursing at yourself for almost letting Joel fuck you in the alley across from a dumpster.

Dave sits in his car, idling along the curb near the front of the club. You’re surprised he didn’t leave. You hope it hasn’t been long. You don’t dare check your phone. Maybe it was only a few minutes, or it could have been an hour. You don’t think time functions normally when you’re around Joel.

Dave is frighteningly observant, slinking out of his car to open the door for you before you get close enough to reach for the handle.

“I was just starting to wonder if you’d snuck out the back door,” he chides.

You feel the blood rushing to the surface of your skin. Hot with embarrassment over your behavior and his on-the-nose word choice.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble, “I did step out for some air. Wanted to cool down.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he assures you, tilting your chin towards his face with his thumb and forefinger. Your eyes dart around his face, wondering what he sees on yours. “Was it too much, dirty girl?” he coos.

“What, this?” you lilt mockingly as you palm over his bulge, “I don’t think so.”

“Good,” he snorts softly. “Get in the car.” He adds as he opens the door for you.

He pauses before pulling away from the curb once seated in the driver’s side.

“Is your boyfriend going to be following us home?”

“My what?” you feel the blood drain from your face.

“The one from the bar,” he continues, measured and eerily calm, “the one who followed us here?” Your head starts spinning at that, but Dave carries on, unbothered. “I assumed he likes to watch. You should’ve told me. It would’ve been easier than wondering if he’s a deranged stalker or–”

“No.” You cut him off and struggle to continue for multiple reasons. “It’s not like that. I thought it was a coincidence,” you feel a confusing mix of emotions.

“Followed us?” you’re curious.

“When I picked you up. In the truck?”

“Oh god. No. He’s,” you pause, searching for the right words.

“An ex?”

“Not even that. Jesus Christ, I can’t believe he’d follow me.”

“So he is dangerous?”

“No.” Only to my self-respect.

“You want me to take care of him?”

“No.” You reply before putting any thought behind what that means. “No. He’s just an asshole with a staring problem.”

You withdraw. You hadn’t thought about why Joel was here. How ridiculous it sounds to imagine Joel voluntarily sitting at the bar in a club like this alone. You feel the blood rushing to your ears. Stupid little butterflies flap their wings in your stomach before they’re reduced to ashes, and you begin to see red again tonight. How is Joel ruining your night without saying a word this time?

“Take me home,” you say firmly.

He does. Dave walks you to your door. You invite him in, but he’s observant, noticing the clouds in your expression. He declines your invite but assures you he would be very interested in seeing you again. He gives you a chaste kiss that makes you laugh, considering how bold you both have been tonight. It lightens your mood.

He lingers for a moment before he pulls out his wallet.

“It was on the house this time,” you snark. Curious about what he’s doing.

He hands you a sleek business card. A business card? Is this guy Patrick Bateman?

Your face wrinkles in confusion.

“I already have your number,” you flip the card over in case you’re missing something. It doesn’t say anything, just has a phone number.

“I meant what I said, that I’d be interested in seeing you again for pleasure,” he smirks, “but if you change your mind, at least keep this.”

You don’t understand why you’d need his work phone number but try to play it cool and nod.

“If your stalker becomes a problem, you call me.”

You’re still confused about what that means when he drives away. As you shut your door, you realize you have no idea what he does.

You’re still in the middle of composing a text to Katie about how her green flag date included a bathroom blowjob and a business card when you hear a knock at your door. You swing it open, assuming foolishly that it would be Dave.

Before you can blink, Joel kicks the door shut and backs you down the hallway. He looks like a man possessed as he hurtles towards you. It sends a chill down your spine that you think would trigger your fight or flight response, but yours seems to be reprogrammed to fight or fuck. Staggering backward, you yelp when the backs of your knees hit your mattress.

“Can I fucking help you?” you snap at him as you realign with reality. “Jesus Christ, Joel, were you waiting outside the window or something?”

You glare into his eyes, but a toxic part of you only wants to focus on his lips. And how close they are to yours. You also can’t deny the even more debauched part of you that flutters at the possessive look in Joel’s eyes.

He laughs darkly, “Nah baby, I knew you’d send him on his way.”

You roll your eyes at that. Cocky bastard.

And he is. He emits a frenzied energy as he takes you in. Looking you up and down like a prize. Like he’s considering where to write his name on your skin.

You roll your shoulders. Trying to shake off the idea that you’d like to be possessed by him, but it thrums persistently inside of you.

“You didn’t know shit, Miller,” you accuse sardonically.

Joel reaches for you. You think he’s going to tell you off. But his hands glide over the tops of your shoulders and up the column of your neck until he’s cupping your jaw in both hands. It feels jarring and vulnerable to be held by him this way. To feel like he just wants to look at you and to know you can’t look away. You wonder what’s going on behind his dark eyes. What he sees when he looks at you What he thinks.

The longer he looks at you, the more the tension builds (of course, because it’s Joel). You start to itch, fingers twitching with the need to grab him and pull his full weight on top of you. Despite your building desire, he’s still quietly reading your face. Joel Miller, the enigma, you muse.

Before you can flip him any shit, his mouth is on yours, and his hands drop to your hips to hold you firmly against his body. You want him to keep holding you there, but closer. You need him even closer.

He groans into your mouth, and you kiss him back hungrily. Your bodies slot together in a twisted fate. You couldn’t care less about the date you just had at this moment. You can hear Joel’s words from previous encounters that have burrowed into your consciousness, and you’re starving for more.

A selfish and greedy satisfaction warms in your chest at him being in your bedroom. He pulls your lower lip between his teeth before breaking away to tease bites along your neck and shoulder. You shiver. Your fingers dig into his shirt, pulling him closer and closer until your knees buckle, and fall into the bed with him on top of you. He doesn’t stop trying to taste you everywhere, trying to feel every part of you. You breathe out single-syllable praise as your thoughts become hazy.

You still feel needy. You writhe and strain as you attempt to work his shirt up his broad frame. You’re insistent on feeling the blistering heat of his skin against yours. He leans back up, out of your grip, causing you to sigh in exasperation. Of course, it couldn’t be this easy. What does he have to say now?

“You want me to leave?”

“What? Why?” you growl out. He is not about to body slam you into a bed and then walk away.

“Thought you were done with my ‘weird shit’ or whatever you called it,” he taunts.

“I am,” you huff.

“Tell me to stop.” You can’t.

“Take your clothes off,” you answer instead.

He does. Then, he’s pulling your clothes off and climbing over you. You aren’t sure you’ve ever both been fully naked like this. Definitely not while in a bed, at least. It’s more intimate than your relationship calls for. It makes time feel syrupy, but your other senses feel sharply tuned. Joel’s breath fans hot over your ear as he tucks his face into the corner of your neck and shoulder.

“So,” he sucks at your delicate skin before continuing in his smoky tone, “your date couldn’t satisfy you?”

“Shut up,” you snarl at him, uninterested in playing games. You’re too lost in the intensity of his physical presence. You need him inside of you, and you tug at his body, trying to pull him closer. It’s useless. His strong arms are braced like two stone pillars on either side of you.

He’s such a pest. His mouth quirks, and he looks all too pleased with himself. You roll your eyes again. You know what he’s getting at. What he wants to hear you say. But, you’re reluctant to stroke his ego. He’s going to be unbearable if. The thorn of it that hurts the most, though, is that it’s not a lie. It’s an admission. A confirmation.

He makes you feel so good in ways nobody else ever could, but the pain of knowing he’ll never be yours eats at you. It feels like exposing your beating heart in your chest to confess you want him so badly. You ache to hear him tell you he only wants you again. Even if it’s not real, you lie to yourself, you just need to hear it.

While you wrestle with finding the words, he begins to torment you. The heat and arousal weigh heavily between your naked bodies. He lowers closer and closer to where you need him most but refuses to alleviate your painful want. Wickedly, he exploits your neediness. Teasing at your skin with his tongue, teeth, and breath.

“Tell me, baby. Just let me hear it,” he says. But you can’t.

When he blows air over your strained nipples, and you arch under him seeking contact, he darts down to kiss at your stomach and inner thighs instead. When he gets closer and closer to the apex of your thighs, grazing his nose over your mound, you could snap.

You reach to dig your fingers into his hair and direct his mouth to your throbbing clit, but he’s stronger than you. Devilish man. He crawls back up to hover over your face. You know he’s enjoying it. Wondering how quickly you’ll break. It makes you want to kick and scream.

“Tell me it’s not true then,” it’s a challenge directed at you, but it feels like he’s also challenging himself.

He drags the head of his cock over the slick lips of your cunt without precision or direction. You are so convinced he’s torturing you, but he looks like he’s in pain from restraining himself as well. It makes you crazy. You try to reach down to line him up with your entrance yourself, but he’s faster. He grabs your hand and pins it above your head.

“Fine,” you grit out. Frustrated. You aim to smother your fear with sarcasm and puff your chest, hoping it works.

“You’re right, Joel. It’s true.” He doesn’t move, waiting to hear more.

“I missed your filthy mouth and your big fat cock.” You mock with an exaggerated whine. You keep going before you lose courage. “And my date couldn’t satisfy me.” You pause, steeling yourself. The corner of his mouth twitches.

“Because even when I had his cock down my throat,” you force yourself to look in his eyes, “all I could think about was you.”

You tried to keep the snarky, biting tone in that last part, but your voice betrayed you when you met his eyes. It came out sounding as vulnerable as it felt to say. His expression flickers. You feel too honest. You should take it back. You want to curl up. He grins above you.

“I know, baby,” he coos. You hold your breath. Of course he’s going to be a condescending ass about it, you start to bemoan internally–but when he finally sinks into you, it shuts off your inner monologue and slows down time. “All I can fuckin’ think about,” he says as he fills you as deeply as possible, letting a satisfied sigh fall from his lips.

All I can fuckin’ think about.

The words rattle around in your mind. Joel begins to rock into you, deliberately grinding his pelvis against you. All he can think about is you, too? Or fucking you? Or how he’s ruined you for other men?

All I can fuckin’ think about.

It echoes in your head as he picks up his pace, splitting you open with heavy, mind-altering thrusts. Suffocatingly intimate. Face to face. Skin to skin. Soul to soul. His voice isn’t just echoing in your mind; he’s also running his mouth about something. Muttering about how he knew you’d be waiting for him, how he’s going to fuck you until you forget your date's name, how nobody else can satisfy your needy cunt.

Oh.

He’s not wrong. You want to hear more.

“Yes,” You can stoke this fire. You don’t mind finding out what happens if you rile him up while he’s inside you. “Only you,” you pant, “nobody else fucks me like you do.”

He makes a throaty noise in agreement and shifts. Large hands wrap around the back of your knees and press them towards your chest, tilting your hips up. You choke and sputter as he slams into you with force. The new angle creates a blissful intensity.

“That’s right,” he says, “nobody else.”

He pounds into you like he could fuck you through the mattress, maybe even through the floor. The lewd sound of his thighs slapping against your ass fill the room. You tuck your chin to your chest to watch the way each thrust makes your breasts bounce. You notice that he’s mesmerized by the same sight, and you take the opportunity to shift your gaze, studying the look on his face.

It’s more sensual than anything you’ve done together before. You can see the sweat beading on his chest from exertion. You’re nearly folded in half and unable to stop your soft cries and moans. It’s raw, sticky, and vulnerable. You feel warmed at the thought but also fragile. Breakable. Hypersensitive emotionally and physically. It’s all too bright and hot.

You let his voice push you over the edge, and your climax rips fiercely through your body. You faintly hear him groan as your tight walls contract around him, but his voice is drowned out by the pleasure. Your legs tremble, still balanced over his shoulders.

Your core muscles spasm as he keeps sawing into you until your hips are jerking at the sensitivity of your come down. He slows, breathing heavily over you. You can see the animalistic edge in his eyes. You have to push it. Play it out.

“Make me yours,” you incite.

You definitely just meant to imply, ‘fuck me hard and come inside me, please,’ but you worry he’s interpreted it differently when he drops your legs. Wrong. He turns you over, laying you flat on your stomach, pulling your arms behind your back, and pinning you to the bed. He straddles your closed legs. Your shoulders strain a little as he leans into you. His heavy body compresses your prone form, and his cock weighs heavy against the curve of your ass; it feels right. A perverted comfort blanket, stealing your breath.

“Repeat it,” he tells the back of your neck.

“Make me yours.” You turn your head to the side. You can’t see his face, but you can hear the string of curses he chants when he lines up and wedges himself into you. The added constriction of your position unravels you both.

“Mine,” he grunts. You muffle your own noises into the sheets, along for the ride. He doesn’t last much longer before you feel him still overtop of you. You close your eyes, focusing on the sensation of the pulsing and throbbing of his cock inside you as he fills you up. Breathing deep, your back rises against his chest before he slides off of you.

You roll onto your side. Facing each other, you still at the sight of him. Another breath shared between you, chests expanding towards each other. For the briefest moment, you think he might stay. You can see the soft edge of relaxation in his features. Your hand drifts toward him, an instinct based on nothing rational, just wanting to feel him. You feel the stupid, dreamy expression settling on your face. Before you can speak or figure out what you were reaching for, he’s snapped out of the bubble of tranquility. His walls are up.

He’s dressed and leaving, walking towards the door as you can only sigh into your dirty sheets.

He doesn’t even leave with a snide last word. Just the door closing.

if you'd like to be on a taglist please let me know !

#joel miller #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #pedro pascal #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x you #fanfic #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #fuckboy joel #dave york #the last of us fanfiction #joel tlou smut #pedro pascal smut

496 notes · View notes

generalsmemories · 1 year ago

Text

The general has escaped... again

✧ jing yuan x gn!reader

✧ synopsis: what's more stressful than managing the internal affairs of luofu you ask? making sure that your husband actually stays in one place when he's ordered to.

✧ contents: established relationship, fluff, humor, mentions of other characters, spoilers for 1.3 trailblaze mission, spoilers for the end of IL Dan Heng's companion quest

✧ a/n: under one patch update (1.3) this man has managed to run away from bedrest a total of 3 times, as such i'm obligated to write this - behold, the brainrot of the week. once again, jing yuan only appears at the very end, but this whole fic is just how everyone is stressing over how this overgrown cat can escape from right under their noses. not beta-ed as usual fellas.

There's a heavy silence lingering in the air around the Realm keeping commission. For once, the commission has been closed to the public for an hour to discuss internal affairs - is what the citizens of Luofu believes at least.

You don't seem affected by the tense silence, Yanqing notices. He's standing before you, glancing around the other tense officials that's seated by their own desk. The two alchemy commission members present with him seem equally as confused as to why you've summoned them here.

It's only when they hear you place your brush down that they all stand up straight, attention back on you now that you've started to move again.

"I have a favor to ask," you start off, looking at the three people in front of you.

"The general is currently still on bedrest, and the master diviner has temporarily taken his role as the acting general master while he rests, correct?" you ask, to no one in particular.

But it's the newly appointed chief alchemist, Yuluo that answers you, "That is indeed correct."

"However, knowing the general he might start to move the moment he feels some sort of movement come back to his muscles," you point out, having risen from your chair during the (mostly one-sided) conversation to stand before your desk, leaning slightly back towards it with your arms crossed.

"Which is why, I need you all to keep an eye on him," you declare in the end, "The general won't be straying far away from the Exalting Sanctum for reasons you all might know, so I would have to trouble both you and Jinwen to make the trips back and forth from the alchemy commission to assess his conditin from time to time. But Yanqing, you'll mostly have the responsibility to ensure that he doesn't try to do anything else than rest, okay?"

You were already fully aware that you gave the three people before you an impossible task.

And the three people before you was also aware of the fact, but what more could they do but bow their head slightly in confirmation with a resounding, "As you order."

Yanqing is pouting before you, picking at his food before you whilst you merely gaze at him from the other end of the table, "Not hungry? I thought this was your favorite restaurant," you say, in response Yanqing merely levels a glare at you. It doesn't reach his eyes because he has no animosity, you're pretty sure he's just irritated.

"... I tried," he membles after another few minutes of silence. The quiet confession making you chuckle, "I'm aware, I'm surprised you even managed to keep him laying down for so long."

"... I even nailed down a few swords by the covers so it would be harder for him to pull them off," he adds, stabbing a stray tomato with one chopstick to emphazise his point before shoving it in his mouth, "But then he's already dressed and waiting by the door when I went to the toilet to attend the ceremony that was held for the deceased! [Name], he was even waiting for me with a smile!"

Your smile softens upon hearing his complaints, a finger pushing a glass of water towards the boy before you as a silent suggestion for him to drink it, "I already anticipated that he would do that, so why the long face still?"

"Because he refused to go back to rest right after the ceremony ended! And what else can I do, but heed his order with so many people around?" Yanqing huffs, crossing his arms as his food is now forgotten with his irritation overturning his appetite.

"Well he's resting now isn't he? Jinwen is currently staying at the manor to make sure he doesn't step foot outside. The day of the ceremony would've also been one of the last times he could get in contact with our guests from the Astral Express too, I'm sure he wanted to give them that jade abacus himself."

Not to mention the fact he personally went to the shackling prison right after handing it- alone nonetheless.

You omit the part of information from Yanqing. The topic itself still brings a tense atmosphere between you and Jing Yuan after all.

But before you can placate the small lieutenant any further, you can feel hurried footsteps making their way towards your table. And when you turn your head around to look at the commotion, you find Jinwen panting before you, right behind her one of the Cloud Knights assigned to the manor. And even with a mask on you just know that they're not looking at you.

"[Name]..." Jinwen starts, and you hum whilst fishing up your wallet, "Yes?"

"The general..." she starts, reluctantly looking around, fiddling her thumbs in nervousness. You just hand Yanqing the money before standing up, "He's escaped again, hasn't he?" you confirm, eyebrow raising up in question.

The healer before you merely nods, "I-I'm sorry, I have no idea where he went, I went back to the kitchen to prepare the next dosage of medicine and when I checked again he had suddenly just vanished - the guards didn't even know anything either."

"Even if they knew, they can't really go against their general, can they?" you point out with a laugh, patting the distressed healer on the shoulder before looking over at the Cloud Knight behind Jinwen, "Gather some more Cloud Knights and tell them to meet up at the alchemy commission as soon as possible."

You let out a sigh, rubbing your templates as if that would soothe the headache that's about to form from listening to the Disciples before you yap away whilst getting their hands bound behind their back.

"I want to preface that with the main disaster onboard the Luofu is over, you are aware that we have more personnel at the ready to apprehend you?" you point out, directing your gaze away from the harbor of the alchemy commission where the trailblazer, Dan Heng and Jing Yuan were currently standing to face the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus before you.

Knowing your husband, he's already aware that you're here.

"... And the fact that even after you failed to eliminate Jing Yuan back in september 5 times, and yet still tried again today - and even trying to take two Vidyadhara's along with him? I understand the confidence you had back when the disaster first struck, but now?" you laugh is disbelief. You're aware that it's futile to try to discuss the matter with the Disciples, but everything was worth a shot.

They'll always give the same response after all. Once the general is gone, everything will go more smoothly, once you see the true vision you would agree with them and so on.

It was getting quite tiring.

"Either way, I've contacted the Ten-Lords commission, we will probably have to make a trip to Scalegorge Waterscape to check for any stragglers, but I'm sure the Ten-Lords will have this matter under control..." you mutter, noticing the trailblazer and Dan Heng approach you, "Trailblazer, and mister Dan Heng, have you finished the matters at hand?"

Dan Heng nods, glancing at the tied up Disciples before you, to which you only wave it off, "Yes... And thank you for taking care of the ones over here," he mumbles, giving you a curt nod.

"All in a day's work, do have a safe trip back home though," you voice, "And if you were to ever return to the Luofu for whatever reason, do send me a message. I can at least assure that you'll be somewhat safer than today. I apologize for the inconvenience that these people have caused you," you add on, gesutring towards the Disciples while ignoring the surprise in his eyes.

Dan Heng doesn't say anything, only giving you another nod as a confirmation before walking off.

"Well then, with all that done..." looking back over to the docks, you find Jing Yuan already staring up from his spot at you, giving you a small smile and a small wave of his hand.

"... Of course he's overexhausted himself."

"Do you enjoy making everyone around you worry? I think Jinwen aged a couple of decades with the stunt you pulled today," you start to nag the moment you're within earshot of Jing Yuan - your husband merely chuckling at your exasperated face as you stomp over.

"I apologize, dear. I just had an inkling that something would go awry with their journey. Finding you would've taken longer and Lady Fu Xuan is already busy as the acting general in my absence. So I figured this was the best course of action," he tries to reason, but he can never reason with you when it comes to his wellbeing - no matter how many times he's tried in the past.

So you don't answer him. You only stare at him, close enough for him to see your dissatisfication, but far enough for him to not be able reach you or hold you in his arms.

"... I do admit I'm pretty weary though, I think this is the last time I'll violate the healers' order," he admits in the end with a defeated sigh, raising his arms a bit as a silent request, "Can I request the assistance of my dear spouse in these trying times?" he jests.

However, Jing Yuan is well aware of the fact that you're still very much weak to the few times he does request help.

As with any matter with Jing Yuan that you're inevitably forced to pick up, you can only sigh as you step closer. Weaving your fingers between his own to pull him a bit closer before leaning in to give him a brief peck on the lips.

You then weave your fingers away from his own in favor to wrapping your arms around his waist in a snug embrace, Jing Yuan taking the chance to wrap his own arms around yours before he leans his entire weight on you.

The extra weight makes you let out a grunt of surprise, but Jing Yuan has already buried his face into your neck, letting out a deep exhale into your skin which makes it tingle while his shoulders slump, "... You big lion, you're rivaling Mimi's clinginess at this point," you whisper with a chuckle.

"I haven't seen my dear spouse since they had ordered me to be bedridden, I'm sure you can handle a little clinginess," Jing Yuan mumbles back, kissing the juncture of your neck.

"Yeah, yeah. As an apology for caring about your health, what about we try to get home so that you can properly rest on a bed instead of leaning your entire weight on your dear spouse?"

Jing Yuan hums in appreciation, leaning back to cup your cheek with a smile, "I think that sounds wonderful," he confirms before pressing his lips back on your own.

#honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail x you #honkai star rail imagines #hsr x reader #hsr x you #star rail x reader #star rail imagines #jing yuan x reader #jing yuan x you #x reader #reader insert

2K notes · View notes

lunarsilver · 12 days ago

Text

What should you appreciate in yourself?

REMEMBER

I’m not a doctor, a psychiatrist, a therapist nor a psychologist. Divination will never replace meetings with them.

It’s a general reading, so not everything will resonate.

If you can’t choose between two piles, probably both of them have some messages for you. You can also not identify with any of them, and that’s okay, too.

Readings can help you make a decision, but they shouldn’t be the main reason for making it.

1 ~ 2 ~ 3

PILE 1

The Hanged Man R - Eight of Wands R - King of Swords - Back of the Deck: Ace of Swords

The first thing I immediately saw is how all the cards have imagery concentrated on straight, vertical lines, which makes me think that no matter what, you stand tall. If you fall, you stand up. That’s what the cards tell me. Even when there are delays and setbacks, even when the path isn’t clear, you can see the bigger picture and assess the situation coolly. You should appreciate the sharpness of your mind, pile one. Even in dry situations, you can come up with new ideas - and good ones at that. Moreover, you most likely are good at articulating your suggestions and opinions. You give me the vibe of someone with silent power and quiet charisma, pile one. No matter how confusing the situation, you’ll find the solution.

PILE 2

The Fool - Six of Wands - Two of Pentacles - Back of the Deck: Four of Cups R

Right off the bat, you give me a pretty free vibe, pile two, with how all the characters in the cards seem to dance, or pose, or put their hands high, or just look happy or proud. I think Four of Cups in reverse at the back encourages you to think for a moment about all the wonderful stuff you do. You keep starting new projects, and you succeed at them, getting public recognition for that. At the same time, you still somehow know how to find time for all of this and balance all your projects or jobs. That’s worth admiring, pile two! If that’s not the case, if you’re more withdrawn, then the cards encourage you to get out of your shell and show the world all these wonderful skills you have.

PILE 3

Ten of Pentacles - Ace of Wands - The Fool R - Back of the Deck: Queen of Cups

You’ve already achieved a lot, pile three. I think I may have some working moms here. Wait, I moved the card of Queen of Cups by accident, and underneath there are Knave of Cups and King of Cups, in this order. I swear I shuffled the cards long, and yet they are together. This further proves my feeling that quite many of you here have your own family - either a literal one, like a kid and a husband, or you have friends with whom you’re close, like a family. You have some wealth and have created a stable foundation for future endeavors - and you use it! You see new opportunities and have potential to grow even more, so you take the risk. Furthermore, you should appreciate how much you’ve already achieved and how you’re still willing to achieve even more. You’re an example that just because Queen of Cups is in tune with her emotions, it doesn’t make her weak. Rather, how compassionate and intuitive you are is your power.

#divination #pick a picture #pick a card #pick a card reading #cartomancy #general reading #tarot reading #free tarot reading #pick a pile #tarot

158 notes · View notes

cowboybeepboop · 3 months ago

Note

bae it’s me i need you to write a HOTD smut with Aemond so bad im going ferral im literally ovulating rn so bad pls 😔

Pairing: Modern Aemond x fem! Reader

Genre: Smut

Word count: 3.7k

Summary: You’re Aemonds assistant whom he has a soft spot for.

Warnings: Office sex, unprotected, p in v sex, semi public, teasing, fingering.

a/n: I really hope you enjoy 🤒 there will in fact be a part 2 at some point 😝 So if anyone wants to be tagged in it let me know! And as always send any requests my way <3

Aemond Targaryen sat behind his large, oak desk, in the spacious and pristine office. He was quietly going over some paperwork, when the door to his office opened and you walked in.

The tall blonde man looked up from the paperwork, and his blue eye settled on you. He had gone through many assistants, but you had lasted longer than any of the others. Aemond was never sure if it was because you were good at your job, or if you simply had an unusually high tolerance for him.

“Good morning Sir, I know I’m late but-” you begin to try to explain yourself but he responds with a cold glare as he cuts you off.

Aemond set down the pen in his hand and looked at you sternly. He had a reputation for being a demanding and hard-to-please boss, and you were already behind schedule it seemed.

“Save your excuses,” he said in a clipped tone. “And tell me why you’re late.”

“Right, I’m late because there was a car crash on the freeway.” you clear your throat, gaze fixed on the wall behind him. “It won't happen again Sir, next time I’ll leave earlier.”

Aemond listened to your explanation, his expression flickering with a mixture of mild irritation and a hint of concern. He leaned back in his chair and scrutinized you for a moment.

"I'm glad you're unharmed," he said after a moment. "But punctuality is vital in this office." His gaze remained fixed on you, and there seemed to be something unspoken behind his words.

“Yes of course Sir,” you give him a soft smile, “Is there anything I can do or shall I wait at my desk until you need me?”

Aemond's eye flicked over your face as you smiled at him, and for a moment, a flicker of something akin to warmth was in his eye.

"You may wait at your desk," he said, his voice still cool but not as sharp as before. He picked up his pen again and returned to his paperwork, signaling your dismissal. As you headed back to your desk he glanced up and called after you. "Y/N."

“Sir?” you turn to face him, smoothing your skirt as you stand in front of him. Aemond looked at you for a moment, his gaze assessing.

"Close the door," he said, gesturing towards the door to his office. As the door clicked shut, the room suddenly felt more intimate. Aemond leaned back in his chair, his gaze still fixed on you. "Come here," he said, beckoning you closer, his voice low and commanding.

You follow his demand, moving to his desk with swiftness. Aemond watched you approach, his eye never leaving your form. He studied you with an intensity that was almost palpable, his gaze flickering over your face and body as you stood in front of him.

"Closer," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Come stand in front of me, right in front of the desk. Facing me."

“Is everything alright Sir?” you question while moving exactly where he wants you.

He ignored your question for a moment, a small smirk playing at the corners of his lips. He leaned forward in his chair, his long fingers steepled beneath his chin as he studied you.

"I want to ask you a question," he said, his gaze fixed on your face. "And I want an honest answer. Can you do that?"

“Yes, of course I can.” you smile sweetly as you watch his expression.

Aemond watched you intently, his eye studying your features as he spoke. "How come none of my previous assistants lasted as long as you have?" He asked, his voice low and measured.

“Are you sure you want an honest answer?” Your tone is a soft question.

Aemond's smirk widened at your question, and he leaned back in his chair. "Of course," he said, his voice edged with a hint of challenge. "I wouldn't ask if I didn't want an honest answer."

“Right, well.. I think you can be very difficult at times, you’re a very demanding boss, every little detail must be perfect, and most importantly the hours are a challenge. I never know when I’ll be going home for the night.” you chew on your bottom lip, hoping he won't fire you because of your explanation.

Aemond listened as you spoke, his smirk never leaving his face. He knew he was difficult to work for, and he had pushed many of his assistants to their limits. But he also couldn't help but be impressed by your brutally honest answer.

"Interesting," he said after a moment, his eye still fixed on you. "And yet you've lasted longer than any of the others. Why is that?"

“I understand the demand for timeliness and perfection, you’ve got a difficult job here, the fate of all our jobs rely on your ability to get things done correctly. The late hours don’t bother me much either… But I also really enjoy having a stable job.” your eyes fall on his smirk.

Aemond's smirk softened into a small smile as you spoke, surprised by not only your honesty but also your insight into his demands. He leaned forward in his chair again, his hands clasping together as he considered your words.

"So, you're telling me you understand my demands, don't mind the late hours, and enjoy having a stable job," he said, his voice almost teasing. He tilted his head slightly, a new gleam in his eye. "And how do you feel about me?"

“What about you, Sir?” your eyebrows furrow with your question.

Aemond leaned back in his chair again, his smirk returning. "Come now, Y/N," he said, his tone slightly amused. "You know what I meant. I'm your boss, after all."

The smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he went on. "I asked you a question. Do I scare you, irritate you, or do you find me tolerable? Be honest."

“To be entirely honest, you do scare me a little bit..” your gaze falls to the floor, your posture straightening with your admission.

Aemond watched you intently, his single eye studying you as you spoke. He could see the slight shift in your body language, the way you stiffened as you answered his question.

"Ah," he said, his voice soft, "So, a little fear. What about the other options? Do I irritate you?"

“Not particularly,” you glance back up at him. “But why are you asking so many questions this morning?”

Aemond let out a small, humorless chuckle, his eye sparkling with amusement. "I'm asking because I want to know," he said, his tone still soft.

He pushed away from his desk and stood, towering over you. He took a step closer to you, closing the small distance between you and the desk. His gaze was unwavering, and you could sense the slightest hint of danger in his voice.

"You're my assistant, after all. I have to ensure you at least tolerate me."

You back up, thighs pressing into the edge of his desk. “R-right, of course.” you take a shaky breath, eyes trained on his face.

Aemond chuckled again, a low, dark sound that echoed in the small space between you. He stepped even closer, until he was practically looming over you, his height and presence filling the room.

His eye flicked down to your face, taking in your flushed cheeks and the way your breath hitched in your throat. As you pressed further back against the desk, backed into a corner, he took a step forward, his face inches from your own. "Am I making you nervous, Y/N?" he whispered, his voice like a serpent's whisper.

“You’re very close, Sir.” you murmur, eyes fluttering shut in response to his voice.

Aemond didn’t move away. Instead, he leaned in even closer, his body mere inches from your own. He was so close you could feel his breath warm on your skin, his sheer size and presence making you feel suddenly small.

"And does that make you nervous?" he whispered again, his voice like a low rumble. His eye flicked over your face, taking in every twitch and shiver. "Or do you like it?"

“Am I still being honest?” you breathe out, voice barely a whisper. Aemond's smirk widened just a fraction at your question. He took another step forward, his body now pressed almost completely against yours, pinning you against the desk.

"Be brutally honest," he said, his voice low and commanding. He reached out, his hand coming to rest on your hip, his touch burning through the fabric of your skirt. "I want the truth."

You gasp at the feeling of his fingers against you, “A little bit of both, Sir.” you open your eyes, having a sort of deer in headlights expression. Aemond chuckled again, a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through you. He tightened his grip on your hip, his fingers digging ever so slightly into your skin, holding you in place.

"A little bit of both," he repeated slowly, letting the words roll off his tongue. He leaned in even closer, his face so close to yours that you could feel the heat from his body. "I... scare and arouse you," he said, his voice a dark whisper. "Is that right?"

“S-sir..” you practically moan, drinking in every shred of attention he’s giving you, unsure of how long it'll last.

Aemond's smirk became wider, his eye darkening as he watched you practically squirm in response to his touch. He moved impossibly closer, his body fully pinning you against the desk now, his grip on your hip tight and possessive.

"Ah, that's a lovely sound," he murmured against your skin, his breath hot and heavy. "Say my name, Y/N. I want to hear my name on your lips."

“Mr. Targaryen?” you question, your hand finally moving to touch his firm abdomen.

Aemond's smirk turned into a small smile when you dared to touch him. He took a sharp breath in as your hand made contact with his stomach, his muscles tensing under your touch.

He leaned in, his lips almost touching your ear as he spoke. "No," he growled, his voice low and sultry. "My first name."

“Aemond..” you murmur, body arching into his as his breath brushes your ear, sending chills down your spine. “Aemond, stop teasing me… please.”

Aemond chuckled again, the sound dark and seductive. He liked the way you said his name, the way your body responded to his every touch. He could feel you arch into him, and it took every ounce of restraint he had not to just take you right then and there.

"Oh, Y/N," he whispered, his lips moving ever so closer to your skin. "You're such a mess just from a little teasing. Are you that desperate for my touch?" He guides you to sit on the desk in front of him, his legs going between your own.

You further spread them, giving him space to come even closer. “Sir, please.. Touch me please..” you whine, eyes desperate as you gaze up at him. Aemond watched as you settled on the desk, parting your legs for him without a single command. He leaned in, his body finally pressing against your own, his hands on either side of you, caging you in.

"Impatient, are we?" he smirked, enjoying the way you whine for him. He ran his fingers up your thigh, his touch scorching hot through the thin fabric of your skirt. "So needy.. You're absolutely desperate for me, aren’t you."

“Mhm, so desperate.” you mutter while guiding his hand further up your thigh, desperate for him to touch you right where you need it. “Please touch me Aemond, you're torturing me..”

Aemond groaned as your hand guided his own, his fingers trailing higher, coming closer and closer to the spot where you wanted him most. Your need was almost unbearable for him to witness, and he was fighting to keep his composure, to not let himself just take you right then and there.

"You're the one who's torturing me," he whispered, his voice strained. "The way you moan for me, the way you're desperate for my touch... it's driving me mad."

You let out another soft moan, leaning back on the desk as he finally slips his hand between your thighs.

Aemond's eye darkened with desire as you leaned back on the desk and let out another moan. He gently pushed your thighs apart even more, his fingers slowly dancing over the fabric of your clothes, enjoying the way you squirmed beneath him.

"So eager for me, aren't you? So needy for my touch," he said, his voice low and sultry. "Beg me, Y/N. Beg for me to touch you properly."

“Please, Sir.. touch me properly, please give me what I need.” you whine, become more and more impatient with his teasing. Aemond was enjoying the way you whined and pleaded for him.

Your impatience was only bringing him closer to the edge, making him want to finally give you what you wanted. But he wanted to hear you say it again. "Use my name," he commanded, his voice dark. "Say it again. I want to hear my name when you beg me, Y/N."

“Aemond, I can’t take anymore teasing..” you gasp, feeling his hand trailing up your inner thigh. He took a second to savor the sound of it on your lips, relishing the way it sounded when you begged him for more.

He slid his hand even higher, until his fingers were gently brushing over your most sensitive parts, through the fabric of your clothes. He leaned in, his lips millimeters from your ear.

"You've been a very good girl," he whispered, his voice a low rumble. "I suppose I'll give you what you want."

"Aemond," you moaned, the sound of his name like a prayer on your lips. You felt his hand move under your skirt, the fabric of your panties the only barrier between his skin and your wetness.

He hooked his finger under the elastic and with a swift motion, he slid them to the side, exposing you completely to his touch. He didn't waste any time, immediately pressing his finger against your entrance, feeling the slick heat of your arousal.

His eyes never left yours as he began to push in, the slow, deliberate movement making you beg for more.

"Please, Aemond," you gasped, your hips rolling in a silent plea for him to fill you completely. He smirked at your desperation, enjoying every second of it.

His finger slid in easily, and he watched your face contort with pleasure as he began to move it in and out, his strokes slow and maddening. Each time he went deeper, you could feel yourself getting wetter, your body begging for more.

He didn't need to be told twice; he added another finger, stretching you out even more, his eyes never leaving yours as he watched you fall apart.

The room was filled with the sound of your whimpers and his soft, taunting whispers, the scent of your desire thick in the air. Aemond's own arousal was clear, his pants bulging as he worked you with his hand.

He leaned in, his breath hot against your neck as he whispered, "Keep begging for it, Y/N. Tell me how much you need me to fuck you."

Your breath hitched as his fingers hit a spot inside you that sent shockwaves of pleasure through your body. "Aemond, I need you," you whispered, your voice shaking with need. "Please, fuck me, I can't wait any longer."

He chuckled darkly, withdrawing his fingers and taking a step back, leaving you trembling on the desk. "Patience," he said, his voice a low command.

He quickly unbuckled his belt and slid his pants down, his erection standing proud and demanding. "You'll get what you want, but only when I say you can."

With that, he stepped closer again, his body pressing against yours as he positioned himself at your entrance. You could feel the head of his cock nudging against you, teasing you with the promise of what was to come. "Beg for it," he murmured, his breath hot against your ear. "Beg for me to take you."

Your body was on fire, your mind a whirlwind of desire. You didn't need to be told twice. "Aemond, please," you begged, your voice desperate and needy. "Take me, I need you inside me."

With a groan of his own, Aemond pushed into you, his cock filling you in one smooth stroke. You cried out, your nails digging into the wood of the desk as he began to move, his hips driving into you with a passion that was almost animalistic.

The friction was exquisite, the feeling of him inside you was everything you had been dreaming of. And so it began, a dance of power and pleasure, where you were both the dominator and the dominated, the hunted and the hunted.

With every thrust, every moan, every desperate plea, the walls of the office seemed to close in around you, until there was nothing but the two of you and the sound of skin on skin.

As Aemond began to move inside you, his hips setting a punishing rhythm, you bit your lip to stifle the moans that threatened to spill from your mouth.

You didn't want the rest of the office to hear how completely he owned you, how every stroke of his cock sent waves of pleasure crashing through your body. But Aemond noticed your effort to remain quiet, and his smirk grew darker.

"Let them hear you," he said, his voice a low command. "Let them know how much you want this, how much you need me."

You hesitated for a moment, but the need to please him overrode any shred of modesty you had left. You let out a low moan, feeling your cheeks heat with embarrassment as the sound echoed through the room. Aemond's eye narrowed in approval, his grip on your hips tightening as he drove into you even harder.

"That's it," he murmured, his voice thick with desire. "Let it out, scream for me."

And so you did, your moans growing louder and more desperate with each thrust. You could feel the tension in the air around you, the energy of your shared passion almost tangible.

Aemond's movements grew more erratic, his breath coming in harsh pants as he fucked you with an intensity that bordered on feral. The world outside the office door didn't exist anymore, it was just the two of you and the sound of your bodies colliding.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him closer, urging him to go deeper, faster. The desk creaked under your combined weight, the sound mixing with the wet slap of flesh and the harsh rhythm of your breathing.

And as you felt the beginnings of your climax building, you couldn't help but wonder if this was what it was like to truly submit to someone, to be claimed in every sense of the word.

Aemond leaned in, capturing your mouth in a brutal kiss that stole your breath away. His tongue danced with yours as his hips continued their relentless assault, his hand moving to palm your mound, his thumb flicking over your clit. The combination of his touch and the feel of him inside you was too much to handle, and you shattered around him, your orgasm tearing through you like a storm.

He didn't stop, though, driving into you harder and faster, chasing his own release. And when he finally found it, he pulled back, his single eye blazing with victory as he watched you come apart in his arms. The silence that followed was deafening, both of you trying to catch your breath as the reality of what had just happened began to sink in.

For a moment, there was only the sound of your racing hearts, the throb of your bodies, and the knowledge that the office outside had just become a place of secret desire and power games. Aemond leaned down, his breath hot against your skin as he whispered, "You're mine now, Y/N. Remember that." And with that, he pulled out, leaving you trembling and exposed on the desk, the evidence of your desire for him slick on your thighs.

Aemond leaned back, drinking in the sight of you laid out on the desk before him, your body still trembling and panting after your intense climax. He smiled with satisfaction, enjoying the way your eyes couldn't seem to meet his own, the aftermath of your submission still fresh on your face.

"Do you understand, Y/N?" he said softly, his voice carrying a hint of command. "Do you understand who you belong to? Who you *truly* belong to?"

“Yes.. yes Sir..” you murmur, voice dazed as you try to catch your breath.

Aemond chuckled at your dazed response, enjoying the way you called him "Sir" even now, after everything that had just happened.

He leaned in, his hand coming up to brush a strand of hair out of your face. "Good," he said, his voice low and calm. "Because I expect you to remember it from now on. You're mine, Y/N. Body and mind. And I won't tolerate any disrespect, or any attempts to defy me."

You nod, leaning your head to his hand, enjoying the gentleness of his touch. A knock on the door sends a shiver down your spine, you try to stand from the desk but Aemond holds you in place.

Aemond's hand on your hip held you firm in place, preventing you from moving. He glanced towards the door, his expression becoming stoic for a moment.

"Come in." he called out, his voice commanding without betraying any hint of what had just happened. You squirm under his hands, nervously trying to get away.

“Oh uh, here’s the paperwork you needed.” One of your coworkers quickly sets the file on the desk, leaving the room quickly and gently closing the door behind them.

Aemond didn't look away from you as the worker left the room, his eye focused on you like a hawk. He could feel your squirms, your attempt to get away from him.

As soon as the door clicked shut, his grip on you tightened, pinning you in place. He raised an eyebrow at you, his expression a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"Where do you think you're going, Y/N?" he asked, his voice low and steady. "I'm not finished with you yet."

@bellasdepressionerascreams

232 notes · View notes

covid-safer-hotties · 2 months ago

Text

Also preserved on our archive

Whenever you hear someone trying to blame kid's poor test scores "post pandemic" on "lockdowns," show them this.

By Dr. Sushama R. Chaphalkar, PhD.

New research shows that mild COVID-19 alters brain structure and connectivity in key areas responsible for memory and cognition, emphasizing the lasting effects on young people’s brain health.

In a case-control study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive tests to examine brain structure, function, and cognition in adolescents and young adults with mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to healthy controls in a pandemic hotspot in Italy. They identified significant changes in brain regions related to olfaction and cognition, with decreased brain volume and reduced functional connectivity in areas like the left hippocampus and amygdala, which were linked to impaired spatial working memory. Notably, no significant differences were observed in whole-brain connectivity, suggesting that these changes were localized rather than widespread.

Background COVID-19, primarily known for respiratory symptoms, also affects the central nervous system, leading to neurological issues like headaches, anosmia, and cognitive changes. MRI-based studies reveal anatomical brain changes in COVID-19 patients, such as reduced gray matter and decreased volume in regions like the hippocampus and amygdala, often linked to cognitive deficits.

While research mostly focuses on severe cases and older adults, a majority of infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, occur in adolescents and young adults who also experience long-lasting cognitive symptoms.

This age group, undergoing key brain development, is impacted by changes in spatial working memory and brain structure, which are crucial for cognitive functions shaped by social interactions, significantly disrupted by the pandemic.

Given that this is the largest and most understudied population affected by COVID-19, understanding the brain and cognitive impacts in adolescents and young adults is vital.

Therefore, researchers in the present study compared anatomical, functional, and cognitive outcomes, utilizing a longitudinal design that allowed them to assess both pre- and post-infection differences, in COVID-19-positive and negative adolescents and young adults from Lombardy, Italy, a global hotspot during the pandemic.

About the study The present study involved participants from the Public Health Impact of Metal Exposure (PHIME) cohort, a longitudinal investigation of adolescents and young adults in northern Italy. Between 2016 and 2021, 207 participants, aged 13 to 25 years, were included in a sub-study with MRI scans and cognitive tests. After COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, 40 participants (13 COVID+ and 27 COVID−) participated in a follow-up study, which replicated the MRI and cognitive assessments.

The mean age of participants was 20.44 years and 65% were female. COVID+ status was confirmed through positive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests within 12 months of follow-up. Neuropsychological assessments used the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to evaluate spatial working memory.

MRI and functional MRI data were acquired using a 3-Tesla scanner, processed, and analyzed for structural and local functional connectivity using eigenvector centrality mapping (ECM) and functional connectivity (FC) metrics. Whole-brain functional connectivity metrics showed no significant differences between COVID+ and control groups, indicating that the observed changes were specific to key brain regions rather than generalized across the entire brain.

Statistical analysis involved the use of pairwise Student's t-tests, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, linear regression, two-waves mediation analysis, negative binomial regression, and linear regression, all adjusted for covariates.

Results and discussion Significant differences were observed in the two groups regarding the time between assessments, COVID-19 symptoms, and vaccine status. The research identified five localized functional connectivity hubs with significant differences between the two groups, including the right intracalcarine cortex, right lingual gyrus, left frontal orbital cortex, left hippocampus and left amygdala, which is vital for cognitive functions. Only the left hippocampal volume showed a significant reduction in COVID+ participants (p = 0.034), while whole-brain connectivity remained unchanged, reinforcing the localized nature of the brain changes.

The left amygdala mediated the relationship between COVID-19 and spatial working memory "between errors" (p = 0.028), a critical finding that highlights the indirect effect of amygdala connectivity on cognitive function in COVID+ individuals. This mediation analysis underscores the role of specific brain regions in influencing cognitive deficits, as only the indirect effect was statistically significant for spatial working memory errors. The orbitofrontal cortex, involved in sensory integration and cognitive functions, also showed decreased connectivity in COVID+ individuals, supporting previous findings of structural and functional changes in this region during COVID-19.

The study is limited by small sample size, lack of diversity, potential confounding factors due to the long interval between MRI scans, treatment of certain subjects as COVID-negative based on antibody testing beyond the 12-month threshold, and the possibility of non-significant findings in mediation analysis due to these factors.

Conclusion In conclusion, the findings indicate persistent structural and functional alterations in specific brain regions of COVID-19-positive adolescents and young adults, including changes in gray matter volume and localized functional connectivity, which correlate with diminished cognitive function, particularly in working memory.

Further research is necessary to evaluate the longevity and potential reversibility of these brain and cognitive changes post-infection, enhancing our understanding of post-COVID outcomes and informing future interventions and treatments. The longitudinal design of this study, with pre- and post-COVID data, strengthens these findings by allowing direct comparisons over time, offering robust insights into the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent brain development.

Journal reference: COVID-19 related cognitive, structural and functional brain changes among Italian adolescents and young adults: a multimodal longitudinal case-control study. Invernizzi, A. et al., Translational Psychiatry, 14, 402 (2024), DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-03108-2, www.nature.com/articles/s41398-024-03108-2

#mask up #covid #pandemic #covid 19 #wear a mask #public health #coronavirus #sars cov 2 #still coviding #wear a respirator #long covid #covid conscious #covid is airborne #wear a fucking mask

151 notes · View notes

carsthatnevermadeitetc · 10 months ago

Text

Geneva '74 50 years on: Ford Coins Concept by Ghia. Half a century ago the motor industry was ramping up to the 44th Geneva Motor Show. The Coins was designed by Tom Tjaarda as a projection of what a Ford Capri of 1994 might look like. Features included a central drivering position with seating for 3 and a single rear door.

"It cannot go into production," said a Ford spokesman ''but the Coins is a useful exercise to try out a number of advanced ideas and assess public reaction to them."

#Geneva 74 #1974 #Ford #Ford Coins #Ghia #Tom Tjaarda #1970s #50 years on #concept #design study #prototype #central driving poistion #44th Geneva Motor

447 notes · View notes

cherry-romper · 5 months ago

Note

Just imagining a cat-kaiju fem reader in the Defense Force, like a catgirl, I wonder what would the interaction with the others would look like? Some might be romantic and some might be platonic, and the reader and Bakko is like super close since they’re literally cats lol

Yeah, I went so overboard with this. Been desperate for someone to request something like this! Thank you!

Warnings; blood, death and cats :3

Contains; F!reader, fluff

Word count; 3637 (im so sorry)

At first you weren’t taken seriously. Yeah, you were a Kaiju, but you had the semi-appearance of a cat, permanently; tail and ears included. You went from a respected defence force officer to a cat-girl, it was like some sort of joke.

Captain Hoshina found it hilarious. He nearly passed out from laughing. “Hey, L/N, do you think you meow too?” he had asked you through hysterical sobs. His reaction was echoed by a lot of people in the force. Not only that, but many whispers also started, rumours and speculation rose from the force and eventually word got out the public that they had a cat-girl on the force.

You became a celebrity for all the wrong reasons. The force had tried to contain the hysteria of the public – they were not aware you were a kaiju. If they were to find that you were, both you and Kafka would be forced to retire and be weaponised.

This caused you to sink into a depression. You had been training so hard, your suit output power had reached 27% and now you were viewed as a joke. Cat-girls were seen as cute and small. They meant to look sweet and pretty. In many ways, they’re weak.

Kafka thought it was awesome that there was someone like him in the field. He adored that he could finally confide in someone about what he was feeling, and they would actually understand him. Secretly, he thought your partially transformed appearance was cute. He couldn’t help but admire the way your tail swayed when you were annoyed, or the movements of your ears when you overheard something. The same goes for Kikoru. She knew how strong you were even before becoming a Kaiju, she had nothing but respect for you. Even so, she teased you, amused at you new mannerisms.

Still, the same precautions were taken with you as were with Kaiju no.8. You were taken to a facility and assessed by none other than Gen Narumi. He wasn’t pleased you’d interrupted his gaming; he’d already made his mid up you weren’t worth his time. Once again, you’d fallen victim to the cat-girl prejudice.

“Let’s get this over with,” was the first and only thing he’d said to you before he began his assault. He couldn’t land a single hit. Your reflexes matched his own, even with his kaiju foresight. His original estimations of your power were now overshadowed. “Uh huh,” he had said, looking you up and down in disbelief. Your fortitude? 9.1.

You stood defensively, your arms in the shape of an ‘x’ in front of your face, clawlike nails ready to parry Narumi’s weapon. You were only able to transform your eyes, ears, forearms and calves; you were on the defensive. You panted slightly, his attacks had been fast and heavy. Your human body wouldn’t have been able to keep up with him, but your Kaiju form took it with ease. Granted, Narumi wasn’t going all out, if he had he probably would have destroyed the testing room, you included.

A newfound respect formed in that moment. You were deemed Kaiju no. 16. Though it would only last if you showed him results. Gen allowed a trial run for you on the field. Given that Kafka was already in the First Division, Gen had you transferred back to the Third Division, under Mina Ashiro’s command.

Mina was secretly thrilled to have you in her division. You weren’t aware of it at the time, but many of her officers looked up to you, since you held your own against Narumi, so she was pleased you would be there to inspire. Hoshina also had some more respect for you, he was amused that you had humiliated Narumi.

Iharu, along the others, thought you were awesome. You were sung with praises when you arrived, they even through you a party. Swarmed by your friends, you were overwhelmed with emotion. Perhaps the first few days of isolation had caused you to form a narrative in your head that people didn’t like you. You yourself, had prejudices against cat-girls. But here, now, surrounded by such love and admiration, you saw that there was no room for such biases in the defence force.

During the party, many questions were thrown your way:

“What are your abilities?”

“Do always you land on your feet like a cat?”

“Can you see in the dark?”

“Do you eat mice?” – Hoshina

“What can you use your tail for?”

“Do you have paws?”

“Do you have fur?”

“Can you jump really high?”

The simple answer to all those questions was: “I don’t know”.

You hadn’t really had time to test out your abilities, nor had you ever fully transformed. Fear caused this, denial of it being real and resentment for yourself. Yeah, being a cat-girl is cool on paper, but you were a Kaiju. It wasn’t sunshine and rainbows as many people had been thinking.

***

Before being deployed in the field, you were to be trained but Hoshina himself. He needed to know your abilities in detail, so he could personally dispose of you if necessary.

Much to your surprise, Reno and Ihrau, offered to help with your training too. They wanted to help since you were their friend, but also wanted to see how well you could all worked together. Since they had experience fighting alongside Kaiju no. 8, it was approved that they would help with your training.

You first day was one-on-one with Hoshina. Today’s training was all about fully transforming. You had outputted a fortitude of 9.1. partially transformed. Now was your time to show off what you could do without being afraid.

Hoshina had told you “I’m not going to hold back. If I hurt you, that on you. Do everything you can to stop me. I want to see what you have to offer. Show me who you are, L/N.”

Once again, you could only partially transform. Hoshina slashed and slashed at you, but you parried him every time, your claws as sharp as his blades. Your internal monologue was doing overtime. Please was the only word you repeated, over and over again. Desperately reaching into the depths of your core to find the strength to fully transform. All the while, Hoshina’s blades rained hell on you relentlessly. He was in the zone, completely set on forcing you to transform, giving you no other option but to harden the skin on your chest as he triple-attacked.

Your chest now covered in white fur. You’re joking, you thought. Staring down at your chest you ran your hand over the fur. So soft. But how does fur stop Hoshina’s blades? Fingering deeper into the fur, you felt the skin beneath. Rock solid.

“So, you do have fur,” Hoshina mused. He took note of the sour look on your face, he figured out quickly there was a part of yourself that resented being a kaiju. “Stop.” His voice pulled you out of the trance you had been in. Confused you tilled your head to the side, cocking a brow at him. “You’re thinking too much about it. Stop. If you start thinking like that on the field, you’re dead.”

He was right, you had to pull it together and swallow your pride. At the end of the day, you were more powerful in this form, whether you liked it or not.

Now more focused than before, you got low, mirroring the captain, and mimicking a cat on the hunt. Good, he thought, she’s locked in.

You circled each other, prowling low to the ground. Your field of vision grew, making it easier to take in your surroundings. Your catlike ears amplified Hoshina’s breathing, you could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Your nose changed also; your nostrils took in Hoshina’s scent. It was almost like you could smell excitement coming off him. A low growl came from your chest, you felt your mouth twist and morph, a shining set of canines sit snug in your mouth.

Baring your new fangs at the captain, you snarl, daring him to come closer. The captain took your warning as an invitation. Faster than before, he dashes over to you, his swords shaving off bits of your fur. In response, you harden more of your skin, the fur now covering your thighs and neck. Your claws parry him ceaselessly, desperately trying to keep him at bay. Your enhances senses helped you predict his movements. He was fast, but you were faster. Using the strength of you legs you run across the wall, getting behind him. Raising your leg high in the air, you bring it down on Hoshina, but he is nowhere to be found.

You were certain you’d manage to switch the narrative. “Going from defensive to offensive so quickly?” Hoshina stands next to you, his blade to your throat, a glimmer of pleasure in his eyes. He sizes you up, a smirk growing on his face. “For a cat, you look pretty good,” he chuckles. Taken aback, you look down at your arms, they’re covered in fur. You gasp at the sight, clawing at your face to feel the same soft texture. Heat rises in your cheeks, your ears standing on end and tail wagging rapidly.

“I’ve never seen a cat blush before,” Hoshina teases, you promptly tell him to shut up, not before he begins laughing again.

You did it. You fully transformed. Fortitude? 9.8.

Still standing on two legs, your feet looked like paws. They were big but well rounded, the pads on the bottom were cushioned making it easy to travers rough terrain. Your calves and thighs were well defined, this added to your strength and agility; you felt like you could jump higher than the clouds. Your tail was dense and strong, it could easily hold up your weight if needed. You still had hair on your head, the same long hair you had before only now, it was a smokey grey. Your eyes were a beautiful ice blue and your fur a snow white, patches of dark grey spotted your coat. Looking up at Hoshina cautiously, you started “I’m…Am I…”

“A snow leopard” he finished. How amusing, he thought to himself.

Before the two of you could continue, Bakko burst through the door. The tiger kaiju mewled and pounced around, clearly happy to see another feline Kaiju. Bounding up to you, he rubbed his head against your side, licking at your hands. Blushing more, your tail came to cover your face, unsure of how to handle the tiger. Mina followed into the room soon after, worried at what he pet might do. Pleasantly surprised at the sight that greeted her, a soft smile grew. “Congratulations, Y/N.”

Pride swelled inside you. After everything, you could still fight along side the captain. Excited for what the future holds, you let out a sweet chuff before reverting back to your ‘normal’ form, your ears and tail still visible.

***

The following day you were set to train with Reno and Iharu. Captain Hoshina kept watch from atop the wall, while the three of you were to clear the training course.

“Alright! I hope you’re as pumped as I am, Y/N!” Iharu, lightly punched your shoulder, a cocky look on his face. “You too, Reno. Just know, I’m coming for you too,” Iharu chuckled.

You gave reno a confused look, one of your ears falling down. Reno only sighs, shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay gang, all you have to do today is clear the remaining Kaiju.” Hoshana’s voice rang in your ears, “Those being 5 yoju and 1 Honju, pretty easy stuff. You’re being assessed on your ability to work together and your efficiency at transforming. Ichikawa and Furuhashi, you are to assist L/N, you are not to take down the Kaiju unless absolutely necessary. This is a training exercise for L/N, don’t go getting too greedy now.”

Iharu let out a disappointed groan, “I was so ready to kill those kaiju!”

You understood, you’d never faced a kaiju in action, and as of now you’ve only transformed once, in the face of danger you might not be able to transform again. Reno and Iharu were here as a precaution, to bail you out if necessary.

“Oh, and also, this is a timed exam. Good luck!” With that a small cannon went of to commence the start of the training exercise.

“Exam?!” all three of you stared up at Hoshina’s shit-eating grin atop the wall. God damn him, you thought setting off in the direction of the scent. You’d picked up on all six of the Kaiju the second they’d opened the doors. They were scattered throughout the facility, with the Honju over in the far-right corner.

Following close behind you, Reno and Iharu kept a close eye on you, being sure to take in any signs of struggle the transform. But for you, transforming now felt as easy as jumping into a pool. Leaping into the air, the fur spread from you head down to your paws, landing on top of a Yoju, squishing it and its core. Taking a moment to sniff the air for the scent of the other Yoju, you looked back at the boys, using your head to point in the direction of the next Yoju.

Reno looked on in awe at you, crouching on the corpse of the Yoju. Your fur soaked in its blood, you looked majestic. A small tug was felt in his heart, what a strange sight to give him butterflies.

Iharu felt the same. You were so badass. It was plain to see that you could easily stand beside Captain Ashiro. Your fur whipped around in the wind, your tail moved to shield your eyes, he watched on, secretly wishing to touch your fur.

You cleared the other Yoju with ease and swiftly destroyed the Honju in one blow, Reno and Iharu didn’t have to fire a single shot. The training exercise was over and you’d managed cleared it in only 3 minutes and 36 seconds.

“Yeah, Alright!” Iharu wailed. Jumping down from the Honju’s carcass, you reverted to your normal form. He held his hands up to high five you, felling a stir in his stomach from your appearance. You gave him a big smile, your ears falling back in excitement, tail once again wagging around. He blushed ever so slightly, coughing to cover it up.

You turned to Reno, as you did, your tail brushed under Iharu’s chin. The fur of your tail was too dense for you to have noticed. His face lit up like a tomato, he had to turn away from you to hide his expression. So freaking soft, he thought.

“Thank you, thank you both for having my back out there. Now I know I can control my transformation, I hope I can be a bigger help on the field!” You gave Reno a candied smile, your head falling to the side. He kept his composure, but underneath he feels the same as Iharu. You were so cute, but you were badass, and you were determined to improve, something Reno could respect deeply.

This mutual crush sparked a new rivalry between the two. This time, it wasn’t not one sided.

***

The day of a mission comes. The regular pre-mission checks are complete. Hoshina assigns you and Reno to his platoon. You are tasked with taking down a Daikaiju with a fortitude of 8.2, a walk in the park for Hoshina, but this was another one of his tests, and it’s a big one.

Slightly peeved the captain assigned you with such a large Kaiju on your first mission, you whisper curses towards Hoshina under your breath as you ran across the roofs to the Diakaiju’s location.

“I’m sorry? What was that, L/N? I couldn’t quite here you,” Hoshina teased. You’d left the channel open deliberately so he could hear your disapproval.

Before you had the chance to tell him to shut up, the Diakaiju came into view. With one leap you closed the distance, ready to slash its body. You could sense its core was right in the centre of its mass along with…something else. All you had to do was tear away its thick, grotesque skin.

The original plan was to have Captain Ashiro take it down, but she had been held up by another Diakaiju. A simultaneous attack hadn’t been heard of until recently.

The damaged caused by the Diakaiju in front of you was too much to leave until Mina arrived. That’s why Hoshina had assigned you to dispose of it. Dickhead.

Using your claws you dug deeper into the side of its body, making your way to its core. Soon, Yoju swarmed around you, an attempt to keep the Daikaiju safe. Reno provided cover, shouting at you to keep on going.

Deeper into the side of its thick skin you dug, to find its shining core staring at you. Theres gotta be a more effective way for me to do this, you thought. Creating as much space as possible so you had a clear chance to slash its core, you tore away more of its vile flesh. The putrid smell stung your nose. Finally with enough space to slash its core, you raised your clawed hand ready to destroy the beast once and for all, only to be met with a twisted face.

“I’m not ready to die yet,” its croaky voice creaked. “You are though,” before you had time to react, you were ejected from the Kaiju. You were sent spinning through the air at such a high speed, you passed out from the g-force. Your Kaiju form deactivated when you passed out, so when you slammed into and through a building, your suit was the only protection from the blast. It wasn’t enough. Your core had been destroyed.

Your friends mourned you that day. Hoshina felt so guilty, he could have just taken that Kaiju on himself, then maybe he would have died in your stead. You had so much potential, and to be honest, he liked you more than he should have.

Reno and Iharu were in bits, you were their friend. You’d become a trio in the time of your training, they would treasure those memories forever.

Even the public mourned you. You’d died a hero.

The Diakaiju had managed to escape after revealing itself to be an unidentified Kaiju.

***

Your wake was eerily silent. No one talked, no one dared too. For the first time, Captain Ashrio looked genuinely sad. She never showed that side to the public before. She comforted Bakko, who in turn, comforted her. Hoshina couldn’t talk, he was a shell of himself; forced to carry this burden for the rest of this life. Iharu and Reno stifled sobs, staring painfully at their food, unable to eat. Word got out to the First Division, Kafka and Kikoru cried, unable to attend the wake due to another attack. Even Gen felt the less, pausing his game to take a moment to remember you when a cat came on screen.

But, you see, there’s an old myth that says cats have nine lives.

Sliding open the door to the wake, you stood, a white sheet wrapped around you, skin as pale as a ghost.

Reno and Iharu grabbed each other and shrieked. This was echoed by many others, screams and wails bounced around the room. You winced at the noise; your ears still sensitive from waking up. You yawned slightly, walking over to where the two boys were sat, stealing a piece of meat from Reno’s plate. You hummed at the flavour, taking a swig of Iharu’s drink.

You blinked up at him, confused at to why Reno was cradling him. “What?” you voice slightly croaky, “Why are you looking at me like that? And why are you all wearing black?”

You had no idea you’d been dead for a week. Hoshina broke to silence, letting out the loudest and most genuine belly laugh ever, tears formed at the corner of his eyes. Soon the room erupted into happy tears. Mina filled you in that you had seemingly passed away.

Shocked, you apologies for scaring everyone. Hugging Reno and Iharu, reassuring them that you were real. You were brought some clothes and after you had changed you joined in your own wake.

“Don’t let me stop you, you teased. Please, share your stories of how great I am,” you joked, staring up at all the smiling faces of your friends. Who would have thought you’d have to die to feel so loved?

Bonus information:

Hoshina hugged you after the wake. He’d definitely had too much to drink. It took a lot for him not to drunkenly confess to you.

You curl up when you sleep and use your tail as a pillow.

Often you find yourself laying your head people lap’s. Your core body temperature is lower than normal, so you seek heat often.

Instead of snoring in your sleep you purr.

Iharu and Reno figured out Hoshina also has a crush on you and so added him, unknowingly, into the rivalry.

Hoshina leaves you cat toys because he thinks it’s funny.

Bakko and you often cuddle together. Snow leopards are closely related to tigers, so you get along really well.

Mina trusts you wholeheartedly but needs you to train more before she feels confident sending you out into the field again. She doesn’t want you burning through your nine lives too fast.

Iharu and Hoshina, when stood beside or behind you, stroke your tail. You often don’t notice.

Hoshina also puts your tail up to his face, like a mustache, to make people laugh.

Reno does extensive research on snow leopards to try and accommodate you better.

#kn8 #kn8 x reader #kaiju no 8 x reader #kaiju no. 8 #catgirl reader #hoshina soushirou x reader #iharu furuhashi x reader #reno ichikawa x reader #mina ashrio #gen narumi #bakko #kafka hibino #kikoru shinomiya #hoshina soushirou #iharu furuhashi #reno ichikawa

188 notes · View notes

thetorturedbuckydepartment · 5 months ago

Text

chapter one: the briefing

pairing: Bucky barnes x plus-sized!SHIElD!reader

masterlist

summary: being a SHIELD agent, you have a knack for analysing people, particularly when it comes to attraction. you have everyone figured out, sorted away into the boxes you've created. But there's one man you can never seem to figure out, the very bane of your existence -- Bucky Barnes. On the field, he is a saint, helping you dodge bullets and taking knife wounds in your name. Around the building? Public menace number one, always poised to insult or to spar with you.

After being sent on a 6-month-long torture-cum-vacation with the very man, could all this change? Could you finally figure out what has been bubbling beneath the surface for years between the two of you, the juggernaut that you know you cannot stop?

warnings: mentions of sex, mentions of murder, dead parents, scars, trauma, implied slutshaming, mentions of guns and shooting and bombs, mentions of wanting to die, dark content, reader is implied to be bisexual (I cannot fathom not being attracted to women SORRY NOT SORRY), reader is implicitly stated to be NOT A MAN

word count: 3.4k

A/N: omg it's here! had so much fun writing this, hope you all enjoy it too! im still working out a schedule for this, as ive currently written 3 chapters and am already at about 10k words! and im currently very inspired for my own, non-fanfic WIP, so im split! hope you enjoy, and as always, let me know if you liked it! comments and reblogs are much appreciated <3

Human attraction can be sorted into three little boxes: Sexual, romantic, platonic. It is somewhat of a threeway Venn diagram, and people find themselves travelling in between the perfectly drawn circles all the time. It is a marvel to some, to be able to gauge the section in which one stands with a simple glance. It’s a gift, you’ve found, having the knack to discern between the three attractions. Which means you’ve cracked the code on people, and know exactly how to assess and engage accordingly.

It’s how you find yourself in such a predicament as the following, quite often:

“You’re Butterscotch, aren’t you?” The voice is meek, quiet, and comes from directly behind you. You’ve just put down the weights at the gym, and have paused to take a drink from your water bottle, when you turn to assess the situation.

Long brown hair, blue eyes. Gorgeously shy smile as she tucks a strand behind her ear. Your whole body moves, reacting to the incarnation of Aphrodite herself in front of you. You suppose you’ve always seen women that way, to be wholly more beautiful on average compared to men. It’s how you often find yourself in bed with a woman not unlike the one before you.

She stands, slyly pushing her breasts together and leaning into you, whether it be subconscious or not, batting her long eyelashes. Sexual attraction, then. You smile, deciding to play it cool, taking another long sip of water, silently reveling in the way her eyes stick on your wet lips.

“Yeah, that’s me. And you, you’re Hazel, aren’t you?” You tip your head to one side in faux innocence, honing you eyes in on her in a way you know sends shivers down her spine, completely hypnotised by the way you silently call to her. She nods, surprised that you’ve remembered her from her initiation training 6 months ago. She was one of the older recruits, only two or three years younger than you, but valuable just the same.

“I’ve been following your career for a while now, and I must say I really look up to you.” Her lips twist into a grin, showing off her perfect teeth. Your own face darkens as you inject lust into it, and you watch as she tries to discreetly squeeze her thighs together. She’ll be eating right out of your hand in no time.

If she’d come to you 13 years ago, when you were just starting out, you would’ve wanted to tell her that all you are interested in is a promise of casualty. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less, but the absence of such a discussion did land you in hot water all that time ago. Now, your reputation precedes you, and you doubt there is a single soul in this building who doesn’t know your one-and-done policy. Of course, some of the agents surprise you and you have them on a staggered rotation, a new criteria you’ve introduced into your sex life once the gap between you and fresh faces widened to an immoral degree.

You open your mouth to give her a reply that will make her leave here with sticky thighs, when the most agitating, grating voice you’ve been almost tortured with for the past eight years echoes across the gym, calling to you.

“Let’s go Butterface, Fury had a brief for us twenty minutes ago. You can fuck around later.” You roll your eyes at the words of none other than James Buchanan Barnes, huffing out a breath. He’s done this to embarrass you, for sure, because you know for a fact that Fury’s briefing for the next mission is actually in ten minutes from right now. But you know if you showed up on time, he gets the upper hand for coming in earlier.

That’s the other reason you’re so famous around the building — your long-term feud with Bucky. Whenever the two of you end up in a meeting room, there are more insults hurled around than facts. You two love to spar together, finding any excuse to leave bruises on the other’s body. But the most damning thing? There is no better team than the both of you out on the field, your missions always resulting in the lowest casualties and highest success rates SHIELD has ever seen. It’s an eternal mystery, but to the two of you, it is clear enough. You are enemies, holding the dagger of sharp-edged insults to each other’s throats, but on a mission? It must all be put aside for the greater good, for the safety of others. The remarks are snarky but non-distracting, and you’ve jumped in front of a bullet for him more times than you would like to admit. But it doesn’t matter, because he has endured several injuries for you in turn as well.

You redirect your attention back to your self-sacrificial prey for tonight. “Well, if you need me, I’ll be available at my room on floor 13 at around ten.” You lean in to whisper into her ear, and drag a less-than-innocent finger down the side of her neck. “I can give you a few more ways to look up to me, if you’d like.” The lower octave does something to her, and you watch her eyes flutter shut as she realises you’ve gladly accepted the silent offer she was handing you on a silver platter.

You chuckle, at how easy it all is. And then spin on your heel, marching back to begrudgingly follow behind the tall brunette who seems to have a permanent scowl on his face whenever he’s in the same room as you.

He leans back against the cool metal of the elevator that will send the both of you to the top, arms crossed across his broad chest. If you didn’t hate his guts, you’d absolutely suck him dry, right here right now. It’s no surprise that he is the most beautiful man in the building, but his attitude and mannerisms have long turned you off from him.

You poke the bear.

“What happened, Barnes? You mad nobody’ll fuck you?” He turns to you then, blue eyes blazing. And it only makes your shit-eating grin widen.

“Why would I ever be mad at that? I’m mad because we have to go on a mission, and when I come to get you, you’re busy planning on how to… spend your night. Again. At this point, if they’ve got a pulse they probably meet your standards, don’t they?” He smiles cruelly, and you don’t miss the implications. But you don’t care. If you were a man, they’d be singing your praises in the streets. So why is it different now?

“If they have a pulse? Well, if that were the case, then you…” You let your eyes wander up and down, and you notice his hard shell cracking when you meet his eyes again. You smile widens and you feign a blush, and he begins to smile, thinking he’s got you. And then you throw a grenade into whatever fantasy he’s spinning in his head. “Would be dead.” Your voice has never been more cold, observing the way his shoulders slouch in something akin to disappointment.

This is his kryptonite that you love exploiting, so much. The man is wickedly attracted to you, and is equally as horrid at hiding it. You have no idea what kind, though. Which box he fits into. You’re certain it’s not platonic given the way he talks to you. The longing glances and delicate touches after missions where you end up injured had turned you towards romantic, but you know there is no denying the way his eyes drift to your cleavage when you spar, or the way his hands immediately find your hips when you best him in the ring and end up straddling him. There is no box you can put him in, and it drives you up the damn wall.

You briefly wonder what the two of you would be doing in this elevator right now if you were as attracted to him and either of you had made it known.

The elevator pings and the both of you break the burning, seething eye contact as you file into Meeting Room 17B.

“Right, before Barnes’ dick explodes at the thought of me fucking a woman, what’s the mission chief.” Barnes has the nerve to blush, sitting in the chair opposite yours, both facing the head of the table with a monitor where Fury and Stark both stand.

“Did your mother never teach you the difference between professional and casual?” He fires back, and you grin sadistically, crossing your arms over your chest and leaning back.

“She’s dead, Barnes. Have some decorum, and maybe a modicum of respect?” His face falls, knowing he’s crossed a line, but if God Himself came down and told Bucky to apologise, he’d shake hands with the Devil. “What about your father then?” He is frantically searching you for any sign of hurt or discomfort that he can exploit, you can tell by the way his eyes stick to your every feature.

“Hard to when you’re in prison for murdering your wife and attempting to murder your child.” You turn to Stark, knowing you’ve rendered him absolutely speechless. Out of the corner of your eye, you see his mouth close and open like a fish, gasping for some air. Pathetic, really, but well-deserved. In all these years, you’re surprised it took him this long to blame your upbringing, often opting to attack you as a person directly. But you finally got to play the cards you’ve kept close to your chest, a sick and twisted punishment. That means that you win, today.

“Thats 236 for Butterscotch, and Barnes is still on 220,” Tony mutters, and you can’t hide your competitive side that comes out.

You turn to him, tutting. “Keep up, Barnes. I thought you were better competition than this. Pathetic.” You’re shaking your head in mock disappointment. A blood-tinged vignette passes around in the back of your mind, but you try your best to not let it show.

The arguments between you and Bucky as so well-known to get out of hand, the Avengers started keeping score, refreshing each year, of who won the argument. This is strictly judged based on how the final retort leaves the other unable to think of a comeback. You’ve bested him 236 times already, and it’s only February.

“You didn’t tell me about your parents,” he grumbles, cheeks pink in humiliation. Why is he backing down so easily today?

“I don’t owe you shit, Barnes. Especially not about my life before I got here. Sorry, Fury, should we start the briefing?” You divert the attention back to the matter at hand, feeling like maybe you went a tiny bit too far by calling him pathetic to his face.

Since when have you ever nurtured a soft spot for him? Well, you are certainly not going to be starting today.

With both of your mouths shut and eyes attentive, Fury begins to speak.

“We need the two of you to go undercover. We have intel that Senator Parker may be dealing with copious amounts of methamphetamines, involving using his house as a lab and distribution centre. He often targets teens of ethnic backgrounds to carry the drugs and deal them in exchange for cuts — he chooses them this way so they would almost immediately go to prison, and nobody would be let off scot-free to rat him out.” Tony flashes up several holograms of the Senator, the teens caught pressing white packets into palms, and even those who ended up behind bars, and have continued to distribute the drugs from within.

“So…why do we need to go undercover?” You ask, leaning forward in your seat so you could see the graphics better.

“Well…here is Parker’s dating history…” Why does Tony sound so reluctant as he pulls up the dating history? Why is that relevant? These are just some of the questions that swirl around your mind, and are evident in your scrunched up face.

Bucky is watching you, quietly. Observing your features, observing you. He can’t help it — the grace with which you walk, the crudeness with which you speak…it’s entrancing. And you know it. He hates it.

Then, slowly, the pictures begin to appear — there are 17 women. Every single one of them looks like you — the same colour hair, the same colour eyes. Similar face shapes and similar body types. It’s like there’s 18 of you in the room.

“I’m a honeytrap?”

Fury is quick to speak, to protest the misunderstanding that the mission is an objectification of you. “No….well yes. We have carefully constructed a plan that essentially is built on the fact that you happen to be—“

“Exactly his type?” Bucky asks, feeling shame crawl up his spine at the realisation that he has something in common with a drug lord. You look at him as he speaks, and feel more and more confused by the second.

“Yes.” Tony continues. “We’ve planned to plant you in the same cul-de-sac that Parker’s house resides on, and Butterscotch can use the fact that she’s his type to sway him, win his trust. You’ll have to play the long game with him, he’s known to barely let anyone in his house unless he wants to fuck them.”

You feel a sickness coat your stomach. “Will I have to fuck him? Because I’d rather shoot Barnes and then myself and blow up this building.” You chew your lip nervously, all the confidence can your body momentarily evaporating. The old man might just be one of the worst people you’ve ever heard of when it comes to drug trafficking. Not to mention any sexual gratification is just you stepping into a stereotype of what he wants, that you are just another woman with the similar face that he wants to put his dick in. It makes your skin crawl, and you run your fingernails harshly along your forearm.

“No.” To your surprise, it’s Bucky who speaks up. He meets your eyes for a brief moment, before turning to Fury and Tony. “No, right? She clearly doesn’t want to, don’t tell me you’re gonna make her.” He sounds oddly protective over you here, which he has no right to be. But you can’t fight him, not over this.

“No, no, of course not. You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to. At most you’ll have to flirt with him, make him think he’s going to….y’know, with you. And use that advantage to sneak into his house. You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to, Butterscotch. You know we’d never do that to you, that it’s against our ethics and values.” You nod, relaxing in your seat while Bucky stares at the red, raw skin of your forearm. He wants to soothe it, he wants to soothe you—

“And if I’m going, obviously you’re gonna send the Sergeant with me, aren’t you?” They nod in unison. You take a deep breath, knowing you have to take it. There will be no mission more satisfying. And Bucky is much more bearable when the both of you have a common goal.

“So what exactly is our cover?” Bucky perks up. The both of you wear the suit of civility so quickly when you have to do your jobs.

Fury scratches his neck, exchanging a nervous glance with Tony. You anticipate the answer, knowing it will not be to your liking.

“We’ve planned to plant you in the Acorn suburb in Claremont, just across the street from Parker’s residence, for around six months. It’s a nice, quaint little city, I think the both of you would like it. It’s a lot more green, and less noisy and polluted than New York—.”

“Tony,” you warn, glaring at him. He is omitting the information. Why?

“Fine! The suburbs are conservative as shit, so you’re going as husband and wife!” Your eyes widen, and you swear you lose hearing for a second as the world goes in and out of focus. You have to pretend to be married. Pretending to be in love, you could do — in fact, you could probably pass off most intel exchanges with him as lovers’ private conversations if you smile and laugh on the right cues.

But marriage? The sanctity of which has been so thoroughly, irrevocably spoiled for you? The very reason you have only ever wanted casual in your entire life, as opposed to commitment? You can’t breathe.

You try to hide your shaky hands as you reach for the glass of water, downing it and gasping for breath. All that runs through your mind is the only instance of a married man you’ve ever known, and how it ended. How you ended, body mutilated in enough scars to rival Bucky’s left shoulder, crying out for a bloodied corpse in the back of an ambulance while the paramedics did their best to save you. How you wish they would’ve failed sometimes.

It’s too much.

“I need time to think.” You all but run out of the door, and you think the chair falls with the force of your escape, but your heart is beating too fast for you to be certain. Sweat that had dried reappears at your hairline, beading and dripping down your face. You sit on the floor, clutching at your chest as you’re bombarded by the most horrifying images that not even the strongest of sleeping pills can shake. Your eyes squeeze shut and someone is calling your name. Not Butterscotch, but the name that heinous monster chose for you when you were still in your mother’s womb.

But even that turns out to be a hallucination, your head in your hands as you hear a familiar voice call to you.

“Butterface…is the idea of being married to me that bad?” You freeze. Bucky is here, why is Bucky here? You look up to be met with him crouching by your side, Tony on the other with a hand on your shoulder, and Fury standing tall. There is not a single hint of disappointment on his face, and you’re glad.

You turn to Tony. “You know…you know what…I can’t. You know why….Tony…” His face morphs into one of intense melancholia, pulling you into him. Ever since you started working more closely together with Bucky, he’s become something of a big brother to you — overly protective and affectionately annoying.

“I know, kid. You know what? Screw this, I’ll find some other agent who looks close to you to take over with Barnes.” His voice finally calms you down, and you take in deep breaths.

You can’t win them all. You’ll have to make some sacrifices. You pull away from Tony’s arms, not even daring to glance at Bucky. He doesn’t need to see what you look like when you’re vulnerable, because you know he will do everything in his power to bring you to such a state once again, just to hurt you.

You take several deep breaths.

“No. You and Fury have said it yourself, so many times. Nobody works better with James than I do, at least not in the field. My burning hatred for him is completely personal. I— I can do it. It’s just…I probably would’ve been fine but it got brought up and it was all I could really think about and then…it just sent me over the edge. But if Barnes promises to not be as big of an asshole as he usually is, I can make it work.” You don’t even risk a glance at him.

“I won’t be. I’ll behave. Plus, you are a lot more tolerable out on the field, so it shouldn’t be so hard. Promise, it’ll all be okay.” His tone sounds so…sincere? What on earth is up with him today? You spare him a glance, and his eyes shine brilliantly blue. And you believe him.

Bucky Barnes may be an asshole, but he would never lie to you. Especially when it concerns a mission, where miscommunications and secrets have consequences for people outside the both of you. He has at least this sense of loyalty about him.

“Alright. Guess I better get packing for Claremont, then.”

NEXT PART

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x plus size reader #x plus size reader #marvel #k's writing corner #bucky barnes fanfiction

118 notes · View notes

kikis-writing-service · 10 months ago

Text

Spicy Curry (Bakugou Katsuki x F!Reader) Chapter 5

Summary: Pro-hero Dynamight hides his developing hearing loss from the public. He doesn’t want them or the villains to know about what he considers his only weakness. His family knows. His best friends know. And now you, the owner of his favorite little curry shop, know. You want to live a quiet life & to protect your son. The last thing you want is to draw attention to yourself. You hide your identity, you hide your scars, and you hide your quirk. And then Bakugou, Katsuki walks in one day with dried blood on his ears, and you can’t help but help him.

Parts: 1 2 3 4 5 ? ? ? ? ?

🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Content Warning: This fic will contain mentions of past abuse from a “partner”, including sexual assault.

🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

In the golden glow of the late afternoon sun, Kouichi and Katsuki walk side by side. Their steps sync as they stroll side by side, your silhouette casting a gentle glow ahead, like a beacon guiding their path. Kouichi’s hands dance through the air with a graceful flurry of gestures—palms closing, then flinging open with a snap, his eyes aglow with endless curiosity. Meanwhile, Katsuki’s larger hands fumble, struggling to keep pace with the boy’s animated movements.

“Ever accidentally blown someone up?” Kouichi’s question hangs in the air, his hands brushing against his chest in a hesitant mimic of a heartbeat, fingers trembling before folding back. His gaze dips, then rises to meet Katsuki’s again.

“Yeah, happens sometimes,” Katsuki signs, hands rising a few inches, palms open. Echoes of singed collars, the acrid scent of burnt fabric, and a childhood friend’s laughter play behind his eyes. “Gotta be careful and have control.” His hands flutter gently, settling back down.

“How?” Kouichi’s brows shoot up, hands tracing a graceful arc in the air, fingers lingering. “Your quirk is so strong, so dangerous!” Awe flickers in his eyes as he tilts his head. Katsuki’s chest swells with a hint of pride, swiftly subdued by a wry smile. Kouichi’s innocence mirrors a younger version of himself, full of bravado and reckless curiosity.

“Training, kid,” Katsuki signs, tapping his forehead repeatedly. His hands spread open, facing forward, then push against an invisible force, arms slightly bent. Each motion conveys the sheer practice it took to control his quirk.

Katsuki tilts his head, brows raised in a silent question. “You? Got a strong quirk too?” His fingers splay briefly, then draw back, mirroring Kouichi’s earlier gesture.

Kouichi nods, his answer unspoken, hanging heavily in the air between them.

In the rhythmic hum of the laundromat, Katsuki’s imposing figure stands out against the serenity of the nearly empty space. Like a silent guardian, Kouichi claims his post before the churning waters, watching over your laundry. A playful sign from you directs him to keep an eye on the clothes as you drift toward a weathered bench, Katsuki following like a wolf shadowing a rabbit. The bench groans beneath his weight, his silent presence a reassuring anchor beside you.

His sharp, assessing gaze softens as it meets yours. “Didn’t expect you to have a kid,” his fingers sign, tapping his forehead twice, a hint of surprise lingering in the air. Even as he leans back, the tension in his shoulders refuses to fully unravel.

Your lips curve into a knowing smile. “Life’s full of surprises,” you chuckle, the vibration sending a comforting warmth through him. For a fleeting moment, he wishes to be even closer. A playful gleam enters your eyes. “How old do you think I am?” Your thumb and index finger meet, gliding straight down towards your stomach, a playful challenge dancing on your fingers.

Katsuki falters, caught between the unexpected jest and the truth shimmering in your smile. “Twenty-four,” he finally signs, hands forming the numbers, his gaze searching yours for the punchline.

The laugh that bubbles up from you seems to dance across his chest, a soft vibration against his skin. “Twenty-nine,” you confess, fingers shaping the numbers, your gaze meeting his with a playful tilt of your head. “A few years your senior, it seems,” you sign, a mischievous grin playing on your lips. Your fingers playfully count, then tap your forehead with a single finger, a silent challenge in your eyes.

The admission hangs in the air, a tangible presence filling the space between you. The washing machine’s steady thrumming echoes the beat of his suddenly racing heart. A few years? He chews on the words, surprised by the unexpected twist. It isn’t a vast difference, not to most, but in the whirlwind of emotions you provoke, it feels like a chasm.

“Really?” he manages, too shocked to use sign language, the word coming out a touch sharper than intended. The self-consciousness, that familiar foe, creeps up his neck, burning his cheeks. Is that disappointment he sees in your eyes or just a mirrored echo of his own surprise?

You lean in, a single strand of hair brushing the edge of his shoulder. His body shivers involuntarily at the warm breath against his ear and neck. “Not a bad thing, is it?” Your voice, a soft whisper against the machine’s hum, carries a hint of amusement. The warmth of your presence radiates against him, a comforting counterpoint to the cool bench.

“Not bad,” he echoes, his voice husky. “Just… unexpected.” The unspoken truth hangs heavy, a storm brewing behind his eyes. He’s not sure he’s ready to face it, let alone navigate the currents of attraction pulling him closer.

You pull back, creating a deliberate but gentle distance between you. The warmth that had enveloped him now dissipates, leaving a void filled with unspoken tension. In the quiet embrace of the laundromat’s hum, Katsuki allows the tide of his emotions to carry him, a question lingering on his tongue like an elusive catch. Curiosity and concern weave within him, creating a knot impossible to untangle.

“What about his dad?” he signs, fist-bumping his forehead twice before opening it in a silent query.

Your smile wavers, a fleeting tremor before steadying back into place. Katsuki’s gut tightens, sensing he has touched a delicate chord. “He’s not in the picture,” you respond, fist clutched near your chest, palm facing away. A swift flick sends it outward, like a discarded portrait beyond reach. Your brows furrow, a subtle head shake carrying the weight of unspoken words.

Katsuki swallows the apology forming on his tongue, aware of the pain swirling within you. He yearns to delve deeper, to inquire about Kouichi and you, but the storm cloud of your hurt lingers. Instead, he opts for silence, finding solace in the warmth pressed against his side. It seeps into the cracks of his unease, offering a shared refuge in the hushed ambiance of the laundromat.

His fingers itch with the desire to ask, the question a barbed hook caught in his throat. Torn between respecting your privacy and the burning need to understand, his hands finally articulate the words: “How did he lose his hearing?” he signs, fingers intertwining like vines seeking solace. His earnest gaze searches yours for an answer.

You pause, a flicker of something—guilt?—passing through your eyes. “He was born that way,” you sign, tracing a path from stomach to heart. “It was…hard.”

Katsuki’s gaze steadies on your hands, a familiar pang in his chest twisting in a different way. He comprehends the feeling of being outside the box, constantly challenging a world that demands conformity. In your eyes, he glimpses a rawness, a vulnerability that tugs at his rough exterior.

Aching to offer comfort, to utter a soothing word, he finds his tongue feeling clumsy, the words caught between pride and the newfound awareness of your fragility. Softness has never been his forte; he’s a bull in a China shop, built for explosions, not delicacy. Yet, an unfamiliar urge to shield someone from the world’s rough edges envelops him. Fumbling with it, he settles for a subtle shift closer, his presence a silent, rumbling reassurance. No words needed, just the weight of his frame, a shield against the world’s harsh edges.

“Kouichi seems… secretive about his quirk,” Katsuki signs, hands forming the familiar shape near his chest, brow furrowed in a mix of curiosity and concern. His gaze flickers to yours, a hint of protectiveness glinting beneath the usual fiery intensity. “What’s up with that?”

You sigh, a flicker of worry flitting across your face. “He’s had… difficulties,” you sign, your brows mirroring his furrow. One of your hands forms a fist, resting heavily on your chest. “There was an incident at his school.”

Katsuki felt the irritation bubble in his throat when he saw the look of frustration flit across your face. His brow furrowed, mirroring yours. The sharp edge of his posture softened as he leaned back, elbows finding purchase on the worn wood. “Incident?” he signed, the question still holding its edge, but his gaze holding a curious glint.

The air thickens with unspoken memories, a tangible presence you can almost taste. You take a deep breath, the scent of fabric softener doing little to mask the phantom smell of burnt flesh clinging to the edges of your mind. “His quirk…it just manifested,” you signed, hands mimicking the familiar shape for power near your chest. You lingered a beat longer than usual, the weight of the event hanging heavy in the air. A grimace played across your face, your gaze hardening for a fleeting moment before softening. “He can raise his body temperature. Like a furnace.” Your hands wrap around an invisible heat source near your chest, then your fingers spread outwards rapidly.

A jolt of realization struck Katsuki. The singed hand you’d tried to hide–it all clicked into place. “That’s why your hand…,” he began, his voice rough with concern, lines etching themselves into his face.

Your fingertips caress Katsuki’s lips, silencing him mid-sentence. The warmth of his breath dances across your skin, sending a tingling sensation down your spine. You hesitate, your hand hovering near his face, captured by the intensity of his gaze. Your heart races as you gulp and slowly withdraw your hand, allowing it to rest on your lap. His piercing eyes follow the movement, lingering on the bandage adorning your palm. The one he’d wrapped clumsily but carefully just a few nights ago, the one you haven’t bothered to change. It’s a mess, wrinkled, and slightly stained from the spices you’ve been handling.

His brow furrowed, and his jaw tightened, a storm brewing in his gaze. He reached out, his rough, calloused fingers hesitantly brushing against yours before firmly taking hold of your hand.

“What the hell,” he mutters, his voice rough but laced with something that feels like…care? He grabs your hand, his grip firm but gentle. “You still haven’t changed this?”

Your body instinctively recoils, muscles tensing and heart racing at the slightest indication of danger. A memory flashes before your eyes: rough hands gripping you tightly, a frigid gaze piercing into your very soul, a menacing voice whispering threats that still echo in your ears. It all disappears in an instant, but the fear lingers on like a heavy fog. Your throat tightens, stifling a scream that never escapes. Instead, a meek apology slips out of your trembling lips.

Katsuki’s body tenses, his fists clenching tightly as he feels his frustration melt away like wisps of smoke. His eyebrows knit together in a mixture of concern and confusion, the two emotions warring for dominance in his stormy gaze. As a hero, he knows this reaction all too well. It’s the response of someone who longs to flee but is paralyzed by fear. The response of a person who has tried to escape before and learned the harsh lesson that it’s safer to stay put.

He reels you back in, his voice softening. “Hey,” he murmurs, his thumb gently tracing the lines of the bandage, his gaze lingering on the tremor in your hand. “’Sokay, alright? Just…take care of yourself, yeah?” You feel a prickle of warmth, a mixture of guilt, and the unfamiliar comfort of his protectiveness.

His words wash over you, each syllable a soothing balm. It doesn’t erase the memory but pushes it back, a tide receding from a battered shore. His touch, gentle yet firm, feels like a grounding anchor, tethering you to the present where the air is warm and the hum of the washing machines a steady beat. You take a deep breath and force yourself to meet his gaze, the intensity of it almost overwhelming. The fear that had threatened to consume you recedes, replaced by a wave of relief so potent it makes your head spin. It’s like stepping out of a suffocating darkness into the unexpected glow of a red sun.

“Yeah. I’ll change it,” you promise, your voice soft but determined. It’s been so long since anyone has shown any concern for your well-being. So long since someone has offered their help expecting nothing in return. You can’t help but wonder why Katsuki is being so kind to you. Sure, he may have a rough exterior and a sharp tongue, but there’s something about him that makes your heart ache with an unexplainable longing. Katsuki’s concern feels like a forbidden oasis, a shimmering pool of hope beckoning you closer.

And just like that, his warmth suddenly feels reminiscent of a ghost—like a brand against your skin. Your fingers twitch against his grip, the urge to flee as strong as the fear that had consumed you moments ago. The cruel joke of the universe hangs heavy in your mind, a bitter taste on your tongue. Why him? Why now? Why offer you this unexpected kindness, only to remind you of what you can never have? You inch your hand back, drawing a thin line of space between you and him. The worn bandage scrapes against his calloused thumb.

Katsuki senses the shift, his sharp gaze darting from your retreating hand to your now-averted face. A quiet tension hangs in the air between you, a palpable unease that he can almost taste on his tongue. A silent conversation plays out in the furrow of his brow, his hero instincts battling with the unspoken fragility he sees in your posture. He knows prying wouldn’t help, not yet. A sense of powerlessness grips his heart as he imagines you bearing this unseen weight all on your own. His hero instincts scream at him to protect you from the unknown source of your panic. He huffs quietly, frustrated at his own inability. That seems to be the trend these days, he thinks bitterly. Unable to hear, unable to be a hero, unable to help anyone around him. He’s become so damn useless, and it eats away at him like a festering wound.

His eyes trace the delicate curve of your profile, taking in the subtle changes—your eyes now lighter, fixed on Kouichi as he leans against the porthole of the washing machine. Your words from a few days ago echo in his head: “You’re Dynamight, the goddamn explosion hero. I’ve seen you blast through villains on TV. And no matter how bad things look, you always pull through, right?” His cheeks warm. He huffs again, but this time, it’s a defiant puff. A consequence of the determination bubbling up his gut. He squares his shoulders, the frustration morphing into a quiet resolve. He knows pushing you won’t help. He needs to find another way.

“Maybe I can help.” The words tumble out of Katsuki’s mouth before he has time to process it. He hadn’t meant to say it, not yet. The impulse, fueled by a potent mix of hero instincts and a strange, unfamiliar warmth towards you, simply overrides his usual caution. You turn your head, a sliver of surprise cracking through your curious expression.

Katsuki’s heart catches in his throat for a second. He’s not used to this—not used to the way you look at him with bright expectant eyes like you truly believe he could level mountains and tame storms if he sets his mind to it. He wasn’t used to the way his breath hitches when your eyes meet his, igniting a flicker of something dangerous and unfamiliar in his chest. He wasn’t used to feeling this vulnerable, so desperately in need of proving his worth, this damn human.

He signs, his fingers tracing the familiar symbols against his chest, a desperate attempt to ground himself. “I know our quirks are different,” he gestures between Kouichi and himself. “But I’ve wrestled with a powerhouse quirk myself for a while now,” he continues, his voice gruffer than usual.

You blink repeatedly, shock clear across your face. His confident gaze holds yours in place. “Besides, I’m kinda free for the foreseeable future.” With a relaxed shrug, his hands open and brush downwards. “Got nothing better to do.”

Hope blooms on your face, a delicate flower unfurling in the sun that makes Katsuki’s insides light on fire. “Really? Are you sure?” your hands sign, trembling slightly with disbelief. Your brows shoot up, mirroring the question mark your fingers form near your chin. Your hands repeat the sign for power, mimicking Katsuki’s, lingering on it a beat longer than necessary.

“I couldn’t possibly repay you,” you sign, hands open and palms up near your chest, fingers spread.

Katsuki scoffs, dismissing the notion with a careless wave. “You still owe me some curry,” he signs, a mischievous glint in his eyes. His fingers tap the palm of his hand twice, a smirk dancing on his lips.

A blush creeps up your cheeks at the unintentional implication given the sign name he gave you. “Curry on the house, forever, if you can help Kouichi,” you sign, fingers shoveling imaginary food into your mouth before tapping your chest twice. A radiant smile blossoms on your face, catching Katsuki off guard. He’s sure his face is on fire now.

Standing up as the machines finish their cycle, Katsuki feels a phantom warmth press against his side, a lingering reminder of your absence. He glances towards the washers, a flicker of loneliness crossing his face before you return, your smile radiating excitement that crackles through the air.

“Guess what?” you sign, your eyes sparkling with mischief. “Kouichi wants you to come see something.” Your hands mime holding an unseen object and thrust it playfully towards him, an unspoken invitation to share in Kouichi’s secret discovery.

Katsuki joins Kouichi, who bursts into an enthusiastic explanation of his love for the laundromat. “I like the way the machines vibrate!” he signs, forming the sign for a “washing machine” and mimicking a gentle shaking motion. His eyes sparkle with wonder, the hum of the machines his personal symphony.

Katsuki, though unfamiliar with the sign, easily catches his drift. He can hear the low rumble, but a pang of nostalgia tugs at him. He used to hear the water sloshing inside, too, a memory from a life that feels like a lifetime ago.

Kouichi glances at you, then back at Katsuki, urgency flashing in his eyes. He signs rapidly, shielding his movements from your sight. “Please don’t tell Mom what I’m going to ask.” His right palm pressed flat against closed lips, then quickly flicked down and away, fingers snapping open. Katsuki, sharp as ever, sees the cleverness in his plea.

“Sure,” Katsuki signs, a relaxed confidence in his posture. “Ask away.”

The hum of the machines fills the silence, a comfortable rhythm that underscores their budding understanding. Katsuki looks at Kouichi, his powerful quirk a hidden force within, then at you, offering a soft smile as you watch them from the bench. He takes a deep breath, gathering his thoughts.

Kouichi leans in, his next question breaking the quiet. “Mom said not to ask about your hearing, but…” He signs, fingers brushing across his lips, then miming zipping a zipper shut across his chest. “Can I still be a strong hero like you, even though I’m deaf?” His hopeful eyes plead for validation, his vulnerability raw and exposed.

The question strikes a chord deep within Katsuki, stirring memories of his own struggles with insecurity. He nods slowly, the gesture heavy with meaning. “A badass hero doesn’t let something like that stop him from kicking ass.” His dominant hand forms a fist, then explodes open, fingers spread wide, mimicking his signature explosive power. He repeats the movement, each strike a testament to his conviction.

Kouichi’s face explodes with joy, his eyes mirroring the admiration Katsuki usually sees directed at heroes like Deku. Only this time, it’s for him.

The intensity in his eyes holds Katsuki’s attention. Surprise flickers across his face, genuine and unexpected. He sees a reflection of himself in Kouichi’s unwavering determination, a boy bursting with the same youthful fire that once burned within him.

A playful glint sparks in Katsuki’s eyes as he signs, “Like me, huh?” His eyebrows rise, curiosity mirrored in his hands that rise in unison, palm to palm. “Then you better train hard.” He throws a fist forward, fingers snapping open like a detonation.

“Dynamight,” Kouichi signs, his eyes blazing with ambition, “I’m gonna be even better than you!” His hands explode outwards, mimicking blasts even greater than Katsuki’s, a silent promise carried in the air.

A surprised laugh bursts from Katsuki, echoing through the laundromat. The audacity takes him off guard, reminiscent of his own brash younger self. But beneath Kouichi’s confidence, he sees a quiet strength, a determination that resonates even in the silence.

#spicy curry #bnha imagine #mha imagine #bakugou katsuki imagine #bakugou imagine #katsuki imagine #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #katsuki x reader #katsuki angst #bakugou angst

321 notes · View notes

creative-frequency · 2 months ago

Text

DAY 3: Alhaitham (Genshin Impact) x Reader: 25. “You know I love you, right?”

“You know I love you, right?”

Alhaitham, the Scribe of the Akademiya, lifted his gaze from the book on his lap. An ankle resting over his knee, he was the picture of relaxation in the quiet of Razan Garden.

He took a glance around the perimeter and your eyes narrowed at the motion. Alhaitham was not comfortable with public displays of affection, especially so since your updated dating status was not even two days old. How the man could be so emotionally detached in public and caring in privacy, you couldn’t understand. It was bordering on split personality.

At least there was no one around the garden to cause him an aneurysm because of your unexpected, very public confession. This time.

“Is there a point to this factual assessment?” Alhaitham replied with a question, as was infuriatingly often his style.

You meandered closer and continued: “It was a pre-emptive counter-argument because I’m about to berate you for skipping the Rtawahist study material acquisition meeting.”

Alhaitham huffed, shrugged nonchalantly and closed the book. His arms raised to welcome you closer and you settled to stand between his knees, heart rate climbing irrationally high. He peered up to your face from under his bangs and placed his hands to your hips. The touch was so gentle but possessive it made your stomach jolt in excitement.

Your dedication was just about to reach the breaking point.

“A-as I was saying. You can’t just skip these meetings. Your–”

Alhaitham leaned his forehead to your chest and you completely lost the thought.

Your fingers weaved into his soft, grey hair. Why were you mad at him again?

“I needed a break,” he said quietly.

You huffed in defeat and hugged him closer.

“Come. Let’s take the afternoon off.”

#alhaitham x reader #alhaitham x you #alhaitham genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact fanfics #genshin impact #fanfiction #october drabbles

77 notes · View notes

cod-imagines-fanfiction · 1 year ago

Text

Jealous Alejandro kidnaps Valeria's girlfriend (1.6k words part 4)

Summary: Valeria breaks into the headquarters of the Mexican Army in search of her wife.

TW: implied sexual violence, violence more generally (and Google Translated Mexican Spanish)

Note: I'm back from my home country y'all and free to write gay fanfiction once again. I'm working on the next part ASAP but I wanted to post this because you guys have been waiting forever. Thank you for all the lovely comments and the interactions!! means a lot to me that you guys enjoy reading this :>

Link to A03 Link to part 1, part 2, part 3. Next part: part 5

'Army soldier' was more than a type of occupation, more than any other job title; it was a lifestyle. It is truly a different way of life, a way of life that most people are simply not built for. A soldier's form - their straight back, their way of taking in the world around them within a second, their way of assessing everything as either hostile or neutral, their battlefield instinct - it all became an inseparable part of who they are. There is a certain instinct that gets drilled into soldiers, the instinct to act immediately and fast. The instinct to not think twice about running into danger. It is triggered immediately and triggered intensely. So when the emergency siren at the Mexican Army Headquarters wailed, the whole place came alive. No time was wasted before troops placed themselves in position. Snipers grabbed their rifles and headed for the rooftops, Captains and sergeants tuned into their mics, barking orders to their subordinates, assembling their troops as quickly as possible. Guards ran to their posts and pilots rushed to where their aircraft were getting readied by flying personnel, prepared to take off to gain an advantage in the airfield and a much-needed vantage point of what was happening. The armoury opened as many hands reached within for ammo and other equipment.

From the outside, it was a perfect scene of military efficiency and readiness. But from the inside, anxiety bubbled, threatening to cut loose.

"Why did this have to happen today of all days?" A soldier grumbled as he tightened his weapon belt.

"Someone planned this. It's the most popular day for annual leave," another responded as he grabbed his shoes.

"Dia de los Muertos," the first one said, his voice low and grim.

The Day of the Dead. Celebrated annually around November 1st but spanning over the course of multiple days. A day of celebration for life and death, a day to pay respects to those who have passed on. A time of parades on squares and community gatherings, with crowds of people in traditional costumes and painted faces taking to the streets to rejoice with others. A time when many troops were stationed outside the headquarters for public safety. A time, therefore, of relatively little staff being left behind to man the fort.

It was so perfect, Valeria almost giggled as she withdrew her knife from someone's body and let them drop to the floor.

She had infiltrated the headquarters from the underground tunnels that connected to some fields further out, which were created to be used in emergencies but had been long forgotten over the years. These were the same tunnels she took many years back when she wanted to see you on a day that she hadn't booked off. She would wait until most of the barracks were asleep before slipping away in the shadows, passing the guards and quietly unscrewing the lid that separated the tunnels from the world above ground. It was even more exciting once she taught you when and where to wait for her, at the end of the tunnel, among greenery and orange trees. Among the fields that you would lay on for the rest of the night underneath your blanket, touching each other's bodies and talking to the stars. Whispering how badly you'd missed each other, hearing the hum of insects in between short gasps and warm moans. Now, she had unscrewed these same lids and stabbed the person in front of her, dragging them out and passing the body along to the staff that followed her. They dumped the body back in the fields. Part of her found it annoying that these tunnels were always standing between her and her wife. And yet there was some charm, too. Travelling the bowels of the Earth for her love.

Having officially stepped on ground owned by the Mexican Army, El Sin Nombre and her people spread like a virus, taking down certain key spots and hiding bodies. Not enough damage to create immediate alarm, but good enough progress to feel confident about the next step. Her heart sped up in excitement as she thought of her wife, who was only one building and a lock away from her. And right in front of that building, was him.

Valeria looked out from one of the windows and saw Alejandro standing with his back straight, his face possessing a deep scowl as he conversed with Rudolpho. It had been many years since she last saw him, which was nothing memorable. There was no goodbye, no farewell. She had simply gotten up in the middle of the night and gazed at his face one final time; he glistened beneath the moonlight. He was younger then, his face smoother, his voice gentler; not yet hardened. A mass of muscle on a standard issue Army bed, he was unaware that the woman he loved was slipping right through his fingers. Unaware that by the time he woke up, she'd be gone.

There'd be nothing left behind to prove that she even existed. All of her things just went missing alone with her. She didn't even leave a picture behind to immortalise their love, to have something to look at during those nights when his heart almost gave out, when he realised that he was starting to forget what she looked like. That he could no longer remember her voice. Now, as she looked at him, she wondered why they even started a relationship in the first place. He was attractive, sure, but nothing special. Not like the woman in the box.

He was older now, his face more wrinkled. Valeria was raised with the idea that in women, this quality had the same visual effect as decaying fruit. When Valeria looked in the mirror and saw her signs of age - the smile lines that wouldn't smooth out when her smile fell, the lines around her mouth that could not be covered by cosmetics, the wrinkles around her eyes - it reminded her of something that was starting to fade. But in men, the quality was different, more merciful. More like maturing. It enraged her to see him getting older. To see him in the exact same place that she left him. The memories attached to this place were too much to handle. Memories of her younger years kept materialising at the edge of her vision, like a trick of the light; a shadow figure that kept pursuing. It used to be her, out there in the yard. Talking with Alejandro and Rudy, passing along jokes during a long day. But right now it was just the two of them, talking with ease like she had never been there at all. And right at that moment, as she gazed down at them, the alarm went off. What a glorious opportunity to have a front-row seat to witness Alejandro's reaction once she pulled the rug from underneath his feet. There was no more time to waste. She forced herself to stop gloating at these shadows of the past and to move forward. With each step, she got closer to her wife, her sweetheart. Valeria felt weightless, she felt herself glide through the space between herself and Y/N. She would pause here and there to ensure she did not reveal herself to her enemies. At times, she stealthily murdered someone who could have easily been her roommate back when she was a cadet. But that was another lifetime, a lifetime of making the wrong friendships and choosing the wrong lovers. She wasted no time on these obstacles. At last, her hand encircled the handle of the container. She pushed her weight into it and entered, ready for anything. Be it to murder a guard, or to embrace her love; her instincts were on the front seat. She could kill a hundred men if it came to it.

“Valeria. Bienvenida.”

The metal door crashed into the threshold behind her, the echoes reverberating, she felt, for eternity. There was nothing beyond these metal walls anymore, the whole world went silent. The wrath that burned in her eyes met the hatred that dripped out of his. Darkness met darkness; loathing encircled within their dark glares like an ouroboros, its dark scales flashing where the light hit it. Valeria and Alejandro were a perfect mirror, they were tuned into the same frequency, a frequency of violence. They were built of the same clay; two destroyers meeting at last.

He was right in front of her, waiting. Standing tall and armed to the teeth, Colonel Alejandro Vargas. Her jealous ex-lover, the kidnapper of her wife, the annihilator of peace, the snake that infiltrated the garden. The evil eye incarnate. And here was she, the abandoner, the backstabber; the woman lover.

“Y/N.” Valeria spoke with steel in her voice.

“Is no longer with us, I’m afraid.” The lines of his mouth fell into a pout, feigning sadness. Mocking her. “She’s not a fighter, like you or me. You know what happens to the weak here,” he scoffed. “What was it that you used to say? That the weak exist to serve the strong and die? Yeah,” he said diabolically, a grin etching itself on his face. “That’s what happened.”

She knew he was lying; Y/N walked this earth still. She and her wife’s souls were so intertwined, Valeria would have felt it if her wife was gone. Y/N could never leave without her heart knowing. Valeria would put her hand through fire to prove her conviction.

“If I thought she was dead, I would have shot you on sight,” she said. Her hand gripped a blade tightly, willing herself to stop shaking.

Alejandro laughed. “Oh, I didn’t mean she was dead.” His gloved hands held onto his vest as he looked down at her. “I meant that your wife served me.”

Unable to contain her wrath any longer, Valeria lunged at him with a scream.

tag list: @justmare @silas-222 @m0rganit3 @blarba-girl @sleepiemain @caffeineliker @ashy-kit @00ops1e @lesvii @therapyneeds @lez-zuha @starre-eyes @7smexy7diva @hello-kitty-festival @konigmeu @cassiecasluciluce @gay-ass-country-boy @starwars-theclonewhore @bi-witch-bxtch @somnoslvt @ashthepillow @b3ns0ne @idiotwrites @danart501 @deakyspuff @mistresssiri @angethehimbosimp

thanks for supporting me!!

#cod mw2 #call of duty #call of duty valeria #cod imagine #valeria garza #cod valeria #valeria garza x reader #valeria x female reader #valeria x reader

523 notes · View notes

tteokdoroki · 1 year ago

Text

✩࿐TRACK 03: WAR WITH HEAVEN. izuku midoriya (2K)

about. upon spending time apart from your pro-hero fwb, deku, for a work trip — he quickly realises he wants it all with you. heaven, hell and life on earth.

warnings. minors, blank and ageless blogs do not interact! suggestive, sfw, slight angst, fluff, happy ending, sneaky links, long distance relationships, mentions of alcohol, mentions of sex, friends with benefits to lovers, journalist + fem!reader, pro hero!deku.

things to note. another saturday is upon us and so is another instalment!! i really like this one n can’t believe we’re half way through already !! anyways i hope you enjoy <3 - masterlist / series masterlist / series playlist ✩

whether you believe it or not, izuku midoriya has never been hopelessly in love.

like most people with an overexposure to romance saturated media — the number one hero has always had that nagging feeling, craving for something more. the person to come home to, the partner, the kids and the dog that chews through the white picket fence or makes a mess on the freshly cut lawn. he wants a family like most individuals. but with a schedule as busy and a lifestyle as reckless as his…there’s hardly any time for izuku’s dreams.

dreams were for losers, anyways.

after high school, izuku quickly learned that dreaming wasn’t enough to get by even if it had motivated him to become a hero. reality is harsh and full of hard truths — bearing the responsibility of future number one and being all might’s prodigy had taught him that. so his rose tinted view of the future he had planned for himself quickly collapsed, the stain glass window shattering above him while its shards nicked at izuku’s youthful, hopeful skin.

he wasn’t so pure and good after leaving U.A — at least not in front of the public. behind closed doors izuku was a pessimist. he was sly and maybe a little sleazy, always on the prowl for something or someone to toy with. little deku was all grown up, no longer baby-faced and bright eyed but instead buffer with an unfairly tiny waist and an angular sharpness to his jaw that could cut diamonds.

he was attractive and he knew it — his new found confidence bled into his sex appeal and sky rocketed his popularity and now…the number one controls the whole of Japan in the palm of his hand. everybody wants a taste of the new and improved izuku midoriya.

everyone including you.

mindless hookups, despite being easy stress relief, always left izuku with a sour taste in his mouth. conservations with the elite that happened to stumble into his bed never went further than superficial talk and the odd ‘lets do this again sometime’s. he hated how people would change around him, clinging onto him after a night in the sheets like deku owed them a piece of his soul.

being the number one was no longer enough for hungry mouths. sex no longer satisfied those in his circle.

that was until he met you. the first time deku encountered you (at a hero press junket), you had been a shy intern journalist forced to follow around her mentor with an extreme lust for the green haired hero. he felt bad for you, you were obviously there to learn and do your job but the senior professional they’d stuck you with couldn’t help but slobber all over him instead of teaching you.

half-way through the junket, izuku had managed to sneak away from the pestering paparazzi to get a moment to himself — and it seemed, you’d had similar ideas. his initial assessment of your character was way off too. you were quiet, sure, but observant and snarky as well. a realist just like him. and somehow, you’d managed to convince him to leave to conference; get drinks at a secret roof top bar for only the highest members of japanese hero society, and talk and talk for hours about everything and anything. from quirks to the best snack combinations at the only kombini open past three AM on your street.

izuku liked you, he hadn’t felt such a spark for someone since his rookie days. you were cute, he couldn’t stop looking at your eyes and how they sparkles. your lips when you sipped the drinks he ordered for you and the way you instinctively leaned up to deku just to hear what he was saying.

the way you ended up in his bed that night was no mystery to either of you.

except the sensual and sultry night you shared together didn’t end there — at every event, every occasion, where journalists were required to be present, you found yourselves gravitating towards one another. one moment you’d be sharing bedroom eyes with one another from across the room and the next deku would have you bent over in bathroom stalls, his hushed moans in your ear and his fingers deep in your mouth to keep you quiet.

months went by and the sex didn’t stop, neither of you wanted it to. you made izuku feel a little bit whole again, you made him feel good and made him laugh all in the same breath. he didn’t just like it when you left your claim on his neck bordering the line of keeping your rendezvous a secret and letting the whole world find out — but he liked it when you stayed over and wore his shirts around his luxury apartment. or came to hang out with him at his private gym with a bag of cheat-day take-out katsudon and an earful of gossip from your office.

deku really liked you, more than he should’ve for a girl who was meant to be just a fling, more than he should’ve for someone who didn’t have time in his day for a lover.

“did you get over me?” the hero pouts into the FaceTime call, watching you struggle to grab your luggage off of the conveyer belt in baggage claim. if he were there, he’d have gotten it for you by now.

despite not being anything serious to one another, izuku had made it a habit to weasel his way into your everyday life. you sent cute little good morning and goodnight texts to one another, along with other messages like ‘get home safe’ and ‘have a good day’ too. those text messages quickly escalated to phone calls once the green haired number one admitted to you that it’s hard to fight crime whilst looking for the right kao emoji to send you.

you roll your eyes, coy smile budding on the edges of your lips. “it’s only been two hours, izuku.” you say, finally managing to grab your bag before you head out to the main lobby of the airport.

one thing about that man, is that he’s clingy as fuck. all of your attention has to be on him or he’ll feel like he might die. with you being away for the weekend at a journalism conference instead of in his arms, izuku feels like he might burn the whole world down from the ground up. just to be near you.

either that or he’s just extremely pussy whipped.

“streets are sayin’ you might sleep with that guy from your team while you’re there, is that true?” deku fires back, running a scarred hand through the mass of curls atop his head. he lets it run down to smooth over his face, peach fuzz starting to grow through — but you made him promise not to shave until the day after you got back. apparently his light stubble against your inner thighs made you cum so much—

“—i don’t even like him like that, you big baby,” you tell him matter of factly, cutting through his train of thought and bringing your phone up to your face once more to let emerald eyes peek down your sweater. “and i think he’d get the hint if he saw all these damn marks on my neck.”

pink blooms underneath the freckles on midoriya’s cheeks at the sight of the purple hues decorating your neck and shoulders. he remembers the extra turtlenecks you had to pack because of it. “couldn’t help it, i needed to give you a reminder of what you’d be missing while you were away from me.”

“you’re so dramatic, deku.”

“oh, you wound me, angel.” he purrs into the mic with a sly grin, knowing that he’s affecting you just as much as he misses you. especially when you give him a pointed glare. izuku let’s the conversation wither out as you order yourself an uber that’ll take you the hotel. he can’t help but chuckle when you perk up and notice the amount of money he’s sent you to cover the costs of it. “yanno…” deku mumbles, resting his cheeks on his knuckles. “you’re like heaven away from hell to me.”

you won’t admit how sexy he looks, even if izuku is all googly-eyed and soft for you. even if his forest green locks curl over his pretty eyes and hide them. it almost pisses you off. that he’s so blissfully unaware of how fucking pretty he is and how that mere fact manages to ruin you you even though you’re miles apart. “what’s hell, then?”

“my work. this city. this apartment, without you.” he says smoothly, filling your stomach with butterflies. izuku has a away about him that makes you feel like you’re his entire world and only his — but there’s never been any strings attached, you’ll never fully be his and he’ll very much be the nation’s hero (and dick) until someone manages to tie him down.

“are you asking me to move in with you, izuku?” there’s no expectancy in your voice — you say it mostly as a joke because you have no idea how much the number one pines for you. how tonight, he’ll drink himself into a stupor with his friends and whine to them about how much he misses you. izuku may have changed on the outside, may be stronger and faster but he’s still that insecure teenager on the inside.

he has to force his knees to stop knocking whenever you’re around. he finds himself swallowing the lump in his throat whenever he thinks about the possibility of you being with someone who isn’t you. he feels sick to the stomach and panics at the thought of losing you. you mess with deku’s head in the worst of ways and yet he finds himself wanting more. nevertheless, he smiles, loving how his name sounds on the sweet glaze of your lips.

“you’ve got a place in my bed. you’re always here anyways.”

“you’d never let me leave it, if you had a say in the matter.”

“you’d never have to work again if you let the number one hero take care of you angel.” izuku sighs longingly, giving you his cutest pair of puppy dog eyes that never fail to make you swoon. “but you love your job.”

“i do.” your uber pulls up and you reply curtly so you can properly greet your driver. they aid you with your suitcase and you slip your headphones on while in the back seat to keep your special conversation private.

“do you love me?” he can’t help but ask. izuku is hopelessly enamoured by you, you’re like a virus that’s spread across his brain and controls his every thought or action. he needs you like his lungs need oxygen to breathe — you’ve changed him for the better, shown him that maybe he can have both work and luxury. a family and foundation. with you, if you’d want him.

“izuku.” you warn, but playfully.

“so it’s true,” the hero drawls across the line in faux disappoint though his eyes speak mischief. “you only like me for my cock ‘n my money.” you can practically hear the pout on his pretty plump lips.

a fondness takes over you and you can’t help but squirm happily. “and your pretty boy smile,” you squeal cutely, filling midoriya with the same amount of fondness “don’t forget.”

“so you do love me.”

“i can’t answer that until you ask what you want to ask me properly.”

“alright then,” sitting up, deku grasps at his phone between shaky fingers and holds it above his head — giving you the perfect view of his freckled and scared (and chiselled) body. he chews on the swell of his lower lip, dancing around the question he knows he wants to ask. “angel. i want you. more than just a fling. i want you to be mine.” he blurts, closing his eyes so that his thoughts come easy and he can’t see you reject him.

midoriya doesn’t know what he would do if he lost you, he’s seen what losing your love has done to his friends. kirishima and his partner had almost broken up with each other recently. he’d be a mess in that situation. izuku has faced too many hardships in his life, his career, to let this one good thing slip from between his fingers.

“will you? be mine?”

he sees you poke your tongue into your cheek, laughing as you pretend to think. “i will, izuku. i want nothing more,” you coo. “keep my side of the bed warm. i’ll be home soon.”

relief floods through deku’s body. “don’t be too long, gorgeous.” with a couple of blow kisses, he lets you go with the reminder to call him back once you’re settled in at the hotel (so he can pay for your room service). it’s only when you’re alone again that izuku realises he’d rip stars from the sky to be with you, pull the heavens right down to earth to be by your side.

you’re everything to izuku, and for you, he’d go to war with heaven.

887 notes · View notes