#Besides a little reminder that between this chapter and the next there is also the tiny thing I wrote for a Vierapril prompt

[avirael]

Shattered

The sound of a light chuckle brought A’viloh back to to his senses from the brink of sleep.

With heavy eyelids he blinked and realised that he had almost fallen asleep in one of the armchairs in front of the roaring fireplace of the living room of Fortemps Manor.

Beside the fireplace stood Haurchefant with two cups in his hands and continued to laugh as the Miqo’te looked at him with drowsy confusion.

“I am barely gone for five minutes and you already fall asleep? It must have been quite a day, huh?”

Without really being able to recall why he was so exhausted, A’viloh agreed, “It was…”

“Here!”, the Elezen said and pressed one of the warm cups into A’viloh’s hands. “I’ll keep you company for a few more minutes but then you should get some rest. Tomorrow everything will look brighter again.”

“Thank you.”, a honest smile appeared on the Miqo’te’s face. Haurchefants optimism never failed to cheer him up.

“It’s no wonder though that you’ve almost fell asleep. It’s quite comfortable here, isn’t it?”, Haurchefant pondered in regards of the always burning faceplace and richly cushioned furniture. “But your sweater also seems very soft and cozy. I like the color too, it looks very nice on you.”

“Oh! Thank you…”, A’biloh murmured a little embarrassed. He had made this sweater with Tataru’s help from some wool he had bought at Camp Cloudtop. “I made it myself. It’s really nothing special though…”

“Nothing special? I don’t know, I think such a Talent is quite admirable! I for my part would not be able to make something like this.”, the Elezen laughed and wasn’t going to let A’viloh belittle his own skills. “Besides, Alphinaud told me you are quite talented at all kinds of crafts, even at forging weapons and armour. Is that really true?”

“Sort of.”, A’viloh admitted. “But Rael and I work together on things most of the time, so it’s not just my skills really…”

“Ah, you two are such a wonderful team! Together you can probaby do anything! Besides, I find such craftsmanship very impressive!”, Haurchefant praised. “Do you think you could forge something for sometime? I would feel very honored! Maybe a new chain mail or a better shield!”

Still a little embarrased A’viloh shrugged. “Sure, why not? I would be happy to…”

The Elezen grinned bright and friendly as he nonchalantly said, “Maybe if you had done so sooner, I would still be alive…”

For a second he was simply confused. Then an uneasy feeling unfurled in A’viloh’s chest as he realised that something was wrong.

Horribly wrong.

Suddenly the cup in Haurchefant’s hands slipped through his fingers. Loudly it crashed to the floor, bursting into myriads of unfixable pieces and spilling the hot liquid across the carpet.

Alarmed A‘viloh looked back up only to find the Elezen raise a hand to his chest and stare down in shock as it was immediately stained red with blood.

Gasping for air Haurchefant sank to his knees and clawed his hands into the fabric of A’viloh’s sweater, trying to steady himself. Helplessly he stared as Haurchefant coughed and gasped, slowly suffocating on his own blood, while little splatters of it landed on the Miqo’te’s face.

Finally his grip loosened and as if in slow motion Haurchefants sank to the floor of the living room at A’viloh’s feet, lying motionless, while the carpet was slowly stained red by a puddle of blood that grew bigger and bigger and bigger.

With dead eyes the Elezen stared up to him and through red lips and teeth he murmured in a ghostly echoing voice, “I wish I never met you. I wish I let you die in that blizzard. I saved your life and offered you all my love. And as reward you killed me. You killed me. You killed me…”

A’viloh woke up screaming.

With a jolt he sat up and buried his face in his hands as he realised it had just been a nightmare. He shivered and looked through the unfamiliar, sparsely furnished inn room. The flames in the fire place had long died and left the room to a cold, dark atmosphere, barely illuminated by the moon shining in through the window.

Right, he remembered. He had fled here after… Oh, if only all of this had just been a nightmare too.

Unsuccessfully he tried to suppress the memory that flared up in his mind again.

After the incident it had taken Rael and Alphinaud quite a bit of persuasion to make A’viloh leave the side of their fallen friend and steer the Miqo’te’s dazed body back to Fortemps Manor. Once there he had barely dared to look Lord Fortemps or Artoirel and Emmanellain in the eyes, yet alone say anything.

And as he had watched Haurchefant’s father crumble and fall to his knees in grief, something had simply shattered inside of A’viloh. Then and there he had whirled around and ran. How insolent his presence there must have been, offering nothing more than empty excuses while their son and brother lay dead because of him.

After aimlessly walking the city until it was dark and his body began to feel numb from the cold, A’viloh had decided to seek refuge at the Forgotten Knight. He would not return to Fortemps Manor, so Haurchefant’s family would not have to tolerate seeing his face ever again. Or maybe he just didn’t want to see their’s.

Gibrillont had looked at the Miqo’te’s distressed appearance with worry but had gladly not asked any questions and just given him a room where he could stay and rest.

Still he shivered, only partially because of the cold, and tried to push the nightmare and the memories away. Tried to convince himself that Haurchefant would never say something like this. Nonetheless he could not help but think that the words had only been the truth.

As the shock about the nightmare finally faded, miserable sobs began to echo through the silence. Like a puppet with their strings cut he fell back onto the mattress and curled up, tightly wrapping his arms around his own body, as he shook violently and cried until there were no tears left.

Maybe at some point he would finally fall asleep again, not that his dreams would grant him much rest.

If only he would simply never wake up again.

If only he had never been born.

[andvys]

Dancing with our hands tied | S.H.

Chapter seven ⭐︎ Got a feeling your electric touch, could fill this ghost town up with life

Warnings: 18+, minors don't interact. mentions of sex, mentions of unrequited feelings, sexual tension, reader teasing Steve sexually, not giving away anything else

Pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Summary: After you and Steve cross a line, you are the one to take things to a whole new level — driving Steve insane with your never ending teasing.

Word count: 7.4k+

Author’s note: I know you keep yelling at me but anyways -- shoutout to @hellfire--cult for helping me with this, especially the uh last part hehe.

Also, @prettyboyeddiemunson talked about a little crossover thing, and I love her girl in gods & monsters so she's making a little appearance here for Eddie hehe, all credits go to my bestie of course, the character belongs to her! If you haven't read the story yet, go check it out, it's one of my faves!

Series Masterlist ⭐︎ Previous Chapter ⭐︎ Next Chapter

♡

Staring up at the ceiling, Steve sinks deeper into his pillows, finding more comfort in his bed than usual, he takes a deep breath as he runs his hand over his face. He should feel content, knowing that he’s got the day off but instead he feels tense and frustrated in a way he had never felt before. 

His mind could be anywhere right now, he could think about the new tapes he stacked up at work last night, he could think about the show he watched before he went to bed, he could think about the mixtape Eddie had made for him, he could think about the girl that so obviously tried to flirt with him at work the other day, his mind could take him to any place, his imagination could be limitless but no, his mind is somewhere it shouldn’t be, his mind is with you. 

Nothing he does, nothing he tries to think about can drag his thoughts away from you. You occupy every space of his mind, reminding him of how much control you had taken over him ever since you both crossed a line that changed things between you both. 

Steve may have been the one who started it at all, but you are the one who took the game to a whole new level. 

The little accident in his kitchen that happened weeks ago, was only the start of it all. 

Steve wasn’t exactly subtle when he kept checking you out before the fiasco with the broken lever, and he wasn’t subtle with his touches either. He was treading on thin ice, he knew that, he knew that his slight teasing could have easily backfired if you reacted differently but it didn’t, and your reactions were everything that he was hoping for. You grew flustered, you started blushing, you stuttered and you looked at him the way he was hoping you would. 

But, what he didn’t expect was for you to tease him back, especially in a way that had him blushing, stuttering, and staring at you in shock. 

You were so innocent and shy at first, doing everything as subtly as possible. It started with gentle touches on his arm or his hand, soft whispers during dinner whenever he sat beside you, or long eye contact. Then, you realized just how much power you had over him and things quickly developed into something more, something so much deeper.

Your teasing was no longer innocent and your shyness seemed to have slipped away more and more, little by little. 

The look in your eyes was no longer a shy one whenever you looked at each other. There was a fire behind your eyes that he had never seen before. The smirk that tugged at your lips wasn’t the same one you usually looked at him with, it was different, mischievous, and very suggestive – a little too suggestive for someone like you because if someone else had looked at him the way you do, he’d think that they’re flirting but you don’t do that and certainly not with him. 

The only explanation for your behavior is that you are teasing him, playing with him just the way he did with you but not because you want him. He started something that night when Hopper and Joyce announced their engagement. It was harmless at first, his teasing was light and playful, he loved to see those sweet reactions of yours but Steve didn’t know that it was a dangerous game that he had started, he didn’t know that he’d be playing with fire the moment he’d touch you. 

Because you are far from harmless, and your teasing is not light and playful in the slightest. If it was, he wouldn’t be feeling like this right now; frustrated, agitated and filled with pent up emotions that he can’t even make out in his own head. 

He closes his eyes again as a groan falls from his lips, he shakes his head at himself, cursing inwardly for thinking about no one other than you. 

Has it always been that way? 

Have you always been on his mind? 

Or is it something new?

An unspoken deal was made between the both of you when you two started this. There are no rules, just a winner and a loser – whoever breaks first loses and so far, it seems like Steve won’t even get close to winning, even though he was the one to start it all so confidently. 

You clearly have taken over, because the moment you looked at him with innocent big eyes and a pout on your lips while pressing your chest against his arm when you tried to squeeze past him, your boobs nearly spilling over your cute little top, your voice sounding raspy from all the weed you had smoked that night, he was done for. 

It wasn’t the first time that a girl had done something like this to him, plenty of girls have given him those innocent eyes, have pressed their boobs against him, in much less clothing… but something about you drives him especially crazy. Maybe it’s the fact that you both hate or dislike each other or maybe it’s the fact that he is just extremely frustrated – sexually frustrated. Maybe that is the only reason why you get to him in that way… why he feels the want to continue this little game or why he feels the intense need to fuck you and get you out of his mind, once and for all. 

Another groan falls from his lips when he remembers that Robin bailed on him after she called him in the middle of the night, telling him that she wouldn’t make it to lunch today, meaning that it will be just Eddie, you and him. 

A part of him even looks forward to seeing you, the other part doesn’t because he already knows how he will feel afterwards, while you will probably go home feeling satisfied after teasing the hell out of him. 

Every time before you leave, you look at him as though you had done nothing wrong, which sometimes leads him to believe that you’re not even aware of all the teasing you torture him with and that he was the only one playing this game, all this time. 

Steve drags himself out of bed and into the bathroom, turning on the shower so the water can heat up while he brushes his teeth. He looks at his reflection in the mirror, rolling his eyes at the mess on his head, he brings his hand up to his hair, running his fingers through it. 

As he thinks about what to wear, he gets lost in his thoughts, thinking about you, wondering what you will wear. Are you going to wear a dress? Another short skirt to drive him crazy with? 

He rolls his eyes, cursing inwardly at himself for thinking about you again. 

He needs to get this out of his system. 

He needs to get you out of his system. 

And there is only one way to do it and he knows it, but he’s not even sure where your feelings stand, if you’d be down for what he’s longing for or if you’d laugh in his face if he even tried to suggest something like it. – Your reaction would probably be the latter, and just the thought of it is enough to bring the grumpiness out in him. 

He begrudgingly starts getting ready, all while his mind keeps him occupied with thoughts about you. 

He doesn’t know what caused all of this, he doesn’t know how it happened, how his mind is incapable of thinking about anything or anyone but you these days. 

He feels as though he had been cursed. You are haunting him, in his mind and even in his dreams, and seeing you all the time doesn't help at all… and yet, he wouldn’t want it any other way because this little thing between you both makes him feel a thrill that has been missing in his life. 

By the time Steve pulls up into the parking lot at the diner, you and Eddie are already there.

You’re sitting on the hood of his car, hands folded in your lap, sunglasses low on your nose, a smile on your lips as you’re nodding along to whatever Eddie is telling you. You look good… too good for just a simple breakfast at the diner. 

He parks the car and after a few deep breaths, he pulls out the keys and gets out, trying not to stare at you as he walks towards the two of you. 

“Hey guys.”

Eddie turns around, a mocking smile on his face, he crosses his arms over his chest, “took you long enough, big boy.”

Steve chuckles, scratching the back of his neck as he eyes you from the side, “yeah uh, I missed my alarm this morning and Robin woke me up in the middle of the night to bail on us, took me a while to fall back asleep after that.” 

You groan at his words, sliding off the car, you smooth down your jean shorts and push your sunglasses up into your hair, “so she keeps ditching us.” 

“She’s in love, Sweetheart,” Eddie winks at you, wiggling his brows, “she’s got better things to do.” 

You roll your eyes at his words and look over Eddie’s shoulder, meeting his eyes for the first time today. You lick your lips as your eyes move down up and down his body. 

“Hey, Lego head.”

Lego head. The silly nickname doesn’t quite suit the look in your eyes. 

“Blondie,” he nods. 

Eddie chuckles, playing with the keys in his hand as he nudges his head into the direction of the diner, “let’s go eat, I’m starving.” 

“You’re always starving, Eddie,” you snort as you are the first to start walking. 

“Yeah man, you’re always eating and you’re still starving,” Steve chuckles, walking beside Eddie, “you’re like a raccoon or something.” 

You look over your shoulder, a smile on your lips, “oh he’s definitely a little raccoon.” 

Eddie’s lips part in surprise, he looks between you both, “did you just… agree on something?” 

You scoff at his words, turning back around without another word while Steve looks down, shaking his head. The weight of Eddie’s arm around his shoulder makes him look back up, though not at you, but at Eddie, whose eyes are filled with amusement. 

“You’re not trying to steal my girl are you?” 

Steve doesn’t know what is about the words ‘my girl’ but he feels himself clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth. By the tone in Eddie’s voice, he should know that he is only teasing, but apparently his mind isn’t able to comprehend that right now. 

He feels a fire in his chest that he can’t even explain, one that only grows even more intense a few moments later, when a guy who was just leaving the diner, steps aside for you after opening the door. 

Steve can’t see your face or the looks you are giving to the man who is staring you up and down with nothing but hunger in his eyes, but by the way you walk past him without even turning your head or looking back, he knows that you’re giving him nothing. And yet, it doesn’t stop his anger when the guy keeps checking you out, shamelessly, following you with his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips as he looks at your ass. You’re not even aware of it as it seems and it wouldn’t be the first time. 

Steve saw you at Big Buy’s the other day, you were strolling around the aisles in your cute little dress, throwing food items into your basket, completely unaware of his eyes on you. He couldn’t look away from you… even when everything you did was riling him up, whether it was the way you bend down to reach for something on the lowest shelf, the way you touched your hair or the way your dress was moving by your sides as you walked. As he caught himself staring at you, at your effortless beauty, he knew that he couldn’t be the only one – and his suspicions were confirmed, when he looked into the other aisle only to see another guy, not past his 30s staring at you, something that you weren’t aware of in the slightest. He also caught himself rolling his eyes and clenching his fists… but that’s something that he easily ignored. 

Unlike today, he can’t even help it when he passes the guy who can’t seem to tear his eyes away from you with a deathly glare on his features, feeling anger for how shameless and disrespectful his ogling is, it’s disgusting. 

“Perv,” Eddie mumbles under his breath, glaring the same way Steve does. 

The guy doesn’t even spare them a single glance, moving past them after taking another long… too long look at you before he walks out of the diner. 

Steve and Eddie roll their eyes, following you to the table that you have already picked, completely unaware of what just happened. 

You sit down in the booth, sliding over to the window. You put your sunglasses down on the table and instantly reach for the menu. 

Eddie sits down beside you, while Steve takes the seat across from you. He tries not to look at you, sinking deeper into the leather seats as he reaches for the menu, as well. 

“What are you guys doing afterwards?” Eddie asks. 

“Nothing, just gonna go back home and watch movies or something,” Steve mumbles, peeking over his menu and at you, to find you looking at him already. 

“Perfect, why don’t you two have a little bonding moment and have a movie day together?” Eddie grins, wiggling his brows at the both of you. 

Steve sees the way you scrunch your nose up at his words, scoffing and shaking your head at him like it’s the most ridiculous thing that you have ever heard, like it’s something that you don’t even want to think about. 

“We’re getting along just fine, no need for bonding time.” 

Right. Steve had been so focused on all your teasing, he almost forgot about how much you two are supposed to dislike each other. 

“Exactly,” Steve winks at Eddie, “Blondie and I are doing just fine.”

He looks back at you, his eyes meet yours, you raise your brows at him, smirking as you tilt your head. 

“Are we?” You ask softly as you blink at him. 

Steve leans closer, licking his lips, he opens his mouth to speak but Eddie cuts him off, clapping his hands. 

“Yeah, you are getting along! Now shut your mouths before you start a fight.”

You both snort at the metalhead, leaning back in your seats, neither of you saying a word, you both just look back at your menu’s, focusing on that… for now. 

The busy waitress stops by your table, telling you that she will be back to take your order in a minute, seemingly catching Eddie off guard after placing her hand on his shoulder before she scurries away again. 

He no longer looks at the menu, he finds something more interesting to look at. 

Steve’s eyes flash with amusement as he looks over at his friend, whose eyes are wide and cheeks are red, an awestruck expression all over his face. He can’t help but nudge your foot under the table, tilting his head towards Eddie when you look up with a frown.

You turn to your best friend. Your features soften, eyes flashing with surprise, you bump your shoulder into his, clearing your throat, “hey Ed’s, before you fuck this up again, don’t you want to tell Lego head about what happened?” You ask, snickering. 

Eddie blinks, turning back to you, “h-huh?” 

“You have a man to give you his opinion of what you did wrong.” 

Steve furrows his brows, looking between your amused face and his confused one, when Eddie’s eyes flash with realization and he groans in annoyance. 

“Sweetheart, he’s gonna be on my side.”

“What opinion?” Steve asks. 

You turn back to your menu, scoffing at Eddie and rolling your eyes before you glance at him, “you’ll want to kill him.”

Eddie groans, shaking his head, his curls bouncing a little. 

“You’ll understand, Harrington. You’re a man. She is… looking at it from a feminine side of things.”

Steve gives you a quizzical look, almost laughing at the exasperated look on your face. 

“Alright shoot,” he says to his friend.

Eddie presses his lips together, taking a deep breath before he folds his hand on the table and looks at him with squinted eyes, “okay so, I saw this girl at the hideout yesterday, Jeff told me to go talk to her, you know… so I did. We started talking, she was funny and all that, and you know, I always like to be a little mysterious.” 

You snort, making Eddie roll his eyes again, “shut it, Sweetheart.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Anyways,” Eddie sighs, glaring at you, “so, when she asked me if I was there with a girl, I just said ‘wouldn’t you like to know?’” 

Steve draws back a little, raising his brows and pursing his lips, looking perplexed. 

“Uh huh..” You murmur, keeping your eyes on Steve. 

“Eddie,” Steve shakes his head, “just uh… did it… what happened then?”

Eddie sighs again, “well, she rolled her eyes and left, but you know, she may not have a sense of humor so… it’s whatever.” 

“Munson, that girl had a sense of humor, you just have a lack of fucking tact,” Steve says, shaking his head at his friend, in pure disbelief. 

Eddie’s jaw drops at his words, while a laugh falls from your lips as you turn to look at your best friend with nothing but satisfaction on your face. 

“Told you.”

“Seriously!?” Eddie gasps, frowning. “Harrington, you were always mean to girls in the past, and you still slept with them!” 

Steve scoffs, shaking his head. 

“That was in high school, Munson! You are a grown up now, why the hell would you do that? Just tell her you were there alone or with friends!” 

Eddie’s jaw drops again, he slumps back in his seat, throwing his hands up. 

“I just thought that a mysterious persona would work better than… you know… bubbly, happy, go lucky guy, desperate to get his dick wet persona…” He whines, “no one wants to fuck me.” 

You giggle, hiding your face behind the menu. 

Steve’s lips curl into a smile, he points a finger at you, “I’m gonna have to agree with Blondie, again, you’re a fucking idiot.” 

“Don’t worry, Eds. I’ll help you,” you say, smiling, “I’ll teach you how to flirt.” 

“How are you gonna do that, Blondie? Do you even know how to flirt?” Steve snorts. 

You may be a tease, a good one at that, but a flirt? No. You’re too rough, too mean, too harsh to be a flirtatious person, you can barely hold a conversation with someone without going off at them about something, you wouldn’t even know where to begin with, unlike him. 

He is a flirty person, he has charm, he knows how to wrap a girl around his finger with just a few simple words. 

He doesn’t know what to expect, but he surely didn’t expect for you to smile at him, to shrug and give him nothing more than a glance that tells him how wrong he is. 

After the waitress comes back to take your order, leaving Eddie a blushing mess, you excuse yourself to the bathroom, only to come back with your hair now free from the scrunchie that kept it together and another coat of gloss on your lips, something that instantly catches Steve’s eyes. 

You place your elbows on the table, putting your chin into your palm, blinking at him innocently. 

The look in your eyes tells him that you’re up to no good, but he can’t look away. He leans closer to the table, licking his lips as he raises his brows at you. Both of you are unaware of Eddie, who is basically drooling over the pretty waitress, too distracted to notice the looks you are giving to each other.

“The waitress, is she from Hawkins? Never seen her in my fucking life,” Eddie murmurs in awe. 

Steve turns his head to look at the woman, a gasp nearly tears from his lips when he feels your foot on his calf and you pull his attention back on you, he stares at you with wide eyes. 

Smirking in satisfaction, you pull your foot back and look down at your nails.

“I-I don’t know, Munson, not familiar.” He stutters without looking away. 

Steve knew that this would happen, that you would tease him in one way or another, but he didn’t know yet, just where you would take this today. 

When your milkshakes arrive at the table, both you and Steve watch Eddie with amusement as he stares up at the blonde waitress, eyes moving back and forth between her face and her chest, not knowing what to look at first. 

His eyes get stuck on the dainty cross necklace around her neck, seemingly growing more intrigued by her, his dark eyes meeting her blue ones. 

Steve narrows his eyes at you, almost laughing when you look at him, at the same time. 

Eddie’s cheeks are even more flushed than before now, his eyes wide, lips parted. The girl presses her lips together, trying not to giggle at the look on his face. 

“Your food will come right up,” she says, looking between you all before her eyes meet Eddie’s again as she takes the last milkshake off the tray, putting it on the table and sliding it towards him. 

He clears his throat, wrapping his fingers around the glass before she can even let go. 

Both you and Steve watch the way she smiles down at Eddie and at the fingers brushing against hers. 

“Thanks, Sweetheart,” he smirks at her, surprising both you and Steve with the confidence in his voice. 

The girl smiles in surprise, before she turns around, walking away from the table but not without giving Eddie another glance, his lips curl into a bigger smirk and he waves his fingers at her.

Your mouth drops and so does Steve’s, both of you, looking at each other again, with stunned and puzzled expressions on your faces.

“Dude,” Steve mumbles, slowly turning to face his friend, “tell me… how did you fuck this up again… at the hideout, I mean?” 

Eddie only looks back when the girl disappears into the kitchen, “the girl at the hideout just wasn’t the right one.”

“Oh, and this one is?” Steve chuckles, pointing his thumb to where the waitress walked off to. 

“Yeah,” Eddie says, dreamily. “She’s so…”

“Hot?” You ask as you reach for your milkshake, grabbing the red and white straw between your thumb and your pointer finger.

“Gorgeous,” he blushes. 

Your lips tug into a smile, you bring your hand up to his face, pinching his cheek, “aw, look at you.” 

He swats your hand away, snorting. 

“I thought you didn’t know how to flirt, you’re doing such a good job, keep it up, Eds.” 

“What can I say, I’m full of surprises,” Eddie winks at you before he looks away, eyes searching for the waitress again. 

“He doesn’t need your help after all,” Steve laughs, tilting his head, “not that you’d be much of a help anyways.” 

You squint your eyes at him, shrugging at his words, and you surprise him with your silence. 

He watches the way you lean forward, placing your elbow on the table as you finally wrap your lips around the straw. Your eyelashes flutter and you tap your red fingernails against the glass, a moan falling from your lips. 

“Mmmh, that’s so good.” 

Steve nearly jumps from his seat, the sound making his stomach flutter, he clenches his fists, staring at you with wide eyes. 

There’s no smirk on your lips, no mischief behind your eyes, nothing but innocence is etched into your features – you’re not even teasing him, it was nothing but a genuine reaction to the sweet drink. And it’s something that frustrates him even more. 

You reach for the maraschino cherry next, popping it into your mouth before you lick the whipped cream off your finger. 

Steve’s breath hitches in his throat, he shifts in his seat, trying to look away from your lips… that are still wrapped around your finger but he can’t, his eyes are stuck, his body is stuck, he can’t move, all that he can do is watch you.

And then, you look towards him, eyes flashing with surprise when you find him staring. He hopes to see you blushing but instead, a smirk tugs at your lips as you release your finger, scooping up some more whipped cream before you bring it up to your lips. 

And this is where the real teasing begins. 

Steve nearly gasps when you hold eye contact this time as you lick the cream off your fingers, letting out another, softer moan. 

Holy fuck. 

Steve’s eyes darken, he swallows harshly, clenching his jaw in anger. 

Eddie is too busy with his own milkshake, ogling the waitress as she talks to customers at the bar, completely unaware of how you both eyefuck each other, the way Steve can’t take his eyes off of you. 

By the look in your eyes, Steve knows how much fun you’re having with this, you know how much it frustrates him, you know what you’re doing to him. 

And as though, all of this wasn’t bad enough already. You then accidentally drop some of the whipped cream on your chest. 

“Oops,” you purr, giving him an innocent look through your lashes. 

The warmth in his chest only grows more intense, spreading across his whole body, filling him up with need and a deep hunger that keeps growing and growing, one that can only be satiated in one way – he needs you, just once, he needs to have you, he needs to taste you, he needs to fuck you, he needs you out of his system for good. 

He had enough of this, of all this teasing. 

He would fuck you right there on this table if he could.

But, despite your teasing, despite the look in your eyes, despite your little act, he is still not sure about where you stand. He knows how you react to his touches, to his teasing, but a part of him fears rejection if he does make a move. 

You are barely even friends, and the thought of making a fool of himself, in front of you, makes him want to crawl into a hole. 

You are both playing this game, but while he knows what he wants, he doesn’t know what you want. 

Maybe you just enjoy this little back and forth, waiting for him to break first before you move along and pretend like nothing ever happened. Maybe you don’t even expect anything to come out of this. Maybe you don’t even want him the way he wants you. Maybe you just like to tease him because you know that it's riling him up. 

So what is left for him to do? 

Stop this game and move on? Or… keep going and wait for something more to happen? 

He’s had enough of your teasing, but he’s far from losing, there is still some power left in him… some. 

He won’t sit here and let you get away with this. 

So despite the uncomfortable strain in his pants, despite the burning in his skin, he plasters a smirk on his blushing face and reaches forward, keeping his eyes locked with yours as he mimics you, he grabs his glass and he reaches for the cherry on his milkshake, purposely dropping some whipped cream on the table as he puts the cherry in his mouth. He chews slowly, licking his finger tips while he watches you slowly, the way your smile slowly falls, the way your eyes widen a little. 

He bites back the smirk as he scoops up the whipped cream off the table, with both his middle finger and ring finger, bringing them up to his lips, he looks back into your wide eyes as he places them into his mouth, watching the way you break eye contact to look at his lips. 

Your throat bobs as you swallow, tightening your grip on your glass as you watch the way he licks his fingers slowly. 

He can see the way you shift in your seat, the way your breathing gets heavier and your eyes darken, the way you lick your lips and how flustered you get as you look back into his eyes. 

You are pressing your thighs together, he just knows you are. 

He pulls his fingers out of his mouth, smirking at you in satisfaction while you still sit there, frozen in place. He breaks eye contact, looking down at his vanilla milkshake as though nothing happened.

“You gotta give this one a ride home, Harrington,” Eddie mumbles, pointing at you without tearing his eyes away from the bar, “I think I’m gonna stay here a little longer.”

You clear your throat. 

Steve expects you to be more… nervous, to hear your voice wavering, but instead, it sounds confident, filled with yet more teasing as you open your mouth to speak. 

“Oh, I would love a ride home with Stevie,” you smile at him innocently as your foot touches his calf again, but this time, it doesn’t just stay there, you move it up, just a little, but enough to nearly make him choke on his drink. 

“So you can keep getting on his nerves?” Eddie chuckles. 

You lick your lips, smirking as you nod your head slowly, “exactly.”

Yeah, you don’t really do this anymore, getting on each other’s nerves, you both have found something so much better and much more interesting to do to one another. 

“You know I always win, Blondie,” Steve says so very confidently, like he isn’t slowly losing his mind because his want for you is beginning to consume him entirely. 

You tilt your head at him as you bite your lip, the sleeve of your blouse slowly sliding down your shoulder, making him gulp. 

“Do you?” You ask, batting your lashes at him, provoking him with the look on your face. 

He bites the insides of his cheeks, nodding at your words, “mhmm.”

A breathy chuckle falls from your lips, you shrug and lean back, “we’ll see.”

Eddie doesn’t know that you’re talking about something entirely else now, but he couldn’t care less, when he’s got his eyes set on someone that stole his breath away. 

He uses every second he gets with the pretty waitress to flirt, whether it’s through glances when she passes by or through his charming words when she delivers the food to the table. 

He happily eats his burger and his fries, eyes following the blonde wherever she goes, completely blind to what’s happening right next to and in front of him. 

You and Steve keep staring at one another, eyes filled with intense need, hands itching to reach out to the other. 

Steve feels the longing inside his chest, intensifying as the minutes go by, driving him insane. It gets to a point where he can’t wait to get the hell out of this diner so he can go home and take care of himself. He is not sure if he had ever felt this desperate before – he surely never had to rush home to jerk off, but that’s what he feels like now, like he’s going to explode if he sits here any longer. 

The moment you decide on leaving, Steve nearly throws himself out of his seat, feeling no patience left inside of him. 

“I got this covered,” Eddie announces, pulling out his wallet as he gets out of the booth so you can get out, “you two can go.” 

You grab your sunglasses and get up, putting your hand on Eddie’s shoulder, “I see what you’re trying to do, you wanna get rid of us so you can flirt with the hot blonde.” 

He wiggles his brows, smirking at you proudly, “gotta score a date with my dream girl.” 

Steve chuckles, grabbing the car keys from his pocket, he smirks at Eddie, “just don’t mess it up again.” 

Eddie shakes his head, “nah never.” 

“Alright casanova, call me and tell me how it went.” 

“Call you?” He frowns, “I’ll be there to raid your kitchen tonight, sweets.” 

You step away from him, brushing past Steve, “alright raccoon, I’ll see you later then.” 

“See ya,” he chuckles. 

With a sigh, Steve looks at Eddie, playing with his keys and giving him a nod. 

“Good luck, man.”

“Thanks,” Eddie winks, “and don’t kill each other!” He jokes, ignoring the weird looks he’s given from an older couple two booths away. 

“Don’t worry, we’re not at that point anymore.” 

You’re at a whole different point now, one that doesn’t make him angry, not exactly, just one that drives him up the wall. 

Steve stares at your hips, at the way your shorts hug your body so nicely, the way your ass looks so good in them. He forces his eyes away, feeling a little startled when you turn around to face him before you open the door, a friendly smile appears on your face and he realizes that you aren’t looking at him, but at Eddie’s ‘dream girl’, waving goodbye at the girl before you step out. 

He feels the sudden need to talk, hoping that you won’t tease him any further in the car, because if you do, he isn’t sure if he will manage to control himself the way he did, the whole time at the diner. 

He rubs the back of his neck, walking down the steps, he clears his throat. 

“Do you think he will manage to score a date?”

You slow down as you put your sunglasses on, “yeah, I’m pretty sure he will.”

Steve chuckles, nodding. 

“She seems nice, and she’s pretty,” you say.

So are you. Steve thinks to himself. 

“She’s got the kind of blonde hair you wanted when you ruined your hair with the blonde dye, huh?”

Steve can’t see your eyes behind your sunglasses, but he can see the amused look on your features as your lips curl into a smile. 

He ignores the way it feels when you step closer to him, when your hand brushes against his knuckles, sending chills throughout his whole body. 

“Actually, I wanted it even lighter, and how would I know that the pictures on the box dye were lies, it said it lightens up any hair color to that specific color!” 

Steve laughs at you, “what color were you hoping for?” 

You shrug, stepping away from him again when you walk around his car to the passenger side. 

“I wanted like a Dolly Parton or uh… Heather Locklear kind of blonde.” 

He unlocks the car and opens his door, raising his brows at you, “wow, you should have gone to a hair salon, Blondie.”

You lift your sunglasses, rolling your eyes at him, “it was a spontaneous decision, I thought I could handle that myself, I’m definitely never touching hair dye again.”

“Just call me, next time,” he winks at you as he gets into the car, “I’m a pro at doing hair.” 

You laugh at him as you get in as well, “didn’t know you were a hairdresser, Harrington.” 

“They don’t call me ‘the hair’ for nothing.” 

“Oh wow. I wouldn’t trust you with my hair, who knows what color you’d dye my hair to.”

“Maybe I’d get it to the Dolly Parton blonde that you wanted.” 

“Yeah, right!” You scoff at him, “cause you’re such an expert!” 

A smile tugs at his lips, it almost feels normal, sitting here in his car with you, talking like this, it almost distracts him enough from the strong tension between you both, from the pull that is dragging him towards you, more and more. 

Despite the frustration that he feels from all your teasing, he cannot help but want to keep playing the little game. 

The sun is shining brightly, pulling down the sun visor won’t be enough – how convenient it is that he keeps his sunglasses in the glove compartment. He could ask you to get them but instead, he moves closer, “I’m sorry,” he murmurs before he places his hand on your knee as he reaches forward so he can get his ray-ban’s. 

Satisfaction rushes through him when he hears you sucking in a sharp breath. 

But, his longing intensifies when he gets a whiff of your perfume and feels how soft your skin actually is. 

He clearly never thinks things through, his little plans always backfire. 

The want to wrap his hand around your thigh and keep it there is so strong… so goddamn strong, but he pulls away begrudgingly, holding back the smirk when he feels your eyes on him. He puts the sunglasses on, and finally starts the car. 

Your silence surprises him, but he knows that it’s something that won’t stay for long. 

Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran starts playing and Steve almost wants to laugh at the irony, this is exactly what he feels like right now, hungry like a fucking wolf, hungry for you. 

If you had been any other girl, he would’ve made a move on you, a long long time ago. He would have flirted more obviously, he would’ve taken your hand in his, he would’ve brushed your hair out of your face before leaning in to kiss you.

But you’re not just any girl, you’re… you. 

You love this little game, and no matter how flustered you get, no matter the looks you are giving him, he still struggles to read you, he still struggles to figure out whether you want what he wants or not. 

He is waiting for a sign, but it’s almost like he’s blind to anything you give to him. 

He holds the steering wheel tightly, keeping his other hand on the gearstick, dangerously close to your thigh. He keeps sneaking glances at you, at your soft skin, at the way you press your legs together, at the way your fingers play with the loose string on your shorts. 

Steve’s face grows hot, his heart beating faster in his chest. 

He almost feels relieved when your house comes into view, and he pulls up into your driveway. 

“So… what are you doing today?” You ask as you unbuckle your seatbelt, “besides having a movie day by yourself.” 

You turn your body towards him, not making any moves to get out of the car yet. 

“Uh… I don’t know,” he lies, his cheeks glowing red. 

He already knows what he’s gonna do the moment he walks through his front door. 

You take your sunglasses off, biting your lip as your eyes move up and down his body, making him shift uncomfortably, yet again. 

“Well, I’m going to lay out in the sun, in my new red bikini.” 

Steve’s eyes widen, and he almost starts drooling at the images that start forming in his mind. 

Images of you… half naked. 

“We should have a pool party at some point,” you smile, blinking at him as you start inching closer to him, looking down at his lips. 

“Uh huh…”

“But anyways, I should get going,” you sigh, catching him by surprise when you place your hand on his thigh, so dangerously close to where he needs you the most, “thanks for the ride, Stevie.” 

And as though that wasn’t bad enough. 

You almost cause his heart to stop beating, when your face is only inches away from him now, and you press your lips against his cheek, kissing him, completely shocking him, leaving him a stuttering mess. 

He lost all ability to speak, all he can do is stare at you, as his skin tingles and his heart races. 

You smirk at him, eying his red cheeks. 

“Who would’ve thought that Steve Harrington would ever blush for me,” you say smugly, before you pull away and get out of the car, giggles falling from your lips. Without another word, you close the door and walk away, looking over your shoulder one more time, still giggling. 

Fuck. 

His frustration turns into anger when the realization starts creeping in slowly. 

The smug look on your face, the smirk and your stupid giggles prove his point, that you did all of this not because you wanted him, but because you wanted to win this fucking game. 

That’s all it is, that’s all it ever was. 

A game. 

He doesn’t know what the feeling in his chest is, whether it’s the feeling of annoyance or rejection, but it only irritates him even further, especially when all he can think about is still you. 

You in your stupid red bikini, lying under the sun, looking pretty and hot… looking like someone he can never have, not even for a single night. 

He is angry, angry at himself for still wanting you, for needing you, for wishing that he could feel your bare body underneath him, for wishing to hear your moans, your voice calling out his name, your hands clinging to his body, fingers tugging at his hair. 

Despite the rejection, he feels his stupid jeans getting tighter, his dick straining against the fabric, making him feel uncomfortable and so needy to a point that the moment he gets home, he rushes upstairs and into the bathroom. 

He slams the door shut and presses his back against it, hastily unbuckling his belt, the clinking and his heavy breathing being the only sounds to fill the room… for now. He pushes down his boxers and his pants, just enough so he can pull his dick out – his tip is an angry red, already leaking with pre cum, he spits into his hand before he wraps his hand around his aching cock. 

That is all that it takes for a needy whimper to fall from his lips. 

He closes his eyes, throwing his head back against the door as he starts jerking off slowly. 

Images of you curse and bless his mind at the same time. 

He wonders what it would be like to feel your hand around his dick or what it would be like to feel your lips on his neck, your whispers in his ear as you take care of him. 

He furrows his brows, lips parting as his moans get louder and he begins to move his hand faster and faster, squeezing his eyes shut. 

He pictures you on your knees for him, your hands replaced by your lips as he shuts you up with his cock in your mouth, silencing you once and for all, while tears stream down your cheeks.

“Oh fuck…” Steve whimpers, getting lost in pleasure. 

He wanted nothing more than to bend you over the table when you started teasing him with the stupid whipped cream, but all he can think about now is you on your knees worshiping him. 

His muscles tighten as he increases the tempo, using his thumb to rub the slit as he imagines it being the tip of your tongue as you look at him with big and teary eyes. 

And he doesn’t know for how long he was imagining you like this, but it doesn’t matter because he is soon spilling in his hand, a loud groan escaping his lips as well as a shaky breath, the back of his head hitting the door as he tries to ease his breathing. 

Maybe three minutes passed, or twenty, but it didn’t matter. His cum is already on his hand and in your honor. 

But this didn’t satiate his hunger, nor his lust for you in the slightest. 

Nothing that he could possibly do will. 

He can imagine you and take care of himself all he wants, but it won’t change the way he wants you, the way he craves you. 

He knows that there is only one way to get rid of this.

Tomorrow he will put his frustration away. That’s all it is, frustration. He just needs to let it out. He needs to fucking breathe again. 

Yeah. Tomorrow. 

♡

tagging friends and mutuals

@taintedcigs @mysticmunson @wroteclassicaly @maroon-cardigan @munson-mjstan @sherrylyn628 @munsonlore @ibellcipem @joekeerysmoles

[hiramaris]

I'm gonna request something for haley bc i love how you write her and not so obsessed. im not sure if you are writing for request? but im gonna give my shot

a prompt where haley as wife, and the farmer was late passed midnight because of mining shit. and almost died (lmao). she got home safely, but limping with her wounds and bruise. then there's haley, saw her wife barely walking and her reaction, just comfort, fluff, worried and taking care of the farmer.

that's all, thanks, no pressure <3

Kiss it Off Me

CHAPTER 7

Chapter Summary:

"I don't like your stupid gift!" She didn't intend for it to sound harsh, but as soon as her mouth opened, she couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "I honestly thought you'd know better than to give me something like this."

Pairings: Haley x Fem!farmer

Disclaimer:  I do not own Stardew Valley or any of the related characters. Stardew Valley is created by and owned by ConcernedApe. This fanfiction is intended for entertainment only. I am not making any profit from this story. All rights of the original Stardew Valley story belong to ConcernedApe.

Warning: violence, blood

Notes:

thanks to anon for being the first-ever reader to request a prompt. I initially thought to make a separate fic for this one but I realized why not make it as a new chapter? There would be some adjustments to the prompt, instead of Haley being the farmer's wife, she'd be somewhere in between a friend and a woman struggling to put a name to what she's feeling with the farmer. I'm really sorry anon for not following the route you're hoping for but I do hope you'll like this one.

Summer 9

The sound of thunder clapping from above her made it difficult for sleep to come that night. Despite the late hour, the darkness outside was illuminated intermittently by flashes of lightning, casting eerie shadows across the walls of her room.

Rain drummed steadily against the glass, a constant reminder of Yoba's fury. The room felt oppressive, suffocating almost, as if the storm had seeped its way indoors, invading her sanctuary.

She had always hated rain. Well, the main reason is it's horrible weather for a dashing photographer like her. Not only does it ruin her hair that she spent all morning fixing, but it could also ruin her equipment. Oh, did she also mention it gives an awful lighting?

She also shares the same level of dislike for storms because they destroy the calmness of rain. It's aggressive, cold, and destructive.

That's why the moment the news announced there would be a storm for the next three days, she was quick to stock every little favorite snack she could think of because there was no way she was waltzing outside in that kind of weather.

Haley popped out a tired eye as she looked at the clock beside her.

1:56 AM.

Oh, joy it's almost two in the morning. How in Yoba's name could she go outside with bags under her eyes probably heavier than all of Emily's hippie gems combined?

'I mean– there's always a concealer,' she thought but quickly dismissed the idea.

She has been minimizing her makeup since... since whatever (when you told her she looked prettier even without them) PLUS with summer's sweltering heat, layering on cosmetics seemed suffocating.

With a groan, she pushed herself up from the bed, determination flashing in her tired eyes as she made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of milk, hoping that this little solution would finally give her the sleep she'd been craving for.

But as she reached for the milk, a cacophony outside shattered the stillness of the night. Haley froze, her heart pounding in her chest. It's kind of hard to tell with the harsh rain and thunder and everything.

As if to confirm that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, a set of audible coughs echoed just behind the door. Haley's heart thumped so loud she was afraid it might come out of her chest.

That could only be an intruder.

In Haley's sleep-deprived mind, she didn't stop to even realize that Pelican Town had never experienced a robbery in the dead of night. Instead, she quickly bolted to her room, grabbing Alex's old baseball bat he had left here one time, not even having the presence of mind to wake up Emily to face this 'intruder' together.

****

Spoiler alert, it wasn't an intruder but an idiotic farmer covered in dirt and unbelievably wet from the rain.

You were holding your rucksack close to your chest for dear life with your sword held tightly by your other hand when Haley found you slumped against the door.

"What the hell are you doing outside at this hour and in this weather?" was the first words she uttered when her eyes spotted you. She was quick to help you up and bring you inside, not even minding the mud and water accumulating from where you stood.

When you didn't respond, Haley met your eyes.

Haley's heart nearly stopped at the sight beyond her. Without being hidden by the darkness, she could finally see your whole state.

There standing is the farmer herself. Your white hoodie was tattered and looked burned. Your hoodie's sleeves are ripped too up to your upper arms, and your left arm has a cut with fresh blood still gushing out of it.

You were missing the other pair of your shoes, and your hair was disheveled and covered with slime. You even had multiple scratches and scrapes all over your body. Your right cheek has some small scratches, and blood is rushing out of the wound on your forehead.

"Yoba..." Haley's voice was barely a whisper as she gently cupped your cheeks, careful not to aggravate your wounds. Her eyes flickered to the gash on your forehead, blood still seeping from the wound. "What happened, Y/n/n? We need to get you to Harvey!"

You shook your head weakly, struggling to stand upright. "No... H-harvey," you protested, your voice strained. "H-he'll kill me."

"Y/n!" Haley's arms enveloped you in a tight embrace as you nearly stumbled over her. She wanted to reprimand you, to demand answers, but the rush of blood in her ears and the pounding of her heart against her chest prevented her from doing so.

For now, she needed to make sure you were okay.

You only grunted in response as you gave in to her, allowing her to guide you onto the cushions.

"I'm just gonna get a towel and the first aid." Her lips trembled as she said those words.

In record time, she was able to get everything she thought you'd need, afraid if she missed any more seconds you wouldn't be breathing.

When she returned to the living room, she almost went ballistic when she spotted your form unmoving from your seat.

"Y/n! Wake up, for Yoba's sake! Don't you dare die on—" Haley's words caught in her throat as you rasped out a response.

"...oh, look an angel," you managed with a small grin, your tired eyes fluttering open.

Haley couldn't help but smile softly at your attempt to lighten the mood. "Very funny," she replied, relief flooding through her as she saw you conscious, if only barely.

Wordlessly, she draped a towel over you, tucking it gently to ensure you stayed warm. It was the same blanket she used during storms like this when she felt cold herself.

With a purposeful stride, she made her way to the fireplace, adding more wood to the fire in hopes of warming you further.

"Keep your eyes open, please? I'm just gonna get some rags to clean up your wound," she requested gently.

She placed the first aid kit on the coffee table in front of you before heading to the kitchen to gather clean rags and a sponge.

Returning to the living room, she filled a bowl with tap water and carried it carefully as she made her way back to you.

With great tenderness, Haley cautiously wiped the blood from your body with the sponge, dampening it in the tap water she had prepared. She winced as the color of the water turned red.

"You lost too much blood," Haley commented, masking the shakiness of her voice. She wasn't a great fan of blood but she was not naive with treating minor injuries either. She silently thanked Yoba for letting Emily force her to learn a thing or two about first aid.

You only grunted in response to her observation.

"What happened, Y/n?" She couldn't hide the worry in her voice even if she dared try. "I should call Harvey and get you to the clinic."

You groaned as she accidentally applied too much pressure to your wound. "No... it's okay. It's n-nothing, I'm fine."

"These serious injuries don't shout nothing, Y/n. What the hell happened?"

"'I went to the mine..." you explained, and Haley waited expectantly for you to continue.

"It's storming."

"I know..." You couldn't look at her in the eye. "It's just that there's not much going on in the farm so I thought I should continue my expeditions in the mine. I thought it would be safe but..."

"But it wasn't." Haley couldn't helped but deadpan.

You visibly winced, unsure if it was because of your wounds, Haley's biting remark, or just both. "I heard from Marlon I could find rare items once I reached the hundredth floor, which I did," you explained, tapping your rucksack beside you. "But I should have known better that those items are rare for a reason. Not because they're hard to find, but because they're hard to acquire. Once I got hold of this baby," you gestured to your bag, "the whole cave was swarmed by slimes and shadow people."

"What?" Haley's voice sputtered with disbelief, her brows furrowing in concern. "Shadow people? I thought they were just myths!"

You tried to nod in confirmation, but Haley kept a firm hand on your cheeks, preventing the movement. "Uhuh, they're very real," you affirmed, your voice tinged with exhaustion. "And I can say they aren't really fond of us humans and, uh, dwarves I think. They're more scared of me than intimidating. I tried not to, y'know, hurt them."

"That's a stupid idea."

"I know," you admitted, your gaze dropping to the floor. "But given our history with them, I didn't want to give them any more reason to hate us. Plus, I was the one invading their homes."

Haley let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping with weariness. "Still, you should have fought back. What if they had killed you in there? How would we have known you were down there and rotting? You're the only one crazy enough to go down there anyway."

You didn't speak after that, and Haley mistook that as compliance. She was too busy fuming at your lack of self-preservation to notice the frown creasing on your features.

After managing to cleanse the visible injuries of your body, she began to grab some clean rags to apply some pressure on your forehead and your forearm to keep your bleeding to an absolute minimum.

She cursed softly under her breath, trying to think of what to do next.

"…Y/n? Y/n, wake up, stop sleeping," Haley's voice was quiet, her tone laced with urgency as she gently tapped your cheek.

Your eyes pulled themselves open and looked tiredly at her. "Hn?"

"I need you to sit up straight and pull your hoodie off. What do you have underneath?" Haley's words were gentle but firm as she carefully supported your shoulder and hip.

"…just a tank top."

Slowly, you strained to sit upright, wincing with discomfort. Haley could tell from the way your grip tightened on her wrist that you were not comfortable sitting for very long.

With Haley's assistance, you managed to pull your hoodie off, careful not to aggravate any wounds. Once the clothes were removed, Haley's eyes lingered on the minor cuts just below your chest, blood still seeping from the wounds. She grabbed the sponge again, gently brushing away the blood from your cuts.

After cleansing the wounds, Haley applied alcohol and antibiotics, causing you to grunt in discomfort. No words were exchanged as she skillfully wrapped bandages around your forehead, forearm, and abdomen. She then helped you into warmer clothes she found in her wardrobe, her movements gentle and reassuring.

"How do you feel?" Haley bit her lip, anxious. Honestly speaking, she wasn't confident in her abilities to treat injuries, so she anxiously awaited your response, hoping she hadn't made things worse.

"…I'm alright now," you rasped, your voice hoarse with exhaustion. "…thank you, Hay."

Haley felt a wave of relief wash over her at your words. Your face had regained some color compared to earlier when you looked as pale as a ghost.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she questioned tentatively. "I'll whip you up some tea and soup."

You swallowed gently and nodded your head.

"I'll be back soon then. Rest. I'll wake you when your soup is done."

****

About twenty minutes later, Haley went back into the living room, a tray in her hands. She found you sprawled on the couch (thankfully not moving too much), embracing your rucksack in your arms once again. She wanted to question what was inside and why you couldn't part with it so much but decided to make sure you were okay first.

The things she does for you.

She placed the tray of food on the coffee table and sat beside you, taking in your sleeping form.

"Y/n/n? Food's ready," Haley said softly, tapping your thigh to rouse you from your slumber.

Startled and kind of a forced of habit, you tried to sit up straight. Thankfully, Haley was fast enough to stop you.

"Don't get up. | don't want to wrap your wounds again," Haley admonished, her tone firm.

She grabbed a pillow and propped it behind your back to elevate your head slightly. As she picked up the bowl of chicken soup, she could feel your eyes on her.

"I can feed myself, Haley. Thank you," you finally spoke. Haley's eyes met yours briefly before she averted her gaze, a flicker of emotion passing over her features.

"Clearly, you aren't capable of feeding yourself. Stop being a baby and let me do this."

Your eyes settled on her for probably a full minute before you sighed in resignation. Despite the hardened gaze she probably wore on her face, Haley gently placed a spoonful of soup in your mouth.

"I know you can, Y/n," Haley spoke after a few moments. "But you lost too much blood already, I don't want you to bleed again."

"I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble," you uttered softly.

Haley paused and finally looked at you, like, really looked at you properly this time. Since you had arrived covered in mud and blood, she had been operating on autopilot, with only one mission: ensuring you were okay. It's the only thing running through her mind, leaving no room for anything else. Mainly, she hadn't thought about the impact of her words.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's no trouble. I'm just..." Haley paused, thinking about what words to use without giving away that she cared too much. "I'm just glad that you're okay."

Once you had finished eating, Haley placed the empty bowl down and reached for a damp cloth. Brushing away a stray lock of your hair, she gently wiped away a few drops of blood and dirt, her touch surprisingly gentle. She was so focused on her task that she didn't notice you watching her quietly, your expression softening as she attended to the blemish on your face.

"Haley..." you called softly, breaking the silence. Haley looked down at you, her eyes startled. A small, appreciative smile graced your lips as you continued, "Thank you."

Haley couldn't help but smile in return. Sometimes it's hard to stay mad at you. "You can thank me by resting and making sure this won't happen again."

You chuckled softly as you closed your eyes, resting your head against the pillow once more. "No promises."

Seeing that you were getting sleepy, Haley quickly gathered the empty bowl and cup and placed them in the sink. When she returned, she extended a hand to help you up, much to your confusion.

"Come, let's get you to my room."

"Haley," you protested weakly. "I couldn't possibly impose more than I already have."

"Shut up. I won't let an injured woman sleep on the couch, Y/n."

Despite your protests, Haley managed to convince you to agree with her proposed setup. While Haley wasn't entirely keen on sleeping on the couch herself, it's not like she has a choice on the matter. The cushion is uncomfortable as hell, it's like sitting on a pile of bricks. That's more than enough reason to let you sleep on her bed. Plus, with the mess and worry weighing on her mind, she doubted she'd be able to sleep anyway.

She was about to leave to clean the mess in the living room when she finally sat you down on her bed, but a hand stopped her.

"…have you seen my bag, Hay?"

"Oh, that? Do you want me to get it for you?"

"No, no. Thanks but I can get it myself." You made a move to stand but Haley kept a firm grip on your shoulder.

Haley frowned. "You can't barely even stand. Do you think I'm gonna let you walk by yourself? What's in the bag anyway? I'll get it for you."

"I'm wounded, not disabled–" you tried to say but Haley only raised an eyebrow at you, daring you to finish your sentence. You sighed when you realized that you wouldn't win against her again. "It's... it's a gift."

"For whom?" Haley couldn't help but ask. Who could you possibly want to give a gift that you almost died just to get it?

Was it for Penny? Haley heard she liked gems as well. Or was it Maru? If she could remember correctly, tomorrow's her birthday and she seemed to like everything you can find in caves. This totally makes sense.

But why did her heart clench at the thought? More importantly, how did she even remember all this information when she didn't care about them at all?

Before you could respond, Haley left the room to retrieve your rucksack. She felt like she didn't need to hear the answer to her question.

When she returned, she wordlessly handed the bag to you, prepared to leave the room once more. However, your voice stopped her in her tracks.

"It's for you."

She turned, mouth agape. "What?"

"It's for you." You smiled warmly as you held out a familiar-looking crystalline gem, about the size of a palm, emitting a dazzling array of colors.

Haley's initial surprise quickly turned to dismay as she recognized the mineral. Her frown deepened, and a flicker of discomfort passed through her eyes at the sight of it. She knew what it was, and just the thought of touching it made her feel physically ill.

"What's wrong?" you asked, concerned at her sudden change in demeanor.

"I don't like your stupid gift!" She didn't intend for it to sound harsh, but as soon as her mouth opened, she couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "I honestly thought you'd know better than to give me something like this."

"I..."

"Keep it," she said with finality. "Good night, Y/n."

With a curt nod, she turned on her heel and stormed off, the sound of the door slamming shut echoing in the room as she left.

****

She shouldn't have said that. She knows she shouldn't have but she was just so worried she couldn't control anything else spouting from her foul mouth.

She hated how she caused the light in your eyes to die down. Hated the way you weren't able to say anything else. Hated the way she just couldn't probably express her worries properly.

Now you probably thought she hated your guts.

Which is far from the truth. Kind of the opposite actually but she's far too tired and confused to delve into her feelings further at the moment.

It's true she doesn't share the same passion for gems and rocks as her sister Emily, and people will generally thank someone who will give them a prismatic shard because for one, they are pretty, she's not gonna lie about that. Secondly, they're super rare and by extension, expensive.

Haley just couldn't bring herself to appreciate it in the same way.

She hated them with passion. And she hated people assuming she liked shiny things because of her personality.

While it's true she's kind of materialistic, it was a trait ingrained in her from years of her parents trying to compensate for their absence by showering her with gifts.

She didn't like being materialistic, but she's so used to it that it's hard to stop.

And she hated how you seemed to think the same way about her when you thought about giving her a prismatic shard as a gift. That all she ever was were just pretty and expensive gifts.

And she hated how you let yourself get hurt just to give her this.

She hated everything about this.

****

Haley spent the majority of the night cleaning the living room, hoping to tire herself out enough to dull the heaviness and emptiness in her heart. She didn't know it was possible to feel both at the same time, but there she was, experiencing it firsthand, and she despised every moment of it.

And she hated herself more now because she found herself padding her way towards her room. Her steps faltered when she saw you peacefully sleeping on her bed. A gentle smile touched her lips at the sight of your chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

Unable to resist, Haley approached you quietly. She carefully tucked you in, a tenderness in her actions that betrayed the turmoil in her heart. Leaning down, she pressed a soft kiss to your bandaged forehead, a gesture she had learned from her late grandmother.

"To kiss the pain away," her grandmother used to say, and Haley found solace in that belief.

With one last caress of your cheek, Haley settled onto the foot of her bed, a magazine in hand, silently hoping for the sun's rays to finally peek behind the horizon by her room's window.

****

Haley woke up surprisingly lacking any back pains. She didn't feel sleep-deprived either.

Wait—

How'd she get in her bed? You're supposed to be– Oh.

She sat up straight when she realized she was holding a letter in her hand. Straightening up the almost crumpled paper, she could recognize your handwriting immediately.

Good morning, Haley. Sorry for the disturbance last night, and thank you for taking care of me. It means a lot. I didn't want to impose more than I already have so I excused myself while you were asleep. Thank you again. — Y/n

Haley studied the letter, noting the hastily scribbled handwriting that differed from your usual neat script. She could imagine you rushing to write it just to avoid dealing with her.

It hurt more than she cared to admit. But after what she said to you, who was she to complain?

At this point, it would be a miracle if you still talked to her.

"Good morning, sis!" Emily chirped, her voice echoing through the room as Haley emerged from her room. She sat on the couch, casually knitting what appeared to be another sweatshirt.

Haley's expression was one of mild annoyance as she replied, "It's noon."

"Storm has passed but Caroline canceled, just to be safe," Emily responded, her fingers deftly working the knitting needles as she spoke. "And I know it's noon. Just wanted to emphasize you slept late, little lady."

She glanced around the living room, noting the sunlight filtering in through the curtains, indicating that the day was well underway and the storm had thankfully subsided.

"Why are you here anyway? Don't you have a yoga class to attend to?"

Haley let out a resigned groan, her movements sluggish as she made her way toward the kitchen to avoid further conversation with her sister.

"Just so you know, I saw Y/n/n come out of your room!" Emily called out from the living room, her tone playful yet teasing.

Haley froze mid-step, her grip tightening on the handle of her mug. "Wha—" Her voice wavered slightly, betraying her surprise. "Nothing happened!"

"Of course, nothing's going to happen in that state she's in," Emily retorted.

Haley couldn't ignore the sense of urgency that suddenly gripped her at the mention of your state. You're in no condition to go home all by yourself.

"Just tell me you took her home," she pleaded, her tone softening slightly as she returned to the living room.

Thankfully, Emily's too caught up with her work to notice that brief slip-up of vulnerability Haley rarely shows.

"I volunteered actually, but Penny saw us on our way and insisted she could do the job," Emily explained, her tone matter-of-fact.

"And you agreed?!" she sputtered incredulously.

"Of course, I would!" Emily readily defended. "She volunteered!"

Haley's sigh was heavy as she sank down onto the couch next to Emily. "You should have woken me up."

She could feel Emily's eyes settling on her as if trying to decipher what's got her so distressed.

"I tried, but Y/n/n won't let me. Said you needed the sleep," Emily finally answered after a few moments of silence.

"You're unbelievable." Haley couldn't help but massage the bridge of her nose at Emily's casualness about the situation as if seeing a heavily injured farmer waltz out of Haley's room was just a normal occurrence. "I suppose she told you what happened then?"

"Uh-huh. Accident in the mines, right? And she went here instead to the clinic because Harvey would kill her once he saw her state." Emily chuckled, her tone light as if discussing the weather. "He just literally told her last time to take it easy."

Haley blinked in disbelief. "And how do you know this?"

"Everyone knows this, Haley." Emily looked at her as if wondering why she didn't know this piece of information. "It's practically a common thing to see Y/n/n passed out outside in the morning."

Haley's brows furrowed in frustration, her mind racing with thoughts. Of course, she doesn't know this. If she would have known, she would have told you to take it easy. Hell, she'll help with farming if it will make things easier for you. This thing where you pass out and overwork yourself shouldn't be normalized. Actually, if anything—

She stopped herself from this line of thinking because why the hell was she even considering helping out with your farm when she, in fact, hated dirt?

"She also told me how you stepped up and helped her," Emily continued, her voice pulling Haley back to the present moment. She felt Emily's hand pat her shoulder in a gesture of reassurance. "I saw she's well-cleaned up. I'm proud of you, sis."

Haley forced a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. I'm not proud of what I did, Em.

*****

Summer 10

The sky was painted with hues of pink and orange as Haley sat alone on the shore, the gentle sound of waves lapping against the sand providing a soothing rhythm to her troubled thoughts. She had come here seeking solace, the ocean always offering her a sense of peace in times of distress.

The events yesterday had bothered her more than she had let on. She convinced herself you'd understand why she reacted the way she did but a part of herself thinks she should apologize.

But as stubborn as she is, she instead spent the whole day sulking, which is what she did.

She embraced her knees closer to her chest, fingers brushing the bracelet adorning her wrist. It was her great-grandma's, a delicate piece of jewelry passed down through generations adorned in gold and pearl on the middle part. Her grandmother has given it to her instead of her mom because she'd rather wear luxurious things than some hand-me-down jewelry. But Haley loved them, and it's probably the only piece of jewelry she'd ever wear aside from the shell necklace she was wearing now.

It was a ritual of sorts for her, wearing the bracelet whenever she felt sad and alone. It's as if wearing it made her feel like her grandma was with her at this very moment, comforting her.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realize her bracelet had slipped from her wrist. It wasn't until she reached to adjust it that she felt its absence.

"Oh, no..."

With trembling hands, she combed through the sand, her movements growing more frantic with each passing moment. Her eyes scanned the water's edge, fearing the worst as she desperately sought any glimmer of gold amidst the grains of sand.

No, no... impossible. She made sure she was far enough from the water for that specific reason.

An hour passed with no sign of the precious heirloom, and Haley felt tears welling up in her eyes as desperation threatened to consume her. She practically combed the whole beach for it and still no signs of the bracelet.

She couldn't help but slump back to the sand. She's feeling everything too much.

She's such a useless piece of shit. She couldn't even kept an important heirloom. How the hell can she even keep someone like you in her life?

Everyone's right. She's way up high in the clouds that everything she touches crumbles within her fingertips.

The tears are threatening to fall from her eyes and a sob is rising on her throat.

And just before a tear fell from her eyes, a hand shot up and grabbed her by the shoulder.

She looked up and met a pair of gray eyes staring into her own. The grayish color of your eyes is stark and deep and seemed a little bluish from the illumination of the sun. It almost looked like the sky during spring or the ocean seen from a cruising ship as a cold tundra threatened to ruin the quiet solitude of the season. Your eyes telltale thousands of untold stories with every blink, stories too ambiguous, too dark for any of them to understand. Though not dark enough to feed her thoughts of the midnight sea, of storms and drowning.

Calloused fingertips thumbed mascara stains from her cheeks with such gentleness Haley doesn't think she deserves.

"I'm here," you murmured. "What happened, Haley?"

"I l-lost it," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion as she struggled to hold back tears. "My bracelet... it's gone! I know I had it on when I got here... But now it's gone, Y/n and I can't find it anywhere..."

She couldn't help the sob that escaped her as she burrows closer into you. She had probably stained your shirt with expensive make-up and salty tears but she didn't care as she dug her face deeper into your collar bone further and sucks a shaky breath.

"Shh," you soothed, sturdy arms wrapped around her tightened instinctively. "I'll go find it, don't worry."

"I'll never find another one like it..."

"I'm really sorry..." she felt you murmur against her hair. "I'm sure it's just around here somewhere."

"...maybe it'll wash up on another shore," she hiccuped between sobs. "I can't bear to think of it at the bottom of the ocean."

"We'll find it, okay?" you assured her, and Haley swore her heart stopped beating when you planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Stay here. We're not leaving until we find your bracelet."

****

And truth be told you did find it.

After what seemed like an eternity of combing through the sand, Haley's eyes lit up as she spotted the familiar-looking bracelet in your hands.

With a smile so bright it rivaled the sun, you approached her.

"You found it!" she cheered as she run towards you, hopping from the sand and straight to your arms.

You weren't deterred by this and proceeded to secure your arms around her to prevent her from falling.

"Careful there, we don't want to drop it again, do we?" You barked out a laugh but Haley was quick to recognize the grunt of pain in them.

"Yoba, I'm sorry! I forgot you're still wounded!" Haley made a move to let you go but you weren't having any of it. If anything, you hold her tighter. Haley couldn't help but let out a laugh as well as she wrapped her arms around your neck just as firmly. "Thank you so much, Y/n. You're a lifesaver."

"You're welcome," you murmured against her chest. "Here, I'll help you wear it."

You gently set her down, much to her disappointment, and began to fasten the bracelet around her wrist, your actions filled with care and tenderness.

"Thank you, Y/n. Really," she murmured softly. "You're always there whenever I needed you and all you get as a thank you is me being... a bitch to you. I'm sorry."

You frowned. "You're not a... 'b' word. Far from it."

"'B' word,"she scoffed, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips "What are you, twelve?"

"Hey!" you protested in mock indignation. "I can cuss. I just don't want to use it around you. I don't want to get used to it."

Haley's gaze softened drastically. If you keep this kind of consistency around her then Haley's bound to fall hard on her back. And since it's with you, you'd probably made your way to ensure she'll be falling in a pile of pillows and flowers. You're thoughtful like that.

"I'm sorry for giving you that gift yesterday..." you started after a moment of silence. "Let me finish first," you interrupted gently when you saw her mouth open to speak. "I just... prismatic shards are rare to find and I wanted to give it to you because I thought it's something you'd like to photograph."

You took her hand in yours, a tender gesture that made Haley's heart skip a beat, her cheeks flushing slightly at the warmth of your touch. The soft morning light bathed the shoreline in a golden hue, casting long shadows across the sand as gentle waves lapped against the shore.

"But then I realized how it may have looked like to you, and I'm sorry I made you feel that way."

"Y/n..."

"So I like to try again." Without further explanation, you strode towards the boat beside Elliot's cabin, your steps confident and purposeful, and produced a bouquet of—wait, are those sunflowers?

"No way!" she sputtered as she tried to fight the grin threatening to spill on her face. You're not supposed to look this dashing walking towards her with a bouquet in hand. It's unfair!

"Yes way." you grinned at her as you handed her the flowers, your eyes sparkling with mischief. "I hope I'm forgiven."

"I'm supposed to be the one saying sorry, you dunce!" Haley playfully slapped your shoulders before accepting them. "They're beautiful, Y/n! These are my absolute favorite! Thank you."

"No worries. And if you're free you can take a look at them at my farm."

"You planted them?" Now that she had mentioned it, it sounded like a stupid question. Of course, you planted them yourself, where else can you get these flowers?

But as usual, being the kind and patient person that you are, you only beamed at her and nodded. "Yep! I planted a whole yard."

"For real?"

"For real," you affirmed, your smile widening at her incredulous expression.

"But why? I mean compared to other crops I'm sure sunflowers aren't that profitable."

You shrugged again, your expression softening. "Eh, I wasn't aiming for the profit. I was aiming for your smile."

****

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A/n: my toes are curling while I wrote this, I hope you felt the same. Anyway, the bouquet of sunflowers isn't the same bouquet that makes Haley your girlfriend. It's just a regular ol' bouquet our farmer has personally crafted because she's a simp for our queen but just too oblivious to see it. Sorry for the delay, I had just finished my clinical recently so I was busy the whole month of April. Hope y'all like this one!

P.S. comments are much appreciated!

THANK YOU FOR 2500 LIKES! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST, SERIOUSLY.

taglist:

@joordynn

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[moonlitstoriess]

Across the Universe-Final Chapter (Fenrys x reader)

Summary: Y/n has everything she needs in life. A family, friends, a safe place she calls home and most importantly a male whom she loves. What happens when it all changes when Y/n finds out about the betrayal of her lover and her so called family? Well, ending up in Terrasen and in queen Aelin's court was not what she expected but what she will need to start her new journey full of surprises.

Warnings: SMUT, Minors dni, some angst, violence, mentions of trauma.

See masterlist

A/n: Well, here we are guys, the end of the road. Final chapter. Thank you all so much for reading and loving this series just as much as I loved writing it. This one is quite long so I suggest you get a snack, get comfy and begin reading. Enjoy and I hope to see you again next time! <3

The next day passed swiftly with y/n training some more together with Dorian, Aelin, and Yrene, spending time with Fenrys and watching the others plan their attack on the valg. As the hours ticked by, y/n felt a heavy weight settle on her shoulders not just because of the thought of going home, but also failure. What if she fails? What if she can't even open the gates? What if the others fail? What if.....something happens to Fenrys?!

She didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about the "what ifs". Aelin told her how all she had to do was reach as deep as possible within herself to find her own abilities and bring them up. The queen also told y/n that once she opens the gate, she has to feel relaxed and confident in her self because no one will be able to save her or bring her back except herself.

It was later in the night that while they were having dinner, Arthur came rushing in with the Book of Breathings in his hand. His eyes were wide and his breaths were ragged as he set the book right next to Aelin.

"Forgive me, my queen, for interrupting your moment but there is an issue, this book is talking nonstop. No matter how many wards I put, it won't stop acting out of the ordinary."

Lysandra chuckled, "That thing always acts out of the ordinary, Arthur, just ignore it."

The librarian nervously shook his head as he said, "No, you don't understand. Just- just listen. It keeps on hissing and talking over and over. None of my spells work on it."

"He is close"

"Shifting gates"

"Trying, he is trying to come"

Rowan immediately gets up, taking the book in his hand, "Is it the valg or the foreigners?"

"Coming, he is coming"

"Shifting"

"Y/n, I think you should be the one to talk to this book because it seems like you are the only one it will ever answer due to your connection." Aelin's eyes were wide with worry as she adressed her.

Y/n hesitantly nodded her head and got up, Fenrys right behind her as she gestured for Rowan to put the book on the table that was standing between two couches. Once the prince set it down, she took a quick breath, reminded herself that Fenrys was right beside her, that she was safe, and opened her mouth.

"Is it Rhysand?"

"Yes."

"Is he coming alone?"

"No."

"Who else is coming?"

"All except the seer."

So Elain wasn't coming then. Y/n saw from her peripheral vision how Lucien's tense shoulders slightly sagged with relief.

With the room completely silent and all eyes on her, y/n leaned a little more towards the book and asked,

"Are they successful? Have they been able to find a way?"

"They have been trying. Lord of Night is close, true to his name as the most powerful fae, he has managed to get close."

"How?"

"Second-in-command"

"Amren? Did she find a way for Rhys to use his powers and find a solution?"

"A deal with Koschei. She made a deal."

Amren made a deal with one of the Old Gods? This can not end well.

"What kind of a deal?"

"Unknown. Koschei knew of my power and blocked everything but her out."

Y/n sighed but asked her final question.

"If they manage to get through, when will they arrive? You need a gate for that."

"Soon."

Soon. They may arrive soon. Y/n's heart felt heavier with each tense and silent second that passed.

"Well, it seems we will be having some guests soon."

Lorcan's sarcastic tone brought y/n out of her trance, causing her to look around the room before she felt Fenrys' hand in hers, gently soothing her.

Manon crossed her arms over her chest. "Whether they come or not is up to them to figure out but all we need is to be prepared for tomorrow which, I hope that we are."

As the discussion goes on, Aelin steps towards y/n, glancing between her and Fenrys, joined by their hands.

"Y/n, could I take you away for a moment?"

Fenrys looks down at her, his eyes questioning before she nods her head with a small smile and turns towards the queen. "Of course,"

Aelin smiles and gestures towards the other side of the room, away from all the noise. Fenrys squeezes her hand one last time in support and moves towards where everyone seems to be gathered in a circle, arguing.

Once she reached the queen, y/n looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear what she has to say. Aelin sighed before looking y/n straight in the eyes. "There is something that I didn't tell you about the closing of the gates."

Y/n's eyebrows furrowed. "But I thought you and Dorian told me everything that happened with you two when you were closing them."

"Dorian did tell you everything about what happened to him. I, however, didn't tell you what happened to me once I kicked Dorian out."

"Didn't you meet and then kill the Gods?"

"Yes, but after that I.....I ended up falling through worlds."

Y/n's eyebrows hit her hairline as she gasped "What?! How- What?!"

Aelin smiled slightly, "Well, after my 'lovely' encounter with the Gods, I ended up falling through worlds. So many different places, each more unique than the last. But it was too quick, I was just falling- almost flying through each gate. I was starting to loose hope when I fell into one world and saw a fae male with his pregnant mate looking up into the sky. It is thanks to whoever he was that I managed to slow down and find my way back home, back to my family, friends and most importantly, my mate."

Y/n's eyes were wide with wonder as she took a moment to process her words. After a minute, she cleared her throat, "That- that is unbelievable. Do you mean the same will happen to me?"

Aelin's expression turned serious as she placed her hand on y/n's shoulder and said, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I am not sure if such a thing will happen to you because I wasn't expecting it either but, whatever the case is, I wanted you to be aware of it. To be prepared and in the small chance that it does happen, be ready to find your way home because no one will be able to help you."

"And what if I can't? You said someone helped you to slow down. What if no one helps me? What if I just keep falling and falling forever?"

Aelin shook her head. "Listen to me, y/n. Yes, I may have gotten help to find my way back to this world but what mainly guided me was well, myself. My determination to see Rowan once again, my will to go back home and my confidence in my journey were what kept me from loosing my mind. I want you to do the same. Believe in yourself because if you don't, then no one will and you will fail to find your way back home. To your true home."

Y/n sighed "And how will I know where my true home is?"

She noted the quick glance Aelin gave to Fenrys before smiling back at her. "Home is wherever your heart is."

The queen gave her a small squeeze on the shoulder before joining her mate, leaving y/n to ponder what she meant. Deciding that she needed a moment of peace to herself, she left the room and headed towards...well, she had no idea where. All y/n knew was that she had to be alone for a little while and gather her thoughts.

Y/n kept on climbing stair after stair in one of the far towers of the palace. She might have been here for some time now, but y/n hadn't really explored the whole place, not that there even was any time for that, which is why she just kept following the stairs which seemed to keep moving upwards. She could just fly up now but y/n didn't think she had the energy for that at the moment.

Once she reached the top, there was a wooden door right in front the stairs, waiting for her to open it. When she did, the view knocked the breath out of her mouth. Y/n was standing on the rooftop of one of the palace towers, the night sky above painted in shimmering stars, the moon casting its glow over the fields and waters everywhere. This view was vastly different from the one she saw in the balcony because this place is so much more higher and-

Soft cushions! How lovely and peaceful. Y/n wished she could just stop the time and stay here like this forever. With a small smile, she sat down on one of the soft, large cushions and admired the view, or at least tried to with the kind of a mind she had right now. So much was happening, so many uncertainities, so many questions and complications, y/n didn't know what to do anymore. She just wanted to

"Disappear and never come back." Y/n closed her eyes as she pondered over what she just said out loud for only the stars in the night sky to hear.

“If you even think about disappearing, you’d better be ready for me to chase you to the ends of any world because I refuse to let your light be snuffed out.”

Y/n's eyes immediately pop open, her breath catching in surprise. She looks up to find Fenrys standing right above her, his intensity and passion clear in every line of his face.

Very well then, maybe the stars weren't the only ones to hear her small confession.

"Fenrys, what are you doing here- did you follow me?!"

He gave her a small smile and moved to sit next to her.

"In case you didn't know, my attention these days seems to only be focused on you so if you leave, that means I leave too."

"Don't you wish to be with your family? After all, tomorrow we have a battle to fight. I thought maybe you would want some privacy within the walls of your home-"

He gently took her hands in his larger ones and looked at her with an intense and serious gaze that couldn't even be explained.

"You are my home, y/n. You are my family. There is no me without you, I realize."

She scoffed. "Do not get your hopes up too high. There is a chance that I will simply die while trying to open the gates-"

His grip on her hands tightened. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, y/n."

The low growl that left his lips shouldn't make her feel this way, because this isn't the right time but.....y/n still felt her body betray her.

Her eyes widened slightly as she whispered, "You- you could move on-"

His face was mere inches away from her now, eyes intensely boring into hers. "Move on? You believe I could move on from the death of my mate?! My beloved? You?! Oh, princess if you die, I die too."

"W-what?! No!"

He smiled slightly, "Yes, I will kill myself so that I don't have to stay without my other half for who knows how long."

"Fenrys I-"

"I know, you haven't said anything about accepting or rejecting the bond but mate or not, I am hopelessly attached to you, y/n. This isn't obsession anymore, it's beyond that, I think...I think that I am starting to truly fall in love with you. Therefore, just as I said about never letting you disappear, I mean it even in death. I will follow you in death too."

Her eyes became glossy with tears as she smiled at Fenrys before hugging him and burying her face in the crook of his neck, smelling that delicious scent that is so distinctively him. Y/n felt his arms wrap protectively around her, his grip tightening as he pressed them as close as possible together.

She sighed, content to be in this male's arms before saying, "I have made my decision, Fen. I have an answer."

His arms slightly loosened from around her as she leaned back to look at him, her palms on his chest, a happy smile covering her face. Fenrys' gaze was full of mixed emotions, worry and fear being the main ones as he gazed expectantly at her.

With a determined voice she said, "Fenrys, I-"

But her sentence was cut off as a sharp pain overtook her body, making her bend over, hand going staright to her chest. Fenrys was immediately helping her, holding her firm yet gently as his shaky voice kept saying, "Y/n! What is happening?! Please princess, talk to me."

But she couldn't. Not when her whole body felt like it was being stabbed in all the places. Not when her chest felt heavy and she couldn't even breathe, let alone talk.

All she heard was the Book of Breathing's voice invading her mind and hissing, "They are close! They are coming!" "Come to me! Tell the queen to bring me to you!"

Everything was a blur, she distantly felt Fenrys pick her up and start running but her mind was in too much pain to process what was truly going on. The pain was becoming too much, too unbearable. At some point, y/n started screaming in agony. Or did she? She couldn't think anymore, didn't know what was real or imaginary.

Through the haze and the blur, she could only register that there were multiple heads around her, probably Aelin and others. There was a buzz in her ears that blocked out all the outer noises, including her cries and screams, except one.....Fenrys' rich, honey-like voice became her light at the end of a dark tunnel.

"Please, y/n, hold on a little more!"

"Princess, I am begging you, don't leave me!!"

"Y/n! Stay awake! Please!"

"Help her! Isolde, Yrene help her!"

"Don't fucking try to take me away Lorcan!!"

But then, all her pain suddenly stopped. Her muscles relaxed and her breathing slowly returned to normal, heart beating at a standard rate. Her mind started to slowly become aware as the books voice stopped banging through her walls. She slowly opened her eyes, hand immediately touching her face to feel her tear stained cheeks.

Her vision was still unclear but she could make out the silhouettes around her and just as she predicted, everyone was in the room, probably worriedly watching her-

She felt a hand on top of hers....not just any hand, Fenrys' hand. Her body seems to recognize and react to all of his touches.

"Y/n, princess, do you hear me?"

Her throat felt so dry and painful due to all the screams she had let out but, y/n managed to croak out a small "Y-yes"

She registered a couple of relieved sighs from around the room, someone saying "Oh, thank Aelin."

"Me? Why me?"

"You know, for being a queen, you still ask such silly questions. Whatever, the answer is....because you killed the Gods, of course!"

"Watch how you speak to my queen, Dorian."

"I-"

"Will you all silence yourselves?! Refocus your attention back to y/n, please!"

Y/n shut her eyes, hand gripping Fenrys' as she whispered, "Water, please."

She felt Fenrys grip loosen from her hand only to come behind her and help lift her into a sitting position as someone else helped her drink it.

Once she drank enough, y/n slowly opened her eyes, her haze starting to clear out as she noted the looks everyone around her were giving-

There was something on her lap.

Y/n tilted her head down and saw the same book that has been the bane of her existence ever since it sent her here, sitting right there, on her lap.

This is why her pain stopped. She is with the Book of Breathings, just like it told her.

"You kept screaming 'bring me the book' so, I ordered for it to immediately be brought here." Aelin's gentle voice invaded her mind, clearing her haze even more as y/n looked up at the queen in front of her bed.

The only word y/n could mutter as her hands gently touched the book was, "It says that they are coming. Rhys is ripping open the gates."

"Which explains your pain because you and the gates are clearly connected."

She slowly nodded her head at Aedion's words as Fenrys rubbed her back. "Let them come, then. No harm will come to you, princess. Not while I am here."

Lysandra cleared her throat "Not while we are here."

Aelin crossed her arms "I am aware that none of us are fond of those foreigners but, I will not tolerate any violence on my grounds unless they start it so, we shall greet them like we would anyone else. I am not saying be kind or all smiles, no. Just don't restort to physical violence and it shall be good. I am looking at you, Fenrys."

Fenrys just growled something incoherent and kept his gaze on the ground.

Dorian clapped his hands, "Well, it seems like none of us are getting any sleep tonight so we might as well go over our plans for one last time."

And as the hours passed and dawn started to slowly crack, y/n began to slowly burst with energy as she watched everyone around her plan, eat, drink, talk and plan some more. Her doubts forgotten temporarily as she snuggled closer to Fenrys' chest on the bed.

It was when she finally came outside with Fenrys to follow everyone into the war council room at the other end of the palace grounds, that it happened. The ground shook nonstop, the vibrations going all over her body. Fenrys immediately lunged for her, pinning her to the ground and covering her body with his as a blinding light just erupted all over the place, causing the guards and the rest of the court to also duck for a hiding spot and block their eyes.

A short moment later, the light vanished, leaving only a trail of smoke around. What in the Mother's name was tha-

A large gate opened and in came.....Rhysand, followed by the rest of them.

Cassian, Amren, Nesta, Feyre, Mor and.....Azriel. Oh, Gods.

Fenrys' heart was beating out of his chest as he tried to reel his mind back from what just happened while helping y/n up. Everyone around them were also getting up when another gate opened and in came complete strangers. As usual, Fenrys' first instinct was to move y/n to stand behind him but when he tried to do so, he saw how unmoving she was, her gaze transfixedon the newcomers.

That is when it clicked for him. This was Rhysand and his court. Fenrys turned his intense and calculating gaze towards them as Aelin and Rowan came forward, followed by the rest of the court while the guards surrounded the area.

The male standing at the front seemed poised and polished, even though his gaze told you all you needed to know. This had to be Rhysand. Holding his hand, was a golden-brown haired female with blue eyes. Probably Rhysands mate. There was a shoulder-length haired male with red siphons and wings just like y/n's except much larger. Next to him was a tall female with the same physical appearances as the other one. Probably sisters. There were two more females one tall, with golden blond hair, and the other short with black hair. The short one he saw once when she somehow appeared in his room and y/n called her.....Amren? And lastly, there was another winged male. Short, black hair cut close to his scalp, with a few strands covering his brows, golden-brown eyes and blue siphons. And some dark mist like things swirling all around him.

He already knew which was Rhysand so Fenrys took him out of the portrait. It was either the long haired one or the short haired one. The female beside long haired one was leaning too close to him. Too close to be considered nothing. And he was trying to shield her with his wing. So, they were definitely mates or atleast in some sort of a relationship. That left only the one with the blue siphons and weird shadows and from the way his eyes were looking all over the place in search of something, or rather someone, Fenrys knew that this had to be Azriel.

He was about to go towards him when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head sideways to see y/n looking at him with pleading eyes. "Please, not now." She whispered and how could he ever say no to her.

"It's you," Aelin's voice made them both turn their head towards where everyone was, the queen now standing face to face with Rhysand.

The high lord gave Fenrys' queen a smirk as he said, "So we meet again."

Aedion turned his head towards his cousin. "Aelin? What do you mean?"

She just kept looking at the male as she said to no one in particular, "Remember when I told you that I was falling through worlds? Well, I ended up in his world and saw him with his pregnant mate, looking into the sky. I was falling too fast so I thought I would just quickly pass through there but then I somehow slowed down due to the dark magic that enveloped me. You looked at me like you already knew where I was and gave me a smile and a wave before I was once again moving through worlds."

Rhysand nodded his head slightly as the female beside him said, "Rhys? Really?"

Aelin looked at the female, "I have to thank your mate. If it wasn't for him, I would have completely flown by my world and kept on falling for eternity. Thank you.....Rhysand."

That seemed to shock them all as Rhysand's eyes widened slightly before he once again was looking at the queen with cold indifference as he said, "How do you know my name?"

"Lucien," The blond female's gasp made the inner circle look beyond Aelin, Rowan, Lysandra and Aedion to see the rest of the court standing close by.

Lucien gave them all a cold look before drawing Petrah closer and holding her hand, the witches gaze never wavering away from the blond female's.

"What is this?! How did you end up here?!" The male with red siphons was now demanding as his eyes took in the whole area, coming to land on Fenrys, still not seeing y/n behind his tall and broad body.

Before anyone could answer, the short female said, "You are looking at the wrong one, Cassian." And then, as if she knew, her gaze darted to Fenrys before moving behind him, causing everyone else to also follow in her lead.

Fenrys felt y/n let out a deep sigh before moving to stand right beside him. He didn't want her to see them or for them to see her. All Fenrys wanted was to take her into his arms and disappear to a place where he could hide her forever. Just them two. They didn't deserve to set their nasty gazes on her. Especially not that fucker Azriel. Fenrys was barely keeping his rage at bay, one wrong move and they are done for.

He saw how all of their expressions went from being skeptical to being shocked. Azriel the most of all. He nearly fell down on his knees if not for the blond beside him, gripping him by the arm to try and stabilize him. He let out a disbelieving "Y/n..." as his shaking hands came to grip his hair.

Fenrys took her hand, silently letting her know that he and the rest of them are here, with her and that no harm will come her way. Y/n looked at each of them with the cold indifference she once used to give to Fenrys and that made him feel a little better knowing that they weren't getting any nice gestures or words out of her.

Rhysand looked at Azriel before saying, "Y/n, we have been looking everywhere for you. You have no idea how difficult it was to try and locate you, next time try to not disappear so suddenly on us, alright?" His statement landed flat as y/n gave no reaction to her once high lord.

That's my witchling, Fenrys proudly thought to himself.

Azriel tried to slowly take steps towards her but was stopped by Rowan and Aedion who stood in front of Fenrys while Dorian, Chaol and Lorcan had his and y/n's back. "Not so fast, bat. Who said you could go near her?"

Rowans tone made the winged male's gaze snap to him before moving to look at y/n. "Y/n! Please, my love, please, let us talk. I am begging you, let me in."

My love? My fucking love?

Oh, this male has a death wish, that is for sure.

"Don't." Lorcan's quiet but firm command from behind Fenrys made him pause and take in a deep breath to still cling into that thin thread of not resorting to violence and murder.

He felt y/n's hand shake as she also took in a sharp breath. Now, he was starting to doubt everything. To worry. What if she chooses Azriel? What if she leaves?

But then, he heard her say, "I have nothing to say to you, Azriel."

Azriel, however kept shaking his head, trying but failing to pass through Rowan and Lorcan. Although he is a quite big male, he is nothing near Fenrys and his two brothers, Rowan and Lorcan. None of them were. This would be over before it even began.

"No! No! You don't understand. Please, y/n! Let us talk! Let me explain!"

"Come home now, y/n. We found you." came Cassians voice from the other side.

"Yes, let us go back home and talk rationally there." Rhysands mate said as she looked kindly at y/n. But Fenrys knew better than to trust that look. After all, didn't she also contribute to y/n's declining mental state?

"You are safe now, you are with us once more, come." Fenrys noticed how Rhysands voice held a pleading tone within it as he addressed y/n.

Azriel kept on looking straight at her, either ignoring or not seeing Fenrys standing right beside her. That made him very irritated.

Y/n, still keeping her indifferent mask, said with a cold tone, "I am not coming home."

That shocked not just the inner circle, but Fenrys and his family too as everyone now looked at her.

Azriel's eyes widened as he immediately asked, "What?! Why?! Y/n, no! you know that we are together, that we must solve this issue and b happy once more-"

"No. You have a mate."

"No! I don't love her, I love you-"

"No, you don't."

"Why?! Why are you doing this to me?! Please, my love, Please, come home."

"I can't."

"Why?!"

"Because I have a mate!!"

That seemed to shut Azriel up as his and the inner circle's eyes widened in utter shock.

Y/n continued, her tone harsh as she tightly gripped Fenrys' hand.

"I have a mate here and I am not leaving. I also found my true family here, the one that doesn't neglect me or my troubles for their own benefit. My purpose is here, my life is here, my home is here."

Then she turned her head towards Fenrys, her gaze immediately softening as a small smile graced her lucious lips before she said, "I accept. I accept the bond, Fen."

The second she said that, Fenrys felt an overwhelming feeling overtake him as their bond finally came alive and he was flooded with both her and his emotions. Fenrys couldn't hide the huge smile that overtook him as he asked, "Really?!"

She smiled and nodded. "Really."

He couldn't believe this. He couldn't even explain what he was feeling. All Fenrys now knew was that she was truly his and he was truly hers. She won't leave. They are together forever.

"I accept the bond as well, princess."

He barely managed to finish his sentence before she gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to kiss him. Fenrys immediately took a hold of her waist as he kissed her back just as hungrily and ferociously. Once he remembered that they have an audience, he hesitantly pulled away but not without giving her lips one last peck, a promise of more to come later on.

When they both looked back around, Fenrys saw how his family had knowing and proud looks on their faces, some smiling and some, like the idiots Dorian and Aedion, fully smirking mischeviously. On the other hand, Rhysand and his court were in pure and utter shock and seeing Azriels pain stricken face as he looked between him and her brought Fenrys so much pleasure.

"I am not leaving either." Came Lucien's voice as they all looked back at him.

The female beside the male whom Amren called Cassian recovered from her shock and crossed her arms. "Let me guess, you have found your mate as well, haven't you?"

The prince nodded his head as he let go of Petrah's hand only to pull her closer by the waist.

The blond female said, "And what about your brother? Your family?Elain-"

"I have ended everything with Elain. She was no true mate of mine."

"But she is sorry, Lucien. She is so sorry for treating you that way, for letting you go-"

"Well, too late. I couldn't really give less of a fuck anymore."

The blond female's gaze moved to Petrah before coming back to Lucien. "You know, I always knew you would end up being a traitor. I guess being a snake runs in the family-"

"Finish that sentence, I dare you." Petrah's tone was filled with warning as she glared back at the blond.

"Oh really? And what will happen when he will leave you too, claiming some bullshit like you weren't true mates and he needs to move on. What then? Believe me, you are nothing but a toy for him."

Before Lucien could say anything, Petrah moved away and started to slowly go towards the blond. A smirk overtaking her face as she said, "It's not my fault that the ladies of Prythian are such insecure crybabies. I know your true intentions, Mor. I know them very well. You couldn't care less about Lucien's mate fiasco, your problem is with his brother. You keep on projecting your anger at him because of his brother but let me tell you something, not anymore. You will not longer say stupid shit at him unless you want me to rip your tounge out."

Mor's gaze turned angry as she also came closer but faltered in her steps when Petrah let her iron teeth and nails show slightly. Manon's voice came loud and confident as she stood beside the witch.

"Careful with how you talk to us iron teeth witches, and especially be careful when I am present because you are trying to insult my subject. My second-in-command. And I don't take well to anyone trying to cross my kin. That includes y/n."

"You are a witch?"

"Y/n isn't your kin, witch. She is an Illyrian."

Nesta and Rhysand spoke at the same time, the female's eyes filled with wonder as she asked her question while the high lords gaze harsh as he looked straight at Manon.

Manon smirked and looked back at y/n, causing her to smirk back before pulling away from Fenrys and going towards the witch.

"I am an iron teeth witch as well." She easily let her teeth and nails show enough to have them surprised and then retracted them back.

The stunned silence and the increasing tension between Azriel and Fenrys was cut off by Aelin who cleared her throat, forcing Fenrys to stop glaring at the Illyrian who was glaring back just as harshly.

"Rhysand, I believe you got your answer from y/n. She wishes to stay here, with us and with her mate. I hope you will only act rationally and respect her wishes-"

"Respect her wishes? Her wish to throw us away like she wasn't with us for so many years? Her wish to completely discard the family-"

"Family?!" Y/n's once again cold voice cut Nesta off from her rambling as she looked slightly dumbstruck at y/n.

"You call yourselves my family?! Well, let me tell you something, my dear 'family', a family doesn't neglect its members, a family doesn't cover up the dirt of one of its members just because they saw him as closer to them," She directs her glare at Mor, "A family doesn't walk in on one of their own having a panick attack and then pretends as if nothing happened." Her gaze roams over everyone now, "A family doesn't say 'it is in the past, get over it' when someone tells them of their troubles, a family doesn't ignore someone who is clearly descending into depression and pretend as if everything is perfect. And lastly...." Her gaze stops on Azriel "A family doesn't get to pretend like they are loyal and care about you when all they had been doing was hiding the truth from me about the male I once loved."

The male I once loved.

The male I once loved.

The male I once loved.

Fenrys couldn't hide the smirk on his face as he watched them all, stunned in silence, Azriel's wide eyes staring at her in shock, body trembling, clearly out of words.

He was so proud of her. So, so, proud of his y/n, his witchling, his princess,

His mate.

"Y/n-"

"No-"

"Oh, y/n-"

"I am so sorry-"

"It was none of our intention-"

"Save it. All of you. Rhysand, you got your answer from me. I am not coming with you. You may leave now."

"No, actually, they can't."

Everyone looked at Dorian who now pushed through Rowan and Aedion to get to the front and faced Rhysand.

"The lunar eclipse is today, in about eight or nine hours from now and if they open the gates once more,"

"The magic will shift again, causing the gates to open in wrong locations," Amren seemingly caught on to the kings theory.

He nodded his head before continuing, "And because y/n has the special connection with the book, the gates and all, she may end up failing when trying to close them. Or worse, she could end up in different places. We can't risk it. I suggest you stay until the lunar eclipse. Once that starts, y/n will be busy with the gates while we will be busy with the valgs. She will close every gate. Once defeated, she can manage to send you home before finally sealing this gate as well."

Dorian was looking at Aelin now, expecting her to say something. She nodded her head as she looked back at Rhysand. "What do you say? And before you ask, I swear this is no ruse to get you all trapped or whatever, y/n will truly close the gates today. No violence or harm shall come from our side to you unless you start it. Then, I can't promise you anything.

Before Rhysand could say anything, Cassian asked, "What is a valg and how for Mother's sake can y/n connect with gates?"

Feyre nudged him in the ribs before looking back at Aelin, "We accept. We will stay for the next however many hours and help-"

"Your help isn't needed." Both y/n and Lysandra spoke at the same time, their gazes equally defensive.

"Needed or not, that is the only way we can ensure they don't end up in a wrong place and then blame us for it." Azriel's glare went towards Rowan as he said, "You think you are so smart, don't you? You think you know it all? How fucking pathetic."

Clearly, Azriel wasn't in his right mind right now but that didn't make Fenrys any less furious for the way that prick talked to his friend and prince.

Rowan didn't even give Azriel an ounce of his attention as he took ahold of Aelin's waist, pulling her closer and looked at Rhysand. "I assume you are their ruler. What do you say?"

Rhysand assesed everyone before looking back at the queen and the prince consort as he said, "We may have hurt y/n and broken her trust but she hasn't broken ours. If she trusts you enough to be here, we shall trust you enough to be here. I also swear to keep my members in line and make sure no harm comes from our side either."

Aelin nodded as she said, "Very well, then. Follow me." She turned to leave with Rowan beside her followed by everyone else but Fenrys stayed back when he saw y/n quickly say something to Aelin before coming towards him only to be stopped by Azriel getting in her way.

Oh, you little fucker.

"Y/n, please, there has been a misunderstanding. Please, let us talk-"

She didn't even acknowledge a word he said as she moved past him and headed straight towards Fenrys, taking ahold of his hand before moving in the opposite direction to the wing in which her room was located in.

She saw how Fenrys gave the Illyrian a smirk before turning around and following his mate.

"I have been dying to get to you! I have been so sorry! Please!"

His cries for her went on deaf ears as she led her mate towards the palace. Once inside her room, Fenrys said, "What was that about-"

"Shhhh"

She silenced him with a quick peck to his lips before once more taking his hand and a small lamp while leading him towards the very place she felt the need to show him. The Crystal Caverns. When she moved the creaked floorboard, Fenrys' shock was evident on his face as he looked at the stairs leading into the darkness beyond.

"What- how- what is this? Since when has it been here?"

She turned to look at him and smiled. "I discovered it a little while after I came here. Trust me, Fen. You won't regret it. Just follow me."

He took ahold of her hand as he said with the most serious tone ever, "I will always follow you, my princess. I trust you enough to lead me anywhere."

She couldn't hide the overflow of emotions she felt for him and from the looks on his face, Fenrys felt all of them as well through the now golden bond.

After a while of walking while telling Fenrys all about the place, they finally arrived at the breathtaking location of crystal caverns. Y/n watched every move and reaction that Fenrys made as his wide eyes took in the place, mouth wide open in utter bewilderment.

She smiled and let him look around as she moved towards the small glittering lake, staring into the beautiful and translucent colors eminating from it due to the crystals underwater.

"It is beautiful, isn't it, Fen?"

"It is, but not as beautiful as you." His voice sounded from right near her ear, slightly startling her as y/n turned her head sideways and looked at him.

And then, she whispered the words that changed the mood completely.

"My mate,"

Fenrys' eyes visibly turned darker as his pupils dilated, his breath suddenly coming in ragged breaths and the small scent of his arousal hitting her nose immediately. Y/n herself felt all hot as she squeezed her thighs to try and keep her arousal from him but....from the way Fenrys suddenly turned her around and breathed her in, nuzzling his head in her neck and groaning, y/n knew it was fruitless to hide from him. Not anymore.

He pulled his head away slightly, face mere inches away from hers as he whispered, "Ask me to kiss you."

Her reply came immediately, "Kiss me, Fenrys."

She barely managed to finish the sentence when his lips collided with hers. His tounge invading her mouth as they both fought for dominance in their hungry kiss, Fenrys eventually getting the upper hand.

Without breaking the kiss, she tugged at his tunic, signaling for him to take it off. Fenrys didn't need anymore telling as he immediately ripped it away, hands then coming to help her unclasp her ties in the back of her dress. Once that was on the floor, she was left in her undergarments which caused him to break away and step back to admire her body, her scars and her curves.

She tried to move her hands and cover her exposed areas but his fierce, dominating voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't you dare."

She put her hands down immediately, letting him devour her with just his yes. Another wave of arousal overtook her as she felt herself getting wetter.

"Take off your undergarments and get in the water, princess."

She did as he told her, slowly taking off each piece while keeping her eyes on his. Once she was completely naked, Fenrys groaned loudly as he took her in from head to toe.

"Gods, you are perfect. And all fucking mine."

"And you are mine."

He clearly enjoyed her posessive tone as slowly started to take down his pants with a smirk. "Oh, yeah, princess?"

She nodded her head slowly, eyes admiring every inch of him as Fenrys took off his last garment that hid his prominent erection from her. And oh Gods.....the sheer size and girth of him made her knees buckle. His tip was all red and angry, waiting for her.

She slowly glided her gaze back to his before turning around and seductively swaying her hips on her way towards the lake. Once she entered it, the warm water reaching her mid-ribs, she turned to look at him. Fenrys' eyes never left hers as he took deliberately slow steps towards her, eventually also immersing himself in the water.

They were standing chest to chest now, Fenrys' hand slowly rised out of the water as he moved a strand of her hair behind her ear. He then gently took ahold of the back of her head, bringing their lips closer as her arms went to his biceps. The kiss was full of words they couldn't express. Desperation, hunger, posessiveness, obsession and adoration. Both of their hands exploring each others assets as he gently squeezed her cheek underwater causing a small yelp to come out of her, granting him the access he needed to fully devour her mouth.

After a while, his mouth moved to her jaw and then her neck, leaving open mouthed and desperate kisses but also bites that clearly marked her as his. Y/n tried to hide her moans but stopped when he lifted his head, looking down on her as he said in an attractively raspy voice, "Don't hide your pretty noises from me, princess. There is no one here and even if there was, they would know that you are mine and mine alone so sing for me, witchling."

She did as he asked, letting her moans out as Fenrys kept on going lower and lower, kissing over her collarbones and scars before reaching her breasts and sucking one, while playing with the other. She could feel his hard erection pressing right against her now, causing her to squeeze her thighs which led to Fenrys letting out a strangled moan.

"Fen, please,"

He lifted his head, one hand slowly submerging underwater to slowly find its way towards the place she needed him in the most.

"Please what?"

"Please-" Her gasp cut off her sentence as one of his long and thick fingers entered her mound, causing her eyes to roll back and hands clench on his biceps.

"Please what, princess?"

"I-" A second finger entered her, making her head fall onto his shoulder, small moans emitting from her mouth.

"Princess, what happened?"

Before she even processed his words, a third finger was inside her, invading her walls as his pace quickened, his palm now hitting her cunt as she felt that spark within her build up.

"D-don't s-s-stop"

"Wasn't planning to, princess."

His other hand took ahold the back of her neck as he moved her head back and attacked her neck once more. Her release was quickly building up and his lips on her neck just intesified it tenfold.

His lips came to her ear, hot breath hitting her as he said, "You are mine now, this cunt is mine, this ass is mine, this body is mine, your everything is mine. You are mine and I will prove it to you in every possible way."

That was her undoing as with a final thrust, she let out a loud moan and came all over his fingers, chest heaving up and down as she slowly looked at him through the haze within her and oh, Gods....he was watching her the entire time, his intense and hungry eyes fixed on her completely as he slowly took his hand out from underwater and licked his fingers, groaning at the taste of her on his tounge, causing her to flush red.

"Y/n-"

Y/n didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence before she leapt on to him, joining their lips once more and tasting herself on his tounge. She pulled away slightly, both of them panting heavily as she whispered, "Fuck me, Fenrys."

He groaned out a "Fuck, princess. You are killing me. Jump."

She wasted no time in jumping on to him, Fenrys catching her under the thighs as he lined his cock with her entrance. He slowly entered her, inch by inch, making her let out a silent moan before he kissed her fiercely. Her grip behind his neck tightened as her hands tangled in his hair and her mound took in more and more of him with each stretch until he was fully inside her.

He gave her time to adjust before she nuzzled her head in his neck and whispered a "Move, please."

He started off slow, not wanting to hurt her and y/n already felt so full, her pain quickly dissolving into pleasure as she soon started to kiss and bite his throat, causing him to moan loudly as he picked up his pace, balls slapping against her skin.

Their moans echoed all throughout the place as her walls tightened around him, his tip constantly hitting her spongy spot. Her mind was completely hazy, her mouth was open, everything was a blank. She thought nothing but Fenrys and how good he felt. How she never wanted to leave this cave and make this moment end. She wanted to be with him, forever.

They came together and stayed like that for a while before their newly mated bond caused their insatiable need for one another to renew. After they fucked like rabbits in almost every part of the cave, after Fenrys ate her out who knows how many times more, they were both spent as they lay on the ground, limbs all tangled, bodies all wet with sweat and water as she put her head on his beating chest while he caressed her hair and looked up at the crystals covering the rocky ceilings.

"You know, we Illyrian's have very sensitive wings."

"Yes, you told that to Eva."

"But what I didn't tell her is that, that sensitivity also applies in sex. There is a specific place within the muscles in our wings that if touched properly, we can just cum from that alone."

"Oh, yeah? Hmmm I will test that out for my self soon enough then."

But then she felt his hand on her back, touching her biggest scar and suddenly her mood dampened.

"Who gave you all these scars, princess?"

She sighed and closed her eyes as she whispered, "A cruel monster."

His hands kept on gently caressing her even though she felt his body slightly stiffen as he whispered back, "Where is he now?"

"Dead."

"You killed him?" She heard the surprise in his voice as she nodded her head, still refusing to look at him and said, "My first kill. I was twenty."

"How did he give these scars to you?"

"Let that be a story for another time. I don't wish to talk about it now."

And so they didn't talk. Not with words atleast. But Fenrys made sure to show her all the love with his body as they stayed in the crystal caverns for a little more before bathing in the small lake and then leaving the place hand in hand. Their joy at finally being joined in both body and soul emanating from them both.

Fenrys had never felt so fulfilled in his life before. Finally being with his mate after years of being alone brought him the peace he has been seeking for so long. Even though they are about to face something so terrifying, Fenrys knew that they would be fine as long as their bond stayed strong.

Everyone was in the war council chamber when they entered the room. His protective instincts made Fenrys draw her closer to his body before moving towards the side of the area in which his family was. The high lord, who was listening to Aelin's plans carefully, failed to hide the shame on his face when y/n entered the room. All of their eyes were on her as Fenrys led her to sit with the women; Manon, Petrah, Yrene, Lysandra and Elide.

The anger from Azriel could be felt even if they were miles and miles apart and that alone made Fenrys full with pride.

"Finally, after three hours, you decide to grace us with your prese- oh, now I see." Lorcan had the most mischevious grin on his face as he smelled Fenrys and then looked over at y/n.

Fenrys, still not taking his eyes off of Azriel's intense gaze from across the room, asked Lorcan, "How was it while we were gone?"

Lorcan just scoffed as he looked around the place, his eyes coming to land on Rowan and Aelin explaining whatever to Rhysand and his court.

"I came this close to ripping off that Cassians head about three times in the past hour alone. He is giving all of us these dirty looks, well, how about he tries to give me that look when I am punching him into the ground. His mate-Nesta- is no different- did you know, she also has some death powers like bringing dead people to her feet or something? Apparently they call her lady death."

"Anyways, then that Mor kept looking at Lucien and Petrah which caused her to at some point yell at Mor something like 'If you keep staring some more, I won't hesitate to rip your throat out' and that caused Mor to challenge her and then the whole place turned into a disaster of two sides arguing before Rhysand managed to interfere and calm his court down."

And then, Lorcan's eyes widened as he turned to look at Fenrys with a huge smile and hit him on the arm. "Oooh and my favorite moment was when in the middle of a somewhat civil-as civil as you can get with these barbarians-discussion, Azriel asked where was y/n and Dorian decided it would be a great idea to provoke him by saying 'with her mate, probably fucking.' Oh, Godsss, you should have seen that pricks face, Fenrys. It was like all the color got drained out of him."

Fenrys noted to thank Dorian later on for that as a huge grin overtook his face. He then looked towards the windows where his beautiful mate was with Manon, Petrah and Yrene now, listening attentively as the healer explained something to her by pointing into the book. Even seeing her caused a soft smile to overtake his features as he admired what was now his.

Once all of this was over, he would take her away for some time where it could be just the two of them, basking in their newly found relationship. He looked back at Lorcan and said, "Care for a walk?"

"I would love to." Dorian's voice interrupted Lorcan's as the king popped from behind Lorcan.

Lorcan rolled his eyes. "No one invited you, little king."

Dorian just shrugged as Chaol, Lucien and Aedion also came to stand with them.

"Oh, well. We are all about to risk our lives once more so might as well have a lovely little walk beforehand."

Aedion nodded his head. "Rowan and Aelin seem to have it handled. Just get me out of here, please. I don't know how much of this tension I can take."

Fenrys sighed, "Very well. Looks like what was meant to be an only two person chat will end up becoming a five person chat."

Lucien smirked, "We can't miss the exciting conversation about how you and y/n mated, you know."

Chaol rolled his eyes as they moved to first kiss their women a temporary goodbye. "You are acting as if you and Petrah didn't also just newly mate."

Lucien hugged his mate before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, causing her to smile up at him. "We will take turns in telling."

Fenrys ignored the rest of the conversation as he moved to kiss his woman fiercely, leaving her breathless once they detached, her eyes once more filling with lust.

"We will be back soon, little warrior."

Her eyes darted to the others before a small blush crept up her cheeks and she smiled while nodding.

Gods, she was so adorable, Fenrys just wanted to eat her whole.

They left the room and headed towards the royal gardens when an irritating voice stopped them.

"You think you can take my mate from me and get away with it, you viper?!"

Fenrys and the others immediately turned around to find Azriel and Cassian heading straight towards them as Cassian tried but failed to hold him back by the shoulder.

Lorcan and Aedion immediately stepped forward but Fenrys pushed them back, all of their warnings of 'Don't do it.' 'Don't fall for his games' 'He is just provoking you' 'Ignore him' fell on deaf ears as Fenrys stood proud and tall when Azriel--who turned out to be a couple of inches shorter--came to stand right in front of his face.

Cassian, whose slightly anxious eyes now darted towards Lorcan due to his huge size, tried to once again push his brother back but failed miserably when Azriel snarled in Fenrys' face.

"You won't get away with this. She is mine and she knows it. Y/n will come home with me and we will be together once more."

Fenrys kept his indifferent mask on as he said, "Don't you have a mate? Hmmm I wonder what she would think if her beloved is here trying to get back what was never his to begin with."

Azriels eyes narrowed into slits as he said, "You are no mate for her. You are undeserving of her. Who do you think you are? Nobody but a stranger from a different world who interfered with our relationship-"

The dam broke.

The wolf was unleashed.

Fenrys landed his first blow right into Azriel's jaw and hit him with the second one right in the ribs before he even had time to think about it.

Azriel staggered back, a sharp breath escaping his lips as he struggled to regain his footing. His eyes, usually calm and calculating, now burned with a fierce, unyielding fire. The air between them crackled with tension, charged with the raw energy of their confrontation.

With a snarl, Azriel righted himself, his dark wings flaring as he used their power to launch himself back into the fray. He swung a powerful arc with his staff, aiming to catch Fenrys off guard. But Fenrys was ready. With a swift, practiced move, he dodged the blow and countered with a spinning kick that connected solidly with Azriel’s midsection.

In the distance, he could hear shouts and screams. Probably his brothers stopping Cassian or maybe Lorcan too, is releasing his anger on Cassian or maybe they are trying to stop Fenrys. Whatever the case is, he didn't care. Fenrys tried. He tried for y/n. Tried for his queen and tried for his brother but no, Azriel had to breach the line and now, he was facing the consequences.

Azriel grunted, the impact sending him crashing into a nearby stone pillar. He pushed himself up with a growl of determination, wiping a trickle of blood from his split lip. His gaze locked onto Fenrys with renewed intensity.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Azriel’s voice was a low, dangerous growl.

Fenrys smirked, the adrenaline of battle fueling his movements. He advanced, his movements fluid and fierce, each step calculated to keep Azriel on the defensive. He feigned a left jab, only to deliver a right hook to Azriel’s temple.

Maybe in their world, Azriel, Cassian and Rhysand are considered the best, the largest, the most powerful. But here? Azriel was nothing but a faeling for Fenrys. None of them were match for the Cadre.

Azriel reeled, but he quickly recovered, his eyes narrowing as he harnessed his power. In a swift, fluid motion, he conjured a blade of shadow and lashed out with it. The dark blade cut through the air with a menacing hiss. Fenrys barely had time to react, raising his forearm to block the strike. The blade scraped against his skin, leaving a searing, burning sensation in its wake.

He spread his wings wide, using them to shield himself from Fenrys’s next onslaught. As Fenrys closed in, Azriel’s dark magic surged, swirling around him in a protective barrier.

Fenrys didn’t hesitate. He gathered his strength and charged through the barrier with a roar, breaking through the swirling shadows and driving Azriel back with a brutal series of strikes. The clash of their powers reverberated through the air, each blow resonating with the intensity of their struggle.

Azriel’s breath came in ragged gasps as he fought to keep up with Fenrys’s relentless assault. Azriel's shadows seemingly decided to leave him alone, disappearing into who knows where. Fenrys managed to pin him to the ground, delivering blow after blow, his anger knowing no bounds or limits.

He could shift into a wolf but then that would mean that he has to kill Azriel and although he would love nothing more, Fenrys was still sensible enough to know that by doing it, he would unleash a myriad of unwanted problems.

He saw nothing and heard nothing but Azriel and his bone crunching under Fenrys' fists. Oh the pleasure it brought to him to finally have him like this-

Two small hands were on his, trying to drag him away-

He would know these hands and this scent anywhere. The only one who can ever calm him down. His princess, his witchling, his mate.

Y/n.

"Fen, please stop this!"

"Please, Fenrys!"

He let go of Azriel as y/n managed to drag him away, the rest of their family coming to circle all around him.

"Gods, Fenrys. Are you out of your mind?!" Aedion.

"I think I made it clear when I said no fights!" Aelin.

"You did so good, Fenrys. Thanks to you I got to punch Cassian when he tried to attack us for beating up Azriel." fucking Lorcan.

"Look at your hands!" Yrene.

"Why did I even try with warning you in the first place?" Rowan.

"Fen, please, look at me." His love, y/n.

Fenrys' eyes immediately snapped up to her and before anyone could say anything else, he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up onto his shoulder, pushing through others and heading towards the palace.

"Fenrys!"

"Fen, please put me down!"

He ignored her.

A sigh. "Atleast go to the healing hut where we can do something about those bloody knuckles of yours."

He obliged.

Once in the healing hut, he put her down before she knocked on Isolde's door and entered it once the healer opened it.

"Oh Fenrys, what have you done?" Isolde said while slightly shaking her head and gesturing for them to sit down as she went to search for some medicine. Y/n turned to look at him with all the worry in the world evident in her hypnotizing eyes.

"What were you thinking? You promised-"

"He provoked me too much. I couldn't hold it back anymore."

She sighed as Isolde came back with a small wooden box in her hand, giving it to y/n. "Apply this salve over his injuries, they should heal in a days time."

Y/n nodded and said her thanks before the healer turned and left to another corner of the room. Y/n opened the circular box and wiped some of the salve with her fingers before taking his right hand in hers and gently applying it onto them.

"Well, thank you."

Fenrys' eyes widened slightly. "Thank you? For what?"

She smiled. "For standing up for me. For protecting my honor. Azriel is in a horrible condition, you know. If you continued some more, he would end up dead."

Fenrys grunted. "Should've kept punching, then."

She moved her hands from his to his face, cupping it and bringing him closer to her as she looked between his eyes, "I am glad you didn't, Fen. What you already have done has been more than enough. I am so proud of you for everything."

He smiled softly at her as his arm came around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he delivered a soft kiss to his mate's delectable lips.

The next hours passed in high tensions as neither of the courts spoke with each other, only acknowledging one another when needed. As the hours drew closer, y/n just kept her anxious thoughts at bay by burying herself in her mate's arms as they sat on a couch in the sitting room with their family around.

Finally, as she watched her mate and friends choose weapons for the battle, y/n felt her fears slowly to start creeping up-

"Everything will be fine, you will do just fine." Yrene's soothing voice sounded in her ear as they both stood on the sidelines and watched everything going around them.

Dorian entered the room with the book in hand, heading towards them as he said, "The best place for this will be in the forest, ladies. We don't need to destroy any furniture, you know."

Y/n and Yrene smiled as the former said, "Let us get going as well then."

"And not say farewell to us?" Aelin's feigned hurt tone made them look at her, all strapped with weapons as y/n said, "Of course not before that."

"Good, because I don't think I can leave without kissing you some more." Lorcan said to his wife as Elide giggled.

"Get a room, you two." Dorian's disgust at them vanished the second he had Manon in his arms and began devouring her face.

"Such babies," Yrene said while shaking her head as she let her husband hug her tightly.

In the other side of the room, Lysandra, Aedion and Eva were having their own family moment as Fenrys approached y/n.

“Be careful please,” she said as Fenrys hugged her in his arms, inhaling her scent.

“If being careful means coming back to you, then I most certainly will be.” 

She nuzzled her head in his chest, “I am afraid, Fen.”

He kissed the top of her head gently, “Don’t be, I will send you energy through the bond if I feel you declining.” 

She closed her eyes, pure bliss overtaking her “Hmmm”

“If any of those vipers try to do something to you-“

“Fen, no. They won’t because they are ashamed to even look at me in the eye. I will be fine.”

“We are leaving, everyone!” Aelin’s voice boomed across the room as the couples began detaching.

“Ask me to kiss you.”

She smiled and pulled away. “Not this time, Fen. I will kiss you when you comeback home to me. Alive.”

He smiled back and said, “Very well, witch.”

And before she knew it, with a final look, he was heading towards Rowan and Aelin.

Once they were gone, Dorian told the guards to inform Rhysand and his court that it is time. 

As they began preparing for their short journey to the woods, the inner circle entered. Y/n felt her body tense slightly but decided to ignore them all and keep her hands busy with helping Yrene roll the scriptures.

Lucien came into the room a moment later as Eva crossed her arms and asked him, “And where, pray tell, were you?”

He just smiled sheepishly and said, “Can’t a male have his privacy with his mate?”

Elide snickered before they heard a scoff from the other side of the room….Mor.

Y/n put her hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Ignore them, they will be gone soon, Lu.”

He just nodded his head stiffly but didn’t say anything else. 

“Very well, everyone. Time to leave.” Dorian announced as he exited the door, book in hand.

During their walk, y/n felt like she could cut the tension with a knife as the inner circle followed them through the woods. At some point, Nesta tried to speak to her but y/n cut her off with an ‘I don’t want to hear it.’ 

More also tried apologizing for the whole panic attack situation but, y/n ignored her too. Azriel could barely even walk, let alone breathe as Cassian, who had a giant bruise on his cheekbone, held his brother up.

She just kept close to her friends and followed the path Dorian went. When they finally arrived, the place looked like some sort of a ritual point. A huge circle made out of stone held up large boulders with unique carvings on them as green ivy’s covered most of the ground and surrounding area. 

Dorian placed the book in the very center and then turned to look at y/n. “Tell it to open the right page.”

Y/n came forward and put her hand on the book, her body filling with energy as she looked down at the object and said, “Open the right page.”

The book needed no more commands as it’s pages flipped through on their own accord, coming to land on a text with ancient writing. 

Yrene nodded her head before turning to look at the inner circle. “Since you all will be leaving together, I suggest you do not separate at all.” 

Rhysand gave her a short, curt, nod before turning to his court and saying something in a low voice  to them. 

Dorian looked at Lucien, Elide, Eva, Yrene and then at her as he said, “Very well, family. Y/n, the lunar eclipse shall begin in…when will it begin again Yrene?”

The healer looked up into the sky and said, “If my calculations were correct, in exactly two minutes.”

“So, once the eclipse begins, I put my hand on this writing and hone in my energy?”

They all gave her small nods before Eva asked, “Are we sure that the gates will open?”

Dorian just sighed. “For our sake, let us hope that they will.”

“I think it is starting.” Elide announced as she looked upwards, followed by everyone else as y/n heard Feyre gasp and say, “What is happening?”

“It is time.” Dorian looked at y/n, a small encouraging smile on his face as Yrene opened her scriptures and began reciting the spells she deciphered from the book in the library. What they did, y/n had no idea but she trusted the healer too much to ever doubt her skills.

Elide, Lucien and Eva stood nearby, observing and ready to help at any second as the inner circle too, came closer.

Y/n could feel all the eyes on her as she sighed and closed her eyes, bringing her palm up and on to the page. 

The second her hand landed on the magical writing, her blood felt molten, her body feeling too heavy. It was like she was burning from the inside. 

And then, all of a sudden, it was as if something gripped her from the back and yanked her into darkness. 

“Elara’s daughter”

“The connected”

“The key”

“The chosen one”

Multiple ancient voices were hissing all around her as y/n kept on falling through the darkness. 

“Have you come to close the gates, child?”

“Fool, you shall die.”

She fell and fell until her back hit something strong. With a groan, y/n got up  and looked around, only mist and fog were around her. What was this place?

She couldn’t see much due to the fog but she tried her best and stretched her arms in front of her to try and feel where she was going. 

“You think you can close the gates and keep end the valgs?”

She suddenly turned around to find a towering figure emerging from the mist. Cloaked in shadows, its eyes glowed a piercing blue, cutting through the darkness. The figure seemed to absorb the very light around it, creating an aura of dread that chilled y/n to her core.

"You think you can close the gates and end the valgs?" The voice echoed again, this time more pronounced, filled with both curiosity and malice.

"I have to," y/n whispered, her voice trembling yet determined. "It's my destiny."

The figure laughed, a cold, harsh sound that reverberated through the void. "Destiny, child? Or a curse?"

With a wave of its hand, the mist parted, revealing a path lined with ancient, rune-covered stones. "Follow the path if you dare. But beware, for not all who tread here return."

Determined, y/n took a deep breath and stepped forward, her resolve hardening with each step. The path seemed endless, winding through the fog, with the voices of the ancients whispering warnings and secrets in her ears. The weight of her destiny pressed heavily upon her, but she knew she had no choice but to continue.

The path led y/n deeper into the mist, where the air grew colder and the whispers grew louder, each step echoing with an ominous finality. As she continued, the runes on the stones began to glow faintly, casting eerie shadows that danced and shifted around her. 

After what felt like an eternity, she arrived at a massive, ancient gate made of black stone, covered in intricate carvings and sigils that seemed to pulse with a dark energy. This was the source of the whispers, the place where the voices of the ancients converged.

Before the gate stood a tall, imposing figure draped in dark robes, its face hidden beneath a hood. In its hands, it held a staff topped with a glowing crystal, emanating an otherworldly light.

"You have arrived, Elara’s daughter," the figure intoned, its voice resonating with a power that shook y/n to her core. "This is the Gate of Shadows, the barrier between worlds. To close it, you must face the darkness within and without."

The gate slowly began to creak open, revealing a swirling vortex of shadows and light beyond. The figure raised its staff, and the crystal’s glow intensified, casting a protective circle around y/n.

"Step forward, child, and confront your destiny. But remember, the darkness will test you. Only those with the purest hearts and strongest wills can prevail."

With a deep breath, y/n stepped through the gate, into the heart of the vortex, ready to face whatever trials awaited her within.

As y/n stepped through the gate, she felt an immediate pull, like being drawn into a powerful current. The swirling shadows and light enveloped her, and she was plunged into a world of chaotic energy. Shapes and figures moved within the darkness, whispering her name, taunting and challenging her resolve.

As y/n stepped through the gate, she felt an immediate pull, like being drawn into a powerful current. The swirling shadows and light enveloped her, and she was plunged into a world of chaotic energy. Shapes and figures moved within the darkness, whispering her name, taunting and challenging her resolve.

The first trial began almost instantly. The shadows coalesced into a figure resembling her mother, Elara. The figure’s eyes glowed with an unearthly light, and its voice was a haunting echo of her mother’s.

"Do you really think you can succeed where I failed?" the shadow-Elara taunted. "You are but a child, untested and weak."

Y/n’s heart ached at the sight, but she stood firm, clenching her fists. "I am stronger than you think. I carry your legacy, and I will not fail."

The shadow-Elara lunged at her, its form twisting into a monstrous shape. Y/n dodged and summoned her inner strength, feeling the magic within her pulse and surge. With a fierce cry, she released a burst of light, dispelling the shadow.

The vortex shifted, and y/n found herself in a vast, desolate landscape, the sky above a swirling mass of storm clouds. In the distance, she saw a figure standing alone. As she approached, she realized it was herself, a mirror image staring back at her with cold, calculating eyes.

"This is your second trial," the doppelgänger said, its voice a perfect replica of her own. "You must confront your own fears and doubts. Are you ready to face yourself?"

Y/n nodded, feeling a mix of fear and determination. "I am ready."

The battle was intense, with the doppelgänger matching her every move, every spell, every strike. But y/n drew on the memories of her journey, the lessons learned, the bonds formed. With each strike, she remembered her purpose, her friends, and her promise to end the valgs. Her iron fangs and claws working nonstop to help her in defeating her own self.

Finally, with a powerful surge of magic, y/n overwhelmed her doppelgänger, who dissolved into a swirl of shadows. Breathing heavily, she stood victorious, but exhausted.

The landscape shifted once more, and y/n found herself in a serene, beautiful garden, a stark contrast to the trials she had just faced. In the center of the garden stood a towering tree, its branches covered in shimmering, golden leaves. At its base, a small, intricately carved box rested, emanating a soft, warm light.

As she approached the tree, the ancient voices returned, now gentle and guiding. "This is the heart of the gate. To close it, you must place your hand upon the box and channel your magic. But be warned, the gate will resist, and the valgs will try to stop you."

With renewed determination, y/n placed her hand on the box. Immediately, she felt a surge of resistance, as if the gate itself was fighting against her. Dark figures began to emerge from the shadows, the valgs intent on stopping her.

Drawing on every ounce of her strength and magic, y/n focused on the box, channeling her energy into it. The light grew brighter, pushing back the darkness. The valgs advanced, but she held firm, determined to see this through. Black, foggy claws were on her from every side, trying to drag her back as ugly voices said, “You won’t prevail. You won’t prevail.”

With a final, powerful burst of magic, the light from the box exploded outward, engulfing the garden and the shadows. The ancient voices cried out in triumph as the gate began to close, the vortex of shadows and light dissipating.

As the world around her faded to white, y/n felt a sense of peace wash over her. She had faced her trials, confronted her fears, and emerged victorious. The gate was closed, and the valgs were no more. Or at-least she hoped that was the case-

“Y/n.” 

She turned around to find the inner circle. They were in some sort of a hallway that seemed to glow white from all around. Behind Rhysand and his court was a gate that was slowly-very slowly- closing. 

They all looked at her with so much shame, with so much guilt. Y/n sighed and decided to speak first because she knew that this would be the last time they ever saw one another.

“I forgive you all. I won’t forget any of it but I do not wish for us to part with unfortunate feelings towards one another.”

Feyre was fully tearing up as Rhysand gripped her hand. For the first time, she saw Amren’s eyes full with sadness as her unusually soft voice called out to her, “We shall carry this guilt with us forever, girl.” 

Nesta who was standing next to Amren, nodded her head, a tear sliding down her cheek as she said, “I am happy to know that you have found a family that will truly cherish you.”

“That will succeed in the places we failed.” Mor said mournfully. 

Rhysand gave her a small, grateful smile as he said, “It was my honor to have known you for so long. Your invaluable presence will never be replaced.”

As they began turning one by one and entering the closing gate, Cassian’s pained face looked at her. “I am so sorry, sweets. So sorry for letting you down.” 

She gave him a small smile as he too, turned around and went through the gate, leaving only Azriel behind as he looked back at the now quickly closing gate and then at her.

“Y/n-“

“I understand, Azriel. We had a beautiful time while together and I believe that is something I shall never forget. In a way, we both prepared each other to ultimately meet our mates. Now go, be with her. I wish you both well.”

He gave her a small smile. “I will forever carry this guilt with me, but I wish you the best as well. My love for you will never cease to exist, y/n dearest.”

Then, he turned around and entered the gate, giving her final look of gratitude before the gate closed completely. 

She sighed and turned around, taking a step forward-

Her foot fell through a hole. She was falling once more. World after world, gate after gate, she saw glimpses of different realms, different places before their gates too, sealed off completely.

She saw a world with tall buildings and shimmering lights, a world filled with vast dunes and oasis cities, a world where a whole civilization was underwater, a world where multiple Islands were floating in the air.

She went through world after world, the gates shutting off after she passed through each until she was slowing down, down, down….

When she finally opened her eyes with a gasp, she found herself back in the real world, the ancient writing still glowing faintly beneath her hand. She was exhausted but triumphant. The voices of the ancients had fallen silent, and a calm, serene silence enveloped her.

“Oh thank the Gods!” Yrene’s overjoyed voice was the first thing that she heard before Eva was on her, hugging her tightly. 

Y/n was drained. She was panting heavily and felt like her body would collapse at any second when everyone gathered around her, congratulating her.

Eva put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest as she looked at Dorian. “Sooo, I win the bet. Give me my 15 gold coins.”

The king rolled his eyes playfully but said, “You said she would be back in two hours. She came back in three.”

“Well, unlike Lucien who bet ten minutes, I was close enough.”

Lucien laughed as he said, “In my defence, I had no idea it would take this long.”

Elide put her arm under y/n’s shoulder as Dorian hoisted her up from the other side, “Ignore them, we were bored while your body was immersed in a trance so we made bets about how quickly you would return.” 

Y/n didn’t feel like she had the energy to reply to anything so she gave a small smile as they slowly made their way out of the woods while Dorian kept bickering with Eva, others interfering at some point. 

The moment y/n was back in her room, she collapsed on the bed and slept away who knows how many hours. When she awoke, Fenrys was beside her, an arm draped protectively over her waist. 

His eyes were open as he seemingly admired her. Y/n couldn’t keep her joy and relief at seeing her mate come back in one piece contained as she jumped on to him, draping her arms around his shoulders and nuzzling her nose into his neck. 

He hissed a little which caused her to immediately detach and pull the covers away to find his left arm bandaged. 

“Fenrys! What- Are you well? I am so sorry-“

He put his right arms around her waist and pressed her body against his, smiling. “Just a scratch don’t worry. Isolde said it will heal in a week. I am better now that you are with me.”

She looked worriedly all over him before sighing and putting her head back on his chest. 

“Did you manage to kill them?” 

"We killed and killed. None of us could even stop to take a breath. There were so many of them it's like they keep inbreeding. At some point, I started becoming worried when I couldn't feel you through the bond and then I started full on panicking when the valgs wouldn't die because it meant that there was a chance something happened to you. But it wasn't like I could leave, I was stuck killing valg after valg. Then, however, they all suddenly fell to the ground mid-fight. All of them. That's when we all realized that you did, after all, manage to close the gates."

He kissed the top of her head as y/n listened to his beating heart, ensuring herself that he was real, alive and with her.

"Are there any injured?"

"Lysandra's leg got injured and a small amount of skin was ripped off of Lorcan's ribs but other than that, we are all well. Tired, exhausted even, but well."

She nodded her head. "What now?"

"Now? Now we get to finally live in peace. Together. Now we get all the time in the universe for each other."

She smiled. "I like that. I very much like that."

He slightly pushed her away so that they were looking at each others eyes as Fenrys said, "I believe you owe me a long overdue kiss?"

Y/n laughed and said, "Hmmm do I?"

His expression turned into longing as he whispered, eyes trained on her lips, "Ask me to kiss you."

She wasted no time in replying. "Kiss me, Fenrys."

He kissed her longingly, lovingly, hungrily, fiercely and softly. He kissed her until they couldn't breath anymore and once he left her lips, he moved down to her jaw, neck, slowly undressing her as he went lower to her breasts and then even lower. Heat was already pooling below her stomach as they basked in the feel of each other, knowing that they were finally in each others arms and that nothing could ever seperate them.

After a couple of hours, when they both entered the sitting room, they saw everyone gathered there, Lysandra's right foot was perched atop Aedions lap as Lorcan also lay on the opposite couch with his head on Elide's lap.

Everyone else was coupled up with their significant others, basking in the moment.

"Well, dearest y/n, welcome to the family." Aelin's proud voice echoed around the room as she looked at y/n with a bright smile, Rowan too smiled as he sat beside his queen and mate.

Y/n reciprocated their smile with her own. "Thank you. All of you. I am very grateful that you accepted me to your circle."

Lysandra waved her hand in the air, "Nonsense, you are one of us now, we are the ones who are grateful to have you with us."

"Are you going to take the blood oath now?" Chaol's question made all eyes turn to Aelin but the queen just smiled and looked at Manon who smiled back at y/n.

"Actually, me and Manon have already discussed this between ourselves since y/n is after all, an iron teeth witch and the mate of someone who is blood sworn to me. And we decided that..."

"That it is up to her to decide. She may or may not choose to do the blood oath. My only wish is that she comes and visits us in the witch kingdom."

Y/n smiled as Fenrys hugged her waist, "Of course I will. I will come visit all of you. There is so much to explore in this world, I can't wait to see it all with my own eyes."

Fenrys kissed the top of her head as he said, "We shall do it together, you will see all the beauty of our world, I swear it."

"Well, if you don't come to Adarlan first, I will be seriously wounded." Dorian put his hand on his chest as his head fell on top of Manon's, who was snuggled up in his arms.

"Oh, shush, you. Witch kingdom it is." Petrah hit him on the head as she passed by them with Lucien holding her hands.

"Oh, here we go again." Lysandra rolled her eyes as Aedion laughed.

Yrene, who was braiding Eva's hair, said, "Actually, she should go to the Southern continent first. I am sure Nesryn would love to meet her. Oh! I could show you where I lived for so long-"

"No! I think-"

"Gods, you are all such babies-"

"Shush Aelin!"

"Did you just tell my wife to shush?"

"Calm down, Rowan. Dorian has just been itching to get a beating from me for the past week."

"I would love to see you try-"

Y/n smiled and side hugged Fenrys as they watched their beloved family argue and bicker.

Suddenly, Fenrys whispered in her ear, "I promise to love and cherish you across the universe."

Oh, how she was ready for this new adventure to begin.

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

Taglist: @ladespedidas @mis-lil-red @going-through-shit @kaitttttttt @blackgirlmagicforever

@acotar-writing @paleidiot @snoopyspace @stained-glass-eyes0708 @saltedcoffeescotch

@wallacewillow0773638 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @crazylokonugget @bunnyredgirl

@fullmoon-94 @thecraziestcrayon @idkwahr

@sstrohma @optimisticbabydreamer @rcarbo1 @batboygirlie

@glaciuswduo @rosewood-cafe @hannzoaks @mybestfriendmademe @anuttellaa

[mphoenix-7]

Bitter Allies [Soap x Reader]

Chapter 8: The Cabin: Day 4 (pt.1)

Summary: You try to talk to Soap about yesterday. Key word is try.

Word Count: 4,515

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, swearing, angst, strong language, arguing, mentions of sex, hurtful language

A/N: Another two parter! Enjoy!! Don’t forget to like, comment, and reblog if you wish 🫶🏻 also, see the end of the chapter for Soap’s drawing

Masterlist | <- Previous | Next ->

Bitter Allies • Part 8

The next morning, the pain in your chest is still present. Your heart feels heavy, weighed down by confusion and a little regret. The dull ache between your legs is a lingering echo of Soap's rough touch that had split you in half. A constant reminder of last night. You feel raw, exposed, and the desire to talk to Soap about what happened is overwhelming now. As daunting as it seems, you know this conversation is unavoidable. It needs to happen sooner or later.

Pulling yourself upright in bed, you look to Soap’s side of the room and see that he’s gone. You hope for once that he’s around and hasn’t left for a morning run or anything. You don’t know if you can handle waiting for him to get back. Getting changed into the last fully clean pair of clothes you have, you go to look for the Scot.

As you walk into the kitchen, you’re naturally drawn to look out the window. Your heart leaps when you see him. He’d sitting by the same tree he had a couple days ago, looking out towards the water. Taking a deep breath, gathering up your courage, you exit the cabin. The morning air is cool against your skin, but it does little to soothe your nerves.

Each step you take towards him makes your heart beat faster, the anxiety building with every stride. You’re so nervous to talk to him, afraid of how this interaction might go. You had a pretty bad track record so far of turning civil conversations into heated arguments.

As you get closer, you come to realize he has one of his black books with him. It’s opened up, and it looks like he’s sketching something. His eyes dart from between the lake in front of him to his book, pausing between his strokes when he does.

He either doesn’t hear you or chooses not to acknowledge you until you’re about halfway to him. You can see him glance a little over his shoulder as you draw near, but he never fully turns his head to look at you. His gaze just goes back to his book. Even when you’re finally right next to him, he still doesn’t say anything or even look up at you.

“Can I sit with you for a bit?” You ask before you lose your courage and run back to the cabin.

Soap is silent for a couple seconds, and for a moment, you’re worried he’s not going to say anything to you. There’s a pang in your chest at that thought, but Soap finally answers after a moment.

“Sure.” He sighs, seeming to know exactly what you are here for. Then again, why else would you ever come to talk to him?

Slowly, you move to sit beside him. It’s peaceful outside, a stark contrast to how you’re feeling. Not really knowing how you want to start this conversation, you instead look at the sketch he’s currently working on.

“I didn’t know you liked to draw.” You say, watching as he carefully makes each line on the paper. He’s drawing the scene of the lake. Using one of his fingers, he smudges a line he’s just made, darkening his finger with the lead of his pencil.

“It helps pass the time. Takes my mind off stuff.” He shrugs, still offering his full attention to his drawing.

“It looks nice. You’re really good at drawing.”

And you’re being genuine. You’re surprised to say that Soap is really good at drawing. He’s about halfway through sketching the landscape, and it looks beautiful so far. Despite your compliment though, Soap sighs, taking his pencil off the drawing and finally looking at you.

“What do you want?” He asks, making you shy away slightly. You don’t want him thinking your compliment was just empty words.

“I was being serious. Your drawing is really nice. You’re really talented.”

Soap sighs again, glancing back down to his artwork, but not drawing anymore. “Thanks. But I know you’re not out here cause you want to watch me draw. So get to it.”

You’re silent for a long time, watching the side of his face. You were out here to talk to him about last night, but you were nervous. You wanted to ease into it, not just dive right in. Though with Soap outing you on your intentions, you don’t really have a choice now.

“I just wanted to talk to you about last night…” You say slowly.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” He answers quickly, making you frown. Of course there was something to talk about. How could he say that?

“Soap, we… we had sex. How is that not something to talk about?”

“Lots of people have sex, States.” He shrugs. You begin to nervously pick at your nails.

“So it didn’t mean anything?” You find yourself asking.

You don’t know what you want his answer to be. You should want him to say it didn’t mean anything. It was just sex and nothing more. But a part of you doesn’t want him to say that. Maybe if it meant something then you wouldn’t regret it so much? Or maybe you really just wanted it to have meant something.

“Don’t you fucking dare do that.”

“Do what?” You frown.

“Don’t you start telling me this meant something to you. That you think this fixes anything between us.”

“It… it didn’t, I don’t. I mean, I’m just sorting through it- I don’t know.” You say quickly, caught off guard by what he said.

“Fucking Christ…” Soap mutters, burying his face into his hands as you begin to feel flustered.

“Can you just-! Just answer my question! So what we did last night didn’t mean anything?”

Soap groans, hitting his head against the back of the tree slightly. “Nope. It was just sex. Something to get rid of all the tension for a bit. That’s it.”

His answer hurts you a lot more than you expect. The sting of his words leaves you momentarily speechless, your mind racing to process his easy dismissal. “Ok.. well, good.” You find yourself saying, looking out across the waters. It’s silent for a few moments before Soap breaks it.

“Hey, by the way, you’re not going to get pregnant, are you? You are on birth control right?” He looks over to you, and you’re staring straight ahead, a blank expression on your face. His voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, no we’re fine. I’ve got a birth control implant.”

You weren’t on birth control for the birth control part of it. It was mostly to help with a hormone imbalance to make your menstrual cycle more regular. But the birth control part of it was nice too for situations like when your teammate randomly decides to fuck you senseless.

Soap nods, his gaze shifting back to his sketchbook. He seems to visibly relax knowing there wasn’t a chance of you being pregnant. “Good. Don’t have to worry about that. Let’s just move on then, alright? What we did last night doesn’t change anything.”

You bite the insight of your lip. “How can you say it doesn’t change anything?” It could be meaningless sex, but to say it didn’t change anything? That was ridiculous.

Soap pauses, his pencil hovering above the page. He doesn't look up, but you can see the tension in his shoulders. "Because it doesn’t," he says, his voice tight. "We had sex. It’s over. We move on."

You shake your head, frustration boiling over. “How can you just brush it off like it’s nothing."

He finally sets his pencil down, meeting your gaze with a hard stare. "What do you want me to say, States? That it meant something? That it was special? It wasn’t. It was a mistake if anything.”

You hesitate, your emotions a tangled mess. "I don’t know… It just doesn’t feel like it was nothing."

He sighs heavily, closing his sketchbook. "Look, it was a mistake. A moment of weakness. We both needed an outlet, and it happened. But that’s all it was.”

You take a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. "I just… Can I ask you something else?” You ask softly. There was still so much you wanted to get answers to.

Soap gives you a hard stare, but he eventually caves. “Sure. Go ahead.” Soap sighs, turning his gaze to look out at the lake. He clearly doesn’t want to keep talking about this with you, but he lets you continue anyway.

“I need to understand. Why did you kiss me? Why now, after everything?”

Soap’s jaw clenches slightly, you make out the slight pulse in his jaw when he does. “Because I needed to blow off some steam. Because we were both there, and it was convenient. Does it matter?”

“Yes, it matters!” You snap, your voice rising. “It matters because I need to know if this was just some spur-of-the-moment decision for you or if there’s something more to it.”

Soap sighs heavily, running a hand over his face in annoyance. “States,” he says, his tone softer but still firm. You can he’s trying to keep his cool. “I don’t have a better answer for you. It was just sex. That’s all it was. It was just a way to release some tension. There’s no hidden meaning behind it. No deeper nothing. It’s better if we just forget it and move on.”

“So that’s it?” You manage to say, voice trembling slightly. “We just go back to hating each other?”

Soap’s eyes meet yours. There’s a flicker of something—regret, maybe?—but it’s gone too quickly to be sure. “Yes, we go back to the way things were, and we forget this ever happened. It’s better that way.”

“How can we just act like nothing happened?”

“We just go about our lives like we did before we fucked. It’s not that hard, States.”

You bite your lip, fighting back tears. “Maybe for you!”

“Oh, don’t give me that shite. You’re a soldier. You know how to compartmentalize. Do it.”

You shake your head, frustration boiling over. “That’s not fair, Soap. You can’t just ignore my feelings because it’s easier for you.”

“I’m not ignoring your feelings! I’m trying not to make things more complicated than they need to be!”

“It’s already complicated! My whole relationship with you is complicated. And now I don’t know what the hell to do! People who hate each other don’t fuck each other.”

“I don’t know what to fucking tell you! I was angry, things have been tense between us for a long time, I wanted to release that tension. So I did. It wasn’t anything. Just a build up of too much tension that needed to be released. And it helped. The sex was good, but that’s all it was. If you can’t wrap your head around that, then that’s your problem, not mine,” he says coldly. “I’ve said what I needed to say. If you can’t move on, that’s on you.”

He picks up his sketchbook up off the ground and stands up, effectively ending the conversation. You continue to sit there, feeling more lost and confused than ever. The weight of his words hung heavily on your heart. You just had to forget it… Move on and act like it hadn’t happened. You regretted it, you wished it hadn’t happened.

Then why couldn’t you let it go?

Soap was more than willing to act like it was nothing. To go back to your normal lives. Though maybe the problem was that you didn’t want to go back. You didn’t want to go back to the way things were. Where you fought constantly and were always at each other’s throats. Maybe you hoped that sex meant Soap didn’t hate you after all. It certainly felt like he despised you even more now though.

The more you thought about it, the more angry you got. He kissed you, he was the one who’d had sex with you, he started all of this. All with the intention of just making himself feel better. No regard for how it might affect you. He really hated you that much? And he wouldn’t even tell you why he felt the way that he did. If you had some explanation, some reason, maybe it’d make it better to accept it, but he gave you nothing.

Feeling a new fire ignite inside you, one that didn’t want to go back, or at least wanted answers as to why Soap resented you, you get up and march after him. He’d been dodging the question every time you asked, but not anymore. If things were going to go back to how they were, you were going to know why he felt the way he did.

By the time you’re up, Soap is already walking up the steps of the porch and heading inside. You follow after him, trying to get to him before he tries to leave again or before you lose the nerve to talk with him.

You push the door of the cabin open and step inside, scanning the small space for him. He’s in the bedroom, tucking his journal away as you walk up to the doorway. As soon as Soap realizes you’re back, a sour look crosses his face.

“Fucking hell, what do you want? We’re done talking about last night.” He says firmly, going back to doing whatever it was he came in here to do.

“No we’re not.” You say as firmly as you can. It comes out a little shaky though. “If last night changes nothing, and if it meant nothing, if we have to just go back hating each other-“

“There is no ‘going back’ to hating each other. We always have, nothing ever changed that.” Soap interrupts, just stabbing another knife into your chest.

“Don’t interrupt me! If you’re going to hate me, that’s fine. But I want to know why you do.”

Soap visibly gets uncomfortable, his shoulders tensing. “I already told you, I don’t need to explain myself.”

“You kind of do. You can't just keep pushing me away, Soap. If you really hate me that much, at least have the decency to tell me why."

“I’m not doing this with you.”

“Yes you are! I deserve to know why you hate me. After everything you did yesterday, I deserve some answers.”

He clenches his jaw, looking away for a moment before finally meeting your gaze again. "Fine. You want to know why? Because you're always so damn stubborn, always in my face, challenging me, questioning everything I do."

Your heart is pounding in your chest. “So, you hate me because I stand up to you? Because I won't just roll over and let you constantly talk shit to me?”

“Yep.” He answers shortly, and you know he’s lying. Or at least not telling you everything.

“Bullshit. I didn’t start doing any of that to you for a long time. You were awful to me since I stepped foot on base. From our first introduction to each other. Was there someone else you wanted instead of me on the Task Force? Do you not like a girl joining your little group? Are you afraid I’m going to out perform you? Is it because the guys like me, and you can’t stand that?”

“We didn’t need you on our team! We were fine before you came along and ruined the entire dynamic.”

“You are literally the only one who thinks that!”

“Yeah, well, it’s not the first time I’ve seen a whole fucking unit crumble because no one wanted to believe me! I will not let you come in and tear everything apart!”

“I’m not going to tear you guys apart! I want to be on this team! I want to be with Price and Gaz and Ghost, and even you!”

“Yeah that’s what Annette said too!”

“Who’s Annette?” You ask, and Soap instantly closes himself off. He’s said too much. Got too caught up in the heat of the moment, slipped up, and revealed something to you he didn’t want to.

“She’s no one.” He says harshly before quickly continuing. “Look, you want to know why I fucking hate everything about you, States?” Soap is slowly approaching you, cornering you against the doorframe. “Oh, where to even start. You’re stubborn. You can’t keep your nose out of other people’s business. You’re annoying as hell. You’re an absolute shite soldier, one I can’t trust to have my back on the field. You’re reckless, you’re a liability, and you have no clue what it means to be part of a team. And don’t get me started on your pathetic attempts to prove yourself. You’re just a suck up to Price and the others. It’s embarrassing. You think you’re tough? You’re a joke. Every time you open your mouth, I want to walk the other way. You’re nothing but a thorn in my side, and I wish you’d never been assigned to this team. You’re weak, you’re useless, and you’re a bloody nuisance. That’s why I hate you, States. Because you’re not worth the dirt on my boots.”

You’re almost in tears as he finishes up. Your jaw is clenched tight to keep it from trembling, and you’re gripping the wood on the door frame so tightly you’re afraid it’s going to rip off. Soap has been a jerk to you in the past, but he’s never been this raw with his words before. At least you finally had an answer. One that felt real. Genuine. And shit, did it hurt.

“We’ve got three more fucking days together, States. Don’t speak to me again during that time. Understand?”

He’s leaning over you, face far too close for comfort. All you can do is nod your head, afraid that opening your mouth is going to make you break down. Soap huffs, his warm breath against your cheek before he pulls away.

“Going out for bit. Gonna be hours. Just letting you know so you don’t worry.” He tells you mockingly before leaving you against the doorframe. You listen for the sound of the cabin door closing before you sink to the ground, sobbing into your knees as you hug them close to you.

***

As Soap leaves the cabin, he can hear you crying inside. Despite all the horrible things he just said, after expressing how much he hated you, his heart tightens in his chest. It wasn’t that he liked saying those things… hell, he wasn’t even sure he meant half of those things anymore. But he refused to let you in. He couldn’t. And you just won’t understand that.

It was all just a mess. Truth was, things had changed yesterday when he had sex with you. The more time he spent thinking about it, the more he realized Ghost was right. He really did just need to fuck you and get it out of his system. For the split second that all the tension was resolved, he truly felt an attraction towards you.

And that scared him.

He hadn’t been expecting that. He thought you’d simply fuck and then have a breather for a moment. He didn’t expect to be rushed with this sudden urge to actually want to be with you.

These next three days couldn’t go by faster. He wanted this hell to be over. This torment to just end. He yearned to go back to how things were before he came here with you. Even if it’d been complicated before, it was better than how complicated it was now.

He listens to your sobs a moment more before shaking his head and heading for the woods. If he stayed a second longer, he was afraid he’d run back to you and do something he was going to regret.

***

You sat on the floor and cried for what felt like hours. Your eyes burned from how many tears had been leaking from them. The skin your around eyes was sore from how often you’d wiped at them, and your last clean shirt was now soiled with tears and snot. It wasn’t pretty…

After a few hours, you really couldn’t cry anymore. You didn’t think it was possible, but you’re sure you’ve run out of tears. You feel disgusting. Soap’s words played on repeat over and over in your head, and you’re beginning to believe them.

Liability… untrustworthy… embarrassing… weak… useless…

You didn’t want to be those things. And you know Ghost, Price, or Gaz would be so fast to dismiss them and reassure you that you weren’t. But they weren’t here, and they couldn’t tell you those things. The only person you had was Soap.

At some point, you decide you’ve had enough of sitting on the hard wood floor. You were a soldier. You know how to pull yourself together and keep going. So that’s what you were going to do. The first thing you were going to do was take a bath. Wash away any remnants of Soap. Wash away the things he’s said to you, the grim, the pain. Take the opportunity to clean yourself now that you felt like you were in a million pieces before you put yourself back together again.

You slowly collect all the things you needed for bathing and head outside. It’s warm. Beautiful as always. You hope maybe the sun will help you grow after feeling like you’ve wilted. You can only hope.

As you step onto the deck, you notice your shit covered boots still waiting outside to be cleaned. You might as well clean those too while you’re at it. Why shouldn’t everything have a fresh start. So you pick those up and carrying them down with you to the waters edge, dropping them in the dirt while dropping your towel on a nice patch of grass.

You strip down, no longer really caring about who is going to see you. You’re far too upset to care at this point. The sun is warm of your skin, but the water is cold. It always is. It’s numbing though, and you’d really like to feel numb for a little bit.

You’re stepping deeper and deeper, feeling an odd moment of calm. The water really is soothing. It’s helping to take your mind off the past three days. You close your eyes, soaking up the sunlight on your face and letting the water hold you.

You’re so deep into your own mind, trying to self soothe, that you don’t hear the silent steps of someone joining you on the shoreline. You don’t hear your boots being knocked over, or see your clothes being stepped on. It’s only when the feet of your unwanted guest step into the water, creating ripples and a plunking sound, that you realize you’re not alone.

An uneasy feeling overwhelms you and you shrink down slightly. “Soap?” You ask hesitantly, your first thought being that he was close by. But when you glance over your shoulder, it’s not Soap. Instead of meeting his angry blue eyes, you instead meet the angry black eyes of a black bear.

You gasp, almost losing your footing as you try to back away quickly into the deeper water to get some distance. There was a fair amount of distance between you and the bear already, but your first instinct was to get away from it.

The bear is sniffling the air, looking right at you. It’s watching your every movement like it’s reading your body language. Trying to decide if you’d be worth going after. It makes a few grunting sounds, which sound so familiar. This must have been the bear that was chasing you yesterday. It must have followed you here.

“G-go away!” You shout at it, not sure if you’re suppose to play dead or not. Clearly this bear knows you aren’t dead, and you honestly aren’t sure if the play dead thing was a myth or not.

Maybe it wasn’t a myth though, cause as soon as you shout at it, it raises onto its back legs and bellows at you. The sounds makes your heart thud harder in your chest, a shiver of fear running all through you. Its teeth look so sharp, it’s claws so long. Panic is starting to overtake you no matter how hard you try to push it down and keep a clear mind.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God… what the fuck do I do?” You mutter to yourself, yelping as it comes down on all fours again.

The bear starts to walk into the water, continuing to sniff the air and watch your every movement. It’s still grunting and growling at you as it slowly stalks towards you.

You’re frozen in fear, almost like you’re hoping it won’t see you if you stay super still, and it will go away. The creature takes a lunge at you, splashing up water before retreating a bit. Testing you. The sudden movement brings you back to the present, and you let out a scream, holding your arms up to shield you from the spray of water.

“Go away!” You shout louder this time and start to splash water towards it in hopes of scaring it off. It manages to make the animal jump and back away, but it recovers when it realizes the water didn’t hurt and starts to come in again.

It lunges again at you, letting out a long roar and getting closer. However, this time it doesn’t back away. Its mouth is hanging open and thick drool is dripping from its chops. It was like drooling at the very thought of having you for its next meal, a thought that makes you shiver.

“Get out of here! Go!” You shout some more. In a panic, you try to make more distance, swimming out a little further. The water was coming up to just under your chest now.

You avert your gaze for a split second to look around for a weapon, a stick or anything to defend yourself with, and the second you look away, the bear charges. You scream again, heart pounding and tears coming to your eyes. It was standing up again so it could touch the bottom of the lake, its arm taking a swipe at you. Luckily you’re still just out of reach.

“Go away! You fucking stupid animal! Go away!” You scream at it, backing up more.

To say you are terrified is an understatement. You’re naked and completely unprepared to fight off something like a bear. You can’t think, your mind still stressed and exhausted from the last few hours. You’re panicking and afraid that you’re going to die.

Then you hear, far off in the distance, a familiar voice. One you’ve never been more happy to hear in your entire life. As relieved and happy as you are to hear him, you hope it’s not going to be the last voice you ever hear.

“States?! States!!!”

***

[unhinged-simp]

LOVE YOUR HC!!! Can I ask for Haku, Romeo, Sho, Subaru courting the reader? And maybe a jealous HC if you are comfortable haha (could be combined to one or separated HC)

Haku, Romeo, Sho, and Subaru Courting Reader HCs(Gender Neutral Reader)

Of course! Thank you for requesting.

Ahhh thank you!

I'll do a separate jealous HCs since I didn't really include it in this post. I wasn't as well versed in courting hcs as I was in dating hcs, so I hope you enjoy.

Spoilers for the Hotarubi chapter in Subaru's part

It happened one day, out of the blue, when Haku asked you if he could court you. 

When you agreed, Haku began.

It started with texts. You two would converse whenever you had free time.

The texts ranged from ordinary school life to the flirting that Haku did occasionally. 

Next, Haku would give you little gifts. Flowers, little keychains that reminded him of you, plushies, and many more gifts.

And finally, he planned out many dates.

Restaurant dates were the first kinds of dates you went on. Then you went on trips to amusement parks and arcades. Now you guys go on little fun dates.

Haku would make sure to set boundaries between you and him.

If you enjoy physical content, he would make sure to initiate it. If not, he'd respect it.

Haku would ask Subaru and Zenji for advice for courting.

You would meet with the other ghouls in Hotarubi very often, having tea parties and talks.

Even though he's busy most of the time, he always makes time for you.

Romeo is a bit worse with courting. He didn’t even tell you he wanted to, he just started doing it. 

When you told him that you’d go through with the courting, he didn’t really react besides a “good choice” and a smile, but inside he was ecstatic.

Romeo was not that great at flirting at first, often times more of a backhanded compliment than a real compliment. Though after some conversations with Rui, reluctantly, he managed to get the hang of it.

The gifts Romeo brought you were oftentimes things he uses and owns. 

Similar clothes, the same perfume he wears, and even similar sunglasses. He also gets you lots of flowers.

Even with his busy schedule, he managed to plan dates. 

Fancy restaurant dates were the most common, although if you expressed interest, you could convince him to go to an aquarium, amusement park, or site seeing different spots in Japan. 

Romeo is very possessive and proud. The gifts he gives you are his way of “marking you.” 

He'd only be affectionate in public if it was a way to brag about you, and the fact that you’re the one dating the great Fico. 

He would actively keep you away from Taiga and Rui, especially Taiga. 

He’s always eager to meet up with you whenever his work ends.

Sho doesn’t really know how to court properly, but that still doesn’t stop him.

After much consideration, he asks you if could court you. 

He already texted you a lot, but he ups the romance a bit. He tries to flirt with you, but it ends up failing, at least you got a smile out of it. After lots of research he starts getting the hang of it.

Sho learns your preferences to pick out perfect gifts for you. 

He gives you your favorite flowers, clothes he knows you'd like, and jewelry that you love.

Though he does buy you small things like coffee and food.

Dates with Sho are often held at your dorm with a home cooked meal made by him. He does take you on amusement park dates, arcade dates, and even cooking dates.

Sho does enjoy physical touch, and often holds your hand. Kisses and hugs are saved for private. He loves cuddling with you.

He actively keeps you away from Leo, but he doesn’t mind you being around Alan. 

You’re his encouragement, and he looks forward to whenever he gets to see you.

Subaru is a mess when it comes to courting you. When you approve of him courting, he nervously starts.

Subaru’s texts are polite and romantic. He doesn’t know how to flirt, so he often asks for advice from Haku and Zenji. 

Subaru uses his stigma to learn your preferences, which helps him not overthink presents for you. He also gets help from Haku about gifts for you.

Lots of flowers, jewelry, and little trinkets are given to you by him. He gives you a pretty decorated good luck charm that he made.

Subaru’s dates are pretty chill. He takes you to watch Kabuki, you two have little tea dates, and you take little walks through scenic places. 

Subaru doesn’t like physical touch due to his stigma, but if you do, he’ll deal with it. He does like hugging you, he just wishes his stigma doesn’t activate.

You have tea and snacks with Haku and Zenji occasionally. Subaru sometimes joins in with them when he isn’t busy. 

[btsmosphere]

Supercharged | JJK

Chapter 2: Reign of Mercy

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🗲summary: It starts with a blow to the chest that changes your life. When your city’s most celebrated hero pays a visit, it turns out the noble Bolt has no trouble tossing lives aside. Lives that won't be missed. Lives like yours. Seven mysterious and powerful men give you another chance – one that starts to feel more like a curse the moment you meet golden boy Jungkook. The boy who wants you as far from his brothers as he can get you. Is it you he hates, or the blue lightning that now runs through your veins? And could it be his golden light that illuminates your heart when darkness threatens? 🗲this chapter: There’s a whole world here, where your curse can start to bloom…

🗲pairing: jungkook x female reader 🗲word count: 6.1k 🗲genre: angst, action, eventual fluff, enemies to lovers, slow burn, superheroes/villains au, found family 🗲rating: pg15 🗲warnings: violence with superpowers, past attempted murder

a/n: if anyone is wondering, 190811 jungkook is exactly who I have in my head for this fic. so, go google that and thank me later😍😂 also if you saw me change the summary, don't mind me😙 one more thing, I just wanted to clarify that while I say female reader, in this fic it's just the use of she/her pronouns. reader is shorter than Jungkook, but I don't think there's any actual anatomy description going on, in case that's a worry for you!

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“You’re kidding, right?”

Namjoon made no reply to Jungkook at first, simply sighing. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he moved past the younger man and sank into the sofa. Anyone would have thought he hadn’t heard the irate question.

Eventually he deigned to give a weary reply.

“Jungkook, we can’t pick and choose what happens. And nor could she. So drop it.”

Silent, wide eyes flickered between the two from the kitchen. Jimin’s breath stilled at his lips watching his two brothers while he clutched V’s hand tightly.

Chewing over Namjoon’s response, Jungkook was like a ticking bomb. His gaze never faltered, blazing eyes fixed on his leader.

“Jungkook.”

Only now did his tense form turn, finding Yoongi sat on the sofa behind him, relaxed with one leg slung over the other. No one had seen him come in, but that was normal. He still had his hood up; probably just got back.

Aiming a level look at the youngest, Yoongi said no more.

Exhaling, Jungkook’s shoulders relaxed a little. Simultaneously, a hint of poison leaked away from the air in the room.

Jungkook turned around.

“It was Bolt, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Namjoon didn’t try to deny it.

Swallowing, Jungkook stepped back to take a seat by Yoongi. He did not relax into the sofa's comfort, however, staying perched on the edge, alert.

“It’ll be fine,” Namjoon spoke firmly, “I understand you’re not feeling great about it, but you’ll get used to it. A good night’s sleep, and you’ll forget you were ever this mad.”

Jungkook scoffed derisively. Like that was ever going to happen.

“It’s not fair on the kid,” Yoongi weighed in, “she was pretty beat up.”

“See?” Namjoon agreed, as if that was a positive thing. “Never mind how she might look, she was a victim of Bolt too.”

Eyes slipping to the floor, Jungkook stuck his tongue in his cheek.

“You know how we work.”

Namjoon’s words were final. And Jungkook could easily read within them the challenge, daring him to question their methods. Their trust. And he could never do that. Angry as he was, he knew Namjoon was right.

“How you’re feeling is valid,” a softer voice tentatively entered.

As Jimin slid into the spot beside him, shuffling as close as possible with comforting arms enfolding his form, Jungkook gave in. Slouching at last, he leaned into his brother as V found a spot opposite.

“But try to be fair,” Jimin’s gentle reminder sounded in his ear.

Jungkook stayed silent.

Cracking open, the door left a gap just big enough for Jin to talk through. The sound proofing on your safe room made it necessary.

“Good morning! Are you decent?”

He had to resist the panicked urge to enter when nothing answered him for a moment. But he needn’t have worried; you were still asleep. His greeting brought the first ray of light with it to illuminate your room, and soon had you stirring.

Eyelids inching open, you managed a groggy humming sound.

“Can I come in?”

“Huh? Yeah,” you croaked, coming to your senses.

Sitting up among a crumpled pile of blankets, you were in time to receive a glass of water from Jin as he entered. On moving, your head announced its displeasure with a nauseating wave of pain, so you were grateful for the pills he then pushed into your hand.

“How are you feeling?”

Swallowing them down with the cold water, you finally became alert enough to feel embarrassed. In front of you, Jin was professionally dressed in a shirt, smart as he had been the night before. You however, probably looked like the worst hangover in history.

“Not bad…” you muttered.

Examining your hands, there was mercifully no sign of that cursed blue so far. The burn you had sustained was also remarkably faded.

“Up to some breakfast? It would certainly help.”

Not sure how hungry you were, you agreed anyway. He probably knew best.

Stepping outside, he waited while you slipped on some clothes he had brought. They were fairly shapeless, large black things, but you couldn’t exactly complain.

Just as the sweater fell over your head, a prickling sensation burst into your wrists.

Gasping, you dropped the jumper over your eyes to look. To your surprise the blue shocks of light jumped from your fingertips and up the fibres of the garment like static. You braced for the burning feeling like last time, but it never came.

Still not free from the knot of fear which tightened every time the powers leapt out, you stared, dumbstruck at your palms.

“Y/N? Are you nearly ready?”

Blinking rapidly, you looked, startled to the door.

“Sorry! One moment!” you called.

There you stood, fully dressed, yet frozen to the spot. As much as this room felt like a cell, you were safe in the knowledge that your powers would do no damage in here. If you left its walls, you had no way of controlling it.

Fists clenching of their own accord, you didn't notice the gasping sniffles that took over you as you watched the door fearfully.

Clearly, Jin did.

“Y/N?” his voice was markedly more concerned, “I’m coming in.”

A moment’s pause, and he was coming towards you.

A firm grip on your wrists pulled you back to reality. Horrified, you stared wide-eyed at Jin’s hands, expecting at any moment for them to be fried when your powers made themselves known. But he was unafraid, keeping them there without hesitation.

“Y/N.” His steady tone had you raising your eyes to him. “I know this is strange for you. But you won’t hurt any of us, it’s perfectly fine. And besides, food makes everything better.”

Holding his smiling gaze with scepticism, you let your hands fall weakly to your sides as he released them. Wiggling your fingers, you tried to detect any sign of the electricity that now resided there.

With a sigh, you only lagged a few steps when you followed Jin's lead out of the room.

A little way down the corridor, a glorious smell of cooking wafted past. Perhaps Jin had a point.

Emerging into the kitchen, you eagerly headed towards the mouth watering scent. But on rounding the corner, your steps slowed a little. Although the space was mostly empty, providing some relief from the overwhelm of last night, the figures that occupied the place were not ones that built your confidence.

By the stove, flipping bacon in a pan, was a man you hadn’t seen before. But you only caught a glimpse of his profile under white hair, before your eyes fell on the other, seated at the island.

Slowing, you instantly recognised the face of Jungkook, who had looked so angry last time he had seen you. Tentative to get too close, you stopped entirely some steps away from the seats.

Nearer to you, the tv was on, volume low as it displayed the news to two empty sofas. But, eager for the distraction, you let your eyes linger on it to delay approaching the intimidating man in the kitchen.

Shame it didn’t provide the respite you were bargaining for. A shot of a city tower cut directly to a startling blue image, the beaming face of a man otherwise hidden by his mask. Bolt.

Your eyes widened, breath freezing in your body as the blue eyes on screen seemed to pierce through to meet your own. The same blue which had confronted you in the mirror last night.

Gulping, you forced your eyes down to the rolling red text below the images.

BOLT SPARES ATTACKER, REIGN OF MERCY PREVAILS

Something churned, low and dangerous in your gut. The letters leered, imprinting themselves on your retinas as you struggled to believe them.

“…you know, my job is to keep people safe, not to sentence them…” Bolt’s voice carried faintly from the screen, twisting harshly in your ears, “…the authorities are the real heroes, I just lend a hand where I can…”

So Bolt had done the noble thing, and left Kuyang unharmed? Except he had sentenced you. Judge, jury and executioner, all in the blink of an eye. In one throwaway flicker of light.

Taeyeon hadn’t even been so lucky.

You hadn’t even noticed the tension in your frame until the image in front of you suddenly shrunk, dropping to black.

“That’s enough of that.”

Jin threw the remote onto the sofa, giving you a meaningful glance. You avoided it, spinning back onto your original path, having totally forgotten your reason for abandoning it in the first place.

Jungkook had been shovelling food into his mouth, but looked up as Jin rounded the island.

And then he saw you.

Straightening instantly in his chair, his chopsticks hovered in mid-air as his every action halted.

Your brain failed you, leaving you staring right back. It was only after a second that you jerkily prompted yourself to smile. Might as well try to make a good impression.

His brow quirked a little, the only acknowledgment you got. Because not a second later, you were gasping as a shock ran down your arms.

Hurriedly fisting your hands in your jumper, you gritted your teeth. Already subsiding, the familiar feeling was seeping away as a chair screeched against the floor and Jungkook’s tall figure brushed roughly past you.

Turning after him with shock, you could only watch the rigid line of his shoulders as he marched away down the hall.

“Breakfast is served!”

Jin’s chipper call pulled you reluctantly back to the table. Seating yourself, you caught him looking regretfully after Jungkook.

Though the food on your plate was steaming hot and looked delicious, you frowned around at the kitchen. Hadn’t someone else just been here? And what had just happened with Jungkook?

As you began to eat, you eyed Jin’s back. Could you have done something to upset Jungkook? The way Jin had looked ready to run after him reminded you again of the fact you had suddenly intruded, albeit not of your own accord, on what seemed to be an established group.

Fixing your eyes on your plate, you focussed on getting through breakfast. It was admittedly very tasty, and you felt energy return to your body once more.

“Any better?”

Jin’s stubbornly upbeat mood was back, and now you were finally able to offer him a smile and a nod. Feeling full and a little more alive, you turned your attention to Jin who leant towards you from across the table.

“You’re still recovering from yesterday, but we need to do a little bit of work” – you frowned slightly – “it’s not like we want to put you in full training, but Joon reckons you would appreciate being able to control your powers a little.”

Though you nodded, your frown deepened.

“Training?”

“Ah.”

That was all Jin said before standing, leaving you no option but to follow him. Abandoning the kitchen, you hurried to his heels and walked, confused as ever, back down the corridor away from the main space.

However, this time, you passed by the door to your small room. There was little variation in scenery as you went further down the corridor. You found yourself near enough tripping over Jin’s heels when he stopped in front of the final door that ended the hallway. Plain and dark like the others, it was like a black hole, pulling you towards it.

Looking up at Jin, you tore your eyes away from his hand where it rested, hovering on the handle. His mouth had drawn itself into a flatter line, smile erased in favour of a serious stare.

“The others are probably in there already, so… just stay near.”

And then he flashed a smile, as if he had been inviting you in for tea.

With no more time to worry about what on earth he meant by that, you were greeted with the door opening and an instant cacophony of sound from beyond it.

Eyes widening, you forced newly tense muscles forwards. Jin’s reminder to ‘stay near’ pressed close on your mind as he disappeared into the dim space beyond.

A thin staircase curved and led you downwards. When the door shut, it cut off no light. In here, flashes bounced off dark walls, air cracking as it was tossed around.

Coming to the base of the stairs, you looked over a long room. It resembled a gym, a couple of benches and punching bags pushed against the outside walls and large square mats on the floor. Sure enough, as Jin had said, some of the boys you had met the previous day were dotted along it.

As you stopped beside Jin, who waited by the steps, another spark, like lightning, burst across the far end of the space. Gold sliced through the air in a thick, powerful beam, veins darting into the air.

Just as quickly, it was gone.

“Jungkook has the most similar powers to you,” Jin’s voice, low in your ear, “which is why we would have him teach you, but… I don’t think that’s best, right now.”

He moved into the space without elaborating. Though your feet carried you with him, you were occupied by squinting across at Jungkook. He hadn’t noticed you yet. He was facing away, and now he rolled his shoulders out, shaking hair from his face, and raised his arms again.

In the blink of an eye, vibrant gold shot from his palms, towards a sort of metal disk on the wall opposite him.

“Look out!”

Your gaze at Jungkook was severed as a tug came on your arm.

In your distraction, your feet had stilled, and now you stumbled towards Jin and out of the path of a medicine ball which slammed into the wall with a dull thud. Gulping, you watched it fall heavily to the ground, not even bouncing.

“Sorry!”

Snapping your jaw shut, you found the source of the apology.

Chest heaving and pink hair plastered to his forehead, was the man that had smiled at you last night. He shot another dazzling grin now, as if he hadn’t just sent a weighted ball shooting at where your head had been.

But as your eyebrows raised, he lifted a hand and suddenly the ball floated up from its resting place on the ground. The next moment it was flying back towards him.

Flattening his hand, the ball stopped and stayed hovering a few inches above his palm.

You must have failed to hide the shock on your face. The moment he looked over to you, he burst out laughing, eyes creasing. And you couldn’t be sure – his eyes were obscured after all – but they might have glowed pink for a moment as you watched. The ball never moved, seemingly fixed in place in mid-air.

“That’s Jimin,” Jin muttered, then raised his voice, “get back to it!”

Laughter subsiding into a bold grin, Jimin snatched the medicine ball from the air and turned away.

Close behind Jin, you made more effort to stay with him this time, eager not to find yourself in the path of any more flying things.

Further along, the wall gave way to an opening. A similar room lay beyond, square this time. Peering around the corner, a familiar blond zoomed across your vision. But watching the person, you could barely believe it was the same cheery Hope who had welcomed you yesterday.

This room had more equipment, ropes descending from the middle of the ceiling, as well as bars and hoops filling the floor. And currently Hobi was way above your heads, making easy work of a rope. Your eyes nearly popped out of your head when he leapt from it with zero hesitation.

A second later, he landed securely on the wall, grasping small climbing holds you hadn’t noticed. They were black just like the walls, only noticeable because he was now clutching onto them.

Pulling himself up, he launched once again into the air, kicking off the neighbouring wall into a somersault. You had barely scooped your jaw off the floor when he landed on a lower platform and dropped out of sight behind it.

“You know Hob-ah already,” Jin said conversationally. His light tone sounded more like he was showing you around an art gallery, not that you had just seen his friend performing death-defying stunts.

Rushing once more to keep up with your guide, your eyes never settled. They darted from him to the surroundings, not having time to look more at the flash of purple from across the room or the white-haired man slumping onto a bench near Jungkook.

“So this-“ you panted, “this is training?”

“Yep!”

“You… you all train with your powers?”

A nod.

You had reached the end of the gym now. A couple more doors led on; where, you could not guess. This place seemed like a maze. You didn’t even know whether you were underground or not at this point.

Sticking close to Jin, you couldn’t help but shrink back as you passed Jungkook. He was a few strides away, but as you expected, that venomous glare fixed itself back on his face the moment he saw you.

Sparks crackled by his fingertips, drawing your eyes. Was he trying to intimidate you?

Brow sinking and nostrils flaring, you fixed a stare right back at him. You hadn’t spoken to him once! What could his problem be? As you glared, a flicker of gold darted across his irises.

But then you had apparently reached your destination, as Jin opened one of the doors and you were led away, gaze warring with Jungkook until the last moment.

Once you turned back to Jin, you found him a way down the new hallway. Quickening to catch up, you frowned at the back of Jin’s head.

“What… what power do you have?” you asked tentatively.

In front of the next door, Jin stopped, making you do the same. A soft chuckle left him, his face good-humoured as he turned to you as if you had just told a joke. Shaking his head, his eyes turned back to the door you waited at.

“Me? No, I don’t have any powers.”

And then he was rapping at the door.

“One moment!” came a call from inside.

“Except maybe keeping Namjoon-ssi organised,” Jin winked at you then.

Too startled to form any kind of response, you hadn’t so much as laughed before the door was pulled open. Jin swiftly left as Namjoon smiled in greeting and stood back to let you into the room.

Swallowing, you stepped into the space. It was fairly unremarkable, grey walls with a plain desk and a couple of chairs in the middle.

You paused a few steps in, but now Namjoon strode to the desk. Following, you sat opposite him. A tension had seeped into your frame and now you eyed him warily as he made himself comfortable, a welcoming smile on his face.

“I’m sure Jin told you,” he began, “we don’t expect you to do anything with your powers just yet. But it will make things easier for you if you can control them a little. Is that okay?”

You nodded.

Taking you in for a moment, Namjoon was silent. Then he sat back and spread his arms.

“I want you to summon them.”

“What?”

Your protest was instant, but you got no further.

“If you can summon them, that level of control will help you to suppress them as well,” Namjoon explained calmly, finger raised to quell your complaints, “not to mention that by using your powers, it prevents the need for them to burst out uncontrolled as well.”

“But… I don’t know how to summon them,” you spoke quieter, hanging your head.

The scrape of his chair brought your eyes up again. An encouraging nod your way had you standing as well.

“Hold your hands out.”

Still hesitant, you did it anyway. He seemed to have no issue with the fact he would be directly in your line of fire if you actually succeeded.

“Okay. I would have liked to ask Jungkook to do this with you, since his powers are most like yours. I don’t know exactly what your powers feel like, so you’ll have to think about that yourself. Can you imagine how it felt when you used them?”

You chewed your lip as you tried to recall. It hadn’t been pleasant, you knew that. A sort of itching, tingling sensation – though at first it had been worse, like a burning.

You didn’t want to feel that again.

“Got it?” he asked.

Nodding weakly, you listened to the next instructions.

“As a starting point, try to picture the feeling. Hopefully they should respond. Really focus, and when they do, try to sustain it for a couple of seconds. You should be able to feel the core, where the power is flowing from.”

You blinked. You hadn’t really understood any of that, but you took a deep breath anyway.

Letting your eyes slide closed, you tried to remember precisely the feeling of your powers. Not that you wanted to feel the electricity claw its way down your veins, or burst from your fingertips.

Nonetheless, you willed the fire to unleash itself.

It must have sensed your reluctance, though. Nothing came.

Dropping your arms after a few more moments, you sent an apologetic glance to Namjoon. But he didn’t look disappointed in the least like you had imagined he would.

“It almost never works the first time,” he said. “Keep trying.”

Biting down on your lip, you resigned yourself and raised your hands again.

“If it helps, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he kept talking, “you won’t hurt me, or damage anything. In fact, you can actively try to hit me if you want. Imagine I’m someone you hate!”

His dimpled grin made it hard to imagine him as an enemy you would enjoy frying with lightning. Focussing again on the non-existent feeling in your arms and hands, you tried to come up with some sort of motivation.

Your first thought was Bolt.

You had only seen him for a few minutes, but it had been enough for him to rule your life out as insignificant. The single thoughtless shock of blue could well have ended your life – nearly did.

A sharp flicker of heat made your eyes fly open. At the same moment, an exclamation from Namjoon.

For a split second, blue had bloomed in your palms, but it had slipped away before you could grasp it.

“That was good,” he encouraged, “a bit longer next time.”

Breathing heavily, you shut your eyes again, the sensation more present in your mind now. Your anger at Bolt had helped, but the memory was so fleeting it couldn’t sustain the feeling.

Taking a steadying breath, you straightened your arms in front of you. You wanted to do this. Strangely, the next face that cropped up was that of Jungkook. Glaring whenever he saw you, he seemed to resent your presence.

Maybe he didn’t want you there? Didn’t think you belonged?

You would show him. You wanted to do this. If you could control your powers, he would have no reason to look down on you.

Gritting your teeth, you looked the inevitable pain right in the face, challenging it to come out.

Like a floodgate opening, you felt a heat expand in your chest, energy flowing down your arms. When your eyes opened, they were met with a beam of light as it exploded out from your hands.

Without noticing it, your jaw had dropped. The bright blue light you had so quickly come to despise spilled confidently from open palms. Very quickly, the discomfort of electricity in your veins faded, nothing a but a slight warmth to indicate your power.

Around you, you vaguely noticed a deep red glow hanging in the air. Made of light, the cage-like structure stretched from the floor and was containing the lightning you were creating.

On the other side of it, Namjoon stood unharmed, your power dissipating, melting in mid-air before it could harm him.

“Stop,” he now told you, voice slightly raised.

Blinking as spots bleached themselves into your vision, you tore your eyes from the light that had hypnotised you. How did you make it stop?

“Make the feeling go away,” Namjoon said, “the opposite of what you just did. You control these powers.”

You didn’t exactly feel that was true. Arms beginning to tremble, you desperately scrambled to shut it off. It felt warm, so you tried to think of cold, creeping up your arms…

The beams of light sputtered.

Breathing in, you clenched your fists around the power. You could tell it was stemming from your chest, and tried to focus on shutting it off. It felt much like swimming upstream, counter-intuitive as you had to forcefully reign in the feeling that suddenly felt natural.

Holding your breath, you screwed your eyes shut.

Your powers pushed back, wanting to be free. But you dug your heels in, getting the odd sensation that you were backed up against a door that didn’t want to shut.

But the warmth was receding, the stream of energy down your arms thinning.

Namjoon was repeating your name. You had to stop.

All at once, like a candle blown out, the light was gone. All the heat snuffed out, the barrier in your chest blockaded.

Gasping, you fell forwards, stumbling until your arms braced against the desk. Before now you hadn’t noticed the sweat breaking out on your forehead, nor the exertion making you heave for breath.

The red cage dissolved around you, a flash of crimson dying in Namjoon’s eyes.

“Good, well done,” he was saying, a chair being thrust under you. Sinking gladly into it, you still leaned heavily on the table.

“That was good,” he repeated, a glass of water making its way into your hand, “I won’t make you do more now. But it was a start.”

Panting, you raised your eyes as you lifted the glass to your lips. The water was welcome since you felt like you had just run the length of the city. Wrangling your powers to your will was difficult, but you didn’t know what you had expected.

A sharp chime rang out.

Starting, you saw Namjoon’s gaze snap to the tabletop, where a screen had lit up. A small circle and a name popped up, but he swiped it quickly away, the screen’s light dying the next second.

But you frowned. You could have sworn that said-

“Apologies,” he spoke, standing up, “business calls. Is it alright if you rest outside? You can find your way back when you’re ready. We have no more demands to make of you for a while.”

And so you followed him to the door, being left alone soon after.

You looked each way down the plain corridor outside. Letting a breath out, you resolved to at least find a seat before collapsing with exhaustion, so you set off, feeling a little lost. So far you hadn’t really been left alone here, always being shown the way.

But it was simple enough, only a straight path to the large training room you had already seen.

It was emptier now. Someone was evidently still training as you could hear noise, but it came from out of sight in one of the adjoining spaces. Otherwise, the place was now deserted, leaving you free to sink onto the nearest bench.

Limbs feeling a little shaky, you gladly took the weight off them and slumped back against the wall.

You were unsure how long you spent staring into space, catching your breath. That had been tiring, so much effort expended for relatively little result. You supposed you should be proud that you had achieved some level of control over the powers, but you still felt no safer. If they were to surge again, you were no closer to being able to hold them off with any ease, nor to summon them.

The only thing you were sure of was that the energy from breakfast had quickly been chased away, and the prospect of ever getting up again was distinctly unappealing.

“Hey!”

The cheery call pulled you from your thoughts. At some point the sounds from the next room had ceased, outside your notice, and now Hope was walking from the training room.

Having seen you, he changed course and was heading your way. The sight of his sweat-soaked hair and reddened face reassured you for a moment – you weren’t the only one tired. But this only comforted you for a split second before you remembered the sorts of stunts he had been doing, while you had only half succeeded in your beginner attempt.

“First training session?” he asked, thousand-watt grin never fading.

“If you could call it training,” you half-heartedly chuckled.

“Ah, you’ll be great in no time!” As he drew up to you, you finally mustered the strength to stand up, joining him to a clap on the shoulder. Taking in your dejected state, he offered a sympathetic smile. “Tiring tho, hmm?”

“You could say that.”

“Well, I know what you need! Some good food will pick you right up.”

You couldn’t say you disagreed, and put all your remaining energy into getting up the stairs and to the kitchen while Hobi talked on happily.

“I’ll get us something,” he told you once you were there.

Infinitely grateful for his offer, you slid into the closest seat and resisted the urge to face-plant the table. Instead you leaned on your elbows, watching idly as he grabbed plates from the cupboards.

“Ah! Y/N! How was it?”

A new addition rushed to the kitchen, familiar pink hair approaching as Jimin took a seat beside you. You looked back into a bright smile as he sat expectant.

Laughing drily, you looked at the countertop.

“I don’t think I’m a natural.”

Tilting his head, he pouted a little at your response and lifted a hand to rub your shoulder comfortingly.

“It’s always tough to start with,” he nodded, “but the beginning is the hardest. Don’t push yourself.”

“Yeah, we can’t all be Jungkook,” Hobi laughed. He returned to the table with two plates of sandwiches, pushing one under your nose. Jimin quickly turned his attention to pout at Hope, who rolled his eyes and shoved the other plate towards the pink-haired boy before returning to prepare another for himself.

As desperate as you had been a moment ago for some food, your curiosity was piqued.

““Be Jungkook”? What do you mean?”

“Our golden youngest,” Jimin explained, taking a large bite of his meal before adding, “for more than one reason.”

“It’s seriously unfair,” Hobi spoke over his shoulder, “the kid can do anything he sets his mind to. Best pupil Joon’s ever had.”

Shutting your mouth, you sank a little in your chair. Jimin was buried in his sandwich, and Hobi in the kitchen, leaving you to pick at your own plate. But you only bit your lip. So Jungkook was some kind of prodigy?

You sighed, neglecting your food entirely. It made you feel even worse about your terrible performance and lack of skill. And here you were, thinking that you would be able to prove yourself to the man who seemed to hate you.

Only when a flickering light distracted you did you look up from your hopelessness.

The kitchen light blinked off entirely for a brief moment, returning to reveal Hobi whirling around with a shout.

“That’s my lunch! Make your own, this is already my second try!”

Frowning, you looked around trying to spot who Hope was berating. Nothing.

While you sat perplexed, the blond suddenly leapt across your vision, jumping high enough to hop from the kitchen table and towards the sofa. As he landed, another figure became abruptly visible, falling as if emerging from a patch of shadow.

Beside you, Jimin guffawed loudly as you gaped. Hobi had knocked the mysterious figure from seemingly thin air, and now deftly swept a plate of sandwiches from their hands, the whole while straddling them to keep them pinned on the sofa cushions.

“Nice try!”

A muffled ‘get off’ accompanied flailing arms, vague attempts at whacking their attacker.

Heaving himself from the couch, Hobi walked victorious to the counter and began, at last, to eat. Behind him, a white-haired young man sat up, ruffling his dishevelled hair as a hood fell from his head.

He turned around with a sheepish smile, shuffling back to the kitchen.

“Be gentle, Hob-ah,” he grumbled on his way past, though there was no malice behind it.

Hobi only laughed loudly in return, turning as the white-haired man came past and playfully hit at his shoulder.

“You’re all brats!” Hope claimed loudly, waving half a sandwich in the air. He was laughing so hard you were concerned for a moment he would fall clean off the chair.

As yet, the new man hadn’t noticed your blatant staring. Luckily, your attention was diverted before he could see your saucer-like eyes. Unluckily, it was diverted by the entrance of a certain Jungkook.

Jimin had been the first to stop laughing. Looking around, you became aware of the tall figure hanging back in the shadows on the other side of the living room.

The raucous joy that had filled the kitchen froze over very quickly as the other occupants noticed him. Cold, piercing eyes scanned over the space, but undeniably landed on you. Struck dumb, you merely stared back as his calculating gaze bored into you.

Setting his jaw, his gaze snapped away, fleeting over the rest of the room for a moment before he turned and left.

Sliding from his chair, Jimin dropped his remaining lunch back onto his plate.

“Jungkook-” he called, shoulders drooping when there was no response. With a sigh he followed after the younger man.

You watched him go, and then watched the empty doorway he had left through. When at last you turned slowly back to the kitchen, Hoseok sent you a grimace.

“Sorry it’s taking him a while to warm up,” he said, as if that was consolation. It didn’t seem as if Jungkook was trying to ‘warm up’ to you at all.

You produced no reply, but were saved the trouble as the white-haired man joined you. For the first time, he looked at you, eyes roaming over your face, still surely littered with scrapes from the previous night.

“You look better than yesterday,” he commented.

You blinked.

“I’m sorry… have we met?”

“Yoongi,” he nodded, sinking onto a chair. Then, “you should eat that.”

That had hardly explained anything, but you complied anyway, picking up your food. Once you had finally finished your sandwich, the quiet was disrupted by Namjoon entering. Nodding once at you, he headed across to the kitchen.

Seeing him again, you were reminded of the ‘business’ call that had taken him from you earlier on. Eyes lingering on his back as he busied himself grabbing a mug and plate from the cupboards, your curiosity swelled within you. You were sure you had seen who was calling him. Though your life before Bolt – and all that happened since – seemed so distant, you couldn’t help your keen interest.

On the edge of your seat, you chewed on your lip until you couldn’t hold it any more.

“How’s Kuyang?” you blurted.

The others’ eyes snapped to you. Namjoon froze.

Slowly, he turned around, faint frown lining his face. You never dropped his questioning stare.

“He’s… fine,” he spoke.

“Sorry,” Hope looked lost, “you know Kuyang?”

Before you could do more than nod, Yoongi spoke up too.

“He’s fine? How did he get away from Bolt?”

“That’s not important.” Namjoon strode across the kitchen, “but how do you know Kuyang?”

“I was his secretary.”

You had hoped your honesty might prompt Namjoon to reciprocate, but no such luck. His reason for involvement with Kuyang was promptly forgotten. Hobi gasped at your news; Yoongi’s eyes widened slightly as if something was dawning on him.

But Namjoon beat him to it.

“That explains why you were hit by Bolt,” he said.

“We thought you were just a bystander that got unlucky,” Hobi chipped in.

Just as you opened your mouth to return to your original question, Namjoon turned away from the table. Swiping his food from the counter, he marched away.

Halfway across the room, he paused with a look over his shoulder. Maybe he would give in and tell you at last?

“I suggest you rest,” he told you instead, “Jungkook is going to help you practise some more tomorrow.”

Thank you for reading!! I'm so looking forward to hearing what you thought🥰

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Syncing Dream [Aespa x M!Reader]

Side 2. Rina, Rocket Puncher

Note: someone pls tell her to stop punching the phone-

This took place between Chapter 35 & 36

The Smash Room was not the type of place Y/n had expected to visit that day. The walls were covered in padding, and an impressive assortment of “smashable” items—plates, bottles, electronics—lined the shelves like some dystopian buffet. Karina stood beside him, grinning from ear to ear, holding a bat like it was the best gift she’d ever received.

“Are you… sure about this?” Y/n asked, eyeing a particularly delicate-looking lamp.

Karina rolled her eyes, thrusting a bat into his hands. “Yes, I’m sure. Trust me; you’ll thank me later.”

“But smashing things on purpose… it feels wrong,” he admitted, staring down at the bat.

Karina laughed, already cracking her knuckles in anticipation. “It’s supposed to feel wrong! That’s the point. I needed a place to blow off steam, and I thought it’d be way more fun if you came along to try it out.”

"…I don't really have anything to blow off steam, though?" Y/n questioned.

"Lies." Karina deadpanned. "You're dating Minjeong. Surely there is something you find annoying about her."

"Oi, you're trying to rat me out now?" Y/n widened his eyes.

"It's between us." Karina giggled. "…unless?"

Y/n gulped, but Karina’s enthusiasm was infectious. “Fine… let’s do this.”

-

When they finally suited up, helmets secure and armed with a stack of plates, old electronics, and an assortment of glass bottles in the centre of the room, Y/n couldn’t shake a lingering sense of hesitation. He’d been dragged here, no doubt, by Karina’s insistence that “everyone needs to smash something every once in a while.” She practically glowed with energy as she scanned the items around them, clearly fired up for what was about to go down.

“Ready to blow off some steam?” Karina asked, eyeing a nearby plate with a devilish grin. She picked it up and weighed it in her hands like a pro, already looking to him for the go-ahead.

“Uh, as ready as I’ll ever be,” Y/n replied, still clutching his bat with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. “You seem a little too excited about this.”

“Oh, trust me, I am,” Karina laughed. “You don’t know how badly I’ve needed this!”

With a wild swing, she sent the first plate crashing against the wall, bits of ceramic scattering in every direction. She let out a triumphant yell, her face lighting up.

“Jeez,” Y/n said, raising an eyebrow. “Is that plate supposed to be someone in particular?”

Karina grinned, winding up for the next throw. “That one was for all the times I’ve had to work late for a last-minute meeting. And—” She smashed another plate. “—for every time I had to remind everyone to be on time, especially NINGNING!”

Y/n snorted, gripping his own plate. “Ning just use her aespa time….a bit too much, huh?”

“Oh, and don’t get me started on the stress of managing appearances and, like, fifty different social media expectations!” Karina vented, smashing another plate with gusto. “Not everything needs to be perfect, but the pressure is still there! SO DAMN ANNOYING!”

“YES!” Y/n said with feeling, setting up his own bottle to smash. He hesitated for a moment, thinking back on his recent frustrations with Winter, from her infamous ‘kiss prank’ to the slightly overwhelming reality of actually dating her…which came with some undisclosed baggage. He swung, and the bottle exploded in a satisfying burst.

“OHHH SHT! That felt good!”

From the bottom of his heart, he loved Winter, but that was liberating.

Karina, catching his thoughtful look, nudged him with a knowing smile. “That looked personal. Care to share?”

He grinned, a little sheepishly. “It’s just… Jeong. There’s so much about her that’s awesome, but dating her is a whole new experience. I mean, she’s perfect, but also impossible. She just, like, invades my space EVERYWHERE, which sounds great…"

"Uhuh" Karina was intrigued.

"…until she messes with all my stuff and stole my oreo stashes I kept for myself.”

“Oh, I get it. Minjeong does have that… selective attention to detail,” Karina laughed, setting up another bottle. “She’ll memorise every outfit in her closet but will still ‘forget’ to tell you she invited the whole group over to your place.”

Y/n laughed, nodding. “Exactly! And it’s like the more time we spend together, the more I realize she’s just as rowdy as the rest of you—if not more. But… it’s hard to stay annoyed when she gives me that look, you know?”

Karina grinned as she grabbed a plate, holding it up like it was a prized possession. “This one? This is for every time a schedule’s changed last minute, throwing off everything we’ve worked on!” She wound up, smashed it, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Y/n found himself nodding along. “You know, Jeong has this habit of casually dropping huge things at the last possible moment. Like, ‘Oh, by the way, I promised my mom I’d come by for dinner’—while we’re already on our way somewhere else.”

“Oh, she finally did that to you!” Karina laughed, taking a quick swing at another bottle, the glass shattering on impact. She turned back to him with a playful glint in her eye. “Sounds like you’ve got your hands full.”

“Tell me about it.” Y/n lined up another bottle and smashed it with a swing that was a little more enthusiastic than he’d intended. “I love her for how she is, but…those will kill my sanity.”

They both shared a laugh, the cathartic smashing of objects somehow loosening up more than just physical tension.

-

“Alright, Rina, use Rocket Punch!” Y/n challenged, feeling his earlier nervousness fade as he grabbed another plate and handed it to her.

"Ya, I'm not a Pokemon!" She took it, eyeing him with a mock-serious expression.

"Whatever, do it!" Y/n cheered.

“This one is for all the choreography changes we go through in the middle of a tour,” she muttered with feigned gravity, before smashing it so hard that tiny ceramic pieces ricocheted off the wall.

"Perfect shot." Y/n winced and gave a low whistle. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Honestly, I think all of us need this every once in a while. You can’t keep everything bottled up without it exploding, right?”

He nodded, a grin spreading on his face. “Speaking of which, I think it’s time for the grand finale.” He held up an old radio, raising its high for dramatic effect.

“Ohhh, nice choice!” Karina cheered, standing back to give him space.

"KIM MINJEONG! STOP DOODLING ON MY FACE!"

With a loud yell, Y/n hurled the radio against the wall, bits of plastic and metal scattering everywhere as they both burst into laughter.

Breathless, Y/n leaned back against the wall, shaking his head. “Holy….I seriously didn’t think this would be so… satisfying.”

Karina nodded, grinning at him. “I knew you’d come around. It’s not just about breaking things; it’s about letting go, you know?”

He looked at her, her usual serious leader demeanour replaced with a relaxed, genuine smile. “You know, I think we all see you as this powerhouse who just handles everything. It’s easy to forget that you need to punch things.”

Karina’s smile softened. “I guess I do. It’s just… hard sometimes. When you’re the leader, there’s this pressure to always be ‘on’ and ‘perfect.’ But, it’s nice to have these moments where I can just be myself. Not ‘Karina the leader,’ just Karina.”

“Well, for the record, you’re pretty cool Rina, leader or not,” Y/n said, giving her a sincere look. “I think we’d all be a little lost without you, to be honest.”

“Cool? Not cute?”

“Erm. Sorry, I have a Minjeong.” Y/n denied.

She let out a soft chuckle, bumping his shoulder. “Thanks, Y/n. It’s nice to hear that, especially from someone who has to put up with us 24/7.”

"You're welcome." Y/n grinned. "Now, please stop punching the camera."

-

Exhausted and a little breathless, they finally put down their bats, slumping onto a bench in the lounge area. Bits of dust and tiny shards clung to their protective gear, but they looked thoroughly exhilarated.

Y/n turned to her with a smile. “You’re living up to the name Rocket Puncher, you know that?”

Karina shrugged, though her eyes sparkled. “I guess I just have a habit of punching things.”

Y/n laughed. “Just don’t go overboard. We can’t have you smashing plates left and right during practice, alright?”

She laughed, nodding. “Fair enough. I’ll keep it contained to smash rooms.”

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Karina pointed toward the photo booth in the corner, her eyes lighting up. “Hey! Before we go, we should take a picture. Just, you know, to remember today.”

Y/n followed her gaze and groaned. “Are you serious? We look like we just walked out of a war!”

“Exactly! That’s the point!” Karina insisted, practically dragging him over. “C’mon, tough guy, one picture won’t kill you.”

As the camera flashed, Karina made a series of increasingly ridiculous faces, pulling Y/n into the antics with her. By the last frame, he was laughing so hard he barely noticed the camera snapping.

When the photos printed, Karina held up the strip with pride. “This is definitely going up on the fridge. Maybe I’ll even show Minjeong.”

Y/n’s eyes widened. “Please don't. She’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

Karina just smirked, pocketing the photos. “Consider it payback for letting me rant today. And don’t worry—I’ll only tease you a little.”

“Tsk.” Y/n sighed. “ But thanks for this, Rina. I think I needed it more than I realised.”

She smiled, looping her arm over his shoulder. “Anytime, Y/n. A little smash helps wonder.”

They sat in comfortable silence, the weight of the conversation lingering, but in a way that felt comforting rather than heavy.

-

Karina’s usual habit was quickly taken up by a notch in the dorm. No one could resist teasing her after each new incident, and her reactions—half-defensive, half-mortified—only added to the fun.

Which happened sooner than expected.

One evening, everyone was gathered around the dinner table for takeout night. Y/n watched with an amused grin as Karina grabbed her chopsticks with a little too much enthusiasm, causing her plate to slip and crack against the table.

“Welp, another one bites the dust,” Y/n quipped, leaning back with a smirk.

Karina gave him a narrowed look, cheeks flushed. “You know what? Maybe plates these days just aren’t made to last!”

Winter snorted. “Or maybe you’re just turning into some kind of superhero with ‘smash’ as your only superpower.”

“Sooo…Hulk?” Giselle questioned.

Karina huffed, crossing her arms. “Well, I didn’t ask for this power.”

Ningning leaned in, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Yeah, but if you keep breaking things, people might actually believe you’re the leader of a super-powered girl group.”

Giselle clapped her hands, laughing. “Imagine if they replaced our choreo with you smashing props on stage!”

Y/n’s eyes lit up with mock seriousness. “Rina, think of the fan meetings. You’d just need to sign autographs on concrete blocks with a sledgehammer or something.”

Karina tried to stifle her laugh but couldn’t. She finally gave in, laughing as she tossed a crumpled napkin at Y/n. “You’re all just jealous of my raw strength.”

-

The next morning, Y/n and Karina found themselves in the kitchen, prepping for a long day ahead. Karina was trying to work the espresso machine, but it seemed to be giving her trouble. As she pulled the handle, the coffee machine sputtered and stopped working entirely.

“Did it just…?” Karina blinked, staring at the lifeless machine.

Y/n, stifling a laugh, leaned in to inspect. “Hmmmm, let’s see, it was perfectly fine this morning, and now it’s dead. Who could possibly be responsible?”

Karina swatted his arm. “Hey! I didn’t even touch it that hard! I just… pulled the lever with a bit of confidence.”

“Oh, ‘confidence,’” Y/n said with a grin. “That’s a nice way of putting it. You know, you’re like a coffee machine whisperer… except in reverse.”

Karina glared at him, then let out a laugh. “Fine, maybe I got a little too eager. But you’re making the coffee, then.”

Y/n shook his head, feigning exasperation as he grabbed his phone to put in a delivery order for iced lattes instead. “I’ll be sending this bill to the SM. You know, at this rate, you’re going to single-handedly ruin every appliance in the dorm.”

“Then maybe you should start getting unbreakable appliances,” Karina shot back, grinning as she took a seat at the counter.

Winter wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. She looked between the two and yawned. “What happened now?”

“Coffee machine casualty,” Y/n explained, waving a hand at the machine. “She claimed another victim.”

Winter shook her head with a small laugh. “Great….another funeral?”

Karina shrugged, holding up her hands in surrender. “Apparently, I’ve just… developed an ult.”

-

A few days later, Karina and Y/n were shopping for some supplies when they wandered into the electronics section. They’d been joking about her newfound “habit” all morning, and Karina couldn’t resist poking fun at herself.

“Ya, Y/n, think they sell smash-proof headphones?” she asked with a grin, picking up a sleek pair.

He laughed. “If they did, you’d be their first customer.”

Karina nodded thoughtfully, pretending to examine the headphones. “Maybe we should just go all out and buy everything in metal. Like, imagine an indestructible blender or a phone that can survive anything.”

Y/n snorted, crossing his arms. “What, you’re planning on hurling your phone across the room?”

Karina gave him a playful nudge. “Not *intentionally*. But you never know.”

She picked up a ceramic mug, examining it thoughtfully. “Hmm. You think this one would survive me?”

Y/n raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you try holding it like a normal human, and we’ll see?”

Karina broke into laughter, the two of them gathering curious stares from other shoppers. “Fine, fine, I’ll keep my grip to a minimum.”

-

That night, back at the dorm, the members were lounging around after a busy day. Y/n was tidying up the living room when he heard a familiar *crack* from the kitchen. He didn’t even have to look to know who the culprit was.

“YOO JIMIN!” he called, trying to sound stern but barely hiding his amusement.

Karina peeked around the corner, looking sheepish. “It was just a spoon…”

Winter groaned dramatically. “Do we even have spoons left at this point?”

Ningning held up a plastic spoon with a grin. “These are the only safe ones left. And I’m not taking any chances.”

Giselle couldn’t resist piling on. “At this rate, we’re going to have to wrap everything in bubble wrap. Including you, unnie.”

Karina laughed, her face flushing pink. “It’s not my fault! Everything’s so fragile!”

Y/n rolled his eyes, though he was smiling. “Okay, you and I are making a pact. Once a month, smash room therapy. But no more ‘practicing’ in the dorm, got it?”

Karina raised her hand in mock seriousness, nodding. “Fine, deal. Monthly smashing sessions only in the smash room. But only if you join me.”

The others burst into laughter as Y/n sighed, defeated. “Alright, alright. As long as you promise to keep your ‘smashing’ in the smash room.”

Winter nudged Karina, grinning. “This is really gonna be a thing, isn’t it?”

Karina shrugged, laughing. “Guess so. Let’s just hope I don’t smash anything important, like, I dunno… the door.”

“Or my boyfriend” Winter instantly glared at her leader while hugging Y/n. “Only he can deal with our rowdiness here.”

The entire group laughed, shaking their heads. Despite the accidental destruction, they couldn’t help but enjoy every minute of it. Karina’s “habit” had become an endless source of entertainment, and Y/n knew he’d never look at a coffee machine—or a remote—the same way again.

-

The next month rolled around, and true to their agreement, Y/n and Karina made another trip to the smash room. Karina was fired up, armed with a bat and practically bouncing on her heels as she looked at the new array of breakables.

“Oh, you’re going down this time,” she taunted, tossing Y/n a helmet. “Get ready to lose, mister.”

Y/n scoffed, slipping on his helmet and giving her a playful glare. “Is that so? We’ll see about that. Just don’t go breaking anything else when we get back to the dorm, okay?”

With that, the smash room countdown started, and they both went at it. Plates shattered, vases exploded, and Karina laughed wildly with every hit. They were neck and neck, neither one letting up as they plowed through piles of items. But just as they were about to swing at the last piece—a towering stack of old electronics—they paused, catching their breath.

Karina raised her bat, grinning. “Alright, let’s end this. Whoever smashes it first is the ultimate champ.”

Y/n, equally competitive now, rolled his shoulders, raising his bat. “Prepare to lose, Rocket Puncher.”

“Three… two… one!” They both swung, aiming straight for the top of the stack.

But just as they were about to hit, Karina’s bat connected a split second sooner, sending pieces flying—and her bat continued on its path, grazing Y/n’s arm as he tried to dodge.

“Ow!” he yelped, dropping his bat and clutching his arm, though a grin tugged at his lips.

Karina gasped, immediately dropping her bat. “Oh my gosh, Y/n! I’m so sorry!” She rushed over, her hands hovering as if she wanted to check on him but didn’t want to make it worse.

Y/n burst into laughter, holding his “injured” arm dramatically. “You actually smashed me, Karina! I didn’t know I’d signed up for *full-contact smashing.*”

She smacked his shoulder playfully, though she was still red-faced with embarrassment. “You were in my way! And stop laughing—I thought I broke your arm!”

He couldn’t help grinning. “Next time, we’re putting a strict no beating your manager rule in place. I barely survived.”

Karina laughed, shaking her head as she helped him up. “Guess I did win the smashing contest, though,” she teased, flashing him a victorious grin.

Y/n chuckled, rubbing his arm with a smile. “Yeah, yeah, Rocket Puncher… but the prize is definitely on you. Because from now on, I’m giving you a permanent smash ban.”

She pouted, though she couldn’t hold back her smile. “Fine. But don’t be surprised if I accidentally ‘smash’ something again. Just… try not to stand in my way next time?”

“That sounds wron-“

“Finish that and you will eat this bat.” Karina glared.

“Yes ma’am”

With a shared stifled laugh, they both left the smash room, Karina proudly claiming her “victory” and Y/n mentally preparing to dodge any “unintentional” smash attacks back at the dorm.

As they finished their monthly agreement and left the smash room, a renewed sense of camaraderie between them, both feeling lighter than they had in a long time. There was certainly mild hostility between the two of them when first met, but things changed for the better.

It wasn’t just the smashing or the laughs—it was the reminder that they had each other, through all the chaos, and that was a pretty solid foundation to lean on.

[sanjisluvbot]

Isekai Yandere Strawhats Chapter 2

Previously| next

The days turned to weeks and weeks to months soon, that world was a thought of the past. Y/n had continued to her regular life going to school, hanging out with friends, and having her biggest worries being what time her assignments were due.

She didn’t throw away any of her old books or posters with those characters on them instead she put them in a box under her bed. Just so they were right beneath her feet if she ever wanted to return and fantasize about maybe a different time, maybe if things would’ve gone differently. 

The seasons were beginning to change March would soon become April. It had only dawned on the girl today that a year had passed since she first started that journey. Sitting by the window as the birds chirped in glee, Y/n finally had some time to dive into her memory.

A year ago Y/n had just met the straw hat pirates. She appeared in their life so suddenly, and little did she know they would become so easily enamored. She laughed to herself in disbelief then rubbed her hand through her bangs, “ How could I be so stupid?” she said to herself.

Opening her curtains for the rays of the sun to wash over her reminded her of tanning with the girls on the Sunny, in the beginning, it was just so sweet, wasn’t it?

With a sigh, she got up from her bed and waltzed over to grab her remote from the desk turning on the TV hoping to drown out the memory of a certain someone. The shows were white noise as the face of Trafalgar Law was all she could focus on. 

A call from her mother had made her jump and she quickly made her way out of her room. “ Yes, mother?” She said walking into the living room. Her mother smiled and handed her a letter. The envelope was black with no writing on it and the seal was yellow with a small bear on it.

Y/n bit her lip, not wanting to get too excited in front of her mother and for herself, who knows if this letter is from who she thinks it is?

She thanked her mother and quickly made her way back to her room shutting the door with her back. The pit of her stomach grew butterflies and nerves flared inside of her. She turned off her TV and sat on her bed using her thumb to unseal the envelope.

There were two letters inside marked with red and blue at the tips of the corner. Pulling the blue one out first she swiftly opened it and began reading.

Dear Y/n, I wonder what you’ve been doing all this time. I know you got back home safely, I can feel it in my bones. I debated on whether or not I should just go see you myself but I figured it was better to let you enjoy your time with your family for now.

I have been able to avoid clashing with BlackBeard thanks to you and I have been able to gather more research on this gateway between our worlds. I won’t go too in-depth in this letter but I can say that we have a lot to talk about once we meet again. After you left the strawhats also left me alone without a word or a fight. Within the next month, we will meet but it will take some effort on your part as well. Please read the next letter for additional information. 

L. 

Y/n felt ecstatic, finally after months of wondering what happened to Law there was an answer, directly from him at that. She tossed the note beside her pulled out the red-tipped letter and began reading.

There were instructions and illustrations explaining how to open a gateway directly onto the polar tang where they could travel with ease. It was a method without shifting that wouldn’t be so strenuous on both parts.

At the end of the letter, there was a small warning, “ It will take time, over a month on your end to make sure that the gate is stabilized so as soon as you read this you should get started.”

With a smile on her face, she followed both letters back into the envelope and began to follow the instructions. The instructions were relatively easy but there was a reason she needed time.

Step one, keep the mirror on your door as clean as can be that will be the gate. Step two, ensure any other mirrors are not facing the gate including your television.

Step three, keep your curtains open as the sun will help charge up the portal. The other steps were simple as well, don’t keep anything plugged in at night, and keep a diet consisting of greens. 

Y/n had a new pep in her step and everyone around her noticed. Y/n had smiled more often and life at home seemed like a fantasy for her parents, they never had to ask her twice to complete chores or help out with anything around the house.

The first week of April swings by and exam season is brewing up, Y/n spent time studying with her friends in the library. " Y/n me and y/f/n are going to get drinks real quick."

The girl waved her friends off too focused on her current textbook. A minute passed before she was interrupted again by a text message. Her mother was telling her she needed to pick up something for dinner, she sighed and decided to take a break from studying and possibly find a book she could take home.

Out of interest Y/n took to the supernatural fantasy section. Wondering if she could find any books relating to portals and how they work.

At the top of the shelf there was a black hardcover with the words open your mind written in script on the spine. Reaching up she grabbed it, ‘ Open Your Mind written by N.R’. The book seemed to be brand new, the pages crisp and the cover silky smooth.

Returning to her seat Y/n began to read. Her friends soon returned and hours had passed as Y/n fell into the fantasy world of N.R. The book was about a women who had a found family and was able to discover the mysteries of her world. The chills ran down her spine when she realized how similar it had been to one piece.

Although there weren’t any pirates Y/n couldn’t shake the feeling of having heard a few similar stories within her favorite series. Bitting her lip she closed the book on the third chapter, not wanting to spoon herself while with her friends.

Y/n tucked a strand of her behind her ears and told her friends she would be off as it was getting late. Waiting for the bus questions popped into her head.

There is no way one of them could be here right?

Law made sure they didn’t have a way back right?

It’s been so long since she was filled with this much anxiety. The cool spring breeze wouldn’t cool her nerves and the palms of her hands filled with sweat.

The bus finally came and she stepped on seating herself in the single seats. Her head rested on the window and she silently watched the cars zoom by leaving colorful glares.

🏷️: ( new tag list, reply to be added to next update )

A/N: Welcome back to the drama!!! I’m so excited to begin this new journey again and I am so happy everyone enjoyed the first part. I don’t currently know how long I want this part to be but I will have a schedule in my Masterlist of when I will update.

Extra: What do you think about the letter?

[macbethsymphony]

Port Wine & Sake | Chapter 4

Roronoa Zoro x Reader

wc: 7.7k

Chapter rating: NSFW

Whole fic content/warnings: NSFW, 18+, Female Reader, Enemies to lovers, slight alcohol abuse, dysfunctional family dynamics, past trauma

Summary: You were tired of the fucking nuisances freeloading in your brother's castle, but it seemed you had no choice but to endure. A tumultuous romance between Roronoa Zoro and Dracule Mihawk's sister, set throughout the 2 year time skip.

Chapters [1 & 2] ◈ [3]

Masterlist

Also on AO3 if you prefer

Tag: @itsagoodluckkiss

Chapter 4: The First Month — Midnight Wanderings

As Roronoa Zoro’s training intensified, he often found himself roaming the halls in the dead of night. The adrenaline from Mihawk's relentless regimen still coursed through his veins, keeping him awake when he should have been sleeping. It was during one of these restless nights that he first glimpsed you wandering the eerie corridors, your figure shrouded in a ghostly robe that billowed behind you like a specter haunting the damned cursed castle.

At first, he almost mistook you for Perona, the way your silhouette moved with an ethereal grace, illuminated by the pale moonlight filtering through the high windows was otherworldly. He almost expected you to disappear through a wall, almost called out but something stayed his tongue—a faint trace of cinnamon and something uniquely you, a scent that clung to the stillness of the darkness and pricked at his senses. Zoro had hesitated, his annoyance at the interruption of his solitude mingling with a begrudging curiosity.

He watched as you moved with a purposeful stride, the unusual softness of your features catching his eye despite himself. You seemed driven by some unseen force, your path illuminated by the thin glow of the moon. He followed you from a distance, justifying it to himself as idle boredom. The corridors were silent save for the quiet echo of your footsteps and the far away hum of the sea beyond.

That first night, you had simply wandered back to your room. Zoro had stood there, hidden in the shadows, watching as you disappeared behind your door. The encounter left him with a lingering sense of intrigue that gnawed at him, an unwanted added distraction he couldn’t shake.

The next night, sleeplessness plagued him again and he found himself in the halls, hoping—against his better judgment—to glimpse you once more. But as he roamed the corridors aimlessly, you were nowhere to be seen.

You could feel yourself slowly unraveling. You knew you were sleepwalking again. Your feet were sore from your endless wanderings, exhaustion loomed over your shoulders but most of all you were bored. Bored out of your fucking mind. Roronoa Zoro had finally started his training and as you’d promised Mihawk, this meant the end of your entertainment.

The little swordsman was even avoiding you. You weren’t sure if you should be flattered of that fact or annoyed that he had seemingly disappeared from your quotidian. It was truly a dreadful situation. A tragedy.

You kneaded the dough with a bit more force than necessary. Perona had asked for bagels. Well asked wasn’t quite the adequate word. Demanded was more like it.

The dough resisted under your hands, an extremely poor substitute for the excitement Zoro's presence had brought. You glanced out the window, where you could just make out the training grounds in the distance. The rhythmic clanging of swords carried faintly on the breeze, a reminder of where your distraction had gone.

With a sigh, you focused back on your task. Perona's demands weren't going to go away on their own and you had learned that keeping the specter princess happy greatly improved your peace. Besides, it wasn’t the worst of requests. You quite enjoyed bagels yourself.

As you shaped the dough into perfect circles, your mind wandered, replaying moments with Zoro. Oh, how easily he flustered. How he twitched and squirmed so beautifully beneath your stare. You bet Mihawk was having a field day training him.

You sighed.

It was truly a shame, such great entertainment wasted on sword training.

”What’s got you sighing like that?” Perona interrupted your train of thought. The girl floated in from behind you, peering over your shoulder as you worked.

”Wouldn’t you like to know?” You smirked, not looking up from the dough.

She huffed, hovering closer. “Oh please, he’s not THAT interesting,” she remarked, leaning in with a mischievous grin.

You shot her a sideways glance, a knowing smile playing on your lips. “No? You should see the way he reacts when you catch him off guard. It’s priceless.”

Perona rolled her eyes. “You two siblings are insane,” she stated. “He’s not interesting. He’s just another swordsman obsessed with his training. Entirely boring and entirely not cute.” She poked at one of the dough circles. “And yet here you are, making bagels and sighing about him.”

You gave her an overdramatic shrug. “What can I say? Boredom has overtaken my life once more.”

“As I said, entirely insane.” Perona floated to the other side of the counter, facing you. “You even played doll and dressed him. What a complete waste.”

You chuckled, the memory of his reaction as your nail had grazed his abdomen delightfully sweet on your mind. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice, girl? Do you desire new clothes too?”

”Don’t call me like that.” She pouted. “How old are you anyways?”

”It’s really none of your business,” you replied, your tone a touch too short.

She frowned at that, her passing interest growing into something more concrete. “What? Are you actually younger than me?”

Your jaw clenched, and you regretted your words. You should have simply given her a bullshit answer. “I wouldn’t know, Perona. Father wasn’t particularly keen on birthdays.”

That seemed to shut her up for a second. She let out a small “oh” of realization as your statement sank in.

You couldn’t help the hint of bitterness coloring your tone as you continued. “Don’t dwell on it too much. It’s not something I tend to think about, myself.”

For a moment Perona hovered in silence, seemingly lost in thought. Then with a shake of her head, she switched gears, returning to her mischievous demeanor. “So, about those bagels. Any chance I can get a heart-shaped one?”

You rolled your eyes, a small smile gracing your lips once more. “I can try. No promises though.”

”And, yes,” she said. “I would also like new clothes. So make me a dress.”

You laughed, a hearty laugh. “Now, why would I do that?”

As Roronoa Zoro swung his swords in precise, furious arcs, the rhythm of his training became a battleground of its own. Amidst the clash of steel and the exertion of muscle, your presence haunted him like a persistent ghost. He couldn't escape the memory of your laughter, the way you effortlessly turned your interactions into a game of wits that left him off balance. It was infuriating how you managed to get under his skin with such ease.

He needed to get stronger, he reminded himself. For Luffy. His captain should never have been fighting alone.

Each swing of his swords echoed with frustration. The more he trained, the more his thoughts drifted to you—your sharp retorts, the way you so easily unraveled his composure with a mere glance or a fleeting touch. It was maddening, it had been days since you last played with him. And yet, you were still a torment that gnawed at him relentlessly.

No.

He needed to get stronger. He wouldn’t let what happened in Sabaody happen again.

Zoro’s mind flashed back to the moments that lingered like a curse—the curve of your lips as you teased him, the warmth of your breath on his skin, and the tantalizing scent of cinnamon that clung to the air long after you had left. Those memories, intertwined with the intensity of his training, threatened to drive him to madness.

Damn it.

He needed to get stronger. For his crew, for his friends.

He gritted his teeth, focusing harder on his strikes, hoping to drown out the reminiscences with the physical exertion. But no matter how fiercely he swung his swords, your presence remained like an indelible mark etched upon his consciousness. The memory of your softened features in the moonlight, the way that sheer robe you wore at night, that short slip and how it left nearly nothing to the imagination.

Fuck.

He needed—

"You're distracted, Roronoa," Mihawk's voice cut through the air, bringing Zoro's attention back to the present. The warlord observed him with his characteristic stoicism, but there was a hint of something else in his gaze—almost amusement.

Zoro’s mouth twisted at being read so easily. “I’m not,” he stubbornly denied.

“Those forms of yours would disagree.” Mihawk stepped forward, drawing his sword. “I would suggest you don’t entertain my sister’s antics, but I doubt that is within your control.”

Zoro’s jaw clenched as Mihawk’s words hit their mark. He knew the warlord saw through him, saw through the façade of focus he tried to maintain during training. Swinging his swords with renewed determination, Zoro fought to regain his composure, but the memory of you kneeling before him as you laced up his pants lingered like a stubborn shadow.

“I’m not distracted,” Zoro insisted, his voice edged with frustration as he parried Mihawk’s assault.

Mihawk raised an eyebrow, his swordplay graceful and precise, effortlessly overpowering him. “Denial suits you poorly, Roronoa.”

The memory of the tips of your fingers grazing his skin plagued his mind once more and his strike faltered, allowing the warlord to bring him to his knees, blade at his throat.

“I can see what she meant,” he continued with a rare smile. “You are delightfully easy to rile up.”

Zoro scowled.

“Emotions play a large part in winning battles, Roronoa.” He lowered his sword, letting Zoro rise. “Learn to control them.”

He needed to get stronger.

The second time Roronoa Zoro caught you wandering in the dead of night was days later. He had almost convinced himself that the first encounter was a one-time fluke, a bizarre chapter in the castle’s ghostly narrative. The sprawling fortress was enveloped in darkness, the moonlight barely filtering through the heavy clouds, casting an eerie, fragmented glow along the stone corridors. The silence was thick, oppressive, wrapping around him like a shroud.

It was a rare solace, this peaceful solitude. A respite from Perona’s incessant chatter and, more importantly, a break from the piercing scrutiny of your stare.

Your stare...

It lingered in his mind, unsettling, annoying. He gritted his teeth.

It was the soft echo of steps that made him stop, barely audible over the sound of his own breathing. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a series of faint, smeared footprints on the usually pristine surface of the marble floor. He bent down, observing the dirt tracks and, disturbingly enough, specks of blood that marked the path. Irritation flared further within him—why did you have to bring chaos even in your sleep?

Still, he quickened his pace, following the trail. The delicate scent of cinnamon pricked his senses, signaling that he was drawing closer. You moved slowly, your features bathed in the dim, cold glow of the moon. Your eyes were half-lidded, your expression serene, almost childlike. The sight was unsettling, and yet, there was a beauty to it that he reluctantly acknowledged.

A soft murmur escaped your lips as you reached a wall, barely audible in the stillness. Zoro strained to hear, trying to catch the fragmented words. “Father... locked all the doors... trapped...” you mumbled, nails digging into the stone. “The doors...can’t get out…”

There was no distress in your tone, only a grim acceptance that tugged at something he didn’t like deep within him. He dimly spotted tear tracks glistening on your cheeks.

Eerily beautiful.

Before he could take another step, a figure emerged from the shadows. Mihawk moved with his usual grace, his gaze fixed on you with a softness Zoro hadn’t known the warlord was capable of.

Zoro froze, watching as Mihawk reached out and placed a hand over yours, stopping the mindless digging of your fingers. “You’re safe,” Mihawk’s voice was a low murmur, soothing. “No one can harm you here.”

You didn’t turn to Mihawk, your eyes still unfocused, far away. “But... Father... the doors...”

“Hush, now,” Mihawk whispered, his tone softening further. “I’m here. There are no locked doors.”

You seemed to relax in his hold. “Father,” you stumbled, and Mihawk settled you. “Father’ll be angry.” Your voice was so quiet he barely heard the last few words.

The warlord’s stare caught Zoro’s eyes, and he flinched under the coldness of the amber gaze. “Father’s not here,” Mihawk’s tone was tender, a sharp contrast to the expression on his features.

He should not care. Really should not care.

He watched as Mihawk picked you up effortlessly, as your face buried itself in his coat.

“Forget what you’ve seen, Roronoa,” Mihawk said as he passed him.

Forget, huh?

Yes, he could do that. It didn’t matter. He didn’t care.

Or at least, he tried to convince himself he didn’t.

"You've started wandering again," Mihawk's voice, calm and measured, cut through the stillness as he strode into the dining room.

You winced, pausing mid-bite. The weariness from your restless nights was evident in the dark circles under your eyes, a testament to the strain you were under.

"I am aware," you replied, your words tinged with frustration, each syllable a sharp edge against the tranquility of the early morning hour.

He observed you silently for a moment, his gaze inscrutable, a flicker of concern hidden deep within his amber stare. "It's becoming a problem," he said finally, his tone devoid of accusation, merely stating a fact that hung heavily between you.

You brought the piece of bread back to your lips, chewing with a slight annoyance, not tasting the buttery jam as you watched him pull out a chair and sit down across from you. The quiet scrape against the floor felt unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent room.

You sighed, the weight of his stare pressing down on you, an invisible burden that seemed to grow heavier with each passing second. "As I said, I am aware it has," you muttered, the depths of your voice trembling almost imperceptibly, a crack in your usually composed facade.

Mihawk's sharp eyes missed nothing. He leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his posture uncharacteristically relaxed. "You need rest," he said, his tone softer now, gentle. "This can't continue."

You looked down, avoiding his penetrating gaze. "It’ll pass," the vulnerability in your voice betraying how close you were to crumbling. “You know it always does.” The words felt heavy, laden with the exhaustion that had settled deep in your bones, making every night a battle you seemed destined to lose.

Mihawk's stance eased a little at your answer. "It seems our guest has also been following you on your nightly escapades,” he added, almost as though it was an afterthought.

Your gaze snapped back to him at that, a slow, satisfied smile spreading on your lips. “Has he?” you cooed with sudden interest. “And here I thought our little swordsman was trying to avoid me.”

A flicker of amusement danced in Mihawk’s eyes, though it was fleeting. "It seems you have a way of captivating even the most unwilling participants," he replied, his tone light yet laced with an underlying seriousness.

You leaned back in your chair, a smirk playing on your lips. "Oh, I’m well aware of that," you said, the confidence in your voice masking the exhaustion that still clung to you.

Mihawk raised an eyebrow, leaning back as well. “I would appreciate it if you stopped distracting my student.”

You were about to say something clever, maybe a little provocative when the sound of arguing made the words disappear on your tongue.

“Are you dense or something?” Perona's sharp screech sliced through the air, her annoyance palpable as she directed her scolding at Zoro. “We’re in this room three times a day, minimum. How is it possible you still don’t know your way around?”

Zoro shot her a sidelong glance, irritation simmering just beneath the surface. “I made it here, didn’t I?”

Perona rolled her eyes dramatically, her exasperation evident. “Barely. It took us over an hour. For someone who supposedly helped defeat Moria-sama, your sense of direction is abysmal.”

Zoro scowled at Perona, the frustration clear in the tightness of his jaw. “I didn’t ask for your help,” he muttered, throwing himself in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

Perona huffed, her hands on her hips. “Well, you should. If you keep wandering around like this, you’ll never make it to the dining room in time for breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner.”

The tension between them was almost tangible, and you couldn’t help but chuckle at their bickering. “Now, now,” you interjected smoothly, a playful glint in your eyes. “Leave him alone, Perona. It’s not every day someone manages to get lost in a straight corridor.”

”It is quite the miracle you ever make it to training,” Mihawk added.

Zoro’s scowl deepened, his pride clearly bruised by the collective teasing. “I didn’t ask for your commentary either,” he grumbled, the frustration evident in his voice.

You smiled sweetly, leaning back in your chair. “Just trying to help,” you said, feigning innocence. “You seemed to be having a rough time, little swordsman.”

His jaw twitched visibly. “I’m not little,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

You laughed.

Zoro's breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles screaming in protest, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth more intense with each exhale. He tried to ready himself, tightening his grip on his swords, bracing for the onslaught he knew was coming. Mihawk’s eyes bore into him. Sharp. Calculating.

“Again,” Mihawk’s voice cut through the air, cold and unyielding.

Zoro barely had time to raise his blades before Mihawk was upon him, his strikes swift and merciless. Each clash of their swords reverberated through Zoro’s bones, the sheer force of Mihawk’s blows driving him back, step by agonizing step.

He tried to focus, tried to find an opening, but Mihawk’s movements were a blur, a dance of deadly precision that left Zoro scrambling to keep up. His vision wavered, the edges of his sight tinged with red. Was he hallucinating? The warlord’s strikes seemed more brutal than usual, each one carrying a weight that threatened to crush Zoro’s spirit.

“Is this all you’ve got, Roronoa?” Mihawk’s evident boredom was a dagger to Zoro’s pride. “You’ll never defeat me with such feeble attempts.”

Gritting his teeth, Zoro pushed forward, his swords a whirlwind of steel. But no matter how fiercely he attacked, Mihawk was always one step ahead, his defenses impenetrable. Zoro’s frustration mounted with each failed attempt, his body growing heavier with every passing moment.

Sweat dripped from Zoro’s brow, mixing with the blood that trickled from a cut above his eye. His grip on his swords faltered for a split second, and Mihawk seized the opportunity, disarming him with a single, decisive strike. Zoro’s swords clattered to the ground, and he fell to one knee, gasping for breath.

“Get up,” Mihawk ordered, his voice devoid of sympathy. “You’re not done yet.”

Zoro’s vision swam, the trees and the sky spinning around him. He reached for his swords, his hands trembling. His muscles screamed in protest, but he forced himself to stand, to face Mihawk once more.

“Again,” Mihawk said, his tone unwavering.

Zoro lunged forward, his movements fueled by sheer willpower. But Mihawk’s blade met his with a resounding clash, effortlessly deflecting his attacks. Each strike sent shockwaves through Zoro’s body, his limbs growing heavier, his breaths more labored.

“You’re slow,” Mihawk taunted, his eyes cold and unfeeling. “Predictable.”

Zoro’s frustration reached a boiling point. With a roar, he unleashed a flurry of attacks, his swords moving with lightning speed. But it was a hopeless struggle, the warlord's swordsmanship was flawless. He parried with ease, his expression never wavering, not a drop of sweat or dirt marring his skin.

His vision blurred further as exhaustion and pain took their toll. He could barely keep his grip on his swords. He stumbled, his legs buckling beneath him, and Mihawk’s blade was there, waiting, knocking him to the ground with a final, decisive blow.

Zoro lay, his chest heaving, every breath a struggle. He could hear Mihawk's footsteps approaching, each step a reminder of his failure.

“Do you see now, Roronoa?” Mihawk’s voice was calm, almost gentle, but the words cut deeper than any sword. “You have strength, but you lack control. You have determination, but you lack discipline. Until you learn to master both, you will never defeat me.”

Zoro’s vision darkened, his body refusing to move. He could hear Mihawk walking away, the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance.

“Ghost girl, patch him up,” Mihawk's command was sharp, the final blow to Zoro's pride.

He lay there long after Perona finished patching him up, watching as the sky shifted from its usual gray to hues of twilight. It was only him and the moon, and even though his mind was swirling with pain and exhaustion it was still a peaceful moment.

With a grunt he sat up, his eyes falling on his swords, still scattered on the ground. Slowly, painfully, he crawled over to them, his fingers wrapping around the familiar hilts. Each movement was agony, but he refused to give in, to let his body dictate his limits.

With unwavering determination he stood up and he brought Wado Ichimonji to his mouth. He got into stance and then… then he saw you.

You, tittering on the edge of the balustrade. You, your hair flowing in the cold night wind. You, ethereal under the moonlight.

His breath halted.

For a moment he thought you’d jump and his sword fell from his mouth and he instinctively took a step forward, not that he could do anything from so far away. And his heart both stopped and beat too hard in his ears.

But then you simply backed away and disappeared. Disappeared as though you had only been a hallucination his psyche had conjured out of desperation.

And he cursed himself. Cursed the hold you had on him. Cursed the fact that he was not able to keep you from his mind.

You were always vaguely aware that you were dreaming, but your consciousness never quite allowed you to return to reality. You knew the halls you wandered through were not real, that you were not back in the nightmare of your childhood, and yet the dreams persisted. The walls around you were the same cold, unforgiving stone, the same locked doors and barred windows. There was also a faint awareness that you were sleepwalking, the sensation of your feet against the floor just a little too real for it to be purely a dream.

But the scent of that familiar cologne filled the air, the unmistakable smell making your heart race with fear and anger. It was always there in these dreams, a cruel reminder of the control he had wielded over your life. You wandered aimlessly, your feet carrying you down usual paths, your hands brushing against the rough stone walls.

The memories forever played out in your mind, a loop of pain and helplessness. You could hear his voice, sharp and demanding, as if he were right behind you. You flinched at the phantom sound of his steps, your own quickening as you tried to escape his hold. But no matter how fast you moved, you were always trapped, always locked in this prison of memories.

Your fingers traced the edges of a door, the wood splintered and worn. You tried the handle, knowing it would be locked, but the compulsion to try was too strong. It rattled in your hand, and a grim acceptance overcame you.

Your gaze locked with the one window you knew was never sealed.

It would be so easy.

As you pried the panes open, the cold night air rushed in, a stark contrast to the suffocating atmosphere of the halls. You felt a momentary sense of freedom, a fleeting respite from the relentless memories that plagued you. The ground below seemed to call to you, promising an escape from the torment.

It would be so, so easy.

You opened your eyes, taking in the sight before you. The wind was freezing on your skin, far colder than the one of your dreams. You were so up high, tittering on the edge of the balustrade. Your gaze met Zoro’s from afar. You watched as the sword in his mouth dropped down. He looked concerned. How adorable. For a moment, you moved your foot, still with half a mind to jump, half a mind to end it all but instead you laughed, rich bitter laughter.

It was the dreams talking. The past, not the present.

You gave a long shaky exhale.

“Have you been following me for long?” you asked Mihawk, whom was hovering right at the edge of the balcony’s door.

“Long enough,” he answered simply. “You were rather uncooperative tonight.”

You sighed, hopping backwards, back onto the stone floor and turning to face him. “I see,” you dragged on the word. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

He hummed, following you as you stepped back inside. Your steps instinctually brought you to the cellar and you selected two bottles of wine at random from the top shelf.

“You should rest,” Mihawk said as he watched you continue to browse. You chose a bottle of port, taking a moment to shift your hold so you could carry all three bottles comfortably.

“I’m going to drink Mihawk.” You strolled past him. “Get entirely wasted, forget for a moment, so while I appreciate you keeping me safe, I’d also appreciate it if you left me alone for a while.”

Mihawk's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched you. His expression softened just a fraction, the concern in his gaze unusually barely hidden.

"Drowning your sorrows in wine won't solve anything," he said, his voice calm but firm.

You laughed, the sound hollow and bitter. "Perhaps not, but it will give me some sort of reprieve," you replied, your tone matching the emptiness you felt inside. "For a few hours at least."

He didn't respond immediately, and you could feel his stare boring into you, weighing his next words carefully. "Very well," he finally said. "Try not to do anything too dumb, Sister.”

You offered him a wry smile. "When have I ever, Brother?" you teased, your voice dripping with sarcasm.

With that, you turned and made your way to one of the salons, the bottles of wine clinking softly with each step.

It seemed to Roronoa Zoro that the only thing in this damned castle he could find, was you. Every corridor he turned down, every hallway he explored, he couldn’t for the life of him find his way back to his fucking room. And still, his steps brought him to you.

He paused outside the slightly ajar door to the salon, a soft humming and the flickering warmth of a fire drawing him in. He cursed himself. He couldn’t help it. He pushed the door open further and stepped inside.

You were seated by the fireplace, a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other. You looked up as he entered, a wry smile playing on your mouth. “Well, well, if it isn’t my little swordsman,” you drawled, raising your glass in a mock toast.

Zoro scowled at the nickname, ignored the urge to snap back. His eyes unwittingly roamed your form. Seared into his mind how the short black silken slip you wore rode dangerously high along the plushness of your thighs, the way your hair framed your face, how your features were unusually relaxed, the tint of wine on your lips, the way one of the straps was sliding lower and lower against your shoulder.

“You shouldn’t drink alone,” he muttered, more to himself than to you.

You raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in your eyes. “Oh? Then you should join me?” You took a sip of your wine, watching him over the rim of your glass.

He huffed, dropping into the chair opposite you. “I’m not here to babysit you,” he said gruffly, but there was an undercurrent of something else in his voice he didn’t quite understand—concern, perhaps?

You leaned back in your chair, studying him with an almost lazy interest. “No, you’re not. You’re here because you’re lost, aren’t you?”

His jaw clenched, and he looked away, the firelight casting shadows on his face. “You’re annoying,” he grumbled.

“And yet, here you are,” you retorted, pouring another glass of wine and offering it to him. “Drink with me, Zoro. Maybe you’ll find me less annoying.”

He eyed the glass warily, his instinct screaming at him that it was a bad idea. But something about your demeanor made it impossible for him to refuse. With a grunt, he took it from your hand, the touch of your fingers against his sending a jolt through his system.

Fuck.

He downed the wine in one gulp, barely tasting the rich flavor as it burned its way down his throat. You watched him with a mix of amusement and curiosity, refilling his glass without a word. Zoro took it, this time sipping more slowly, the alcohol warming him from the inside out.

“It’s been a while, little swordsman. Did you miss me?”

Zoro’s jaw tightened at your question, his grip on the wine glass firm. “Miss you? Hardly,” he retorted, though it lacked the venom he intended. The warmth of the wine and the flickering firelight softened his resolve, making it all the more difficult to maintain his usual gruff exterior.

You chuckled, the sound rich and melodic, filling the room with an odd sense of comfort. “Oh, come now. We both know you enjoy our little exchanges. Why else would you be here?”

He huffed, taking another sip of his wine. “As you said, I’m lost. This castle is a damned maze.”

You leaned back in your chair, your eyes never leaving his. “Is that so? I hear you’ve been keeping me company.”

Surprise flickered on his features which he quickly tried to mask with a scowl. It didn’t work though, the slow spreading smile on your lip’s infuriating. “Why do you always have to be so—“

You laughed and the words died on his tongue.

“So what? Annoying? Vexing? Overdramatic? Theatrical?” you listed off each word with exaggerated flair. Your laughter bubbling up again as his scowl deepened.

In a languid movement you got up and he downed the glass in his hands in a desperate attempt to quiet his beating heart.

“Oh I know!” You continued, your fingers slowly brushing against his shoulder. “Sanctimonious? Maddening? Irking?”

You knew this was a bad idea. You knew you had a little too much alcohol flowing through your veins for you to make sensible decisions and by the way he’d just downed the entirety of the almost overflowing glass you’d poured him so did he. But you wanted to play. You needed to play. Your boredom craved to be satiated and Roronoa Zoro was the perfect little plaything to satiate its incessant demands.

He was so pretty struggling like that, the challenge in his steely gaze intoxicating.

Despite the haze of alcohol, you remained keenly aware, attuned to the signals he might give were he to choose to stop you. You doubted he would, however. No, he would not. If you were reading him well, and you knew how easily you could read him, he wanted this…perhaps even more than you.

He was so pretty struggling like that, his body held taut, desperately restraining himself.

The way his gaze fixated on you spoke volumes, clouded with a raw intensity that could only be interpreted as desire. As you continued to speak, your words tumbling out in a provocative stream, you wondered if he truly comprehended any of it. His attention seemed consumed by something primal, a hunger that mirrored your own need for amusement.

He was so pretty struggling like that, entirely lost to the allure of lust.

Drawing closer, you abandoned decorum, slowly you pressed your knee between his legs. You leaned in close, your lips almost touching his earrings, your hand finding balance over the backrest of his chair.

”You’re so easy to rile up, Roronoa Zoro,” you whispered, your breath grazing his skin.

The only thing you seemed to like more than fine wine and messing with him was the sound of your own fucking voice. Fuck. You were so pretty taunting him like that. So pretty, so pretty, so pretty. He needed you to shut up or he’d do something he’d regret.

Zoro gritted his teeth, his pulse quickening as your words echoed in his mind, yet remained unregistered. Each of your smiles, every playful insult, all of your fleeting touches, only served to ignite the simmering frustration within him.

You were close now, hovering over his seat, the smell of amber and cinnamon filling his every senses.

"You're so easy to rile up, Roronoa Zoro," your voice had a lilting quality, a teasing edge that drove him to the brink. You leaned in closer, your knee slotting between his, your hand finding balance on the backrest over his shoulder, your breath warm against his ear. "Maybe one day, you'll actually do something about it."

You were playing with fire and you both knew it. But as your gaze locked with his and he registered the mischievous glint in yours, it became evident to him that you were exactly aware of what you were doing and that you clearly didn’t care.

Zoro's fists clenched at his sides, fingers digging into the wooden armrests until his knuckles went white and his nails left crescent marks. The muscles in his jaw worked overtime to keep his composure. Damn you and your games. He wanted to walk away, to distance himself from your intoxicating presence, but he found he was rooted to the spot, unable to tear his eyes away from you.

Your lips moved but he didn’t hear anything.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, his voice an imperceptible growl. "So beautiful.” The words were so low they were lost in the air between you.

You may not have heard the words but you’d definitely read them on his lips. He cursed himself, cursed that he’d slipped up. He expected you to taunt him further, say something clever, but instead, you laughed, the sound like a bell chiming, and it drove him to the edge.

His self-control was fraying, unraveling with each passing second. He could feel the heat rising in him, a primal urge to close the distance between you, to capture those taunting lips with his own and silence you in the only way he knew how. His pulse pounded in his ears, his breath coming in shallow, ragged bursts.

“It’s been so long since we’ve played together.” Your hand traveled from the backrest to his bandaged chest, sliding down and dangerously close to the waistband of his pants then to his thighs.

You dropped to your knees, pushing his apart, settling yourself as though it was your rightful place. Your hands went up and down his thighs, then your nails dug in hard in the leather as they roamed back up one last time, closer and closer to his crotch, finding the laces at his waist.

“How about I thank you for entertaining me tonight?” You cooed, pulling absentmindedly at the cords, your cheek resting on his tensing thigh as you gazed up at him through your lashes.

Zoro's breath hitched, the sight of you between his legs nearly undoing him. Your touch, your voice, your proximity—it was all too much, yet not enough. He watched, mesmerized, as you slowly worked at the laces of his pants, your eyes never leaving his. The smirk on your lips was a promise of the wicked intentions you harbored, and he could feel his resolve crumbling under the weight of his own desire.

The alcohol dulled the edges of his restraint, making his mind fuzzy and his body hyper-aware of every movement, every touch. Your fingers brushed against his skin, and he shivered, a low growl catching at the back of his throat. "You're playing a dangerous game," he managed to rasp out, his voice strained with the effort to maintain control.

You tilted your head, your cheek pressing further against his thigh as you looked up at him with a mixture of mischief and defiance. "Is that so?" you murmured, your tone dripping with faux innocence.

With a swift, deliberate motion, you loosened the last of the laces, your fingers grazing his heated skin, riskily close to his crotch. The sensation sent a jolt of electricity through him, and he sucked in a breath, his body responding instinctively to your touch. His hands, which had been gripping the armrests, moved to your shoulders, his fingers digging into your flesh as if to anchor his sanity in reality.

"Stop," he said, but the word lacked conviction. It was a weak attempt to assert control, to regain the upper hand, but the truth was, he was losing himself in you. In this moment, your touch, your presence, was a drug he couldn't resist.

You chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through him. "Are you sure?" you asked, your voice low and sultry. You tugged at his waistband, and his breath came out in a harsh exhale. Your fingers slid beneath the fabric, teasing, exploring, never quite where he needed them to go. His head fell back, eyes closing as he surrendered to the sensation. “I’ll stop if you really want me to, little swordsman.”

Your breath was warm against his skin as you leaned in, your lips brushing his abdomen in feather light touches. The tension was unbearable, the hunger overwhelming, and he knew he was on the verge of breaking.

You sensed it too, your grin widening as you watched him struggle.

"Fuck, woman," he muttered, his voice a gravelly whisper. He opened his eyes, looking down at you with a mixture of frustration and raw, unbridled lust. His hand moved from your shoulder to your hair, tangling in the strands as he pulled you closer, the intensity of his need overwhelming any remnants of hesitation. “Fuck.”

You smiled, a slow, satisfied smile that told him you knew exactly what he meant. "Good," you purred, your hand moving with a practiced ease that made his pulse race. "Now let me thank you properly." You finally dragged his aching cock out of his pants.

You ran a finger along the underside, your breath hot against his tip. “Already?” You teased, gathering a bead of precum and bringing it to your lips. “I haven’t even started yet.”

You held his gaze as you brought your tongue to him, licking a slow thick stripe before giving his tip a soft kiss. His response was a guttural sound, half-growl, half-moan. You deftly slipped the straps of your slip down, revealing your chest, your fingers playing with your erect nipples.

"Fuck," he muttered again, his voice barely more than a whisper. His eyes were captivated by the show you gave him but as a small mewl escaped your lips, his gaze met yours once more, and for a moment, everything else faded away. There was only you and him, locked in this dance of lust and power.

As you moved to take him into your mouth, he let out a low, shuddering breath, his entire being falling back against the chair. The sensation was overwhelming, a combination of pleasure and torment that left him gasping for air. He could feel his control slipping, the tight leash he kept on his desires fraying with every passing second.

"Please," he whispered, the word escaping him before he could stop it. It was a plea, a surrender, a desperate acknowledgment that he was at your mercy.

You paused, looking up at him with triumph in your eyes. "That's more like it," you murmured, your voice a sultry purr.

His hand twitched at that, his fingers itching to grab harder, to pull you closer and control this tortuous game. But he held back, a war raging within him. He ached for your touch, but he would be damned if he gave you the satisfaction of seeing him lose control any further.

You, however, feasted on the desperation in his gaze, drank in every shaky moan escaping his lips as yours wrapped around his length. You wanted to hear more, craved to hear him beg. You hollowed out your cheeks and he almost bucked under you.

Adorable.

You took more of him, your nose nearly finding the patch of green hair at his base. His lids fluttered shut in pleasure. That wouldn’t do. You needed to see him unravel. You backed a little before taking him again, one of your hands traveled between your thighs and you moaned around him. His eyes snapped open as the sound hit his ears, as he felt the vibrations around him and the unbridled lust that broke on his features was the sweetest of victory.

In this moment, he was yours. You held all the power of the world over him. He was lost and you were his guiding star.

His fingers tightened their hold in your hair, his thighs trembled at your sides. You moaned around him again and again. The taste of him, the feel of him against your tongue, was intoxicating, and you reveled in the way he shuddered beneath your touch.

You slowed back down for a moment, savoring every sound he made, each little reaction but as his grip tightened and his hips bucked, you increased your pace, taking him deeper, faster, harder.

His breathing grew ragged, moans filling the room as you brought him closer to the edge. He was lost in ecstasy, the pleasure overwhelming, and you knew he couldn't hold back much longer.

"Fuck," he muttered, his voice a desperate growl. "I'm gonna—"

You pulled back slightly, your eyes meeting his as you stroked him with your hand, your mouth still teasing the sensitive head. "Do it," you whispered, your voice filled with anticipation. "I want to taste you."

With a final, shuddering groan, Zoro gave in to the pleasure, his release hitting your tongue. You took him in, savoring the taste, the feel of him pulsing in your mouth, and you didn't stop until he was spent, his body trembling with the aftershocks of his orgasm.

His seed was hot in your mouth. You smirked as you snaked your way up, straddling him with ease. You traced his jaw then his lips, prying them open gently. Your hair formed a curtain around you as you leaned closer, your lips almost upon his.

You let his cum dribble out of your mouth and into his, lust thick in your gaze as your fingers mixed the milky white with his spit. His eyes never left yours, something akin to reverence merging with the haze of release swirling in them. You absentmindedly grasped for the bottle of port at your side and brought it to your lips. As you savored the rich sweetness, you pushed further almost choking him and he groaned and you delighted in the hold you held over him.

You put back the bottle, craving for his touch. Your hand reached for his, dragging it along your outer thigh, then to your core, letting him feel how wet you were. “It’s a shame you came so fast, little swordsman,” you moaned as his fingers gathered your slick. You had half a mind to pursue your own rapture but instead you continued to guide his hand up, pressing it harder against the softness of your breast, to your cheek. “We could have had so much more fun,” you teased as your reddened lips wrapped along his slick digits.

You let them go with a pop and moved in closer still. Your tongue met his lower lip, then your teeth and through your grin you nipped at the soft flesh. Your lips finally found his, and your tongues swirled together, the taste of both your arousals mixing with the sweetness of the port wine.

Zoro's senses were overwhelmed by the intoxicating blend of your taste and touch. The coldness of your spit on his fingers, the softness of your breasts beneath his hold, and the way your lips and tongue moved against his—all of it combined to create a maelstrom of desire that left him breathless and yearning for more.

He groaned into your mouth, his hand traveling to your waist, somehow pulling you closer. The heat between you was palpable, your bodies pressed together in a tangle of limbs and desperation. His hands dug into your flesh, knotted into fine silk, the ache to claim you, to make you his, growing stronger with every passing second.

You let out a moan, which he drank in with intensity. It was intoxicating, it made the world disappear, ecstasy flowed through his veins. He rolled his hips under you and you let out another one, needy and muffled against his lips and he reveled in it. His fingers traveled under your slip, seeking your skin, tracing your spine, tugging you into him.

"You're driving me crazy," he murmured against you, his voice rough with lust.

You smiled, your eyes sparkling with mischief and satisfaction. “Good,” you said as you slipped away, leaving him stranded in the heat of his desire. “I like being in your thoughts.”

Your hands met his, and you dragged them away from you. You touched his cheek tenderly before pulling up the fallen straps of your slip and smoothing down the thin fabric. With slow deliberate steps you made your way to the door. You looked back at him, delighting in his confusion.

Adorable.

“Thank you for playing with me, little swordsman,” you giggled, disappearing into the corridor. “Come and find me, if you want to play again,” you called out.

And just like that you left him in a haze of bewilderment and wild desire. His ragged breath slowly tamed and the heat of your presence dissipated so quickly he almost thought it had all been a hallucination. With a shaky hand, he reached for one of the bottles on the side table, not caring as he brought it to his lips.

Port wine. He scowled as the liquid hit his tongue. He’d never been a fan of port. It was too sweet. Too rich. Too expensive. But in this moment, it was intoxicating.

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[starsjulia]

angel chapter five // stepping away

a/n : so i may have lied, this one’s another short one… also i know jonas resigned but i write this before he did and im to lazy to change it.

warnings : cancer, cancer treatment, side effects, still a fluffy chapter though.

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Angel’s treatments, though showing promise, still left her weak and vulnerable, and there were many days when Leah could see how much her little girl needed her. It wasn’t just about the medical appointments and treatments—it was about the quiet moments in between, when Angel would wake up from a restless sleep and reach out for her mother’s comforting touch, or the times when she would ask Leah to sit beside her just so she wouldn’t feel alone.

Leah had missed a few training sessions recently, and though her teammates were understanding, Leah could see the strain it was placing on the team. The club had been nothing but supportive, but there was a growing realization within Leah that something needed to change. She couldn’t keep splitting herself between the demands of football and the needs of her daughter, not when Angel’s fight was still so precarious.

The moment of clarity came one afternoon as Leah sat in the hospital room, holding Angel’s hand as her daughter slept. The beeping of the monitors filled the silence, a constant reminder of their reality. Leah stared at her daughter’s pale face, at the way her once-vibrant hair had thinned and how fragile she looked lying there. The thought of being away from her, even for a few hours of training, filled Leah with a deep sense of unease.

It was time. She knew what she needed to do.

The next day, Leah called a meeting with the club. Sitting across from Jonas and the management team, she took a deep breath. “I need to step away from football for a while,” she said, her voice steady but filled with emotion. “I want to be with Angel. I need to be there for her.”

Jonas leaned forward, his expression compassionate and understanding. “We completely understand, Leah. Your family comes first, and we’ll support you in whatever you need.”

Leah nodded, relief washing over her but also a pang of sadness. She had dedicated so much of her life to this sport, to this club. Walking away, even temporarily, felt like leaving a piece of herself behind. But when she thought of Angel—her daughter’s small hand clasped in hers, her soft voice asking if Leah would be there when she woke up—it wasn’t even a choice. It was the only thing she could do.

Leah informed the rest of the team after training that day. The news was met with a wave of emotion, and as her teammates surrounded her, Leah could feel the love and support in every embrace, in every quiet word of encouragement. Lia pulled her aside, her eyes shining with understanding. “We’re all here for you,” she said. “And when you’re ready, we’ll be here waiting.”

The next morning, Leah woke up knowing that football was no longer part of her daily routine. There was no training to get to, no tactics to think about, no upcoming matches to prepare for. It felt strange, disorienting even, to be without the structure that had defined her life for so long. But as she glanced over at Angel, still sleeping soundly beside her, Leah was reassured that she had made the right choice.

Their days settled into a new kind of routine. Leah became fully immersed in Angel’s world—sitting through long hours of chemotherapy, reading countless books to pass the time, and finding little ways to make each day feel special, even if it was something as simple as a board game or a coloring session. She learned to treasure the moments when Angel’s energy returned, however fleeting they were, and to be present in the quiet, difficult times when all she could do was hold her daughter’s hand and let her know she wasn’t alone.

Angel’s condition continued to fluctuate. There were days when she seemed to be getting stronger, her smile more frequent and her laughter more like it used to be. But there were also setbacks—unexpected fevers, side effects from the treatments, and nights when her pain seemed unmanageable. Leah remained a constant source of comfort, her presence giving Angel the strength to face each day, no matter how hard it was.

Despite stepping away from the pitch, Leah couldn’t completely shut football out of her life. The Arsenal team kept in close contact, sending messages and video calls, making sure she knew they hadn’t forgotten about her or Angel. On match days, they wore “Angel” armbands in her honor, and the club organized fundraisers for childhood cancer research. It was a reminder that the Arsenal family was still very much a part of their journey, even from a distance.

One evening, as Leah and Angel sat together in the hospital room, the little girl looked up at her mother with wide, curious eyes. “Mummy, why aren’t you playing football anymore?” she asked. “Don’t you miss it?”

Leah’s heart ached at the question. She thought about all the times she had taken to the pitch, the adrenaline of game day, the roar of the crowd, the feeling of being part of something bigger than herself. But then she looked at Angel, and her daughter’s tired but hopeful face reminded her why she had made the choice.

“I do miss it,” Leah admitted, her voice soft. “But right now, you’re the most important thing in the world to me. Football will always be there, but I want to be with you while you’re getting better.”

Angel seemed to ponder this for a moment, then nodded. “Okay,” she said, a small smile forming on her lips. “But you’ll go back one day, right?”

Leah nodded, brushing a strand of hair away from Angel’s forehead. “One day,” she agreed. “When you’re all better, we’ll go back together.”

The days that followed were a mix of quiet resilience and unexpected joys. Though Leah wasn’t on the pitch, she felt more connected to her daughter than ever before. They created their own little world—one where they painted pictures of football matches, watched old Arsenal games on TV, and even kicked a small foam ball around the hospital room on Angel’s good days. It wasn’t the life Leah had planned, but it was a life filled with love, and that was all that mattered.

And slowly, Leah began to notice a change in herself too. Being with Angel day in and day out, she found a new kind of strength, one that didn’t come from physical training or mental toughness, but from the unconditional love she felt for her daughter. She learned that sometimes, the bravest thing you could do was simply be present—to sit in the discomfort, the uncertainty, and the fear, and still find a way to see the light.

One quiet afternoon, as they sat together coloring a picture of the Emirates Stadium, Leah looked over at her daughter and saw a glimmer of the little girl she had been before all this began—cheeky and full of dreams. Angel caught her mother’s gaze and tilted her head. “What is it, Mummy?” she asked, her blue eyes twinkling.

Leah smiled, feeling a swell of hope she hadn’t dared to acknowledge before. “I was just thinking,” she said softly, “about how strong you are. You’re the bravest person I know.”

Angel’s smile grew, and she took her mother’s hand, squeezing it gently. “That’s because I have you,” she whispered.

Leah felt tears prick her eyes, but they were different this time—more hopeful than sad. She knew the road ahead was still uncertain, still full of challenges. But for now, they had each other, and that was enough.

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

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Chapter 15

Warnings: Typical TWD violence and gore; Suicidal ideation; Allusions to necrophilia; Sexual themes A/N: Don’t get too settled! Things will be shaken up in some heavy, heavy ways in the next few chapters. Also, my edit button isn’t working so I can’t fix anything once this is posted. Just ignore errors and pretend I know what I’m doing.

Daryl lifted the pistol with one hand, firing off a shot with practiced precision to effortlessly hit the target— a can on top of an empty water barrel —some distance away. 

“You… didn’t even aim.” You stated timidly, your shoulders tensed and trembling close to your ears. Your target, another empty can, was significantly closer but still an intimidating distance away. 

“Yeah, I did. Jus’ been doin’ it fer s’ long that s’quick. Know what ta do without really thinkin’ ‘bout it.” He lowered his weapon and placed it in the holster at his hip, coming to stand just behind you. You had been practicing aiming for several days, even choosing to stay out after Daryl had left to complete other tasks. You had found that he was keeping an eye on you, hovering without suffocating you. 

Things had changed since he had been sick. Drastically, in your opinion. It was like a switch flipped in both of you. He communicated with a certain ease now, the way you had witnessed him speak with Carol. Still a man of few words unless they were required, but less closed off than before. 

Any apprehension you had around him had dissipated entirely. You were comfortable and felt a warm safety under his watchful eye. Even when you couldn’t see him, you knew he was there. 

You had taken to sleeping on the mattress with him. The both of you were careful to keep space between your bodies, a boundary not so willingly crossed. He usually slept with his back to you, but you opened your eyes nearly every morning to see him rising from his side, facing you. 

Your relationship with Carol was healing, bit by bit. Just that very morning, you had shown up to help her with breakfast. Silence remained throughout. You began stirring the oats while she chopped berries, taking a moment to look at one another with small smiles that said more than words ever could. 

“Don’ look at what yer shootin’ at.” Daryl stepped up beside you and tapped the rear sight of the gun. “Line ‘er up n’ then look here. Ya can still see the can, jus’ a lil’ blurry now.” The archer took a step back and crossed his arms, eyes narrowed while studying your form. You were trembling, not only with anticipation but with nervousness. You wanted to do well. You had been practicing diligently, already embarrassed that he was reminding you how to aim properly. You smiled when you saw him nod his approval from the corner of your eye.  “Whenever yer ready.”

You inhaled deeply, not focusing on the drumming of your heart or the noises of the prison around you. You let your sole focus simmer down to the weight of the gun, the slack you could feel in the trigger as you began to squeeze it. The target was indeed blurry beyond the sight but you could still see it. The can expanded and twisted into the face of Big Jazz, his cruel laughter echoing as you felt the first traces of resistance. 

Daryl had warned you about recoil, so the kickback of the weapon startled you very little. You were too focused on the target. He had instructed you to keep the gun steady even after firing so that you didn’t pull it back too early and alter the trajectory of the bullet. There was a loud clink when the projectile made contact, clipping the can on the top right, sending it soaring. 

You stared at it in wonder, the pride you felt beginning as a low buzz just below your sternum. Then you were beaming, lowering the weapon to turn your smile on Daryl, finding the man already smirking back at you. “I did it!” The calm in your voice betrayed the absolute thrill sparkling in your eyes. 

He watched you curiously. You had been spending so much time dedicated to practicing the things he would teach, soaking up the information like a sponge and immediately. You never complained that he put you through the motions and wouldn’t let you try live rounds from the get go. 

You actually never complained about anything.

You always smiled, albeit small and unsure, when you picked up your meals. You always offered a word or two of gratitude, putting forth so much effort toward acclimating yourself into the little community. You did the chores, no matter how tedious or exhausting. In between everything, you scurried off to practice on your own. 

After all you’d been through, you were blossoming into something he’d never expected. Which only added fuel to the fire of his infatuation with you. 

He was struggling to say the least, hoping to every deity that he was hiding it well. Every touch set his skin on fire. Every glance made the butterflies in his stomach do gymnastics. The urge to run from you, however, was strongly outweighed by the desire to be close to you. You needed to be safe. Even Daryl knew that it went far beyond his feelings of responsibility at this point. 

“Yer a natural.” His smile fell away as you ran at him, throwing your arms around his neck. The embrace was the reason his cheeks flushed but the real problem was still nestled in your tight grip. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! How ‘bout ya, uh, put on the safety ‘fore ya come runnin’ at me, huh?” He was unwinding your limbs, handling your gun-wielding arm with extra care. 

You pulled back with a grin that made his heart flutter. “I did.”

He blinked at you, caught off guard when you held the gun sideways to show that you actually had, at some point between firing the shot and throwing yourself against him, flicked on the safety. 

After the initial surprise wore off, he snorted slightly. “I’ll be damned. Good girl.” The words were out of his mouth before his brain caught up. His face grew impossibly warmer, but his heart dropped when he saw the expression you wore. Almost a look of fear. One that made sense almost immediately. He had meant it as a compliment but it was something you most definitely heard during less than pleasant experiences. 

“Sorry.” You dropped your gaze, that submissive stance he hadn’t seen in a while returning with such intensity that he found his hand reaching out, fingers tapping gently beneath your chin. You were slow to oblige, which was an improvement from your once instant desire to obey. 

“Shouldn’a said it like tha’.” Daryl dropped his hand to his side, too focused on how he’d just made you feel to dwell on the tingle in his fingertips from the brief feel of your skin. “Meant it as…well, uh, m’ proud’a ya.”

The discomfort faded from your face almost immediately. “Thank you, Daryl.” Your teeth teased your bottom lip in front of an almost bashful smile. When he noticed the way you were bouncing on the balls of your feet, he sighed with a dramatic roll of his eyes. 

“G’on n’ tell Carol.” You took off, your boots sliding in the gravel and almost toppling you over, but you managed to stay on your feet, tucking your handgun into the waistband of your jeans on the way up the hill. 

Daryl didn’t even realize he was smiling until he noticed movement from the corner of his eye, turning to find Rick watching him curiously. The frown was instantaneous. “What?” He snapped. 

Rick failed exponentially at covering his grin but held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing.” The archer didn’t like the way the other man laughed as he turned away. 

Carol nodded enthusiastically with an amused smile as you carried on about your successful first shot, not daring to interrupt you. She was just elated that you had come to her willingly with your excitement and that your voice was still strong and even louder than you’d ever before shown. 

“Good job!” She cheered, holding out her hand for a high five. You actually jumped when delivering the request, bringing laughter bubbling out of her throat. Rick had approached and was listening in toward the end, engaging you in conversation about the experience once you had finished telling Carol. 

As you talked with the former deputy, she watched you, only noticing small signs of discomfort in your body language. You were healing. Little by little, you were feeling more confident. You smiled freely and frequently. You laughed. You were eager to learn. It was such a beautiful thing in a not so pretty world. It was like watching her own story, different players and scenes with the same underlying theme. 

“Hey.” Daryl nudged her with his elbow. Carol looked up at him, standing beside her with his arms crossed and a stick of cinnamon between his lips. His blue eyes were trained right on you. 

“Good job, Pookie.” She laughed when his lip curled, his elbow bumping her arm a second time. 

“Whaddaya mean?” The archer inquired, rolling the cylinder between his teeth. Carol only slightly refrained from rolling her eyes. 

“Look at her. That’s all you.” She nodded toward where Rick was intently listening to you explain what Daryl had taught you, as if the man had never seen a firearm in his life. The silver-haired woman observed her friend from the corner of her eye. The bowman had a different air about him when he looked at you, even if he tried like hell to hide it. Responsibility, my ass. 

“S’all her. I jus’ watch.” He shrugged. 

“I bet you do.” She said smugly, leaving him standing there with an exasperated expression that was just as much telling as it wasn’t. 

Daryl had to go on a run. He had left you with Carol, under very strict orders not to move from the woman’s side. You didn’t like seeing Daryl upset or stressed, and he always seemed to be both when called away from the prison for hunting or scavenging. It was obvious to even you that he didn’t like to leave you behind. 

“Keep practicin’. When I think ya can handle yerself, ya can go with me.”

So that’s what you did. Everyday. You would help with the chores that kept things running smoothly and in between, you would practice. Except the days Daryl was gone. Those days, you were Carol’s shadow. She was well aware of why and never complained. Though she couldn’t make time for you to improve shooting, she would take you with her to clear the fences.

That particular day, you had ended up soaked in dark blood and brain matter. You were obviously repulsed by the mess but dropping the walkers didn’t really bother you anymore. There was still a respectable amount of fear when facing a corpse but it was no longer debilitating. 

Once inside the safety of the prison, you split from your chaperone and headed straight for the showers. Most of the community didn’t shower daily, understanding the need to conserve water. You were different. Rick gave the okay for your daily washes, knowing your history and why it was imperative for you to end the day feeling clean. Feeling new and untouched. Unsullied. 

You always made them fast but thorough. The darkness that surrounded you there was suffocating, even with your lantern. It never failed to overwhelm you with the paranoia that some sleaze was waiting in the shadows to take you back to Big Jazz. It was the same song and dance each time, without fail. 

Hair still damp, you rubbed at it with the towel on the way back to the perch. The sun had already dipped behind the trees, leaving you certain that Daryl would be waiting for you. So when you reached the top step to find the space unoccupied, you grew nervous. Not only for the archer’s safety but for the fear of being left alone once the last shreds of light gave way to the faint luminescence of the moon. 

Biting at your nails, you sat down on the mattress and laid out one of Daryl’s handkerchiefs. Cleaning your gun gave you practice while occupying your mind. You knew from experience that being left alone with your thoughts was dangerous. 

During your isolation at the club, you idealized ways to end your suffering. That only led to wondering what would become of your body. Back then, your knowledge of walkers was limited. And you knew that Todd had sold some of the other bodies to clientele and what those men were doing when they didn’t need your services for a while. The thought of what would happen after your death was almost as daunting as what was happening while you were living and breathing. 

Except you had this hope that, while you still lived, you might come to know someone. Someone that would miss you if you died.

Along came Daryl. 

He was your savior in every sense of the word. He delivered you from the hell in which you were trapped. He brought you to a place of relative safety, despite the dangers that could infiltrate. He was teaching you and protecting you. 

He had finally begun to drop his walls. He treated you like a person. He could still be abrasive but the moments had grown fewer and farther in between. He was ruggedly handsome with kind eyes and a nice smile when he would show it. It wasn’t often that his lips dared venture past a smirk. You liked his lips. 

You dropped the clip when trying to return it to the gun, blinking at the pieces with wide eyes. You were supposed to be distracted from thinking, not swooning over a man who was as emotionally available as a thumbtack. Sure, Daryl was kind but you noticed he never spared any of the women a second glance. 

They sure spared him several. 

There was a smoldering heat somewhere in your chest when you thought of how the other females would eye the man as he passed them. The sensation was vaguely familiar, a piece of your pre-enslaved self prodded at whatever cage your subconscious had trapped it inside. You couldn’t exactly name it, but you were well aware that you didn’t like it. 

With an annoyed huff, you glanced up toward the high windows. It was well past nightfall and the group had still not returned. This had never happened before and if you were completely honest, you were scared. The shadows were forgotten, every threat your mind could create was shot down by the vivid scenarios of what could have happened to Daryl. The final image your brain shoved to the forefront was enough to bring tears to your eyes. 

Daryl as a walker at the fence. 

“No, no, no.” You chanted, shoving yourself to your feet. You kept repeating the word all the way to the door of Carol’s cell. You didn’t tap on the bars or call out to her. The curtain was roughly shoved aside and you barged in with no still tumbling from your lips. 

“Y/N? Hey, what’s wrong?” She had already pulled you into her arms, shushing you and stroking your hair. 

“He’s not coming back, is he? It’s after dark. Daryl said nights are dangerous. He’s not coming back, Carol. He’s not coming back.” You sobbed against her. You had finally managed to find something good in this world. Someone good. The fear of that being stripped away from you was almost too much to bear. 

“No, no. Honey, listen. They were probably just held up. It doesn’t mean—” She seemed to understand the moment that your legs gave out and followed you to the floor, still holding you tightly against her. “Y/N, everything’s okay.”

“It’s not okay! He’s not coming back!” Your voice was slowly rising, panic taking hold in a familiar way that you never again wanted to feel. “He’s not coming back! He left me and he’s not coming back!”

“Who ain’t comin’ back?”

Your head snapped to the doorway so fast that your neck twinged in protest.

Daryl was bruised, bloody, and more than a little dirty but he was there. 

“Who ain’t— oomf!” 

You hit his chest with enough force to stagger him toward the railing, his heartrate spiking from the fear that you both might topple over it. “Why weren’t you here?! You can’t leave me, Daryl! You can’t go!”

The archer was staring helplessly at Carol, admittedly unsure of what the hell he was supposed to do. She only gave him a gentle smile and stood, walking to the door of her cell and pulling the sheet closed. He could not suppress the glare that the doorway received. 

He then turned his attention to the bundle of you currently holding so tightly to the shirt beneath his vest that he heard some part of it tear. Hug you. He should hug you. That was logical. 

“Hey.” Daryl said softly, one hand cradling the back of your head while the other rubbed your back. “M’right here.” Your sobs didn’t seem to quiet in the slightest, surely alerting everyone else in the prison. Hopefully they weren’t asleep yet. “Y/N. M’here. Ain’t goin’ nowhere.” His brow furrowed when he noticed how hard you were trembling. When words were continuing to fail him, he settled with just holding you. 

It felt like hours of listening to you cry, the vice around his heart tightening until he could barely breathe. When one of the former Woodbury residents peeked out of their cell to scowl at him, he knew he had to get you away from that area. Not before offering a glare that had the man’s eyebrows shooting into his hairline just before he disappeared back into his space. 

You made no objections when he bent to sweep an arm beneath your knees, only refusing to release your hold on the shirt your tears were steadily soaking through. He was careful, walking slowly so as not to jostle you, like you were still that fragile burden he had carried to the prison all those weeks ago. 

Once he had climbed the stairs, he attempted to place you down on the mattress but you held fast to him, twisting your fists for a firmer grip. Daryl couldn’t help the fond smile he gave to the top of your head. 

“Gonna hafta let go eventually.” With a deep, stuttering breath, your hold finally loosened yet didn’t fall away. “Wanna tell me wha’ happened?”

“Nights are dangerous.” Your voice was so small that it reminded him of the first time you ever spoke to him, outside of that club. He did not want to see you revert back from the person you had worked so hard to become. “That’s what you said. When night came, I thought—”

“Ya thought I wouldn’ come back.” You nodded against his chest. “Ran outta fuel skirtin’ ‘round a herd. Gotta diff’rent car, got the crap we found, made it back.” You sniffled again. 

“You were late.”

Daryl couldn’t stop himself from snorting. “Didn’ realize I had a curfew.” He was able to hold onto the humor of the situation until you finally looked at him. His heart went plummeting down into some dark part of him, knowing then and there that he never wanted to see that fearful hopelessness again. 

“Don’t leave me behind again. Please.”

The archer swallowed hard, feeling like an asshole. “Y/N, I can’ take ya out there. It ain’t safe.” His hold tightened slightly when he turned to sit on the mattress, lowering your legs onto his lap, so that he could embrace you with both arms. You were still looking at him. Strangely, he didn’t feel anxious under your gaze, distressed as it was. He felt oddly…anchored. 

“It’ll never be safe.” 

He couldn’t argue with that point. Nowhere was safe anymore. “Not knowin’ how ta protect yerself gets ya killed. I can’ take ya with me n’ have ta watch ya the whole time. Get us both killed.”

“Then teach me.” You implored, actually shaking him with the hold you still had on his shirt. “I can use the knife. I can shoot. Teach me what else I need to know so I can go with you.”

Daryl’s expression fell. You were right. You were good with your knife. You were fucking great with the gun. There was only one thing left to show you. And he dreaded it more than actually taking you outside the fence. “Ya need ta know how ta fight.” Your head tilted in a way that he would have found adorable had he not felt like he was about to vomit. 

“Can Carol or Maggie—”

He was already shaking his head. “Need ta know how ta fight someone bigger, stronger. Need ta be able ta hold yer own when I can’ get ta ya.” When, not if. There would undoubtedly come a time when you would be alone, for whatever reason, and need to be able to take down walker or human; woman or man. 

He would need to teach you. 

Which meant, at some point, putting his hands on you. 

The images of finding you at the mercy of Lonny and Marvin. The stark contrast between the blood and your skin. The way you had surrendered, given up, and just accepted what would have happened if he hadn’t—

Daryl didn’t know when he had looked away, staring at some unimportant spot on the floor until your soft palm turned him back to you. 

“Okay.”

He narrowed his eyes, filled with an anger he knew wasn’t for you. It was for the lowlife assholes that had touched you, made you afraid of your own shadow. You had struggled to claw your way out of the shell they had left behind and now he would be forced to bring all of that back to the surface. Maybe not at first, but before it was done, before he would even feel remotely comfortable taking you anywhere beyond the prison gate, you would be afraid of him. 

“I can do it, Daryl.” 

The fire he felt raging just behind his ribs began to fade when he looked at you, your fierce determination mingling with the softness your eyes always held. Somewhere down deep, he knew you could do it. It wasn’t really about that. It was him. He was the one afraid. He never wanted to be the source of your nightmares. He didn’t want to portray the monster that his father so openly and willingly embraced. 

He somehow managed to swallow past the lump in his throat. “Okay.” He reluctantly agreed. “I, uh… need ta shower. Gettin’ guts n’ shit all over yer clothes.” When he tried to move you aside, this time you let him. Yet when he stood, your hand snagged his wrist and he found himself looking down at you again. 

“Don’t go.”

“M’jus’ gonna shower, Y/N.” Had his absence really been that profound? “M’gonna be righ’ back.”

“I’ll go with you.” 

Daryl was certain his jaw hit the floor. “W-wha’?” 

“I won’t look. I promise. I just…I don’t want to be alone.” You released his wrist but he could still feel a tingling where your fingers had been. 

“Y’ain’t alone. Carol’s jus’—”

“I don’t want to be away from you right now.”

Part of him wouldn’t mind if you tagged along. You weren’t going there to gawk at him. But the part of him that knew what he was planning on doing aside from showering was filled with a sudden shame that he was no stranger to but had learned to ignore. 

“Please?” You fixed him with those doe eyes of yours and he knew he was well and truly fucked. The hunter rubbed a hand roughly over his face and began to dig through his pile of clean clothing for something to wear to bed. Before you, he had usually just slept in whatever he was wearing when he crashed, giving in to the need for comfort by pulling on some flannel pants on occasion. When you began to spend more time in his space, he had raided the scavenged clothing and found several things he could sleep in that would make it more comfortable for you. How could you relax if he was constantly covered in grime and guts with no reprieve?

“Fine.” 

You didn't smile which actually surprised him. You loved to beam at him when he gave you your way, but this was different. He had truly scared you. Clothing and towel in hand, he started down the steps with you trailing behind. He shouldn’t have been allowing you to be so dependent on him. You needed to learn to be self reliant, self soothing. God, he was making you sound like an infant. 

Maybe you simply didn’t know that it wasn’t exactly appropriate. You had been passed from man to man for so long that the lines of decency were blurred. He couldn’t fault you for that, and he wouldn’t try to educate you when you had been so shaken and he was aching and dog-tired. 

The run had been a shitshow. He didn’t lie to you, those things did happen. He just omitted a few things that would have done nothing but compound your anxiety. He was well aware that you would need to know the realities of a supply run but he would explain those in detail when you were ready to join him. The thought made him cringe. He still couldn’t imagine you out there. Not that you weren’t doing well with training. You were. It was just that knowing you’d be anywhere near immediate danger made him sick to his stomach. 

He was hyper aware of each and every step you took behind him, even with your feet being bare. As an afterthought, he wondered if he should have brought the lantern. He didn’t need it but perhaps you would. If you did, you hadn’t said anything, even when he stepped into the stall, still fully clothed. 

He turned to find you holding some of your own clothes at your hip. 

“Mine got dirty.” You shrugged, walking into the adjoining stall. Nothing but a single half wall separated you. When he saw your arms raise and the shirt being lifted over your head, he turned his back and inwardly groaned. 

Why, oh why, had you needed to follow him? 

“Done.” You announced, any trace of you gone when he turned around. Brow knitted, he raised to the balls of his feet to look over the barrier but still couldn’t see you. Next, he leaned forward and peered around the outside of the wall. You were sitting with your back against the tiles, your eyes finding his before you smiled shyly. “Is this okay? I don’t wanna make you feel uncomfortable.”

Uncomfortable could not even begin to describe how Daryl was feeling. 

You watched as Daryl’s eyes narrowed, something almost playful twinkling within the cobalt depths. “No peeking.” He warned, his tone light, and then he vanished back to the other side. 

You ignored the sounds of him undressing— the graze of his boots over his socks, the soft clink of his belt buckle —and busied yourself with chewing on your nails, trying to even out the ones you had fucked up during your earlier episode. Chewing at a jagged edge, you’d pull back to inspect your work and then continue to the next. 

You had made it almost all the way across one hand when a weight plopped and settled over your head. The familiar smell of leather stifled any instantaneous fear, so you pulled at the veil to find it was the winged vest. 

“Daryl,” you whined through a smile. “I just changed my clothes!” The shower started spraying behind you. 

“Oops.” He replied flippantly. 

Leaning forward, you cross-crossed your legs beneath you and set about carefully folding his vest, brushing away any dirt you could see by only moonlight, the rest left for when you could properly clean it. Carol had taught you how to care for and maintain it when the precious article came through in the laundry she had gathered, the one and only time you’d seen it in all the loads you’d helped wash. 

Sweeping your hand back and forth over the material, you smiled at how far you’d come. There was a man showering less than ten feet away from you and you weren’t whimpering or cowering. You weren’t looking for an escape. It was a testament to both your strength and the influence of the aforementioned man in the shower. 

Amidst your thoughts, the smell of burnt tobacco wafted into your face, your nose scrunching. You hadn’t even heard the lighter!

“Are you seriously smoking in the shower?”

“Who doesn’?” 

You could tell he was letting the cigarette hang between his lips from the sound of his voice, obviously talking from one side of his mouth. You smiled and rolled your eyes but didn’t badger him further. There was no need. Your mind ventured far away. 

It started innocently enough. You were picturing him washing his hair while drawing off the cigarette, exhaling the smoke through his nose and looking pleased as punch. You would have giggled had your traitorous mind not called upon the rest of his body. Just recalling what you had seen that night made your cheeks burn. 

If it had ended there, you might have been able to brush it off without hindrance. Your subconscious was never kind to you. 

You saw yourself sitting on the low wall that currently separated you from him, just as wet and just as bare. The archer stepped between your legs that were open in invitation. His scars felt like your own, your fingers studying them as he watched, the cigarette still pressed between his lips. You blinked up at him when he grabbed the smoke between his thumb and forefinger, flicking it into the shower floor to be extinguished and forgotten. That same hand glided up your thigh and dipped between your bodies, his fingers mimicking your own; delicately tracing the scars littered over your core. 

“You’re just like me.” You whispered as his lips found yours. 

“If ya mean tired n’ done with this shit day then yep, we ‘bout the same.”

You jolted sideways, eyes wide with surprise. “Daryl!” He was standing at the end of the stall in flannel pants and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt, his damp towel and dirty clothing in hand. 

“Yeah?” He was waiting you out but you couldn’t seem to find words while your fresh little fantasy continued to flicker behind your eyes. “Y’alrigh’?”

“Yeah.” You cleared your throat, suddenly uncomfortable with his close proximity. “I’m good.” Clambering to your feet, you smiled and handed him his vest. “I’m just really tired too.” His narrowed eyes brought on worry that he wasn’t buying it but after a moment, he nodded toward the door.

“Le’s hit the sack. Gotta a long day tomorrow.” 

You hummed your agreement and followed him out. Sleep was doubtfully going to be in the cards that night, not after what you had allowed to happen inside your head. Daryl wanted you, at least he had wanted you at some point. Did he still? Did you want him? Of course you did. He had made it clear that he cared for you. You were his friend. Maybe he did still want to fuck you. 

That wasn’t something you could ever allow. 

You were damaged. Healing but forever damaged. You’d been used so frequently by so many that you would never allow Daryl to lower himself to such desperation. There were plenty of women there vying for his attention. Maybe once he was less focused on you, he could start thinking more about his own needs. He would see that any appeal you had was nothing compared to a woman who could give him her whole heart and not just a pile of shredded fragments. 

Finally settled, your shoulders were almost touching while the two of you laid on your backs. Silence was abundant for the longest time before Daryl cleared his throat. 

“Night.”

“Goodnight.”

Simultaneously, you both turned away from the other; Daryl’s eyes on the wall and yours on the shadows past the railing. 

Neither was aware that the other was thinking the exact same thing. 

He deserves better.

She deserves better. 

@royaltysuite@thegeorgiahuntsman@livingdeadblondequeen@deansapplepie@feral4daryl@walker-bait-1973@lazyneonrabbitt@bizquake@ririi-3@ankhmutes@littlelovingideas @blackvelveteen1339@sokkasimp101@lehhos @1ivinqdeadqir1main@loganlostitall @callmeyn@lilyevanstan1325@the-lonely-abyss@gutsby@eljaynosine_triphosphate @abbyreedus@wifeof-barnes@bananafire11@hutchersonsgurl@the-milk-is-rotten@she-could-never@Kenzimae67@nessa-mayfield@ilovedilfs4eversthings@richardsamboramylove55@annhells@abi67sblog@nessieart@imgeorgeclooney@brinteylovesaliens@eduardast4rgirl@daryldixmedown @willowaftxn83-87@atyourmomshouse01@bultamer@mia051 @memphiscity69@flowerspetalsthorns@riya12044 @ariacraigggg @morgan556 @carley12041 @timeladyrikaofgallifrey @twdislifee @bae-live-0 @elbellmam @aleemendoza2425-blog @ramdomhoe @ren9sstuff

[dragon-kazansky]

When the raven calls

Morpheus x Female Reader

You, his raven, die protecting Jessamy while rescuing the Dream Lord. When Morpheus returns to his realm, he mourns your loss, only to find a stranger waiting for him in his throne room. The stranger claims to be you, now in human form. He doesn't understand, but his raven will always watch over him.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Chapter Eleven - All together now

☆☆☆

The knock on your door is firm but also cautious. You can tell he is hesitant. You know it's him before he even speaks.

"Go away."

For the first time ever, Morpheus doesn't know how to feel about you. You've never spoken to him like that before. You've always welcomed him. Now he senses your disdain toward him.

"Can we talk?"

You don't answer him. Morpheus feels hopeless right now. Upsetting you was something he never wanted to do. Ever. Not since... Not since he realised just how he felt.

He gently rests his head against the door and sighs softly.

"I did what I had to do. Gault will learn her lesson, and she will return one day. I did not think this would upset you so much."

Morpheus is startled by how quickly you open the door. You glare up at him, eyes still glistening with tears.

"Upset me? You've hurt me. How dare you send Gault away like that. She was trying to protect the boy. She wasn't harming anyone."

"She was keeping Jed in a lie. It is not our job to protect them from their waking lives." Morpheus tries to tell you.

"I know that much. God, you're so... difficult!"

Morpheus stares at you.

"You punish people just because they dare say no to you. How can you be so happy about that?" You look at him desperately. "Gault. Nada. Neither of them hurt you. Just your pride."

Dream clenches his jaw. He didn't expect this personal attack on him.

"I hate that I care so much. I hate that... that I can't do anything to fix any of this. I hate... that I feel the same way she did, and yet you're letting me go about my business."

"You feel the same way?" He asks, unsure of what you're referring to.

"I'm not the way you made me. Not any more. I changed. You're not punishing me for being different."

"Your case is different."

"Is it? Because it doesn't look it to me. Gault wanted to be a Dream. I think that's beautiful. You denied her that wish and sentenced her to the darkness." You wipe at your eyes gently. "I don't like being human any more..."

Morpheus feels his heart break.

You turn back into a raven. "I won't need this room anymore. I'm going to stay a raven. So, forget everything. Forget me stupid emotions and... and the clothes and the ice cream, and all that stuff we did."

You fly past Morpheus and disappear into the palace.

Morpheus stands there with his thoughts.

☆☆☆

You had gone to the library to seek comfort in Lucienne. She wasn't surprised to see you back in your raven form. The main reason you had stayed in your human form so long before was because Dream had asked you to stay like that.

She could see he was particularly fond of you as a human.

Still, she said nothing and let you keep her company. After all, Lord Morpheus had been quite clear to her about her place in the Dreaming.

It seemed everyone was having issues with the stubborn king.

Matthew comes flying in quickly and lands on the table beside you and Jessamy. You look at him.

"I don't know how she did it, but Rose just got Lyta pregnant."

"What?" Lucienne looks at him confused.

"Apperantly it happened in her dream, and when Lyta woke up-"

"She was still pregnant."

"Very much so," Matthew confirms.

"Then it's starting." You say. Lucienne nods.

"Rose is weakening the walls between the realms."

"You gonna tell the boss?" Matthew asks.

"No." Lucienne says.

"No?"

"It's none of my business."

You caw softly and step a little closer to her hand, pecking her finger gently with affection.

"Uh, since when?"

"Since Lord Morpheus reminded me that I'm merely a librarian and should concern myself with my books from now on." Lucienne tells him.

"He said that?"

"He's being an ass." You scoff.

Matthew is surprised to hear speak badly about him. He had always assumed you looked up to the guy. You had always been so fond of him and talked very highly of him before.

"What is wrong with him?" Matthew asks.

"Nothing is wrong with him. He's always been this way." Lucienne explains. "He's juat been away so long I'd forgotten. He's determined to deal with the vortex and the missing Arcana by himself. Without anyones help. So any news must be reported directly and exclusively to him."

"Okay. But can I keep you in the loop?"

"You'd better not. In his Majesty's current mood, he could banish us to the Darkness." She sighs. "As he did Gault."

"All right, fine. I'll go back to spying on Rose. But you should make up with him. Both of you."

"I should make up with him?" You ask, almost laughing.

"Yes. Now's not the time to be fighting, not when there's a vortex getting people pregnant and runaway Nightmares doing God knows what."

You sigh. "I'm not going to talk to him."

Matthew caws.

"I'm going to help you." You say.

"Huh?"

"With Rose."

"Is that a good idea? You wanna tell the boss first?" Matthew asks.

"Nope."

Before either Matthew or Lucienne can say anything, you fly off. Matthew turns to Jessamy, who had been quiet this whole time.

"What is happening?"

Jessamy looks at him. "They're having their first fight."

Lucienne looks at her. "I see."

"I don't." Matthew caws.

"They're in love." Lucienne says softly.

☆☆☆

You sit outside the window of Rose's room. You can see her talking to Lyta about dreams. Lyta wants to live in her dreams with her husband and the baby.

Rose's phone rings, and she answers it. You can't hear the other side, but you can tell Rose is talking to Jed.

She knows where he is.

You could go there and keep an eye on Jed.

Someone knocks on her door and you decide to leave.

You fly off.

The location in question is a hotel. It may be three hours away from Rose, but with your access to the Dreaming, it did not take long at all. You land in a tree opposite the hotel and decide to stake it out.

☆☆☆

Morpheus is in his throne room looking at his broken windows. Something is happening in the Dreaming. Quakes. Violent shaking, leaving damage behind.

Something was wrong.

"Loosh? You in here?" Mervyn comes in but stops when he finds Morpheus. "Whoops. Oh, sorry, boss. I was looking for Lucienne. See ya." He tries to leave.

"Wait." Morpheus stops him. "Why were you looking for Lucienne?"

"Oh, well, we just had some minor seismic activity and a little, you know, damage i wanted to report." Mervyn says.

"Then why not report it to me?"

"Uh, because you're busy? While you were away, Lucienne started taking care of that stuff, so I figured... why bother you when-"

Morpheus looks displeased. "Mervyn, if the Dreaming has been damaged in any way, I will be the one to address it."

The whole place shakes again. The window cracks even further.

"Oh, for crying out loud. You want me to fix that for you? Or will it just keep happening?" Mervyn asks.

"It will not keep happening because I will find the cause of the disturbance, and I will eliminate it." Morpheus declares. "Thank you, Mervyn."

"Uh, you're welcome."

Morpheus looks back at the window in thought. He then walks away, heading to the library.

He walks through the aisles with books under his arm. He walks with determination and then stops when he reaches where Lucienne is.

"Lucienne?"

"My Lord."

"I have come to return these..." He hands the books he was carrying. "And to assess the extent of the damage from the recent disturbances." He looks around. "Have... you any idea as to what caused them?" He asks.

"I assumed it was you, sir."

"Me?"

"Making further improvements to the realm... now that you're back."

"Lucienne, when we last spoke, I did not mean to imply that your efforts beyond the library are without value."

"Oh?"

"I really wish to relieve you of responbilities with which, had I been here, you would never have been burdened."

"I see."

"And... in that time, did you experience any... similar seismic disturbances?" He asks slowly. He speaks carefully.

"I did not."

"Have you any... theory as to their origin?"

"Speaking strictly as a librarian? I do." She says. "But you won't like it."

"Go on."

"I know you're waiting to see I'd the vortex will lead you to The Corianthian and Fiddler's Green. The way she led you to Gault."

"She may yet still." He says.

"Yes, but while you're waiting, she's putting cracks in the foundation." Lucienne sighs.

"Rose Walker has visited this realm before and done no damage. This is something else, something new."

"Perhaps. But if there is something new in the Dreaming and you did not create it, how did it get here? This is the vortex. I assure you."

Morpheus thinks it through.

☆☆☆

Dream stands at your door. He hadn't brought himself to dismantle the room after what you said last time he spoke to you. In fact, he hadn't seen you since that conversation.

He felt sad. Sad that he had upset you. Sad that you had refused your human form. Sad that he didn't stop you from leaving when you got mad at him.

He wanted to talk to you, but he knew you weren't in there. "What am I doing?" He asks himself.

Morpheus walks away.

I'm sorry. He wanted to say.

Morpheus decides to give you your space and go deal with whatever is happening on his own. He can make things up with you later.

He finds himself in the dream of Lyta Hall. Rose is there, too. As is Lyta's deceased husband.

He needs to fix this.

"What do you think?" Matthew caws.

"Tell Lucienne she was right about the source of the tremors, and that I'm taking care of it."

He walks down to the house.

☆☆☆

You see Rose climb out of a car that just pulled up. There's a man with her. One you recognise immediately, though he didn't always look like that.

"Hm."

They head inside the hotel. You look around and then fly down to the ground, landing on two human feet. You won't get far going inside as a raven. You head for the entrance.

When you get inside, you don't see Rose or the man she was with. You sigh and look around the lobby. It's busy.

You don't even notice The Corianthian who had come inside because he thought he saw Jed run down the hall. He noticed you though.

It just hasn't clicked who you were yet.

He goes back outside. You walk further into the hotel.

Gilbert had seen and heard some things he would rather have not. He walks out of one of the rooms and frowns. As he turns, he catches a glimpse of you. Something clicks.

He knows you are.

He goes to call you, but you walk away. He panics. Gilbert heads back to the lobby and leaves a message at the front desk for Rose. He then leaves the hotel.

He needs to see Morpheus.

☆☆☆

Back in the Dreaming, Morpheus enters the library looking for Lucienne.

"Lucienne?"

"My Lord. There's something I must tell you." She comes out from between two shelves.

"And I will listen." He says. "But first, you must let me tell you you were right. The vortex was responsible for the damage to our realm, and I was... wrong to risk our safety in the hope that she would locate the missing Arcana."

"You were not entirely wrong, sir." She days to him. "She's found them both."

"What? The Corianthian and Fiddler's Green? Where? How do you know?" He asks.

"Fiddler's Green told me."

Gilbert comes into view and joins them. He looks at Morpheus with shame. He bows his head and looks back up at Dream.

"Apologies, lord, for having left."

"Why? Why did you leave? I trusted you. You were the heart of The Dreaming."

"No, sir. You were the heart of The Dreaming. And you were gone." Gilbert tells him. "I was curious. And it turns out that life as a human contains substance I never even imagined when I was here. Which is why I've returned because... he's murdering them."

"The Corianthian?"

"He appears to have built up a cult of worshippers who kill for pleasure, endangering the waking world and the life of a friend called Rose Walker."

"The Corianthian has found Rose Walker?" Morpheus asks, needing to know for sure.

"Yes." Gilbert looks confused.

"Can you imagine the damage he could do with someone like Rose?" Lucienne says, looking at Dream.

"You must tell me where they are."

"I thought perhaps you knew." He said. "Your raven is there, at least, I believe it was her."

Morpheus' heart sinks.

"My raven...?"

"Yes. Although, she appears to be human now." Gilbert wad rather confused. He didn't know you could do that.

Your name falls from his lips.

"No..."

Lucienne looks at Morpheus with worry. She knew you had gone to see Rose, but it didn't dawn on her that you would go so far. Now you were close to The Corianthian, too.

Morpheus leaves the library immediately.

☆☆☆

You see no sign of Rose or of Jed. You decide they must be upstairs somewhere. As you turn back around to head for the lifts or elevators as they call them in this country, you find yourself face to face with The Corianthian.

"Well, hello."

"Oh dear..."

☆☆☆

@missdreamofendless

@kpopgirlbtssvt

@sitkafay

@snowsatsu

@ladyofdreaming

@thoughtsfromlayla

@modest-irish-goddess

@mystic-mara

@dreamingblueberries

@littlemoistcarrot

@simpingdeadcharacters

@bluespecs14

@modest-irish-goddess

[daisynik7]

Win a Date with Takada-Chan! Part I

Pairing: Aoi Todo x f!reader

Rating: Mature

Word Count: ~4.6k

cw: reader described as having hair, reader has curves, suggestive dialogue, sexual tension, explicit language

Summary: You win a very exclusive contest to join in a group date with Takada-Chan! You’re able to bring a guest, but Sara is busy that day. Who else can you ask? None other than your fake boyfriend Aoi Todo. 

Author’s Notes: Here’s chapter five, enjoy! Thanks for the support on this so far, I really appreciate it. Divider credit to @/saradika. 

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After recounting to Sara all that was said between you and Todo, her first response is, “What the fuck?!” She grabs your two braided pigtails to twirls the ends in your face. “This was all said right in front of me and Yuji?!” You nod sheepishly to confirm. The two of you are waiting at the bus stop, heading back to your place from Club Coffee. After seeing Todo pull you forward to whisper in your ear, your best friend is naturally very curious at what was said. 

“I told you he was a perv, but I guess you are too. Naughty girl,” she teases, still tugging on one of your braids. 

You cover your face with your hands, embarrassed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You liked that he was checking you out! You like him!”

“I don’t like him!” you protest. “I don’t even know him!”

“But you’re attracted to him. You can’t deny that.” She stares at you with a brow raised, waiting for you to confess. God, you hate it when she’s right. She always rubs it in your face.

In a quiet voice, you mumble, “Yeah, I’m attracted to him.”

Sara snaps her fingers as if she just solved a case. “I knew it, I fucking knew it! You were in such denial the other day. Now you can drop this stupid act and just fuck already!”

“I don’t think he’s attracted to me.”

“He was staring at your ass all day. And he told you he likes it rough and wants to show you. What do you call that?”

“He was only saying those things to mess with me since I was messing with him! Also, I’m sure if someone put a mini skirt on an inflatable banana, that man would still check out its ass.” You pause to take a deep sigh. “Also, you’re forgetting the most important thing: He’s in love with Takada-Chan. I mean, the dude is already planning their wedding.”

Sara snorts, rolling her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re attracted to this guy.”

You groan loudly. “I know! What is wrong with me?!”

“Well, it’s pretty clear he’s whipped for Takada-Chan, so there’s nothing that can be done about that. We’ll have to think of something else.”

“We don’t have to think of anything else. It’s not like I’m in love with him or anything. I’m just attracted to him. That’s it. I’ll just have to get over it eventually, which I probably will as soon as he opens his big dumb mouth the next time I see him.”

“Look at you, already looking forward to the next time you see him,” Sara says, smirking. 

You can’t believe your sudden feelings for him. Can you even call these feelings? It’s just physical attraction, right? Sure, his confidence is sexy, despite how annoying he can be most of the time. And you know he’s loyal, given his dedication to Takada-Chan. That is something you can respect. You remind yourself that this man hasn’t really done anything nice for you. All the interactions you’ve had together have been argumentative and combative, constantly trying to one up each other. Were there hints of sexual tension here and there? Maybe. But at the end of the day, there isn’t a reason for you to have feelings for Todo, besides your physical attraction to him. You barely know anything about him. 

Whatever this is, you decide the best way to move forward is to drop this silly back-and-forth you constantly have with him. Today, he was mature enough to apologize and call a truce, but you decided to take a little bit of revenge anyways. It was petty of you to make suggestive comments in an attempt to embarrass him. It also didn’t work since he landed the final blow. 

The next time you see him, you make a promise to yourself to be nice, as you normally would. Maybe your feelings for him will become clearer.

~~~ Todo walks beside Yuji towards the train station, hands in his pocket, reflecting. There’s a fluttering in his stomach as he recalls his rival, basically whispering sweet nothings into his ear. I’ll keep the skirt on while you show me how rough you like it.

Holy shit. His cheeks burn red just thinking about it. Todo never surrenders, but in that moment, he had to. He was so tempted to grab her by the hand and take her up on her offer. No woman has ever said anything like that to him. The few he has been with never engaged in dirty talk. Is he realizing just now how much he’s into it? Because damn, he is really into it. His imagination runs wild with thoughts of her straddling him in that fucking mini skirt, her braids bouncing with every movement, giggles and moans escaping from that cute smile of hers.

Holy shit, seriously, he needs to calm down.

“Today was fun!” Yuji’s voice snaps Todo out of his extremely inappropriate subconscious. 

Todo chuckles. “Yeah, it was.”

“You and your rival seem to be getting along better,” Yuji says, with a smirk. 

“Yeah, I guess.”

After a long pause, Yuji asks, “So…are we not going to talk about how you were totally checking her out?”

Todo scoffs. “What’s there to talk about?”

“I don’t know, Todo. You seem pretty smitten.” His brother tries his best to hold in his laughter. 

“I’m not smitten. Don’t be so stupid, brother. It’s not that deep.”

“I just haven’t seen you gawk at someone like that in a while. Other than Takada-Chan, of course.”

Todo whips her head towards Yuji and glares at him. “Now you’re really sounding ridiculous, brother. You know I only have eyes for sweet, precious Takada-Chan.” Yuji chuckles and doesn’t press on the matter further. Todo continues to contemplate in silence. 

It’s not like he is truly committed to Takada-Chan the rest of his life. He may be eccentric and delusional, but he’s not an idiot. He knows deep, deep down that the pop idol and him will never be together. Just as he knows that she never rejected him and that they never even went to middle school together. Deep into the abyss of his being, he knows this is all a fabrication. But he likes living in his little fantasy world of his. He needs it. It gives him something to look forward to, even if it is all pretend. It’s something hopeful. Something positive. Being a Jujutsu Sorcerer is a dangerous job. He knows he puts his life at risk every mission. The reality of his world is harsh, what harm is it to play pretend and hope for something fun in his life? 

He's never had long term relationship. Sure, he’s hooked up with a few different women here and there. It never led to anything serious. Is that even something he wants? A serious relationship? What does that even mean to Todo? 

The biggest cause of stress for him is boredom. Maybe he values a relationship that keeps him on his toes. He likes a woman who can keep up with him. And he isn’t the type of man that is easy to keep up with. When he thinks about his “rival”, he realizes that all their interactions are never boring. He likes her fiery attitude towards him. She doesn’t back down from a fight, even if she knows she’s outmatched. Todo can be an intimidating person, though it doesn’t seem to faze her. 

He knows she’s capable of being nice. She put on the whole act of pretending to be a couple to get Takada-Chan’s attention. Because of her, Todo’s dream of meeting the idol and getting her to know his name came true. She also gave him the signed poster. He still wonders why she did all of that. Is it because she cares for him? A stranger? A stranger who has always been an ass to her? That would be crazy, right? 

Today, he’s seen her naughty side. He knows she said those things to provoke him, but holy shit. It was hot. And it wasn’t just because of the outfit she was wearing. The confidence in which she said it was enticing. The way she touched his thigh, knowing it would rile him up. It’s like she knows what gets him going. 

And what compelled him to whisper those parting words to her? We’ll just have to reschedule. He wanted to get the last say, he wanted the upper hand. But that’s not all it was. Part of him meant it, wanted it. Maybe he still wants it.

She can be naughty, and she can be nice. He’s seen a little bit of both those sides of her. It intrigues him. He likes it. He wants to see more. 

~~~

A week after Takada-Chan’s birthday, the pop idol’s official website releases details on a new contest: Win a Date with Takada-Chan! There will be five winners selected and they can bring a guest. The “date” consists of a party bus ride with Takada-Chan from a predetermined meeting spot to a studio location. At the studio, the lucky guests get a behind the scenes look at an official Takada-Chan photoshoot. After the photoshoot, Takada-Chan will treat her guests to an exclusive private dinner at her favorite sushi restaurant in Tokyo. 

It all seems too good to be true. A whole day with the Takada-Chan? Incredible.

To enter the contest, you must submit a photo of yourself showing how big of a fan you are. Then you must write a little blurb about why you would love to win the contest. You decide to submit the photo of you, Todo, and Takada-Chan doing the Taka-tan Beam in her dressing room. In your description, you write about how much you admire Takada-Chan for her talent, confidence, and overall bright persona. 

The winners are announced two weeks after. Miraculously, you are one of them. You cannot believe your luck. The pop idol gods have blessed you, indeed. 

You tremble with excitement as you speed dial Sara on your phone. 

“Hey! What’s up?” she answers.

“You’ll never believe it. I won the contest!” 

“Are you serious?! Holy shit! Congratulations!”

“And I get a guest! You’re coming with me!”

“Sounds good. When is it?”

“Next Saturday.”

“Next Saturday?”

“Yes!”

“Dude, we’re hosting a huge party at the restaurant. I won’t be able to make it, I’m serving.”

You frown to yourself. “Aw man. Okay. I guess I’ll have to find someone else.”

You hear your best friend snickering in the background, but she doesn’t say anything.

“What are you laughing about?” you ask. 

“You know exactly who you should bring.”

“No. No way.”

“He’s your fake boyfriend, don’t you think Takada-Chan will be suspicious if you don’t bring him?”

“I mean, I’ll make up some excuse. I’m not going to ask Todo.”

“Why not?! We’ve already established that you’re attracted to him. This will be another good opportunity to get to know him better! Or at least gauge how you really feel about him.”

You let out a loud sigh. “You really can’t make it?”

She laughs. “No, I can’t. Just ask Todo. Maybe you two can finally become friends and go to Takada-Chan events together instead of dragging me and Yuji to them.”

“Gasp. I’m hurt. I thought you loved going to Takada-Chan events with me!” you tease. 

“The reason I go to the events is because I love you. But Todo might be the answer to all my prayers. Who would have thought that giant mountain of a body would be my saving grace?”

“Ha ha, very funny. Fine. I’ll ask him,” you say, begrudgingly. Then you add, “And for the record, I love you too.”

You can hear your best friend smile through the phone. “Yeah, I know. Now go get your man.”

“Sara!”

~~~

Todo is in the middle of eating ramen when he looks at his phone to see a notification. It’s a text from someone named “Rival”. Why is she texting him?

He opens their message thread. Besides the new message he just received, the only thing on there is their photo with Takada-Chan. He almost forgot how cute this picture is. 

Rival: Hey, are you free next Saturday?

He drops his spoon in his soup bowl, reading the text slowly. His heart starts racing faster as he types out a response.

Todo: Yes. Why?

He sees the 3 dots. After a few more seconds, she texts back.

Rival: I won Takada-Chan’s date contest. Sara can’t make it, so I’m asking you. 

The contest! Win a Date with Takada-Chan! He entered that weeks ago and never got any response back. He assumed he wasn’t picked. She won?! He’s too excited to text. He presses the phone icon to call her. After a few rings, she picks up. “Todo?”

For some reason, hearing her say his name makes his heart skip a beat. His breath hitches for a millisecond before he responds, “Hey. Yeah, it’s me. You won the contest?”

She chuckles. “Yeah, I did.”

After a few moments of silence, Todo asks, “And you want to take me?”

“Well, Sara can’t make it. So, I figured the next best option would be Takada-Chan’s #2 fan.”

Todo grumbles. “I thought we were past this.”

She giggles. “Yeah yeah, I know, I’m just teasing you. So, are you down?”

“Hell yeah, I’m down. Just text me the details.”

“For sure. I’ll see you next week.”

They hang up and Todo completely abandons his ramen. He’s too thrilled to continue eating. A date with Takada-Chan? It’s official. All his dreams are coming true, minus marrying the pop idol. But he can live with that for now.

It was all thanks to her. His rival. Or maybe he should start calling her his acquaintance? Or friend? Were they even friends? All the thoughts he’s had of her these past two weeks have not been appropriate of someone intending to be just “friends”. It’s safe to say that Todo has not forgotten any part of their interaction at the café. It’s even safer to say that the memory of her outfit that day combined with her flirtatious demeanor lives in his mind rent free. 

Whatever these feelings are, he must contain them next week. All his attention will be on Takada-Chan, and that’s it. He’s determined not to be distracted by anything, or anyone, else. 

~~~

The day of Takada-Chan’s big group date finally arrives. The outfit you decide to wear today is simple: A lilac purple sweetheart dress that ends just right above your knees and white espadrille sandals. You wear a gold necklace with two interlocking circles. Sara has the exact same kind; you bought it as a matching set to symbolize your unwavering friendship, as cheesy as that sounds. 

The meeting location for the group date is about a 20-minute bus ride from your house. You texted Todo the location last week, right after you told him the news. You’re absolutely thrilled to spend the day with Takada-Chan, but also a little apprehensive being on the date with Todo. You’ve replayed your last encounter with him many times over in your mind. You haven’t been able to go a day without thinking about him. When you talked to him on the phone, it was normal. As if you two didn’t exchange sexually charged comments with each other just the other week. What will it be like today? 

You take a deep breath as the bus approaches your stop. Are you more nervous about seeing Takada-Chan or Todo? You can’t even tell. 

From the stop, you walk about five minutes to the meeting location. It’s an empty parking lot. From your understanding of today’s agenda, a party bus with Takada-Chan will pick you up at 1:00 PM. Currently, it’s 12:40 PM. 

The 4 other winners are already there with their plus ones. All of them are men. You laugh to yourself as Sara’s voice plays in your head. “Sausage-fest” is what she would say. 

You check your phone. 12:45 PM. Should you text him to see where he is?

A few minutes later, Todo arrives. He’s wearing a dark purple t-shirt with black joggers. The shirt hugs his body tightly, accentuating every muscle and ab on his rock-hard body. 

Wow, you think to yourself. This is the first time you’ve noticed his attire. Has he always worn outfits like this? He looks good. Really good. 

You swallow the drool that is currently pooling in your mouth as he approaches you. His expression is neutral when he first greets you. You catch him scanning up and down your body, observing you. Then he smirks. “You look good.”

There’s a tingling right below your belly. You take a deep breath before saying, “Thank you. You too.” 

He continues to smirk at you as you look directly into each other’s eyes. You gulp loudly, feeling shy. But you don’t want to look away from him. 

Suddenly, someone approaches you two. It’s one of the other winners of the contest. The rest of the winners follow closely behind him. “Hey.”

“Hello,” you respond. Something about the way they look at you doesn’t seem friendly. 

“Are you the ‘couple’ that Takada-Chan brought into her dressing room?” He puts air quotes around the word “couple”.

Todo steps closer to him, intimidating. “Yeah. What’s it to you?”

The guy smirks, then looks back at the other fans. “See guys, I knew it was all a fraud. Pathetic.”

You scowl at them and ask, “What the hell do you mean by that?”

The annoying guy lets out a malicious laugh before saying, “It’s pretty obvious you two aren’t a couple. You might have Takada-Chan fooled, but not us. We just think it’s pathetic that two fans would stoop so low.”

You hear Todo growling beside you. Not wanting the situation to escalate further, you say, “And what makes you think we aren’t a couple?” You link your arm around Todo’s, glaring at the asshole in front of you. 

“We’ve had reports from other fans saying they’ve seen you two at other events, just bickering and arguing with each other. Sometimes barely even speaking to each other.”

Todo snorts, snarling, “You guys are a bunch of nerds. I don’t give a shit what your ‘reports’ say. Stop harassing me and my girlfriend.” His use of the word “girlfriend” makes your heart skip a beat for some reason. Control yourself, woman! 

You tighten your grip on Todo’s arm and add, “Besides, you act like regular couples don’t fight and bicker. News flash: they do.”

“Well how come nobody has ever seen you kiss or hug like normal couples do?” Some of the guys behind him nod in agreement. 

Todo lets out an even louder snort and laughs. “Is this dude for real?”

This idiot was right on the money about you and Todo pretending to be in a relationship, but you would rather eat shit than admit it. At this point, you’ll do whatever it takes to convince these losers that you’re right and they’re wrong. If it’s a kiss they want, then so be it. 

You grip Todo by the collar and pull him down towards you. “If you perverts want to see a kiss, then fine. What do you say, baby?”

Todo seems taken aback by your sudden action. You desperately try to communicate to him telepathically. If you’re not cool with this, it’s okay, we don’t have to do it! But if you are, let’s prove these assholes wrong!

You see that familiar smirk on his lips as he says in that sexy low voice, “Yeah, let’s put on a show.” He leans down as you get on your tippy toes to close the gap. 

His lips are soft against yours. Not what you expected from a meathead like this. The kiss starts closed mouth, but then suddenly his tongue slide against your lips, begging for entrance. You part your lips just the tiniest bit to feel his tongue swirl around yours. You let out a small moan, involuntarily. 

You break the kiss immediately, Todo’s tongue still sticking out. His eyes are half-closed with a dazed look on his face. You turn away from him, face hot, and say to the crowd, “There. Are you losers happy? Now leave us alone.”

The group of men look at you, ashamed. You hear some of them grumble, “Sorry” as they turn to face away from you. The idiot who did the accusing grimaces at you, muttering, “Whatever.” What a fucking prick. 

With perfect timing, you see a black bus drive into the parking lot. Takada-Chan has arrived. 

You glance at Todo, who now has rosy cheeks. How cute. In a hushed voice, you say, “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know how else to get those bastards to leave us alone.”

He doesn’t say anything. You can tell he’s trying to find his words carefully. Not wanting to prolong this awkward silence, you say, “Let’s just enjoy this date with Takada-Chan, okay?” You grab his hand and lead him in front of the black bus, which has just parked. You fall in line behind the other fans, not wanting to see their annoying faces. Todo’s hand is still around yours. You’re basically holding hands. 

Peering up at him, you whisper, “What are you doing?”

He clears his throat and whispers back, “We have to keep acting like a couple, right? Couples hold hands.” 

You look at him with a bewildered expression, but don’t argue. He’s right. You have to keep this whole act going. For those idiot fans, for Takada-Chan. That’s all it is, right? Just an act.

You adjust your grip so that you are interlocking fingers. This is more convincing. It’s more intimate. His hold around you is firm, his hand massive compared to yours. Oh, the things he could do to you with these hands…

The door to the bus opens and a security guard pops their head out. There’s a clipboard in his hand, presumably to check the list of winners and confirm their identities. Each winner and their guest steps into the bus, one by one. You hear squeals of joy as each fan enters and Takada-Chan greets them. When it’s your turn, the guard, who you now recognize as the same one at the Handshake Event and Meet and Greet, looks at you and Todo holding hands. He smiles and says, “Go ahead.” He didn’t even check for your ID. 

As you set foot in the bus, you see purple mood lighting on the ceiling and hear Takada-Chan’s music playing through the speakers. The pop idol is seated at the far end in her own booth. Two security guards surround her. When she sees you and Todo, she jumps up with excitement and walks towards you. “You’re here! When I found out you were the one selected, I got so excited!” She gives you a warm hug, which you return with your free arm. Todo still has a steady hold of your hand. You expected him to let go as soon as he saw Takada-Chan, but surprisingly, his grip has not loosened one bit. 

“Todo! So glad to see you here with your girlfriend!” Takada-Chan gives him a one-armed hug, which he returns silently. 

You can’t help but wonder what’s going on in his head right now. 

Takada-Chan leans in closer to whisper to you, “I wish you two could sit next to me, but these other fans sat there first. We’ll catch up later.” She gives you one last smile and a wink as she walks back to her seat. 

You and Todo sit in the free spot closest to the entrance of the bus. It’s a bit cramped with the two of you sitting side by side. Suddenly, Todo lets go of your hand and swings it around your shoulders, pulling you in closer to his body. Maybe he thought this would be a more comfortable position. 

He feels like a giant teddy bear, except he’s rippling with hard muscle. You’re so close that every time you breath, you inhale his scent. He smells like clean linen and ocean breeze. You turn your head slowly to face him, and to your surprise, his gaze is already on you. 

~~~

When she turns to face him, Todo can’t help but stare down at her lips, hungrily. He wants to continue where they left off. He wants to kiss her again, taste more of her on his tongue, make her moan once more against his mouth. She’s so close to him, he can smell the intoxicating scent of the shampoo in her hair. He’s about to go feral if he doesn’t try to contain himself. 

He swore to himself he wouldn’t let anybody distract him from today. But he didn’t expect to kiss his pretend girlfriend in front of all those dweebs. He also didn’t expect to like it. And boy, did he like it. 

His arm is still wrapped around her, holding her close. She looks so good today, in her little purple dress. The neckline plunges just enough to tease him, leaving the rest to his imagination. Her collarbones are titillating, he wants to plant wet kisses all over, marking them as his. She wears a dainty gold necklace, giving her a look of innocence that seems to turn him on even more.

She stares at him with wide eyes. Her mouth is moving but isn’t paying attention to what she’s saying. All he can think about is how sweet her lips are. He just has to lean down a little bit closer to get a taste. 

“Hey Todo, are you listening to me?” She raises her voice, which awakens him from his trance. 

“Huh?”

“I asked you if you’re okay. You look out of it.” There’s genuine concern in her eyes. She’s so cute. 

He smirks. “Yeah, I’m great. Are you okay?”

She smiles softly and rests her head against his chest. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Fuck fuck fuck, she’s so fucking cute. 

After a while, she looks back up at him and says, “Whatever we’re doing, it’s working. Looks like those idiots aren’t even paying attention to us anymore. As long as Takada-Chan still thinks we’re a couple, we should be in the clear.”

His heart sinks. He responds with a simple hum as she lays her head back against his chest. This is all just part of their elaborate scheme to get the pop idol’s attention. It’s nothing more than an act, right?

The ride to the studio is only fifteen minutes. She spends the whole trip leaning on his body. He prays that she can’t hear or feel his heart racing in his chest. Todo glances over at Takada-Chan, who is chatting away with the fans closest to her. She looks adorable as usual, but something feels different today. Not with her, but with the way he looks at her.

Takada-Chan has always been a silly little fantasy. Now he sits here with an actual reality laying on his chest. Someone interesting, someone he respects, someone tangible. 

She’s better than a dream girl like Takada-Chan. She’s real. 

Todo likes her. That’s the conclusion he comes to. He doesn’t want this to be pretend anymore. He wants to hold her, kiss her, get to know her better. He wants all the aspects of being in a relationship without it all being part of an act. 

He knows she might not feel the same way. She still thinks it’s all for show. Tonight, he’ll tell her how he feels. If she doesn’t feel the same way, then they’ll end this strange arrangement they have and he’ll leave her alone forever. Will it crush him? Maybe. But Todo is strong. He always bounces back. Plus, he’ll always have Takada-Chan. 

He really, really hopes there’s a chance she feels the same way. He doesn’t want to go back to fantasy.

[speedycoffeedelight]

An Animalistic Disaster

Masterlist

A.n : So I reached my main goal of the beginning!!!! 1k in both Wattpad and Ao3 !!! Lessgoo!!!!! ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

Thank you everyone who read and liked this story and gave votes and kudos!! You guys inspire me to keep on writing!!!

As for the promised QnA. I think I'll do that once all the harem characters have joined. This type of thing won't happen much after all.

Also I promise I'm working on the next chapter. (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠) till it comes, here's some songs that goes with the story/ reminds me of them. Warning, I'm shit with love songs.

I'm not going to release the full playlist yet since it contains heavy spoilers. Same thing with the Oc's.

(Y/n)'s playlist

- Fictional by khloe rose.

(The feelings the reader had since she was little. Also the type of song that inspired me to write this self insert fanfic.)

- Rat by Penelope Scott

(This describes the relationship between the reader and her dad. How she feels deep inside. Also, I dunno if this counts much as a spoiler, but her dad is an engineer, so yeah. )

- W.I.T.C.H by Devon cole

(Wether someone calls her a witch or an ogre, she doesn't care. She can handle herself and that's all that matters.

And we stan a strong queen in this household)

Alastor x (Y/n)

-Never ever getting rid of me by Kimiko gleen

(You made him fall in love, so be prepared to deal with him 24/7.

Cause he ain't going anywhere honey)

Charlie x (Y/n)

- Adore by Mindy gleehill

( And here she goes, singing again. But this time it's directed towards the reader.

Poor girl can't control her heart around you. )

Vaggie x (Y/n)

- Boyfriend by Dove Cameron

(She knows she can treat you better then any man can.

And she's going to prove it )

Cherri Bomb x ( Y/n)

- Favourite by Isabel Larosa

(She's quite jealous of all the others stealing your attention. So can you really blame her for wanting to be your favourite?)

Pentious x (Y/n)

- Honeypie by Jawny

(He is determined to make you his and he won't stop till he does that.

He also can't get enough of your sweetness<3 )

Lucifer x (Y/n) [this is considering he gets chosen as a love interest]

- Checklist by Max

( What do you need? He's got it covered. He's going to spoil you rotten to have you all to himself.

The ruler of hell doesn't slack off in this area )

Husk x (Y/n)

- Older by lsabell Larosa

( I HAD to put this song here. Besides who wouldn't like an older man you could easily rely on?

This is basically reader's feelings about him.)

Angel x (Y/n)

- New side of me by Blake Roman

( He can't help but feel soft inside when he thinks about you. And it scares him.

He's never had anyone love him like you before.)

Niffty and (Y/n) [platonic]

- Sweet little psycho

(She's your very own sweet but psycho puppy.

Anyone disturbs you too much? Release her over them. :) )

Vox x (Y/n) [Will come in future]

-Criminal by Brittney spears

(He's our pathetic lovable criminal. You know you shouldn't fall for him, but what can you say?)

Adam x (Y/n) [ Will come in future]

- Genius by LSD

( Don't be fooled, he's no genius no matter what he might say. But he did make the correct call by falling for someone like you.

Someone who can manhandle and keep him in line.)

Lute x ( Y/n ) [Will come in future]

- Love like you

(She doesn't understand how she of all people managed to fall for you. This feeling should be a sin.

Yet, when she gets close to you, she can't regret it. )

An Animalistic Disaster playlist

- Can't sleep love by pentatonix

(I can just imagine the reader and Melody talking in phone like this. The reader can't decide what to do with all these feelings since all her fictional crushes have actually come to life AND living with her. She can't decide if she should act on it or not. Melody is already done with her shit and telling her to go back to sleep.)

- Bang bang by K'naan

( Okay, this is for my own brain rot. This is for everyone in the harem x reader. I can see the animation meme happening clearly in my head.

Every line is sang by different characters and when the 'bang' parts comes, a animal turns into human after getting hit by reader's love shot :)

Like-

She was walking around with a loaded shotgun - Angel

Ready to fire me a hot one - Cherri

It went- Charlie

*Sheep Charlie* BANG *human Charlie*

*Squirrel Cherri* BANG * Human Cherri*

*Deer Alastor* BANG * *Human Alastor*

Straight through my heart - Alastor

Maybe one day, if I learn to do animation.  I'll make something like this. )

Tag list: @legostars @glowinthedarkbones1150 @darifes @aria-tempest @rainbowcake1212 @luxylucylou

[wildemaven]

Sweet Creature: Chapter Seven

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x F!Reader (Nicknamed Poppy)

WC: 6600

Warning: 18+ Blog/Minors will be blocked; Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 

A/N: We’ll, there’s a lot here. This week was draining with a teething/no sleeping babe— but I was determined to get this finished! I don’t have a lot to say, but I’m excited for this part of their story! Thank you to @gnpwdrnwhiskey again for her support and proofreading every week! And thank you to everyone who has continued to stick with these two dumb dumbs as they figure their shit out. Love you all!!

Series Masterlist / Playlist / Main Masterlist

Previous/ Next

Breathe. 

In. 

Out. 

Dieter wills himself to regulate the adrenaline surging through him, it has his muscles tingling as its increasing levels spread through every pliable fiber. 

Breathe. 

In. 

Out. 

He takes in his surroundings, a steady attempt at grounding his mind, assuring him, keeping him present, giving him a chance to regain his composure. 

He Sees…

The ornate tile that dresses the front steps to your Spanish Revival home, the perfect backdrop to the ‘welcome’ mat that greets him the minute he arrives to your place. 

The sturdy wooden door attached to your home that keeps you protected, allowing you to live comfortably and securely without a bother from the outside world. 

The well maintained landscape, no real knowledge of the specific varieties of plants that decorate the front, he senses a low maintenance and drought tolerant feel— a few things he had never heard of until moving in with Diem. 

The way the sky begins to shift from its golden orange and purple hues to an even shade of deep blue as the sun tucks behind the horizon line, welcoming the stillness of the night. 

The way he is actively replaying an episodic memory of you from just an hour ago when you had joined him at Diem’s house to read over his lines for his upcoming movie role. 

*

“Are you sure you even want me doing this? I don’t know a single thing about acting. Can’t Diem help?? I don’t want to mess you up.” 

It’s been a few days since the Capri re-grand opening. And a few days since yours and Dieter’s almost kiss. 

There hasn’t really been a discussion on what had happened, or almost happened, only due to the fact that you hadn’t seen each other since Dieter had to leave to take Wren home. 

Now you find yourselves sitting in Diem’s living room, on opposite ends of her sectional couch, ignoring the residual heat that is currently reigniting as you both look over the scripts you’re each holding— alone together, zero distractions. 

“This scene is between two people who are navigating a new relationship, dancing around the sexual tension between them—“

The coincidence not lost on you. 

“So, there’s no fuckin’ way I’d read through this with my sister. And I doubt she’d want to anyways, she hates this kinda shit, so I don’t even bother.“

“Okay, I’ll try my best, but if I fuck up—“ 

“You’re not gonna fuck up. I highlighted your lines in pink, just focus on those and you’ll do fine. Besides, you’re a teacher— you read stories for a living, just think of it like you’re reading to your class.”

“Dieter, it says right here at the bottom of the page in bold type, ‘HER EYES CLOSE AT HIS TOUCH FOLLOWED BY LOW SENSUAL MOANS’— there’s no fucking way I can imagine myself reading this to my class.” 

You look up from the paper, his eyes already on you. You note the way his neck muscles flex as he swallows, the grip on his paper a little tighter— you’re not sure how you’re going to survive this. 

*

He touches…

The weight of his chip, the brass cool against his warm clammy skin, pulling it from his pocket, it sits heavy in his palm— a quick reminder that who he was doesn’t define him now. A few light tosses, before gripping it with his thumb and his forefinger, one last look before returning it to his pocket. 

The compact device that connects him to everything important to him in a single touch, his finger navigating back and forth between the home screen image of Wren and him eating donuts then to the text you had sent not long after leaving Diem’s house — Poppy💐- I have that easel ready, if you still want it. You’re more than welcome to come grab it — Then double checking the numbers on the house match the ones that you sent after he text back asking if he could come over tonight— a perfect match. 

The silky strands of his ruffled dark brown hair as he tries to tame his wild curls, the cottony fabric of his gray weathered shirt pulling at it in such a way so it drapes over him just right, the rough texture of his faded jeans against his sweaty hands as he rubs them several times over where they hug his thighs— a blind once over of his appearance. 

The way his hand skims over the velvety skin above your knee, the hem of your dress delicately dancing over his fingertips, the faint scar that now lives on the side of your thigh from a biking accident as a kid lays uneven under his gentle graze. 

*

“Is this okay?” 

Somewhere between shared lines, and fiery dialogue, Dieter finds himself sitting closer to you, his knee brushing against yours—hand so effortlessly placed on your thigh as he checks in with your comfort. 

“Y-yeah— it says ‘HIS HAND REACHES THE APEX BETWEEN HER THIGHS’, so she would know that his hand is moving up her leg—.” Your voice trembles as you try to concentrate on the words printed in bold on the current page. 

Looking up, you see Dieter’s focus solely on you, his folded script tucked between his leg and the couch cushion. 

“That’s not what I asked.” There's a deep husk to his voice, his movements halted as he draws your attention away from the pages and up to him. “Are you comfortable with this, not what the paper reads or act is telling us to do. Is this okay with you?” Your consent, regardless of what the characters are doing, his number one priority. 

“Y-yeah…” You murmur as you look down to where his hand is still subtly holding your leg. Your attention drawn back to his handsome face, placing your hand on top of his, encouraging him to continue his efforts. 

*

He hears…

The symphonic resonance of the nightfall harmonics drifts through in the crisp evening air, a modest breeze carries the lilt of the chirping crickets throughout the stilled neighborhood, the rustling of the leaves scattered and swirling across the sidewalk, the faint cries of coyote pups awaiting the arrival of their mother who’s been in search of a hearty meal. 

The way his heart beat reverberates against his eardrums, the thudding of his heart an emotive chorus, its pace evening out with each grounding thought. 

The way your breath catches, its auditory staccato floats through the air and nestles somewhere deep within his mind, storing its melodic rhythm away as an echoic file, never wanting to forget how it sounds. 

*

Dieter shifts himself forward, the crunch of the leather puckering as he settles a knee on the cushion, a hand gripping the back of the couch as he angles himself closer. 

The crackle of paper startles you, Dieter grabbing the crumbled heap of papers and tossing it over his shoulder, removing any distractions that might be bothering. 

Bit by bit you allow yourself to fall back onto the mound of decorative pillows in the corner of the couch. Dieter following your lead, keeping a close distance between you as he settled himself between your legs. 

“When is Diem going to be home?” You breathed, a warmth spreads through your body as you fixate on the fact that this is really happening. 

“Don’t know, at least an hour.”

A few loose curls fall into Dieter’s face, you lightly comb them back, the movements unhurried and attentive. Your fingers catching the frames of his glasses in the process, you gingerly remove them from his face, carefully tossing them to the side— producing your favorite lopsided grin from him. 

Dieter pauses to study every little detail of this moment— the flash of want in your eyes, the way your fingertips skim over and around his taut biceps, the deliberate way the tip of your tongue wets your bottom lip before it’s drawn in between your teeth, the way your lungs continue to fill with the air you’re both sharing— he’s never felt more alive than in this moment. 

*

He smells…

The night brings a refreshing scent of calmer air, the aromatic warmth of the citrus  groves meld with the fragrant lavender farms that accumulates throughout the day, the herbal aroma that triggers a distinct nostalgic smell of his childhood. 

The way your perfume mixes with your natural pheromones, the unmistakable notes of musky vanilla and orange blossom paired with your own unique scent stimulates his olfactory nerves, his spine tingling with pleasure as he breathes you in. 

*

Dieter takes his time, deliberate in his own way, he wants to take his time— savor the moment. 

He lowers himself down to the open space where your shoulder meets your neck— warm, delicate and inviting. 

You angle your head, allowing him more space to move, your hands wrapping themselves around his neck, twisting his hair between your fingers. 

Dieter places a soft tentative kiss to your shoulder, then slowly dragging the tip of his nose up the column of your neck, mindful of how responsive you are, nudging at your jaw before stopping.  

“You’re so fucking soft.”  His lips ghosting over your ear, voice honeyed and thick, his hand now situated on your bare hip, thumb toying with the seam of your underwear. 

You nuzzle into the side of his head, his scent provocative in the way you crave it immensely. The smokiness of the sandalwood and cedarwood compliment the spicy musk and floral base— it’s Dieter, wild and delicious. 

*

He tastes…

The ache for sustenance, a morsel of pleasure activates his taste buds, a palatable desire that he craves in hopes to fight off the hunger that plagues him. 

*

A fieriness burns through your body, causing you to lose all ability to properly handle the way Dieter is making you feel— ravenous. You need more, something substantial that satiates the emptiness and the yearning. 

The unfaltering look in his eyes, an unspoken feeling of infatuation that has you melting under his gaze. 

Dieter leans in, gradually closing the gap between his lips and yours, sparking the immediate surge of oxytocin actively flowing through your veins.

 His breath fanning across your lips, warm and minty, a brief remembrance of your almost kiss— several times over. 

This position offers a new approach, angle of motion, feeling the fullness of his bottom lip catch your top lip, your fingers gripping tightly to his hair in anticipation as the weight of his lips begin to slot gently over yours. 

*CLICK* 

“Dieter? I’m home!” Diem announces her arrival. 

Releasing the breath you were holding, grip loosened, warmth lifted— another moment gone. 

“Fuck me!” Dieter grumbles, his forehead falling to your shoulder, your chest vibrating with a silent laugh. 

Dieter places a kiss to your shoulder then pushes himself back from where he had been hovering over you seconds before, helping you to readjust the flowy fabric of your dress, a silent look to you asking “are you okay?”— you nod yes. 

His body slumps back into the cushioned backrest, head falling back as he pinched the bridge of his nose, willing away his annoyance at Diem’s horrible timing. 

“Oh! I didn’t realize you were here too, Poppy. I dropped Wren off for a playdate and picked up some dinner on the way home. You hungry?” 

“Umm, no I’m good. Actually, I’m going to head out. I’ve got— there’s some things I need to do. So, yeah— I’m gonna go.” 

You feel like two teenagers who were caught by the other’s parents. That awkwardness that looms over afterwards, not really knowing what to say or do. 

You give his leg a light squeeze, pulling his attention back from his sulking, propping himself up with his arms on his knees, grabbing your hand and returning the faint gesture. 

“I’ll text you later.” You mouthed to him before grabbing your items from the coffee table and making your way to the front door. 

“You still on for this Friday?” Diem asks you as she’s unboxing the pizzas she had picked up, arranging a few slices nicely on plates. 

“Yep— yeah! Friday is still good! See you later.” Your response short and to the point as you close the door behind you. 

Dieter can hear the rustling of the wrappers and then a stillness hangs in the air. His back is to where Diem is standing in the kitchen, but he can feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. 

“What?” 

“Why didn’t you mention she was coming over? I would have grabbed more food, we could have all hung out together.” 

“It was a last minute thing. I asked her to come read lines with me.” 

Diem rounds the couch and places the food on the coffee table, before sitting and making herself comfortable. 

“So… Did you finally kiss her?”

That gets a laugh from Dieter, face falling into his hands at the ridiculousness of Diem’s question. 

“No, I haven’t kissed her.” Tilting his head towards where she’s sitting, chin resting against his clasped hands. 

“Oh my god! You haven’t kissed her yet? What the hell, Dieter!”

“Trust me, it’s not for a lack of trying.” He assures her, picking at the toppings of his pizza slice that had fallen onto the plate. 

“I don’t get it. If you’ve been trying, then what’s stopping you from actually doing it?” 

“You are! Literally every chance I’ve taken, you stroll on in and fuckin’ cockblock me.”

“Wait— you’re blaming me for you not kissing her?” The shocked look on her face is priceless and equally hilarious. 

“Yeah, I’m definitely blaming you. You have the worst timing ever!” He laughed, because even as annoyed as he is, the whole situation is a little funny. 

*BUZZ* 

The vibration of his phone cuts into their conversation, a text from you pops up on to the screen, he swipes it open.

Poppy 💐- I have that easel ready, if you still want it. You’re more than welcome to come grab it. 

Uncle Dude - What’s your address? Be there in a few. 

He wipes his greasy fingers with a napkin then tossing it onto his forgotten pizza. He stands to his full height, placing his phone in his pocket and makes his way to the door. 

“Where are you going? I was going to turn on that one show we’ve been wanting to watch.”

“I’m— going out. Go ahead and start it without me.” He shouts as the door clicks closed behind him. 

*

Uncle Dude - What’s your address? Be there in a few. 

Poppy 💐- House number 402. White house on the left side of the street. See you soon!

The distance from your house to Diem’s is a short one, 3 minutes if you’re a fast Walker, 5-6 if you take your time. 

Dieter was on his way— to your house. 

You toss your phone onto the counter, and run to the bathroom. Not knowing how soon he was leaving after stating he’d be here in a few, didn’t leave you much time to freshen up. 

You literally just saw him, so you kept it simple a few swipes of deodorant, clean away any mascara flakes and opting for a fresh coat of chapstick instead of lipstick— less is more approach. 

2 minutes down. 

Running through the house, you do a quick once over, grabbing any loose items, out of place items or kind of embarrassing items and tossing them into your hall closet— making sure to snag your copy of ‘My Pleasure: An Intimate Guide to Loving Your Body and Having Great Sex’ off of the coffee table. 

4 minutes down. 

Heading into the kitchen— Maybe he’ll want something to drink? You grab two tall glasses and fill them with ice, sitting on the counter waiting to fill with whatever Dieter wants. 

5 minutes down. 

Nervously, you stare at the front door, your nervous tick of picking at your fingernails keeps your hands busy. Should I turn some music on? Should I have put on a little more perfume? Maybe I should have brushed my teeth? 

*Knock Knock Knock*

You grab for the door handle, pausing for a minute to take a deep breath, then cracking the door open to see Dieter standing on your front porch, hands in his pockets, casually looking down at his feet then up to you at the sound of the creaky door hinges— his face lights up instantly. 

“Hey! Hope you found it okay?” You can’t help the dopey smile that grows on your face. 

“No issues at all. Didn’t realize how close you lived this whole time.” He says, gesturing in the direction of Diem’s house. 

“Yeah, almost neighbors.” Your smirk is laced in flirtation, your head leaning against the edge of the door in the most 90s rom-com way. “You wanna come in?”

“Sure.” 

“Are you thirsty at all? I have sparkling and regular water, Diet Coke, and some beer— I haven’t made it to the store this week so I’m running low on things. I’ll be more prepared next time.” You ramble as you lead him into the kitchen, your nervous energy spiking just slightly. 

“I’m good for right now, thank you. So, there will be a next time?” He asks, observing the way you bite at your lower lip when he mentions the prospect of a “next time”.

“Yeah,” You shrug your shoulders, noting the way the corner of his mouth quirks up and the light flutter in your stomach that follows. “I think so, if that’s what you want?”

“Yes, definitely want that.”

There’s a beat of silence, sans the sounds of home— the tick of the clock, the clinking of ice falling into the tray, a faint sound of music coming from another room. 

“Oh! I—I have your jacket, I keep meaning to bring it over and then it would slip my mind…” Very much a lie, you were wearing it early this morning while you sipped your morning coffee, reading the latest chapter of ‘My Pleasure’… and you also might have worn it afterwards, when you needed a little— relief. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s totally fine. I mean, a little Birdie has been asking about it— it’s not a big deal.”

“Let me go grab it so I’m not tempted to hold it ransom for longer. Umm, help yourself to whatever. Then I can show you the easel, see if it’s something that will work for you.”

“Okay.” 

Dieter takes in your home, it’s very much you. 

Your love for plants extends inside, dozens of potted green plants, in varying shapes and sizes grace just your living room alone. 

There’s a hint of a modern flare to your style, clean lines and lots of wood, a very neutral aesthetic— most of the color living as art work on your walls. 

The art hanging throughout your home, he can only assume is your own. He’s drawn to the texture and the style of each painting— faint lines formed into human figures , landscapes resembling the world outside of these walls, and vivid abstract strokes of color adorn canvas everywhere he looks. 

A soft glow catches his eye and like a moth to a flame, he’s lured to a dimly lit room— your art studio. 

Large windows flank the walls, he imagines the natural light in the daytime is ideal in a space like this. 

Tattered empty tubes of acrylic paint, evidence of being overly pinched to extricate every last bit of paint, strewn across a large table against the wall. Empty glass food jars repurposed as storage for your massive collection of paint brushes, while spatulas and other painting instruments lay haphazardly across the tabletop. 

The table seems to double as a desk, once  light colored, now coated in layers of colorful dried paint drips and spills. He runs his fingers over the surface, a balance of smooth and irregular textures, imagining the years you’ve spent standing over this table deliberately colors and mixing new ones. 

Dieter thinks you must have been painting recently, a clear palette holds fresh dollops of paint in the center with a few experimental strokes on the side. He dips a finger into one of the little mounds, rubbing the emulsion between three fingers. It's cold and wet as it glides over his skin. 

The wall of windows behind him he finds an easel, it too covered in coats of paint— a newer canvas sits in the support bar, a rough sketch of something just barely visible. 

Next to where the easel rests, there are canvases  stacked neatly against the wall along the floor. He analyzes each painting with regard, taking in each deliberate stroke and use of color— intently connecting with the emotions you’ve experienced in creating each piece. 

He admires your tenacity. Through your long days of teaching at the school, little humans requiring so much of your attention for hours. To volunteering your time to help others explore their creativity at the gallery, planning and teaching weekly. And yet, you still find time to cater to your needs by doing something that makes your life more fulfilling, not allowing any roadblocks to deter your endeavors. 

There’s an ache in his chest, a deep reminder of how different his life could have been had he not been bound by the shackles of Hollywood and the dark world that surrounds it. 

Dieter had only ever dreamed of having such a space like this of his own, where he could chase a creative high and drown out the loud noises that followed him daily. 

Stopping his thoughts before they begin to spiral, he thinks back to a motivational speaker he listened in on while in rehab. There were a lot of valuable words shared during the speech, but he remembers the line that really stood out to him— even through the darkest moments and afflictions that overpowered all his memories and people closest to him, it didn’t mean he is less worthy of a good life, a great life, moving forward. 

Dieter realizes that with everything he’d lived through and how much hurt he had caused, he knows those things led him to this point in time— they led him to you. 

“I ended up washing it, read the care instructions on the tag so I wouldn’t fuck it up. I found some melted Kit-Kats in the pockets and a few condom wrappers— this jacket has definitely seen some things…” You stop talking when you realize you’re met with an empty room, Dieter not where you had left him. “Dieter?” 

There’s a slight movement that pulls your attention in the direction of your studio. 

You find Dieter standing in the center of the room, the flicker from a burning candle emits a diffused light, washing his sharp features in a soft glow. There’s almost a pensiveness to his expression, hands tucked in his pockets lost in his thoughts, you watch him quietly take in the room around him. 

“I see you helped yourself to a house tour.” You announce your presence as you enter the room, placing his jacket on the overstuffed chair in the corner then turning around to walk in the direction of your large art table, the skirt of your dress shifting from side to side as you walk. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep—“ He starts to apologize, realizing you both hadn’t set any boundaries with each other. 

“It’s fine, I’m just messing with you. I hid all my incriminating things already.” You joke, but there’s something about him that makes you feel like you don’t have to be guarded. 

“Are these for your showing?” He asks, pointing to the canvases he had just been studying. 

“Yeah,” You say as you turn to face him, lean back against the table. “They’re all pretty much done— I’ll probably fine tune some things before the big day.”

“Can I ask what they represent?? I can see two figures— a man and a woman in some sort of intimate setting. I see the woman is fully fleshed out in color with distinct features, similar to your own— but the man looks like a shadowed figure, starting out blank, then slowly gaining color and personality in each painting— like an evolution of some sort. But what’s the narrative behind them?” 

The way he’s analyzing your work, makes you feel even more captivated by him. 

“I was having this dream— a nightmare maybe? For weeks, it would come to me every night, always starting out in the same way. I would feel him all around me— his hands, lips, everything. I would try to speak to him, but he would never respond, and I could never see his face, didn’t know who he was. Then he would vanish, like I had lost him and I would wake up in a panic. But as the weeks went on, it was like I could start to see him a little clearer…”

Dieter hangs on to your every word, he’s drawn in to your openness to share your thoughts so freely with him. He steps closer to where you’re standing, wanting to know more about these dreams. 

“Go on.” He says softly, encouraging you to share more details. 

“Some nights his face was a blur, but I could see his features, more clearly each night. And as his face became more visible over time, the dreams didn’t feel like I was losing him— it felt like I was gaining more of him. The last week or so, I can see his face— I know who he is.”

At some point in explaining the story behind your paintings, your eyes fell to the floor— the way he was watching you so intently felt overwhelming the closer he got. 

“Who is he?” He asks, placing two fingers under your chin to slowly lift your gaze up to him. 

“You.”

It’s a fierce softness in the way his mouth molds to yours, the gentle press of his lips is breathtaking— punching the air right from your lungs. 

His touch is meticulous and thoughtful, resting his hands on your bare thighs, fingers lightly graze over your soft skin leaving a trail of tiny goosebumps. 

Your hands snake up his body, settling back to where they were not so long ago— cupping the back of his head, slow drawn out scratches to his scalp. 

“Is this okay?” He murmurs against your mouth. 

“Y-yes— more than okay!” You breathe out— you’ve  literally dreamt of this moment. 

Experimentally you slowly swipe your tongue across his plump bottom lip, silently begging for a little more and he obliges, allowing you to slip your tongue into his mouth. An equal exchange of feelings and yearning as the kiss alternates between a tangle of tongues and sweet pecks. 

Dieter pulls back, resting his forehead on yours, his breaths ragged puffs across your warm face.

“Why did you stop?” Your breath equally as ragged, chest heaving as you question his halted movements. 

“Be-because—“ His throat dry as he tries to regulate his breathing. “If we don’t stop, things will get— more serious.”

“I-I’m failing to see the problem in that.” You tease. 

“I don’t have any condoms— I didn’t think we’d get this far with our track record.” 

“I locked the door, after I let you in— didn’t want to chance any interruptions.” His chest vibrates with a soft chuckle at your response. “I’m clean and on the pill— but only if you’re comfortable.”

“I am, clean I mean— I’m clean, plus haven’t been with anyone in, well, awhile now. Might be a little rusty in all actuality.” He confesses, his thumbs still moving in sweeping motions over the tops of your thighs. “You sure you want this?”

“Very, very sure.” You whisper against his lips, grabbing one of his hands and dragging it slowly up under your dress to the throbbing ache that has settled between your legs since he started kissing you. 

“Fuck!” His eyes flutter shut at the sensation of your bare cunt, nearly choking on air— his fingers start to tentatively swipe through your wet folds, watching as your eyes start to roll back in pleasure. 

“I thought I had felt some kind of underwear earlier?” He asks, as his fingers coated in your slick start to draw lazy circles over your sensitive clit. 

“Ah!— I-I did. But I was so keyed up when I — left, I came home and had to— Oh! I had to— Fuck I can’t think straight when you’re doing that!” 

“Did you come home and touch yourself?”

“Yessss— Oh god!” You whine breathlessly as two of his fingers enter your heated core, remnants of your earlier orgasm fully welcoming him. 

“You’re so perfect.” He exclaimed,

his free hand cupping your face, keeping you close, his thumb lightly tracing across your lower lip. 

His two fingers continue to move in and out of you, working up so effortlessly. He presses a long slow kiss to your lips, followed by a few short light ones. 

You can feel yourself moving closer to the edge, there’s a tingle running down your spine, converging with the fire that’s beginning to break within you. Your velvety walls begin to flutter around Dieter’s fingers,  prompting him to kiss you a little deeper and it’s just the push you need. 

“Oh my god! I’m gonna come—“ Your body begins to shake, your hands slamming done on your table— paint splattering into the air. 

It’s an inferno of ecstasy blazing through your body, you wrap your arms around Dieter’s waist, clinging to him as you ride it out— letting the embers cool down. 

Without a single breath, you grab for the button on Dieter’s jeans as he tries to pull at the straps of your dress. It’s a jumbled mess of limbs, but finally working in tandem to rid each other of clothes. 

Dieter crowds you against the table, the edge digging into your lower back causing you to yelp. 

“Are you okay?” His eyes etched in concern, as he scans over your blissed out features. 

“Ye-yeah! The ta-table is digging.” You say, pointing to show him. 

He bends down to grab onto the back of your thighs. “Jump.” He says as he helps guide your naked body onto the table. 

His hands rest on the table as he leans in to kiss you again, unhurried as he licks into your mouth as he guides your body to lay down on the table. 

“You’re so beautiful like this, Poppy.” He says as he leaves a trail of kisses down your neck and over your chest, stopping and pressing his lips over the spot that he hopes to hold on to for a while— your heart. 

The gesture has your eyes welling up, blinking rapidly to fight them off. You feel so completely overwhelmed by him, you have to actively stop yourself from telling him how in love you are with him. 

He lifts himself off of you just enough to reach between the two of you, giving his cock a few hasty strokes before notching its weeping head at your entrance. 

“Fuck!” He gasps as he slowly pushes his full length into your warm cunt— the slightest ghosting of your climax now pulsing around him. 

Your legs wrap around his waist, pulling him in as close to you as possible, silently begging him to move, but he grips onto your leg to halt your movements. 

“Wait— I need a minute otherwise this is going to be over before it even happens.” He says, resting his head on your sternum to give himself a moment. 

“Dieter, it’s fine. Just take what you need— I’m— I’m good.” You feel more than satisfied with the two orgasms you’ve already had, you just want to feel him. 

He slowly states to move his hips, several purposeful thrusts, wanting to savor the way you feel, the warmth already starting to bloom in his belly.

Dieter lifts himself off of you, sensing this new angle is pleasant based on how you start to arch your back off the table, his steady thrusts working you both up in a desired frenzy. 

“Fuuuuck, you feel like a dream., Poppy.” His voice is hoarse, glancing down to watch the way your arousal coats him, his hands gripping your waist as he thrusting into with a little more earnestness. 

“Dieter— I think I’m going to come again— oh god!!” You announced into the lust filled room, the tell-tale signs barreling through your body. 

You try to grab onto something, hands looking for something to anchor yourself to, Dieter too far away and too lost in his own pursuit— each thrust is a little deeper producing your muscles to tighten on their own accord. 

An unexpected swipe of Dieter’s thumb over your clit is blinding, sweet erotic sounds pouring from your mouth, hands slamming back onto the table, you're met with wetness, your brain registering where you are and that your hands are covered in paint. 

The thick emulsion is cold when it hits your skin, your nipples pebble at the sensation of the paint gliding over them, your hands kneading the weight of your breasts— paint building up between your fingers with each calculated squeeze, each roll of your nipple sends you closer to your third orgasm. 

You look up to see Dieter’s slack jawed expression, which only makes you emphasize your movements, giving him a little show. You’re arched back putting your chest on display, your hands working over your exposed skin covering your upper body in a rainbow of colors. 

“Oh shit— shitshitshitshit— I’m gonna— fuck!” The sight of you sets Dieter off, folding himself over the top of you, face nestled into the crook of your neck as his thrusts begin to falter at the way your cunt begins to contract around him. 

A gravelly moan against your damp skin and one final thrust, his hips still as he’s spilling into you. 

The room is still again. The faint scent of your oud and  sandalwood candle is overpowered by the sex hazed aroma. Chests moving against each other simultaneously, lungs begging to properly breathe, skin slipping with each pull of air— this might become your favorite way to create art. 

A soft kiss to your shoulder  as Dieter lifts himself up into his forearms, resting his temple against your jaw to give his arms a chance to regain their strength before giving you a softer kiss to your lips. 

“That was—“ He’s still trying to regulate his breathing, words jumbled in his brain and not quite producing properly. 

“Amazing!” You finish his sentence for him. 

“Yeah— amazing.” He says, one more kiss because he doesn’t think he’s given you enough yet, then he’s slowly pulling out of you and helping you sit upright. 

“What a mess we made of ourselves.” You laugh as you examine both of your colorful torsos. 

“Worth it.” Dieter replied with a slight shrug and a quirky smile on his handsome face. 

“I’m going to go grab some stuff to clean us up. I’ll be right back.” 

Hopping off the table to head towards your bathroom, Dieter grabs you by the wrist, spinning you back towards him, your bodies flush against each once more as he gives you a toe curling kiss. 

“Alright, hurry back.” He says, giving your backside a few taps. 

*

You take a few minutes to freshen yourself up, wiping away as much of the paint as you can. 

Throwing on a clean pair of underwear and a loose shirt, the hardwood cool against your bare feet, you make your way back to your studio where you’re met with an unexpected sight when you get to the door, Dieter sitting in front of your easel where your last canvas sits. His naked body wrapped in his fuzzy coat, his brow furrowed in concentration as his hand moves around the canvas with a paint drenched brush. 

You take a moment to just watch him, leaning into the door frame, watching how he looks so relaxed and happy. 

“You snoop and you help yourself to my painting, you sir are a menace.” You jokingly say to him, it earns you a generous laugh. 

“Sorry, guess I’m two for two now. I saw you had it roughly sketched out and thought I’d paint you the way I see you.” He explained, leaning back into the small metal chair. 

“And how do you see me?” 

“Beautiful.” The word floats out and around you, its weight settling into that little space in your chest that has felt empty for so long. 

“That’s two times you’ve painted me now— I think those would be grounds for someone to fall in love.” You tease, but there’s truth wrapped up in your statement. Pushing yourself off the doorframe, making your way over to where he’s sitting. 

He places the brush in the glass of water, his hand reaching out for you to come closer, softly grabbing at your hips he’s pulling you down so you’re straddling his lap— fully aware he’s  still naked and covered in paint under his jacket. 

“Do you?” He has to know if you’re feeling the same way as him. “Do you, love me?” 

“Yes.” Your voice a little wobbly, your emotions bubbling up in your chest. 

But you do, you love him without a doubt and it’s the most terrifying and thrilling feeling you’ve experienced in a long time. 

“I love you too, Poppy.” He whispers to you, his eyes glossy as he fights back tears. 

“Why are you crying?” Wiping the single tear that has started to fall down his cheek. 

“I’m scared— that I’m going to fuck this up. And you’re going to resent me. And I’ll be back to where I was a year ago— alone.” 

Your heart nearly breaks at his confession. 

“That’s not going to happen though.” Brushing his wild hair away from his eyes, caressing his face and hoping he hears the sincerity in your voice. 

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t. But a wise man once told me— we’ll figure it out as we go.” 

His arm wraps around your waist as his other hand cups the back of your neck, bringing your face to his, your nose bumping into his. 

“I love you.” He breathes against your lips. 

And before you even have a chance to reciprocate, he’s kissing you with so much love and feeling. 

“Will you come? To see my showing on opening night?” You ask between feather-like kisses. 

“I wouldn’t miss it, Poppy.”

*

It’s a few hours later when Dieter walks through the front door of Diem’s house, ready for a shower and sleep. 

“You’re home late.” Diem’s voice sounds from the same spot on the couch he’d left her in. 

“Uh, yeah. Lost track of time.”

“Were you at Poppy’s?” She asks with herround of motherly questioning. 

“Yeah, I was. She had that easel, so I went to get it.”

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?”

“The easel.”

“Oh, I— I must have forgot it. We were talking, lost track of time. I’ll grab it another time. I’m gonna take a shower then head to bed. Night.” Hoping to throw her off his scent, the last thing he wants is to hear her boast about what you and him were up to. 

“Night. Oh hey, Dieter.”

“Yeah.” Turning back towards her. 

“Make sure you wash that cute hand print on your neck.” Her devilish grin beaming at him. 

He gives her a middle finger for good measure, then heads to the bathroom. 

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