#Guess what. Remember when I was talking about him losing his voice in the tags

[ksksksrahrah]

[nanivinsmoke]

Picture Perfect

just want to apologize for not posting in a while, I was recovering from an illness .

toji f. & shiu k. x f!reader

we all want to be stuffed by these two, right?

summary : your two hot older neighbors agree to stuff you on camera, a viral sensation.

warnings and tags : rough fucking, age gap (readers in her early twenties, the other two late thirties), blow jobs, multiple orgasms, spit play, smoking, porn (making it duh), some anal, nipple play, boob jobs, degradation, etc…

“hello everyone,” you spoke to your webcam, waving at your viewers that were currently tuned in with your livestream. you grabbed a claw clip that was on your desk, putting your hair up before continuing.

“today’s stream is going to be very interesting. remember those two neighbors i was telling you guys about? how i was fantasizing about them fucking me? well, today’s the day!” you said with a giggle, teasing yourself through you ruby red laced bra.

you had been a camstar for a year now and your page was doing really good. at first you were really nervous about showing your face and body to a bunch of random people, but when you got the hang of it; it became natural and unnerving. you only showed from your lips, downward and would blur out the rest of your face and any guests you would be having on the stream. you were making bank, this was a good source of extra income.

you grew really popular, starting off with just some solo play before collaborating with other cam stars, who you became really close with—to now, about to fuck your hot neighbors. they were all for it when you asked them a few days ago, as they have been wanting to fuck the shit out of you for the longest.

the two of them were tired of getting stiff boners watching you walk through the apartment complex, bending over to pick up packages or simply jogging around in your small little outfits; while they shared their daily cigarette. and just like they watched you, you watched them. toji, the one with those hypnotizing green eyes, lived right next door to you; and you could hear everything that went on in his place—and you knew what how good he was.

as for shiu, he lived across the hall from the both of you and would always be at his best friend toji’s house. you weren’t strangers, but after today you would be more than acquaintances.

“when are you gonna stop talking to that camera and come over here, so we could fuck that pretty little mouth of yours?” toji’s deep—panty wetting voice alerted you and your plump lips contorted into a smile. “mmm, can’t keep them waiting. enjoy the show~” you reached behind and unclasped your bra, showing off your plump breasts—before getting up from your plush seat.

sashaying over to your bed, where the two half–naked men awaited, you kicked off your heels and joined them on your king sized bed; pulling toji into a kiss while you reached over and palmed shiu through his briefs. the kiss immediately became hot and sloppy as he pushed his tongue into your mouth, dominating you with ease. freeing shiu from his underwear, you stroked him—his precum sticking to your hand as you moved.

he grunted as he watched you give him the best hand job he had ever received. your manicured hand was soft and your grip around his thick eight inches had him bucking his hips up; wanting more. breaking away from your kiss with toji, you used your one free hand to pull off your soaked panties, tossing it aside; before squatting down on toji’s clothed bulge.

“not wasting any time, are we? guess we really gotta fuck you good now” toji chuckled, grabbing you by your plush thighs and hoisting you onto his face; planting your wet cunt onto his scarred lips—which made you lose your grip on shiu’s cock. a loud moan left your tongue, as toji swirled his on your throbbing clit—sucking and slurping on the swollen bud; your eyes closing shut from the pleasure. but, you had completely forgotten about shiu. that is until you felt his fat tip being smacked onto your plump lips.

his precum became smeared on your lips as he rubbed himself on your mouth, before pushing his way inside of your warm—wet mouth. “shit..” he breathed out while you didn’t hesitate to slobber all over his girth, your moans vibrating against him while toji continued to pleasure you with his tongue.

you started off with using one hand to grip shiu’s cock while you frenched it, tongue swirling around his tip and underneath his cock—causing a low moan to leave his mouth. the way your mouth felt was so euphoric for him. the way your cheeks puffed up and suctioned as you took him, the way your sex filled eyes were brimming with tears and the way spit pooled out the corners of your mouth; had driven him to insanity.

your eyes widened even more when you felt shiu’s big hands grip the sides of your head and push you further onto his cock, making his tip hit the back of your mouth; stuffing you completely. he didn’t let you get used to his roughness, he slammed his hips into your chin; fucking your mouth to his liking.

“yeah, take it like a good little slut—fuck, no hands.” your hands fell to your sides while he proceeded to make a mess out of your mouth. he was so rough, it made your head spin. the more he pumped his fat dick inside, the more your desire increased and everything about his cock turned you on. the smell, the taste and the shape made you hornier; and your throat slowly relaxed—allowing him to push himself deeper inside.

your face was so fucked out and sloppy, coated with slobber as he continued to make your mouth his personal fuck toy. some might find this to be dirty, but he found it arousing—so arousing that he was going to cum real soon, and you knew it too. your clit was pulsating uncontrollably in toji’s mouth. your sweet juices flowing out and into his mouth while he happily lapped them up, dipping his tongue in and out of your hole; building up your orgasm as well.

you couldn’t help but moan and grind your hips on his face, adding some more stimulation to your clit. “shit, y/n—g’na cum in that pretty little mouth,” and a few seconds later he did. he painted the inside of your mouth white, the taste and the warmth only made you want to swallow it and hopefully milk him for more. you wanted to keep sucking, but he pulled out of you with a pop. finally able to breathe right, you gasped and let out a loud moan, as toji sucked on your clit hard; causing you to cum right on his mouth.

“oh f-fuck!~” toji gripped the fat of your ass while you grinded against him, cumming hard all over his face. licking every last bit of your cum, toji pulled you off of his face and pressed his lips onto yours—the mixture of your cum and shiu’s swirled around in your mouths—before the two of you separated, breathless.

shiu immediately grabbed you by your hips and placed you near the edge of the bed where he was standing at, pushing you into the doggystyle position. the sight of your ass was beyond sexy and he couldn’t help but dive his face in between your cheeks, his tongue and the hairs of his mustache tickled you, but it still felt so good. mewls spilled out of your mouth as shiu licked from your ass all the way down to your clit, sending you into a frenzy.

you never been pleased like this before and having your ass ate was such a new, thrilling experience and you craved more. you rocked your hips back onto his face, the fat of your ass smothering him which he loved. it was no doubt that shiu was an ass man.

while shiu pleased you from the back, toji decided to see how good your head game was. “how good is it?” toji asked his best friend, when he finally came up from air, alluding to your mouth. “way too damn good, toj. and fuck her mouth hard, she loves that.” hearing his best friend’s approval, the raven haired male pushed his fat—leaking tip into your mouth, groaning at the feeling.

his dick was so much fatter than shiu’s, your cheeks were spread past its normal size due to his thickness. he tasted so good too, you swirled your tongue and bobbed your head, sucking him like it was an ice pop on a hot sunny day. “too fucking good….shit, this bitch is g’na make me cum already,” toji grunted, pulling himself out of your mouth, so he wouldn’t cum too early before he could fuck your mouth like he wanted.

“told you,” shiu spoke before he stood up from his spot and grabbed his head, pushing it into your slick coated entrance. you couldn’t help but gasp as he stretched you out, which resulted in choking on toji’s cock. “dick too big mama, hm?—it’s alright, you can take it,” toji coached, one of his hands resting on your throat while he restarted to make a mess out of your mouth.

you were in pure bliss while the two men filled both sides of you. your cunt was drenched with your juices and your mouth ached in a way that you found pleasure in. these men were going to break you and you were loving every bit of it.

the pornographic sounds of shiu’s balls smacking your wet cunt, along with the slurping sounds you were making; filled the room the more the two men pounded both of your ends. your live stream was going crazy. it was dinging each time someone joined and subscribed; they were enjoying seeing you get dominated by two older men, and you were as well.

and that’s when you smelled the pungent smell of nicotine. you looked up at toji and saw a cigarette in his mouth, before he took a pull from it and reached over to hand it to shiu. the two of them were smoking while they ravaged you, and you couldn’t help but get turned on from it. “oh? did this just turn you on? seeing us smoke, while we fucked you?” shiu sent a smack to your ass, causing you to moan which vibrated around toji’s eight inches.

“you like that mama? here~” toji removed his cock from your mouth and blew some smoke in it, before a wad of his spit followed along with it. you swallowed it and moaned, sticking out your tongue for more; which made the male chuckle. “so fucking nasty,” he let out another drop into your mouth and shoved his cock right back in, his tip hitting the back of your mouth repeatedly.

shiu could feel how much your walls were clenching around him crazily and knew you were close, “cum for daddy baby, let daddy see how much this pretty pussy cums.” and it didn’t take much for you to let go afterwards. a few more hard strokes with his tip hitting your spot, you creamed around his dick—eyes rolling back in your head as you did. “shit—look so damn sexy when you cum….g’na cum too~” toji breathed out before he emptied his balls into your mouth, with you swallowing his load immediately after.

a trail of spit mixed with his cum followed once he pulled out and you let out a series of moans when you felt shiu’s cock repeatedly slam into your cunt—still sensitive from cumming. a warm filling sensation followed shortly, making your womb feel full with his cum before he pulled out as well.

you laid there breathless, stuffed with cum and a sore aching mouth; until you were flipped over onto your back—being met with toji’s green eyes once more. “my turn~,” he said with a smirk plastered onto his face, before he aligned his tip with your entrance and pushed himself in.

you couldn’t believe it. you were about to have your third orgasm for the night and you were completely fucked out and cock drunk. your cunt gushed as toji pounded into you, his cock stretching you and hitting your g-spot with each stroke. your hair was sweated out and all over the place, but you didn’t care—it was just another sign you were being fucked good.

shiu on the hand was playing with your tits. showing your hard sensitive buds some attention, leaning down to lick on them; while his cock brushed onto one of them. the stimulation sent jolts of electricity to your clit and you loved the feeling from it. “again…mmm do it again”

“where’s your manners, princess?” toji asked, spanking your clit; earning a whimper from you. “please….do it—….again, daddy~.” you locked eyes with shiu and he smirked, before he rubbed his cock against your nipples some more. “good girl”

you were overstimulated to say the least and you could feel your orgasm coming, the two of them were close behind as well. “think she can squirt?” toji asked his best friend, keeping his finger in your clit while he pounded you. shiu looked at your fucked out face and smirked, “definitely.” and he didn’t waste no time in trying to get you to squirt. he thumb swirled on your clit, while his strokes became harder; your orgasm coming at you hard.

“im cumming—im cumming!” you repeated, eyes rolling back into your head as you did and just like shiu said, a stream of clear liquid left your cunt—drenching toji and the sheets beneath you.

“fuck, that was hot. g’na cum too” shiu began stroking his cock, keeping his left hand on one of your breasts—before he painted them with a thick coat of white. and soon, toji was right behind the both of you. after a few more sloppy, hard strokes, your womb was filled once again—tummy full with both of their seeds.

you laid there dazed and out of breath, while shiu stroked your hair and lit up another cigarette. toji sat on the bed and began to massage your sensitive legs, so they wouldn’t be too sore the next day.

“good job mama. maybe next time we could do this again”

and you would definitely take him up on his offer, fucking them on and off camera again.

[ashwhowrites]

Eddie Munson x reader,they fight over something stupid, but Eddie ends up screaming at Reader, so she stops talking to him, until Eddie realizes that he needs to apologize to reader, so he ends up making a cute date at the bench in the woods, and Reader accepts his apologies

I hope this is what you wanted and you enjoy it. Thank you for requesting 🫶🏻

Don't yell

Y/N hated to be yelled at. She grew up with a family that screamed at each other and she hated the nasty stomach ache it caused. She'd break down, sob for hours, and hide in her shell.

Which is what she was doing right now. She sobbed into her pillow as her TV blared. She kept turning up the volume to silence her sobs. Whenever Y/N needed comfort, she'd go to Eddie. But she couldn't do that, because he was the last person she wanted to see. Because he screamed in her face. The argument wasn't that big of a deal, and Y/N didn't even remember what it was about.

All she remembered was Eddie's loud voice ringing through her ears as his hands moved dramatically. Eddie knew she hated being yelled at, yet he still did. His anger got the best of him and now she suffers from it.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Chanted in her head over and over. He tried to chase after her but she refused to listen to him. He wanted her gone so she left.

She ignored all his calls. She refused to open her window or doors when he knocked. She ignored him completely.

Even when they went back to school, she marched past him like he was nothing. He felt like an idiot when he chased her all around the school but she refused to turn around.

~~~

They haven't spoken in a week and Eddie was falling apart. He truly didn't know what he was supposed to do. He couldn't get her to talk to him so he screamed he was sorry down the hallways. He technically apologized, but it didn't fix anything.

He needed to convince her to see him and then he had to come up with the best apology he could. He had to make himself worthy of being forgiven.

Since she wouldn't talk, he tried to write instead. He begged her to meet him at his spot in the woods. He slipped the note into her locker and raced to the woods.

He unzipped his backpack and pulled out the decorations. He placed down the candles and grabbed his lighter from his pocket. He flicked the lighter until he felt the warm heat of fire at the top. He lit the candles and placed them on the small wooden table.

He grabbed the box of rose petals and sprinkled it along the grass.

"What are you doing?"

Eddie jumped, causing him to spill the rose petals into one big pile.

"Jesus Christ," Eddie laughed. He gestured to the seat and Y/N followed. She still had a hard face and her arms were crossed.

Eddie coughed nervously and took a seat across from her.

"Thank you for coming," Eddie said.

"What do you want, Eddie?"

"I want to apologize for raising my voice at you. It was wrong, and I know it's something you hate. You didn't deserve to be treated like that. I love you so much and I don't want to lose you. Can you please give me the chance to make this right?"

Y/N sighed but could feel his apology taking the weight off her shoulders. The sick filling in her gut lifted and she felt like she could breathe again.

"Can you promise to never yell at me again?" Y/N asked, she looked into Eddie's hopeful eyes and smiled.

"I promise," he said as he crossed his heart.

"I guess I can forgive you," she teased and rolled her eyes. Eddie beamed as he leaned over the table.

"Make-up kiss?" He pouted, his puppy eyes working their magic.

"Dork," she laughed but cupped his face and landed her lips on his.

Tags!

[issi-loves-dannyric]

You Belong With Me- Ollie Bearman

a/n: I'm a year older than Ollie so that's why I wrote it. One day this will be taken down as will all my other writings but at least not for a while. (personal choice cause yk work and everything) -Im tagging this as F1 since he's signed to Haas.

Summary: best friends to lovers, Ollie is too dumb to realize he's in love

angst ish with fluff

Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find

That what you’re looking for has been here the whole time

“She’s coming to a race” excitedly says to me while we walk in the paddock. 

“That's great!” I say faking enthusiasm, if he weren’t distracted by the girl he’s talking to he would’ve caught that I wasn’t happy. 

“I think I’m going to ask her out on a real date” he adds making my heart hurt a little more. 

“Yeah, that’s great. Hey, I’m going to go see some friends.” I say turning towards where Paul was standing on his phone. 

“Yeah-“ he says but is cut off by another message. Rolling my eyes I make my way towards the blonde. Feeling my presence coming up to him he looks up from his phone smiling. 

“Don’t see much of you without Ollie” he says smirking and opens his arms for a hug which I accept immediately. 

“Yeah he wouldn’t shut up about the girl he’s talking to  so figured might as well see some friends”

“Oh yeah, he talks about her all the time. I’ve met her before and she’s kinda…” he trails off

“A bitch”

“I didn’t say it but I’m not disagreeing” putting his hands up in defense. 

“No yeah, she definitely is a bitch and doesn’t like me.”

“Probably cause you and Ollie have a history” 

“He’s my best friend, of course, there’s history”

“Yeah…” before he could add anything Kimi and Dino were joining us making Paul drop the topic. 

2 months later

I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night-

“Ollie, what are you doing” I call out my window looking down at the boy who had spammed me to open my window. 

“I’ve barely heard from you for the past 2 months” he replies looking hurt. 

“Yeah…sorry” the last part being quiet.

“Are we going to talk like this or are you going to let me in?” He asks, sighing I push myself away going down to let him in quietly as possible. 

“Ollie it’s midnight” I whisper as we go towards my room door, allowing him to walk in before me to shut it. 

“I know but since when did it matter?” He replies lowly with a small tentative smile. 

“Since it’s been months from the last time you came over late or even had a full conversation,” I reply turning away, sitting on my bed. 

“Yeah” I could just barely hear, “just…I don’t know” he sighed staring at his feet. Looking at his face he’s trying to figure out what to say or do. 

“Something’s wrong” I state, patting the bed, “come here” making him look up at me. 

“I think she’s cheating on me, she’s just so different from me” he sighs referring to his girlfriend who has hated me for a while now. 

“Do you have proof?” I ask, although we don’t get along, she doesn’t deserve to be accused of something she didn’t do. 

“Kind of, I guess. Just she’s messaging her ex still, I think she went out with him today. Well, I know she did because of the photos.”

“Damn Ollie, that sucks,” I say looking down at my hands in my lap. “Are you going to do something about it?” I question 

“I’m going to confront her and see where it goes.” 

“Smart move” I replied looking up at him who was still avoiding eye contact. “Is there more?” Watching him fidget with the sleeves of his hoodie. 

“I’m sorry for not being around” he quietly voice breaking a little. 

“It's fine, you were busy with your new life.” I reply not meaning to be petty but he did ghost me, his “best friend”. He finally looked up at me with glossy eyes, “Don’t worry, I’m proud of you no matter what” smiling softly at him even with my own eyes feeling pricks of tears. Reaching out to his face I wipe his tears away with the hoodie holding his cheeks. Putting his hand on mine, keeping me from letting go of him, “I don’t want to lose you, I feel like I already did” sobbed holding my hand even tighter. Moving my hand to him, leaning on the pillow behind me. 

I’m the one that makes you laugh when you know you’re 'bout to cry. 

“I’m not leaving, at least not all the way” feeling him hold onto me even tighter, “I’ll always support you, Ollie. You can always text or call me if you need to.” I tell him while running my fingers through his hair, feeling my tears sliding down my face. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Bearman,” I say trying to lighten the mood, earning a small chuckle from him. Pulling out of my hold, wiping his tears, “I should probably go before my parents realize I'm not there” He says getting up towards the door. 

“Yeah, I’ll lock the door behind you so mine don’t think I just left the house open for robbers,” I say with a small smile. 

“I mean it, you can text or call me anytime, you know I will try my best to answer.” I remind him at the door. 

“I‘ll remember,” he says pulling me into one last tight hug. 

All this time how could you not know

Looking down at my phone I just got a notification,

Ollie: I was right, she just admitted it and didn’t think she was wrong since I travel. 

Sighing I respond 

‘I’m sorry you had to go through that, Ollie. At least you found out now.’ 

Going back to whatever movie was playing on the living room TV. My parents are off on a date meaning I get to have the house to myself, although it’s not as fun as it seems when you’re alone. My phone's insistent vibration distracts me, realizing that a call vibration I pick it up not glancing at the caller. 

“Hello”

“Hey…” Ollie’s voice comes through barely, “I’m sorry, I know you don’t want anything to do with me anymore really. I just miss you so much and this situation made me realize something.” He quickly lets out. 

“Ollie I never said I didn’t want to be in your life at all.” I reason

“Are you home?” He says sniffling. 

“Yeah, parents are out” 

“I need to come over” 

“Okay,” I reply quietly before hanging up.  

You belong with me. Have you ever thought, just maybe you belong with me?

Ollie's knocks were loud and fast making me get out faster walking to the door. The second I open the door, he puts his hand on my cheeks. 

“I want to kiss you” he mumbles leaning down slightly from the height difference. “Can I?” He breaths out 

“Yeah,” I say feeling heat on my cheeks now but quickly distracted by his lips on mine. Kissing him back I put my hands on the back of his neck pulling him closer.

Letting go realizing he’s rebounding, “What was that, Ollie?” I ask genuinely confused. 

“I’m sorry, I love you and it took that relationship for me to realize it.” 

“Still confused” 

“She said the reason she didn’t see the issue of her cheating was because I was in love with you the whole time. I thought she was crazy until I realized I compared her to you. Like the things you knew I liked or how you went out of your way to make me happy.” He paused putting one hand on my cheek again forcing me to look him in the eyes, “She’s right, I do love you more than just my best friend.” He finishes 

“Ollie” I whisper shocked by what he explained to me. 

“Please just give me a chance” he replied 

“I can’t be your rebound, Ollie. My feelings for you are real and I don’t want to be hurt.” I warn him. 

“You’re not a rebound I promise,” he says seriously. 

“Okay,” I reply causing him to smile slightly. 

“Okay?” 

“Prove you will try, Ollie,” I tell him, he lets out a breathy laugh before pressing his lips to mine. Accepting the kiss quickly but I pull away making him confused. “As much as I would like to kiss you in my front doorway so my whole neighborhood could see. I also have a movie playing so are you coming in or what?” I tell him, smiling widely, he accepts my invitation following me to sit on the couch. Curling up into him like we used to do, this time there’s no feeling of confusion about whether he likes me or not. 

You belong with me

“You know you’ve watched this hundreds of times.” He states referring to Coraline playing. 

“Yeah, and I’ll watch it a hundred more times.” I smile looking up at him. Pulling my face closer he started to kiss me again, this time I didn’t stop it, or at least for a moment until realizing I could hear my parents coming in through the garage. Letting go I shift to have my head on his chest with my right arm wrapped around his stomach. 

“Hey Ollie” they calmly say walking by us before going towards the stairs, “Oh hey try not to kiss in front of the whole neighborhood next time.” Before going up. Making me giggle remembering the cameras that watch the front door. 

“I forgot about the cameras,” he says embarrassed. 

“Yeah…me too” I added. 

[joshfutturman]

"happy anniversary" 18+

oneshot - he's anxious to celebrate your one-year anniversary, but it turns out that mike schmidt is just full of surprises. (3.4k words) pairing - mike schmidt (five nights at freddys movie) + gn!reader tags - abby is at a sleepover, established relationship, sort of sappy sometimes, pure filth tho, mike gives you lots of hickies, mike goes down on you while you're on his dining room table, alcohol mention, he maybe pours some wine on you and licks it off :3c oops, fucking against a wall, creampie, mutual orgasm, dirty talk.

a/n - i wrote this to celebrate the ten year anniversary of five night's at freddys! celebrate with me with some good old fashioned smut :3

.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.

one whole year with mike schmidt, and honestly? you couldn't be happier. you and abby had grown close, mike was smiling more, eating better, sleeping better - you make each other better people. he knows he can lean on you when days get dark, you provide a safe space for him to heal after struggling for so long in his own head.

however, he'd insisted on not celebrating your one-year anniversary. something about him being 'cursed'. this was a pattern with mike, being afraid to celebrate anything good in his life, as though it would be ripped from him in an instant. you tried to protest but knew it was futile. he'd made up his mind, and you knew how hard it was to get inside that stubborn head of his.

.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.

you pretended it didn't bother you that a day spent littering mike with kisses and affection was slipping through your fingers. you could do that any day, right? but what made it special was that it was going to be your day. you pretended not to be disappointed.

pulling up outside his place, you fidget nervously before exiting your car. would he even remember that it's your anniversary? maybe he'd pushed it so far to the back of his mind that it had gotten lost there. that thought hurt. swallowing your dispirited thoughts, you make your way towards the door and pull out your key, adorned with a cute little freddy fazbear keychain abby had given you despite mike's disapproval.

but as you open the door, you're greeted with. . . darkness? the usual lull of mike's living room lights has been replaced with a soft orange illumination instead. there's a small candle on the side table by the door, and then another on the coffee table. . . and another on the tv stand. you step inside and close the door gently, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. what was this?

"hey," his voice pulls you from your confused thoughts, your eyes darting towards the sound of mike's low voice. it's then you see him, standing nervously beside the dining table. even more candles are carefully placed across the table, illuminating the room in a soft warm glow. there's a bottle of wine, two plates with what looks to be a home-cooked meal and. . . was that wilting red roses?

mike clears his throat, grabbing the flowers to busy his hands, but also to extend them to you, a gift. or, they were supposed to be. his eyes glance down at them, the deep scarlet petals fading. he falters at the sight of them, mouth opening and then closing again. "bought 'em a few days ago to be prepared and i guess i, uh. . . didn't really think about the fact that they'd die."

you take a few steps towards him as he continues. this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing, he'd thought about this.

"i just. . . it's not that i didn't wanna celebrate our anniversary," he mumbles, looking anywhere but you, "i was. . . scared? i dunno. listen, i just-"

you shut him up promptly with a kiss, gripping the collar of his hoodie and pulling him against you. his hand instantly goes to your waist, squeezing the soft flesh there as he loses himself in your lips, slowly lowering the flowers in his hand as the thought of them possibly disappointing you leaves his mind.

"i love you," you whisper against his lips, snaking your hands up to cup his cheeks, "i love you." you speak it with great conviction.

between your words, he breathes softly against your lips before diving back in with renewed vigour, tossing the roses aside on the floor and placing both hands on the small of your back. his large hands grip you, fingers splayed across the fabric of your shirt as his tongue slips inside your mouth.

gasping, you melt as he takes you so confidently, a kiss that claims you as his, a kiss that eliminates the need for more words. the way he's gripping you. . . god, you're not sure he's ever held you like this, like he needs you right now or he'll die. tonight, he wants to spoil you.

his hand brushes down along your side to grasp a handful of your thigh, yanking it up and around his hip. you yelp a little and keep your leg firmly wrapped around him, allowing your hips to press closer to his, feeling that familiar bulge tease you. just picturing his length had you shuddering in his arms.

"fuck, mike. . ." you whisper as you pull back for breath, eyes fluttering open.

but he can't wait, he can't part with you for even a second. his lips are immediately on your neck, kissing up along the column of your throat, leaving small red marks that will only grow worse with time. tilting your head back, you expose more of yourself to him gladly. he could have all of you and ask for more, and you'd happily give it to him.

"you always taste so fuckin' sweet. . ." he purrs against your skin, tongue flicking out to soothe those hickies he's so kindly left behind. you can feel the hint of a smirk on his lips against your neck and it makes your knees weak, heat surging in your groin.

oh how his smirks and smiles were so rare, you cherish every single one, especially when they were for you, because of you.

in one swift movement, he lifts you into his arms and turns towards the table, laying you down against the glass. you look up at him in surprise, panting softly, reeling from his touches and the way his lips were so greedily dancing against your skin just moments before.

mike smooths his hands down along your thighs, admiring your soft skin below him, "think i want a taste of somethin' else, though. . ." his hands slide back up to the button of your jeans, popping it open and unzipping quickly.

your chest rises and falls rapidly, heart pounding, looking up at him as he undresses you. you love the way that lust clouds his eyes, those hazel hues growing darker in the dim light, eyes focused on you and only you. "can i?" he whispers, slowly inching your jeans downwards. of course, you nod.

slowly, he rolls the jeans down your hips and along your legs, taking a moment to kiss up along the skin that is exposed to him. his lips find your knee, then your soft calf, eyes closed as he savours every moment with you. tossing your jeans aside, his eyes fixate on the growing need between your legs, instinctively licking his lips. he'd cooked you a meal, sure, but here you were, bringing a meal home for him.

and fuck, your breathing hitches as you watch his hungry stare, suddenly feeling hotter under his gaze. you can't take much more - with shaking hands, you begin to remove your underwear, pulling them down to your ankles, not bothering to remove them completely. mikes calloused hands rest against your thighs, spreading you open a little wider for him as he kneels.

craning your neck, you keep your eyes on him all the while, desperate not to lose sight of him. you want. . . no, you need to watch him as he uses that tongue of his.

jerking you forward just a tad, your hips are drawn to the edge of the table with one pull. mike wraps his arms around your thighs leaning in to nuzzle against your core. his nose nudges you and you whine, feeling sparks throughout your body. finally, some friction.

"thought about this all day. . ." he grumbles, licking a stripe along you sloppily causing you to moan, "i miss you when you're gone." mike admits, and you're not sure what's hotter, his vulnerable words or the way he's looking up at you with those puppy dog eyes from between your thighs.

"missed you too baby, always do," your voice is shaky, body trembling in anticipation and from sheer need. you thread your fingers through mike's hair, your other hand propping you up on the table so you can watch him more easily.

he groans, eyes closing over as he dives back in, licking and sucking your sensitive skin. you love how fucking messy he gets like this, dribbling down his chin, wondering where you end and he begins. you want to watch him, but you reluctantly let your head fall back, overcome with pleasure, eyes closing as you huff into the air, back flush against the table beneath you.

"so good," you whine, moaning at each movement of his tongue. your free hand reaches out to grab something, anything to stabilise you, to ground you in the moment - but in your clumsiness, you almost send the bottle of wine flying from the table.

cursing, you catch it and mike pulls back, looking up to see the commotion. a grin finds its home on his lips as he sees the wine, "thirsty?" he asks.

laughing nervously, you settle the bottle back down in its place, but not before mike places a hand over yours, taking the bottle. swallowing hard, your eyes widen, what was he up to? he had that mischievous look in his eye, normally reserved for when he was feeling especially confident in the bedroom or when he was repressing a dirty joke.

he takes the bottle, unscrewing it as he stands, eyes locked on yours in a heated gaze. you sit there, legs spread, wet with his saliva, suppressing a shudder as the air of the room brushes against the damp spots on your skin.

bringing the bottle to his lips, his eyes still stay firmly on yours with an intensity that causes you to shiver, mouth suddenly feeling dry as you watch the wine spill into his mouth. your eyes fix on his throat, watching as his adams apple bobs with each swallow.

after a gulp, he wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve - good thing its a black hoodie - and speaks up, "want some?"

how can you say no? you're laying there, spread open for him, by him. you nod, maybe a little more eagerly than you'd like. but mike knew how much you loved him, how much you craved his touch. you never need to be embarrassed around him.

"alright baby, i'll give you a taste, just wait. . ." he smiles and brings the bottle down, hovering it above your core. your eyes widen, what the fuck was he-

it trickles down, the red wine coating your heat. instinctively, you gasp sharply at the wet, cool sensation, feeling it run down to your ass and along your thighs. with wide eyes, you look up at him in disbelief.

"babe, what are you-"

"shhhh. . . let me spoil you for once," he places the wine back down on the table, kneeling again as he inches closer. then, his tongue begins slowly lapping at the red liquid. he moans softly at the taste, eyes closing as he takes in the combined flavour of both you and the alcohol. he would do this all day if you'd let him, and you could tell how much he loved using his mouth on you.

the sight of him lapping hungrily at you, tongue sliding across your inner thighs, cleaning up the mess he made - it's almost too much. you're gasping and panting and arching your back against the table. "holy fuck mike," you whisper, it's all you could think to say in the moment, the words coming out automatically. it was all so dirty, head reeling at how confident mike was being today, but he was determined to make you feel good, to make up for his insecurities and anxieties of celebrating his anniversary with you.

he just wants to make you feel how much he loves you, how much he worships you.

pulling back, earning a disappointed whine from you, he trails up your body until his reddened lips are on yours, tongue immediately seeking entrance. you accept, wrapping your arms around him as he kisses you. the intoxicating taste of yourself and the distinct notes of red wine fill your senses as mike deepens the kiss, giving you the taste you asked for.

mike feels you smile against his lips, causing him to smile in turn. his cock twitches in need, he's almost painfully hard, each throb reminding him just how desperately he wants to be buried inside of you.

lifting you from the table, he turns and pins you against the wall, ensuring your legs are wrapped firmly around his. "hold on," he instructs before kissing you once more, a lazy kiss as he pushes his joggers and underwear down.

already you feel his hardened length hit your thighs and you whine. fuck, you want it so bad. you bite your tongue to stop yourself from begging him to fuck you nice and hard.

"can i fuck you like this?" he asks in a hurried whisper, panting softly as his hands return to hold you up by your thighs, pushing you a little harder against the wall. even in the heat of the moment, he wants to make sure you're comfortable.

your head spins at the question, and you nod quickly, "please, fuck me."

bringing a hand down to position himself at your entrance, you gasp as you feel his slick, leaking tip against you. he does the same, hissing softly at the contact. once he feels himself easing him, he moves his hand back to your plush thighs, digits digging into the skin.

mind blank, head feeling empty, all that you can think about is how perfectly he's pushing into you, how perfectly he's stretching you out right now. your head rests back against the wall, eyes closed as you adjust to his girth. his saliva and remnants of the wine drip down against him and onto the floor, but he doesn't fucking care.

his eyes watch your expression shift with great interest, watching at every subtle shift, the way your eyebrows twitch, your mouth falls open as his cock slides deeper. . . god he fucking loves you.

"that good baby?" he asks, voice husky as he attempts to keep his composure.

you simply nod, biting your lip as he slides in all the way, his hips meeting your thighs with a soft smack. you both sigh in satisfaction, you're full of him, but it's not enough, he needs to move.

and shit, it's like he reads your mind, because he does. slowly, he begins pistoning his hips up into yours. gradually at first, keeping a slow and steady pace as he buries his face into the crook of your neck. soft, needy moans slip from your lips as he fucks you, back pressed tightly against the wall.

his name sings from your lips, gripping the base of his hair and his back. he loves how you say his name, how it drips from your lips so sweetly. he bucks his hips a little faster in response, his body moving without thinking. his stubble prickles at your neck as he groans softly against your skin, brows arching as you clench around him.

"just like that," you coo, fingers dancing through the curls that find their home at the back of his head, "don't stop. . ."

mike didn't plan to. he'd fuck you forever if he could, truly. it was always such a serene experience with you, helped his mind go blank, clear those poisonous thoughts. . . mind filled instead with thoughts of fucking you, hearing those pretty little moans, making you cum on his aching cock and burying his load deep inside of you.

and that's exactly what he plans on doing tonight.

one whole fucking year, one whole year. mike wonders how he got so lucky to have you, he prays to a god he doesn't believe in that he'll never lose you like he's lost so many things he's cherished.

"love you. . ." he suddenly whispers against your neck as his pace increases, slamming into you with a force that takes your breath away. the hurried shift in speed has you reeling, gripping him tighter, every thrust pushing you back against the wall.

"f-fuck mike!" you call out, gasping, "love you too baby, don't stop. . . keep fucking me like that, just like that."

he groans deeply, his voice rumbling against your neck as his grip on your thighs intensifies, growing tighter - just like you are around his dick.

you're close, he can tell, and he's not far behind either, lost in a haze of how much he loves you. your thighs begin to tremble against him, your whole body tensing as the pleasure coils and weaves in your lower body, settling across your stomach.

oh fuck, this might be the most intense orgasm you've ever experienced. this angle, the way he's pumping up into you relentlessly, how can it get more -

he looks up at you, sweat beading on his forehead, mouth stained red from the wine, "cum for me." mike pleads.

oh. fuck. it got hotter.

"gonna cum-" you whimper with a nod, arching your back against the wall which allows him to go deeper, hitting that sweet, sweet spot.

when he hears those moans, he knows he's got you. you're gonna cum for him, gonna cum all over him just like he wants you to. he pants at his exertion, thrusting harder, the room filling with sounds of skin slapping against skin. his eyes lock on your face, watching desperately for the moment you fall over the edge.

"c'mon, baby, cum for me. that's it. . ."

and you can't hold back. the orgasm rips through you like a tornado, filling every sense, dismissing every thought, quelling every worry, until everything is just him. it's just him and the way he's fucking you and looking up at you like you're the most beautiful and perfect thing he's ever seen, like he'd go to the ends of the earth and back just to make you smile.

you're moaning like crazy, practically screaming as his dick hits that spot over and over with the way you're angled and the way he's pumping up into you. you clench around him frantically, involuntarily through pleasure, causing him to gasp and for his eyes to grow hazy - a sign that he was about to cum too.

fuck, you love the way his face shifts when he cums. the way his brows relax, mouth falls open, eyes growing distant as his cum fills you nice and deep. and you feel it, the white, hot sticky mess emptying inside of you causing you to moan even more.

you both gasp in pleasure as it overcomes the two of you, mike's thrusts faltering as he empties himself into you. your eyes lock together, watching as you unravel for each other.

as the overwhelming sensations begin to subside, he leans in, capturing your mouth in a hungry, sloppy kiss. you return the favour, chasing his lips with equal messiness - coming down from your high.

"happy anniversary baby. . ." he mumbles against your lips as you smile, swallowing hard as you feel him slowly leak out of you.

you pause, glancing behind him to the table and the meal he'd so generously and thoughtfully made for you, a slight sadness in your tone as you speak up, "shit, sorry. . . think the dinners gone cold?"

"don't need dinner, i already had my dessert," mike chuckles cheekily, kissing the side of your lips, then your cheek, then your nose and back to your lips again.

and you giggle under his onslaught of affection, "yeah, but i didn't. . ." grinning, you lick your lips and glance downwards between you, his dick on your mind again already despite him fucking you senseless just a few moments prior.

his brows raise, a smirk overtaking his features - now all he can imagine is that pretty little mouth of yours wrapped around his hard cock. it wouldn't take him long to get hard again. maybe this anniversary thing wasn't so bad.

mike kisses you once more, pressing you more firmly against the wall as he allows a hand to travel up and rest at the base of your throat.

fuck, if this was your one-year anniversary, what was your two-year anniversary going to be like? your ten-year anniversary? your legs go weak at the thought of mike fucking you just like this for the rest of your life.

"happy anniversary, mike."

.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

broken trust. [part 3] l Joel Miller

Summary:  you used to be very close, but he broke your heart, now your paths have crossed again

Warnings:  +18, smut, angst, swearing, unprotected sex (don't do that), guns, blood, infected, Ellie and Tommy appears

 A/N: I don't know how many parts this story will have, I suspect maybe two more. I didn't expect anyone to like it anyway. I'm grateful for your feedback though, it means a lot to me. a few people mentioned tagging - @vickie544 @dreamtofus @missladym1981 🖤 

[PART 2]

You were gone.

Joel had no idea how hard this would be for him. He was starting to feel strangely familiar feelings, but he didn't want to name them and he definitely didn't want to think about them. 

His body was playing stupid jokes on him. He would wake up at night feeling like you were still lying right next to him, or that he would soon feel your arms as you snuggled up to his back. He would look up at every significant sound on the staircase and sometimes he would feel like he heard your voice in the crowd of people.

But it wasn't you. You hadn't been in QZ for a long time.

Joel knew he had made a mistake. You had told him many times that he was obsessed with control, but he had explained it to himself only by the fact that he had already lost so much - he didn't want to lose you too. Only your absence made him realize what he really felt for you. Because if it was nothing, would it hurt so much?

Joel didn't remember that time very well, how he functioned. At some point Tess appeared, then Ellie. He didn't believe he would ever see your face again.

He would see you walking around Jackson with Ellie, or hanging out at a local bar with a group of people you knew. He wanted every moment like this to feel normal to him, but he couldn't shake this strange feeling. The feeling that you weren't real in some way, or that you weren't within his reach.

You didn't talk much. Hardly at all. It had been a few weeks since you'd met, and you'd only exchanged a few pleasantries. Ellie had been spending a lot more time with you, though.

Joel didn't mind, especially when Ellie started complaining that you only let her visit you after school. From what he could tell, you and Doc had been showing her how to administer medical aid, and that could come in handy. And he really enjoyed seeing the two of you in Jackson when you were both laughing and joking.

He'd wanted to approach you many times. But he couldn’t do this.

"You think you can hide here?"

"I'm not hiding." he mumbled and looked towards Ellie.

The girl sat down on a haystack at the entrance to the horse corral. She looked pleased with herself, because she caught him doing something he denied.

"You've been hiding here for days." she continued. "Like you have something on your conscience. The horses won't help you with that, dude."

"You're talking nonsense." Joel muttered under his breath and went back to brushing the horse he was taking care of. "Don't you have anything to do?"

"Y/N went to the neighboring settlement, so I guess not. I wanted to go with her, but she wouldn't let me."

"And she did the right thing." he heard Ellie snort. "You must like her, huh?"

"Yeah, she doesn't treat me like a kid. She's cool."

"What do you talk about when you spend so much time together?"

"And why do you want to know?" The girl stood up and walked over to him, her hand gently running over the animal's body. "It's a girl thing."

"Yeah, of course." Joel sneered.

"Yeah! Periods, ex-boyfriends, sex. You know."

When she noticed Joel's furrowed brows, she burst out laughing.

"God, you're so grumpy!" she laughed, but then she became serious. "What did you do to her?"

"W-What?! What did she tell you?"

"Nothing, that's the problem." Ellie shrugged. "I've tried all sorts of things, but she doesn't say anything about you. Except maybe 'Ellie, Joel knows what's good for you.' and things like that. Boring. But I still like her."

Joel put down the brush and wiped his hands on a cloth. There were definitely things Ellie would rather talk about with you than with him. He didn't blame her.

He even envied her. He would give a lot for a few minutes with you, without all the mess that was between you and that you pretended not to see.

"Want to go for a ride?" Joel nodded towards the horse.

"Yeah, it'll be fun."

Ellie helped him prepare the horses, but she had barely sat in the saddle when Tommy appeared in the stable.

"Joel!" he panted. "We need you!"

"What's wrong?" he asked nervously.

"The patrol spotted a group of infected. They're on our route to the next settlement."

"Y/N went there!" Ellie squeaked.

Joel looked at her quickly, his muscles tensing nervously and something tightening his heart.

"I don't know anything about her." Tommy replied, clearly worried. "She went with one of our men, but the patrol didn't report anything. Maybe they're still in town?"

"Or maybe they've already met up with them." Ellie muttered.

"Get off." Joel ordered "Tommy, this one is yours." He pointed to his brother's horse and reached for the gun standing by the wall "Wait for us!"

"I want to help!"

"You stay!" Joel growled at the girl and climbed onto the horse.

"Joel?" the girl stepped back so Tommy could get out of the stables "Bring her back, please."

He knew he would do anything to do it.

His footsteps behind you were heavy, but equally fast. When you reached the third floor and opened the door to your apartment, Joel was already a few steps behind you.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" he hissed, slamming the door behind him.

"I wasn't thinking at that moment." you replied, throwing your bag on the table and spilling a few personal items out of your pants pocket.

"I noticed that!" Joel growled, "That was fucking unwise and stupid."

"But it worked, didn't it?" you smiled, looking at him.

Joel was furious. You could see it in his entire posture. He rested his hands on his hips, his chest rising with each deep breath. The wrinkle between his eyebrows and that vein pulsing on his sweaty neck, once again, had pushed him to his limits.

You could have easily been arrested by one of the guards, it was all a matter of a few bad moves, a few poorly chosen words. You had a lot of contraband on you, and you...

"I acted on instinct." You said in your defense. "You should trust me more, Joel."

"I trust you, but you know it's not about that!" He pointed a finger at you. "You can't take that much risk!"

"I can handle it! You don't have to protect me all the time!"

The man took a few steps towards you, but you didn't back up an inch.

"I have to if you're going to act so irresponsibly!"

"Irresponsible?!" You sneered at his tone.

"Childish."

"You're such a jerk sometimes, Joel! You can't admit that I succeeded and..."

You didn't have a chance to finish, his strong hands grabbed your face and your lips collided in a hard kiss. There was nothing gentle about it. Joel forced your mouth open, and his tongue slipped between your lips, ripping a dull moan from your throat.

You threw your arms around his shoulders, your fingers tangling in his curly hair as you pulled him closer, pressing your whole body against his. You shifted, although it was quite difficult, and on the way you managed to tip over the chair.

"Fuck!" Joel pulled away from you when he painfully kicked the table, "Come here!"

He grabbed your buttocks and lifted you up so that you wrapped your legs around his waist. It was more comfortable that way and soon he threw you on the bed, and then you felt his weight on you. 

His hands greedily ripped off your shirt and undershirt. You felt his teeth as he lightly bit your breasts through your soft bra. You could feel that he was aroused as hell. His hard cock rubbed against your crotch through his jeans, driving you crazy. 

Your fingers hastily unbuttoned his shirt as Joel fought with the belt of your pants. Your lips were constantly fighting with each other, kissing, stealing each other's breath, or nibbling. Eventually, you both succeeded. Joel stood up and almost forcibly ripped your jeans off.

His shirt landed on the ground next to the rest of your unnecessary clothing. He sat back on his heels and began to unbutton his pants. His hungry gaze swept over your body.

"A penny for your thoughts." You whispered, but he just shook his head.

He never told you what was on his mind in moments like this, and not only in them. You often caught him staring at you as if he wanted to remember a given moment forever. To engrave it in his memory.

His swollen cock finally escaped his jeans, and a pleasant shiver ran through your body. Joel reached out his hand and you lifted yourself up, then sat on his hips, hugging his hot body. The tip of his cock slid a few times over your juice-covered folds and he slid inside you.

You both fell silent for a moment. Joel saw you close your eyes, taking in as much air as you could. He loved the sight, and he had no intention of ever telling you that either.

His hands held your hips as you took him inside to the very end. His cock filled you completely and stretched you so wonderfully.

"Do you want to go for a ride?"

His low voice echoed right next to your ear, his lips brushing your temple. He didn't have to ask a second time. 

Your hips rose and fell, then again and again. Joel let out the most arousing moans you've ever heard. His hands just held your body, squeezing it occasionally. You felt your orgasm building inside you, but at that moment you felt something else. A hard slap on your butt interrupted your heated sighs.

Confused, you looked at Joel, a sly smile appeared on his face.

"Who's acting childish here?" you mumbled.

Another slap and you bit your lip. Your hand slid down his neck and then you squeezed his cheeks, gripping his face tighter.

"I don't know why I'm still with you, Miller." you whispered, shaking your head in disbelief. "So irresponsible."

"I think I know why."

His hands pressed your hips harder and his cock hit the spot that drove you crazy. Again and again, it was Joel who was now directing your every movement, setting the pace. You felt the muscles in your thighs burning, but you didn't want to slow down. 

You were so close now, and Joel followed you, hiding his face in the hollow between your shoulder and neck. When your walls tightened around him, the most beautiful sound he had ever heard escaped your throat.

"Joel!"

He quickly laid you back on the bed, his hips slamming into you much faster. You knew he was close. At the last moment, he pulled out of you, stroking his cock a few times. He spilled onto your lower abdomen with a loud groan and threw his head back. One of the most beautiful moments you've ever seen him in.

"You're going to kill me." he mumbled, falling down next to you. "You'll be the death of me."

"Don't be so dramatic." you laughed, reaching for the towel on the chair and wiping off what he left on you. "You just have to trust me. Because I trust you, Joel." 

He smiled slightly and pulled you in to kiss your head. He wanted this moment to last forever.

It was chaos.

A car and a few riders were returning from a neighboring village. The trunk of the car was filled with goods that you managed to exchange, and you were in a really good mood. You were moving slowly. Troy, your companion, was telling you some old jokes, and nothing foreshadowed what was to come.

First, one of the horses got spooked. You noticed it in the side mirror, and right after that you spotted them. A group of a dozen or so infected people came out from between the trees.

The spooked horse threw its rider off.

"Stop!" you shouted to Troy, grabbing his arm. "We have to help him!"

"Y/N!" the man pointed to a point in front of you.

More infected people appeared, this time right in front of you. Troy hit the brake. You pulled your gun out of its holster and pulled the other one out from under the seat.

"Got any magazines, kid?"

"Yeah. A few."

Troy nodded.

"Good luck."

The sound of gunfire filled the air. The whole group sped up at once. Joel felt anger and fear growing inside him. Everything here was happening too slowly, he should have been there, with you.

"Joel!" Tommy caught up with him. "People first! Don't do anything stupid."

"You'll tell her that too?!" he replied.

They rounded a bend and that's when he saw it all. 

Frightened horses running around the area, an abandoned car and two men standing on it trying to kill as many infected as possible. Joel saw blood on the side of the road, but he couldn't see you anywhere.

The riders scattered, trying to help the trapped people.

"Where are you?"

He aimed his shotgun and managed to hit several infected who fell helplessly. He felt panic growing inside him.

"God, let this blood not be hers! Let this blood not be hers!"

Another shot. Screaming. Horses neighing. A shot.

Joel aimed again. Then he saw you. You appeared suddenly running from behind the car, your face covered in blood, but you were still alive. He saw you change the magazine, but one of the infected was too close.

Before you could aim, he fell to the ground after one accurate shot.

"Joel..."

The man stopped his horse right next to you and held out his hand.

"Come on!!"

"I don't..."

"Trust me! Please!"

You didn't hesitate this time. Joel helped you climb onto the horse and hit its sides with his heels to get you out of there as quickly as possible. He could feel you were behind him, hugging him around the waist. Alive.

The sounds of gunfire slowly faded away. Joel noticed more people who had managed to get out and sighed with relief. He stopped and immediately felt you slide off the horse, he did so too.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." you replied trying to see more of where you were.

"Hey, show me."

"Joel, please." you whined.

"Show me." he grabbed your arm carefully and you looked at him. "What's that? You're bleeding."

You rubbed your cheek with your hand and saw blood.

"I fell. I must have cut myself."

"Only this?"

You nodded and a heavy stone fell from his heart. Joel didn't think about what he was doing. His arms pulled you in and you disappeared into his embrace.

It felt so natural. All the pressure you had felt for so long melted away from you, you unconsciously snuggled closer to him. His heart was beating like crazy, you knew yours was too.

You heard the sound of hooves and quickly moved away from Joel. Tommy and the group of riders stopped right next to you.

"Everything okay?" the man asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." You nodded. "We didn't expect them."

"We thought you wouldn't run into them after all. We lost one." He shook his head and looked back. "But the car has to stay there. We'll wait a few days. Maybe this group was the only one."

"Or maybe it's something more..." Joel muttered.

"Maybe." Tommy trailed off, but then nodded to the men. "We're going back, there's nothing for us here."

The drive to Jackson was silent. You were sure that each of you wondered how all of this had come to this and what it could mean. It was already evening when you reached the city.

Joel stopped, and it was only when you got down that you felt how exhausted you were. Your muscles ached and your stomach clenched unpleasantly.

"You should see a doctor."

His voice brought you back to earth. You looked at him blankly.

"Your cheek." He pointed at you with his finger. "Doc should see this."

"I... I'm fine." You replied, but seeing his pleading look, you sighed. "Okay, okay. Jesus, you're so stubborn sometimes."

You turned around and didn't have time to see the small smile that appeared on his face. It wasn't until the door closed behind you that Joel could breathe a sigh of relief. 

He felt his hands shaking and he nervously put them in his pockets. He hated this feeling, this helplessness and loss of control.

All he ever wanted was for his loved ones to be safe. He hadn't managed to do that with Sarah, but Ellie, you or Tommy... Joel didn't want to think about the lengths he could go to keep you safe. And now that life had put you in his path for the second time, he didn't want to screw it up even more.

"Still here?"

Your voice was resonant and Joel closed his eyes for a moment, but then turned to you.

"Yeah, I thought I'd wait for you. If you need anything." he replied.

There was a small bandage on your face.

"Don't look at me like that." you mumbled, smiling "It's your fault. I barely stopped Doc from stitching me up."

"Oh, really?" Joel raised his eyebrows "Have you seen yourself? Do you know what you look like?"

"Don't say that!" you raised a hand to stop him "Don't even try!"

"Scarface."

"Who's being childish here? This isn't even funny." you snorted.

It was good to hear your laughter. He felt a pleasant warmth filling him and that's probably why he decided to try something more.

"Maybe..." Joel cleared his throat "Maybe you'd like to have a drink with me or something?"

His words hung between you for a moment. The ball was in your court.

"Sounds good." you replied after a moment.

He smiled, and you felt how much you missed this in your life. You missed him.

[PART 4]

☆☆☆

Thank you for your time.

[delta-pavonis]

'allo! may i have a bit of Friend Like Me? ;)

Absolutely! I have posted some of this before, but once again Tumblr's search function is failing me and apparently I can't organize my own tags for shit so... This is Matthew + Hob used to be partners in crime (literally) and Hob may or may not have started the crew from Leverage. 😂

100% G-rated fluff over here.

Hob has to do this every few decades otherwise he would be up to his eyeballs in storage units. It isn't fun, but neither is having too many moving parts to keep track of and potentially getting caught by another asshat with a hard-on for immortality. 

What was that quote he had read? "No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will seriously cramp his style." 

Not to mention the myriad other enemies he had accumulated via his network of grifters, hitters, and hackers. 

(What? The current state of technological advancements meant that Hob needed to get better at tracking and erasing his digital presence back in the late nineties. Was it his fault that while he was living in the States he had accidentally amassed a highly skilled group of "criminals" who were all connected to him like spokes to the hub on a carriage wheel? And that it turned out that they were, as a team, really great at liberating funds and removing items from billionaire idiots who didn't need a fraction of their accumulated wealth and power? That they did it so well that Hob had to fake his own death earlier than expected to get out from under a particularly angry arms dealer? Was that really all because of him?)

(Yes. Yes it was.)

Yeah, anyway, Hob didn't leave the house without at least one blade on his person anymore. 

This is why, when Hob is interrupted by a large black mass swerving into his storage unit through the crack in the door that should be far too small to admit such a creature, he pulls the nearest throwing knife (he was crouching, so he went for the one concealed in a sheath on the outside ankle of his black leather chelseas), clocks the intruder's movement in his peripheral vision, and wings it directly at them. It hits the wall with a satisfying kthud, which is promptly followed by a very avian squawking.

"FUCKING CAWCHRIST MY DUDE WAS THAT A KNIFE!?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS, THE IDES OF FUCKING MARCH?!"

That voice! Hob's head snaps up to see a sizable black bird falling in a tumble. It hits the concrete floor with a sound not unlike a briefcase hitting pavement from a story up (what? It is a very distinctive sound), leaving three large feathers tacked into the wall by the knife.

"Fuck me sideways that HURTS. Note to self, birds no likey losing butt feathers." The bird (A raven? Like this is the bloody Tower of London?) walks out from around a cardboard box with a bit of a waddle in its step, trying to look back at his tail while he moves. "I guess the Boss didn't tell you I was coming then?"

Hob sits back on his heels. That voice is still hauntingly familiar. But he would damned well remember meeting a talking bird. "Well, perhaps if you told me who your Boss is..."

The raven leaps a solid four feet into the air with a screech. He lands on top of a small writing desk, scrabbles against the smooth surface to balance himself, and then looks down at Hob with one glass-black eye. "I can't believe... no fucking way... Robbie? Is that you? Didn't you die in 2017?"

"Mattie?!" Hob's ass hits the cool floor as he is blown back by the revelation. "Didn't you die in 2020?"

Matthew Cable had been one of Hob's favorite grifters. Not because he was absolutely perfect at his job (oh no, Mattie had fucked up spectacularly more times then Hob’s blood pressure wants to recall), but because they had quickly become "let's get absolutely toasted and MST3K bad horror movies while we bitch about our love lives" buddies. Hob had missed Mattie immediately upon his own faked death and had mourned when he heard, through various channels he still kept an ear to, that Mattie had died in his sleep not too long ago.

"Yeah, but when I died I was given, like, a choice? Apparently the King of Dreams needed a new Raven and I decided to give it a go. Sounded much more interesting to work for him than actual death. There must be some mistake because I was sent here with a message for Hhh..." Mattie freezes.

"Dream sent you?" Hob tilts his head in interest. This was the Matthew he had often mentioned? A raven that carried his messages? Hob had been jealous over a bird?! (Oh Christ, how embarrassing.)

"Wait... what the fuck are you doing in Hob GaaaaAAHHHH!" Mattie the Raven starts hopping around frantically. "YOU ARE NOT JUST IN HOB GADLING'S STORAGE UNIT. YOU ARE HOB GADLING! FRIEND OF THE LORD MORPHEUS, KING OF DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES!"

Hob can't help his laughter. "Oh, he told you I was his friend, did he?" That Dream had called him friend to someone else shouldn't feel as good as it did. Hob tamps that useless bit of emotion down hard. (No good can come of that, better to put it away.) "Only took him six centuries to get there, stubborn wanker that he is." He fails to keep the fondness from his voice. 

"Christ you have no idea how much of a wanker sometimes..." Mattie shuffles his feathers. "Look, I gotta know the story here, man. How did you meet the King of Dreams?"

Hob stands, brushing off his jeans. "That... is a rather long story." He considers for a minute, barely that, rubbing at the back of his neck, before coming to a decision. "Look, it isn't like I get my close friends back from the dead every day... how about we head back to my flat, pull up something ridiculous like Slenderman, and I will fill you in on my story? Like old times?"

Mattie flaps over and lands on Hob's shoulder. "Hells to the yes. Especially if we can find out if ravens respond to THC. Shit, you ever get more of that Amnesia shit the team picked up in Amsterdam during that art heist job?"

Hob's belly laugh echoes in the small room. "I think I still have some squirreled away from my last trip to the continent." 

He locks the storage unit behind them. All the spring cleaning can happen another day. 

___________________________________

They did not, upon making it back to Hob’s flat above The New Inn, actually end up watching their intended horror movie. Instead, as they were flipping through options, they stumbled upon the live-action remake of Aladdin and Mattie had been so damned adamant that he wanted to see it while high that Hob had allowed the deviation from their established pattern. 

“That bird is a fucking useless sidekick. I will show you how to do it!” Matthew stands, wobbles, and falls off where he had been balanced on the arm of Hob’s couch.

Hob cackles, slouching back into the cushions. “Well, that’s your answer to the question about birds and THC, innit?” 

Matthew flapped his way up onto the space next to Hob. “Hey, I am still getting used to this stupid body without any fucking thumbs.” 

“Fair enough.” He shrugs, sinking even further back and letting the movie drift into the background, a gentle blanket of familiar songs. “So I can feel you trying to not ask questions. Ask away, Mattie. I owe you that much, at least.”

“Fucking right you do, faking your death like that caw.” The raven shakes his head. “Where even to start… Oh! I got it! When and how did you meet the King of Dreams and Nightmares? That must have been a trip and a half.”

The memory makes Hob even warmer and he feels himself grinning as he looks at the ceiling. “I was drinking with my pals at a tavern, the White Horse, in the year of our lord thirteen hundred and eighty nine…”

“Wait. The fuck? You are…” Mattie clearly stops to count for a blink, “almost seven hundred years old?”

“That I am, now let me finish… I rather loudly proclaimed that I had decided not to die. Just wasn’t going to fucking do it. And that was when he approached the table,” Hob closes his eyes, the swooping feeling of seeing Dream for the first time still razor sharp in his memory. Should he tell Mattie? Well, he had never been dishonest with the man before, no reason to start now. So Hob let all his emotional walls down. “And I swear to God, Mattie, it was like seeing a meteor shower for the first time. It was like discovering a second moon. I was absolutely dumbstruck by the beauty of this cocky young Lordling, all standing before me like he owned half the country. Looked it too, with that giant fucking ruby around his neck and his fine clothing.” Hob shakes his head, grin widening. “He offered me a deal. If I wanted unending life, then I could come back to that tavern on the same day at the same time one hundred years hence and tell him of my experiences of life so long-lasting. And here I am.” When Mattie doesn't immediately respond, Hob opens his eyes and turns his head. “What?”

The raven was studying him intently. When he spoke it was carefully metered and very much not in jest. “Robbie. I might be a bird now, but I would know that expression on your face anywhere. Do you… Are you…”

He didn’t need to put words to it, Hob knew exactly what his friend meant. He shrugged. “Aye, I probably am. But you have to understand, Mattie, he has been the only constant in my whole long life. Hundreds of relationships. Thousands of friendships. Centuries of life. And he was my only anchor.” Hob lets himself drift on that thought for a moment before coming back. “Did you know that I didn’t know his name until a few months ago when he showed up at the New Inn?”

“What?! What kind of asshole doesn’t give his – oh, wait, this is Dream I am talking about, isn’t it…”

Hob laughs. “You are very correct. Dream’s stubbornness is only surpassed by his beauty.”

“Wow. You’ve got it bad.”

“Most likely.” Hob inclines his head. “But I am happy with whatever type of relationship he is capable of with me."

The raven whistles. "Got it baaaad."

____________________________

And so it happens that Hob and Mattie are stonedly bickering over if Will Smith’s portrayal of the Genie was a good homage or a bad mockery (all while A Whole New World starts up in the background) when the King of Dreams and Nightmares steps out of nothingness and into Hob’s living room.

“Matthew! You were told to deliver a message, not spend an entire day-”

Hob cuts Dream off with an overdramatic, “OoooOOOOoooh, Mattie, you are in trooooouble.” Dream’s stern face snaps to Hob’s and he slaps a hand over his mouth while he giggles none-too-loudly, “OooooOOOh, now I am in trooooouble.”

That makes Mattie burst into giggles and let it be known that the giggle of a raven is not actually a pleasant sound to take in.

So it makes Hob laugh harder.

Then he sees Dream’s absolutely bewildered expression.

And that makes Hob laugh even harder.

Sobbing as he laughs, collapsed to the floor (having initially fallen clear off the couch in surprise at Dream’s entrance), clutching his belly, Hob can’t even bring himself to worry that Dream might actually be angry with him. Fuck, Hob just got Mattie back. This is fucking great.

Hob wipes at his face as his hysterics subside, trying to keep his voice steady as he addresses Dream from his place on the floor. “I’m sorry, m’love, I didn’t mean to patronize you, I just-” He cuts himself off when he sees, for the first time, a petal-pink blush color his Stranger’s cheeks.

“You called him your love!” Mattie cackles. Hob feels himself blush now, too. That was a slip. That shouldn’t have happened. (Ah, bollocks.) “You are so in for it now. The Boss hates pet names! Once I tried to call him Lord Mew-mew because he was acting like a wet fucking cat and-”

“Enough.” Dream waves his hand to his Raven and the bird is immediately silenced. “Matthew, leave us. I am not asking.”

“Aww, maannn.” Mattie shakes himself off and seems to become shockingly sober with just a ruffle of feathers. “Roger that, Boss. See you back at home.” Then he nods to Hob. “We should do this again sometime.” 

Before Hob can respond Mattie has taken wing and flown out a window that definitely was not open a moment ago. When he looks back up it is to have Dream’s hand in front of his face, gently offering to help him stand. Hob takes it, if only for the excuse to touch his Stranger’s skin for the first time. (His touch is cool, his fingers long and uncalloused, his skin smooth. Hob memorizes every sensation greedily.)

Dream seems to realize this once Hob is on his feet because the blush deepens slightly and he retracts his hand with a jerky motion. 

“I am sorry if I offended you, Dream.” Hob takes a step to the side and tries to catch his friend’s eye. Dream keeps purposefully looking away. “It is just a silly human endearment. I am rather high on some excellent weed and I didn’t mean-”

“Ah.” Dream interrupts and Hob’s jaw clicks shut. Dream is still not looking at him and so Hob can see the way the muscles in his jaw flex with tension. “Just a silly endearment. You did not mean it.” 

Something fiery swoops inside Hob. Dream has never acted like this. Never avoided Hob’s eyes. Never interrupted him. And all because Hob had accidentally called him love.

See, thing is, Hob does mean it. More than he has words for. But never did he think… Dream couldn’t possibly. Fuck. Hob is too high to think clearly about this.

Hob steps into Dream’s line of sight, forces the slightly taller anthropomorphic personification to meet his eyes. Why it comes out a whisper when Hob speaks he will never know. “Dream. Do you want me to mean it? Do you want me to call you,” he hesitates for a moment because this could ruin everything. (But look at him! Look at the hurt in his expression, the tension in his shoulders. He does not hide it well, now that Hob knows what to look for - thanks, Sophie.) “my love?”

It is answer enough to see Dream’s pupils dilate and his nostrils flare. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. 

He is shaking when he goes to take Dream’s hand, brings it up to press a kiss to those beautiful fingers. “If I am reading this wrong then please please let’s just chalk it up to the THC and pretend this never happened. But…” Hob takes the last step in and now they are almost chest-to-chest, “I thought you would have figured it out after 1689… you are my guiding star. It is you who I wait decades for. You who I hope to impress with my experiences. You who I have yearned to touch with every fiber of my being for literal centuries.” Dream is blinking wide eyes at him now, confusion and surprise and hope all written there. “And if your friendship is all I can have, then so be it. But, Dream. If I had three wishes I would spend them all just to be able to call you love.”

[shinestarhwaa]

DIRRTY | J.WY

Genre: Smut

Word count: 1.4k

Pairing: Wooyoung x fem reader

Tags/warnings: woo is a gym rat, reader is direct as hell, rough sex, protected sex, dirty talk, cunnilingus&fingering, blow job

ENJOY!

Ever since you've started working out on the regular, every Friday and Saturday, you found this gorgeous man at your gym.

He had been eyeing you since the start, watching you run on the threadmill, most of the time. You had been shocked by all the machines and weights in the room. You couldn't even remember the names of them, so you just decided to use the threadmill for now.

You tried to think about it innocently first, the way he looked at you, maybe he was just interested in the way you ran.

In reality, the guy was just staring at your bouncing boobs. One day you just decided to come in a legging and a sports bra, just to put on a show for him.

He smirked, sitting back on whatever he was using to pump up his chest. The veins in his arms were pumping with adrenaline.

After 20 minutes you stopped, grabbing your bottle of water, nearly chugging all of it down in one go.

"Thirsty, huh?" A voice creeped up behind you, startling you.

You turned around, and you saw the beautiful man right in front of you. He was even more beautiful close up.

You gave him a nice smile. "Pretty much."

"You're new here right? What's your name?" the man smiled, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My name's Y/N, who are you, man-that-keeps-staring-at-my-breasts?" You giggled when you saw his eyes slide down to your chest.

"Excuse me, sorry," his eyes met yours again, "I'm Jung Wooyoung."

Wooyoung, what a pretty name. For a pretty face.

"I guess I'll see you around then, Jung Wooyoung," you winked as you picked up your belongings and made your way to the locker room.

���

The next week Wooyoung was there again, eyeing you up and down, running on the threadmill.

When you stopped running he came over to you, greeting you happily. "Hello, Y/N," he smiled as he leaned against the wall again, just like he had last time.

"Good evening, Jung Wooyoung," you smiled back, "are you done with your work out?"

"Kinda, I feel a little pent up though." A smirk played on his lips.

"Oh?" You smirked. You knew where this conversation was heading. "I can tell, by the bulge in your sweats."

You startled him with your direct words. He quickly looked around but as the gym almost closed, it was pretty empty.

"What do you want from me Wooyoung? You wanna fuck? Cause you can get it."

Wooyoung's eyes were wide but hungry when you told him your offer. "Here?!"

"No, dumbass, not here, my place is right across the street, fuck me there."

"Well, I can't say no to that."

•

"Just take it off, Woo, sex me up," you spat.

You had taken him back to your place, rushing over to get naked, but Wooyoung was taking his sweet time with your sportswear.

"Not once with patience, huh?" "Shut up," you said, as you literally shut him up by crashing your lips together again.

Both your sweaty clothes were removed quickly, hastily pulling the materials off as you attacked each others necks and shoulders with kisses.

You felt his hands everywhere, and they eventually landed on your plump ass, giving it a tight squeeze.

The two of you stumbled through the apartment, not wanting to let you. You probably knocked over a lamp or 2 while trying to get into your bedroom.

He looked at you in awe when your panties came off, almost drooling at the sight of your wet pussy.

He pushed you down on your bed and pinned you down, holding your wrists above your head as he kissed you roughly.

You whined when you felt his hand palm your tight wetness. You moaned against his lips when you felt his fingers on your clit.

"Please," you moaned out as he teased his fingers through your folds. "What do you want baby?"

"Need your fingers, yeah, fuck, I want your fingers, fuck me with your fingers, Wooyoung."

Wooyoung swore he'd lose his mind if you'd beg for him one more time. "You're so fucking hot Y/N," he grunted.

Wooyoung entered your wet hole with two fingers, stretching out your tight pussy. He nearly moaned when you clenched around your fingers.

"God, baby, do you hear how wet you are for me?"

His fingers pumped quickly inside you, lightly curling them just to hit your good spots.

"Yes, so fucking wet for you, Wooyoung, c-come on, harder!" you begged.

"Fuck, your mouth's so dirty, Y/N."

You felt yourself getting closer to climaxing, grabbing the sheets tightly in your fists, knuckles nearly turning white.

Wooyoung started licking your clit, sucking on the sensitive bud. He nearly started making slurping noises with the amount of arousal that coated your core.

"I'm so close, Wooyoung! F-fuck, yes! L-lick my fucking pussy!" you begged as your thighs trapped his face between your legs.

Wooyoung never stopped, eating you out like a starved man.

Your breathing became heavier, whines louder and you felt yourself come undone on his fingers and tongue.

He slowly rode out your orgasm by rubbing your clit. You panted softly and ran your hand through your hair.

"I love how dirty you are, Y/N," Wooyoung smirked as he came back up, sitting on the bed.

You got up from the bed and got on your knees in front of him. You took his hard, leaking cock in your hand and smeared the precum dripping from the tip all the way to his base.

Wooyoung whined when you started pumping his cock up and down.

"Please suck my cock, Y/N, wanna feel your mouth on me, wanna see you gag on it."

You smirked and let go of his cock, opening your mouth wide open. Wooyoung licked his lips and entered his cock into your mouth.

He ran his hands through your hair and gently held your head still, slowly fucking his cock into your mouth. You moaned around him, feeling the weight of his length on your tongue.

Wooyoung moaned and threw his head back, now starting to bob your head up and down on his dick.

"So fucking good, take my fucking cock, huh? Take it, fucking take it."

You gagged when you felt him hit your throat with his big cock. He smirked and only sped up his pace. You looked at him with watery eyes as you kept choking on his cock.

When he felt himself getting close he pulled away from your mouth, leaving you gasping for air.

He pulled you back on the bed and laid you down on your stomach. You rested yourself on your elbows and put your ass up for him after handing him a condom.

The man ripped the package with his teeth and rolled the condom over his length.

Wooyoung pushed his dick deeply inside you and moaned out, throwing his head back.

His hands roamed over your ass as he started thrusting his hips rapidly.

The sound of your sweaty skin slapping together filled the room, making you drip with arousal.

"O-oh yes, there, right there, Wooyoung!" you moaned out when you felt him hitting your g-spot.

"Yeah? There? Right there baby?" He panted out as he kept hitting your sweet spot with his tip.

You groaned when his hands reached out to fondle your breasts. "C-come on, Woo, harder, give it to me," you teased him, wanting to test his limits.

"Want it harder, huh?"

You got what you asked for, he fucked you roughly into the matrass, moans slipping from his lips as you clenched around his sculpted length.

"Yes! Yes, god!"

"Fuck, baby you take me so well, I'm gonna cum," he groaned.

"Yes! F-fuck me too!" You whined out. His cock kept hitting all the good places and his hands on your sensitive breasts made you go crazy.

It only took a few more thrusts of his dick until you came undone together with a loud moan, Wooyoung spilling his seeds into the condom.

Wooyoung slowed down and pressed kisses on your shoulders. You whined softly and let yourself fall on the matrass.

"Good... so good for me..."

Wooyoung pulled out of your sopping wet cunt and threw away the condom.

For a minute you two laid together, basking in your afterglow.

"We're gonna do this again, Y/N, we're gonna fuck a lot from now on."

"Absolutely."

[liaromancewriter]

Hold My Drink

Premise: Bryce and Cassie teach the new intern class a lesson in etiquette.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Characters: Bryce Lahela & F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 1,135

A/N: For @dr-colossal-pita from @creativepromptsforwriting Drabble list (prompts 56 & 57). Tagging for reblog to @creativepromptfills. Submission to @choicesmonthlychallenge October prompt "mischief" and @choicesprompts Flufftober prompt "Friendship"

Donahue’s was busier than usual, the music from the jukebox competing with the rattle of balls from the pool table. It was always such on the first night of a new intern class starting residency at nearby Edenbrook Hospital.

Voices rose in excitement, others somewhat raspy from exhaustion after a long fourteen-hour shift. Drinks flowed freely under the dingy neon lights that the owner Reggie insisted added to the ambiance but was likely an attempt at keeping the electricity bill down.

After three years of this, Cassie Valentine could distinguish the newbies from the regulars. Once upon a time, she had been one of them. Finding her way in a new city and job, struggling with her self-esteem and wondering if she’d just made the worst mistake of her life.

She remembered doing tequila shots with her future roommates as they boasted of how they’d take over from the attendings that hadn’t exactly left a good first impression. Now, they were one of the senior physicians charged with molding the next generation of doctors.

Well, she was anyway, Cassie thought smugly with a side-eyed glance at Bryce Lahela, surgeon extraordinaire. He still had a year left in his general surgery residency and likely a few more years after that for specialization.

In what? He hadn’t quite figured it out yet, not that anyone could read the uncertainty in his demeanor, not with an ego the size of Alaska. Cassie was the only one who knew the man behind the carefree mask and his struggles with living up to his own expectations.

So, like any good friend, Cassie took great pleasure in rubbing her success in his face. After all, she was doing exactly what she’d set out to do when she set her sights on Edenbrook and training under Dr. Ethan Ramsey.

She was three years ahead of schedule on account of winning a coveted junior fellowship with his diagnostics team. And three months away from heading up the team.

“This place is a zoo,” Bryce groused as someone bumped into him, causing his beer to splash onto the sanded floor. “Anyway, what was I saying?”

They were standing near the bar, their attempts at securing a booth or a two-top thwarted by the sheer number of people spilling into the bar during Happy Hour.

“You were complaining about the lack of action in your sex life and maybe even shaving your head,” Cassie teased, tipping the beer bottle for a sip.

Bryce nearly choked on his drink, coughing and sputtering as it went down the wrong pipe.

“You trying to give me a heart attack?” he glared as Cassie thumped his back. “I’m fairly positive I said Tanaka wants me to focus on what kind of surgeon I want to be and that there might be a trauma fellowship at Mass Kenmore.”

“Not nearly as interesting as your love life, or lack thereof.”

Bryce ran a hand through his hair, the light-brown streaks gleaming under the light, and spread his arms with a grin. “Come on! This body gets plenty of action.”

Cassie was about to continue the smack talk when a group of rowdy residents pushed past them on their way to the bar.

“Hey!” Bryce shouted, grabbing her arm to steady her before she could lose her footing. “Watch where you’re going.”

“Whatever, bruh,” one of them sneered, his words slurring at the edges. He was built like a linebacker, flexing his beefy arms for effect. “Isn't it past your bedtime, pops?”

His friends guffawed and slapped high-fives. Grabbing their drinks, they brushed past them, their crude laughter trailing behind them.

Bryce stared daggers at their retreating backs, correctly guessing they were Ortho Bros—more muscle than sense. He knew most of the orthopedic surgeons at Edenbrook, but this group was new.

His eyes narrowed as they commandeered a dartboard, crowding out another group of interns who had been enjoying a lighthearted game.

Cassie followed his gaze, and a plan began to form. Nothing but total humiliation would do.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked, nudging Bryce, a mischievous gleam in her green eyes.

“I don’t even want to know what you’re thinking,” he shuddered. “You’re scaring me with that look.”

“Come on, Lahela,” Cassie urged, her voice taking on the grim tone of a TV evangelist. “Are you going to let those meathead interns get away with disrespecting us? What’s next? You’ll let them muscle you out of your OR?”

Bryce shook his head at the dramatic declarations, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth despite himself. Cassie’s competitiveness matched his own, but he’d rather be on this side than facing off against her. She might look like an innocent blonde princess, but she fought dirty.

He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and shot her a sideways glance, a glint of amusement in his eyes now. “Let’s teach these Ortho Bros the pecking order at Donahue’s and Edenbrook.”

Cassie smirked as Bryce added an exaggerated swagger to his step as they marched toward the dartboards.

“Yo! Didn’t anyone teach you ‘kids’ to respect your seniors?” Bryce called out.

“Isn’t Dr. Tanaka putting you in charge of the surgical intern OR schedule, Dr. Lahela?” Cassie remarked slowly, her tone sweet as honey. “I don’t know about you, but these four could probably use a time-out before you add them to the board. What do you think? Three months?”

She grinned as the realization dawned on them—they’d just dissed the man who controlled their surgical schedules and access to the OR.

“Six months, minimum,” Bryce nodded, enjoying as their smirks faded into looks of alarm. Surgeons needed to cut. Getting benched for even a day was torture.

“Wait, you’re that Dr. Lahela?” gawked the beefy intern. “You’re the one that performed the extrapleural pneumonectomy solo as a second-year resident?”

“Focus, Bryce,” Cassie whispered sharply out of the corner of her mouth, knowing her friend’s weakness for praise. He’d always loved an audience.

Bryce threw her a frustrated look, his ego fighting with his desire to take the interns down a peg. Cassie was pleased to see that common sense prevailed.

He straightened to his full six-feet-three height and stared down his nose. “Yeah, I’m that Lahela. And if you don’t want your surgical career to go down in a flaming pile of shit after only one day, you’ll check your ‘bruhs’ at the door.”

The Ortho Bros started to apologize, their voices coming out strangled as they tripped over the words while Bryce scowled.

Cassie folded her arms across her chest, her steely-eyed glare mirroring his. She peeked at Bryce and the satisfied grin threatening to break across his lips. He met her look and winked.

Oh, yeah. Annihilation was so much more satisfying than humiliation.

-------------

All Fics & Edits: @bluebelle08 @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @jerzwriter @justyourusualash

@lady-calypso @kyra75 @mainstreetreader @peonierose @potionsprefect

@queencarb @quixoticdreamer16 @snoopdogcone @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction

Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[ordon-pumpkin]

Remembering (Alt Title: Apollo Gives The Best Hugs)

A short (2280 word) fanfic set after The Sun and The Star. (Tags: Hurt/Comfort, fluff, Solangelo, Apollo being a good parent)

Note: I read The Sun and The Star and I spent most of it hoping for a scene like this at the end to explain the whole Will forgetting about Apollo returning thing. Since the book seems to have… er forgotten. Quite a disappointing oversight but that’s what fix-it fics are for. So, here’s what I envisioned happening. From Apollo’s POV because I miss it. 💛

//////////////////

My son and his boyfriend had embarked on a dangerous quest. One that left me worried. I respected their choices, even if their journey was one I wished they wouldn’t take. The life of a demigod was riddled with danger, quests, and things unfathomable to a regular mortal. Yet, it was commonplace for them. It felt as though my relationship will Will as his father had barely begun. Now, he had journeyed far from me. My heart ached at the thought of losing him.

While they were away I continually checked Camp Half-Blood. After several unsuccessful visits the dread started to grow. Until one day I showed up only to see a head full of messy blonde hair running towards the infirmary for supplies.

Will!

My son.

My beautiful son!

Tears welled up in my eyes. He had survived! I could sense pain coming from him and see bandages and scratches across his form. He was drained from being away from the sun for too long. But the injuries were, thankfully, minor. I turned to look where he had come from. I saw Chiron and Dionysus talking with Nico. He too was pretty banged up, but all things considered he looked well. I thought I saw shadows shift near him. Perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me. Though, with a child of Hades who knew for certain?

Will had disappeared into the infirmary. I approached the doorway and leaned against the frame. My son grabbed supplies; fresh bandages and ointments. He paused to look down at a bandage wrapped around himself. It had bled partially though. The bandage needed to be changed, but of course Will would put Nico’s needs first. I shook my head and blinked away the tears in my eyes. He was incredible. My son.

“Don’t neglect your own wounds. What good is a doctor if they are fighting off infections?” I said simply. “You know… I could help with this.”

Will’s back remained turned to me as he filled a bag with anything he might need. He was focused and determined. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. I heal fast anyway.”

I hummed in amusement at the reply. “Oh, I’m sure you do.”

He froze.

Then, slowly, he turned around. The expression on his face was difficult to read, as if a million things were going through his mind. After a moment, he reached his hand up to run his fingers into his curly blonde hair. He sat down hard on one of the infirmary beds. A look of shock on his features. 

“Dad?” His eyes were watery. “Oh gods.”

“Will?” I approached him as if he were a frightened animal that might run away at any moment. I didn’t want to scare him away, not when I finally knew he was safe. 

“I-I’m sorry.” Will’s voice cracked.

“Sorry?! Whatever for?” I took another step in his direction. “My son! A hero that survived Tartarus! I’ll admit I was worried. But I knew if anyone could succeed it was you and Nico!”

A light blush dusted his cheeks at the praise, but he still appeared to be struggling. 

“When I was down there… I forgot.” Will began before stopping himself. His head tilted away from me as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

“What did you forget?” Again, I found myself concerned.

He looked down at his hand and picked at the sheet covering the bed. “I forgot you came back.”

The words left me speechless.

“When I was down there. I-I guess it messed with my head. I thought you went off to fight Python, became a god again and that was it. That you never came back. That I’d be lucky to ever see you again at all. I remember now. You’ve visited. We’ve sat around the fire together. But when I was down there I really thought you never did.”

A gasp escaped my lips. Will turned to look at me. His words felt like a knife to my chest. Because there was a time when I thought that’s how it would be. Finish my trials, become a god again, everything back to how it was before. It wasn’t what I wanted now. My experiences as Lester had changed me. Still, the Underworld had caused Will to forget that I had returned to him. 

I couldn’t help but think that such a thing was exactly what I deserved.

“You were…far from the sun.” I felt the heavy weight of shame cover me like a cloak. “The Underworld didn’t even have to do much to make you believe that I left for good. It’s what you rightfully should have expected based on my track record. I hadn’t been there for you like I should have in the past. It only seems fitting that you would think I returned to godhood and abandoned you.

Fists clenched at my sides, not angry with him, but certainly with myself.

“Will…” My eyes met his again and I hoped he could feel the sincerity in my words. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He studied me briefly. His eyes darted from mine to my hands, then my slumped shoulders, the tension in my neck. Will’s eyes were those of a physician looking for signs in the body language of a patient. Then his demeanor shifted, the studious look melting away. Finally, those same eyes rolled at me. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a smirk. “Stop that.”

“Excuse me?”

“I feel bad for forgetting. Even if it was temporary.” My son got up and walked towards me. I could see that his eyes were now watery, matching my own. “But you haven’t. You haven’t forgotten what you promised!”

I swallowed and the tears spilled. He was right. Jason’s sacrifice. My promise to remember what it was like to be human. How could I ever forget? The experiences I had as Lester, they changed me. Being around my children reminded me of the person I had become, who I wanted to be. I was determined to remember. Though it didn’t mean I still couldn’t be ashamed of my absence in the past.

“I haven’t forgotten, but I certainly couldn’t blame you or your siblings for being upset with me for being so distant before.”

“Seriously, stop it. You are standing in front of me right now!” Will stepped closer to me as he spoke his hands gesturing freely. “You are here checking up on me. Making sure I made it back safely. I’ve been back for less than 5 minutes! How many times have you checked while I was away?

A sheepish smile crept on my face. I wasn’t intending to go from absent parent to helicopter parent. But you try finding out that your kid is heading to Tartarus of all places! Can you blame me for being worried?

“That’s what I thought.” Will rushed forward and wrapped his arms around me. “It means a lot to me. You being here. Checking up on me. Checking in at Camp Half-Blood. It means everything. Thank you, Dad.”

Great. As if I wasn’t already crying! I returned his embrace and began to glow, pouring healing energy into him. I noticed Will glowing as well and felt him breathe out in relief as all of his remaining injuries and aches faded.

His voice was a bit muffled against my chest. “You give really good hugs. You know that?”

“The best in existence, I assure you.” I smiled.

He laughed at that, but made no move to leave the embrace. Which I certainly had no objections to. Will had been away from the sun for too long. I could feel him regaining strength in my arms. He could take all the time he needed.

“Oh.” Another voice came from the doorway. 

I turned towards it to see my son’s boyfriend. 

“Apollo.” Nico’s lips were curved in a subtle smile before he caught himself. He tried to hide by rubbing his hand over his mouth. “You’re here.”

It occurred to me that while in the Underworld Nico may have forgotten I ever returned as well. He did seem pleased to see me, which was quite a win in my eyes. It made me feel as though Will was happy for me to be in his life as well.

“Yes. I am.” I said. Nico was tough, as was Will. I didn’t interfere with their quest, but I didn’t see a need for either of them to be in pain any longer. My voice became stern. “And you are hurt.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He looked away.

Will scoffed in annoyance. “Always the tough guy.”

“Get over here, future son-in-law, and let me heal you.” It was as much me teasing them as it was sincere.

“DAD!” Will groaned.

I laughed in return. To be fair, I wanted to be there for my kids. But maybe the idea of embarrassing them from time to time was an added benefit.

To my surprise, Nico approached. Exhaustion was evident on his face. These two had been through a lot together and apparently the idea of feeling better was more appealing than keeping up a tough guy appearance. 

He stopped within arms reach of us, eyes squinting. “Never mind. I can’t say I’m the biggest hugger anyway and you two are a little…bright.”

I dimmed the glow and noticed Will doing the same. I reached out the arm that wasn’t around Will. “Let me help you, Nico. Please? Those injuries can leave you sore and achey for weeks, much longer if I wasn’t sure Will would be healing you. He needs to rest as well. It’s the least I can do.”

The son of Hades reached up his hand to brush along some partially healed gashes on his face. “Okay, but can you leave these?”

“Whatever for? Is there a deep meaning behind them.”

“No Dad, he just likes the look.” Will looked up at me. “And so do I.”

“Ah! It does go with his aesthetic!” I understood. They certainly suited him. “They will remain I assure you.”

Nico blinked at me before shrugging and allowing me to wrap an arm around him. In a moment I could feel him breathing easier. It’s likely that the boy didn’t realize how tense and sore his entire body was outside of the nicks, scrapes, and bruises until that pain subsided. 

When I felt that the wounds were healed I loosened my embrace. 

I looked into Will’s eyes. “I’m proud of you.”

Then I turned to Nico. “BOTH of you.”

Nico nodded appreciatively and stepped back, while Will wrapped his arms around me again and squeezed quickly. “Thanks Dad. It means a lot.”

He walked over to where he had been gathering supplies. 

“I guess I won’t be needing these after all.” He took off his own old soiled bandages, revealing no remaining cuts underneath, and disposed of them.

Nico stretched and rolled his shoulders. No doubt realizing just how banged up he had been before. He tried to be discreet in checking to see if his facial scars were still there, which I found to be amusing. They were fully scars now, and they did compliment his look. 

Behind him something caught my eye. Shadows moving in the doorway. Which must have been what I had seen near Nico earlier.

“Uh. Nico, your kids are here.” Will crossed his arms with a smirk.

“Kids?” I raised an eyebrow.

Nico sighed. “Not exactly. They are demons made from my emotions.”

“He calls them Cocoa Puffs.” Will offered like that explained everything.

Considering the many so-called impossible things I’ve seen in my thousands of years, I didn’t bother prying too much. Perhaps one day Will and Nico would recount their adventure to Tartarus but it would be on their terms if they wanted to share the details with me. “And are these ‘Cocoa Puffs’ friendly?”

“Yeah, they’re friendly.” Will replied. 

I crouched down and made sure I wasn’t emitting light. If these shadowy creatures were important to my son and Nico then I would not wish to hurt them even if on accident. Our natures were not all that compatible but I wanted to try. Darkness and light didn’t need to be enemies. One approached cautiously and I reached out a hand. The contact reminded me of interacting with other spirits, but these creatures didn’t seem menacing. In their own strange way, they were kind of cute. 

“Ah. Hello there little ones.” I suppose what I was doing was petting them, or some variation of the action. They seemed to find this acceptable.

Nico watched the interaction cautiously. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, not in a threatening manner. It was more likely a reflex brought on by his desire to protect them from danger. I was the sun god, they were darkness. I couldn’t blame him for his concern. Will walked to Nico and brushed his hand against his free one. Their fingers intertwined and Will squeezed. Nico turned to him with a soft smile. The other hand fell from the sword. They seemed to be having a silent conversation. About me, I assumed, which made me quite curious. But the fact that the son of Hades was actually smiling was more than enough for me to recognize that it couldn’t have been a bad one.

After a bit of interacting with several of the Cocoa Puffs I stood and tapped my finger to my chin. “So these are Nico’s children?”

Nico huffed in annoyance as he’d already offered an alternate name.

I continued anyway in a sing-song voice. “So I’m sure that Will has adopted them! Which makes them basically myyy grandchildren!”

“Daaaaad!” Will rubbed his free hand down his face. He was blushing. Though Nico and I both noticed something else. 

“You’re glowing again.” Nico teased and elbowed his boyfriend lightly.

“I can’t help it! Is it not enough to just blush when I’m embarrassed?!?!” He glared at me.

I laughed. His pout was adorable. “Would it make you feel better to know that I do that too sometimes?”

“What? Really?!” Amusement danced in Will’s bright eyes.

“Yep. Your Aunt Artemis finds it entertaining.” I rolled my eyes. “I adore my sister, truly, but we are indeed siblings and often interact well… as you’d expect for siblings to do. She’s always finding ways to embarrass me to get that reaction.”

Will laughed loudly at the notion and it was like music to my ears. “Actually, that does make me feel better.”

After that we headed to the dining pavilion to meet with Chiron for dinner. The boys trailed behind me, but I heard their hushed conversation. 

“I’m not usually much of a hugger, but I feel a million times better. Didn’t even realize how sore I was before.” Nico whispered.

“Well, he is the god of healing.” Will pointed out. “I feel a lot better too. Not surprising that he gives good hugs all things considered.”

“Healing hugs.” Nico teased. “No wonder he has a care bear for a son.”

“Oh shut it!” Will snapped, but it was quickly followed by laughter.

Nico’s voice dropped even lower to barely a whisper. “I’m glad he’s here. You worried me down there. I knew the sun would help, but having your dad here is even better. It seems to be speeding up your recovery a lot. I know how much this means to you.”

There was no audible response from Will, but I could feel the warmth of his smile. Which was more than enough to make me have to wipe away a tear that had yet again escaped my eye. I wasn’t sure I deserved to feel as welcome as I did.

What is it about kindness? It’s a melody that overwhelms me. One I never want to take for granted.

////////////

Now, I don’t speak as the god of prophesy when I call Nico my future son-in-law. 

It is for them to decide their future. 

I do speak as someone who sees the love Will and Nico have for each other.

I do speak as someone who knows it takes a lot to go through Tartarus together.

I do speak as a dad who wants, more than anything, to see his children happy.

[deiaiko]

#18.1 Rak

Rak let out a huff and sat down next to Agni. Agni peeked over at Rak, who was looking far ahead, as if his past were replaying right before him.

TW: Self harm and suicide…in a way? (Sorry if it gets too dark. I put the TLDR on the tags)

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"I met him back when I was young, about a hundred years ago," Rak started.

Agni was taken aback at how long the gap between their time travel was. He wondered how much his Rak had changed.

"It was getting cold, which meant it was hunting season. I got bored and picked a fight with the toughest and biggest prey I could find."

Agni hummed when Rak paused for a moment too long, "Let me guess. You underestimated it and you lost?"

"The river was slippery!" Rak crossed his arms defensively. "And I didn't lose!"

"Sure," Agni rolled his eyes, one corner of his lips upturned. "How come?"

"I didn't lose, but I didn’t win either." Rak looked away, probably in embarrassment. "Another spear pierced its head before mine. That's when I met him."

From the way Rak's expression turned fiery, Agni had a suspicion that that exact moment had affected Rak more than what he spilled out. It didn't surprise him however, since he knew Rak’s ego.

"He was around for a while, acting like he cared about me." Rak huffed again, more fondly this time, eyes closed and arms still crossed. "He taught me a few fancy tricks with rocks and how to hunt better. He talked a lot about turtle this and turtle that. There were so many, I don't remember. But Black and Blue turtles were the ones he talked about the most, saying something like 'no one else will be more worthy prey than them.'"

Agni felt his chest tighten. To think that their Rak had acknowledged them and even bragged about it…it filled him with a sense of pride and longing.

"I didn't believe him then, since turtles are boring and no way they could do what he said they could." Rak paused and untangled his arms, eyes focusing and turning predatory, "But when he said that these turtles were unlike what we had there, I have been wanting to meet those turtles he told me about and hunt them."

Rak's story was intriguing. But even if it flattered him, Agni was more curious about his Rak's whereabouts. "What happened to him then? Wasn't he…badly injured?"

Rak frowned and went silent. But when he found his voice, it lacked its previous vigor. "He was. It looked fresh and so impossible to walk with, but he did. I asked if it was painful, but he said he didn’t feel a thing."

Third-degree burn. Agni thought to himself. But there was no way it spread evenly. Some areas must've been painful.

"He definitely lied," Rak voiced Agni's thought. "He was just acting to look tough."

The edge of Agni's lips twitched in an attempt to suppress his smile. That's him alright. And of course Rak could figure his own self easily. 

"One day he challenged me in an all out duel," Rak's gaze turned dark. "His wounds had weakened him over the months, and it was obvious who would be the winner."

Agni frowned at the implication.

Wordlessly, Rak called out his arms inventory which held a familiar looking spear that shouldn't have been in his possession at this point in time. Agni would recognize that design anywhere, "...Mad shocker."

"He said he wanted to test me, and he gave me this." Rak glared at the spear as if it was responsible for his misfortune. "And later told me that I should be proud, for only a true hunter was allowed to defeat him."

Agni felt his throat going dry, and gulped. "He died, didn't he?"

Rak's eyes sharpened. Whether it was in regret or anger, Agni couldn't tell. "I killed him." 

Agni didn't know what to feel about that. On one hand, he could empathize with how much pain Rak must've felt from the injury, especially with the lack of proper treatment that could cure or even just lessen the pain. But on the other hand, it meant that his Rak was truly gone, in such a way, and he still couldn't wrap his head around it.

Rak put his pipe back to invisible mode, like looking at it had brought him so much grief. "I've never used that spear since."

The silence stretched, with only the loud noises coming from the training ground to fill it. Agni wasn't sure how to reply to that without being overly friendly nor physical, and he definitely wouldn't do that to Rak, who only met him today.

Sitting beside Rak like this reminded him of their chat before the workshop battle, on the balcony. It was when Rak truly let him see his buried feelings, his desire to climb the tower together with him and Grace. And with that, the grief finally started to dawn on him. The scar on his face felt itchy and his hand was already clawing at his mask before he registered the motion. He sighed and put his hand back on his knee, pushing the tangled feeling to the back of his mind to be dealt with later. And since the silence had stretched out for too long, he asked; "What was he to you?"

"A rival," Rak looked thoughtful before adding, "and family."

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[ohbo-ohno]

tagged by @ceilidho in wip wednesday, and while i do tend to lose any focus when i post about something, i do still love attention. so here we are <3

i'll tag literally anyone who sees this and wants an excuse to try it for themselves :)

ceil shared a ghoap thing so i will too - this is 1.2k from a pwp wip that honestly might be a little too dark/weirdly kinky for me to comfortably post on tumblr lmao, it's way more geared for twitter ghoapers. it's got the same caliber of plot as the absolute worst pornos you've ever seen.

(also i can't remember if i posted part of this before, someone tell me if i have and i'll post a different wip lmao)

The knock comes late at night, frantic and loud in the otherwise silent forest. 

If Simon were asleep, it would've woken him. As it is he's just disturbed from his late night cup of tea. It's an annoyance certainly, but not one he's uncomfortable ignoring. The whole reason he moved to the little cabin in the woods was to get away from people, he's not above pretending not to hear a knock at the door.

But his guest is persistent. They go on knocking for at least ten minutes, an incessant pounding at his door.

Ghost's lip curls in a snarl as a headache starts at the base of his skull. Decades in the military have left him easily irritable and with aches and pains all across his body, quick to flare up at the slightest aggravation - and the knocking is quickly becoming far more than a slight aggravation.

He finally gives in a full ten minutes later, throwing his mug into the sink without checking to make sure it didn't break and storming to the front door. 

He throws it open with a scowl, growling "What?!" down at the idiot on his front doorstep.

Said idiot happens to be an attractive young man, tall in his own right but just barely eye-level with Ghost's throat. He's heaving where he stands, sweat soaking through his white shirt and leaving it nearly translucent.

"Oh thank God," he gasps, one hand coming up to grasp at his heart. "Please, sir, I need help. Someone's- someone's chasing me!"

Ghost cocks an eyebrow, glancing over the boy's shoulder. It's possible that someone could be hiding behind a tree out in the forest, but he doubts it. Something tells him if this kid was really worried about someone chasing him, he wouldn’t stand still making all that racket on Simon's porch.

“Why should I care?” He gruffs, setting his feet wide and glaring down at the boy.

“Thank- what?” He makes an aborted movement forward, then freezes with his foot mid-air. “What do you mean why should you care?”

Simon doesn’t bother repeating himself, willing to wait him out.

“Wh- of course you should care!” The boy’s voice rises, and he looks indignant. “You would just let me die out here?”

Ghost almost smirks at that, just barely managing to wrestle down his amusement as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Yeah? You gonna lead the killer right to yourself, then?”

The boy has the audacity to look confused, a little angry twist to his lips. “What are you talking about?”

“All that pounding and shouting. Almost like you want to be found, huh?”

The kid scowls more deeply at that, abandoning the scared little boy act with ease. “You fuckin’ jackass-”

“Watch it,” Simon snaps, entirely unwilling to put up with disrespect on his own property. “Let me guess - I’m supposed to let you in, then you try to knock me out and rob me blind?”

He nearly pouts at that, sullen little thing, crossing his own arms across his chest and glaring at Ghost’s throat. “You don’t know that.”

A laugh rumbles from Ghost’s chest, almost against his will. “Oh, yes I do. You think you’re the first dumbass kid thinkin’ he can take advantage of an old man living alone?”

The kid glances up at his face, tracing his expression. “Don’t look so old to me.”

“I should. Must be at least fifteen years older - what are you? Twenty?”

Another pout and a quiet, “Nineteen.”

Ghost whistles lowly, resting his shoulder on the doorjam. “Nineteen. When you were born, I was sneakin’ booze into the barracks.”

His scowl grows. “So? You’re old, what, you want a trophy?”

Oh, Ghost already knows this one is gonna be fun. He rarely indulges in brat taming these days, but when one presents himself so easily… well, he sees no reason to resist. Not out here in the middle of nowhere, no one around for miles to hear the boy scream.

He takes another look at the kid, now that he’s not planning on throwing him off the property. He’s got a bit of bulk, probably just recently started working out, and there’s a cocky energy coming off of him. Ghost would bet this is far from the first time he’s robbed someone with this little ruse, probably thinks he’s the smartest burglar in town. Too bad he chose the wrong man to try and trick this time.

Ghost straightens from the doorway, rolling back his shoulders and standing tall. The kid isn’t short by any means, but compared to Simon he’s practically little. Odds are he’s still got some growing to do, but for now Simon gets to enjoy the way he can loom over the teenager.

“No one ever taught you to respect your elders, boy?”

Oh, the kid doesn’t like that one. If he were a dog, his hackles would be fully raised, but he’s left settling for curling his lip back in a snarl. “You think just cause you’re old I have to respect you?”

“I think you’ll respect me because you’re on my property. That, and I don’t think you’ll like what happens if you keep the attitude up.”

The kid flushes, either from rage or the innuendo. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You think just because we’re out here alone you can say whatever you want to me?”

“‘Course not. We’re out here all alone, which means I can do whatever I want to you. And I will, if you don’t get off my property.”

The kid looks him up and down, then visibly steels himself. Ghost bites back a smirk. He’s not used to being underestimated, but he finds he doesn’t mind when it means getting to see the kid play at being his equal.

“What do you think you’ll do if I don’t go?”

Oh, Ghost can’t wait to beat the attitude out of the little shit.

He doesn’t let the kid see how much the rudeness is getting to him, intentionally keeping his face flat and unimpressed. “What’s your name, kid?”

That permanent scowl doesn’t shift, even as a flash of confusion crosses his face. “...John.”

Ghost nods. “Alright, Johnny. If you don’t get off my property, I’ll take you over my knee and teach you what your daddy should’ve.”

It’s nearly impossible to keep from grinning when Johnny’s mouth pops open in surprise, the flush creeping further up his neck. “You- you’ll- who do you think- you can’t-”

Ghost reaches out like he might slap Johnny, instead snaps right in front of his nose, sharp and loud. “Spit it out, boy. I don’t feel like listening to a kid learn how to speak all night.”

Johnny’s letting himself get worked up, and not doing a good job of hiding it. His teeth grind and he shifts from foot to foot, like he’d like to try and attack Ghost. He’s apparently smart enough to know how idiotic that would be, and Simon finds he’s almost disappointed. Wonders idly if he can provoke the kid enough to save himself a chase.

[mamamittens]

Oh, Sweet Child of Mine (Pt. 12)

Platonic Yandere Whitebeard Crew (and others) & Reader-Insert

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Warnings: Yandere behavior, excessive use of force/fire, light injuries, and character death. At this point, need I remind ya'll to not tolerate possessive/toxic behavior in real life? Or murder/violence for that matter. If yandere content makes you uncomfortable, please do block the tag 'oh sweet child of mine' as well as any variation of 'one piece yandere' that you feel is necessary.

Ya'll about to lose your damn minds and I'm not sorry.

(also, this gif is baller)

Word Count: 2,439

Ace leaned back a little as Striker sped off across the water. Ocean spray erupting in his wake as he veered towards the shoreline. Marco was checking the other nearby island while he checked this one. Discreetly.

Well… as discreetly as he could manage.

After several months of riding Teach’s ass, he knew they were close. Several times they went into a port only to find out that Teach had left only days before. Whatever crew he managed to get on such short notice was competent, Ace would admit that much. But everything he heard only made his fire burn hotter in his chest. He’d been practically spitting sparks for weeks now.

Particularly what he’d heard from Luffy.

‘They look cool. Though really tired!’

Thatch had woken up a couple of months back, though he was still strictly on bedrest. He was able to provide a better picture of what happened. As they had all suspected, you didn’t have anything to do with it. As far as Thatch could remember while bleeding out, Teach had kidnapped you with a sack. Not exactly ‘accomplice’ behavior. Thatch had also been devastated to learn that you’d been taken when he was right there.

Ace promised to bring you back home. At this point, the only reason for Teach to return was so Oyaji could personally punt him into the sea.

Ace ran Striker onto the shore and leapt out, boots digging into the sand as he jogged up the slight incline. Shards of glass breaking under his heel as he took a moment to control his temper.

He just wanted to go home already. He wanted all of this to be over with. To go back to teasing you for dodging parties and Thatch’s attempts to befriend you. Hell, he’d even take your awkward, concerned smiles for when someone tried really hard to talk to you about joining. Like they were confessing their plans to marry a sea king—actually, you’d probably be offended they thought they were worthy of Mao.

Ace sucked in a deep breath and steadied himself. Stalking through the shadows towards the center of the town. Ears primed for gossip.

“—they think I’d pay for that! Ugh!”

“—get ahold of your sister after last week? What she say?”

“—Did you see those pirates? Dragging around a slave, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised—” Ace jerked towards the voice with narrowed eyes. An older lady gossiped with someone just a little bit younger, the two engrossed with their conversation. “—That Blackbeard fellow has no shame! All those rings! And his crew were just obnoxious! I feel so bad for that slave. I wonder if calling the marines would help or if they’d just be sold again?”

“I thought slaves just had the collar and brand. I didn’t even see a brand anywhere… do you think it’s a ransom?”

“Well, you’d think he wouldn’t be carting them around if that was the case! Poor dear looked exhausted!”

Ace grit his teeth, hissing as steam curled between his lips. After a moment, he put on his best, charming smile and stepped out.

“Excuse me, ma’am? I couldn’t help but overhear you… are they still here? My friend was taken by pirates and I’ve been trying to find them for months! Thick glasses, blue bandana around their wrist?” Ace asked with wide, sad eyes. The older ladies tittered at him as expected.

“Oh! Yes, actually, though it looked like they’re using it as a bandage now. That brute doesn’t look very gentle to me, you know. Last I heard they were readying for departure on the other side of town.” She replied. Ace bowed low.

“Thank you, very much, ma’am! Ah.” Ace looked up with a wry smile. “I suggest you ladies get a bit of distance. I’m afraid I’m going to make a bit of a mess soon.”

The ladies nodded and hurried off, warning others as they went.

Ace kept his smile for a few moments longer before settling his gaze in the direction they indicated.

Ace huffed, running up a wall and grabbing onto a rooftile. Hoisting himself up to run atop the buildings for a better vantage point. The colorful clay roofing blurring as he rushed.

He leapt on top of a house, crouched down low as he sneered.

Teach stood with his crew around him, organizing barrels. You swaying on your feet a little beside him. A dull, iron bracelet connected to a chain that ran all the way to Teach’s own wrist.

Luffy was right.

You looked fucking exhausted.

Ace cupped his hand, fire pooling between his fingers as he threw it down at Teach’s feet where it exploded. More light and noise than damage.

He didn’t want to hurt you.

It would be tricky to immolate Teach with you next to him, but Ace was clever. He’d figure something out. At the very least he could keep fighting until Marco arrives.

“TEACH YOU BASTARD!”

--*--

You yelped, startled by the sudden explosion just feet from you. Teach instantly backing up with his hand gripping your arm. His face turned up towards a roof.

You followed his gaze in shock as the figure stood up. Ace screaming furiously across the distance.

“TEACH YOU BASTARD!” Rather than be intimidated in the least, Teach laughed.

“Commander! Should have known it would be you.” Teach grinned, pulling you forward a bit. “Here for something? Why not join my crew? I’m going to be a warlord soon, you know. After I turn in Straw Hat, they’ll gladly give me the position.”

You couldn’t quite see Ace well, but he seemed more furious at the suggestion than before. His fruit flaring enough that even with your exhaustion you noticed. He’d clearly been burning so hot for a while now—your obliviousness to him was just further evidence for how weak you’d gotten over the past few months.

Teach had been getting a tad… desperate to outrun his pursuers until he could manage to get the warlord title. And it seems as though his luck had run out.

“I. Would. Never.” Ace spat, launching off the room in a hail of fire and landing several feet away. “Luffy is my little brother, Teach. You’re not hurting anymore of my family.”

Teach made a surprised sound and you couldn’t blame him. They didn’t quite resemble each other, nor did they share a last name. And seeing Ace now, face etched with fury, he looked about as far from the goofy, beaming Luffy as possible.

Teach clicked his tongue.

“What a shame. You’re pretty strong, commander. We could have done great together.” Teach bemoaned playfully, like they were still crewmates having a small argument over pie flavors.

“I’m not your commander, Teach. Not after what you’ve done.” Ace’s body lit up like a bonfire, flaring high into the sky and making you look away or risk blinding yourself.

The shadows beneath your feet writhed as the light flickered over them, powered by your fruit as a cold spot developed around you. Around Teach.

“Go. None of you are strong enough to fight him—” Teach warned before one of them shot a gun at Ace. The bullets flying through harmlessly, leaving only temporary holes in the blazing fire that constituted his body. Ace’s eyes were fixed on you like dying stars. “Now!”

The crew ran as a flashover spilled out across the area, scorching the earth and singing your lungs.

You wished you had the opportunity to run yourself. Never, have you ever, wanted to fight Ace. For a lot of reasons.

Mostly a lack of desire to know what being a burned marshmallow felt like.

Teach’s free fist was coated in smoke and shadows, curling around his fingers eagerly.

Ace reeled back his fiery arm, fist clenched tight as Teach mirrored him.

Fire and living darkness rushed across the space, suddenly not nearly enough space as they collided violently. Friction lighting where they clashed as it raced upwards and out, attempting to find a weak point. You felt your body being blown back, only held in place by Teach’s firm grip as his boots dug into the earth. Despite only being connected to Teach, you could feel how hungry the fire was. Eating away the oxygen as it exploded again and again, trying to outmatch the shadows.

The final detonation was high above your head and the shockwave took you down to your knees as you gasped for air. Shaking almost as violently as their first blow, your head ringing, skin tingling with light burns. You blinked hard, eyes crying out at the relief as you looked up.

Teach’s grip on your arm was the only thing keeping you from collapsing to the ground. Dust and debris clinging to your body.

You were horrified. Only realizing now that Teach fully intended to keep you right next to him for this fight.

And you genuinely wasn’t sure you could handle being this close to any of it.

Teach grunted, bending down to wrap his arm around your middle like a sack of potatoes. You didn’t even really have time to consider how painful the position was before Ace leapt forward with a feral howl of anger.

Sparks and flame erupting around you as you could do nothing but hold onto Teach’s arm and close your eyes. Your body jerking around as the two traded blows. Teach handicapped by you, as was Ace, who clearly wasn’t quite going all out like he wanted. The air was stiflingly hot and heavy as they clashed. Fire burning through your eyelids as you tried to focus on anything but the fight.

“Zehahahaha~! What’s wrong, commander? You don’t seem to be invested!” Teach cackled before he was cut off with a pained grunt. “I was hit!?” He mumbled just over the rippling sound of fire tearing through the atmosphere.

“You’re a fucking COWARD, TEACH! PUT! THEM! DOWN!” Ace screamed like he was possessed, explosions scorching you as Teach jerked around a touch desperately.

You gasped for air, lungs burning from heat and exertion. Exhaustion filling your head with cotton as tears slipped through your closed eyes.

You… you were so fucking sick and tired of this.

All of it.

Every last fucking thing.

Sick of the fucking pirates!

Sick of your fucking devil fruit!

Sick of the clammy, creepy shadows curling around your ankles every fucking second of the day!

Your senses focused on that sensation. How much you hated it.

Fire and shadows tearing up the earth as Teach occasionally pulled in debris to single-handedly hurl at Ace. Pulled in nearly the whole town only to eject it violently at Ace.

Every move taunting and teasing your senses as it pulled on your lingering energy.

“TEEEAAAACCHH!” Ace roared, the sound distant and dull in your ears.

Your heart beat in your chest. A distant drum that steadily grew closer. Louder until it vibrated in your blood and bones.

Ba-thump!

A mirage formed behind your eyelids. Less wavering and unsteady with every beat.

Ba-thump!

A dial. Almost like a pressure gauge. The needle vibrating near the red and jumping with every attack.

Ba-thump!

You felt a foreign vibration build in your chest. Your feet digging into the broken cobblestone, muscles screaming out as you forced yourself to uncurl from around Teach’s arm.

BA-THUMP!

Your nails dug into his skin as you pivoted. One hand curled around the illusionary dial before twisting. To. Zero.

“Dial DOWN!” You screamed, the pressure of his fruit on yours reversing.

Teach spun in your bloodied grip, body flying around as you threw him over your shoulder with more strength than you thought you’d ever have. Fueled by rage and desperation to make it stop.

The chain pulled taut. Yanking you with him as you screamed, the joint popping out of place from the force of your throw.

The electric pain made your hand spasm as you ‘let go’. Body pulled across the ground and nearly slamming your face into the ruined street beneath you. Your only free hand scrapping across the broken rock, leaving a trail of blood that was shared underneath your knees and side of your ribs.

You gasped, body jerking uncontrollably away from the taut chain but only abusing your dislocated shoulder further.

It was dead silent aside from your pained gasp and a low, startled moan from Teach.

He coughed.

“…zehahahahaha—"

Then he laughed. Shadows erupting around you both as he slowly sat up.

“HAHAHAHA! ZEHAHAHAHAHA! ZEHA—”

A burning, oozing hand slammed into his head, shoving him back down with a barely registered scream. The smell of burning flesh erupting as you looked up in shock.

Teach was dead in less than a second.

Admiral Akainu kneeling over him, one arm shoved to the ground where Teach’s head used to be. His foot burning through Teach’s arm, melting him slowly as lava pooled around him. The heat waving over you at a much greater temperature than all but the most devastating of Ace’s attacks. And he was several feet away.

“…S-Sir?!” You rasped, throat burning as you tried to sit up.

Admiral Akainu jerked at the sound of your voice. His stern features flickering for a moment.

“You did well, Ensign. We only have one last thing to take care of.” Admiral Akainu stated with cold eyes. Slowly standing before walking towards you. Deliberately stepping on the chain and melting it under his shoe.

“HEY! GET AWAY FROM THEM!” Ace screamed, throwing a fireball high. Admiral Akainu flicked his hand, batting it away as he moved to kneel before you. Gently helping you up.

Still in shock, you couldn’t say anything as he braced your back and shoved your shoulder into place. You screamed, startled as pins and needles went down your arm, though otherwise the relief was immense.

You panted, utterly confused as he picked you up with one arm under your thighs, pinning your face into his suit as he sneered.

“I haven’t forgotten about you, Fire Fist.”

You trembled as the air grew hazy with an overwhelming amount of heat. The edge taken off due to your devil fruit connecting with Admiral Akainu’s.

You were so tired.

You managed to look back at Ace, worry dragging you from the edge of consciousness. He looked horrified and infuriated all at once.

You felt the tears slip down your face, almost ice cold in the heat.

There was no way Ace could survive against Admiral Akainu with his devil fruit.

Even before you got involved, it simply didn’t burn hot enough.

[maochira]

Everything out of love. (Don Lorenzo x reader)

Synopsis: You used to walk across Lorenzo every other day on your way home from school. But one day, he was gone out of nowhere and you feared the worst: his death.

Tags: gn!reader x Lorenzo, hurt/comfort, a lot of mentions of fear of death

Part 2: You changed my world forever - just with your heart of gold

Even though his memories of you are getting blurrier every day, Lorenzo thinks of you at least once a day. He remembers you as that one sweet person who always gave him their leftover food whenever you crossed him on the way home from school. Sometimes you even stayed a few minutes to talk to him and if your parents weren't at home, you let him in to take a shower. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have survived until the point when Snuffy found him.

If it weren't for you, Lorenzo would be dead.

But you don't know about that. You haven't seen him anywhere for months. So of course, you fear the worst happened to him. The more time passes by, the more the feeling of grief grows in you. Accompanied by another feeling: guilt.

Guilt about not doing enough. Guilt about not saving him. Guilt about so many things that you could have done for him.

You're not even an adult. How should you be able to save someone? Even with that in your mind, you can't help but feel grief and guilt each time Lorenzo crosses your mind.

Usually, handling pain becomes easier over time, but in your case, it only gets worse with each day that passes. Every time you walk by one of the spots you would usually find him your hopes get high, only for you to be met with disappointment when he's not there. Every single day. It makes you dread walking your usual route back home, but you can't bare to walk another. What if he's back and exactly on that day you choose to walk another way?

Today that cycle repeats like it does every day, just this time you break down in tears right there in his usual spot. The pain becomes too much, the strong pressure in your chest making it hard to breathe while you lose control over your tears. Your legs feel too weak to walk back home, so you lean down against the wall to sit on the floor while you just wonder what you could have done to save Lorenzo. So many questions without possible answers run through your head, you barely notice anything that happens in the world around you.

A familiar voice throws you out of your thoughts.

"Ah, (Y/N)! There you are!"

You raise your head in disbelief. It's him. It's really him. For a moment, you wonder if you cried so much until you fell asleep, questioning if this is just a dream.

Lorenzo sits down next to you and it immediately makes memories of earlier times return. Sitting next to him again feels exactly like it used to. Maybe even better.

"Why are you crying?" He asks as he wraps his arms around your shoulder.

You look right into his eyes, the feeling of disbelief not leaving you yet.

"I thought you were...dead..."

"Me? Dead?" Lorenzo chuckles and looks right back into your eyes. "Uh, I guess I was about to die. But someone saved me. Look I even got these thanks to him." He proudly flashes a smile and points at his golden teeth.

You can't help but laugh a bit, which makes Lorenzo smile even brighter.

"Now stop crying for me, ok?" He gently rubs your shoulder and wipes your last tears away with his other hand.

"I'm trying..." You laugh a little and take a closer look at Lorenzo. He still looks like the person you knew before he disappeared months ago, but he looks much better and healthier.

You lean your head against Lorenzo's shoulder before you ask: "How did you even find me here?"

He lets out a short chuckle. "I checked at your home first, but you weren't there. I figured maybe you could still be in school, so I wanted to wait for you in front of it. But then I found you like this. What were you doing here anyway?"

"I was looking for you, Don." A feeling of warmth fills your heart the moment you address him with his name. It's been so long since you've last said it.

"Looking for me? Didn't you think I was dead?" He jokes in an attempt to make the situation more lighthearted. That's the way you've always known him. Even though he went through so many awful things in his life, he rarely took anything seriously and preferred being lighthearted about it when talking about it to you. Or maybe he just did it to not make you feel so worried.

His smile turns softer when he starts apologizing. "Ah... It's really been a long time since we last met. Sorry, I never found the chance to visit you. But now we're reunited, so no need to be sad anymore, ok?"

His "Ok?" at the end of some sentences always manages to make you smile.

"It's okay, really," you reassure him, "I just missed you a lot... But it's good to know you're doing well. And you finally got proper teeth." You giggle when he shows off his teeth with a bright smile for a second time.

"They're pretty cool, aren't they?" Lorenzo pulls you a bit closer to himself and wraps his second arm around you. His voice softens more as he continues talking. "I missed you too..."

You can't help yourself but return the hug. It's a bit awkward to find a proper position because you're sitting next to each other, until a few seconds later you find yourself sitting on his lap, still facing each other.

Although you've never been as physically close as you are right now, neither of you is uncomfortable with it. Instead, it almost feels natural to be so close to him after missing him so much. After grieving over him for months.

For a bit, there are no words that need to be said. You just sit there in each other's arms in a comfortable silence. Your head rests on Lorenzo's shoulder while he gently strokes your hair.

"To be honest..." Lorenzo breaks the silence after a few minutes. "If you wouldn't have helped me so often... I'm pretty sure I would have died way earlier."

Just the thought of it makes you break out in tears again.

"No no no... shh..." Lorenzo's voice becomes even softer. "I don't want you to cry again, ok? I just wanted to say..." He takes a deep breath before he gently pushes you away from his body, giving him a chance to look into your eyes again. Even though they're full of sadness and tears, they're the prettiest thing he's ever laid his eyes on. No money in the world could buy something with beauty that could even come close.

"I wanted to say thank you. A lot. You saved my life... I'll make it up to you one day, ok? I promise."

"Meeting you again is more than enough..." You tell him between your sobs while he wipes away any new tears that roll down your cheeks.

"No, I'll make it up to you with so much more. I don't think I could ever thank you enough, but I can try. Besides..." Lorenzo leans his forehead against yours. "You never told me why you helped me in the first place. I was some random kid on the streets who betrayed others for money. Why in the world were you so kind to someone like me?"

The soft look in his eyes manages to make your tears stop. You pull your head a bit back before you answer: "I never thought much about it, but... Even though you told me what you did to survive, I knew you had your reasons to do so. Also, you told me so much about your past and your parents and... Even though you never sounded serious when talking about it, I knew you went through so much pain. I just felt so bad you never experienced any kind of love in your life. I guess... I did everything out of love. That's a way to put it."

"Everything out of love, eh?" Lorenzo grins. One of his hands carefully grabs the back of your head to make you lean your forehead against his again. "What else does that love get me?"

"This." You lean in closer until your lips touch his.

[mothsolar]

im fairly certain thancred loses 90% of any flirtatiousness and fun loving he had in the 5 minutes you knew him (before hes posessed) after he gets got in heavensward though

he was already depressed after arr and then he gets even more serious after hw and weighed down by minfilia's "death". they do set him up pretty well for his arc in shb, maybe not the best though, but its there. yshtola is understandable though. she gets a small amount of development in shb, aside from that shes mostly unchanged from when we first know her.

I know the post and the tags you're talking about and his depression has nothing to do with his disability, that being his lack of aether control. further explanation and more general ff14 spoilers below the cut

The nature of being able to control aether is that it is so ubiquitous in the world of ff14 that just about anything you do in the world involves manipulating aether, not just spells. Being able to overpower a creature more than three times your size? Physical augmentation via aether. Jumping from the ground to more than a story into the air? Physical augmentation via aether. The chakra monks use is just your personal aether pool. Samura midares are all from aether focused in the sheathe. Dragoon jumps are from aether controlled in their legs. Literally every tank uses aether in some way as a part of their defensive skills. Just because it doesn't use MP in gameplay doesn't mean it has nothing to do with manipulating aether in lore. His sudden inability to channel aether is initially presented as a pretty big deal as he couldn't just teleport out and was stuck naked and afraid for ages while just having that handicap. The problem is that it doesn't really change anything.

Heavensward patch content doesn't bring it up as he takes down a gobbue solo (no aether control to augment his jumps or strikes btw) or rescues Alisae (no aether control to help hide him, tho i guess it could work since it masks his presence i guess???) That depression he has? Take your pick of guilt over being possessed or grief after seeing his surrogate daughter become the voice of god and effectively die. Explore that thread more in shadowbringers.

So what about Stormblood? Do we explore that at all during that expansion? I'll be honest, I don't remember stormblood well and won't pretend to. Through looking at the wiki, not really. He takes a major backseat as he continues with the role of sneakman being in the shadows and doing sneakman things. Great and necessary role, still not exploring the fact that he cannot control aether.

Shadowbringers gives Thancred a shining spotlight on him to talk about a lot of what's going on with him. His grief about his dead daughter is basically it. Again, not a bad thread. It's a very good direction to go with his character and great to see. In terms of how this plays with his disability, he needs to use enchanted cartridges that are pre-loaded with aether to use the gunblade's explosions instead of just using his personal pool which is provided by Ryne. Now this, this is a good point. This highlights his disability and how it alters his life beyond his inability to use aetherites (which also isn't brought up because no npcs use aetherites save for that scene in endwalker). It is something that he needs an aid to make up for that any other person would be able to do regularly. Common ShB dub.

Endwalker? Yeah I dunno chief. That long distance teleport wasn't from him casting and wasn't used as or brought up as a way for people without aether control to use aetherites as far as I remember. It could've and I could just be wrong, but if they didn't that's a pretty dumb missed opportunity.

Dawntrail just has him take a backseat too so it's still not brought up at all.

In terms of gameplay, him not being able to use magic does nothing. He still has the same tank skills and needing pre-charged cartridges is fluff. Of all the skills that would come to mind that would need some bit of magical augmentation, it would be the front line taking the hits. They could've given him magitech or made him a machinist or done something more with it beyond "if ryne isnt in the party he doesn't use his spenders in shb trusts". It's such a wasted opportunity to me, especially when machinist and the skysteel manufactury is right there in HEAVENSWARD as a possible path for him to go down.

So yeah, Thancred's disability is a very interesting thing to explore as the one guy who can't use magic in the magic world where everything requires magic. It's a shame they don't because anime pretty boy doing anime flips is cool and giving him magitech anything to facilitate those flips is not I guess.

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

hurt/comfort prompt(s): "i know you're freaking out, but I've had worse" and/or "you're not fine!"

From this prompt list!

"Tom, remember to breathe. And if you're going to puke, aim somewhere else." Sarah says with all the concern she can muster. She's being incredibly patient about the whole thing and the fact she's got a medic and Tom in her face. It's not like she wanted to get shot, but it what the armor was for, what she was for. Damn thing hurt like a bitch, but at least it went all the way through. At least the military kept her up to date on all her shots. Tetanus on top of everything else happening would just make her mood worse.

He's holding her hand and squeezing hard enough she can notice it through the gauntlet. The error codes her HUD hasn't stopped throwing in her face now subside as the Mjolnir's sensors on her palms read his touch and read out to his IFF tag. They both look and feel like shit, but that makes sense. It's been months with very little progress. No word about anyone else. What is happening out there on the other fragments of this damn Halo?

Thinking about it soured her already dismal mood. Her adrenaline keeps fading and she grimaces at the mess of her shoulder. Missed shot. She huffs a laugh and explains to a bewildered Tom, "Don't let Halsey see, or she'll offer to make us match."

"You're joking? I guess I should be happy about that." He sighs and rubs at his temples. His smile dies a quick death on his face as he looks her over again.

She and the medic attending the weeping wound in her shoulder both side eye the captain who's looking a bit green as he eyes her in return. Well, her wound and the spike round lodged into the rock behind her.

Tom opens his mouth to argue, his bloodshot eyes meeting hers, but the medic finishes taping her and immobilizing her left arm before he can. They spout off basic care. Keep it clean, keep it dry, do not try to poke it - typical instructions for a S-IV. They nod and leave the commander and captain locked in a silent conversation.

When the medic is far enough away, Sarah beats him to the punch. "I know you're freaking out, but I've had worse."

"That doesn't help and you know it."

"You're concerned over nothing. We're built to take hits. It's most cauterized anyway." She's losing ground in the argument and she knows it. She used to silence his worries and deal with the puppy eyes he'd use instead of words. Now he's hovering and he won't stop talking. "Help me eat my lunch and I'll tell you how I saved an Admiral from a Chieftain and only got hit twice by someone not even in the fight."

"Sarah."

"Tom."

She scowls. If she had more energy she'd be pissed off, but these days it was harder and harder to hold onto anything that wasn't anger or revenge. Spite had fueled her a long time, but now there was hardly anything left. She and the armor had been running on empty. Her HUD squawks warnings and overdue updates. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine!" Tom bellows and it shocks her into silence. "Don't say it is. Don't lie. You know I can hear the warning, I can see you limping when the armor locks up. It's unpredictable but this all ends the same way."

He deflates, hand still locked in hers. "I hate seeing you in it and thinking about how it's going to be your coffin."

"Is that all?" She asks. Her voice only catches in her throat on the last word.

Tom's jaw flexes and he swallows hard. He's a mess. She can't really talk, but at least she's keeping up appearances.

"Then we do something about it. Like we always do." She pulls him closer, good arm wrapped over his shoulders. "Pry me out of the tin can and keep moving."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."