#Hell's Usher goes large?

[leftduck9986]

Foreshadowing, out of order?

In storytelling, is there a single word that means "the opposite of foreshadowing"?

WARNING: in trying to wrap my head around this, there will be wittering!!!

Wikipedia tells me that a flashback is a method of foreshadowing.

The Bullet Catch in the NZF minisode, being a flashback as well as told before the "present day" [speculated] event it sets up a clue for, well, that's what I've understood foreshadowing to mean until now, because isn't foreshadowing always presented before the event it foreshadows comes to pass?

The flashback/memory minisode, A Companion To Owls, is told after the "present day" event it foreshadows. Does that still count as foreshadowing, or is it instead considered "the big reveal" because it is told after?

And is this all that is meant by various things in Good Omens 2 being "out of order"?

The Hiding Miracle and the Memory That Both Foreshadows and Reveals It?

Indeed, it was a tiny miracle - as titled in the soundtrack - that worked as planned and "barely moved the dials" (but still a miracle in which "Noone will have noticed A Thing" however tiny it was, and that "Nobody notices he's here (...) Nobody can spot him, (...) especially if they're looking for him").

I believe it was the first of three events that happened that night, which, became the main focus of this "quiet, gentle, romantic" season, but paling in comparison to the other two events. Moving on!

Returning to how A Companion to Owls isn't told until after The Hiding Miracle and clues us in as to what was actually going on: this tiny miracle was made to appear far more powerful than it actually was, with the use of showmanship:

The ceremonious setup of being positioned on the circle in the middle of the room hidden under the carpet, between Aziraphale and Crowley; he could have been standing, but instead, "Jim... Sit in this chair." And it's a beautiful chair, like a throne, but Jim being taller wouldn't have worked for the image of the 'W' (similar to the 'W' shape made with Shadwell standing between Aziraphale and Crowley at the airbase, in the book Good Omens.)

ta-da!-look-at-this-very-complicated-and-powerful-miracle-that-we-are-doing

Why perform at all then, for an audience of none?

Ah, they're not alone, oooOoOoOOOoOoOooo, spooky. Go and see for yourself: check out the bottom left area of the screen when Crowley returns to the bookshop and says, "I'm BACK" (this is to do with the "framing opportunities" secret mentioned in the Gavin Finney BTS article https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/gavin-finney-bsc-good-omens-2/) Aziraphale calmly replies, "Yes, I can see that" and later gasps, reacting to something happening off-screen at 40m41s.

So this performance, not yet knowing who their audience might be, could be as a precaution, just in case.

Gabriel instinctively crosses his hands and is confused when Aziraphale and Crowley uncross them - or likely because Aziraphale was even standing there at all - because he remembers, or rather, in his mind's eye, sees the shape left behind by a missing piece of furniture.

The ceremonious setup of being positioned in the centre, between Sitis and Job, this time in the background to have Bildad appear a little shorter in height for the stylized 'W', then crossing his hands. The pot containing Sitis and Job's children being the circle, hidden by the circle of carpet (robes) made as Sitis and Job embrace.

ta-da!-look-at-this-very-complicated-and-powerful-miracle-that-we-are-doing

Had we seen Jim's and Crowley's conversation about memory before The Hiding Miracle instead of much later in episode 5, then it would have been foreshadowing, yes?

*temper rising* A "reveal," or "out-of-order foreshadowing"? (VBUAXNAUSX*keyboard smash*NYVIFGNOMAI) grrrrrr!

...

After the Job story is told, (save for the final scene) and Aziraphale calls for Crowley, my head-cannon used to be that Aziraphale wanted to talk about hair -

Aziraphale: Crowley, I gave you lovely long locks in my retelling of this story, how about you? Crowley: Nah, "shoulder-length bouncy 'bob'" is what I put - a "Lob" I think is what they're calling it these days.

But now I think that, to book-end Crowley's beginning with, "Your boss said that to Job, do you remember?" (imo they are so good at blending in, they can act human better than any human can act human! So, while feigning the memory span&loss&retention of a human, of course they can remember most everything. Angel stock: constitution of an Ox, memory of an Elephant.) Aziraphale may have wanted to remark on Jim's crossed hands from the night before and how similar it was to Crowley's doing so; that it was evidence of Gabriel still somehow being able to connect with images from his memory. "Crowley? You also did that thing... does Gabriel remember?"

If each minisode contains something that foreshadows or reveals what magic tricks occurred during this season's present day events, I feel that the only thing left is from "The Resurrectionists" minisode, where Crowley Goes Large (woah, woah, woah, another case for The Song Is The Clue?!?) ... or makes himself, something or someone else tiny.

"Size and shape are simply options" after all, so I do wonder about Hell's Usher, where the only time we've seen him is when he is small enough to fit in a bathtub and yet he is HUGE in the opening title sequence of season one. Behind him, Noah's Ark stranded between two damaged buildings (or one damaged building and maybe the Pleasure Cruiser Morbillo?)

Something else that may be revealing of stories yet to be told of the past, while also foreshadowing a near-future event:

Based on what Crowley said, this is not the first time Crowley and Aziraphale have performed a half-miracle together! Whatever biiiig miracle they're about to do (speculated event #2) could still be completely balanced and undetected, but then a plume of miraculous activity emerging from the circle gateway (privately speculated event #3) is what poor Aziraphale will appear to take the blame for.

Things being out of order may have started with the question, are season two's present day events being told out of order? There are other things appearing out of order as well, for example a change in the order of colours in the Rainbow (for "present day" episode two only I think, beginning Violet then Red, etc.) Or, in this case, narrative devices being so intertwined, one flashback-event can contain images and phrases that both foreshadow something yet to happen as well as to reveal what happened in a part of the story already told.

As always, please no asking or tagging Mr Gaiman as this blog post contains theory and speculation, thank you.

[shhhsecretsideblog]

I squat between your spread legs as you push. Your huge, bare belly tenses around your womb with every effort you make to birth the head of our baby.

The cool mountain air and smell of spring leaves might have been calming if this was at all intended. We came up here to get labor Kickstarted, not to have the baby for God's sake. I should've turned us around when you started clutching your belly. I should've turned back when I realized there was no way your cargo pants were damp from sweat. But what could I really have done? We've had several false labors so far, you're stubborn as hell, and this labor progressed faster than either of us were told. Not even one damn hour and you're already crowning.

Your back arches suddenly, the head surges forward with a gush of fluid into my waiting hands. Your effort sends the shoulders and the rest of the big body into my hands. In less than a few moments they begin to cry loudly.

I can hardly allow myself to feel elated. We're in the middle of the wilderness with a newborn, you exhausted and no cell service. It takes all of me not to lose it at this moment.

I just need to get down the ranger cabin to get help. Despite your protest, I hand you our baby and lift you to your feet. I support your weight as best I can. You hold our new baby with one hand and rest your other arm around my shoulder. The walk is longer than it was coming up and the afterbirth is taking way too long to come out in comparison to how fast your labor was.

"It hurts..." You mumble and I try to pick up the pace.

We finally make it to the ranger cabin and your loud groans are more than enough to make the ranger investigate.

"My wife just had our baby, the afterbirth is stuck or something please help!" I yell.

The mountain ranger nods and runs to our aid. Your moaning even louder now and your knees begin to give. The mountain ranger rushes to help me usher you and our newborn into the cabin. We lead you to a couch and you immediately plop down with your legs spread.

The ranger aids our baby first, then he examines you. His face goes rigid as he palms the still swollen skin of your belly.

The mountain ranger turns his gaze to us and then looks again at your still large belly. "You sure yall were only having one baby?"

Just when he says it, your water breaks again.

We all look at the puddle on the floor, the breaking of the second waters almost comically timed.

“What… no… that’s not possible… mnghhhhh!” My sentence is cut off as another contraction squeezes my belly and everything inside. There was no way it was twins; they would have seen two babies on the ultrasounds, they would have heard two heartbeats… it just wasn’t possible. And yet, the moment the ranger asked the impossible question I could feel it - movement. There was still movement inside my big belly.

“Oh god, babe… I can feel it. I can feel another baby. And they’re coming down… hoooo”

Your face was white as a sheet as you looked between the newborn in the ranger’s arms and my squirming labouring body on the couch. Despite your obvious shock, you bent down and held my hand and stroked a dampened strand of hair behind my ear. “I guess we’re having twins then. Its okay just breathe through the contractions, just like you did before.” You try to coach me through yet another birth.

The ranger quickly called an ambulance but given our location it wasn’t going to be here for at least 45 minutes. The baby in his arms was crying and wouldn't settle. You tried, swaying the infant in your arms and cooing softly, but to no avail.

“Give her here.” I breathed heavily after an aggressive contraction. You handed me the newborn and put the babe straight on my chest and she latched immediately. She was hungry.

“You’re a natural.” You smiled with affection at your new family.

I started to whimper and groan when the next contraction hit. You offered to take the babe but I didn’t want to let her go, she was happy feeding. The unfortunate side effect of breastfeeding triggered more contractions. The noises I was making quickly turned primal as the head of my daughter's sibling pushed into the birth canal. I needed to move, the sofa was putting too much pressure on my pelvis. I threw my arm out towards you and shuffled painfully on the couch. You seemed to instinctively understand what I needed; to squat. You helped me off of the sofa to drop into a deep squat, my back against the edge of the couch, my knees jack-knifed apart. You squatted in front of me and held me steady, I grabbed onto your shoulder with my free hand, the other supporting the suckling baby.

“Ooooohh it’s coming down…gnnnhhhh!” I grunted suddenly and the baby shifted further. “Mnnnghhhh c-can you see it?” I panted.

“Not quite honey, oh wait! Yes. The top of the head, I can see it. Do you need to push?”

“Mmmm n-not yet…. Trying to wait… let the baby come down b-bit more… oh god it’s so big!” I cried out. “How did I not know there were two in there!?”

“They were obviously very good at hiding.” You tried to joke, not dwelling on the frightening fact we were coming out of these woods with two babies.

“Hoooo okay… okay…. There it is-mnnnghhhhhh!!!!!!” The baby and my body decided it was time and I found myself pushing. Hard.

The ranger came and took the baby from my arms when I started pushing, you stayed poised between my legs for the second time that day ready to deliver a baby.

“I can see hair, they’ve got hair! Keep going darling! Push!!!” You cheered, watching the bulge get bigger as the baby parted my lips.

Bracing my hands on my thighs I grunted and mooed with every push, bringing the surprise baby to a full crown in next to no time. “Get it out, get it out!” I cried, my body already exhausted and sore from the first birth and doing it all over again was too much for me to bear.

“It’s coming, just breathe, and push. Slowly darling, gentle pushes.” You instructed as your hand cupped the full crown.

I struggled to calm my breathing, my body trembling with the efforts of labour.

“Hey.” You said softly, “you’re doing brilliantly. You got this.” And you leaned forward to kiss me. A reassurance washed over me, your comfort and support and love all conveyed within the kiss.

I felt calmer, more in control, when the next contraction struck and I gave it my all on the next push. The head flew out with a gush of fluids and before you could check for a chord the rest of the baby slipped out into your waiting hands.

“A boy! We’ve got a boy!” You exclaimed with a tear in your eye, pulling the baby up and placing him straight on my chest.

“Hey little guy…” I said as I took in the first glance of my newborn son.

The ambulance arrived 20 minutes later, checking all three of us over and delivering the placenta, before taking our new family to the nearest hospital.

[these rp asks are giving me life!!! More like this please!]

[mrsriddlenott]

The Fourth Day Of Smutmas

[smutmas masterlist] [main masterlist]

~ Santa Clause Is Coming To Town ~

Klaus Mikaelson x fem!Vampire Reader

Summary: When Klaus mysteriously returns from New Orleans, the Mystic Falls gang worries about what he’s planning, though his only plan is to convince you to join him for Christmas in The Big Easy, by any means necessary. Starting with lavish gifts, attention, and affections, and ending with his mouth wherever you wish it.

- Klaus is obsessed but not in a creepy way, vampire reader, platonic Damon x Reader & Stefan x Reader -

Warnings: 18+ Content!!Spoiling(gift giving, promises etc),ig kinda manipulation if you squint,f!Receiving Oral.

It was no secret that when Klaus first came to Mystic Falls he had only one thing on his mind, breaking his curse. But when he first saw you from behind the eyes of Alaric, he knew there was….something….so he of course ignored it. By the second time he came around you knew all about him and he you, something about you lingered with him, leading him to look into your past which only hooked him on further.

He was a forward man, anything he wants he goes for, so naturally he was hounding you left and right for the better part of year while him and his siblings ran rampant in your town. Though you were mysteriously never hurt, mentally or physically, something that didn’t go unnoticed by you. By the time Klaus was told of a plot against him in New Orleans, you were ready to accept him, his faults and all, and before he reluctantly left, you shared a heated kiss that stuck with the hybrid even all this time later.

Despite trying to disconnect himself and keep you safe from the enemies after his family and city, he couldn’t stop himself from calling you every once in a while, only feeding his desires to see you, feel you, smell you, for you. By the time Hope’s second Christmas started approaching, he realized she’d be starting to remember them soon, and decided you just had to be there so began planning to get you to enjoy the Holidays with him.

“Uh guys, you might….well you are gonna be upset but I need to tell you something,” Your voice was small and weak as you entered the main room of the Salvatore Boarding House where Stefan and Damon sat drinking bourbon. Damon, rude as usual, ushered you to speak faster as you tried to sputter out the words to tell them Klaus had left you a voicemail in the early hours of the morning to announce his eminent arrival.

“Well you see…” You were cut off by the sound of the large wooden door opening behind you allowing Klaus to saunter in with his usual air of confidence, swinging an arm over your shoulder with a smile that didn’t show his teeth, eyeing the brothers in front of him as though daring them to question his entry into their home.

“Oh come on….why the hell has Santa Klaus come to town,” Damon mocked, scoffing out a laugh as he chugged down the rest of his bourbon, standing from his seat, eyeing you with disappointment before returning his attention to the much stronger man, “We’re having one peaceful, happy, bullshit free Christmas this year and nowhere in that is the Original Hybrid needed,” Damon swayed his hands in a mocking manner as he spoke, he was coaxing him, he wanted to anger him and wanted to prove to you Klaus would rip his head off in a matter of seconds if it weren’t for you.

“Oh Damon,” Klaus sighed condescendingly with a shake of his head, “I’ve only come for y/n, she’s needed for my family’s….what’d you call it…” He feigned a questioning look as his eyes shifted around the room, “ah yes peaceful, happy, bullshit free Christmas, so if you don’t mind….”

“Woah woah woah, what do you mean? You can’t just swoop in and take y/n like she’s your property,” Stefan piped up, scoffing slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest despite Klaus’ eyebrows shot up his forehead to eye the much younger vampire.

“You are so dramatic,” Klaus laughed with a smile that didn’t meet his eyes, clearing his throat before continuing, “I haven’t come to kidnap her, I’ve come to ask her you idiot, and even if I had planned to walk in here and take her….neither of you could stop me.” Klaus was never fond of you living with the Salvatores, especially Damon, but he also recognized their close bond to you and their obvious love for you. He wouldn’t hurt them unless they hurt you, he knew you would never forgive him for that and he just would not stand for that.

With a roll of your eyes you tugged Klaus’ hand, pulling him down the hall away from the brewing argument and toward your large bedroom. “Why’s this room so close to Damon’s?” Klaus’ narrowed, distrusting eyes seemed to search the room and hallway before shutting the wood against the frame and turning back to you.

“He likes to be closer so he can hear if somethings happening faster….he’ll deny that though,” you chuckle awkwardly, you hadn’t been alone with Klaus in almost two full years. Your eyes fell to his hands as he dig into his coat, tugging out a long, silver wrapped box with a golden bow on top, so neatly done that you were sure he had compelled someone to do it perfectly.

“I got you something, come here” He ushered you towards him with two of his fingers. His gravely, authoritative voice you loved so much sending shivers down your spine as you approached, unable to deny him of anything he asked of you in that tone. “There���s more waiting for you under my tree in New Orleans.” Klaus calmly stated, making you cringe slightly as you approached him, stopping only a foot in front of him before speaking.

“Look Nik, I’m sure that whatever that is is lovely and I’m sure all the others are too but if you’re only giving me that to get me to come back with you than I can’t accept it.” You sighed, meeting his eyes for only a second before watching your feet. Klaus stepped forward, almost pressing against you as the air grew warmer, gripping your chin and forcing you to meet his eyes again, genuinely smiling down to you once you did.

“No Love….this is yours whether you come with or stay and if you don’t accept my invite I’ll bring the rest to you. Whatever happens to them after is up to you, leave them, open them, donate them, whatever you want,” His warm hand moved to yours, shoving his gift box into your palm as he watched you expectantly, your brows scrunched together as you narrowed your eyes at him before realizing he was being honest.

You tore through the paper cautiously with a smile, revealing the long black velvet box that opened to reveal a simple golden necklace with a simple wolf charm in the middle, “I usually go for diamonds but I know my girl well enough to know you’d prefer both,” he stated simply before pulling out another perfectly wrapped silver package, this time much smaller. You wasted no time in ripping through and opening the small box to reveal a ring with a thin silver band adorned with a large diamond.

Your eyes shot up to his as you removed the ring from it’s confines with a shocked expression, “Now I know what you’re probably thinking, but when I propose to you that rock will me much larger and,” As he waved a hand around your room with slight grimace on his face, “we’ll be in be a much more extravagant setting….Paris perhaps?”

“Nik….this is too much I….” You couldn’t form words as you looked between the pieces of jewelry, “I can’t accept these not when Hope is so young and Hayley she deser-“ Klaus laughs at your response, eyeing you as though to ask you a question simply with his eyes, before chuckling again with a soft apology.

“Do you really think I can’t get all my favorite girls their gifts? Trust me Hope and Hayley will have plenty of presents, in fact they’re next to yours right now, if you want to get going I’m sure you’ll see them.” Klaus waved his hand towards your door, looking to you expectantly as though waiting for you to walk out before him.

“I can’t just leave with you out of nowhere Klaus,” You sighed, setting your gifts down on your bedside table before rubbing at your eyes as the man stood in front of you again, waiting for a different response, “It- it’s not that I don’t want to okay….I just can’t.”

“Why not?” He asked, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion, his voice exasperated as he turned his hands up dramatically, “Come on what’s keeping you from leaving with me? I’ll keep you safe.” His voice was growing strained, he was beginning to plead with you now, grabbing at your sides as if to remind you of his ability to shield you from harm.

“My friends are here Klaus, the only real friends I’ve had for over a century, I’m not just leaving them” You spoke, narrowing your eyes to him as though asking him to reveal a hidden meaning before turning away from his touch and avoiding his pleading eyes by tiding your bed covers, adding in a small voice, “My friends who do not trust you with me by the way.”

“It’s not like you’ll never see them again, I’m not trying to hold you captive I’m trying to give you a nice Christmas.” You could hear in his voice that he was upset, he was losing patience and wanted, no needed, a flat out response, “Love, please I’m practically begging on my knees here”

“Maybe you should be on your knees,” you joked under your breath without thinking about the mans enhanced hearing well beyond yours or the vampires you’re usually around, only realizing your mistake when you turned to find his eyebrows that had shot up his forehead in surprise. His eyes trailed down your body and back up again, reading you to make sure he heard you correctly before speaking, “Sit.”

“Wha-“ His deep, dark eyes locked into yours in a silent order, halting your question before it was formed as you immediately flopped down on the bed behind you. Your wide eyes followed his actions as he slowly grew closer to the bed with purposeful steps, “You’ll be a Good Girl and tell me to stop when you don’t like what I’m doing won’t you?”

You nodded your head in understanding, putting a halt to his agonizingly slow steps as his head tilted to the side in a questioning and demanding stare, “Yes I will,” You stuttered, your throat beginning to dry, your head falling back to maintain eye contact as Klaus stopped in front of you, just to drop to his knees. His warm, rough hands surrounded your ankles, tugging them apart lightly to settle himself between your legs, his eyes never leaving yours. He smelled intoxicating, his scent wrapping you in a blanket of comfort as his hands slowly rubbed up and down your legs, stopping just before the hem of your dress each time. “Please y/n. Will you please come to New Orleans for Christmas, it’ll make my year.”

“I don’t kneel for just anyone and I think you know that,” as he spoke it felt as though his power he prided above anything for 1,000 years began to seep out of him and into you, “You’re the only woman on this planet that I can’t get out of my head, I’ve had women on every continent drooling at my feet for the better part of a millennium but you, my Darling, are the only one I will ever drool over.” Your resolve was beginning to crumble, the feeling of his soft kisses to the top of your legs between words had you sighing in contempt, your confidence growing with each second.

“What can I do to get you to join me hm?” He punctuated himself with a kiss to the center of your thigh, moving his lips higher before he spoke again, “I’ll buy you anything, I’ll do anything.”

Your hand melted into his stawberry curls, watching his lips form a smile as he realized he’d won, “You seem to love using your mouth….so maybe start there.” His eyes shot to yours, chuckling to himself at your false dominance, he loved being in control and whether you realized it yet or not, he was.

Your back slammed against your mattress in less than a second, Klaus’ firm hand held against your stomach, using his hybrid strength to keep you down. He vibrated against you with pure energy, growling against the flesh of your thigh while kissing a trail to your core, eyes going a golden yellow as the scent of your arousal filled his senses. You leant up on your elbows to watch him, the feel of his prominent fangs that would scare almost anyone else scraping your skin with each featherlight kiss building an ache in your lower abdomen, the sense of danger was overwhelming, knowing that at any moment he could dig into you, infecting you with his venom just so he could taste you. The thought of him losing control and having to cure you from the toxin with his blood had you subconsciously tugging your lip between your own fangs that surfaced from your gums at the sight of him shoving your dress upward once his lips met it.

His fingers effortlessly slipped into your lace underwear, filling the room with the sound of ripping fabric before delving into you with his expert tongue, forcing your hips to jolt up against his hold on you, “Holy fucking shit,” Klaus immediately began drawing figure eights on your desperate clit, sighing in pleasure at just your taste and immediately needing more.

You were dripping for him, filling the room with the sound of your pleasure as he lapped against you, focusing on the strokes of his tongue against your center the same way he would a brush against art. Your high was fast approaching, faster than ever before, you wigged against his grip desperately trying to ease the growing tension in your body but he didn’t let up. Fingernails digging into your flesh as you legs shook, your eyes screwed shut, falling back onto the bed with a sigh of a moan attempting to will yourself to last longer, to prolong your pleasure as though you would never feel it again.

His strokes danced between your entrance and your puffy, needy clit he was beginning to adore, wishing to give you a teaser of what awaited you in his bed in his city. His lips sucked around you, egging on your moans of pleasure from above him until they turned into small whimpers and whines of need. Your mind was hazy, it’s only focus being the tickle of his beautiful hair against your thighs, the scratch of his stubble marking your flesh as his perfect, silver tongue pulled out the first of many shaking orgasms he would give you as his Queen.

“You taste absolutely amazing,” He pushed himself forward, weighing down the bed beside you as you tried to regain focus, “If you pack quickly you may get another gift before we leave.” He chuckled, smacking at your still exposed thigh before pulling you into a desperate kiss he’d waited far too long for.

~~~~

Not proud of this one smut wise but I think it’s super cute 🥰

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[sadhours]

can’t believe im suggesting this…. Would you like to be the first one to write a fisting billy smut… gosh his arms are so strong and fuck-

maybe he’s read about it in a magazine and suggest it to you.

it’s late at night- you’re both up talking, Billy’s being typically horny sucking on ur neck and grinding to you. He remembered what he read and wants to try it on you. Praise and degrade? Oh and of course you end up squirting👯 his ego is so large knowing his hands could do this

In honor of kinktober….

18+ minors dni, this is filth.

He read about it in Hustler. Fisting. What a deplorable, filthy fucking action. And it’s completely captivated him since. A candidate. That’s what he needs. Perched on his lifeguard chair, he surveys the crowd. Drops his eyes amongst the row of middle aged women who would most likely let him do whatever he wants to them. Surely they can handle it, too. Each one of the ladies has popped out at least two kids. Billy looks down at his fist, clenches it and knows that a fucking infants shoulders are barely a comparison. And truth be told, that grosses him out. Labors not fun, he’s sure of that. And the article explained that this was fun.

No, a mother won’t do. Besides, maybe it’s superficial but he’s not particularly attracted to any of those broads. Could be the desperation pouring out of them. Maybe it’s the crows feet they all have. Tits sucked on by bratty kids, no where as perky as he likes. It’s not the size of them that’s important, but something grosses Billy out about lactation. And he can see through their suits, their tits are deflated. Not to mention they’re all fucking married. What a headache. No, he needs a girl close to his age.

Heather’s a good candidate except a few of his coworkers have already had her and Billy’s not too keen on that. He doesn’t kiss and tell, but he can’t be sure she won’t. And what he wants to do is something he doesn’t need Heather blabbing about. This has to be kept under tight wraps. He scans around, considering each woman until… you.

It’s so clear to him. Why hadn’t he immediately considered you, he isn’t sure. You were dropping hints all senior year. Yet, no forward enough for him to pursue it. Plus, you were the reason he even passed English to begin with. Being paired up was a blessing in disguise. You were smart as hell and even when he could’ve bent you over your dining room table, you were too focused on the project. He’s no fool, knows that you would’ve let him.

Billy had heard about you in the locker room. Knows you slept with at least five of them. You weren’t a prude, but this… this was something. You don’t just spring this on a girl. He’d have to play the long run. So he does. That day, his shift ends and he saunters over to where you’re laid out on a chair.

“Let me take you out,” he insists.

“Now?”

“Yeah, c’mon.”

The date goes smooth, Billy fucks you in the star court parking lot and is pleasantly surprised when you beg to swallow down his cum. It turns into a common occurrence. Rushed sex in the cramped backseat of his Camaro and him shooting down your throat every time.

Then, he says he wants to take you away for a weekend. He drives and drives, to the next town but to a motel.

“I’m not gonna kill ya,” he assures you before ushering you into the room.

“Lay on the bed,” he instructs as he shuts the door and you obey, like he knew you would. Billy knows you’re down bad, sees the look in your eyes whenever you rode him in his backseat. There’s desperation in those eyes. There’s infatuation. Submission. You’ll do whatever he says. It ignites him.

He slowly undresses you, nipping at your sensitive skin as he does so. He sits between your legs and displays a bottle of lube.

“I— I don’t usually need that,” you confess and Billy knows. You’re like a goddamn faucet when he’s around. He’s never been with a woman who gets as wet as you do.

“You will for what I’m gonna do to ya,” he chuckles, rubbing his thumb in circles against your aching clit.

“What?” you look at him panicked and Billy frowns as he smoothes his hands against your navel.

“You trust me, right?” he asks, blinking innocently.

You reluctantly nod, propping yourself up on your elbows, “Yes, I do.”

“I just wanna make you feel good, baby. You know that, don’t you?” he moves his thumb back down to your clit. The pad of it running against the bundle of nerves has your heart racing and your thighs tingling. His words also aide in the arousal coursing through you.

“I know,” you nod, “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m gonna stretch you out,” he growls, smirking down at you. Billy reaches for the bottle of lube, pops it open and flips it over, squeezing the plastic gently. The slippery liquid drips down your folds and Billy spreads it with his fingers. The sensation is almost overwhelming. Adds so many layers to the pleasure you’re feeling. It’s almost as if it makes you more sensitive and you squirm at the feeling. A breathless moan tumbles from your lips as you throw your head back.

Billy chuckles softly, playing with your glistening pussy as he tells you, “See? Feels so good already and I’ve barely started.”

“More,” you beg, squeezing your eyes shut.

He placates you, allows this bit of power to be yours as he slides a finger inside of you. It’s much easier to take with the lube. So much easier he’s sliding a second in moments later. He coos, watching the way your cunt eagerly sucks in his digits. Billy scissors his fingers as he pumps them in and out of you, stretching you out little by little.

“Such a good girl,” he praises, “I think you’re already ready for more.”

Billy adds in a third finger and you’re head is swimming, feels heavy as you rest it against the mattress. “Oh, god,” you cry out.

The sounds of his lube slick fingers sliding in and out of you fills the room, sounds just a filthy as it feels. It makes you feel sexy, especially with the way Billy groans lowly and squeezes your thigh with his left hand.

“Looks so fucking hot,” he growls, a desperate tilt to his honeyed voice.

You hear the pop of the lube bottle and then everything gets so much wetter, the squelching sounds get more obscene and Billy’s pace gets harder. He thrusts his fingers in a little faster and when you finally open your eyes to get a look at him, your whole body vibrates. The man’s focused, lips parted in awe as his lustful eyes watch how his fingers disappear in your fluttering heat.

“You gonna take another for me?” his husky voice falls on your ears and he glances up at you. You nod emphatically, spreading your legs for him even further. He growls again, sounds like he’s feral with desire and then he tells you, “Bet you can take my whole fist. Can you? Gonna be a good girl for me?”

“Fuck,” you exhale sharply at the thought. It’s a little intimidating but the sheer arousal dripping from Billy is enough to make you want it. It’s an added bonus that he’s fucking you with his fingers so good you’re seeing stars. “Yes, yes, I can. Wanna be a good girl.”

Billy adds in his pinky, the stretch is delicious and you feel so full already. He moves his thumb up to swipe quickly at your clit and the motion has your hips jolting up and your back arching. Everything feels so good, your body flooded in complete ecstasy. It feels like your drowning but in a oddly wonderful way.

“Billy—“ you gasp, “I’m gonna cum.”

You think you are. You’re not exactly sure because it doesn’t usually feel like this but the intensity of the pleasure makes you assume so. Billy stops rubbing at your clit, pulls his fingers out and you whine in frustration. You feel so empty, you slam your fists against the bed in protest as you whimper out pathetically.

“Hey, be patient,” he scolds, smacking your thigh gently before he’s reaching for the bottle of lube and squirting more on his hand. He spreads it over his fingers and fist before returning them back to your used hole. “Said you were gonna be good girl.”

You whine, squirming in frustration from the denial of your orgasm. And then he’s pushing his fingers back in, and he keeps pushing and the stretch is hot and searing. You have to squeeze your eyes shut from it and grit your teeth. But it’s like he gets past a threshold and you’re flooded with that overwhelming pleasure again, crying out his name as your chest heaves.

“Holy fuck,” he exhales, sounds like he’s in disbelief and you lift your head up to see he’s got his hand inside, to his wrist. “Does that feel good?”

You swallow hard, wiggling your hips as you tell him, “Yeah… feel so full.”

“Such a good fucking girl for me,” he purrs as he looks at the way your cunt engulfs his fist. “Fucking dream come true.”

You can forget forming words, you’re passed that as your mind empties. The pleasure it too good, too sinful, too obscene. All you can do is moan for Billy, rolling your hips to meet his thrusts.

Once he moves his free hand to play with your neglected clit, you’re a goner. Shrieking as you cum forcefully. It wracks through your body and you’re thrashing with it, squirming and seizing. Billy groans, watching with hungry eyes. He pulls out and moves up your body, kissing you hard as he’s pushing his clothes off his body. Billy gets his cock out and it’s so hard and leaking, precum dripping down the shaft. He wastes no time, slipping inside you with ease. You whine, body feeling spent as you wrap your arms around his shoulders, locking eyes. Billy snaps his hips a couple of times, sounding uncharacteristically whiny as he moans and then he’s spilling into you. Painting your used walls with his hot, sticky seed. He plants another searing kiss against your lips as he does so.

Then Billy's collapsing beside you, chest heaving. He has this satisfied grin on his face and he turns slightly to tell you, “I’ve been wanting to do that so bad.”

You giggle, “I liked it.”

He leans close and pecks your lips, “Me too. I’m gonna go clean up. Wanna join me?”

“Yeah,” you tell him, “Give me a second though. I don’t think my legs will work.”

He laughs softly, “I’ll go get the shower started and then I’ll come get you. I can carry you.”

“Okay,” you blush, stars in your eyes as you look at him.

[whenlostinthedarkness]

Afterglow: Chapter 4 - After

Lead Singer!Reader x Lead Guitarist!Ellie Williams

Summary: Confronted with the realization of what you and Ellie have done brings on conversations, unexpected outcomes, and flashbacks from the past.

Warnings: Angst, Infidelity, and super SUPER small amount of sexual content.

WC: 3.9k

A/N: This chapter goes hand in hand with the song 'After' my MUNA. Listen Here. ALSO, I made a playlist for this series that I will be linking below.

✮ Ways that you can help Palestine

✮ taglist: @diddiqueen

✮ Series Masterlist

✮ Playlist

Ellie POV

I could feel my bones shaking underneath my skin like a bird with a broken wing left to fend for itself in the dead of winter. 

The door was mere moments away, yet every move was agonizing as I relished in the feeling of my own stupidity and carelessness.

I always thought I was a selfish person. If things weren’t to my liking, I wasn’t afraid to change it regardless if that meant someone else was dealt a losing hand. I would often boil this down to me simply knowing what I wanted and not being afraid to set boundaries, which, I suppose in a way that’s what I was doing, but that didn’t dismiss the level of egotistical thinking that also came along with it. 

It’s funny. My selfishness got the better of me years ago when I broke the heart of the girl I was now ushering into the hotel suite where our infidelity took place. That very same selfishness was what drew me back to being entangled with her body last night with very little thought to who I was hurting in those moments..all I cared about was what I wanted.

As I closed the heavy door that spoke a moderate screech as it latched to the door frame, she began to sob. I didn’t know what to do.

I rarely cried because I didn’t know how to deal with my own emotions, and here, in front of me, was someone who I fucked everything up with- who was crying because of something that I initiated and something that I promised was going to be okay. I knew they were empty words, yet I wanted it so badly. I wanted her so badly.

I wanted all of it, I wanted the sex, the lack of clothing, the closeness..but specifically, I wanted it to all be with her. 

She was like an addiction that I couldn’t control when it was within reach which is why the distance we both silently agreed upon was working so well, until it wasn’t. Until it was dangled above my head within reach and I had no other choice than to grab it and devour every inch of her.

My mind exited it’s blur as I came into focus of her and the surroundings. On the very bed where I fucked this person, she was now sat down & desperately pulling manual breath after breath through her pursed lips as she tried to calm the tears that were running out of control.

All I could think to do was stand over her with a palm laid flat on her shoulder. It was the only comfort my mind could muster up enough courage to allow my body to display with another person.

Her hand was dampened slightly from her tears, yet I didn’t mind the way she grasped onto my arm that was connecting the both of us together.

“Please Ellie”, She choked out between sniffles and the clearing of mucus out of her throat. What was she pleading for?

“Please what?”

“Please just make it stop.”

The realization was now pelting me as the guilt and the emotions and the shame were building and building and building until I too felt a single drop of water trickle out from my eyelids. Of course, I was quick to wipe it away.

“I want to- I really wish I could.”

That didn’t seem satisfying to her, and hell, I would’ve rolled my eyes as well if someone who was a large factor in a mess like this was saying the obvious.

Still, her grip on my arm got more severe as her tears started coming back down with force and speed. My inability to handle emotions didn’t make me a monster, I promise. I knew when I needed to set my own discomfort down, even if I only did it for a select few.

She was my select few.

It was like a switch flipped as I sat down next to her with each arm wrapped around her sobbing body as she let her emotions drip down the front of my shirt. 

We rocked back and forth as I gave her the time to let out what she was forced to hold in all throughout the morning.

Envy was a word to describe how I felt as my eyes watched her empty out all of her harbored feelings, yet a single tear from my own eye made me feel like a fucking coward. I was pathetic.

“It’s okay,” I cooed against the side of her head as my hand came to cradle the side of her face against my chest- Something that made me feel safe and I hoped it did the same for her as well.

After several minutes, her eyes became dry and her sobs turned into sniffles.

I allowed my hand to relax against the top of my thigh as she blew her nose into a tissue that was in a box nearby. Her cheeks were as red as a mistletoe - I wanted to kiss it and make it all better.

But that’s foolish, right?

That’s incredibly stupid to think about engaging in that sort of intimacy with the very person who I caused fresh harm to and yet…the selfishness ensued. 

“Thank you”, she spoke with puffy eyes that avoided mine as she clasped her hands in the center of her lap.

I nodded in what felt like slow motion as I observed her like some sort of experiment that was teetering on the edge of explosion. Why didn’t I feel like she did? Why wasn’t I the one sobbing? I’m the one who's hurt not one, but two people who are very close to my heart and yet I couldn't feel what a person who did what I did should be feeling. 

All I could feel was remorse due to the pain I was causing to the beautiful daisy in front of me - I was plucking away the petals that she’d clearly worked hard to grow during our time broken up. 

“Sorry I uh..I lost it i guess.” She ended her sentence with a laugh that was so masked, even a stranger would’ve known she was lying through the pain.

“You’re fine. It’s uh-understandable.”

She nodded reassuringly as she slowly moved her body a centimeter away from mine. She didn’t think I'd notice, but she was all that was on my mind. 

She was pulling away from me physically and mentally.

“Sorry for how I was acting earlier-” She interrupted with a slow hand being waved, which made me pause my words.

“You have every right to act that way Ellie. What we did was..” she trailed off, obviously not wanting to say the sin out loud and I couldn’t blame her for it.

However, one thing I wasn’t going to allow her to do was take the blame.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come on to you like that and put you in that sort of position.”

She shook her head fervently, “I wanted it to. I wanted it just as much as you did…I could’ve pulled back at any time, but I chose not to. This is something we both did Ellie.”

Now it was time for me to shake my head as both of my hands instinctively went to clutch around her still folded ones. “No..no. I won’t let you take the blame for this! I was stupi-”

“We were both stupid El!” Her voice rang out in contrast to how small and weak she looked.

I found myself chewing on my lip as I tried to think of what to say next. What could I possibly say that could make this thing magically disappear or feel like nothing…even though it meant everything.

“How about we just forget about it, alright?”

This clearly wasn't the solution she was looking for.

“Forget about it huh? Just like that?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” I grimaced as I shook my head. A surge of energy brought me up to my feet as I began to aimlessly pace the floor in an attempt to release everything that I was feeling inside. Except none of it worked. None of the pacing or chewing or mental swearing at myself was working and I began to convince myself that this was going to be my new normal.

“Do you think we should tell..”her voice trailed off as our eyes met. I could see the answer all over her face.

“Kat? You think we should tell Kat?!”

She joined me as she rose to her feet while her body visibly shook. “I don’t know! I don’t know what else to do and she deserves to know!”

Our bodies were parallel as we stood in front of the other.

I knew she was right, yet I didn’t want to say a word to Kat. I didn’t even want to think about her. “That’s my decision if I want to tell her or not.”

She groaned as her hands met her hips that were hugged nicely with a medium wash denim. My eyes couldn’t help but travel and remember the lust that my eyes got to take in last night.

“You’re kidding me right?”

I shrugged my heavy shoulders as my hands rubbed themselves together. “She’s my girlfriend.”

Ouch. The word made her flinch as if she had forgotten or was convincing herself of my life being different than it actually was.

I could tell she was furious as she tried to gather the words she wanted to say. “How could you not say anything to her about this?”

The way her mouth enunciated every harsh word- The way her chest moved as her hands spoke alongside her words- I found myself enamored again, just as I had felt last night.

“Because..” I felt the urge getting the best of me and I didn't want to give in. Instead, I allowed my body to move closer to hers; too close for the occasion between two people who’d engaged in immoral things the night before.

This made her eyes move up to mine as she held our gaze with a slightly gaping mouth. Her lips were taunting me.

I continued moving forward until we were almost touching which made her begin to move backwards until eventually her back was against the wall and my palm was moving past her shoulders to rest against the same wall.

Surely she could feel the warmth of my breath and the smell of the green tea coming off of my tongue. That’s how close we were as we watched the other in silence.

I could tell that she wanted to give in just as much as I did; The real question was who would have the guts to do it first?

She gave me a shock as she quickly moved towards me so our lips ran into each other. Without skipping a beat, I latched onto her mouth as her hand grabbed onto my bicep and mine on her waist.

This kiss was strong, yet so slow. Too slow for someone to consider it to be simple quick lust. 

However, I had already convinced myself that I just wanted a good fuck with someone who was familiar and close and she happened to be closer than ever and so fucking familiar. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, I could tell that there was something else there-some other feeling.

Our kisses turned hot as her mouth followed along with me. My tongue was buried deep down her throat as she shamelessly allowed herself to break the barrier of the hem of my shirt and rest her hand on my bare stomach.

Everything felt familiar and close, just like I had wanted, yet there was something missing and I wasn’t sure what. I figured continuing to practically fuck with our clothes on would suffice for now.

My hands were wandering every inch of the clothes that were set on her body as I pulled the fabric around her waist closer...until there was a knock on the door.

Our lips broke apart with loud breathing and all I could bother to care about was the way her lips were turned up in a smile I would allow to shoot me in the head had it held me at gunpoint. 

I smirked at her while my hands went to smooth down my hair and adjust my clothing that her hands had bunched up before opening the door to find the same person I had seen this morning at this very door.

“Sup D?”

Dina's eyes looked worried and they should’ve been.

“Me and Jesse are about to head out and I wanted to check if you guys wanted to go with us.” She spoke slowly as her eyes searched behind me while she, what I assumed, was trying to decipher what was happening.

“Yeah, yeah sure. I think I'm basically packed.” I spoke so casually, yet instantly my mind began figuring out how I could pack up my belongings that I hadn’t touched as quickly as possible.

“Okay”, Dina nodded, now searching my face for any evidence, but i’d never let her see through me that easily.

We both stood there with my hand silently still holding the door open and Dina continuing to look around the room. That is, until the girl behind me gave Dina the clarification that would put her mind at ease. 

I turned around to find her with a hand on the handle of her suitcase as she wore a warm smile. “I can head down now with you guys. Ellie, can meet us.”

My mouth parted as I nodded and licked my lips. “Sounds good.”

“Great!” she said with a voice so damn cheery, it was whiplash from how she had been an hour or so ago at breakfast when we were both acting as if the other didn’t exist and that what we did didn’t exist as well. 

Dina eyed her suspiciously, then glanced back at me as I moved myself to the side to allow her to exit down the hallway with our fellow bandmate.

“Don’t take forever El,” she said with a smirk that felt like an inside joke that was only between me and her. In some way, it was. 

I shook my head and flashed her a smile as I watched the way her ass moved with every step she made. No doubt she was teasing me by the over-exaggerated movements and I was buying into everything she was selling.

After the both of them disappeared down the hall I let the door shut behind me as I took in the silence for the very first time.

I should’ve felt guilty. I shouldn’t feel like a school girl with a little crush that no one knew about besides me and her, but I did.

I didn’t care that I was cheating on my girlfriend and entwining her in this mess and I certainly didn’t entertain the thought of this ending any time soon. Not as long as she was a willing participant.

. . . . . . . . .

The ride to the record store was nothing short of normal. You and Dina sat in the middle two seats & Ellie and Jesse took the very back ones just as usual.

The conversation between Jesse and Ellie was flowing as the noise of whatever video they were amused by played gently in the background. It was as if everything was right and neither of you had done anything wrong.

Usually car rides were your time to chat with Dina, except this time she was silent with her head resting against the frosted glass and her eyes gently closed. It felt odd.

The wave of paranoia was inevitable, but you tried to assure yourself that it was nothing to worry about. Maybe she was something as simple as tired or not wanting to do this signing. That’s what you told yourself in order for your face not to feel warm and your stomach not to feel a drop of dread.

“Are you ready for this?” You said in an attempt to clear the air and your anxieties, which seemed to work in some way.

Dina opened her eyes, “I guess? Not sure what to really expect honestly.”

“I assume it’ll be chill.”

Dina nodded, her hair getting smothered against the window that still held the weight of her dark hair that was laying in its naturally wavy state.

“We’ll see..do you think they’ll let us shop?”

You giggled, “Maybe if we beg.”

There was that smile that you were needing. That expression that Dina normally wore when something was humorous was much more to your liking than that indecipherable other one that was leaving you a mess.

The conversation between you and Dina began to go on as it normally would. The both of you discussing the latest albums you would want to pick up if you did in fact get some time to browse the store you would be signing at along with other current event topics. 

It felt normal. It felt like you could breathe.

Eventually the SUV came to a halt and you and the rest of your bandmates were piling out of the car and onto the sidewalk that was directly in front of the record store.

A long line greeted you with squeals and smiles as the people in single file wrapped around the brick building. Wide eyes looked at you and the rest of the band with an awe that you never got tired of seeing.

With a small welcoming wave, the band started walking their way to the front door which seemed to intensify the reactions of the crowd.

One person held their phone out to try to get a photo with any of the beloved members, another shouted out Ellie's name and how much they loved her..along with some other obscenities that you would be lying if you said you didn’t feel a tinge of jealousy from.

The group finally made it through the threshold of the front door that was unlocked by an employee that was waiting inside the empty record store.

The space was massive, something resemblant of an old warehouse, which it very well could’ve been considering the square footage and the large ceilings.

You looked around the rows and rows of thin cardboard that was contained in a shelf customized to hold the size of the covered records. The smell was comparable to a bookstore; you only wished you could bottle up the scent and turn it into an immortal candle.

Once the initial fixation of the place wore off, your eyes moved to Ellie. She was standing next to you with the biggest, brightest eyes and the most gleeful smile as she took in the space. It was like a kid in a giant toy store.

. . . . 

4 years ago

“God damn it Ellie”, you let out a deep breath as you set the heavy duty box on the ground a little too harshly for Ellie’s liking.

“Careful,” Ellie winced as she walked over to the box and set her hand on top of it as if she were giving it comfort.

You almost busted out laughing, but decided to hold it in as best as you could. However, Ellie instinctively knew you were masking the urge to chuckle at the amount of love she had for her vinyl records. You were always one to playfully taunt and she loved that about you.

With soft eyes, Ellie looked up to find your massive grin, one that she knew too well.

Her arms went around your waist as she lifted you a couple inches off of the ground and spun you 180 degrees. Both of your eyes held one another as the love you felt for this girl was throbbing red and raw and all the insanely wonderful feelings that came with being young and in love for the very first time. 

“Be nice.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

Ellie rolled her eyes, but still kept a friendly disposition. “I know you’re thinking about it.”

You shrugged your shoulders as your hip bumped the side of Ellie’s body. “You’re just cute is all.”

Ellie gazed at you with the same raw love as her arm wrapped around your body from the side as the both of you stood in silence.

The two of you stood in a bare apartment with nothing but a welcome mat set at the main door. People said that you both were moving too fast, that being together for a year was too short of a time to move in with each other, yet you both decided against everyone's opinions and scrutiny. Because you were in love for the very first time and being in love feels like the sting of a tattoo gun. You anticipate the needle punching ink into your skin, yet when you sit in the chair and the needle is buzzing in your ear you feel a sort of hesitation and fear, but at the end of it all you see the art decorating your skin and somehow the pain of it all was worth it. 

That’s how your love with Ellie felt. Regardless of the arguments and petty mumblings of words that both of you would regret, it was always worth it. 

“How about we christen this place.”

Ellie made her way over to sit in front of her beloved record player that sat in the corner on the wooden floor. She began thumbing through the box of her records, but she couldn’t quite find a record that would be fitting to this occasion-that’s when she got a better idea.

“Hey,” Ellie looked at you over her shoulder, “Come pick one.”

You smiled and set the plate back into the box you had began emptying as you exchanged unpacking for entertaining your girlfriend's little ritual.

“What genre are you thinking?”

“Whatever you feel drawn to. I want you to pick babe,” Ellie said as she plugged the turntable into the nearest outlet, meanwhile you couldn’t help but feel honored, not just to pick a record when you knew Ellie had stern music taste, but also because you were getting the opportunity to live with someone you wanted to spend your life with. 

“How about this one?” You pulled the record, that had become a favorite of yours, out of the box and held it up in front of your chest.

Ellie’s mouth turned up into a bright closed lip smile as she nodded. “It’s perfect.”

Soon the music began to flow through yours and Ellie’s new home as you both busied yourself with unpacking various belongings, not that either of you had very much to begin with. 

It felt like a home and that’s what mattered. It’s a shame neither of you knew what would become of your relationship in such a short time.

[desiderio-dixon]

Darkest Before the Dawn

Chapter 6 : But I'm Dreaming of You

Pairing : Daryl Dixon x f!reader (endgame), (unrequited) Glenn Rhee x f!reader

Series summary : When Glenn Rhee comes into your life, you become convinced he's a guardian angel sent by your late best friend. You think he's your soulmate. But then he falls for the farmer's daughter, and you find that your own angel may be a little more blatant than expected; wings and all.

Chapter summary : The CDC proves to be a place of refuge...and wine. You get drunk, talk to Daryl, and have a dream that will linger in your mind for a long while.

Chapter warnings : OKAY!!! LET'S HOPE I GET EVERYTHING HAHA!!! Smut!!!! Reader has a sex dream that includes piv, male masturbation, fantasies including oral (f receiving), daryl is thirsting, language, drinking, pleaseeee let me know if I missed anything!!

Word count : 2k

A/N : so things are heating up now

❀~~__~~❀~~__~~❀

The CDC had proven to be some form of miracle. After being on the road, tired and hungry and hopeless, sitting at a large table filled with food and wine was a dream. You sat next to Glenn, head airy and light as you entwined your arms and sipped your wine glasses. After all the loss, this felt like a win.

Your friends gathered around, joking and laughing, sharing stories, it gave your mind and body a peace you hadn't had in months. Even Daryl, who you'd thus far known to be cold and guarded, is nursing his own glass and tossing jokes. "Keep drinking, little man. I wanna see how red your face can get!" He says to Glenn, who giggles over his glass. You laugh, giving Glenn a gentle shove. Daryl points to you next. "You too, girl." You salute with your glass, tipping it back. Daryl refills it. It's fun and lighthearted and hell, it's exactly what you need.

And then Shane ruins it. While Shane goes through his interrogation, you do your best to block out the sad tale he forces out of Jenner. Instead, you stay silent, tossing back refill after refill of your wine and spoonful after spoonful of pasta.

By the end of the dinner, you're nothing short of wasted. Prior to the apocalypse, you hadn't much experience with alcohol. That, in combination with the lack of drinking for months, had thoroughly set you on the path to slurred words and stumbled steps.

You shamble through Jenner's tour, tripping over your own two feet. He finally says something your drunken mind deems important: hot water. There are limited showers, so everyone argues over who goes first. You're too out of it to argue, but someone must state your case, because you're being ushered off in the first group. "Because you'll pass out if you don't go first." Someone says. You take their word for it. Maybe it'll sober you up some.

When the hot water cascades over your back, it feels like it takes the weight of the world away with it as it flows into the drain. You smile into the open air, careless and drunk and happy for the first time in weeks. Getting to wash the grease out of your hair with running water is a privilege you'd thought long gone. The shower is even stocked with razors, but in your drunken state you know that's not a good idea. Instead, you lather in the scented bodywash laid out, scrubbing your skin with a heavy hand. The steam surrounding you begins to smell like roses and lavender. You breathe it in greedily. There are few good smells these days. This place, the CDC, it feels like life before all the death. When you slip, landing thankfully uninjured on your backside, you acknowledge it to be time to pry yourself out from under the stream.

Leaving the bathroom, you stumble through the halls. You can't remember what room was designated to you, and your eyes grow heavier each second. You decide to peek inside one of them, finding the vast space seemingly empty.

You make your way sloppily into the room, flopping face first onto the bed, wrapped in nothing but a bath towel. "Tha' hell?" Typically, the sudden voice would scare you, but you simply can't be bothered.

Instead, you don't even lift your head, mumbling out a muffled, "What?" Into the sheets.

Daryl stares at the back of your head dumbfoundedly. He sits on the couch at the opposite end of the room, nursing a bottle of liquor. He was enjoying his peace and quiet, but of course, you of all people can't allow that. Still, seeing a woman naked and sprawled out on the bed he claimed as his own was certainly an unexpected end to his night.

He thinks you must've fallen asleep in his lack of response, so he stands, approaching the bed quietly. He reaches his arm out to your shoulder, intending to shake you awake to get the hell off his bed, but before he can make contact, you turn and grab his wrist. "What are you doing?" You slur, eyeing him suspiciously. He scoffs, wrestling his arm out of your weak grip and shuffling back a few steps. Your eyes follow him intensely.

"Tryin' to get you out. Ain't in the mood to babysit!" He defends, wiping his arm of where you'd touched him. Your hand was warm, and wet with lingering moisture from the shower. Droplets still glide across your shoulders over your arms. All of your skin radiates with a dewy, clean glow. He feels a familiar burn in his ears, averting his eyes. He pretends the painting hanging on the wall to his left is beyond interesting--but he honestly couldn't give a damn about it. Despite not looking at you, he can still smell you. In fact, he's sure you've infected the whole room with your post-shower scent. It's floral and sweet and very you. He hates that he feels that way.

"...Well! Sorry, Mr. Dickhead! Couldn't find mine and you're a stupid hunter so I didn't even know you were there!" You dramatically flail, tired and drunk.

Daryl huffs, narrowing his eyes at you. "Why don't ya' go find yer damn boyfriend!" He yells. You flinch at his volume, tucking your arms around yourself. He feels a twinge of guilt in his belly.

"He's not my boyfriend." You mumble, turning to lie on your side in a tucked ball. "Prolly won't ever will be." You draw out sadly. Daryl doesn't feel bad for you. You don't need someone like Glenn. Between the two of you, the world would eat you both alive.

But he knows he shouldn't say that. You're sad, drunk, and probably seeking comfort. He's not sure how to give that, so he sighs, sitting on the very edge of the bed, far away from your body. "Why not?" He asks, glancing at you and then back to the floor, lifting a thumb to his mouth to chew.

"I like him, I think. But I don't think he likes me." Your voice trembles, small and quaint like a child. "He's all I have now." That breaks you, tears now fully streaming.

"Nah." Daryl says simply, letting the word hang in the air for a moment. "All our people-- they love ya." He looks at you when he says it, and the blue of his eyes almost shocks you. You can't remember a time he's made such intense eye contact with you, so you allow your teary eyes to roam freely over his own. Getting lost in the different shades and the flow of them into one another. You almost forget why you're crying.

You break out into a drunken, sappy smile. You lift your upper body off the bed, towel slipping down further. Daryl tries not to look. "Thank you, Daryl." You say through a smile that makes your eyes disappear, so wide that it coats your entire face. He flushes. He can't say that a woman, or a man for that matter, has ever looked at him like this. So happy because of something he said. "Will you help me find my room?" He hates the disappointment that flushes over him, but he nods anyway.

He helps you up, and practically carries you through the halls until you come across an open door with your bag on the bed. You hold your towel up as you stumble into the room, holding the door frame with the other hand. You stop before closing the door, giving Daryl a coy smile. "Goodnight, Daryl." You tell him before shutting the door. For a reason he can't identify, those words ring through his mind all night.

Hearing the click of the door shutting, you shrug off your towel. You throw yourself down onto the bed in all your naked glory, wrapping yourself in the pillowy soft comforter and drifting off almost instantaneously.

In the hazy warmth of your dream, you lay among a bed of pillows on your side. You're naked, bare skin brushing against the sheets lazily. Behind you, you feel the warmth of a lover's presence. When you crane your neck, it's Glenn. He smiles at you in that gentle way, running the back of his hand over your cheek. It's gentle, wholesome. You lean in for a kiss, closing your eyes. He meets you halfway, gripping your cheekbone softly.

But, as the kiss grows longer, his lips get rougher, his hand runs lower to caress your neck with a calloused hand. When you open your eyes, it's no longer Glenn. Instead, it's Daryl, eyes blown with lust. He pulls you back in, and you make no move to resist. He bites your lip and presses his front into your back. Bare skin on skin, you feel everything. You feel him, in all his glory. He's trailing one hand down your stomach, applying pressure to push you into him. He starts a slow grind against your backside. "Daryl," You moan out breathlessly when his hand slips between your legs. Your own hand grabs his bicep, hips starting to move against his fingers and his own hips behind you. Then, his hand moves away from you. You whine, but his hand grips your inner thigh hard. And then he's lifting your leg, placing it over his hip and notching himself on your entrance. You gasp, turning to make eye contact and nod feverishly. Just as he starts to push in--

Your eyes snap open, lungs grasping desperately for the breath you'd been holding. It's still dark, likely only an hour since you'd fallen asleep. You've slightly sobered up, but now your skin is clammy and your heart is racing. You wish you could deny enjoying the dream, but the slick you feel between your legs betrays you. Still, you feel a weight of guilt. And so, you decide to just enter back into a frustrating, restless sleep.

❀~~__~~❀~~__~~❀

When Daryl enters the bathroom, finally ready to take a shower, he's almost angry at the smell that greets him. That same smell you'd infested his room with. He undresses quickly and haphazardly, tossing his clothes throughout the room. Ever since his earlier encounter with you, he's felt strange.

Hot, clammy. With a ball almost akin to anticipation sinking in his gut. He knows what this is. Knows it when his head starts to swim in the steamy room. He hasn't felt this way in so long. The feeling in his stomach grows and tingles into his toes under the stream of water, he's getting hard. He tries to convince himself he's only feeling this way because of the sudden sense of security, and maybe the alcohol. But as he grips himself, taking a shuddering breath, all he can think of is you.

It's wrong. God, it's so wrong. But no matter how much he tries to push the thoughts away, they always come back to you. You, wet and naked sprawled over his bed. In his thoughts, he tugs the towel off your skin, revealing everything. He'd treat you right, he thinks, panting. He'd kiss your skin and taste the fresh shower water lingering, he'd quench his thirst on your skin. He'd breathe you in before kissing you senseless. Though, he doesn't have much experience kissing. Still, what he lacks in experience he'd make up for in enthusiasm with you. For you. He'd kiss up and down your legs, from your ankles to the insides of your thighs, to where he really wants to kiss. You'd be tangy on his tongue, and maybe you'd whimper out his name. Daryl's gut grows tight, so tight that his toes curl against the slippery shower floor. Maybe your eyebrows would furrow, maybe your hands would tangle in his hair, gripping and pulling. He can almost feel it.

Suddenly, he's grunting, hips shooting forward as warmth washes over him. The shower water cascades over his form, washing his acts down the drain. There's a lingering guilt, but the relief he feels from head to toe overpowers everything. He feels more relaxed than he has in weeks.

You just never have to know that he'd ever jacked off to you, and he never has to know that you dreamt of him taking you apart. Simple enough.

❀~~__~~❀~~__~~❀

⤿Taglist (Open)

@celtic-crossbow @scudslut @itwasntaphasema @ryoujoking @i-wear-wet-socks313

[danikamariewrites]

Can you do one where reader goes shopping with Rhys and he just spoils the hell out of reader? Like every time their gaze lingers for a second too long on a item he just buys it.

I would totally take his ass to a bookstore a load up on all of the books lol

Retail Therapy

Rhysand x reader

A/n: I too would take his ass to a bookstore and get everything I see. I literally dream about Rhys being my sugar daddy he would be the best at spoiling anyone. Sorry this is a short one

Warnings: a lil suggestive

Rhys had decided to pamper you today. The day started with a very pleasurable morning in bed. Then a full breakfast that and insisted you sit in his lap while he fed you.

After breakfast he had some work to do. “Relax, read for a while and then I’ll be back darling.” He said, kissing your forehead and heading for his office.

Only a half hour later Rhys was back and ushering you out the door towards town. “Rhysie, what are we doing in town?” He wraps an arm around your shoulder, pulling you into his side. “Today is all about you my darling. Anything you want it’s yours.”

You squeal, hugging him tight. Rhys chuckles at how cute your reaction is. “Where would you like to go first?” Looking around the section of shops you spot a bookstore. You pull Rhys by the hand into the store.

Going up and down the aisles Rhys stares at you with a stupid lovesick smile, his violet eyes sparkling at your joy. You pick books up off the shelves until you and Rhys can’t hold anymore and go check out. The cashier bags them up for you and Rhys tells her to charge his account.

He holds all your bags for you as you race from store to store. From clothing, cosmetics, and little trinkets Rhys said yes to it all. You even got a little surprise for him later tonight.

Once you had done all the shopping you could, Rhys took you to your favorite cafe. You got an iced cinnamon vanilla latte to go so you could enjoy it on your walk home. You and Rhys walk arm in arm, you look up at him sipping on your drink.

Breaking out into a wide smile you lean your head against his shoulder. He pulls you in as close as he can with all the bags on his arms, dropping his head on yours.

When you got home Rhys had more work to do leaving you to unpack all your new purchases. You organized your new books on the shelves in your room. Then your new cosmetics and skincare. And finally, you hung up your new clothes stashing Rhys’ little surprise away for later.

Hours later Rhys calls you down for dinner. The twins weren't around and neither was your family. “Where is everyone?” Rhys sets the plates down on the table, his arms snaking around you from behind.

“I was a little selfish and told everyone that we were having an us night.” Turning in his grasp your hands play with the hair on the back of his head. “Aww my big Illyrian baby. So clingy today.” Pulling Rhys’ face down to yours so you can give his lips little pecks.

Just like breakfast, he pulls you to sit in his lap and once again insists on feeding you the meal he worked so hard. When you were done Rhys stood with you in his arms.

Back in your room, you shimmy out of Rhys’ hold. “Sit on the bed and close your eyes. I have a surprise for you.” Rhys strides over to the large bed, sitting and dramatically covering his eyes with his hands.

Hurrying into your closet you pull out the black see-through, lace lingerie set you bought today. Quickly changing into the set you stick your head out of the closet, catching Rhys peaking between his fingers.

“Hey! No peaking.” He laughs and closes his fingers. You strut out, stopping between his spread thighs. You pull his hands away from his face. “Open,” you whisper. Rhys’ eyes go wide at the sinful sight. His eyes becoming more black than violet.

“Do you like it?” His breath catches in his throat. “You look exquisite darling.” Rhys’ tongue darts across his lower lip, hands moving to hold your hips.

Straddling him you push Rhys’ chest so he lays flat on the bed. As you hover over him you trace the swirling tattoos on his exposed golden chest. “Will you take it off for me baby?” making your voice small and giving him a fake pout.

An excited growl escapes Rhys’ mouth as he gives you a feline grin. “Of course darling.” He flips you over and begins kissing down your body.

tags: @nyotamalfoy @auggiesolovey @bubybubsters @baybay123455 @msiecrane

[papayatori]

Don’t blink! (P1)

LN4 x fém!reader

Warnings: none 🤭

Intro: Y/n, an amateur photographer who was simply skimming through emails, hoping to find some sort of work, accidentally stumbled upon a job offer from the McLaren F1 team. After working closely with the two drivers she had grown up watching and hearing about her entire life,(and almost throwing up on the floor a couple of times), y/n has slowly started to realize that her love for McLaren, and possibly her love for photography, had slowly started to morph into love for a certain driver.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Four years have gone by rather quickly since I moved out of my parent’s house on the countryside. I’ve moved onto London to be a part of their photography schools. I’ve been posting my photos since I was able to get a hold of a camera, praying that I might be accepted into one of their schools once I graduated, and I suppose it all paid off.

Funny how life works, huh?

I opened my laptop, hoping to sort through some of these unopened spam emails, possibly even find some sort of job offer somewhere. I took a sip of my coffee and began reading through the unopened heaps of trash.

I skimmed through, barely giving them a second thought before hitting the ‘delete’ button in the side.

“YouTube, Tumblr, McLaren-“

I nearly spat out my coffee. I swallowed deeply, coughing a little on the inhale.

“Sorry, what?” I asked no one in particular.

At first I thought it was an ad of some sort, as I was known for buying McLaren merchandise whenever I had the extra funds. Genuinely, I thought I read the email wrong.

“A job offer..?” A smile made its way to my face, one that held all of my nerves on full display.

Why the hell was McLaren asking me to do a photoshoot of their team?

…

…

…

Here I was, standing in the offices of the McLaren F1 team, waiting for someone to tell me where I needed to go. I took in the shiny white floors, the huge windows overlooking the scenery outside, the McLaren’s in display in the lobby for all to see their beauty.

I was about to throw up all over these pristine, white floors.

Before I spilled my breakfast all over the floor, I was ushered into a room near the middle of the building, one that was large and full of lights and professional equipment that once again made me question the need for an amateur photographer like myself. I looked around the room with my jaw to the floor, seeing stars over just how much fun someone could have with all of these cameras.

I really don’t have much of a life, do I?

“You know, I don’t know how to use any of this stuff, and I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to figure out, but I figured you’d probably be able to work it better than I could.” I turned to the sound of a somewhat familiar Zak Brown.

My dad, before he retired, worked alongside Zak closely at McLaren Automotive. Ironically enough, I’d never really met the man who ran my favorite F1 team until this very moment. I had heard stories of all sorts of great things happening behind closed doors, got all of the latest McLaren news from my dad, and had never even set foot inside this building before today.

“I think i know just about as much as you do when it comes to all of the fancy equipment.” I said, gesturing to my small camera bag on my hip. “This is about as far as my knowledge goes when it comes to these sorts of things.” Zak smiled.

“Feel free to use it. Your dad used to tell me stories about your ‘photo shoots’ with the family, ‘heard those could get a little crazy.”

I laughed at that, remembering the silly holiday get togethers me, mum, and dad used to have. I remembered the time when I had them both on the porch swing for a photo, and right as I went to take the photo, my dad would blink every time. He had done this so often that I had started to wonder if he was doing it on purpose.

A loud laugh ripped me out of my memories. I realigned my gaze with the two young men that had just entered the room, the first one tripping over the second one’s leg. He locked eyes with me as he fell to the floor, grin fading only slightly as he did so. We stayed locked for a moment that felt like years, just staring into the each other. That’s when I recognized him to be the only person I was nervous about meeting.

I nearly threw up again.

“Nice of you to finally show up.” Zak joked with the two.

Lando looked up in surprise, as if not quite realizing Zak was standing on the other side of the room. Oscar just continued laughing at Lando’s shocked state on the floor. Lando stood up with a sheepish grin that they both sent my way. They acted as if they weren’t famous racing drivers who could have anyone they wanted.

As if they were the nervous ones.

“Hello.” I sent a small wave in their direction, praying Zak would step in and save me.

“Lando, Oscar, this is y/n. She’s going to be doing the shoot today.”

Lando stood up finally, proud and tall, eyeing me like he had to prove himself to me. He sent me a grin, one that would tear my heart to pieces if I saw it too often, and then walked towards me. Oscar seemingly got the memo and followed him along after a short pause to assess the situation. I smiled at Lando as he extended his hand out for me to shake.

“Nice to meet you, darling. I can’t wait to start.” His grin never left his expression as I took his hand.

Had Lando Norris just called me darling?

He squeezed harder than I thought he would, leaving a burn behind where his hand had previously been. The expression on my face must have given me away, the heat rising in my traitorous cheeks would never let me get away with the butterflies from his touch. Not to mention, this bastard knew what he was doing.

Though, I didn’t exactly mind.

I suppose my face had started to turn a darker shade of crimson than I had thought , because Zak sent him a look that I could only recognize as the ‘protective father’ look.

Lando’s only response was a challenging grin.

“Shall we get started, boys?” I asked, hoping to draw attention away from me.

“Where do you want us?” Oscar spoke, giving his hand for me to shake as well. I smiled, thankful things were working in my favor for the moment.

“Follow me.”

…

…

…

For the next three hours, Lando, Oscar, and myself we’re running around the studio and attempting to find some sort of style that worked for the boys. I had gone through the rack of clothing multiple times and had only gotten a few decent pictures of the two in the process. I had started to wonder if we’d ever get any actual progress on the task at hand.

It is exceedingly difficult to focus on the task at hand when you keep making eye contact with Lando Norris.

Lando and Oscar had insisted that we all take a break for a while, which I had spent mostly rummaging through the clothes provided. Lando was lying on the ground in front of the backdrop. I couldn’t help but take a glance every now and then, watching the way his chest moved as he breathed, minding the perfectly placed curl on his forehead. He looked too incredibly peaceful for me to be rummaging around over here instead of taking the given opportunity. I stood up, grabbing my camera and walking slightly over to the side. If Lando was finally at peace, I should be taking advantage of this. I took a few snaps from the side, wandering from different angles and catching him in his state of beautiful tranquility.

The LN4 girlies were absolutely going to love these.

At about the same time I had finished with Lando, Oscar stood up to unzip his leather jacket, saying something to Lando in the process. I smiled.

“Don’t blink.” I mumbled to myself.

I had not only, single handedly taken the perfect photos for McLarens Instagram, but also taken the perfect photos for the fan girls on twitter.

I saw this as a win in my part.

“Alright boys, I think I’ve got what I need.” I triumphantly raised my camera in the air, receiving two incredibly confused looks from the boys.

“I thought we weren’t finished?” Lando looked up at me with an almost saddened expression, standing to come see what I had gathered. I showed them both the photos, casually skipping over the ones of Lando that I had taken last minute. He didn’t need to see those.

“Holy shit, you’re better at this than Zak described.” Lando gave me a goofy grin that made me blush.

“I can’t take all the credit. You both helped me out in the end, I thought I was finished!” We all laughed a bit, feeling the tension ease as we came to a close.

“Well, if we’re done here, I’ve got a date tonight with my girlfriend, I’ll see you all later?” Oscar said, pulling his jacket back over his shoulders. I smiled.

“It was nice meeting you! Have fun.” He smiled back, sending a wave to the both of us. As he walked out of the room, Lando’s attention was redirected back at my camera. He plucked it out of my hands, skimming through the photos on his own.

“You know, for someone who knows so much about us, I don’t even know your name.” He gave me a sideways glance, insisting I speak.

“My name is y/n.” I said with a smirk. “And I don’t know all that much about either of you, I’m only here for the job” I heard him chuckle from beside me.

“Even so, you know a lot about how to take pictures of someone without them realizing it” he smirked, shoving the camera back in my direction, revealing the breathtaking photos I took of him on the floor earlier.

I really didn’t think this part through.

“I mean, I had to use an opportunity when it came to me. Twitter is going to love those.” I tried to play it off as if I had taken these with the intention of work rather than just attempting to capture his beauty.

“I’m sure you know loads about that.” He winked at me.

With a groan, I attempted to snatch the camera back, though his hold held firm. I gave him an annoyed look, even though I was slightly amused.

“You’re only proving my point further, darling.” I tried pulling the camera again, hoping to have better luck this time. I mentally cursed his stupidly attractive hands.

Accepting defeat, I let out a sigh.

“What do I have to do to get that camera back from you, Lando.” I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms slightly. He tilted his head as if to show he was thinking. His lashes fluttered as he blinked, revealing his beautiful green eyes, the ones any girl could find themselves lost in in a matter of moments. I felt the butterflies settling in my stomach as he finally replied, pulling me from my daydreaming.

“I think it’s a little unfair that Oscar is going on a date tonight and I’m not. So, let me take you to dinner. Then you can have your camera back.”

I blinked a few times, clearly confused.

“Im sorry, tonight?” I asked, starstruck.

“Well, I was thinking so, yeah. Unless you don’t really want your camera back.” Lando smirked a little in my direction.

My mind was racing, why was he asking me to dinner? All he had to do was hand me the camera back. Everything would have been settled then, and I wouldn’t have to see that breathtaking smile in person ever again. I wouldn’t have to look into his eyes or feel the butterflies that he somehow caused me to have. Hell, I’d just met the guy.

Oddly enough, I was about to go on a date with him.

“Alright, but I want my camera back.” I went to pull it from his grasp one more time, expecting to have it back in the safety of my pack.

“After the date.”

My jaw dropped to the floor. Was I hearing him right?

“Okay, after the date.” I agreed, only to see him take the bag from my side, place the camera in it, and place the bag on his shoulder. I rolled my eyes, opening my mouth again. “I have my own terms, however.”

He gave me a playful glare. “I didn’t agree to that, ma’am.” I chuckled, my hands finding my hips.

“It wasn’t a suggestion sir.” I mocked him with a playful grin. “You buy, I’m still in school. I think it’s a fair offer.” Shaking his head and trying to conceal his grin, he extended his hand.

“Deal.”

[heat---lightning]

Aunt's Rhino Neighbor pt 1

Your aunt has gone away an extended summer vacation and has graciously allowed you to house sit and stay as long as you want in her beautiful home on top of the hill with a second story balcony that overlooks most of the neighborhood.

One lazy afternoon you're lounging on the balcony listening to your favorite songs when you notice your aunt's neighbor is sunbathing by his pool.

A big, beautiful Rhino wearing nothing but a small speedo type bottom that barely covers his massive bulge. Pubic hair so coarse you can see it peaking past the edges of the fabric from up here on the balcony.

You stay there watching for a while until he eventually gets in the pool, he wades around for a while and you almost lose interest until he gets out and the sunlight catches his glistening skin and you can help but stare as he goes back to his lounging spot and lies back down to sun himself dry.

This goes on for some time, you absent mindedly slip on hand down the front of your shorts. You don't even realize what you're doing.

Something catches the neighbors attention and suddenly he's staring directly at you.

Stunned, you don't know what to do. You just freeze.

"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK, WHAT ARE DOING UP THERE!"

You're still stunned, you don't know what to do and you begin stumbling over yourself and you barely squeak out a "Sorry! It.. it's not wh..what it looks like!"

"YOUR HAND IS STILL DOWN YOUR PANTS!"

You instantly drop to the floor behind the glass railing.

"I CAN STILL SEE YOU!"

your heart is racing and you scramble back inside and hope to God nothing more embarrassing happens to you ever again in your life.

Not even a minute goes by and there's a banging on your aunt's door. You know exactly who it is, you're too scared to answer. You can hear him saying something but can't make it out past the closed door, he's not quite yelling but he's definitely not being quiet. You have to do something or else the other neighbors are going to wonder what's going on so you finally decide to open the door

With an introduction or allowed time to say anything on your end he says "So you wanna tell me what the fuck that was? Who even are you? You don't live here do you? What the hell is going on?"

He hadn't changed into something else, he didn't wrap himself in a towle, he wasn't even fully dry yet, he was just standing there in the doorway. He's taller down here one on one, his big chest above your head and his round belly right at about your eye level. You look up and see large dark stiff nipples, you look down and you see a bulge held back by nothing but a thin garment.

You don't know what to say, you're awestruck standing in front of this big beautiful man as he just stares at you waiting for an answer. But you have to say something.

"I'm house sitting for my aunt. I didn't think anyone could see me up there"

The rhino sticks one foot in the doorway and peaks his head in "Okay.. so why were your hands down your pants.."

You feel flush, your feel dizzy, your mind is running thousands of scenarios in your head at once trying to figure a way out of this

"you're hot!" You blurt out. After all that and that's what you end up saying? Really?

He's taken aback. He takes his foot out of the door and mutters under his breath almost "man what the fuck is going on"

You begin apologizing profusely before being cut off.

"Do you really think so, that I'm hot?" He said, deciding to take a step forward again, this time leaning on the door frame.

"absolutely" you say confidently and without hesitation.

He takes another step forward, fully inside the house now. "So what are we doing here? this is crazy!"

You usher him in further and shut the door, you're running on pure instinct now and don't know what you're going to do next. You flatly admit you're scared have no idea what's going on either and you've never done anything like this before "I'm so sorry, I never meant to do that on the balcony, I just got swept up"

He's curious, flattered, and scared too "So how long are you here?" He says, trying to play it cool, like this is a normal interaction. You explain it's all summer and for some reason you've lead him back to the balcony.

You're still running off instinct and you flatly ask him if you can touch him. He hesitates, he fully did not expect this when he decided to confront you. He give you permission but insists on keeping his bathing suit on.

Without missing a beat, you're on your knees holding his bulge. It's heavy and huge, you run your fingers along the edges on the fabric, making sure to follow his one rule and never break the threshold. You lean in closer, his scent is strong, you feel yourself getting aroused. You brush the corse hairs sticking out from the top and sides, you see and feel him getting hard underneath the thin fabric. You trace the outline of the head of his uncircumcised penis. He twitches slightly, you see a spot of precum forming, you press your finger into the spot and as you pull it away a sticky string forms that connects your finger tip with his penis tip. You lick your finger and look up at him.

He recoils and jumps back, "this is too much too quick I'm sorry this is weird what the fuck oh God"

He hurries out of the house, you watch from the balcony as he goes back to his home. You're scared you've made yourself out to be a creep but before he makes it back in he yells over his shoulder "I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER I JUST NEED TIME TO THINK"

[aplaceforyourhearttorest]

Counterproductive Tendencies ✩ James Hetfield

⭒ introductory, part one, part three, part four ⭒ (wordcount: 8.4k)

Part two of multiple: Underwire and Avidity (18+)

Mentions/Warnings: mentions of being sick due to a hangover, mentions of alcoholism, semi-public sex, dry humping

Your eyelashes tickle the precipice of your undereye, as the sensation of a delicate caress slowly begins to awaken you from your deep sleep, the coolness of silvered rings dragging themselves alongside your jawline causes a chill to configure and travel its way down to the base of your spine. You squint and shove your face toward and into the touch as a large beam of afternoon sunlight welcomes you within your first wide and fully opened blink, a blush reddening your cheeks as you raise your narrowed line of sight and unintentionally make eye contact with James. Bright blue irises ardently peer down at you as you immediately attempt to blink the blurriness away and focus on the man kneeling beside you, the temporary dark spots in your vision from the intrusion of bright light making it harder for you to do so.

The knuckles that were caressing you earlier, carefully turn themselves around while still maintaining the weight of the side of your head and slide down to cup your chin instead. Your lips tiredly upturn as the events of earlier that morning slowly cascade themselves back into your mind and memory, and a matching one slowly enraptures James' face as he takes in your elated and content expression. A thumb lightly taps itself on the ridge of your chin and you obediently bring your head forward, meeting him halfway as he guides you into a lazy, yet heartfelt kiss. Morning stubble grinds itself against the softness of your skin, and you raise a hand and encase it around the nape of his neck to usher him in even closer.

A sigh of relief is breathed out into the shared space between you two, and you let out a mewl as his now familiarized taste finds its way back to the tip of your tongue. James' hand firms itself around your chin and holds you in place as he gently coerces your mouth open with the beginning of his appendage, exhaling out a groan as he makes his way inside of your welcoming heat.

Your fingertips tangle themselves in the short hairs near the back of his skull, and the reverberation of his moan as you teasingly tug makes you giggle as it tickles your cupid's bow. James grins against you and pulls back for an unsteady intake of air, his free hand coming up to encircle itself around your left hipbone. "Good morning." He greets you huskily and rasped, his pupils dilated, and his lips swollen and damp with shared spit. You lick your own and chase after his taste, your hand sliding down his back as he raises himself up from his earlier position to sit on the edge of the side of the bed.

"Morning," you nearly titter, feeling light and refreshed as James' thumb unhurriedly massages figure 8's into your clothed side. The fabric of his shirt raises and lowers on your exposed thigh as he continues his ministrations, and his eyes can't help but to follow the movement with unhidden interest. Before you could tease him for his seemingly one-track mind, a miserable sounding groan makes itself inside the room through the still partially open bedroom door, and you worriedly push yourself up into a sitting position. "What the hell was that?" You ask, your heart tightly clenching with anxiety at the off-putting sound.

James goes to shrug it off, before frowning as the sound continues and becomes even louder. You quickly kick your feet out of the top sheet and comforter and slide down to the foot of the bed, gently waving off his questions as you instinctively follow the sound of discomfort. You mentally thank yourself for keeping on the non-slip socks as you hastily make your way down the hallway and past James' bedroom, before stopping in front of a wide open, bathroom entrance.

You immediately let out a coo as Kirk comes into view, the elastic you had gifted him earlier this morning becoming fully useful as he rests his upper half against the cold looking toilet seat. The curly haired brunette looks over at you with tear filled eyes, and you can't help but make your way inside of the room and sit down next to him. Your hand closest to him reaches up to push the stray hairs away from his sweat clad forehead, before coming back down to lightly at rub his upper back.

"Too much beer pong?" You quietly inquire, being mindful of your tone and volume after he lets out a wince as the toilet seat smacks down audibly after sticking to his forearm. Kirk lets out a weak grunt and slowly nods, before leaning his head back and sucking in a deep breath of stale air. "Never drinking from a fucking goblet again, can't keep anything down." You eye the half empty glass of cold water haphazardly resting on the edge of the sink and bite at your bottom lip, before standing up and making your way over to the mirrored cabinet.

You gently reassure him you aren't going anywhere after he whines once you move away, your hands instantly reaching forward for the isopropyl alcohol and cotton pads as soon as they come into view. Kirk squeezes his eyes shut after he curiously attempts to look up at you, cursing out loud as the artificial bright light causes a sharp pain to twinge behind both of his twitching eyelids. You quickly lower yourself back down beside him and open up the bottle, before ripping open the cotton pad container and saturating one of them with the clear and potent liquid.

"Do me a favor and sniff this," You instruct, holding back a grin as Kirk makes a stinging expression once you bring it an inch away from his face. "I know it burns a bit, but it'll distract you from the smell of sick and help suppress your nausea." You send him an encouraging smile as he looks at you in disbelief, before letting out a sigh of defeat and grasping onto it with a shaky hand to bring it closer to his nose.

James quietly clears his throat near the doorway, yet you two still jump at the sound. You tightly secure the cap on the bottle and make your way over to him once you're sure Kirk won't get sick again, the gentle look you're met with enough to make you pause in place. James holds out a hand to you and you automatically reach forward to grasp onto him and entangle your fingers with his, the calloused skin of his palm a comforting contrast to your own. You smile to yourself as you're tugged forward and nearly make contact with his firm chest.

"You didn't have to do all that, I'm sure he would have been just fine. Not his first or last hangover." You lightly shrug at his words, the tightness in your chest loosening as you glance over at Kirk and see color coming back to his face. James uses his free hand to gently guide you out into the hallway once the toilet flushes and his bandmate is able to stably stand up on his own.

"He made me feel welcome in here earlier this morning after my dormmates basically kicked me out and made me fend for myself, the least I could do is make sure he's alright and feeling a little less sick." You murmur, nodding to Kirk as he wearily makes his way out of the bathroom and back to his bedroom. James grins down at you, before shaking his head to himself, his thumb tabbing out to lightly rub against yours.

"How about you go and put some pants on, and then meet me downstairs? Pretty sure the rest of the guys are in the kitchen, trying to find something edible enough to make a late breakfast with," James humors, his own smile widening as he takes in the anew light in your eyes from his joke. You quickly agree, using his hand as leverage as he lowers himself to place a kiss on your forehead, the heels of your feet lifting off the ground for easier access. "I'll see you downstairs, baby." You repeat the same sentiment and watch as he makes his way down the large staircase, the small smile on your lips beginning to start to feel permanent as you do so.

"Looks like someone's making themselves at home," a voice muses out from the other side of the hall, causing you to twist your head to the side and grin once you realize it's Jason. "Heard you beat James at beer pong, after the rest of us headed to bed. Pretty badass."

"Surprised he even admitted to it," you express, nodding your head down to his full hands once you notice the guitar cases and bag. "Are you heading out for your gig?" A surprised and grateful look etches itself on his face as he walks his way over to you.

"Didn't know you or anyone else heard me say that over the screams and bottles of Bacardi." You catch on to his self-deprecating tone and decide to reassure him. "I don't know any of you guys all that much, but you seem to fit in well with them and they liked you a whole lot earlier, especially during the game," you pause as a multitude of expressions paint themselves on his face, the longest one sticking around being uncertainty. "You're their newest member, right? Just joined a few months ago?"

You feel pride as he reignites and smiles back at you, his nod turning jubilant after your acknowledgment. "Then that means something, means they want you around. If they could invite me in earlier without even knowing me, and treat me as well as they did, you included, then why do you think they wouldn't do the same to you? You're a whole hell of a lot more useful around here than I am."

Jason raises an eyebrow at your own self-deprecation, and you both share a laugh, before quieting down as a loud car horn blares itself outside. "That's me," he announces, his facial expression turning excited at the prospect of playing music and being on stage again. Jason pauses at the top of the stairway, turning around mid-step to send you a grateful look. "Thanks for the reassurance and your kind words. I think you're pretty useful around here, coming from the way you had us all laughing earlier and just by the way our frontman looks at you. I don't think I've ever seen him that happy and present before. And for what it's worth, coming from me, welcome to the family." Before you could fully register his words, he was already gone and halfway down the staircase. Echoed goodbyes and joyful expletives are exchanged downstairs, before the front door is being slammed shut and tires are skidding and screeching away outside.

As you make your way back to the guest room and toss back on the same sweatpants from earlier and re-tuck James' shirt back inside, Jason's words replay in your head, in a non-skipping and pleasant repetition.

Welcome to the family.

⭒

Hushed whispers resonate in the large living room near the staircase you descend upon as you make your way downstairs, the chill from earlier this morning now long gone and the floor much warmer. You skid to a halt as you hear your name in the half-murmured conversation and contemplate on going back upstairs to give them privacy, before your curiosity gets the best of you. You make sure to stay as quiet as you possibly can as you get yourself closer to them and in earshot, the cushioned padding on the bottom of the socks helping to mute your footsteps on the tiles underneath your feet. You lean against a pool table nearest to the kitchen, the wall being the only separation from you and the rest of the guys currently speaking.

"I'm just saying, we're going on tour in less than a month. It isn't the best idea or ideal to get all caught up on a chick, when we're going to end up being halfway across the country and all you guys will have to hold onto instead of each other, are overpriced phone calls and tissues." You purse your lips as Lars bluntly speaks from only a few feet away from you, the only other sounds coming from around him being scuffed footsteps and the sizzling telltale sign of food currently being cooked on the stove.

"He isn't lying, het. And that isn't us just saying shit because we don't like her, we think she's great. We all do. But think about it for your sake, and for hers too," resounding silence emanates throughout the entirety of the large home, and your stomach drops as it continues to persist until Cliff speaks up again. "You've tried this long-distance relationship bullshit multiple times before, and it didn't work out back then. Why do you think it'll work out now? Because this doesn't feel like another re-run with your ex?"

"She isn't like her at all." Is spoken out gutturally, and you hold your breath as James finally talks for the first time in minutes. His only few words are spoken with such finality, and you decidedly walk into the room and speak up before you could continuously stand there and spiral on your own. You figure you have heard more than enough.

"I think I should head over to my place and see if my dormmates ended up getting some sleep after all," you begin, watching as they all temporarily freeze in place, before quickly coming to the realization that you had almost just heard the entirety of their conversation about you. "Thanks for being so kind and welcoming. I'll be sure to bring back the outfit." You try to smile, but it comes off as too pained and forced. Cliff looks back at you in shock, before his face falls in guilt and remorse, Lars being no better off. Shame is painted on his face, but James' expression is completely closed off and guarded, nothing like how he's been with you, since the very first moment he saw you in his bedroom.

So much for welcome to the family.

You walk towards the nearest exit after a few moments of no one speaking up, uncaring of only being in borrowed socks and with your shoes still being upstairs. You take in a deep breath and squeeze your eyes shut, before reopening them and quickly unlatching the lock on the door to the front entrance. The door is only a quarter of an inch open, before a familiar large and ringed hand is pushing it shut and delicately trying to turn you around. You refuse to budge and feel your teeth narrowly miss your bottom lip as you clench your top and bottom sets together, as you feel James' head rest on top of yours from behind.

"Please just hear me out." He pleads, the pained whisper of your name afterwards causing you to sigh and slide out of his grasp and vicinity. You turn to face him, but stare at his chest instead, knowing that if you were to look him in the eye, you would cry.

"Did you already know that you were leaving in less than a month, to go on tour?" You ask, your voice barely above a whisper, you wishful for it to not shake. Multiple sets of footsteps hastily make their way upstairs, but you continue to stare at his shirt in front of you, still wrinkled in the same places you had gripped at it earlier this morning. "Please, just be honest with me."

"Yes." He regretfully grits, and you huff out a dry laugh, your eyes beginning to sting with frustrated and unshed tears.

"So, you led me on then," your eyes shoot up and cut him short as he opens his mouth to argue and disagree. "You saw me, knew that I got the short end of the stick by my roommates, and thought I'd be an easy lay by the time you packed your things and were ready to get on the road. Is that it?" James vehemently shakes his head no, but you continue, tears embedding themselves in your lower lashes and slowly making their way down your flushed and overheated cheeks.

"You made a promise with me to make things work, and then I come down here after an amazing time and beginning of my day with you, just to walk into a conversation and not only find out that you're leaving in less than a month, but that I'm also being compared to your ex, by your friends and by people who were nothing but nice to me and welcoming for the entire time I was with them at the party. What exactly am I supposed to hear out? Because I think I heard everything just fine."

James reaches up and grips at his own hair before letting out a hallow curse, his expression heartbroken and angered at the same time. Your frustration begins to die down as you see his waterline edge with tears and his lower lip begin to tremble.

"Please just listen to me. Please," James begs, disentangling his hands from his hair to reach out and grab onto your own, his shoulders visibly lowering with relief after you don't immediately pull away. "You didn't hear the entire conversation, I swear. As soon as I came downstairs, the guys started teasing me, talking about how differently I acted last night because I was with you. Normally, I'd be damn near incoherent and trashing the house with strangers and women, but I didn't because I had you. I found you. You came over here, unassuming and nonjudgmental and unknowing of who we were, and you completely dropped me, straight on my ass. You were kind and funny, and treated us equally, the complete and utter opposite of your dormmates. You trusted me the entire party and treated my friends as if they were your own, and the way you took care of Kirk this morning," James stops himself as his voice cracks, his eyes welling up and his hands trembling in yours.

You gently squeeze his palms with silent reassurance, and you allow him to step closer to you, to tower over you and bring your joined hands up to his chest.

"The way you took care of Kirk this morning, and the way you reassured Jason earlier. We heard it, we all did. When you came down, you heard my best friend's fucked up ways of asking if I was ready to try again, to possibly fail at another relationship. That had nothing to do with you, and the fact that you were brought up and compared to someone who is nothing like you and will never be, wasn't fair either," James takes in a tremoring breath and runs his eyes down your form, as if trying to placate himself by reminding himself that you were still there, that you hadn't walked away just yet, that he still had a chance to make things right.

"My ex and I weren't the best. She knew of who I was before we got together, and she was attracted to the idea of me, she didn't love me. She loved the idea of me, the idea of how far the band and I could get her, how far she could get by being with me and being friends with the rest of the guys. I was two months into the last tour and on the road when she called me and broke things off. Said she found someone in another band that had already taken off, and that she didn't need me any longer for temporary footing. She was cheating on me all along. So, when you came down and heard Lars and Cliff being cautious about me moving on and possibly getting myself into a relationship that may or may not be the easiest for you or myself, it didn't have anything to do with you. It had to do with my own fucked up history, with how I messed up on my own and messed myself up before I even met you."

James carefully lets go of your hands to cup and hold your chin like he had done earlier, his once bright and clear eyes, now dull and fragmented. You tilt your head upward and blink rapidly as his fingertips splay across your skin and remind you that he's still there, that he's still here with you. That he isn't going anywhere, not unless you tell him to.

"I didn't tell you about the tour, because our official date keeps on changing. Our producer and team either want to always keep things the same or want us to write and record five more songs in a week. We don't even have an official live setlist yet. But that isn't an excuse, I fucked up by not letting you know what was going on, and that was my fault. In my mind, I still had at most, another thirty days with you, to tell you. To show you I could be what you need, what you want, and to solidify things with you, to the point that me being gone and on tour wouldn't even make a difference between us."

You furrow your brows in confusion, looking up at him with wide and bewildered eyes. "Be what I need, what I want?" You ask, your tone incredulous. "When have I ever specified that I wanted anyone or anything other than you since we've met?" You encircle your hands around his wrists, his pulse ricocheting and racing underneath your fingertips. You tug and gaze up at him intently. "Answer me, please, tell me."

"You didn't have to say anything, I already know," you cut him off by gently placing a kiss on his forearm, and then his inner elbow, his bicep. Your fingers dance up to his shoulders and then enrapture themselves in the wavy locks that bestow themselves on his shoulders and upper back once he lifts you up, your socked feet now inches off the ground.

Calloused palms grip the backs of your upper thighs and hold you in place as your legs raise themselves and hug his middle. "What did I just kiss you with?" You ask in a hurried breath of a whisper, your lips now only a few centimeters away from his own.

"Your mouth." James answers you shakily, the tip of his nose rubbing against yours as he speaks. His eyelids flutter and he sucks in a deep breath as you lean forward and brush your plush set against his, his pupils shot and his heart beating incessantly and erratically in his chest.

"And if it isn't coming from me, and it's in your head, then that means it isn't true. Not completely, at least," you murmur, your tone soft and warm. "The only way I wouldn't want you is if you didn't want me, and I want you just as you are. Sweet and gentle, giving and receiving." James shakes his head in disagreement and rests his forehead against yours.

"I'm different on the road. I drink more often, and the partying can get to my head," he stumbles verbally, his thoughts going a mile a minute. But when he takes a deep breath and refocuses on you, it all starts to clear and pan out. "What you see now is me when I'm controlled. When I'm with you and the guys, things are easy. If I get attached to you, and I go on the road and you aren't there, I don't know what'll happen." You loosen your fingers in his mane and bring them up to caress the sides of his face, to cups his jawline and rub your thumb against the swell of his bottom lip.

"Well then, I guess we've got less than thirty days to get our shit together, together." A grin overtakes his downtrodden features, and his eyes widen with newfound hope. "Together?" He asks you, the thin and nearly nonexistent distance between you two turns into zilch as you guide him forward and place your lips on top of his.

"Together."

Every kiss that you have shared with him so far was electrifying, gut churning, scorching, pulsating and one of its own kind, but this one feels like coming home. From the soft pulses of his own plush lips against yours, to his hands gripping onto the loose fabric of your sweatpants to try and bring you in impossibly closer. To the lack of tears on his waterline when you two disconnect, and the way he whispers your name and the way it makes you smile.

"I need you to go back to your dorm house and get changed, get dressed," James beams, his voice now clear and secure, all of his fears and insecurities gone with you in his arms. "There's some place I want to take you."

⭒

You let out a sigh of relief once you cross the street and see the front door is open again, the sound of a familiar theme song projecting itself from the tv in the living room giving you enough feeling of normalcy to make your way inside and past the screen door and deadbolt. Five pairs of similar looking shoes are neatly placed in a row near the coat and jacket closet, and the attendance sheet still looks the same as it did nearly twelve hours ago, indicating that no one came in and no one went out.

Footsteps pitter their way down the stairs and you suck in a deep breath as your eldest dormmate comes into view, her face neutral and her shoulders upward and narrowed in. Her lips purse in a half scowl as she takes in the change of your outfit from your earlier attire, her eyes raking themselves up and down you in a way that feels overly scrutinizing and uncomfortable.

"You didn't make it back home last night." Is stated dryly, nearly feeling like a punishment itself, like a rough slap to the hand. You twist your fingers in the oversized sleeves of James' shirt, a button tickling the inner skin of your left index finger as you fight the urge to shrink back from her uncaring and demeaning tone. You instead straighten up and meet her halfway and equally for once, opening your shoulders and realigning your back, posture the complete opposite of her own.

"You wouldn't have let me back in if I had knocked, since it was past curfew. And by the time everything was calmed down and situated, the front door was already closed, and the side porch light was off. What else could you have expected me to do, but stay the night?" Silence envelops the small room you two stand in before the dining room and staircase, and you refuse to look away as her eyes widen back at you.

The tv shuts itself off, automatically timed for specific hours of the day, and you expel out an exhausted sigh as the silence drones on. "I'll be back before curfew, I'll get my chores done in time, I'll go to my classes and focus on my studies." You recite without flaw, the never-ending poem of bullshit you had just reiterated stapled and laminated on top of the fridge, right above the chronological and numerical, age ordered chore list, with your name directly on the bottom of it.

Your elder dormmate hums and gives you one last once over, before skirting herself towards the kitchen. You freeze mid step as you're halfway up the flight of stairs, her trilling voice sounding like it was right behind you as she voices out from the other side of the compacted and overshared home. A mischievous smile breaks through your lowered mood at her next words, the bottom hem of James' shirt nearly lifted over your head before you make it to your bedroom.

"Music was off before four in the morning this time, good job."

You make sure your door is fully shut and locked before you squat near the end of your bed and reach forward for your secret compartment, relief flooding through you as your fingertips graze the still closed latch. Bright whites and yellows lighten up the beige of your assigned bedroom, and a content grin lifts your lips as your eyes set and stop on a particular white, lacy bra and matching sundress. You make sure to dress as quickly as you can, using a small handle on your wooden, makeshift closet, to tighten and readjust the last lining of lace on the upper part of the back of your white linen.

You put back on and readjust the sweatpants and dress shirt over your main outfit and slide on a pair of brown boots, before hurrying back downstairs and safely making it past your elder dormmates, your signing out signature messily scrawled on the paper and its tethered pen swinging in the wake of you making a break for it back outside.

⭒

You untangle your hair from the top button of James' dress shirt, tossing a playful glare over your shoulder as he lets out a hilarity filled laugh at the sight of you struggling. You hear his laughter die down as soon as you remove his clothing from your upper half and slide the sweatpants down your legs.

"Is something still funny?" You innocently ask, locking your booted ankles together as you lean back against the warming up car, your eyes wide with amusement and his enlarged in wonder and awe. You watch him swallow thickly and quietly shake his head, his eyes flickering down to the swell of your breasts and the accentuated curves of your hips and thighs. "Didn't think so, big boy." A soft smile makes its way on your face and curves your lips upward, as an innocent blush colors his cheeks at the endearing and teasing nickname.

"So, where are you taking me?" You narrow your eyes as James lightly shrugs instead of answering and places a hand on your lower back to guide you over to the passenger's side of the car, his rough fingertips teasing at the lace embodying itself on the natural curvature of your spine and arched back.

"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, now would it?" He rebuts, a teasing and mirthful grin taking over his features as he opens the door for you and carefully closes it once you're fully sat down inside and situated. You turn your head to the side and stare out the window to hide your enamored grin, your heart fluttering in your chest at his chivalrous actions. James slides an arm over the large one-seater in the front of the car once he's back in and tugs you closer over to his side, your left leg insistently pressing itself against the center console as he brings your upper half flush to his side. You ignore the pressure on your limb and rest your head against his muscled and stable shoulder, placing a feather of a kiss on his clothed arm as he backs the car out of the long driveway and steadily begins to drive you two down the street.

Orange and yellow bellows itself through the windows as the sun relaxedly begins to set, and you watch with partially closed eyes as the familiar streets slowly fade away, nature eventually taking over mail trucks and rush hour traffic. Large, colorful bushes and vine covered fences greet you as James makes his way into a completely empty parking lot and places his car in park. Your eyes widen as you turn your head to look around in curiosity and find a large patch of land, completely covered in daffodils.

"When the hell did you find this? This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen." You gasp out, eagerly waiting for James to make it back over to your side of the car after he insists on opening your door for you again. You gratefully hold onto his extended hand as you exit the car, the loose fabric at the bottom of your dress making it harder for you to see and be mindful of your own footing.

"I got really overwhelmed one day and felt like shit afterwards, so I took a long drive and ended up over here. Now I come whenever I need a bit of time alone and space away from everybody." James explains, his arms encircling themselves around you from behind as you two make your way over to the land covered in spring flowers. You both exhale out a huff of laughter as you two stumble forward, the smile on your lips only widening as he places your feet on top of his. You stand still and straighten up as he begins a steady pace, letting out a shriek as you two go tumbling backwards in the grass as your boots slide off his and cause your feet to unceremoniously intertwine. You hear him let out a soft oof as you two make contact with the partially softened ground, a loud guffaw punching itself out of your chest as you twist around and see the look of shock on James' face.

"Are you alright?" You try to ask through tear filled laughter, wincing and letting out a short cry of pain as your side begins to cramp up due to the force of your amused movements. You can barely see him through your tears, but you could feel him vibrate with mirth underneath you. You take in a deep breath and go to partially lie down on his front, reaching forward to press his wrists on either side of his head, a playful smile lifting your lips. "I asked you a question, if I remember correctly." You muse.

James raises an eyebrow up at you, before letting out an amused laugh, going pliant under your hold. "I'm alright, angel. Don't you worry about me." The sincere tone in his voice makes you melt, and you can't help but rest your chest against his and lean down to give him a kiss. You easily get lost in it, the finesse of his tongue and the caressing arch above his upper lip enough to take your attention off of the beautiful scenery surrounding the two of you. You let out a hum as James lightly laughs against your kiss bruised lips, before gasping as large hands escape your loose grip and flip you two over entirely. Your head gently lands on a small bound of yellow flowers, and an incredulous chortle rings in the heady air surrounding you, it quickly turning into a light and confused sound as your hands are place over and away from your head.

"Is this your way of letting me know you like being on top?" You ask him playfully, the smile on your face turning into a small gape as you watch his eyes darken as he stares down at you. You feel a shiver run through you as James' hold on your wrists gently tightens, the pressure of him nearly lying on top of you adding to the warmth quickly making its way down to your groin. "James?" You whisper out, biting back a gasp as his denim clad leg purposefully and roughly rubs against the sensitive, upper and inner skin of your thighs.

James' eyes dart down to your breasts, the underwire of your bra lifting and holding them in just the right place, even as you're laid down and nearly spread apart underneath him. A flush on your chest begins to develop as he leans back to look down at the way your dress rises with each light blow of the wind, his firm grasp around your wrists now gone, but you continue to hold still and keep them in place.

Your hips jump up in his light hold as he just barely runs his hands down your clothed sides, your center beginning to throb and your sex starting to dampen as his hands make themselves lower, and lower. James bites back a grin as his eyes dart up from your form and see the desperate look on your face, his own length filling out and pulsating at the simple art and view of you laid out for him, beneath him and staying just as he left you. "You're being so good for me, I think you deserve a reward," he praises, running a ringed hand up your middle, only to divert and cup one of your breasts instead. You let out a resounding gasp as he flips his hand over and uses the cool side of a ring to lightly run it over your hardening nub through your dress's fabric. "Anything you want baby, and I'll give it to you." He promises, his tone heartfelt and sincere as he teases your oversensitive nipple and slides his leg up in between yours to lightly tap it against your swelling and soaked clit. You cry out a mewl and buck up to rub your sex against the rough fabric of his jeaned leg, tears of relief stinging your eyes as James presses his thigh against your core to add more dizzying pressure.

"That's right, baby, use my thigh," He encourages, reaching down to shove the rest of your lower dress's fabric up to your middle, letting out a broken curse as your essence is obvious and seeping through the fabric of your lace lined underwear. "You can be as loud as you need to be, sweetheart. I'll take such good care of you. We won't leave until I've made you cum at least twice. Want to make such a pretty fucking mess out of you." You twist your wrists to the side and grasp onto grass for leverage as your first orgasm pummels through you, your hips raising off the ground and your legs encircling themselves around his middle. James grips your waist as you tremor in his hold, his mouth salivating at the sight of the soaked fabric sticking itself to your sensitive pussy, now just a few inches away from his sore and heavy feeling dick.

He closes his eyes and forces himself to not dive headfirst in between your shaking limbs and lick and suck you clean, until tears are streaming down your beautifully flushed cheeks and the only word you're able to verbalize is his name. Until you spread your legs even wider and welcome him inside you, the force of his thrusts making him bottom out and have his hips flush against yours, the only sound above the two of your guys' moans being the slick attaching itself and breaking apart at the center of your connecting flesh.

You reach up and caress the side of his face with a shaky hand, greeting him with a blissful smile once he reopens his cobalt blue eyes and amorously looks back down into your own. You unsteadily use your core muscles to lower your clothed pussy on top of his jean clad bulge, a gasp tearing itself out of your chest at the rough slide of fabric against your clit and a moan reverberating in his throat as your core's heat bleeds through his denim and straight onto his dick. "You can use me too, get off just like this." You grant permission, your wide eyes nearly rolling to the back of your head at the first slide of a weighted thrust against your soaked and sensitive bundle of nerves.

James' mind seems to blank and glaze over once you verbalize your consent, his movements and further words now only encouraged by the thought of making you cum again and getting rid of the dull ache in between his legs, musky and thick globs of pre-ejaculate staining and making their way through his briefs and thick lining of his zipper. You reach forward and bring yourself halfway off your back to grab at the button keeping the jeans attached to his hips fully closed, tugging the fabric down to the ends of his thighs and sending him a grateful look once he accommodates your movements and helps you pull down the skin clad denim. James sighs in relief once the pressure is removed from on top of his dick, his hands immediately venturing down to the backs of your knees to slide you back down on the naturally blanketed ground and spread your legs even wider and further apart. Your cheeks burn as he aligns his clothed cockhead against the center of the wet patch of your release through your underwear, a whine of his name on the edge of your thirsted tongue as he reaches down to entangle his fingers with yours instead of fucking himself against you.

A teasing smile licks at the crown of his lips as his hungry eyes take in every inch of you, the way your clit visibly pulsates beads of arousal through the cotton and the way your stomach sucks in a deep breath every time he slightly pushes his hips forward to rub his swollen and red cockhead against the center of your weeping pussy. James bends down and presses his upper half against you to place a reassuring kiss on your gaping and gasping mouth, the tip of his tongue teasing your bottom lip as he finally begins to rub and thrust his dick against you.

"Do you see what you do to me, can you feel it?" He asks you huskily, his eyelids feeling heavy and half open as he fucks himself against you with reckless abandon, grunting as his cockhead roughly brushes against your clit and your previous release bleeds its way onto and inside his own protective layer. You squeeze your fingers around his as you desperately nod, a wet cry of a moan trapped inside your throat as your hands are held down by his and his cock expertly rubs itself against your oversensitive and numbing pussy. "Bet you'd feel so tight around me, making a mess out of my cock and cumming all down your own legs," He whispers against you, his eyes baring themselves into yours as he watches tears of pleasure swell in your eyes and cascade down your temples. Your thighs seize in around him as you feel the familiar and overwhelming sensation of another orgasm approaching, your spine arching itself off the ground underneath you and your lower stomach brushing against his happy trail, your eyes squeezing shut as his lips part against yours and you two share huffed breaths of moans and gasps. "You think you can cum again for me, baby? Right against me this time? Make my cock nice and wet for me?"

"Yes, yes," you whisper against him in a mantra, your eyes snapping back open as your release bends its way out of you, James letting out a pleasured groan as your nails dig into the backs of his hands and your slick clings to both of your guys' underwear, them matting in the middle and creating the perfect slide in between you two. "Don't stop, want you to cum against me." You weep, whimpering in oversensitivity as he nods against you and slides his hands down to grip at your waist, leaning back to rest the backs of his thighs against the heels of his shoed feet. You watch as his eyes glaze over once again, as the muscles in his forearms tighten and become taught as he uses you for his own personal pleasure, the wet stain on his underwear starting to have a white hue as his balls begin to raise and tighten.

Your breasts begin to bounce with the force of his humps and thrusts against you, your stomach tightening with overstimulation as his jaw drops and his mouth pops open, guttural sounds of desperation and deep-rooted pleasure clawing its way out of his drying throat. "I bet you'd feel so good inside of me," you start, a moaned mewl interrupting you as his cockhead rubs at your entrance, the flimsy and thin material of your underwear bending inward to allow him to almost slide through and be exactly where he truly wants to be, where he craves. "You'd stretch me open and fill me up so nicely, paint me white and keep me warm." You pant, pleasure starting to come back as he nearly tears the cotton and makes his way inside of you with the force behind his hips, his fingertips digging into your skin in the most delicious way.

"Is that it? That's what you want?" He asks you through a hearty and thick moan, his voice graveled and almost baritone, his release tittering and on the edge as he watches your tits bounce and your wide eyes stare back up at him with overwhelming and unadulterated lust. "You want me to breed you, fuck you until you're loose and spasming around me? Until you can't speak or walk, because you're shaking so much?" James groans at his own words, the images flooding through his mind of you fully naked and underneath him, begging for him to fuck you harder and hold you in place as he brings you both over the edge, is what causes him to cum, the thick seed coating and covering the entirety of his length and shooting up past the elastic of his briefs.

You watch in awe as white spurts make their way onto his happy trail and bead through the darkened, wet patches of his underwear, the throbbing and pulsation of his release being able to be felt through both of your fabrics and reverberate back down onto your clit. James fucks himself against you and through his cocks last efforts of emptying itself messily all over himself and both of your front's, the crease in between his brows smoothing out and his grip on your sides softening and turning into a shaky caress.

"Are you alright, angel?" He asks you. His chest heaving, back taut and muscles contracting, his ballsack still raised and swollen, but his main priority being to make sure he wasn't too rough with you and that you are okay. He can't help but smile down at you as you let out a small bout of incredulous laughter, your hair pillowing out beneath you as you fully lay back and relax in the grass surrounded by flowers. James follows soon after you, biting back a grimace as your shared releases stick uncomfortably to his groin, his arms instinctually wrapping themselves around your shoulders and guiding your back against his front. You close your eyes and slide a leg in between his, the rough denim keeping your limb warm as the sun fully sets and the chill in the air from earlier this morning slowly returns.

"I'm more than alright." You finally answer, your voice nearly gone and your head now resting on the side of his bicep, your lidded eyes blearily looking forward and at his car as you feel his mouth descend down to your neck. Morning stubble tickles the sensitive skin, and you close your eyes in contentment as you feel him smile against you.

"Only thirty days to solidify things with me, huh?" You decide to tease, letting out a shrill as blunt teeth playfully nip at your clavicle. James laps at the spot with his tongue and grins widely as you let out a weak sound of protest, before tilting his head back up to rest it on top of yours. "Less than thirty days to prove to you that we can make this work." He gently corrects you, loosening an arm around you to reach down and readjust your dress and tug it back down to cover your upper legs. You gently turn and twist yourself in his hold to face him, and you bring a hand up to run it through his messy mane, brushing it away from his line of view as he gazes down at you.

"Less than thirty days to prove to each other that we can make this work." You whisper, delicately correcting him this time, the feeling in your chest light, but energetic as James gifts you with an insurmountably soft look and bestows his lips upon yours. You reel your head back to look up at him, your other hand grasping at the same wrinkles you had caused earlier, your grin lifting as you watch his lashes tiredly flutter and meet in the middle as he temporarily closes his eyes.

"I think we should head back and clean up, before we both fall asleep." You huff as he lets out a resounding groan and slouches against you, before nodding and guiding you both up into a sitting position. His arm lowers from your shoulders to rub at the lower of your back, letting out a whistle as his eyes catch on to the grass stains and small clumps of dirt littered on the back of your dress.

"And I think you should take your outfit to the dry cleaner's," He rebuts, laughter evident in his tone as you raise a hand to lightly smack him on the chest. Comfortable silence wraps itself around you two as he helps you up off the ground and walks you back over to his car.

You lean back against the passenger side's front door, resting your head on the window as James places a hand near the crown of your head and carefully pulls blades of grass out of your mussed and messy hair. His thumb glides down to tilt your head upward, blue immediately locking you in as you two look back at each other, his eyes filled with devotion and yours with adoration. "We'll make this work, I don't care what it takes." He promises you, swears. You nod against his touch and lean into his warmth as he brings you into his arms, the cold breeze no match against the unbridled joy and avidity making its way to your heart.

You two will work it out, no matter the circumstances.

And even if I was told of how things would pan out, and all it would take for us to even get to where we are now, I'd still go through it all anyway, and again. Twice.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

chapter one

When Grog has been rescued from the screaming winds of Pandemonium, when their spell components have been retrieved from a hoarder’s cave, when what remains of Vox Machina has returned to Exandria, exhausted and relieved, Keyleth goes home alone. She steps through the large tree on the edge of town, and as the breeze tosses her hair, short and caked with dust, she sees Zephrah, and for the first time, the colors are dull, muted. She blinks a few times, sure that there are remnants of Pandemonium in her eyes, but no, her vision is clear. She walks into town, passes by the homes and shops and rolling hillsides she knows like the back of her own hand, and somehow, it is different now, even though nothing has changed. 

She’s noticed rather quickly, which isn’t a surprise, given the fact that she looks like shit and is also wearing her antlered circlet. She imagines she stands out, even in Zephrah. Word echoes through town like birdsong, so by the time she reaches the headmaster’s quarters, her father is outside waiting. He scrambles down the steps, pulls her into a hug she can’t remember how to fall into. “Keyleth.” Her name is a sigh, and it’s only now that she remembers asking Eskil to send him a message that, in retrospect, was probably more than a little harrowing. “You’re alright.”

Is she? She must be, because he’s extending her away from him, examining her at arm’s length. His eyes remind her of the beholder in Yug’voril, like at any moment, his scrutiny will freeze her or petrify her or disintig—

“What happened? In the Shadowfell? We got word that Vasselheim was under attack—were you there?”

So many questions, all of them written across his face in such thick ink she cannot hope to read them. She doesn’t know where to begin. She doesn’t know how to say these things out loud.

“Why don’t we go inside?” There’s some member of the Tempest Blades just over Korrin’s shoulder now, a half-elf with eyes so kind they feel like knives twisting between Keyleth’s ribs. “This feels like an inside conversation.”

Keyleth looks around, and it seems half of Zephrah has gathered to watch whatever spectacle her homecoming has become. It should probably be grander than this; she’s a god-killer, after all. 

She’s ushered inside, her father’s arm around her shoulders. As they pass through the archway made of cherry blossom branches, there is movement in the corner of Keyleth’s eye. She turns to look, but then she’s indoors, and being swept into a small sitting room. A tall glass of water is pressed into her hands as someone drapes a blanket over her shoulders, even though she isn’t cold. In here, though away from the prying eyes of her neighbors, she still feels very much on display, like she’s moments from stepping out onto a stage and she hasn’t learned any of her lines.

“Leave us, please.” She looks up to see her father urging the others from the room. They exit obediently, and he closes the door. He dithers for a moment, unsure if he should sit next to or across from her, and eventually he settles on the latter. “You look like hell,” he says bluntly, and despite herself, Keyleth snorts out a humorless laugh. 

“Yeah. Well. I’ve been there. It wasn’t as bad as this.”

continue reading on ao3 please consider donating to my ko-fi

[toaarcan]

Bold New Moebius is one of my favourite arcs in Archie Sonic, despite me not actually liking its main villain. I guess that's the power of Flynn going "There's an evil version of Tails and he acts like Starscream" and my then-teenage brain going "Oh that's two of my favourite things mashed into one character, I will love him forever."

Yes this is a Miles Stan Account. I have imaginary AMVs in my head about him like you wouldn't believe.

But there's something that bothers me about it: The Suppression Squad's team composition.

In this arc, the Freedom Fighters consist of all six of the classic SatAM crew, plus Amy and Nicole, though Nicole doesn't really do a whole lot. This is the standard FF roster for most of Flynn's run in Archie, it's hard to go wrong with it.

The Suppression Squad, meanwhile, bring Scourge, Fiona, Miles, Alicia, Patch, and Boomer. They have six to the Freedom Fighters' eight.

They don't introduce an Evil Nicole, and while an antiverse version of Amy is introduced in the story, she's not a member of Suppression Squad, she's a random crazy person who wants to both kill and date Scourge and gets in the way a whole lot during the parts of the story that are set on Moebius.

Additionally, Buns is removed from the team as a whole, instead appearing as a morally-questionable ally of Kintobor, because she's sick and Scourge threw her out for being weak.

And I find this weird. Not to say that I dislike the idea of a member of Suppression Squad being basically forced to redeem themselves because they had an r/leopardsatemyface moment, because I don't, I love it. I just think it's weird for two reasons:

They don't need to "Make room" for Fiona on the Suppression Squad, because the FF also have additional members besides the originals. Buns can still be there without throwing the numbers off.

If they're going to remove one of the Suppression Squad's original roster from the board... why is it Buns that goes, and not Alicia?

Think about it: Besides Scourge himself, Alicia is the nominal leader of the team. She's the one that Scourge worked with when he originally plunged Moebius into chaos at the end of the Great Peace, by killing Anti-Jules and banishing Maxx to the Void. She's the one that kicked him out of the Squad with the aid of Jeff. Why the hell would he keep her around?

She's also pretty redundant as a Squad member in this arc, because Fiona is here.

I've said before that I think that Archie viewed Fiona more as a Sally Clone than as her own character, and this gets infinitely worse in Flynn's run, where most of her own (very undercooked) personality traits are largely abandoned in favour of having her shackled permanently to the evil version of Sally's boyfriend, and doing the same things that Sally does, but evilly.

And it's this arc where this becomes really obvious that Fiona is just Evil Sally now, because she's on a team with a character who literally used to be called Evil Sally. Alicia mostly stands around and does nothing because Fiona's the one beefing with her counterpart, right up until the point where the two sides team up, wherein Fiona is hurriedly ushered out of the plot and Alicia returns to her normal place as Sally's opposite number.

So... why not keep Buns and have Alicia be the one to get kicked out and forced to turn to Kintobor? She can still play the role that Alicia did in the final chapters of the arc by simply linking up with the two teams when they arrive on Moebius, after all.

Now, I can see the point being raised that it was Buns that got sick with NIDS. But that plot point is something they introduced in this arc. They can just have Alicia get sick instead. She was last seen before this arc falling into a pit full of poisonous robots, after all. Or they can just skip that aspect and have her get kicked out because Scourge is petty and vengeful and doesn't want her around.

This confusion doesn't ruin the story for me or anything, I still think it's a good one, but it does still somewhat baffle me.

[thessalian]

Thess vs the House of Usher

So it's Netflix Series recommendation time, and the team that brought us The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass have hit it out of the park yet again with The Fall of the House of Usher. Trying to think how best to describe it, so here goes:

Take Netflix's Gothic Horror Writing Team (since that's basically what they are at this point). Lock them in a room and feed them nothing but Edgar Allen Poe stories for two months. Then tell them to write Succession.

They've got a lot better at playing with the timeline for narrative effect. They're now masters at diverting attention away from certain Chekov's Guns. The actors are all entirely on point, be their parts large or small.

Yeah, did I mention Mark Hamill's in it? Secondary role, but especially in his Big Scene? *chef's kiss* We all knew the man had range from his voice acting but he's not just a versatile voice, let me tell you.

I liked The Haunting of Hill House. I liked The Haunting of Bly Manor. I acknowledged the narrative power and brilliant acting in Midnight Mass, even as it personally caused me some issues because of its subject matter (I still don't believe I have literal PTSD over culty church stuff, but I guess I can't be blamed). But I loved this. But then again, I've always been a Poe fan. Hell, my in my 10th grade English class, we were supposed to pick one American author to base our paper on, and we each had to do a different one. We drew numbers out of a hat for the order in which we could pick an author - I had second choice and was very grateful that the guy who got first pick chose Walt Whitman instead of Poe, so I could do my paper on him.

...I'mma watch it again. I hope others do too. I want the gifsets, damnit.

[elvenmother]

Context and Perspective : One Hell Of A Wednesday

Pairing: Marcus Moreno x F Reader Rating: Teen. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of injuries, mentions of blood Chapter: 13/15 Word count: 3423

Summary: The newest member of the Heroics has gone missing and as one of the better-known Villains on the scene, you are blamed. Then your sidekick goes missing. You must go after the Heroic’s leader to try to get them back and clear your name.

Note: This has not been beta read, so apologies for any mistakes. This is my first time writing for We Can Be Heroes and Marcus Moreno.

Part Twelve | Masterpost

The lights were all on at the Moreno house as the car slowed and turned onto the driveway. Marcus sighed softly as he pulled the handbrake on, and you glanced at the clock on the dashboard display. It was almost 11 pm, and judging from the lights, Missy was still up. With all the tension of meeting Crushing Low and then finding Chloe and Noah, you had forgotten about the young girl. She had been alone at home since a little after 6, all those hours in the house with no update; she must have been worried sick. As Marcus shut the engine off, you looked over to him and met his eye. He looked exhausted, stressed and more than a little guilty. Chloe and Noah were already getting out of the car and grabbing their things, so you took the opportunity to reach over and give his right hand a gentle squeeze. Marcus smiled at you, the warmth of his smile spreading over his whole face.

“You doing ok?” You mouthed to him. He closed his eyes and nodded.

After giving his hand another quick squeeze, you climbed out of the car and headed for the front door. As soon as Marcus opened it, your group was met by Missy Moreno, hands on hips and the grumpiest face you’d ever seen.

“What time do you call this?” She cocked her head at her father.

“Sorry, honey.” Marcus reached out and pulled her into a big hug. “Things took a little longer than we thought. But look,” he released her and stepped aside to reveal Chloe and Noah. “we found them. Safe and sound.”

“Hi.” Chloe waved meekly at Missy, who smiled back.

“Hi, again, Missy.” Noah stood awkwardly.

“Hey.” She greeted them and then looked up at Marcus. “Are you going to tell me now what’s going on?”

“Yes.” He kissed Missy gently on the top of her head. “I promised, didn’t I? And I need to explain to these two what we’ve discovered as well.”

Ushering you all into the sitting room, Marcus stood at the large stone fireplace as everyone found places to sit. Noah huddled next to Chloe on the sofa, and you weren’t sure if his anxiety stemmed from the danger or being in his boss's house. It was probably a healthy dollop of both. Missy grabbed the large, luxurious-looking armchair next to where her father stood, sitting in it like a queen on her throne. That left you to perch on the edge of the second smaller chair on the other side of Marcus. Although not as plush as the other, the armchair was still very cosy, but you figured just sitting on the edge would stop you from getting too comfortable and falling asleep since you were exhausted.

“All right.” Marcus gave everyone a confident smile, and you could immediately see him go into leader mode. After looking at each of you to make sure you were all listening, he turned his attention to Noah. “Noah. There’s a lot to talk about tonight, and I know we’re all tired. But I need to know what happened. Why did you leave?”

You heard Noah audibly gulp, and Chloe reached over and took his hand in hers. He looked at her for a moment, and she gave him an encouraging nod. Noah nodded a couple of times to psych himself up before beginning.

“So, a couple of weeks ago, I got sent on a mission. Nothing too big, just a couple of guys robbing a museum.” He paused and looked up at Marcus, who nodded to indicate he remembered what Noah was referring to. “So I went and stopped them. But right at the end, one of them grabbed some of the staff. I saved them, but I also hurt a couple of them. Accidentally! I said I was sorry and everything, but I was sure I was going to get in real trouble for it.”

“What happened to the staff?” You asked as Noah paused again. He looked over to you and then back at Chloe.

“It’s ok.” She reassured him, then turned to you. “He didn’t spot a couple of them during a fight. They got caught up in it and hurt. Broke one guy's arm and gave a woman a concussion. Totally by accident.”

“It happens.” You tried to console Noah, who was staring at his hands. “Our powers can be great sometimes, but other times people can get hurt. It sounds awful to say, but it does happen.”

“She’s right.” Marcus agreed. “The Heroics have protocols in place for when civilians are hurt by one of us. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen from time to time.”

“I know that.” Noah’s head shot up, and he looked at you both. “I know that, and I expected to be called in to speak to you and Ms Granada like the training said. But that never happened. I thought maybe I’d put something in the report wrong, so I went back to check it.”

Noah paused, and your heart sank. You knew what he was going to say. You knew where this was going. Marcus paled, and you could see it in his face too. Just as Noah was about to open his mouth, there was a loud knock at the door, making everyone in the room jump.

“Wait here.” Marcus frowned, holding his hands up. He turned to you as he headed for the front door. “If there is trouble, get Missy out of here.” You nodded and looked over, meeting Missy’s eyes.

After a few tense seconds Marcus came into view, followed by Crushing Low. You get out the breath you’d been holding. Noah let his head fall into his hands while Missy fell back further into the cushions of her chair.

“Sorry, I’m a little late.” He looked around the room. “Wanted to make sure no one knew I was coming here.”

“It’s fine.” Marcus clapped a hand on Crushing Low’s shoulder, and the two of them joined the group in the sitting room. Marcus resumed his position at the fireplace while Crushing Low stood awkwardly next to your chair. “Noah, you were saying. Civilians got hurt on one of your missions, and you were worried you were in trouble. So you checked the report?”

“Yeah.” Noah gulped again. The poor kid looked panicked like he was able to face a firing squad. Chloe picked up on his tension and took his hand again. That seems to calm him enough to carry on. “I check the report, but it had been changed. Like totally changed. It read like I’d done nothing wrong. I know I hadn’t put any of that in there. All the injuries were being blamed on some villain dude who hadn’t even been there.”

“Shit.” Marcus muttered, and you watched Missy’s eyebrows shoot up. You looked over at Crushing Low, who you could see was starting to piece things together. After a few moments, Marcus spoke again. “Noah. First of all, I want you to know I believe you. But why didn’t you come to me? Why run?”

“I didn’t know who to trust.” Noah shrugged. “I mean, someone changed that report. It must have been someone high up. How did I know it wasn’t you?”

“Fair enough.” Marcus let his head drop.

“Noah remembered that I had powers and contacted me.” Chloe spoke up. “He asked for my advice and help. The more we talked, the closer we got. We just want to be done with all this hero-villain bullshit and have normal lives!”

“I understand, honey.” You really did. Chloe looked over at you, her eyes filling with tears.

“You tried to warn me. You and Auntie Jada. You tried to tell me what it would be like, but I thought you were just exaggeratin’.” The tears started to flow as Chloe spoke. “I thought you were makin’ it sound worse than it was. But I didn’t know. I wasn’t prepared. All the good I do, all the good we do, and someone else takes the credit! It hurts! It hurts so fuckin’ much.”

You stood and went to her and Noah. Kneeling in front of them, you wrapped your arms around them both, pulling them into a hug. You felt as first Chloe, then Noah wrapped an arm around you as they embraced you in return. The three of you held each other tightly as Chloe sobbed quietly.

“Marcus.” You heard Crushing Low’s voice behind you, soft, almost a whisper. “What does she mean? Someone else takes credit for the good they do?”

Marcus sighed. “They aren’t villains. Neither of them ever has been. They save people and do good in the world, the same as us. Except the Heroics and the media spin it so a Heroic takes credit.”

“What?” Crushing Low sank onto your recently vacated chair. “You can’t be serious.”

“So, are any villains actually villains?” Missy asked.

“I don’t know.” You heard Marcus quietly answer.

Releasing Noah and Chloe, you stood and went over to Marcus. He looked at you with such pain in his eyes that you couldn’t help but reach out to him too. Pulling him into a hug, you rubbed his back a couple of times before pulling away.

“There are some villains.” You turned and answered Missy. “There are bad guys in the world. But not everyone who has been labelled a bad guy is one. I was called one after I turned down joining the Heroics.”

“I remember that.” Crushing Low murmured. “I made my report, and a few weeks later, you’d been tagged as a villain. Shit. I’m sorry. I can’t remember what my report said, but I definitely reported how you’d helped people.”

“I believe you.” You sighed. “Clearly, this tactic of changing reports goes way back.”

“I had no idea.” Crushing Low shook his head.

“I don't think any of the team do.” Marcus shrugged. “We need to figure out who has been doing this and-”

“This is huge, Marcus.” Standing Crushing Low ran his hands down his face. “It means we can’t trust the people working at HQ, but it’s worse than that. If word gets out, the public will never trust us again.”

“It will get out.” Missy spoke; her young voice sounded weary and older than her years. “Eventually, it will get out. Someone will leak it, or someone will find out and then people will know. That’s why it has to come from the Heroics themselves.”

“I think you’re being a little too paranoid there.” Crushing Low crossed his arms. “First, who would leak it…”

He continued to talk with Missy and Marcus chiming in as they discussed the Heroics reputation, but you couldn’t concentrate. All you could think about was someone inside Herocis HQ who would use this against them. Crushing Low didn’t think someone would, reasoning that whoever was doing this wouldn’t expose themselves. But you knew there were other threats inside their organisation. You knew of at least one mole that you’d benefitted from personally. As the discussion continued, you wrestled with the idea of telling them, some part of you still viewing them as the enemy. But you knew Missy was right. And to see she was right, they had to know.

“Missy is right.” You held your hands up to stop the two men from arguing. Marcus and Crushing Low both turned to you. “She’s right because someone could and would expose the Heroics. There is not just whoever is doing this to consider. Like I said, there are actually villains out there, and some have people in your headquarters.”

“Like who?” Crushing Low frowned.

“Orphan Maker.” You said slowly, hearing Marcus, Missy and Crushing Low gasp. “That’s how I found you.” You looked at Marcus. “Her contact in Heroics HQ suggested I talk to you and gave me this address.”

“Orphan Maker? You can't be serious.” Crushing Low was shaking his head and pacing.

“When we met her, she was really nice.” Chloe offered. You nodded.

“So, is she like you then?” Missy looked at you both. “A good guy really?”

“It’s possible. I don’t know to be honest.” You admitted. “But her inside person was also the one that tipped us off about Crushing Low tonight.”

“Ok, first of all, you may as well call me Liam, seeing as Marcus already used my real name earlier.” Crushing… Liam stopped pacing. “Second, even if Orphan Maker is not the villain we think she is, she still has someone in HQ.”

“And she might not be the only one.” Marcus scowled at the thought.

“Exactly.” Liam said, sitting back down.

“Missy’s right.” You repeated. “The adult Heroics need to be the ones to out this cover-up. It’ll cause damage but much less than if an outside source outs you.”

“We still need to get to the bottom of this.” Noah piped up, his arms still wrapped around Chloe.

“Agreed.” Marcus stood up straight and looked at each person in the room. “First thing tomorrow, I’m going to call a meeting of those who know already and we can see how deep this goes.”

“What about me?” Noah looked at Marcus anxiously.

“I have a vacation home in Italy.” Liam propped his elbows on his knees, looking at Noah. “You and Chloe can lay low there until we manage to figure this out. You’ll be safe there.”

“No.” You shook your head. “Noah needs to be seen going back to the Heroics, so this manhunt for me and Chloe will be called off. Sorry honey, but I need them to stop hunting us.”

Noah nodded reluctantly, but it was Marcus’ turn to shake his head. “I know you want your name cleared. I want that too. However, my worry is whoever is behind this report alteration and spinning of facts will make a grab for him. It’s safer for him to be far away from headquarters.”

“I agree with you, Marcus.” Liam frowned. “But she has a point too. Noah needs to return to clear their names. Let him be seen, make the usual press statement, then I’ll take him and Chloe to Italy.”

Marcus opened his mouth to respond, but Noah stood up. “I can do that. I need to do that. I’ll make the statement, then sneak away again.”

“All right then.” Marcus sighed.

“It’s late.” Liam stood, cracking his back. “I need to get home before the missus starts to worry. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” He gave Noah a pat on the shoulder as he headed to the door, followed closely by Marcus.

“See you tomorrow.” Marcus waved to his colleague before shutting the door and returning to the rest of you. “It is very late. Missy, come on honey, time for bed.”

You had expected Missy to put up a fight; after all, kids her age usually wanted to stay up later than they were usually allowed. But Missy yawned and nodded, climbing wearily out of her chair and heading in the direction of her bedroom.

“Night.” She gave you a soft sleepy smile as she passed.

“You two can take the spare room.” Marcus waved Chloe and Noah up from the sofa. “It’s just down there, second door on the left. Get some rest.”

“Night you two.” You watched as the two young lovers shuffled off in the direction of the spare room. Stifling a yawn, your eyes met Marcus’, and he smiled gently. “Time for me to head out too. You need your sleep.”

You started to walk towards the front door, but Marcus stepped into your path, blocking you. The smile dropped from his face to be replaced by a frown. “Where are you going?”

“Home. It’s late.” You smiled but cocked your head in confusion

“You can’t leave. It’s not safe.”

“I can defend myself remember.” You laughed softly. “Plus, I’m way too old to sleep on a sofa.”

“Have my bed.” Marcus said those words like they were the most obvious thing in the world, but you felt as though your heart had stopped. His bed. His bed? You mentally shook your head. No, he couldn’t mean it like that.

“You’re too old to sleep on a sofa.” You teased.

You looked at each other for a moment, his warm chocolate eyes locked with yours and before you could react, he was closing the gap between you. At first, he stood there, so close you could feel the heat from his body, his hands fidgeting by his side. Then, slowly, cautiously, he began to lean closer. His breath tickled your lips as his eyes remained locked on your own, searching for permission. You realised he was waiting for you to finish this. He needed you to let him know this was what you wanted too.

Licking your lips, you allowed your eyes to flutter closed as you moved your face ever so slightly closer to his. That was all he needed, and you felt his nose nudge against yours as his lips gently found their target. His arms wrapped around you to pull you closer as he continued to kiss you tenderly. It was a delicate, almost tentative kiss as his lips brushed yours lightly, his breath merging with your own. You could feel the whiskers of his moustache on your top lip as he cradled you in his arms.

After what seemed, simultaneously, like forever and not nearly long enough, Marcus pulled back. His eyes opening and, once again, met yours. A faint smile played on his lips.

“Stay.” He whispered almost into your lips.

“Marcus-”

“Please.” He said your name so softly as he looked at you, his face still inches from your own and his arms still holding you in a warm embrace. “I won’t be able to sleep unless I know you're safe.”

You had no power within you to say no, merely nodding before leaning in to find his lips once more. This kiss was deeper and bolder than the first. Any hesitation he may have had had apparently left him as Marcus slowly eased his tongue into your mouth. Your body was pulled flush against his as your swollen lips softly but passionately melted into his. You could feel his hands wandering your body, first both of them holding onto your back as though he feared you might dart away from him. Then they separated, eventually one resting cheekily on your rear while the other tangled itself in your hair.

Breathlessly the two of you separated, both unable to speak as you gazed at his blushing face. He looked almost like a bashful schoolboy, embarrassed by his daring act of desire. Your own cheeks felt hot, and you couldn’t help letting out a quiet laugh. His face lit up with a smile as he pulled himself away from you.

“This way.” Marcus whispered tenderly as he took your hand and led you down the corridor to his room.

The house was quiet and dark now as you all but tiptoed into Marcus’ bedroom. He turned on a lamp at the side of the bed, its warm light giving off just enough to see. Turning to you, Marcus sighed, still smiling.

“I’ve wanted…I mean…” He fumbled with the words. You could see him starting to get flustered and closed the gap once more.

Pressed your lips to his, you could feel the tension leave his body. As you opened your eyes and leaned back, you could see in the dim light that his were still closed. His long lashes resting against his cheeks, nearly hidden behind the rims of his glasses. Slowly Marcus opened them again, his eyes darting to the bed.

“I can’t…” He began, a look of regret flashed across his face, but you understood. “Not yet.”

“I know.” You cupped his face in your hand, feeling him lean into the touch. “It’s too soon for that. I understand.”

Marcus nodded but still looked conflicted. “I’ll take the sofa.”

You watched as he grabbed some pillows and blankets from the closet before he stood awkwardly in the doorway. Smiling at him, you quickly gave him another soft kiss, and he sighed, returning the smile.

“See you in the morning.” You stroked his cheek. “Sleep well.”

“Sleep well.” He repeated as he left the room.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, your heart was pounding in your chest. This wasn’t how you’d expected this day to end.

~~

Tag list: @Anaaaispunk, @littlemisspascal, @galaxyofmando, @pintsizemama, @athalien, @wondercloud, @amoriavelton, @alm0501, @kinda-nobody, @zanzann, @Furiousmushroom, @lemonboynsp, @ghostofaboy,

[tuxedokit]

basics for the kitty au

very recently post-pn2

dion still hasnt apologized to raz, and is suddenly a cat. everyone thinks dion went missing or ran away or something.

kitty!dion is a maine coon. so fuckin huge. like. huge fucking cat. beeg focking lad.

cat that swings on the trapeze from its mouth bc being a cat is Not going to stop dion from practicing acrobatics

cat that also acts. weirdly human. like, sits at the table to eat, is capable of reading and ordering at a mcdonalds self-help kiosk, just. weirdly human cat. (its cause shes people)

that being said, also does cat things obviously.

no one recognizes dion as a cat. sam, who has zoolepathy, just. doesn't believe this cat claiming he's raz's brother. plus, dion isn't exactly keen on being near her, what with her history of animal treatment (those diner animals looked traumatized)

dion goes to the campground first. beeg focking kippy runs up to dona and headbutts and nuzzles her legs cause oh thank god my mom .. dona doesnt recognize her. dona sees this huge cat run up into where shes living and probably just ushers it out because no, kitty, you are large and dirty and could be diseased, no thank you. dion waits outside the campground yowling and wailing until she is chased off with a broom.

raz is in the parking lot of the QA. hes like. sitting somewhere. processing whats been going on. hes sad as all hell. dion sees raz and is like oh thank god maybe raz will figure it out hes smart and runs up to him mrrp! mrrp! mrrow! tail sticking right up. and raz is so sad he really needed this. esp when this random cat is nuzzling him and he hasnt exactly been feeling the most loved recently and then the cat is in his lap and dee realizes raz is sad and wants to help so purring happens.

raz doesnt recognize dion, so hes let his guard down. dion sees how much hurt raz was hiding, and puts consoling raz before her own predicament out of guilt of not being a better brother

the aquatos parents wind up coming around and being nicer to kippy but. theyre not keeping it. it can swing by often if it wants but they dont have resources for a pet. dions just happy to be around the sibs again

basically the storyline of the au is dion trying to convince people shes a person and also dion and then them trying to help dion turn back

when dion does turn back he does not fully turn back instead dion becomes a catboy bc mrrp prrrr. aka she keeps the ears and tail and cat mannerisms

[raventroll80]

Stowaway Mer AU

Part 3: The Storm

Flynn has a less than friendly encounter with an unknown sea creature and Seth’s day goes from bad to worse.

Heads up this story contains; Blood, Serious and Minor Injury, Death, Violence, Guns, and the Open Ocean

It was about 6:38 and the crew was barely halfway done with their sets and the rain had now become a raging thunderstorm. Flynn had now began to understand why the crew didn’t like Robbert all that much. He had been knocked down by the waves more times then he could count and everyone was miserable.

They had already gotten an decent amount amount of fish according to Josh. They had just pulled in another set and were emptying the net when Flynn had decided that he should have a talk with Robbert.

He pounded on the door to the wheelhouse and shouted, “Robbert! The storm’s only going to get worse, we should head back!”

Robbert pulled the door open and yelled back, “We’re not going back, until I say we’re going back! Now get back down there and do your job!”

The door slammed shut and was locked before Flynn could open it. Flynn made his way back down to the deck and helped the crew ready the net for another set.

“I take it we’re not going back anytime soon?” Andrew yelled jokingly.

“No.” Flynn replied as he threw the net over.

The three of them stood under the wheelhouse and waited while the net soaked.

“So Flynn, where’d you used to work anyways?” Andrew asked.

“Ex military” Flynn grunted.

“Are you going to elaborate?” Andrew asked.

“No.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the three as they stood there. Flynn watched as lightning struck the sea illuminating the sky, as it did so he saw something leap out of the waves.

He stepped back out into the storm stumbling a bit as the boat rocked. Lightning struck again and he could barely make out the shape of a large fish leaping out of the water. But something wasn’t quite right about it. It looked too big and it’s head didn’t look right. But as quickly as it appeared it was gone.

“Whatcha looking at big guy?”Josh asked as he turned on the net drum.

“Nothing, just a fish or something,” Flynn replied.

As they were removing fish from the net Flynn could have sworn he heard a scream.

“Stop! Did you hear that?” He yelled over the storm and drum.

“What?” Josh asked shutting off the net drum.

“Thought I heard something,”

“Like what?”

“Don’t know, sounded like a scream,” Flynn said

“Probably a dolphin or something,” Andrew said, “heard that they can make some pretty weird sounds,”

Flynn grunted in acknowledgment as he helped pull the net out, it felt oddly heavy. Like something big was trapped in the net. As the net drum whirred the tail of what appeared to be a shark thrashed about.

“There’s a shark stuck in the net!” Flynn yelled as he reached towards the net to pull the shark on board so that he could get it loose.

“What the hell is that!” Andrew yelled as a large creature leapt out of the water and onto the deck.

It was large fish like creature with a pair of wing like fins what looked like arms. Each arm had a massive blade like claw emerging from the forearm. It’s bulbous head was sat upon a thin neck, and sharp knife-like jutted out of its mouth.

It gave a growling scream and lunged at Andrew, plunging one of its massive claws into his thigh. Andrew howled in pain as it dragged him closer hissing.

Flynn immediately let go of the net and sprinted across the deck and kicked the creature square in the head. It gave another gargling screech as it yanked away from him and Andrew. Flynn returned the scream with his own before pulling out his combat knife.

Josh had turned off the drum and was currently dragging Andrew up the stairs to the wheelhouse, Robbert had opened the door and was ushering them in.

The creature lunged forward and bit into Flynn’s arm. He immediately slammed the knife into its neck. The monster screamed in pain once more. Now that his arm was free Flynn sprinted towards the stairs, he was about halfway up the stairs when he heard another growl followed by an ear splitting scream.

He turned in time to see the creature leap through the air. He barely had time to react as the creature slammed into the stairs pinning him down. It gave a wet gurgle as a bright green liquid began to bubble in its mouth, some of it dripping onto Flynn’s chest causing it to burn.

He couldn’t move as he locked eyes with the thing, it’s solid yellow eyes were burning into him. All he could hear was his heart pounding in his chest and the hissing of the monster.

The boom of a shotgun cracked through the air and the creature howled in pain before whipping its head around to the source of the noise.

It was Robbert. He had grabbed the gun from the wheelhouse and had shot the creature. Buckshot peppered the beast and tattered its “wings”. As fast as the lightning around them the creature climbed up to Robbert and knocked the gun from his hands.

Flynn took the opportunity and ran to one of the emergency boxes and grabbed the flare gun and some flares.

Robbert had drawn his own knife and was now yelling at the monster. “C’mon! Fight me you overgrown bait fish!”

More of the acid was starting to bubble in its mouth as Robbert swung at it. It gave another guttural scream and reared back, ready to attack when Flynn grabbed its tail and yanked it back down before shoving a lit flare into the shotgun wound.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the monster began writhing about. It’s once intimidating screams now that of distress. The beast scrambled to the edge of the boat but before it could leap back into the water Flynn grabbed the knife that was still stuck in its neck and ripped out.

The creature lunged at him once more, mouth agape ready to bite down on him. Flynn then shoved the flare gun as fare back in its mouth as he could before pulling the trigger.

The creature gave one last inhuman scream as its head and throat burned from the inside out. Flynn unceremoniously shoved its lifeless body into the sea and watched as it sunk deeper and deeper until he could no longer see it through the murky depths.

Flynn walked up to Robbert who was still standing in the doorway to the wheelhouse. Josh had a first aid kit out and was patching up Andrew to the best of his ability.

“We’re going back to shore.” Flynn growled at Robbert.

Robbert stared at Flynn for a moment as if weighing his options. Flynn growled again,

“Now.”

“Alright just get the rest of the net in, don’t want it dragging any of those things back to shore,” Robbert replied before shutting the door.

Flynn walked over to the net drum and pressed the button. He was starring at the bite mark on his when he heard a thump on deck followed by the sound of something struggling. He shut the drum off and turned to see what was caught in the net, but froze when he saw another one of those things.

Except this one lacked the wing like fins, and looked more like a shark than whatever the hell that other thing was. He pulled his knife back out and approached the creature who began trying to dive back off the boat.

As he approached he saw that it was stuck in the net. “That must have been what I saw before that other thing attacked,” he thought to himself. He noticed that it was also far more human than the other one. Then it looked at him.

It’s eyes were filled with fear and looked as though it was on other brink of tears. That caused him to pause for a moment before seeing the massive wound on its side, not unlike the one on Andrew's leg.

——————————————————————————

Seth had woken up hungry and had almost forgotten about what had happened the day before, but was quickly reminded when he felt a sharp pain in his side from the knife he was stabbed with.

As he surveyed the small clearing he noticed some a bag sitting on the seafloor. The human must’ve left it behind he thought to himself. Upon closer inspection it was filled various objects, mostly broken plates and sea glass, but he also found some intact bottles and some odd club shaped objects the length of his hand.

He put the bag under the rowboat so the current wouldn’t take it. He remembered that the human was actually carrying two bags and after some searching he found it snagged on a rock nearby. This one floated slightly, checking the bag he found it full of garbage. He put it with the other bag and made a mental note to bring it to shore.

Seth was starting to feel hungry so, he went to go search for food and survey the area.

Sometime later Seth had made his way back out to mouth of the bay and was searching for the whales in hopes that they could help him. The stab wound ached and made it hard to swim fast enough to catch any fish and he hadn’t had any luck finding shellfish either.

He thought he had seen one and was trying to catch up when he heard a noise. He couldn’t tell what fish it was, it sounded like a deep growling mixed with screaming. Seth stopped to listen more closely when he saw a shadow pass over him. He froze as he saw a large Mer-like creature looming over him.

It had large wing-like fins and large blade like claws jutted out of it arms. Its teeth jutted out of its mouth as if someone haphazardly shoved them in. It hovered there for a moment, its empty eyes burning into him.

The creature dashed towards Seth. He ducked out of the way but still got his arm grazed by the Not-Mers claw. He swam off as fast as he could with the beast hot on his fins. He thought he had out-swum the thing when it slammed down onto him from above. Seth screamed in pain as the creature tore its blade down his side. He could taste the blood in the water.

Seth bit down on the creatures other arm before smacking it with his tail. As the creature reoriented itself Seth took off once more. But before he could swim more than a few metes he swam into some sort of barrier, he quickly felt the barrier and realized that it was a fishing net. Suddenly the net began to move towards him and he began to panic.

He tried to outswim it but that quickly proved itself to be a fruitless endeavor. Instead, he began to try and bite through the net, as he did the creature made another lunge at him. In his attempt to avoid getting hit Seth became entangled in the net and was now struggling to even move.

The creature had disappeared when he felt his tail leave the water he also began to struggle more when he hear one of the fishermen yell about there being a shark in the net.

“No, no, no,” Seth thought to himself.

 Suddenly he felt the net stop moving, then he heard the humans start yelling followed by the Not-Mers gurgling scream. After a few agonizing moments Seth saw the Not-Mers lifeless body sink into the deep, dark clouds of blood flowing off of it. Its head appeared to be glowing as it sunk into the water.

Seth began to panic even more when the net started moving again, soon he was out of the water and now on the deck of the fishing boat. His heart sank, and felt himself begin to try as he made eye contact with a large blood-soaked human who was now walking towards him with a still bloody knife.

——————————————————————————

Flynn felt bad for the creature, it clearly looked terrified. He then did something neither of them was expecting and cut it loose. The creature began to struggle as he was trying to cut it loose, Flynn tried to hold it still but it was clear that it wouldn’t allow him to fully cut them from the net so he then at lease separated it from the rest of the net.

They sat there and blinked a couple of times as if confused by what he had done. Before Flynn could even utter a word, it hauled itself over the side and dove back into the water.

Flynn walked back to the wheelhouse and went inside and waited as the boat sailed back to shore, thinking about the events that had just transpired.