#Henry x reader

[delicrieux]

. . . l'oeuf

˙⋆✮ summary. just another evening at henry's.

pairing. henry winter x f!reader warnings. smoking, swearing, mentioned drug use, bad aspirin use specifically, use of alcohol, +18 (p n v sex, no condom henry DOES NOT care, very minimal dirty talk), pretentiousness, an inkling of classicism, bunny™ wc. 6.9k ✧˖°.

author's note. happy october everyone ! i always wanted to write smth for the loml henry winter but i never had the patience to sit down and do it. well, now i did. this was written with prompt 1. thick, acrid smoke. feel free to rqs more for the prompty thingies! x . . . side note! the fic is named by this song since i listened to it while writing. you can draw a metaphor from it if willing

creds. hd., div.

mlist | buy me coffee ♡ྀ

it was at the start of october on that fateful senior year that you had found yourself in henry winter's illustrious townhouse. from the lacquered brazillian hardwood floorboards to the ivory plasterwork on the ceilings – every corner pertained a certain degree of finery that reflected poorly on the rest of its objects: a well-worn armchair perpetually stuck in henry’s physique and fraying at the edges, the trampled rug that snaked upstairs and held all of your secrets, the coffee table with too many wine stains. in the dim light, the dried rorschach looked like blood.

the present company consisted of six and was slowly dwindling. your dear friend francis, the only boy who had never cared to peek up your skirt in childhood tennis practice, was a moment from collapsing into himself like a weary, old star. holding a champagne coupe from which he exclusively drunk only campari, he had thrown himself over henry’s couch not unlike a discontent lead from a penny dreadful novel. his face kept twisting according to the sounds: bunny’s voice was met with pursed lips and a tightly shut eye (only one, closest to bunny’s person sat by the aforementioned coffee table), charles’ – with a look of defeated boredom, and in the odd bouts of silence and music, bliss.

you offered him a cigarette, and he barely managed to crane his neck to kiss the knuckles of a helping hand before he snatched it away and searched his pockets for a lighter.

sweet camilla sat by the fire, with her knees drawn to her chest. one black stocking was torn on the side, rippling up her calf and sneaking into her inner knee, an action bunny had noted and all had taken particular interest in. there had been a metaphor about literature resembling her glossy stockings – all that language and reference weaved into a fabric that stretched till it could no more, thus marking the end of innovation and intertextuality. a book can only fit so much, and as all of them cared for ancient greek only – a language that no one spoke, and so, could never refine past its perfect state – the topic soon waned in favor of more brandy.

bunny cowed a story about richard papen, the outsider that had joined their coterie, who was not present, as he had not been invited. he was a fine orator, had a specific sense of humor that, while not always understood, could charm an audience when fidgeted with enough. only bunny was too drunk, and his glass of whiskey kept spilling on his trousers till it left an undignified blotch crowned by cigarette ashes, which only painted him a blubbering buffoon. ‘the fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool,’ came to mind as you admired the embers dancing in the halo of his blond hair.

then, there was charles, drunk as always, who had opted to lay by camilla’s feet, the place where bunny’s drunken attempts of metaphor had landed him.

lastly, there was henry, your own personal virgil, who had not wanted you to come, but allowed it still. he looked tired from across the room, an arm thrown over the cushions of the armchair in which he sat. in his left hand he held a book, a cover and a title too out of frame for your eyes to see; amber reflected in his wiry glasses, the color of his brandy bottle (half empty) before the orange glow of the fire burned it copper. a plume of cigarette smoke curled into the ceiling from his two fingers. only he could have full concentration among the chaotic symphony in the living room.

the record spun to silence, and you quickly abated your seat on the windowsill to pad to the cabinet and change the vinyl. the collection of classics had not increased since your last visit, which was roughly a week ago, and it had not changed since henry moved out the dorms during the winter of your junior year. there were chopin’s nocturnes and etudes, beethoven’s piano sonatas, and wagner’s tristan and isolda, just to name a few. something lulling, quiet. you picked debussy and placed the needle. lilting, soft and steady, like you supposed love would feel.

instantly, you were met with bunny’s ire.

“no, no,” a wave and a body too weak to stop you. you ensured he was gifted your most sly smile, “no, woman, put on somethin’, somethin’ grand,” a larger wave, like a poorly coordinated conductor, he smacked his hand too close to francis’ head. a groan from charles, as if he had grown nauseous from watching the motions, “somethin’ for me and charlie here,”

charles tried to turn away in his discontent, yet did not manage. camilla, concerned, laid a hand on his shoulder, “should we go? i think we should head home.”

“see?” bunny’s accusing tone found you once more, “you’re scaring the guests. put on some real music. like the... the...” he trailed off, lighting another cigarette. for good luck, one could imagine, “like goddamn— listen to led zeppelin, man! the rolling stones!”

you glanced to henry and found yourself surprised. a shared look.

“no such things in our humble repertoire,” you stated.

“mile davis, at least?”

“no,”

“i don’t believe you,”

“you’re free to check for yourself.”

amidst this small argument, which was much too common when dealing with bunny, camilla had somehow managed to wrestle charles into standing on his own two feet. unstable, he leaned onto his sister, the added weight making her stagger.

“goodness, take care of charles,” bunny whined, though his complaints never amounted to more than simple sulking. you chose not to pay them much mind.

it was henry that helped, carefully balancing his book on the armrest and coming to take charles from camilla’s embrace.

“should i drive you home?” he asked.

camilla shook her head, en route to retrieve her red scarf and new coat, “no, no, we’ll call a taxi.”

it was always mildly fascinating watching the two interact. camilla, never able to meet his gaze directly and for too long, and henry, who only ever extended wordless aid without prompt or reason to her only. what had she done to earn such favor was beyond you – beyond everyone, perhaps – but you were certain you weren’t the only one that saw this careful act of piety and kindness.

you observed them shuffle out after moments on the telephone, camilla’s hand ghosting henry’s arm, or grazing the bend of his elbow, and only when they disappeared past the large door to wait for the taxi did you look away.

loving henry winter was a sisyphean task, unworthy of the effort which it required. you thought yourself too smart for it, and thus, never cared to entertain the notion, not even when he kissed you.

you caught bunny staring at you: not scrutinizing, not calculating – simply staring. a curious leer that often fell on you after some semblance of mirth had worn down. almost shy, somewhat longing.

“this richard of yours,” you began, helping yourself to henry’s lucky strike. out of all the brands that you had smoked, this was the most bitter and always left a tart taste in the back of your throat. you craved it, “papen, was it?”

“yup,” bunny mumbled into his glass.

“and how is he?” your gaze jumped from him to francis.

“poor,” bunny said.

“californian,” francis tacked on.

“but he pretends he isn’t,” bunny continued.

“californian?” your brows rose. the smell, the taste – too powerful, almost choking.

“no, no,” bunny shook his head, disoriented for a moment, “rich. pretends to be rich. see, i didn’t tell you this, but,” and he reached for henry’s cigarettes, too, even if his own pack laid abandoned, two-three left untouched. he did this, at times, this odd mimicry: you smoked, he smoked what you did, you drank, he drank what you did, you decided a getaway to italy was your dream destination for a week and later learned he had haggled henry into buying tickets for the two of them, “but i, you know me: never judge a book by its cover, i say. invited him to dinner. the usual place, the one on-”

“god,” francis winced, and if he could move, surely he’d flee, “stop talking.”

“the lady asked, am i to deny her now? i thought he wouldn’t show, but he does, doesn’t he? with a goddamned tweed jacket, like i wouldn’t notice,” he hiccupped mid-explanation, the liquor long congealed into his system, “and, you know, me, i know people. i know people. i see them for what they are, and i knew he was a no good cheat from a mile away, but hey,” a straight spine, a bit proud, “i think to myself, you know what, old man, i’m gonna give this guy a chance. pop’s always-”

“aspirin,” francis interjected, this time directed at you, “bring me some, would you, juliet?”

you snorted, “a moment,”

“thank you, desdemona. you’re a midsummer night’s dream,”

“she’s from othello,”

“my point stands.”

you sauntered off into henry’s kitchen and scoured his cupboards for painkillers. the layout of this place you knew too well – perhaps, even, if you closed your eyes, you could discern each obstacle and map it in front of your eyes with the grace and certainty of a guidebook. you did just that.

behind you, a sudden coldness pierced through the humidity and a door shut harshly. the influx of fresh air was a brief slap to the face.

it’s been silent for a while now.

“what are you doing?” henry’s voice, not close, yet not too far. always observing at a distance, since closeness was never his intention. henry winter. what a fitting name.

“looking for aspirin.”

the tick of an unseen clock.

“top drawer,” there was no urgency; something you didn’t understand was what made him hurry to answer, “i hid them there. bunny keeps stealing my entire cabinet.”

your eyes fluttered open, “my, my. what a snitch,”

“don’t give him the aspirin,”

“it’s for francis,”

“very well.”

an impasse. you closed the cabinet and thought against bringing water with you, knowing it’s unneeded.

“may i?” henry asked, and when you turned to look at him, he was as always – unbreakable, unmovable. expectant, perhaps, his heavy gaze a familiar pressure upon your cheekbones, the curve of your jaw, your swollen mouth (from biting, not being kissed).

“they’re yours,” you said easily, turning the cap and spilling a few into the bed of your palm as he approached, “here.”

to make matters harder, there’s but a foot of space between the two of you. the smallest separation, every part of him and every part of you entangled into one odd constellation. an immensity of motion before him and an immensity of energy after.

“water?”

“whiskey.”

“is it also hidden?”

“no.”

so you retrieved him a glass, and then the bottle, and lastly you poured the amount enough to swallow in one gulp. when he took and drank, and you watched his adam’s apple bob, you wondered, briefly and hazily, was your act in any way similar to camilla’s. a star that constantly drew him into her orbit.

“you didn’t leave,” he uttered quietly, tired eyes flicking to the maw of the kitchen opening. down the foyer, the firelight danced. bunny’s voice rose in a toast, no doubt to shake francis out of his stupor.

“i did,” you said, a slow smile curling, “what you see before you is a specter. the delirious imaginings of an impoverished mind.”

“ridiculous,” the quirk of his eyebrows: mock-offended.

“amusing,” the narrow of your eyes: contagious, “was everything my spirit foretold the same as you saw it unfold?”

weariness. you looked for it and found it easy enough. his fingers flexed, his tongue went behind his teeth. the cogs turned. for all his genius, henry was too susceptible to fable and entirely too superstitious. he could ward himself off it well, yet when his inhibitions were down, there was a hint of something else, a spark of pious faith in the impossible, what not might come next. he kept looking at you for an extended moment, until the corner of his mouth, minutely, drew up into a not-quite-smile.

“hermia!” came francis’ voice from the other room, “i’m dying.”

henry said nothing.

you expected bunny drunkenly swinging an almost empty bottle around to try and cheer up francis (it rarely worked, unless it was wine), and yet, he wasn’t there. the living room felt very big, somehow, devoid of him and the makings of his gullible heart.

“and where is bun?” you questioned, almost scolding.

“bathroom,” francis succeeded sitting up, yet only just.

you heard henry curse under his breath. he disappeared, and soon you heard the continents of a stomach emptying down the hall and henry’s monotone behind a closed door.

“time to end this sabbath, me thinks,” you said. francis took the pills with a fresh glass of campari, nose scrunching from the taste.

“d’you think henry could drive me home?” francis asked.

“do you trust him with your life?”

“do you think he’d let me die?”

“depends,”

“no. i’ll cab it,”

“wise decision.”

henry returned, seemingly exhausted from his small adventure. no one followed after.

“bun?” you asked again, which seemed to displease him. he only shook his head. passed out, then. unfortunate, yet expected. if bunny could somehow gain authority over all of henry’s things – even the minute ones, the ones that don’t matter and exist in the peripherals without henry’s notice – he would. it was the same reason francis once insisted that bunny had been in love with you.

the incident occurred during your first year of college in early november. a rather somber and chilly day with leaves sticking to wet asphalt and stone walls amidst the rainy season. a monday. bunny had broken his ankle and complained terribly about it, and henry, who had become his caretaker, was sick of it and instead abhorred him. by accident and complete mischance, the handling of bunny corcoran had fallen onto your graceful shoulders, and in a single day – full of obsolete complaints and impulsive questions – the theorized affection was born.

if there was a way in which bunny’s countenance had changed in your presence, it was lost on you, for your attention, at the time, was solely pilfered by charles. he was, back then, the most handsome of the greek class, and oddly enough, the only one pleasant, thus you sought his favor. but charles never returned your fondness, no matter how minuscule it could be, and he never gave the impression of fleeting interest. only sometimes, when he thought you would not catch him, he would stare at you for a bit too long. you never got to figure out what he had thought in those moments.

instead, you figured yourself an actor – a pretty one at that – and decided to ignore this indelicate sort of charm and pursue a new mark. there were many, of course, plenty of faces to consider, yet the outcome was always the same. as it were, they were all terribly boring and reminded you greatly of the peers you’ve encountered in private schools, the self-proclaimed intellectuals of the new age that had too much time and too much heartbreak on their hands. good looks aside, not the slightest hint of culture nor comprehension, just money and nothing to show for it.

and then there was henry, of course, so quintessentially different that his existence, still, was hard to define. something outside the realm of you. something above or beyond, or perhaps below – always somewhere you could not reach. there was an irrecoverable arrogance to him and in his aloof demeanor. an inviolable space that never invited others.

yes, there had to be some appeal to the strangeness of him, yet never could you put your finger on what exactly it was. at least, not immediately. at first sight, though, there were more poetic reasons to it – of the tragic and of the divine kind, yet that was no truth but some novel-born whim, a pointless obsession, some meager infatuation. an involuntary fetish. he had not wanted you, which only made it so that you wanted him in turn. it wasn’t an ugly thing – it simply was.

he must’ve known. henry always seemed to possess the knowledge of things you had never dared to question or to think twice of. or, perhaps, maybe not: but, despite your inability to identify the cause of it, there was a certain change to your disposition upon entering his shared room. one, maybe, akin to the sudden fear brought by dark enclosed spaces, though a bit more subtle and complex.

it was, ironically, a winter’s night.

when you phoned the same taxi and requested it’s return, francis spoke in a hazy murmur, sluggishly trying to shrug on the coat you brought him, “god, i really need a cigarette.”

“hm?”

“do you see mine anywhere?”

a rueful search, hands grabbing the scattered glass and hardbound that littered the surface of the coffee table. a valiant attempt to move the couch cushions and dip fingers into the cracks.

“no,”

“well, fuck me,”

henry offered his, but francis refused. the living room lit up in that thick, acrid smoke anyway.

the foyer echoed with your footsteps. outside the townhouse, rain had started again. a few drops at first, tapping the windows, before quickly it grew and gained weight. soon, it was battering against the glass.

with your scarf in your hands you suddenly found yourself unsure what to do with it. the taxi was coming and it was time to go home and plead to a higher power for reprieve from the headache you knew would cripple you in the morning. perhaps, an afternoon tomorrow to mull around, dazed. yet there was no respite in any of that. you realized, then, with this abrupt trepidation, that the cause of your discomfort, or the cause that exacerbated it, was within this confided space. a chasm-deep disquiet, like an open mouth of a ravine, dark and shadowy, or the pull of a tide at sea, which was, as they say, irresistible to even the most levelheaded.

somewhat uneasily, you lingered by the coat hanger, and when francis ambled over, tripping over his own two feet, he downed the rest of his campari and shoved the glass into your useless hands. then, he kissed your cheek, quick and wet, before ripping the door open and shoving it closed behind you, hence halting your escape.

the house was deafened, and your palms itched. the overwhelming urge to twiddle with your scarf became unbearable, or it was because a pair of eyes bore into you from the depths of the room. the closest thing you’ve ever considered to a tangible aura: the smell of ozone and rain water and tobacco.

“don’t suppose he’s waiting in the rain, is he?” you said.

“no, i don’t think he is.”

it didn’t make sense, none of what happened afterward – the decision to face him instead of making off into the chilling night. your arms crossed in a quiet and peculiar motion, clutching the coupe a bit too tight.

“whiskey?” henry offered, and you felt like the silly ingénue in some high-brow noir thriller donning all that cashmere by the door, “or bourbon.”

“fine.”

a crease of his eyebrow – the sole indication of surprise. your jacket found its rightful place on the rack along with that dreaded scarf. hesitance was unfamiliar to you, as you had not known it growing up – neither a sense of propriety nor a loss of footing. the dandy act had been adopted and perfected to such a degree that to relinquish the mask itself was oddly relieving, the discomfort born merely by knowing that francis was aware of your unusual situation and the upcoming events that would take place once the theater was done. there was a brief thought to how henry might’ve perceived you then. perhaps the removal of a layer of pretense might’ve intrigued him, if anything.

you remained at a slight distance and watched him traverse his domain, stepping around the askew items left behind by bunny and a bottle of gin haphazardly upended by charles, warm by the fire. there was an anomalous sort of patience to him. the silence was an abrasion. so often, you found yourself chattering to fill the void, even with other men who took the shape of strangers.

“there’s quite a storm brewing,” you said, only to be met with more silence. when your words simpered, the feeling they left was inexplicably ominous. ‘all that is transitory is but a symbol,’ yet only a bad poet would dare to draw a soliloquy from henry’s figure by the flames.

thus, you sat down on the couch, still warm from francis, and held up the beloved champagne coupe. henry’s hand did not tremble as it poured, but your fingers quivered when his attention fell onto you.

“is it good?”

you never felt the alcohol, only the burning in the back of your throat.

“very,”

he found himself beside you, not too close. the distance was not unlike orpheus’ journey, or so it appeared in the dim firelight – the familiar pangs of the unwilling, the sudden, selfish urge of wanting to see him in his entirety, his visage unhindered

“may i?” you asked, meaning, of course, his cigarette. he acquiesced easily. the only telltale of his everlasting unbothered mien: his focus had, and always seemed to be, too acute. it was enough to unnerve anyone. flattering, perhaps, if only you could tell what he was thinking, but you never could.

in your lap, the half-empty coupe. you left a smudge of your lipstick on the cigarette butt. henry inhaled. it was not unlike a kiss.

“francis mentioned you didn’t want to see me,” you said.

“i didn’t,” he responded.

“a lie, was it then?”

“you assume to know?”

“yes.”

another drag. smoke parted his mouth, slow as molasses and heavy as clouds.

“you’ve changed,” you said.

conversation with henry had always been difficult, before and after your frequent follies in the dark. if you did speak, it was never about one another, or anything that resided past skin and bone, nestled somewhere in the marrow, only felt. in instances where you did find common ground it was only ever art – literature, specifically, and when he was in a good mood, painting. henry only had one fascination and refused to entertain others; here lied his fatal flaw. thus, in a crowd of three and more, you could exchange remarks that would seem and sound important but held no real meaning.

“what sort of change have you noticed?” henry murmured. the lighting cast shadows. his hands twitched.

you were not sure, as you remembered him in much more detail and color. here, ashen-faced and obscured, all you saw was the ghost of his image, as though he had grown morose in a way that a single season could not alter. the greek class had often suffered for the aesthetic – self-imposed punishments of grandeur and excess that to everyone outside their circle seemed quite ridiculous, along with their dark clothes and mysterious miens and enigmatic jokes. some said they were haunted or blessed, but none envied them. alas.

troubled is the closest you could find, though if you were to voice it, he might take you for a child. it was never good to seek out his vulnerability. he would say you could never find it, and, inevitably, it would end up being the truth. henry wasn’t good at love. no one of were.

you shrugged, “you’ve become quiet.”

“am i, now?”

“more so than you’ve been,”

“perhaps you’ve just gotten better at listening,”

“unlikely,”

henry cocked his head. his hand, once again, twitched and there was an urge to reach out and grasp his fingers – some sort of absolution or at least a consolation for something neither one of you might’ve cared to mention. never did the man in front of you appear unsure, yet somehow, despite his best effort to the contrary, you felt a similar trepidation of an undefined thing.

henry was impossible to read. not just a mystery, but undeciphered in ways so beyond the mundane. over the years, you had collected enough clues to form a humble dictionary, yet much of what was missing could only be determined through his own misfortune and complacency – things which would, then, by nature and by fate, stray into your arms.

it did not matter, not entirely, at least. you did not love henry, but you thought that camilla did, and he, in turn, her. once you exhausted your inspection, perhaps you would pass that glossary to her, though you doubted that she would ever find any use for it.

“well,” henry said, “i suppose that’s to be expected. anything else?”

“would you enjoy a dissection?”

henry hummed, perhaps in agreement or curiosity, but it was very possible that he thought you foolish.

“no need,” he said, “yours is transparent.”

“really?” you countered, “they never are. people, i mean.”

“who are you thinking of?”

your mind drifted to bunny, likely curled on the cold tiles of the bathroom. with the first few buttons of his shirt popped and tie loosened, there was the picture of one not withering away but merely on the incline of a steep and lonely hill. all quiet in the dark of a windowless room from which he couldn’t even turn his head and see the stars.

it felt as though he would wake soon and interrupt. his presence always breached spaces he did not occupy, and the anticipation of his arrival always lingered in the air, unspoken but palpable. perhaps bunny would always exist in the shadowy corner-room between you and henry, because, if what francis said was true, henry was the first to know of it and had you, still.

you wondered if he regretted it, if he felt like brutus sticking the first knife into caesar’s rib, closest to the heart. you considered asking: in that moment, the urge felt insurmountable. instead, you said, “a little bit of everyone.”

inclined, you caught his gaze. an abysmal color and a disorienting shade, as deep and gloomy as the woods surrounding mount cataract.

“and me?”

“of course,” you smiled and slid a bit closer, “it’s not like you to ask. have you become sentimental?”

“not exactly,” his eyes moved to his hands. then, the flecks in the fireplace, the piles on the floor, “i’ve been thinking.”

“care to elaborate?”

“no,” he said. you understood his need for privacy, and a small part of you could appreciate his effort, or maybe, rather, that you got something of an answer at all. he did, occasionally, tend to disappear in thought. he remained, despite his reluctance, sitting with you. this, in a way, spoke more to you than the words that could never leave his mouth.

“this weather makes a body wistful,” you told him, “and the greek have always liked their tragedies.”

he clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth before lighting another cigarette, “what do you know of greek?”

always the same argument. always the same contradiction. your attraction was tempestuous, and so, it should have surprised you neither the sudden bite or the wicked sense of amusement.

“all that any student would, naturally,”

“so, nothing,”

“i suppose,” you would not admit, for he would win, “henry,”

something in his posture betrayed him, but it was not his eyes, nor his tone, “yes?”

you were close then, much closer than you were moments ago. his lips thinned in a brittle, noncommittal line and his eyes drooped – more of a warning than anything.

“are you going to kiss me?” you asked.

he wanted to, he must’ve, for it had been the only sensible action – you always pressed for what would hurt least. to drown and swallow poison. it was a favorite, and, for some reason, one he allowed, like an agreement reached. to your knowledge, he only ever let himself indulge in you.

henry only leaned in, which was enough for you. his mouth, a second, not any less tantalizing than the first. and you had kissed him with a brazen softness, enough that his hands snaked to grasp the back of your neck. another hit. the smoke and ash settled deep in your lungs. you had pushed it out in a groan when he dropped his hands to your thighs, pressing hard and confident as he had on those nights when you found each other too lonely. the ache he created was wonderful.

you grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled it until it untucked. he swallowed and whispered in a language you were familiar with but couldn’t speak, and lifted your skirt.

you kept the cigarette between your teeth as he mouthed down your jaw and neck. his finger traced the skin at the back of your knee and that tickling spot right below your ribs. goosebumps rose and followed his touch. he nipped at the crook of your neck and dragged you onto his lap.

“you are dressed far too heavily, and terribly,” you heard him say, and when his lips found the shell of your ear, you could not stifle the shiver. the whole room felt claustrophobic, hot and steamy, like the aftermath of a scalding bath. your breaths grew labored. you closed your eyes against it and clawed into his arm.

henry said, again, this time more slowly and with a dull emphasis, “terribly.”

“how dare you insult my taste,”

“would you allow for a remediation of my sins?”

“luckily, i’m in an agreeable mood.”

henry’s own sigh was long and somewhat labored, as though a great pressure had been taken off him. and his hands flexed, moving up and down your back. a rare instance, to find him restless. you could admire this in private.

the press of lips to your neck. the collarbone, jutting sharp in the firelight.

there was the urge, sudden and quite novel, to caress his face, cup his cheek, graze the edge of the scar of the eye that’s colder than its twin, that shrouds you in a mist. such an act was outlawed, naturally, thus, the opportunity came and went, carried away on a drafting wind of smoke. an irredeemable misfortune, and you flicked the cigarette into your abandoned coupe.

“are you comfortable?” the gentle cadence of his voice sent a wave through the warmest depths of your abdomen.

“yes.”

henry, having brushed away your stockings, stroked at the insides of your thighs. there was a light feeling in your head, an almost dizzying sway. a subtle rocking, like boats at port, from where the two of you were perched. his digits dug into the firm meat. beneath his hands, a stretch of burning skin and sinew. muscle clenched and quivered, “terribly inconvenient, by the way.”

“how do you mean?”

“all the layers,” he muttered.

“good,”

“never good,”

and then, suddenly: “are you wet?”

“if you touched me properly, you could tell,”

henry ignored your response. his hand climbed upward, and found a place between the gusset and the middle seam, rubbing, testing.

“recently,” you said, “i’ve become fascinated with joseph cornell.”

“you’re stalling,” henry informed you without inflection, slipping a finger through the damp center. a harsh noise of pleasure left you when his tongue slid between your lips. one, then two, circling and sinking with the utmost delicacy.

“why? are you not curious to hear what i think of his boxes?” you managed, halfway.

another stroke. his thumb rubbing, slow and considerate, in the spot that makes your toes curl, tight and demanding. when his eyes opened and found yours, it was almost comical – his fingers in you, mouth and mind on a completely different path, yet the connection was there all the same. even more so, while trying to be detached, fumbling over buttons and laces.

“no,”

“you might learn something,”

he quirked a brow, “you truly wish to waste time talking?”

“aren’t you?”

“i am taking an assessment of your willingness to submit,”

“are you certain it’s not the other way around?”

henry rarely responded with malice; each action was carefully devised and, in conjunction, quite merciless. in this case, he dropped his hand from the vee of your legs and tugged at his shirt collar. the emptiness was startling, as was the feeling of tension that coiled tightly in your gut. then, he grabbed his drink and sipped from the sparkling glass. petty revenge, something he always assured was beneath him.

sensing defeat, you decided to placate him. after a dramatic roll of your eyes, you slipped onto the ground and knelt.

“henry,” you began, and reached for the fly of his pants. the outline of his cock was obvious beneath the smooth fabric, thick and promising, “home ruler,” in one instance of drunken curiosity, the lot of you agonized the meaning of your names, that perhaps they, somehow, unknowingly dictated your fate, “unwilling to shed his crown. is the head not heavy? most kings lost theirs, you know.”

“flattery doesn’t suit you.”

“folly, then,” you replied, dragging the flat of your palm across his groin and taking pleasure in the strained hiss, “are you going to let me do as i please?”

“i think that is,” at the peak of his inhale, you reached into his trousers and curled your fingers around his stiff cock, “quite apparent.”

you grinned, lazy but triumphant, thumbing the blunt ridge. smudging the dribble of white at the leaking head and reveling in his restrained reactions: the minute tremors, the twitch of his jaw, a gasp caught in his throat. you would have kissed him, again. his face might’ve twitched, something uncontrollable that would’ve given away his longing, if only he hadn’t pushed it down.

with a slow pump, your hand traveled. the size was admirable, familiar, nearly to the point of nostalgia. henry had touched more parts of your body than some of the lovers you took as an earnest attempt for passion. you had begged him once, half-gone, half-wild with what you thought was need and impatience, to only fuck you – without his clever mouth and his careful hands, but he hadn’t said yes, no, had only grabbed your jaw and pressed a sucking kiss to the soft and sensitive skin beneath your ear. a promise, almost. and in a way, it had been.

“you remember?”

henry’s voice snapped you to attention, and when you looked up, his expression matched his darkened eyes, intense. something flared hot and needy in you, and with it, the desire to be open and dripping for him. he curled a hand in the small hairs on the back of your neck, stroking the skin there and, even briefly, allowed himself an indulgence in the pleasure he could get from a single touch, and rocked his hips.

“vividly,” you told him.

the flames, behind you, cast him entirely in silhouette, and his shadow projected forward and rose tall, stretched. a ruler, indeed.

his chest moved slow and purposefully, and when he released your hair, the lack of contact felt like a shock to the system. his hand closed around your forearm, “come here.”

the tone, hoarse and hushed and so quietly demanding, startled you, and you stood up so quickly that your head spun. henry placed his hands on your hips, steadying, ushering you back to where you belonged.

“just there.”

legs, parted, framing his waist. fabric, bunched between your thighs. breathing, slowed. a firm, calming weight, pinning you down. the firelight glinted in his eyes.

“henry,” you called. and the only thing to signal his movement was a bob of his adam’s apple. the cufflinks of his sleeves swayed and flickered. he hummed, neither affirmation nor disagreement and entered you with a grunt.

more. skin flushed. eyes crinkled and tightened. more. nails curled and scrabbled for purchase.

there, your name on his lips. it was disorienting – not so much a cry, or a whisper, but something between the two. henry always spoke carefully, as though each word should carry the most weight, so each syllable, in turn, he would construct and cut, meticulous and mathematical. but here, breathless and wanting, they rolled out in a steady litany, never faltering.

all fire and scorching, the pitch of it high and needy. to thrust and bruise, the idea fizzed bright and brilliant at the apex of your spine. with each snap of his hips, a part of him carved a piece of you out, and each ragged noise shook loose a piece of your skin. it would fit him perfectly. then he would slide right into those hollow spaces that swelled and throbbed, expanding beyond tolerance. in moments like these, you loved him – his body, his touch, his face, everything that could not be articulated.

“please,” you begged him, trying to curl around the ache, “i want-”

“i know, i know,” he murmured, with a tilt of his head. his hair, you noticed, had lost its immaculate shape, wild and frazzled by your fingers. your heart swelled and contracted: you wanted to do it again, over and over until his whole countenance resembled nothing more than that of a ravaged man. your power, the only thing you had over him. henry closed his eyes.

“spread your legs a little wider,”

a moan slipped when his tongue flicked and curled against the side of your neck, wet and sloppy. the sweet roll of his hips, his fingers pulling at the buttons of your attire and squeezing the fleshy swell of your buttocks. it was always too much.

you licked your lip, shaking when his teeth gently pinched. and, for a moment, the smell of pine permeated the room. as though it were his own sweat and the heady musk of his natural scent, and not a waning bottle of cologne.

“hold onto me,” henry whispered and allowed for nothing more, driving the movement out of your hands. the tempo spiraled upward. at the center, the tension was building. there was a moment of vertigo.

and it was easy enough, as things had always been between the two of you, to ignore the disjointed voices in the back of your mind. how when you two first kissed, it’d been without grace. how the rain fell, trickled, all around you, drowning the dryness in your throat. how the next day, he asked if you would regret what you’d done. and here, now, a different but striking feeling: the warm haze brought on by alcohol, his palms were hot, slick with sweat, his belt digging into you.

henry grunted and swore to a god neither of you had put much faith in. the flush on his cheeks was impossible not to reach out and touch, his eyebrow scarred with the same sort of smooth texture and fading red, his lashes, long and fine, flickering against the high edge of his cheekbones. i love you, you wanted to tell him, but the high struck you ruthlessly, turning you to liquid.

in the aftermath of this brief paradise, you shared a look.

“i still despise this weather,” you said.

henry’s mouth quirked. and what had been the impulsive dalliances of two desperate people became, once more, two lonely creatures with enough distance between to fill one of henry’s beloved epics. the quiet, in the wake of catharsis, was rather terrifying, and the clatter outside – the rain, the wind, and the cold – almost accusatory. he offered you a cigarette.

you took it without thank you and let him light it.

“should i drive you home?” he offered, voice raspy. his shirt had wrinkles and his collar sat funny. the skin beneath was pink, and there was the barest mark where you had sunk your teeth or dug a nail too hard. you bit the end of the filter, watching the flame waver before rising into ash.

“you’re drunk,” it felt necessary to remind him, though it never stopped him.

“do you want me to drive you home?” he asked again. a long pull and a thin veil of smoke.

“yes,” you said, “i’ll go wake bunny.”

“no,”

“no?”

“stop it.”

“stop what?”

“speaking of him,”

“has he done something?”

silence.

“henry?”

“leave it,” he said, but his tone was tight.

“alright. i’ll get my coat, then,”

“of course,” he murmured, standing slowly. you shouldn’t have seen him put his hand against the wall to steady himself, as though any drunken spell had fled, and with it, his equilibrium. the movement was both conscious and contrived, a fact of necessity, and not like the rest of him, braced by his surroundings and firm in stature. a self-constructed illusion, designed to project a set of attributes meant to create the atmosphere of authority. he embodied it well, but he was still, stripped of the mythos, simply human.

you watched him settle and raise his head with a gentle exhale. a mere lift of his shoulders, and he resembled a man in control, content, satisfied – everything henry was, and yet, within the façade, you could see the truth of his discomfort, recently, and without fault, brought upon by an uttered name.

in the upcoming months, you would understand and wonder if there was something you could have done or said to warn him of a future that was inevitable. no matter how many nights you had spent distressing over this question, the answer would always make itself obvious.

there was nothing you could have ever done.

thank you for reading !

[rose24207]

If you accept requests for Henry Danger could I request something with him and your prompt number 16 "Did you just trip over… absolutely nothing?" Thank you if you do! ❤️

The floor attacked me.

Masterlist pt.2

You weren’t that clumsy.

Okay, maybe you tripped over the occasional curb. And maybe stairs weren’t always your best friend. But overall, you were fine.

At least, that’s what you kept telling yourself—right before you absolutely ate it in the middle of the hallway.

One second, you were walking to your locker, minding your own business. The next, your foot caught on… well, nothing, and you were tumbling forward.

Before you could hit the ground, a pair of strong hands grabbed you, steadying you before you could embarrass yourself any further.

"Whoa, there, butterfingers," a familiar voice teased.

You groaned, already knowing who it was.

Henry Hart.

The boy who had made it his personal mission to witness every single one of your most humiliating moments.

"Did you just trip over… absolutely nothing?" he asked, grinning as he kept his hands on your arms.

You scowled. "No. The floor attacked me."

Henry chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure it did, champ."

You huffed, finally pulling away from his grip and brushing yourself off. "Are you just gonna stand there and make fun of me, or are you gonna be useful and walk me to class?"

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Are you asking me on a hallway date?"

You rolled your eyes. "More like I need a human crutch in case I almost die again."

Henry laughed but didn’t hesitate to fall into step beside you. "Well, if it means saving you from another tragic accident, I guess I can make the sacrifice."

You shot him a playful glare. "You're enjoying this, aren’t you?"

"A little," he admitted with a smirk. "But hey, if you ever need a professional fall-catcher, I’m your guy."

You shook your head, biting back a smile.

Maybe tripping over absolutely nothing wasn’t that bad—if it meant getting Henry’s attention.

A/N: Thank you for reading! A little Drabble!

Taglist: @ipushhimback, @ladyoflynx, @lewishamiltonismybf, @cmleitora, @hmma3 , @same1995, @amatswimming, @llando4norris, @dr3wstarkey, @hurtblossom, @ernegren, @esposamultifandom, @darleneslane

[suekeyyyy]

Bowers Gang.

Seires: pervs of derry. NOT A CHAPTER.

Warnings: The added members are from the books and the original seires.

--------'------------------------'-------------------------'---------------------'-

🩸HENRY BOWERS 🗡 _The leader_ 16 years old. 🇺🇲/🇺🇲

- Known bully, racist, sexual offender, alcoholic, and abuser.

💥 PATRICK HOCKSTETTER ⚠️ _CO Leader_ 17 years old. 🇺🇲/🇰🇷

- Known bully, rapist, animal abuser, and sexual offender.

🏈REGINALD 'BELCH' HUGGINS🚙 _Get away Driver_ 16 years old. 🇺🇲/🇺🇲

- Known bully.

🚬VICTOR CRISS📓 _Smartst Member_ 16 years old. 🇺🇲/🇺🇲

- Known bully, smoker, and "good" student.

🤼🏻‍♂️ STEVE 'MOOSE' SADLER🏅 _Meat Head_ 17 years old. 🇺🇲/🇯🇵

- Known bully, smoker, sexual offender, and alcoholic.

🏴‍☠️GARD JAGERMEYER 🕸 _Dumb ass_ 16 years old. 🇩🇪/🇺🇲

- Known bully, smoker, and alcoholic.

Note: the bowers gang [ I'm stalling. ]

[hrefna-the-raven]

Third time's a charm

Masterlist - Misc. masterlist

Words: 545

Summary: Henry falls in love with reader, who works at the local bathhouse

Reader: female reader in mind

Notes: I'm not that far in the game yet but Henry is just adorable and I had an idea as I heard him say the quote below :)

The lanterns flickered softly, casting a warm glow over the rising steam. The gentle murmur of water and the occasional splash created a serene atmosphere. It was an ordinary night, except that, for the third time that week, Henry of Skalitz graced the establishment with his presence, that cheeky yet endearing smile playing across his rather tempting lips. Henry strode in, his charmingly rugged features barely concealed by the steam. His eyes, a shade caught between stormy skies and tranquil seas, found you straightaway. A small shy grin tugged at your lips as you pretended not to notice him, busying yourself with a tray of fragrant oils.

"Good evening, my comely lady", Henry greeted, his voice carrying a playful edge, "I find myself in need of your fine services yet again."

You turned to face him, heart pounding just a little faster.

"Thrice in one week, Sir Henry? And always requesting my presence? The townsfolk shall surely gossip", you teased.

"Let them talk", Henry replied with a chuckle, "I seek only the finest, and that happens to be you. And please, just Henry will do - I'm no knight."

His brazen words sent pleasant shivers down your spine. The chemistry between you both had been unmistakable from day one, growing with each clandestine visit. You guided him to a secluded alcove, where a steaming bath awaited. He shrugged off his clothes, revealing a few battle-worn scars, and sank into the water with a contented sigh.

As you poured water over his broad shoulders, your fingers brushed against his skin, causing both of you to pause momentarily. Henry reached up, capturing your wrist in his grasp, his thumb caressing the sensitive spot where your pulse danced beneath.

"Do thoughts of me occupy your mind when I'm not here?", he asked, his tone suddenly serious.

Your breath hitched, the raw intensity in his gaze drawing a confession from your lips.

"Perhaps more frequently than I ought to admit", you confessed with a shy smile.

Henry's eyes sparkled with delight and something deeper still. You leaned closer, barely a whisper apart, the air thick with unspoken words and feelings, the flickering candlelight cast playful shadows on the walls, but your attention remained solely on him. Slowly, the space between you vanished as Henry’s lips captured yours in a kiss that married playfulness with passion. It was a kiss that spoke of merriment, of shared laughter, and of a connection neither of you could deny any longer.

When finally you pulled apart, a thousand unspoken promises danced in the air. Henry rested his forehead against yours, his breath ragged, leaving your heart swelling with emotions you'd previously forbidden yourself to harbour. Here in his arms, you discovered a sense of home, as though you had finally found your place in this tumultuous times. Yet, as the moonlight streamed through the narrow window, casting a silver glow over everything it touched, you couldn't help but wonder what the future held. Would destiny continue to bind your tales together, or was this but a fleeting verse in life's grand ballad? As if sensing your thoughts, Henry placed a tender kiss on your forehead softly.

"Together, we shall weather whatever storms may come," he vowed, his voice steadfast.

[ktficworld]

I'm making something, here's the first character announcement.

Threadhaven

"The largest and most powerful empire in the world."

[thequietkid-moonie]

Arriange marriage with their childhood crush

[ HEADCANONS ] [ Henry, Finis, Ranma, Akane ]

[ Lost Song ] [ Ranma 1/2 ]

two of my favorite prompts together, nya ~ 😺 of course im up to write it!

I may or may not have wrote this because im completely in love with this idea and it make my heart go brrr and I want to cry for the overwhelming happiness and and and

Henry Leopold

Henry and you spend a lot of time together when you two were kids thanks to the relasionship of your families, and ever since then he grow really close to you, despite being quite serious it didn't really took him long to fall in love with you and as a child he simply used to follow you around and help you on whatever you were up to do

Henry comes from a respectable family of knights and since he was a child he always knew he will become one too one day, so when he was a child, after falling in love with you he had promised himself that he will become the best knight ever so he would be your knight and you won't have to worry about anything! Keeping the desire to protect your smile close to his heart as the greatest motivator

As Henry grow up and start his training to become a knight you two distance from each other since he started to get more focused on his training but deep down his feeling never left him nor the promised he have made to himself, even if he can't remember too well he wants to grow stronger to protect the ones he cares so much for

He may not liked much the idea when he was told that he was already engaged to someone, but the simple mention of being you his new fiancé definetly changed his opinion in the matter in a second, going back and forth of the nervousness of seeing his childhood crush and the slow realization that you two will actually get marriage

Henry is confident, reliable and a great leader, but the moment he sees you again after getting the news all of that is pretty much throw out of the window, leaving a flustered and nervous Henry. Its just that all of this is a bit too much to process in little time, specially because he feels like he is that child once again, that flustered child who used to follow you around without a second thought

Henry may be awkward for a while because he is too embarrassed to admit that he has being in love with you since you two were little, or how you were one of his greatest motivation to become the knight he is today (hopefuly, he won't have to tell you because he will be way too embarrassed too even say it without stuttering), still, that embarrassed state he is in right now won't stop him from promising to you that he will do his best to be a good husband for you, to promise to always be there for you and will always respect you and love you of course

It will take him a while to grow comfortable enough to finally relax and simply accept this arriange marriage the best way posible, in the mean time he is a bit too shy to even talk about it with others, he doesn't hide it but is clearly embarrassed and awkward when someone even mention it just because he still can't get over the fact that he will actually marry the person he has being crushing his entire life and he may or may not think you are way too beautiful and that also flustered him

Finis

As long as she can remember Finis has always being at your side, you two spend a lot of time while being kids and she simply grow so comfortable at your side that ended up clinging to your side

As a kid Finis slowly developed a innocent crush on you, and she made it pretty obvious by how clingy and affectionate she has always being, even telling you without shame that she wanted to be with you forerever and time simply make her feeling grow stronger and more serious

After people found out Finis' power her life was already started to be plan in benefit of others, thats how Finis was simply leaded to have a life that could benefit the ones who have her under their lead, thats how this arranged marriage was setted, still Finis couldn't be happier since it was with you of all people who she will be marring to

Once people have finally notified her about the arranged marriage, after explaining the situation and why this is of hight importance Finis just thought this was even better, she wouldn't just marry the person she loves the most but also this will bring others some peace and help! Finis simply couldn't be happier!

It take her a while to fully understand her feeling for you, but despite that Finis was already celebrating the fact that she will be with you forever, just like she always wanted, Finis even talks about your engange with a lot of happiness and pride, not even trying to hide how happy this makes her

Still, Finis doesn't simply takes this marriage for granted, she have been told the importance of her power and this marriage so Finis will try her best to be of help, to you and to anyone she can help, wanting to do what it is best and what she feels that she has to do as part of this deal

Thanks to this arriange marriage is that Finis will be able to have a more serious relasionship with you, wich will also lead her to learn a lot about the importance of communication, wanting to be sincere with you all the time, but also growing to learn to show her love in diferent and more discreet ways (just because she doesn't want you to forget that even if you two are together for benefit she loves you deeply)

Also, being engage to Finis can bring you troubles because of her power and the great force in battle that it represents so people who wants her may target you to get her, and if that happens Finis will feel incredibly sad and guilty, fearing that something bad may happen to you, wich at the end leads her to deeply apologize and want to help you more and more, even wanting to protect you herself if necesary

Ranma Saotome

Since Ranma spend great part of his life traveling with his father the time both of you spend was a bit too short, but since Ranma have developed a crush it has being incredily significative for him

Even as a kid Ranma has way to much troubles to accept his feelings but just acted on them, clinging to your side and constantly dragging you to do things together, wanting so bad to impress you and telling you about the incredible cool journey he is doing with his father to train and become really stronge (wich he doesn't really mind much, but if you think is cool then it is cool!) and even getting a bit jealous whenever others kids wanted to play you (or even both of you) and steal your attention from him, it honestly was pretty much an innocent crush

When it was his time to leave you he was incredibly sad but he promised that one day he will come back and search for you so he can show you how stronge he have become! Although, once he grew up he probably forgot about the promise, Ranma quickly got distracted with all that happened during his journey (specially after visisting Jusenkyo) that kinda forgot about you, even when deep down the feelings and a vague memory of you still live in his heart and mind

After his father told him about the arranged marriage he have set him in Ranma was immediatly against it, not caring about marring someone he doesn't even know and even fought against his father while trying to escape from the situation but at the end he didn't have other option. He didn't knew what to expect when he was going to met his new fiancé but definetly never thought it would be you who he was engaged to

It actually take him a moment to recognize you since you have grow up and obviously change from how you looked as a kid, but the moment he finally did recognized you his memories of you two together and his feelings imediatly came back to his mind and heart, becoming incredibly embarrassed in a second

He insist on wanting to undo the arriange marriage because he was way too embarrassed by the idea that he will marriage his first and only love, but at the same time a part of him was happy. The mix of his feelings make him hesitant to even get physicaly close to you, constantly repeating that he doesn't see a point in this engagment just to try to cover up his flustered state

But despite how hesitant he is it took Ranma no time to grow clingy and even jealous over you just like when you two were kids, leaving clear that he isn't going to actually accept anyone to broke this engagment with his body language (and sometimes more directly with words), and if you express any kind of love towards him aprovation for this engagment then it is fine, right? If non of you have problems then there is no reason to don't continue with this

Akane Tendo

Ever since Akane was a child she has always being stronge and constantly got in fight so one of the main reasons why she fell in love in the first place it was because you accepted her just the way she is, unlike the other kids you always complimented her strenght, and that crush it was slowly lead her to be more kind and sweet with you, and only you

You two grow to be incredibly close and, honeslty, Akane's feelings for you just grow more and more over time, she grow constantly getting in fights to protect you but it was because of the influence of her sister (and the fact that and doctor Tofu, someone she admires a lot, loves her sister who is so much gentle and femenine) she simply grow up thinking that probably to like you she should be more femenine

Akane never really confessed because of her insecurities and because she feels quite shy whenever you are around (and she didn't wanted to get you unnecesary troubles with her other suitors)

The moment her father told her and her sisters that there a was an arranged marriage she was immediatly against it, even if this person could marriage one of her sisters she was still offended by the idea and scared to lose her oportunity with you, but the moment it was revealed that the engagment it was with you she is too shocked to react

Honestly Akane is incredibly happy about it but it is way too shy and embarrassed to accept it, and since Nabiki and Kasumi knows too well Akane's feelings of course they will support this relasionship and will even try to push Akane to confess her feelings (after all nothing can go wrong right now), even so it will take Akane way too much time to accept this engagement

At first Akane tell you that you don't have to accept if you don't want, both can find a way out of this unfair arragment or you can even choose one of her sisters just because she is still troubled with her feelings (altought, she will actually be angry if you accept to try to get out of this) but once you say that you want to continue with this is when Akane will start to make more obvious her feelings, finally but slowly feeling ready to tell you how much she actually loves you

It will reach a point where Akane will finally feels with enough confidence about this engagment and actually talking about how you two will get marriage in the future with her friends (or whoever make her jealous), once she is able to properly express her feelings she promise that, just like it has always being, she will be there for you and love you

And, of course, with this she will make sure all her suitors stop chaising after her since she is already engaged to someone and will personally fight with all off them herself if necesary (because no one is going to lay a finger in the love of her life)

[buckyscrystalqueen]

More the Merrier: Part 5

Pairings: Henry Cavill x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers x Sharon Carter

Warnings: Swearing, Polyamory

Word Count: 3,412

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite the heartbreak your family felt, you decided to stay in Australia for the full two weeks. You could definitely tell that there was a heavy, melancholy feel to the air, but that didn’t stop you all from enjoying the country Henry had never been to before.

“I don’t want to go home.” You complained on the last day as you laid in bed, staring at the ceiling of the hotel room as Henry packed both your luggage.

“It’s time, baby.” He huffed with a smile as he set an outfit aside to travel in. “I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“Can we stop in Jersey instead of London on the way back? I want you all to meet my family.” A smile stretched across your face as you rolled onto your side to look at him. 

“Of course! We can absolutely do that if that’s what you want.” He paused and looked up at you with a nod.

“I absolutely do.”

“Then we’ll stop in Jersey.” You agreed as Nat came into your room with her hand held out. She handed you two Advil and your brow furrowed. 

“For your cramps.” She clarified since your cycles were in sync. Your brow furrowed further as you sat up and shook your head.

“I don’t have cramps. I don’t have my period.” Natasha and Henry both froze and looked over at you as you stared at the two pills in your palm. “Natasha, I don’t have my period.”

“Okay. Okay.” She said as calmly as possible as she walked over to take the pills from your hand so she could take hold of it. “Let’s not panic. There’s a pharmacy at the end of the next block.”

“I’ll take her.” Henry said as he abandoned the suitcases. He walked over to you and instantly pulled you into his shaky arms for a hug. 

“I’ll get Bucky.” Nat whispered numbly. “We’ll all go.” Henry nodded and you fisted his shirt in your hands.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, baby girl.” He mumbled into your hair as he shook his head. “Don’t you dare be sorry.”

“How is this possible?”

“We didn’t use condoms on the plane. And you don’t use them with Bucky.” He reminded you as he pulled back to cup your jaw in his hands to search your now panicked eyes. “(Y/N), it is alright. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Even if it’s Bucky’s?”

“Even if it’s Bucky’s.” You nodded your head as the man in question walked into the room with Natasha’s hand held tightly in his.

“Hey baby girl.” He cooed softly as he came over to brush his hand down the back of your head. “We’re alright, okay? Everything is going to be just fine.”

“I know.” You sighed as Henry pulled you to your feet. He carefully tucked you into his side while Bucky grabbed your and Nat’s hands and the four of you headed out the door to go to the pharmacy. 

——

“Natasha, I’m sorry.” You said softly as she stood in the bathroom of your hotel, ripping open pregnancy test after pregnancy test to make sure that they weren’t false positives… which they weren’t. She whipped around toward where you were sitting on the tub ledge and shook her head frantically.

“Solnyshka, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about, do you hear me?”

“But I…”

“Sweet girl.” She sighed as she came over to kneel down in front of you while gently cupping your face in her palms. “I am not mad. I am ecstatic! A bit scared because we’re about to get on the plane for a full day and all I want to do is get you to a doctor to make sure you’re okay. But I am not mad, you hear me?” You nodded as best as you could as Bucky and Henry walked back into the bathroom to look at the current test situation. They had taken the news of the first positive one quite seriously and immediately played rock, paper, scissors for who got to sleep with you in the bed on the plane. Henry won best two out of three. 

“Stop looking at me like I’m about to explode.”

“We’re not, baby.” Henry chuckled as he came over to sit down beside you to hold your hands. “We’re just checking to make sure you’re okay with all of this.”

“I’m okay.”

“Shit, we’re gunna be parents.” Bucky laughed as he ran his hand down the back of your head in a continuous, soothing rhythm. “Who’d have thought it.”

“Alright, let’s get our stuff and head to the airport.” Natasha said as she stood up and went to collect all of the positive tests to throw out. “I’ll call the doctor when we get to London to meet us at the house.”

“Oh, we’re going to Jersey.” You pipped up as you stood up. “Henry wants to introduce us to his parents on the way home.”

“Alright then I’ll call when we are leaving Jersey.” Nat confirmed as she washed her hands. “But let’s get a move on it all the same.”

“We’re going, we’re going.” Bucky chuckled as he wrapped his arms around your waist and settled his hands on your lower stomach. He kissed your neck with a smile before pulling away to spank your ass lightly. “Come on, lil mama.”

“Oh, don’t you start.” You giggled as you headed out into your room and grabbed your day bag off the bed. It was immediately taken from your hands by Henry.

“No heavy lifting.” He said with a smile as he shouldered the bag while you huffed at him. 

“It’s not heavy lifting, it’s a bag of clothes.”

“No heavy lifting.” Your family chorused simultaneously which made you roll your eyes.

—— 

“I feel like this is really bad timing.” You said as you Ubered to Henry’s parent’s house.

“It’s perfect timing, baby.” Henry said as he reached over the middle seat to take ahold of your hand. You nodded against Bucky’s side in the back seat as the Jersey landscape flew by your windows. “I want my family to know my family.”

“We can wait.” Natasha said, politely as she turned on the seat next to Henry to look back at you. “If you really want to, we can wait.”

“No, let’s just do it.” You sighed as you ran your fingers through your hair. “We’re here and it’s been so long since you’ve seen your parents… let’s just go.”

“Okay then.” Henry said with a nod as he squeezed your hand and turned back around in his spot as the Uber pulled up in front of a quaint home. Everyone got out and Henry instantly grabbed your hand so he could wrap his arm around your waist. “They are going to love you.” He whispered in your ear as the four of you headed up the walkway to the front door. You nodded like a bobblehead as he knocked on the door before reaching back for Natasha’s hand to pull her closer as well. 

“Oh!” The woman who answered the door exclaimed as she took a step back. “Well I’ll be! Henry?! Come in, come in!”

“Hi mum.” Henry said sweetly as he guided you and Natasha into the house first. You looked around the cozy living room that had photographs everywhere and you felt at ease for the first time all day.

“Who are your friend’s dear?” The woman asked as she gave her son a hug while an older man called out his son’s name.

“Hi dad. This is my girlfriend, (Y/N)… and her wife and my other girlfriend, Natasha and their husband, Bucky. Guys this is my mum, Marianne and my dad, Colin.” The room got pin drop silent as Marianne looked between you and Natasha with a furrowed brow. 

“I’m sorry. You said wife and husband?” She clarified, which made you take a step back into Bucky’s chest. He instantly wrapped his arms around your body to protect you from whatever fall out was about to happen.

“Yes.” Henry said as he put his arm around Natasha’s waist. “We’re in a polyamorous relationship.”

“A poly what?” Colin asked as he looked at your family with confusion.

“A polyamorous relationship.” Henry repeated as he turned to find your hand so he could hold it while holding Nat to his other side. “We are all in a relationship together. And we just found out that (Y/N) is pregnant while on holiday in Australia.” Henry’s parents stayed dead silent for almost a full minute, making you and Nat shift unconsciously under their scrutiny, before Marianne nodded her head slowly.

“So you’re happy then?” She asked as she looked up into her son’s eyes, hopefully.

“I am.” He told her with a nod as he squeezed your hand. “Very much so.”

“Well then it’s settled.” She said as she stepped forward and cupped your and Nat’s jaws in her hands. “You two are gorgeous.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” You both said simultaneously, which made her tisk at you.

“None of that. It’s Marianne or mum. Come sit down, we’ll call your brothers. How long are you in town for? Here, girls you can sit here. Colin, go get some chairs from the dining room for the boys.” At her fussing, a smile spread across your face and you shared a look with your wife because neither of you had parents that would fuss over you. “Drinks! Oh, I have water and some beers…”

“I’ll get everyone drinks, mum.” Henry said as he headed through a door off to the right while Colin came in with two chairs from a door behind you. Bucky lunged to help him and you giggled as Marianne fussed while pulling a blanket across your lap.

“A baby.” She said more to herself as she pulled a foot stool over and propped your feet up for you. “How wonderful.”

“Mum, let her alone.” Henry said as he carried in three beers and a glass of water for you. “She just found out. She’s not fragile.”

“Oh, alright.” Marianne conceded as she held up her hands in surrender since she had done all she wanted to do to make you comfortable anyways. “Now, you three tell me all about yourselves. I want to know everything.”

“Mum, I didn’t bring them here for you to give them the third degree.”

“Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill, I will get to know my son’s partners as I see fit. You hush.”

“Yea, Henry. Hush.” Natasha teased before taking a sip of her beer and putting her hand on your lower back to draw circles on your skin until you melted in your spot. “Well not to drop more news bombs on you but I am a former countess of Russia, (Y/N) is an heiress, and Bucky works on Wall Street.”

“A countess, really?!” Marianne gasped as she took a seat on the arm of the recliner chair Colin was sitting in. “And what kind of heiress, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“My family are ranchers out in Montana. Have been for hundreds of years.”

“Oh ranchers. That makes a lot of money then?”

“Mum.”

“What, it’s just a question.” She chided as she swatted the air in Henry’s direction.

“Yes, it makes a lot of money.” You confirmed with a nod before taking a sip of water to sooth your parched throat. 

“Fascinating. Now Bucky, was it? Tell me about your job. Oh, let me send a text to the boys first to tell them to come over to meet you all.”

“My brothers.” Henry clarified as he shifted nervously in his seat beside you. You reached out and gently took his hand and he visibly relaxed almost instantaneously. Once the text was sent, Marianne kept a running string of questions coming as she got to know her son’s new family. It took almost an hour for Henry’s brother’s and their families to arrive and right as the last brother walked in, your stomach growled loudly.

“Oh, we need to feed you!” Marianne exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and started pushing her way through the crowd. “Colin call Pizza Express. See if they can get us a couple tables. They shouldn’t be too busy tonight. Is pizza alright, dears?”

“Pizza is lovely.” Natasha agreed with a nod before she handed her finished beer to Marianne’s waiting hand.

“This is chaotic.” You giggled to Henry as he stood up and unwrapped you from the blanket with a smile. 

“This is my family.”

“And it’s perfect.” You concluded as he helped you to your feet.

——

Dinner with Henry’s family was exhausting. Fantastic, but exhausting. However, you weren’t able to fall asleep. You lay in Henry’s childhood bedroom, staring at the wall, trying to convince yourself that you should get up and head to Piers’ room where Henry was sleeping but you didn’t want to be inappropriate. Marianne had said that this room had the comfiest bed and it was comfortable, but you were sleeping alone for the first time since you met Henry and you were not a fan. 

About 20 minutes later, when you had finally convinced yourself to get up, there was a light knock on the door.

“Come in.” You sat up and let out a sigh of relief as Henry slipped into the room.

“I’m not a fan of sleeping alone.” He whispered as he tiptoed across the floor. You pulled back the blankets and scooted to the middle of the bed with a shy smile.

“Your mom won’t mind?”

“I frankly don’t care.” He said as he got into bed and instantly pulled you into his arms. He sighed and nodded his head as he kissed your forehead. “Much better.”

“I was just about to come join you myself.” You whispered as you ran your fingertips up and down his spine as a second knock sounded on your door.

“Come in.”

“Well if you two weren’t sleeping alone, we weren’t.” Bucky said as he pushed Natasha into the room and quietly shut the door behind him.

“This is a full size bed, people.” You reminded them as you scooted closer to Henry so the two newcomers could get in as well. 

“We’ll make it work.” Nat said as she pushed Bucky down on the bed and climbed on his chest. She laid down on top of him and you cringed as the bed settled but thankfully didn’t break.

“Cozy.” 

“Get your knee out of my crotch. I am not your wife.”

“Ow! My hair!”

“My mum is going to lose her shit in the morning if we break this bed.”

“Sleep!” Natasha hissed as she pulled the blanket up over everyone and settled in against Bucky’s chest. With a smile on your face, you swung your knee over Henry’s hip and snuggled impossibly closer to him and almost instantly fell asleep with your family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

When you got back from your vacation, the melancholy mood that had followed you after Steve’s departure settled back in when you realized he had moved out of your condo and in with Sharon permanently. It lasted a couple weeks until you had your first doctor’s appointment with your OB/GYN.

“Twins?!” Natasha exclaimed as you lay frozen on the metal exam table. 

“Holy shit.” Bucky breathed as Henry simply got up from his chair to hold your hand. 

“Fraternal twins.” Your OB, Cara Smith said as she took images of your 12 week along babies. “The antibiotics you took when you had the road rash to prevent infection knocked out your birth control. That’s the only thing I can think of of why you got pregnant on the pill. Y’all wanted to do a DNA test, correct?”

“That’s still the plan.” Nat said as she looked over at you and reached out for your other hand. “You okay, solnyshka?” You nodded your head and looked over at her with fear in your eyes. “Hey now.” She said softly as took a step closer and ran her hand over the top of your head. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay.” You nodded and swallowed deeply as Cara removed the wand and printed out your sonograms for you. 

“Alright, let’s get some bloodwork done, and then I need both dad’s to do the same.” Cara informed the group as she picked up her laptop and started putting in notes. Both boys nodded as you stood up and dropped your maxi dress down to cover yourself while Nat handed you your panties. Cara excused herself from the room and you looked over at your wife.

“How the hell are we going to handle twins?”

“Well there are four of us to two of them.” Bucky pointed out as he took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie since he had come to this appointment straight from work on his “lunch break”. “We got this, (Y/N).” You nodded once and looked up at Henry who still hadn’t said anything and he sighed when he met your eye.

“Yes, I’m scared, too.”

“Thank God I’m not the only one.” You breathed in relief as you walked over to him and wrapped your arms around his waist. 

“Everything is going to be just fine.” Natasha cooed, happily as she walked up behind you to rub your back while ducking into your line of sight so she could look you in the eye. “I promise. We are going to figure this all out and it’ll be a walk in the park.”

“If you say so.” You commented as the nurse came in to do your blood work. You forced yourself to let go of Henry and to sit back down on the exam table as he pulled his arm out of his Henley to get ready for his own bloodwork. After about 15 minutes, you were dismissed from the exam room and told to set up an appointment in four weeks for the gender reveal and DNA results appointment. 

“You hungry, baby girl?” Bucky asked as he took one of your hands, while Henry took the other as Nat set up your next appointment. You shook your head because nausea and morning sickness were a real struggle for you that hopefully would go away with the prescription meds Cara called in for you.

“I’ll grab lunch with you, handsome.” Nat said over her shoulder as she scrolled through the family calendar on her phone to find the best date for the next appointment so you could all be there. “Henry?”

“I’m gunna just grab something at the house when I take (Y/N) home. I have finish my college admissions essay so I can apply to NYU’s photography program before the deadline.”

“Still proud of you.” You said softly as you squeezed his hand. He smiled down at you and gave you a single head nod as Nat finished up with the female scheduler.

“Alright, then I’ll see you both at home.” She said as she gave you both a kiss. You kissed Bucky goodbye, wished him well for the rest of his work day, and headed out of the office with your family until you went in separate directions at the front door. 

“What’s got you so nervous, baby?” Henry asked as he hailed a cab at the corner. 

“I’m just nervous something’s going to go wrong.” You admitted with a small shrug. “What if, God forbid, something bad happens?”

“Then you and I will get through it together.” He stated simply as the pair of you got into the cab. Henry gave the driver your cross streets and sat back in his spot to pull you into his side with a sigh. “We aren’t alone, anymore, baby girl. We have each other and Bucky and Natasha. We have a family. And now, our family is growing by two more so we still aren’t alone. Any issues that arise will be dealt with by four adults that already love these babies more than life itself, right?”

“Yea, you’re right.” You sighed as you sank into his embrace a bit more.

“I know I’m right.” He chuckled as he rubbed your arm. “I’m always right… ow!”

“I’m always right.” You giggled with a smile as he rubbed where you had lightly pinched his thigh. “Not you.”

“Of course you are, baby. Of course you are.”

Part 6

[greenandsorrow]

IMPORTANT FOR MY TSH MULTI CHAP!!!!!

'What once was.' -> Henry Winter x OC

I've been rereading the book to help me pace the fic. I've been spending time drafting. Also, Rita (the oc) has become her own person and less of a self insert, which I like. But, I need your opinion on something!!!

Tartt has left some room for interpretation on Henry and Camilla's relationship. I just want to decide what I'll do with it in my fic.

Also, I'll post an irrelevant Henry smut before the first chapter of this.

YOU CAN TALK ABOUT YOUR OPINION IN THE COMMENTS. I'll love to hear it❣️

Tag list; @futurecorps3 @gxdsmonsters @waterisnotreal0 @breathingstarlight @anonymousewrites @sunlightempire @f4iriypng @yourlocalloser-core @riddledarkness @lady-darknessa

[4m0r1m]

Like Me

SUMMARY: In a world scarred by silence and survival, love finds a way to whisper hope… (fluff)

WORD COUNT: 1,470 words

PAIRING: henry burrell x reader

DISCLAIMER: So I just want you guys to know that I know that Henry died with Sam (I played the game and see the series) but he's so beautiful, how could I not make an imagine where everything's alright??!!!

Winter had fallen soft over Jackson.

Thick snow clung to the rooftops and treetops, a hush settled over the streets, and for the first time in months — no, years — the world felt still. Safe. Human.

Your boots crunched quietly along the frozen path leading up to the small cabin you, Henry, and Sam now called home. Smoke rose from the chimney. A warm glow flickered behind the curtains. Somewhere inside, Sam was probably drawing, and Henry was likely pacing as he always did when you were out of sight longer than ten minutes.

He’s going to lose it when I tell him.

The thought alone made you smile — and wrap your coat tighter around yourself.

When you first met Henry and Sam, the world hadn’t given you much to smile about. You were passing through Kansas City, keeping your head down and your knife close, and they were just trying to survive the day. Sam had taken to you instantly — curious and sweet — and Henry had… well, Henry had tried not to.

You caught him watching you when he thought you weren’t looking. Protective, sharp-eyed, always tense. But there was something gentle underneath it all. Something careful. You didn’t blame him for guarding it.

By the time you reached the outskirts of Wyoming together, his hand had found yours more than once. And when Jackson opened its gates, they didn’t just take in two brothers and a stray woman — they took in a family.

The cabin smelled like stew when you opened the door.

“Hey!” Sam greeted you with a wide grin, flipping his sketchbook closed and jumping off the couch. His fingers moved quickly, signing, You took forever. Henry was gonna go look for you.

“Sorry, bud,” you laughed, ruffling his hair. “I got distracted by Maria. She caught me for a chat about the market stalls.”

Sam rolled his eyes in mock sympathy and disappeared back to the sofa. You closed the door and turned — and there he was.

Henry stood in the kitchen, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.

“You alright?” he asked, voice casual, but the worry showed in the tight set of his jaw.

“Of course I am,” you said, stepping closer. “Just… needed a walk.”

He pulled you into a hug without another word, wrapping his arms around you like the world still might try to steal you away.

“I hate when you do that,” he murmured into your hair.

“What?”

“Leave without saying why.”

“I was nervous.”

That made him lean back, eyes scanning your face. “Nervous about what?”

You chewed your lip.

And then — you took his hand, led him gently to the armchair by the fire, and sat down opposite. Sam glanced over, but didn’t interrupt. He knew your “serious face” by now.

“I’ve got something to tell you,” you said softly.

Henry tilted his head.

“Okay. Should I be worried?”

You let out a soft breath and reached into your coat pocket, pulling out the small square you’d been keeping there all day — a scrap of cloth you’d stitched, in secret, for weeks now. When you unfolded it, the tiny symbol you’d embroidered sat in the centre:

A star. A heart. And beneath it... a rattle.

Henry stared at it.

Then back at you.

Then down again.

“Is this—” His voice broke. “Wait. Wait, is this what I think it is?”

You nodded, lip trembling.

“I’m pregnant, Henry.”

The silence stretched for just a heartbeat.

Then his eyes went wide.

“No shit?”

You laughed through a watery smile. “No shit.”

“You’re serious?”

You took his hand and placed it gently over your stomach. It was still flat, still quiet — but something flickered there now. Something new. Something alive.

He inhaled like he’d forgotten how to breathe.

Then suddenly — he was on the floor in front of you, on his knees, both hands cupping your waist like you might float away if he let go.

“Holy crap,” he whispered. “Holy crap, baby. We’re— We’re having a baby?”

Tears welled in your eyes. “Yeah.”

He kissed your stomach. Just once. Gentle. Then looked up at you like you’d just told him you’d rebuilt the moon.

“You’re amazing,” he said. “You’re— God, I don’t even have a word for it. I’m freaking out.”

“Good freaking out or bad?”

“The best kind,” he laughed, resting his head against your stomach. “Like... end-of-the-world-miracle kind.”

You ran your fingers through his hair, heart full to bursting.

Later, after dinner, you found Sam in his room — legs kicked up, drawing what looked like a knight fighting a dinosaur.

“Hey,” you said, tapping the doorway.

He looked up, grinning, and signed, Henry’s been smiling like crazy. Did you tell him something funny?

You chuckled and crossed the room, sitting beside him.

“Something even better,” you signed slowly, careful with your fingers. We’re going to have a baby.

Sam blinked.

Then again.

Then his mouth dropped open and he jumped to his feet. WHAT?!

You laughed as he signed excitedly: For real? Like a real baby? Is it gonna live here with us?!

Henry walked in just in time to see Sam launching into a flurry of signs.

“We told him,” you said over your shoulder.

“I can tell,” Henry grinned, stepping in. “Sam—hey—slow down, slow down.”

Sam spun to face him, signed with wide eyes, Is the baby gonna be like me? Deaf?

Henry paused.

Then crossed the room and dropped to Sam’s eye level.

“I don’t know, buddy,” he said gently. “It might be. It might not.”

Sam looked uncertain.

“But listen to me,” Henry said, touching his arm to get his attention. “If the baby is like you, then that’s a blessing. You hear me? That’s the best thing that could happen.”

Sam's shoulders relaxed. Then he signed, Can I teach them how to sign?

You beamed.

Henry ruffled his curls. “You’re gonna be the best big brother in the world.”

That night, Henry hardly slept.

He tossed and turned, arm draped over your waist, occasionally sitting up to check that the covers hadn’t slipped below your belly. At one point, you stirred and caught him staring at the ceiling, eyes glassy.

“You okay?” you murmured.

“I don’t know how to do this.”

You turned to face him. “Henry—”

“No, I mean, I want to. God, I want to. I’m just scared. I couldn’t even keep Sam safe. Not really. I couldn’t protect him from what happened to us before. And now we’ve got a baby coming, and it’s like—what if I mess this up too?”

You reached for his hand under the blanket.

“You didn’t mess up, Henry. You saved Sam. You got him here. You protected both of us when we didn’t have anything. That’s what a father does. You already are one.”

He exhaled shakily.

“Do you think they’ll be safe here?” he asked.

You paused.

“I think this place is as close as we’ll ever get to safe. And whatever happens... we’ll face it together.”

Henry kissed your forehead.

“I love you.”

You smiled in the dark.

“I love you more.”

The following weeks flew by.

Everyone in Jackson quickly noticed the change — Henry was even more attentive than usual. He insisted on carrying anything heavier than a loaf of bread. He asked Maria a million questions about the clinic. He started building a second crib for Sam’s stuffed animals “for practice.”

Sam, meanwhile, was beside himself with excitement. He drew picture after picture of you with a baby bump, you holding a swaddled newborn, Henry crying (which you loved), and himself wearing a superhero cape labelled “Best Brother Ever.”

Your belly grew. So did your heart.

One evening, Henry stood behind you in the mirror, hands around your waist, gently rubbing the swell beneath your shirt.

“Look at you,” he whispered. “God, you’re glowing.”

“I look like I ate an entire bear.”

“You look perfect.”

You smirked. “You always say that when I’m grumpy and sore.”

“That’s because I always mean it.”

You leaned back into him, closing your eyes.

“I can’t wait to meet them,” you murmured. “To see you hold them.”

“I think about it every second,” he said quietly. “Every single one.”

That night, you woke up to a strange flutter in your belly.

Not painful. Not sharp.

Just... new.

You gasped, placing a hand over the spot. Then shook Henry gently awake.

“Henry,” you whispered. “They kicked.”

His eyes flew open.

“What?”

You grabbed his hand and pressed it against your stomach.

And just like that — the flutter came again.

Henry’s face crumpled with emotion.

“They’re real,” he whispered. “They’re really coming.”

You both laughed, kissed, cried a little.

And in that tiny wooden cabin, the future didn’t feel scary anymore.

It felt like hope.

A/N: MY MAN HENRY HAS TO HAVE SOME LOVE YALL!!!! HE'S LITERALLY SO CUTE AND SUCH A NICE PERSON I LOVE HIM!!!!

Also I've been working on this for a while so I hope you like it! Working already in part2.

[frickingnerd]

yandere henry

pairing: henry x gn!reader

tags: established relationship, dangerous & deceiving yandere, mentions of murder & threats, mentions of marriage & kids

henry is the sweetest guy to you, but he's a sadistic monster to anyone around you!

he coddles you, spoils you wherever he can and drowns you in love and affection. but when anyone dares to interrupt his time with you, it's like a switch is flipped.

that sweet smile on henry's lips remains, but as he talks in his usual kind tone, venomous threats leave his lips, of murdering and torturing the people who dare disturb the two of you

henry is more than willing to kill people. he did it before and he'll do it again, if it means keeping you all to himself and preserving what you two have

people might warn you about him, but it's hard to believe them. after all, henry is nothing but sweet to you! he's the kindest boy you ever met!

and henry wouldn't dare lay a hand on you! unless you'd do something as terrible as cheating on him… but even then, it's more likely he'll just kill the other man

henry doesn't have any big wishes for his future with you. if you want to get married, have kids, get pets or move in together, then he'll simply go along with whatever you wish for!

henry is the happiest when you're happy, so he always tries to preserve your happiness! even if his ways are a bit extreme…

[suekeyyyy]

-Perverts of Derry-

✩ IT (2017) ᙭ Oᑕ'Տ✩

𝘉𝘢𝘥 ՏᑌᗰᗰᗩᖇY: Five "sɪsᴛᴇʀs" ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀ sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ᴅᴇʀʀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛᴇɴ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜs. ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʟʟ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ғᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴇʀᴠᴇʀᴛs 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦,𝘌𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦,𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘺,𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴋɪʟʟᴇʀ ᴄʟᴏᴡɴ.

ᗯᗩᖇᑎIᑎᘜՏ: sᴍᴜᴛ, ʙᴀᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴅs, sᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴀssᴀᴜʟᴛ, ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ, ʙᴀᴅ ʟᴏɢɪᴄ, ᴋɪʟʟɪɴɢ, ʀᴀᴘᴇ, ғʟᴜғғ, ᴄʟᴏᴡɴs, ғɪʀᴇ.

Ｃｏｍｍｉｎｇ ｓｏｏｎ...

[damn-stark]

Henry Burrell x Fem!reader moodboard

Tragedy at the Miller’s

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Vacancy

Henry x Reader (Eat Locals)

Words: 3025

Summary: Henry’s affection for humans has always confused the other vampires in the region. When there is a vacancy among the eight, Vanessa brings forward his girlfriend in the hopes of turning her into one of them. 

Notes: I’m obviously changing the story of the movie, but I thought this would be a fun experiment. I wanted to do something a little angstier with Henry, and this was so enjoyable. I hope you guys like it too. Happy Halloween! 

-

You memorized the way the sun felt on your skin as it set. The warmth. The color it turned the sky. It was beautiful. But you’d already said your goodbyes to daylight. 

You made your way back into the house, making sure the curtain on the door was closed. Up the stairs, you saw him pacing back and forth by the stairwell, running his hand through his hair and nervously fidgeting with his suit jacket. A smile teased your face. 

“Perhaps we have time for you to de-stress before you have to leave.” You said, climbing the stairs with a suggestive smirk. You reached the top and put your hands on his chest, smoothing out his vest. It was the purple one- your favorite. Henry took your face in his hands and kissed you sweetly, but went no further. 

“I’m afraid I haven’t the time, darling.” He gave you an apologetic smile. “I’m expected in less than two hours and I prefer-”

“To be punctual, I know.” You sighed. “I just hate to see you agitated like this. Surely they can’t all be that bad.” 

He chuckled. “No, I suppose not.” He exhaled deeply. “It’s just a painful process, filling a position. Finding a poor soul that’s willing. Turning them.” 

“I’m sure everything will turn out exactly the way it’s meant to.” Your lips pressed into a thin smile, holding back a secret. He twisted a lock of your hair around his finger. 

“I hope you’re right.” You could tell the smile he gave you was forced, but you knew that his troubles would be soothed soon enough. He finished packing his things and with a final kiss, went out into the night. 

You waited for his car to vanish to pull out your cell phone. 

“Is he gone?” Asked the voice on the other end. 

You took a deep, hopeful breath. 

“I’m ready.” 

-

The place of the meeting was decided. A small cottage along the cliffside that had long since been abandoned by its owner. Most people in the nearby town thought it was haunted so they steered clear. It was perfect to assure them a peaceful and productive meeting. At least, that’s what Henry hoped for. 

He, as usual, was the first to arrive. He walked along the cliffs, listening to the endless waves crashing beneath him. The ocean, like him, was eternal. It stretched on into the horizon, steady and sure. Henry looked up at the stars and thought of you. Somehow, in the vastness of his life, he found you. You. In all his years, he’d never felt more at home than he did in your embrace. But he knew his feelings were dangerous. He’d seen enough loss to know how this would turn out. 

So he counted his blessings while he could. 

His secret. That’s what you were to them. The thing they just couldn’t figure out. And he was keen to keep it that way. 

Henry forced you to the back of his mind and went inside. 

It was silent, save for the old boards creaking under his feet. It reminded him of one of those old books he’d read to you- you always liked scary stories around Halloween. The creepy house, the unexpecting victims. Only, Henry knew exactly what awaited him here. 

The Duke was dead. One of his oldest friends, which, of course, was saying a lot. But that didn’t change the fact that he was gone. Killed by one of his own people in an attempt for his territory. It had ripped a rift in their group. Peter wanted to go to war. He didn’t even like The Duke. He just liked violence for the sake of violence. 

Luckily, everyone listened to Henry and Vanessa. They would dispose of the traitors and then they would fill The Duke’s seat when it was finished. That was nearly two months ago. His assassins proved more crafty than they anticipated, but with the promise of The Duke’s territory, Peter was more than happy to take them out. 

Now they just had to fill the vacancy. 

Henry sat at the table and waited. 

You were at the bus stop. You figured it was a better place to be picked up. If Henry stopped back at home, you didn’t want him to see her pulling up. It would ruin everything. But she was late and you were bloody freezing. 

“Are you lost, lass?” A man asked behind you, making you jump. He leaned against the building in shadow, concealing everything but his perfectly tailored suit. “I don’t think there’s any running this time of night.” 

You tilted your head in confusion. 

He motioned to the sign over your head for the bus. 

“Oh, no,” you laughed nervously, “my friend’s picking me up.”

“Odd place.” He stepped forward. He had sharp features, red hair, and eyes that felt like they’d freeze you in place. “It’s dangerous for a pretty woman to be out here in the dark, don’t you think?” 

“Maybe I’m not as helpless as I look.” You tried to sound intimidating, but under his cold stare, you just sounded frightened. 

He chuckled, tossing aside the glowing cigarette in his hand. “Maybe not.” 

Gathering up your courage- and maybe a little stupidity- you held your head high and pushed your shoulders back. 

“Listen, can I help you, or do you do this to every woman you come across on a dark platform?”

The man simply smiled. 

Headlights pulled up beside you, attached to a black car with the window rolled down. 

“Are you ready?” Vanessa asked. 

You nodded, turning back to the man at the stop. 

He was gone. 

“Everything alright, love?” Vanessa turned down the music on her stereo. “Because, if you’re having second thoughts-”

“I’m not,” you said quickly. Holding your bag close to your chest, you found your feet unable to move. You just stood there, staring at her. “I’m not.” 

Vanessa gave you a small smile. “Don’t be afraid, Y/N. Think of it as going home.” 

The tension in you eased, but only a little. You gave her a short nod and forced yourself to move. 

Vanessa turned the music back up. 

-

The others trickled in as they usually did. Alice with her innocent look of the crocheting grandmother. Henry always found it ironic that she was probably the brutalist of them all. Well, maybe not Peter. Angel was next. Then Seba. 

Seba was the newest of the group. He was voted in after a rather tense night of evading the British Army. Peter had originally opposed, but after the kid helped them escape, everyone agreed to enter him amongst their ranks. 

Henry remembered that night with an ache in his unbeating heart. He remembered how he thought he’d never see you again and how you would never know what happened to him. He remembered being terrified of leaving you alone in this world. You didn’t have anyone else, just like him. 

“How’s it going?” Sebastian asked, still giving his wary looks towards Alice and her knitting needles. Even after a year, he was still quite skittish about all of this. 

Henry gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

“I’m fine,” he said. “How have you been? Are you settling into your territory?” 

Seba shrugged. “No complaints yet.” 

“I find it’s harder for them to complain when they’re dead,” Alice said, not looking up from her knitting. 

“If we could kill anyone who bitched and moaned about something, we wouldn’t be sticking to our quotas, now would we?” Angel teased. 

Seba swallowed. Taking after Henry, he didn’t feed off of humans- well, unless they were freaky cannibals like the Thatchers. He didn’t have as many qualms to getting rid of them. 

Peter arrived next with his usual air of frustrating arrogance. 

“Vanessa’s on her way,” he said, taking his seat at the table. “Looks like she’s picked a pretty one.” 

Henry turned away. 

“So, what are the other orders of business we can make up before she gets here?” Seba asked, trying to lighten the clean tension between everyone. 

“I thought you told him we take these meetings seriously,” Chen said. “We only meet every fifty years.”

“I know, I know.” Henry gave Sebastian an exasperated look. “Sebastian, please.” He held up his hands. “Sorry. Just thought you all seem so intense and all.” 

“Immortality is intense,” Peter snarled. 

Angel grinned. “So is feeling the blood drain out of your victim as they slowly stop shaking.”

Everyone slowly turned and looked at her. 

“What?” 

Alice patted her hand. “That’s nice, dear.” 

Outside, the familiar rumbling of an engine signaled Vanessa’s arrival. Henry glanced around the room, at the two empty seats across from him. One for Vanessa and the other… 

Damn the Council and their rules. 

He ran a hand down his face and reminded himself that, in a few short hours, he’d be back home with you, wrapping your sleeping form in his arms until you woke for work. 

Only, he didn’t have to wait that long. 

“Sorry I’m late everyone,” Vanessa announced, her bright smile lighting up the room- at least for Henry. It was often he was able to see his friend. “But I had to pick up our new friend.” 

If Henry’s heart could have stopped twice, it would have. 

You stepped into the room. 

Time stopped. 

Time, that wretched, meaningless thing to him, suddenly meant everything. Everything around him froze and all he could see was that first time you smiled at him. 

You avoided his eye, choosing instead to glance around the table. The man from the bus stop was there, grinning at you with the same predatory look as before, his eyes blazing more than his fiery hair. The others were all like Henry described them. Chen, Alice, Sebastian, Angel- they all watched you with a deep curiosity and even a little hunger. 

“Hello,” you managed to greet, sounding weaker than you would have liked. 

Henry stood up so quickly, that his chair fell over. 

“No,” he said. 

Everyone turned to him. 

“Is that your vote already?” Angel asked. 

“There isn’t going to be a vote.” His eyes finally met yours. They flared in the dark, circles of light that always seemed to stare right through you. “It isn’t her.” 

“Henry, dear, let’s talk about this-” Vanessa said. 

“You knew?” He snapped. 

She clamped her mouth shut. 

You stepped towards him. “Henry-”

“Don’t.” His voice turned into a growl, like that of a scared animal. “You need to leave, now.”

You had expected this. You knew he would fight it. But you also knew he didn’t have much of a choice. 

Slowly, you shook your head. “I’m not going anywhere, Henry.” 

As you stared each other down, the rest of the group sat in awaiting silence. 

Then, Peter started to laugh. It was a harsh sound. Cruel. He looked at the pain in Henry’s face and enjoyed it. 

“Oh, what a sad, stupid sap you are, Henry,” he said. “So this is why you don’t feed on humans? Because you’re shagging one?” 

“Very classy, Peter,” Vanessa scolded. 

He ignored her. “I can’t say I blame you. She’s certainly got the stuff, even for a human.” His eyes raked over you tauntingly. 

Henry’s fists clenched at his sides and he resisted the urge to leap across the table. 

“Henry,” Angel said, ��is that true?”

The panic was clear on his face, enough to answer her question. 

“Oh dear,” Alice said. 

“Damnit, Henry.” Angel shook her head. 

“I thought you were the smart one,” Chen added. 

“I say we start the vote then,” Peter laughed. “This is going to be fun.” 

“Let me talk to her first,” Henry pleaded. 

“Why, so you can convince her to run along home?” Peter shook his head. “I’d rather watch you squirm now.”

“Let him talk to her,” Vanessa said. 

You shot her a look. 

She laid a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “Give him some time.” 

Henry was across the room in seconds. He took hold of your arm and yanked you into the other room, slamming the door shut behind him. 

You’d seen him angry before. When he found out about a vampire killing in his territory, when Peter tried to take more than he was allowed when the darkness of the world just wouldn’t end. 

This wasn’t that. This was a silent, seething frustration. More than that, it was pure fear. The strongest person you knew and he was desperately afraid. 

“Before you say anything,” you started, trying not to shrink under his hard stare, “I wanted to tell you.” 

“That does very little to help your case, Y/N,” he said. His voice was too calm. 

“I knew that you would stop me before I could even leave the house, so I went to Vanessa and-”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” He took a shaking breath. “Do you know what this means?” 

You nodded slowly. “Either you vote to turn me…”

“Or they’ll kill you.” Henry pulled a chair in front of the door and sat down. His shoulders slumped forward, weighed down by a decision that was now his to make. 

You had already made your choice. 

“Henry,” you whispered gently, kneeling in front of him. “This is what I want.” 

“How?” His voice cracked. “How can you be so willing to throw away your life? How can you be so willing to become a-”

You laid a hand on his cheek. “You are not a monster, Henry.” 

He leaned into your touch in spite of himself. 

“And a life with you is far from thrown away.” You smiled and leaned up to kiss him. He didn’t pull away, instead, his lips against yours were sure and sweet. 

“Please don’t do this,” he said, forehead pressed against yours. 

“Are you afraid you won’t feel the same way about me?” 

That was your biggest fear in all of this. Not the bite, not the death or the blood. You were terrified he wouldn't love you when you weren’t human anymore. 

Henry pulled away. 

“How can you think that?” Henry wrapped his arms around you, cradling the back of your head in his hand. “Y/N, I will love you until the cliffs crumble to nothing. Until time itself runs out, and then after.” He kissed your forehead. “I promise you, it isn’t that.” 

“Then what, Henry?” You asked. “I don’t have anyone to stay for. I don’t have a life outside of this. I only have you and Vanessa. The human world has rejected me. Maybe if I had more time…” You bit your lip to stop yourself. 

He saw right through it. He always did. 

“What do you mean?” Henry moved his hands to cup your face, his eyes searching yours. “What do you mean, if you had more time?”

“I’m sick, love.” It barely came out as a whisper, unable to admit it to yourself, let alone to him. 

His heart broke right before your eyes. 

“Why did you tell me?” He cried. 

“I didn’t want to hurt you.” Blinking back tears, you gave him a small smile. 

Henry laughed humorlessly. “So you do this instead?” 

“I suppose it isn’t the soundest logic.” 

A lightness returned between you and he wrapped you in an embrace, memorizing the feeling of your heartbeat pressed against his chest. 

“Does this mean you accept?” You asked. 

“I don’t accept any of this, darling,” he said sadly. “But I won’t stop you.” Pulling away again, all of the love and devotion in his gaze made your chest ache. “Are you sure you’re ready to spend forever with me?”

You ran your fingers through his hair. “More sure of anything in my life.” 

He took a breath and stood, lifting you with him. 

You opened the door. 

The two of you returned to the table, you sitting in the empty chair between Henry and Vanessa. 

Vanessa gave you an encouraging nod. 

“The Council won’t like this,” Chen said. 

“The Council won’t care,” Vanessa argued. “As long as there’s eight of us, they don’t need to know where the last one came from, or how much she knew before she turned.”

Peter clapped slowly, staring at you from across the table. 

“So Henry gets to keep his little lover forever, hm?” 

“Peter, dear, don’t be petty,” Vanessa said. 

“Why should we vote for her?” He asked. “What couldn’t she possibly bring to us?”

“What reason do you have not to?” Angel asked. “Other than being a prick?” 

He opened his mouth to argue, but Henry stopped him. 

“Peter,” he begged, “please.” 

Peter, in a moment of generosity so rare for him, stopped talking. 

“Alright,” Vanessa said, standing. “I suppose that means we should vote.” 

Henry took your hand.

“All those in favor of Y/N joining us?” She raised a hand. 

Henry closed his eyes and raised his hand. 

Sebastian followed, leaning over to you. “It’ll be nice to have someone newer than me. I say yay.” 

Then Angel. 

Then Alice.

Chen. 

All eyes were on Peter. 

The red-haired vampire glowered. 

A beat. 

Henry’s hold tightened.

“Fine,” Peter said. He raised his hand. 

Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief. “All those opposed?”

The room remained still. 

“Excellent.” She turned to you. “Welcome to the family, dear.” Vanessa glanced over at Henry. “I suppose you should do the honors, eh Henry?” 

Peter laughed. “This ought to be good.”

“I’ll do it,” Henry said, almost defiantly. 

He stood, gently urging you up with him. Henry took everything in one more time, from your warmth to the color in your cheeks. But you were right. 

All you had was each other. 

“Are you ready?” He asked. 

You smiled and pulled him in by his tie for one more kiss. 

Angel whistled. 

Henry parted from you but kept you as close as possible. He tilted your head to the side. He leaned in. 

“I love you,” he whispered against your neck. 

You tangled your fingers in his hair. “I love you too, Henry. Forever.” 

You closed your eyes as his teeth sunk in. 

[megalony]

Painless

This is a Henry Cavill imagine that I'm thinking of making into a series, any feedback would be lovely.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem @butlegendsneverdie @langdonzvoid @jennyggggrrr @rogmeddows @radiob-l-a-hblah @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6 @rogertaylors-lipgloss @sj-thefan @omgitsearly @luckytrashgooprebel @scarsout @deaky-with-a-c @killer-queen-ofrhye @bluutac @vousmemanqueez-blog @jonesyaddiction @milanosaurus @httpfandxms @saint-hardy @7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls @mrsalwayswritex @rogerina-owns-me  @hellsdragon @im-an-adult-ish @crazylittlethingg @allauraleigh @onceuponadetectivedemigod @ceres27 @avyannadawn  @noonenuts @sleepylunarwolf @coverupps @justagirlthatlovedtoread

Masterlist

Summary: Henry and (Y/n) have their hands full looking after their kids, especially Toby who has a rare genetic condition where he can't feel or process pain.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Toby- be careful!” (Y/n) remarked as her lips pressed into a thin line and she folded her arms across her chest.

Her eyes focused on the twins who were out on the grass in the back garden, kicking a football between them. They knew the rules but when both sets of ocean blue eyes latched onto her, (Y/n) could feel herself weakening, just a little.

With big, round eyes, Toby looked over at his mum as his smile dropped and turned into a pleading frown. He was silently begging her to let him carry on playing with Levi. He only got to play a mild version of football when Henry was home and he hated being so careful. But Levi promised to go easy and not be so tactile, they were practically playing a toddler's version of football so they were still being safe.

Toby desired to be a normal child more than anything, he wanted to play in the garden and mess around with his twin without having to be watched in case he fell or tripped or something minor happened.

He had always been limited in sports while growing up, he loved to watch the games but when it came to taking part he was strictly told what games he could play and what he was advised to sit and watch. It was hard for Toby to see his friends playing games, especially at school when he couldn't join in in case he hurt himself. They couldn't take even a small risk when his life was already full of complications.

“Be careful.” (Y/n) repeated, a gentle tone to her words as she nodded her head. She didn't want to drag him inside and spoil the fun they seemed to be having. They were both twelve, after all, they had endured a lifetime of living by the rules and being careful, they knew what to do and what not to do.

And even Birdie was enjoying herself, sitting on the grass nearby watching like a mini cheerleader shouting her brothers on.

Toby had a rare genetic disorder, CIPA, something no one in (Y/n) or Henry's family had heard of and something that Levi didn't have. It affected the nerve signals in Toby's body and stopped him from processing or feeling any pain.

He couldn't feel even a tingling sensation if he fell and hit his head or his arm, he didn't know whether he had broken bones after a fall or internal injuries because he could feel nothing but numbess. He couldn't regulate his body temperature because he couldn't feel hot or cold. He couldn't cry, he couldn't sweat because he didn't react to heat, he didn't even get headaches.

It made life hard for all of them.

To have a bath or a shower, Toby had to check the temperature so he didn't scold himself, he had to probe any hot drink he had so he didn't burn his mouth. Every morning, (Y/n) or Henry helped him in his routine of checking his body for a rash or discolouration or sores. He had to take his temperature in case he had a fever, check his eyes in case he scratched them during the night and if they suspected he was ill, they checked his blood pressure too.

His life was made up of cautions because if he got a simple cold or a very bad infection, he would be none the wiser.

If he fell over at school he had to see the nurse because a simple collision could break a bone and he wouldn't know.

(Y/n) couldn't recall the amount of times she had gone to A&E over the years from Toby falling, having a rash, scratching his eyes until they bled or when he was little he would bite his lip and chew through them.

Every minute or so, (Y/n) glanced out the kitchen window to sneak glances on the three of them, just to make sure they were alright. Part of her knew that if something happened, they might come running to her, but the other part knew they also might try and hide it and pretend everything was fine. She didn't know which was worse.

A soft smile formed on (Y/n)'s lips when she heard approaching footsteps padding through the hallway and her eyes immediately landed on Henry.

"Hot flush?" She murmured quietly when her eyes raked in his appearance. He was wearing nothing but his briefs. His long curls were skewed all over his head like hed received an electric shock and his eyes were barely open but when he heard what she said, his teeth flashed in a charming smile.

"Something like that,"

Their house seemed to retain all the heat and soak it up from outside and Henry was like a radiator himself, he didn't need any extra heat or any more layers to trap the heat in.

When he turned his back towards her so he could grab a bottle of juice from the fridge, (Y/n) leaned over and hooked her finger in the waistband of his briefs. She pulled the elastic back before letting it snap back against his arse with a successful twang that resonated through the kitchen, along with his gasp of surprise.

(Y/n) pressed her lips together, trying in vain to supress a giggle when she watched his hands instantly reach for his briefs. He was so used to the twins running past him and shouting 'kegged' while they yanked his pants down and ran off. Any time Henry walked round in either his briefs or just his jogging bottoms, the twins went wild trying to shock him and keg him.

"Oi! Bloody minx." The wild shimmer in his eyes sent (Y/n)'s stomach jumping in delight and she grinned when his arm coiled around her waist. He tugged her back against his bare chest and tilted his head down to nuzzle his face in her hair.

"Did you get some sleep?" (Y/n) leaned her head back in his shoulder so she could smile lazily up at him, shivering when he kissed her. He looked tired. His schedule was messed up recently, evenings were taken up with fitness routines in the gym and nights were spent in rehearsal so he slept in the early hours and into the afternoon as of late.

"A bit, where are the rugrats?"

"All out in the garden."

A shiver rolled down (Y/n)'s spine when she felt Henry's lips trace down the side of her neck and his teeth grazed against her shoulder like he was preparing to take a bite. He set the juice down on the counter and moved both hands to (Y/n)'s hips, squeezing tightly as he turned her in his arms so she was facing him instead.

(Y/n) felt him jump and almost stumble forward into her when Birdie's scream rattled through the house from the garden. (Y/n) knew it was too good to be true, she had glanced at the three of them playing no more than ten minutes ago and they had been fine.

Henry pressed a chaste kiss against (Y/n)'s wet lips before he bypassed her and headed out the back door, feeling her behind him almost glued to his back. The concrete was hot and burning against the soles of his bare feet but he paid it no mind as he jogged out to see what they had all been doing while he had been asleep.

Henry took a moment to scan over the scene, trying to work out what had happened. Levi was standing on the grass, wide-eyed with panic written across his face when he noticed both parents out in the garden who clearly heard the scuffle. But Henry felt his heart jumping into his throat, briefly cutting off his breathing when he looked at Toby and Birdie.

Toby was laid on his side, half on the concrete and his lower half still on the grass and he had Birdie in his arms who was wailing very loudly, clearly having hurt herself somewhere.

Henry thought Toby may have been unconscious or knocked himself out for a moment before he breathed sharply, blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision. He bent down beside the pair of them along with (Y/n) who very carefully pulled Birdie away from Toby before she sat down on the grass to look over the four year old.

Birdie let out a violent sob as she held her hands out to her mother, showing how her palms were scratched and held bits of grit from the pavement.

Trying to be careful, Henry slipped his hands under Toby’s arms so he could slowly sit him up before he scanned him over. He had a sharp cut on his temple from colliding with the concrete with a bang, it didn't look deep enough for a hospital trip but it wasn't exactly a light graze either. Henry rubbed his palms up and down Toby's arms before he rolled his sleeves up to check he had no swelling or marks or scuffs.

He could have jarred his shoulder from the fall or landed on his arm hard enough to do some damage, but it didn't look bad; yet.

“What happened?” Henry asked gently, tilting Toby’s head to either side so he could make sure he had no other injuries.

“Birdie tripped… I grabbed her to stop her from falling but we both went down.”

Toby had reached out for his sister when she started to stumble forward but he couldn’t hold her weight or pull her up in time and he fell down with her. He managed to turn them around so Birdie grazed her hands going down but didn't fall flat on her face. She landed mostly on him causing him to hit his head and his side as he went down, trying to keep her against his chest to stop her from getting hurt.

“Alright, everybody inside. And you're alright?" Henry glanced over at Levi, needing a bit of reassurance that the other twin wasn't hurt and had only witnessed the scuffle.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Up we go, bud." Henry carefully hoisted Toby up and set him down on his feet, keeping hold of him under his armpits when he wobbled unsteadily on his feet.

Toby couldn't get a headache, he'd never had one in his life and he certainly wouldn't feel anything but sick from a fall like that. But his head did feel like it was full of air and there were small dots in front of his eyes that he was used to after a fall.

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Henry leaned down and scooped Toby up in case he fell, he didn't look steady enough to walk and he didn't want anymore accidents. Toby was twelve and he was tall and lanky for his age, taking after Henry in that department, so it was awkward for Henry to carry him. He knew Toby wouldn't want to be carried on his dad's hip like Birdie, he was too old for that and it felt awkward to hold him up by his armpits.

Henry settled on looping one arm around Toby's upper chest and hoisting him off his feet that way and a small smile came onto his boy's face when he started to walk them back inside after (Y/n).

"Sit down, bud and we'll take a better look at you." He kicked one of the kitchen chairs out with his heel before he eased Toby down so he could sit and rest for a minute.

"Daddy!" Birdie reached her arms out the moment (Y/n) sat her down on the kitchen counter next to the sink.

Her little wail did wonders in gaining Henry's attention no matter where they were or what they were doing and with a soft smile, he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her head multiple times before inspecting her hands and turning on the cold tap. She only had a few graze marks on her palms, once they were clean and had some cream on she would be fine.

She burrowed her head into Henry's chest, wriggling and letting out a few small wails when he took her tiny hands in his large ones and held them under the water to clean the grit off.

“Sshh, it’s okay sweetheart. Let me clean them up Birdie.” Henry hushed, brushing away the flecks of mud and grit from her hands and the small trickles of blood beginning to form from the scratch marks. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head again while (Y/n) leaned around him to grab a tea towel, running it under the water before moving to tend to Toby.

“Do you feel dizzy?” (Y/n) questioned, tilting Toby’s head up so she could start cleaning the blood slowly oozing from the cut.

It was always easier to tend to Toby’s cuts and scrapes because he didn’t flinch. No pain meant it was easier to patch him up, he could sit still whereas with Levi or Birdie they wriggled away in pain like Birdie was doing now with Henry. Toby slowly nodded his head as he watched his mum grab the box from the cupboard containing plasters, wipes, paracetamol and such.

(Y/n) opened an antiseptic wipe and started cleaning Toby’s cut, both of them noticing how Henry was having a hard time trying to do the same with Birdie who was wailing at the feeling of her cuts being cleaned.

When he was done, Henry picked Birdie up and sat her down on his hip, letting her curl up into his bare chest before he turned to look at the twins. Toby was still being patched up at the table and Levi was stood anxiously in the kitchen doorway, unsure what to do. But he knew by the look in his dad's face that they were about to get some sort of lecture.

“All done. Next time you all want to play football, wait for me or your mum to join or watch.” Henry instructed as he gently cradled Birdie to his chest whose cries were slowly dying down. Her head tucked into his neck as she sniffed, saying nothing as she tried to calm down.

Henry watched Toby’s head turn sharply to look at him, his eyes widening as his face fell. (Y/n) didn’t join in when playing football, it wasn’t one of the games she particularly liked to participate in and they couldn’t always wait around for Henry to come home. Nor could (Y/n) keep an eye on them playing all the time like today, it wasn’t going to work. Henry was practically telling them- or more specifically, Toby- that he couldn’t play unless someone watched him when they were only just beginning to let him do more things and play more on his own.

It was as if he needed a full-time watcher to make sure he was okay but the only person Toby accepted watching over him all the time was Henry. He didn't like anyone else trying to 'keep an eye on him' unless it was his dad.

“Dad it was an accident-”

“Yes, and I don’t want any more accidents happening Toby. You could have knocked yourself out.” Henry wasn’t saying this to be cruel or make Toby feel bad, he just didn’t want the risk of anything else happening. Toby needed to be watched because he may not realise when he was doing something that could hurt himself. He didn’t want them playing out and anything bad happen like this because Toby could have cut his head deeper or fell unconscious.

“I fell catching Birdie, not playing football.” Toby's tone gave away that he was growing angry and upset but his frown only deepened when Henry raised a brow at him.

He didn't like the tone his son was using with him, whether or not he has reason to be angry.

“You fell playing outside when no one was watching so next time someone’s going to watch. It's for your sake.” Henry wasn’t trying to bargain or make a deal, he was setting a rule because he didn’t want to come home and find Toby unconscious or with yet another broken bone. It was to keep him safe.

A deep frown set into Toby's forehead and his lips curved down before he slammed his palm down on the table, causing Birdie to jolt and whimper into Henry's chest.

(Y/n) gave him a certain look with pursed lips but she didn't have to turn around to see the stern look on her husband's face. She could practically feel Henry's emotions radiating through her and when Toby adverted his gaze to the floor, she knew Henry wasn't happy.

"Don't start with me."

"But I can't do anything! Levi gets to play football after school but I don't, I can't even do athletics club. I don't want to be wrapped in bubble wrap!"

Toby didn't have as big a fascination with football like Levi did, he leaned more towards rugby simply because he had watched Henry play rugby all his life and he admired his dad when he played. But he couldn't join in football at school because if he slipped or fell or collided with someone awkwardly, he could end up breaking a bone and going to A&E. And if he fell and didn't tell his parents he could be walking around on a damaged or broken leg and make it worse without realising it.

Athletics was something Toby wanted to try but again, if he fell and didn't land on a crash mat, they could have another problem. And if he played sports and got overheated, his body couldn't sweat to cool him down and he could get a fever or make himself sick so it wasn't worth the risk.

"You can't do school clubs but you come to the gym with me and train, don't you? You're not in bubble wrap, you have to be cautious and you know that. End of subject."

With that, Henry turned and headed towards the living room, ruffling Toby's hair as he passed to try and cool down the situation. He wasn't having this argument, he wasn't doing it anymore.

Toby wasn't wrapped in cotton wool, he had to be cautious. He had to be careful, more than others because if he wasn't he would become ill and no one wanted that. But just because he missed out at school didn't mean he always missed out at home either. Henry took him to the gym with him, just the two of them so they got one to one time. At the gym, Henry could check Toby's temperature, make sure he had appropriate rest so he didn't overheat and show him how to train and lift weights and do small but adequate exercises so he wasn't pushed too hard. It was a good substitute.

(Y/n) leaned over to rub her hand up and down Toby's arm, smiling gently at him. She was sure that if Toby could, he would have been crying by now. Leaning forward, she gently wrapped her arms around him, surprised when he held her back very tightly and burrowed his face into her shoulder.

“Sweetheart, you know you have to be careful… playing games or sports isn’t the best idea for you. Your dad doesn’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.” (Y/n) slowly carded her fingers through Toby’s hair as she heard him huff in response but she knew he understood.

This had been and would continue to be the way Toby’s life went. He would need watching and would have to be careful when he was older, that was just how life was going to be for him. To make it easier, they had to prevent him from doing activities that would cause more harm than good, the more cautious he was the better his life would be and the more he would learn how to take care of himself when he was older.

“I don’t want to be careful.” Toby whispered defiantly.

He wanted to be normal.

He wanted to feel hot and cold, he wanted to cry and scrape his knee or hit his head and feel the pain. He wanted a headache or tummy ache and to feel if food was hot or cold. He wanted to rub his eyes and feel that satisfied itching and know when to stop. His body desired and craved the burning sensation of pain when he fell or the drowsy headaches he saw his family get when they were sick. He could throw up and have a fever and still get up and play video games and dance because he didn't feel the pain or the toll it took on his body.

“That’s not how this works, baby. People have to be careful they don’t hurt themselves, you have to be just the same even if it's for different reasons. Even if you don’t feel yourself getting hurt it will cause damage, we’re just trying to keep you safe.”

It didn’t really matter if Toby didn’t want to be careful, no one really wanted to live a careful life but they did. Others made sure they weren’t reckless when driving a car or didn’t run on a slippery surface or took medication so they didn’t get ill. Toby was careful not to damage his body so he didn’t get internal damage or broken bones and cuts and scrapes.

"Your dad worries about you a lot baby, rules are there so he doesn't have to worry and you stay safe."

[buckyscrystalqueen]

More the Merrier: Epilogue

Pairings: Henry Cavill x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes x Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers x Sharon Carter

Warnings: Swearing, Polyamory

Word Count: 571

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One Year Later

“Mommy!” 

“What baby?” You asked as you stood in your kitchen, frosting 2 strawberry smash cakes for the twin’s first birthday. 

“Mommy!”

“What baby?” You giggled as you looked up from the cake you were frosting with a smile. Meadow was stretched as far as she could go in her high chair to hand you something and you internally cringed on what it could possibly be.

“Here.”

“Thank you baby.” You sighed as you went to put down the frosting bag and settled into being grossed out by whatever she had in her hand.

“Here, let me see, little one.” Steve cooed, coming to your rescue with his hand out and a wet wipe ready. “Oh, thank you for the spoon!”

“Oh, I was worried it was chewed up food.” You laughed as you glanced back over your shoulder at him. “You never know with her.”

“Don’t I know it.” He chuckled as he wiped off Meadow’s hands and face before letting her loose in the kitchen. “Where’s Magnolia?”

“With mama.” You said as you gestured to the hall toward the play room. “Play room.”

“Come on, Meadow bug. Let’s go find your sissy.” He said as he took your youngest’s hand and carefully led her toward the playroom.

“I’m home!” Henry called out as he stepped out of the elevator after his classes for the day.

“Kitchen or play room!” You called back, giving him the general idea of where people were. You were just finishing up the last flower when his large hands circled your waist and crossed on your belly. 

“Mmmm. You got a little something right… here.” You giggled and squirmed in his grip as he ran his tongue down your ear where you had some frosting remnants. “Yummy.”

“You, Mister, are trouble.” 

“You know it.” He teased as he kissed your cheek and pat your hip. “I’m going to say hey to the girls and you and I have date night tonight.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” You said as you finally set down the piping bag and stepped back. “Cakes are done.”

“And they are beautiful, solnyshka.” Nat said as she came into the kitchen with two empty juice cups.

“They’ll look even more beautiful smashed to bits.” You laughed as Bucky called out that he was also home. “Kitchen!”

“Playroom!”

“Monsters!” He growled as he stormed into the playroom, looking for kisses and causing both girls to squeal. You, Nat and Henry all chuckled as you put the covers on the two cakes and put them in the fridge until their party the next day. You heard more growls and squeals of joy coming from the playroom as ‘dada’ (Bucky) and ‘papa’ (Steve) played with the girls.

“Well now I have to get in on this love fest.” Henry (daddy) chuckled as he set his school and camera bags on the counter beside you and hurried toward the playroom, growling and snarling as he went causing more screams to come from the two 1 year olds. 

“We live with such children.” Nat teased as she filled up the juice cups while shaking her head.

“To be completely honest…” You sighed as you looked over at her with tears of joy in your eyes. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She paused and looked over at you with a pout before leaning over to kiss you gently.

“More the merrier, right?”

THE END

[ktficworld]

CHARACTER ANNOUCEMENT