#I could never put Herb through knowing the man he was once in love with would later go on to do… that

[bojackandherb]

In every single one of my aus (even silly crack aus I’ve never gonna do anything with), Bojack never sleeps with Sarah Lynn.

Both because

1: for my sanity

2: if Bojack did and Herb found out, he’d beat him up

[xomakara]

Breathing

(re-posting from my old account seulrinnie-rinrin/xomakara-secondary)

SUMMARY | You were betrayed by your betrothed and left for dead. You’re rescued by a healer named Yeosang, who nurses you back to health. As you recover, you share your past with Yeosang and express your desire to live a quiet life, away from the rumors and hatred you faced. PAIRING | Yeosang x Reader GENRE/CONTENT | healer!Yeosang, noble!Reader, non-idol au, fantasy, romance, slight angst, slight fluff, smut, consensual, vaginal sex (wrap it up y’all!), oral sex, gentle lovemaking WARNINGS | Its a fantasy setting so…yeah, implied violence, betrayal, injuries/wounds, RATING | Mature, Explicit, 18+, NSFW, MDNI LENGTH | 7,050 words TAGLIST | -- NETWORKS | AUTHOR’S NOTE | This took me a bit to write and I finally finished it! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I wrote it! Please reblog, comment and like~ Much love!

You couldn’t have known that it would have come down to this.

Couldn’t have known this would have been the last breath you would have taken.

He knew better than anyone else how much you loved him and even though you begged for a chance to be a family, you didn’t even get that one chance.

You were just discarded like the rubbish you were, never being able to find happiness or peace again. It all happened so quickly; there was no way you could stop what had just occurred.

All you wanted was to feel safe and protected; all you ever wanted was love, happiness, and companionship.

He gave you that love and happiness once upon a time.

But then that woman who was like a ray of sunshine swept him off his feet and took him away from you. He changed. He gave her everything and forgot about you. The rumors that you were evil and vindictive grew and flourished because of how you treated that woman. They said you stole him from her even though that was far from the truth.

The stories they told made him want to leave you and finally it did happen, just not in the way you imagined. Now he’s gone and you’re alone.

No more fighting.

No more tears.

Nothing but emptiness.

He is now free from your grasp as his guards drove a sword through your chest.

There is nothing left for you now except for pain and grief.

As you laid on the warm, grassy field looking at his fleeting back as he walked away with that woman at his side, you couldn’t help but take one last breath before darkness consumed you. Your heart stopped beating; your soul died in that moment when he gave up on you, right in front of your very eyes.

You woke with a start, breath heavy as you clutched at your painful chest where the guards’ sword pierced through it during your final moments of life.

You weren’t dead?

You looked around the room and noticed the bare furniture and bright white walls; the smell of death wasn’t present.

It was empty except for you. There was no prince by your side, no other guards and fair ladies, no one…

It was just you and this huge bed. You suddenly felt cold, not only from the icy temperature outside but also from the fact that your whole body hurt.

“You’re awake?” You heard a voice called out. You looked over to see a man standing near the door holding a bowl of something. “How do you feel?”

“Where am I?” You managed to choke out between deep breaths. The man came closer to the bed and kneeled down next to you, sitting the bowl on the nightstand that was next to the bed. “And who are you?”

“My name is Kang Yeosang.” The man smiled, putting a hand on your shoulder. You instinctively shied away. “Here, have some soup. It has medicinal herbs in it. Hopefully it will help ease the pain you’re feeling.”

“Thank you,” You took the bowl gingerly, cautiously as you carefully spooned the contents into your mouth.

Yeosang watched you for a bit, giving you a slight nod. “I know you have plenty of questions. I’m sure you’re wondering how you ended up here.” He sighed deeply. “I don’t know what exactly happened to you…but I found you bleeding out in the fields. You were barely breathing. You were barely alive. I brought you here, cleaned you up and nursed you back to health.”

“How long have I been here?” You asked after you swallowed the rest of the broth. You lifted yourself off the bed, using Yeosang’s hand as support.

"Only a few days.” He answered solemnly. “That wound on your back looks infected. We can treat it if you want.”

“Okay,” You nodded. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat next to you, giving you a worried look.

“Can I ask what happened to you?” Yeosang asked, his fingers untying the thick ribbons that tied the back of the shirt you were in. You closed your eyes as he peeled it open, exposing the injury in your back. “What happened when you were left out in the fields to die?”

“The man I thought I loved betrayed me for another woman. The rumors were that I stole him from that woman. That I was evil and vindictive.” You sobbed quietly as Yeosang tried to soothe your wounds. “People hated me for loving someone who didn’t love me back. I tried talking to them to come to an understanding during the imperial hunt…but I guess I was the one hunted instead.”

Yeosang gently dabbed the wound, helping you sit upright against the headboard as he began to bandage the cloth around your chest. You winced from the sharp pain. "They wouldn’t listen to you?”

“No,” You shook your head. “None of them cared. They just accused me of horrible things and said terrible things about me. They made my life hell and there was nothing I could do to stop it. To everyone, I’m just a villain undeserving of love and happiness. So I lost hope in trying to get people to accept me for who I really am. All I ever wanted was to belong somewhere, to be accepted by others.”

“Oh…” Yeosang furrowed his brows as he tightened the last knot of the bandage. He grabbed the shirt and put it back on you, wrapping it tightly around your chest. “Do you want revenge?”

You shook your head vehemently. “I don’t care about the rumors anymore. What’s done is done. Nothing can change that now. I just want to live life quietly even if people think I’m dead. As long as I am happy, then that’s all that matters.”

Yeosang patted your hand softly. “We’ll talk more later. Right now you should try and get some sleep.” He stood up and started walking towards the door. “Sleep well.”

You laid back down in the bed and waited until you felt drowsiness take over your body.

Your fever spiked and you coughed violently, sending hot spittle flying across the room. You were sweating profusely, your skin burning under your touch as Yeosang sat by your side, wiping your face with a wet cloth.

“Please stay still,” Yeosang murmured soothingly as he wiped your forehead with another cloth. “This will make you feel better.”

You let out a soft groan as Yeosang touched your back. Your back still ached, especially from the wound that pierced your body. The wound from the guards hadn’t fully healed yet. You were scared to move too much lest the wound reopened again.

“Let me see.” Yeosang reached for the blanket, uncovering your torso. “Does it still hurt?”

“Yeah,” You frowned as you tried to sit up. “A lot.”

“It’ll heal soon,” Yeosang assured you as he used the clean cloth to wipe your sweat away. You sighed in relief as your head cooled down. “Just relax and let me tend to you. This might hurt a little.”

“Alright,” You nodded, closing your eyes as you felt his hands moving around your wounded chest. The first touch made you flinch, causing Yeosang to pause in his work. You exhaled loudly as you slowly lay back down, letting Yeosang continue tending to your wounds. He worked steadily, cleaning the wounds and applying the healing balm onto the wound.

“Everything alright?” Yeosang asked concernedly, his eyes focused on your chest as he continued his work.

“Mmm hmm,” You hummed in reply.

He finished treating the wound after what seemed like forever. He let out a sigh of relief before sitting back in his chair. “There, that should help with the pain.”

“Thanks,” You smiled weakly. “That really helped.”

“Are you hungry?” Yeosang asked. “The broth earlier wasn’t enough for you. Are you hungry for anything else?”

“I would kill for meat…” You muttered but shook your head when you saw his face. “I don’t really mean I’d kill anyone. I’ll shut up now. Sorry for saying that.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled lightly. “Would you like some water? You haven’t drank any in a while.”

“Sure,” You smiled gratefully as Yeosang got up from his seat and filled a cup of water from the nearby basin. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He handed you a cup of water. “Drink it slowly. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“I will.” You promised as you sipped the cool water. It tasted like nothing compared to the wine you usually drank but it was nice and refreshing nonetheless.

After your glass was empty, Yeosang refilled it. “Now, how are you feeling?” He asked gently. “Better?”

“Yes.” You nodded, swallowing the remaining liquid in the cup. “Much better.”

“Good.” Yeosang smiled at you reassuringly. “I’m going to head out and procure some meat. Will you be okay here alone?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” You reassured him. “Go on ahead. I’m good.”

“Alright.” He stood up, taking his empty cup with him. “Have a good night, Y/N. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night, Yeosang.” You watched him leave before lying back down in bed. You set the cup of water aside and stared up at the ceiling, focusing your attention on counting the beams above you.

Your wound had healed considerably, although it was still tender to the touch. At least it didn’t hurt nearly as much as it did yesterday. The worst part was having to constantly deal with the constant headache that was plaguing your mind. Even though you were alone, you had never felt more alone than you did at this very moment. You wished you had someone by your side; someone you could lean on. A friend or family member. But sadly, none of those existed.

But Yeosang had taken such good care of you.

In the past few days that you’ve been in Yeosang’s care, you learned that he was a former guard in the imperial army before losing both his parents in a tragic accident. Because of his current situation, he decided to return to his home village to tend to his parent’s property and retired from the imperial army.

Yeosang became a healer to provide healing for the village and for coin. He has always enjoyed healing and saving people, being outdoors for herbs and being among nature. In fact, he was looking for medicinal herbs in the outskirts of his village when he found you on the verge of death in the field.

Yeosang was a kind man, a bit weird and eccentric at times but he had a good heart. After your injuries were treated, he stayed by your side, helping you recover. He told you that you needed to eat properly in order to regain your strength. So he provided you with the best food he could find, made you nutritious soups and prepared delicious meat meals for you. You knew you should be thankful for his kindness but all you could think about was how lonely you were right now.

Your loneliness gnawed at you day and night. You had been so used to receiving love once upon a time. Now that you no longer had that, your heart felt heavy. Lonely and hopeless.

You couldn’t sleep properly because of the constant migraine that kept banging against your skull, keeping you awake. If only there was something you could do about it…

Yeosang returned to the cottage right before the sun rose, bringing with him fresh meat and vegetables from his excursion. After placing the supplies inside the cottage, he grabbed a small jar of water and brought it to your bedside. You took the water gratefully as Yeosang walked towards the bed.

“How are you doing?” He asked, looking at you intently.

“I’m better,” You replied with a small smile.

“Good.” Yeosang stroked your hair softly. “Maybe tomorrow we can go fishing. Would you like that?”

“Sure,” You smiled. Fishing sounded like a great way to pass the day.

“Let’s take a look at your wound then. Just to make sure everything’s okay.”

You bit the inside of your cheek as you felt his fingers lifting the back of your shirt, exposing your wounded back. Yeosang placed his warm hand against your back as he inspected the wound. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” He nodded, moving his fingers away from your back to lift up the front of your shirt. “Anything.”

You blushed slightly as Yeosang looked down at your naked torso, eyeing every inch of it. “Do you ever feel lonely living here? All by yourself without anyone?”

Yeosang paused in his movements. His fingers still as he held onto the edge of your shirt. He blinked a few times, seemingly confused. “Why do you ask?”

“I…it just came to me.” You scratched the back of your head nervously. “Sorry, I must have asked a silly question.”

Yeosang’s expression softened. “Not a silly question at all. Do you feel lonely here?”

“A little,” You admitted sheepishly. “My injury makes me quite vulnerable and sometimes I wish I had someone with me.”

Yeosang closed his eyes and gave you a faint smile. “You know what, Y/N?” He whispered gently. “I’d gladly be your company.”

Yeosang’s words caught you off guard. For a split second, your heartbeat increased dramatically. Your breathing became shallow and ragged. It took a few moments before you managed to calm yourself down.

“What did you say?” You stammered, staring at Yeosang.

“Y/N, I’d gladly-”

“Are you sure?” You interrupted, suddenly feeling nervous. “You barely know me.”

“You said you wanted to live a happy, quiet life. And I know you want to forget about all those things that happened to you. I want to give you that.”

“Yeosang…” You grabbed hold of his arm and squeezed it tightly. “I…” You closed your eyes and sighed. “I…”

Yeosang placed his free hand on top of yours. “Y/N, it’s okay to not want to be lonely. I’m kinda lonely too with no friends and living in this cabin by myself.”

You nodded your head. “So you can relate.”

“I can definitely relate. My situation probably pales in comparison to yours but I can definitely relate to being lonely.” Yeosang gave you a small smile as he patted your hand. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes,” You breathed out. “Very.”

“Good.” Yeosang grabbed the tray of food and placed it on the table next to the bed. He sat down next to you and handed you the spoon. “Eat.”

You moved the blanket off of you and sat up, digging into the large meal with a ravenous appetite. It was the first time in a while that you felt full and content. All thanks to Yeosang.

As you ate, Yeosang watched you intently. He was lost in thought as he sipped on his own bowl of stew. You had grown quite fond of his presence in the cottage since he arrived. Without him, you felt completely alone.

“Do you want to talk about what happened to you?” Yeosang suddenly spoke up, breaking you out of your thoughts. “I mean I knew you talked about it a bit before but…is there more that you can get off your chest?”

“Uh…yeah,” You mumbled, pushing your empty bowl away. “I suppose it’s about time I did.”

“Okay.” Yeosang raised an eyebrow. “So tell me, Y/N.”

You glanced over at Yeosang before continuing. “Well you probably know that I’m a noble. But I’m a high ranking noble that was betrothed to a high ranking lord at a young age. Maybe I was delusional or something but I thought he loved me just as I loved him. We spent countless hours together talking about our future and dreaming about what it would be like once we got married and settled down. Our families have been friends for generations. Everything was perfect. Then one day, everything changed.”

You paused for a moment, collecting your thoughts before speaking again. “I found out that he picked up a stray orphan from his travels, brought her home and took her under his care. He fell in love with her and he stopped loving me. It was just like that. Completely unexpected. One minute, I’m flying high thinking about my happily ever after with someone I love, the next minute, I find myself tossed aside like trash. Devastated is not even the word to describe how I felt. All I could do was crawl inside a hole and cry.”

You rested your hand on top of your stomach. “It was terrible. It was embarrassing and painful. Everyone was calling me names, telling me I deserved it and worse. My family abandoned me, telling me that I was a disgrace. How I was stupid for letting him go. For ruining our reputation.”

You shook your head slowly. “I didn’t know what to do. I tried to fight for him but he wouldn’t listen. No one listened. They called me evil saying that I was stealing him from his true love. My whole world collapsed around me. And then the imperial hunt came around and well…here we are.”

Yeosang remained silent as he stared at you. He took your hand in his. “I’m sorry you had to experience that, Y/N.”

“Thanks.” You wiped away the tears forming in your eyes. “And thank you for finding me when you did. I’m still alive because of you. And I really appreciate that.”

Yeosang smiled softly. “You’re welcome.”

You cleared your throat. “The food is good.” You looked down at your plate. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Yeosang smiled. “Do you want anything else?”

“I’m all good.” You shook your head. “Do you think we can head into the village later? I need some new clothes and I think a walk will be nice. It’ll help clear my head.“

Yeosang stood up and stretched his arms above his head. "That sounds like a great idea.”

When Yeosang walked out of the room, you gazed out of the window. From where you were sitting, you could see the fields and trees surrounding the cottage. There was something beautiful about it. Everything seemed peaceful. You hoped that soon, you’d be able to find peace in your life again. But for now, you were grateful that Yeosang was taking care of you.

A few hours later, you and Yeosang left the cottage and headed towards the village. A few villagers spotted you walking through town and they started whispering amongst themselves. As you approached them, one woman nudged another and pointed at you. The two women exchanged a glance and one of them ran off to tell their friends. Soon everyone in the square turned their heads towards you, curious about who you were.

“Yeosang! Did you find a wife?” A woman shouted. “Oh my, she’s so pretty!”

“You’re lucky to have Yeosang as a husband, girl!” Another woman yelled. “If only my husband was half as cute as him.”

You let out a small laugh as the people began gathering around you. A group of children surrounded you and begged you to play with them but Yeosang had to shoo them away due to your injury.

A crowd had formed outside the tavern and the owner poked his head out of the door, smiling. “There goes another lover coming to steal my man. Sorry everyone, it looks like Yeosang is finally off the market.”

“Saving a damsel in distress isn’t such a bad thing, after all.” Yeosang chuckled and leaned against the wooden post beside the door. Everyone laughed as he turned to look at you, a mischievous smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Let’s go get you some new clothes and other things you might need. Don’t worry, I won’t leave your side. The villagers are pretty nosy.”

“I don’t mind it all.” You smiled back. “Everyone seems to really love you.”

Yeosang rubbed the back of his neck. “They’re a bit too obsessed with me.”

“I think it’s lovely.” You grinned. “But let me ask you a question.”

“Of course.”

“You’re not embarrassed that the villagers are calling me your wife? I mean we just met and we’ve known each other for less than a week. That’s not very normal.”

Yeosang shrugged. “I guess I just don’t mind.”

You tilted your head. “Huh?”

“I don’t really care what people think.” He replied. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“Oh…” You felt your cheeks heat up slightly. “Thank you.”

Yeosang pulled open the doors to the tavern and stepped inside, motioning for you to follow him. He ordered a meal for both of you and set it on the counter as he waited for the cook to bring it out.

“You’re so kind to me, Yeosang.” You mumbled quietly, setting down your plate.

“Don’t mention it.” Yeosang gave you a reassuring smile. “It’s nothing.”

“Maybe not but it means a lot to me. Thank you.”

Yeosang waved his hands. “No need to thank me. Just take it easy, okay?”

“I will.” You flashed him a warm smile before resting your head against the wall behind you.

After lunch, you and Yeosang went to go buy items that you would need, explore the village for a bit and headed back home.

“Yeosang,” you muttered as you looked at the wild fields that stretched out ahead of you.

“Hmm?” Yeosang asked, looking over his shoulder at you.

“You know that high noble that I was betrothed to? It’s actually Crown Prince Mingi…” You let out a sigh. “He’s the man that I was supposed to marry. The man that betrayed me and left me out for dead.”

He didn’t say anything as he strolled by your side. A little ways away from you, there was a stream that flowed through the countryside. You had never seen anything more beautiful in your entire life. The grass was bright green and the sky was filled with the color of purple.

“I should be mad that he betrayed me like this…” You muttered as you closed your eyes and breathed in the air. “I should get revenge for the things he did to me but…maybe there’s no point. I mean, I survived. I was actually saved by a kind stranger and now I’m on my way to find my own happily ever after. What more could I possibly want?”

Yeosang stopped walking and turned to face you. “Y/N?”

You opened your eyes and turned to face him. He studied you for a moment before reaching out and caressing your cheek. “Everything happens for a reason, Y/N.” He said softly. “I don’t understand why things worked out the way they did but sometimes, there’s a bigger picture that we can’t see. Maybe your life with the crown prince wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it was meant to lead you here instead.”

Your heart skipped a beat as he gently brushed his thumb across your cheek. His fingers were soft and warm against your skin. You couldn’t remember feeling so safe and secure in a very long time.

“Wherever you end up, I hope you find what you’re looking for, Y/N.” He smiled. “Just don’t forget that I’m always here if you need me.”

“I won’t.” You mumbled. “I promise.”

“Good.” He wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “Now let’s go explore the countryside, shall we?”

Over the next few months, you enjoyed yourself immensely while exploring the country. Sometimes you would spend time with the people of the village, sometimes you would sit by the stream and admire the beauty of nature. You also made sure to heal properly. While it hurt like hell, the pain eventually faded away as you healed. The scars across your chest still remained but you decided not to focus on that. Instead, you focused on the things you were thankful for.

One night, while lying in bed, you started to think about everything that had happened to you over the last few months. About everything you went through and about the one person that helped you every step of the way. You sighed as you drifted off to sleep, wondering if he was thinking about you right now too.

Hours later, you heard footsteps approach your bedroom. A knock sounded at the door followed by a muffled voice.

“Y/N?” You heard a familiar male voice call out. “Are you awake?”

“Yes.” You answered.

A few moments passed before the door opened and Yeosang peeked inside, giving you a small smile.

“Hey.” He said softly.

“Hi.” You smiled back, stretching your arms above your head.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

You rolled onto your side and faced him. “Much better.” You sighed. “I can’t believe how fast I got better.”

“That’s what healing herbs are for.” Yeosang nodded. “Sometimes, they work faster than we expect.”

“Yeah, maybe.” You shrugged. “Speaking of which, I thought I would repay you for helping me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since you helped me recover so quickly, I wanted to give you something in return.” You reached out and placed your hand on his cheek. “These past few months with you have been the best of my life. Even though we haven’t known each other very long, you’ve already become such an important part of my life. I’ve never been so at peace and happy all these years. If I could, I would have never let you go.”

His eyes softened as he stared deeply into yours. “Y/N, I-”

“Don’t.” You interrupted. “Don’t say anything yet. Let me do this.”

You leaned forward and pressed your lips to his, gently kissing him. He froze for a moment before returning the kiss. When the kiss ended, you slowly sat up, a smile on your face.

“I wanted to do this because…” You took a deep breath. “Because I want to thank you. For being such a good person. And for saving me.”

“Don’t mention it.” Yeosang replied, reaching out and pulling you close to him.

As the weeks went by, you and Yeosang continued spending most of your days together. Some days you would sit by the stream, talking or drinking tea while others you would explore the land. On those days, you’d venture far away from the village and walk along the endless grasslands. Sometimes, you’d stop and pick flowers for him to give to the women of the village or make you a meal to show his appreciation. Other times, you’d rest under a tree and watch the sun rise. You spent almost every day with him and loved every second of it.

You knew that you were falling for him but you weren’t quite sure when it had happened. All you knew was that one day, it hit you and you knew that you had moved on from the crown prince, from your old life and had found someone that made you feel whole again. It was hard to describe what you felt for him. All you knew was that he made you happier than anyone else in the world and that he was the one you had been searching for.

Over the next few weeks, the two of you grew closer and closer. Each day, you became even more attached to each other. After a few weeks, you noticed the affection between the two of you growing stronger and stronger. The villagers still saw you as a married couple and never failed to tease you whenever they saw you together. But you didn’t mind it. In fact, you relished in their teasing. It was proof that you had finally found true happiness.

When winter came around, you celebrated the first snowfall together. With a grin on his face, Yeosang scooped up a handful of snow and flicked it at your face. The cold water stung your skin but you simply giggled and reached out, grabbing another handful of snow. This continued until the both of you were covered in snow and laughter. You threw your arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“This is going to be a wonderful winter.” You whispered, resting your chin on his shoulder.

“I agree.” He chuckled, placing his arm around your waist.

After a few minutes, you broke apart, grinning from ear to ear.

“We should go inside.” You said, brushing some of the snow off of your coat. “I’m getting cold.”

Yeosang grabbed your hand. “I know a good way to warm you up.”

Your heart began beating rapidly as he led you inside. Yeosang lit up the fireplace and threw several logs inside. Once the fire was burning well, he wrapped a blanket around you and pulled you close to him, sitting on the floor. You snuggled close to him, as he held you, slowly tracing his fingertips down your cheek, letting them linger on your lips.

“So…” He whispered. “What are your plans for the upcoming new year?”

You grinned mischievously. “I don’t really have any.”

“But, if you did have plans, what would they be?”

“Well…” You glanced up at him, chewing on your bottom lip. “They might involve you, I guess.”

“Oh?” Yeosang raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah…” You admitted shyly. “I mean, we’ve been spending so much time together and our feelings seem to be growing deeper everyday. So, I was just curious…”

He cocked his head to the side, studying you for a moment.

“If I kissed you right now, would you kiss me back?” He asked quietly.

You swallowed hard. Your cheeks burned brightly as you lowered your gaze.

“Y-yes.” You whispered.

A smile spread across his face as he reached out and cupped your cheek, gently rubbing his thumb across your skin.

“If I wanted to make love to you, would you allow me to?”

You inhaled sharply as his words washed over you. His eyes searched yours as he waited patiently for your answer. After a few moments, you lifted your head and met his gaze.

“But all my scars… My body is damaged…” You explained, slightly hesitantly.

“I don’t care.” He stated simply. “All that matters is the person behind them. They’re only physical blemishes, nothing more. They don’t define you.”

A lump formed in your throat as he gently traced his fingers along your jawline.

“Besides…” He added, bringing his hand to your lips. “If you’ll allow me to kiss you, I’d gladly kiss away every single scar.”

Your breath caught in your throat as he leaned in closer to you. Slowly, his lips pressed against yours, sending shivers throughout your entire body. It was gentle and tender but filled with such passion and heat. At the same time, his hands caressed your hair and back, making you melt against him. You closed your eyes as you basked in the warmth of his touch. You could feel his heartbeat steadily racing against your own as his tongue explored your mouth. Every brush sent tingles coursing through your veins. Every kiss seemed to last longer than the last. As the seconds ticked by, the both of you became lost in the moment. Time ceased to exist as you became completely consumed by the sensation of being in each other’s arms. Eventually, the two of you parted, gasping for air.

“Let me make love to you.” He whispered.

You gazed into his eyes, lust swirling within them. “Please.” You breathed. “Make love to me.”

Yeosang slowly got up and picked you up in his arms, cradling you against his chest. As he walked towards the bedroom, he lowered you down to the bed and carefully removed your boots. Before removing your clothes, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of your face.

“My beautiful Y/N.” He murmured, gazing down at you.

With a soft smile, he began untying your blouse, sliding it down your arms. You turned your head to look at him as he gently removed your top and slipped it over your shoulders. Next, he slowly undid the buttons on your skirt and slid it down your legs, letting it fall to the ground. He gently stroked your skin with his fingertips, his touch caressing the scar on your chest. He leaned down to kiss it before capturing your lips once more. Once he broke away, he stared deeply into your eyes, taking in your beauty.

You watched him intently as he slipped his shirt off and then unclasped his pants. As he lowered himself onto the bed, he captured your lips once more, holding you tightly against him. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer as he ran his hands up and down your body. He kissed every inch of your body, slowly trailing kisses down your neck and chest. The sound of your heart pounding in your ears was music to his ears as he paid special attention to every little detail.

When he reached your breasts, his lips followed, kissing every inch of them before moving lower, causing goosebumps to form on your skin. He circled his tongue around your nipple before sucking it softly into his mouth. You moaned in pleasure, running your hands through his hair as he gave you pleasure like no other. When he started sucking on your other breast, your body arched up into him. A few minutes later, you broke apart, breathless and flushed.

“Yeosang…” You breathed. “Please.”

With a smirk on his face, he kissed his way down your stomach. When he reached your navel, he traced his finger along it, causing you to shiver.

“Your body is perfect.” He breathed. “Just how I imagined it to be.”

He trailed kisses further south, giving you a taste of things to come. When he reached your thighs, he ran his fingers up and down them before lifting your leg and placing it on his shoulder. You bit your lip as you watched him trace circles on your inner thigh. He then placed a trail of kisses down your inner thigh, giving you chills as he slowly inched closer to where you throbbed with need. He stopped suddenly and looked up at you with dark, lustful eyes.

“Do you trust me?” He asked.

With a trembling voice, you nodded your head. “Of course I do.”

“Good.” He breathed. “Because I plan on exploring every inch of this body tonight.”

His hand moved back up your thigh, moving closer to your core as his tongue glided up your center, licking every inch of your clit, causing you to moan loudly. The vibrations echoed through your body as his tongue continued its slow pace. His hands moved from your thighs to your hips, holding you firmly in place as his tongue teased and tantalized your sensitive flesh. You trembled uncontrollably as he increased the intensity of his kisses, increasing the speed of his movements. Soon, you couldn’t take it anymore and began thrashing your head back and forth on the pillow, moaning louder and louder with every thrust of his tongue.

“You taste amazing.” He whispered. “And your scent is intoxicating.”

As he continued to feast on your pussy, you felt yourself building up toward an orgasm. Sensation after sensation flowed through your body, intensifying your pleasure until you could barely breathe. Your breathing quickened as your body tensed and shook. You cried out as you came undone beneath him.

You lay there panting, trying to catch your breath as he continued to eat you out, enjoying the taste of your juices. You slowly opened your eyes and gazed at him with loving eyes.

“I can’t believe I’ve never experienced anything like this before.” You gasped.

Yeosang smiled widely as he took a deep breath. “Are you saying that I might be a better lover than the crown prince?”

“Shhh…let’s not talk about him.” You giggled. “I want to keep enjoying this feeling for as long as possible.”

With a devilish grin, he shifted positions and began lightly kissing his way up your body to the scar on your chest. “Does it still hurt?” He asked.

“No.” You answered. “Not anymore.”

He pulled back and gazed down at you, a questioning look on his face.

“Not when you’re touching me.” You replied, running your fingers through his hair. “It doesn’t hurt at all when you’re here.”

He chuckled as he gently kissed the scar on your chest. “Then maybe I should stay with you forever.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words. It had been so long since anyone had made you feel loved. In the past, you didn’t even know if it was real or not. But Yeosang showed you that you were worthy of affection. He proved to you that it wasn’t only love that could heal a broken soul; that it was also true friendship and compassion. From the moment he saved you, you knew this man was meant to be in your life. The way he treated you, the way he cared for you, the way he respected you… You knew he was someone very special.

Yeosang kissed your scar one last time before capturing your lips in his. His lips were warm and gentle as they met yours. You ran your hands up and down his back, holding him tight against you as you surrendered to his touch. He enveloped your body in his strong arms, laying in between your legs as he continued to explore every inch of your body. With each kiss, his hands drifted lower, feeling every curve and fold of your skin. With every caress, he held back his excitement, wanting to make sure you enjoyed every second of this moment. Every ounce of his passion poured out as he laid claim to every part of you, leaving you spent and breathless.

“Can I…?” He murmured against your neck. “Can I finally be inside you? Make sweet love to you?”

“Yes.” You breathed. “Please.”

Slowly, he pushed his way inside you. You let out a moan as you gripped his back. Each stroke caused another rush of pleasure to spread through your body. Every movement caused you to shudder and shake, calling out his name over and over again. He kept a slow pace, careful to not hurt your body any further. Every movement caused a new wave of pleasure to wash over you, threatening to send you over the edge. He knew that your body still needed time to heal, and therefore, would wait patiently until you were ready for more.

After several minutes of gentle lovemaking, he lifted his head and gazed into your eyes. Your cheeks were flushed and covered in sweat, yet you still radiated an aura of pure beauty.

“This feels right, Y/N.” He said. “I’m glad I found you.”

You smiled lovingly at him. “I’m glad you found me too.”

For the first time in years, you felt safe. For the first time in years, you felt truly loved. For the first time in years, you felt whole. You held onto him tightly as he continued to slowly thrust in you, savoring every last minute. This was your first time experiencing this type of intimacy and you wanted to remember every single detail.

Yeosang’s face lit up with delight as he felt you tighten around him. Both of you grew increasingly aroused as your bodies began pulsating with pleasure. You clenched your muscles tightly around him as you arched your back, begging for more.

“You sure?” Yeosang asked. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“It’s fine. Please, Yeosang.” You begged. “I need more of you. More of everything.”

His expression softened as he leaned down and kissed you passionately. At the same time, he slowly picked up his pace, thrusting harder and faster as your screams filled the room. He plunged deeper inside of you, filling you completely. Every inch of your being became alive, as your entire body quivered in ecstasy.

In response, he wrapped his arms around you, clutching you close to his body as he panted heavily, lost in the throes of passion. Every time he hit bottom, you clenched him tighter, crying out his name. Together, both of you shared your greatest moment together. Every ounce of happiness you had ever felt was released during this intense experience. And when the climax subsided, neither of you wanted to let go. You slowly began rocking back and forth with him, falling deeper and deeper under his spell. Eventually, he leaned down and captured your lips in a tender kiss, whispering in your ear.

“Thank you.” He breathed. “For staying alive. For making me fall in love with you.”

You gazed into his beautiful eyes as he gently rocked you against him. The love and warmth that radiated from his gaze overwhelmed you. “Thank you.” You whispered back. “For saving my life. For helping me see what true love really means. For letting me live and breathe once more.”

Yeosang tightened his embrace around you as you nuzzled your face against his chest. His strong arms held you securely as you closed your eyes, basking in the warmth of his embrace. You listened to his heartbeat as it slowly calmed, and as you did, your own heart began to beat slower and slower. It was as if you had become one person, one mind, one heart. As you drifted off to sleep, both of you fell asleep holding one another.

In his arms, you found peace, contentment, and most importantly…love.

[dcwildwestfest]

Love is a Cowboy

By deancaskiss | @deancaskiss Art by thestarsmakemedream | @thestarsmakemedream-art

Coming to Ao3 on April 16th, 2024

Rated Teen | 8,200 words | No Archive Warnings Apply

Retirement. Something Dean never expected he’d get to have, especially with Cas by his side. But here they are, and Dean knows it’s finally time. After months of searching, when Cas finds them the perfect forever home to make their own, it feels too good to be true. But it’s real. And it’s all theirs to start something new together. What was once bags packed with weapons and salt becomes cowboy boots, baskets of homegrown herbs, and feed for the animals. But Cas knows there’s one part of the hunting business that Dean still needs. Saving things. And luckily Cas knows exactly how to make that happen to turn their ranch into a home to create their own found family.

[Keep reading for a sneak preview!]

“No,” Dean said, pushing the paper across the table with a frown. “We ruled that one out last week. You’re just getting desperate putting it back on the table.”

Cas dropped his head back, casting his eyes up towards the ceiling with a long sigh. “Dean. There isn’t anything else within a 50-mile radius that has enough rooms to fit everyone, and is the right distance between Sam and Eileen, and Jody, Donna, and the girls.”

Dean shoved his chair back, stalking across the kitchen and leaning against the sink with his back to his husband. “We discussed this, though. A million times, Cas. That house is too dark. It feels like this bunker all over again. And slap bang in the middle of a cookie-cutter neighborhood. That’s not us, man. We can’t do the whole ‘friendly with neighbors' crap. And if something ever does track us down, it just puts hundreds of people in danger.”

Taking a deep breath, Cas made his way over to Dean, wrapping his arms around Dean’s waist and dropping his chin onto Dean’s shoulder. “Then maybe we broaden our horizons. Look at something different?” he murmured against the back of Dean’s neck.

Dean tensed up for a second, before the frustration ebbed away and he turned in Cas’ embrace. Cas was the one to tip their foreheads together, and Dean let him, letting his eyes flutter closed as Cas’ hands slipped under the hem of his shirt to trace patterns along Dean’s lower spine.

“Like what, Cas? What could possibly ever feel like home after all the shit we’ve been through? Nothing on Earth feels safe enough and normalcy isn’t something we can just mold into.”

Cas’ hand stilled on Dean’s back for a moment, before he inched closer, pressing a ghost of a kiss to the corner of Dean’s lips. “Do you trust me?”

“C’mon that’s not fair, this doesn’t have anything to do with—”

But Cas shook his head, the movement separating their lips, leaving Dean with a sudden ache to feel Cas’ mouth against his own again.

“Answer the question, Dean. Do you trust me?”

And wasn’t that a loaded question? All the truth and lies over the years. The betrayals and the forgiveness. The loss and heartbreak, clashing with faith and love.

There was no one Dean trusted more.

“Of course I do.”

Cas smiled, rewarding Dean by bringing their lips together into a kiss. “I’ve got an idea.”

[synoname-wordsmith]

Sleepless Nights and Broken Jars

Sanji x reader

Summary: cooking for a crew of your size was a handful, and you were determined to take some of that stress out of Sanji's hands. But what happens when sleep deprivation and close proximity to the man you love start to mix?

Warning: some angst, slight description of panic attack, mention of blood, no smutt just kissing, smoking, as always if I miss any lmk

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your hammock swayed back and forth, begging you to lull back to sleep. you checked your watch and sighed at 4 AM. you had been staring at the ceiling for 45 minutes now, and it was becoming clear that you were not going to get any more sleep tonight.

you moved into a sitting position and then threw your feet over the edge of the hammock. once up, you tossed on a sweater and tip toed out of your shared room in an effort to not wake those lucky enough to get a full night's rest.

you made your way to the kitchen of the Going Merry, figuring a cup of tea might sweeten your soured mood. you were surprised to see the light already pooling through the small kitchen window. assuming it was Sanji was a safe bet, but being up this early was early, even for a cook.

you gently knocked on the door and let yourself in. Sanji was indeed there, facing away from the door over a pot of something on the stove. he turned to face you as you entered and smiled at the sight of you.

"Hey love, what's got you up at this hour?"

"i could ask you the same thing," you respond while making your way over the herb closet. Sanji watched you as you pulled out your desired ingredients and a tea steeper. "Be a dear and put the kettle on for me?" you asked with a light smile.

"Of course," and with that, you sat down with a mug and waited for the water to boil. "You never answered my question," Sanji spoke after a moment. you shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep, you?"

"i'm always up this early, dear. Food doesn't prep itself." You looked up at him quickly.

"You get up at 4 AM to prep every day?!" You couldn't hide the surprise in your voice. "breakfast isnt til 9. That's 5 hours. It takes that much time to prep breakfast?"

he smiled at your exasperation, "Actually, im usually in here by 3ish, and no, i prep for all meals and snacks this early."

"damn, that is dedication if i've seen it," you chuckled, then got up to grab the now steaming kettle.

"No, stay. i got it. " Sanji moved to the kettle and back to you, pouring the water into your mug. you thanked him with a smile. "it really doesn't bother me. I like doing it. Plus, this way, there is less to do between meals."

"Are all chefs this crazy?" you joked, reaching out for the mug as Sanji slid it towards you. your hand briefly met his, and your breath hitched. he pulled his hand away quickly after.

you don't know exactly when your feeling for Sanji crossed into genuine feelings from friends who flirted a little too much, but they did, and it was getting harder to pretend everything was still casual. the pet names, the little touches, the way his blue eyes seemed to see you, the real you; they caused you to lose your breath and the butterflies to come alive. you tried pulling away, hoping the distance would calm your ever beating heart, but you found yourself pulled back in almost instinctively. like two magnets. It was hard to fight.

he cleared his throat. "Only the really good ones," you laughed.

"and we all know you are the best." his face lit up at that. You found yourself staring as his smile reached his eyes. you pulled your gaze away and stood up a little too quickly. you walked over the aprons hanging on the wall, pulled one on, then tied your hair off your face.

"Hun, what are you doing?" You glanced at him as you washed and dried your hands. then pulled out an extra cutting board and a few knives.

"what does it look like, im helping" you pulled the bag of carrots over to you and read the scratchy handwriting from his notebook; '2 cup finely cut carrots, 2lb carrot peeled and cut olique'. "Unless you think the cafe my family ran is inferior training and that i can't keep up with you and your pretentious recipes." you said lightly, half joking and half asking for permission. he let out a breathy laugh.

"Of course i dont think that love, but you really should get some more sleep"

you picked up a chefs knife, "sleep eluded me long before i wandered in her Sanji. At least this way, i could pass the time." he playfully sighed again and turned back to the stove. there was no sound for a few moments save for the tack tack tack of your knife on the wooded board.

"Wait, did you call me pretentious? " he broke the silence, and you let out a genuine laugh.

"No, i called your recipes pretentious," he playfully swatted at your arm as you fell back into a comfortable silence.

****

you and Sanji finished most of the prep by 8:00, and you left him to assemble breakfast on his own. you had worked in comfortable silence for the most part other than the few questions from you or critiques from him. you would never admit that your skills were a little rusty, especially compared to Sanji, who moved through the kitchen like it was a choreographed dance. his motions were fluid and almost artful as he bounced from pot to cutting board to fridge to table. it was hard not to stare, and you felt your cheeks heat up a few times as your eyes wandered from his hands to the muscles in his exposed forearms. you felt like a child with a crush.

after cleaning your workspace, you wandered back to your room with the goal of changing and starting your research on the nearing islands for Nami. however, against your better judgment, you had fallen asleep. That's how you found yourself in the map room long after everyone else had retired to bed.

with a stiff back and a neck begging you to change positions you stood up. deeming your work satisfactory for the day you made your way out of the room and to the deck. the cool summer air hit you as you inhaled the smell of the ocean. slipping your eyes closed, you leaned forward on the railing, enjoying the moment. you heard foot falls approaching but didn't open your eyes until the smell of tobacco tickled your nose.

you expected Sanji to be beside you, but you weren't prepared for him to be leaning against the railing looking at you. his blue eyes scanned you and moved to meet your own eyes. the look in them was something you couldn't describe, something you've never seen from him.

"What?" you asked almost sheepish. it felt like he was seeing through you again. like you had no place to hide.

"Just admiring the beauty before me, love." You scoffed and rolled your eyes

"Doesn't your teeth hurt from all that sweet-talking?" You both laughed and fell into silence again. "What are you up to right now?" you asked, turning back to the waves.

"Quick break before heading back to work." he turned to face the water as well. you turned to look at him

"Sanji, it's 11:30" he hummed in response. "When do you sleep?"

he exhaled a light laugh. "Don't worry about me, love i sleep plenty."

"When?" You shot back a little harsher than you meant to. He took a long inhale. it felt like he was taking his time on purpose, holding smoke in his lungs so he doesn't have to answer. "Up at 2, still working at midnight, making snacks all day. Sanji, that isn't sustainable. you're going to make yourself sick."

"Will you nurse me back to health?" he smirked.

"Sanji, i'm not kidding!" he stilled at that. his face falling blank. you took a breath and tried to control your tone "Sanji if you need help, you're allowed to ask." his hand hovered by his face, cigarette almost at his lips. he didn't say anything, maybe he didn't know what to. "You can still be the creative genius, but an extra set of hands to make the prep go faster, isn't you failing." he ashed his cigarette as his eyes watched you intently. "especially when Luffy's appetite is that of 10 men." he chuckled

"i'm sure you're right, love, you usually are"

"how 'bout this, i will be your junior chef for one week, if it works: great, if not: i will leave you to your insanity and even take care of you when you inevitable make yourself ill" he took one last drag and flicked his cigarette into the ocean.

"darling, if you wanted to spend more time with me, you could have just asked." You ignored the quickening of your heart and hoped it was too dark for him to see the blush on your face.

"That doesn't sound like a no," you breathed. you hadn't noticed, but during your lecture, you had drifted closer to each other. both leaning against the railing facing each other, your hands could almost touch. he was looking at you again. seeing through you. your heart quickened. you could smell the tobacco on his breath and see the shades of blue in his eye. he held your gaze as if trying to communicate something to you, something he was afraid to say out loud.

"it wasn't," he whispered. he reached his fingers out and brushed them against your own. you felt like you couldn't breathe. the silence was suffocating and electric as his eyes darted to your lips and back to your eyes. you looked away from him and cleared your throat.

"we should probably get to the kitchen then." You glanced back at him, but he wasn't facing you anymore. he had turned away and faced the ocean again. "or neither of us will be sleeping tonight," he pulled out another cigarette.

"Go ahead hun', i'll catch up. " You watched him flick his lighter. you turned towards the kitchen and hurried through the door.

'So stupid,' you thought as you grabbed an apron and washed your hands.' You couldn't just let him kiss you. You had to pull away and make everything awkward.' You felt like you were going to pass out. face flush and hands shook as you held your knife. you tried to even breathe as your mind ran a mile a minute. it's not as if you haven't thought about kissing Sanji before, you had; allot. and you wondered what he would be like as a significant other, but you were scared. You knew you were. you were terrified that you were just the flavor of the month. that Sanji was more interested in the chase, and as soon as he got you, he would grow bored.

you didn't think you had low self-esteem, but a guy like that could have anyone he wanted, and you had seen him get them. Man or women, once he set his sights on someone. Docking in little towns and picking up beautiful people in bars, boarding the ship in the early hours of the morning with hair a mess and shirt unbuttoned. you couldn't convince yourself that he wasn't just interested in you because of close proximity. and you couldn't open your heart to that. You couldn't handle when he inveterately left for something better, newer, more interesting. you tossed cut vegetables into a bowl with oil and seasoning.

the kitchen door opened, and Sanji walked to the sink and started washing his hands. you tried to get your racing heart and running thoughts under control as he stood beside you silently.

"What are you doing?" You turned and smiled at him, an attempt to seem unrattled.

"i was going to roast the vegetables for the soup puree." he nodded and disappeared into the walk-in cooler. you released a breath you didn't know you were holding and turned back to the notebook, then moved to opened a cabinet. not finding what you were looking for, you moved to close the door and turn towards the pantry closet. unbeknownst to you, Sanji had come behind you juggling more than a few ingredients. you didn't have time to react before you collided and felt yourself connect with the ground.

pain shot through your head as jars and produce tumbled to the ground. your hands flew up to the side of your head as you heard Sanji crouch down beside you. he swore under his breath as your eyes stayed tightly shut, focusing on breathing through the sharp pain.

"Hun, i'm so sorry. Let me see." he took your hands in both of his and gently moved them out of the way. "Just a scratch," he breathed out, the relief prominent in his voice. the initial pain was starting to subside, but you kept your eyes closed in an attempt to keep hot tears at bay.

"i'm sorry," you whispered, pulling your hands from his and covering your eyes this time. everything felt like too much all at once, sleep deprivation, the charged moment outside, the racing thoughts you had moments ago, the pain now. it all came to a catalyst, and what little control you had on your emotions was unraveling.

"Darling, what for?" You leaned back and felt the cupboard support your weight, tears finally escaping." Hey, hey, hey, look at me. What's going on? " he reached for your hands again, but you turned away from him.

"i can't keep doing this." You were trying to level your breathing, but you felt more and more of your emotions spilling out. months of bottling it up finally caught up to you.

"Doing what, dear? i know i should have said behind and im so sorry you are in pain right now, but thats no reason to give up in the kitchen completely" he reached out again and this time you let him rest his hands on your shoulders, what did it matter you were already a mess.

"No! i can't keep pretending around you. the things you say, the way you brush up against me when you pass by. the flirting, god the flirting" you were all but hyperventilating now. "it's killing me, and i feel so stupid for catching feelings like i didn't know who you were, that this wasn't a game you played to pass the time-" you couldn't get anymore words out and you just sat there defeated and sobbing.

you felt Sanji's arms wrap around you, and he pulled you against his chest. he didn't say anything, but he held you while you shook in his arms and attempted to regain control of yourself. eventually, your breathing leveled out, and you lay still against him, face pressed to his chest as he moved his hand up and down your back.

you didn't want to move. If you pulled away, you would have to face him, and facing him meant everything you had created together over the last few months was gone. you did, though. You moved away from his embrace and wiped your eyes. you could feel him looking at you, but you couldn't bring yourself to meet his eyes.

"im going to go." You stood up, but before you could turn away, he grabbed your wrist. "Sanji, please, I dont want to talk about this right now." You tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. "Sanji-"

"you're bleeding" you stood and watched as he stood up too "let me at least clean up your face" you didn't have the energy to argue and let him guide you to the table. you sat in silence as he kneeled on the floor in front of you and dabbed an alcohol swab on your cut. you winced on contact, and his free hand came up to the side of your face to gently hold you still. "im sorry." You broke the silence, the suffocating silence that made you want to scream.

"You've said that." He didn't take his eyes off his task. in a different circumstance, you would have watched his concentration in admiration and tried to memorize the curve of his jaw or the way his hand felt on your cheek. but now you couldn't bear to look at him.

"i never meant to melt down like that, i just didn't know how to tell you without ruining the friendship we built" he put the bandage on you and sighed, leaning back on his legs. neither of you made any move to get up, and silence fell over you again. you were too dejected to fill it this time. You resolved to just drown in it.

"Do you really think so little of me?" You looked up from the cuticles you were picking at to find Sanji also looking at his hands. His hair had fallen in his face as he talked. "That im some careless philanderer with no regard for your feelings?"

"No, of course not," you defended, "but the way you flirt in bars, i just... i dont see how im special, " his head snapped up.

"Of course you are special. You are the most interesting and beautiful person i have ever met. nothing i have ever said to you was a lie. i meant it all"

"But all those one-night stands? if i'm so special, why are you chasing strangers?" You felt yourself choking up again and knew if he kept pressing the matter, you would fall apart again.

"Honestly?" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Feeble attempts to forget about you. i thought i could move on, that i could get past the way i felt. " he looked up at you finally. your lip started to tremble at his words and you tried to take a deep breath "hey, hey" he leaned forward and placed both his hands on either side of your face "none of that love"

"i can't - how am i supposed to trust that you won't get bored?"

"Nothing i did could make me change the way i feel about you, the way i need you. i thought i knew what love was, but from the moment i first met you, i knew that was it. it is so scary to be so affected by you" maybe it was the lack of sleep or the throbbing in your head, but your body moved before you could think and you connected your lips to his.

for a moment, he didn't move, startled by your action. but in an instant, he was kissing you back. he pulled you closer against him, and your hands grasped at the fabric of his shirt. you pulled away for air, but just as quickly, he pulled you back in. hands moving to your waist, he pulled you impossibly closer as your hands found their way to his hair. he deepened the kiss, and you felt like you were on fire. nothing you had imagined was as good as this and none of the little touches you had shared before compared to the electricity flowing through you now.

when you both finally stopped, he leaned his forehead against yours, and you could feel his smile.

"i am sorry i ever made you doubt how i feel about you. Please let me spend a lifetime making it up to you." You kissed him again and pulled away breathless.

"There is nothing i want more"

[troublemaker203]

Murtagh Fitzgibbons x Fem! Reader - Arranged Marriage Pt. 3

Word Count: 1854

Summary: After your father had been killed and your brother had been taken by the Redcoats, you were left behind. A group of highlanders come across your ravaged house and decide to take you with them to Castle Leoch. Since you have lost the protection from your father and brother, it is decided that you should be married, in order to keep you protected from the Redcoats.

Warnings: None

Part 2

As soon as the door of Colum's office closed behind you, you panicked. Should you try to escape? No. No, that wasn't a good plan. You would get caught and likely get thrown into the dungeons. So you would get married. Would you, though? This could not be real, right? Absentmindedly, you started to wander through the castle thinking about how you would handle this situation. Did you want to marry either of those men? Who would be worse? Dougal had made it known that he found you quite... pleasant. But did you find him pleasant, too? Not in the least. And Murtagh was a grumpy man; how could you ever find a way to live with such a person?               Because you were so caught up in your own thoughts you hadn’t noticed that you had walked outside and were now strolling through the gardens. A voice made you snap out of it. “Hello, Y/N,” Claire said, “I am surprised to see you here.” “Yes, well, I just came from…” you motioned towards the castle and Claire nodded. “Yes, I wondered when they would break the news to you. Have they… Do you know who you are going to marry?” “No. Colum said he will announce it tonight,” you looked down at your feet, “during a great feast, for all to hear.” When you looked back up at Claire, your eyes had welled up. “Hey,” she stepped towards you and put her warm hand on your arm, “I was once in your position, and, yes, I was scared, too, but now I can’t imagine a life without Jamie. Any man would be lucky to have you and I am sure that you will be treated with love and respect.” “But I don’t want to marry either of them,” you whispered, afraid to cry. “Of whom?” “Dougal or Murtagh.” “Oh.” Claire paused for a moment. “Dougal might be a little bit much in the beginning, but he is a strong man and he will protect you with his life, so you will always be safe when you’re with him.” “And Murtagh?” “Murtagh is… well, I think he will be the most loving husband you will ever meet.” “But he does not look friendly at all.” Claire laughed. “I know, but, trust me, he has a heart of gold. Don’t let his surly expression fool you, my dear.” You nodded. “Do you want to help me sort the herbs in my practice? It will help you get your mind off things. Maybe you could help me more often? I could really use some help with all of the patients; I do hope you’re not scared of blood?” You shook your head. “No,” you smiled at Claire, “and I would love to help, thank you.”

              You had never been in Claire’s practice before and your eyes widened when you walked down the stairs, into the big room. There were hundreds of jars filled with herbs of which you had never heard the name. “I don’t know how good I am at any of this.” Claire smiled lovingly at you. “Don’t worry, I will teach you everything you need to know, it won’t be that hard.” She handed you some jars after she had set down her basket with herbs and started explaining the various uses and how to prepare them. It took you two the whole afternoon to organize everything and you even helped Claire with a patient: one of the young boys at the castle had hurt himself on the fire in the kitchen and Claire had showed you how to dress his wounds. It was a very educational afternoon and you were relieved that it had taken your mind off things.               After a while, mistress Fitzgibbons came down the stairs to fetch you. “Hello, my dear, I came to fetch ye to get ye ready for the evening.” You looked at Claire who gave you an encouraging look. You followed mistress Fitzgibbons to your room where, unbeknownst to you, a beautiful dress was waiting for you. The fabric was sprawled out on your bed and it looked very expensive. You looked questioningly at mistress Fitzgibbons. “It’s a special dress, for a special occasion,” she winked at you, but you couldn’t feel happy about this so-called ‘special’ occasion. You felt like there were rocks in your stomach and you thought about how you could escape, but Claire had already explained that escaping would be impossible, since there were guards everywhere. “Trust me,” she had said, “I have tried.” Mistress Fitz had set you down on a chair in front of the mirror and started brushing your hair. You looked at her in the mirror and she looked at you, giving you a warm smile; she could probably see the fear in your eyes and she wanted you to feel safe. You smiled back at her, but your eyes did not smile. “Dinna fash, lass, you will be in good hands.” You wanted to believe her, but the truth was that you did not know any of those men and now you were expected to marry and, eventually – and sooner than later – share the bed with one of them. You knew that the consummation of a marriage was very important and none of these people would rest before they were sure that it had happened. You could already see them sitting, drinking downstairs, waiting for the moment that you and your husband – whoever that may be – went to bed.              You had been sitting in silence for a moment and Mistress Fitz was almost done with your hair. "Do you know when the wedding will be taking place?" you asked, hopeful that she would be able to have an answer to one of your many questions. "Not exactly, but I expect it will happen tomorrow, or the day after." "And..." you hardly dared to ask the question, "do you know to whom...?" The old lady shook her head. "No, I am sorry, dear, but you should not worry too much. These men may bark, but they don't bite, I can tell you that much." You smiled at her, glad for her attempts to put your mind at ease.        After she had put the last hand to your hair, she put her hands on your shoulders. "There, such a pretty lass." You looked at yourself in the mirror and she was right, you did look very pretty. "Up you get, let's get you in that dress." You stood up and started to undress yourself with the help of Mistress Fitz. You stepped into the beautiful green dress and the fabric had not only looked expensive, it felt really expensive, too. It was of the loveliest colour green and it suited you very well. You were laced up and as you glanced at yourself in the mirror, you could not believe that the woman staring back at you was really you. Mistress Fitz put a string of pearls around your neck to really finish the look. She handed you a pair of shoes and you knew that this was the last step before you had to go downstairs. Your heart was beating aggressively in your chest and you were afraid that it would jump out.

By the time your shoes were put on by Mistress Fitz, you felt really lightheaded and you grabbed the woman’s arm to steady yourself. “Come on, lass, I willna let ye go. Let us head downstairs.” You nodded, unable to speak, and the two of you started making your way to the great hall.

Once in the hall, you could see that it was greatly decorated and the long tables were filled with enormous amounts of food; it certainly looked like a special occasion. “Now, my dear, I am going to have to let ye go now, since you will be seated at the table in the front.” Still not able to speak you nodded that you had understood what she had said. She carefully let go of your arm, testing to see if your own legs could carry you. Fortunately, your legs had gotten their strength back; at least, enough to carry yourself towards your seat. Colum stood up as you approached the table. “Ah, there she is! Have a seat, Y/N.” “Thank you,” you said, sitting down next to him. Colum started to speak to everyone who was seated in the hall. “Welcome to this special evening, everyone. We are all here to celebrate the marriage that will take place tomorrow. A marriage between this lovely lady here,” he motioned towards you, “and the man who is waiting to reveal himself as her future husband.” You scanned the room. The chair on the other side of Colum was still empty. There was no sight of Dougal; was he to be your husband? You looked for Murtagh but he was not present either. They were both probably waiting outside the hall, and one of them would walk in when Colum would ask for your husband to reveal himself. “So, we have come to the point where it is only fair to this lady to know who her husband will be.” Here we go. “May I ask for the husband-to-be of Y/N to step into the hall?” Everyone had gone quiet and you could hear footsteps approaching. You closed your eyes, not daring to look at who it would be. The footsteps got closer until they stopped. “It will be hard to see who I am when ye’ve got yer eyes closed, lass,” someone said. You did not recognize the voice to be Dougal’s and when you opened your eyes, you were greeted by the friendly, brown eyes of Murtagh. Were you relieved? Murtagh took your hand and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles, followed by a small wink; so small that you were sure only you could see it. Were those small butterflies in your stomach? You could feel your cheeks starting to get red and you quickly looked down. “It is an honour to marry ye, Y/N.” You looked up and smiled at him, not sure what to say. Murtagh had let go of your hand and made his way to his seat. You noticed that Dougal had made his way into the hall as well and a slight hint of jealousy could be detected on his face, though you were unsure why. “A toast,” Colum started, raising his glass and you and everyone else followed him, “to the bride and groom to be.” Everyone raised their glasses higher and took a sip. You took a big sip of the strong – stronger than you expected – wine. “As I mentioned, the wedding will take place tomorrow and I promise that it will be an even bigger feast than tonight and you’re all invited!” This announcement was followed by a lot of people shouting and raising their glasses. You looked at Murtagh and even he was smiling slightly. You would be married to this man tomorrow…

Tag list:

@hobbitsesoftheshire

@mysticalsoups

[shmowder]

No don’t worry!! I did find it cool to figure out Daniil actually has a canon height lol! I’m just autistic and get insanely embarrassed when I get things wrong about my special interests is all!! You didn’t come off as “erm actually at all” don’t worry!! It’s just me having a oh god I got this minor detail wrong i’m so cringe moment…i genuinely love learning new things!! Even if i feel a bit silly cause i got things wrong as a result!! And you’re absolutely right it’s always nice to see some content for strong and tall characters getting the damsel treatment that’s always fun!!

However that being said can I get some short Daniil and short reader content!! Because short Daniil just itches a part of the brain so it’s the short transmasc part of the brain that’s the part of the brain it itches.

Also your screenshot edits are so good!! “Never read Frankenstein” absolutely took me out because yeah I don’t wanna imagine what would happen if that man read the Frankenstein…..however I’d also love to see what would happen if he read Frankenstein, don’t know if he can due to time period reasons but….if it’s possible get that man a copy immediately!

-immune anon

Short Daniil with a short reader

[fluff, slight comedy, comfort]

[GN Reader]

-

The one thing Dankovsky abhorred the most about this town was the sheer quantity of tall people. Gaint freaks roaming the streets, causing his neck to crane just to hold eye contact with them, already developing a sore muscle.

Was it something in the water? Has their bottled milk been blessed by some deity to be 10 times as effective? Even the herb brides were taller than him. Daniil doesn't want to think about what he might look like to people while standing directly next to Dr. Rubin.

This is why he didn't feel the least bit ashamed of the great amount of relief that overcame him once he first set sight on you. Finally, he can meet someone eye to eye.

Well...someone near his age, to be more precise.

Straightening his posture, Slightly puffing his chest and thanking whatever powers that be for letting him remember to put on his good shoes thise morning–the ones with the subtle platforms integrated seamlessly into the design—Daniil was more than delighted by the discovery that he in fact did surpass your height...

...by 2.5 centimetres.

which were mostly his shoes–But, a victory nonetheless.

But at least, this was the start of something beautiful. You haven't said a word yet and already made a good impression on him.

Months go by, and the two of you only get closer and closer. Like two peas in the pod, height accuracy, and all. Struggling to reach things on the high shelf, bringing any new clothes you buy to the tailor for hem adjustments.

Going on strolls together, naturally keeping up with one another's pace. A mutual understanding between you two when Daniil found you climbing atop a table once just to reach the clock on the wall in order to change its batteries, or that time you saw him use the pistol barrel to hook through a mug's handle and bring it from the wall cupboards.

One day, Daniil managed to sprain his ankle—just another average day of almost being thirty—and you let him lean his weight against your body as you helped him back to the house.

A seed of suspicion was planted in your mind that day, one that questioned if you could, theoretically, carry him?

There is no better time than the present; you went to put your hypothesis to the test immediately. Much to Daniil's confusion as you march up to his sitting figure on the couch after he just finished checking over his ankle, bending down, putting one arm around his waist, another under his knees.

And without warning, lifting upwards.

You discovered that without his heavy snakeskin coat, leather shoes, and medical bag, Daniil was relatively easy to lift up. His body barely put any strain on your arms, or maybe it was you who was getting stronger? You knew munching on these rather expensive protein bars had to pay off one day.

Would it have been anyone else, the Bachelor might have put his gun to use, or maybe borrowed a page or two from the Haruspex's book and got creative with a scalpel.

Luckily for you, and your lifespan, since you weren't just anyone to Daniil, you only got away with an earful about immediately putting him down.

Despite his initial apprehension, as the days went by, your discovery was proven more and more useful. The amount of times you've moved a sleeping Daniil from his desk to the bed, slowly carrying him up the stairs, careful not to accidentally bump his head against the wall–who was the architect that thought a curved staircase was a good idea?

Dankovsky wasn't stupid. He knew he didn't magically teleport from downstairs to his bed after he woke up.

His pride prevented him from outwardly expressing gratitude, the idea of being picked up still leaves a bad taste in his mouth, but he attempted to show his thanks in other ways.

[goatcheesecak3]

Bus stop part 6

Adam Faulkner-Stanheight x F!reader

M!reader version linked in masterlist (pinned post)

Warnings: mentions of past s*icidal thoughts, brief details of s*icide plan

Fic type: fluff

Summary: one year on from meeting y/n, Adam reflects on how far he's come, and he thinks it's time to take the next step in his relationship.

Exactly one year ago today Adam had been sat alone at a bus stop. He had been sat, with his hood pulled up, his mind racing with memories of his terrible ordeal. He was the most lonely he'd ever been, no friends, estranged family and isolated from everyone else in the city. He had been contemplating s*icide for a while now, and had finally settled on how he was going to go through it. He would get home, drink a bottle of whiskey, write a short note and then swallow every pill in his cupboard before going to bed. Hopefully by the morning he would be dead. He had just formulated the perfect plan, when a voice had pulled him out of his trance, a beautiful girl asking him about the bus timetable. This girl had been y/n, who was now his girlfriend. She had offered him kindness when no one else would, she didn't care about his past, and she saw straight through the angry and defiant facade he put up. She had made every effort to give him undying love and affection, something which Adam had never experienced before in his life. To think that just one year ago he was more than ready to end it all, but she had come along at the perfect time to save him. It was fate, she was his miracle. He wanted to do something special for her on this day.

Adam didn't have a lot of money, but he'd been saving up as much as he could. He'd taken a little of these savings to purchase some steaks and a nice bottle of wine, and the rest was to go toward the surprise he had in store later.

Y/n arrived at his apartment at eight pm, just as he'd told her to.

"Wow" was all she could say, when she saw the state of his apartment - it was clean for once. He'd pulled his rickety little table and chairs out of the kitchen and sat them in the living room by the window, an array of candles lining the sill.

"I've um.. prepared something nice for you" Adam said awkwardly, feeling slightly shy.

"Adam! This is so sweet" y/n gushed, kissing Adam's face all over, causing him to blush and let out a girlish laugh.

"Come on, sit down, I tried to cook something for once" he smiled.

Y/n took her seat as Adam dished up the steaks and a few vegetables. They were cooked perfectly, but not very well seasoned, since Adam couldn't understand how herbs and spices worked to save his life, but the effort was there and the food was enjoyable. Y/n didn't really care what the food tasted like in all honesty, she was just overjoyed to see Adam's apartment so tidy, to see Adam eating something other than unbuttered toast, to see him wearing clean clothes. He had a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step, he had done for the last few weeks. He was doing so much better, he'd been working hard and keeping up with therapy and he was like a whole new man. He still had off days, and there were still nights he'd wake up in a panic, but for the most part no one would be able to guess what he'd been through.

"Is it good?" Adam asked nervously, as the pair ate.

"It is! You're getting a lot better at cooking" y/n replied, her reaction earning a happy grin from Adam.

"I umm.. wanted to talk to you about something" Adam said, seeming nervous again.

"What is it baby?" Y/n asked, feeling slightly concerned.

"No no, don't worry it's nothing bad!" Adam scrambled for words, realising how poorly he'd opened, "it's just that I was thinking... I've been saving up and looking at some nicer apartments in the area, you know? I wanna get out of this shithole as soon as I can"

"That's great baby! I'm so happy for you!" Y/n smiled gleefully

"But here's the thing... I was sort of wondering if maybe you'd wanna... like, come with me?" Adam poked aimlesdly at a potato with his fork anxiously, not daring to look up from his plate.

"Are you suggesting that we get a place together?" Y/n asked

"I mean, like, only if you'd want to..." he trailed off nervously, that destructive part of his brain criticising him for even considering that y/n would agree to this, until..

"Oh my god, Adam! I've been thinking the same thing, we could even get a cat!" Y/n grinned excitedly, reaching across the table to hold his hands.

"Really? You think it's a good idea?" Adam smiled, surprised at how well this was going.

"It's a great idea, baby I think now is the perfect time!"

Adam didn't realise how close he was to crying, until tears began to prick his eyes and his throat became tight. He swallowed hard, but it was no use, and he burst into a flood of tears. Immediately, y/n rose from her seat to comfort him. A chorus of "Baby, it's okay" and "Hey, don't cry sweetheart" rained down onto Adam, as he hugged her tightly, burying his face in her side. He couldn't speak, he couldn't explain it out loud, not right now. But he knew why he was crying, it wasn't sadness, not even joy, really. It was relief. Immense relief that on this day one year ago, that sweet girl at the bus stop had just so happened to ask him about her journey, that he'd thrown his apathy aside for just one moment to respond to her. Relief that when he arrived home, he waited long enough to recieve her text, to get a ray of hope. A Ray of hope that turned into dazzling sunshine, lighting up every single day of his life and making the world beautiful again. He could have missed out on all of this, but he didn't. The universe had a plan for him, that, he was certain of.

Wiping years from his eyes, he looked up at y/n, adoringly, as though he'd just fallen in love with her all over again.

"You were the one thing I got right in my life"

A/n hello! I feel like this is so corny omg💀 but we move. I'm thinking of ending this series soon, because there's not really too much else to add to it (I have got one or two more ideas up my sleeve though). I'll still be writing for Adam once this series is done though! Leave a request in my inbox if that's any specific scenario you want :^)) (seriously please I am running low on ideas lmao)

[loosesodamarble]

Welcome to the Black Bird Part 3: Johnathan the Paragon

Summary: Introducing William as Johnathan, the paragon of gentlemanly grace from the Black Bird. Genre: general Word count: ~800 A/N: The character art for William was done by @cringeyvanillamilk.

..........

“You have nothing to worry about now, son,” his father said as he patted his shoulder. “Your future’s been secured.”

“Consider yourself lucky to have this privilege,” his step-mother added with a cordial smile.

“And what if I want to do something else with my life?” he had dared to ask once.

After asking that, his father sighed and shook his head. His step-mother stopped grinning.

“Don’t be so selfish, William. After everything we’ve done for you, doing what we ask is the least you can do to repay us.”

But they hadn’t asked and they never did end up asking anything of him.

Maybe they would’ve asked “where have you been?” or “won’t you come home?” if they crossed paths again. William doubted that though. Knowing them, they probably would’ve demanded he return home and follow orders again.

One day, someone did ask him a question though.

It was when William found himself short on money to pay for a meal. He had been close to panicking about how he’d pay when a voice called out.

“Would you let me cover your bill for you?” It was a question to be sure. But the older gentleman with purple eyes and blond hair from the next table had extended an offer rather than made a request. “You’ll have to wait for me to finish my meal though, if you don’t mind.”

“S-sure…”

“Come, sit with me until I’m ready to pay! Oh, and I’m Mr. Novachrono, just so you know!”

…..

William wove between tables with practiced ease. He had the dining room layout—the fourth version of it at that point—memorized and understood how her coworkers moved through the area. Just as he was about to pass behind a customer’s chair, he caught the slightest movement of the man shifting to stand.

Immediately, William came to a stop. And just in time as the man stood and turned to walk in William’s direction.

“Gah!” the customer yelped, not too loud though. “J-jeez, I—”

“Apologies for the surprise, good sir,” William said with a nod of his head. A full bow being impossible with the tray he carried. “I was en route to my mistresses’ table, just past you and your party of folks. If I may?” He gestured his head forward.

The man shuffled to the side and William glided past him with a smile and soft “thank you.”

William reached his table without further issue. As he served his patrons, the pair of ladies at the table giggled.

“Perfect delivery as always, Johnathan,” the fairer haired of the two commented.

“For the sake of my lovely masters, I fore’er stride towards the greatest heights of service,” William responded. He noticed their tea cups were both running empty. “Shall I refill your tea?”

“Oh please do!” the other woman, with red-brown hair, squealed and clapped her hands.

William grinned and picked up the teapot placed at the table’s center.

“The dark auburn hue of this tea. How reminiscent of your own hair, my lady fair,” William said as he poured out the drink. A rosy blush colored the woman’s face.

“A poet as always,” said the lighter haired woman. “How do you do it so easily?”

William fell silent. He set down the tea pot.

“How… Simply put, I wish to fill the world with kind, beautiful words,” was his answer, a soft grin coming to his face. And his response got admiring sighs from his customers.

Kind, beautiful words… What William once sought in the past…

…..

Poultry of Grandeur. On the surface, the dish appears simple but there was a depth and elegance to it that many customers enjoyed.

Chicken, though considered a simple protein, could be turned into something gourmet with proper preparation and ingredients. William wanted to show that through the dish he added to the cafe’s menu. He had a carefully chosen blend of herbs and spices that he rubbed onto chicken breasts and added into a cheese blend. The cheese and a handful of diced vegetables—which changed seasonally—would be stuffed into the chicken. Finally, it was all cooked via oven baking and pan searing.

William took pride in the complexity and refinement of his dish. It was indeed a perfect match for his distinguished persona at the cafe.

Coincidentally, it was also a perfect contrast to the reckless and messy person he once was.

Thankfully, he’d been able to turn things around and become the man he was in the present. Careful, put together, and in control. He never thought he’d come so far. But he knew that there was still more growing he could do.

When that would happen and why, was something he wasn’t considering though.

For now, he had tables to serve.

.....

[green-tea-in-absinthe-bottle]

THE NIGHT BELONGS TO YOU CHAPTER 3

Blade x fem reader fanfic

MASTERLIST

Summary of part 3 - Reader lives among stellaron hunters, makes genuine connections and slowly becomes one of them

Chapter 3 – Tangled up like branches in a flood 

Between playing games with Silver Wolf at which Y/n sucked, ( but enjoyed them, so who cares) and conversations with Elio (she was told by Destiny’s Slave himself to refer to him as such after short time) weeks passed quickly and happily with Stellaron Hunters. 

 Y/n couldn’t say that she wasn’t treated well, her room was spacious and comfortable one with king sized bed and huge bookshelf full of grimoires, they even put up a little herb garden in her room. She had supplies for her numerous hobbies, yarn for crochet and knitting, painting tools, even her favourite instrument to practice with to Kafka’s delight as she always craved some company while honing her violin skills.  

She was quickly introduced to her share of housework which wasn’t a terrible one, she got to do things she didn’t really mind doing especially those that others didn’t like, overall it wasn’t overwhelming. If anything she was too proud to admit but it seemed life together was much easier, at least no more triggering her sensory issues with washing dishes. With time her attachment to Stellaron Hunters grew.  

They behaved towards each other like a found family and there was nothing Arkonian missed more than her own one. Maybe that’s why she loved how Blade and Silver Wolf’s friendship looked like? Each time she noticed them joke around together and spend quality time regardless if it was work-related, going out in disguise to enjoy festivals or parallel play when Wolf gamed  and Blade slept with his eyes open next to her -  y/n thought about her father and how they used to do that too, minus the whole incognito thing.  

She wasn’t the part of their dynamic, yet it still brought her comfort. Even when she spent time with Silver Wolf Blade almost never spoke to her, despite his gaze always finding her and observing her every move.  

 - Y/n, would you like to play Tekken with me? Blade hurt his hand again, he can’t hold the controller properly. - Wolfie casually suggested, giving him a piece of bubble gum. He took it gently into his bandaged hand. Fresh blood was visible on white material. 

 - Sure, why not. Tekken 7 or 8? I main Kazumi or Jun. 

 - You like Mishimas’s girls? - teen teased her.  

 - What can I say, they have great taste in women, I mean... Have you seen Jun’s leg cutter move? So hot. - y/n didn’t even try to pretend she was normal about those characters. - By the way, what happened to our friend?  

 He winced at the word she chose to describe him with but didn’t oppose when y/n sat on the floor between his and Wolfie’s legs. She didn’t want to get the chips crumbs scrambled here and there on the couch stuck on her black pants.  

 - During the mission some glass shards from broken window cut his hand. Don’t worry, he heals much faster than average person, his curse does come with a few blessings. - Wolfie answered instead of the man, who looked like he wanted to say a few bitter words about such unwanted “blessings” that only delay his eternal rest. Unbothered by his grumpiness girl continued. - Here is your controller, we play the new Tekken. Blade just bought it for me today.  

 - That’s very kind of him. - y/n admitted. She only earned unamused glance from the man.  

 - He is way nicer than he seems to be at first, you will understand.  

Out of 7 matches they played y/n won only two, but claimed to be good at Tekken. Just, you know, trying new techniques for fun and gawking at Jun’s design. Wolfie turned out to be Yoshimitsu main but tried Hwoarang once. Blade didn’t utter a word through the whole game but passed them snacks from nearby table. Perhaps those spicy shrimp chips were enough for y/n to forget how annoying he could be sometimes. Did she imagine this or did he really gave up last few chips from his bowl so she could have them? 

*** 

Later, when Silver Wolf and Y/N were alone the former reassured her.  

 - Don’t worry about Blade, he isn’t in the best place mentally. He usually avoids outsiders like a plague. You are new here and we don’t know yet for how long will you be willing to stay with us or if we can trust you. It’s already a miracle he sits next to you out of his own will, I think he doesn’t dislike you. - girl grinned.  

 - I don’t know about that. - y/n laughed in response – Your gloomy friend constantly  stares at me like he wants to see all my previous lifetimes.  

Hacker cackled wildly at that.  

 - Oh come on, he’s not that bad. He is just... A bit intense. But trust me, he doesn’t hate you. You would know if he would. You haven’t seen him like that yet, he’s like some fallen angel of revenge. 

 - Sounds like I really don’t want to get on his bad side. - medium scrunched her nose. 

Even more often she marveled at Blade’s friendship with Firefly, the girl that craved life but hers was meant to be cut short, while he craved nothing more than for his immortal suffering to come to end, he could find some hope for peace only in death, just like one of Y/N’s relatives back then on Arkona... Yet Firefly and Blade deeply respected each other, understood each other in a way nobody else ever did and took care of each other in subtle way. It was so sweet.  

In general, y/n considered the way everybody here accommodated disabled people of the group without infantilising them or making them seem like a burden. For example – Blade let girls play on his phone, but when he needed them to type a message to somebody which was hard for him to do because of constant stiffness of his hands – he didn’t need to ask them twice even in the middle of unstoppable game. Perhaps the pain in his hands is the reason  why he barely used his phone in general. He always spoke to the girls with respect, never let them feel inferior despite age difference, y/n chose to believe that the day he got his ass kicked by Sam was not the only reason why. 

Firefly’s entropy loss syndrome wasn’t a tabu, nobody tried to pretend it wasn’t there, but it was not a secret that time spent together was precious to them due to her shortened lifespan. She was always the closest with Blade, yet y/n suspected the one who cherished her the most was Kafka herself. The problem is even if Kafka tried her best at being there for Firefly  it only seemed to create more distance.   

Y/n believed in Kafka’s good intentions towards her crewmates. She always checked on their wellbeing, listened to Silver Wolf’s ideas when nobody else took them seriously  and she was the one covering for them in front of the boss when they ignored the script on missions. The way in which girls asked her if they can bend the rules a bit each time made y/n remember how she used to ask her auntie to calm her mother down later if she wanted to misbehave. Despite that, y/n believed that Kafka, so known for being completely fearless, tried to shield herself from others to avoid getting too close. 

It came to her mind one day while she was cleaning and organizing Kafka’s collection of coats alongside it’s owner. 

 - This one might need to be repaired before it gets back into the closet. - y/n suggested. 

 - What is it dear? - woman furrowed her brow, taking a look at damaged sleeve Arkonian held in front of her. - Is that blood? I really liked this one...- she sighed. - Don’t worry cutie, the blood definitely isn’t mine. 

 While that woman was always charming, polite and elegant – she was also a mysterious one, doing her best to not pick up any  personal topics. She clearly wanted company, valued people around her and in some way, y/n was sure she needed them. Yet, she never truly let go of her defences.  She seemed to be honest with you, telling you things without sugarcoating, but at the end of the day you didn’t really knew who she was. She didn’t lie but she never opened up either. 

At one point this enigmatic woman put down the last one of her coats and looked up at the painting hanging on the wall. Artificial light enhanced her facial features, emphasized her subtle expression. Kafka had that kind of sadness in her eyes y/n only saw in people who lost somebody who meant world to them, full of regret as if her soul could burst out of the seams under the weight of words unsaid, unconfessed feelings. Quickly, she concealed those emotions and closed the closet door. Y/n didn’t ask about it. 

 She didn’t want to pry, sometimes we need to let people keep their secrets, it’s a form of dignity too, like clothing that covers your body. Y/n knew better than anyone else – it's not a good thing to show your open wounds to people. After all Arkona left a hole in her heart that will never heal. 

Still, she tried to fill it, went out to run whenever she could, hiked the mountains to feel the blood rush through her body. To feel alive. Usually Firefly joined her during those activities, when you know you don’t have much time left you try to make every day meaningful. More often than not she had to take on SAM form during those to not overwhelm her body. To Firefly having a chance to see the beauty of nature, of world around herself – that was everything, and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing it one day. 

 During one of those hikes Y/n sat down next to younger girl on a boulder and passed her a thermos full of hot chocolate. They looked up at the setting sun, while two out of three moons this particular planet they chose to roam had slowly showed on the sky as pale crescents. Memories flood y/n’s mind. She turned her head towards her friend, only to see Firefly observing her with understanding in her eyes.  

 - Can I tell you something I haven’t told anybody else?- Y/n whispered with trembling voice.  

 - Of course, did something happen? - girl seemed to be concerned. 

 - Back then, on my home planet I used to live next to the mountain,  it used to be known in common language as Saintcross, our original name would sound too strange to you. You know what kind of reputation Arkonian language has. Whenever harsh winds and storms destroyed roofs of the houses in nearby villages my mother used to pray to Saintcross so it keeps us safe... She used to say it’s like a natural shield against those. I didn’t always believe that, cause in the area around them harsh winds were not uncommon but our home stood safe through it so I guess her prayers were listened to. Till the abominations came and split my mountains apart. - Arkonian’s face was wet with all the tears and she trembled so hard Firefly noticed it despite thick winter jacket covering y/n’s body .– Then there was nothing to protect us anymore. Nothing to pray to. Smoke covered sky so no stars shone above us at night and no sun was to be seen at day. 

Firefly didn’t knew what to do when people cried so she just held y/n till she calmed down. Then she spoke as well. 

 - My kind was meant to live fast and die in the flames of battle. In my lifetime I saw my comrades die again and again, I’m was used to losing those around me, that at some point I truly, foolishly believed that I can’t feel grief. We were made to fight Swarm but we lived like a hivemind ourselves. Only our purpose mattered, not who we were. To some extend we were made to believe we were all the same, like army of clones. - she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Arkonian’s arms around her tightened. - One thing I really need to do before enthropy takes me away from this world is to learn who I am. Only I myself can give sense to my life. I was made to burn, so in this fire I will forge myself in any shape I desire. - ambition shone in her eyes with intensity of the sun itself.  

 - I am sure you will reach your goal, maybe even to some extent it’s already done. - y/n gently smiled. 

 - Why would you say that? - girl livened up a bit. 

 - I never saw anybody burn as bright as you do. Take in everything like you do. Embrace life in all it’s colors. All stars shine in the sky but my people always looked up to the brightest ones. You remind me so much of myself from my younger days in that aspect, I used to beg my family to take me up the mountain as often as possible, just so I could feel closer to divinity of sun,  clouds and constellations. It made me feel so alive I wanted to scream from mountaintop. - y/n sighed. - Not to mention, growing up I had both a sweet tooth and tendency to try unconventional meals, I bet we would eat Oak Cake Rolls together if we knew each other back then. You need to try my favourite Anyżki cookies as well. 

 - Oh, do you know how to make them? I can use SAM's heating ability to help you bake them. - Firefly flexed a bit with a tiny smirk. 

 - Ummm...I need to refresh my memory, but as soon as I put my hands on that recipe we get to work bestie. 

Firefly took of her helmet and put her head on y/n's shoulder with pleased expression on her face. They watched as the third moon became visible, distant howling of wolves filled the atmosphere. Arkonian felt like in trance, tranquil after the storm of her emotions drained her energy. She sobered up once the first moon begun to set. 

- Maybe we should go. It’s getting late and I overheard Elio talk to Blade about something to do early in the morning tomorrow if everything goes well. - y/n’s voice interrupted peaceful moment they shared.  

Firefly got up and they walked back in complete silence, no words were needed. 

 Y/n didn’t know if her friend told anybody about what happened, but after she came down to the kitchen that night to get some pills for her insomnia, she met Kafka who silently gave her a cup of hot milk with honey with reassuring smile on her face.  

When she returned to her bedroom she found burning lavender incense placed on her bedside table, next to the small bouquet of red flowers identical to those Blade always had with himself. She didn’t recall putting any of those there, but was to tired to worry about that. Lavender managed to put her at ease, out of nowhere quiet violin music as hypnotizing as Kafka’s voice reached her ears and put her to sleep. For the first time since the fall of Arkona – she had no nightmares.  

*** 

Humming to herself y/n cheerfully went to Elio’s office. She felt so much better after that night, her first one of good sleep in years. Right before she reached for door handle her mind was engulfed with vision of way too bright light that caused her pain and out of it stepped Terminus holding a star in his hand, complicated sigil  drawn on it’s surface. Y/n felt her legs give up, she expected her body to hit the floor but then she felt the embrace of two strong arms, smell of fresh blood and Red Spider Lily flowers. Red, observant eyes of darkhaired male attentively checked for the shadow of discomfort in her eyes as he picked her up. She felt her cheeks blush under his gaze. 

 - Are you alright? - he asked.  

She wondered why a man with such an attractive, manly voice speaks so rarely. Yet when he did usually it was a witty response or a sharp remark. Out of all Stellaron Hunters he was the hardest to connect to, even Kafka allowed her closer than he ever did. Always so fixated on his pain and deathwish, he avoided anything that could get him attached back to his life, with exception of other Stellaron Hunters. Y/n hoped one day this privilege will also be hers to enjoy. She snapped out of her thoughts as Blade got concerned with her silence.  

 - I just had a vision. I need to go to Elio’s office, he should hear about this. 

 - No way I will let you go there on your own, you barely stand. - Blade sighed. - Let me carry you there if that really can’t wait.  

 *** 

Elio raised his tail up in excitement while he looked at the sigil’s sketch in front of him. 

 - So that’s what Terminus meant by those words last week. If I understand correctly this thing over here might be a special charm, when it’s put on a proper mechanism it allows to extract energy from stellarons, this might be a true revolution. Can you imagine? If we could use all those stellarons we sealed through the years to our advantage, one of the biggest threats against humanity working in it’s favour. Do you remember prototype we build in hopes of achieving such thing? 

 - Yes, I made sure craftsman working on it were the absolute best I could find. - claimed confidently Blade. - I took part of planning it’s design by myself, nothing had a chance to go wrong under my watch even if I couldn’t work on it with my hands. Yet, we failed. Do you suggest infusion could help the machine work in a more stable way? 

 - That’s what I believe Terminus tried to tell me. There is no time to waste, we need to act without hesitation. Y/n, are you ready for your first mission for Stellaron Hunters? - Elio asked tho he already knew the answer.  

 - Of course. - Y/n hurriedly assured him. - I am ready. 

 - Good – he purred in response – There is a stellaron in hands of IPC nearby that we can try your sigil and Blade’s machine on. Grab it from the workshop and you are ready to go. According to my visions everything should go smoothly. I will give you coordinates of the object, you must attempt to seal it within machine and bring it here. Blade already knows this particular base, he and Kafka had a mission there last week. It should be easy for you guys to not get caught redhanded. I don’t expect many guards in your way. Two of you will set off without delay.  

 *** 

Blade threw microwave-sized machine at the backseat of the red, old-fashioned car and closed the door. He sat at the drivers place. Y/n noticed how he checked in a discreet way if her seatbelt is fixed. She didn’t want to disturb him while he was driving so she concentrated on the highway in front of her. Not even ten minutes have passed when he initiated a conversation to her surprise. 

 - Aren’t you shocked that I know how to drive? People usually ask me about it. Not very unexpected concern if you take my narcolepsy, suicidal tendencies and constant mara attacks into consideration. - his eyes didn’t leave the road the whole time but she noticed a slight crooked grin on his face.  

 - Not very much, Silver Wolf told me you used to be a blacksmith on Xianzhou Zhuming, Furnace Master even. I worked there, infusing their weapons with charms, so I know just how much effort and talent it takes to achieve something like this in such place, full of geniuses. I am aware you created many complicated machines during your previous lifetime, so naturally I thought you would be into all things related to such things. - she tried so hard to not say anything stupid but butterflies she felt in her stomach betrayed her time and time again.  

 - So you two gossip about me in your free time? I could convince Kafka to give you both some more responsibilities around the house. Separately. - he threatened but badly hidden smile on his face showed he wasn’t really upset. - How are things on Xianzhou? I bet those self-centered, arrogant idiots haven’t changed a bit since I last saw them. Always so proud, on their Xianzhou ships, yet completely delusional in their pursuits. They condemned me but their sins are way heavier than mine. - Blade laughed in a bitter way. Since when was he so talkative? He never spoke much, but when she was around the most you could get out of him was maybe a short sentence despite the way he looked at her constantly. 

 - To be fair the only reason it still stands is general Jing Yuan. - y/n dared to criticize Xianzhou as she still felt betrayed by them after people she trusted almost handed her to IPC – He seems to be the only person there that uses their brain for something, so he is used by them day and night, he barely sleeps. 

 - It must be hard on him, I don’t remember much from my previous life including some habits of my former friends,  but from what I’ve heard his sleepiness is legendary. 

 - He is even called the slumbering general. - y/n admitted with a giggle. She hoped it wasn’t too enthusiastic. The thought of Blade somehow discovering her crush on Jing Yuan when she had a bit of a crush on him as well just didn’t sit with her right. Could you blame her? Almost every girl on Xianzhou Xianzhou was enchanted by talented general.  

 - Did they treat you well? - Blade looked at her this time, she knew she couldn’t lie under his penetrating gaze. He would figure her out in seconds.  

 - Yes, they did. I found many good colleagues in the forgery, but I never really became friends with anybody. I mostly kept to myself. The closest to a friend I had was Master Zhang.  

 - I don’t recall such name. - Blade slightly frowned.  

 - He was the one that warned me about IPC trying to get me, without him they would catch me without problem.- she mentioned Zhang with gratitude in her heart.  - Everybody else had no issue with turning me in, at least from what I’ve heard. I guess current Furnace Master didn’t plan to stay silent when he saw what my enchanted weapon could do if he could get on the good side of IPC at the tiny cost of one of his employees.  

Blade chuckled darkly.  

 - They turned their back on me as well. - his gaze went numb, he seemed to recall past grudges. Through gritted teeth he murmured – Out of five....three must pay the price. 

His grip on the driving wheel tightened. Y/n wondered if he was about to get mara struck and how should she behave if that happens, when a bullet broke the car glass in front of them and flew right by her left ear. 

[cleavetheclover]

okok, i have a cyphmen prompt for you, hope you look through it

how about omen/cypher buy a plant that represents the other? OMG it would be like "this plant is really you" and omggggggg skdkdjkskskdkskd

hehe thank you for taking your time with me

AHAAHAAAAA YOU HAVE ACTIVATED MY LOVE OF PLANTS YOU HAVE FALLEN FOR MY INVISIBLE TRAP AHAHAHHA

Jk I don’t know a whole lot about house plants, but I do know a little

For Omen: Siam Aurora/Red Algaonema

I think Cypher would say that the vibrant multicolor suits Omen well.

They’re relatively easy to care for and don’t cause a fuss with regular watering and good lighting (bright and indirect). I actually have one of my own!

Omen also has bonsais, as seen in one of the cinematic sms (forgot which). So clearly he knows what he’s doing when it comes to plants. I think he could definitely deal with more difficult/fussy plants if he so chose to. (Ahem, calatheas)

For Cypher: Jade Pothos

A classic beginner house plant that does well in low lighting. Cypher definitely wouldn’t know much about plant care, so this is well suited. He would appreciate the simplicity of it.

It would also be very obvious if the plant wasn’t doing well, in which case he would call Omen to come fix it as if he were a plant IT specialist.

Cypher would probably would keep this in his bedroom because his workshop definitely gets no lighting.

———————

Ok so now it is FANFIC TIME in which they go to something like Mahoney’s (basically Costco for plants), also I wrote this on the fly so it’s not that good

In this one they r an established couple because I said so hehehe

———————

Usually, Omen is the one hovering one step behind Cypher. He is usually so quiet, almost coming across as timid, when in reality he is simply a shy introvert who would rather let the talkative Cypher take the lead.

Not here, though. Omen is four steps ahead of Cypher, marching forward with a confidence the informant has never seen before. They pass the entrance, all the bouquets and flowers, and many smaller plants in tiny black pots.

Cypher almost stops to look at them, but Omen shows no signs of slowing down.

“Ignoring all those lovely plants, habibi?” The cadence of his melodic voice seems to ease some of the ever-present tension in Omen’s shoulders.

“Those are garden plants. Vegetables. Herbs.” To anyone else, the clipped reply would have been interpreted as aggressive and off-putting. To Cypher, this is no bother. Omen has trouble speaking, what with his barely-stable form. In fact, he finds it endearing that Omen elaborated so much. If he weren’t in a good mood, he simply would have pointed at the nearby sign that said ‘Outdoor Plants’ and left it at that.

“You look like a man on a mission. If I had known you’d like it here so much, I would have taken you a long time ago,” Cypher remarks. When Omen simply scoffs, he laces his hand in Omen’s and gives it a small tug to remind them to slow down. “My dear, the plants you are looking for won’t get eaten by bugs in the next minute. Slow down. Let’s enjoy the sun.”

Omen says nothing, but he does slow his pace a bit. As they continue their way through the enormous greenhouse (the first of many), he allows Cypher to pull him along in any direction like a child in a candy store. What’s this plant? What’s that? Do you like petunias? (No.) Although the wraith is here for the specific purpose of purchasing houseplants, he adores the curious look that lights up his lover’s eyes, and so he lets them be delayed.

It isn’t long before they get to the houseplants section. Omen takes the lead once again, Cypher following at his shoulder. The two of them stroll down the aisles, gazing at the rows upon rows of baby plants. Whenever Omen pauses for a long period, he can feel Cypher gearing up to ask him what he’s thinking about, as he always does. He decides to save the effort and simply say his thoughts aloud.

“Snake plant. Easy to care for. Not your style. You need softer leaves.”

“I need softer leaves?”

Omen simply brings his hand to brush against the snake plant and feel it’s rigidity. “You are more gentle than that. Your plant should be the same.”

“Oh,” Cypher says softly, abashed at the compliment. It was really so easy to get him flustered.

They pass a few more plants. Omen brushes his fingertips in the leaves, feeling the stems, idly checking the health of plants he will never buy. They are all in good condition, at least. This trip was not wasted.

“Jade pothos,” Omen declares triumphantly, holding it up to the light. He examines the underside of the leaves, gently punches the stems, and brushes the pad of his finger over the leaves. It was well cared for in this greenhouse, but it wasn’t particularly difficult to do that. Nonetheless, Omen deems it a suitable companion for his partner, and hands it off to him. “For you. Easy care. Simple design. Grows well.”

Cypher examines the plant, mimicking the motions Omen had just done but clearly without knowing what they did. It was endearing to see the information broker so confused when utterly outside his sphere of knowledge. It reminded Omen that even the world’s greatest mastermind still did not know everything.

“For me? I— you know I don’t have any plants. I’ve never even cared for one before!” Cypher protests.

“Beginner plant,” Omen states. “Your bedroom needs more life.”

“Ah! Excuse me, but my bedroom is plenty lively, what with all your midnight visits.” Cypher cries indignantly, then laughing while running a free hand down Omen’s back. Trust him to always take the path of innuendo rather than literal. Omen lets out a huff in lieu of actual laughter, and responds by putting his own hand on the small of Cypher’s back.

“Another kind of life, Amir.”

“Fine, I will take it. Anything for you, my dear.”

With the pothos secured in Cypher’s arm, they continue walking through the houseplants section.

“This one, for you?” Cypher points to a plant with bright dapples of pink on the small leaves. “Not every plant is just green and brown. It’s pretty and multicolored, like you.”

“Not elegant enough.” Omen says. “Too small.”

They keep going. The shadow already cares for bonsais and an assortment of other small plants. Today, he looking for something larger. A tree, maybe? A monstera would be too large, but he wants something like a money tree…

“How about this one?” It’s dark green with thin pink stripes on the leaves.

“Beautiful, but fussy.” Omen says. He hates feeling picky, but he really does want to get today’s choice right. “Calathea are tropical plants. Very specific light and soil requirements.” He turns the plant slightly and lifts some of the top leaves to reveal some yellowing leaves below. “Not a good choice for someone who is deployed every other week.”

“How about this one, then? It looks happy,” Cypher is now looking at the plants beside it. This one has a thick pink stem, large pointed deep green leaves with red margins. The tag reads “Red Algaonema.”

Tenderly, Omen examines the plant in the same way he did the pothos. Then, being unfamiliar with this particular plant, checked the tag for care instructions, and then checked to see whether the soil was the right mix.

“I think the red suits you. It’s bigger than the other one, and the stripes are cleaner than the dots on the other one,” Cypher explains, and the shadow can’t help but agree. Wow, his boyfriend really does know him well. Cypher has always been adaptable when it comes to new information, so Omen can’t say that he’s surprised. But he does appreciate the gesture nonetheless.

“Yes,” the shadow says, thumbing the leaves. “I like this one.”

The two of them stand there for a moment, admiring their selection. Cypher takes the opportunity to touch Omen’s plant and gauge its qualities and temperament. Again, not knowing what the hell he’s doing, but the effort is apploudable. Somehow, Omen knows he could care less about the plant itself, and is more excited for how the plant will keep Omen’s mood up. Omen can see it, in the thoughtful gaze the informant directs at the leaves. What else about the plant would have him go so quiet?

“I love you, Omen,” the words come spilling out of Cypher’s mouth so smoothly, as if his entire train of thought had come to that one sentence. It could be perceived as a sudden sentence, breaking the conversation about plants, but to Omen, it was only the rightful conclusion to Cypher’s inner dialogue. Of course his imagination and careful planning of Omen’s happiness was out of love, and of course he was going to say as such.

Omen has to stifle a laugh. Cypher, the hopeless romantic, who would take a ghost out on a date to a fucking greenhouse of all places, just because he wanted to see Omen’s confidence and knowledge blossom like a flower in spring.

“I love you too, Amir.”

[lavenderwriting]

꧁༒☬𝓛𝓮𝓰𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓲𝓽☬༒꧂

Werewolf!Reiner x reader

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Summary: There was a legend in your village, however you were never one to believe in it. But what happens when you were faced with the creature?

WARNINGS: Blood, squirting, smutt, crampie, belly bulge, oral sex, minors DNI

──────༺🎃༻──────

In your village there was a legend. "Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the moon is full and bright." It was quite a frightening poem, the children hated it however you found it rather amusing. It was obviously something that the parents would tell their unruly children to keep them out of trouble and inside the village. 

When people started to go missing during the night the people became concerned. It went like this.. The full moon would arrive and during the night time someone would go missing. Of course their absence would only be noticed by morning and there would be a lot of blood on the ground and on the walls. However, never once was a body found, the people would simply vanish into thin air. 

One morning you were woken up by screams. Grabbing a robe and putting it on on top of your nightgown, you went outside to see what all the commotion was about. There was already a crowd forming a circle around someone and as you got closer the screams grew louder and more intense. 

"IT WAS A DEMON. A WEREWOLF."

The woman was crying hysterically, blood covering her hands and dress.

"I SAW IT WITH MY OWN TWO EYES. IT WAS AS BLACK AS THE DARK. IT TOOK MY HUSBAND." 

Everyone was shocked by the ladies' affirmations. Could it be? No. Surely not. As more people began to arrive, so did the governor, Elias, and his wife, Elonor.

"What is all this ruckus about?"

No one answered, the only sound coming from the crying widow that was now being consoled by Elonor.

"Somebody answer me. What is going on?"

An older man next to you walked closer to Elias and spoke in a low tone.

"This woman right here claims that a werewolf took her husband."

You expected the Governor to burst out laughing, however the opposite happened. His face began to lose color and his expression darkened.

He turned to one of the guards.

"Bring this woman to my office immediately."

The guard nodded and rose the woman from the floor with Elonor's help. Then Elia turned to the crowd.

"As for the rest of you, go home."

And just like that the crowd dispersed and no one said a word. 

You didn’t know what was said in the governor's office, what you did know was that a few days later a curfew was declared, which stated that during full moon no one was allowed to be out at night starting from 7pm till 7am. 

--------

A few months passed and you were tired of the curfew. The police weren't doing anything to solve the missing cases or to find the culprit. The people were starting to get angry, and rightfully so. The family of the victims wanted answers that no one was willing to give and the others wanted their freedom back.

In one full moon fase you decided to go to the forest in the middle of the afternoon. You needed mushrooms and some herbs and so you put on a cream and brown dress, grabbed your basket and went on your way. The walk was a relaxing one and the path there was quite an easy one. You always loved the forest, the smell and the ambience always calmed you down. When you got to your destination, you started to search for what you came for.

As you were searching for the mushrooms and herbs you lost track of time, only noticing you were way past your curfew when the sun had already set and the moon was shining. Deciding you had everything you began to make your way back to the village. You knew you were going to get an earful but you were willing to take the risk.

Through the forest you went, leaves and twigs crushing underneath your feet, until you heard it. Somewhere in the distance there was a howling. You stopped dead in your tracks. Your heart beating faster. You waited in silence to see if you could hear it again, and sure enough a few moments later there it was again. Howling. But wait, it didn’t seem like an howling. It was weird, inhuman. 

You waited to hear it again and the next time the sound came you were sure. It was a pained cry. Some hunters had laid down some traps to catch the beast that was instilling fear in the villagers and a poor animal must have been caught in one of them. You felt bad and so you hid your basket under some leaves and went in search of the animal to set him free. 

You tried following the sound as best as you could, and as you got closer the sound grew louder and more painful. Your heart clenched just thinking about how he must be hurting from the trap. 

You were walking through the darkness and suddenly you heard the cry right in front of you. There were a few bushes so the animal was hidden right behind them. As carefully as you could, you pried the bushes apart, however the sight in front of you made your heart drop. 

The animal in front of you looked like a wolf at first, but upon further inspection you could see that it wasn’t. This animal was lying in a fetal position, howling in pain. His fur was pitch black but he seemed strange. He looked like a wolf yet at the same time he didn’t. For instance this animal was too big to be a wolf, his paws were massive and his ears were also big and extremely pointy. As the animal contorted in pain and his body turned to you slightly you saw it clearly. Abs. This animal had abs running down his abdomen and his front paws resembled human hands but with claws and fur. 

Your heart beat increased. This wasn’t an animal. You were not even sure of what it was, it had some human resemblances and some animal one. It was inhuman. It was supernatural. It was a werewolf. That thought instilled fear in yourself. And all of the sudden the widow's words came into your mind. She was right. She was not crazy. 

As carefully as you could you put the bushes back in place and began to walk backwards to safety. However it seemed that luck was not on your side, because even though you tried to be as careful as you could, one of your feet stepped on a twig and it snapped underneath your shoe. The next few seconds appear to be in slow motion. Beads of sweat ran down your face, you looked down at your foot and then back up, in the direction that the werewolf was. 

There was a beat of silence before out of the bushes the dark beast came flying towards you, his right arm reached out to you, as you ran backwards, and ripped the upper part of your dress leaving your breasts exposed to the creature. With the impact you fell to the ground. At the moment you were completely at the mercy of the wolf man. 

The creature took advantage of your helplessness and jumped on top of you landing with his hands on each side of your head. The werewolf was huge, bigger than it seemed, his eyes were golden a contrast with his fur, his snout was long and his fangs… his fangs were so sharp that it looked like it could pierce your skin just by looking at them. You turned your head from side to side to gaze at his claws and dread filled your body, they were so sharp and long. You just hoped that your death would be quick. 

You closed your eyes really hard and waited for him to strike, however it never came. When you were sure that it wasn’t coming you slowly opened your eyes. The werewolf was looking intently at you. The beast did not like the fact that you looked away and rawared in your face, drool dripping down his fangs and landing on your breasts. He gazed at where the drops landed and followed their path as they rolled down your boobs and finally landed on the ground.

The coldness of the liquid made your nipples hardened and not only you noticed that but so did he. He brought his snot closer to the nipple and inhaled. The creature then looked you in the eyes and, without breaking eye contact, licked your nipple clean. His tongue was big, just like the rest of him, and it felt rough to the touch, yet it sent a wave of pleasure down your body. His tongue was moving in circles making you squirm in pleasure. Your legs were open as he laid between them and as the pleasure grew the more you opened them to accommodate him better. He appeared pleased with this and let out a small growl. 

The wolf man's left hand left its place beside your head to grope your free breast. You could feel your clit throbbing with pleasure begging to be touched. Slowly your hand moved from your sides to his head, stroking his fur. There were pleasure growls coming from the creature above you. 

After a while the beast stopped his actions and unhurriedly lifted himself up, standing on his knees with your legs on either side of his hips. His large hands were stroking the skin on your exposed thighs. 

You took your time to take in the sight in front of you. He was breathtaking. His abs were so defined, his arms so muscular. Your eyes roamed down his body and finally landed on his cock. It was already hard and it was monstruos. Of course it had to match the rest of him by being the biggest dick you had laid your eyes on. It was an angry red, it had a slightly pointy tip. His cock was long and so thick and at the base there was a knot, also red, and underneath was his big and full balls covered in black fur. You didn’t know why but his whole physique attracted you immensely. 

The creature followed your line of sight and noticed you were staring at his cock, so in order to please you he began to stroke it. You couldn’t deny that the whole scenario was exciting, so much so that it made slick run down your hole and soak your underwear. You lifted your dress and pushed them to the side and began to pleasure yourself too. He was entranced by your actions, his golden orbs following your every move. Your hands started to gather the slick from your pussy and spread it to your clit, then you inserted two fingers and pushed in and out a few times befores rubbing circles on your clit again. The beast kept stroking himself and looking at your pussy, sometimes he would let out whines of pleasure as spit fell from his mouth right to your pussy, helping you pleasuring yourself better. 

However he was not a patient being because soon enough he was ripping your underwear and throwing the shredded pieces somewhere behind him. He lowered himself once more only this time his face was right in front of your entrance. He smelled the combination of your juices with his spit and appeared pleased by the way he licked his sharp teeth. He tentatively licked a stripe from your hole to your clit. His tongue felt so good against you that you could not help but let out a moan and grip the fur of his head. He took your actions as a sign to continue and so he did. His tongue lapping your juices while his clawed hands gripped your thighs. 

He inserted his tongue inside you, it was long enough to reach that spot inside you that made you squirm and moan loudly. The pleasure was beginning to build inside you, just a few more thrusts of his tongue and you would cum all over his snout. Unfortunately for you he took his tongue out of your pussy and out of desperation you pulled on his fur, which he did not like so he snarled at you in response, bearing his fangs at you. In order to appease him you stroke the spot you had pulled and it looked like it did the trick.

Next thing you knew he was back at eating you out, only this time he added one of his fingers inside you. You got scared and tried to stop him however he pressed his free hand on your stomach to stop you. His eyes were begging you to trust him and so you did. In a gentle manner, that almost seemed impossible for a beast like him, he inserted the first finger. You were tense and scared yet the combination of his tongue and finger soon replaced those feelings with pleasurable ones. After a while he inserted another, scissoring you to prepare your pussy for what was to come.

The pressure inside built up again and before you knew it you were craving for your release. 

"I'm gonna cum."

You weren’t sure if he understood what you had said but you felt the need to say it anyway. The combination of his rough tongue on your clit with his fingers hitting your g spot sent over the edge, squirting all over his snout. He didn’t care about the mess, in fact he made sure to drink every drop of your juices. 

He removed his fingers from inside you and with your slick he started to stroke his dick, using it as lube. He sat on his knees and turned you around to put you on all fours. Your heart was hammering inside your ribcage waiting for what would come next. You felt his left hand touch your hip softly and then you felt the tip of his cock at your entrance. Slowly he began to insert it into your pussy. His cock was thicker than what you had presumed and it stretched you deliciously. The wolf creature kept going until his cock was fully settled inside you. 

You let out a sigh of relief at the same time he let out a growl. He was considerate enough to let you adjust to his size before he began to thrust. He started out slow, both hands gripping your hip. His cock hitting your cervix every time however the pace he set was too slow for your liking.

"Harder, please"

He didn’t semmes to have understood so you decided to start moving against him faster. The creature finally understood what you wanted so he picked up his pace thrust in and out of you at full speed. You were  moaning loudly, your face resting on your forearms so you wouldn’t get hurt. He was lost in pleasure too, growling and snarling every once in a while, the grip on your hips tightening, his claws piercing your skin drawing a bit of blood. You turned your head to look back at him. He has his mouth open, tongue out of his mouth, panting for air. 

The werewolf lowered himself, gluing his chest to your back, his left hand now on the side of your head while his right hand went to your neck squeezing it. His hand was so big that it could wrap around your whole neck without a problem. You could hear his pants right beside your ear now, his hot breaths hitting against your cheeks. You looked at him and he was already looking back. His eyes were so gentle, so calm and peaceful. In a romantic act you nuzzled your face against his and he did the same. His fur was so soft, you love the feeling of it against your body. 

His cock continued to split you open reaching even deeper with the new position. You could feel your orgasm approaching and so could he by the way you were squeezing his cock. Before you could cum he pulled his cock out and turned you around, making you now lay on your back, and rammed it inside you again. The wolf man grabbed the back of your legs and pushed them all the way up, until they were resting against your torso.

His cock pounding into your tight pussy sent jolts of pleasure down your spine. Your hand reached out to his face, stroking his fur and he reciprocated by reaching his right hand to your face and stroking your cheek with his knuckles. 

The only sound resonating in the forest were his growls, your moans and the sound of his balls hitting your ass along with the squelching sounds of your combined juices. His thrusts were rough but felt so good and made you want to cum. Of course he could feel it and you knew he was about to cum too due to his erratic thrust. You looked down to where you were connected and could see his massive cock going in and out of you. His knot was even more red than before and with a powerful thrust he slid in inside your pussy making you squirt all over him once again.

He seemed pleased with the outcome and with two more brutal thrust he locked his knot in your pussy and came inside you. You felt his hot cum filling your insides, it was so much it swelled your womb. 

He was resting on top of you, his weight resting on his arms that were on each side of your body. You felt safe in his arms and his fur was giving you enough heat that you were lulled to sleep. 

--------

When you woke up, you were no longer in the forest but on a bed. You were so confused until the events of the previous night came back. You felt your cheeks burning, you couldn’t believe that you had actually fucked a werewolf. What was wrong with you? But then you remembered the pleasure you felt and how loving he had been that all the other thoughts were pushed out of your mind. 

You tried to sit up but your body was too sore for that, so you began to look around the room. As your eyes searched the bedroom they fell upon a man that was laying on the floor in front of the fireplace, covered only with a blanket. 

As quietly as you could you tried to get up and this time you were successful. you got closer to the man and studied his features. He was blonde, with some stubble on his face. He had some red marks underneath his eyes. He looked so tired and without thinking you reached your hand to his cheek and stroked it, like you had done the night before to the creature. 

The man stirred and soon opened his eyes. As you looked at him you were a bit taken aback, his eyes were golden. Like the werewolf yesterday. So this is the man behind the beast. He gazed at you and just like he had done a few hours ago he grazed your cheeks with his knuckles. You smiled at him and he smiled back. 

--------

He prepared breakfast for you and you both sat on the ground by the fireplace. He was the one to break the silence first. 

“I’m sorry for yesterday.”

“It’s ok.”

There was a beat of silence.

“My name is Reiner, in case you’re wondering.”

“I’m Y/n.”

The ambience was still an awkward one, but you had so many questions.

“Are you the one that has been killing the villagers?”

He stopped eating and his expression became sad, regretful. He nodded, not being able to speak. 

“Why didn’t you kill me too?”

He seemed a bit surprised by the question. 

“I never meant to kill anyone, I just couldn’t control myself. Yesterday was different, I didn’t want to kill you, I just felt the need to have you. I’m sorry if that was not what you wanted, I truly am.”

“I never said I didn’t want it.”

He blushed at your words and it amazed you how different the beast was from the man. The beast was dominating and powerful and the man was so soft and gentle. 

“Do you live here?”

“Yeah. I’ts not much, but It’s all that I have.”

You looked around. The house was small, made of wood. There was a kitchen, dining/living room all in one and then there was the bedroom and beside it a small bathroom. 

“It’s nice, I like it. It’s very cozy.”

He smiled gently at you.

"You always lived here?"

For a few seconds his expression sadned a bit.

"No. Before I was like this I lived in a village not far from here, but then I could no longer roam around in a place with so many people."

"How did you become like this? You don’t have to answer, I'm just curious."

Reiner shifted a bit in his place, clearly uncomfortable. However his discomfort came more from the answer than the question itself.

"I can answer, it’s fine. I was in the military and a few years ago I was sent to war. When I came back I wasn’t the same and kept having these dark thoughts."

He paused for a while.

"I tried to seek help and this doctor told me he had the cure. The cure was actually an experiment and the result was what you saw yesterday. On the bright side I don’t have dark thoughts anymore."

He laughed but you didn’t. 

"I'm sorry that happened to you. It must have been horrible."

He shrugged. 

"The first time I turned it was. I was scared but it’s ok now. 

You got up from where you were seated and went to his side and hugged tight. He pulled you to him, making you sit in between his legs, your back pressed to his chest. 

“You’re going to have to go soon.”

“Are you kicking me out?”

He laughed in a low tone into your ear. 

“Why would I want to kick out the only person I’ve been around for years?”

you turned around to face him. 

“Is that an invitation to stay?”

He blushed once more. 

“If you want.”

You kissed him slowly.

“I would like that.”

--------

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Eventually the village forgot about you and the werewolf. It was all a distant memory. You spent your remaining years beside him and you couldn’t have asked for better. As long as you were by his side he never had to face life alone.

──────༺🎃༻──────

All rights reserved © lavenderwriting. please do not copy, repost, translate, or modify my works in any platform.

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[spookymystery67]

I Wish I Could Walk In Heels

AN: I didn't re-read once again out of fear I'd hate it, so hopefully this chapter doesn't suck. There is game plot and dialog that I changed here and there. Enjoy!

TW: Violence, mutant bug thing, zombies, language, sort of terrible flirting?, typical Resident Evil things, ect. I don't know, I suck at tags. Sorry if I traumatize anyone. NO MINORS!

Chapter 4:

-September 28th, 1998-

You and Jill were halfway to the surface when a sudden sound filled the air. 

"Jill, Y/n, it's me again. You two topside yet?" Carlos called through the radio.

"Working on it. So what's the plan?" Jill answered, holding the radio in front of her.

"The old tank's got me clearing the tracks. You two mind getting the subway infrastructure back online?" Carlos asked.

"And how do we do that?" Jill asked.

"Let's start by restoring power. I'll navigate you to the substation once you hit the main road."

"Copy that. Let's do this fast." Jill finished, shutting off the radio.

"So, you gonna join the other survivors when the train starts working again?" Jill questioned you, wanting to start a conversation.

You shrugged, "I don't know. I still need to get to the police station." 

"Why? What's at the police station?" 

"Hopefully, Ben. Alive. My guess is that Irons didn't let anyone leave their cells when all this started." 

"I wouldn't put it past him. Were you and Ben, you know, close?" She looked at you with a suggestive look, implying something in her last question.

You snorted, "Me and Ben? Yeah right. He's not my type. Plus, he was dating my friend, Katherine."

"Mmhmm, and what's your type then? Strong and broody? Someone with a goofy side? I know a guy." She joked.

"Are you trying to set me up?" You laughed.

"Well, I kinda owe you one. You have done me more than one favor in the last couple of hours I've known you." You laughed louder. "C'mon, what's your type? Now I'm curious." Jill pressed. You debated in your mind.

You've never really told anyone this before. Well, anyone besides Katherine and Ben. Questions about your sexuality never came up that often in your life.

"Not men." You bluntly responded. Jill nodded in understanding.

"Ah, only have eyes for the fairer sex. I respect that. Am I your type?" Jill asked, the teasing tone bringing a small grin to your face.

You honestly didn't know what your type was. You were never interested in dating in high school. You were too much of an introvert. And you haven't really met anyone that caught your eye or shared similar interests. You just knew that men didn't do it for you.

"Gorgeous. Badass, with a caring side from what I've seen… Yeah, you kinda are." You said, a teasing smile on your face.

"Sweet. So if you save my ass again we can go on a date." She joked.

"You gonna buy me dinner? I'd kill for an extra cheesy supreme pizza right now. And a shower. And a nap."

"We'll have a sleepover. Do you like movies?"

"Love them."

"We'll shower, sleep, then eat pizza and watch movies."

"Sounds like a dream. It's a date." You laughed, Jill joining you.

"Can't wait." 

You made it to the top of the station and gathered supplies. Herbs and ammo. According to Jill, these herbs have healing properties. You had no idea. If you had, you would have been grabbing them sooner.

You two make it to the entrance you used to duck under the half closed shudder to get to the outside. As you did, you noticed there were still people running away. One man, panting in fear, quickly ducked under the shudder you had come from where survivors were beckoned with yellow paint.

"More survivors. We gotta get that train moving." Jill said. As she did, I noticed how many more people have been infected and how much more the fire has spread. This whole city was a horror show. No corner you turned was left unaffected by the last week. By the last few hours specifically. You two carefully maneuvered through the streets, careful of zombies and being extra careful as to not shoot any survivors. 

Once you two reached another blocked off area, Jill took out the radio to contact Carlos.

"Carlos, we've reached the main avenue. Which way do we go?" Jill questioned him on the radio. You had your pistol out and kept your eyes peeled, ready to shoot anything that might try to snap its teeth at you or Jill.

"See a big transmission tower? That's the substation. You'll have to circle around through an alley to your right to get there."

"You mean the alley that's on fire?" Jill deadpanned when she saw the flames. You snorted at her tone.

"Maybe? Surely a tall drink of water like yourself can put out a few flames." Carlos' joking voice said through the speaker.

"Fuck you." Jill sighed as she shut the radio off. Clearly she wasn't in the mood for his flirty jokes. 

"Alright, let's see if we can get this fire out. Hopefully it won't be too much of a hassle." You said. And, as if the universe just loved to torment you, you had to get a tool to get the fire hydrant to work.

"This is gonna be a hassle." Jill sighed. 

"Yeah." You huffed. 

You both walked out of the alley, barely making it fully onto the street again when you saw zombies just full on knocking down and picking up the fences blocking them from getting to the two of you.

"You have got to be kidding me." Jill said as the horde walked closer.

"Those are some weak ass fences. No wonder this outbreak spreaded so fast." You said. You raised your gun, prepared to shoot at any moment.

"Wait, back up with me." Jill said.

You didn't bother questioning her, backing up, away from the zombies walking toward you.

Jill quickly took aim and waited until all the zombies were in one spot, before shooting a red barrel sat next to a crashed car. The barrel exploded, sending debris and zombies flying through the air. You block your face and squint from the heat of the blast. When it faded, you saw all the zombies were dead.

"Huh. How'd you know it would explode?" You asked.

"It's red. Red means flammable."

"Why would someone just leave flammable barrels around?"

"Why would someone create a virus to turn people into monsters? The world is full of questionable people." Jill shrugged.

"More like fucking idiots." You sighed. You were tired. You haven't been able to sleep more than a few minutes since a week ago. You were running on pure adrenaline at this point.

"Well, I guess the bright side is that we have access to a whole new street. We can look for a hose for the fire hydrant." Jill said, gesturing to the somewhat clear street corner, bright neon signs lighting up the area.

"Sure. I suppose. I'm getting tired of all these sidequests." You said. You both began your trek through the brightly lit street.

"Me too." Jill agreed. 

A while later, you both had successfully found a fire hose. Only having to avoid a few zombies in the process. You made it back to the flame filled alley, fire hose in your arms.

"Here, you can do the honors." You said, handing Jill the heavy fire hose.

She huffed from the sudden weight, "Thanks so much. You really shouldn't have." 

"What are friends for?" You joked.

Jill set up the hose and began spraying water onto the flames. It takes a few seconds for the flames to finally go out.

"There." Jill sighs, putting the hose down that was no longer needed.

"See. It would have taken me far longer if I had done it." You said, nudging her arm playfully.

"Mmhmm. Let's go lazy bones." Jill said. You both start forward once more.

"In my defense, I haven't slept in a while. It's honestly a miracle I've made it this far." 

"No, you have some natural survival skills in you. I've seen you shoot that gun. You only miss a couple of times." Jill teased.

"Hey, I do pretty good for someone who had absolutely no experience with guns, thank you very much. And why do you think I try to avoid shooting?"

"Is that why you haven't used your shotgun? You don't know how to?" She asked, pausing in her step in the alley, standing near a building.

"Honestly, yeah. I found it and figured I'd take it in case I lost my handgun or ammo for it. I probably would have figured it out through trial and error." 

"And get yourself killed in the process. Let's stop real quick and I'll show you how to use it."

Jill quickly went through the step by step process of shotgun 101. It's pretty much similar to the handgun. Just have to watch out for more recoil. But it was nice to understand how it worked and how to reload.

You both walked through the back entrance of a repair shop. You immediately saw bolt cutters, shining in a spotlight on a wall.

"Looks like those could be useful." You said.

"Yeah, can you carry them in your backpack?" Jill asked.

"Oh, now I gotta carry everything?" She smirked, nodding. "You need to get your own backpack." You said, grabbing the bolt cutters and slipping them into your backpack.

"Why should I when I have you and your never ending abyss of a backpack. How much stuff can you carry in there anyways? It's not that big of a bag."

"A lot if I put my mind to it. Speaking of where we are putting things. How are you carrying so much stuff?"

She shrugged. "Skills. Now, use the bolt cutters on that yellow chain on the door." She demanded, pointing to the door.

"Alright, bossy. Is this pay back for the fire hose incident?"

"Maybe."

You used the bolt cutters on the chain, causing them to break and unlock the door. You and Jill entered the room, noticing an injured man panting against a car. It's a car repair shop.

You and Jill quickly rushed forward to check on the man. "You're U.B.C.S?" Jill asked, kneeling down to check his wounds. You took your bag off your shoulders and knelt down with her, looking for your med kit.

"Y-yeah. Careful, careful." The young man gasped as Jill touched a painful wound. A bite.

You and Jill shared a glance after looking at the man. "C'mon. Don't look at me like that, alright? I'm not infected." The man said.

"Okay, we'll take care of-" Jill starts.

"No no no, wait! Please!" The man's cut off by a gunshot to the head, killing him instantly.

You and Jill gasped, turning to see the man with graying hair behind you who held the gun. Blood was splattered on your face.

"What the fuck!" Jill exclaimed, standing up in anger. You follow suit, attempting to wipe the blood from your cheeks. Luckily it didn't get in your eyes or mouth.

"He was infected." The Russian man said casually.

"He might have been infected!" Jill shouted.

The man scoffed. "Are all S.T.A.R.S this soft? No wonder so many of you are dead." He said, beginning to walk off.

"And what are you? U.B.C.S? Killing your own people?" 

He huffed and turned to face her from the stairs. "He would have turned. Where is your sense of self-preservation?"

She said nothing and glared. You walked up to stand by her, ready to help fight the man if she needed you to.

He tsked and began walking up the stairs again. "Go back to the subway station. We don't need a bleeding heart like you getting in the way." He shuts the door behind him.

You rubbed Jill's arm in comfort before turning to look at the man. You saw a book sticking out of his pocket and picked it up in case it had information, skimming through it.

It was a training log. The man's name was Murphy. He was apparently in prison for murdering twenty gang members and Umbrella had let him out to work for them. He seemed to have had a motev for the murders as his brother was killed by a gang member. Not that you really approve murder. You just understand why someone would do so when blinded by grief. 

"Find something?" Jill asked you.

"Uh, that guy that just left, his name may be Nicholai. That's just a guess though. But the way Murphy over here described Nicholai using him as a shield during training just screamed it's self-preservation dude." You said.

"Yeah, you may be right." She glanced at the dead man, saddened by another loss. "Let's get out of here. There isn't anything else here that we need." 

You nodded and you two made your way up the stairs and out of the shop. You tried not to look at the body of the man as you left. As sad as it sounded, you've been trying to stay disconnected with your empathetic side since this all started. It's hard to go through the city knowing that all the dead and undead were once people like you. People who had feelings and family. People who you and Ben tried and failed to help.

You made it to a dark alley and looked ahead, seeing dogs and a crashed police car with the lights still flashing. Oh yeah, animals get infected too.

You and Jill did your best to avoid getting bit by the dogs, stunning them and shooting them to put them out of their misery.

Finally, you make it to the entrance of the transmission tower. The door was locked. Figures.

"Great." You sighed.

"Maybe that guy has something that can help." Jill motioned to the man slumped to the ground with a box in his hands.

"Let's check." You walked over and carefully grabbed the box from the dead man's hands. You screeched and jumped away when a bunch of bugs came exploding and crawling out of the man's stomach, guts exposed.

"Oh my god." Jill gasped.

You shivered and gagged. You hate bugs. Hate hate hate!

"Here you open it." You shoved the box in Jill's hands, not wanting to chance it. There could be more bugs in there.

She carefully opened the box, finding a lock pick.

"Nice. You know how to use it?" You asked her.

"Yeah. You?" She asked, you shook your head.

"I'm more of a climb through the window type person." You said. 

She raised a brow at you. Oh yeah, she was a cop. Maybe you shouldn't talk about how you've broken the law during your time as Ben's assistant. "I've locked myself out of my apartment more times than I care to admit. Crowbars were my best friend in those scenarios. Had one left on the ledge."

Not entirely a lie there. You have had to lodge a crowbar through your apartment window after you've locked yourself out. And you hadn't wanted to call a locksmith, thinking you could "do it yourself" for free. You almost had the cops called on you by your neighbor before they realized it was you being an idiot.

"That's not safe. Someone else could have broken in." Jill scolded. You shrugged. "Nevermind. Let's just get this over with." She walked over to the gate lock and began picking it.

"Where did you learn to pick locks?" You asked as you watched her work.

"My father." She deadpanned, you could tell she didn't want to elaborate further.

"Huh. My dad never really taught me anything. Except how to sweet talk my way out of trouble. Very helpful since became Ben's assistant." You said.

"How'd you become his assistant anyways?" Jill asked as she worked on the lock. 

"I found an ad somewhere in the papers. I needed a job that wasn't the fast food place I was working at. So I figured, why not apply. He liked me, I liked his thought process and his goals, and the rest is history."

"Now you're here, stuck with me. In a city wide outbreak where everything is trying to kill you. How's that feel?" She joked weakly.

"Well, it could be worse. I could still be alone. I'm glad I found someone I can trust in all this." The lock clicked and she stood and turned, giving you a smile.

"Ditto. I'm glad I have someone watching my back through this."

"Even though I suck at shooting?" You joked.

"Even though you suck at shooting." She laughed. She walked through the gate, holding it open for you.

You went to walk through the gate when you heard something behind you. You turned to look and saw nothing. As you were about to shrug it off, you saw a slimy substance falling from above. You looked up and saw a giant, mutated bug. The bug shrieked and grabbed you by the neck, still hanging from above. You screamed.

"Y/ n!" Jill yelled, running to help you.

Something slimy and tongue like is shoved down your throat, causing you to choke and gag from disgust. Jill gets it off of you and shoots the bug-like creature, killing it instantly.

"Fucking gross." She grimaced.

You choke and gag trying to get the disgusting sensation out of your throat. Of something crawling within you. A parasite.

"Here, you need an herb. Quickly!" Jill urged, coaxing you to swallow the herb in her hand.

You gasped and shoved the herb in your mouth, swallowing quickly. You immediately felt the urge to throw up and turned away from Jill, puking the parasite on the ground near the dead bug creature. You closed your eyes, trying to regain your breath and calm your beating heart.

"You okay?" Jill asked, rubbing your shoulder in comfort.

"No." You rasped. That was disgusting. You felt disgusting. You hate bugs.

"You know, I won't blame you if you'd want to wait out here. I can get this done alone if I have to." She told you.

"I'm thinking about it." You joked weakly. You shook your head and sighed. "No, I'll come with you. Hang on a second." You reached into your backpack and grabbed a pack of gum from your bag. You stuck a piece in your mouth, the mint refreshing the nasty taste in your mouth. You offered one to Jill and she smirked, taking a piece and sticking it in her mouth.

"Of course you have gum." Jill laughed.

"Well, yeah. I wish I had a toothbrush. My teeth aren't too bad right?" You haven't brushed in two days, having unfortunately lost your toothbrush and your cleaned bottled water when you had to run away from a public bathroom that was suddenly overrun with infected people. Finding out the hard way that the water was infected. Best not to drink the city water. 

"No, you're fine. You surprisingly don't smell as bad as you look." You glared. "I mean, well, you know what I mean. You smell fine. And your teeth are fine. Now get up, we have things to do." She helped you to your feet from your kneeled position.

"Thanks." You deadpanned.

"Don't mention it. Let's get this over with."

You two quickly made your way through the building, shooting any bug that so much as twitched at you, working to get the power back on. There was some kind of disgusting growth covering the walls of the building. You weren't even sure what it was. You didn't want to know.

You finally pulled up the last lever, sighing in relief that you could finally leave.

"Done. Time to get the hell out of here." Jill said. You nodded in agreement, shooting and kicking away the angry giant bugs that ran at you.

"Agreed." You both ran, dodging any creature that lunged at you, until you finally made it outside.

"Okay. All that leaves is the main power switch." Jill panted, running up the stairs to the power station.

You both walked over to the control panel. Jill finds the switch and presses it, starting the power and destroying all the growth and bug-creatures. Mutated cockroaches? You weren't sure what type of bug it was. You just wanted them dead.

"Enjoy that." Jill said, watching the nest crumble.

"Good riddance. Hated those fucking things." You shivered.

"Me too. Come on. We gotta radio, Carlos." Jill said. You nodded.

You two began making your exit as Jill called Carlos.

"Carlos, it's Jill. We've restored power to the subway." Jill said.

"Nice going!" Carlos' voice sounded. "Next up is the traffic control system. It should be in the subway company's offices." 

"Right. I think I know the building." Jill said.

"Really? Way to go partner. One step ahead!" He said.

"Not your partner." Jill finished, shutting the radio off.

You snorted, "Awe, he seems sweet."

"You can have him." She joked.

"I'm good."

You two walked down some stairs, making your way to the offices. You stopped to gather supplies you found lying around and hiding in lockers. They're probably not going to need it anymore. You pushed through an orange door, making it outside once more, then went through a gate and onto a street, following Jill's lead.

As you were walking, you had a sudden feeling of dread in your chest. It was quiet. Too quiet.

"Hey, Jill-" You started.

"I feel it too. Stay close." She said, feeling that something was wrong. 

As you two walked by the police cars with the flashing lights, the wall to your right exploded, bricks flying everywhere. You gasped in shock and saw the tall and strong monster that had been chasing Jill earlier. Guess it recovered.

The monster growled, the sound similar to the word "stars". It started going after Jill once more and you grabbed her arm, pulling her way from getting hit.

"Are you shitting me?" Jill yelled, frustrated and frightened.

You both dodged and ran around it, continuing to your destination. Now with the added problem of that thing chasing you.

As you ran, it lunged forward and smacked at you both, knocking you back. You guess it's not doing the eerily slow walk anymore. You shot at a power generator, making it shock the monster and pulled Jill to a run, dodging zombies while you went.

You made your way back to the repair garage and Jill pulled out her radio. "Carlos, that thing is still alive! It's after me!" Jill yelled.

"What? Run! You both come back to the station!" He told her.

"Not until we get traffic control online." Jill put the radio away and glanced at you questionly.

"You okay to keep helping me? That thing is only after me. You'd be safer away from me."

"No, I'm not going to leave you to fix the train by yourself. And I'm not leaving until I know you're safe. It's the least I can do."

Jill nodded sincerely. "Thank you."

You both finally make it to the offices, careful as to avoid anything trying to kill you. Jill pulled her radio out again.

"Carlos, we're in the control room. Now what?"

"Nice! Now you gotta plot out a route." His voice said through the speaker.

"Okay, gimme a sec." Jill handed you the radio to hold and got to work. "Alright, where are we headed?" She asked through the radio in your hand.

"The train is stopped at Redstone Street. We need to reach Fox Park Station. Can you program that in?" Carlos asked.

"Hey, I'm supercop. Consider it done." She joked. You chuckled and watched as she input the directions. She did so successfully.

"Carlos, it's me. I've finished inputting the subway route." She said, gently taking back the radio from your hand.

"Jill, you are amazing! Tough as nails too. Hurry back to the station. We'll make sure the subway is ready to depart." Carlos said.

Jill put the radio away after that. "He's right. You are amazing. Just thought you should know." You smirked.

"Shut up." She snorted, smiling sheepishly. "We better get going to the station. Thanks for your help, by the way. And the company. It's nice having someone to talk to through all of this." She told you.

"Don't mention it. I couldn't just leave you to do this by yourself. Even supercops need help once in a while." You both laughed and made your way out of the office.

Now you need to make it back to the station in one piece.

[pretty-toastie]

Κασσάνδρα

Things that are tangled: The loop of red string I keep in my pocket, rub absently between my fingers, twist into tiny shapes. The boughs and vines and briars of Central Park. The screams of crows perched high in hemlocks, in birches, in oaks and aspens and yews, raspy and joyful and defiant. The thatched roof of a home on the rocky shore of Ireland and the carpeted floor of an arcade strewn with neon geometry, both rough on my hands in the same way. The prophecies that hang in the air, the knowledge that suffuses the atmosphere and drips blackened knots over the heads of humanity. Time.

A pair of young girls—was I ever that young?—stumbled across me once, in the woods of northern France. Their gaze fell on me, wrapped in a battered bomber jacket, the patches torn away long ago or long after, and I exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke and stared back at them. They stood frozen, side by side, their eyes wide. I watched one girl shift closer to the other, heard the crunch of twigs and dead leaves under her foot. She whispered something in French, grabbed the other’s hand, her fingers trembling slightly.

Something about these girls, scared, standing in front of an entity they could not comprehend reminded me of myself; I wanted desperately to put them at ease. Your children are beautiful, I told them. You raised them so well. And they were, and they did—I could see them, all bright smiles and bubbling laugher and round cheeks, all dirty hands and strong arms and herbs tucked into leather pouches, all grey hair and wrinkled skin and wisdom.

The girls couldn’t see. Of course they couldn’t.

It’s so easy to forget what you should and shouldn’t know yet when you already know everything. The years blend together, and I forget where I am, when I am. It makes me feel insane.

A young man—a boy—found me once in an alley in Seludong. He was out of breath, nervous. He spoke in rapid Tagalog. They say you’re a witch, he said. Can you change me? Can you fix my body? It’s not right. It doesn’t fit me. It broke my heart to have to tell him no, tell him that all I can do is see, that the only way I can change anything is to warn people. I could not bring myself to tell him that no one will ever heed my warnings.

Phoebus Apollo’s voice echoes in my skull, as hot and violent as the sun. It tastes like ozone, like blood on my tongue. Just the memory hurts. He knew that I just wanted to help. All I ever wanted was to help. I saw the people around me suffering and I just wanted to help them and he offered me the means—gave me the means. But then he asked for something in return, a price I wasn’t willing to pay, and I said no—but what does ‘no’ mean, to a god? I turned him down, and he, in turn, unable to revoke his gift,  made sure that I would never be able to help anyone.

Things that are tangled: The pieces of soft, soft cloth I keep in my pocket, rub absently between my fingers, worried and worn and frayed. The wrought iron fence gates of a manor in northern Vermont. The calls of screech owls and foxes, hunting at night, earsplitting, beautiful. The smell of woodsmoke, the taste of basil and rosemary and lemongrass and mint. My feelings. How can I love someone when I know that she would do anything for me, that for me to love her would destroy her? How can I love someone when I can see her wife’s face in my mind, always, always, and it isn’t mine?

But then, how can I not?  She puts basil and rosemary and lemongrass and mint in the glasses of water she makes me. She takes me to an arcade, laughs when I need to stop to run my fingers over the carpet of neon geometry but waits all the same. She listens when I tell stories about places I’ve been and things I’ve seen and people I’ve met. She is patient when I forget. She walks with me through Central Park, smiles excitedly at me when the foxes and the crows and the screech owls scream because she knows I love the sounds.

Her face in the moonlight is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and I have seen everything. She never asks me about her future.

And then her future arrives. It always had happened, always would happen. I can only bear to live through that time once. I’m not there. I am lost in the tangled weave of time and space and future and past, hunched over in the rain on the edge of a street in the middle of somewhere, terrified by the snarled knot of certainty that hangs in front of the faces of everyone who passes me. I am broken, I am lost. I know everything. I cannot remember my name. I watch the world end against the inside of my eyelids, again and again and again, and I cannot tell where I am, when I am. I do not know how to get back to her.

I left her, and I was gone for so long, and she fell in love. Really, truly, deeply. She and her wife were so happy, are so happy, will be so happy, and I am so happy for her. I am. I breathe in, breathe out. I have always known. I could see our ending from the moment I met her. I still didn’t expect it to hurt so much.

Things that are tangled: the lines of fate that bind people together, tear them apart. The pits of peaches, scarred over with twisting grooves. The ever-branching future and the ever-growing past. The sound of raindrops on asphalt. Flowers blooming before the last frost. The taste of loss, acid in my mouth. I feel insane. I know that I am not. I knew what would happen. No one ever heeds my warnings.

I blow a cloud of smoke and fog into the damp night air, watch as it mingles with the low grey clouds lit from above by the pale moon. I pull my worn jacket closer around me.

Time will keep moving forward. It always has. I will bear witness to it all.

[sky-fire-forever]

Hello & Happy Friday!

How about "my biggest wish is to hold you close and never let you go." for Anders/Hawke?

Thank you so much for this prompt!

This is a bit heavier of a fic, so there's a huge content warning for a suicide attempt in this one!

My Hawke is Scorpius, who uses they/them pronouns.

Anders hasn't been well lately. He stares off into space and Scorpius catches him crying silently when he thinks they aren't looking. Something is wrong and seems more wrong than the normal type of bad days when Anders isn't well. It's like something heavy hangs onto Anders’ shoulders and is determined to drag him down. 

Scorpius doesn't like it. Hell, it scares the shit out of them, but what can they do? They're just one person trying to save one of the men they love from complete mental collapse after he committed an act of terrorism that will haunt him for the rest of his life. That's just too much for them to handle on their own. Even with Fenris by their side, it's too much. 

It all comes to a head one day and Scorpius can't be sure what the final straw is, if there even is one. Maybe things just got to be too much and the metaphorical demons in Anders' head took control. Maybe there just isn’t enough for him to hold onto anymore. Maybe maybe maybe. There are a million maybes and none of them matter. 

Fenris is the one to find him. Out cold and unresponsive, his mana drained and his skin pale. Fenris comes back to the cottage early after hunting is made too difficult by a sudden downpour. He isn't supposed to be home for another few hours, at least; if he'd come home at the proper time, Anders would be gone.

Scorpius doesn't come home until they're supposed to, spending the day at the market, selling potions and herbs for as much as anyone is willing to pay for them. It's necessary these days. Where they'd once had a fortune, they now only have enough to get by, if that. 

When they get home, they know something is wrong. The air is too still and there's a feeling of dread that hits them as soon as they step one foot across the threshold. Something is terribly, terribly wrong.

“Anders?” They call, setting down their bag. “Fenris?”

Fenris appears in the doorway of the bedroom, putting a finger to his lips. He glances back inside for a moment before approaching Scorpius quickly. 

“Something happened,” he says in a hushed voice. 

“What?” Scorpius’ heartbeat quickens in their chest. “What happened? What's going on?”

Fenris swallows and looks towards the bedroom. “Anders has tried to take his own life.”

It's like the world itself shatters into pieces. The reality Scorpius had once known breaks and spins, its pieces littering the floor for them to cut themself upon. Everything is suddenly wrong with the universe; even the act of breathing finds the air misplaced in their lungs. 

“What?” They barely get the word out, head spinning with the news just dropped into their lap. 

“He was unsuccessful,” Fenris is quick to assure. “I returned early from my hunt and was able to locate some healing potions, but…” He trails off, at a loss for words. 

Scorpius understands what he means. If Anders tried once, it's possible he'll try again. The fact that he tried at all means he’s doing worse than either of them thought. 

Fuck, they could have lost him. If the rain hadn’t hit or Fenris had stayed out to hunt anyway, Anders would be gone. 

“I need to see him,” Scorpius says. 

Fenris nods once and stands aside to let them through. They rush into the room to see Anders, but they can only make out the lump of blankets where Anders lays. They step forward slowly, not wanting to disturb the man if he's resting. 

“Anders?” They say softly.

They get a grunt in return, confirmation that Anders is alive and can hear them, but little else. 

They approach the bed and sit on the edge. “Fenris told me what happened,” they say.

No response. 

“I didn't know it was that bad.” 

No response. 

“I'm sorry I wasn't here for you.”

No response. 

Scorpius sighs and rubs a hand over their face as they fight back tears. They don't want to make this all about them and their feelings when Anders needs them to be strong. “I can't lose you, Anders,” they say. “Haven't I lost enough?” 

That gets them a response. 

“It isn't you.” Anders doesn't move from beneath the blankets. “Please don't– it's not your fault.” 

“I know.” And Scorpius does know. It's not their fault, but it isn't Anders’ either. Nor is it Justice's, no matter what Anders once believed. These moods of his are a part of him — as terrifying as that is — and they're something he will have to learn to navigate without resorting to extremes.

But extremes are what Anders does best. He'd yelled in Knight-Commander Meredith's face when challenged, he'd blown up the Kirkwall Chantry when compromise didn't show itself, and now this. Scorpius doesn't know what goes on in Anders’ head, but they imagine it's a rather extreme place to live. 

“What do you need from me?” They ask. 

There's a long moment where Scorpius doesn't think Anders will answer. Then, 

“Stay with me?” 

“Oh, honey.” Scorpius crawls further into the bed, not bothering to kick off their mud-stained boots. “My biggest wish is to hold you close and never let you go.” 

They pull the lump of blankets that is Anders close to their chest and hold him. They bury their face in the blankets around his back and allow themself to cry, clinging to the man they love.

They'll get through this, but it'll be a challenge. Scorpius hopes it's one they can overcome. 

[little-fairy-forest]

Hi. Sorry that it is so late for your event, but school has been crazy for me lately. But here I am now with a even request.

So I would like the menu on a privet balcony. My order would be in a Dragon AU. The reader would like a Ceasar salad order by them, telling it to Dragon Tenya Iida, after they saved him from hunters and he thinks they did it for money. But after a few months of knowing each other they finally fall in love and confess to each other. As a desert to round this up I would also like the chocolate cake.

I hope you can understand it 😅

Also congratulations on your 1.5k followers, tou really deserve it ❤️

" i did it because i had to.. not because i wanted to"

"good night, sweet dreams"

The east forest was known to be a dangerous place. Anyone to ventured into that part of the forest was a dead man, it is a rare find for anyone to return alive. Let alone on one piece.

Unfortunately, you had no choice but to go through the forbidden part as its on your route to find some herbs and spices for your village. The forest was full of wild animals, unknown species you've never seen or heard about before. You've always wondered how magical the east mountain creatures really are. Everyone has heard of the famous elves, fairies, gnomes, even accounts of people seeing dragons. If you got to see a dragon, you may as well do the lottery,

As the sky starts to paint into a purple dusk, you prepare your meal as you make a pit stop before venturing further. You could hear faint yelps of an animal in pain, you wrote it off as some wolves hunting smaller animals. Nothing to worry about.

It wasn't until you heard a grown rumbling 'roar' did you get ready for a fight in case anything came towards you. More cries of pain and suffering did you venture towards the noise. Never in a million years would you expect to see a lone dragon, dark blue in colour, hold onto the gashes across their scaled body. A large group of hunters get ready to land a final strike on the dragon, you felt bad for the poor thing. The dragon probably got lost from it's pack. The hunters noticed your presence and were ready to fight you.

"the dragons ours! the scales are worth too much gold to just give it anyone!" one hunter yelled as they held up their sword ready to fight you. Quickly you made your way into the battle, wanting to get it over and done with. Thankfully the fight the dragon put up before hand left most of the hunters majorly injured. Your sword was swaying left to right slashing the hunters that came into battle. It took you lots of strength to take them down, the few who were too injured to fight you surrendered as their life was more precious then some dragon scales. You warned the hunters to leave as you wanted to go back to your camp.

You look over to the dragon, who sheepishly bows his head to you as a thank you. His wounds too server for him to move.

"Thank you" the dragon musters out in a pained cry,

"I did it because I wanted to, not because I had to" you turn on your heel back towards your camp to eat your meal you were once preparing before getting distracted.

"wait!" the dragon yelps, you look over your shoulder to the dragon, now transforming into a semi- human form. What is this creature?

"I'm Tenya Iida, a lonesome human dragon hybrid. Please, is there anything I can do to repay you?" Iida begs as he holds tighter onto his wounds as they further bleed out onto his cloth clothing.

Even though you didn't want company, maybe this dragon hybrid could help you find these herbs and spices quicker .

"where are the rare east herbs and spices?" you ask wanted a simple answer to get you back on track.

Iida perks up as he was able to find a way to repay you.

"unfortunately they are on the the other side of the east mountains, they cannot grow on these soils" Iida was eager to help you find these herbs and spices. You felt bad for this lone dragon, he was hurt to the point he could barely walk and probably didn't have any food to eat.

"Can you show me the way to where I need to go?" you ask waiting impatiently, you hope your food isn't burned. Iida leaned on his other foot to get a better balance as his other one was hurt.

"I would need to fly over these mountains as it could take weeks for you to get their by foot, I can help you get there when I am healed fully" Iida sheepishly tells you as he feels bad he cannot immeditly repay you due to his injuries

"if you are able to limp back to my camp I have spare food and medical equipment to get you healed, be quick as I have food cooking" you say turning back towards your camp. You can hear the rustling of Iida following behind you as he steps on sticks and shrubs as he tries to follow you as fast as he can with his leg injury

---

Months go by, Iida - now your fellow friend who you call 'Tenya' - you both have searched high and low for these rare easterly herbs and spices you need to bring back to your village. Getting to know this little dragon hybrid was fun. He taught you many new fighting techniques as well as how to search for rare items in the forest. You've become quite fond of this dragon hybrid. He has helped you in many ways. Tenya has started to... bring you certain types of gifts. Some examples being dead bunnies, dear, foxes, lots of fish.. why? because he is ready to nest and settle down. You only know this from the stories you had heard back in your village of dragon folk. You felt bad for the lonesome dragon since he had no other dragons to form a family with. Tenya on the other hand sees no issue courting you through these little gifts. Sure it would never work out with you being a human, but a dragon can only hope.

As you prepare for the venture back to your village you warn Tenya that he wouldn't be welcome as dragons were seen as dangerous creatures who were feared. If one was to cross the villages path, no doubt would all the hunters be out to kill the dragon. Tenya figured this may happen, but he can only hope to change your mind.

"I could find us a luxurious cave to settle in, once all the dust and bugs are gone it will make a lovely home!2 Tenya tries to reason with you, truly you did find your village to be quite boring and not being very exciting, hence why you became an adventurer. Life with a dragon friend may not be that bad, becoming a fighting duo like the famous red dragon and barbarian of the northern sea.

But lovers? that's a bit taboo...

That was your mindset until you seen Tenya try and learn your native tongue to try and communicate with your village folk to try and convince them that your safe with him even though he is a dragon. Why was he doing all of this? all you done was save him?

"Tenya, why are you doing all of this?" you asked startling him as he dropped the book he managed to find in a local trinket shop along your journey

"well I want your family to like me because well, first impressions mean the most!" Tenya tries to cover up now nervous he was, he couldn.t tell you like this! could he?

"Tenya what's the real reason behind all of this, you can't repay me anymore after all of the thins you've done for me over the last few months " you try and find the reason for why Tenya was acting like this. Where was the smart dragon hybrid you foind? why has a quiet dragon hybrid taken his place

"Well um *coughs* I would like for you to be my partner, even if we are of different species, I think we can make it work" Tenya says strongly with a blush starting to rise over his pale cheeks. You couldn't help but smile back at the man standing before you. Who would've known a simple adventure like you would fall in love with a smart dragon human hybrid all in the span of a few months?

"I like you too Tenya, but you need to understand my village folk may never take you under their wing like you have done to me okay?" you remind Tenya once more before he commits to being your partner

"If I have you by my side nobody else matters in his world, you saved my life when I was thrown out of my family and took me in on your adventures" Tenya pulled you in for a tight hug as he started to cry a little at you feeling the same way as him

As you unwind for the night you both make one huge comft bed in your little cave filled with the softest furs and quilts you could find. Tenya took up a lot of the space due to his wings needing to be out so they don't cramp. Tenya holds you close, never feeling happier in his life to have the one person who he has secretly loved for weeks finally be by his side. You weere trying to fight back sleep as you share stories from your village, Tenya notices how sleepy uou are and decides to intervene

"maybe get some sleep dear, we have a long day of hunting tomorrow" Tenya whispers as he holds you a little tighter letting you drift off into a deep sleep as you feel safe and cozy

"good night, sweet dreams" tenya says as he is just about to enter his own land of dreams himself

Your journey as dragon and adventurer friends chapter may of just closed, but your story continues as dragon and adventurer partners instead.

Who knew these herbs and spices would lead to lovers to cross paths?

[talia-rumlow]

Home Sweet Home (AU Rumlow X Reader) Chapter Six - Feel The Love!

This chapter has a ton of feels. I love Brock in this story. And I´m so proud that I wrote this!

Pairing: Brock Rumlow (Mechanic ex Military Brock) X Reader

Word Count: 2264

Summary: Reader wants to surprise Brock with food. But things doesn´t go exactly as planned.

Warnings: Age-Gap, some fluff

DISCLAIMER: This is an AU story. But I still don´t own any of the MARVEL characters, only my original ones.

HAPPY READING!

Brock isn't there when you get home from work. You don't know what you feel about that at first, but when you take a quick peak into the guest room, and see that his stuff's still there. You're happy that he didn't leave.

After a quick shower, you decide to make some food for once. You almost always order out, when your dad isn't home. No fun cooking just for one. But if Brock will show up in a bit, you could surprise him. Not that you have superpowers in the kitchen or anything. But what you know how to do, you really know how to do.

You get all your supplies out, and start on two different doughs, one for garlic bread, and one for Cheese and herb bread. Two of your absolute favorites, so crispy and tasty. And even better with your signature cheese and haljapeno dip. Perfect for a night in front of the TV. Usually you make this for girls night with Jess and Molly. But since this particular recipe never failed you, you could try to surprise Brock with it. Maybe there is some truth to the term "The way to a mans heart is through the stomach". You just hope he'll like it.

Just when you set both doughs away for rising, you hear Brock enter. A short minute later he walks into the kitchen. Looks around.

- Wow... Did a tornado pass through here that I did not know about.

He says, gesturing to the kitchen counter. Four or five different cheeses, flour everywhere, and yeah the haljapenos.

- Ha ha very funny!

You say, throwing a bag of shredded cheese at him. He catches it, opens it right away, and takes a big chunk out of it, before he puts it in his mouth.

- Hey! That's for my cheese and herb bread!!

He puts the bag down on the counter, and comes over to you. Grabs you by the waist, and leans in for a kiss.

- YNs specialty. Are you cooking for me now?

He says with a teasing smile.

- I was...

You say, let the rest of the sentence die out. Suddenly you're very aware of the fact that he's THAT much older than you. He probably wants something more sophisticated.

- So.. What are we having?

He looks around the kitchen again.

- Well..

You start, and walk over to your doughs.

- This is going to be garlic bread!

You put your hand on one of the bowls.

- This is going to be cheese and herb bread.

You put your hand on the other bowl. And then you walk over to the casserole by the oven.

- And in here I was going to make a cheese and haljapeno dip.

You say, shrugging a bit, before you look down.

- Want any help?

He asks. Placing his hand on your chin, tilting your head back up again. You look at him, and then you look at his hand.

- Absolutely, but you need to wash up first. I can't remember seeing motor oil anywhere in the recipe.

You both laugh a bit, before he goes to wash up.

Thirty minutes later, you sprinkle the counter with some flour before you get your doghs out.

- And then you just knead it like this.

You knead one of your doughs as you talk to Brock.

- Like this?

Brock asks, grabbing your behind, squeezing it. You let out a little scream.

- Not THAT!

You say, throwing some flour at him.

- Oh, so that's what we're doing?

Brock answers, as he puts his hand into the flour, before he again grabs you by the waist from behind, bringing his flour coated hand up to your face, smearing the flour around. You let out a happy scream, before he lets you again again.

- No need to ask who's got the upper hand here, YN!

Brock says, as he playfully touch your nose.

- Oh, really?

You answer, as you take a big chunk of the flour in your hand, before you throw it at him.

- Oh, now you've gone and done it, YN!

Brock says, before he grabs one of your arms, spins you around, so your back is agains him, and your arms pinned in front of you. When you're standing there, with his hands around you, he whispers into your ear.

- Now how will you be kneading that dough Miss. Rollins.

His breath on you, sends waves of shivers down your spine. You move your head back, and look up at him. He leans down and kisses you. When he pulls back, you smile at him.

- You taste like flour Mr. Rumlow..

He looks at you for a second before he smiles.

- So do you. And I like it!

He proclaims, before he starts to place kisses all over your face. You scream and laugh in joy. The happy feeling spreads throughout your entire body, and you don't think you've ever been this happy in your entire life. When he finally lets you go, you're almost out of breath.

- So...

He says, still looking at you.

- Say we make some food?

He turns towards the counter, and start to knead the dough you assigned to him.

- You read my mind!

You answer, and then you just stand there kneading the doughs, together. It's nice, even a tiny bit romantic. You like this. This having someone thing.

When you close up the oven, you turn to Brock. Look at your watch.

- We have about 12-15 minutes. Any ideas for activities?

You say, teasingly biting your lower lip. Brock smiles at you, before his arms again wraps you in a hug.

- Oh, I might have some ideas...

He says, tilting your face, plants a kiss on your lips, before he lifts you up, and walk over to the couch. Sits down, with you on his lap, facing him. You've never been in this position with a guy before. This feels so good. His arms around you, gently up and down your back. You're not even thinking about the age difference now.

His lips finds yours again, your tongues dancing together like they've been aching for that from the beginning of time. You hands glide up in his hair again. It's so soft. His hands glide up your back, underneath your shirt, you lean your face into his neck, feeling his breath on your neck. Is this really happening? Are you really here? On your dad's couch? With Brock? Is this even possible?

You let your lips touch his neck, tasting his skin. He taste maskuline. He smells good, like masculine perfume and garage. He pulls your body closer to his.

- Mmmmm...

You say, breathing into his neck. How far is he going to take this tonight? Are you going to sleep with Brock? You feel ready for that. And having him this close is the best feeling you've ever had.

He lifts his arms up, gently removing your arms from around his neck. Looking at you, adjusting his lower body a bit, before he clears his throat. Gives you a little smile.

- I have to stop, YN!

You look at him, before you get off his lap, and sit down next to him. Your stomach sinks so far down it feels like it's about to fall right out. Why don't he want you? Did you do something wrong? Are you no good?

He adjust his lower body again, tugging his pants a bit. Looking at you, you can feel that he does, but you're not looking back.

- I get it, Brock!

You say, start to get up from the couch. He grabs your wrist.

- It's not like that, YN!

You slowly turn to face him.

- No?

You ask, desperately trying to hold your tears back.

- Like I said, YN. I'm not ready for that next step yet.

He says, looking at you, compassionate.

- What if I am?

You say, leaning back in the couch. He gently lets his hand move up to your face, turning it to face him.

- And I believe that, YN. But this isn't something any of us should take lightly. Sex should be a special act. And you.... WE should be careful who we share it with.

You put your face in your hands. Brock puts his arms around you, and pulls you into him.

- I.... I just don't want you to regret anything. I want this to be a good thing for you.

He says, as he moves his hand up and down your back.

- So you don't want to.... With me?

You sniff into his chest.

- Oh, I want to, YN. Why did you think I stopped? I just don't think we're quite ready... yet!

He says, emphasis on the "yet". You take a deep breath. Look up at him again.

- I can give you a ton of these though..

He says, as he leans in for another kiss. His lips softly meeting yours again makes you feel a little better. The kiss is long, and tender. When he finally sits back up again, you almost can't move, the kiss kinda knocked the wind out of you.

Brock sniffs in the air.

- Is something burning?

He asks. You instantly get up from the couch.

- The food!!

You shout, before you run into the kitchen, yank the oven door open, smoke pours out. You wave it away.

- What is it?

Brock asks behind you, as you get the burned food out of the oven.

- Well that's my garlic bread, and that's my cheese and herb bread.

You say, pointing to the black lumps on the tray.

- Perfect!

You say angry, kicking one of the cabinets.

- At least the cheese and haljapeno dip survived.

Brock says, still behind you.

- Arrrg.. I can't do anything right!

You say, as you grab both the garlic and the herb bread, and throw them in the trash. Leaning on your arms on the counter. Brock comes up behind you, puts his arms around you again.

- Hey, YN. Every part of you is very, very right..

You turn around.

- Yeah? I can't even get a fucking garlic bread right!

You say, sniffing again.

Brock again tilt your face, and kiss you.

- Well, the dip survived, and you're lucky, because we have this...

He gets a menu down from the fridge.

- And you have a temporary roommate, that is really hungry for tacos right now. So what do you say, we order some, and dip them in that wonderful dip you made?

You look at him. He is so calm about everything. Maybe you let your emotions get the better of you. It's just that.... You really wanted this to be perfect. This has never happened before. You always get this right. This is your signature dish.

- So... Up for tacos?

Brock asks again. You nod, and force a smile.

- Absolutely!

You say.

Brock takes a hold on the top of your head, turns it towards the couch.

- See that couch over there?

He asks, as he puts his other hand on your back.

- Mhm..

You answer, calmer now. Tacos actually sounds good.

- You go and relax there for a while, while I take care of everything. OK, can you do that for me?

He says, closer to you now.

- I can do that...

You answer. And your internal smile finally reaches your lips. Brock guides you over to the couch, and covers you with a blanket. Then he leans down, and again place one of those soft kisses on your lips. You close your eyes.

- Now you're going to stay right there, and I'll be right back with your tacos.

Then he leaves for the kitchen, and you smile from hearing him working in there. You can hear him ordering the tacos, and getting plates out, everything feels so good right now.

You eat, and talk about anything and everything. It feels so right, everything fits, everything is perfect.

But there's still one thing you need to talk about. There's still one problem that needs to be resolved. And you have no idea how to break it to him. You try to find a good way to fit it into the conversation the entire night. But you don't manage to get the words out.

When you finally go to bed, you decide that you have to, this needs to be adressed. You need to know what you're going to do, once your dad gets back.

You lie on your back beside him. Just like you did last night, and the night before. He must have thought about it. He must have.

- Brock...

You say, turning towards him. He looks at you.

- I know...

He says. Knows what? You look at him, asking with your eyes.

- Jack, right?

He says. Sounds like he's thought about this quite a lot.

You nod.

- I don't know, YN..

He says, leaning closer.

- Maybe we should not tell him?

You say. But you know that in the long run, that won't work. If it even is a long run...

- We'll have to tell him sometime, YN...

He answers, smiling, kissing your forehead.

- But, we don't have to worry about that now. Come here! Let's get some sleep.

He stretches out his arms, for you to lie down on. None of the other nights has he done that. And for that alone, you don't continue the conversation. You just move in closer to him, and snuggle your face into his neck. And there, close to him, with his arms around you, you fall asleep, sleeping better than you have in a long long time.

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