#I love him. he’s camp. he’s cringe. he’s the devil. and he tried to be nice | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

outofsstyles · 5 years ago

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WILDEST DREAMS

a/n: soo I’ve been working on this for a little while now and I’m very excited to share it with you al!! This piece is inspired by Taylor Swift’s music video for her song Wildest Dreams. If you’ve never seen the video, or don’t remember it really well, I recommend you watch it *after* reading the story so you don’t get it spoiled! If you’re interested then you can watch it by clicking *right here!!*

Word count: 17.2k �� Rated: M, mature

You agree to help your friend on her film project and Harry is playing your love interest.

“You’ve been frowning a lot and haven’t said a single word in the past five minutes, what’s wrong?” You looked up to your quiet roommate sitting opposite to where you stood near the kitchen counter.

A playlist you both had made months ago, meant only for cooking days, as Nia had instructed, played faintly in the background. You hummed along to the melody of a song you didn’t really know the name of, but had listened to it enough to mumble the lyrics, as you focused on cutting banana slices.

Nia was the one who brought up trying out a new fruit smoothie recipe she had found while scrolling around on Pinterest. She was pretty excited after coming home with the groceries, ready to start the process. Which is why seeing her sitting quietly as she glared at her phone was a big sign that something was wrong.

“I think Jordan is about to pull out on us,” she groaned loudly, locking her phone and throwing it on the counter, running her hands on her face, “I can’t believe this is happening a week before filming starts.”

“Oh, that’s not good news” you said, looking back at your friend’s defeated state in front of you as you threw the banana slices into the blender. “What happened?”

“He said he decided to go with his cousin to Ibiza.” Her arms muffled her voice as she lied on top of them, sighing once again, “this is the third one that leaves, I might as well just cancel the entire thing and fail this class.”

You rolled your eyes lightly at her, shaking your head as you listened to her dramatic reactions. Being her friend for as long as you have, you knew how stressed Nia got with a project, specially something she was passionate about. She was always too hard on herself, trying to push everything to be as perfect as possible, which is a good thing when you focused on the ultimate results. But she often tended to over-stress herself, and that’s what makes you worry.

With this one in particular, you could tell how excited she was from the day her teacher assigned it. She came back home and rambled for hours on end about making her first film. Which is why when she begged you to be part of it, and you couldn’t find it in your heart to say no.

It was a small production after all, it just being Nia and her partner Evan, whom you have known had gotten close to her in the past months. She assured it would a rather simple concept, with only two characters. The trickiest part being the fact that they would film it out of town, in a camp house that belonged to Nia’s aunt. You had agreed to it to make her happy, and with her promise of buying you chocolate muffins. Most uni students, however, didn’t seem as keen to sacrifice a week of their spring break as you were.

“You’re being dramatic Nia,” you reassured, turning on the blender and cringing at the loud noise that took over the place. “Maybe they just read on the script that they would have to kiss me a couple of times and got too nervous about it,” you tried to humor, raising your voice a bit before turning the processor off. Nia looked back at you with a serious expression, making you scoff, “calm down, grumpy pants, I’m sure Evan knows someone who can do the role, stop worrying.”

“All I do is worry, you know that,” she sighed, standing up to walk towards the cabinets behind you. She selected two matching cups that she had gotten for your birthday, one had Elsa printed on it, and the other Anna. You smiled as she placed them on the counter, knowing you always thought matching friendship objects were silly, but Nia loved it, so you loved it too. She looked vaguely at the blender, letting her shoulder weight down. “At least we have a banana smoothie.”

“And something else!” You said, jumping on your feet to get to the fridge and retrieved a tupperware. You held it in her direction and smiled, “leftover spaghetti from Joe’s!” you exclaimed, attempting to brighten her mood. She looked back at you, grabbing the container from your hands, as she tried to fight back a smile.

“Yes, how could I forget the leftover spaghetti?”

As the days passed by, the both of you had gotten more stressed out. Nia was still worried about everything related to her film project. With the days passing by and no one to fill the other role on the script, she found herself on a daily cycle of stress breakdowns.

Just two days after your former cast partner dropped out on the project to spend his week on the busy beaches of Ibiza, she had bought three different boxes of hair dyes. And as you helped her turn her hair into a light shade of pink, she cried about how everything seemed to go wrong in her life.

Meanwhile, you had been struggling to fight your procrastination tendencies and try to finish as much work as possible before spring break. A task that was showing itself to be extremely difficult, considering your mind seemed more focused on binge watching true crime shows on YouTube.

The blank document stared back at you from your computer screen, as you wished that if you looked at it for long enough, the essay would somehow write itself. Writing a couple of words but soon deleting them and going back to an empty page, you signed. Why was it so difficult to introduce a topic? You took a sip of the hot drink on the sparkly Cinderella mug you had chosen for the day, another one of Nia’s Disney-related possessions.

You frowned at the blank document, your failure to write a single paragraph still open in front of you. You heard a light knock on your bedroom door, but before you could even say anything, you spotted the already fading pink hair coming into the room.

Nia walked in jumping excitedly, saying your name in little squeals and almost tripping down as she made her way to sit on your bed in front of you. Breathing out, she looked at you with a big smile and messy hair before blurting out.

“We’ve got you a husband!” you stared back at her, arching your eyebrows. You knew she was referring to the role on the film, but you still laughed off at her choice of phrasing. “Evan got someone, it’s like his old friend or something, said he trusts him not to drop out.”

“Well, fourth time’s a charm, I guess?” you smiled at her.

“We’re planning a pizza night this Friday, so we can, you know, set the details and all that.” She properly lied down next to you, playing with the strings on the hem of your pajama shorts. “Also so you two can meet each other, of course, you’re going to be married for a week after all.”

“The way you say it seems like we’re actually doing it,” You laughed, finally closing your computer, and moving down to face her. “We’re just playing characters, Nia.”

“I know, I know… You’re really no fun, aren’t you?” She moved her arm up to support her head and poked you with her free hand as you rolled your eyes at her. “Also, he seems pretty cute, Evan showed me his picture, maybe you two can hit off.”

“I’m sure he is,” you tried not to fall for her attempt on teasing you over someone you don’t even know. Sure, you’ll be playing love interests, but you’ve done this plenty of times before, back on your theatre days. Kissing someone on stage doesn’t mean you have feelings for them in real life, and you knew that pretty well. You sighed, looking down at her, not wanting to engage into this kind of topic.

“Anyway, should we celebrate your new cast member and my inability to write a single sentence about art history?” you changed the subject, trying to distract yourself from your own thoughts. “We could watch Devil Wears Prada and make caramel popcorn.”

Nia gasped dramatically, “these are the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard coming from those pretty lips of yours,” jumping to her feet as she pulled you to stand with her. She then ran out of the room, screaming back, “I’ll get the blankets and you start with the popcorn!”

It’s been years since you’ve known Nia, but yet the dynamic between the two of you has never really changed. You’ve always considered yourself very lucky for having a friend like her in your life. From the day you met her in your English class, it was like seeing someone you had already known your entire life; it was always that easy to be with her.

You two became inseparable from day one.

Looking back, it’s crazy for you to realize how well your high school plans with each other had turned out. Most people you know had those friends in school they only really talked to because they saw them five times a week. But as soon as graduation came by they parted their ways and became only good nostalgic memories for one another. With the two of you, everything just worked out.

You both got into the university you wanted, ready to get matching art degrees. On your second year of college, you moved in together. And halfway through the course, Nia just dropped out to enroll on an eighteen months film school. And that’s when she met Nate.

You always knew she was destined to be that kind of person who just has one great love in her life. Which was funny considering that anyone who spent over five minutes with her and Nate in the same room could swear they would never work together. They just were those kinds of couples who are the polar opposite of each other.

Nia was a little social butterfly, who could start a conversation with anyone about anything. She could talk for hours with the old ladies at the grocery store about how the new brands of beans are just not as good as the ones not as well known. Or chat with the yoga moms about a new reality show that had premiered on Netflix. She loved experimenting on new things, trying out new recipes or mix distinct colors together on her clothes.

Nate, on the other hand, just wasn’t much of a talker at all. Since the start of their relationship, he often stops by at your apartment -wearing a different shade of grey every time - but it would be a lot to say that you two have had a conversation for longer than five minutes. He just mostly kept it to himself.

They balanced each other, which is why they worked so well.

It would be a lie for you to say you didn’t think about having something like that for you. You thought maybe you just weren’t the kind of person to have one meaningful relationship in your life. And that was okay. You’d like to think you’re better off on your own, anyway. But now and then you wondered how it would be to fall asleep in someone’s arms every day.

But you tried your best to keep those thoughts locked away in the back of your head. You knew that for the most part love is not really meant to last, Nia was just part of the lucky few.

The atmosphere in your shared apartment was cozy, as you waited for Evan and his friend to arrive before you started the pizza hangout, as Nia called it.

You both had spent the day tidying up the place, trying to decorate it a bit with some fairy lights and nice pillows you found in your room. It had been a long time since you had done any kind of social gathering in your home, and Nia wanted everything to be perfect. She even insisted on making the pizzas herself, which took most part of the afternoon, and a lot of bossing around on her part.

By the time the food was in the oven and the only thing left to do was wait, her boyfriend joined the two of you.

She was very talkative and bubbly, as she usually is, getting the wine bottles she selected for the evening and placing them on the counter as she chatted with him. It was nice seeing her back do being her usual self after such a stressful week.

You got the right amount of glasses, placing them next to the bottles, as you hummed along to the Declan Mckenna’s voice playing in the background. You weren’t really paying attention to Nia’s babbles, catching a word or two as she rambled about some dolphin documentary she had to watch for one of her classes. Pouring out a glass for yourself, you looked over to Nate who had a puzzled look on his face, as he tried to make sense of whatever rant his girlfriend had going on. You took a sip of your wine, and laughed lightly at yourself at the contrast between the two of them, something you had always found very amusing to observe. But before you could go further into your thoughts, the sound of the buzzer took over the small apartment.

“They’re here!” Nia gushed, as she quickly made her way out of the kitchen to get the front door, yelling back at you to get the pizzas out of the oven.

“Yes, ma’am,” you teased after she left, earning a light chuckle from Nate.

Making your way around the kitchen, you took out kitchen gloves that had figures of little chicks printed on them, giving one last check inside the oven to make sure everything was ready, before opening it and taking out the food. You could hear Nia greeting Evan excitedly in the background, as she rushed him and his friend to come inside. As their voices got closer, you turned your back to the entrance, concentrating on not burning yourself while you placed both pizzas on top of the counter.

“There’s our star!” You heard Evan’s loud voice taking over the kitchen space, making you look over your shoulder and laugh at him.

You turned around while taking off the gloves, as he pulled you into a tight hug, the strong scent of his cologne invading your nostrils. He wasn’t much taller than you, making him being considered short for a man. But his presence in a room was always so loud and bright that he seem much bigger than he actually is. You pulled back and looked at him, suddenly feeling underdressed in your own home. His entire outfit was bright red, being consisted of a jean jacket and silk pants, his eyes matching with vibrant eyeshadow taking over his whole eyelids.

“It’s very nice to see you again Evan,” you smiled at him, his hands still holding onto your shoulders as he looked warmly at you. “It’s been too long! You look fabulous!”

“Oh honey, you flatter me too much! It’s why I love coming here,” he scoffed playfully, coming to your side and wrapping one arm over your shoulder as he guided you. “But tonight is not about me, unfortunately. It’s about the two of you.”

As you finally moved your attention to the kitchen entrance, you realized another presence standing there. A man, who you assumed was Evan’s friend, already smirking down at you as both of you approached him.

You suddenly felt nervous under his stare while you could hear Evan commenting on something you didn’t really pay attention to. You had been taken completely by surprise by the man standing in front of you. Sure, Nia had mentioned to you once or twice that he was good looking, but you were not expecting this.

It was a weird feeling, being this affected by someone you had just met, but you would have to be blind not to notice. His face was beautiful, a sharp jawline contrasting his soft skin, his fingers poked at his bottom lip as he smirked, you could notice the hint of a dimple forming on his cheek. His hair was short, but still long enough to see the shape of slight curls forming in it, some locks falling charmingly against his forehead. But what hit you the most were his eyes, thanks to the dim lighting you couldn’t really tell if they were a shade of forest green or more of a hazel tone, but you could feel your cheeks warming up from the way he watched you as you got closer.

His shoulders were broad, as he was leaning against the entrance, the hand that wasn’t poking at his lip resting inside the pocket of his brown pair of trousers. He wore a blank white shirt, partly tucked in, underneath a beige cardigan. The sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, making you notice the tattoos hugging the skin of his arms. You felt a curious wish to know how many more you could find under all the layers of clothing..

As you and Evan got closer, he moved from his leaning position to stand tall in front of you. The smile never leaving his lips, and his eyes still watching you closely.

“So, darling, meet Harry,” Evan spoke up, gesturing you towards his friend. “He’s a pest, but I’m sure you’ll get along just fine”

“Way to give a first impression, E,” Harry rolled his eyes at his friend’s teasing, before turning his attention back to you. He moved closer, embracing you into a side hug “S lovely to meet you-”

You quickly cleared your throat, afraid that your voice would give you away, before saying your name. The attempt didn’t really seem to work, as your words came out higher than you had intended. You could feel Nia’s gaze turning to you on the corner of your eye, but tried your best to ignore it. He repeated it, before shooting a smile in your direction, the sound of his deep voice and the way his lips circled around the words making the hairs behind your neck rise.

“Okay! So how about we move this party to the living room?” Nia’s voice broke into the atmosphere. “Everyone can get their wine glasses and make themselves comfortable while y/n and I finish arranging the pizzas.”

She shot you a knowing look, before moving to get the wine bottles and handing them to Nate. Everyone shifted to get their glasses and settle in the other room, leaving you and Nia alone.

You moved to get the knives and looked at the pizzas standing on the counter in front of you, calculating how you could cut out even slices on each. You could see your friend from the corner of your eye leaning on the counter staring directly at you.

“You know you can’t fool me even for a second, miss,” she teased, you could hear the smirk on her voice.

“I’m not doing anything,” you murmured, still not looking in her direction. She scoffed, elbowing you lightly as she mimicked you, saying your name in a high-pitched voice. You shot her a dirty look before shushing her, afraid the guest in the other room could hear her teasing. “I didn’t sound like that!”

“Oh please! You should have seen how you looked at him!” She rolled her eyes at you, “thought you were gonna drop down on your knees right then and there!”

“Nia!” you screamed in a whisper, your cheeks warming up at her words as you pinched her, making her squeal. You quickly shot a look at the entrance to see if anyone might’ve heard her, but they seemed to be enrolled in their own conversation. “Let’s just get this done quickly before they suspect we’re in here for too long.”

“Okay, cheeky girl,” she bit her lip and moved to get a knife to cut one pizza, but still eyeing you with a slight smile, leaning in one last time, “but I told you he was cute.”

Eventually, the two of you finished sorting out the pizza slices and joined everyone in the living room. Nia then rushed to join her boyfriend on the loveseat, leaving the only spot available for you being between Harry and Evan on the couch. She shot you a teasing smile, but you tried your best to ignore it and focus on finishing the wine glass you had poured for yourself earlier.

“Okay, so I’m going to need everyone to eat the food and tell me how good it is,” Nia pointed out to the center table where the pieces of pizza laid upon, “I’ve spent the entire afternoon on these babies, so eat up!”

“You know that I’ve helped you with them, right?” you added, squinting your eyes at her, “some credit wouldn’t hurt.”

“You only laid the toppings on the dough so they would look even,” she snapped back pointing a finger at you, “I did all the hard work, so shush it.”

But before anyone could move to get a slice, Evan was already stretching out his arms to stop you from moving. “Wait a second,” he spoke, “I feel like I’ve watched enough seasons of MasterChef to be the first one to judge.”

“I mean, you are the best critic I know,” Nia pointed, leaning in to get a slice and offering to Evan, “but again, I don’t really know any other critics.” She humored as he took the food, making a show of analyzing it.

Everyone waited expectantly as Evan bit into the pizza slice, keeping a straight face that didn’t reveal much of his opinions. Nia leaned in his direction, nervously biting her bottom lip as she waited for his final verdict.

“You have to be honest,” she warned, observing him, “but know that I can get my feelings hurt pretty easily.”

“I don’t mind that,” Evan finally said, straightening his posture as he looked back to Nia’s waiting eyes, “I’ll say that it’s not the best pizza I’ve ever had,” he announced, “but it works.”

“You know what, I take it,” everyone laughed lightly as Nia visibly released a breath she had been holding in, “It’s not a bad review for a first time.”

The hours went by quickly as you eased into a conversation with everyone. It was nights like this you missed the most when the stress of all the accumulative work weighted on your shoulders. Having a more of a cool night to hangout with a few friends, drinking some wine and chatting about whatever topic came to mind.

As time passed, you could tell Nia and Evan got more agitated, probably due to the amount of wine they had consumed without even realizing. They chatted excitingly about Midsommar, their voices raising a bit too loud. But every time you tried to shush them, jokingly reminding of the neighbors next door, they would soon forget about it again. You watched them babble, giggling when they would get excited on a certain topic and start to trip over a few words.

You also felt lighter because of the alcohol, not as much as them, but still enough so you could feel your chest warmer and your mind a bit dizzy. You still felt an annoying tingle at the pit of your stomach when you felt Harry’s eyes fixating on you when you spoke, or when your hands brushed as you reached for the bottle at the center table. It was silly, and it made you feel like a teenager being in the presence of an attractive boy for the first time.

When it all quiet down eventually, Nia had dragged Evan to her room so he could give an insight on how she could decorate it. It was something she would do now and then, give her room a big renovation so the change in the space could make her more motivated, or something like that. Sometimes, if she felt inspired enough, she would change around the living area or even your own room - when you allowed her, of course.

Nate was still sitting on the loveseat looking like he was about to fall asleep at any moment as he scrolled through his phone. He hadn’t spoken a lot during the night, which wasn’t unusual for him, but he still managed to chat for a bit.

That left you and Harry alone sitting on the main couch, with one person less it left you enough space to cross your legs, making yourself more comfortable. He was sitting on his side, his back resting on the big pillows by the arm of the couch, his chest turned towards you.

You reached for the wine bottle at the center table, realizing there was just a bit left, enough for a last glass for the two of you. “Wanna help me finish it?” You turned to him with the bottle in your hand. He had a smile resting on his lips, as he raised his glass toward you so you could pour the liquid into it. You could tell his eyes were a bit cloudy, but you knew none of you had had enough to be drunk.

“Thank you, love,” he said, the raspiness on his voice as he spoke the pet name making the hairs in the back of your neck rise. You poured yourself the rest of the wine left, emptying the bottle as you settled it back where you got it. “Should we make a toast?”

“Sure,” you replied easily, smiling at him, “what should we toast for?”

He looked away, puckering his lips slightly as he made a puzzled expression, a hand scratching at his chin as if in deep thought. You giggled at his dramatics before he pointed his finger up, his face turning into a big smile. He raised his glass in your direction, as you did the same. “A toast for being husband and wife?”

You chuckled, clinking your glasses together, “that’s fair,” you said, “ ‘s why we’re here after all, isn’t it?” you joked, taking a sip of your drink before settling it down on your lap.

“Sure is,” he mimicked, rising his glass to his lips, a smirk still adorning them as he managed to not break eye contact. He took a small sip before settling his glass back on the table. He scratched the tip of his nose slightly with the side of his finger, before he relaxed back on the couch. “So” he spoke up, bringing your attention to him, “E told me you’re an actual actress,” he raised his eyebrows at you, “made me a bit nervous, love.”

“That right there is a lie,” you chuckled, biting your lip and shaking your head. “I used to do theatre back in the day, haven’t done any acting for years though.”

“A theatre kid, huh?” He laughed as you rolled your eyes jokingly.

“I’m aware we have a poor reputation, yes,” you said, “I reckon we deserve it, but we weren’t that bad, I promise.”

He giggled, making your heart skip a beat at the sound. His smile was something you could easily get used to, the way it formed crinkles in his eyes and the dimples deep on his cheeks. You had to stop yourself for staring too much, moving your gaze to the glass on your lap.

“People are too harsh on theatre kids,” he reassured, “I think it seems pretty fun — only time I did it was when I played Elvis when I was about five, I think.” He added, resting his arm against the couch, his hand just a few inches away from your shoulders. “Had the time o’my life though.”

“You got main character though, that’s impressive,” you expressed, raising a hand to poke at his side playfully. “Have you done anything since your big debut as the king?”

“Can’t say I have, no,” he chuckled, “guess this is my big comeback, maybe I’ll get a call from broadway soon.”

“I’m sure you will!” You giggled, taking another sip from the glass in your hand.

You found it easy to dive into a conversation with him. You were both giggly from the wine, but it still seemed like you could stay like this for hours on end, just talking to each other.

He told you he wasn’t planning on doing the film, considering he never really thought about acting. But when Evan asked him if he could be part of it, he saw how desperate he was to fill the role, so he agreed. It warmed your heart to hear how fondly he spoke about his friend, telling you how willing he was to help, even if it involved doing something out of his comfort zone.

You two bounded over your mutual wish to become teachers. You found out he was studying Literature, a choice that for him as an easy one, considering throughout his life he had always been an avid reader. He said no matter how harsh thing got, he always found an escape between books, you could tell how passionate he was about it as he spoke about his favorite reads.

Eventually, you could hear voices coming closer from Nia’s room, as they seemed to be gushing about the filming that was starting soon.

As Evan came into the room, he made his way to the couch, placing his hand on Harry’s shoulders. “Honey, as much as I wish we could stay here ‘til dawn, I’m afraid we must get going.”

With his declaration, everyone moved around to gather the dishes splattered across the center table to put it all at the kitchen counter. After some insisting -mostly on Harry’s part- on helping with cleaning, you convinced them you two could handle the task just fine. And they were the guests, after all.

Finally, you said your goodbyes, pulling Evan on a small hug, assuring him you’d do your best to do his script justice.

And as you came to face Harry, he leaned into a hug, giving you a last kiss on the cheek, before telling you how lovely it had been to meet you.

You had woken up with your door opening abruptly, making you jump a bit from the sudden change in the peaceful atmosphere from your deep slumber. Before you could process the situation in hand, Nia was already pulling out the covers and spitting out words at a faster pace than you could comprehend in your mind state.

“Get up already! We are very late,” She urged as you lazily scratched at your eyes before sitting up to look at her. “Evan is going to kill us!” She cried out.

Your head pounded slightly, making you search for your water bottle previously prompted by yourself the night before, knowing you would need it in the morning. You reached for it in your nightstand, taking big gulps as you watched amusingly Nia run around your room picking random clothes and throwing it in a duffel bag you had just noticed.

Resting the bottle down on your lap, you yawned lightly, still in the process of waking up. “Calm down Ni,” you mumbled, “We still have time, we’re only leaving at like, two.”

She looked back at you as if you had just slapped her across the face, your shirt falling partly from her hand. “It’s already one,” she informed, making your eyes bulge as you reached to check on your phone, confirming as it read 1:16pm. “We don’t even have our bags packed AND we got a sink full of dishes to wash.”

The minutes after that were rushed, as you two did your best to get ready as fast as possible. Mentally slapping yourself for leaving everything for the last minute, but still managing to pack your bag in record speed.

But as time passed and the list of things to do was still far from over, Nia phoned Evan and let him know you would need a few more hours to be ready to leave. To say he wasn’t the happiest about the news was an understanding, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.

A couple hours later you were finally packed, and after a quick stop to shop for road trip snacks you were off on the road.

You left much later than planned, and even if it wasn’t that much of a long drive, it was still 3 hours until you got there. The ride itself was mostly quiet, except from Lorde’s Melodrama playing softly in the background. You hummed along to the words, but apart from that there wasn’t a lot of talking between the two of you, all due to the limited amount of sleep you got from the previous night.

As you got closer, the scenery of open grass camps and blooming flowers at the peak of spring was a peaceful change of scene from the busy city streets you were used to. And when you finally got to the house, the sun was almost setting on the horizon. The sky being a satisfying mixture of blue and orange. There was a car already parked in, and as you got closer, you could see two figures sitting on the front stairs.

Getting out of the car, you quickly made your way to where they stood. “Have you been waiting long?” Nia asked as you got closer to them.

“Longer than I was planning to, I’ll say that,” Evan replied, taking off his sunglasses to greet you.

Harry came up from behind him, looking incredibly cozy wearing a knitted cream sweater. It took everything in you not to nuzzle on him as he met you with a quick embrace. You had to focus on keeping your breathing steady as you looked up at him when you parted. The sun coming from behind you doing wonders as it hit his face perfectly. His eyes were the prettiest shade of green as he smiled down at you before moving to greet Nia.

“We’ve been here fo’ ten minutes, don’t listen to him,” he assured with a small laugh.

The house itself was much bigger than you expected, it wasn’t huge, by any means, but you had pictured a small cottage with barely any space for the four of you. The place, however, was big enough for you to have your privacy but still small enough to feel cozy and welcoming.

You quickly found there were three rooms, and despite you arguing you didn’t mind sharing one with Nia, considering you two lived together, she still insisted that you and Harry had your own bedrooms. It was her way of thanking you for agreeing to help them.

After you got established in your respective room, you met everyone down at the kitchen. The place was loud with chatter as they played around while making dinner. Nia seemed to boss the boys around to cut the vegetables properly, as she concentrated on figuring out how to work the old stove. They laughed lightly as she cussed under her breath in frustration after another failed attempt. You watched quietly for a moment, before joining in to help her.

You finally turned the stove on with the help of a few matches you found laying on the counter, being able to cook with no more trouble. It was already getting late when you finished eating and gathered the dishes to lay them on the sink. Still, Nia insisted on watching one of the movies she had carefully selected on her extended collections of DvDs to bring with her.

You decided to make yourself some tea while the rest of them moved around to arrange themselves for the movie night. After offering if anyone else wanted a cup as well, you were met with Harry’s warm smile as he accepted shyly.

Soon enough everyone settled down on the big couch to watch the movie. Evan took his place on one of the armchairs, while Harry opted to sit by the end of the couch, setting his legs on the footrest in front of him. As you walked in with your mugs, he gazed up at you, shooting a soft smile and muttering a quick ‘thank you’ as you handed him his drink.

He patted the spot next to him, indicating for you to sit, to which you happily obliged.

“Wanna share?” he asked, holding up a blanket that lied at the arm of the couch. “There’s jus’ three of ‘em.”

“Sure,” you replied, moving to pull the blanket, so it was covering the two of you. You knew very well you could always get an extra one from one of the bedrooms, but you would never bring yourself to suggest it.

Finally, Nia entered the room with a small pack of m&m’s on one of her hands and the DvD case for ‘Love Actually’ on the other. She was quick to insert it on the player before settling down next to you. Pulling out the leftover blanket for herself, she lied down to rest her head comfortably on top of your legs.

It didn’t take long until she fell in deep slumber, cuddling up on your lap as soft snores left her lips. You pouted slightly down at her. The poor thing was exhausted from driving all the way, and the bad night of sleep the day before.

As the movie progressed, you could feel your eyelids getting heavier as well, the words coming from Keira Knightley’s mouth becoming more of a background noise as you fought to keep yourself awake. But before you could doze off, you felt Harry shifting slightly next to you. Suddenly feeling his arm hugging your shoulders, as he gently pulled you closer.

You moved your head to look at him but before you could say anything he shushed you softly and pulled you back in. “ ‘S fine, love,” he whispered, “can see that you’re tired.”

And with a half-woken mind and heavy eyelids you laid back on his shoulder and allowed yourself to snooze.

You woke up with him shifting again from under you, opening your eyes slowly to find the end credits rolling up the screen in front of you. You yawned lightly before sitting up, being careful not to wake a still-very-much-asleep Nia on your lap.

“Sorry,” you heard Harry say as you scratched at your eyes, “didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s fine,” you assured, your voice a bit raspy from your nap, “would have to happen, eventually.” You looked down at the unconscious girl lying on you, knowing you had to get her to bed so she could sleep properly. “We should wake her.”

“Want me to carry her to her room?” he asked.

“I think she’ll be okay,” you replied, gently calling her name so she could slowly wake up.

Surely, it didn’t take a lot of coaxing to get her eyelid to flutter open, as she lazily rose from her sleep.

You helped her to her room, afraid she’d trip down the stair in her hazy state of mind, still half asleep as she dragged her feet across the floor.

As soon as she laid down in her bed, you made your way back to the kitchen to fix yourself a glass of water so you could go to sleep.

It surprised you to find Harry still awake as you entered the space; he looked up at you from his position leaning on the counter with his phone in his hand. Quickly placing it in his back pocket as he saw you coming in, giving you a slight smile. “Thought you’d gone to bed.”

You reached for the cabinet Nia had pointed you to earlier where the cups were placed, picking one with little thought and closing it. “Just came here for a glass of water,” you spoke, moving the cup under the tap, “always have one next to my bed, y’know, in case I get thirsty and stuff.” You shook your head slightly, not wanting to ramble about the benefits of staying hydrated during the night just to make a conversation.

“Smart girl,” he joked, causing you to chuckle as you felt blush creeping out on your cheeks. You could see him coming closer to stand next to you from the corner of your eye, which didn’t help the tingly feeling forming at the pit of your stomach. “Excited fo’ tomorrow?” he asked, crossing his arms on top of the counter as he leaned next to you.

“Guess I am,” you answered, looking up at him and finding he was closer than you had realized. You smiled nervously as you met his eyes gazing down at you, before clearing your throat lightly. “What about you?”

“To be honest ‘m a bit nervous, love,” he confessed.

“Why’s that?”

“I mean,” he started, his eyes still fixed on you, “ ‘s not every day I get to pretend ‘m married to a pretty girl like you.”

You could feel your heart skip a beat as he reached one of his hands to move a strand of your hair behind your ear. He kept his hand on your cheek just as his eyes seemed to gaze down at your lips, so subtly that it felt like you might’ve imagined it.

The silence in the room was loud as you could almost hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears, as he leaned down just barely, getting closer to you. He looked down one more time at your lips, this time making sure you realized the unspoken question behind that action. You suddenly felt water pouring through your fingers, as the forgotten cup in your hand overflowed. This caused you to jump back a bit, quickly turning the tap off and resting the glass on the counter.

“Oh my god,” you squeak, reaching out for a towel right next to the sink to dry your hand. “I’m sorry, that was-” you chuckled, glancing at Harry who seemed to watch you with an amused expression. “That was awkward, sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” He assured, picking the full glass and moving it in the counter so it was out of your reach. “ ‘t was actually quite cute,” he moved closer to you again, reaching his hand to hold at your jawline.

You held back your breath as you felt his own hitting the top of your upper lip, your noses brushing slightly.

“Been wanting to do this fo’ a bit now, love,” he spoke a bit above a whisper, his deep voice sending chills down your spine and making you grab at his sweater, ”would you let me?” his thumb caressed your cheek lovingly, “would you let me kiss you?”

You could feel your heart beating strongly against your rib cages, swallowing hard as you looked up at him. He was watching you closely, his dark emerald irises gazing down at you as your lips barely brushed. You nodded at him, trying to pull him closer.

“Use your words, darling,” he insisted, not budging from his position. “Wanna hear you say it.”

“Please, Harry I-” you moved your hand to grasp on his waist, “just —kiss me.”

Giving a satisfied hum, he finally leaned down, closing the space between the two of you. His hand remained stroking your cheek softly, as the other sneaked under your neck.

He moved his lips ever so slightly, his cupid bow founding its way above your inner lip, sucking on it gently. The kiss was teasingly slow, making you hyper aware of all of your senses. Your hands feeling the soft fabric of his sweater, grabbing at it as if asking for more.

He moved the hand on your neck, pulling gently at your hair, making you angle your head up a bit. As his tongue poked to lick at your bottom lip, you opened your mouth, deepening the kiss.

You stayed like this for a while, pressed against the kitchen wall as you enjoyed the taste of each other.

When you pulled back, he splattered a few kisses along your cheek, giving one last peck on your mouth before pulling back.

“As much as I don’t want to end this now,” he muttered, moving his hand, so they were both holding your cheeks, “We should get some sleep fo’ tomorrow.”

“We should,” you agreed.

“We’ll get the chance to do this again,” he said, making you bite down a smile at the innuendo behind his words.

He gave you one last kiss before pulling away completely, reaching for the glass of water you had already forgotten about on the counter and handing it to you.

You walked back to your rooms without saying a word, but still sharing glances and smiles along the way. And as you got to your respective rooms, you whispered quiet good nights before parting ways and closing the door behind you.

The days that followed were rushed, considering the filming had officially started. You two barely had the chance to be alone again, which was disappointing. But still you couldn’t find yourself time to miss the feel of having his soft lips against yours, considering the scenes you had with each other. What you did miss was being able to kiss him without it being written in a piece of paper, or having someone from outside tell you to. You missed the intimacy of feeling his tongue meet your own and having his hands pulling you close as you both craved for more. You missed the shared secret between just the two of you, that was knowing how it felt to have him all to yourself.

It was discomforting, earning for someone you barely even know. Jumping into a feeling you know there’s no way can end well. You both were playing characters. Lovers, yes, but it was all pretend. It didn’t help that he was so good at it. In front of the cameras he would be so loving that you often wondered how much of it was just part of the act.

It was subtle things that made you think of it, like a glance across the room between takes. Him leaning close to you every time they called you to watch back something you had just recorded. Or when he sucked in your lip during a scene, so softly you could barely notice but still made your heart skip a beat.

But as much as it was nice to pretend that you two had some shared secret, you knew that the most likely scenario was that he was just doing his work and being friendly. So you tried your best to convince yourself that all of it was just your mind playing tricks, this way you could prevent yourself from inevitably getting hurt. That encounter in the kitchen was most likely his way of making things less awkward to when you inevitably would have to do it in front of a camera. That was it, nothing more.

It seemed to have worked pretty well, you two had the chemistry Evan hoped for when he wrote his script. Nia kept teasing you with every given opportunity. You didn’t tell her about the late night kitchen situation, but you knew she could sense the ‘chemistry’ was not simply because you two were just that good at acting. No one was complaining though, considering everything was going so smoothly they suspected it could be wrapped up even earlier than expected.

Every time they would mention the possibility, you found yourself wishing deep down something would set you back on the schedule. You felt bad for it, and you never voice your inner thoughts, but you knew wrapping up early meant going home early, and you were getting a bit too comfortable getting to act all loved up on camera.

As if some kind of outer force had listened to your wishes, just as you were halfway throughout the week, mother nature seemed to be your biggest ally.

You had just woken up with the annoying tune of your alarm clock, one you had chosen for finding it soothing at first. But you soon found that those sounds are not meant to feel soothing at all, as it woke you from your deep slumber. You were quick to turn it off before rubbing your eyes softly and enjoying the warmth of your bed for a few more minutes. You could hear the gentle sounds of raindrops hitting your window, but barely paid any attention to it as you rose lazily, stretching your arms above your head.

Making your way down the stairs you first noticed Evan standing by the big window in the living room, looking out with a hand resting on his hip and the other one holding a mug. Behind him, in one of the armchairs, sat Harry, also drinking out of a mug as he read a book quietly. But as if he felt your presence as you got to the bottom of the staircase, he looked up, smiling at you as you made your way into the room.

“G’morning,” he spoke, alerting the man by the window of your presence as he turned around to look at you.

“Good morning,” you said back, before realizing the worried expression on Evan’s face, “is everything okay?”

“A disaster just happened, honey, look out the windows!” he snapped, gesturing behind him where you could see the rain hitting the glass. The sky was dark with clouds, suggesting it was just the beginning of the storm that was to come. You looked back with a puzzled expression, knowing the weather was not the best, but as far as you remembered you had already shot all the scenes you needed outside. Evan rolled his eyes, “our natural light is gone, honey, it’s too dark to shoot!” he barked.

“Hey, no need to yell at her like tha’,” Harry looked back at his friend, attempting to calm him down, “ ‘s fine, we were early on schedule anyway, one day is not gonna delay it.”

He shot a look at Harry, his hand finding its way back on his waist as he let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry, this is just incredibly frustrating.”

You smiled at him to assure it was fine, knowing how much stress he was putting on because of this project. “Doesn’t Nia have one of those light things you were using the other day to make the scene brighter?” You suggested.

Evan sighed, “that’s a reflector, it just— well, reflects the light, we would need the sun for it to work, and seems like she’s not showing her face anytime soon,” he weightened his shoulders down, clearly feeling defeated. “I guess today is our off day — we should use it to pray for sunlight tomorrow, otherwise I’m pulling my hair off.”

When Nia woke up, you could tell she was not happy at all with the news that filming had to be cancelled for the time being. She spent the whole breakfast whining and crying about the poor weather. You tried your best to console her, but knowing your friend you knew her dramatics showed off when she worried about something. She tended to overthink every scenario that could go wrong, which did nothing to help the pressure she put on herself.

The day went on as eventless as it possibly could, the rain outside just seeming to get angrier as time passed by. You did your best to distract Nia from her own head, asking her about the recent documentaries she had watched, knowing she could go on tangents for hours. You talked about crime shows you have started before filming and shared different theories you had on them. You even listened to her deep analysis of trashy reality shows she loved to watch and always tried to drag you to get into it.

You talked and talked with no end, considering there wasn’t much else to do. Nia’s aunt hated computers and refused to install any kind of wifi, leaving you with a shitty connection that barely loaded a five-minute video.

As the evening came by, and the raindrops still hit angrily at the windows, you decided to watch another movie — this time it was Evan’s choice of Freaky Friday.

You volunteered to grab the blankets from the cabinets on the second floor, while Nia excitedly announced she would make popcorn for everyone.

Quickly moving along the hallway, you made your way in front of the doors and opened them. You could hear footsteps coming up the stairs as you tiptoed to reach the top shelf where the soft blanket you had used the first night lied on top of.

“Need help?” You heard a voice approach, looking over your shoulder to find Harry walking towards you with an amused expression on his face. You nodded, chuckling as you quickly stepped out of the way to allow him to take your place. He reached up, easily retrieving the blanket and giving it to you.

“Thank you,” you muttered, looking up at him for a moment.

“No problem, darlin’,” he said, fetching two other blankets before closing one door with a swing of his hip. You closed the other one with a small giggle. You started to quietly move along towards the staircase when he cleared his throat, causing you to look up at him. He kept his gaze down before speaking softly, “After the movie, think I’ll go back to my room a bit early,” he looked at you for a moment, “ ‘f you want to join me.”

You stopped walking to look at him arching your eyebrows surprised, not expecting this kind of proposal at this moment. He stopped a step ahead of you, staring back with nervous eyes and shooting you a shy smile. “I’m not saying we have to do anything, I just-” he spluttered, “just wanted to be with you, without the camera and stuff.”

You smiled at him, “of course,” you voiced, “sounds nice.”

Shortly, you found yourself in the same position as the first day. Sharing a blanket with Harry, but this time Nia was wide awake next to you with a bucket of popcorn plopped on her lap. Some people would consider her to be the worst kind of person to watch movies with, considering she would always get too excited and comment on every scene she could. You had gotten so used to it with time, that it felt weird watching a movie without her voice interrupting a scene every five minutes.

It got hard to concentrate on this one in particular, and not because of Nia’s speaking over the lines, but the sudden feeling of Harry’s hand resting on your knee halfway through it. Your legs were crossed on top of the couch, making part of it rest slightly on top of his as he eased his thumb over your skin.

As time passed, he moved his hand up a bit, finding its final place on your inner thigh, causing goosebumps to arise on the back of your neck as he caressed it softly. You caught yourself holding your breath multiple times, something he was also probably aware of, considering the position of his arm on the side of your chest.

The tension between you two was almost palpable as the end credits rolled up. At that point you had prompted yourself to lean your head on his shoulders. He grasped your skin slightly before removing his hand and motioning his position to get up, making you pull back from him.

“‘m going back to my room now,” he announced as he got up, shooting you a knowing look, “g’night.”

You stayed back for a few minutes so as not to look too suspicious, folding up the blanket you had used and scrolling through your phone for a bit. Not long after you excused yourself, climbing the stairs two steps at a time.

You found him in the hallway, leaning in on the wall right next to his door as he looked down on his phone. As he felt your presence he gazed up, grinning softly before bringing his finger above his lips as to warn you to stay quiet.

The two rushed inside his room, trying to be as quiet as possible, considering your friends downstairs could come up at any second. He closed the door behind him, looking right at you as he leaned back. His room was similar to yours, the difference being a few more clothes lying on top of the small couch standing at the corner. The curtains hanging on the big windows were pushed open, allowing the moonlight from the now-clear sky to illuminate the place.

Your breath got caught in your throat as you stared back at him, meeting his dark irises. He started stepping closer to you until he could lean his forehead against yours. His hands found their way caressing your jawline, one of them going as far as to pulling lightly on the hair above your neck. You held your breath, gazing up at him as you waited for his next move.

He smiled lazily, brushing his nose against your softly before placing a peck to the corner of your lips. He was teasing you, his hand leaving your hair to find its way down your body, paying special attention to the side of your breast before placing itself holding your waist.

You swallowed dryly, feeling your heart speed up as you pulled him closer, wanting desperately to close the space between the two of you. Too scared that your voice would give out your desperation, you moved one of your hands to the back of his neck and pulled him in. He didn’t think twice before finally closing the space and allowing you to feel his lips against yours.

The kiss started slow, both of you still trying to figure it out how it was to taste each other like this. His lips were soft, moving teasingly as he sucked on your bottom lip. Your hand pulled his hair gently, causing him to whine into mouth, licking at your tongue as he deepened the kiss. The hand on your waist moved up, caressing the side of your breast softly as he tried to pull you in as close as possible.

He started easing you backwards, considering neither of you were willing to break the kiss to watch where you were going. You felt the mattress of his bed hitting the back of your knees. You allowed him to lay you into the bed, parting for a moment so you could move upwards, laying your head on the pillows. Shortly enough he joined you, placing his elbows on both sides of your head, not wasting any time before closing the space between your mouths again.

The two of you stayed like this for a while. Slowly kissing each other, as your arm found its way back behind his neck and one of his hand caressed your cheek. You could get used to this, with him being the only thing you could sense. His taste. His touch. His scent.

He was all you could think about.

When you finally pulled back, you could see his red, puffy lips even with the limited amount of lighting going into the room.

He looked into your eyes for a moment, “you look so pretty like this, darling,” he murmured, his voice just above a whisper, sending chills down your spine. “Could eat you up.”

A small whimper left your mouth, as he dove back in to spread kissed along your cheek and down your throat. You bit hard into your lip and swallowed back a moan as he sucked in a spot right below your jawline. You could feel him grinding his hips down on your tights, making you aware of the growing bulge inside his sweats.

You placed your hand on his shoulders, pushing him gently and disconnecting him from your neck. He pulled back, looking back at you with a puzzled look. You kept pushing him until his shoulders hit the mattress, reverting the previous position you both were in, as you stranded his waist.

Looking down at him, you wanted so badly to discover his body, to make him feel good. So you took the same position he had on you. Placing your lips against his neck and running your tongue against it, sucking in his skin. You kept doing it as your hand smoothed down his body, finding the hem of his shirt and lifting it enough so you could scratch at his love handles. He gave you a small moan, a sound so delicious to hear you that made you want to swallow him whole.

Both his hands found their place on your waist, pressing you down so you could feel his need between your tights. You quickly pulled your head from his neck, giving him a soft peck on the lips.

“Please, love, just-” he grunted, looking up at you with pleading eyes. “Just do something, please, I-“

His hands gripped tightly on your waist as you rolled your hips against him. Neither of you could contain your moans as you repeated the movement, even fully clothed his bulge rubbed deliciously against the place you needed it the most.

You leaned down again, this time pushing his shirt up as you made your way down his body, splattering open-mouthed kisses along his warm chest. You paid a special mind to the tattoos you met along the way, sucking spots over the wings of a butterfly inked on his stomach. As you licked along the leaves of the ferns that adorned his love handles, you felt one of his hands tangling in your hair, his hips rising slightly as he whimpered.

“A bit impatient, you are,” you spoke, feeling his belly tighten as you placed a playful bite under his belly button, causing another moan to leave his lips.

“Darlin’, please,” he whined, “Just- fuck, just need you right now.”

You decided not to tease him for too long, considering you needed it just as much as he did. Finally, you moved down once more to place a kiss above the hard on over his pants. He lifted his head, watching your every move as his hand that was placed on your hair pushed some strands away from your forehead. You wrapped your hand around the hem of his sweats, rising your eyebrows at him as you felt he wasn’t wearing any underpants. The thought of having such easy access to him making you press your thighs together, feeling your wetness already damping your underwear

Slowly, you bit your bottom lip, keeping your gaze focused on him as you moved his sweats down, he raised his hips as to help you out. Once his cock was fully out, you stared back down at it lying proudly against his stomach. You ran your fingers gently along his length, causing him to hold his breath, his abdomen tightening once more. He was definitely bigger than anyone you had ever been with, causing your mouth to water a bit and your thighs to press together once again at the thought of fully having him.

You could feel him peering down at you as you wrapped your hands around the base and applied the smallest amount of pressure. The precum was already escaping from the tip and sliding down the tiniest bit.

Moving your head forward you looked back at his waiting eyes, spitting on top of the head as you moved your hand up caressing it. This time he gave you an actual moan, throwing his head back at the pillows behind him.

Looking down at him, you didn’t know where to place your lips first, wanting to bite and lick every part of his body. Finally deciding on sucking a spot on his thigh, right next to where rested an ink of a tiger head.

You kept the movement of your hand, twisting it and applying more pressure eventually as you watched him shift around under you. He raised his hips slightly as he pleaded under his breath for more, his hand firmly on top of your head as the other was thrown above his own.

You moved your thumb to run across his slit, caressing the head with a flick of your wrist as you moved your mouth to place kisses at the base. At this point he became a moaning mess, throwing his arm over his mouth as to muffle the sounds while you licked up his shaft.

“God- fuck- such a good girl,” he moaned on his arm, moving it out of the way so he could look down at you. “Doing so good, you feel so good- shit.”

Smiling at him, you jerked him off a couple of times before resting your hand at the base so you could replace it with your mouth.

You licked around his head, giving it a small kiss before you moved down as far as you could go. He cried out, tightening his grip on your hair and moving his hips up to meet your movements as you sucked on him.

He was desperate to reach his climax, and you were desperate to see him cum undone under your touch. So you started speeding up, your mouth licking at his veins, your hand helping you as you moved it along his dick. He was cursing and moaning over you, pleading for you not to stop. You kept moving your hand as you licked at his head once more before detaching so you could look up at him with pleading eyes.

“Almost there?” you asked, having him nod frantically at you, “will you let me have a taste?”

That seemed to do it for him, as he pushed your head back down, making you attach your lips to his head as you felt him shoot his load inside your mouth. You milked him as he came down from his high, feeling his softness on your lips as you swallowed down.

You sat up and looked down at his hazy eyes while he calmed down with heavy breaths. He adjusted his sweats quickly before moving himself up to pull you in for a frantic kiss. “God, darling, you’re a dream,” he spoke between kisses, his hands gripping at your waist as he positioned you to lie on top of him, moving one of them under your shirt, pulling it up slowly.

You quickly placed your hand on top of his stopping him from going further as you detached from him. He furrowed his brows at you. “I should go back to my room,” you said, “got an early day tomorrow.”

He gave you a puzzled look, “but you still haven’t- “

“it’s okay,” you interrupted, moving to get up from his bed, suddenly feeling nervous under his gaze, “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Good night!”

You left his room before he could protest, wanting to slap yourself from running away like this.

The next morning was thankfully much brighter than the one before, with sunlight shining through the windows at the earliest hours. You didn’t get a lot of sleep, tossing and turning around, replaying the previous night in your head. The thought of what could’ve happened if you had stayed imprinted itself in your mind. You started to overthink it. What did he even think of you? After running away like that?

Your thoughts consumed you as you sat in of the stools in the kitchen by yourself, for the first time being the first to be awake. Your coffee running cold by the minute, as you frowned to yourself, taking a sip every so often.

It didn’t take long until you didn’t find yourself alone anymore, having Evan join you as he happily cheered about the nice weather. You nodded along to him, not really in the mood for talking as you anxiously poked at your nails.

It was when you walked towards the sink to wash your used mug that you saw Harry walking into the kitchen. His hair messy and his eyes sleepy, making you annoyed at how charming he managed to look even after just getting out of bed.

He greeted you with a raspiness to his voice, his eyes lingering on you a moment too long as he smirked before moving to the cabinets. He stood next to you while you washed the dishes, grabbing himself a bowl while he worked on his breakfast.

Yours arms would brush every so often as you moved while doing your tasks, making you gaze at him. He kept a grin sitting on his face as he casually made a conversation with Evan, his dimple poking out the smallest bit, but still not looking back at you.

As soon as you were finished you left for your bedroom so you could get ready for the day, but not before sparing one last glance at Harry. This time his eyes were already trained on you as he chewed slowly his fruit salad. You felt your cheeks getting a bit warm from the eye contact, making you look down and leave the room with a speeding heart.

The work started early, as you ran around to keep up with the schedule after losing one day of productivity.

Harry seemed to be in it for teasing you. His touches lingered longer than needed. His kisses were harsher, the need behind them being almost palpable. His gaze on you told you something you couldn’t really tell exactly what it was. Lust? Desire? You weren’t entirely sure, but every time you caught him watching you felt a warmth take over your face.

In one occasion, between takes, as Nia and Evan discussed the best position for the camera considering her broken tripod. You stood awkwardly waiting for their instructions as you played with the hem of your dress. You could feel him staring closely, looking up to find him with the same smirk he gave you in the morning. He looked quickly over your friends who were still trying to figure out the problem before leaning up close to you “Still haven’t let me have a taste, love,” he said quiet enough to that just you could hear, the words sending a chill down your spine and making your core twitch as you glanced back at him.

That same night, after you announced you’d tuck yourself in, just as you changed into your pajama shorts, you heard a soft knock on your door. You opened up to see his darkened irises staring back at you as he quietly let himself in. And within a few minutes he found his place between your legs, your hand gripping tightly at his curls as you moaned into your pillow.

The following day wasn’t much different, starting with a tight filming schedule that was coming to a close end. An exchanging of glances across the room and yearning touches with underlying motives behind them. Ending with you lurking into his room at the dark hours of the night, craving-filled touched and muffled moans.

The wrap up of the film was welcomed with a bittersweet feeling settling itself in the pit of your stomach. Knowing as much as you were glad everything had gone as smoothly as possible during this week, it was time to leave it all behind.

You were nervous about how it would be with Harry after you got home. Was this the start of something that could potentially become a warm and beautiful feeling? Or was it just a lust-filled affair that would end as quickly as it had started? It made you anxious to think about it, not wanting to let go of it just yet.

Nia walked into the living room with two champagne bottles that had been brought up for this exact moment. The atmosphere was filled with chatter as everyone celebrated the end of the hard work.

You were dressed in the fanciest clothes you had brought on your rushed-packed bag, which consisted itself in a black blouse and a loose pair of pants you stole from Nia’s wardrobe a couple weeks prior. But you once again could not compete with Evan’s sense of style, as he seemed right out of a cover with a hot pink turtleneck under a sparkly black dress that hung all the way to his feet.

But you still couldn’t keep your eyes off of him.

You watched as he laughed along at something that had been said, his eyes meeting yours for a moment before fixing on Nia as she offered to serve him the champagne she had just opened.

He looked so good.

Like you, he didn’t opt for a very glam look, wearing a simple graphic white tee with a rainbow printed on it, and a simple pair of checked trousers. But as plain as someone could argue it was, he still managed to look incredibly inviting, which made it harder for you not to latch yourself onto him.

You were coming into your sixth or seventh glass when it all died down. Your head was fuzzy, and you felt giggly as you cheered along with everyone about the successful week you had. Nia had already gone back to her room. She didn’t drink as much considering she would have to drive early in the morning, wanting to leave most of the celebration for the premiere day.

The glances stolen between you and Harry were getting more frequent, the longing in each other's eyes visible with the effect of the alcohol.

He had you pressed up against your bedroom door as he sucked in your bottom lip harshly. His hands gripped at your waist tightly, putting his weight against you.

You wrapped your hand around his neck as the other pulled at his shirt desperately with the need of having him close. You felt overwhelmed by him in the nicest way. Having his hips pressing against your own, making you open your tights slightly as you felt his arousal straining on his trousers.

You whimpered into his mouth at the feeling, suddenly needing him as close as possible. You could tell his desperation matched your own by the way his hand pressed on the side of your body and his mouth moved against you. His groans getting lost in your throat every time you tangled your fingers on his roots, pulling at it.

“You’re gonna kill me like this, baby,” he breathed out, his lips moving against your wanting ones, “so fuckin’beautiful.”

You tried to keep your shaky hands steady as they travelled down his chest, scratching as his tummy lightly under his shirt before you began pulling it up. He detached from you to quickly reach over his shoulders and pull it off completely. He didn’t waste any time bringing his hand to unbutton your blouse, peppering kisses along your lips as he moved it down your shoulders, only to be met with your bare breasts underneath.

“Fuck me,” he groaned staring down at you, attaching your lips once again as he pulled you from the door as he fiddled with the zipper of your pants. You stumbled on each other's arms across the floor until you were met with the plush feeling of the bedcovers on the back of your thighs.

You stepped out of your pants as they got loose around your waist and fell damply to the floor, allowing Harry to push you gently into the mattress. He quickly got rid of his own trousers, wasting no time before towering above you, connecting your mouths once again.

It was like no matter how close you were, it still wasn’t good enough to satisfy the craving you had. You still wanted more. Needed more.

He was fully licking into you, his hands gripping your tights as he rolled his hips to meet yours. You moaned in unison at the feeling of your arousals meeting deliciously as he repeated the movement once more before parting your mouths so he could spread kisses along your neck.

“Harry,” you breathed out his name, dragging your nails along his back as you moved your hips up eagerly.

He moved his head from your neck o hover above yours, licking his lips teasingly as he looked down at you with dark eyes. He moved one of his hands to caress your cheek lovingly, as the other found your breast, his thumb grazing over your nipple. “Can I have a taste, baby?” he leaned his forehead against your, not breaking eye contact, “just a fo’a bit, then you can have me.”

You nodded frantically, brushing your nose against his. He gave you one last peck on the lips before moving down again to lick down at your skin. He pressed open-mouthed kisses at your chest, sucking harshly between your breasts. His tongue moved along your belly, craving his finger into it playfully like you had done to him, making you squeal above him.

He finally settled down between your thighs, his hand gripping at them to keep it apart before moving teasingly slow to the hem of your underwear. Your breath got caught in your throat as you moved up to lean on your elbows, gazing at him, hyper-aware of his every move.

He looked up, grinning like a devil, before moving his face down to nose gently at your mound. Pulling away, he pressed his hands on your sides, sliding your underwear off your legs as you helped him, raising your hips slightly.

You whimpered as you felt him kiss along your inner thigh, meeting your middle as licked you once. Your hips raised impatiently, making him smirk at you again before completely diving in.

You got lost in the pleasure as he licked his tongue into you, letting yourself fall back in the cushions behind your head. Your hand moved to grip at his hair tightly as he sucked in your clit, making you yelp and call out his name. His mouth was warm as his saliva mixed with your own wetness every time he licked into you.

Feeling your arousal pooling on your folds, you desperately needed to feel him as close as possible. Wanting every inch of him against you.

You pushed him from you, grabbing at his shoulder so he could move up to face you again. He didn’t protest, spattering quick kisses along the way before pressing his mouth against yours. The taste of champagne still lingering on your tongue mixed with your own taste on his as he licked into your mouth.

“y’taste so good, baby,” he groaned, parting from you as he moved to remove his briefs. The limited amount of light illuminated his face beautifully, making you able to notice the glistening of your juices down his chin. You felt your core twitch at the scene above you, desperate to have him fill you up.

“Please,” you urged him, grabbing at his hips to pull him down.

“Can I have you, darlin’?” His voice was raspy, as he looks down at you with hooded eyes, “‘d you let me?”

Your arousal blurred your mind, your grip on his waist tightened as you raised your hips impatiently, nodding along to his question.

“Have to hear you say it, love,” he spoke, leaning down to place kisses along your neck, “just say it, and you’ll have me.”

“You can have me, please, I-” you moaned desperately, babbling words without thinking, “I need you, please.”

He raised his head from your shoulders, giving you a quick peck before reaching down to guide his length between your folds. Your belly tensed as he rubbed his head against your clit, holding back your breath as he finally slid in you.

“Fuck, you’re wet,” he choked, pushing his hips all the way, allowing you to feel every inch of him fill you up. You breathed out a moan, reaching your hand on his back. “‘s this all fo’ me?”

You whined out a ‘yes’, rolling your hips as a way of urging him to move.

His movements began slow, his cock rubbing heavenly against your walls, making you clench around him. You both moaned and whimpered as your lips brushed.

“Can feel me deep?” He asked, resting his forehead against yours as he pushed his dick all the way in. You nodded, yearning for him to start moving again. “Can feel me in y’belly?”

“H, please,” you begged, gripping your nails on his shoulder blades.”Want you.”

“y’have me,” he kissed you hard before moving again, rolling his hips as he picked up the pace.

The air around you was hot as you threw your head back with the delicious feeling of him hitting the spot inside of you. He was addicting. The salty taste of his skin. The touch of his hands gripping on your sides. The smell of his cologne faintly mixed with sweat. The sound of his skin meeting yours. It made you earn for him in every possible way.

You felt your wetness dripping out of you as he pulled your leg up to your chest, allowing him to effectively hit deeper spots. The new position made a cramp start to creep up on your thight, but you ignored it to focus on the way his hips met yours.

Time seemed to pass like a blur as you pleasured each other, but soon enough you felt your orgasm building up. His thrusts became more frequent and smooth as he felt you clench more around him.

“that’s it, baby - fuck,” he grunted, moving his hand down to flicker your clit, causing to arch your back, moaning loudly. “Wanna feel you come for me.”

His cross necklace dangled over you as he watched you closely. You kept your gaze locked on his as you felt the feeling deep in your tummy take over your entire body. A moan got stuck in your throat as you opened your mouth to an ‘O’ shape, digging your nails further on his shoulders as you reached your high.

Getting home, you soon realized that throughout the week you had been so lost in your feelings with Harry that you didn’t even think of asking him for his phone number.

The month that followed passed by surprisingly quickly. During the first week you were swiftly thrown back again into your old reality of course essays and textbooks. You hadn’t heard a word from Harry, and the most frustrating part is that he seemed to have settled his place inside your thoughts. You tried asking about him to Nia once or twice again, but every time she seemed to come up with vague answers and change the subject, so you figured she had other things to worry about.

It was a disappointing end, to say the least. Even knowing from the start that being let down was the most possible outcome, it didn’t hurt any less. You often wondered if it had been something you’d done that made him pull away, or if he just wasn’t in it from the start.

By the second week you had gotten a job at a tiny local cafe you used to go after class to study and eat cinnamon rolls. That’s when time starting to rush by, as you found yourself busy through most of your day. Nia was working more than you’ve ever seen her. You two barely talked as she spent most of her time with Evan or inside her room editing. And as the week at the camp house got further away, it started to almost seem like you had imagined all of it.

Having a lot of distractions helped, but you never seemed to push the thought of a certain curly-haired boy completely away. Sometimes during a tedious lesson you would daydream about the feeling of his lips against yours. Or right before you fell asleep you would think about the taste of his skin, how strong his hand were gripping on your thighs. Maybe even at work. When there wasn’t a lot of movement, you could almost hear the sound of his voice.

It was aggravating, the effect he left on you. It got to a point where you got angry; sometimes at him but sometimes at yourself. He was the one who had gone after you, and yet he was the one who disappeared. But again, he didn’t really owe you anything, and that’s what’s frustrating. You were the one who allowed him; you knew from the start that you would get hurt but you still went for it, anyway.

As you got closer to the premiere night that was planned, you started to get anxious. You would catch yourself daydreaming more often, not being as focused as you were. You even started picking your nails again, which is a habit you thought you’d kick it a long time ago. But truth to be told, you were nervous.

The thought about seeing him again made your heart race. You wished that you could somehow find a way not to go. Maybe ask Nia if the two of you could have a private viewing. You had even thought about bribing her with making your mom’s brownie recipe. But you already knew the answer before you even suggested it. This was an important night for her, and you would be there to support it.

You were overthinking this. Was it going to be awkward when you met him? How would you even greet him? Would he kiss you? Would he ignore you? Should you ignore him? All the scenarios in your head made you want to throw up and run away.

When the two of you finally arrived, you were greeted by a cheerful Evan, who jokingly teased you for being late. As you got into his house, you found a bigger group than you expected. It seemed like you and Nia were the last ones to arrive, as there was around ten other people in there. Some of them you recognized from being Nia’s friends, others you had never seen, but none was the one you earned to see the most.

Evan guided you across the living room area, “I’ll show you the kitchen so you two can get some drinks,” He held up his glass as he spoke. Gesturing to the entrance of the room, “We’ll start everything in around ten minutes, so get ready.”

As you entered the kitchen behind Nia, you could feel her stiffen her posture a bit, before looking back at you. You frowned lightly at her, confused by her behaviour, gazing inside the room and finding immediately a pair of green eyes already watching you. It made you think back to the first time you were in this exact position, except in your own kitchen. This time, however, he was the one to approach you.

He looked really good, which did nothing to help the butterflies flying relentlessly in your stomach. He was in all black, a buttoned up shirt with a few buttons open, exposing a bit of the skin on his chest where a silver necklace laid upon. You swallowed dryly at the sight of his hand running swiftly through his hair, with a ring hugging each one of his fingers.

As he got close, he greeted Nia first, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, before turning his attention back to you. He shot you a shy smile, before embracing you into a hug. You didn’t really know if it was your mind playing tricks but you felt him a bit hesitant as he greeted you and placed a kiss on your cheek. Pulling away, he cleared his throat, running his hand again through his hair, he almost seemed… nervous?

“‘S nice seeing you again,” he mumbled, “this uhm… ‘s my girlfriend, Jess.”

You could felt your heart drop with his words as you finally noticed a smiley girl coming to his side.

She wasn’t much taller than you, her red hair pulled back in a perfect ponytail. She matched him with a small black dress that annoyingly hugged her body in all the right ways. You could barely register her greeting you, as you tried your best to keep a straight face to hide the shock that took over your body. You felt a heaviness at the pit of your stomach, a feeling so distressful that made you want to scream as an attempt to make it go away.

You didn’t pay a lot of attention as Nia made a conversation with the girl, knowing that’s what she did best. You kept your gaze directed to Harry, your eyes asking a million questions - you didn’t even think you wanted to know the answers to. But he kept his eyes locked on the floor, eventually looking up at the girl in his arms as she seemed to mention him. But never meeting your own. Her hand was caressing his chest lovingly while his found their way on her waist, keeping her close.

“I think I’ll get something to drink,” you announced, realizing you might’ve interrupted the conversation as they stopped talking. You turned to Nia, “do you want something?”

She looked back at you with sorry eyes, “I should go with you,” she quickly turned back to the girl, “It was lovely meeting you, Jess.”

“Oh! Sure,” she smiled brightly at you two, her hand moving to rest on Harry’s chest, “we should go get our seats as well, right, babe?”

You left the scene as quickly as you could, not wanting to hear any more of it. Looking at all the drink options on top of the counter, you tried to think which one could get you drunk enough to stop feeling hurt over someone you spent just a week with, but still sober enough so that you could pretend everything was fine. Before you realized, Nia was standing next to you, getting two plastic pink cups before she stared at you with guilty-filled eyes.

“I should’ve just told you about it,” she sighed, “I didn’t want to make you sad, but looking back it was probably best if you already knew.”

You turned your head to look at her, “so you knew it all along?” You swallowed the lump in your throat as you felt it close once again.

“Evan told me like a few days after we got back!” She rushed, “I don’t know if they were together while we were filming.”

You took a deep breath, knowing Nia was probably blaming herself for putting you into this situation. But you knew it wasn’t her fault, she would never purposely put you in this position if she knew about it before.

“You know what, it’s fine,” you tried your best to cover up the hurt and gave her a weak smile, “it’s not your fault Ni. It’s okay. I’m fine.”

She pulled you into a tight hug, “I’m sorry, bubba,” she said, “let’s get you something to drink so you can enjoy this party like the star you are!”

The two of you decided on the vodka mixed with watermelon juice, something you had never even thought of trying before but seemed to be ideal to handle the situation you found yourself in. You walked back to the living area, where people were already beginning to settle on the chairs.

Following Nia, you prompted yourself on a seat at the edge closest to the door, opposite to where Harry sat with the girl. His girl. You thought bitterly, taking a big sip from your cup and cringing at the strong taste.

There was a speech you didn’t pay much attention to before they started the film, only giving a slight smile when you realized the mention of your name.

Before you knew it, the lights were out and your face took over the screen.

It was harder than you thought it would be. Looking up at the scenes you had with Harry, knowing everything that happened behind the cameras. Knowing every touch and every kiss felt more than just playing a character. You knew the actual feeling of having him to yourself. But now staring at it right in front of you, it just left a sour taste in your mouth.

You finished your drink barely ten minutes into the film, the feeling of your chest aching starting to become overwhelming as you watched your shared kiss on the big screen. You could feel your throat close once more, your eyes watering a bit.

“I’m gonna get some air,” you whispered to Nia sitting next to you, who gave you a sympathetic smile as you got up. You glimpsed quickly to Harry who had his eyes trained on you, the girl next to him leaning to whisper something in his ear.

You could feel the tears falling down stubbornly as you left the room. Standing in the hallway, you made the decision to turn to the front door instead of the back, not wanting to face anyone with reddish eyes.

You left the house, picking your phone with shaky hands as you managed to call a ride home, sighing in relief as your screen told you it was just about three minutes away.

You heard the door open behind you as stood on the sidewalk hugging yourself to get some warmth on the chilly night. You tried your best to swallow back your tears as you turned around, expecting to find Nia looking at you with pitiful eyes.

To your surprise, the person standing there was Harry, looking like a deer caught in the headlights as he took in your tearful eyes. He spoke your name in a soft voice, causing you to look away.

“Don’t-” you interrupted, raising your hand at him, “I don’t wanna hear it.”

He frowned at you, not wanting to upset you more. “I’m sorry,” he hesitated, taking a step forward.

Your phone buzzed in your hand, as you watched your ride pulling in front of you. You looked back at him, “I’m sorry too,” you said before moving to enter the car.

You spared him one last glance through the window as the driver pulled away.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles smut #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfic #wildest dreams #writing #fanfic #Reader x Harry #my writing

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achliegh · 4 years ago

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Golden

Yeehaw Leo… it's all because this song came on one day (I don’t even really listen to country anymore so it really is fate). Leo is based off that song, each chapter is going to be based off a yeehaw song too.

@clearsuitcasecookienerd helped me out with this one!

For some background:

Leo is a bull rider as a side hustle.

His parents breed Tennessee Walking Horses ($$$$$)

His father died when he was 16 so he dropped out of school to help his mother and cousins run the ranch.

During the winter The Ranch hands take over the Ranch so Leo and his Mother can go visit family all over the country. During the Summer Leo and his cousins handle the ranch.

TW/CW: Smut, terrible yeehaw sayings and jokes, injuries, mentions of past death, minor character death, underage drinking, mentions of past arrests, cringe

Prologue:

Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy

And James was thrown off the mechanical bull for the third time! It seems as though no one on the team could stay on that thing long enough to win the prize of a free beer tab. Finn and Logan were standing hip to hip, forearms resting on the short fence surrounding the mechanical bull in this crowded bar. They were passing a cigarette back and forth as they made fun of Thomas and James as they rode this ferocious animal on the beginner setting.

They just got done for the day at a training camp designed to make them more agile on the ice, only the wingers and centers were there. It was being put on at the old professional hockey rink in New Orleans so it can get some use. The only reason why they choose this hick bar is because it was close to the rink and apparently LGBTQ+ friendly because some kid comes here and gets in fights with people who are homophobic.

A true hero.

Finn and Logan have been friend with benefits since college, did they plan to fuck again tonight? Yee-haw! They both had feelings for each other but refused to admit them because that's the one thing you aren’t supposed to do in a friends with benefits situation. Not fall in love. Everyone knew they were completely head over heels for each other but everyone also knew something was missing for them to be able to work. Usually they only talked about their feelings when they were angry.

Everyone in the bar was friendly, all locals too, so they would tell fun stories about what has gone down in this bar. Two names that would come up frequently and always together were, Leo and Clayton. Apparently, they are best friends and the most beloved frequenters of the bar. Yes, they were undersage. Yes, they did like to fight. No, no one snitches on them. Yes, Leo is a gay boy and Clayton is a Bi boy and they ran this town.

Both are apparently from very rich old parents who only ever had one child, so they treated each other like brothers. No one messed with them. Don't forget they know how to have a good time. Finn had squished his hand into Logan's back pocket while they listened to the local next to them at the fence talk about the two boys.

Then the double wood door to the bar was slammed open, two very tall specimens sauntered in, there was whooping and hollering as they walked past people. Tipping hats and throwing winks. The local leaned over and whispered to Finn and Logan who took a glance at the door and then back at the bull tossing their friends like a fucking salad.

“Speak of the devils.” Logan's attention was brought to the two men when they hopped over the fence to help James stand back up and dust him off. Cracking jokes with him, while the other went to the machine panel to change the setting. Logan took in their appearances.

The one with James had caramel toned skin with black coily hair under a dirty baseball cap. He was very well built and looked like his muscles were made of rock, Logan guessed he was around the same height as Finn. He was wearing a black shirt with the sleeve cut off low enough to show off his abdomen. He had on some dark dusty jeans and brown square toes boots, looks like he just got off work somewhere dusty. The man looked up to check out the crowd of newbies to the bar and Logan took note of his dark dark brown eyes, which landed on him and he saw the man smirk a little before leaning over to James to ask for the names of Finn and Logan. Rolling his eyes a little he decided to look at the other man.

Oh my.

Logan felt like he had been punched in the gut, this man had soft blonde curls wrapping around the rim of his old baseball cap that's backwards on his head. He was also tan but looked more golden like he was tanned under the sun. He couldn’t see his face from under the man's hat but he could see his hard muscles from under his incredibly tight tank top. He too was wearing jeans and square toed boots. Logan could tell this guy was taller than the other and he just wanted him. The veins in his arms and the strength of his hands made his grip tighten on his drink. He knew Finn was looking to by the way he could feel his hand flexing on his ass.

There was a song playing in the background that portrayed exactly how they felt.

“SAVE A HORSE RIDE A COWBOY!” The bar cheered as the blonde boy swung his leg on the bull and grabbed the handle, nodding at his friend. The bull started thrashing around and all Finn and Logan could focus on was the way this guy isolated his body so the top half of him barely moved while his hips rotated with the machine, smoothly. As the bull got faster the tighter the guy gripped the handle the more veins showed in his arms. Logan took a drink while Finn took a drag.

When the man was finally flung off, he had won what Thomas and James were trying so desperately trying to win. When the man stood up he was right in front of Logan and Finn. Logan just about spit out his drink when he saw this man's face. Like it was chiseled from fucking god, dimples, electric blue eyes that shot electricity to their groins, sculpted eyebrows and a scar on bridge of his nose. He smiled and his teeth were perfect beside a chip on his left front tooth.

They had to have him. After hours of teasing looks and sexy line dances, which was a sentence Finn swore he would never say, they finally got this angel of a cowboy into their hotel room. His name was Leo, and god damn was he packing.

He was fucking into Logan as the smaller man fingered Finn open and sucked him off at the same time, Leo shifted a little to hit Logan's prostate, a loud moan was heard from around Finn’s cock. Logan pulled off of Finn and Pushed back on Leo like he couldn’t help it, catching Leo by surprise and asking him to pull out. Leo did because he was a literal angel.

Leo sat back on his heels and smoothed his hands over Logan's hips with a worried look in his eyes. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?” His voice was heavy with lust and worry, that thick southern accent caused the other two to groan.

“Don’t you remember what song was playing when we first saw you?” Logan and Finn were now on their knees facing each other but looking at Leo with hungry eyes. Leo looked down as he thought for a moment, then it dawned on him. He looked up at them and smiled a little shy, he was about to say something but he was pushed back to lay down. He shuffles a little to get more comfortable, Finn and Logan both mentioned that they were switches so he had no clue what to expect when two extremely sex hockey players asked him into their bed. Clayton was jealous.

He groans as he feels Finn grind back onto his cock, he looks up at the red head and smiles Finn is definitely enjoying himself. Leo placed his hands on Finn’s hips to help him sink down on his cock, furrowing his brows he tries his best not to fuck up into Finn as he gets used to Leo. Which they did mention Finn hasn’t bottomed in a while but he really wanted to with Leo and that made him feel special. Leo opens his eyes from when he scrunched them shut to control himself, he sees Logan watching Finn and stroking himself. An idea comes onto Leo’s head, tapping on Logan's arm he wraps his hand around his bicep and pulls him over to him.

“How about you ride my face, sugarbug? Hmm?” Leo is pulled into an intense kiss as Finn finally sets a comfortable pace of fucking himself down on Leo. Logan maneuvers himself so he is straddling Leo’s face and facing Finn.

Leo grabs Logan's hips to pull him down on his face, nipping lightly at his rim he smirks at the shiver he feels from Logan, hearing the smacking of kisses he knows they are desperately close already. Leo starts working Logan open with his tongue as he plants his heels on the bed and fucks up into Finn. The boys are moaning his name loud enough he bets the people in the room next to them are hearing everything. Leo is getting close and he knows Logan is barely holding on, plunging his middle finger and tongue into his smaller lover, hitting his prostate head on, he feels Logan clench around him as a wet heat is felt on his chest.

Logan Moans out Leo’s name and then Finn’s as he pulls the red head into a sloppy kiss as Leo keeps his rhythm with Finn, fucking him steady and deep. Finn changes the rhythm and starts moving faster, desperate for that release. Logan reaches between them and starts to jerk Finn off in time with his thrusts, after a few strokes he feels Finn spilling into his hand. Leo groans and bites down on Logan's left booty cheek as he muffles his moan when he releases into the condom he's wearing. Resting his head back on the pillow he feels logan crawl off him.

Finn pulled off him and collapsed onto Leo’s chest with an oof. Leo chuckles and runs his hands through Finn’s hair, mesmerized by the red flowing through hands. He just wanted to hold these boys close and relax, which he hasn’t done in a while. Kissing the top of Finn’s head he hears a cute whimper from the man on top of him. Hiding his laugh in his hair Leo looks up at Logan who wanders back into the room with a warm washcloth. He slaps Finn’s ass causing the man to jolt and glare at Logan.

“Excuse you, I was being snuggled by a hot cowboy who just fucked the life out of me.” Leo laughs as Finn rolls off him, Logan tries to hide his smile but fails as he wipes the other two down. Hopping on top of them and wiggling his way between them and smiles.

“Well I want to cuddle the hot cowboy who just ate my soul out of my ass.” Leo laughs again and shakes his head wrapping his arms around bothering them.

“Shh! I want to silently cuddle with two hockey players who I just had the most intense orgasm with!” They all laugh and fall into comfortable silence with comforting touches and caresses until they fall asleep.

When Finn and Logan woke up in the morning Leo was already dressed and writing his number on the notepad next to Logan’s phone. He turns to look back at the bed and smiles when he sees the boys both sleepily reach for him. He crawls on the bed still having not put on his boots yet and gives them both a sweet kiss goodbye.

“Text me or call me anytime you want to talk.” He whispers to them as he pushes some hair out of Logan's face and rests his forehead on Finn’s cheek. He crawls away shoving his boots on and walking out the door. Morning chores need to be done.

They all felt it when Leo left, cold.

#leo knut #logan tremblay #finn o'hara #james potter #thomas walker #Clayton Bruss #o'knutzy #o’knutzy #lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast

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e350tb · 3 years ago

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The Owl House: A Blight on Gravesfield (Chapter Six)

Six

Luz and Camila have a much needed talk.

History doesn’t tell us much about Henry William Finch. The only remarkable thing that seems to have happened to him was his death. There is a record of Henry William Finch born in Barbados in 1661, but we don’t know if this is the same person. We can really only guess.

Although the courts claim Henry Finch was killed, we don’t actually know that either. All we know is that, over the course of a few days, Finch was struck by a peculiar ailment - his skin turned purple, his hair fell out, he was covered in boils, he vomited, his teeth rotted; it seems it was a pretty nasty illness. After two days, Finch died.

Now, just before his illness, Finch spoke to a woman whilst he fed the Wittesbane pigs. The magistrates believed that the woman handed Finch either some water or food - the record varies - and that this was deliberately poisoned. Hence ‘struck down whilst tending the pigs.’

So officially, the Henry Finch case was a murder.

Unofficially…

Now who was the woman? Well, her name was Margaret Hawthorne, aed 53; like Finch, she only really appears on the record because of her death. Before that, she had worked as a maid for the Wittesbanes for about three years. According to the official history of the Wittesbanes, published 1933, the family grew to suspect Hawthorne of ‘witchery’ after the ‘accelerated growth of vines’ around her quarters, which they believed she was using for spells. For John Philip, the poisoning of Henry Finch was just confirmation of what he’d suspected for some time.

So did Wittesbane pressure the magistrates to have Hawthorne killed for witchcraft? And if so, why would they not charge her for witchcraft, rather than murder?

We need to remember that the infamous Salem Witch Trials that colour our perception of ‘witchcraft’ in the late seventeenth century were something of an outlier. They met significant derision and backlash both within and beyond Salem. Most people no longer believed in witches, and it was around this time that Britain began charging supposed witches for fraud, rather than burning them as the devil’s servants.

Wittesbane may have believed that Gravesfield would face a backlash if Hawthrone were killed for witchcraft, but murder by poison was nowhere near as controversial.

There remain many questions, of course. Did Hawthrone really kill Finch, or was it just a peculiar illness? And if she did, why? Annoyingly, a lot of those files are in the Wittesbane family archives, and historians don’t get much access to them. But one day, I believe those files might be opened, and it may well be you who digs through them; maybe then we can put to rest a centuries-old murder mystery…

---------

“I never wanted to abandon you.”

Luz sat on the side of the bathtub, her leg shaking as she rocked gently back and forth. Camila sat across from her, trying to keep her face impassive. Her mind ran with questions, but for now, she knew she had to let Luz talk; to give her a chance to explain.

“I mean, part of it was really dumb,” admitted Luz, shrugging. “Training to become a witch? Of course I wanted to do that! It was a once in a lifetime opportunity! And nothing seemed really dangerous about it, and I thought, you know, maybe you’d never have to know! And for a long time it felt like I made the right choice! I guess I didn’t really think about how dangerous it was until…”

She looked down.

“...until the way out was closed, I guess.”

“And you never thought to come back and ask me?” asked Camila. “The door wasn’t far from our house…”

“...yeah, but you’d never believe me!” exclaimed Luz. “And even if you did, would you really have said yes to me going off to become a witch? To me living in a place called ‘the Boiling Isles?’ You’d just say I was letting myself get carried away again!”

“I…”

Camila looked down.

“...I wouldn’t have wanted you to get hurt,” she said, quietly.

Luz looked down at her feet.

“I know,” she replied.

She looked back up again, threading her fingers as she gazed at the roof.

“But it wasn’t just that!” she continued. “Everything I heard about camp was… it sounded like prison! And I know Vee liked it, but she was in actual prison so…”

“It was only to help you, Luz,” replied Camila.

“But that’s not how it felt!” exclaimed Luz. “I know I cause trouble, I know I can’t pay attention in school, I know I’m weird, but it just felt… argh! I felt like everyone wanted me to be a different person!”

She clutched her knees.

“On the Boiling Isles, everyone liked me for being myself,” she said. “I had friends! I wasn’t just a freak, you know? Or something…”

“You’re not a freak, Luz,” Camila interrupted.

“Oh, come on, mom! Everyone thought so!” Luz snapped. “Principal Hal did, my teachers did, the other kids did, everyone! And I just…”

“Principal Hal just wanted to help you,” replied Camila.

She cringed - only after saying that did she realise just how hollow that sounded. And she hadn’t even mentioned the other kids.

“Yeah, by making me someone else!” shouted Luz. “Just like the rest of them! ‘Oh, yeah, Emma shouldn’t have tripped you, but have you tried not standing out?’ ‘If you didn’t wear that hoodie, people wouldn’t laugh at you!’ ‘Oh Luuuuz, there’s only so much we can dooo!’”

“Luz, I…”

“I just get sick of feeling like everyone thinks I’m broken!”

The last words were shouted, and the acoustics of the bathroom amplified them. There was a sudden silence, save for the receding echo.

Camila blinked, staring at her daughter. Her words caught on her tongue.

“I… I don’t hate you, mom,” said Luz, looking at the floor. “I never wanted to run away. I just… don’t belong here, you know? And I belonged in the Boiling Isles.”

Camila glanced at the mirror, staring for some time. Her mind went back to meetings at school, long discussions with teachers and the principal after the latest ‘incident’. The sad expressions that didn’t meet their eyes, their countenances, the shrugging and tutting and shaking of heads - “We don’t approve of what the students did, but you have to understand…”

Maybe she’d understood a little too much.

On the other hand, they weren’t wrong - they could put all the protections in the world in place, all the rules and regulations, all the classes on ‘acceptance’ and ‘belonging’ - and it wouldn’t change how kids were. They were wonderful and terrible things, children; there was only so much a teacher could do to control them. She’d mentioned calling parents from time to time, and she’d always been assured they had been, so…

...but on the other other hand, Camila had never seen any other parents called to the school; never been asked to meet with them, to explain why their child’s behavior was not on. Maybe it was just easier to demand change of Luz than it was to demand change of the ‘normal’ kids.

Maybe there wasn’t a simple answer.

Maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe, whatever the intentions of the teachers and the kids, whatever systems could or could not be put into place, it didn’t matter. Maybe all that mattered was what it had done to her daughter.

And that was beyond question.

“So,” she asked at last, “where do we go from here?”

“I guess we send Amity home,” replied Luz. “And then… I dunno, I go back to school, try and make things work?”

She looked her mother in the eye.

“I made a promise, mom,” she said. “I won’t go back.”

Camila inhaled.

“If you did make a portal,” she said, “one that could open whenever you liked, would…”

“Mom?”

Camila blinked slowly - she suddenly felt much older than she was.

“This school… Hexside? You do well there?” she said. “And you like it there?”

“...yeah?” replied Luz.

Camila nodded.

“I can’t promise anything,” she said at last. “I don’t even know if we can make this portal for Amity. But if we can, and we can keep it open…”

“Mom?”

“I’ll need to see Hexside,” she continued. “And meet the Principal… and this Eda lady you’ve been staying with. But… if it makes you happy…”

She was cut off as Luz shot forward, pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you, mami, thank you thank you thank you!”

Camila chuckled as she hugged her in return.

“I did say I couldn’t promise anything,” she reminded her weakly.

“I don’t care,” replied Luz. “You’re open to it! That’s all that matters right now.”

Camila felt a slight dampness on her shoulder.

“I love you mom,” said Luz. “I… I’ve wanted to tell you that for so long…”

Camila blinked a few tears, and hugged her tighter.

“I love you too, mija. I always have.”

#the owl house #luz noceda #camila noceda #a blight on gravesfield #writing

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dreamyyang · 5 years ago

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To All The Boys I’ve Hated — 02

Summary: “What starts with ‘f’ and ends with ‘uck’? Firetruck! Welcome to Camp Firetruck, we hope you aren’t carrying any carrots because the demon rabbits will attack you.”

Three weeks of summer camp with the seven boys you hated the most was a clusterfuck of chaos waiting to happen.

Genre(s): crack, angst, summer camp!au

Warning(s): themes of bullying, behaviour that should not be condoned, crack, cursing, a lot of questionable life decisions, weird animals and even weirder camp counsellors, author has never been to camp so spare her if she fucks up

A/N: this part is where the plot really kicks off and I just want to mention that I am not accusing the idols of such behaviour. This is purely a work of fiction.

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Narae was one temperamental bitch. Er, mare. It baffled you that the pregnant mare was still used for horse riding lessons. Actually, it baffled you that she was still pregnant. Almost every summer you’d spent at Camp Firetruck, you remembered Narae being pregnant. You sighed; even a mare had a better love life than you.

You couldn’t tell if the horse hated you or was trying to be friendly — she was either nuzzling you or dropping dung on your shoes and smacking you with her tail. Either way, it was getting annoying. What you could tell however, from the cheeky grin on Huang Renjun’s face, was that he was enjoying the show. And of course he would. He was your rival in school and you didn’t expect camp to be any different. Lucky for him, Lee Donghyuck happened to be with him so you didn’t have the courage to counter the jokes he made at your expense. Like Jaemin, Donghyuck scared you, though not as much as the former. The two boys were gifted with making you feel insecure and their friends seemed to enjoy exploiting the fact.

Your shoulders were tense as you did your best to ignore them, choosing to focus on your riding instructor. The tension only grew when the instructor left to speak with another counsellor. The campers were free to do as they pleased, even take their respective horses for a ride, until the instructor came back. Renjun and Donghyuck were making their way towards you so you looked away, preparing to mount your horse and get away from them. They didn’t terrify you that much but you didn’t want to talk to them.

Of course you, being the lucky one you were, slipped on Narae’s dung, accidentally kicking some of it behind you as you grabbed the horse for safety. Startled, Narae pushed you away, right onto Donghyuck.

You heart clenched and your mouth felt dry as the boy pushed you off him with a glare. You quickly stood up, turning around to apologise when you noticed that quite a bit of the dung had hit his clothes. Renjun was having the time of his life as he watched the events unfold.

“You know, if you smeared some of it on your face and smiled, you’d literally have a shit eating grin.”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and stood up, still glaring. You pursed your lips, afraid of what he was going to say, you weren’t exactly a fan of public humiliation. To your surprise, he said nothing. He simply turned around and left. Renjun snorted in amusement as he watched his friend walk away in a huff. He glanced at you once more, giving you a smile, “We just wanted to say that we’d be hanging out more often since you’re sharing with Jaemin and Jeno. See you around, y/n.”

With that he walked away, towards his own horse to mount it and take it for a ride. You exhaled with relief, nothing bad had happened yet, though you were still dreading the next time you ran into Donghyuck. Narae began nudging you with her muzzle, drawing your attention to her.

“Yeah these next few weeks are gonna be a mess, aren’t they?”

You sighed, “Well fuck, you know you’re a loner when you start talking to a horse.”

You forgot how much you hated the smell of the mess hall. It reminded you of your grandmother’s refrigerator — the odours of all the different dishes mingling with each other to create a smell that tasted sweet, bland and bitter at the same time. Yes, the smell was so strong that you could taste it. You involuntarily shuddered as you realised that the smell had actually gotten worse than you remembered it. Trying hard to breathe without smelling the mess hall’s scent, you walked towards the tables furthest from the food.

Sitting alone didn’t bother you, you just wished that you’d carried a book to keep yourself preoccupied. You sighed as you plopped down on a bench, your mind trying to conjure up something to think about.

The phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ popped into your head as, minutes later, Jaemin slid onto the bench, sitting next to you and wrapping his arm around your shoulders. He gave you his signature grin as Haechan sat down in front of you. You throat began to dry, as it usually did when you were around either of the two. You seemed to have angered a greater divine being. There was no other explanation for why you were being bombarded by the twin devils’ presence.

“My lovely roomie, how’s your evening going?” Jaemin had adopted the fakest sweet voice and it made you cringe.

Your hunched your shoulders uncomfortably, trying to push his arm off, “Please leave me alone.”

“Oh, but we don’t want to,” Donghyuck said with a smug smile, clearly noticing how uncomfortable you were.

“Roomie, I thought we were friends,” Jaemin pouted.

“Uh-Uhm.”

You weren’t sure where the conversation was going but you were scared. You weren’t hungry anymore, you just desperately wanted to run someplace else. Donghyuck and Jaemin seemed to be well aware of your discomfort and were loving every second.

“So y/n, I’m not very happy about what happened this afternoon,” Donghyuck said in a mock upset tone.

“That’s not how you treat friends, now is it?”

When you didn’t respond, Jaemin leaned in closer. He grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him, “Don’t ignore us, y/n. We’re already unhappy with you.”

You wanted to yell at them to fuck off, to get away from you. The way they spoke to you in their mocking tones felt humiliating. Something was wrong with you though, you couldn’t bring yourself to stand up to them. Your situation was pathetic honestly. Like a coward, you were too afraid to tell them off. You hated how weak and small they made you feel. The smell of the cafeteria, though you’d managed to get used to it in a few minutes, had suddenly become more nauseating. A dull ache began to creep into your head.

Suddenly, a girl spoke up from behind you, “Why the fuck are you guys talking like that?”

Both Jaemin and you turned around to see two campers your age — Shin Ryujin, the one who’d spoken, and another girl who bore a striking resemblance to Hwang Hyunjin from your riding class.

“None of your business, blueberry,” Donghyuck answered with a bored look.

“Well, y/n is our friend, so it just happens to be our business,” Ryujin said, glaring at him.

Jaemin scoffed, “Right. Get lost, we’re having a conversation here.”

Ryujin looked unimpressed as she pushed a few strands of her blue hair out of her face, “They’re obviously uncomfortable with you guys, how about you leave them alone?”

Both boys were about to retort when Jeno walked over to the table, “Just stop being little shits for once. Come on, your dinners are already attracting flies.”

Jaemin sighed as he pulled away from you, him and Donghyuck following Jeno back to their table. The other girl smiled at you, “Come sit at our table, those dipshits will leave you alone.”

You smiled gratefully as you picked up your tray and followed them to their table. They had actually joined two tables since they were a pretty big group. There were about ten of them — Yeji, Jisu, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, Yuna, Hyunjin, Jisung, Felix, Seungmin and Jeongin. They happily welcomed you and, thankfully, didn’t ask why you were suddenly joining them. Not even Yeji nor Ryujin wanted to know what was going on with Jaemin and Donghyuck. Which was a good thing because you were in no mood to delve into your past with those two and their friend group.

You weren’t sure what you were expecting when you showed up at Felix, Seungmin and Han Jisung’s cabin that night but you certainly hadn’t expected Chenle and Park Jisung to be there. Well them, also, Jeongin talking to a lamp.

“Tell me your secret,” He said dramatically, gripping the lamp with both his hands.

The others burst out laughing while you stood at the door, confused, watching the scene unfold. Chenle was in the midst of laughing when he noticed you, offering you a friendly smile. You smiled back awkwardly before quickly averting your gaze. You weren’t in the mood to talk to him but apparently, his plan seemed to contradict yours. Chenle had walked up to you before you could move elsewhere.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

“Oh, well, uhm… We’re friends now,” you fumbled with your words in a manner that was near comical. You mentally rolled your eyes at yourself, cursing your asocial nature.

Chenle grinned, “We are?”

“Uh, no, I meant them. Your cabin mates and the others.”

“Ah, the JYP students. Yeah they’re pretty cool.”

You nodded, “Yeah. Well, I have to talk to Ryujin so, um, bye.”

As you tried to walk away, Chenle grabbed your arm and sheepishly smiled at you.

“What I said earlier, about wanting to be your friend, I meant it. I wanna make friends since I’m technically new and well, it would be great to be friends again.”

“We weren’t really friends in the first place, Chenle,” you answered, confused.

“Oh.”

His arm fell back to his side, his smile turning weak, “I see.”

“But we can be friends now,” you wanted to say. For whatever reason, you hesitated. Chenle had already walked back to Park Jisung and you were unable to get it out.

“Another time, maybe,” you mumbled to yourself while knowing full well that you might not try to bring it up.

You didn’t have much time to regret your decision though, Yuna was already pulling you to the haphazard circle that the others had created. You turned around once more to say goodbye to Chenle but Park Jisung and him had already left. You turned back to find everybody looking at you.

“What?”

“What were Na Jaemin and Lee Donghyuck doing at your table, y/n?”

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chickensarentcheap · 5 years ago

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Sanctuary - Chapter 5

Warnings: some mother and daughter angst. That’s about it. Small mention of pregnancy loss.

Tagging: @c-a-v-a-l-r-y, @alievans007, @valkyrie-of-the-light

Her folks live in a retirement community just south of Butte; a neighbourhood of red brick bungalow style townhouses with immaculately landscaped front gardens and rear yards the size of postage stamps. A far cry from the place they’d had in the suburbs, with its five bedrooms and inground pool and a kitchen large enough to host all of the family gatherings. But they’d chosen to downsize and spent four months of the year travelling throughout the United States in Canada in their motorhome.

Esme doesn’t visit as often as she probably should. Or at least that’s what her brothers have told her when they get going on their guilt trips. ��She tried using the excuse that she was just simply too busy: four kids to take care of (sometimes on her own), a husband, a home to look after. The truth of the matter was that just didn’t feel comfortable there; a noticeable chill in the air the moment she would walk through the door, followed by thick nearly unbearable tension for the rest of her visit. Her relationship with her mother had starting souring in her third year of college when she decided that academics was no longer what she wanted to pursue; she needed a change, a challenge, something that would give her a sense of accomplishment and pride. Her decision to join the Corps had ruffled a lot of feathers; two of her brothers had failed boot camp and her passing at left them both embarrassed and livid. Her mother had just been plain disappointed. She’d wanted more for her oldest daughter. Much more. And the idea of her being shipped off overseas to fight wars on foreign soil, putting her live at risk for the lives of others, didn’t sit well with her. This was her child. Still her baby regardless of age, and she felt personally slighted that her daughter would have the gall to be so selfish and not think of others.

Getting married had somewhat repaired things. Everyone had loved Mark; a career Marine from a long list of career Marines, handsome, charming, well spoken. And things had started out great. They’d been amazing, in fact. She’d thought she’d met the love of her life; he treated her well, loved spending time with her family, was looking forward to having kids of his own. He had known how to say all the right things and follow them up with the actions that matched. Fooling everyone when it came to the true person he really was.

Two years in, she had suffered a miscarriage. She’d only been two months along and the doctor had said that it was very common to for first pregnancies to end in unfortunate circumstances. She’d been devastated and had coped with it by throwing herself into the Corps. Mark had been livid; finding every excuse in the book to blame her for what had happened. He’d had it in his head that it was somewhat her fault and there was no convincing him otherwise. That was what set the abuse off; he became controlling, obsessed with her every move, began limiting her interactions with friends and colleagues, even family. He sought solace in the bottle, which in turn brought out violent and abusive tendencies that he’d no doubt been harbouring his entire life.

Ten months.

Ten months she had put up with it. She’d thought she could change him. Save him. And in the end she’d lost everything. Relationships with friends, respect from colleagues, bonds with her own family.

She’d walked away. With nothing but the clothes on her back and a hundred bucks in the bank. She no longer had self respect or confidence. So no longer trusted anyone; especially men. She left the Corps and never looked back. Her mother had been devastated. Not at the sudden change of career, but because Esme apparently had been ungrateful and never could see just how lucky she was. A handsome and charming husband, a nice home, a stable future laid out right in front of her. Esme could never quite wrap her head around her mother’s reasoning. How she could truly believe that anyone of that was true. It had been a show. All of it. Mark had never been any of those things her mom raved about. If he had have been, he wouldn’t have so easily turned into a monster.

And so began their toxic relationship. A far cry from how close they’d been throughout her childhood and most of her teen years. She’d learn down the line that her mother was than likely a narcissist herself and she’d never even realized that.

But she’d promised her older brother she’d at least try. After all, someone had to be the bigger person. And she had four kids that deserved to know their grandparents. She just didn’t want her mother’s issues being deflected upon them; she dreaded the idea of bringing them there and was filled with anxiety at the mere thought of her mother showing up on Christmas or birthdays. Tyler for the most part stayed out of it; he was the strong, silent type that didn’t need words to show you that his whole support and understanding was behind you. But unlike Mark who’d laugh at her mother’s cheap shots –“She’s just joking, Esme,” he’d insist. “Stop being so fragile”-, Tyler wasn’t the type to just sit back and put iup with it. He was protective (to a fault at times) and refused to let anyone talk to his wife…the mother of his children…that way. Which in turn led to an already tense situation being so much worse.

Her mother didn’t like him. She didn’t deny and didn’t attempt to hide it. She blamed him for the disintegration of her relationship with her daughter, despite the fact it had imploded years before he ever came along. She was bitter that her daughter ‘abandoned the family’ and decided to just move half way around the world to be with some stranger she’d met on a business trip. How dare she do something for herself for once? How dare she meet the love of her life; a man that actually worshipped her and respected her and didn’t lay hands on her? How unbelievably selfish of her not to just leave that same man on his death bed to come back to Colorado and kiss her mother’s ass. Did she not think of others when deciding to get married out of the blue and start a family?

It gives her anxiety even now, as she sits in her parents’ driveway, the engine on her SUV idling, the baby babbling and giggling in his car seat in the back. She knew she shouldn’t let things bother her this badly. That she should just take whatever her mother says and does at face value and just put a smile on her face and then leave knowing that it simply didn’t fucking matter what her mother thought about her life or the choices she’d made.

But it is easier said than done.

Her cell vibrates from where it rests in the side pocket of the baby bag on the passenger seat and she checks it before going inside. A text message from Tyler. Reminding her to just breathe and don’t let her mother get to her. That her mother’s shitty behaviour is all on her and has absolutely no bearing on her abilities as a wife and his mother.

Her being a bitch is just that. Her being a bitch. If you have to, tell her to go fuck herself. I’ll see you when you get home. Love you.

She smiles, sends back a simple ‘I love you’ in response and then drops her cell phone back into the diaper bag and kills the ignition.

***

Her mother is waiting in the doorway as she climbs the porch stairs, and she gives her daughter an awkward one armed hug and kiss on the cheek before taking Esme’s face in her hands.

“Look at you…” her eyes are glazed and her face is flushed; a definite aftermath of the Bailey’s she’d put her in four morning coffees. “…you look beautiful. I love your hair. But…” she holds her daughter out at arm’s length and Esme waits for what comes next. Nothing good ever comes after the word ‘but’. “…still haven’t lost all the baby weight. Have you been eating right? Exercising?”

“I don’t know,” she lifts Declan higher onto her hip, chubby hands grabbing at her earrings and her hair. The latter he keeps trying to shove into his mouth. “Does sex count as exercise? I think I heard it’s an excellent form of cardio. Because if it does, I get a lot of exercise.”

Her mother frowns. But instead of a witty or cutting comeback, turns her attention to the baby. She may be a shitty mother, but she excels at being a grandma. Or at least puts on a good show for everyone; wasting no time showing off recent pictures to friends and strangers in the store, spoiling them on Christmas and birthdays, showering them with affection.

“Grandma’s baby boy,” she croons, as she holds out her hands and he willingly reaches for her. “Well there’s one thing that he knows how to do well,” she says to her daughter. “He knows how to help make gorgeous babies.”

He. Just the sound of it makes Esme cringe.

She slips out of her sneakers as she follows her mother into the house, eyeing all the recent additions and transformations. New furniture, a fresh and different colour of paint, new flooring. “You’ve been keeping Sarge busy,” she remarks, as they head into the kitchen.

“Well you know what they say. Idle hands are the devil’s play thing. Sit…sit…I just made a fresh pot of tea and there’s some of my famous shortbread cookies. Unless you’d rather eat healthier. I do have some fresh fruit.”

Out of sheer spite she helps herself to two cookies and bites into both.

Her mother simply stares at her, then offers a long, exasperated sigh and slips into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “I take it he’s finally home.”

“He is,” Esme takes a seat across from her, tucking the baby bag under the table. “And he has a name, mom. It’s not that hard to remember. Considering one of your grandsons is named after him.”

“How long was he…” she pauses and gives her daughter a phony, sugary sweet smile. “…how long was Tyler gone for?”

“Two weeks. It was only supposed to be four days but…” she shrugs, taking the pot of tea and pouring some of the beverage into two china cups her mom has set out. “…there were issues and he couldn’t get back until two nights ago.”

“Just what kind of issues? One with two legs and breasts and…”

“Oh my God, mom. Really? No. Just because your own husband can’t keep it in his pants during boys week in Las Vegas doesn’t mean all men are like that. Tyler does not cheat. Trust me. I would know. And he doesn’t have any reason to. He is perfectly happy with what he has at home. My husband is satisfied and then some. So can you please not bring that kind of shit up? Jesus.”

“I guess I could give him and you the benefit of the doubt,” she says. “I mean, you obviously know how to keep him happy in the bedroom. You wouldn’t have four kids if you didn’t. Don’t they make birth control in Australia?”

“Jesus…” Esme sighs, and rakes a hand through her hair.

“Oh come on…” her mother laughs and slaps her on the knee. “I’m just joking and you know it. You never have been able to take a joke. Stop being so sensitive.”

“Well maybe stop being such a bitch and I would be,” Esme counters, and her mother just rolls her eyes and mutters something about her having a smart mouth and always being an ‘ungrateful girl’.

“So where was he this time?” her mom asks.

“Mexico first. And then Guatemala.”

“Doing what exactly? Who travels that much for work?”

“A lot of people. And I already told you. He’s a contractor.” It isn’t entirely a lie. “People contact his boss for help solving problems and his boss sends him to where he’s needed.”

“What kind of problems?”

“Mom, we’ve talked about this. He’s in security. Through a private firm. He goes where he’s needed and he helps people with their issues and he comes home. Sometimes things go wrong and he’s there longer than he thought he would be. It happens.”

There’s a frown on her face as she bounces her grandson on her knee. “That’s no way to live. For you or those children. Can’t he find something that keeps him closer to home? What if something happens at the house? To you or one of the kids? What will happen if he’s too far away to get back in a quick fashion? That’s very selfish on his part if you ask me.”

“Well no one asked you, mom. It’s really none of your business. It’s his job and he’s good at it. Damn good. And he’s already said this is his last year at it. So just…” she sighs. “…just try staying out of it, okay? What Tyler and I do is none of your business.”

“It’s my business when my grandchildren are involved. Those aren’t just his children, you know.”

“Yes, I know. I was there when they were conceived, remember? Now can you please just get off his ass? Enough. I know you’re pissed at him because you think he stole me away from you and forced me to stay in Australia and trapped me into having kids and getting married. He’s a good man, mom. And he’s a great husband and an amazing father and if you’d get off his ass once in a while, you might see all that for yourself.”

“I have tried giving him a chance, Esme. You know this. But he isn’t exactly an easy person to get close to and…”

“Don’t turn this around and make him out to be the evil one. He’s been the one trying to give you a chance.”

“So why isn’t he here then? He can’t spend a half an hour visiting his mother in law?”

“He’s spending quality time with the boys and Millie.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t call her that,” her mother huffs. “It sounds so…redneck. Call her by her name. Amelia. It’s beautiful and it’s classic and…”

“She wants to be called Millie. That’s what she’s asked us to call her.”

“She’s five. She isn’t old enough to decide things like this.”

“Mom…” Esme sighs. “…it’s what she wants. She likes it. It sounds cute.”

“Cute? It sounds like she belongs in the outback.”

Esme smirks at that cheap shot. “I don’t know about that. If she belonged in the outback, we would have named her bathroom chicken.”

Her brow furrows. “What?”

“There used to be a chicken that lived in Tyler’s bathroom. It’s a long story. I called it bathroom chicken because the first time I saw it, it was sitting on the ledge of the tub. As far as I know, she’s still alive and kicking and hasn’t been turned into dinner yet.”

Esme makes a mental note to message Koen to see if, in fact, bathroom chicken was still shitting all over the place.

“I still don’t understand how the two of you actually met. It’s been five years and I still don’t know.”

“I told you. I was on a business trip.”

“And you just randomly bumped into him…”

“A colleague introduced us. She’d known him for years and she hooked us up. It’s not that difficult to understand.”

“And you were just so desperate to find someone and feel loved that you just latched right on and never came home again.”

“That’s not…” she takes a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. “…that’s not how it happened. Or why it happened. Can’t you just let this go? Can’t you just put that in the past and concentrate on the right now? Like your beautiful grandson sitting on your lap? Can you stop hating his dad long enough to realize what a gift you have right in front of you?”

That seems to have a struck a chord. And for the first time in as long as she can remember, her mother is rendered speechless.

At least temporarily.

***

“I spoke to Mark yesterday,” her mom announces several minutes later, as she sips from her own mug of tea.

Esme shifts uncomfortable in her chair, adjusts the receiving blanket draped over her shoulder and the baby’s face as he feeds. “And why did you do that?”

“He stopped by. To see how we were. At least someone makes an effort.”

“Well he always did like to put on a good show for everyone. Nice to see some things never change.”

“Can you believe he still hasn’t met someone? That a catch like him still hasn’t remarried?”

Probably because all the women around him these days are much better judges of character than I was, Esme thinks. “Well,” she shrugs. “Not everyone is cut out to be married, I guess. Maybe he finally realizes that. And how does he even know where you live? The last time you saw him, you were still at the old place.”

“Oh we’ve been keeping in touch,” her mother says it so casually, as if it’s totally normal to keep in contact with your daughter’s former abuser. “He checks in on us a lot. Always sends Christmas and birthday cards.”

“Well how very charming and gentlemanly of him,” she can’t stop the snarkiness that drips from her voice and she lifts the baby to her shoulder to burp him.

“He asked about you. He wanted to know how you were doing.”

“I hope you told him to mind her own business and not to ask about me ever again.”

“I told him you were back living in Colorado. That you were still with your husband and had another baby.”

“So he already knew about Tyler and Millie and the twins because…”

“Like I said. We’ve kept in touch. Why wouldn’t I tell him?”

“Oh I don’t know, mom. Maybe because he’s a narcissistic prick with no remorse who refuses to take responsibility for his own bullshit. Or maybe, just maybe, I’d rather him not know anything about me. Or my husband. Or my kids.”

“Well for what it’s worth, he seemed very happy for you. He said he was glad to see you got it together and was giving someone a chance to love you instead of pushing them away.”

“Of course he did,” Esme smirks.

“And he said that the children are beautiful. I said I agreed that they are, but they just look way too much like their father.”

“And that’s a bad thing, because…”

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Because if there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s that your husband definitely is a nice tall cool glass of water. Certainly not hard to look at.”

“No. He most certainly isn’t. He’s even better to look at when he has no clothes on.”

Her mother scowls.

“And how would Mark know what the kids look like unless…” Esme’s eyes narrow. “…please tell me you did not go on my facebook and show him.”

“No! Of course not. I know how you want to keep that family only. I showed him some of the pictures you’ve sent us.”

“Jesus, mom. Why? Why was it so important to show him pictures? It’s none of his business what my kids look like.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset. Like I said, they’re beautiful children and…”

“He’s my ex husband for a reason. And one of those reasons is that he’s a total dick bag and I want nothing to do with him. So please stop telling him things and showing him pictures. I’d just rather you not do it, okay? It’s weird.”

“Only because you’re making it weird. Honestly, Esme…” she huffs, and pushes her chair away from the table. “…everything is always so difficult with you. Why is everything such a production with you? It’s why your first marriage didn’t work.”

“Oh believe me, mom, that marriage didn’t work for a lot of reasons. You just won’t accept what really happened. You have your head shoved so far up Mark’s ass….”

“You weren’t one hundred percent innocent, young lady. You had your issues too.”

“I lost a baby and he went off the deep end. I’m so very sorry for having a miscarriage and upsetting his delicate sensibilities.”

“Well as sad as that was, you certainly didn’t let it hold you back. You went on to have another four. He has none.”

“And I’m sure that’s by his own choice. Or maybe women are smarter there days and they see through his shit. I can’t believe we are even talking about this. About him. That’s my past. I’m married. I have a husband. Kids. And none of that has anything to do with him and you shouldn’t be trying to involve him in it.”

“Well let’s just hope you get rid of this animosity before he winds up on your doorstep.”

“Before he….mom…” her eyes narrow. “…what did you do?”

“He said he wanted to reach out to you. To make amends.”

“Mom…”

“I told him it shouldn’t be a problem, so…”

“Mom!” she snaps. “Please tell me you didn’t…”

“I gave him your cell number. And your address.”

“You didn’t,” Esme hisses.

“I did. I thought it would be good for you. To touch base and…”

“Why would you do that? Why would you tell him where I lived? That’s none of his goddamn business. Why…?”

“He just wants to talk to you. Make amends.”

“He can go fuck himself.”

“Esme…language…please…”

“You are just too much!” she uses her foot to pull the baby bag towards her and shoves the receiving blanket into it before standing up. “I come here to visit you...so you can see your grandson…and you have to do this! This stupid bullshit that you pull!”

“I don’t care how grown you are, young lady. Or that you’re a wife and a mother. You don’t speak to me that way!”

“I’ve had enough of this mom! Enough of all your mind games and you crap. I’ve been trying. I’ve been trying so hard since we go back here. We came back here for you. It was Tyler’s idea, you know. Because he thought I needed to be home. Because he thought you deserved to have Millie in your life. Because he felt some sort of misplaced guilt for making me stay in Australia. I didn’t stay there because I had to. Or to spite you. I stayed there because I love him and he needed me. Yet you have the goddamn nerve to shit all over him every chance you get. And you know what really makes you mad? It makes you mad that he doesn’t let you. You’re so pissed that he isn’t afraid to stick up for himself. Or for me.”

“Well if he just minded his own business…”

“I’m his wife. I am his business. He’s the father of your grandchildren. Whether you like it or not. And he’s the love of my life and my best friend and my husband and you’re not going to disrespect him like you do. I’ve had enough. Stop. Just stop.”

She holds her hands up in surrender. “If I’d known how you feel at the very beginning how you feel…”

“I’ve made it abundantly clear that I hate how you talk about him. You don’t know him, mother. You don’t know what he’s like or the things he’s done or the way he’s helped people. The way he keeps helping people. There’s a lot more to him than you think. And if you knew the truth, the whole truth, I think you’d respect him a hell of a lot more. He’s a hundred times the man than Mark ever was. A thousand times.”

“I think you’re giving him a little too much credit.”

“See!” Esme huffs, and slings the bag over her shoulder. “That is exactly what I am talking about. I love you, mom. I do. But I love Tyler more. And I’m sorry if that hurts you to hear that. But he’s the one that’s been there for me. He’s the one that sticks by my side when everything is going to shit. And it was his idea to move back here because he felt you needed me to be here. And that you needed to see the kids. If it wasn’t for Tyler, we wouldn’t even be here. Or would you rather that?”

“Of course not. I’m very grateful for that. To have you in my life. To have my grandchildren.”

“But you just can’t let it go, can you. You’ve got this hate on for him that you just can’t get past. You need to just let it go. For me. For your grandchildren. Because he’s their father and they love him to the moon and back and I won’t let you talk about him like you do in front of them. Can you at least respect them enough to stop?”

She sighs. “I can try. No promises though.”

“I do love you mom,” she presses a kiss to her cheek. “And none of this was ever about spiting you. I’m sorry that you think it was. That you think I stayed there to upset you. But I did what I needed to for him. And for myself. One day I hope you can realize that. I’ve got to go. I told Jennie I’d be there for noon.”

It would be the first time seeing her cousin since G had been killed in Dhaka. Five years of being avoided because the pain and the grief was too great and Jennie couldn’t except that her husband had died yet Tyler had been given a second chance. Why would the man who had so much to live to for have to be the one who died, when the man who didn’t want to live anymore was given the chance to go on?

Her mother walks her all the way to the car, waiting until Esme’s buckled the baby in his car seat before surprising her by wrapping her arms around her. A real hug this time. Warm. Loving. Two things she hasn’t felt from her mother since she joined the Corps and became the family disappointment.

“Drive safe,” her mother says, and kisses her cheek. “Call me when you get home so I know you got there safe. And tell everyone that I say hi. That grandma loves them.”

“I will,” she promises. “I do love you, mom.”

“And I love you. Now go. Before you make me all weepy. You know I hate that kind of thing. I just want you to be happy, Esme. That’s all I want.”

“I know. And I am. Happy. He makes me happy.”

She pats her daughter on the cheek and then backs away, arms crossed over her chest as Esme climbs into the SUV. “See you soon?” there’s a tone of hope in her voice.

Esme smiles. “I hope so.”

#tyler rake #tyler rake fan fiction #tyler rake fan fic #chris hemsworth character #Sanctuary #extraction

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unfortunatelyevent · 4 years ago

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Last 10 Fics Tag Meme

Rules: Post the first lines of your last ten fics read or written and then tag others to do the same.

so i saw this and i really liked it so i’m doing it

1. Visceral Reactions by STARSdidathing (frostiron)

Tony wasn’t entirely sure how it happened.

One moment, he was chained to a wall in Loki’s latest warehouse lair and the mage was monologing. Tony was delivering his usual snarky one liners in response and Loki was trying not to look amused.

They were enemies just doing their thing and passing time until someone could save Tony (or he could save himself).

The point was, Loki was mid-monologue, throwing in some “mortals are beneath me, I hate you all” crap. Tony was rebutting that Loki was an Asgardian snob and, a total liar because he knew Loki liked a lot of Earth food, clothing and music.

Loki was towering over him and glowering.

And then... then they were kissing.

2. Friends Don’t Let Friends by theorytale (frostiron)

Steve was angling his shield to deflect a blast from Loki's staff, when out of nowhere the Hulk dropped down - splintering the concrete under their feet - and scooped Loki up in one massive green hand. Steve cringed reflexively even as he relaxed his stance. Loki was an evil bastard, sure, but watching Hulk use him like that whack-a-mole game was just… uncomfortable.

Only, Hulk didn't smash.

Loki struggled uselessly, yelling for the Hulk to put him down. It was kind of funny how fast the guy could go from menacing and legitimately frightening to… kind of pitiful. The cognitive dissonance gave Steve a headache.

Hulk lifted Loki up and peered at him intently, brow furrowed. "What puny god's intentions?"

3. Obliviousness Can Lead To True Love by pointnclickbait (science boyfriends)

Bruce swore softly shooting a glance at his watch as he hurried to the next presentation. This conference was turning out to be more hectic than he had expected. He had been hoping to catch a couple of presentations in particular but had already managed to miss some of them. The one he was hoping to attend the most was after the one he was currently running to. He really hoped he didn’t miss it. He paused at the entrance to the conference room to catch his breath before entering. He stepped in and scanned the room before hurrying to the one free space he could see. He settled down just as the speaker took to the floor.

He was so invested in what he was hearing that he forgot to keep an eye on the time and wasn’t aware of it until he was applauding the conclusion of the presentation. He looked at his watch absentmindedly before doing a double take when he saw the time. Swearing loudly this time he tried to squeeze his way through the crowd. By the time he finally escaped the room more precious time had elapsed. Inevitably by the time he reached his destination there was no possible way that he could have gotten inside. He let out a sigh of frustration and scrubbed his hand through his hair. It looked like he wasn’t getting into Tony Stark’s talk after all. He dropped his hand with another sigh. He’d been looking forward to the talk all weekend. It was the reason he had asked to have his presentation given so early, he had been hoping that he wouldn’t have to worry about the talks clashing. He swallowed his disappointment and headed for the dining hall hoping to eat his feelings.

4. The Language of Love by 1derspark (kaysanova)

To be in Jerusalem is to be hard of hearing.

Nicolo learns quickly there was no silence to be had in the city. Even on the way here, there is noise: the breaking of waves against a Genoese ship, the clamor of a thousand knights and horses, their armor clattering like heavy shells on the march to the holy city.

There is never silence. In Jerusalem it’s as if God were screaming, and with every hoarse screech the devil answered.

The battlefield is everywhere, and so is the blood. The sound of death, the sound of pain. Nicolo has dreamed in war cries for years, so this did not bother him. He dreamed in black curls, a dark helm pulled over an angry face, teeth bared and chattering in a language he did not understand but would soon come to hear very frequently.

He meets this man — the one that roars and tramples down swathes of armies beneath his feet — not too long after the fighting starts.

5. Here We Are, Born to be Kings by Purple_ducky00 (iron husbands)

“Your Highness. Lord Stark is here to see you.” Quentin Beck holds up his nose.

Prince James Rhodes rolls his eyes. It’s not like Beck should judge. He was only hired because his family was in serious debt. Tony is working out of his.

Tony walks in a few minutes later, hair askew. “Wow, Rhodey, your servants hate me. I call it an achievement.”

“They just think it’s ok to judge since their scandals happened long ago enough for people to forget. You don’t deserve this.”

“I probably do.” Tony shrugs. “It doesn’t bother me. Actually, it gives me the chance to ditch my politeness because they already dislike me.”

6. Impossible Things by accioromulus (wolfstar)

Sirius arrives at the party two hours late and covered in snow. Facebook had suggested around thirty people were coming—a number which already threatened to overwhelm James and Lily’s tiny flat. When Sirius arrives at just past ten however, he immediately wishes he’d brought a sledge hammer, if only to make it past the front door. It’s clear that no less than fifty guests had burrowed their way inside. They stand in every corner, filling the narrow hallways and spilling out from every room, their faces vaguely familiar to him, their chattering bright and enthusiastic. Music drifts in from the sitting room, and it takes Sirius a moment to recognize it, bizarrely, as Christmas Carols, despite the New Years Eve decorations strung about the walls. He turns a corner, attempting suave and casual, but instead narrowly avoids a party-goer's over-enthusiastic elbow by crashing into Lily Evans.

7. greater love has no one than this by Jack_R (kaysanova) ((THIS IS A FAVE))

‘I am not going to Rum,’ Yusuf said. ‘They are filthy, depraved degenerates, and I will not bring dishonour on the house of my father by consorting with these Greeks dogs.’

‘I thought your mother was Greek,’ Niccolò said, mildly.

‘Then you should trust me when I say that their entire civilisation is simply beyond saving,’ Yusuf said.

8. fearfully and wonderfully made by bethecowboy (kaysanova)

Yusuf’s blood buzzes so hard through his veins that it takes all his effort to stay still. Every part of him longs for motion, for justice, for a swift end to the constant exhaustion.

He always calms his limbs, his mind, in time for Fajr: his forehead kisses the ground as the new sun soaks the sand in deep russet oranges. Light glints of the breastplates of dead Christians; it caresses the faces of his fallen brothers who had died defending the outer wall.

9. Genus and Species by 27dragons, tisfan (winteriron)

When Bucky opened his eyes, all he could see was green in all directions. At first he thought that was just the remainder of the Time Stone’s power. Thanos had done… something. No one quite knew what because the battle had been so confusing; the Power Stone blasting purple rays everywhere, the Space Stone moving people out of position, lord only knew what was happening with the Reality Stone. And then there had been a great, green wave of energy--

“Ug,” said someone nearby. It took Bucky a moment to clear his thoughts enough to identify it: Tony. “I feel like a Pride parade just swallowed me whole and then puked me out.” A pause. “Why are we in a jungle?”

10. Through The Years by hawkbucks (winteriron)

Tony is 8 and Natasha is 12 when Tony brings Natasha home for the first time.

“Mamma!” he brightly exclaims as soon as Maria opens the door, holding up one of his hands that is intertwined with one of Natasha’s. “This is Natasha! She helped me while I was walkin’ home from school today.” Before Maria can say anything, Tony is already rushing past her, dragging his newfound friend into the living room with him. He leads her to the rather lavish, cream-colored couch that’s bigger than necessary and tells her to sit down, letting go of her hand.

“Some’a the kids at school were followin’ me and sayin’ bad things to me,” Tony starts to explain as he takes off his patent leather shoes, remembering what his mother said about tracking dirt into the house. “But Natasha made ‘em go away. Then she said she’d keep walkin’ with me so that I’d get home all safe. She was really awesome!”

and that’s that, i have to say that i absolutelly love and rec all of these!

ok i’m tagging: @natyhunter @atypical-snowman @simplyclockwork @camp-half-dumbass and whoever wants!!! (also everyone i tagged please don’t feel obligated!!!)

#tag games #sorry if someone doesn't like tag things and I tagged you in things...#i may have cheated a little and skiped some fics #bc well my ao3 history is between me and god so #also i prob skiped one kaysanova fic or two bc i was in a kaysanova reading spree and this would end up being a kaysanova only event #fic recs #frostiron #lokitony #science boyfriends #brucetony #kaysanova #joenicky #iron husbands #rhodeytony #wolfstar #winteriron #buckytony #also this is only fics i read bc well i don't write #long post

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canid-slashclaw · 5 years ago

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The Outliers - A Guild Wars Love Story

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapters 10 and 11,Chapter 12, Chapter 13 Chapter 14

Dear Miss Mouthy,

Hard to believe that it's been over a month since we saw each other. It seems like only yesterday since I looked into those honey-colored eyes of yours. Since then, I've never been able to look at a bed of hay the same way again. And where'd you learn to kiss like that?? I didn't know charr kissed like humans.

Anyway, the army has blessed me with cold showers so at least it helps maintain my sanity. And speaking of the army... our Seraph platoon has been transferred to Sparkfly Fen. I can't say much due to security reasons, but the foe we are now facing are, shall we say, not among the living.

I've named my revolvers Sweetpea (my dad's) and Lulu. (your dad's). Truth is, I can slaughter an army with those things. Oh, and Bob has claimed his share of rotten heads as well... so no saying anything bad about Bob.

Cynthia is in line for promotion to Second Lieutenant and Brad has just made sergeant. Both of them are fine soldiers and good friends.

So how are things going with you in kitty land?

Love,

Your barn fire-setting beau - Kaleb.

"Hey! Steelblade - get that mangy flea-bitten tail of yours over here, now!"

Krenesh Howlingblade yelled as he and his other closest warband comrade, Navina Bladeflurry, were huddled on the barracks floors laughing while sharing some peculiar works of human literature.

Amalthia Steelblade, now a soldier, slid through the opening in the tent as she stood at attention.

"Reporting for duty, sir!"

"At ease, soldier. Come sit down."

"Yes sir."

Amalthia sat in a circle cross-legged along with her warband companions as their leader, Krenesh, handed her one of the peculiar human books. As she opened the pages, her eyes were greeted with an array of some of the most provocative illustrations she had ever seen.

"One of our scouts found those under the beds in some houses located in an abandoned human village in the Ruined front. And now our people have to work with these perverts? Disgusting!"

"You're telling me. I would get a mouth full of spurs if I did anything like that to you Kren," Navina Bladeflurry said with a laugh.

"And here I thought I was brought here for an intelligence briefing. So much for that, I suppose," Amalthia said sarcastically.

"Oh... but you were, squirt. If we are to be all nicey-nice with these sacks of meat then we gotta learn how they think. My impression of them thus far remains far from positive," Krenesh said laconically as he tossed one of the obscene pieces of literature towards the edge of the bed.

Amalthia perused the objectionable material, studying the various mating positions that humans engaged in. Very carefully, she committed them to memory but always being careful not to let the rest of her warband catch onto this fact.

"I hope you don't mind, sir, if I do a little Ash Legion work on these oh-so disgusting pieces of filth."

"Oh by Burnfur's bottom... I didn't need to see that. Can I go somewhere and vomit now?" Navina said, as she held up an illustration of a female human receiving anal penetration from a norn-sized male.

"I swear, if you - or any other male for that matter - even thinks of doing something like that with me, I'll rip more than just the two round things located between your ears," Navina growled then flung the illustrated material to the ground.

"You know, when I was accepted into this warband, I thought I would be fighting amongst a group of charr who had wills of steel and stomachs of iron. Isn't it amazing how a few dirty pictures can turn my bandmates into squeamish sissies," Amalthia chuckled while gathering up the various pieces of cringe-worthy literature.

Moments later, Legionnaire Agnor Gristleback threw open the tent flap as the rush of displaced air caused loose leaves of the obscene material to go flying throughout the tent. The trio tried desperately to seize the fluttering pieces of paper before their commanding officer had a chance to see what a was actually transpiring.

"You three were supposed to check in at camp HQ five minutes ago. Get those shit-stained tails of yours moving now!"

Navina and Krenesh immediately stood up and gave their superior a full-standing salute. Amalthia, meanwhile, was preoccupied with attempting to retrieve the incriminating pieces as best she could. Agnor glared as she danced about apparently ignoring his presence. Her two bandmates made a desperate series of strange noises hoping to snap her out of her single-minded mission.

"Did you fail to notice the presence of a superior officer, soldier? Or are you just trying to find a way of really pissing me off?"

"Neither, sir. Our warband was just doing a little cross-cultural research on our newfound human allies. I would not be a good soldier if we didn’t gain a proper understanding of how our human friends tick," Amalthia said as she began snatching up more pieces of the offensive literature that had fallen around Agnor's feet.

Suddenly, the stalwart Legionnaire let out a laugh that could be heard clear across the base camp.

"That had to be the most creative piece of bovine scatology that I've heard since commanding this outfit. You just made my day, soldier!"

The big charr gave a hearty salute as he backed away from the tent. Navina, Krenesh and Amalthia too returned his gesture.

"Now get your asses to the patrol station, pronto!" Agnor bellowed as he was leaving before seconds later turning back around then pointing under the bed. "You missed a piece over there, soldier. It's the one with the naked human kneeling behind a sheep."

***

The Blade warband marched westward from their camp at Deathblade's Watch. They were assigned to patrol the parameter of Foulbear Kraal keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of ogre activity. Leading the party, Krenesh took point while Amalthia and Navina covered the flanks. Mia Windreaver and Bogo Flutterblade were tasked with covering the rear.

High overhead, the midday sun scorched the landscape while gusty winds whipped up a flurry of dust devils. The powdery sand burned both eyes and lungs as the warband hunkered down to seek respite from the stifling heat.

"Someone toss me a canteen, I'm blowing enough snot out of my snout to build a sandcastle," shouted Navina who was hunched over trying expectorate the excess silt from her mouth.

Amalthia handed her bandmate an extra container of water along with a bandana. "This piece of cloth might save you from a not of unnecessary discomfort. Use one next time, silly."

Krenesh stopped for a moment then pointed towards a rocky impression located several yards in the distance. "That looks like a cave. We'll set up camp over there."

To their fortune, the Blades found a small nook that provided just enough of a buffer from the hostile elements. As they began to unfurl their supplies, the five bandmates built a campfire then huddled around sitting cross-legged in a semi-circular fashion.

"Yer lookin' mighty disappointed, squirt. Spit it out," Krenesh growled as he looked in Amalthia's general direction.

"I think Navina needs to do the spitting, sir."

"Little Miss Mouthy at it again, eh? I've heard all about that potent little puss of yours."

Amalthia looked at her warband leader and said laconically. "Just bored, that's all. I was honestly expecting more action."

"Oh. You'll see plenty of action, sweetie. Trust me on that one," Navina said between hacking coughs.

"Mouthy is right... one month and no action... this IS boring," Mia interjected while tracing some random circle in the dirt.

"Speaking of monthly action... I'm coming into season in the next few days. When that happens, you'll be getting plenty of action from me - isn't that right, Kren?" Navina smiled devilishly at her mate.

"Is that all you two ever talk about whenever we go on these missions?" Amalthia looked at her banmate 'sister' with a raised eyebrow.

"War is ten percent action followed by ninety percent sheer and utter boredom. What else is there to talk about other than sex?" Krenesh said with a hearty chuckle.

"Whenever you're done with him, Vina, he's mine next," Mia said with a smile and a wink.

Amalthia looked around feeling unexpectedly awkward around the conversation. "Does anyone know what happened to Bogo?"

"Hrmph! That weirdo never likes to sit amongst his mates whenever we have these conversations. He's never shown interest in any of you three gals. Why is that?" Krenesh chuffed as he threw some pebbles into the campfire.

"I'll go check on him." Amalthia stood up then walked over towards the edge of the nook. She saw Bogo’s lone form sitting down, looking towards the far horizon.

She approached from behind then sat down right beside him. "Hey big fella. Not wanting to be social, I take it."

He shook his head then looked at her with his pale blue eyes and said in a downtrodden tone. "There's nothing they are talking about that interests me."

Looking into those somber eyes, Amalthia suddenly realized something. She reached into her jerkin then pulled out a stack of the obscene pieces of literature she had collected earlier. After thumbing through several of the illustrations, she found one that depicted two naked men engaging acts of carnal pleasure with each other.

"Here. Take it," Amalthia said as she shoved the illustration into the palm of his clawed hand.

Bogo looked at the piece then suddenly his eyes began to light up. "Uhhh. Why are you showing me this? It's disgusting!"

Crossing her legs and giving him a wide-fanged smile, Amalthia chuckled. "Use your imagination! Picture two male charr instead."

"Wha!?" Bogo choked as his eyes went wide with surprise.

"It's okay, Bogo. I don't care. In fact, I think it's rather cute how you react whenever you see other males bathing in the river without their clothes on."

"Uhhh. I... ohh, is it that obvious?"

Amalthia laughed. "It's all over your face. Now who's the cute brute?"

He held his breath for a moment before exhaling the name.

"Tovu."

"Do you mean Tovu Whistlewind? Ha! I should have known!" Amalthia gave him an affectionate tap on the shoulder.

"Please don't tell Kren or anyone else. I'll have my teeth pulled and then I'll be placed in front of a firing squad if anyone ever found out," Bogo said nervously.

"Don't worry, Bogo. Your secret's safe with me. And trust me when I say that we all have our little secrets," Amalthia said with a wink as they sat together for the next half hour talking about various mundane things.

When she arrived back at the camp, Amalthia noticed that all of her bandmates had stripped themselves of their gear and were sleeping on the ground wearing only the pelts they had been born with. Krenesh and Mia were cuddled together while Navina lay off to the side purring in contentment.

As Amalthia approached, one of Navina's eyes sprang open and she quickly shot up to greet her diminutive bandmate.

"What a pity you missed all the action. Did you and Bogo have some fun too?" She asked with a sly wink.

Amalthia shook her head. "Our relationship isn't like that. But I'm happy that the three of you got your grooves on. By the way... I thought you were not in season?"

"Hey! That doesn't mean I have to wait. Anywhoo... I'm still feeling the urge. Wanna do some kit on kit?"

"Um. Hell no!" Amalthia bristled.

"Oh. So touchy! You're not one of those... lifers are you?"

"Lifer?"

"You know, the kind that refuses to share themselves with anyone other than that one 'special' partner."

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"No. Not at all, sister. I think it's pretty neat that you have someone so special that you are willing to make such a sacrifice," Navina walked over as she affectionately stroked Amalthia's golden mane with her cinnamon-colored hand.

Amalthia looked up at her much larger bandmate and smiled.

Navina held Amalthia closer then asked. "Who is this special someone? I would very much like to know more about them."

Looking briefly into Navina's eyes, Amalthia reached behind her bandmate's head then pulled her in as their furry muzzles locked in a brief but passionate embrace of the tongues. Stunned by what had just happened, Navina backed away.

"Ugh! Isn't that something humans do with each other?"

Amalthia smiled at her. "Admit it, you liked it!"

Navina pursed her lips for a moment then nodded. "I kinda did, in fact. You are welcome to do it again to me anytime. Round two?"

"No. That was only a sampler. Now that I showed ya how to do it, you can do it to both Mia and Kren. This muzzle is reserved for only one," Amalthia smiled as her ears twitched in excitement.

"That must one lucky kitty ya have there. Is he as faithful toward you?"

"He has no reason to be otherwise."

"What's the name of his warband?"

Amalthia rolled her eyes, then placed her clawed finger to the bottom of her lip as she thought about it for a moment. "Grim. Yes, the Grim warband."

"What's his name?"

"Kaleb Grimwald." Amalthia replied.

"Kaleb Grimwald, eh? That's a pretty weird name for a charr. No matter... what’s he look like?"

"He's tall for his type, broad and very horny," came Amalthia's carefully worded but vague description.

"You really aren't giving me specifics. C'mon! Now really... tell me what he looks like!"

Amalthia looked at her non-clothed 'sister' and smiled. "You have an imagination, so use it."

"Fine. Keep your closest warband sister in the dark. Just see if I..."

Bogo suddenly ran into the camp shouting at the top of his lungs. "Ogres approaching!" (Chapter 14 is also up on Google Docs)

#gw2 fanfic #the outliers #tyriaslibrary #charr #amalthia steelblade #gw2 romance

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alittletournesol · 5 years ago

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Kingdom Of Jinju {MinKey} part 31/33

Chapter 31: Home

A third morning rose on Mongje’s manor, as the sound of birds chirping and grasshoppers stridulating seemed louder than ever. The days following their Lady’s passing, it had been as if every single person, every single thing around had recovered the permission to live. For once in so many years, laughters were resounding in the corridors, reverberated around the garden’s trees whose bright green leaves were tickled by the summer’s breeze. It was a long awaited, new momentum that was welcomed without the slightest feeling of guilt.

Though, the joyful chatting among houseboys and maids was slowly making space for worries and regret ; the King and Prince would leave that day. It had been quite a short stay but they couldn’t deny their actual matters, which were waiting for them in their kingdom. For many, it felt like losing their young Lord once again and with him, the light he was and had always been for this too dark place. But despite everything, it was easier for each of them to let him go, for this time, he was leaving happily.

His husband and him had stayed the past three days to make sure everything would be taken care of properly until what they had announced as an upcoming exodus. After their long debate with Lord Taehyun, the other evening, the manor’s employees had been the first summoned persons to explain the new plan. The single idea of their hometown being seriously endangered had hit them and most of them had struggled to hold their loud gasps.

However, they had carefully listened to the one who was still their rightful leader, Kibum, as his mother’s son in spite of her accumulated and undisguised hatred for him. He had taken as long as needed to explain them the complete situation, never hiding an element that could have led everyone to doubt and mistrust. He had showed his faith in them and thus, they had showed theirs in return. Surprisingly, the news of his father’s regency for the next seventeen months hadn’t been welcomed too badly, for the fresh memory of the man’s redemption and long kept secrets had tipped the scales in his favor.

The most difficult part had been the public announcement. Minho had first suggested to write as many official documents as needed to warn Mongje’s people about the situation and their decision, but his husband had politely declined. He had wanted to address them in person, and though the organisation had been quite a lot to handle… it had born fruits. The nobles had been gathered first to hear the news, both King and Prince standing on a stage and surrounded by soldiers to ensure their safety, talking to them in a way that would please them.

It had only been about adapting their speech and phrasing to their audience, the nobility’s haughtiness needing a lot of sugarcoating and insurance about their wealth’s future in this situation. On the opposite, announcing everything to the people had been easier, for most of their worries had been about their families’ safety before and during the exodus — the journey would naturally last longer with hundreds of people walking together, including young children.

Each of their wonders had been acknowledged and answered with honesty and goodwill, mostly by Kibum himself. After all, he hadn’t forgotten the bond he had once grown with the people, when he used to take walks in the streets with his sister. It had been decided that the truth behind Haneul’s passing would be kept a secret for some more time, until it would be needed to reveal her daughter’s existence ; when Sooyun would be officially introduced to Jinju’s court as the King’s heiress. For the moment, the priority was about the province’s future.

A whole day had been taken to make the announcements, the next one being used for everyone in the manor to rest before the departure’s preparations. Jonghyun had returned from his parents’ house after biding his goodbyes, passing the huge doors just a few minutes before. He smiled looking at the lively gardens and the noticeable activity around, realizing he had never seen this place like this ever before. It felt refreshing.

Making his way through the yard and the few carts that were being filled with supplies and clean camping material, he soon met the General. The latter was giving instructions to his entire battalion, making his voice loud and clear enough with an ease that left the teacher speechless and, admittedly, weak in his knees. Though he didn’t mean to interrupt and was about to discreetly walk past them all, many were the recruits whose eyes left their leader for a second to notice him.

“It is beyond essential for all of you to stick to this organisation and to your squadrons, to remain focused…” Jinki was saying when he naturally saw his soldiers’ eyes and stopped talking, turning his head. “Oh, good morning, Sir Jonghyun.”

“Good morning, General.” The blonde man smiled, refraining himself from cringing at the necessity for them to call each other by their titles in public. “It wasn’t my intention to draw attention, I will follow my path right away.”

“It’s fine, I was done. I have to talk with you about the journey, will you accept to wait a minute so we can discuss it ? We will be leaving soon so it’s urgent.”

“Certainly.”

Obeying with a hidden joy, Jonghyun bowed his head and stepped backwards to leave the soldier to his speech. He stood there, holding his hands behind his back like he always did, his eyes scanning the assembly. Most of these soldiers were so young, barely the same age as Taemin, though determination was clearly noticeable in the flame dancing in their eyes. Just like a teacher, enlisting to vow your life to your ruler’s and his kingdom’s protection had to be a vocation.

He remembered the few recruits who had been dismissed by Jinki within the past months, because serving in the army wasn’t a calling for them. They had tried, they had certainly outdone themselves in every training, but they lacked the most essential thing : a purpose. Despite he had let them go almost through the complete training before the qualifying tests, the General wasn’t blind, nor stupid. He had taken them apart, one after another, to let them know that he knew. To give them a chance to withdraw before getting involved in something that wasn’t for them and that they might not even really want.

Only two recruits had assured him they wanted to go on, and he had let them. A wise decision, the blonde man thought as his eyes met the face of these two men whose eyes had changed since that day. They had done well to keep fighting, and their superior’s caring, private speech had had the best impact on them. All these young men standing to attention, hearing every single word from their leader and answering in unison with the same enthusiasm, it was pleasant to see.

Jonghyun smiled as he wondered if Jinki’s pride was the same as his, when his students would master a lesson and climb another step of their education’s stairs. Those who knew the General well would notice the extremely discreet way the left corner of his lips would raise when he felt proud. It was quick and almost imperceptible, few were the ones who had observed him enough to know. Taemin had certainly been the fastest man to realise it ; his observing skills were the sharpest among his peers and that always served him well.

Speaking of the devil, it was at that moment that the teacher noticed that the familiar face of his friend wasn’t in the crowd. As one of the most recent recruits, his place should have been at the front, yet he definitely wasn’t standing there. Before he could let his eyes wander further in the battalion, Jonghyun got startled by all soldiers shouting before dispersing according to their squadron and next task. It was only when Jinki reached his side that he snapped out of it, looking at him.

“What an orator.” He said, a crooked smile enlightening his face as he started walking, slowly to make the best of this private stroll. “Have I told you that your voice is the most beautiful I’ve ever heard ?”

“You’re being sappy again.” The General returned the smile, following him with a hand resting on his sword’s pommel. “My voice might be beautiful, but something more beautiful caught all of my soldiers’ attention while I was speaking.”

“So you’re hiding a poet under that thick armor, I might ask you for more. Though I don’t think your soldiers saw beauty in me… just someone appearing out of nowhere.”

“I’m a bit jealous to think I was the last one to notice you. I shall make it up to you soon.”

“We will discuss an arrangement then. But as for now, what is it that you wanted to talk about ? I don’t remember you ever had something to tell me for our previous journeys.”

“You got me, I just wanted you to wait for me so we could walk together.”

“Good heavens above ! I might blush.”

As he laughed at the way his lover patted his own cheeks, the General climbed the first steps under the manor’s porch and offered his hand to the blonde man. It was one of these gestures that had become quite a routine, for Jonghyun’s long tuniques could be a hell of a bother when meeting a staircase. Though, this simple proposed hand was enough for the latter to feel his stomach tighten in a very pleasant way — he refused to talk about butterflies or whatever insect the soppy idiom used.

With a smile, he slid his fingers on the strong palm that held them both firmly and gently — how was it even possible ? — while he slightly pulled his skirt upward to see his feet on the steps. Once they were both before the door, he expected Jinki to let go of him… but once again, he got surprised. As they entered the house, their hands remained discreetly holding as if the snugness of the closed place could hide them from any pair of eyes. The staff was way too busy to notice this detail, and for sure the soldier took advantage of it.

The blonde man hid a shy smile. He wouldn’t say it out loud but he loved the way his partner had developed a liking for touching lately ; not in a naughty way, he just loved to take every opportunity he could to brush his arm, fondle the small of his back when no one was looking… Even just putting a hand on his shoulder in public felt more than just the common friendly gesture others saw in it.

“Did I miss a few interesting things while I wasn’t here ?” The youngest of the two asked. “Anything, really.”

“Hmm… everything went so fast, I can’t remember much.” The General replied. “The first thing that comes to my mind is that the little princess loves Minho’s hair a lot.”

“How much did he lose during this fight ?”

“A few tufts. Much of his dignity.”

“I would have loved to witness that myself… she seems lively. And Kibum’s hair ?”

“Intact. It’s too fine to her liking.”

“Look at you talking like a professional. We’ll see when she attacks you.”

“I’m not going near her, I care for my life. Also I am the General, I must keep an image of—”

“Sure, sure. We shall see about that.”

As they were still talking, they walked by the kitchens and stopped in their stroll when they heard a bunch of familiar male voices, interrupted by a really young laughter. Frowning, they let go of each other’s hand and entered the room, making sure not to be noticed too fast so they could see what was happening. They weren’t disappointed. At all.

Sitting with one leg on either side of one of the benches around the long wooden table cooks use for all their preparations, Taemin was surrounded by his little group of friends… all of them giggling and trying to catch the attention of the little girl who was sitting on her uncle’s leg. The young soldier was making her jump on his thigh while the other men played the fools to hear her laugh. Sooyun was on cloud nine and definitely loved having all this attention on her.

“I can’t believe you’re not only linked to the Prince, but to the future Queen as well !” Moonkyu exclaimed for nearly the fifth time. “Do you think she can grow up looking like you ?”

“Stop being dumb, she’s more related to the Prince than Taem.” Jongin retorted as he waved a small fan in front of the girl. “She actually already looks like him.”

“You’re right, she has the same features.” Taemin smiled, leaning on to look at his niece from the side. “Her eyes are like his, the shape of her face too. But the nose and lips are definitely her mom’s.”

“Still, her grandfather is also Taemin’s father, just as much as the Prince…” Wonsik calmly thought out loud. “If she takes more after her grandpa’s side of the family, there are chances that she grows some similarities with you. Many kids end up looking more like their uncles or aunts, so why not ?”

“Hmm, there’s nothing I would want her to share with me, I mean… I’m not that special.” The uncle said as his cheeks turned pink. “If anything, I just want her to be as hopeful as I am.”

“I think you meant naive and gullible ?”

Jongin’s words made his friends snigger, even the victim of this sarcastic attack who just slapped the fan away from his niece and pulled her a bit more towards him. It was like he pretended to protect her from his mean comrade, though his gesture looked so instinctive that it left no room for doubt. Taemin knew his the little girl for nearly three days but was already committed to ensure her safety, to protect her from everything he would consider as a threat.

The four men were joyfully talking about everything and nothing, mostly things related to the upcoming journey, and whenever Sooyun babbled, they just paused in their discussion to awe and give her all the attention she wanted. Looking from afar, Jonghyun was holding his laughter back as the situation looked quite entertaining… while Jinki’s facial expression was a combination of honest enjoyment and strong wish to reprimand someone for not being in position.

This little gang wasn’t giving him any trouble during trainings and missions, they were all extremely invested and as their General, he couldn’t be prouder. The affinity they had grown for each other had naturally enhanced their team effort, and their shared energy and skills were always showing great results once put together, in every situation. However, they were just as compatible when it came to be mischievous and have fun… including by sneaking out.

“Although this is quite an interesting situation to witness…” Jinki said with his loud and clear voice as he walked forwards and startled the young men. “May I know why four of my best soldiers, who should be getting prepared to join the royal convoy’s main escort by now, are lazing around in the kitchens ?”

“Sir !” Wonsik answered first as he stood up, imitated by his friends. “We were by no means abandoning our positions, but lending a hand to a civilian who asked for assistance !”

“And that is why you are holding a teat with no bottle, Kim ?”

“Th-This is… a teat, Sir. For the princess.”

“Indeed.”

“Sir, if I may.” Taemin stepped forwards, still holding a now strangely quiet Sooyun whose slender eyes were focused on the newcomer. “We were getting prepared with our comrades when the princess’ nanny required assistance regarding the feeding.”

“Feeding ? Hence the teat, I presume.”

“Yes, Sir. The kitchens were out of milk and she needed someone trustful to keep an eye on the little girl, since she needs both her hands for… you know.”

“I see. And four men were needed to look after one child.”

“General, aren’t you being a bit too harsh ?” Jonghyun’s gentle voice eventually interrupted the lecture as he appeared from behind with a smile on his face. “I’m sure the princess was really pleased with the presence of these four young persons. Hi, my dear. Oh, I guess this is an invitation.”

As soon as she noticed the blonde man she had already seen a few times in the past three days, Sooyun immediately focused on him and was now stretching one of her small arms in his direction, the other one still holding onto Taemin’s shoulder. The latter, though pouting at the thought of letting her go, helped the manoeuvre and made sure she grabbed good hold of the teacher before he stepped backwards.

Now that the little girl wasn’t under their surveillance anymore, the four soldiers offered Jinki a bright smile before saluting and leaving the kitchen as fast as possible — not forgetting to wave at their new infant friend on their way out. The General rolled his eyes but eventually smiled and made the most of the returning calm in the room to sit a bit. Jonghyun remained standing, holding the baby with one arm under her butt while he held her tiny hand, dancing a gentle waltz and humming the music.

Sooyun sure did love that, she giggled whenever they spun even though it was very slow, the movement certainly feeling faster to her young and small body. At some point, the man even held her above his head with his arms stretched, never stopping to spin on site to keep her entertained… and occupied, his lover ended up realising. His recruits had talked about a feeding issue, meaning the girl might have expressed her hunger earlier. Just as Jonghyun at that moment, the four young men had made sure to keep her mind busy so she would forget about being hungry until her nanny would be back.

They were even smarter than he thought, and heavens knew he already thought highly of them. But handling such a new situation with easiness, he himself didn’t know if he would have been up to the task.

“Look at you, so comfortable around kids.” Jinki smiled. “Is there something you can’t do ?”

“Many things in reality,” Jonghyun replied, slowing down his pace and thinking, “they’re just not quite essential to live a good life.”

“You make me curious.”

“Well, let me think about one thing… Ah, you know I can write with both my hands ? It’s quite useful when you’re hurt or need to work with two hands… but something strange about it is that I can’t draw with my right hand.”

“Can’t you ? Writing and drawing are that different in terms of manipulating your pencil ?”

“Have I ever told you that you’re adorable when you talk to me with that habit of making every sentence more complicated than it can be ?”

“Don’t change subjects.”

“Alright, alright.” The blonde man softly laughed as he sat next to the other man and held Sooyun on his lap. “I don’t know how to say it but yes, it’s different. It’s not the same kind of outlines, drawing needs more precision than just writing letters following each other. Our letters are rather easy to write, it doesn’t require a complex movement of hand and wrist. Drawing is different, and my right hand is a bit shaky. It’s my weakest hand in many situations.”

Listening carefully, the General nodded and tried to remember some moments when he clearly saw Jonghyun use his hands. He expected to have images of him drawing, grabbing or lifting an object, come to his mind, but his face flushed with a dark red when his mind tricked him. Suddenly he could only see the other man’s hands during their private times, and indeed he always used his left one rather than his right one.

He knew he had been caught furiously blushing but before the teacher could tease him or whatever, an incredible timing made the little girl start whining and her nanny rush back to the kitchen. Jinki promised himself he would thank the Gods later for this benediction, as he stood up to salute the old woman who shooed this formal gesture like a grandmother would do.

“Ah, good heavens !” She complained while she quickly poured the content of a small bucket in a pot and hung it above the flames of the fireplace intended for cooking. “For sure the heat is a bother for our livestock ! It took me twice the time I usually take to milk our best cow, I hope the milk will be good… Poor little thing must be starving !”

“Do not worry, madam.” Jonghyun gently reassured her, standing up to make Sooyun hop on his arm. “She was in eight very good hands before the General and I took over. We had to send the soldiers back to their packing, but this sunshine was just as sweet with us than she was with them.”

“I feel so sorry that you had to pause in your duties to take this situation in charge, though. The journey is approaching and I haven’t even finished packing my things.”

“Are you accompanying us ?” The soldier raised an eyebrow, this information had evidently slipped his mind.

“According to his Grace’s request, yes.” The woman said, her voice suddenly calmer as if the single thought of Kibum appeased her worries and haste. “How grown up he is now… if I hadn’t stopped him, he would have gone on his knees to beg me ! He believes he will need my experience as a nanny to learn how to raise this little peanut, and to use my services when the King and him wouldn’t be able to take care of her. It’s naturally that I agreed, I don’t really have a life here in Mongje if I haven’t any Kim baby to look after.”

“Then, madam, I promise you we will not leave this place until you’re sitting in his Grace’s coach.”

“No please, I’ll be perfectly fine sitting next to the driver of any cart around. I think the royal coach will not be large enough to fit his Highness, his Grace, the Princess and me.”

“His Highness does never sit in the coach.” The teacher smiled. “He rides his horse among his army, as is his wish.”

“Oh… well, then my boy might want me to give him some of my advices during the journey.”

While Jonghyun nodded to show his agreement, Jinki couldn’t help but slightly smile at the obvious soft spot the old woman had for the Prince. After all, she was the one who raised him the most to have him become the man he was, when his own mother wouldn’t even look at him. This story had hurt the General a lot although he hadn’t really let it be noticed, but by looking at the nanny, he felt reassured that his sovereign and now friend also had been showed love and affection during his childhood.

“This is settled, then.” He stated. “We will leave you to your work, so you do not run too late because of our chatter.”

“It’s completely fine, I will just feed our sweetheart right there and we will head to pack immediately.”

Saying this, the woman pulled the pot away from the fire and poured some warm milk in a bottle before closing it with the teat that was in Wonsik’s hands earlier. Almost instantly, Jonghyun approached her and handed her Sooyun, who let out a cry when she saw her meal so close to her yet not in her little hands. Once she was comfortably held by the nanny and quiet, relishing her drink, both men bowed and made their way towards the door.

“Oh, by the way, madam.” Jinki turned around when he remembered a question to ask the old woman. “Have you perhaps seen the King and Prince ?”

“For sure, they’re in the training yard.” She answered. “I didn’t have time to really look at what they were doing, but I heard swords hitting.”

“Swords hitting ?”

“How interesting.” Jonghyun commented before he grabbed his partner by the inside of his elbow and pulled him outside.

As he ignored the General’s mumbling — why would his sovereigns be dueling when they should be preparing to leave within the next hour ? — the teacher walked rather fast through the corridors to reach the training yard. It was located at the far end of the domain, on the other side of the gardens so the sound of weapons wouldn’t distract the employees from their respective tasks.

Everyone was buzzing so much no one really noticed the two men making their way through trunks, laundry and employees. They made themselves part of the moving decor and easily found themselves in the wanted place : the yard was empty, pure logic to Jinki who had commanded all of his soldiers to attend their duties and had been imitated by the Prince regarding Mongje’s army. However, two silhouettes were noticeable, moving around in the dueling space.

Just like in Jinju, there was a large area dedicated to demonstrations and duelings, the only difference being that here, it wasn’t fully closed by high walls. The pitch was surrounded by a small rectangular structure made of four low walls holding several wooden pillars to support a rather light roof. It was more serving as a boundary to mark the dueling space out, that wasn’t covered open-air itself. There, the teacher and soldier recognized the two duelists in motion, aiming and hitting each other with swords.

As they approached, they both felt quite relieved to see their weapons were made of wood, though they immediately saw the iron ones scattered not far from them. The show that was happening under their eyes was rather intriguing, but not less interesting. Minho and Kibum were standing at a fair distance from each other and had got rid of their formal attires to only wear their light shirt and pants. As they both wore white and their hair held in a ponytail, the only way to differentiate them when they moved was the way they moved.

Minho’s steps were rougher, his feet often sliding on the gravel, and his body tended to lack suppleness for most of his displacements. However, he clearly knew his strength and had control over it, his best advantage when dueling ; he never hesitated to hit first, holding his sword in one hand and keeping the other one ready to grab, push or punch. Facing him, Kibum was way much more feline, his steps light and almost graceful even in a situation like this. When responding his husband’s attacks, he balanced himself with his free arm while blocking as many hits as he could.

“He’s trusting his body.” Jinki whispered, catching Jonghyun’s attention. “He’s an archer, his reflexes are sharp but a sword and a bow don’t call for the same aptitudes. I saw him during the hunt, he can change the position of his arm and his upper body faster than any of us, and still he never needs more than three seconds to adjust his sight and shoot. It’s incredible how he can apply this ability to dueling as well, look how he switches positions to avoid the opponent’s blade…”

“It’s the first time I see him using a sword, you know.” The blonde man said, and the way the soldier raised his eyebrows betrayed his surprise.

“You’re kidding ?”

“He’s never been into dueling, it has always been Taemin. I can assure you he never raised a sword until now.”

“Damn it… that wouldn’t be the first time he shows up with some hidden skill.”

Both men couldn’t take their eyes off their sovereigns, the King being clearly advantaged thanks to his own years-long training. But the Prince wasn’t outdone, far from it, as he managed to avoid most attacks in a sly way, his eyes focused on his opponent’s arm, shoulder, and sometimes his legs. He never stared for too long at his sword, rather choosing to anticipate his husband’s movements by analyzing him.

“This takes days, if not weeks, for new recruits.” The General quietly gasped, not even blinking nor waiting for Jonghyun to ask for an explanation. “Not staring at the sword. This is like the biggest mistake they all make at the beginning, because every reasonable person would watch out for the weapon that tries to hurt them.”

“They shouldn’t ?” The teacher asked, hissing when his friend narrowly avoided a hit and took a few steps back.

“They mustn’t. For so many reasons, I couldn’t list them all right now, but… he looks exactly where he should, and he opts for a defensive position to study his opponent’s approach. He’s looking for a breach… how can he do that when it seems to be his first time…”

“Kibum has always been a quick learner, you don’t need to teach him something twice and his brain is all about theory. He often refused his instructor to show him the way to do certain things, he just listened once to the theory and put it into practice himself. It rarely worked on the first time—”

“Obviously ! You can’t pretend to succeed practice on first try if you just have the theory. It must take, what, a dozen tries at least !”

“He needs around five.”

“Listen, that’s impossible. Five tries ? When he wasn’t shown the example ? Even my best soldier takes at least ten days to succeed for the first time, whatever the technique I teach him.”

“Taemin is eager and impatient.” Jinki didn’t even react at the way the other man guessed who his best soldier was, he was way too dumbfounded to think straight. “He will try something as soon as you tell him about it, without thinking enough, when the theory isn’t even half clear in his head. Kibum is the opposite, he will think a lot about the theory and see it in his mind, imagine it and analyse every potential outcome. When he tries and fails, it just clarifies his theoretical approach and he fixes the origin of his mistake.”

“He’s more redoubtable than one can think when seeing him…”

“Of course, that’s his secret.”

Jonghyun smiled when his partner had to sit to digest this whole new information that troubled his instructor’s brain. At the same moment, the Prince found the breach he was looking for and launched his attack… but Minho was far from a beginner and had purposely given him the opportunity, avoiding him with a sharp, fast movement that made his husband lose his balance. The latter felt the wooden sword hit him on the side and he fell on one knee, preventing his fall by putting a hand on the floor.

“Damn it.” Kibum swore, catching his breath and taking the King’s hand when the latter approached him and offered his help. “I thought you were going easy on me but not at all, right ? That breach was a trick.”

“Of course it was, you didn’t think I would let you beat me after only three days ?” The younger man laughed, helping him to stand and dusting his pants himself. “Let’s stop for today, we will leave soon.”

“Can’t we do it just one more time ? I’m sure I can pierce your breach, trick or not, I only need one more try, maybe two.”

“We’ll do that at home, I promise. It’s getting late, come.”

Minho laughed at the way the other man seemed to pout to convince him, and he only leaned on him to kiss his forehead before he went to pick their things up. Like one man and with no apparent reason, Jinki and Jonghyun fell down to their knees and hid behind the low wall. They kept quiet and listened to their sovereigns’ movements, hearing the rustle of fabric and the clinking of the swords they collected from the floor. Footsteps soon faded away and once silence fell on the yard, both men sighed.

“Three days ?” The General realised. “I’ve been so busy I didn’t notice they’ve been training together.”

“That’s lovely, if you ask me.” The teacher smirked, standing up and adjusting his hair. “I can’t wait for Kibum to beat the King’s ass.”

“That will not happen, Minho learned from me, dear.”

“We shall see about that. You’re not infallible, aren’t you ?”

“Come here and repeat that.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Before his partner could stand up, the blonde man walked away with a playful smile on his lips… and literally ran away when he heard Jinki on his feet, chasing him. It was amusing how two persons as serious as them could lose themselves in such childish games when in a good mood. This time, everyone in the manor noticed the Prince’s teacher holding his tunic’s skirt up to better run away from the King’s General, trying to leave him behind by going through the garden’s low trees and high bushes.

Fortunately, no one saw them making their way to one of their bedrooms and locking themselves up inside until the awaited departure.

* * * * * * * *

The Queen Mother had finally stopped running, giving orders and asking for reports, and she was now changing clothes in her quarters. The same morning, a couple of scouts had reached the palace, announcing that the royal convoy had been on the road for the past three days and would arrive before sunset. One of them had read the piece of parchment the Prince had written during a break, briefly mentioning the triumph of Jinju over Mongje, the tragic end of his tyrannic mother and the agreement between the kingdom and province.

Though these were only good news and had reassured her, Jihwan couldn’t help but be apprehensive of what, rather who she would meet within an hour. At the end of his message, her son-in-law had deemed necessary to warn her that she wouldn’t welcome only those who had left, but also two important persons his husband and him couldn’t wait to introduce to her. As smart as she was, the woman had cogitated for hours about the identity of these two newcomers, in vain.

Even with the knowledge of her son’s minister in charge of foreign affairs, she had no clue. Mongje wasn’t full of important people, only the rulers and their closest relatives were worthy of having their names kept in the Five Kingdoms’ influential families’ register. In light of the province’s founder originally being of royal blood despite his betrayal and exile, a part of the heavy manuscript was dedicated to his lineage. The Queen had studied it over and over but couldn’t even find a hint about a potential remote cousin, even from the preceding generation.

Who could be so important but not registered anywhere ? This made no sense. Nevertheless, Jihwan had learnt with time that she could trust the Prince. It was still hard for her to unwind, for she had never been at ease with meeting new persons ; when her late husband was still alive, he was the one leading these encounters and she was either by his side, quiet and smiling, or anywhere else and not solicited. She had discovered this necessary task when serving as regent for a few years, and this was one of the few things she didn’t regret abandoning.

Once she was wearing a whole new outfit and her companion, Joohyun, had styled her hair, she stood up and took a deep breath. It couldn’t be that deep, so she would just do as she had always done : hiding her stress behind her impenetrable face. Never drop your guard, had she learnt through her own mother when she had been betrothed to Minho’s father. Never did she, even when pretending the contrary… and although her son hadn’t inherited this skill from her, she now had a son-in-law who was like a mirror to her personality.

After observing him throughout the months, she had had to admit that the Prince had some natural abilities that she shared. Perhaps it had been helpful to their slowly increasing relationship, for their realized they could understand each other on things the King unfortunately couldn’t. Both men weren’t aware of it — because of this skill of hers — but Jihwan had spent days and days looking for a way to maintain their wedding after they had come to her, on that unforgettable morning when they had somehow confessed to each other in front of her.

And she was terrified.

Terrified because she hadn’t found any solution, when the complete healing of the kingdom was only three months away from now.

“Your Majesty ?” The young Yerim appeared at the door, her cheeks pink from the race she had just done through the palace. “I was informed by the sentries that the royal convoy has just entered the town.”

“Already ? Thank you, dear, please make sure everything is ready and be prepared to welcome the King and Prince. As planned, I entrust Seulgi and you with his Highness’ belongings, Sooyoung and Seungwan with his Grace’s.”

“Yes, your Majesty, it will be done.”

“May I escort you, your Majesty ?” Joohyun asked, opening the door for her.

The Queen inhaled deeply and nodded, leaving her quarters and holding her own hands on her stomach. Followed by her companion who remained quiet as usual, she absent-mindedly fiddled with her rings, turning them, sometimes rubbing her fingers. The closer she was to the main doors, the stronger her stress grew and she managed to exasperate herself. She knew how it was going to end if she keeps worrying herself sick like this over something she couldn’t foresee.

Trust him, she repeated to herself while walking. Once she was outside, she felt slightly relieved when she saw the General’s father smiling at her as he was already standing at his place. She joined him and accepted his support, holding his arm.

“You must be proud of your son, your Majesty.” Lee Jinseok said, his voice betraying his own pride for the man he considered like a second son. “This ordeal was rather complex, even more at the beginning of one’s reign, and he dealt with it with success.”

“I am proud, just as I am proud of my son-in-law.” Jihwan replied, knowing the man was making conversation to soothe her. “They are doing an incredible work together and I couldn’t expect less from any of them. But your own son is not outdone, my friend. He seems accustomed to his new occupation.”

“He prepared himself for it all his life, and he was waiting for my abdication despite himself. But he is indeed as invested as I imagined him to be, and I am, too, proud of my son.”

“Isn’t it reassuring to see our children prospering ? I am glad they both had each other when growing up.”

“I am too, your Majesty. I think that once Jinju will be completely saved, we will be able to step down for good, with no worry. I trust your sons and mine enough to enjoy my retirement.”

“Y-Yes, I do as well.”

The Queen stuttered when she heard the way her long lasting friend used the plural to mention her sons, and he smiled noticing it. After all, she had confided in him so many times these past few years, and her most recent confession had been to speak highly of the Prince and admit she now saw a second son in him. It was a way for her to accept his position as her son-in-law, but the word son had even more importance as of that day.

It was like Jinseok reminded her of it on purpose, to help her believe in her own trust in Kibum. She ended up smiling as well, and raised her head towards the door. They could all hear the convoy approaching, and when the sentries played their drums, the doors slowly opened on the first half of Jinju’s army. Led by the King himself and his General, both of them riding their horse at the head of the squadron, soldiers entered and immediately found their place, making sure the carts could enter.

As soon as they got off their horses and entrusted the ostler with them, both men walked towards their respective parent and Minho removed his helmet before he pulled his mother in a warm embrace. She naturally returned it and held him tight, whispering welcoming words to his ears, while Jinki and his father shook arms like brothers in arms do. They’d never been into hugs, but the way the former General pressed a hand on his son’s shoulder said it all.

Eventually, the royal coach entered, followed by the few carts carrying the King and Prince’s belongings. The four maids Jihwan had assigned to them instantly moved, giggling a bit when some soldiers helped them to collect the trunks and other boxes. Minho let go of his mother to go open the coach’s door himself, placing the footboard himself and offering his hand. The pretty hand with long, slender fingers that found its place in his was recognizable among thousands, and Kibum’s head emerged from the vehicle.

Once he was on the bare ground, he smoothed his attire out and held his husband’s arm as the latter led him to the Queen. The woman smiled to the graceful, black haired man, and opened her arms. The Prince got startled for a second, not expecting this kind of request, but his cheeks eventually turned pink and a smile appeared on his lips as he leaned on and embraced her mother-in-law. It felt strangely fine.

“Welcome home, to both of you.” She said, allowing Kibum to straighten up. “How was the journey ? The weather has been quite unbearable lately…”

“We made sure to ride along rivers most of the time, so it was fine.” The King said. “I enjoy the bright blue sky and this summer heat, after so many years without it.”

“Yes, it feels good.” His husband added. “The only thing I have missed is a real bed, to be my honest and town mouse self.”

“I can fully understand it.” Jihwan laughed a bit before she recovered her serious face. “I must confess I have been quite nervous after reading your message… it is silly, of course, but I think I cannot wait anymore to meet these persons you mentioned.”

“Oh, yes, naturally. Please wait a minute.”

“It might be a bit shocking, but you do not have to worry.”

Her son’s last words obviously added fuel to the fire of her stress, but the Queen held it in and waited as told. She saw Kibum walk back to the coach and wait for Sir Jonghyun to get out of it before he seemed to go back in… but actually put only one foot on the footboard and reached inside with his hands. Jihwan’s heartbeat increased to the point she felt like the whole organ was going to pierce through her chest, until the moment it seemed to skip more than one beat.

When her son-in-law stepped backwards and turned over to walk towards them again, he had a baby in his arms. She didn’t even notice the old nanny who got out of the coach right after, her eyes staring at the small silhouette that was coming closer by seconds passing. Once they were face to face and the child looked at her, she frowned for a minute, trying to remember where she had seen these eyes and this expression… and it struck her when she got smiled at.

“By the Gods…” She muttered, her hand looking for someone to hold on to as her face grew pale.

“Mother, let me introduce you to Kim Sooyun.” Minho said with pride in his voice. “She is Kibum’s hidden niece, and the future Queen of Jinju.”

No reaction came to Jihwan’s mind, but her body responded the news the only way it could after so much stress. She fainted.

When she regained consciousness, she took a few seconds to recognize her own private room as she had been carried to the sofa. The slight fog before her eyes slowly faded and she eventually made out the features of the man who was holding her hand, sitting on the ottoman opposite her.

“Do not hurry, your Majesty.” The Prince’s gentle voice came to her ears at the moment she recognized him. “Here, some water.”

The Queen accepted the glass she was handed and slowly straightened up, holding her forehead with one hand and sipping. The freshness of the liquid helped to revive her and she gladly drank it all, getting a grip on herself. Looking at her, her son-in-law looked seriously concerned with his eyebrows furrowed, and she realized he was the only one around her. They were alone in the room, and she understood it had been according to his request.

“Perhaps I should have prepared you more for what was coming…” Kibum started, sounding honestly sorry. “I guess my enthusiasm got the better of me.”

“Where is everyone ?” Jihwan asked. “Have I been unconscious for long ?”

“No, it has barely been a quarter hour. The General’s father carried you here, Minho and I were with you but I asked both of them to leave. I thought I was the one who had to tell you everything.”

“You… You did bring a baby back from your hometown, I did not dream it…?”

“No, you did not. Let me explain myself, everything will be crystal clear in no time.”

The Prince looked at her, waiting for her approval, and the woman saw in his eyes that there was nothing predicting something bad regarding this child. He seemed rather calm and… fulfilled. She nodded and he spoke again, his voice controlled and tone gentle, telling the entire story behind her sister’s passing. He told about his mother’s long lasting whim and all the crimes she perpetrated, hidden behind his father’s disguised rightful authority. He revealed the truth behind his own lineage and the way they had found out.

Jihwan was observant when it came to one’s features, and she noticed how her son-in-law’s eyes seemed to be covered by a veil of pain for a few seconds, when he mentioned the trial. She covered her mouth with a hand to prevent herself from gasping when Kibum quoted his mother’s words, not omitting the harsh insults and confessions towards him. But his eyes recovered their sweetness when he mentioned his sister’s daughter, said her name and remembered the first time she smiled at him.

He explained how this little girl was the rightful heiress of Mongje and how, unfortunately, the province wouldn’t last long because of the drastic climatic change that would leave it to dryness within the next two years. The Queen was smart enough to anticipate the end of the story, and she guessed right : she nodded to everything Kibum said about the planned exodus to Jinju and the need for an agreement with Maguk before scheduling any constructions.

“Mongje will not make it, we have to come to terms with it.” The Prince concluded. “We will send an envoy to Maguk at the crack of dawn tomorrow, to ask for the claim of this piece of land. As soon as we will have their approval, we will begin the whole process.”

“You have been crowned for less than a year and you are already extending our realm.” Jihwan said, her voice steadier. “This might be a forced extension but this is promising a bright future for Jinju, you have my full support.”

“Thank you, your Majesty. We could not have your opinion before so I am glad you agree. For as long as we will get new houses built, my regency as the heir of Mongje will be handled by my father. This province will not exist anymore, and with its disappearance… this marriage could end as well. But we have a solution, now.”

“The girl.”

“Yes. Do you remember this ancient law you told us about, the other day in this same room ? We only need to have someone of my blood to ensure Jinju’s future. Sooyun is my sister’s daughter, my niece, and she needs a home. She has been hiding for too long and my father gave us his blessing. Minho and I… would like to raise her like our daughter and make us the heiress.”

“This is so… I mean, this makes a lot of informations to digest. But I presume my son and you reflected a lot before taking such a decision ?”

“We did. I understand that her lineage is not fully noble and that the Choi dynasty is made of pure-blood only, but—”

“It is not, and I think everyone knows it but pretends not to.”

Saying this, the Queen slowly stood up and adjusted her attire and hair before gesturing for Kibum to imitate her. She approached him and placed her hands on his arms, looking at him in the eye.

“Many times since this dynasty began, heirs were illegitimate children.” She said. “Many times, kings and queens committed adultery and the child who accessed the throne after them was born to a parent who was a commoner, or a noble with no royal blood. Did you know that the Choi dynasty is supposed to have kings and queens with light skin and black hair ?”

“I did not…” The Prince admitted before the insinuation hit him. “Minho’s skin is rather tanned, and his hair… it is dark but not really black.”

“Yes, because his lineage has stopped being pure for decades already. And… I am done lying, pretending. Despite the circumstances being tragic, you found a solution to your marriage, to Jinju’s prosperity. In light of all secrets and lies from the past, I do not see anything wrong with your niece being the future Queen. We will play along these so called traditions and make her follow that ritual I told you about, and she will be the heiress.”

“Are you really giving your blessing…?”

“What mother would I be if I refused the long awaited solution you have been eager to find ? This kingdom has a King and a Prince linked by marriage, and is ensured with their next sovereign. Everything is fine.”

Kibum stood gaping for a moment, not realizing that after so many months, they finally did it. He had everything he had always dreamed of, and it hit him at that exact moment, making him fall on his knees. He was so happy that tears of joy started rolling down his cheeks and when the Queen pulled him in her embrace, he gladly accepted. He hold onto her arms as his face was pressed against her stomach, while she smiled and held his shoulder with one hand, the other one caressing his black hair.

“And if I may tell you this one thing…” Jihwan murmured. “Your sister would be proud of you. I know I might have been cruel with you at the beginning, but now, I realise our realm will live thanks to your sole existence. And I cannot thank you enough for this, I was told that you felt guilty towards your sister but you can be sure of this : you honoured her, and you always will for as long as you will be the Prince of Jinju.”

Listening to these words, the young man’s quiet tears made space to loud sobs as he tightened his hold, the Queen eventually kneeling herself to properly hug him. She softly caressed his back and held him for as long as needed, but she couldn’t really understand the depths of Kibum’s cries. He was happy, for sure, and the woman’s words had moved him to the core. But more than the pride of honouring his beloved sister, he had just discovered the feeling of being a son.

Within a couple of minutes and just with her words, Jihwan had just been the mother he had never really had. Acknowledging his existence and thanking him for it, that was all he had ever needed, all he had sought for during his entire childhood but never found. It was like the fog that had been forced around his person since birth, the shadow that had surrounded him for years, had just been dissipated by a woman and her motherly words. He cried for a moment, needing quite a time to collect his thoughts and clear his head.

Eventually, he straightened up and wiped his face with the sleeves of his coat, before his face was enlightened by the most beautiful smile the Queen had ever seen on his face. Smiling herself, she stood up and took his hands to make his stand as well, wiping his last tears with her thumb.

“Now… would you mind introducing me to your niece again ?”

The young Prince nodded vigorously and enthusiastically led his mother-in-law outside the small room. In no time, they arrived to the east wing and walked past the royal quarters to reach the door of what used to be Taemin’s room when he slept not far from his friend before moving out to his soldier’s dormitory. After channeling his energy, Kibum knocked and pushed the wooden panel to reveal the chamber… who had gone through a slight change.

The single bed had been pushed against the wall to make space in the middle of the room for a crib. Jihwan immediately recognized it as her own son used to sleep in it when he was an infant, and she entered the room to walk straight towards it. As she caressed the edge and reminisced the countless times she had watched her baby sleep there, she didn’t notice that the place wasn’t empty.

She got startled by a man clearing his throat and turned around to find Minho, standing by Kibum’s side, his arms busy holding Sooyun. The Queen approached and covered her blushing cheeks when she really looked at the baby’s face. She hadn’t seen it wrong the first time, she looked like her uncle so much it was rather troubling… but in a good way. She had fallen asleep and her features were adorably relaxed — her tiny, pouting lips gave her cheeks an even rounder shape.

“She looks so much like you…” Jihwan whispers, not resisting the temptation and sliding her little finger into the small hand, which immediately squeezed it. “She’s beautiful.”

“I see you feel better, Mother.” The King couldn’t help but tease, though he talked with the same tone so the little girl wouldn’t wake up. “Should we make the presentations ?”

“I will.” The Prince smiled. “Your Majesty, here is Kim… Choi Sooyun, our daughter. And your granddaughter.”

Both mother and son looked at him, surprised by the use of their family name instead of his and the words chosen to describe her. If Minho managed to hold the wave of emotions back, his eyes only watering, the Queen bowed her head and when she looked up, she had tears falling. But she was smiling.

“This makes you my son.” She concludes, taking Kibum’s hand in his. “Please, starting today, no more Your Majesty.”

“Y-Yes… Mother…?” The black haired man tried.

The woman smiled and nodded, before turning her gaze back to the sleeping baby. And they were all smiling.

* * * * * * * *

A few weeks had passed since the arrival of the Princess in Jinju, and the summer heat had made space for a cooler weather, though the sun was still shining in the blue sky. Within a month, leaves would start losing of their bright green to wear warmer colours and allow the world to end another cycle… until the beginning of a new one.

It indeed was a period of new beginnings in the royal palace, for many things had happened since the sovereigns’ return. Queen Hyoyeon of Maguk had sent back their envoy with the agreement signed and a message written by her, wishing her fellow rulers all the luck they needed for these upcoming constructions. It had taken a few more days for this considerable work to start, for the people of Jinju deserved to know what was going to happen before it happened.

The army had been sent in town, delivering the news in person by reading a message written by the King and Prince themselves. Once again, the latter had been pleasantly surprised by the people’s response, who had praised their generosity and promised to pray for the building to be successful. A few men had even walked all the way up towards the palace to propose their help, which Minho had gladly accepted and naturally rewarded with proper wages.

Jonghyun and Jinki had been assigned the development of plans and the inventory of all materials needed. Two weeks after, the construction had begun. Kibum had written to his father to assure this good start and the official beginning of their scheduled plan, obviously keeping space on his parchment to tell him about his granddaughter’s new life.

Sooyun had turned one the week before, and the Queen had made sure to prepare the traditional ceremony with twice more of everything. It had been decided that the girl’s existence and role in the dynasty would be announced right after her first birthday, once the priests would finish the ritual. The Prince hadn’t assisted to it because he always felt uncomfortable with whatever involved priests, but the result was here.

The Royal Princess and Heiress Sooyun of the Choi dynasty was born.

The announcement had once again been made in two steps, both sovereigns going out in person with their daughter and an escort. They had first introduced her to the nobility, then to the people, only explaining that she was the Prince’s relative and, through the holy ritual, worth of the title of heiress. Three priests had accompanied them to confirm, which had somehow convinced even the wariest noble.

Jinju’s new beginning was there, and no one seemed to disapprove. Life ran its course in town and in the palace, for the enjoyment of everyone.

That day, Jonghyun had freed his students earlier than usual to pay a visit to his partner and friends. The General had been busy supervising both his soldiers’ training and the good progress of the new district’s building, and they hadn’t had many occasions to meet. It was difficult when they didn’t live in the same place and when a whole town separated them, but they had no choice and had somehow learned to deal with it. When he passed the huge doors and saluted the sentries, the teacher was immediately showed where Jinki had been seen for the last time.

In no time, he reached the training yard and frowned when he noticed the gathering of soldiers inside the closed area. He wasn’t sure of what was happening but he made his way through the dozens of bodies until he found himself just behind the lower wall that marked the dueling pitch out. And then, he understood the sudden infatuation.

The King and Prince had never ceased their personal training, and it seemed there were about to put the apprentice’s learning to the test. Standing a few feet away from each other, they were both wearing a basic military attire to protect themselves ; a white shirt topped with a thin coat of mail, wrist and shin guards… and they were holding a real sword.

Jonghyun realised Jinki was standing between them as a sort of referee, and he quickly stepped backwards after lowering his arm to announce the beginning of the fight. For a moment, none of the sovereigns moved, only staring at each other and one quietly daring the other to engage first. In the end, Kibum started walking, holding his sword vertically before his chest and studying Minho’s posture. His steps were slow and calculated, as he moved to the side and not forwards.

His husband followed him with his eyes and eventually moved to the opposite direction. They were turning on a circle, facing each other and never losing the eye contact. Until the Prince surprised everyone and launched the first attack, him who had grown the reputation of making defense his first choice. But it was planned, because it startled the King for a slight second and forced him to back away rather sharply.

The younger man smirked, and then, the duel began. He attacked and Kibum defended himself, either avoiding or blocking the blade with improved skills that the teacher hadn’t had the opportunity to witness. His movements were even smoother than when the General and him had spied on their training in Mongje, and whenever he moved, he seemed to be about to fly away. It was like a choreography to him, a dangerous dance with a weapon in hand that seemed as light as air between his fingers.

His long hair, held in a ponytail, followed each of his movement and gave them a certain graciousness that contrasted with Minho’s brute force. However, the latter wasn’t outdone for anything in the world ; his attacks weren’t uncertain and every hit was well thought out. And this time, he wasn’t underestimating his husband’s abilities nor offering breaches. The way they were both observed by so many witnessed filled him with competitiveness ; he couldn’t lose that fight.

Sweat started forming on their skin as they kept fighting without touching each other for long minutes. But Kibum, while learning from his King, had also taken time to observe him. He knew his weaknesses and just had to wait for the right moment… which arrived quite fast to his taste. At one point, Minho grew impatient and made his attacks less methodical, though a new recruit wouldn’t make the difference. But it mattered so much, and it was the key to victory for his husband.

The black haired man suddenly straightened up and put his sword’s tip on the floor, holding the weapon against his leg to adjust his hair. Naturally, the other man walked into the lion’s den, thinking of it as a moment of inattention. He rushed towards him and was ready to hit while making sure to protect his own body with his free arm… but he forgot his lower body.

With a speed that impressed more than one man in the yard, Kibum grabbed his sword’s pommel again and spun round at the perfect timing to avoid Minho’s blade. Even the best soldier would take a certain time, as short as it was, to raise his sword again after lowering it towards a target. While the King hit the floor with his weapon and got slightly put out of balance, the other man used his surroundings and pushed on the low wall with one foot to give him enough run-up to shoot off to a spot behind his husband.

The latter had time to raise his sword but not to turn around, and when he felt a foot hit him right behind the knees, rather strongly, he gasped and couldn’t help but fall forwards. His knees hit the ground and he let go of his sword to save himself by putting his palms against the gravel. Before he could even understand what had happened, he saw his blade being kicked away and as he straightened up, the tip of Kibum’s weapon was under his chin.

“Checkmate, your Highness.” The latter said with a smile, immediately cheered by the entire assembly with loud shouts.

Minho understood he had lost, but he wasn’t in the right state of mind to feel frustrated. Even the cheering seemed like a distant sound as he stared at his husband, standing in front of him in all his glory, his body covered with sweat and his eyes shining with pride and determination… literally holding his life in the palm of his hand. The cold metal against the skin of his chin felt like nothing, because the King’s body had suddenly grown hotter than a few seconds before.

The vision of Kibum standing like this and holding him at his mercy with his sword and his stare… was the most arousing thing ever. The defeated man didn’t feel any frustration, no, he only wanted one thing at that moment. To bring this side of his husband right to their quarters.

_____________

#minkey #minho #key #kibum #shinee #fanfic #historical #kingdom of jinju #jongyu #jonghyun #onew #jinki #taemin

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shayaandherramennoodles · 6 years ago

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jasmine | prologue

Taehyung x Reader | mafia!AU warning: mentions of a destructive relationship, angst, no fluff of smut yet

You were never supposed to be in that club in the first place, but you couldn't just let your best friend walk into the lion's liar without backup. Especially when you knew that a particular set of gangsters ran it. Next thing you know, you find yourself infatuated with the smell of jasmine and the silky stare of the man who held so much fear in his name. Flowers have thorns, and Kim Taehyung was no exception.

You stared down at the bed that you two had been sharing for three years now, sucking in a tight breath to suffocate the tears that threatened to come out. You had tried for so long to make this work, spent countless nights cold and alone while sleeping next to him. You couldn’t take it— you would not take it anymore.

For months you had been thinking this over, your guilt a horrible menace that stomped its feet all over your mind but your overcoming fear was enough to propel the single thought forward with enough force that woke you up one morning weeks ago: you had to leave him.

So, you waited. You laid out your plan in your mind, timing how long the jobs took; you even tested the creaking of each floorboard in your two-floor house. Nothing could be out of place; your boyfriend was trained to have an eye that noticed if anything was amiss, and you shuddered at the thought of him finding out about the one-way train ticket you bought a week ago (you hid it in an old shoe box for good measures).

Now, you sat on the edge of the king-sized bed, fingers trailing on the black silk sheets. You jumped at the sudden beeping coming from your watch and silence it before exhaling slowly as if that would help relieve the tension that’s been growing in your chest from the moment you woke up this morning in his arms. You glanced at the time; it was 9:45pm exactly. “I’m sorry,” you whispered to the photo on his side of the dresser, the small Polaroid picture of him kissing your cheek as you feigned a cringe.

Before, you had felt so safe with your hand in his; now, you couldn’t look him in the eyes for more than thirty seconds without glancing down at his right hand, the same one that held guns to heads. Before, you would sit in his lap with a game console in your hands, freely laughing as he nipped your ear to distract you into letting Jungkook win whatever game it was that you were playing so that he could have you all to himself. Now, you would sit as close to him as you could without letting him see the shake in your hands. He was your nicotine; his taste was addicting and you knew that the withdrawal effects would be a pain in the ass, but this was for the best. If he wasn’t going to meet you halfway, then you were going to walk in the opposite direction, no matter how much it burned to do so.

You stood, shouldering the backpack that you used during your camping trips with your friends, and you take a few steps until you’re looking out the window. His car wasn’t in the driveway, as it wouldn’t be for at least two more hours, meaning that when he did come home, it would be to a quiet one. He would like the quiet for a while, getting a chance to breathe after the heated meeting with another gang; but then he would realize what kind of silence it was, that your house was overcome with the silence resulted from the lack of life within it, and that’s when he would start calling your name.

You let thoughts of him fade into nothingness and descended the stairs, trailing fingers on the railing as you went down. Stepping into the kitchen, you grabbed a few more granola bars that you had stashed in the back a while ago, avoiding the strawberry flavored ones since those were his favorite. You were walking towards the door when your feet started to feel heavier with each step until you stopped walking and just stood to stare at the piece of wood that stood between you and the outside world. Were you really about to leave him, leave the man that had made your world swirl with life and left your mouth tasting like milk and honey? Were you really just going to go, leaving with a note on the bed saying “Please understand that I love you, but I can’t do this anymore”?

Your hands began shaking and that sob you had kept in for so long had broken past your lips, the pang in your chest turning into thunderous pounding as you scrubbed at the tears pouring down your cheeks, as you pulled at your hair. You did love him—gods, you loved him so much. But it felt like you were losing him to every shot he fired and while you wanted to blame Namjoon for leading him down this road, you knew that he was given a choice every time. Now, it was your time to make choices, and this choice was made out of love, and out of desperation to keep the two of you from destroying each other.

You took another step forward but then paused, an idea popping to your head, and before you could even think about it truly, you found yourself running back down the stairs, this time with his black hoodie pulled over your shirt. He wouldn’t miss it, and while you scorned yourself for wanting to be reckless and take something of his, you couldn’t bring yourself to part with it. It was the first thing he had given you many years ago.

When you brought the hood up over your head, you breathed in his scent, that smoky air that was always somehow laced with jasmine. It was the thing that popped out about him when you had met five years ago when his hair fell just above his eyes and you wondered how someone could look like the devil holding a revolver but smell like an angel caught in a storm. Even then, you knew he would be the end of you; you just didn’t think it would have taken him down as well.

The warm hoodie engulfing you up to your mid-thigh was enough support to make you take another deep breath before unlocking the door, stepping outside and closing it behind you. You threw your keys into the bushes and walked down the sidewalk, not looking back at the place you had both called “home”.

Five minutes later, you stand at the side of the beach, the sand brushing over your black converse as you threw your old SIM card with all your might into the sea. It disappeared under the dark water; you turned away, ticking off yet another thing from your plan.

Then, you were in one of the many train stations in Seoul, waiting on a bench for your 10:30pm train to arrive in ten minutes and take you to your friend’s place in Daegu. By now, you were a bit calmer than before, the twisting in your chest relieving more and more as time passed. A kind man who claimed he would put it above your seat had taken your bag; you never thought you would be so grateful to see a smiling face. Before you handed over your bag, you took your phone with its new SIM card and your wallet to buy yourself some tea for the trip ahead of you.

The bells above café door chimed as you went inside, and you flashed a smile to the young girl working behind the counter. “Could I get a regular Earl Grey tea please?”

She nodded, took the bill you handed her and informed you that she’d call you up when the tea was ready, so you took a seat at an empty table for two. You sighed, unlocking your phone before opening the photos app. You couldn’t help the wobbling of your bottom lip as you swiped through the selfies you took with him, the photos you had taken while he was doing such small mundane things. Your finger hovered for a second over the play icon before you play the video, watching the boys running down the sandy shore of the beach you all decided to visit.

Their hooting could be heard faintly over the whirling of the hot water machine in the front. It was as if you were there again, standing with the sand under your toes while watching Jimin and Jungkook race each other to the sea. You were behind the camera until Namjoon face brightened by a smile popped up as he grabbed the phone from you and turned it to you.

You huffed out a chuckle as you watched your poor attempt at aegyo, but suddenly you were taken aback by the youthfulness of your face. Your eyes were shining with joy, your mouth stretched easily into the grin of a girl completely smitten by a group of attractive men. It was hard to remember who you once were; when you looked in the mirror nowadays, you still saw a young girl in love, but there were more shadows lurking in your irises than there had been before you met him, that night when jasmine became your favorite scent.

You didn’t even realize that you were crying until a tear fell from your lashes onto your phone screen, and you hastily swiped at your eyes when your tea is placed before you. “Thank you,” you mumbled, still looking down at where the video ended, the snapshot of him picking you up into the air and kissing you as the boys shouted “cooties” at the two of you.

Maybe you were making a mistake by leaving; you knew he would go to the ends of the world to find you, but you still wanted time to yourself. You needed to find yourself after having had led yourself beneath the angry storm of gang conflicts.

You sighed, reaching for the tea—

You were so caught up in your emotions that up until now, you didn’t even realize how quiet the café had gotten, nor did you realize that someone had taken the seat at your table. You looked up at the counter where the barista was but she had disappeared; you turned your gaze then to the person in front of you.

You froze as the world suddenly stopped spinning.

He sat across from you, staring out the café window at the train that was now ready for boarding. He didn’t change out of what he was wearing when you last saw him in the morning on his way out to meet with the boys; his black shirt and black jeans didn’t show the blood stains that you somehow knew was on him, his knuckles purple and red from bruising as if he had hit someone or something repeatedly. He wore a black hat over his dark hair; the strands had grown longer than the first time you had met.

Your eyes traced his split lip, dried blood staining it, and despite your utter mortification of his presence here, you drank in his stoic expression hungrily. He was the definition of lust, everything about him screamed of sin; and yet, you thought that you could still see the ghost of his loving grin, the way his eyes would twinkly with childlike delight at the simple things.

Sitting before you now though, you couldn’t see your boyfriend. In fact, it was the man who had beaten your wonderful lover and taken his skin—this was Bangtan’s famed interrogator. And god, were you in deep shit.

His voice was midnight wrapped in the darkest blue of satin, each word rolling off his tongue like a psalm. “I came home early to surprise you; by the time I was about to open our front door, Yoongi called me to let me know that one of his men saw you waiting at this train station.” With that, he threw your backpack, the one you had given to the smiling attendant, onto the floor beside your chair. You winced at the loud sound it made, and your heart dropped at the spray of blood staining the periwinkle shade. “I called him bluff at first, but then I read your note.” He braced his folded hands over the table and you flinched. He still wasn’t looking at you. “So, I sped here to find you ready to drink some tea and move on.”

You were shaking in your seat, not sure how to approach this situation. Usually, it was a scream fest that made up your fights or the complete silent treatment on your half until he was shoving you into a wall and forcing a scream out of you with his tongue and fingers working against you. That was how Tae dealt with your problems, but you already knew who was sitting across from you now.

Kim Taehyung looked at you now, still devastatingly beautiful with his eyes drilling into your mind, as you stifled a whimper at its intensity. “Did you really think that I would just let you go?”

You exhaled a shaky breath, unable to tear your eyes from his gaze as you began to shake your head. “Tae—“ His fist came down on the table with a loud bang, the sound making you jump. Fear rocketed into your chest when you realized how you two were the only ones in the café, and how quickly the situation has escalated. He was staring daggers at you. “You promised that it would be us against the world. You made me a promise, and now you were just going to leave all that we have behind?”

The tears that you were trying to keep in finally slipped out. “I had to; we were killing each other, Tae. Please,” you said in a shaky tone, too afraid to move and wipe away the downpour of tears. “Please, let me go.”

He stared at you, breaths coming in unevenly as though he had run a marathon. “Let you go?” He repeated in disbelief, afterward letting out a dark chuckle before leaning forward on his forearms. His eyes were wide and red, red from tears or drugs or maybe even both. “You’re not going anywhere, darling.”

A/N: ahhh hello, everyone! I’ve never actually posted my fics online before, and this is my first time writing a plot like this one so give me some love ^^

I hope to be active on this page now, but bear with me if my posts come at irregular hours <3 hope you enjoyed the prologue; I had fun writing it and I can’t wait to show you more >:) I love you, and have a great day!

~ shaya

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warriorbeeofthesea · 6 years ago

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Furniture Arrangement (6677 words) by soultoast Chapters: 5/? Fandom: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow, Penelope Bunce & Simon Snow, Penelope Bunce & Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch Characters: Penelope Bunce, Simon Snow, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch Additional Tags: Snogging, Post-Watford (Simon Snow), Post-Canon, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Mentions of Sex, Sexting, (sort of), Frank discussion of masturbation, Drinking, car makeouts, Awkward Sexual Situations Summary:

Simon and Penny move into their flat, and Baz helps them settle in.

Chapter 4

Simon

"This bed is ridiculous."

"I know! Look, I can lay sideways across it."

I lift my head from where I'm sprawled out and grin as Penny flops facedown onto the bed. She shifts until her her head is next to mine.

"Are you glad I talked you into this one?"

"It'll do, I suppose." I'm still smiling, so I know she knows I'm well pleased.

"Any progress on getting Baz to help test it out?"

"Penny!"

"Speak of the devil." She's glancing past me to my phone on the nightstand. "He's texting you."

I blush and try not to look too eager as I launch myself upright to grab my phone.

"I'll leave you to your sexting."

"It's not sexting!" I say without looking up.

"Hi, love. What are you up to?"

I smile to myself and type a quick response.

"Nothing much. New bed delivered today. Wanna come over?"

I know he's panicking a little. I can tell by the three dots that keep appearing and disappearing. I'm alright with tormenting him a little. He certainly has been tormenting me quite a bit lately.

Evidently he's given up on coherently responding via text, because my phone rings.

"Hey," I answer with my voice low and gentle.

"Hi." Silence.

"You alright, Baz?"

"Yeah! Yes. I just wanted to know if you, um, wanted to go for, um, a drive with me." Merlin, he sounds nervous. I've never known Baz to stammer.

"Are you asking me on a date?" I've never been asked on a date before.

"I suppose? I don't want you to expect anything too elaborate. I just want to go for a drive to clear my head, and would like your company." Ah, so it's not a date. It's a good thing we already sorted out the boyfriend formalities.

"I'd love to, darling." I hear Baz's breath hitch. I figured out a few days ago that pet names evoke that reaction from him, and it gives me a thrill.

"I'll be by your place in an hour, then." The bravado has returned to his voice. I smirk to myself. There's my Baz.

Penny

I'm sitting on the edge of the tub and watching Simon shave for his date. He's concentrating as he stares at his reflection. Even though I'm pretty sure he's been shaving for years, he still seems to have difficulty with it. I'm not sure why.

When Simon was at his worst, I helped him shave. I didn't think it was that difficult, but I suppose it wasn't my throat under the blade.

It was right after Christmas. Baz hadn't gone back to Watford yet, but we hadn't seen him since his parents took him home.

Simon wasn't getting out of bed. My mum put the camping cot at the foot of my bed because he couldn't bear to be alone, but he also couldn't bear to talk or look anyone in the eye.

"Simon? Baz called. He wants to see you." I sat next to the cot and brushed Simon's hair out of his eyes.

Simon looked blankly at me, then slowly sat up.

"Pen, I need to get cleaned up before he comes over." I nodded, and started to turn away to call Baz back, when Simon reached out to still my arm.

"Penny." He was looking me in the eye. I knew it must have been important, so I stared back patiently. "I don't want to look a complete mess. Baz is-- he's..."

I waited, but Simon didn't continue. "What is it, Simon?"

He looked down at his hands. "Baz is my boyfriend." His eyes darted towards mine and then quickly away.

I paused, wondering how Simon wanted me to react. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Some of the tension ran out of Simon's face. "Could you help me get ready?"

And that's how I found myself learning how to shave a man's face. I also pushed him into the shower, and helped him dress, and combed his hair. All so he could make a good impression for Baz.

Simon

Penny's watching me shave, but I try not to let it make me nervous. I'm eternally grateful for how she's taken care of me these months, but I inwardly cringe when I think of how helpless I was for such a long time.

"You've missed a spot." She leans forward to point at a spot on my neck.

"Penny, I've got it." I'm irritated.

"What will you wear for your date?"

"Penny!" I slam down my razor on the counter. I see her wince when it breaks. "I don't need your help. Just leave me alone!"

I regret it as soon as I say it. "Pen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

She's already out the bathroom door. "Piss off, Simon." She leans back into the bathroom and softens her gaze. "I know you're sorry, and you're sorting through things. I just need to be angry with you a while."

I nod. Penny's anger with me is almost reassuring after feeling like delicate glass for so long.

"Enjoy your date. Tell Baz I said hi." Before I can answer, she's slammed the door to her room.

Baz

Before I can park and come to the door like a gentleman, Simon is already climbing into the car as it idles in the street.

"Alright, Snow?"

"Yeah," he says distractedly. "Let's go."

I can tell something is wrong, but I don't push it. I pull away from the curb and start driving.

"Penny says hi."

"Oh."

"Where are we going?"

I'm not really sure where I want to go, just that I want to get out of the city. Somewhere quiet, where we can be alone. Somewhere that is not the giant new bed in Simon's room.

I can't tell him that, though. "I just want to drive out of city. We can get a meal while we're out."

Simon smiles and takes my hand. I let him, for a moment, then reluctantly pull away. "I need that hand for the gearshift."

"Oh! Sorry!" I glance at him. He's blushing.

We're both silent for a long time. He's staring out the window as the blocks spread out under the setting sun. Crowley, this city goes on forever. I'm itching to get into the countryside.

By the time we do, the sun has set.

"Who's car is this, anyway?" He asks, breaking the long silence.

"Hmm? Oh, it's Fiona's MG. Beautiful, isn't it? She said I could drive it while she's out of the country." (Actually what she said was "Don't you dare shag in my fucking car, Basilton." My face flushes at the memory. I don't even see how I could shag in this tiny car.)

"Mm." Snow is obviously not as impressed by beautiful cars as I am.

More silence. He eventually speaks again. "Penny's angry with me."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Dunno."

Simon

Baz pulls the car to the edge of the road and cuts the engine. He turns and looks at me expectantly. I know he's just itching to tell me, "Use your words, Snow." But he doesn't. Thank magic for that.

"I just... I lost my patience with her."

"I can't imagine what that must be like," he drawls sarcastically.

I roll my eyes at him. "Shut it, you arse."

He looks at me carefully for a moment, his expression softening.

Then all at once he's reaching for my face with his left hand and launching himself towards my side of the car.

Or he tries to. He's still in his seat belt and it holds him in place. "Fuck!"

When I laugh he shrinks away from me and looks determinedly out the window.

Baz

"Baz! Love, I'm sorry for laughing."

I just want to die and melt into this car. Life would be simpler as part of a gorgeous car.

"Darling." He's pulling out all the stops to get me to look at him. I won't do it though.

I hear his seat belt click open, and then he reaches for mine. I let it retract across my body when he unfastens it. He's leaning across the center console and gently touches my face.

I turn towards him because I'm weak.

His smile is gentle and lopsided. I melt. "Come here," he murmers.

Simon

Baz lets me pull him gently towards me to kiss him. It's awkward; I'm leaning over the center console, and the gearshift is digging into my gut.

It's a slow, sweet kiss. I run my tongue messily against his bottom lip. Fuck sweet.

I pull at Baz's belt loops as I move away from his mouth. "Come here," I whine, and tug again for emphasis.

Baz's eyes grow wide and then he's scrambling out of his seat. His feet get caught on the steering wheel and he flops onto me. We both laugh, out of breath.

I push and pull at him until he's sideways across my lap with his long legs on the driver's seat. "Hi." I smirk at him.

He grins back, and then my hands are in his hair pulling him into me.

Baz

I'm sat on Simon's lap, and his hands are absolutely roving across my body. I whimper into his mouth as he rubs my stomach.

He settles his hand on my left hip, letting his thumb caress the crease between my hip and my thigh through my trousers. I gasp and pull back.

"Above the belt, Snow. Fiona will stake me if I let anyone come in her car."

Simon's eyes widen in horror and he pulls his hands back like I'd burned him. "I wasn't-- I'm not trying to--"

Shit. Absolute fucking shit. Why the fuck did I say that?

He stares at me wordlessly, and then starts laughing. "Jesus fucking Christ, Baz. What do you mean, 'Anyone'? Do you have other boyfriends begging to come in your aunt's car?"

"I panicked!"

He buries his face in my neck and twists his hands into my hair again. "It's alright, love. I don't mind that you have absolutely no chill."

I start to pull away, but he grips me closer. "Let's go get you some food," I say, and start to shift off his lap.

"In a minute." He smiles at me and pulls my face back down to his.

Crowley. I still might actually melt into this car.

#fanfic #carry on #simon x baz #snowbaz

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topimagines · 7 years ago

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Inferno

Lust

Summary: Where do people go when they die? Well, for the least lucky people in the world, hell is waiting. So what happens when the devil’s right hand man comes back to limbo to lead someone he doesn't know to his boss?

Warning: this chapter gets super graphic, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of asphyxiation with intentions to kill, Tyler gets violent with someone, name calling, it’s really dark. So, if you don’t like this kinda stuff, don’t read it. (it’s based on hell, what do you expect?) also, i love halsey to death, she’s just bitchy for the sake of plot

Part 1// Part 2// Part 3// Part 4// Part 5// Part 6// Part 7//

(Not my gifs!!)

“Before we go on, can you explain something to me?” You asked after a moment of silence, watching Tyler for a small nod, “why did you come get me? I mean, Brendon could have sent anyone if you said no, why did you say yes?”

“What makes you so sure, I had a choice?” He asked, dodging the question.

“Because every demon seems surprised to see you, their eyes don’t just hold fear,” you said, he scoffed. His red eyes somehow glazing over with something you had seen before, after you asked your parents too many questions they couldn’t and/or didn’t want to answer. He reached over to his lamp and turned it off.

“Go to sleep.”

Please read warnings before advancing! It is not my fault if you get triggered because you did not read my warnings!

You, eventually, made it out of limbo. The amount of people in that part of hell surprised you very much, if there were that many people in that circle, what can you expect from the other circles. But, as humans and dead alike do, you and the demon accompanying you got tired and had to stop somewhere between limbo and the second ring of hell. There was a small camp of demons in tents in this area, who you assumed were travelling from one ring to another like you.

“So, what was your life like?” You asked, sitting down in the tent Tyler forced his brethren to give up to you both. The tent was just big enough for the two of you and a bit more, it had two beds nicely tucked into the corners and a small dining area to sit at.

“It was interesting,” he sighed, flopping down onto one of the beds, “what about you?”

“That tells me nothing about you,” you muttered, “how about this, I share one thing about me and you share one thing about you and we go back and forth from there?” You looked at the demon, awaiting a response. He glanced over at you, red eyes piercing as he tried to gauge if you really wanted to know anything about him. He shrugged when he saw no sign of hesitation.

“Fine.”

“Well, I had just moved in with my boyfriend, Tom, when I died, and my last words to my mom were, ‘I love you’,” you started, hoping he’d give you something tangible.

“My last words ever were ‘Help me’,” Tyler muttered, you almost didn’t hear him. You didn’t pry, though, because he didn’t seem to want to share.

“What makes you so sure, I had a choice?” He asked, dodging the question.

“Go to sleep,” he said, a gravelly tone taking over the once smooth sound from his vocal cords, “we have a long trip tomorrow.” You felt guilty for asking the question, but when you wanted to know something, your filter disappeared.

“Good night, Tyler,” you said quietly.

“Good night.”

You couldn’t breathe. Someone’s hand was around your throat, or maybe that was your hand. You reached up and clawed at the strong hand that seemed to never loosen its grip. You opened your eyes and saw the face of a masked man, his eyes filled with more evil than anyone you saw in hell.

You choked out for someone to help you, still clawing at the hand with as much strength as you could. Suddenly, you blinked and the face was replaced with Tyler’s, his red eyes boring into yours as you struggled to breath.

“Why?” You choked out, blinking over and over, hoping the face would change from the demon guiding you through hell. Instead of answering, a large, sinister smile crossed his face and he added more pressure to your throat, “please, st-op.”

“Oh, but it’s so fun watching you suffer,” he said in the same gravelly voice he used before going to sleep for the night. You closed your eyes and prayed for this to stop before you died.

You’re already dead, a voice reminded you, so just wake up.

Wake up. Wake up!

“(y/n), wake up! It’s a dream! Just a dream!” Tyler exclaimed, shaking you to try and wake you up, “come on, open your eyes, please.” You screamed in your sleep, crying out for someone to help you. He knew this too well, every human that came down to hell was plagued with nightmares, and unless someone became a demon, they never went away. You sobbed, kicked, and did everything to get whatever was on you, off. “please just wake up,” he grunted, shaking you one more time before your eyes shot open.

You slowly took in your surroundings and shot up from the bed, taking hold of Tyler and pulling him into you. You buried your head in his chest and let out a sob, finally able to breath. His eyes widened and he had to process what was happening before he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close.

“Was jus'a dream,” he said into your ear, his voice back to normal. He let you sob into his shirt as he rubbed circles on your back, whispering in your ear that you’re safe and it was only a dream. When your sobs subsided, and turned into spaced out sniffles, he pushed you back to an arm’s length to take in your appearance. Your eyes were puffy and red and your nose looked raw from wiping it with your sleeve. “Do you wanna tell me about it?”

You shook your head, sniffling and wiping your nose one more time before taking a deep breath, “I probably look like a big baby right now.”

Tyler chuckled lowly and shook his head, “you look like someone who’s in hell.” You laughed at his jest and he smiled in your direction, “there’s a smile. You know, you have a pretty smile.”

You blushed and looked down at your hands before replying, “yours isn’t bad either.” After a moment of silence, Tyler stood up and looked around the tent.

“Alright, enough sentiment, we have a long day today, we have to make it at least halfway through the second ring, that’s where my buddy Ashley is, she’ll let us stay there for the night,” he sighed. He let you get up and look in the small mirror in the corner of the room before leading you out of the tent, “there’ll be a change of clothes there, so we can change and shower.”

“Thank… god?” You thought about what you were about to say, ending the sentence as more of a question than a statement.

“People around here don’t really like that word,” Tyler said with a serious expression on his face. You looked up at him like a dear in the head lights and a smile spread across his face, “I’m joking, don’t worry.” He walked toward a commissary area and grabbed two bottles of water and two sandwiches before winking at the girl who was sitting behind a table at the front to watch out for the damned. He held out the items meant for you in your direction, which you gladly took. Tyler led you out of the camp, waving at some of the demons that weren’t scared of him.

“Why are you so jokey all the sudden?” You asked while you opened up the wrapper around your sandwich. Tyler was leading you down a long stairway, one you had to take to get to the camp last night, when he stopped to look you in the eye.

“When you’re in hell, first impressions make an incredibly large difference, and I suppose mine wasn’t as good as it could have been,” he said, he thought for a second about something else to say, “the reason I said yes to coming to get you is because I heard some innocent girl was being sent to hell for barely a reason in the world and it reminded me of all the people I tortured instead of helped. In case it isn’t obvious, I haven’t left Brendon’s place in a while,” He finally answered the question his mind wouldn’t let him forget. Even as he tried to sleep that night, “I guess I felt guilty after the smoke had cleared and it was said ‘n done, so I just stayed held up in my room.”

“Well, then, let’s start over,” you said, “we only have half a ring of hell to get through. Tell me about yourself, Tyler.”

“Let’s get walking, then,” he said, holding out his hand to help you down the stairs. Your sandwich was long forgotten in your other hand, as well as the water bottle tucked under your arm, when you took his hand and listened to him talk intently.

You finally entered the second circle. You and Tyler both were giggling your heads off at a funny story he had told. When you looked at your surroundings finally, you saw many large gazebos with multiple demons under them being fanned by humans that looked starve. You turned your head to Tyler as if to ask why they were being fanned.

“Well, from what I understand, before Brendon got power over hell, this place used to be overtaken by wind, so when he came in and ‘remodeled’, he made it less severe for his minions and people passing through,” he explained. He then pointed to the top to a quite large building about 20 miles in the distance. You could barely make it out, but it was large enough to know that it was there, “That’s Ashley’s place, she takes… special care of the people who come through here. I guess that’s what we get for assigning her to the ring of lust.”

“Wait, so that’s like a, sex hotel or something?” You asked, cringing slightly, “a whore house?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, more like a whore house with strobe lights,” he replied with a chuckle. Nice choice of words there, (y/n), you thought. He led you past some gazebos and you noticed all of the demons being fanned were all women, and all the starving humans were men. They all stared at you with jealousy in their eyes, probably wishing they could drown you in their flaming mojitos. “I’m gonna warn you before we get to the sex hotel,“ he mocked, "Ashley is a succubus, and you should not let her seduce you. Most the women in this ring are, so be careful.”

“I thought those were myths,” you stated, avoiding eye contact with the, now aptly named, succubi staring at you.

“I thought you’d have learned by now that not a lot of things down here are myths,” he chuckled, “they will always stare at you, it’s just part of being in this ring.” He noticed your awkwardness, oh fun, “Don’t let any men talk to you, either, they could be incubi or claimed by a succubus,” he added as an afterthought.

“Hell is just loads of fun, ‘innit?” you asked. Tyler nodded, a smile on his lips.

You two continued to walk in comfortable silence, not noticing that you were still holding hands.

The front doors to the building were made of bright pink tinted glass and you could immediately see strobe lights behind it. People were dancing and jumping around, and the music was loud enough to hear from a mile away.

“I never liked clubs when I was alive,” you said, suddenly overwhelmed by the scene behind the doors, “I met my… ex at the library.”

Tyler laughed lightly at your sudden confession, “I’m not surprised. But if you want, we can go through the side entrance, there are less people, and a staircase that leads us straight to Ashley’s office.”

“Can we really?” Tyler nodded, “oh thank you. Thank you,” you said, relieved. You took hold of his hand again so he could lead you to the side door. He didn’t hesitate, and lead you to the left side of the building, into the building, and up to the door of the office.

He knocked on the door, and waited for a soft “come in” before entering. The office was huge, well lit, and neater than you expected. There were two couches, one lining the left and right-side wall, and one large desk at the far end of the room. The walls were a nice shade of magenta, and the windows at the far end were tinted to match. there were large book shelves wherever they could fit, but the books did not match the scenery, one of them saying in bold letters Fahrenheit 451. There was a girl in the large chair behind the desk, another girl sat in her lap, grinding down on her like she was never going to get off again. Tyler cleared his throat to catch the girl’s attention. She looked up from what she was occupied by, and smiled in your direction.

“Ok, you can leave now, Hayley,” she said, lightly pushing the girl off of her lap. She walked out of the room with his head down, awkwardly covering her bare chest when she passed you, “well, now you’ve gone and brought me a new toy to use! Been a while, was wondering when you’d bring fresh meat! What’s your name, sweetheart?” Ashley had blue hair that went down slightly past her shoulders, smirking ruby red lips that made you slightly jealous, and hot pink eyes that glinted mischievously. Her outfit was far more intriguing than her facial appearance, though. She was in a black lacy bralette, a short skirt with fishnets under them, and a light pink flannel hanging off her shoulders that had to be two sizes too large.

“None of your business, Ash, we’re just here for lodging and food,” Tyler answered for you, stepping in front of you protectively.

“Oh, but we used to have so much fun with the toys you used to bring, why don’t we choke her and strap her down to the couch, fuck her like we used to do to so many others, and have good ol’ Josh finish her off,” she said, her voice taunting as she tried to get under his skin. She stood and slinked around the desk to get a better look at you. Tyler moved once again to block you from her prying, pink eyes.

“That was years ago, Ashley,” he grunted. She continued to stare at him with a teasing glint in her eyes, “(y/n), can you step out?” You looked up at him with wide eyes, questioning his quietly, “no one’s gonna mess with you, I promise. I just need a moment alone with Ashley.” You nodded and turned away from him, walking quietly out of the room, closing the door behind you.

As soon as you walked out of the room, Ashley walked back to her chair, “quite protective of her, aren’t you? Isn’t that the girl Brendon wants for his own? Wonder how much of a whore she had to be in her life to wind up here.”

“Listen, Ashley,” Tyler said, “I am your superior, you will listen to me and I refuse to take this kind of shit from you.” With every word he said, he stepped around the desk and finally stood in front of her chair, each hand on the arm rests to block her in, “if I ever hear anything like that out of your mouth again, you’re in for a lot more than a talking to with Brendon.”

“Did I pinch a nerve?” She asked, cockily, “you want her all to yourself? Want one of the special rooms so you can take her? She’s got such a pretty face to wreck, just think about what Josh would do to her. He’d love to ruin her.”

Tyler snapped, his face flushed red with anger as he lifted his hand and took her by the throat. He pulled her out of the chair and threw her against the glass with all his force, “You shut your mouth, slut. You’re gonna listen closely, because i will not repeat myself, you will respect me, even if I have to send you to the first ring of violence, where Pete would have a hay day with you. That girl out there is not your toy, or anyone’s for that matter, and she will be treated with the same respect I do. Got it?” Ashley didn’t answer, she just looked him in the eye with surprise in hers, “I said, got it?” He closed his hand tighter around her throat as a punctuation, and she started to nod her head. He let go and went to walk to the door, not paying attention to the sound of her body sliding down the glass of the window.

“You’ve changed,” Ashley said, her voice raspy from what just happened, “I’m disappointed.”

“I don’t need your approval.”

“We’re staying in this room,” Tyler pointed to a room at the end of the hall to the right, “I use it whenever I’m in this circle.” You wanted to ask what happened in Ashley’s office when you left, but were too scared to think about the possibilities.

“Ok,” you whispered.

“Listen,” Tyler stopped you in front of the door, “I told you how I was when I got here, but I forgot to mention that I spent most of my time here.”

“I don’t care what you did, but I just want to know that you’ve changed,” you said, looking the man in his red eyes, “what’s in the past can’t be helped.” As you looked the demon in the eye you saw something in them, something you hadn’t seen yesterday.

He had caring, brown eyes when he was alive.

“I have, I can assure you that,” he said. You didn’t break eye contact for a moment, and suddenly your body wrapped itself around him in a hug, surprising yourself and Tyler. He didn’t reciprocate right away, but eventually he looped his hands around your back and buried his face in your neck. Tyler couldn’t think straight as you both sat in the hall in each other’s embrace. All he could think was,

What the hell are you doing to me?

#tyler joseph #tyler joseph imagine #twenty one pilots fanfiction #tyler joseph smut #tyler joseph x reader #twenty one pilots imagine #brendon urie fanfiction #brendon urie smut #brendon urie imagine #brendon urie fluff #brendon urie x reader #halsey #ashley frangipane

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the100oneshots · 7 years ago

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Genuine - Bellamy Blake Imagine

prompt list can be found here !!

Reader x Bellamy Blake

Words: 1,099

Warnings: swearing

Prompt/s: “Love is the most overrated thing ever.” & “Shall we make a bet?” & “You won’t last.”

There were worst things in the world. Being stabbed by a grounder was pretty bad. Dying from the stab wound would’ve been pretty bad too. Even being tortured by the grounders was something you feared. But you felt like it was the end of the world again when you were stuck with Bellamy Blake in an bunker in the midst of acid fog.

It was silent between the two of you, except for the shallow breathing of the two of you. There was no real proper way to start a conversation so you didn’t feel the need to. Bellamy had a reputation, he was a leader. And you? You were just trying to stay out of trouble.

The rain mixed in with the acid fog made it harder to breathe whilst running, and now sitting down, to control your breathing was getting harder because of the consistent shivering.

“Here.” Bellamy spoke handing his jacket to you. “I’m fine.” You managed to say through the shivering and heavy breathing as shook your head. He lightly shook his head, and put it around you regardless.

“We’ll be in here for a while.” He spoke up looking around the bunker. It was filled with a bunch of stuff and was a reasonable size. However, it still caused anxiety to stir beneath you.

“Is this a bad time to tell you I’m a bit claustrophobic?” You chuckled as you wrapped the jacket around you a bit more. “Seriously?” He asked, acting as if he was so done with you right now. “You lived in a fucking space station your whole life!” He said still amazed at the revelation. “Well up there I had people I cared about to help me.” You raised your voice back at him.

He knew it was serious, and he knew Octavia got like this a little bit so he tried to ease the anxiety you felt with a joking comment. “Well I’m just offended.” He said a bit more dramatic then you thought the greta Bellamy Blake would be. It caused a small laugh to escape your mouth.

“What can I do to help?” He said sitting infant of you, his head leaning against the opposite wall. “Just keep talking.”

“What do you think of the wall?” He asked, expecting an honest answer. “I think it’s a good idea, in theory. It does however create boundaries and potentially backs us into a corner when an attack happens though.” He raised his eyebrow, never really thinking about that part. “Interesting.” He said, mulling it over.

“How’d you get on the drop ship?” You asked him, interned. He scoffed a little bit and ignored the question by asking you the same. “How’s you get on the drop ship?”

“I asked you first.” You sassed back as he chuckled. “I made a deal, maybe with the devil but, I had to be here for O. My sister, my responsibility.” He asked, and you could see in his eyes the determination. He was genuine and you felt as if you were just now seeing the real Bellamy Blake. “What about you, ey?” He nodded for you to answer.

You let out a small laugh. The reason was stupid looking back, but when you were in the moment you was just enraged. “I was 16 and I, uh, I punched a guard in the face, knocked him out cold.” You admitted, laughing a little as you said it.

Bellamy was a little bit surprised, he knew you could fight a little, but this was two years ago, and all he could imagine was your angelic face beating people up for fun. “I was, being escorted out of Mecha station after a semi-breakdown. I’d just had my heart crushed by a stupid boy I used to love. Looking back on it now I cringe at the memory, but back then, I felt like beating the crap out of a bunch of people.” You said as he laughed.

“I can’t believe I missed it.” He smiled towards you, earning a little laugh. “Love is the most overrated thing ever.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I mean, you loved your sister enough to defy the odds and come down here, right?” You questioned and he agreed. “You got me there.” He surrendered, his hands up playfully. “Don’t act as if you’re not capable of love Bellamy, you’re human.”

“I might not be.” He challenged with a smirk on his face. “Wanna make a bet then?” You responded, a questioning glance being sent your way. “Whatchu got in mind?”

“I will do any job in the camp you want me to do, and I mean any! If you can actually develop genuine feelings for any girl in the camp, to prove, love isn’t overrated. And that Bellamy Blake can actually feel emotion of course.” You dared with a look of determination etched into your features.

He was skeptical, but he wasn’t going to back down. “Deal.” He agreed, ready to prove you wrong.

A smile replaced the look of determination as you laughed to yourself, Bellamy sending a questioning look your way. “What?”

“You won’t last.” You laughed quietly.

#bellamy #bellamy blake #bellamy blake imagine #bellamy imagine #bellamy blake imagines #The 100 #the 100 imagines #the 100 imagine #the 100 one shot #the 100 oneshot

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birdiethebibliophile · 8 years ago

Text

{fic} Even Ice Melts in Hell

Word Count: 4.5k Characters: Cassian, Azriel Relationship: Cassian/Azriel Warnings: None

Here on AO3.

Summary: Cassian has loved Azriel for as long as he can remember, but he's resigned himself to never being loved back. Little does he know that Azriel feels the same about him. And being stuck in a tiny room at an inn in the middle of the Steppes can be the perfect time for secrets to come out...

Based on @yalenayardeen‘s Cutthroat Fanfiction: ACOTAR Edition Generator! Prompt was:

CHARACTERS: azriel and cassian; TROPE: bed sharing; TWIST: first person past pov

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I was absolutely, one-hundred-percent going to hell. I was going to die, and then I was going to descend into the depths of hell and die again. And maybe a few more times for good measure. Or maybe Azriel would bring me back to life just to kill me again. I wouldn’t put it past him.

But holy shit.

“What do you mean, there’s only one room?” Az was at his worst. We’d been in the Steppes for five days, because Az insisted that total immersion was the best way for me to get flying again. He’d taught Feyre, he argued, he could teach me. It would be no problem. Of course, that was before we got trapped by snowstorm for two days, nearly froze to death, finally managed to get to a town (through the freezing rain the snow had now become), only to discover that the single inn only had one room free. One room with one bed.

And Az, hair dripping ice-cold water into his eyes, wings twitching like they wanted to flare to their full expanse, scarred hands clenching and unclenching as he stared down the clerk, was not happy.

The poor faerie behind the rough-hewn desk cowered. “I’m very sorry, lord,” they squeaked. “All the other rooms are already taken.”

“Azriel.” I almost put my hand on his arm, but then pulled it back at the last moment. “It’s fine. I can just –”

“No, Cass,” he snapped. “I pushed you to your limits for three days, and then you spent two days hiding in that godsforsaken hole, freezing your ass off. The least you can get is a bed to yourself.”

I was going to hell the hard way. My face heated, and I prayed to the Mother that Az couldn’t tell. “You want to kick someone else out of one, then? Because that’s the only way this is going to happen.”

Az’s hands clenched once more, and he took a deep breath, letting it out through his nose. “Fine,” he said tightly. “We’ll take it.”

The faerie nodded several times. “Free of charge,” they assured us. “There’s a bathing room on the second floor and a kitchen on the first. The room is – is on the third.” They swallowed, and I saw their throat bob. I couldn’t blame them for being nervous. Az angry was a sight to see. “I apologize once more, lords. If I’d known you’d be needing rooms, I would’ve set aside our largest, our best –”

Az cut him off with an impatient motion of his hand. The faerie cringed again, whether from the movement or the blue siphon on the back of Az’s hand, I didn’t know. “I know.” He paused a moment, to gather himself, I thought. “I know,” he repeated, in a softer tone – his comforting tone, the one he used to put people at ease, to make them think he was vulnerable and be vulnerable in return. Completely at odds with the harsh command his voice had been mere moments before.

I wondered which he used in bed.

Holy shit, I was going to burn in hell. I might already be burning.

By the time I had gotten ahold of myself, the faerie was relaxed and even smiling. It always astonished me how Az did it – how he could conceal his fury, icy as the rain we had flown through to get here, and make everyone around him believe it was only a façade. That it was the mask, and his true self was soft, and nurturing, and caring, when it was the other way around.

I had never been deceived. I had never once looked at Az when he wore what I thought of as his diplomacy mask and mistaken that for his true face.

I knew that face perhaps better than I knew my own. Knew everything from the hazel eyes three shades lighter than mine, to the white scar behind his left ear, to the slight bump of his nose in line with his cheekbones where Rhys had once broken it. I knew how his thin lips twisted in anger, or softened in humor. I could trace that face with my fingertips in the dark.

I hadn’t, and I never would. But I could.

Az turned back to me, only a slight tightness around his mouth betraying his still-sharp anger. “Well,” he said shortly. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a room.”

******

I could almost feel the flames of hell licking at my heels.

It was worse than either of us could’ve imagined.

“Sure you wouldn’t prefer another night in the Steppes?” Az asked flatly.

“Nope,” I said cheerfully, stepping past him into the room, careful not to even brush against him. I wasn’t sure what would happen if I did. I might spontaneously combust, and that would be embarrassing for all concerned. “C’mon, Azriel, it’s plenty big.”

“I’m sleeping on the floor.”

I turned around, my wings flaring instinctively. I barely stopped myself from wincing; the exercise plus the cold had really not done anything for my wings. Even if they were in perfect shape, they would be sore and raw, as I’m sure Az’s were. “Don’t be an idiot,” I said sharply. “You’ve been out there for just as long as I have, and you need a place to sleep just as much.”

“But –”

“You sleep on the floor, I’ll sleep on it as well,” I threatened. “And as there seems to be even less floor space than bed space, I’ll probably have to sleep on top of you. You don’t want that, do you?”

Our eyes met for what I thought was a split second too long to be casual. Then Az smiled reluctantly. “Fine. You win. Get changed, and I’ll grab us some food.” He hesitated. “And see if I can get some salve for our wings,” he added. “I’m sure yours are even worse shape than mine are.”

I nodded. “Sure. I’ll start a fire, too – looks like there’s some wood stacked in the corner.”

Az glanced back at me from the door, a bare hint of a smile still on his face, before it closed behind him.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

At least when I got down there, I’d be on my own.

Az knocked on the door before he entered. “You decent?”

Absolutely fucking not. “Yeah, come in.”

Az cautiously pushed the door open, balancing two covered plates on one hand, a bottle of wine under his arm. “This was all they had. The cook claimed it was venison. I’m not convinced.”

“We’ve eaten worse,” I said easily. “Remember the squirrels?”

That hint of a smile touched his mouth again. Fuck, he was beautiful when he was happy. I wished I could tell him that. I wished I could tell him that when he gave me that little smile, I wanted to kiss his smiling mouth until it forgot how to frown. “How could I forget? I caught all of them and you ate all of them.”

“Inaccurate,” I protested. “I only ate two more than you did.”

“Two more than me was five.” Az sat down on the bed carefully – the only way he ever did anything – and passed me one of the plates. “And that, Cassian, is a ridiculous number of squirrels for one person to eat.”

“Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was squirrel too.” I scooped some of the stew onto a piece of warm flatbread and shoveled it into my mouth. “Not bad,” I said, mouth full. “Hot. The meat is definitely meat.”

Azriel started to uncover his own plate, but I shook my head, moving it out of his reach. “Get out of those wet clothes first,” I instructed. “Before you catch your death of cold.”

“Must you always be such a mother hen?” Azriel sighed deeply. “Fine. Don’t look.”

I tried not to squirm – tried to concentrate on shoveling the hot, tasteless mystery meat into my mouth. My hair may have still been soaked, the fire may have provided only a semblance of warmth to the room, but I was feeling hot enough to be burning in hell.

I had never seen Azriel naked.

Even when we were children, he was studiously private. The rest of the Illyrians in the war-camps were shameless about their bodies – among other things. But Azriel always made a point of bathing alone, and never stripped down to more than a bare torso. There were rumors, even back then: that he was like the virgin moon-god, and he had the power to change those who spied on him to animals. A young Illyrian disappeared one day, and the next night, we saw a snow-white wolf howling at the moon. Never saw one like it before or since.

So I had never seen him naked, and apparently, I wasn’t going to now. I’d seen him shirtless plenty of times, though – in training, mostly.

I had his spine tattoos memorized. Truth. Loyalty. Justice.

Love.

Holy shit, I should not be thinking about that when in this tiny, freezing room with a mostly-naked Az. The entire space was taken up by hulking Illyrian muscles and soaked leather and wings.

I risked a glance to my left. Az now had loose cotton pants on, though his chest was bare, and his wings – his wings –

There were rumors about them, too. Ridiculous ones, mostly, about wingspans and certain correlations to other body parts. I had no idea if they were true. Az wasn’t one to brag about his lovers, or his prowess in bed. Just another thing about his life that he kept private. But Cauldron boil me, I didn’t care. Not really.

What I cared about was the way the soft firelight caught the veined membrane and shone through it like sunlight through the trees in autumn. I couldn’t breathe for a moment, I was so overcome by his wings and his tattoos and the flickering shadows that highlighted the planes of his face, the living ones that played in his hair, drying each strand as gently as a lover.

Az turned to me, and I hastily turned away until I could hide the aching look I was sure was plastered on my face. “I found the salve,” he said, showing me a small tin.

I reached for it, but he shook his head. “You won’t be able to reach.”

It took me a moment to understand his meaning. I could feel the back of my neck heating, but I did my best to banish it. “You first,” I said briskly, snatching the tin. “You haven’t eaten yet.”

Az’s eyes seemed to search mine for a moment, then he shrugged, retrieving his squirrel stew. He also grabbed the bottle of wine, pulled the cork out with his teeth, and took a generous swig before passing it to me. “They didn’t have any glasses,” he said by way of explanation. “Not clean ones, in any event.”

So I drank directly from the bottle as well, ignoring the thought of how Azriel’s lips had touched it only a moment before. I set it down on the chest of drawers with a noisy clunk and unscrewed the lid to the tin of salve. “You, eat,” I told him. “I’ll take care of your wings.”

For a moment, it seemed like Az might protest. I could count the number of times he’d let others touch his wings on one hand. And yet, for me… He simply nodded and turned to his food, and let his wings stretch out behind him.

The trick was not to think about what I was doing.

I dipped my fingers into the pine-smelling salve and, after a moment of hesitation, touched them to Azriel’s wings.

They snapped in against his back immediately, almost knocking me over.

“Az.”

His shoulders hunched. “Sorry.” But his wings didn’t move.

I touched his back above his wings, and his skin was as cold as ice. Colder. He’d always been this way – a male of ice and sharpness and the cold disregard of the moon. I could see it in every sharp line of his body, from the honed talon at the apex of his wing that seemed to pierce the heavy silence in the room, to the rough swirls of the scars on his hands, rippling as they clenched and unclenched as they had when he was talking to the faerie downstairs.

“I don’t have to.”

Az let out a shuddering breath. “It was me who insisted we needed it,” he said tightly. “Go on.”

His wings still didn’t unfold, so I carefully hooked a finger in the talon of one and tugged it open. Then I spread the salve on a raw, cracked spot, and this time, his wings didn’t snap in.

But they trembled. He trembled.

I stopped. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” Azriel’s voice was tight. Closed-off. “Just do it.”

Steadily, gently, I rubbed the salve into his wings. I pretended it was nothing to me, and he pretended it was nothing to him (or maybe it truly was nothing), and I was wrong about going to hell, because I was already there.

It’s not nothing, Az.

“Done.” I screwed the top back on the tin and set it beside him. “How do they feel?”

“Fine. Thanks, Cassian.” He placed his empty dish on the chest of drawers. “Your turn. Shirt off.”

I obediently pulled my cotton shirt over my head as Az pulled his on, concealing his tattoos. I also grabbed the bottle of wine again, drinking deeply, though I suspected it would take more than the watered-down alcohol the cook had provided to get me through this. “Go ahead,” I said, voice transparently brazen.

I nearly ignited at the first touch of Az’s fingers.

I wasn’t as protective of my wings as Az was. Never had been. Others had touched them, both in and out of bed. But had Az? I couldn’t remember.

I knew he was thinking of Hybern, because I could feel the rough pads of his fingers trace one of the raised scars from where the healers knit me back together. Thinking of when those wings spread between him and death.

As he uncertainly reached the outer edges of my wings – the parts that were still ragged – I let out a long, painful breath. I wouldn’t have done it for just anyone, I thought, trying not to pay attention to the way his fingers rubbed the salve in with slow, deliberate circles, and instead thinking about what I wouldn’t sacrifice for the male here with me.

Nothing. That was the answer. There was nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice for him. My life. My dignity. My control.

My wings.

I would let my wings be shredded a thousand times over for you.

I had been wrong: this was a worse hell than when it was the other way around. Because I had to pretend like I felt nothing at the touch of Az’s hands, at the care he was showing me. I had to pretend I loved him like a brother.

I had to pretend every stroke of his fingers over the membrane of my wings wasn’t shooting a hot line of blood and fire directly into my heart – and between my legs.

“Your hair is wet.”

Az’s hands left me, and I carefully folded my wings to my back. “Longer than yours. And we don’t all have magic that can dry it for us.” I glanced back at him with a smirk. “Some of us can just cleave mountains with a single blow and all that shit. Not very useful for a camping trip.”

“Nonsense.” Az tossed the empty tin onto the chest of drawers with the plates. “You aren’t useless. Look at the marvelous fire you made.”

“Ah, yes. Three twigs. Quite the accomplishment.”

Az’s lips twitched in response. Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me. “I think there might be one more in there, buried beneath the others.”

I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Az?”

But he must have heard something in my voice that betrayed me, because his features shuttered. “It’s late. We should get some sleep.”

I swallowed and dropped my eyes from his face. “Yeah. Of course.” I pulled my shirt over my head, almost tearing it on my wings in my hurry. “Night.”

“Good night.”

I heard the soft whisper of Az’s shadows across the wooden floor, and then the candles illuminating the room went out, all at once.

Carefully, I laid down on the bed, making sure I was as far to one side as I could be, practically pressed against the wall, wings tucked in as tight as I could manage. This bed may have been made for Illyrians, but not for two of them. I felt the mattress dip as Azriel settled down himself.

Something brushed my wing, and I twitched, then froze. I glance back over my shoulder, and realized that it was just Azriel trying to fit himself into the too-small bed without touching me. He slept with his wings curled around himself like a cocoon. He always made it look so comfortable and cozy I’d tried it myself a time or two, but found myself overheating within a few minutes. Meanwhile, he’d sleep like that the whole night and wake with his skin still ice-cold. I had to resist the impulse to put a hand against his back, between his wings, to see if his heart still beat, or if it – like the rest of him – was frozen solid: uncaring, unmoved.

I turned back to the wall, scolding myself for the thought. I knew perfectly well that Azriel cared – about me, about the rest of the Inner Circle. He just didn’t react. Didn’t… feel, perhaps. I had thought, for my first few decades of knowing him, that it was a defense; that he kept himself behind a wall of ice so that he would never again be hurt as he had been in his childhood.

But now, after nearly five centuries, I knew that to be false. Azriel’s icy exterior was one of the truest things about him, a shield that functioned precisely because everyone thought it false. He was capable of incredible things because of it, capable of committing atrocities that would make me vomit, that even Rhys would turn away from. It was that ice in his heart that allowed him to be the spymaster of the Night Court, and perhaps what had taught him the language of his shadows. It was what made him who he was.

And I loved him all the more for it.

For a moment, I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to love Azriel openly. To call him my lover – even my husband, if he could stomach such a term, which I doubted. No, our love (like mine had already been for so long) would be confined to shadows, hinted at only in shared smiles and brief touches, whispered words before missions and shared nights afterwards. Loving Az would not be the tender, warm happiness Feyre and Rhys shared. Loving Az was like loving a storm. I knew that if I stayed out in it, I would be soaked to the bone, swept away. And yet I persisted.

I had loved Azriel longer than I had known how to love.

“Cassian?” Az cleared his throat. “Cass?”

For a moment, I thought I’d dreamed it – that I’d fallen into a restless slumber, caught between the flames of hell and the icy room around us – but I hadn’t. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

Az shifted, and his wings unfolded slightly. I felt something brush over my cheek, and went very, very still. “For helping with my wings. I…”

I waited.

And then I heard it. Felt it.

Az’s shadows wisped to me, brushing my cheeks, my forehead, smoothing over my hair, then curled around my ears. Truth, they whispered. Loyalty. Justice.

Say it, I pleaded with them, my eyes closing.

Love.

I lifted a hand off the mattress, and the shadows wound down it. When they got to my hand, then stroked down each of my fingers in turn. Then they ghosted back to their master.

That’s when I felt his hand.

Holy shit.

I didn’t dare breathe. Here, in this filthy, freezing inn, Az’s fingers brushed the back of my neck, cold as a snowfall. They slid into my hair, unbound from its usual bun and tangled into knots from five days in the wilderness.

“Az,” I said, the word nearly a gasp. “You don’t have to –”

“Shh.” I felt the mattress shift, and then dip directly behind me. He was so close I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I folded my wings against my back even more tightly than before, allowing him more room, but he inched closer in response, so that when I relaxed my wings slightly, they brushed his cotton shirt. “Please don’t – don’t talk.”

I nodded mutely, eyes still closed.

Az’s hand left my hair and slid down to my waist. My shirt was so thin I could feel the whorls and ridges of his scars through the fabric. It clenched there, and I could feel him trembling, like he had when I touched his wings.

“I want to tell you a story,” Az said, and it was neither the harsh, commanding voice he used as spymaster, nor the comfort of his shadowsinger’s lilt. He spoke to me in our mother tongue, the one we’d learned as children, as if the rough cadence and rolled consonants of the common language were too foreign for his words. “Will you listen?”

I nodded again, and as I did so, I felt Az bend his head towards me. His icy nose pressed to my neck, and his dry hair mixed with mine, still damp. His hand slid off my waist, allowing his arm to drape over it. He was quiet for so long I thought maybe he’d fallen asleep.

“It’s a story,” he said, still in Illyrian, “about two boys.”

My heart started beating faster.

“Between the Mother Mountain and the Father Sky,” Az whispered to me, beginning the story as they would when we were children, “there lived two boys. They were both bastards – outcasts. The estranged. The rejected.” His breath cooled my neck. “One was alone. He’d learned to fight for everything, even the clothes on his back. The other had been in the company of those who hated him. He’d learned to hide instead.

“And then, long ago and yesterday, an angel appeared, and the boys thought her their salvation.” My stomach churned at his use of the word angel. In our language, it meant light, breath, one who came from the gods. I knew, instinctively, that he meant Mor. Who else could he mean? “They both longed for her as they longed for the sky, loved her as they loved their mountains. They knew she could not choose both. They were friends, almost brothers. How could she choose?”

I wanted to pull away, to shove Az, to shout that it wasn’t like that. But I couldn’t – not with him so close. And I knew the story was about to get worse.

“And then one day she chose.”

My eyes clenched shut as tightly as they could.

“The angel was a prisoner,” Az whispered. “Chained to the ground, wings clipped. She needed one of the boys to free her from her chains. She chose the fighter, for she saw his spirit and in it recognized her own. And thus she was freed, but at great cost.” Az took a deep breath, and I heard it shudder. “For there was another the hidden one loved, longed for, and he did not dare speak his truth.”

Truth, the shadows said.

I didn’t know whether this was hell or heaven.

“But the second boy resolved never to let this be known,” Az said, and his voice was almost a whimper. “He had his angel; he had his lord; he had his brother. He would do what was required of him. He knew what he was, what he had learned in the shadows: a weapon. He would be loyal to those who wielded him.”

Loyalty, they said, and I thought I could taste the word on my tongue, taste his shadows.

“So the boy allowed ice to enter his heart, and he did great things. Terrible things, but great. And he never let himself get near the other boy, for the other boy was made of fire, and he did not want to melt. He did not know what would happen to him if he melted. Perhaps there would be nothing left. Nothing but shadows.

This was how he spent his years. He killed, and tortured, and meted out justice where he saw fit.”

Justice.

I knew how this story would end.

“But –” Az’s voice broke and he had to stop, compose himself. “He kept on loving the other boy, and it was useless, because loving him was like loving a forest fire. It would burn the flesh from his bones, melt him into nothingness.”

Love, the shadows said.

“And thus it was,” Azriel said quietly, “and thus it would be, now and always.” Ending it like we always ended stories.

I felt something warm on my neck, and I realized Az was crying.

“No,” I said.

It took him a moment to respond. “What?”

“Not always,” I said. “And not now.”

Then I rolled over, opened my eyes, and kissed Az’s forehead, and then his mouth.

It was quiet for a long moment in the room, as I tangled my legs with Az’s and let him cry into my chest. I had the brief, unmoored thought that when I’d imagined how a night sharing a bed with Azriel could go, none of my imagined scenarios had been a thing like this. They had either involved studiously not touching Az all night and nothing happening, or a hell of a lot of sex.

I still wouldn’t say no to the sex.

“I need –” Az’s voice was ragged from crying “– time, Cass. I don’t know how to do this.” He swallowed. “I don’t know if I know how to feel. You deserve better than that.”

“But I want you,” I said, quietly but fiercely. “You think I don’t know what you are? Who you are?”

I closed my eyes and put my fingertips on his face.

“I know you, Az,” I said, running them lightly over his angled brows, his long lashes, his broken nose, his thin lips. “I know you’re made of ice, including your heart. And I don’t mind that, as long as you don’t mind that I’m made of fire.”

Slowly, Az took my hand, still on his face, and kissed my fingers. “I may never thaw,” he whispered.

“I don’t mind that either.”

Az ran his thumb over my palm, then interlaced our fingers and let them rest on the mattress between us. “It won’t be soft, or kind. I am not.”

“I know.”

“Then perhaps,” he whispered, “the story isn’t at its end.”

“I would like that,” I told him, and smiled.

I spent the rest of the night in Azriel’s arms, and he in mine.

I wasn’t in hell. I was in heaven.

#acomaf fanfiction #acotar fanfiction #acotar #acomaf #acowar #cassian #azriel #cassian x azriel #cazriel #cazriel fanfiction #m/m #mine #I hope to god yall like this as much as I do #because honestly I am so proud of myself #anyways have fun kiddos #(oh look it's a ship at least some people care about)#(I didn't know you could write those anymore @ me)

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