#I need a Tyson one in my life

[shuteyeshuttle]

If we don’t get Tyson funko pops after season 2 I will riot.

[exeggcute]

the leaked mrbeast production doc kills me because like, for better or worse, this guy clearly has his shit down to a science. he knows exactly what game he's playing and he knows how to play to win. the actual doc is structured well, communicates its ideas clearly, but also was thrown together by a youtube guy who paid no attention to visual formatting or proofreading. and yet as much as I hate to say it, stuff like this is actually great and widely applicable advice:

What you consume on social media, when you watch youtube, tv, the games you play, etc. are what I like to call your information diet. Chris Tyson (our first subscriber and the guy in the videos) is a wonderful example of an information diet being used to perfection. The dude is funny as fuck. I’ve never met anyone in my entire life that can make people laugh like he can and I never understood why he was so good at it until I lived with him for a few years. The dude watches an obscene amount of cartoons and stupid shit. His eyeballs exsist to inhail copious amounts of just goofy, dumb, and brain numbing content. And as a result he can quote almost any line from any episode of spongebob. He’s able to draw from so much stupid shit in his head as inspiration to make jokes and be quirky. As a result he is fucken hilarious. But let’s imagine a different Chris, let’s say instead of cartoons and stupid shit, his information diet was stocks and investing advice. And for 5 years that’s all he consumed. Do you think he’d be just as funny as he currently is? No. He in my opinion wouldn’t even be 20% as funny. If you’re a writer or director you really need to monitor and perfect your information diet. If your diet is not correct, you won’t have a good pulse on culture. I don’t want you to be a chris, in fact, I think that would probably do you harm. Talent needs to inhale cartoons so they can be funny, writers need to inhale inspiration. Let’s say there is a purple fruit in the middle of Australia that when eaten makes you 2 feet taller. If it truly did exist, you wouldn’t have known that until just right now. But now that you know of it, you can draw on it for inspiration for every piece of content you write going forward. That’s beautiful, it can now sit in the back of your mind waiting for that one video where it is needed. It might take 10 videos or even 100 but eventually you’ll be brainstorming a bit and think of the right one to use the fruit for. Apply this to everything on this fucken planet. You. Can’t. Get. Inspired. By. Things. You. Don’t. Know. Exist. So how do you learn more about what's out there in the world? How do you stay up to date on the latest memes? How do you know what’s going on with celebrities? What’s trending on youtube? What other creators are doing? What’s popping on tik tok? Your information diet. Consume things on a daily basis that help you write better content.

[leaawrites]

Read to me

Percy Jackson x fem!reader

Summary: in a world full of monsters, Percy just wants to protect his girlfriend.

Warnings: mentions of rainstorms, mentions of threats, self doubt, angst, fluff

Wordcount: 0.8k

Masterlist

The night started off with soft rain falling from the sky on the top of the beach house. Montauk. It started quiet and not threatening. Being the Son of Poseidon it shouldn’t make him lay away at night in fear of the storm outside, right? He shouldn’t fear it. But since the dreams got heavier and he finally had something - someone to lose, it felt all a bit more threatening. His life was now not only weighting him down - threatening him - but also her. The girl in his arms that was unaware of everything that happened during summer.

He felt bad for not spending the holiday with her, but she also couldn’t accompany him. Being left to wonder what he was doing there. She knew Grover already and she listened to Percy talk about his friends there - like Annabeth, a girl he mentioned one time too much in her opinion (but she would never actually say that to him) or Tyson. She knew about the lake that was there and capture the flag, but everything else was a mystery to her.

“Why are you still awake?” Y/n asked, waking up in the middle of the night from her boyfriend shaking in fear of a lightning and thunder.

It wasn’t the first time they have slept in the same bed, often doing sleepovers on the weekends. And it definitely wasn’t the first time she woke up because of him. But when she asked for the reason it was always the same.

“Just a bad dream,” Percy muttered, rubbing her arm gently to assure her that it was all fine.

“Percy,” she said, pushing him further than before. Mostly she would just let it go, nod and give him a kiss before snuggling back into his side and fall asleep again. Assuring him that he was safe was her. But he feared that she wasn’t safe with him.

“What are you dreaming about?”

The questioned lingered on her mind for longer already but she finally spoke the words. She needed answers. Not just lame excuses as to why he had scratches down his skin or why he always carried a pen with him when he never even used it.

She needed answers and he knew that, but could he give them to her so easily without putting her in danger? He couldn’t, so what would he give her? What could he give her?

“You,” he answered. Y/n looked at him confused, leaning on her arms to look at him properly. Her fingers moving through his hair. “It’s always you and it never ends good. I don’t want whatever happens in my mind happen in reality too.”

“It won’t,” she assured him, laying her head in the crook of his neck, planting small kisses on his skin.

“What if it will?” He couldn’t keep the possibility of it all away from his mind. He couldn’t block out the pictures he saw when closing his eyes.

“They’re just dreams, Percy,” she said again.

“Maybe they’re not,” he argued back.

“Dreams can’t hurt you.” She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. “I’m here. I’m fine. And as long as I’m with you I will be.”

Silence filled the room. She was right, partially. As long as she was with him nothing would happen to her. He was able to protect her, fight whatever would threaten her.

“Can you read to me?”

Y/n looked at him surprised but nodded nonetheless. Climbing out from under the covers to grab the book, which she would be reading to him whenever he asked, from her bag. The Odyssey. She was confused and taken back when he asked her the first time, taking the book from her shelve and telling her about his interest for Greek Mythology. That was the first night he stayed over at hers. Listening to her read the words written on the pages for him to better understand them.

Saving herself from the cold again by laying back down next to him, Percy rested his head on her chest like he always did. Her hand found it’s way into his hair and gently playing with a few strands. Percy would ask some questions about who was who again sometimes, making her giggle in embarrassment when she didn’t know herself and then they would try and recite which characters they still knew had which part in the story.

The thunder still followed the bright streak of light closely behind but it got less and when she felt him finally relax against her fully and she turned off the light all which was left was soft rain. Kissing the top of his head, she closed her own eyes, falling back into a deep slumber surrounded with her own dreams of him.

[ruegarding]

so. percy's arc in boo (learning to step back, allowing leo to sacrifice himself despite his loyalty/fatal flaw) sucks. for many reasons.

for one, percy yielding is such an integral part of pjo. all of pjo. but even if u somehow missed it in the first four books, tlo explicitly spells it out. "sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding" hestia says to percy. "i yield when necessary. can you do this?" and then this is the climax of the story. "you are not the hero...it will affect what you do." percy has spent the last five books being told that he's the super powerful chosen one able to save or destroy the world, and he still chooses to yield to someone that has done nothing but betray him. "the line from the great prophecy echoed in my head...my whole world tipped upside down, and i gave the knife to luke." hoo acting like this is a lesson percy needs to learn is an affront to reading comprehension. percy lives bc he yields. and then he does it (yielding) again when he surrenders godhood, and power, to choose other demigods instead. this is not subtle writing.

for two, percy has rejected power, and his title, for the entirety of his story. percy doesn't even fully recognize how powerful he is until the volcano in botl. and he had to be told directly that it wasn't a fluke. then in son, percy immediately rejects the power and status offered to him. repeatedly. reyna offers him praetorship, he turns it down. frank is abt to let percy climb the wall first in the war games, percy says it was frank's claim. percy doesn't even want to go on the son quest but relents bc frank asked him. in moa, percy never demands that he lead. instead, he includes frank where he probably wasn't necessary, supports hazel, encourages annabeth, follows leo and piper's lead, and strategizes w jason. he isn't acting as a leader, but rather as part of a team. percy didn't need to "step back," the writing for the other characters needed to step up.

for three, percy had to be kidnapped and manipulated to be on this entire quest. he's not there bc he has a hero complex. acting like he has to learn to step back when he was quite literally shoved into place is wild.

for four, an integral part of percy's character is freedom, autonomy, and he extends this to the ppl he's loyal to. this is pretty explicitly established in tlt: "you're enough like me to understand," sally says. "if my life is going to mean anything, i have to live it myself." percy respects ppl's decisions. this is one of the first lessons he learns when he becomes a hero and an integral part of pjo: percy has to let sally save herself. percy has to let tyson go to the boiler. percy has to let bianca defeat talos. percy has to let nico walk away. percy has to let annabeth fight. if he loves them, he's going to let their lives mean something. even in hoo, percy still lets annabeth go on her quest alone, despite hating it, despite disagreeing w it, bc it's not his place to tell her what she can and can't do. this is her life. she has to live it. so this plotline doesn't even work it we ignore all of pjo and focus solely on hoo.

this theme of autonomy is especially important bc pjo is abt disability. one of the first things ppl try to take away from u when ur disabled is ur autonomy. the fact that percy vehemently defends it not just for himself but for others is essential to the narrative. percy advocates for other demigods, other disabled kids, and tyson, and he does so while maintaining their autonomy. it's why he's the leader, it's why he's the protagonist, it's why there is a callback to it in every pjo book. trying to act like he wouldn't respect someone's autonomy is a bastardization of this entire theme. which is actually fitting for hoo considering it bastardizes the rest of pjo anyway.

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

In Every Life Time

Description: In every life time, you lost him. But in this one, each part of him you lost you find once more, staring back at you with a bit of each one you loved in each life time.

Percy has had many nightmares ever since he was young, especially since coming to camp Half Blood and being claimed as a son of Poseidon.

But he never liked any other dreams like these ones.

Percy would lay in bed, drift off only to end up somewhere else. Somewhere familiar. Somewhere he liked and somewhere he wasn't in a rush to leave.

Unlike the others before, this was different, but the same all at once.

Percy sat in a field, it was dark out, but the fireflies in the air lit up the sky unlike the stars did.

And Percy was breath taken once more as he stared at the same Goddess he saw every night sitting under the same willow rree, dressed in a white and gold trimmed Greek styled dress.

This time, the Goddess didn't look very...Goddes-Like. She looked younger, the same he always sees her as, but this time she felt it. Like in this dream, she wasn't a Goddess. The very first fifteen years of her life.

Like she was normal, younger, an actual teenager relaxing under a willow tree.

A boy in similar Greek clothing held his head in her lap, smiling up at the Goddess as if she had hung the sun up herself, hung the stars and painted the sky right before him.

Percy knew that look. He saw it every time in glimpses shared between the woman and all of the ones before, every single one different but the same all at once.

He looked a bit just like every one of them.

The same nose as the wood nymph from three dreams ago he had, the same green eyes as the Olympian from six dreams ago he had, black hair like the boy who ran around with a much younger goddess he had, the first dream he had of her.

“I would like to stay here.” Percy could make out the paint words, knowing what the man would say even before he spoke.

He saw the goddess speak, and like before, saw a look of sadness in her eyes as she smoothed her hand over the man's wild and messy hair. Hair just like Percys.

“I…I would like that as well…but we can't.” The goddess said, an almost distant look in her eyes before the warrior took her hand, kissing the back of it softly with a sigh.

“Why? You always say that like you're one step ahead. Why can I not?”

“I- I do not know. But...You will find out soon enough.”

And before Percy knew it, the all too well love scene before him faded in battle cries, swords clanging together and shouts of war.

Percy was in the middle of a battlefield, Gods and Goddess's fighting side by side and some against one another, fires roaring all around, he couldn't make out many faces, the ash burning in his lungs as he coughed.

Only thing he could see were her tears. Her tears as she held a limp, and very much so, dead and familiar man in her lap, brushing her thumbs against his cheeks as she said a silent prayer, her forehead to his almost as if it could bring him back.

She didn't sob, but he could hear her almost silent whispers.

"We should have stayed under our tree. I'm so sorry, my love. Please...find me when you are ready."

And just like that, Percy woke up with the bed shaken as Tyson woke him up, dragging him out of bed, to breakfast, and along the way to Annabeth and Grover with the goat boy he called his best friend, almost tap dancing in what seemed to be joy.

“Percy! I- we got chosen!”

“...What?”

Percy didn't expect for Grover to go on a rant about how the upcoming war was brewing, like he didn't already know.

Annabeth even had to cut in as Grover ran out of breath, giving the boy a moment before he started up again.

“Olympus needs all the warriors they can get. And they chose us to find the Goddess of (Create something you like bc idk)!” Grover fanboyed.

“Who?” Percy asked, confused at his friend's behavior and having never heard of that one. He's heard of, and fought, many gods and goddesses, but he's sure that one would've stuck if he crossed that bridge.

“The Goddess of (you choose).” Annabeth re-stated. “She used to be a mortal, but was captured during a really, really bad war and since the ones who captured her were fighting the gods, they punished her with immortality until-”

Annabeth cut herself off.

“Until what?” Percy probed with a frown, not wanting anyone to withhold information from him anymore.

“Until something. Her story doesn't go on from that, the ones that took her never said where she was. Even after they were sent to the Underworld and punished, she's been missing ever since!” Grover finished, almost shaking Percy by the shoulders.

Percy finally got it.

“So- we have to find her?”

“Yeah! Just like when we found Pan- but this can't be like that. This time, she is alive!” Grover insisted.

“We don't know that.” Annabeth sighed.

“Yes, we do!” Grover wasn't living this down and wasn't letting Annabeth either. “I know it, and we are gonna find her!”

And that's how Percy was dragged along the state, searching the skies, the gardens, underground, in every mythical and every sacred place he could think of.

Until, finally, Grover has led them to a garden of lights. For a seemingly prison, Percy has to admit, it didn't look like it.

Deers laid in the grass, birds chirped to their heart's desire, animals frolicking in the grass, koi and any other fish you could name in a waterfall so clear you could see to the bottom that glowed in the light.

It almost looked real. So surreal Percy didn't expect it. Especially when he leaned a bit too close, and a fish jumped up and scared him, falling back into the lake with a groan and his butt soaked.

He heard Annabeth and Grover yelp, their feet clashing with the water as they ran down after him.

He groaned as Annabeth and Grover dragged him to stand up, he almost barely noticed as both his friends froze in the middle of helping him, and a breeze went just past him.

No, not past him. It seemed to go over his entire body, around his arms, legs, messing up his already wild and black hair, feeling it on his nose, cheeks, lips and his eyes.

“Percy…”

Percy could barely make out Grovers whisper, his friend catching Percy's attention barely.

Percy looked between Annabeth and Grover, confused before he looked to see they were staring at a willow tree. Or, more like under the Willow tree.

Percy could feel his breath taken once more like in his dreams, seeing the same girl from them looking right back at him with the same look on her face

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Blurbs: The Real MVP

————————————————————————-

Summary: Flashforward. Joe wins MVP after an amazing comeback in the ‘24-25 season. In his speech, he has to thank the person who supports him like no other, the real MVP.

Warnings: Fluff

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

Imagine universe: Into The Mystic

————————————————————————-

*NFL Honors for ‘24-’25 season*

After a hectic day of running the household alone, I settled on the couch with Tyson and Miles to watch the NFL Honors ceremony.

Joe had his name in the MVP running, and I couldn't be more proud of him.

Last season was less than stellar, with his calf strain causing him to miss camp and his season-ending injury serving unfinished business on a silver platter.

This season he showed the world who the fuck Joe Burrow was.

Not that he felt the need to, but Joe showed NFL viewers that he was worth every penny of his contract extension.

Throughout the ceremony, Tyson and Miles were scanning the audience for their Dad. They'd “helped” Joe pick out his outfit just a few days ago and were so excited to see him in it.

When it got to the MVP category, I held my breath and closed my eyes.

And the 2024 Most Valuable Player is…

My heart was beating out of my chest.

Joe Burrow!

Tyson and Miles stood up on the couch and started jumping up and down, and for once, I didn't get onto them about it.

“Daddy won!” - Tyson

“Daddy won!” - you repeated

My heart soared when Joe walked to the stage, feeling slightly nostalgic when I got deja vu about when he won the Heisman in college.

Joe started his speech by thanking his coaches, coordinators, and trainers before he began tearing up thanking his family.

My eyes matched Joe’s misty ones, just like they did at the Heisman years ago.

“But- I uhm need to thank the real MVP.” - Joe

When Joe said those words, I shook my head, thinking he was going to mention Kid Cudi or Spongebob.

“She wasn't able to be here tonight because she's too busy in Cincinnati being the best mom ever, but I would like to mention my wife. Thank you for always being my biggest cheerleader, y/n. You've been one of my biggest support systems since I was a scrawny senior in high school. I will always be grateful for everything you’ve done and continue to do that has made me the man and player that I am today. I'll admit, I was super nervous for tonight, and I called y/n in the bathroom. Her voice alone calmed me down, but the words gave me enough confidence to leave my hiding spot in the bathroom stall. Thank you for being my best friend, y/n. I love you more than life.” - Joe

Tears streamed down my face as I listened to his sweet words.

“Oh, and thanks for this award. Who Dey!” - Joe

With that, Joe left the stage and walked back to his seat, more in love than ever.

He'd never felt so happy.

When I heard my phone ding, I thought it would be Robin to point out Joe’s sweet words, but instead, it was Mr. MVP himself.

Did you watch my speech? :)

Yes. Currently crying. I love you so much, Mr. MVP.

I'll only be Mr. MVP if you'll be Mrs. MVP.

I’m not a player, though. 🤨

His next text gave me butterflies, it amazes me that his effect on me hasn't changed even after all of our years together.

Most valuable person, baby. 😁

————————————————————————-

Authors note: short as heck but whatever

Request for this fic;

Hope you enjoyed!

[bluecrocss]

Somethings I'm looking forward to in PJO Season 2 that I don't see people talk about as much

Villain!Luke: Most of TLT/Season 1 is Luke playing as an ally/friend/older brother to our protagonists. We see him in a mostly positive light as the show tries to hide his true intentions until the reveal.

SOM is the first time we get to see Luke in pure villain mode, and I'm so excited. Despite my issues with the movies (Especially the second one), I can always appreciate how much fun Jake Abel was obviously having hamming it up in the second movie. Literally, all he needed was a mustache to twirl lol

Anyway, Charlie did such a good job of making Luke sympathetic and likeable, I'm so excited for when we first see him on the Princess Andromeda in all his Villain glory. I can't wait to see how he plays it.

Clarisse redemption: Look, I will always defend the right of viewers to dislike a bully, no matter how sad their backstory is. However, in my opinion, SOM and TLO is probably where we get the most character development for Clarisse (the show can even add more depth to that if they play it right).

Hints at her abusive relationship with Ares, the first inklings of her friendship with Percy, there's so much more we're going to get out of that character, and I really hope they SHOW (not tell) it right.

Tyson/Annabeth beef: I am going to be on the front-lines as a Leahbeth defender this season. Like with the growing fandom dislike towards Annabeth of late, and the general way audiences treat black female characters whenever they show any negative traits, Annabeth's interactions with Tyson in SOM (and her later interactions with Rachel Dare in BOTL) are not going to be some of her best moments; but also are great character moments for her because those two books more than any are about showing Annabeth's flaws. She's a 13 year old girl with PTSD people!

Tyson's a sweetheart, obvs, but watching 5"2 Leah Jeffries consistently intimidate 6"5 Daniel Diemer is gonna be kind of hilarious. And Tyson's constant attempts to win her over are so endearing (Especially when he does succeed towards the end).

I do hope they make some changes to the backstory of why Annabeth doesn't like Cyclopes though. Because even in the books, I thought that seemed a bit forced in.

Annabeth's Circe island makeover: Yes, Walker as a guinea pig, hilarious. Yes, the siren scene, heartbreaking. The childhood Percabeth shipper in me, can't wait to see what makeover Annabeth gets in the show!

Say what you will, but one of the best parts of Annabeth now being portrayed by a black actress is (in my personal opinion), I think there is no group of women on earth with more variation in hair styling than black women.

As such, there's an infinite number of styles and looks that I could see them giving Leah for this. Braids with gold accessories, Afro puffs, a Grecian take on Bantu knots, etc. etc. I mean, the fan artists have been eating with that already.

What have I missed? What other less talked about moments is everyone excited to see brought to life?

[lizardsfromspace]

Stumbling across that weird fanatically anti-transmasc cult again and this tweet really sums it up better than anything

Trans women are defined entirely by misery and tragedy. Historical trans women all died in asylums. That's why Christine Jorgensen, the first trans woman to get gender-affirming surgery in the US, tragically *squints* spent decades as a in-demand public speaker and headlining entertainer. Because trans women literally can't experience anything other than misery

I have a book from the 70s with an ad for a speaker's agency that lists her alongside Rod Serling and Cicely Tyson. And underneath Erich von Daniken, which is irrelevant to my point but really weird. She was not wasting away in an asylum. Many trans women led tragic lives; but many is not all, and there are historic examples, even really famous ones, of trans women who were happy

Why would they erase that to tell people trans women all suffer tragic fates and must suspect everyone oh yeah bc they're a cult preying on the vulnerable and trying to convince them they need protection (but oddly enough from other trans people more than anyone else?)

The trans man thing is a reference to Victor Barker, who was, indeed, a trans man and a fascist in the 1920s. But I think another key point is, uh, that was one fuckin' guy. Why are they tacking that on, except if they're trying to imply trans men are secretly fascists? But that'd be an absurd thing to belieTHEY BELIEVE THAT. That is a real thing these creeps believe now and are seriously implying on the reg

"You must be suspicious that trans men are fascists" is now part of their ever-evolving litany of apparently endless evil from transmascs who...called a internet famous trans woman an asshole? Made a bad tweet once? Literally anything a trans man ever does (or doesn't do) transforms into a collective action on the part of all trans men in their minds. Trans men aren't just not allies in their mind, but are comically evil Saturday morning cartoon villains

Also, of course, the insistence that trans men had it much easier than trans women. If all trans women's lives weren't misery, all trans men's lives weren't happy, either. This insistence they had it "easy" is giving James Somerton on Radclyffe Hall

This is, again, A Single Guy. You have proved two white trans men are fascists, one in the 1920s and one now. Maybe. Maybe some other factor is at play, some other identity shared, by these two men, and the majority of fascists. "Why do people think I hate trans men?" says a group with a list of trans men they hate they can trot out instantly

I think people are just primed to think evidence of one member of a marginalized group doing a shitty thing is proof they all do it, or to go "that's just one guy?". In another life this jabroni wouldn't be posting about how Mao would be a Baeddel (???), they'd be sharing Fox News stories about crimes to declare we need to deport all Muslims and Mexicans. It's the same psychology, just rotted by internet discourse instead of a more traditional reactionary ideology

Also you may wonder "wait, I'm a trans woman, and trans men calling me a Nazi happens quite rarely, actually". I'm a trans woman on the internet and trans men calling me a Nazi has happened a grand zero times. So you may then wonder why, precisely, this sweet, innocent bean who's never done anything wrong is called a Nazi so regularly they think it's a universal problem.

Anyway they tweeted out the Fourteen Words, but they said gay women instead of white children. Truly, how could anyone ever get the idea they're a Nazi

[hazeystar]

binged all of season 3 in less than 24 hours and can i just say i'm in LOVE

like bros. nancy calling carlos bc she's the number one believer in the show, and he still comes!! bc carlos loves tk!! and tk in his coma still loves carlos and aghhhh

then when he wakes up... bro the way i was screaming when tk said 'breathe' and carlos just took the largest inhale. obsessed

the parallel!!! of carlos telling tk that of course he can wake him up at 3am if he needs to talk to someone while he's going through recovery. and then tk waking carlos up at 3am to propose!!! my english student heart loves the parallel and i'm so obsessed

honourable mentions:

the lead up to the baseball game. ladder 126 ain't playing around with their stereotypes except for the fact that they literally are their stereotypes

tommy!! my queen she's just trying to cope with charles' death and then julius shows up and she's like 'nope, not today satan.'

then her absolutely wanting julius in her life it's amazing

grace!! grace I love you my queen my icon. every scene she has? amazing? sassing billy tyson, dealing with the whole dave problem

bruh I love wyatt too. he's amazing. judd as a father, also amazing

nancy and mateo!!! they're so cute as a couple just like ahhhhhh

paul and marjan as my platonic soulmates! literally it kills those two to be apart they are such great friends

'in this house, we catan.' god i love that line, it's been stuck in my head since that episode

[yourimagines]

Can we do one with maxi where he lies to reader saying hes tyson so she believes him they get close and she develops feelings even tho she hasn't seen his face just heard the deep voice from the suit maybe he feels guilty after she shares a secret he finally tells her and maybe they argue but overall she just wants to get to know who he really is without the suit the real maxi

( i love ansgty happy endings ) (doesn't have to be exactly that do whatever you want with what i wrote im happy either way)

I hope this is what you wanted, if not tell me then i try again for you 🧡

Should I stay or should I go

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Gif is not mine

* Triggers: Swearing, Angst and Fluff

Y/N POV

My life was boring and meaningless but ever since I met Titus, my life was a bit more interesting. I met him when he got stuck between a rock. I helped him and ever since then I followed him around the wasteland.

He was walking in front of me, casting a shadow behind him just for me. “You still there?” His robotic voice asked me. “Yep, I’m still here.” The sun burning down on the wasteland, even though I’m not directly in the sun, the heat was still there. “Can we have a little water break?” He immediately stops walking and turns around. “Of course.” I smiled at him and grabbed my water bottle. “You okay?” I nodded as I took a sip from my bottle. “Yeah, just needed a little break, the heat is getting worse.” He looked around us as I took a small bite from my protein bar. “Take your time.”

As the sun started to set and heat started to dropped down, we both started to find a place to stay for the night. “Here.” He says as he walks off to an old bridge that looked empty and safe for the night. I looked around to see if something dangerous was here and he grabbed some old wooden logs that were lying around. “It’s safe, for now.” I sat down on one of the logs, feeling a relief in both of my legs. “Finally.” I kicked one of my shoes off and started to rub my foot with my hands. “My feet are killing me.” My foot was broken because of an accident and it was also covered with bruises and blisters from all that walking in this warm weather. He throws another log down and sits down himself. “You should sleep first, just in case we have to move again.” He says as he tries to get a bit more comfortable in his suit. “Okay, wake me up when you get tired.” I slid down on the ground to grab my shoe. I pulled it back on and lay my head against the wooden log and closed my eyes.

I woke up a few hours later, Titus was still sitting in front of me, looking directly at me. “Hey.” I whispered in my sleepy voice and rubbed my eyes. “Hey, already awake?” I nodded and yawned while stretching my arms and legs. “Yeah…you can sleep now if you want.” I sat back up on the log and looked around. “I’m good.” I turned around to look at him. “You sure?” He slowly nods and stretches his right leg. “How does the suit feel? Is it comfortable enough?” I was growing a little bit curious about him. “It’s heavy but good.” I nodded, trying to understand. “You always wear it?” He nods and looks away from me, a hint for me that he’s done talking about it.

We both got up when the first bit of light was coming up. “Let’s get moving.” I grabbed my bag and followed him along the old train track. Walking next to him as the sun just got up. “This reminds me of something.” The old tracks, the old threes and some birds chirping made me feel nostalgic. Thinking about my life before I got left behind by my parents. “About what?” I looked up at him and sadly smiled at him. “About my parents.” I quickly looked away to avoid his eyes, even though his suit doesn’t show any emotions I know there is someone underneath that mask. “Good or bad?” “More like bittersweet.”

We walked for a few hours next to each other, not saying much but that’s okay. He needed to pee so he left me alone on the tracks as he disappeared into the bushes. ‘I wonder what he’s like underneath that armour.’ I sighed and kicked a few stones away with my feet while waiting for him. “All done.” His heavy footsteps crushed the leaves beneath him as he walked back to me. “Ready?” “Ready.”

“Titus, I’m sorry. I really need a break.” Sweat was dripping down, my left foot was hurting and I was dehydrated. “Okay, just take a seat.” I immediately sat down as he stood in front of me creating a shadow for me. “Thanks.” I looked through my bag to find my water bottle and some painkillers. “Did you injure yourself?” He pointed at my left foot. I shook my head slightly as I swallowed the painkillers. “No, it’s a bit complicated but uhh…” I took my shoe off and rubbed my foot. “I was in a fight and….that person broke my foot on purpose.” My big toe was a little bit crooked and it wasn’t completely healed but a lot better than it was two months ago when they broke it. “Why?” He tilted his head a little bit to the side, confused why someone broke my foot on purpose. “It’s a long story Titus, I promise I will tell you that story but not now. We need to move before the sun sets down.” I pulled my shoe back on and grabbed my bag. He reached his large metal hand out for me to grab it. “Thanks.” I grabbed his hand and pulled myself back onto my two feet. “Let’s get moving again.”

Maximus POV

‘Maybe I should tell her. She’s been telling these little secrets all the time, she trusts me.’ She was walking behind me, out of the burning sun. “You okay?” I asked her as she was quiet for a while. “Yes I’m okay.” I smiled to myself as she answered me with that sweet voice of hers. “It’s getting dark, we need to find a place for the night.” She was right, the sun was about to set and nobody wants to be out in the open at night. “You’re right, let’s find a place.”

She found a place where we could stay the night. It was sheltered from the wind and we were out of the open space. “You can sleep first.” She shook her head and smiled at me. “No not yet, I was wondering if you want to hear that story about how I got here.” She waved her hands around her. “Tell me your life story then.” I joked but the robotic voice didn’t. She just nods at me and took a deep breath. “Okay…so I’m from a vault and…..”

I really felt for her, all the horror and the pain she went through. Her whole life was a lie. The people she thought were her parents weren’t her real parents and the vault wasn’t even safe in the end, it was all a lie. I felt really guilty about lying to her about who I am, I’m not Titus, I’m Maximus. “But it’s okay now, I mean if it never happend then I never met you Titus.” She was always so positive and kind to everyone and the way she looks at me makes me wanna cry. “Can I tell you something?” I was nervous, nervous to tell her the truth. “Of course, we are friends aren’t we.” She smiled sweetly at me as I was starting to sweat.

Y/n POV

“I’m just going to say it right away, I’m not Titus. Titus is dead a-and I took over the suit. My name is Maximus.” He stayed quiet and I felt a little bit betrayed by him. “You lied?” I asked him in disbelief. “Yes, I’m sorry.” I shook my head and didn’t know what to say anymore. “I’m sorry y/n, I didn’t know you and I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I stood up and crossed my arms. “Show me your face.” He gave me a nod and his mask opened with a hiss.

A young handsome face appeared and I was a bit happy that it wasn’t an old creepy guy. “Hi.” His voice was way more different than the voice from his suit. “How do I know that you’re not lying again?” I was walking towards him, studying his face. “I promise I’m not lying to you, my name is Maximus.” He had a scar on his nose and a bruise on his chin. “Okay, nice to meet you Maximus.” I reached my hand out to him. He gave me a smile and took my hand. “Nice to meet you as well y/n.” A small giggle came out of my mouth. He smiled at me and carefully pulled me closer to him. “I have one more little secret.” He says with a grin on his face. “Oh and that is?” I felt my cheeks warm up as I had a feeling what he was doing. “I like you.” He was blushing but so was I. “I hope you don’t mind that, I hope you like me too, if not that’s okay.” He was rambling and I just leaned forward to give him a kiss. “I like you too, even before I saw your face.” I slightly touched his scar on his nose. “Good because I like you since you saved me from that rock.” I giggled and lay my head on his shoulder. “So should I stay or should I go?” He whispered as I closed my eyes “You can stay.” He wrapped his arm around me and I slowly drifted away to sleep.

[wheezyseeker99]

So it goes, gorgeous

Warnings: teasing (and a little bit of angsty Cam), swearing, alcohol consumption ((I need to stop writing in drinking, I know)), thigh riding, oral (male receiving and slight female receiving), penetration (fm), and multiple orgasms

18+, MDNI

Summary: There’s a party at Cam’s place and fmc hates him, but she definitely loves him by the end of the night. Frenemies to lovers, but conflicting feelings win 🫶🏻 also thank Taylor again for making reputation album.

And happy girlfriends day to him

This party is getting far too out of hand. My friend Joel is dancing on top of a table shirtless, Tyson did a body shot off of Katie just now, and Jamie is trying to hide awkwardly in the corner. My head is spinning as I look around the nearly dark room.

Being friends with hockey players is weird. In the off season it’s even weirder. I spot Cam across the room, finishing up a round of beer pong with Ryan.

Cam’s place is nice, but everyone is drunk and making the main rooms of the house outrageously messy. Being over there with him seems like the safest place to be in this room honestly. Even though I barely tolerate his presence sober, Cam is the least drunk person in this room besides Jamie.

I make my way over to Cam and lean my back against the wall. He looks good like this. His hat is off, his shirt is partially unbuttoned where I can see the chain against his chest, and his shorts are showing off his muscular thighs. The thigh tattoos peaking out set my thoughts on fire. It makes me so frustrated how hot he is. How cocky he is. Most of the time his ego is double the size of Texas. Looking at his face this close, I’m furious that he makes me feel this way.

“Look who it is,” Cam sneers. “The queen has arrived in our presence.”

I roll my eyes and motion towards the table, “I want to play you next. Bet I can win, mister California.”

I cringe at the way I mildly slurred my speech. I probably shouldn’t do beer pong, especially because I dislike beer to the highest extent, but I want to prove to him that he can’t win everything. His ocean blue eyes bore a hole into me.

“Yeah, baby? Think you can ruin me?”

I walk over to Ryan and take the ping pong ball cup from him. Ryan walks over to Joel to try to get him off the table and I look back to Cam.

“I know I can ruin you.”

“Sweetheart, you only ruin my life by not being mine.”

I hate how my body shuddered at the thought. I hate how cool he thinks he is, but he’s also so damn gorgeous that it physically hurts. There’s going to be consequences of being in his strong magnetic field, but I’m not really caring about it now. The alcohol racing through my body is giving me a load of confidence.

“Sad existence for you then,” I smirk and toss the first ball into one of his cups.

His smirk falters but doesn’t disappear. He eyes me for a second, taking in my form. It’s like I distracted him. He tosses a ball and misses.

“Aw poor baby Cammy missed on his first try,” I mocked. “Here, let me show you how it’s done.”

I walked to his side of the table and grabbed a ball, placing it in his hand. I put my hand over his and tossed it at one of my cups, sinking it into one on the left side. I tossed back the cup and chugged the beer even though it tasted disgusting. I sat the cup down and smirked at him again.

“That’s how it’s done, pretty boy.”

I could feel eyes on us, but nobody interrupted the scene that was playing out. Cam definitely didn’t like the way I’m trying to embarrass him in front of his teammates.

“Fuck the chirping,” Cam grits out. “You and I are going to go have a chat.”

He stalks over to me and takes me by the arm. I barely knew what was going on as he dragged me up the stairs to his room. The door slams behind me and he looks at me with a fiery expression. I think I might drown and die, or even burst into flames, by how Cam is looking at me. I back myself against the door to put space between us. I’m a hostage to not only him, but to my feelings now. He runs his fingers through his hair, making it look sexily messy.

“You think you’re so fucking funny, don’t you?”

I could feel my insides clench at his low tone. I try to hide the fact that my confidence died out. I kept my head up instead of giving into my natural urge to look down.

“It’s funny that you don’t know how to lose. Beer pong of all things makes you snap? That’s what’s funny.”

“Bullshit. You wanted to rile me up,” he states and steps forward. I press my back further against the door. I feel the heat radiating off his body. His expression changes. Instead of looking angry he looks like a hurt puppy.

“Tell me why you hate me so much.”

I feel the urge to lift a hand to his face, and before I realize it, I am. I cup his face and look into his eyes. I dropped my hand after a second when I caught onto what my body was doing. He got me alone, and now everything feels like it’s so simple when it shouldn’t be. Like the pieces all fell into place.

I should hate him, but I’m starting to understand that I don’t. I’m just too attracted to him, and I hated that I didn’t think I could have him. I’m caught up in him now. Completely consumed by his presence.

“I don’t hate you,” I breathe. “I really feel the opposite of hate. I promise.”

I’m waiting for him to reply when I feel his hands come to cup my cheeks. The connection of our eyes makes me want more.

”I’ll be honest, baby. You did a number on me.” I gave him a questionable look and he continues, “I thought I could stop it. I’m usually chill, but you make me jealous. Furious. Turned on. All the fucking feelings.”

He grabs my hand and brings it to his chest. I can feel his heart beating fast under my palm.

“You’ve got my heart if you want it, or we can forget this happened. It’s up to you.”

I’m shocked to say the least. He wants me? I’m getting caught up in the moment, and then I snap out of it.

I stand on my toes and connect my lips to his. The kiss is demanding and warm. My arms wrap around his neck, my chest pressed against his. I can’t ignore how the little scar on his upper lip feels against me. He doesn’t pull his mouth away from mine. He keeps going, tangling his hand into my hair to keep my mouth against his. I can taste the alcohol on his lips and it only makes me feel more intoxicated. When I pull my mouth away I whisper, “I’m yours to keep.”

Cam smiles down at me, taking in the moment. I take in his face. The little freckles that are placed everywhere on his skin. The way his lips are redder now that my lipstick transferred to them. His eyes are brighter now even though this room is darker than downstairs, and they crinkle in the corners when he smiles. I can feel my heart beating out of my chest, matching his.

“Yeah?”

I nod and push my back off the door, taking Cam with me to the edge of his bed. He sits and pulls me to straddle his lap as I connect our lips together again. I moan into his mouth when I feel his bulge against my core.

I move so I’m straddling one of his thighs, grinding down against it as I start to unbutton his shirt. My hands press against his bare chest once I have it exposed to me. I disconnect our lips to pull the shirt off of him completely and kiss his jaw down his neck, biting at his collarbone.

“Baby,” Cam moans. “Yeah ride my thigh like that.”

I rut faster against him, scratching my nails down his back in the process. My clit is pulsing against my panties and I feel the wetness pooling inside them. I’ll probably have to throw them out after this. I bring my lips back to his and whimper at the contact. His hand tugs my head back, biting at my throat. Cam groans against my skin and he bucks his hips up to feel more friction. His hand comes down on my ass twice and I moan at the contact.

“So greedy. Making a mess on my thigh,” he bites out against my skin. His hand comes to my face, squeezing my cheeks together when I tried to turn my head away. “Look at me when you cum.”

My eyes meet his. I feel the pressure rising inside me. I rake a hand through his hair, holding on as a I reach my orgasm. I breath hard and I stare into his eyes until mine fall closed.

Gaining my composure, I slide to the floor on my knees in front of him. Cam’s hands stop mine from reaching the waistband of his shorts.

“You don’t have to, baby girl.”

I stay silent for a split second and quirk an eyebrow before continuing the path I set with my hands. I rub my palms against his muscular thighs, kissing each one of them as I gaze up at him. I can see the places my lips have been, all over his skin. My eyes reach the bulge in his shorts and tilt my head.

“You don’t think I want to take it?”

“When you look at me like that, I don’t know what to think,” he breathes.

“Then let me have the lead until you find your brain again,” I say and hook my fingers into the waistband of his shorts and underwear. Cam lifts his hips and I remove the clothing from his body. His length stands against his toned stomach. I took his shaft into my hand and smirked to myself when I hear a gasp leave his lips. I spread the precum from his tip all along his thick shaft and I look up at him expectantly as I pump him. He bites his bottom lip harshly to hold back his moans.

“Take off your dress. Don’t want it to be ruined by the time I’m done with you.”

I obeyed and took off my dress, tossing it to the floor, leaving me in just my panties. Cam eyed my breasts, but let me take his cock back into my hands without hesitating.

Cam’s hands clawed at the bedsheets when I took him into my mouth. I dragged my tongue up the side of his length before licking the tip. I suck him slow and he makes husky noises of approval from above me.

Cam lets out a strangled moan when he grabbed the back of my head to take more of him. I let him guide my mouth on him. I wanted him to use me like this. He fucked into my mouth, taking what he needed.

“Just like that. Taking me so good,” Cam groans out. “Not such a bratty bad girl when you have your mouth full.”

I have spit running down my chin as I take him deeper. I nearly gag but I force myself not to.

“Fuck, I can’t cum like this. Not the first time. Get up here baby.”

Cam takes his cock out of my mouth before grabbing my hands. He brings me to my feet just to force me down on his bed. My panties are ripped from my body while he’s looking me in the eye. He rubs my pussy, feeling the wetness and I laid my head back against the pillows.

“So gorgeous. Ready for me baby?”

I nod and whine, “yes.”

Cam rolls on a condom and spreads my legs. His cock prodded my entrance, and he slides his tip against my wet folds teasingly. He takes my legs and places them over his shoulders, kissing my knees in the process.

“Gonna take my time with you later. Right now I need to fucking feel you.”

He thrusts into me, sending a jolt of pleasure through my body. I toss my head back and moan as his speed increases. His lips come to my chest. He places kisses around my breasts before taking my nipple into his mouth. His hips snap into me. The only sounds in the room are our bodies meeting in every thrust and our moans.

“Please,” I cry out. “Use me Cam, please.”

“You want to be used?”

I hum in response. I need him to wreck me inside and out, but I won’t boost his ego more just yet. He thrusts into me harder. The expression on his face is determined, like he knows what I want without speaking it into existence.

“You want me to get off inside this gorgeous pussy?”

I nod and I feel the climax rise inside of me. Pleasure explodes through me. He nuzzles his face into my neck as his thrusts stutter. I scream out his name while my hips move up into him, taking what I can through my orgasm.

“Keep saying my name. Want everyone downstairs to know who’s making you feel like this.”

I moan his name again as I ride out my orgasm. I see stars, but he keeps moving into me. My legs are shaking and I’m gasping for air, feeling like I’ve died and gone to heaven.

“Gonna cum baby,” he murmurs against my skin. He erupts while claiming my lips and I savor the taste of him. His hips falter when he cums, and he pulls out not long after to discard the condom. He kneels down in between my spread legs, placing a kiss on my clit. I moaned and squirmed as he licked me slowly.

“I can’t. Too sensitive Cam,” I grab onto his head and pull his face to mine. I kissed him like my life depended on it. My mind and body are so overwhelmed, but when I look at him, when I taste him, just want more. He pulled away and moved the hair away from my face.

“There’s nothing I hated more than what I couldn’t have,” he says before pecking my lips softly, “but now I have it. I have you.”

[roosterforme]

Old Habits Die Hard Part 16 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Summary: After you visit Chicago, you understand just how hectic your life is about to become. And Bradley finally gets a very important piece of mail. There are things you want to say to him, but you don't know how. 

Warnings: Angst, swears, smut and fluff

Length: 3000 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader (fuckboy college student Bradley)

Check out my masterlist

Bradley helped you pack your bag and sat with you while you waited for your ride.

"I wish I could come with you. But I guess I'll have to wait to see Chicago when I visit you in the fall," he whispered, kissing your neck and holding you.

You were going to check out your new school for a long weekend since you'd be moving to Illinois next month. You were kind of terrified to go alone, but you needed to meet your advisor and look at your course of study. If you had the money, you'd take Bradley with you, but it really wasn't an option. 

"I'll scope out the city and see what looks fun," you told him, running your fingers through his soft hair. 

"Don't do the fun stuff without me though," he murmured. "Promise me, Sugar. Promise me you won't visit that big, silver bean. It looks dumb as hell, but I really want to see it."

You laughed against him and nodded your head in the crook of his neck. "I promise."

"And no deep dish pizza either."

You gasped and pulled away from him. "Now that's where I draw the line, Beer Boy."

Bradley laughed and pushed your hair away from your face. "I'll miss you." His face was so earnest, you had no doubt that he would. 

"I'll call you as soon as I land. Behave without me this weekend."

"I will," he whispered against your lips. "I'll be thinking about you the whole time." You dipped your tongue into his mouth and eased yourself further onto his lap, and just when you started to get cozy, your phone alerted you that your ride had arrived.

He walked you down to the street and kissed you one last time before you got in the car to leave. The urge to make some big proclamation about your feelings was filling you up inside, but you had to tamp it back down. Your feelings were honestly scaring you a bit since Tyson's birthday party. Nothing was making much sense to you now, and you needed to keep in mind that you wouldn't be seeing Bradley on a daily basis starting next month. The idea of it felt like too much weight to carry around with you as he stroked your neck with his fingers and told you he'd miss you so much.

You watched the Virginia countryside in the morning light, and when you landed in Chicago, the juxtaposition of continuous urban sprawl was alarming. You figured you would get used to it in time, but the sheer volume of traffic and city noise started to give you a headache almost immediately. 

You managed to get a taxi to your hotel, and you quickly changed to meet with your advisor. Sometimes you wished you had a closer relationship with your parents so you had someone to rely on. It made you want to put all of your trust in Bradley, and you wanted to be the person he could trust with anything. But you'd only known each other for a few months. 

But you texted him anyway. You snapped a picture as you rode past 'the bean' and promised him you weren't going without him. You texted him photos of the school campus as you walked along, searching for your advisor's office. 

When you found her spacious workspace, she jumped up and introduced herself to you. "I can't tell you how happy we are to have you joining us for the fall semester. Have a seat. And please call me Carmen."

"Thanks, Carmen. I just got lost walking through the campus, but it looks amazing here."

She just smiled at you and promised to take you on a tour tomorrow morning. "Now, I want to give you a brief overview of what will be expected, and then we can select your first semester classes later this weekend. However, I must say, I am so impressed with your undergraduate studies. I've spoken extensively about you with your advisor from UVA, and he assures me that we couldn't have picked a finer PhD candidate to add to our program. So welcome, once again."

You weren't used to hearing such high praise about yourself, and you felt a little uncomfortable in the leather seat. What if they had all actually made a huge mistake? What if you couldn't hack it? You'd be sleeping in the park under the bean, calling Bradley to come out to Chicago and rescue you. 

"Wow," you managed to say with a soft laugh. "I guess the pressure is on then."

When Carmen nodded with a very serious look on her face, all pretense of teasing on your part vanished. 

"It's going to be intense if you want to graduate in four years. And that's one of the things that will be required for you to keep your scholarship. You'll need to maintain a high GPA as well, so you'll be spending a lot of time in the labs and working closely with me."

You pressed your lips together. "It doesn't sound like I'll have much time for a personal life."

Carmen laughed and shrugged. "That's probably true. But when you finish your schooling in just an additional four years, you'll have your pick of careers. You told me in an email that you wanted to be a college professor someday? Well, after we're done with you, I can almost guarantee you'll be able to work anywhere you want to."

You let that sink in for a few minutes while Carmen told you more about the graduate dorms and your monetary compensation.

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

Bradley spent all day Friday in the study room, bored out of his mind and missing your body perched on his lap. He read his final novel for his English class, and he would have no problem finishing his final paper this weekend. His economics class was so easy, it was boring, and he'd already finished reading his political science textbook.

He'd started counting down the days until graduation. He was ready to move on, simply dying to hear back about flight training. Then he would be able to make some decisions, because at the moment, he was feeling so lost. He was happy for you though. You knew exactly what you wanted, and you were going to get it. He just hoped he would be that lucky this time. 

When his phone went off with texts from you, he scrolled through the photos you sent him, stopping on a selfie of you smiling in front of a fountain. He set it as his background. Then he texted you back.

Dev was sorting the mail when Bradley got back to the Beta house, and the rest of the guys were getting ready for the weekend parties. "Here," Dev told him, tossing a thick envelope to Bradley when he walked past.

"Thanks, man," Bradley replied, expecting it to be the annual information on his mom's life insurance policy. But when he turned it over in his hands and saw the US Navy emblem on the front, he nearly tripped on the stairs. He took the remaining steps two at a time and locked himself in his room. 

With shaky hands, Bradley tore into the envelope and sat down hard at his desk.

"Welcome to officer training and the Naval Aviation Academy," he read out loud to himself, and Bradley could see the tears clouding his vision before he could feel them. 

He set the letter down on his desk and cradled his face in his hands and just cried. This was the thing he had wanted for so long, and this time he wasn't going to let anyone take it away from him. 

Bradley wiped away his tears and let himself smile. His grades had improved so much, especially since he had a 4.0 so far for his senior year. In some sick, twisted way, he thought he had Chase to thank for this, because Bradley wasn't sure he would have been able to find the motivation to drink less and study more on his own. 

He wanted to text you right away. He also wanted to tell Hannah. But he would wait until you came back on Sunday night before he said anything. 

So he read through every bit of information twice and sent an email to the officer listed as his contact person for housing inquiries. As soon as he gave up his room here, he'd have absolutely nowhere to go otherwise. He also asked about guest accommodations, so he would have a good idea about what he should tell you for when you came to visit him.

His schedule looked absolutely wild. In his first year, he'd be in Rhode Island, Florida, Texas, and then California. And now he was hoping he'd have time to see you in Chicago.

So Bradley partied a bit all weekend, silently celebrating his acceptance letter. He avoided the hard liquor and the mob of girls asking him what happened to his girlfriend. You'd be back soon enough, and he couldn't wait to show you his letter.

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

Your campus tour and lunch with the head of the math department went smoothly. Then you picked out which dorm you'd be moving into, with the option of coming early in May to get a jumpstart on your classes. Then you sat down with Carmen again to select your schedule for the fall semester and see which textbooks you would need to acquire. 

You'd be learning about things you never even dreamed of at UVA. And you'd be working with some of the most intelligent and well studied people in the field. It was a lot for you to absorb.

When you flew back to Virginia on Sunday, you were so antsy, you couldn't sit still. When you landed you texted Bradley and told him you were going to get a ride directly to the Beta house, he said he'd be waiting for you.

And he was. You saw him sitting on the porch when your ride dropped you off, and he walked down to get your bag and pull you into a tight hug. 

"I missed you, Sugar." He scooped you into a hug as the car pulled away, and you let him hold you until you were sliding out of his arms. "How much did you love Chicago?"

You kissed him softly and then nodded. "It was kind of a shock to the system, but...yeah, I think it will be good."

You just inhaled his scent for a few moments while he rubbed your back and asked you for some details. Then it struck you; if you missed each other this much after just a few days apart, how were you going to date each other in two different time zones? You held onto him tighter and kissed the scars on his neck.

"Can I show you something? Up in my room?" he asked softly.

You huffed out a laugh. "I would certainly hope you'd wait until we got to your room for that, Beer Boy."

He rolled his eyes and picked up your bag. "That's not what I was talking about, and you know it. But...yeah, I can show you that, too."

You laughed as Bradley chased you up the stairs, and you opened his door, running your fingers along your phone number as you went inside.

"What do you want to show me?" you asked between kisses. Because now that you had him alone, you needed to touch all of him. His fingers dug into your hair, a little rough along your scalp as he pulled your body against his. 

"I want you to read something," he told you, guiding you backwards until you were sitting at his desk. He pointed to an envelope that looked like it had been opened very hastily, and he kissed your neck as you reached for it.

"Bradley," you gasped when you saw the return address. 

You spun around to face him, but he just nodded and said, "Go on, read it."

As quickly as you could manage, you pulled everything out of the envelope and started to read. You made it through two lines before you were out of your seat and climbing Bradley like he was a tree.

"Oh my god, Bradley! You did it!" You were kissing him all over his face while he held onto you. At first you thought he was crying, but then you realized your lips were met with your own salty tears. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Sugar," he whispered against your lips. "I got the letter on Friday, and I've been dying to tell you in person. And now you're the first one I told."

"You could have told me during one of our dozen phone calls, Bradley!"

He just shook his head and climbed on top of you on his bed. "It's not the same."

"What are we going to do when phone calls are all we have?" you asked him softly. But Bradley just shook his head.

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

He didn't want to think about that yet. He didn't want to think about any of it at all. 

"We'll figure it out," he promised. Your hair was spread out across his pillow, and you were looking up at him like you trusted him with everything. Graduation was so close now, and both of you knew where you were headed next. But none of that mattered, because you'd still have each other.

"I trust you, too, Sugar," he told you, even though you hadn't said anything. "You're so smart. You always know what to do. I trust you."

Your hands were in his hair, pulling him impossibly closer to you. "I knew you'd get in," you told him. "I never doubted you for a moment."

Bradley smiled as you kissed him. "You're the only one who feels that way about me."

"Lucky me," you whispered, wiping a stray tear from your cheek before you started to pull his shirt off. Nothing you did felt rushed, and even though you were pinned underneath him, Bradley knew you were the one in control.

He basked in the feel of your hands on his bare skin and your soft body beneath him. You had changed him so much; or rather, he had changed because of you. He had known he wanted to be better, but he really did it for you as much as himself. 

"Sugar." Your lips were on his shoulder, gliding across his skin, leaving a trail of not quite kisses as you reached for the front of his jeans.

He wished he could make you cum a million times tonight. He wanted to watch every inch of you as you got off on him, because soon he would have to go long stretches without you.

He stripped your clothing off as well, and you were already wet and moaning when he dipped his fingers down along your pussy. 

"Beer Boy!" you whined. "I need you."

He needed you more. Once he had rolled a condom into place, he rolled onto his back and guided you on top of him. He was hard and ready for you, but he watched the look on your face as you straddled his abs and let your forehead rest against his. 

"I need you." You whispered it this time as his fingers gently memorized the curve of your hips. Then you eased yourself down his body and guided him inside you with a soft hiss.

Eyes slightly out of focus, you moved above him, the bump of your thighs against his body just perfect. Bradley was mesmerized, just like he always was when he was with you like this. He let his fingertips trail up along your ribs and across your tattoo and you gasped for him.

"So perfect," he said, and you kissed him hard while you rode him. You tasted his lips and his teeth and moved with a rhythm that had him close to the edge.

He guided his fingers to the space between his body and yours where you could rub yourself against him. And then you were crying out into his mouth as your pussy squeezed his cock, and he came too. 

"So perfect," he repeated into your hair as you buried your face against his neck.

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

You changed into Bradley's tie dye shirt and sat on his floor sharing a pizza with him. 

"What's your dormitory going to be like?" he asked, folding a slice in half and taking a huge bite. 

"It's in this ancient building with insanely intricate architecture. I picked it because it looked fun, which I'm sure wasn't the best decision," you said with a laugh as he finished the piece of pizza. "But the best part? It's all mine. No roommate!"

Bradley grinned. "That'll be nice for when I come to visit."

You smiled. "It's a long walk to the bean, but if the weather's good, it's doable. And there's literally deep dish pizza on every street. Jealous yet? Are you still sure you want to go to Rhode Island?"

Bradley leaned across the pizza box and placed the softest, sweetest kiss on your cheek. Your eyes fluttered closed and you smiled. "If there was any option for me to be closer to Chicago, I would have taken it, Sugar. Promise."

You just looked at him, longing for him to understand how you felt inside, but you were way too afraid to say anything to him. You were in love with him, and it was eating away at you. There was no way you could tell him. Not when you were graduating and leaving so soon. It would have to wait. Maybe there would be a better time later. But not now.

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

One. More. Chapter. Left. A million thanks to @mak-32 for helping me the whole time with this fic. This one is for you!

PART 17 (the final chapter)

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[absurdthirst]

Just Your Average Suburban Couple {Dave York x F!Reader}

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 13.3k

Warnings: Cheating, extramarital affairs, marriage of convenience, rough treatment, derogatory language (slut/whore/bitch), choking, rough sex, spanking, threats of death, guns, orgasm denial, fighting, oral sex (male receiving), hating fucking, murder

Comments: You are married to Dave York, on paper only. Both of you using your marriage as a cover for your work. Happy-ish with the arrangement even if he annoys you until Dave finds you tangled up in a neighbors arms and you find out exactly how much he does not like that.

Co-written with @storiesofthefandomlovers

**Follow @absurdthirst-writes and turn on notifications to stay up to date on all new fics.

|| MasterList || Dave York MasterList ||

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

Dave sighs as he sips his beer, standing by the group of men who are gathered around the BBQ debating the best way to cook a steak. “Medium rare.” He inserts his opinion, just a couple of words to make him seem interested, and his dark eyes slide across the yard to where you are standing with the wives. This suburban heaven, perfect for the new couple looking for the white picket fence and yard perfect for a dog to run around while they work on the 2.5 kids. A perfect cover. 

You catch his eye, sipping your spritzer, and he tilts his beer towards you, making you sigh. He wants to go. The food hasn’t been served yet but you know Dave has a job to go to tonight and he likely wants to prepare. You don’t want to leave yet, you’re starving and you want to put in an appearance. 

Your eyes shift and you meet the gaze of Kyle Tyson. Your next door neighbor and husband of Jackie. A small yet aggravating woman that makes you grit your teeth. You smile at Kyle and he winks at you, making you chuckle and bite your lip. You jerk your chin towards the house and he nods, letting you lead the way into the house. Dave sees it, the small actions that no one seems to notice but he does. He clenches his jaw, downing the rest of his beer as he follows you and Kyle into the house, determined to discover what you’re up to.

“Everyone’s outside.” Kyle pants, as he presses you up against the wall, running kisses down your throat as he slides his hands up your stupidly cute sundress. 

“That’s the point.” You giggle, reaching down and squeezing his rapidly hardening cock before your fingers quickly start to work his belt. You hate suburban life, you hate your husband and you need to get laid. This thing with Kyle is new and fun, plus it’s always amusing to pretend to be interested in what Jackie has to say when you have a load of her ‘perfect’ husband’s cum dripping out of your cunt and are sore from fucking him. “You know you like the idea of wearing my cum on your dick while you eat your hot dog.” You purr, reaching in and pulling out his cock to pump it a few times while his fingers slide through your wet folds. 

Dave watches you from around the corner before he makes his entrance. “What the fuck is going on?” He growls and Kyle pushes you away, fumbling to tuck his hard cock away. 

“No-nothing Dave.” Kyle stammers. Pussy. You want to roll your eyes. 

Dave shakes his head, “it didn’t look like nothing. You had your fucking hand down my wife’s panties.” Dave growls, stepping closer to Kyle who holds his hands up. 

“I didn’t - we - she - she seduced me.” He lies and Dave shakes his head, looking at you. 

“We are going home. Now.” He demands, grabbing your arm and you whine in protest. 

Kyle is helpless, terrified when he says “you’re not gonna tell Jackie, are you?” The idea of his wife finding out is horrifying. She would kill him.

Dave snorts, looking at Kyle. He doesn’t need to get involved in that kind of drama. This is between you and Dave. “No. That’s your business but you should fucking tell her before someone mysteriously does.” Dave threatens and Kyle’s eyes widen. Before he can say another word, Dave drags you through the house and out of the front door, along the sidewalk to your own slice of suburban heaven. 

“What the actual fuck were you thinking?” Dave hisses when you’re inside your home in the hallway.

“Oh come on.” You roll your eyes and pull your arm out of Dave’s grip, scowling at him. “No one was going to walk in and catch us. They hadn’t yet.” 

Dave growls, shaking his head and pushing you up against the wall. “You’ve done this before? You can’t do this!” He hisses angrily and your eyes turn cold, hard. 

Pushing back against him, you shove him away from you. “Don’t fucking touch me, David York.” You spit. “You might be married to me, but this is farce, remember? Who I fuck is none of your concern.” 

Dave hisses at you, crowding you against the wall with his chest but not touching you, “it might be a fake marriage but no one around here knows that. They just see my wife cheating on me with the neighbor. I won’t be made a fucking fool of, sweetheart. You are testing me. And him? Of all the men in the area. Jesus Christ. You picked a winner. What - does he cum in 3 pumps?” Dave snorts humorlessly.

Kyle didn’t have the longest stamina, but he made up for it with his tongue. You aren’t going to tell Dave that. “No one knows but the people I’ve fucked.” You tell Dave with a smirk, knowing he will seethe until he knows who all you have slept with. He wouldn’t be able to stand it. His downfall as an operative was letting his emotions run him at times, being too hot headed. It was going to get him killed one day. “I’m sure you’ve been such a good little boy since we’ve been married, haven’t you? Kept it in your pants?”

“That’s different. I didn’t fuck the woman across the street for people to find out.” He hisses at you, blood boiling. He hates to think that you are getting fucked by these neighborhood losers. “You- you are giving us a bad reputation. Me, you’re embarrassing me. They- they will think your husband doesn’t fuck you properly.” He shakes his head. Dave is all about keeping up appearances. Both of you have too much to lose to be fucking around. You both need this cover for your jobs and yet you’re putting everything at risk for some mediocre cock. 

“You don’t honey.” You coo mockingly and Dave breaks, his hand coming up to grab your neck, slamming you against the wall. 

“You’re a fucking cunt.”

Instead of crying out and trembling in fear, you scoff and laugh. Glaring back at him, you jut your chin out defiantly. “I’m the cunt you married.” You remind him softly, your words cutting through him like a knife to the heart. “The only time you’ve liked yourself was when you were trying to be someone this cunt might like.” Twisting your lips into a smirk, you lean back against the wall, panting softly. “I’m that cunt.” 

Dave’s blood boils, that vein in his forehead popping and he hisses your name, “how many of them have you fucked?” He growls, tightening his grip on your neck. “Tell me.” He demands, his patience wearing thin and he doesn’t want to admit why he’s acting this way.

You take more pleasure than you probably should at the way Dave’s eyes glitter darkly. He’s always pissed you off with his total disregard of your appeal, so it’s amusing to see his ego bruised. “Let’s see….” You hum playfully. “Jerry and Damon, Alex once…..” You pretend to think about it. “Everyone at the party but Scott.” You shudder slightly, something about the neighbor across the street made your stomach churn, and not in a good way.

Dave squeezes your throat a little harder, “you’ve fucked the entire street behind my back.” He growls, “you’re a fucking whore. Everyone is laughing at me, laughing at me not knowing my wife is the street slut.”

“Maybe you should have satisfied your wife if you didn’t want to be the laughingstock of the neighborhood.” You taunt him, your pussy clenching from the tight grip he has on your throat. No one knew and the men in this area were all to shit scared of their wives finding out about their dalliances and leaving them, taking half their money and draining them with spousal and/or child support.

“You didn’t want to fuck me. You didn’t want a wedding night. Sweetheart, we had a courthouse wedding, took photos, and both flew across the country to kill our targets. You would’ve bit my cock off if I had come near you. Instead, you’re fucking every single man in the goddamn zip code.”

You tut, shaking your head. “I’ve seen your dick, I wouldn’t have bitten it off. I wanted to suck it.” You shrug, “figured you would have shot me before I could get on my knees.” Despite the fact that you don’t share a bed, you’ve seen him naked by chance and have heard him jerking off in the shower several times. It seemed like Dave couldn’t stand you so you just moved on. You deserve to find satisfaction somewhere.

Dave can't stop himself. Your words have him hardening in his pants. He keeps hold of your neck, squeezing it as he surges forward to press his lips to yours, his tongue sliding into your mouth. He's not delicate, he's rough, desperate to remind you that you are married to him. You are his wife.

Surprised, you quickly moan into the kiss, feeling like it is some sort of lesson. Not that you mind, you’ve always been one to like to learn. You learn that Dave enjoys biting, breaking away from your lips to map your jaw and neck with his teeth. Your arms come up and your fingers sink into his hair, pulling on it just as roughly as he bites. “Fuck, Dave.”

His fingers grip your jaw and he presses his forehead against yours. "I'm gonna fuck you. You are gonna take whatever I give you." He orders, pushing down on your shoulders to force you to kneel. "You are gonna suck my cock. Don't you dare bite or I'll fucking kill you." He warns, working on his belt buckle to pull his hardening cock out of his pants.

You have half a mind to refuse, just to spite him, but you’ve been curious about David Anthony York and he denied you your pleasure earlier. Instead of arguing, you slap his hands away to take over exposing his cock. Eager to see what it takes to make this man moan your name.

Dave smirks, watching you as you pull his hard cock out, eyes widening, and you look up at him while wrapping your fingers around his girth. “You impressed, sweetheart?” He chuckles, grabbing the back of your neck to push you towards his cock. “None of those fuckers in this neighbourhood impressed you with their dicks?”

You lift a brow, wanting to make a smart comment back about how there were a couple of men who could give him a run for his money but you don’t. Instead you lean in and press your tongue to the underside of his cock.

Dave groans when you wrap your lips around his cock, his grip on your neck loosening a little. You take him deeper and he pushes his cock further into your mouth. “You can take more. You’re a whore, you know how to take a cock down your throat.” He taunts you, “you can take more of it.”

Pulling your lips back, you show him your teeth just to watch him scowl at you. You hollow your cheeks and push him deeper into your throat until you hit the back. He wants to taunt you, but he can’t hurt your feelings.

He groans when you take him deeper, suctioning his cock into your mouth. You moan around him and he grabs your hair, “don’t act, sweetheart. I want real. I don’t want the bullshit you give those pathetic assholes down the street.” He hisses, pushing his cock down your throat and you choke on his girth.

The funny thing is, you aren’t acting, you like it. You like blowing a guy and having him fall apart under the direction of your mouth. Tears slide down your cheeks and you feel the spit bubbling out of the sides of your mouth.

Dave has no sympathy for you, his hips thrusting as he pushes his cock down your throat over and over again. He doesn’t care about you choking or gagging, he just wants to own you. You’re his, legally. He groans, pushing his cock deep one last time before he pulls his cock back, making you gasp as he suddenly withdraws. “Get in the fucking bedroom.” He demands, grabbing your hair to drag you up from your knees.

It amuses you that he thinks he can treat you like you are actually some suburban housewife. Like you aren’t deadly in your own rights. You have every intention of fucking him, but now you’re going to be a brat about it. Grabbing his wrist, you twist around until the pressure forces him to let go of your hair and you shove him back. “Who the fuck do you think you are, York?” You hiss, enjoying watching his face scrunch up in anger.

Dave grabs your arms, pulling you into his chest. “I’m your fucking husband.” He growls, letting go of you and he bends over, grabbing your thighs to lift you over his shoulder. He stalks into the bedroom, tossing you down onto the bed. “Fucking undress. Now.” He hisses his final warning, working on his button down.

You snort, wondering if he would rip your dress off if you refused. Since you actually like the damned dress, you shift to your knees and pull it up over your head, revealing your lack of bra since the top had one built in and the skimpy lacy panties that you had been wearing for Kyle. “Good enough?” You ask, admiring his smooth chest as he pulls off his button down.

Dave knows you were wearing those panties for the insipid prick next door and he clenches his jaw. “You’re a fucking whore. You know what happens to whores? They get fucked. Hard.” Dave promises, shrugging off his shirt and he pushes his pants down along with his boxers, kicking them aside. He grabs you, flipping you onto your stomach. “Are you wet enough? I don’t fucking care.” He chuckles darkly, straddling your thighs and he grips his cock, positioning it at your entrance and he pushes into you without any foreplay. He’s girthy but you can take it.

All you give him is a grunt. Not wanting to let him know how hard you are biting down on your lip to keep from moaning. He stretches you out amazingly and it’s been a long time since someone fucked you this hard. The only thing that surprises you is that York didn’t put on a condom. Controlling your breathing, you look over your shoulder. “Are you going to fuck me? I don’t have all day.” You taunt.

Your words make him smirk, his chuckle echoes through his body to yours, and he reaches out to smack your ass. “Patience, wifey. I will fuck you when I want. How I want.” He clicks his tongue and you whine when he doesn’t move. He waits until you’re squirming before he pulls back, nearly falling out of you until he thrusts hard and deep inside of you. He sets that same pace, fucking you hard and fast, his hips slam against your ass.

This time you can’t hold back the moans. Gripping the sheets of the bed you sleep on without him every night you cry out. “Fuck, Dave!” Your eyes roll back, loving how deep he’s getting and you know that you will be sore tomorrow. “More.”

His hand presses down on the back of your neck, pushing you into the mattress, “shut the fuck up. I’m in charge now. You’re my slut now.” He reminds you, rocking his hips and he suddenly slows down, making you whine in protest. He pushes two fingers into your mouth, his cock slowly dragging through your walls.

It’s demeaning and if it were any other man, you would snap his fucking neck. But because it’s Dave, you suck on his fingers and whine as your walls clench down around his cock. He feels incredible, scratching an itch you’ve had for a long time and you love the rough way he’s treating you. You bite him just to see what he would do. 

When you bite down on his fingers, he snorts, withdrawing them from between your teeth so he can slap your cheek. “Don’t bite. It’s rude.” He reprimands and grips your jaw. He presses his entire body over you, his face near yours and he starts to fuck you hard once more. “You’ve been such a naughty girl. Fucking all the neighborhood husbands. Been a bad little whore. You’re my whore now, baby. You’re mine. My wife. The only one who gets this pussy is me. Tell me it’s mine.” He orders, still gripping your jaw.

Your eyes roll back again, his filth pouring into your ears and going straight to your cunt. “Yours.” You moan quietly, mouth going slack jawed when he hits something deep inside you and you squeal when he hits it again. “Fuck, it’s yours.”

His cock twitches inside of you upon hearing the words that your pussy belongs to him. He loves that. “Don’t fucking forget it.” He growls, slapping your cheek again and he continues to thrust deep and hard into you. His hands shifting to grab your tits, sliding his hands under you to squeeze them while he rocks deep into you. “Did you let them cum inside of you?” He asks you, wanting to know.

You squeeze his cock with your cunt, enjoying the harshness of his tone rasping in your ear. Jealousy drips from his words and it makes you smirk. For a man who was just married to you on paper alone, he was acting like a husband. “Yes.” You hum, aware of the fact that you wouldn’t get pregnant, but he doesn’t know that. “Ev-every time.”

​​Dave growls, sliding his hand up to squeeze your neck. “You’re a fucking slut. What if - what if they knocked you up? You could’ve jeopardized our entire fucking cover having a baby daddy. You stupid whore.” He slaps your cheek, reprimanding you as his cock pushes deeper, spearing against your cervix.

You choke out a moan at the slap, giggling slightly at how furious he is. Instead of correcting him, you just push your hips up. “Le-legally it would be yours.” You tease, knowing that would make him even madder. Your fingers twist around the bedding and you moan again, loving how brutal he is being. He was right that the men in the neighborhood weren’t vicious like this and you needed it.

Dave hates the thought of you pregnant with another man’s child. “I would kill you if you had another man’s baby.” He threatens, slapping your cheek again as he keeps up his pace.

“Temper, t-temper.” You pant out, eyes closing as the delicious knot of pleasure starts to build in your core. You’re so close to having the best fucking orgasm you’ve had in a long time and it’s thanks to the asshole you married. “So- fuck, so close, Dave.”

Dave lets go of your throat, pushing deep and he grabs your ass as he buries his cock inside of your walls, twitching while a loud groan escapes his lips, his orgasm making him shake and he pulls out while he’s still spurting, his hot seed hitting your ass and lower back. He pants, closing his eyes for a moment until he shuffles off of the bed, spent cock still aching with his release. “Don’t you ever fucking disrespect me like that again. Clean yourself up.” He orders and grabs his pants, walking out of the bedroom to leave you laying there, his cum cooling on your skin.

Huffing, you turn on your side and feel his cum drip down your skin and you can’t help but get in a parting shot. “Seems like you’re the one who can’t satisfy your wife, David!” You yell after him, rolling your eyes to yourself as you climb off the bed and move towards your bathroom, eager to finish what he started with the toy you have in there. 

Dave ignores you, heading for his room so he can get into the shower. He’s still fuming that you fucked the entire neighborhood, especially when his own liaisons have been far away from home. He’s had hints from several wives but he’s never done anything for fear of risking your cover. He is annoyed that he’s jealous. Hating that you’ve somehow gotten under his skin. He washes off and gets ready for his op, deciding to leave early so he can get his mind straight.

In your own shower, you grind against the toy that is suctioned to the wall, not nearly as satisfied with it as Dave had felt inside you. Biting your lip and sinking your hand between your thighs, you wish that you had just fucking cum when he had fucked you. Hating that he feels as if he has the upper hand now. Like he has claimed you. He had been the one to tell you that it was a sham marriage and now he’s pissed that you treated it as such. Your fingers circle your clit and you moan quietly, cumming with his name on your lips. 

****

When Dave gets back from his op the next morning, he finds you in the kitchen, sipping your coffee and staring out the window to the back yard. “Morning sweetheart.” He announces his presence, setting his duffel bag down on the floor. “Missed me? Hopefully you didn’t fuck the neighbor while I was away.”

Rolling your eyes, you turn from the window and send him a smirk. “You missed it. I invited all of them over last night and they ran a train on me.” You taunt, taking a sip of your coffee. “It was wild. Just finished cleaning up all the cum before you walked in the door.” The funniest part of that was that your sheets are in the washing machine, the weekly cleaning but the sound of the machine can be heard from the kitchen. “Anyway, welcome home, dear. Do you want me to cook you some breakfast like a good little housewife?” 

Dave knows that’s not true. He monitored the security cameras. No one came inside the house. He rolls his eyes and sits down at the table, still mad at you for putting you both at risk. “I want some eggs. Coffee. Bacon.” He rattles off what he wants, knowing he’s being a dick but you have some making up to do.

“Good.” You hum, walking over to him and setting your coffee down in front of him and kissing him on the cheek before you stand straight. You make sure the kiss was wet, sloppy and leaves a mark on his skin that he will have to wipe off. “Have fun making that.” You turn to walk out of the room, having no intention of acting like his good little wife. You are married on paper and the fucker didn’t even let you cum yesterday. 

Dave mutters under his breath, unable to believe you have just left without cooking anything. He scowls as he wipes his cheek, huffing before he stands up. “Fucking bitch.” He hisses and stalks after you, finding you just about to walk up the stairs. “You’re such a bitch.” He growls, grabbing your ankle to pull you down and you gasp as you land on your hands on a step, his hand dragging you down the stairs.

Twisting your body, your free foot kicks out, striking Dave in the jaw and making him let go of your ankle with a curse. Instead of scrambling to get away, you decide to attack. “Bitch?” You screech, launching yourself at him and forcing him down to the ground before you punch him in the ribs. “I. Didn’t. Do. Anything. Wrong.” You spit out as you and Dave wrestle for control, your legs straddling his waist. 

Dave grabs your arms, stopping you from punching him, and you struggle to get free. He keeps his grip tight and pushes your legs open with his so you can’t flip him. You continue to struggle until you decide to fight dirty, grinding down onto him. “You - you fucked everyone in the community. I haven’t - no one can know about us.” He reminds you, groaning and his cock hardening as you grind down onto him.

“They just- they think I’m unhappy.” You hiss, smirking when you feel him start to grow against your panties. “Like they are.” You don’t care what they think, they have enough issues without throwing stones at what you have done. It doesn’t hurt that you’ve dug up enough dirt on everyone in the neighborhood if you need it. “What pisses you off more Dave? That I fucked them or I didn’t fuck you?” 

His hands let go of yours and he grabs your hips instead, moving you on his cock. “You’re my wife. You should be in my bed. If you wanted to be fucked, you should’ve told me. I would’ve fucked you however you wanted. You didn’t need to go to those pricks down the street. My cock is yours, both legally and in reality. All you have to do is ask.”

You stop moving, staring down at him for a moment and narrowing your eyes. You can’t tell what his game is, if he’s playing one. All you know is that he is acting like he wants this to be real, more than a cover marriage. Biting your lower lip, you pout slightly. “You didn’t make me cum.” You point out. “You got what you wanted and left me high and dry.” It sounds pitiful, because it is, but you had wanted to scream his name and he denied you. 

Dave chuckles at your whine, “you had to be punished.” He explains, slapping your ass as you continue to grind down onto his cock. “Take what you want, sweetheart. You want to cum? Take my cock out and ride it until you cum.” He orders, wanting you to do it but it has to be your decision.

You contemplate your options. The toy had technically gotten you off, but it wasn’t the same as getting fucked. Plus it will be another encounter with Dave where he’s clothed. Still….you huff and shuffle your hips down so you can unbuckle his belt and pull his cock out. You are still in your nightgown and you have no intention of taking it off. 

He chuckles at the way you eagerly take his cock out and lift your gown so you can sink down onto him. “Jesus.” He hisses at how tight you are as you lower yourself onto him. “Baby. Take what you want. It’s your chance.” He informs you, watching your mouth as you pout.

You whine softly, the sting of him stretching you out again after the rough sex making your cunt flutter. “Fuck, Dave.” Tilting your head back, you give yourself a moment to adjust while you make small circles with your hips. You hate that he feels so good, that his cock makes you gasp when he twitches inside you. “You’re going to make me cum this time. Or you won’t fuck me again.” You warn when you look down at him again. 

Dave snorts, “it’s all you this time, darling. Make yourself cum on my cock. I won’t deny you this time. If you deny me though, you’ll fucking regret it. Come on, ride my dick like you’ve probably done to every other man in town.” He slaps your ass again but doesn’t move you, wanting you to take what you want.

Rolling your eyes, you slap your hand down on his chest as you start to move. Pressing your lips together so you don’t give him the satisfaction of hearing you moan out in pleasure. Closing your eyes when he smirks at you, guessing what your game is. Fuck him. Fuck him and his cocky attitude. He wants to dictate you to not deny him when he left you unsatisfied? Your lips twitch and you decide to piss him off. “Fuck…Kyle.” You whimper quietly. 

Dave reacts immediately, his hand coming up to grip your jaw. “Don’t you fucking dare say his name while I’m inside of you. I’ll fucking kill him if you do it again.” He warns, knowing you know he’s serious. “Faster.” He demands, thrusting up into you.

For someone who wanted you to take what you wanted, he’s awfully demanding. It’s your turn to slap his cheek, smirking when his eyes narrow on yours. David York doesn’t scare you. “You lay there.” You huff. “This is my fucking time to cum.”

Dave chuckles, “there’s the woman I married. Come on, fucking ride me.” He demands again and you grip his jaw, leaning down to slide your tongue into his mouth. 

“Shut the fuck up.” You demand, biting down on his lower lip. 

Shit, Dave kind of likes that. He squeezes your hips, keeping still for you.

Now it’s your turn to use him. Bracing your hands on his chest and starting to ride him harder. Your hips are rolling and your body starts to shake as you bounce on his cock. Leaning forward until he hits perfectly inside you. Gasping and clenching around him while you keep that same pace. 

Dave hisses when you start to bounce on his cock, using him for your pleasure and his hands quickly find your tits, squeezing and pinching your nipples. “Come on sweetheart, you can do better than that.” He taunts you, slapping your tit through your nightgown.

You hiss, slapping his hands away and then slap his cheek again. “Keep it up and I’ll zip tie you to the floor and make you watch while I fuck Kyle.” You threaten, enjoying the way he snarls and snaps his hips up. You laugh, leaning down and biting his bottom lip again. “You forget I can kill you too, York.” 

That reminder is unbelievably sexy to Dave, his cock twitching violently inside of you. “Jesus Christ. You- I’d kill you before you could kill me.” He defends himself, knowing you’re an incredible assassin but he’s better, stronger. You’re smarter, as much as he hates to admit that. “Are you gonna keep threatening me or are you gonna cum?” He taunts you breathlessly, your cunt so tight and hot around his cock.

“Oh you liiiiiike that.” You chuckle, biting his lip again and moaning when you start to fuck him harder. Pushing up from where you are laying across him so you can bounce on his cock harder. “Fuck, fuck, you’re an- an asshole but you have a- a good cock.” You moan, rocking your hips harder while you chase your release.

Dave watches you as you push yourself closer to your orgasm. Your tits bounce and he keeps his hands by your hips, not holding, just hovering. “Is my little slutty wife gonna cum all over my cock?” He asks, a breathless chuckle escaping his lips. “Come on baby. Cum for me. Cum for your fucking husband.”

“Fuck you.” You pant, grinding down on him just as your world explodes in a kaleidoscope of colors, blinding you while pleasure shoots through every pore of your veins. “Fuck! Fuck! Dave.” His name falls from your lips by accident, caught up in the bliss of your orgasm.

He fucking loves hearing his name on your lips, a groan escaping his mouth as he squeezes your hips, working you up and down his cock. He hisses when your walls grip him in a vice and he struggles but manages a dozen thrusts up into you before he buries his cock deep and paints your walls with his cum.

Panting quietly, you close your eyes, dropping your head down until your chin rests on your chest. You feel him relax underneath you and his hands let go of your hips. Reminding yourself that he just wanted to fuck you because he found out you were fucking the neighbor, you lean forward and tap his cheek with your hand playfully. “Good ride, York.” You tease. “Now you can say you made your wife cum. Once.”

Dave rolls his eyes, “only the best treatment for you, Mrs. York.” He retorts, grabbing the back of your neck to pull you down for a surprisingly tender kiss, his tongue licking along your lips. He hated finding out that you were fucking the neighbor.

You let yourself kiss him back, giving into the moment and imagining if you are really married to him. That it was for love rather than an arrangement between two assassins to maintain their cover. Your tongue slides into his mouth and you remember that isn’t reality, pulling back with one last kiss. You slide off his cock and stand up, looking down at him on the floor of your entryway. Instead of saying something stupid, you turn around and walk up the stairs, needing to go clean up.

Dave sighs, his head hitting the floor as he rubs his face. “Fuck me.” He murmurs, trying to process what just happened. He groans as he sits up, tucking himself back into his pants and he walks into his office, deciding to just get stuck into work. It’s going to be a long day. When you appear a while later, dressed and with a coffee in hand, Dave looks up from his computer. “Is it poisoned?” He asks, raising his eyebrows.

You roll your eyes, about to make a sarcastic comment before you stop yourself and just shake your head. “Not poisoned. And there’s a bacon and egg sandwich waiting in the kitchen if you want it.” You had broken down and fixed his fucking food, telling yourself it was just because you wanted some eggs.

Dave’s eyebrows raise at the news that you cooked for him. He stands up, grabbing the cup of coffee and he walks over to you, kissing your forehead as he passes, “thanks wifey.” He calls and makes his way into the kitchen, starving since he hadn’t eaten all morning.

You snort and purse your lips as you decide that you won’t push things. You have some paperwork of your own to finish up from your last assignment. The good thing about having such a big house and no kids is that you both have spaces to retreat to. The office downstairs is Dave’s and you had taken one of the upstairs bedrooms as your own space. Settling into your chair, you boot up your laptop and get to work. 

*** 

Dave grunts as he wakes up, your back is turned towards him, naked and illuminated by the morning sun. Dave can’t help himself, he shuffles closer to you, kissing along your shoulder and neck, your sleepy whimper making him chuckle. “Morning wifey.” He teases, nipping your shoulder.

It takes you a moment to remember why he is in the bed beside you. Last night when you had got to bed, Dave had come into the bedroom and demanded to sleep beside you. Claiming that your cover required it and it had turned into another satisfyingly rough session of sex. Shivering because of his lips on your skin, you crack your eyes open and turn your head to look at him, “morning hubby.” 

Dave leans away from you, looking down at your sleepy face and his heart thumps in his chest. That makes him frown and he shuffles out of the bed, deciding to have a piss. After washing his hands, he looks over at you when he comes out of the bathroom. “I’ll go put the coffee on.” He says, making his way downstairs to the kitchen with his boxers on.

It’s amazing how fucking hot and cold Dave York blows. You roll your eyes and climb out of the bed, annoyed he had left you to make up both sides since he had just walked out. You pull your nightgown and  robe on, muttering to yourself as you straighten the sheets and blankets, putting the decorative pillows against the headboard. This is ridiculous, you married him so you wouldn’t have to deal with issues like hurt feelings or bruised egos and you’re having to deal with it anyway. Plus you hate the way you had been disappointed he had left the bed.

Dave sips his coffee, yours waiting on the counter, and he watches you walk into the kitchen. “You have that target tonight?” He asks and you nod, grabbing the cup of coffee. He likes how you look in the morning, hair messy and face clean and sleepy. You’re beautiful and he hates that he seems to be softening towards you.

“I do.” You groan after taking a sip of the coffee and letting the strong brew sit on your tastebuds. “I’ll be back tomorrow. So don’t wait up for me tonight.” It’s normal for either one of you or both to go out of town, so it’s not unusual. “I’ll have to make sure it’s clean because the target has gotten paranoid.”

Dave nods, knowing it’s more complicated when the target realizes they are on someone’s hit list. “No problem, baby.” The nickname slips out and he decides to not act like it’s a big deal. The doorbell rings and Dave frowns, grabbing the glock he keeps in the kitchen drawer and he holds it in his hand while he makes his way towards the front door. Hardly anyone comes to the house. 

You follow Dave into the hall and he turns to look at you, “get back.” He hisses and you shift around the corner. Dave braces himself as he opens the door. 

“Oh Dave. I, uh, didn’t realize you were home.” It’s Kyle and Dave clenches his jaw as his finger twitches over the trigger. It would be easy to kill Kyle and God, he’s tempted, but he lowers the gun, tucking it into his boxers as he opens the door. 

“Honey, it’s Kyle.” He says through gritted teeth.

You straighten up, still in your robe and walk towards the door. Annoyed that the dumbass has decided to come to the house after being caught yesterday by Dave. “Kyle, what are you doing here?” You frown, stepping out from behind the wall and walking towards the two men. The last thing you need is some sort of pissing contest on the front lawn. Or for Dave to kill the poor bastard.

Kyle swallows harshly, looking between you and Dave. “I just - I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I didn’t - I was worried he had hurt you.” 

Dave scoffs and opens the door, “come in. See for yourself. She’s fine. I wouldn’t hurt my wife.” He emphasizes the word. Kyle nervously walks into the hallway, his eyes fixed on you. Dave wants to shoot him, fingers twitching, but it wasn’t worth the clean up. Or the move after the wife buys the bullshit story that he shot himself. Wasn’t worth the hassle, no matter how much Dave is glaring at him.

You want to scoff and tell Kyle that he shouldn’t insult you like that but he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know that both of you are skilled and deadly. “We’re fine.” You promise him, crossing your arms over your chest. “But obviously we can’t continue sleeping together.” You roll your eyes. “And I know you don’t want Jackie to find out. Dave isn’t going to tell her. He doesn’t want it to get out, so I trust this stays between the three of us?”

Dave’s fingers twitch with the urge to strangle the fucker but he remains calm, letting you handle this. Kyle looks between you and Dave, “what about - you said - I don’t - Jackie doesn’t give me what I want. He doesn’t give you what you need. Please baby, can we - can’t we just continue? You said you don’t love him.” 

Dave is furious when he hears that, grabbing Kyle and shoving him up against the wall. “What the fuck did you say?” He hisses, his fingers wrapped around his neck.

“Dave!” You rush forward and grab his arm, certain that he is about to kill Kyle. It’s ego, it has to be ego. That’s why Dave is reacting like a mad man. “Don’t!” You hiss, digging your fingers into the pressure points. “If you kill him, everyone finds out why.”

Dave growls at you, dropping his arm. He’s tried so hard to keep his cover and it’s crumbled in a matter of moments. “Don’t you fucking ever look at my wife again. Don’t talk to her. Don’t even breathe in her direction otherwise I will fucking kill you.” Dave threatens Kyle.

“Woah man, yeah- yeah, I won’t- I won’t ever look at her again.” Kyle promises shakily and you swear he’s on the verge of pissing his pants. True to his word, his head doesn’t turn towards you as he slides past Dave, ducking his head as he fumbles for the door and bolts outside. 

“Shit.” You huff. “Did you have to threaten him?” Closing the door, you wonder why the fuck he cares so much.

Dave huffs, turning towards you, his blood is boiling. He doesn’t hesitate to grab you, spinning you and pushing you up against the wall. “You liked his cock?” He asks, shoving your nightgown up your hips with one hand, his other hand grabbing your thigh to lift it into his hip and he pushes two fingers inside of you after letting go of your nightgown.

You hiss, hating the way your walls clench around his fingers. “Stop acting jealous, David.” You spit, glaring at him over your shoulder. “You and I never touched each other. Don’t believe I didn't know about the secretary at the office who sucks your dick every Thursday after the department meeting.”

Dave pumps his fingers into your cunt, feeling you get wetter by the second and he leans in to kiss your neck. “She just sucks my cock. Nothing else. Likes that I give her more time off for it.” He reasons with you, knowing you don’t know about the liaisons he’s had during ops. “I get to act jealous. You’re my wife. How would you feel if I was fucking that pretty blonde down the street, Delilah?” He counters, pressing his thumb against your clit.

You moan, hating yourself for the flash of rage that floods your body and you imagine killing her. “That dumb bitch?” You scoff, fingers digging into his shoulders and your hips roll forward, eager for his touch. “She- fuck, she would bore you. Lay there like a limp fish.” You don’t have a clue how she would be. You know Dave assumes you fucked her husband, but you haven’t. You whimper when he curls his finger again and clench around him. “Fuck Dave, fuck me already.”

His cock is hardening but he wants you to suffer a little longer. “No. You’ll cum on my fingers first like a good little slut.” He reminds you, nipping your jaw before he pulls back to look into your eyes. “Then maybe tonight I’ll go find Delilah?” He taunts you, “maybe she has a tight little pussy for a limp fish.”

Your lips curl into a sneer, hating how fucking jealous you are and your hand comes up to grip his jaw. Leaning in, your eyes dark with anger, you whisper, “you can’t dictate to me who I fuck and think you can do whatever you want.” It’s more of a hiss but David, the bastard, just gives a smug chuckle and curls his fingers deeper. It pisses you off and you shove at his chest. “Get the fuck off me.” You demand, pulling his fingers free of your cunt and shoving him again. “I’ll finish it my fucking self. Don’t touch me.”

Dave lets you push him away and he snorts, “you finish yourself off, sweetheart, you and I both know it won’t be the same. You’ve gonna be aching for my cock to fill you up. I might as well take care of myself.” He has no qualms reaching into his boxers and pulling his hard cock out. He spits into his hand and starts to jerk himself, watching your chest heave.

“You’re a fucking asshole.” You spit, hating how you want to fuck him even now. Dave confuses you and it pisses you off. This was supposed to be a simple arrangement. “Go fuck the limp fish, see if I care.” You huff, turning around to walk away. You do care, but you’re not going to let him know that.

Dave snorts, letting go of his cock and striding towards you. “You want me to fuck you.” He says as a statement rather than a question while he pushes you up against the wall again. His cock now pressed against your stomach as he cups your cheeks, “tell me you want my cock, sweetheart. You can have it. It’s not hers. Legally, it’s yours.”

You seethe, knowing that you will hate yourself for this but you want him. He’s very caught up on the legality of this which is funny considering you both break the law for a job. “I told you to fuck me.” You remind him. “You’re the one playing games. You could already have made me scream your name. Your name, no one else’s.”

“I like the chase.” Dave tells you, shoving your nightgown up again and he hitches your leg over his hip, using his other hand to notch himself at your dripping cunt. He slowly pushes into you, wanting to feel all of you, to savor it.

“Chase.” You scoff. “What good is a chase when we’re married.” You lean back against the wall and moan his name, breathless at how good he feels inside you. If you had known he would feel like this, you would have arranged to fuck him when you needed relief. “Fuck.” You whimper, feeling him throb inside you. “You better make me cum.”

Dave chuckles, grabbing your other thigh to put it on his hip, lifting you off of the ground so he can fuck you into the wall. “Don’t worry baby, wanna feel you soak my cock this time.” He works his hips, shifting the angle with each thrust until he hears you cry out. “Tell me what feels the best.”

When he’s not being a dick, Dave can fuck. “Har-harder.” You beg, holding onto his shoulders and moaning at every sharp snap of his hips. Banging you against the wall and filling you just like you need, scratching an itch you didn’t even realize you had.

He slams into you, following your order, and he hisses your name. “You like this, don’t you? My wife’s a little whore. Are you my little whore?” He asks, gripping your thighs and bouncing you a little on his cock.

"Shi-shit." You moan, nodding frantically as you hold onto him. "Ye-yes. I'm your whore." You would say anything right now with the way that his cock drills into you and hits just right inside you.

He loves hearing that. Fucking loves hearing you call yourself his whore. He groans your name, continuing to push into you in that spot, wanting you to gush around him.

He presses you into the wall and keeps hammering into you. "F-fuc-fuck!" You gasp out, loving how you feel with him fucking into you harshly.

“You gonna cum for me baby?” He asks you with a growl, “you gonna soak my cock? I want you to cum for me.” He orders, growling as your walls flutter around him. He crosses your ankles behind his back and lets go so you are secure, his body pressing you into the wall so he can press his thumb to your clit.

“Shit!” You cry out, eyes fluttering closed and your body stiffens when he presses your clit and start rubbing circles on it. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum- I’m- I’m gonna-“ you cut yourself off, gasping out his name when you cunt clenches down around his cock.

He groans when you grip his cock, making him hiss in response and he thrusts harder into you to try and work you through your orgasm. “That’s it baby. No one else makes you feel like this, do they?” He says through gritted teeth, “only me.” He adds, thrusting into you. “Beg me to cum. Beg me to cum inside of you.” He demands, his thumb now off of your clit so he can grab your thigh, adjusting the angle.

“Fuck.” It shouldn’t be that sexy to hear him say that. But it is. Your arms are wrapped around his neck, clinging to him and you pitch forward to lick a long line up his neck and over his jaw. Biting down on his chin, you hum, “cum for me. Fill me up.” You kiss his jawline. “Want to drip your cum while I kill a man tonight.”

Fuck, that does him. He loves hearing that and he sends him over the edge. He buries his cock deep inside of you, moaning your name as he cums, painting your walls with his hot seed while he turns his head to press his lips to yours, tongue plunging deep to smother his own moans of your name.

Heat fills you, eyes closed while you kiss him back during the long moments it takes for him to ride out his high. Grinding into you as he pumps his cum deep and finally comes to a rest. You almost hate when he pulls away, eyes opening to find him staring at you and you wonder what he is thinking.

Dave stares at you for a moment, wanting to tell you what he’s thinking but he knows it wouldn’t help either of you. He grunts, pulling out of you and moving your panties over to stop his cum from dripping onto the floor. “You’ve got to prepare for your op.” He says as he clears his throat, tucking his cock back into his boxers.

“Right.” The moment is gone and you nod, turning and walking on shaky legs towards the stairs. You’re going to have your wish, you’ll be dripping his cum all day. Except now you want to know what he would have said, biting your lip as you climb the stairs and wonder when the fuck you decided to start falling in love with your fucking husband.

****

Dave watches you as you finish the eggs and toast he cooked this morning. You've been sleeping together for a few months and as far as he knows, you haven't slept with anyone else. Neither has he, even stopping the secretary sucking his cock every Thursday. You sip your coffee, offering him one of those smiles that makes his heart clench and you tell him thank you for breakfast. "You're welcome, baby." He winks and stands up, grabbing your plates.

It’s been almost like a honeymoon with Dave. The past few months have brought both of you closer together in a way that seems almost natural. It’s almost on the tip of your tongue to admit your feelings for him, but you stop yourself. You don’t know how he feels and you don’t want to make yourself vulnerable to him if it’s just about the sex and “claiming” his wife. “You have a job tonight, right? For a few days?” You pout slightly, knowing it will be the first overnight job since the morning you came back after the showdown with Kyle.

“Yeah. International job. Gotta fly to London.” He tells you, trusting you with the details. It would be so easy to give all of himself to you, to tell you how he feels, but he can’t put himself at risk like that. “Don’t worry baby. I’ll bring you back something nice.” He promises, winking at you as you pout. “Plus I promise to make you cum as many times as I would’ve made you cum if I was here when I get back.” He promises you, winking as he loads the dishwasher.

“You better.” You smirk, watching Dave bend over and admiring his ass. There’s something sexy about watching your husband be domestic. The best part about it is that you never have to ask him to cook or clean up. “I’m going to just stay home this weekend while you are gone. Drink some wine and use my toy.” You tease with a wink of your own.

“Take photos. Videos. I want to see when I come back.” Dave growls, leaning down to nip your neck. The domestic life suits you and if he’s being honest, him. He likes how easy it is with you. You know him, the darkest parts of him, and you don’t reject him. He likes that. He love- no, he won’t say that. He finishes loading the dishwashers and he stands up, leaning down to peck your lips. “I'm gonna go get ready. I can’t be late for my flight.” Dave says and walks out of the kitchen, trying to focus his mind.

****

The house seems lonely without Dave, too big for just you. Instead of focusing on that, you decide to tackle the project you wanted to surprise your husband with. Despite sharing a bed for the past few months, all of Dave’s clothes were still in the now spare bedroom’s closet. You want to move everything over and organize it. Hopefully show him that you are open to a more realistic marriage with him.

Dave misses you. Fuck, that takes a lot for him to admit to himself. He thinks about you during the eight hour flight, during the taxi ride to his hotel, during the pre-op prep, even during the fucking op itself. As soon as the bullet is in the asshole's brain, Dave is heading to his room to grab his bag, eager to get back to you. He buys you a perfume that he knows will drive him crazy and you will love before he boards the flight home. He's early and he can't wait to surprise you. Cutting down the trip to two days instead of three, he doesn't call you to tell you he's on his way home like he normally would. 

He frowns when his phone rings just before he gets to his car. "Hello?" He answers the unknown number, glancing around the parking garage. 

"Hello David." The voice isn't familiar but the tone makes Dave narrow his eyes. 

"Who are you?" He snaps, immediately on edge. 

"An old friend. Decided to pop by and visit your beautiful wife. She's so pretty. I wish you didn't threaten me to stay away from her. Her little cunt was perfect for me. Shame you fucked up my little gig." 

Dave frowns, quickly putting the pieces together. "Kyle?" He scoffs, "what the fuck are you doing in my house? I'm gonna fucking kill you." He growls and his heart is pounding, realizing you might've fucked this asshole again and that hurts far more than any bullet.

Humming to yourself, you smirk as you run your hands across the numerous suits that Dave has, stroking the fabric. Your favorite is lined up first, it makes his ass look amazing and you might have snuck a look at the tags so you can order him another. All his clothes have been moved over. From socks to underwear and all his shoes. All you need to do now is bring over his toiletries into the master bath from the one he had been using. It’s just as the music that you had been playing changes to another song that you hear it. The slight creak downstairs, a floorboard that Dave had told you that he would fix when he got back.

"Tick tock, Dave. I'm gonna fuck her one last time before I slit her pretty little throat. She's got quite the bounty on her fucking head." Kyle chuckles and hangs up. 

Dave growls, his anger echoing in the parking garage and he rushes to get into his car, speeding out of the parking lot and revving through the parking levels as he rushes to get back to you.

Just because you are in your own home, doesn’t mean you are helpless. The second you realize that you aren’t alone in the house despite the alarm being set, you move towards the door where your weapons are stored. Quietly pressing your thumb on the biometric lock, the door slides open and you pick up your weapon, the weight of the handgun firm in your hand. You decide to place innocent, daft. “Dave? Baby? Did you come home early?”

Dave curses the traffic as he speeds back to the house. He keeps dialing your phone but you aren't answering. "Pick up. Come on baby. Pick up." He begs, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "Pick the fucking phone up." He growls, grabbing his cell to try and call the house phone. It rings and rings and goes to the answering machine. He says your name, "pick up the phone. Kyle is trying to kill you. Please. Let me know you're okay." He pleads, knowing the message will be played in the hallway.

You hear the phone ring, the house silent around you. If you were actually a civilian, you might have thought the squeak of the floor was a figment of your imagination. The answering machine picks up, an antiquated thing that Dave enjoys, and you hear his voice coming through the speaker - telling you that Kyle is the one who is in the house to kill you. “Kyle?” You call out. “What are you doing here?”

Kyle sighs as his cover is blown, stepping into the bedroom to find you with the gun in your hand. “Come now baby. Don’t be mean. I’m just here to do my job, same as you what are. Put the gun down or Jackie is gonna make this messier than it needs to be.” The red dot appears on your chest and you curse. Kyle smirks, “York seems pretty pussy whipped by now. I get it. You aren’t worth losing $2 million though.” He tuts, aiming his gun at you.

Your brows shoot up, wondering who the fuck put a $2 million price on your head. “You sure that it wasn’t just Jackie pissed off she had to go back to sucking your dick? I’d be pissed if it were me” You ask, smirking slightly at the scowl on his face at your insults. You wonder where Dave is and hope that he comes home after this is done.

Kyle shakes his head, "you always have been a mouthy bitch. Made for sloppy blow jobs." He snorts and aims the gun at you. "Don't make this difficult for me, beautiful. Get down on your knees...won't be the first time you've done that with me." He smirks, flicking the safety on his gun as he waits for you to kneel.

“I’m good.” You quip, not willing to give in or try to beg for your life. “Have to hand it to you though, you played your role of a no balls pussy extremely well. Never would have taken you for an operative. Hopefully Jackie has the balls in your relationship.”

With a chuckle, Kyle knows you're going to make this difficult. "Jackie knows her place. I'm just a good actor. Your little beau, Dave, isn't so good. He's too...temperamental. I didn't realize he was an op too until he threatened to kill me. That was the look of a man who knows how to kill." Kyle snorts, "he wanted to murder me for fucking you. You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say that poor fucker is in love with you. He's gonna be mad when he comes home to find your brains splattered across the wall." Kyle lifts his gun, "smile like you used to baby." He coos, finger on the trigger.

You refuse to die in this fucking house tonight. The gun you had set down on a table is right beside the perfect cover. All you have to do is reach for it. Your eyes flicker to the window and then back to Kyle before you shake your head “Fuck-“ before you even say “you”, you are diving for the gun and safety.

**** 

The tires squeal as Dave pulls into the driveway, barely managing to cut the engine as he grabs his gun and rushes into the house, slamming the car door behind him. He yells your name as soon as he's inside, running around downstairs and his heart is pounding as he runs around the house, yelling your name. 

He stomps up the stairs, calling your name, gun aimed and ready until he nearly trips over Kyle's body. He sees you laying there, blood on the floor, and he panics. Surging forward to kneel beside you, he keeps his gun aimed at Kyle and he grabs you to pull you close. "Baby. Baby, are you okay? Please be okay." He begs, hating how you are limp in his arms. "Please sweetheart. Wake up." He begs, checking your pulse and he is relieved when he finds it, looking over at Kyle to see the bullet wound in his head and two in his chest. 

"Damn sweetheart. You got the bastard. Shit, I am proud of you." He murmurs until a bullet wizzes past his head. "Fuck!" He yells, pushing you behind the bed and he ducks, trying to avoid the bullets coming into the house through the window, the glass shattering.

“Dave?” You groan, head throbbing since you had slammed it against the dresser and nearly blacked out. “Dave! Jackie- she’s an assassin!” As soon as you realize that he is actually here. Opening your eyes, you look around frantically until you see him, crouched down next to you and looking furious. “They- I have a $2 million price on my head?” Kyle might have been lying but you don’t know, hand reaching for your own gun instinctively.

Dave has to stop Jackie, “stay here. Stay down.” He demands, carefully shifting out from the bed. Jackie must need to reload as the bullets stop for a moment and Dave takes that opportunity, rushes out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He sprints out of the back door, knowing Jackie will expect him to come from the front and he uses her confusion to find out where she is. He sees her on the second floor of their house next door and he wastes no time. She’s confused. He has to act. 

He practically jumps the white fence between the houses, running to the back door and shaking his head in relief when he finds it open. When he enters the house, he sprints, trying to find Jackie on the second floor. She hears him coming, prepared with gun in hand but Dave is too fucking angry to worry about her shooting him. He’s faster and stronger. When she shoots, it hits him in the shoulder but he doesn’t feel it, high in fury and adrenaline. He grabs her, pushing her to her knees and she struggles but he’s quick. Pulling his gun out, he shoots her in the head. “That’s for trying to kill my fucking wife, you bitch.” He hisses, glad he has his silencer still on from his op. Jackie slumps to the floor and Dave shoots her in the chest twice before he lowers the gun. 

He turns towards the open window, the sniper rifle still there and he quickly dismantles it, shoving it in the bag at the base of the window to take it home, a silencer on the rifle. Turns out, everyone still wanted to keep their cover despite the bloodshed. Dave glances down at Jackie one last time then makes his way back into the house. He will deal with the bodies later, come up with some story of a robbery gone wrong. For now, he’s desperate to see you. When he enters the house, he’s reminded that he got shot in the shoulder when you come barrelling towards him, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Dave!” Relief pours through you, nearly knocking you off your feet when you see Dave. Blood on his jacket but he’s alive. Throwing yourself at him and sobbing his name, you only pull back when you hear him hiss and feel him flinch. “I- you’re shot, aren’t you?” You should be more professional, less emotional, but you can’t right now. All you could think about was Dave dying, Jackie taking him from you before you could admit to him how you feel. 

“Just hit me in the shoulder.” Dave grunts, wincing as you move your hand down to probe the wound. 

“I- we need to get the bullet out if it didn’t go through.” You murmur, needing to make sure he’s okay. 

Dave nods, letting you lead him into the kitchen now that the threat is eliminated. There’s no ambulances or police on the way. No one knows anything, peacefully unaware in their little suburban faux peace. Dave grunts as he sits down, relaxing for the first time since he got into his car and he looks up at you while you rush around, trying to find the medical kit you both kept in case of emergencies. It’s not like you could go to the ER with your injuries. Too many questions. 

When you set the bag down on the table, Dave reaches for your hand, stopping you from continuing with the medical shit. “I love you.” He blurts out, the words feeling foreign on his tongue but he couldn’t stop them even if he tried.

You swallow harshly and you know that there is a tremble to your chin as you stare into his eyes. “I moved your stuff into the master bedroom closet.” You tell him. “I- I was planning on surprising you, asking you if you wanted to- to make the marriage real.” You exhale and manage to send him a small smile even though you are rattled. “I love you too and there’s something else you need to know.” Dave’s grip on your hand tightens slightly and he frowns, but you need to get this out. “I haven’t slept with every man in the neighborhood.” You confess. “Kyle was the only one and he pursued me. I didn’t- I wasn’t looking for anyone to fuck here until then.” As much as Dave hated the idea of everyone in the neighborhood fucking you, you figured he deserved to know the truth. 

He inhales deeply, relieved and yet so angry that he didn’t kill Kyle that day in the hallway. He could’ve prevented all of this. “When that motherfucker called, I- I was furious and - and so fucking scared.” He admits, “I can’t believe you took him out with a fucking sniper on you.” He says in awe, letting go of your hand so he can grip your hips, pulling you closer. “I can’t lose you, sweetheart. I’ll kill every person in this damn town before I let anyone take you away from me.” He promises, pressing his face into your stomach as he breathes you in, uncaring of the pain in his shoulder now the adrenaline is wearing off.

You don’t care that there is blood on your fingers, Dave’s and probably Kyle’s, you hold him close and run your fingers through his hair. “I love you.” You whisper quietly. “I- I was hoping that if something happened, you wouldn’t be here and be safe.” It’s crazy, but you didn’t want Dave to die because of you. Somehow he has come to mean more to you than your own life and it surprises you. But then again, it doesn’t - knowing that Dave feels the same with his confession. 

Dave shakes his head against your stomach, “I wouldn’t be anywhere else. I- I’d burn the world if anything happened to you.” He promises, kissing your stomach. “Baby, let’s get the bullet out.” He says, pulling back and hissing at the pain. He wants it out and bandaged.

Cutting his ruined shirt off, you play doctor with Dave. Concentrating carefully as you clean the wound and use a small pair of forceps to dig around in his shoulder for the bullet. Murmuring to him softly when he hisses a curse. Knowing that he needs to have it out and can’t really take much in the way of painkillers so he doesn’t bleed more than he already is. Finally, you pull it out and drop it into a small cup so you can start to sew the wound closed in order to bandage it.

“Fucker.” He hisses, “can’t believe that bitch caught me. We need to clean up the house, make it look like they abandoned it.” Dave says, “get rid of the bodies. Make it as clean as possible. I’m not ready to move.” He winces when you clean him up and start to stitch up the wound. “Fuck.” He grits his teeth while you finish up.

“There’s a pit, about ten miles away.” You tell him as you finish sewing him closed. “It’s a mine shaft that flooded. Plenty of things in the water that will appreciate a fresh meal.” It’s harsh, but you know that there would be an investigation with the execution style deaths of the couple. It’s better to make it look like they disappeared. “Take their cards and give them to someone to use.” Setting the needle down, you smear the stitches in antibiotic ointment and cover it with a clean bandage. “All done.” You promise, caressing his cheek gently. 

He turns his head to kiss your palm, “thank you, sweetheart.” He murmurs, watching you as you put everything away, tossing the used needle and things you used. “Come here.” He says, reaching for you to pull you into his lap. “I love you.” He nuzzles his nose against yours in a display of affection that seems to be reserved for only you.

“I’m sorry.” You murmur quietly, knowing this is your fault. If you hadn’t started sleeping with Kyle, this might not have happened. “This is my fault. I- do you think he was telling the truth? Is there a bounty on my head?” You don’t want to put Dave at risk if he wasn’t lying to you. You won’t make him live with a target on his head.

Dave bites his lip, pondering what you said. He has contacts who can confirm if there’s a price on your head. “He wouldn’t have done what he did if there wasn’t a price, baby. I’ll call my contacts tonight, find out if it’s true and if it is, we will move. Get new identification. I promise you, I’ll keep you safe.” He vows, kissing your cheek. “I can’t believe you killed Kyle with a red dot on your chest. That - that’s fucking sexy.” He chuckles, running his hand down your back.

You can tell that Dave is moving past the idea of there being a contract out on you, his hands sliding down to caress your ass through the leggings that you were wearing during your closet organization. “Yeah?” You smirk and make sure that you don’t touch that shoulder when you shuffle closer and start to straddle him in the kitchen chair. “You like that? Like that your wife is a killer too?” 

“You know I do.” He rasps, not wanting to play games. “I need you, sweetheart.” He admits and he leans in to kiss your jaw, “I want you.” He continues kissing along your jaw, “I love you.” He brushes his lips against yours, “I want to feel you.” He finishes before pressing his lips to yours, his hand squeezing your ass to rock you on his hardening cock.

“Don’t move.” You warn him, not wanting him to rip his stitches open on the arm that is curled against his chest. “I’ll do all the work.” You want him as much as he wants you and with one last kiss to his lips, you slide off his lap so you can strip down. Smirking as he watches you pull off your shirt, no bra underneath and then push you leggings off. Kneeling down, you bite your lip, working his belt open. “My brave husband, coming to save me.” You coo, reaching in and pulling his cock out. Wanting to make him feel good for putting his life at risk for you. Leaning in, you don’t waste time, sliding him deep into your mouth. 

“Oh shit.” Dave hisses, head tilting back as you take him deep into your mouth. “Baby. You- you don’t have to-” He feels so differently from that first night you sucked his cock. He doesn’t want you to do this, especially since you hit your head. He wants to feel you, to connect with you. When you hollow your cheeks, his eyes roll into the back of his head. “Shit. I- I - I want to be inside of you.”

Pulling off of him with a pop, you don’t tease him for how whiny he sounds because you know you are just as desperate. Instead, you climb back to your feet and straddle his thighs again. “I want you inside me too.” You moan, reaching between you so that you can place his cock against your entrance. When you feel the head pressing against you, you make eye contact with him as you start to sink down on his length. 

He doesn’t say a word as you sink down onto his cock, his mouth open slightly as he watches your micro expressions, falling in love with the way your brow furrows as your ass settles on his thighs. “Jesus, you’re so beautiful.” He murmurs, reaching up to cup your cheek with his hand, leaning in to kiss you.

You don’t hold anything back from the kiss. Opening up and letting him deepen it eagerly while you grind onto his lap, making sure that you are nice and open for him. You love the way his cock curves up inside you and the head butts up against your cervix. “I love you.” You breathe into his mouth when his tongue pulls back. “I love you, hubby.” 

“Love you too, wifey.” He chuckles breathlessly, kissing down your neck and his hand on his injured side grips your hip, making him hiss but he ignores the pain. He’s had worse. He loves how you grind down onto his cock, barely lifting up an inch. “No one's gonna separate us. I’ll kill anyone who tries.” He promises between kissing along your chest until he is taking your nipple into his mouth.

“Fuck Dave.” You gasp out, leaning back so that he can suckle harder. Your fingers tangle into his hair and you whimper when his teeth bite down gently. “Oh fuck, I love you.” You pant, closing your eyes and start to roll your hips a little harder on his cock as you get used to the angle. “It- it’s so sexy that you will do that.” 

“I’d do anything for you. Anything.” He promises, kissing over to your other tit and he groans into your flesh when you start to ride him a little faster. “That’s it baby. Take what you need.” He growls, biting down on your nipple before he sucks it, soothing the marks from his teeth.

You love how he always insists that you take what you need from him. Far different from the first, rage fueled fuck you had when he had discovered you were sleeping with Kyle. Every time turning into something deeper and more meaningful until you were right here. Your cunt clenches around him and you swivel your hips like you know he likes. You are going to get yours, but you also want him to enjoy this. 

Your moans and his grunts are the only noise in the kitchen combined with your skin slapping against his when you pick up the pace. “Come on baby, cum for me. My beautiful wife. Mine. No one's gonna take you away from me. I’ll fucking kill them if they try. I love you. Cum for me.” He pleads, his cock twitching inside of you as his emotions threaten to overwhelm him for the first time in his life.

You whimper, holding him tighter and feeling your entire body start to tighten up. It only takes a few more bounces on his cock before you are cumming, crying out his name and soaking his cock with your juices. Breathlessly panting as you feel him start to take over, chasing his own release. “I love you, I love you.” You promise him. “Fill me up baby.” 

He pants as you grip his cock, soaking him with your cum and he hisses when you continue bouncing despite your body shaking against his. His arm wraps around you to help you rock on his cock and he lets out a low groan when he cums, cock throbbing against he spills inside of you. “Shit.” He hisses and buries his face in your neck.

The feeling of Dave filling you up is amazing. Holding him close while he paints your walls, humming softly at the closeness, the love in the moment. “God I love you, Dave.” You whimper, turning and kissing his shoulder gently. 

Dave sighs, breathing you in. “Love you too sweetheart.” He murmurs, just pleased to have you in his arms. He’d take another bullet if it meant you being safe. “Let’s clean up and go deal with the bodies. It’s nearly midnight. We don’t want anyone walking out to ask what we are doing. We need to get their phones and cards too.” He is already transitioning into the killer again, methodical and precise. He won’t risk your life together.

“Yes sir.” You huff playfully, stealing one last kiss before you pull off his cock with a small groan and move to get your leggings and shirt. All of it will have to be burned anyway so you put it back on. “We’ll get everything taken care of.” You promise, relieved that he is home and both of you survived this. It could have ended very differently. 

**** 

Dave stands beside you while you watch the bodies sink, his arm around your waist as he pulls you close. There’s no one around and he takes a moment to just be beside you. He turns towards you after a few seconds, his gloves shoved into his pocket as he cups your cheeks, “I love you. We are in this together from now on.” He tells you, leaning in to press his forehead against yours. 

“Together.” You echo and Dave pecks your lips softly. This marriage was supposed to be a cover but Dave wouldn’t change it for the world. You are his wife and he will do anything to protect you. Even if it means murder. 

“Come on, let’s go home.” He says after a moment. 

“Home.” You nod, taking his hand so he can help you up the hill to his car. “So I was thinking we might need a baby to add to our cover…” You say as you get into the car. 

Dave stares at you in surprise, “a baby?” You nod, biting your lip, nervous for his answer. Dave sighs, pulling away from the curb after reaching for your hand. “Guess that means I’ll have two people I’ll kill for.” His answer sounds annoyed but you know Dave, a grin appearing on your face. A suburban life sounded like a nightmare at first to Dave but now it’s become his dream come true.

[nebulablakemurphy]

Moves & Countermoves (Part 7)

Summary: No one ever wins the games, even fourteen years later, Y/N is still playing.

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

“What’d you think? Should we climb it?” Tyson asks his district partner, teasingly.

She is two years his junior, still not an idiot. The giant pile of sand funneling in from the top of the arena is no hiking expedition. “No, we should save our strength, like Haymitch said.”

“Did you know the tallest mountain in the world was called Mount Everest? Before the founding of our great nation?” He presses on, largely ignoring Y/N’s sage advice.

“What do they call it now?” She wonders.

“Trick question; tallest mountain in the world was actually Mauna Kea.”

“Now’s a bad time for trivia.” Y/N decides, a hand at her brow to shield the blazing sun.

“It’s the only time we’ve got.”

Y/N startles awake, as she always does from dreams of him. Dreams of a stranger, who in under two weeks became her best friend. The games are funny that way, time moves differently there. People who standby you in the arena become closer than people you’ve known for years. The ones that haunt you forever.

She thinks of him often. Though Y/N never had a brother, she decided a long time ago, that is where Tyson fit. How he taunted and teased her, protected and loved her, all at the same time. And when she named her son Everest, sealing the tiniest drop of Tyson in her blood, Y/N found some peace with it. Giving new life to the boy who died so that she might live.

When she hears Peeta recounting the day he fell in love with Katniss, her heart sinks. The gamemakers won’t let them both win. They can’t. President Snow simply won’t allow it. And if what they’re saying now is true, even if one of them survives…

“There’s backstory,” Haymitch muses.

Maybe he believes Seneca would do it, two victors. Or maybe he just wants her to believe that he believes. One thing about Haymitch is that he will lie, either straight up or simply omit key details to shield Y/N. Protect her at any cost, as if she were some fragile thing.

She used to hate it, until she understood. Not fragile; precious. Something more valuable than money, or secrets, even booze. If anything happened to Y/N, his world would simply stop turning. The sun would set and never rise. She is a precious commodity of extremely limited supply. She could never be replaced.

“You need medicine for that leg.” Katniss changes the topic of conversation.

“I don’t get many parachutes.” Peeta admits, though he doesn’t tell her why.

“We’ll figure something out.”

“Like what?”

“Something.” Katniss huffs, into the dimly lit cave.

“I think that was the green light on the meds for Peeta.” It’s go time. Haymitch rises from the bench, offering his hand.

This particular offering will not come cheap, it’s time for the original lovers of district twelve to do what they do best. Work an angle.

————————————————————————

“What do you mean we can’t send medicine? We’ve always been able to send medicine.”

“Not my rules, Mrs. Abernathy.” The woman behind the counter says.

“Of course not, you just work here.” Haymitch smiles.

The Capitol employee returns the gesture.

“We’ve been raising this money all day and Y/N is obviously upset that we can’t go through with sending the medicine, but we understand. Is there any information you could give us to help put our minds at ease about the condition of our tribute?”

The woman looks to Y/N now. District twelve tributes rarely make it this far and everyone is quite taken with the young lovers. Against her better judgment, she motions for Y/N to lean down toward her. “There will be an opportunity for your tribute to receive medicine tomorrow.”

“Is there anything we can send today?” Y/N asks.

“You can send soup.”

“Soup.” Haymitch repeats, with false enthusiasm. “We’ll send them soup.”

————————————————————————

“Attention tributes, commencing at dawn, there will be a feast of sorts, at the cornucopia. Each of you need something desperately and we plan to be…generous hosts.”

“And that is why we couldn’t send medicine,” Haymitch laughs, staring down at the contents of his cup.

They’re trying to wrap this up, everyone’s off in different directions. Bring them back together for one hell of a show before curtain fall.

“Five needs food. Thresh just got bread so…maybe weapons? Two needs…armor? I don’t-” Y/N presses a finger against her temple, desperate for answers.

“You feeling ok?” Haymitch’s brow furrows.

“Yes,” Y/N bites out.

Her husband reels back. It is not uncommon for Y/N to mourn tributes, even ones that aren’t theirs. It is unlike her to take it out on him.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” Y/N apologizes, immediately. Taking one of his hands in hers.

Haymitch turns his gaze to their twined fingers, she’s shaking, “when’s the last time you ate something?”

“Not hungry.”

“You need to eat,” he decides.

“Nothing tastes right.”

“Listen angel, if they’re gonna poison you, it won’t be here.”

“I must be coming down with something.” Or the stress. Despite all of this, she’s never faired well under duress.

“Probably why you puked in that lady’s ice bucket.” Haymitch notes.

“You know what does sound halfway decent?”

“Hmm?”

“Those little cream puffs with powdered sugar on top.”

Haymitch grins, “I’ll bring a plate.”

He hovers after that. Y/N can’t stand hovering, but she tolerates it. Understanding that it comes from a place of love. She didn’t mean to worry him.

Haymitch can’t sleep. Even after Y/N is out cold.

“I love you so much, Haymitch.”

She who brushes wayward hair from his eyes and runs her nose along the length of his, after the sweetest of kisses. She who believes in him and shows him each day there is a reason his life did not end in the arena. She is the best person he has ever known and he’ll spend the rest of his life trying to deserve her. To deserve that selfless, all consuming, love that she gives so freely.

“I love you forever.” Maybe even longer.

In that, at least he knows there is no cause for concern. Their marriage will not crumble, come hell or high water. Haymitch knows how badly she misses home, their children. In another life he’d ask for ten, as many as Y/N would give him.

The tiny garden, around the back of their house in victor’s village; where Everest plants carrots and other vegetables. Where Arista steals them to feed the wandering geese. The most taciturn, temperamental, creatures she can find are naturally the ones she chooses to care for.

Y/N’s syringes come like clockwork from the Capitol, every three months. Squandering any hope of tiny baby feet. Though she is the best mother, one who plays with her daughter and son, down in the dirt. A mother who loves her children more than anything.

Their lives there are a safe haven, one that exists only in their minds. There is no room for a place like that here. No safety for the children they’ve given life to. Only false hope and broken promises.

And if by some misfortune or Capitol ‘miracle’ a child should slip through, Haymitch would love them. Somehow, someway they’d all make it through. But he hopes, more than anything, that it is not now.

————————————————————————

There is no rush to the viewing room the next morning, everything the tributes need will be at the cornucopia. Katniss gets close to the bag marked ‘12’ and the girl from two is on her. Knocking her back with those damn knives.

They grapple around for a while, before landing with Clove on top. Leaving Katniss no room for escape as she holds the blade to her throat. Haymitch is seated on the bed, watching Y/N pace along the large screen in their bedroom.

Thankfully the boy from eleven takes out one of the two remaining careers. Overhearing her taunt Katniss and brag about killing his district partner.

“Just this time, twelve.” Thresh tells her, gathering his bag from the table. “For Rue.”

With that they’re off; Thresh back to solitude and Katniss to Peeta.

He’s still asleep when she arrives, waking only to the sound of her voice. “I got it. I got your medicine.”

“What happened to you?” Peeta’s eyes focus on the gash across her forehead, courtesy of Clove.

“I’m fine.” Katniss busies herself with opening the canister.

“No you’re not,” Peeta reaches up, “what happened?”

“The girl from two, she threw a knife.”

“You shouldn’t have gone, you said you weren’t gonna go.”

“You got worse.” She replies, simply. Spreading the salve over the length of his wound.

Peeta allows a small cry to pass his lips, grabbing at her wrist. “You need some of that too.”

“I’m ok.” Katniss is more worried about him.

“That feels so much better.” He sighs. “Now you need some too.”

“I’m ok.”

“No, come on. You need it too.”

“Alright.” Katniss finally agrees. Watching Peeta’s tender expression as he thumbs the cream over her injury.

When they wake to the computer generated sunrise and find their cuts have healed, the star crossed lovers set off in search of food.

Peeta to the left, foraging berries while Katniss goes to hunt. Though the separation is not ideal, his heavy footsteps would send any potential prey running. The archer is ready to score them some breakfast when the cannon sounds.

It’s for the girl from five. But Katniss doesn’t know that, so she sets off in search of Peeta.

This time, Y/N and Haymitch are down in the viewing room, overhearing the chatter around them.

“Those berries must be poisonous.”

“I hope Katniss finds him in time.”

Katniss calls out for Peeta again, colliding into him a moment later as Peeta rushes toward the sound of her voice. His fist still closed around a handful of blue berries.

“What happened? Are you ok?” Peeta wonders, holding her tightly as she trembles.

“I heard the cannon. I thought you were dead.”

The boy rests his chin against her shoulder, “I’m right here.”

Katniss pulls back to scold him, smacking the berries from his hand. “That’s nightlock, Peeta. You’d be dead in a minute!”

“I didn’t know,” he stammers.

“Scared me half to death, damn you.” Then she is hugging him again. She can’t explain it, the need to feel him close, know that he is safe.

“I’m sorry.” Peeta breathes, soothing her with a gentle hand, down the length of her back. “I’m sorry.”

When they have settled enough to keep moving, they make the discovery of the red head’s body. Her mouth stained magenta and a few berries still in hand, eyes wide and open.

“I never even knew she was following me.”

“She’s clever.” Katniss always thought so.

“Too clever.”

Katniss leans down, collecting the berries from her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Maybe Cato likes berries too.”

It’s only half past noon when the sun sets, quickly and without warning.

“Must be in a hurry to end it.” Katniss reasons.

Y/N’s leg is bouncing faster now, vibrating almost.

Haymitch reaches out a hand, resting it atop her thigh to still it.

They wait there, in uncomfortable silence, until the sound of mutts causes Y/N to jump. Even Haymitch flinches when the animals appear, like something out of a nightmare, bits of the fallen tributes mixed in.

They take Thresh, tearing him to pieces and Y/N doesn’t fight when Haymitch wraps her up in his arms. Making a place for herself in his lap, legs dangling over the side of his, not caring if she is heavy. He of course, doesn’t mind, pressing a kiss to the underside her jaw.

Cato is waiting at the top of the cornucopia. When Peeta and Katniss inevitably end up there, the three of them have it out. With Cato’s arm around Peeta’s neck, Katniss is left with no good choices. If she shoots the career’s hand where Peeta is pointing and she misses… But if she doesn’t shoot, he’ll kill Peeta anyway. She takes a deep breath and lets the arrow fly.

Cato’s death is a quick one, a mercy he may not have shown with roles reversed. But it is over, leaving just the tributes from district twelve. Gone is the shadow of night, the sun returning to illuminate the finale.

“Attention, tributes, attention, there’s been a slight rule change.”

Katniss draws her bow, fearing that they are somehow not alone.

Haymitch shifts, bracing himself.

“The previous revision allowing two victors from the same district has been…revoked. Only one may be crowned. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.”

Katniss and Peeta turn back to one another.

“Go ahead.” Peeta insists, “one of us should go home. One of us has to die, they have to have their victor.”

“No,” Katniss tosses her weapon down, stepping over it to close the space between them. “They don’t. Why should they?” She pulls the nightlock from her pocket.

“No,” Peeta covers her hand with his own.

“Trust me.” Katniss whispers, “trust me.”

And Peeta does, accepting the berries into his palm.

Haymitch lets out a breath, patting the outside of Y/N’s thigh, affectionately. “You did it.” He murmurs, “there’s your victors.” Even though it isn’t fair, even though there will be nothing to show for it. They won.

Y/N leans farther into his embrace. Wishing more than anything for the chance to tell Peeta that she is proud and to tell Katniss…

“Together?” The boys asks.

“Together,” Katniss repeats.

“Ok. One.” Peeta runs his fingertips down the length of her braid.

“Two.”

“Three.”

Together they raise the poison toward their lips.

“Stop.” A voice rings through the arena, “stop! Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the winners of the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games.”

For this, the four of them will surely be punished.

Part 8

Series Taglist: @praline357 @flowercrowns-goodvibes @justheretoparty420 @avocadotoastwithegg @officialjellydoughnut @whoreforfictionalpeople @treehouse-mouse @emo-markie @spilled-mi1k @magical-spit @greaser9902 @jessicamellarky @yourebuckingkiddingme @smuha2004

[glagger-true]

Not really an analysis post like I promised yet, but I really just wanna ramble about how much I like that Dave both shares a struggle with and integrates an aspect of whichever love interest he chooses.

Both Dave and Sal deal with the survivor's guilt of losing a loved one and it's effects. So Dave becomes introspective and patient like Sal as they grow close to both support Sal and cope with it himself.

Both Dave and Orlando have parents who failed them. In opposite ways. And Dave becomes stubborn and attentive about protecting the feelings who he loves like Orlando does to understand that he can move past that shadow and help Orlando do the same.

Both Dave and Dean have a trauma that makes them feel like they need to overcompensate all the time. And act in harmful ways a result. Dave gets confident and mature like Dean as they grow closer and more honest with the other to tackle that issue together better.

Both Dave and Hoss struggle with being open about their feelings and trusting people with their struggles. So Dave is taught better self-care and how to be more perceptive about himself and others through Hoss to learn how care for himself better and deal with his feelings. As well as inspire Hoss to open himself up more.

Both Dave and Tyson deal with self-loathing and emotional disconnection. Which makes their usually positive bond toxic for both oftenly. Dave becomes more assertive and direct like Tyson as their relationship gets more intimate and that helps both him and Tyson acknowledge and accept their feelings. Helping them become healthier partners.

Both Dave and Roswell deal terribly with the idea of losing their loved ones. Feeling responsible for any harm that befalls them. It's by learning from Roswell's perspective about life and death, as well as accepting to love him knowing his death is unavoidable, that Dave learns how to cope with loss better. Giving himself and Roswell the opportunity to focus on and value themselves and their feelings first for once rather than thinking just about everyone else's.

Funnily enough, most of these are likely all unintentional. But I still think it's cool that they're there anyways because it shows one my favorites traits about Dave. Which is how full of potential for learning and growth he is.

He might be the same person in all routes, but the paths he can take as he develops and grows with his loved ones are limitless and unique.

I just think he's neat.

[la-cosmonauta-extraterrestre]

How to learn physics as an adult

I'm creating this post in response to some posts @un-ionizetheradlab made the other day, but I'm creating this as a guide to anyone this is relevant for. It's going to be a long post, but pick and choose what to do from this list based on what works for you and what your goals are, whether it's just to gain basic scientific literacy or become a physicist (or something in between). Also remember that it's a journey not a sprint, so it's ok if you don't understand physics at first (and if it makes you feel better, physics was one of my worst subjects in school and now I have a master's degree in physics). Without further ado:

First Thing's First

There are some mathematical methods you need to learn to understand physics; there's no way around this:

Vectors: This is the most important thing to learn for physics, how to use vectors. It seemed every mathematics or physics class I took in my first year of my physics degree started with an introduction to vectors, and for good reason. You can learn about how vectors work on Khan Academy for free.

Matrices and Tensors: Once you've mastered vectors, learn about matrices and linear algebra, and perhaps go on to learning about tensors once you're at it. You can at least get the basics about matrices from Khan Academy, but you might want to invest in a linear algebra textbook.

Calculus: I said vectors are the most important thing to learn for physics, but it actually might be calculus. If you have absolutely no previous knowledge of calculus, you can watch the video "Calculus at a Fifth Grade Level" on YouTube; it's a little more advanced than fifth grade level but can give you a good feel for what calculus is about. Once you've done that, there are multiple calculus courses available on Khan Academy. There's also a calculus course available on Brilliant, but it might only be available through the paid version.

Ordinary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems: You don't need to learn these right away, but if you want to do physics at the upper undergraduate level, you'll need to learn these at some point.

2. Learning to Think Like a Scientist

Some suggestions of apps and things to watch if you don't know much about science so you can start thinking like a scientist:

SciShow: If you don't know much science at all, SciShow on YouTube is a good place to start, I used to watch it and as I recall it's more focused on life sciences but there's some physics videos there, too.

Ciencias De La Ciencia: This is sort of a Spanish version of SciShow but it's more physics-focused. At least some of the videos have subtitles if you don't know Spanish.

Cosmos: If you haven't seen Cosmos (either the old version with Carl Sagan or the new version with Neil DeGrasse Tyson), it's very good and at least some of the episodes are available for free online. It's more pop-science and history of science than actual science content, but at least they make a point of using anecdotes from the history of science to illustrate how the scientific method works.

Sabine Hossenfelder: Highly recommend her YouTube channel; she's one of the most intellectually honest scientific communicators in the world nowadays. Her videos are a good illustration of how to think like a scientist. She also has a blog and has written a few books.

Brilliant: This is an app with mathematics and science courses that places an emphasis on problem-solving. Most of the courses are only available on the paid version of the app (but you should be able to get a discount on it if you're subscribed to any mainstream science YouTubers), but even the free version gives you access to a few courses, plus a forum where people post problems. I had this app back in the day and liked solving problems on the forum (no idea if it's changed since then).

3. Books to Study

If you're committed to learning physics you should study from some textbooks:

Physics LibreTexts: This is a whole collection of university-level physics textbooks for free online. It's an invaluable resource for learning physics. Use it to learn classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, modern physics (but don't jump into quantum mechanics straight away if you're just starting out in physics).

Landau and Lifshitz Course of Theoretical Physics: This was the physics school curriculum in the Soviet Union; it's a little dated now but if you're just learning the basics it can't be beat given the excellent pedagogy. It's easy enough to find copies of it online, especially on Russian sites. Most if not all of the textbooks in the series have been translated into English, but if you know any Russian, the original is easy to follow.

Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J. Griffiths: Once you've learned mechanics, modern physics and some electricity and magnetism get yourself a copy of this textbook; you can get used editions on Amazon for a reasonable enough price. American physics majors are obsessed with this textbook, refer to it as the Bible, and for good reason.

Every Life is on Fire by Jeremy England: This isn't a textbook, but reading it took me back to my statistical mechanics class and it's way more readable than any actual statmech textbook so if you are interested in learning statmech, this book is a good start. It's actually a general reading book about England's ideas about the origin of life, interspersed with some parallels to the Hebrew Bible because England is also a rabbi. He actually has some interesting ideas about the philosophy of science, though they can be difficult to get behind, so if you're interested go listen to a podcast where they interview him (obligatory I don't condone the Kahaneist politics he sometimes promotes).

4. Learn About Research and Experiments

Physics is an experimental science, so expose yourself to some experiments:

Look for PDFs of high school physics labs online. You can find some for free and it should be cheap enough to do the experiments at home.

Read scientific papers on topics that interest you to try and understand what's happening today. If you find them difficult to understand, try reading older papers and go from there, for example, in undergrad I did a research internship relating to neutron stars, but I found some of the recent scientific papers difficult to understand, but reading the 1938 paper "On Massive Neutron Cores" by Oppenheimer and Volkoff helped me to understand neutron stars better. (When I returned to some of those same papers during my master's degree, I was proud to have understood them well.)

5. Take University-Level Physics Courses

You can take university-level physics courses without committing to a degree:

Search online for MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). You can find MOOCs on multiple sites about many physics topics, and they're often free (sometimes you have to pay for them).

If you live in the United States, you can take physics classes at your local community college.

You can enroll in online physics courses through Open University, based in London but you can take the courses from anywhere. It's expensive, but you pay by the credit so you don't have to pay for a whole year of tuition if you're just taking one course.

If you happen to have free time in the summer and the money for it, many American universities (and elite British universities) offer summer courses that one can enroll in even if they don't attend the university. These are usually in-person classes.

6. Get a Physics Degree

Getting a physics degree is ultimately the only course of action if you've decided to become a physicist, the recommended course of action if you're ultimate goal is a PhD in the history of science or philosophy of science, and a good idea if learning physics has made you want a career in science communication of science education. There's no shame in being a non-traditional age student; in both my bachelor's and master's degree in physics I knew students who were non-traditional age. The downside of this is that it's a bad financial decision to get a degree, especially if it's a second bachelor's degree, but there are ways to lessen the financial burden of a degree:

If you attend an American university with American tuition, you can usually get an on-campus job, though that's pocket change compared to the costs of tuition.

On the bright side, if you already have a bachelor's degree you can probably get credit for general requirements at American universities, so a second bachelor's degree in physics might not take long.

You can also do a part-time degree while you work at many universities.

Just some general advice, if you go the American university route go to a university with a Society of Physics Students and get a student membership in American Physical Society; you get all kinds of benefits like access to Physics Today magazine, scholarships, internships, conferences, an honour society induction.

All that said, it's difficult to attend an American university without losing money. For that matter it's difficult to attend any university in the world without losing money, but you can lessen that burden by going to a country where university is cheaper. There the limiting factor is going to be language; although English is the international language of physics and the medium of most postgraduate physics degrees around the world, physics bachelor's degrees are usually in the local language. Some possible exceptions I found to this, for those who are not fluent in a language other than English:

Apparently there are world-class English-medium physics degree programmes in France? I figure there must be some kind of catch given the way the French are about their language, but given the high research output France has in physics, this is worth getting into.

There are English-medium physics bachelor's degrees in the Czech Republic, and tuition there is pretty affordable (for the English-language degrees; it's free for Czech-language degrees if you happen to be fluent in Czech). I don't know Czechia to have a lot of physics research output today, but back in the day Prague was a major centre of scientific research (Einstein briefly lived and worked as a physics professor in Prague), so it you're goal is to do a PhD in the history of science...I'm just gonna say that there's an English-medium physics bachelor's degree programme at Charles University and you'd have time when you're not studying to explore the city and it's history (but you should learn some Czech if you're going to live there).

University degrees in South Africa are usually English-medium, and tuition there is pretty affordable. There's also a fair amount of research output from South African universities. (Though I understand not wanting to live in South Africa.)